At Alan's home.
Alan stood on the balcony, holding two cups of tea. One was for himself, and the other was for Gwen, who was about to return.
After waiting for a while, a white figure landed gracefully on the balcony railing.
"Welcome back, Miss Spider-Woman."
Alan handed over the tea in his hand. "Freshly brewed, it will help calm your nerves."
Gwen removed her mask and took the warm cup from Alan. She feel a somewhat good, though she still appeared a little downcast.
"What's wrong?" Alan asked with concern.
Gwen sat on the railing, looking a bit dejected. "I helped them, but they still want to catch me."
"If it weren't for you tonight, I might have actually been caught by my dad."
Alan gently nodded and then asked, "Do you think your father dislikes you, or rather, dislikes Spider-Woman?"
Gwen lightly nodded. One of the main reasons she wanted to be Spider-Woman and fight crime was because of the influence her father had on her as a child.
But tonight, she had nearly been caught... by her own father.
"Do you enjoy being Spider-Woman?"
Gwen nodded vigorously, then began talking about everything that had happened since she left home that evening.
How she had fought crime, how happy the people she saved were, and how she even ran into Daredevil and helped him resolve a gang conflict.
As she talked, Gwen gradually forgot about the unpleasantness from earlier. She realized how much joy being Spider-Woman truly brought her.
"Thank you, Alan."
"If it weren't for you, I think it would be really hard for me to keep going."
Alan smiled. "Go do what you love, and leave the rest to me, beautiful Miss Spider-Woman."
"Thank you, Mr. Alan!"
Their cups clinked together. Alan gently wrapped his arm around Gwen's waist, pulling her closer.
He had to admit, this Spider suit was really something!
Every time he held her, he couldn't help but admire Gwen's choice of material.
Just as Alan was about to make another move, a notification rang in his mind.
"Your frog has gone traveling!"
Alan froze for a moment.
This silly frog—why did it always have to make a sound at such a crucial moment?
But this time, it was going out.
Perfect!
Alan held Gwen tighter and pressed his lips against hers. Gwen's body tensed for a moment, but soon she softened into Alan's embrace.
...
Queens.
George shook his still-dizzy head. That hit earlier had certainly woken him up. Around him, the number of police officers had increased, with officers from nearby precincts arriving at the scene.
Under George's orders, several nearby sewer entrances were cordoned off.
"Chief, are we heading down to investigate now?" a detective ran up to ask.
George glanced at him. Going down there now would be a death wish.
"No, we'll go down tomorrow when it's light out. We need to call in some heavier firepower too."
"Seal off the surrounding sewer entrances, and report anything immediately."
"Yes, sir!"
George sat back in his car. "Looks like I'm not going home tonight. Guess I'll just have to make do and spend the night here."
---
Inside S.H.I.E.L.D.
Nick Fury's face was grim, though it was hard to tell given how dark his complexion was. He was watching the surveillance footage of Queens.
Despite seeing numerous officers moving around the area, everything had seemed peaceful just before. There was no sign of the Lizard or Spider-Woman anywhere!
"Hill, can we track who blacked out the surveillance in that area?"
"No, Director. The perpetrator's methods were incredibly advanced. As far as I know, only one person in all of New York could pull off something like this."
Nick Fury immediately knew who Hill was referring to: Tony.
Indeed, if anyone could manipulate S.H.I.E.L.D.'s surveillance through the web without detection, it would be him.
"Could Tony be connected to Spider-Woman as well?" Nick Fury frowned. Why did it seem like Tony was connected to everyone in some way?
"Forget it if we can't trace it. Go get some rest. We'll investigate more tomorrow."
Hill quietly exited Nick Fury's office, leaving him alone at his desk, deep in thought.
After a moment of silence, Fury pulled out a small pager from his pocket. His large fingers traced its surface.
"Carol, where in space are you right now...?"
"If you were on Earth, things would be so much easier for me."
In his mind, he saw the image of a woman enveloped in fiery energy, handing him this pager and instructing him to use it only when the Earth faced a life-or-death crisis.
For fifteen years, this pager had never left his side. (The timeline for Captain Marvel is set in 1995, while Iron Man 1 is set in 2010.)
After toying with the pager for a while, Nick Fury placed it back in his pocket.
---
Alan, who had been kissing Gwen for a while, finally released her with satisfaction. Gwen nestled against him like a small, content wife, quiet but clearly comfortable.
After a few moments, Gwen remembered it was already very late. If she didn't make it back to her room by morning, someone would definitely become suspicious.
"Alan, I have to go now."
"I'll see you at university tomorrow morning."
Alan stood at the edge of the balcony, watching as Gwen's figure disappeared into the city. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Such a beautiful country, yet there are still such conservative families?"
He sat back down at his computer and retrieved the souvenir that his frog had brought back today: the T-Series Robot Design Blueprints.
He immediately transmitted the blueprint to Red Queen and said, "Red Queen, with your current level of expertise in science, can you design a new Spider suit for Gwen?"
Tonight's battle had been brief, but Alan had noticed Gwen's attacks were too limited. Apart from webs, she relied solely on hand-to-hand combat, and her webs were all straightforward.
"No problem, Master. As long as we have the right materials, I can design a fully functional Spider suit."
Materials, of course, meant money.
"No problem. Start the design. Make sure it's easy to carry but still highly functional."
"Understood, Master."
"The 'Spider Suit' project has been established."
...