The next morning, Lucas Kane woke early.
After getting dressed and slinging a worn single-strap bag over his shoulder, he grabbed the documents Mrs. Snov had given him and headed out toward the subway.
Originally, he'd planned to take the bus.
But this was New York.
And everyone knew the subway system had a reputation.
Still, after checking the routes from his new apartment, Lucas realized there wasn't a direct bus to Osborn Biotech Tower. Taking the bus would mean transferring three separate times.
At that point, the subway was the easier option.
At least the fare was cheaper.
With that decision made, Lucas headed underground.
He regretted it almost immediately.
The smell hit him first.
A thick mix of sweat, food, damp clothes, and who-knew-what else rolled through the subway car the moment the doors closed. Lucas quietly shut down his sense of smell—an easy trick after months of Cosmo Awakening training.
Unfortunately, that didn't solve everything.
A guy with a guitar stood near the doors, loudly singing off-key while pretending the subway car was Madison Square Garden.
A few seats away, a massive woman sat calmly with a yellow python draped around her shoulders like a scarf.
Lucas didn't even want to know how she'd gotten that past station security.
But none of that was the real problem.
Subway pickpockets were legendary in New York.
And one of them had already picked Lucas as a target.
The man wore a hoodie pulled low over his face. From the way he watched Lucas, it was obvious what he'd decided.
Lucas looked like a subway rookie.
Someone unfamiliar with the small dangers packed inside a crowded train car.
Which made him easy prey.
The thief casually adjusted his headphones while drifting closer behind Lucas, humming along to the terrible guitar performance.
Then his right hand dropped.
A folding knife flashed open.
He aimed it toward the strap of Lucas's bag.
At that exact moment, Lucas suddenly lost his balance.
Or at least it looked that way.
He staggered backward two steps.
The movement slammed directly into the man behind him.
The thief hadn't expected it.
His hand jerked.
The knife twisted.
And the blade drove straight through his own wrist.
"AAH—!"
The man screamed, staring in shock at the knife buried in his arm.
Blood dripped onto the subway floor.
The surrounding passengers flinched at the shout, glanced over—and then quickly looked away.
The train pulled into the next station.
Doors opened.
People exited in silence.
No one called for help.
No one asked questions.
Lucas stepped off the train with the rest of the crowd without once looking back.
Behind him, he could feel several hateful glares burning into his back.
Lucas allowed himself a faint smile.
He'd been merciful.
If this hadn't happened inside a subway car full of cameras and witnesses…
The outcome would have been very different.
The guy had tried to rob someone wearing fifty dollars' worth of clothes.
Seriously.
Who mugs someone that broke?
Lucas stepped out of the subway station and onto the street.
Then he stopped.
"Gwen?"
Across the road, standing near the entrance of Osborn Biotech Tower, Gwen Stacy waved enthusiastically the moment she spotted him.
Lucas crossed during a break in traffic.
It had been two weeks since the Battle of New York.
And Manhattan looked almost untouched now.
Money had that effect.
Reconstruction had begun the same day the battle ended. Buildings damaged by the Chitauri invasion had already been repaired.
Even the exterior of Osborn's massive tower showed no sign it had once been blasted open.
Lucas glanced up briefly.
The building stretched high into the sky, rivaling Stark Tower several blocks away.
Then he looked back at Gwen.
"You waiting for me?"
"Of course," Gwen said with a grin.
Today she looked different from her usual Midtown High style. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail, and a white research coat hung over her clothes.
"If I didn't wait here, how would I uncover your secret?"
Lucas shook his head lightly.
"I don't have any secrets."
"You definitely do," she said confidently. "And I'm going to figure them out."
Her serious expression lasted about two seconds before she laughed.
"Relax, I'm kidding. Mrs. Snov called me this morning. She remembered you don't have a phone yet."
Lucas nodded.
"You also don't have an Osborn access card," Gwen continued. "She was worried you might not even get through the front doors, so she asked me to bring you inside and help you find that guy you were looking for."
She paused.
"What was his name again?"
"Max Dillon."
The future supervillain Electro.
At the moment, just an invisible electrical engineer nobody noticed.
"Right," Gwen said. "Come on. I'll take you to the Bio-Electric Engineering Department."
Lucas nodded.
"Thanks."
Gwen flipped her ponytail behind her shoulder and walked toward the security gates. After scanning her card, she spoke briefly with the guard and pointed back at Lucas.
The guard looked him over, then manually opened the gate.
"Thanks," Gwen said politely.
A few minutes later, she guided Lucas through the building with obvious familiarity.
Soon, they arrived at the Bio-Electric Engineering Department on the first floor of the secondary building.