Blue Flame, Gwen Stacy

16. Mumbattan Struggles

Just when she deemed it safe to confess what had happened that night, a familiar dinging sounded from her watch, and Hobie's as well. Ivy pursed her lips and squinted her eyes at the device, the impulsive thought to rip it off her arm and throwing it against the wall being far too high to be considered normal.

Before she could do so, Hobie had answered the signal and was met with a hologram of Miguel O'Hara.

She interrupted her friend before he could speak, cursing, "Fucking hell, Miguel, what do you want?"

If he noticed the excessive anger in her tone, he didn't make a comment, choosing to keep his poker face on. "We need backup on earth 50101, get there as fast as you can. Gwen and Pavitr are already working hard on catching the Spot."

"Wait, what happened?" Ivy started to ask but the call ended before a reply was given. "Chikushou," Son of a bitch.

Hobie, being the unbothered person he was, patted her back and shot her an encouraging look (which usually meant let's not try to cause trouble). "We'd better hurry then, Ivy."

• ────── ✾ ────── •

The streets of Mumbattan were always packed. In fact, Ivy would be concerned if it wasn't. Buildings were plastered with vibrant signs (most of them about food) and from above, you almost couldn't tell where the roads were. The sun was beating down from above and she could hear traditional music being played from a store below.

"You know where this Spot guy is?" the dark haired girl questioned as they swung. Ivy looked around and couldn't find Pav or Gwen, being met by nothing in the air. Her eyes widened at the thought of the blonde and closed them shut, shaking her head in dismissal.

Hobie shrugged at her. "Dunno, but— Oh, isn't that them?"

He pointed toward a mirror covered building and Ivy looked up, reading the sign instead of keeping an eye on their friends. Alchemax. That word still stung. A string of web caught onto her suit and Hobie pulled her along with him as he entered a blackhole of sorts.

On any other day, Ivy would have smacked him on the head and threatened to ruin his strings with silk, but instead of being met with darkness, they landed in a room full of scientists, the same fearful look plastered on every single one of them.

Shit, Ivy thought. If all of them looked this scared...

"Chop, chop, Silk." Hobie clapped his hands in front of her face, startling her. "Got no time to waste, mate."

They walked past the tables filled with gadgets Ivy couldn't bother to understand. Every single room almost looked the same, only a different layout and tool on each table. A few walls were covered in paper infested cork boards, various tubes and lights being abandoned as the scientists evacuated the building. Multiple computers were opened, some showed research reports while others showed new documents.

"How bad do you think this Spot guy is?" Ivy questioned, shooting her web on a displaced hairbrush and catching it in her hand. She hurriedly brushed her windswept hair and tossed it on a nearby couch.

"Can't be that bad, just your average villain, hopefully." the man guessed, the pair running deeper into the facility. But Ivy knew no average villain would need two people for backup, unless by average he meant another mad scientist.

An automated voice echoed from a room nearby and Ivy's head snapped toward it. The door was opened and a familiar mechanic caught her eye. A collider. The same one that had brought her away from home and dragged her back. But then she noticed something abnormal.