Around four in the afternoon, NYPD Captain George Stacy received a frantic call from his daughter, Gwen. She sounded distressed and insisted he meet her, saying she had something important to tell him.
"What is it, Gwen? Why are you so flustered?"
"I met Spider-Man, Dad. He said he has something really important to discuss with you. I'll text you the address..."
Spider-Man? If Spider-Man had something to discuss, why didn't he contact the NYPD? Even if he was familiar with Captain Stacy, he could have just contacted him directly. Why go through Gwen?
As for the question of "how Spider-Man knew Gwen Stacy was George Stacy's daughter," the Captain didn't dwell on it. That kind of information was easy to find, and as an Avenger, it would be child's play for Spider-Man to get the details.
With a puzzled mind, Captain Stacy said a quick word to his colleagues and left his office. The meeting spot Spider-Man had requested wasn't far, just a few blocks away on the rooftop of an apartment building. He arrived about ten minutes later, and after climbing to the roof, he felt a wave of dissatisfaction.
His daughter, Gwen, was there waiting for him.
"What's the deal with Spider-Man, making Gwen stay here..."
Captain Stacy was speaking as he walked, spotting Spider-Man stuck to the side of a water tower. The hero immediately leaped down and landed right in front of him. Before the Captain could voice his complaint, Spider-Man decisively pulled off his mask, revealing the face of Peter Parker.
Captain Stacy was utterly shocked.
"Peter?"
"It's me, Uncle George."
"Peter Benjamin Parker?!"
"...Yes, it's me."
George took a deep breath and rubbed his forehead. "Oh, my God. This is unbelievable. This is even more unbelievable than you and Gwen dating."
"Uh, we're not dating yet..."
"That's why I said it's even more unbelievable." Captain Stacy finally calmed down, understanding why Spider-Man's earlier writing felt familiar yet so utterly impossible. "Wait, though. I checked! Your handwriting and Spider-Man's were completely different!"
"That's because he wrote with his left hand, Dad. Peter can write with both hands, and the handwriting is totally different."
Captain Stacy stood still for a moment, then nodded, accepting the explanation. He then asked, "Alright, kids, let's put that aside for a moment. We can talk about that anytime. But Peter, you called me out here for something more than just revealing your secret identity. That wouldn't be important enough to bring me here, would it?"
"It's about Dr. Connors at Oscorp, Uncle George. You must know he turned into a giant monster." Peter saw George nod and stated his purpose: "The NYPD will definitely be involved in the investigation, and I have an idea of what the Lizard is planning, but... well, let's just say I've seen the future. You might die trying to stop the Lizard."
"I understand. Spider-Man couldn't convince Captain George Stacy not to put himself in harm's way, but perhaps his beloved daughter and the boy he watched grow up, Peter Parker, can."
Captain Stacy smiled, a touch of resignation in his expression, looking at his daughter and Peter, whom he regarded as a nephew. He then asked a question: "Peter, why did you become Spider-Man?"
"Because..."
"Because you wanted to help people, right? You got this power, so you wanted to help." Captain Stacy interrupted Peter. "This morning, Gwen asked me why I still go out on patrol even though I'm a Captain. I said it was just a side thing, but I lied. It's because I want to do it."
"When I was just a patrolman, I drove the police car, I patrolled the streets, I stopped criminals, and when I got a 'thank you,' something was born in my heart. When Gwen's mother died, I took leave. I considered resigning to focus on raising my child since her mother left a considerable insurance payout. But as I walked the streets in plain clothes, I missed my uniform."
"I wear my police uniform, I walk the streets with my gun, I stop crime, I help mothers find their children, I protect all of them. I leave a part of myself forever on my uniform, on the streets of this city. I know how corrupt many of my colleagues are, I know how hopeless this city can be, but I can't stop. The NYPD motto is 'Fidelis Ad Mortem'—Always Faithful. I will always be faithful."
Gwen and Peter fell silent.
He walked over, opened his arms, and embraced both children. "I know you're worried about me. I'm not a superhero; I don't have superpowers. We're facing monsters now, and in the last few years, more police officers have died and been injured than ever before..."
"But I won't stop, kids."
George Stacy knew he wouldn't stay in the office to command everything. He released the two children and looked at Peter: "Alright, Peter, tell me what's going to happen."
"The transformed Curt Connors will likely try to turn all of New York into Lizard people, into his own kind, because these mutated lizards are intelligent, and they think they're lonely."
Captain Stacy nodded. A mad scientist. Reasonable. What else?
"He'll probably use a dispersal device to aerosolize the serum from a high point in New York, quickly infecting everyone."
Captain Stacy nodded again. Sounds problematic. What else?
"We tested the hardness of his skin. Theoretically, sustained fire from a .50 caliber machine gun for a minute won't penetrate it."
"You... you shot him with a machine gun?"
"No, but I tore all the skin off his back."
Captain Stacy was silent for two minutes, then sighed. "Alright, watch the high ground. We'll need anti-material weapons to even scratch him. What else?"
"He grew all the skin back in less than three minutes."
"So, if we find him, the police need to use anti-material weapons in a sustained burst, or perhaps even an autocannon, just to suppress him?"
Peter nodded helplessly.
"Well, I don't know what kind of monsters the Avengers are fighting these days, but I'll make a note of it."
Or what kind of monsters the Avengers themselves are, Captain Stacy thought to himself. Then, a very serious question suddenly crossed his mind: if Peter and Gwen actually got married later, could Gwen handle him?
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