The silence in Hiro's lab stretched until Vanessa shifted, arms crossed, her expression firm. She glanced at Juggernaut, who gave her a small nod, then looked back at Spider-Man and the others.
"You don't have to worry about that robot anymore," Vanessa said flatly.
Spider-Man blinked. "What do you mean?"
"We destroyed it," Juggernaut rumbled, his deep voice filling the room. "Thing came after us before Stark opened the portal. Tried to drag Vanessa the same way it dragged you. Big mistake."
Vanessa stepped closer, golden hair glowing under the lab's fluorescent lights. "It fought harder than anything I've seen—it adapted, reshaped, like it was alive. But it underestimated me. I pushed its damage back onto itself. Every strike, every blast—it tore itself apart. Juggernaut crushed what was left."
Spider-Man's eyes widened, relief mixing with disbelief. "You… you finished it?"
Vanessa nodded. "Completely. It won't be dragging anyone else across worlds."
Aurora exhaled sharply, her shoulders loosening for the first time since arriving. "That changes everything. If the machine's gone, then maybe this multiversal chaos can finally stop."
But Silvanna didn't look convinced. She folded her arms, her crimson eyes narrowing. "Or maybe it was just one machine. Who built it? Who sent it after Peter in the first place? If there's one, there could be others."
Hiro leaned back in his chair, uneasy. "She's right. Robots don't just appear on their own. Someone engineered that tech—and if they sent one, they can send more."
Juggernaut growled low. "Let 'em. We'll smash them too."
Vanessa, however, shook her head, her voice calmer. "No. This isn't about brute force anymore. Whoever's behind this has a reason for targeting Spider-Man, and maybe for dragging all of us here. Destroying one machine doesn't erase the intent of its maker."
Spider-Man stared at her, a new respect settling in his gaze. "You're… a lot sharper than your dad."
Juggernaut scowled. "Watch it, kid."
The faintest smile tugged at Vanessa's lips. "Point is, the machine may be gone, but the war it started isn't. If Tony sent us here, it means he's already thinking ahead. And that means we need to, too."
For the first time since his disappearance, Spider-Man felt like the web wasn't pulling him alone anymore. Vanessa's words, Silvanna's fire, Aurora's determination, even Juggernaut's sheer force—it all clicked.
Maybe this wasn't the end of his story.
Maybe it was the beginning of theirs.