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Post by Beriadan on Sept 16, 2024 9:10:05 GMT
The last time she had been called to a meeting of her superiors had been two years and one whole other universe ago. It was a few weeks after she had been given her powers, and Becky Brown had been shoving the first graders into lockers over recess. It was something she always did, but amped upon spider-juice and adrenaline, Gwen figured enough was enough, and shoved Becky into her own locker for a whole hour.
Gwen recalled the long, slow march to the principle's office, the feeling of her stomach freefalling when she saw her dad was already there. Now she was recalling it again, from a message that read:
Ghost-Spider. Please meet me in my office at 11:00 today. Robot.
Gwen had read it a hundred times already, and a billion thoughts danced through her mind at super-sonic speeds. The image of Robot waiting with Black Canary for her, all stern expressions (could Robot put on a stern expression?) and disappointment in their eyes filled her with dread.
What if she was fired? Had she done something wrong? Did they not like her costume, or were her powers not what they wanted in the Champions? Perhaps they didn't like her solo hero work? Was she being kicked out and replaced with a newer, sleeker Spider-person, all in black and red or something?
As standard for Gwen, no positive thoughts had entered her mind as she stood, hesitantly, outside of Robot's office. Gwen had removed her mask, and now nervously ran both of her hands through her thick, blond hair.
"Okay, Spidey, calm down... I've been in far worse situations than this. Come on... what's the worst he could do?"
Of course, in her mind, that list stretched on for an eternity. Swallowing her fears, Gwen knocked on the door, pushing it open to reveal her fate within.
"Hi, Robot! You wanted to see me?"
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Post by Bixir on Sept 17, 2024 7:00:17 GMT
Robot's office was a plain space. Completely plain, in fact, save for a single spot on the wall to Gwen's left when she entered. There was a large painting set in the wall. It did not appear as most paintings did. Few artists could capture Cubism as its original author did. From a single glance, it was difficult to see just what was going on, save that there was a girl and a mirror... maybe. Robot's tastes were eclectic at best. Most of the team seldom spent time with him outside of missions and meetings. Robot didn't seem to mind. He may even prefer it. Robot was sitting at his desk to Gwen's immediate right. He did not get up to greet her, though his head raised to meet her eyes. His expression was... what it always was. A slightly inset grin upon his rust-colored helmet. His hands were resting on the desk space in front of him, which appeared bare. "Ghost-Spider. Please, sit." There were two chairs in front of his desk, in a somewhat retro-futuristic style, like something you would see from The Jetsons... provided you knew what The Jetsons was. "It has been some time since we last spoke. How are you holding up? Anything to report?" |
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Post by Beriadan on Sept 17, 2024 11:59:39 GMT
Gwen took a seat with energy and enthusiasm. It span around a few times, until it stopped until she was facing Robot. She was feigning confidence to mask her pure terror, arms behind her head, legs crossed. She gave a miniature shrug at his question.
"I mean... yeah! It's great. I've been getting to know the team better, fighting bad guys a bit. You know. Standard teen super hero stuff! Batgirl and I have been getting on. She's fun, and doesn't talk too much, which is great for me, because sometimes I can't stop the words coming out, especially if I'm nervous or anxious or whatever because I just wanna fill the empty space with noise or maybe just like delay the inevitable or maybe my brain just goes into flight or fight mode and y'know they say the pen is mightier than the sword so just like splurging words out of my mouth is like a training exercise, y'know?"
Gwen paused, taking a breath, and shifted position a bit. Drew inwards, dropping her hands into her lap and dropping her head slightly. She shifted nervously in her seat. The tension was palpable.
"Uh. Yeah. So nothing to report. Except I am doing totally fine. Good, even. Why... Uh. Was that all you wanted to ask me about?"
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Post by Bixir on Sept 18, 2024 21:44:06 GMT
Against Gwen's overwhelming enthusiasm and bluster, Robot was a steel wall. He made no visible reactions to her remarks, visibly or audibly. He allowed Gwen to run her course, keeping his thoughts to himself on the rambling (if he even had any to begin with. Robot seemed to be a laissez-faire leader at times). Once the girl had run out of steam, Robot responded, his tone remaining even and synthetic. "That is good to hear. Bonding with your teammates outside of missions is important. You will not be able to grow if you do not get to know those you are fighting with." He paused, as if distracted, then continued. "Yes, there was something else."
Robot tapped his fingers forward onto invisible holo-screens that lit up at his feedback. Several silent strokes later, Robot flipped the holo-screen around. "Could you please explain what happened in this recording?" It showed security footage of the Arc training gym, where there were a few different individuals going about their routines, one of which was Gwen. Things proceeded in the recording as normal, until the on-screen Gwen suddenly and violently jerked, falling mid-flip onto the safety mat. The recording rewound, then zoomed in to focus on Gwen. As it played again, Gwen's movements demonstrated a spray of pastel colors that burst from her body like a form of a static electricity. Even when she hit the floor, those colorful sparks lingered on her figure before eventually fading. The camera zoomed out from Gwen. Though her fall had drawn attention, none of the other Champions present had decided to come over. Then the recording ended, and the holo-screen dissipated, leaving only Robot's face.. Throughout this, Robot stared at Gwen, noting her responses, particularly once the video had ended.
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Post by Beriadan on Sept 19, 2024 4:04:17 GMT
Gwen was remarkably quiet for a few moments, staring wide-eyed at Robot. Ah. Shoot. She hadn't realised it has been so... obvious. The displacement events that had been every week or so has felt pretty intense, but seeing them from the outside. Well, it was a wonder nobody else has picked up on it.
"Uuuuuuuh."
She looked up at the ceiling to avoid the still, penetrative gaze of Robot, face contorted with obvious discomfort. Gwen hadn't really stopped thinking about her situation, but the Champions, STAR Labs, Black Canary and her patrols on the streets of New Yorkhad been a welcome distraction. Now...
It felt like everything was crashing down around her.
"See... the thing is... it's... a... villain's powers... causing... residual... reality... glitching?"
Slowly, Gwen lowered her face, wide and scared eyes meeting Robot's emotionless lenses.
"Um... it's... okay. I. Ah."
Gwen squirmed under his impassive face. This was it. She was found out. They'd take her away for testing, or something. Behold the freak girl, bitten by a spider in another universe and now on display for your whole family to laugh at. She bit her lip, looking at Robot with a resigned expression.
"Listen. I'm not sure what I can say. Uh... heck. I don't even know what I would say. Is this just between us? Please say this is just between us because I'm gonna start talking and I don't know if I'll be able to stop."
Gwen took a deep breath. It was time to tell someone. She closed her eyes, focusing in the way that Cass had shown her, and exhaled.
"I'm... guh, this sounds dumb even saying it outloud, but... I'm not from this universe."
She opened her eyes slowly, looking up at Robot. It sounded like a prank, but no flicker of humour crossed her face, no jokes were veing played. Gwen was pure and serious.
"Nobody else knows. Like, literally nobody else. Not Black Canary, not the other Spider-People... nobody. Two years ago, I was fighting the Sinister Six - at least, my universe's version. It's weird, right, but there's so many tiny differences that are so similar and yet so far from what I know - like music, films, all that stuff. Superheroes! We don't even have a Superman! But they had a device, and it would have hurt a lot of people, so I leapt on it, and boom! suddenly there was colour and noise and I wound up on the streets of a different New York."
Gwen breathed out a long breath, filled with relief and an exhalation of pure tension. She wiped away tears that had sprung to life and rolled down her cheeks in a silent march.
"That actually felt good to get of my chest. Mr. Robot... please don't kick me out of the Champions. Please don't tell anyone... if they knew I wasn't from here, I don't know how they'd react. The last thing I want is... to lose another family."
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Post by Bixir on Sept 19, 2024 21:32:14 GMT
Characteristically, Robot did not visually respond to Gwen's long-winded explanation. He remained completely silent and still, until a few seconds had passed, and his processing caught up with him. "Ghost-Spider. Anything we say to each other stays in this room. You know that. You are not being kicked off the team, nor are you being benched. I want to thank you for your honesty. I- had known about your, circumstances, ever since you joined the team. I expected that you would come to terms with it in your own way, or that you would consult with someone that could help. It would seem that that person is me."
Robot made several quick notations on the holo-screens. Gwen wouldn't be able to tell what he was doing from her side of the desk. Robot slid his right index finger in a horizontal line on a screen slightly above his head, then dismissed the barrier between them. "What is your understanding of quantum entanglement?" The way Robot phrased the question, he made it sound like something you would expect to hear during a job interview. ... then again, this wasn't like most jobs.
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Post by Beriadan on Sept 19, 2024 22:03:41 GMT
Gwen exhaled. Robot's kind words melted the frozen fear that had coated her heart, and she felt herself relax. He had known from the start... which raised questions about who else knew, and hadn't told her. Did it really matter? Should she be so closed off? Obviously with the right people, but... Black Canary and Cass, for sure, maybe they should know as well.
"Well... thanks. Sorry I didn't say sooner, I guess, but I thought I could figure it out myself."
Gwen mulled over the question. It was hard to say. S.T.A.R. Labs had resources, sure, and she had been finding out what she could. It was hard when she didn't really know what to look for, though. Nobody, as far as she could tell, had experienced what she was.
"I... know a bit. Because I shouldn't technically exist in this universe, my molecules are kinda being rejected, right? The... glitching is this universe trying to sort out something that shouldn't be there."
Gwen looked up at Robot, an expression of hope dawning on her face as the glow of his words bathed her.
"Are you saying you know how to help me? To stop the glitching, or... or..."
She dared not speak the words, catching in her throat. It had been a dream for two years, something she had only dreamed about. Gwen swallowed.
"Or get me home?"
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Post by Bixir on Sept 19, 2024 23:40:30 GMT
Once more, there were words Robot seemed to want to get out. Though there was no sign on a face that could not make expressions, one could only do so much to hide body language. Robot spread out his hands to either side of the desk. "I cannot promise an answer to your second question until I have done my due diligence. As you can imagine, this is an incredibly delicate and complicated process. The longer you remain tethered to this "Earth", the more difficult it will be to reverse the process." Robot prompted a couple more holo-screens with quick fingerstrokes. One of them involved him completing a scan that projected a red field of light over his face before confirming his... identity?
A small panel section of Robot's desk opened up. A wristwatch, rather similar to the Omnitrix in its mysterious design and color palette, emerged. "This device is attuned to the Zeta signature of this universe. Wearing it will keep you from experiencing further incidents... but it is not a permanent solution." He gestured to it for her to try it on.
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Post by Beriadan on Sept 21, 2024 12:18:51 GMT
Gwen slipped the device onto her wrist. She stares at it for a few moments, then gave a little laugh of disbelief as a ripple of pastel danced over her skin and then vanished.
"Shoot, Robot, how long have you been working on this? Listen... I don't belong here. I know that. The universe knows that. I'm... gonna miss everyone, sure, but I need to get home."
She gave a deep breath, eyes closed, then looked up at Robot.
"The last thing that happened before I was sent here by the Sinister Six's device was my dad dying. In my arms. I never got a chance to say goodbye to my friends. I never got a chance to do anything. I might not have a family there anymore, but it's my home. My favourite bagel shop doesn't exist in your New York, either."
Gwen wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve, staring again at the device on her wrist, then back up at Robot, with a wide smile of relief and pain.
"Anything I can do to help you get the answers. Whatever you need from me, Robot. I'm glad to have someone who can help."
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Post by Bixir on Sept 28, 2024 6:59:19 GMT
"You do belong here."
Before anything else, Robot blurts out a quick rebuttal to Gwen's personal musings. Afterward, he remained silent to the rest of what she had to say. He did not have anything to add to those statements. But as it seemed, Robot would not let the matter of belonging pass by unabated.
"If there is anything I need from you, Ghost-Spider, I will let you know." A beat passed. "Discreetly."
Robot paused, this time for longer, before his next question occurred to him. "What about your life outside of the team? You work at Horizon Labs, yes?"
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Post by Beriadan on Sept 28, 2024 11:52:53 GMT
Gwen wiped her eyes dry as Robot gave her the words she wanted - perhaps even needed - to hear. She gave him a wide ans genuine smile of gratitude. "Thanks, Robot... all I wanted was to fit in. I'm glad I could find a family here."She took a few breaths, catching herself from some kind of embarrassing emotional breakdown. It gave her some time to think. Horizon Labs was one of her part-time jobs, alongside Spider-work. But that wasn't paid, of course, and was more of a duty than a career. "Yeah, I've got a lab assistant job there. To be honest, that's the route I would have gone if it hadn't been for the whole... Spider, multiverse, mish-mash calamity that is my life! I like it, and I've got some nice co-workers. There's a guy called Peter Parker who I work with often... and everyone is focused. It takes my mind of everything else while I'm there."And, Gwen? "And... I do a lot of... Vigilante stuff on the side."
She gave Robot an apologetic little smile, as if she had just admitted to drinking underage or smoking. "Spider-work. There's a lot of crimes too small for the Champions. So I spend a lot of nights helping people out in New York... y'know. Friendly neighbourhood Ghost-Spider stuff. Sorry if that, like... I dunno, clashes with Champion stuff?" |
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Post by Bixir on Oct 8, 2024 3:23:15 GMT
There is a lingering pause from Robot. A couple, actually. Perhaps he was contemplating the deeper meaning of his answers, if there were any to them. Expressionlessness aside, he didn't seem upset.
"Every member of this team has lives outside of the Arc, Ghost-Spider. It is only natural- even when that "life" entails further vigilantism." His words felt... pointed. "Have you formed a relationship with this, Peter Parker, or others? Anyone who is not a superhero."
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Post by Beriadan on Oct 9, 2024 11:07:54 GMT
Gwen considered this. He was... a colleague at best. They all were, even some of the Champions. She bit her lip as she thought about it. Truly, it hadn't been since her Peter Parker that she had made a friend who wasn't a Superhero. That had ended with him turning himself into a lizard and trying to kill a load of kids at school, before Gwen had to stop him. Permanently. She cocked her head to one side.
"Weeeell... no... truthfully, I guess, I'm, like, super worried that something bad will happen to them. Bad luck seems to follow me around, you know?"
Gwen gave a little sigh, slumping back into her chair.
"I know it's not mentally healthy or anything, but I'm just kind of... scared of getting close to people. Let alone the fact that getting involved with Ghost-Spider could lead them into trouble, what if I find a way to get home tomorrow? Or in a week? A month? If I have to say goodbye to people I've come to care about..."
She shrugged her shoulders high, curling into herself slightly.
"I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to anyone in my world. It still feels horrible. I guess I don't want to have to do that again."
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Post by Bixir on Oct 19, 2024 5:41:18 GMT
When Gwen looked up next, she would see that Robot's fingers were subtly (but firmly) touching Gwen's own, bringing them to the forefront between them. While he maintained contact with Gwen in this way, Robot stared into Gwen's eyes.
"If you never say goodbye... you will never learn to say- hello." Robot paused, suddenly stuck in the moment, before eventually relenting. He quickly pulled away from her, interlacing his fingers on top of his desk as he had done before. He made a sound that sounded like it passed for a cough.
"Take it from me: you are better off building relationships whenever you can." Robot tilted his head slightly. His tone lowered a pitch. "You never know when you will have that opportunity again."
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Post by Beriadan on Oct 20, 2024 18:14:50 GMT
Gwen was shocked by the contact, staring into Robot's green lenses with wide eyes. As soon as it happened, it was gone, a fleeting moment of fragility from someone she had viewed as solid and unwavering for the entire time she knew him. Gwen couldn't help but smile, a wide grin of happiness.
"Yeah. You're, like, so right. Maybe I need to just stop being so worried about connecting. Maybe I need to, like, stop worrying about the future, and focus on now."
She paused as well, listening to his words. Gwen hadn't never considered Robot to be... well, a person. His emotionless robot face and matter-of-fact attitude had given him an image of something that had been created for a purpose. But she realised there was more too it than that.
"Robot," she said hesitantly, "if there's anything you need from me... that isn't related to me. Like, uh, you know... someone to talk to. A shoulder to cry on, or, like, whatever you need that's not, like, related to working or the Champions, or, like, any of that stuff," the words poured out quicker as she flushed slightly, but grinned, "then I'm here too. I'm, like, totes good at adult conversations about feelings, or whatever you feel like talking about. You've had our backs for ages, been a super big help for me... and I wanna repay the favour, if you ever need it."
Gwen gave the robot a kind, slightly lopsided and embarrassed smile. She raised a fist towards him, an offering for a friendly fist bump.
"'Cause, like, we're friends too, you know?"
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