The hum of machines filled the small underground lab. Tools clinked. Screens glowed with code and 3D schematics. Peter Parker stood in front of a half-formed suit—his Mark I armor, scarred and battered from the last battle.
Gwen Stacy walked in, tying her long hair back into a ponytail. She studied the damaged suit with narrowed eyes.
"Time to make it Mark II, huh?" she said with a smirk.
Peter didn't look at her. His eyes stayed fixed on the torn chest plate, the scorched spider emblem barely visible anymore.
"Yeah," he muttered. "Let's make it bombproof this time."
Gwen let out a short laugh.
"You know, it's not that easy. You'll owe me big time for this."
Peter turned to her, eyebrows raised.
"I promise. I'll do anything you ask."
Gwen blinked, caught off guard by his seriousness, then smirked playfully as she leaned on the worktable.
"Anything I ask?"
Peter's heart skipped a beat. Her eyes were glinting with something mischievous, and for a second, his confidence wavered.
"A-anything," he stammered, swallowing.
Gwen grinned and tapped her chin.
"Well, I'm definitely gonna hold on to that."
Across the room, Mary Jane Watson sat on a stool, pretending to scroll through her phone. Her red curls fell over her shoulder as she peeked toward them. She didn't speak. Didn't make a sound. But the way her thumb hovered, still on the screen, said enough.
She had no right to feel it.
Not anymore.
She was with Harry. Engaged, even. He had been there during the hardest nights, helping her rebuild. He loved her deeply. And she loved him… or at least she thought she did.
But watching Peter and Gwen laughing, flirting, working like they used to it stirred something inside her she wished was buried for good.
(You don't have the right, MJ. You made your choice...) she told herself, trying to smile again.
….
Meanwhile, outside the city, Harry Osborn and Robin were making their way through a quiet grocery store. The streets had been too dangerous lately. The Vipers—a gang tied to the shadow arms of the Sinister Six—had been spreading through New York's underbelly like fire. Keeping a low profile was the only way to avoid attention.
Harry glanced at Robin, who was carefully picking apples.
"Get the green ones. MJ likes those," he said softly.
Robin nodded, then paused.
"You think the Vipers are still tracking "
Harry's expression darkened.
"Always."
He looked through the storefront glass. There was no one outside… yet the feeling of being watched didn't fade.
Back in the lab, Peter stepped closer to Gwen as she fired up the suit printer. The new design began forming in the hologram: sleeker, stronger, more agile. A suit meant for a war.
(A war I didn't start, but I'm going to finish...) Peter thought grimly.
(No matter what I become along the way.)
And somewhere in the shadows of the city, their enemies were already sharpening their knives.
..
…
..
…
..
After minutes of building and working the suit
The sparks flew from Gwen's workstation, a cascade of light briefly illuminating Peter's focused face as he examined the armor plating laid out on the table. Thin threads of nanotech shimmered with a faint blue glow, slowly knitting themselves around the core of the new Mark II suit.
Peter tapped on the projected interface. "This vibranium mesh... it's syncing with the Stark polymer faster than I thought."
Gwen, wearing protective goggles and gloves, wiped sweat from her brow and smirked. "Told you. I'm not just a pretty face."
Suddenly, the lab doors slid open with a mechanical hiss.
Nick Fury stepped inside, his long coat catching the breeze from the hallway. His single eye scanned the room.
"How's the vibranium to your liking, Peter?" Fury's voice was cool, measured.
Peter turned around, holding up a gleaming section of the chest plate with the Spider emblem etched in. "It's like working with magic and titanium at the same time. Gwen's basically engineering a miracle here."
Gwen gave a sarcastic salute. "All I need is a Nobel prize and a week of sleep."
Fury walked closer, eyes narrowing at the holographic projection of the new suit.
"You're gonna need more than a miracle if this city keeps boiling over," he muttered. "Word is, they are moving."
Peter's jaw clenched. "I know. That's why I need to be ready."
Fury placed a small black case on the table with a metallic thunk. Gwen raised an eyebrow.
"What's this?" she asked.
Fury tapped the lid. It slid open slowly, revealing a compact module glowing faint purple.
"Energy core. Wakandan grade. Prototype. Don't ask how I got it," Fury said with a smirk.
Peter stared in awe. "This... this could power the whole suit. And maybe even—"
"Boost your web capacity. Increase armor reactivity. And… give you one hell of a punch," Fury finished. "Use it wisely."
Peter nodded. "I will."
As Gwen delicately began integrating the core, the faint hum of the suit's systems pulsed like a heartbeat. Something new. Something dangerous. Something ready.
..
The next morning, gray clouds blanketed the broken skyline. The remains of Midtown lay in ruin, soaked in dew, steel bones jutting out of concrete like ancient wreckage.
Peter zipped up his jacket, standing by the lab door. Gwen was hunched over the
workbench, her goggles fogged, arms deep in the Mark II's vibranium bracing.
"I'll be back before lunch," Peter said with a grin.
"Don't touch anything until I finish recalibrating the power core," Gwen muttered without looking up. "One spark, and boom—you're wearing a toaster."
"Got it. No spontaneous hero moments in the lab," Peter said, backing away. "I'll go see who needs saving outside."
..
Rebel Base – East Sector (Underground Facility)
Beneath a collapsed parking structure, the East Sector hideout buzzed with quiet urgency. Hanging lights flickered above rusted beams and patched walls. Rebels young, scarred, determined moved like clockwork.
Peter entered, greeted by the smell of sweat, oil, and old metal. Robin spotted him first, tossing a grin his way.
"Look who's here—our favorite arachnid in jeans."
Peter caught the protein bar Robin lobbed. "Still your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man."
"With a lab now. Tech-Man."
"Don't give me a new nickname. Gwen'll kill me."
Robin chuckled. "You're just in time. We're clearing the old comms tower. Vipers rigged it like a birthday party from hell."
Peter unwrapped the bar and bit into it. His eyes scanned the room.
Ganke Lee stood by a tactical map, his long hair tied back, a scar crossing his left brow like a signature. He barely looked up.
"Heard you're building a new suit," Ganke said, voice low but firm.
"Yeah," Peter replied, stepping forward. "Something that can take a hit—and give one back."
Ganke nodded slowly. "We could use more than just a suit. We could use a symbol."
From the far wall, Quin crossed her arms. Her silver-braided hair reflected the dim light, and the jagged scar along her jaw twitched as she spoke.
"Symbol or not—don't slow us down."
Peter met her gaze. "I'm not here to slow anyone down. I'm here to help."
Quin nodded once. "Then earn it."
Trey and Arlo, the rebel twins, bumped fists behind her.
"Spider-Man in the trenches," Arlo grinned.
"This is gonna be sick," Trey added.
Milo, the quietest of them, stepped forward. The faint glow of cybernetic veins lit up his forearm as he scrolled on a holo-pad.
"You're going to need enhanced mapping data before you enter the comms zone. I'll patch it into your HUD."
Milo smirked. "I'm the tech. You're the stuntman."
Peter smiled.
(These kids… they've lost too much. But they're still standing. Just like me.)
To be continue