Inside Connors' biology lab, Peter had cleaned up the mess. He had also bought some hamburgers and snacks, which he placed in front of Dr. Connors.
"Doctor, you should eat something. You need the energy to keep going with the experiments," Peter suggested.
Connors let out a helpless smile. "No, Peter. This might be our last experiment."
Peter, mid-bite, froze at Connors' words, confused by what he meant.
"Doctor, what do you mean?" Peter asked cautiously.
"Peter, I think you already know. My research is funded by the university and Oscorp," Connors began to explain. "But after all these years, my experiments have made no significant progress."
"Oscorp and the university have already issued a final ultimatum: if I can't make any tangible progress within a week..." Connors paused, his expression turning complicated.
Peter had a sinking feeling, already guessing what Connors would say next, though he didn't want to believe it.
Connors took a deep breath before continuing. "They will pull all my funding, and revoke all of my current research results."
After saying that last sentence, Connors seemed to deflate, collapsing onto the sofa as if all the strength had been drained from his body.
He knew deep down that after two years of failed experiments, it was almost impossible to develop a gene serum capable of regenerating lost limbs in just one final week.
"Dr. Connors, we still have a chance, don't we?" Peter said, trying to sound hopeful. "There's still that one last..."
But even Peter's voice trailed off, lacking confidence. He clearly didn't believe they could achieve such a breakthrough within a week either.
Still, this was his one shot at making a name for himself, and he didn't want to give up. But could they really overcome the current predicament? Peter wasn't so sure.
The lab fell silent, except for the occasional rustling sounds coming from within the glass cages.
"Peter, why don't you go home for now? You haven't spent time with Ben and May in a while," Connors suggested softly.
"But, Doctor..."
Connors smiled again and said, "Don't worry, I'll be fine. You should go. I'll stay and sort through the data from these past few years. Maybe I'll find something valuable."
Peter finally nodded, albeit reluctantly. He realized that what Connors needed most right now was some time alone to think things through.
After Peter left, Connors was left alone in the lab. He absently rubbed the empty sleeve where his right arm used to be and let out a long sigh. "Sigh..."
Then he stood up and looked over at the lab table, where a rabbit had recently died during one of his experiments. Suddenly, Connors' pupils constricted sharply.
"What's going on?" he murmured.
Though it was faint, Connors was certain he wasn't seeing things. The muscles at the severed part of the rabbit's front limb seemed to twitch!
Immediately, Connors began rifling through the lab equipment, eventually finding a magnifying glass, which he held up to his eyes to closely inspect the twitching muscle.
At that moment, Connors was sure he hadn't imagined it.
Next, he searched the lab again until he found a stethoscope. He quickly placed one end on the rabbit's heart.
When he heard the faintest of heartbeats through the stethoscope, he froze in disbelief.
Dr. Connors could no longer suppress his smile. "Hahaha, I did it!"
"I knew my decay formula wasn't wrong—it was a matter of dosage, a matter of dosage!"
"Hahaha..."
His laughter echoed throughout the entire lab, full of joy and relief.
---
Thirteenth District Street.
Alan and Gwen stepped out of the restaurant, both fully satisfied.
"Thank you, it was a delightful dinner," Gwen said.
"I feel the same," Alan replied.
Of course, Alan was pleased primarily because of the news about Tony Stark. Running into Agent Coulson and Happy had just been an unexpected bonus.
"Well, I think I should head home now," Gwen said shyly, fiddling with her fingers as she glanced at Alan.
"You've come all the way here, are you sure you don't want to stop by my place for a while?" Alan suggested.
"Your place?"
"Mmhmm," Alan pointed to a luxurious apartment building across the street.
"You mean... you live there? But aren't you...?" Gwen stopped herself mid-sentence, realizing she might have said something wrong.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend," she quickly added.
Alan chuckled. "Who says orphans can't have money?"
"Come on, let's go upstairs for a bit."
Gwen smiled and agreed, "Sure, I'm curious to see what a guy like you lives like."
"Lead the way, Mr. Alan."
---
"The view here is amazing!" Gwen exclaimed as she stood by the balcony, feeling the cool breeze.
Her golden hair danced in the wind, looking especially enchanting against the backdrop of the night.
Alan came over with two glasses of warm water, handing one to Gwen. "I ordered some tea, but it hasn't arrived yet. This will have to do for now."
Gwen smiled warmly as she accepted the water. "Of course, but it's a shame there's no wine."
"Your dad's a cop. If I drank, he'd probably arrest me," Alan teased.
Gwen giggled and then said, "You know, Alan, when I was little, my dad was my hero."
"Oh? What about now?" Alan asked.
"Now, I just find him annoying. He's always trying to control my life." Gwen sighed.
"Because of him, I've never had a boyfriend, not even a close male friend since middle school."
Alan was genuinely surprised by this revelation.
Wait a minute, does that mean Gwen... is still virgin?
In a country like this, where society is so open, it was almost unheard of for someone Gwen's age to still be innocent.
Alan couldn't help but be taken aback, but also... pleasantly surprised.
"Maybe your dad just wants to protect you," Alan suggested, thinking George Stacy had done a pretty good job after all.
Gwen grinned proudly and said, "I don't need his protection."
"Alan, I'll let you in on a secret."
"A secret?"
"Yeah. When I was a kid, I looked up to my dad so much that I wanted to grow up to be like him—fighting crime and upholding justice."
"Even now, that dream hasn't changed."
"So I secretly trained myself in martial arts. I'm not so sure an average person could beat me."
Alan's expression froze.
Wait, is this the same Gwen Stacy he knew? The one who seemed like she couldn't hurt a fly?
...