Chapter 4: Disagreement
"Ahhh!" She screamed as she fell from her 7th-floor window.
She reflexively tried to throw her web as if she had her shooters and was surprised.
[Holy fuck, Alex…] She was speechless as she swung through the skyscrapers.
[It's organic webbing, baby... You don't need those shooters anymore. Tell me I'm awesome. Tell me.] He wanted praise.
[You're awesome Alex… Truly.] After that weird experience which Gwen didn't know what to think of, she was feeling amazing.
After so long of being powerless, she'd finally gotten her powers back, and she even felt like she was stronger than she was before. That remained to be tested though.
[Thank you, Alex… Thank you so much…] She was feeling nothing but gratitude for him.
[Of course… I need to rely on you to live. Helping out like this is a given…] Alex also realized how the empathetic connection with the host affected him. The symbiotes were able to connect to their hosts on an empathetic level. This made the hosts influence the symbiote's state of mind.
Gwen's happy feelings were literally infectious to him. He was also happy about her getting her powers back.
He didn't mind the empathetic connection since it couldn't affect his thoughts. At best it would help him know what the host was feeling.
He stayed silent as she swung around through New York for a while.
"Help!" At some point, she heard someone call out.
She instantly turned in that direction.
She saw that it was a burglar who was running away with a lady's purse.
"Come on now… A girl could beat you up. You should look for another career." Gwen landed in front of him and punched him square in the jaw.
*Crack* There was a sick cracking sound as she realized that she'd used too much force and broken his jaw.
[Shit, fuck, crap, goddamnit…]
"Oh no!"
Her inward and outward reactions differed very much. She didn't seem to be as much of a goody-two-shoes as she acted.
She didn't panic though. She first handed the purse back to the lady who thanked her before bringing her attention back to the criminal.
[Alex…] Without realizing it, he was the first person that she'd turned to when she messed up. Usually, she'd have to take care of this herself.
[What is it?] He'd been busy trying to explore more abilities that the system might have so he hadn't been paying attention to her.
[Can you help him?] She asked in a pleading tone.
[Why do you think that I can help him?] He saw the situation and asked her.
[You seem to be very good at biological manipulation. I thought that you would be able to heal someone…] She was a little unsure of her assumption.
[Well, you're correct… I can heal him.]
[Really? Thanks, you're the best…] She assumed that he was going to heal the guy.
[But why should I?] He asked her. He didn't have any reason to help the guy.
[Because I asked… Pretty please?] She made a cute face under her mask and asked him.
[Why do you even want to help him? He's weaker than you… You have the right to kill him and take everything useful he has… I think that humans call it the law of the jungle or something according to the memories that I was infused about Earth.] He wanted to see exactly how her moral compass works.
[…This isn't the jungle, Alex. Even if he's weaker than me he had all the right to basic human decency. I have a responsibility to help people…] She told him with a solemn tone.
[Why though?] The fanboy inside him wanted to hear those magical words.
[A very close friend of mine told me once that with great power, comes great responsibility. I've tried my best to live by that creed ever since he…] She was sorrowful.
[I'm sorry for your loss…] He conveyed his condolences.
[It's fine… It was quite a while ago. I'm over it now. So, can you please help him?] She asked expectantly.
[I still don't see a reason to do it, Gwen. You're the one who follows that creed. Why should I listen to you?] He wasn't going to listen to her without some benefit.
[What do you want?] She decided to indulge him. She also understood that she couldn't force him to do something. She didn't realize that he knew her name without asking her.
[I want to read his memories…] He was frank with her.
[What? No!] Gwen was mad.
[I could've agreed to your request and read his memories anyway, Gwen. Consider this as a gesture of trust from my side. If we're going to be partners going forward, we need to trust each other. It's not going to be quick, I know. But it starts with these gestures.]
[That doesn't change the fact that you want to read someone's memories. That's a violation of human rights on so many levels…] She understood his point but she still didn't want him to read his memories.
[It seems we're at an impasse then…] He was adamant.
[Why do you even want to read his memories?] She wanted to bargain.
[I want to understand how this world works. How everything works here. That's all.] He just wanted a front to be able to use his full knowledge of earth without seeming suspicious.
[But that doesn't mean-] She was going to argue with him for more but he decided to take control and put her to sleep.
Gwen's eyes slowly closed as she fell into a deep slumber. His connection with her allowed him to do basic things like this.
He took control of her body and put his hand over that guy's jaw.
It would be healed completely within a minute. He also took that minute to probe deeply into that guy's memories to see the basic differences between this world and his original world.
Since the thief was knocked out, he wasn't able to resist the invasion.
Most of the things were exactly the same except for all the media from his earth being missing. Which made sense.
With that done, he wrapped him in a cocoon of Gwen's new organic webbing and left the area, going back to her house.
She lived with her parents so he had to sneakily get back in through the window.
When they were back in her room, Alex woke her up again.
She fluttered her eyes open after sleeping with a level of peace that she hadn't felt for a long time.
[Alex?] She looked for him as she opened her eyes.
She was lying on her bed while wearing her comfy hoodie and pajamas. She couldn't help but think that her powers returning was a dream.
[Yeah, Gwen?]
[Did we… go out before?] She asked skeptically.
[Yes, we did. It wasn't a dream.]
[What happened?] She asked as she remembers blacking out after their conversation.
[Nothing, I healed that burglar and then brought you back here.]
[Did you…] She asked with a frown on her face that looked cute to Alex.
[I did…]
[Why? I asked you not to. We were talking about it…] She was angry.
[It was taking too long. And I didn't want to fight with you.]
[So you read an innocent man's memories?] She reprimanded him.
[He was barely innocent. The burglary was the least of his crimes. He was a murderer and a rapist. Brain-fucking him was the least that he deserved.]
[That doesn't change the fact that you violated his human rights.]
[Gwen, I don't know if you know this or are just denying it… Your current situation is very dangerous. This… What I did wasn't a big deal. But the situation of this planet and the 39 other planets that all seem to be orbiting each other in a big cluster is a very huge deal…] He wasn't planning to fight with her over this and changed the topic of conversation.
[Yeah but…]
[Although things have been calm for the past few months, that doesn't mean that they will stay calm. Something is going to happen sooner or later. This was necessary, all right? I won't do something like this again.] He decided to compromise with her a bit.
From that guy's memory, he'd realized that these worlds had been present here in a huge cluster for a few months now. Which was the reason that things seemed to be a little calm. But the undercurrents were running.
[You promise?] She had a cute frown on her face as she asked him.
[Fine… I promise. Though there was something pretty fun that I learned from that guy's memories…]
[What is it?]
[I'll tell you some other time…] He decided to tease her and leave her hanging for now.
[You…]
"Gwenny… Come on down. Dinner's ready." Her dad called out from the kitchen.
"Coming dad." She said.
She instinctively tried to take off her hoodie to change it for another t-shirt.
[What're you doing?] Alex asked as the hoodie she tried to take off turned into black tendrils which wrapped around her waist.
"Ahh!" She'd forgotten that her clothes were basically a living organism right now.
[Sorry, I forgot. Could you change my top into that t-shirt? A-And I also need to wear a bra.] She blushed when she mentioned the bra.
She was conscious that Alex was a male and he was essentially able to access her body at all times.
It was something that turned her on and made her feel weird at the same time.
[All righty.] He made the hoodie disappear into a sexy black lace bra. Then he formed the t-shirt that she was pointing to over it.
[I don't have that bra…] She asked him when she saw what bra he'd made for her.
[That guy had quite a few things in his memory. He was what you would call, a pervert. I thought that this was a nice bra.]
[It is nice, I won't lie…] She liked his choice.
[Great, so from now on I'll choose the clothes you wear.]
[What? No.]
[Too late, it's decided.]
[You-]
"Gwen?" Her dad called out again.
"Coming..." She opened the door.
[We're not done.] She told him as she left her room for dinner.
***
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