Standing in front of Leonardo was Gwen Stacy, dressed in a spider-themed superhero suit.
A mix of white, black, and pink. Black from the feet up to the chest, ending in a V-shaped neckline. From that point on, all white. She wore a hood with a pink interior and web patterns, just like the lower part of her arms. The eyes on the suit were large, sharp, outlined in pink. And on her feet, a pair of light blue sneakers that broke the color scheme, yet somehow fit.
"So? What do you think?"
Gwen asked with a hopeful smile, trying to impress.
"Well… it's amazing. Just like I imagined it."
It was a good answer. But that didn't stop Gwen from slightly lowering her shoulders.
"Boo… it's boring if you'd already 'seen' it."
Leonardo shrugged.
"What can I say? Your suit's awesome. Although…"
He paused, thoughtful. Then asked the question he had always wondered in his past life:
"Isn't it a little tight?"
Gwen blushed immediately.
"Where are you looking? Of course not! I made it with mobility in mind, so obviously it's not tight."
Leonardo looked a bit embarrassed.
"Alright… sorry. I was just curious. It looks great on you."
He smiled at the end of the sentence.
"Hehe… thanks."
Gwen returned the smile before continuing.
"Wish me luck. Today's my first day as a superhero."
"Yeah, yeah. Good luck. Don't get into trouble."
He said it casually, but deep down he wasn't that relaxed. She was Ghost-Spider, after all. What could possibly go wrong?
---
Big mistake.
Leonardo had no idea how much Gwen could complicate everything in so little time.
Three months have passed since she became Ghost-Spider, and things haven't exactly been peaceful.
To start with: her identity is already public.
As soon as people heard that a spider-themed hero had appeared, the first thing they thought of was Leonardo's announcement about a new hero coming from ESU. So they stayed alert, looking for any clues.
And Gwen… didn't help much.
She'd say she had to go to the bathroom or that she felt sick during class. Minutes later, Ghost-Spider would appear. It wasn't hard to connect the dots.
Fortunately, her situation was different from Peter Parker's. Her family wasn't poor or vulnerable. Her father, George Stacy, was a police captain, and he knew how to protect himself. At first, he tried to forbid her from continuing her activities… but Gwen kept sneaking out. In the end, he had to give in.
George even pushed for the NYPD to grant Ghost-Spider an honorary position. The public supported the idea, and they had no choice but to accept. That gave her legitimacy, calmed the public's irritation over a teenager doing a better job than the police, and opened the door to future collaborations.
But that was just the beginning.
A month ago, Leonardo was startled when he turned on the TV: a giant lizard was loose in the city.
And yes, it was that lizard.
He didn't need confirmation from the system. He didn't even bother asking how it was possible.
He acted fast: called Gwen and told her everything he knew. Absolutely everything.
First, he told her to hide the Dispersal Device in a safe place. She did it privately, to protect her family.
Then, he told her where to find Dr. Connors' data, still stored in his lab.
Gwen went there, faced the Lizard and, instead of insisting on fighting, simply took the data and withdrew.
She wasn't impulsive. She was smart.
With that data, Gwen managed to synthesize an antidote and delivered it to the police lab so they could be prepared.
When Connors attacked again, they were ready. There was no need to fight: they neutralized him with antidote-loaded darts.
Unfortunately, the operation was so effective that it started raising suspicions.
People already knew that Ghost-Spider lived in the same district as Laplace's gallery.
And then, something happened that made it all worse.
During a live interview, a fan asked out of nowhere:
"Is Laplace your boyfriend?"
To everyone's surprise —who had no idea where that came from and expected Gwen to deny it— she didn't. Instead, she blushed and swung away using her webs. Which, to fans, was basically a confession.
In no time, they were considered an official couple. Even though, in reality, they weren't even dating.
Leonardo thought the problems related to Gwen were finally ending… until she asked for his help again.
She was being chased.
And not by just anyone. Civilians, police officers, teachers, even classmates. People who suddenly attacked her without warning. But when she captured them… they committed suicide.
And they all said one thing:
"Hail Hydra."
That phrase alone was enough to alert him.
These weren't ordinary opponents. So he paused his painting —which was almost finished— and started a new one.
One that revealed Hydra's existence to SHIELD.
It was a risky move, but his goal wasn't to defeat them yet. Just to distract them. Take their focus off Gwen. Buy some time to think of a strategy.
The painting would take time, so for the moment he just asked Gwen to be very careful and trust him.
She felt relieved by his answer and trusted him.
---
Two months later, almost six since Gwen became Ghost-Spider, the painting was ready. And as soon as he exhibited it, SHIELD noticed.
Around a round table, several powerful figures could be seen: politicians, businessmen, high-ranking officers. That alone was suspicious. But what really caught attention… was the symbol behind them.
A red background.
An octopus.
A human skull at the center.
SHIELD recognized it instantly.
Hydra.
---
~ SHIELD Helicarrier ~
"How reliable is this information?"
Fury asked with a frown. His subordinate answered without hesitation.
"100%. We investigated some of the people in the painting and found suspicious situations that explain how they got into power. Laplace has been reliable so far. And also…"
Fury noticed the hesitation.
"What else?"
"The painting is of lower quality than the previous ones. As if it had been rushed. Based on our analysis, we believe he started it two months ago… right when Ghost-Spider began getting attacked by unknown individuals. They all seem to be part of the same organization."
Fury connected the dots.
"So his girlfriend's in trouble, and he dumps her problems on us. That bastard."
Even he was surprised by Leonardo's audacity. But he didn't have time to dwell on it. Maria Hill came running in with news.
"We caught Pierce while he was fleeing. He's already in a cell."
"Take me to him."
Said Fury, more serious than ever.
Alexander Pierce was one of the people depicted in the painting. And he was also his superior at SHIELD. If he was part of Hydra… then SHIELD was more rotten than he thought.
As they headed to the cell, he called Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, and Maria Hill. The only ones he trusted —though even that now felt uncertain.
When they arrived, he asked everyone to leave.
He stepped closer to Pierce. Stared him down.
"You know how this works, Pierce. Talk."
But Pierce just smiled.
"No, Fury. You know how this works."
"Hail Hydra."
The door opened.
Several agents entered.
They all said it in unison.
"Hail Hydra."
"Hail Hydra."
"Hail Hydra."
Fury looked around. Surrounded.
And for the first time in a long while… he felt uneasy.