MARVEL: CARD EXTRACTION SYSTEM

I could hardly contain my happiness. Wearing a web launcher was something I had fantasized about since childhood, and even if it wasn't my own web launcher, I was happy to finally make this dream come true.

The metal bracelet fit my arm perfectly, as if it had been custom made for me. But that was just one of the Web Launcher's technologies.

Gwen took a few steps back to give me room to test the Web Launcher.

"The secret here is trust. You just have to trust the web launcher. It may seem difficult at first, but you have to trust it."

My fingers were shaking a little from excitement and nervousness. "It's just... point and shoot?" I asked.

"That's right. Just extend your arm in the direction you want the web to go. The launcher does the rest. When the web catches, you'll feel a slight jolt. If you fall and don't hold on, the web thrower will recognize that you don't want to use the web anymore, so it will cut the filament."

In theory, it didn't seem that complicated. And we didn't have a lot of time to play on the patio, so I pointed to the ground in front of me and visualized the web coming out of the launcher and attaching itself there. Then I brought my middle and ring fingers together and made the necessary gesture to activate the device.

The sound of the web shooting out was just like I remembered from the movies, a buzz like a spray. The silver thread came off easily and stuck to the concrete.

"I did it..."

"Now that the web is attached, the next step is more complicated, but you'll get there. You're going to approach this ledge here and make a downward motion as if you were rappelling. It's not difficult, you just have to trust the webbing."

"Okay. Let's do it."

Even though I couldn't see the expression on Gwen's face, I could tell from the way she looked at me with her head tilted slightly to the right and her arms crossed that she was pleased with my progress. So I walked to the edge of the terrace and stood there, swaying in the wind and looking down at the people as small as ants below.

"Keep your body weight centered and use your arms to control your speed. Like I said, it's like rappelling, but with a harness."

Gwen repeated the abseiling comparison, but I had no climbing experience.

I pulled lightly on the webbing to test its strength and, feeling reasonably confident, took a step forward, dropping the weight of my body. The first second was the scariest. The wind hit my face hard, and the ground seemed to disappear beneath me. For a moment I thought I would fall to my death, but the net tensed and held my weight completely. My feet touched the wall of the building and I leaned against it.

I gasped for breath, probably because my heart was racing.

"Yes! Good job! Now just keep going down, you're doing great." Gwen shouted from above.

Well, that was easier for her to say than for me to do. The wind made my clothes and hair sway and the technique wasn't that easy.

Still, I felt a little more confident with every step I took down.

Being suspended hundreds of meters above the ground was a terrifying experience, but at the same time there was an indescribable excitement that I was finally experiencing something I had only dreamed of as a child.

"Remember, watch out for the windows!" Gwen, who had just been above me, was down beside me in the blink of an eye. "And try to be a little faster!"

The comparison to rappelling made even less sense when I saw the way she was descending, using her skill to stick to surfaces.

I watched as Gwen approached a window that seemed to be slightly ajar and lifted it enough to sneak in.

I continued my descent, mostly avoiding rooms with lights on. However, when I was a few feet from the window through which Gwen had entered, I felt the web I was holding onto begin to stretch more than usual, as if it were getting thinner and thinner.

The friction of the web against the concrete edge of the building was wearing it down. My eyes widened as I noticed this, and finally, even as I increased the speed of my descent, the web gave way and broke at the edge.

I felt my body fall, and for a moment I saw the wall of the building rush past me, the windows blurred.

I wanted to scream in despair, but inside I was more rational than I thought I could be.

'If I use One for All, maybe I can hit the ground and stop my fall. That was the same thing Midoriya thought in the first episode of the anime, wasn't it? It might work, but... I only have 20%! Shit, I need another pla...'

But then something suddenly pulled me up and stopped my fall. Gwen shot out a web that grabbed my arm at the last moment.

As she started to lift me up, like a fisherman pulling the line from a fishing rod, I didn't even know what expression I had on my face or what I was supposed to say. I blundered like the amateur that I was. In a matter of seconds, I was inside the building, trying to catch my breath as I leaned against the wall.

"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm... I'm fine. Thank you. Thank you. You saved me."

She shook her head negatively. "That's why I told you to go quickly. The webs are very resistant, but with time and friction, they can begin to weaken. Try to keep up the pace next time, okay?"

I regained control of my breathing and looked around, observing our surroundings. The ground we had entered was completely different from what I had imagined. It wasn't an empty room, not completely, for there was a supercomputer, dozens of screens, and an empty chair.

"This is supposed to be the maintenance floor, right?" I asked.

Gwen nodded. "It should be, but it looks like someone took advantage of the fact that no one comes here..."

At that moment, we looked at each other and said in unison:

"Murdock."

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