"Damn, that gun must have had a tracker on it. That's why those guys chased him into the school. I hope nothing happens... Third Gen Peter is way too reckless! He should have called for backup!" George muttered, shaking his head in frustration.
When he saw the detector in Herman's hand, he immediately realized that the criminals knew the weapon was in the school. However, their tracking ability wasn't precise, meaning they had to search the area manually.
If Peter had confronted them in the school with so many students around, the risk of casualties would have been dangerously high. Yet, the young Spider-Man remained oblivious to these concerns.
"He's acting without thinking again," Otto said grimly.
Tony, watching the scene unfold, sighed. His expression darkened. This kid needs to learn how to handle situations like this properly. He made a mental note to have the teachers drill some sense into Peter Parker about responsibility—one way or another.
[Spider-Man crouched low, tailing Herman and Mason from a safe distance. He observed their every move as they entered the same studio where he had pried off the purple crystal earlier.]
["Man, can you imagine what our boss is gonna say when he finds out we're snooping around a high school?" Mason muttered, glancing around warily.]
[Herman ignored him, keeping his focus on the device in his hand. "The readings show an energy pulse around here."]
["But there's no sign of the weapon," Mason pointed out after scanning the area. "Even if it was here before, it's long gone now."]
[As Herman turned away, Spider-Man carefully removed his backpack and inched closer. But before he could get too close, Herman suddenly spun around.]
[Spider-Man had already vanished.]
[Herman narrowed his eyes, sensing something was off. His hand instinctively went to his pistol, flipping off the safety.]
[Mason noticed his change in demeanor. "Something wrong?"]
[Herman scanned the room but saw nothing unusual. After a moment, he let out a frustrated breath and walked away.]
[The camera shifts downward—revealing Spider-Man tucked neatly under a nearby table. As soon as Herman and Mason turned their backs, he seized his opportunity.]
[A tiny mechanical spider shot out from his web-shooter, latching onto Herman's shoe undetected.]
"What the—? Is that a spider?" First-Gen Peter Parker squinted at the screen, noticing the tiny, lifelike device.
"It's a tracker," First-Gen Gwen guessed after a moment of observation. "I didn't realize Third-Gen Peter's suit had such advanced tech. Tony Stark really outdid himself."
"Yeah," First-Gen Peter nodded in agreement. His suit—designed by Harry Osborn—had none of these fancy gadgets. If he wanted to track someone, he had to follow them the old-fashioned way.
And that came with its own risks—being spotted, ambushed, or worse.
First-Gen Harry Osborn watched with interest. "If only we had something like that back then... A tracking function would've made life a whole lot easier."
Second-Gen Peter, also intrigued, stroked his chin. "That's actually a solid idea. But Oscorp's current situation isn't as stable as before. No way we could develop something like that on our own right now."
Second-Gen Harry sighed. "Yeah, don't even remind me. If we had more resources, we could probably make it work."
For now, though, Peter would have to manage with what he had.
[Back at home, Ned leaned forward excitedly, watching the image projected from the web-shooter. "Dude, this is amazing!"]
["I know, right?" Spider-Man grinned before flopping onto his bed.]
[Ned poked at the floating holographic map. "Looks like they're in Brooklyn."]
[Hours passed. Spider-Man, now hanging upside down from the ceiling, absentmindedly ate potato chips while Ned continued monitoring the tracker. "They're in Staten Island now."]
[As night fell, Ned remained glued to the screen while Spider-Man toyed with his web-shooter. He tested a setting and successfully projected a life-size image of himself onto the wall.]
[Ned, still focused on the map, muttered, "They just left Jersey City."]
[Eventually, both of them drifted off to sleep. But a loud ping woke them up suddenly. Ned, still wearing a Spider-Man mask, bolted upright and checked the display. "They stopped!"]
[Spider-Man, startled, swung down from the ceiling, flipping to face the screen. "Maryland?"]
["What's in Maryland?" Ned asked, confused.]
[Spider-Man frowned. "I dunno. Evil lair?"]
[Both boys laughed before Ned suddenly sat up. "Wait, are you serious? They have an actual hideout?"]
["Dude. A group of guys with stolen alien weapons following a guy with wings? Yeah, they have a hideout."]
["Awesome!" Ned grinned. "But… how are you gonna get there? It's, like, three hundred miles away."]
[They both paused, their eyes slowly shifting toward the decathlon poster on the wall.]
[Spider-Man turned to Ned with a smirk. "That's not far from Washington, D.C."]
[Cut to the school parking lot. Liz and the other students were boarding the bus when Peter came running up to them.]
["Hey! Peter's here!" one of the students called out.]
[Spider-Man quickly caught his breath before smiling. "I wanna rejoin the team!"]
[Flash, of course, was not happy about this. He immediately protested, "NO! No way! You can't just quit and then expect us to take you back!"]
[Before Flash could finish, the teacher stepped off the bus, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "Hey! Welcome back, Peter! Flash, you're back to first substitute."]
[Flash's jaw dropped. "W-WHAT?!"]
["He took your spot!" one of the students teased.]
[Michelle Jones, standing at the back of the group, rolled her eyes. "Can we go now? I was hoping to make it to a protest before dinner."]
[The teacher chuckled. "Protesting is very patriotic. Let's go! Everyone, on the bus!"]
[Flash, fuming, yanked off his uniform and threw it at Peter in frustration, making it clear he hated what was happening.]
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