I got arrested.
Well, detained is probably more accurate. But still, here I am, being escorted by a cranky cop who seems to have it out for me. He'd yanked me off the street with barely any evidence and now insisted on dragging me all the way to the station.
"Could you walk a little faster, Mr. Adam?" he sneered, with extra venom on my name. I glanced down, suddenly aware of just how rough I looked: torn clothes, smudged face, hair resembling a bird's nest, and just enough bruises to complete the "I-was-mugged-last-night" look. But hey, you'd think he'd give me some credit for how ruggedly handsome I still was.
Besides, my body had upgraded. Gone were the ribs sticking out. Now, the sunken stomach were replace by lean abs and broad shoulders had taken the place of my bony ones. I was basically the picture of fitness—if you looked past the whole homeless-man aesthetic I was pulling off right now.
"Officer, believe me, I didn't do it," I pleaded, throwing in a bit of the ol' innocent charm.
He shot me a glare that. "That remains to be seen. You're charged with property destruction and battery on a police officer."
Okay, yeah, I might've thrown a light punch his way, but it was more of a tap than anything else. It's not my fault I don't fully control my powers yet! Worst case, I could always just run. He wouldn't stand a chance with my new speed.
"How long until we get there?" I asked, giving him my best 'innocent' look.
"You that excited to get sued?" he grumbled, still rubbing his cheek where my so-called "tap" had landed. I gave a sheepish smile. Can't really blame him for being ticked off. He probably thought he'd get a fat compensation check out of it. Too bad for him I'm dead broke. He wouldn't get a cent.
We trudged on, the cop muttering curses under his breath, until—out of nowhere—the wall next to us exploded. A massive, hulking figure crashed through it, knocking both of us flat as concrete chunks flew everywhere. When I looked up, the cop was buried under a pile of rubble. Guess that lawsuit isn't happening after all. HAHAHA
With a groan, I shoved a huge slab of cement off me and surveyed the damage. My clothes, already on their last legs, were now officially destroyed. "Man…I already looked like a beggar, and now I am one."
Just as I turned to get out of there, something yanked me back, and a sticky web saved me from a giant mutant fist. I looked up to see…a superhero? A black-suited figure with a pink-and-white hoodie on top. Her voice, soft and feminine, cut through the dust.
"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice full of genuine concern.
"Yeah, thanks…uhhh" I hesitated, suddenly feeling awkward. What was her name again?
"It's…uh…call me S-Spider?…Spider Ghost??"
"Thanks, Spider Ghost." I raised an eyebrow at her, still a bit puzzled.
"No! Wait, my name's the Gho—"
BOOM.
She got slammed through a café window before she could finish her sentence. Yikes. Wonder what she was about to say.
I waited for her to reappear, and sure enough, a minute later, she staggered out of the wreckage, the giant mutant still in hot pursuit. She took a deep breath, her mask slightly torn, and yelled, "My name is the Gho—"
WHAM.
The mutant landed a direct hit to her nose, OUCH!, sending her reeling backward. At this rate, I'd be here all night just trying to figure out what she was trying to say. This was getting ridiculous.
"Dismantle," I muttered, pointing at the mutant's leg.
The mutant let out a blood-curdling scream as his right foot turned into neat little cubes, and Spider Girl—Ghost?—took advantage of the moment to land a powerful punch to his chin, finally knocking him out cold. She glanced back at me, but by then, I'd already slipped away. Enough chaos for one night.
As I strolled down the street, I couldn't help but think about these superheroes and their painfully obvious names. Spider Ghost? Really? Just from that, anyone could tell her powers involved spiders and, maybe, something spooky. If I were a villain, I'd practically have their whole playbook memorized just from their names. But hey, not my problem. I wasn't about to join the ranks of those heroes anytime soon. Too much work for me. I'd just live a normal life with the former femboy.
Besides, I had more pressing concerns. Like my clothes.
I glanced down at my torn-up shirt and single remaining shoe with a sigh. "What a mess." My moment of sorrow was interrupted by a sudden notification chime.
[Would you like to use 100 points for a spin?]
"Huh? I thought I only got one tomorrow?"
[You slept through an entire day during the integration of 'Growing Strength.']
"What?! I slept that long?" I muttered, shocked. Not like I had anything better to do, but still. A whole day?
"Spin it, ChatGPT."
The wheel spun, each item flashing by too fast to read.
Ding*
[Result: A symbiote (A)
A ring (C),
Two Coca-Colas (F),
A Ski mask (D),
AM-RB 001 (C-)]
In a shimmer of light, all five items appeared in front of me. A ski mask, a classic, if slightly cliché accessory. An AM-RB 001—a whole car?—right on the street beside me. Two cans of Coca-Cola that I immediately cracked open and gulped down. A strange ring with intricate carvings, slipping onto my finger like it belonged there. And last but not least, the symbiote—a sleek, inky black substance that slithered up my arm and settled on me like a second skin. Damn, today just went from annoying to jackpot in under five minutes.
I hopped into the AM-RB 001, sinking into the leather seats and letting out a sigh of relief. Time to test out this baby.
________________________________________
Meanwhile, Gwen sat on the edge of her bed, fuming. Her debut night as a superhero hadn't gone as planned. She'd tripped over her words, calling herself Spider Ghost. The embarrassment made her want to scream every time she thought about it. And before she could correct herself, he'd disappeared without a trace.
A shout from outside jerked her out of her thoughts. Out her window, she herd a group of goons shouting in a nearby street. Quickly grabbing her suit, she swung out the window, ready to help.
But as she landed on the scene, the sight before her made her freeze in confusion. A man, disheveled and looking like a beggar with tattered clothes and only one shoe on, was stepping out of an extremely expensive car,
The car itself was a showstopper, that would draw all eyes. The Valkyrie's futuristic lines flowed like liquid metal under the streetlights, the carbon fiber body glinting darkly as the upward-swinging dihedral door opened. Inside, the cockpit was compact, streamlined, almost fighter-jet-like, emphasizing its exclusive, high-performance design.
The car's aggressive stance was low and sharp, with flared side panels and a massive rear diffuser, hinting at the monstrous power hidden within. Even idling, the faint hum of the hybrid V12 engine sounded like a caged beast ready to unleashover a thousand horses. As Adam swung out, he looked oddly mismatched with just one shoe on, his rugged, disheveled state contrasting starkly against the sleek, high-tech elegance of the Valkyrie. the door lifting upwards. And there it was—that face. She recognized him.
"Hey, aren't you that Spider girl? Or ghost?" he called, staring at her with that same bewildered look.
She bit back a scream of frustration, covering her face with both hands. Her only consolation.
AHHHHHHHHH