"Are you okay, Gwen?" Liz set down her camera and helped steady Gwen, who was stumbling.
At this moment, Gwen's headache wasn't easing up—in fact, it was getting worse. Her head buzzed like a bell, and she couldn't even feel the scratches she'd gotten earlier. All she sensed was a numb, tingling sensation.
"It's over now, but I'm still alive. Thanks, Gwen," Liz sighed, glancing at her broken camera. But she quickly shifted her focus back to Gwen, seeing how unwell she looked. She figured Gwen's state might be from the effort she'd made to save her earlier.
Gwen panted softly, reassuring Liz, "I'm okay, just a bit dizzy."
"It seems more than just dizziness," Liz responded, reaching into her bag to find a band-aid for the cut she'd seen on Gwen's arm. But as she examined it, she realized something strange: there was no wound where the blood had been.
"Gwen, your arm!" Liz exclaimed, still holding the band-aid. She was sure she'd seen a deep cut from the glass shards earlier.
"I'm really fine, Liz," Gwen replied, still unaware of Liz's concern. She clutched her head, trying to steady herself, and asked, "Have you seen Peter?"
"Peter? No, I haven't," Liz answered, her attention wavering from Gwen's arm as she tried to rationalize what she'd seen—maybe she'd imagined it. She took a deep breath and decided to call for help, thinking that Gwen might have an injury they hadn't noticed. But as she dialed, a new message appeared on her phone.
Curious, Liz tapped the link in the message, which led to a live video stream.
"Is that... the bird-man from earlier?" Liz gasped at what she saw on the screen. Gwen leaned in to see as well.
The video showed a bird-like figure battling a robot on top of a speeding subway train. Both seemed on the verge of falling off the train roof, making the situation look extremely dangerous. Just when it seemed the bird-man might lose, a mysterious figure appeared. He was clad in a sleek, black suit, exuding an air of mystery.
With a single punch, the stranger knocked down the robot, then easily kicked the bird-man off the train. Liz gaped at the sight, speechless.
"Is this some kind of superhero from a comic?" Liz marveled. She couldn't believe how easily the stranger had taken down the supposedly powerful bird-man and robot.
Gwen, equally stunned, watched the mysterious figure and suddenly thought of a name: "Spider-Man."
"Spider-Man!" Liz echoed her, excited. "He's got webs and moves like a spider—yeah, Spider-Man sounds right!"
As they watched, Gwen let her mind wander. It would be amazing if she could be like him. But since she was a girl, maybe she'd be called Spider-Woman or Gwen-Spider.
Her daydreaming was cut short when her phone rang. "Dad, it's me. Yes, I'm still at the Museum of Natural History in New York."
"What?!" Gwen's eyes widened at what her father said next—he warned her that the subway might crash into the museum. She quickly scanned the area; there were still many people inside.
"Get out of there, Gwen," George Stacy urged over the phone. "If the subway doesn't stop, it might crash straight into the museum."
"Gwen, are you listening to me?" George's voice was laced with worry. But Gwen was already racing towards the fire alarm.
With a sharp strike, she shattered the alarm cover and hit the emergency button, sounding a loud alarm throughout the building. The rumble of the approaching subway grew louder, its vibrations resonating through the floor.
There was no time for a full evacuation, so this would have to do. Without thinking about how she was suddenly so strong, Gwen grabbed Liz's hand and led her outside.
Liz, still shocked from hearing Gwen's conversation with her father, let herself be pulled along until they reached safety outside. As they stood there, Liz could hear the subway's roar growing closer, and she instinctively grabbed Gwen, stopping her from going back inside.
"No, it's too late, Gwen. Stay with me!" Liz pleaded.
"There are still people inside. I can't just leave them," Gwen insisted, pulling away and sprinting back towards the museum.
"Damn it!" George Stacy slammed his fist against his car seat as he raced toward the scene. He'd been listening to the whole conversation through the phone.
"I'm still here, Dad, but I need to help evacuate everyone," Gwen told him, her voice coming in short bursts from running so fast.
"It's too dangerous, Gwen, you have to get out of there!" George urged, his desperation clear.
"You always call me a lucky girl, Dad. Maybe I can outrun the subway this time," Gwen replied, trying to sound optimistic.
"You're human, Gwen, you can't outrun a train!" George's voice cracked, but Gwen ended the call, telling him she had to answer another.
She dialed Peter as she continued to evacuate the museum. Despite running for several minutes without breaking a sweat, she felt her breath quicken.
"Peter, are you okay? Where are you?" she asked hurriedly.
"I'm fine, Gwen. Are you still at the museum?" Peter's voice came through the line.
"Yes," Gwen replied, listening to the rumble of the subway as it drew closer. She kept directing the frightened crowd outside, using her newfound strength to pull adults to safety with ease.
"The subway's about to crash, Gwen. Get out of there!" Peter urged.
"I'll leave soon, don't worry," Gwen assured him, making a promise she hoped she could keep.
After hanging up, Gwen sighed, feeling a wave of regret. She realized that both her father and Peter must think she was being reckless again—always taking risks and causing trouble.
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