001 ... SUN. METRO. SIRENS.

"DO WE EXIST BECAUSE OTHERS PERCEIVE OUR EXISTENCE, OR IS, INDEED, OUR OWN AFFIRMATION ENOUGH?"

— Camus Comprix, Unsouled — Unwind Dystology.

🕷️

NEW YORK, NEW YORK CITY
EARTH-616

SUN. METRO. SIRENS.

Sun. Metro. Sirens.

Sun. Metro. Sirens.

Every single day in the same order. No exceptions.

These three steps, in an ever-Cartesian order, regulated New York's life.

First came the sun, slowly ascending into the sky to chase away the darkness left by the night, and those who used the latter to their advantage. It called out to the early risers who served as the prow of the resurgence of life, putting the city back on its feet. With its race across the sky, it punctuated the action of the other two elements.

Then came the metro, carrying these early workers. Its arrival was like an alarm (before the condemning, martial sound of the sirens) for those whose playground had been the night. New York's unofficial flag. A reminder that it was time to blend in, to not let themselves be discovered under the sun's revealing rays.

And finally the sirens. The Big Apple's officious anthem. They replaced the effort of the metro, exposing to the light those who continued to hide in the scarce darkness, carrying on the work provided by the moon. Wherever one was, their repetitive sound drummed in the heads of everyone around, like a countdown to the end of the cycle.

Such a harmonious (and particularly noisy) ensemble, which nevertheless, hung by a thread. An Ariadne's thread that had to be followed like Little Poucet's pebbles, for a single deviation could take this balance to a point of no return.

All you had to do was turn on the sirens before the metro and this Ariadne's thread would be cut, the same way the lifeline spun by the Moirai was.

Luz watched this cyclical sequence every day, from the appearance of the first element to its disappearance in the meanders of the night. She had never realised that this equilibrium was so fragile, as fragile as the mug of hot chocolate in her hands. A deceptive, veiled appearance, cloaking a malignant interior.

What she had learned in these recent weeks had definitely opened her eyes to the febrile nature of things.

     "¿Tía Luz?" rose a voice that still sounded hoarse, wrapped in the sheets of a heavy sleep, its holder approaching the railing against which she was standing.

A tuft of black hair appeared in her field of vision, looking for a moment at the life that was gradually returning to the streets, before slipping under her right arm.

The young woman smiled slightly before bringing the cup to her lips again, following with her gaze the movement of the little boy who turned to look at her, his big eyes speaking for him.

     "No la dejes caer." she finally told him after rolling her eyes, handing him the still-warm drink, which he caught with both hands. "Y no te quemes."

Silence settled again as aunt and nephew watched the streets fill with people, periodically interrupted by Miles' gulping noises as he sipped the chocolate.

Playing with the mug handle for a moment, the little boy turned again to look at Luz. "¿Tía Luz?"

     "Hmm?"

     "I don't feel like leaving." he finally said softly, burying his head in her belly as his arms encircled her just as vigorously.

The young woman took the cup and placed it on the edge of the balcony, gently caressing Miles' back. The scene was not unfamiliar to her; every Monday, after babysitting him for the weekend, the kid tried to persuade her to keep him a little longer.

     "Tenemos un acuerdo, right Miles?"

     "Yes." he replied in a barely audible voice. "But I don't want to go to school. I'd rather stay with you and paint sneakers."

     "Well, I do want to be retired, but here I am."

Miles laughed, breaking away slightly to see the smile on his aunt's face.

     "Retirement is for old people, tía."

     "My bones are starting to ache from carrying you on my back, I'll probably need a cane soon." she continued as her nephew's laughter grew louder.

     "I think a wheelchair would be better, I could push you through the streets!"

     "Just say you want to kill me swiftly." she retorted, a sneer at the corner of her lips. "But jokes aside Miles, you've got to go to school. Your mother will have my head if you don't."

     "But-"

     "If you want, I'll walk you to the school gate."

     "Really?" exclaimed the little boy at once, his eyes full of relief.

     "If you get ready quickly."

Luz didn't have time to finish her sentence as he had already left the balcony at full speed. Shaking her head, the young woman retrieved the mug before she too went to the shower.

The journey from her apartment to Miles' school wasn't particularly long, but she'd deliberately taken a few detours to distract him a bit. Still in the middle of explaining the plot of one of his favorite cartoons, his bagel barely eaten, he didn't even notice that they'd arrived at their destination.

     "Oh, we're already here." he said with a pout that Luz had to admit made her want to make him skip school to spend the day with him. But just thinking about her big sister's reaction was enough to deter her.

     "We'll talk after Miles, I promise. But right now you've got to go show all those gremlins that you're the best."

Sketching a big smile, the little boy embraced her, remaining clinging to her neck for a few moments before parting.

     "Have a good day, tía! Let me know how your first day at work went! ¡Te amo!" he shouted as he dashed into the school grounds backwards, waving his hand in her direction, nearly knocking over a little girl who passed by him.

The young woman laughed lightly at her nephew's clumsiness, waving back.

It was when he completely disappeared behind the doors of the main building that she sighed.

     "Now, time to prove myself to a set of mutant arachnids."

🕷️

Several weeks ago...

It was an essentially human thing to wonder if there were uncharted territories beyond those one knew, places where it would be possible to make a place for oneself, a name, away from the expectations of one's current society.

Half slumped on one of the counters, the usual sound of the café's tumult mingled with the notes of music escaping from her headphones, Luz let the pencil in her hands transmit the opaque fog that intruded on her thoughts like a wolf hidden in the midst of a flock of sheep, putting them on alert without them knowing where this feeling of danger was coming from.

The young woman felt as if she'd just graduated from high school yesterday, stepping apprehensively onto the stage to share her aspirations and fears with her peers, all of whom were enthusiastic about the idea of finally being able to stand on their own two feet. They called her speech inspiring, oblivious to the many questions running through Luz's head, frightened by the idea of taking her first leap of faith into what society called "adult life". Maybe it was the fact that she graduated one year early, or that she didn't know if the path she'd taken was the right one for her, but even after completing her first year of undergraduate studies, the doubt was still there. Would her family be proud of her? Would she be proud of herself? Would he be proud of her?

The cadence of the pencil quickened on the yellowed paper of her notebook as a thin smile stretched her chapped lips, making her quickly run her tongue over them to relieve some discomfort. A short-lived solution, akin to poison since she knew perfectly well that the enzymes present on the muscle were simply too harsh for the skin barrier of her mouth, but she was far too deep in thought to move to fetch the balm which was surely at the bottom of her bag, mixed in with all the things she forgot to put away. Life was like that sometimes. We choose to deliberately suffer because we've got used to our toxic ways, unwilling to change them for they're the only ways that we know.

Luz may have had her doubts about her academic orientation, but the admiration in her nephew's eyes was the antidote her heart needed. He was ten now, but she'd never felt he expected anything from her. "You could never do wrong in his eyes," her sister had told her once. Although it had reassured her, there was this invisible, insidious pressure to be the epitome of perfection for him.

A light tap on the shoulder startled her, snapping her out of her reverie. Suppressing a sigh, she lowered her headphones into the crook of her neck.

     "Someone's asking for you, kid."

The young woman followed Stan's nod toward a table in a remote corner of the café. A woman with unusual hair was staring intently at her surroundings, the steam from the coffee in her hands clinging tenaciously to the round shape of her glasses.

Luz didn't believe in all those aura things, for she found them to be the most stupid idea created ever, among some (a lot of) things. However, she couldn't deny that the woman didn't strike her as a person with particularly good intentions. There was something about her she couldn't quite put her finger on, something that made her uneasy.

     "Who's that?" she finally asked, closing her notebook as she noticed the old man's curious gaze on the figures blackening the pages.

Leaning back against the counter she was against, he crossed his arms. "Didn't say. Looks kinda crazy if you ask me."

Luz laughed lightly before nudging him lightly with her shoulder. "Look who's talking."

Leaving the sound of her boss's laughter behind her, the young woman made her way up to the mysterious person who has been scrutinising her for a while now, furtively blowing a lock of her hair out of her face.

     "You were looking for me?"

The woman didn't acknowledge her immediately, reporting her gaze back to her hot drink, taking a sip in a movement that was deliberately meant to be slow.

¿Está gufeando o qué?

Placing her cup on a small plate, she finally clasped her hands together before looking up at Luz, who couldn't hide her jaded expression at her behaviour. "Please take a seat."

Looking skeptically at the chair in front of her, the young woman resolved to sit down, taking a closer look at her interlocutor. A heavy silence settled between them as a grin slowly spread across the brown eyed woman face.

Stan was right. She does look funny. She kinda looks like Professor Trelawney.

Taking one last sip of her coffee, she clasped her hands together, acting as if several minutes hadn't already passed. "Luz Morales, right?"

     "I believe that's who you were searching for, no?"

Ignoring the sarcasm oozing from her words, the woman spoke again, her smile amplified.

     "Dr. Olivia Octavius. You surely heard of me, given your choice of studies."

Luz straightened up almost immediately at the mention of the name, taking a fresh look at the CEO and head scientist of the Alchemax research company. Sure, she didn't look like the head of any organisation (of anything actually), but the often stereotypical appearance of scientists certainly didn't fail to do her justice.

The young woman continued to look at her before slowly nodding her head at her inquisitive gaze.

     "My advisors and I are looking for new interns... for a project. Your profile particularly interested us."

Eyes squinted, neutral gaze, Luz remained in silence as Dr. Octavius continued to outline her goal of involving students in her project, which she spoke of rather evasively. It wasn't the first time someone had come to her with the aim of getting her to join their companies, and they all had the same objective—the greed of profit. And that feeling that made her uncomfortable did have a toll on her opinion of her, leading the young woman to keep her walls up.

     "You don't seem particularly interested. Surprising." added the brown-haired woman opposite her.

      "What's in it for me? Obviously it would look great on my CV to have worked for you, I guess, but while you're exploiting my knowledge, what do I gain from this?"

     "Experience."

No jodas.

Luz reluctantly suppressed a laugh at her answer, simply sketching a thin smile before rising to her feet. "I can find experience anywhere."

     "On the multiverse?"

Stopping in her tracks, the young woman frowned slightly before turning to the scientist who gave her another big smile, seeming to be aware that the piqued interest of the girl was only the last step before her trap surreptitiously closed in on her.

Towering over Dr. Octavius now that she was standing, she crossed her arms over her chest, now more suspicious than ever. "Is that so?"

     "Why don't you come and see for yourself? I could arrange a visit for you, in the hope that it will lead to you accepting my internship proposal."

     "I'll think about it." replied Luz, taking the card she had handed her, her eyes following her until she disappeared inside a car of tinted windows.

This time, it wasn't a lie she was deliberately spinning to get people off her back—she was really going to think about it. As someone who constantly complained about the monotony of her life and the lack of cerebral stimulation provided by her studies, this was the perfect opportunity.

A little too perfect.

The grey areas the scientist had deliberately left about her project, as well as the air of conspiracy that seemed to tinge her words, had not gone by her unnoticed. She even wondered if there were actually other students. Not out of egocentrism, or a barely concealed superiority complex, but because the woman really insisted on the necessity of her involvement in the project. If she had other candidates, she would not have acted this nearly... desperate.

Returning to her place behind the counter, Luz took out her vibrating phone from her trouser pocket. Checking that Stan wasn't in her line of vision, she picked up the phone, paying no attention to the name on the screen.

     "¿Olvidaste?"

     "Good evening to you too, Rio. How are you? I'm good, thank you for asking."

     "Luz."

     "¿Qué?"

     "Te estamos esperando."

Frowning slightly, the young woman watched outside as the sun was slowly disappearing behind the buildings.

     "¿Pa' qué?"

     "You forgot that you're babysitting Miles for the weekend? Of all the things that you could've forgotten, I would've never-"

     "Wait, is it already Friday?"

     "Eres la que vas a la universidad."

Luz widened her eyes before hastily removing her apron, heading for the back of the store to collect her things.

     "Ay perdon mana, I forgot."

Rio's chuckle mixed with her nephew's shouts from behind, made her smile a little, contrasting slightly with the encounter she just experienced.

     "¿Hay mucho tapón?"

Trying as best she could to put on her sweater, the young woman waved goodbye to her manager before speeding off down the streets of Brooklyn.

     "Yes, I'll have to run. Nos vemos."

In the usual routine of New York, though exceptions swarmed the streets, there were things that never changed. Luz Morales being late was one of them.

🕷️

Two weeks later...

Breathe in. Breathe out. Push. The words hammered through Luz's mind, a rhythm as relentless as the beat of her fists against the punching bag. Her breath came in jagged bursts, muscles burning with every impact, but she didn't stop. She couldn't stop. The sweat clung to her brow, her focus tightening with each strike, while the weight of her thoughts was drowned out by the sound of leather meeting the bag with a satisfying thud. The curls of her hair fell in her face, obscuring her vision, but she didn't need to see. Her body knew the motion, the anger, the frustration that demanded to be expelled.

In the corner of the room, hidden in the shadows where other students trained with less fervor, a blond-haired man watched her, his eyes narrowing slightly as he took in the sight of her. His colleague's warnings echoed in his mind like an unwanted melody, but his resolve only strengthened. He could feel it—there was something about this young woman, something fierce, something raw. She wasn't just some hot-headed trainee. She had fire. She could make a difference. He wasn't the only one who saw it.

     "Seems to me you've got some accounting to do with that punching bag," he called out, his voice breaking through the pulse of her focus. His hand rested briefly on the bag, accepting the force of her next punch, his fingers curling around the surface with a grimace that barely masked the flicker of a smile.

Luz's fists froze mid-air, her gaze flicking toward him, her expression tight with irritation. She stood there for a beat, chest heaving with her labored breath, before letting her arms fall to her sides with a subtle, almost imperceptible sigh. She didn't take kindly to interruptions, especially not when she was in the thick of it. The bag was the only thing that kept her grounded right now, and whoever this guy was, he was messing with her flow.

     "I just needed to let off some steam. Nothing personal," she replied, her voice flat, her tone dismissive as she turned her back on him, heading toward her bag without a second glance. The conversation was over—at least, as far as she was concerned.

The man watched her retreat for a moment, feeling the invisible gap she had created between them. But there was something in her—something in the way she carried herself, the sharpness of her eyes—that made him push forward. He couldn't walk away, not when he was so sure she was the one. He closed the distance between them with a deliberate step, determined to make her listen.

She was sitting on a nearby bench, pulling at the bandages wrapped around her hands. The red-tinted cloth betrayed the violence of her training, the evidence of her no-holds-barred approach to everything in life. The man watched her, a flicker of surprise crossing his face as she removed the bloodied strips. It wasn't the kind of thing he'd expected from someone so young, so... determined. He took a breath, steeling himself before speaking again.

     "Luz Morales, right?"

Her body stiffened instantly, her back going rigid as her eyes flicked up to meet his, their sharpness like daggers. There was no hint of warmth in them, only suspicion.

     "This makes the second time in two weeks that someone I don't know has suddenly decided to 'recognize' me," she said, her voice laced with wary sarcasm. "Did my name get leaked somewhere on the dark web or something?"

The man's eyes widened in surprise before he laughed—genuinely, unexpectedly. The sound was a quick, breathless thing that rang out in the stillness of the gym, catching him off guard as much as it did her. His laughter only deepened the frown on her face, a hard line that didn't soften at all.

     "Did I say something funny?" she asked, her voice flat, but the edge of it biting. Luz had always joked about how she'd missed her calling as a comedian, but the moment felt too absurd for a punchline. Still, she couldn't help but press the question. She had to get him to break the tension somehow.

The man blinked, his laughter dying down as he shifted his stance. His face flushed slightly, the awkwardness of the situation catching up with him. "No, no... Well, maybe. But forget that. I need to talk to you about something important."

Luz let out a long breath, slinging her bag over her shoulder, preparing to walk away, but his next words stopped her in her tracks.

     "And before you say no, it's about your internship proposal with Alchemax," he added, voice lowering, his eyes locking onto hers with a subtle intensity. "I know you want to do the right thing."

The words hit her like a sudden gust of wind, her grip tightening on the strap of her bag as her brow furrowed in confusion. A thousand thoughts ran through her mind—every one of them screaming that this was too much, too coincidental. Why was this guy talking like he knew exactly what was going on in her life? Was he another scout from Dr. Octavius' company, sent to find her and offer her the same hollow promises? It didn't make sense. Why would someone from Alchemax be here, in the middle of her kickboxing club, a place far from any corporate office? And why did he talk like he knew her? She hadn't handed out resumes or bios—just a few bylines for the college paper.

     "Who are you again?" she asked, her voice quiet but sharp, the question hanging in the air as she tried to make sense of him.

The blond man hesitated for a long moment, as if caught off guard by the directness of her question. His shoulders slumped slightly, and he sighed—a sound of reluctant acknowledgment.

     "Peter. Peter Parker."

     "Is this why you're wearing this ridiculous cap?" Luz asked, her arms crossing over her chest, eyes narrowing as she looked Peter up and down with a new, amused curiosity. "It explains why people were staring at you so much when you walked in."

The surprise that flashed across Peter's face was immediate, as if she'd caught him off guard in a way he hadn't expected. He had been certain that she was so absorbed in her training that she hadn't even noticed his entrance. But here she was, dissecting him in one sharp look, her gaze never leaving his face.

     "I thought you didn't notice me," he said, a bewildered laugh escaping him.

Without missing a beat, Luz walked toward him, her movements smooth and confident. She gave him a casual pat on the shoulder, her touch brief but leaving behind a quiet tension. Then, without looking back, she began to head for the exit, her voice carrying over her shoulder with a hint of mischief.

     "I notice everything, Peter Parker."

     "Wait, where are you going?" Peter called after her, his voice a mixture of confusion and curiosity.

     "Well, we can't possibly talk here with the look on your face." She raised an eyebrow at him, her lips curling into a smirk. "There's a fast-food joint nearby with enough people to keep our conversation private. You're paying, though—I'm a broke college student."

Peter stared at her for a long moment, trying to make sense of the situation, before his feet moved of their own accord, carrying him after her down the streets of Brooklyn. She walked with purpose, her posture confident, while his mind raced with questions. He'd had a million plans in mind when he showed up here, but nothing had prepared him for the boldness of the woman in front of him. Nothing at all.

     "They certainly didn't warn me about that," he muttered to himself, half to her, half to the universe, as he tried to keep pace with her.

Luz didn't reply right away, her eyes fixed firmly on the road ahead. The silence stretched between them, a comfortable, almost palpable thing. But beneath her calm exterior, her hands trembled slightly in the warmth of her hoodie pockets. Excitement buzzed through her, a strange mixture of nerves and exhilaration curling in her stomach. What had just happened? Why was she so composed now when her mind was a whirlwind of questions? The words that had almost slipped out of her mouth—swear words, curses she'd usually never let herself utter—were building inside her, pressing against her lips, desperate to break free. But she swallowed them down, taking a deep breath as she kept her composure. She couldn't let herself unravel like that, not here, not now. Not when there was so much to figure out.

As they continued walking through the busy streets, the hum of Brooklyn's life around them, Luz felt an unsettling chill creep down her spine. The tension from her exchange with Dr. Olivia Octavius was still fresh in her mind, an undercurrent that threatened to burst forth. She had been so sure of her place in everything, so steady. But now, with Peter's sudden appearance and the weight of the internship proposal lingering like a shadow, that certainty had cracked. She didn't know what to make of this—of him, of everything. Her thoughts swirled together, a mix of curiosity, suspicion, and that nagging feeling that there was far more going on than she could see.

Peter, for his part, studied her as they walked. The woman was a puzzle, and he couldn't help but feel like she had already figured out half of the pieces. Her sharp tongue and sharper gaze were more than enough to keep him on his toes. And yet, there was something more beneath it—something raw and unspoken. She wasn't just the brash, confident college student she presented herself to be. There was a depth to her that he couldn't quite place, and it intrigued him more than he cared to admit.

They reached the fast-food joint, a small, unassuming place tucked into the corner of the block, the sound of chatter and the sizzle of fryer oil filling the air. Luz made a beeline for a booth in the back, sliding into the seat with a fluid grace. Peter hesitated for a moment, glancing around, but quickly followed her lead, sitting across from her. The din of the restaurant felt like the perfect cover for a conversation that was about to get very complicated.

As he settled into his seat, Peter noticed Luz's eyes never left him, sharp and calculating, as though she were trying to piece him together like a jigsaw puzzle. He had no doubt that she was already analyzing every move he made.

     "Okay, Peter Parker," Luz said, breaking the silence with a tilt of her head. "Let's get to it. Why are you here? What's the deal with this 'internship proposal' and why was I chosen?"

Peter leaned back in his seat, the weight of her gaze pressing down on him. He opened his mouth to speak, but for a moment, the words didn't come. He had rehearsed this conversation, he had thought it through, but there was something about her that made it harder than he'd anticipated.

     "Look, I know this is a lot," he began slowly, trying to meet her eyes without faltering. "But you're different, Luz. I've seen it. I've seen your potential, your drive. And we need people like you. We need someone who can handle what's coming."

Luz didn't flinch. She didn't interrupt. She just stared at him, waiting for the rest of the story.

     "Just... trust me on this," Peter continued, feeling the weight of her skepticism. "You won't regret it."

The moment stretched, thick with unsaid things. Luz's hands, still tucked in her hoodie pockets, clenched tighter. The buzzing in her chest hadn't stopped. 

She stifled a smile, glancing around the fast-food joint as the situation unfolded before her. It felt almost comical, like something out of the spy movies her dad used to watch. The kind where the plot was as predictable as it was thrilling, where the hero always emerged unscathed, no matter how tangled the web of intrigue. It was a strange comfort, though, how all the chaos seemed to unfold in such an absurdly orderly manner.

     "Are you okay?" the blond asked. His eyes, usually so lively, now had a flicker of genuine concern, making him seem more human than the mystery man he probably was.

     "Spider-Man just told me he needed my hep with something very important." Luz leaned back slightly in her seat, her expression flat and deadpan. "Obviously, everything's fine. I do this every single day."

Her tone was dripping with irony, the sarcasm thick in the air between them. The corner of Peter's mouth quirked into a slight smile. He could hear it—the teasing note that masked her nerves, the bravado she wore like armor. But he also noticed the way her eyes darted around the restaurant, scanning, calculating, suspicious.

     "You chose the place," Peter pointed out with a shrug, trying to lighten the moment, though his eyes never left her face.

Luz waved him off, shaking her head with a soft snort of laughter. "I'm not worried about you," she said, leaning back slightly, though the tension in her posture didn't fully disappear. "I mean, you're a spider, and I hate spiders—" She stopped abruptly, realizing she was giving away too much. A faint blush crept onto her cheeks, but she quickly masked it with a forced cough. "That's not the point."

Peter raised an eyebrow, sensing the sudden shift. She was always careful with her words, but in that moment, it felt like she was trying too hard to cover up something she didn't want him to know. He sat up a little straighter, intrigued by the small crack in her usual composure.

She leaned forward slightly, her eyes narrowing. "Aren't you worried that the people you want to talk about might see you with me?" Her voice had dropped to a near whisper, as though someone might overhear them at any moment. She glanced over her shoulder, as though expecting a lurking figure to pop out from the shadows.

Peter couldn't suppress a quiet chuckle, though he was more than a little surprised by her concern. For a moment, he was caught off guard, thinking back to the initial impression he had of her. She was sharp, definitely, but the way she'd just looked over her shoulder, as if scanning for threats, told him something else. It wasn't just the typical suspicion. This was genuine, a sign of someone who wasn't easily rattled—but knew when to keep her guard up.

He shook his head, his smile softening. "I don't think they suspect we want to warn and recruit you," he said, his voice a little less tense than it had been moments before. He wanted to put her at ease, even though he knew that wasn't going to be easy. Not with someone like Luz.

Her posture shifted, the stiffness in her shoulders easing just slightly as she processed his words. Her brows furrowed, and her lips pressed into a thin line as she digested his statement.

     "Recruit?" Her voice was laced with disbelief. She suddenly straightened, the sudden clarity in her expression making her look even more alert. "And what do you mean by 'we'?"

Peter winced slightly at the sharpness of her response, but there was no mistaking it—she was beginning to piece things together. 

He leaned forward, his voice dropping a little lower, the seriousness of the situation finally sinking in. "Listen, Luz," he began, keeping his eyes steady on hers. "This isn't about some simple internship, alright? It's bigger than that. And I'm not the only one who's been watching you. You know things... you've got skills that we need. And we're not talking about just me—there's a team, okay? People who are trying to stop something that could... change everything."

     "The multiverse... it's real," Peter said, the weight of his words sinking in, his voice steady but laced with a hidden urgency. "And I guess you already knew that, somewhere in your mind. I read your articles, Luz. To be honest with you, a lot of your theories aren't that far-stretched. Alchemax—"

     "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Paso a paso, ¿sí?" Luz interjected, holding up her hand as if trying to slow the flood of information. She leaned back in the booth, her eyes narrowing, trying to process it all. "How can you know that? Spying on me is one thing, but confirming that the multiverse is real?"

Peter didn't flinch. His expression remained stoic, though there was a flicker of something in his eyes—a shadow of doubt or guilt, maybe, but it quickly disappeared. "Someone... showed it to me."

Luz studied him closely. Her lips parted slightly in disbelief, but her gaze was piercing, trying to catch any hint of deception. She could tell he wanted her to connect the dots herself, the words lingering in the air like an invitation to figure it out. It was both infuriating and intriguing, and it put her on high alert, though not nearly as much as the unsettling vibe she'd felt earlier with Dr. Olivia Octavius.

     "Why don't you just tell me everything right now?" Luz asked, a playful edge creeping into her tone. She arched an eyebrow, her curiosity far outweighing her frustration. "Wouldn't that be quicker and easier?"

Peter scratched the back of his neck, his gaze avoiding hers for just a moment. He looked like a guy caught between a rock and a hard place. Finally, he managed a small smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Let's say that the person who showed me the existence of the multiverse... isn't really convinced of your abilities."

Luz frowned, feeling the tension stretch between them. "So you want me to guess what's going on so you can tell him you were right to want to recruit me?" she asked, her voice thick with suspicion. "Risky, don't you think? You don't know me."

Peter shifted, clearly uncomfortable under her scrutiny, but his words were firm. "I may not know you, but others do. Or did."

The air around them seemed to tighten, and Luz found herself lost in thought. The weight of his statement pressed against her chest, an uneasy feeling spreading through her. She glanced out the window, searching for something outside to ground her thoughts, but all she found was the reflection of her own tense face staring back at her.

Her mind was racing. "Okay, let's say you're right and that the multiverse exists," she mumbled, more to herself than to Peter, trying to piece everything together. "That means there may be other Peter Parkers in different universes, and if you're Spider-Man... that means other Spider-Men exist too." She paused, her gaze flicking back to Peter, her voice quiet. "You don't know me in this universe, but other versions of you, of Spider-Man, may know me... well, their versions of me..."

Peter's approving look gave her a moment of clarity, though it also felt like a small weight lifting off her shoulders. She nodded gently, taking in the reality of it all, the impossible becoming possible right before her eyes. The theories she had spent sleepless nights researching—questions that no one else had cared to answer—now seemed to be... real. The multiverse. Other versions of herself. Peter Parker as Spider-Man.

Puta madre.

Her breath hitched in her chest, her mind reeling with the sheer magnitude of it all. The multiverse wasn't just a concept she'd stumbled upon in articles or heard about in vague rumors. It was standing right in front of her, in the form of a nervous-looking blond guy who was Spider-Man.

     "Okay, but what does Alchemax have to do with any of this?" Luz asked, pushing herself to think through the haze of shock and disbelief. "And how am I fitting in this... multiverse thing?"

Peter hesitated, his fingers tapping lightly against the table, before he met her eyes again. There was something heavy in his gaze now, as though he was about to lay out something she wasn't prepared for.

     "You want to join Alchemax for their work on the multiverse," Peter began, his voice low and measured. "Because you want to confirm your theories—you're thirsty for knowledge. But I'm afraid the reason they want to further their research has nothing to do with a technological breakthrough."

Luz's stomach flipped, and for a split second, she could feel the weight of the world pressing down on her, the air thick with tension. "What do you mean?" she asked, the words coming out sharper than she intended. The room suddenly felt smaller, and the quiet clatter of the fast-food joint faded into the background as the gravity of Peter's statement settled in.

Peter leaned forward, lowering his voice even further, his gaze flicking around the room before he spoke. "Alchemax isn't just after the multiverse for research. They're after something more... dangerous." His eyes darkened, and there was a sense of urgency that hadn't been there before. "They want to control it. And they think they can manipulate it for their own gain."

Luz's heart skipped a beat, the implications of his words sinking in. "Manipulate the multiverse?" she repeated, disbelief coating her words. "How the hell do you even begin to control something like that?"

Peter ran a hand through his hair, frustration creeping into his voice. "I don't know. But I know they're willing to do whatever it takes to get their hands on it. And that's why we need people who understand it—who can see what they're doing before it's too late." He paused, his eyes intense. "People like you, Luz."

The silence that followed was deafening, each word hanging in the air like a promise and a warning. Luz's mind was spinning. Alchemax. The multiverse. Peter Parker, Spider-Man, sitting right in front of her. And now, the terrifying possibility that everything she had fought to understand could be twisted and used for something far darker than she had imagined.

Luz's mind raced, her thoughts swirling as she processed everything Peter had just dropped on her. The stakes were higher than she'd ever imagined, and the gravity of the situation was starting to settle in. She fixed Peter with a sharp gaze, trying to decipher the truth in his eyes. "Why me?"

The blonde leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable for a moment as his fingers drummed lightly against the table. His blue eyes held a flicker of something she couldn't quite place—something far deeper than the surface of the conversation they were having. He knew something she didn't, something that connected her to all of this, but he wasn't about to let her in on that yet.

     "Because you're smart," he said finally, the lie rolling off his tongue with practiced ease, though the tightness in his jaw suggested there was more to it. "You've got the potential to see things others can't, to understand what's going on. You're a natural at thinking outside the box. And right now, we need people who can do that. People who can question everything."

Luz didn't buy it. She narrowed her eyes, watching him closely. There was something off about the way he said it, something that didn't sit right with her. The answer was too easy, too perfect, and it didn't match the weight of the situation.

Peter's gaze flicked away, his hand twitching slightly as he reached for his drink, and Luz felt it in her gut—he was hiding something. But she wasn't going to push. Not yet.

She didn't want to seem desperate for answers, especially when the ones she had were already cracking the world she thought she knew wide open. Instead, she settled back in her chair, trying to maintain her composure despite the chaos brewing inside her.

     "Alright, Spider-Man," she said, her tone dry but calm. "I'll play along. But you've got to give me something more than that eventually."

He offered her a tight-lipped smile. "Sure thing, Luz. I promise I'll keep you in the loop."

But she could see through the mask he was wearing. He wasn't telling her everything, and that made her nervous. There was a piece of this puzzle that had everything to do with her—something she couldn't quite put her finger on—and it gnawed at her, the need to know growing stronger with each passing second.

Peter shifted the conversation back to business, unaware of how closely she was watching him. She couldn't help but feel like she was a variable in a much larger game. A piece that didn't quite fit, but somehow, was essential. The thought unsettled her, but she pushed it aside for now. There were more pressing matters to deal with.

She forced a smile, leaning in as she continued, "So... Alchemax, huh? Looks like you've got a lot to handle. You really think we can stop them?"

Peter met her eyes again, this time with a hint of sincerity in his gaze. "We have to. If we don't, there's no telling how bad it could get."

She nodded slowly, the weight of his words settling over her. For all the uncertainty, one thing was clear—this was only the beginning. And whether she liked it or not, she was already in way deeper than she ever expected.

IZIA'S NOTE

here's the first chapter of attraction code !!!!!! with a brand new comic cover that i made and can't stop looking at. i love myself like that (joking).

luz and miles' relationship 🥺🥹 && little stan lee cameo 👀

i think that's the first time i'm writing an opening chapter this long, but i'm quite satisfied with the result. miguel's not there yet, but we can already notice his grumpy self based on peter's thoughts. he will make his appearance next chapter though, prepare the fireworks 🤠. i don't know if peter's identity was already public before his death, but i took the freedom to assume so as his face was broadcasted everywhere when he died.

hope you liked the chapter, and don't forget to vote, comment and share, even a little comment makes my day 🥺

thank you for reading and see you soon! ❤️

© ADONYSIAC ― IZIA™