Andy Strucker POV
"Hahaha, I can't believe you did that, Andy," Lauren said, laughing after I told her what happened with Franklin.
"It was an accident," I said quickly, holding my hands up. "I thought he told them a long time ago."
Lauren just kept laughing.
"I have to admit," Kurt said with a small smile, "your old friends was… very entertaining."
I leaned back on the couch in the common room, letting out a breath. I had just finished catching Lauren up on everything that happened at the mall.
It felt… good.
Seeing Franklin again.
My first real friend at my old school.
The way we became friends was still kind of weird, honestly. He just walked up to me one day at lunch, saw me sitting alone, and asked if I wanted to sit with him and his friends.
No hesitation. No judgment.
Just… like it was the most normal thing in the world.
I was so caught off guard that the only thing I managed to say was, "Yeah."
He smiled, and just like that, I wasn't alone anymore.
At first, I didn't talk much. I didn't really know how to fit in. But Franklin noticed. He always notices things like that.
He started asking me questions about what I liked, what I did for fun. I told him: art, video games, comic books.
That opened the door.
Next thing I knew, I was talking with Peter, Kamala, Ned, MJ, Cindy, Yolanda, and Ava like I'd known them forever.
For the first time since coming to that school…
I felt like I actually belonged.
My smile faded a little.
Leaving them… wasn't my choice.
That day, when Franklin and Flash got into that fight, everything changed.
My powers activated.
And I lost control.
My ability… It's not something small. I can tear things apart at the molecular level. One second. That's all it takes.
One mistake… and I could've killed someone.
Maybe even one of them.
That's when my parents made the decision. They sent us here, to the mansion. A place where mutants learn to control their powers.
With Lauren.
I glanced over at my sister.
I didn't even know she was a mutant before all of this.
Opposite of mine
Where I tear things apart… she puts them together.
She can push molecules together, create shields, and reinforce structures. It's not easy, though; some materials are harder for her to control. Water, rock… anything unstable or dense takes more focus.
Still…
Together, we're kind of like two sides of the same coin.
I exhaled quietly, staring at the floor for a second.
I missed them.
But at least now…
I had a chance to make sure I'd never hurt them.
"Andy, can I ask you a question?" Laura asked.
I glanced at her. "Sure. What is it?"
She tilted her head slightly. "Is Franklin a mutant?"
"…What?" Lauren and I said at the same time.
Lauren frowned. "Why would you think that?"
Laura shrugged. "He smells… strange. Like a bunch of different scents mixed into one."
There was a brief pause.
"Oh, right, you mentioned that," Kitty said, rubbing her temple. "Also, we really need to talk about boundaries. You can't just walk up to someone and smell them."
"He didn't seem to mind," Laura replied simply.
"That's because it's Franklin," I said with a small shrug. "Nothing really bothers him."
Scott leaned back in his chair, shaking his head. "I still can't believe he's dating two girls."
"I know, right?" Kurt added with a grin. "I feel sorry for his wallet."
"We're getting off-topic," Lauren cut in, though she was clearly trying not to smile. She looked back at me. "Do you actually think it's possible Franklin could be a mutant?"
I let out a short laugh. "Seriously? You're considering that?"
She didn't answer right away.
I shook my head. "Even if Franklin was a mutant, there's no way he'd be able to keep it a secret. That guy couldn't hide something like that to save his life."
Lauren crossed her arms, thinking. "We left before everything settled. If he is a mutant, his powers might not have activated yet when we were at Midtown. It could've happened later."
I hesitated.
"…Okay, that's actually not a bad point."
"And if that's the case," she continued, "there's a chance his close friends already know."
I rubbed the back of my neck. "Yolanda, Ava, Kamala, Peter, Ned, MJ, Cindy…"
I trailed off, thinking about it.
"…Yeah. If anyone knows, it's them."
Rogue suddenly leaned forward, a grin forming. "Well, instead of sitting around guessing, how about we hang out with them again… and Jean does her little mind-reading trick?"
Jean immediately shook her head. "No. The Professor was very clear, I don't go into people's minds without their permission. It's a violation of privacy."
"Oh, come on," Rogue pressed. "This could be serious. There might be a mutant out there who doesn't even know what he is yet."
Jean's expression didn't change. "That still doesn't make it right."
"Okay, everyone, calm down," I said, raising my hands. "No one's reading anyone's mind. We don't even know if Franklin's a mutant. This is all just speculation because Laura thinks he smells weird."
Laura didn't react.
"Exactly," Lauren added. "There's no actual evidence he's a mutant."
Scott smirked, glancing between us. "Yeah… but let's be honest, you guys would love it if he were. The way you talked about him when you first got here, you'd think he was some kind of superhero."
I shrugged a little. "I mean… in some ways, he kinda was. Franklin always helped people, big stuff, small stuff, didn't matter."
Lauren laughed. "Yeah, like that time Kamala got locked out of her house in her bathrobe, and Franklin somehow broke her back into her own house without her family noticing."
I blinked. "Wait, what? When did that happen? And who told you that?"
"A couple of years ago," Lauren said casually. "Kamala told me."
I shook my head, half impressed, half confused. "Wow… and I thought what he did at the New Year's party was crazy."
That got everyone's attention.
Rogue leaned forward immediately. "Hold on, what happened at the New Year's party? You two were acting really weird about it at the mall."
"Nothing!" I said way too fast. "Nothing at all."
Yeah… that didn't sound suspicious.
Everyone stared at me.
Lauren slowly turned her head toward me, giving me that look.
"Guys," she said, dead serious, "trust me, you do not want to know. I wish I didn't know… but unfortunately, I was there."
Now they looked even more interested.
I pointed at her. "It was an accident!"
Franklin POV
2 Days Later
"So everything's going well with you two, I see," I said.
Yuri nodded. "Yeah, we are. And… thank you for the pills. It was getting really hard to keep Magnus from eating someone."
An orange, molten-looking sludge slid up from her shoulder, forming a head with white eyes and sharp yellow teeth.
"I said I was sorry," Magnus grumbled. "I was hungry."
I snorted.
We were standing in a quiet alley, away from prying eyes. I'd been making my usual rounds, dropping off the phenethylamine pills to keep the symbiotes stable. Flash already got his. Yuri was next.
Last stop after this… MJ.
"You're still in timeout," Yuri said flatly, like a mom scolding a kid. "You almost exposed both of us."
Magnus frowned, then melted back into her shoulder.
"Hey, don't worry about it," I said with a grin. "I've been on the receiving end of plenty of angry women. Trust me, you'll be forgiven eventually. Just hang in there, buddy."
A small tendril popped out of Yuri's shoulder and gave me a thumbs-up before disappearing again.
I laughed. "Yeah, you'll be fine."
I stepped back. "Looks like you've got everything handled. I've still got a few more deliveries to make."
I reached for the Omnitrix.
"Omni, wait," Yuri said.
I paused, lowering my hand and looking at her.
Her expression softened.
"A friend of mine… his wife had breast cancer," she said quietly. "We didn't think she was going to make it. But because of you… She's going to live long enough to see her daughter graduate."
She took a breath. "So, on behalf of the Stacy… thank you."
My eyes widened slightly.
Stacy?
"…That name sounds familiar," I said carefully.
Yuri nodded. "George Stacy. Police chief."
Yeah.
That definitely rang a bell.
I hadn't even thought about it before, but… of course, there'd be a Gwen Stacy in this universe. I just never looked.
Huh.
"Well," I said after a second, "tell George I said thanks for everything he does to protect this city."
Yuri gave a small smile. "I will."
I nodded, then tapped the Omnitrix.
The dial flashed.
"Jetray."
My body shifted instantly, wings forming as I launched into the air, shooting out of the alley and into the skyline.
One more stop to go.
As I flew through the night sky, I let my thoughts drift.
This had been happening for a while now… and honestly, I wasn't even surprised anymore.
People kept thanking me.
For the cures.
For what I did.
Hell, even some of the criminals I stopped would thank me after I took them down. Turns out, when you cure cancer, people tend to overlook the whole "I just punched you through a wall" part.
Just yesterday, one of the Inhumans, the acid-type guy, broke out of prison. I showed up ready for a fight…
And he surrendered immediately.
Didn't even throw a punch.
He just wanted to thank me.
Said I cured his little sister's brain cancer. That was the only reason he robbed that bank: to pay for her treatment.
…
Yeah.
That one stuck with me.
It really put things into perspective, just how much good I'd actually done.
And it made me want to do more.
That's why I've got two clones working nonstop on different projects. One's focused on curing diseases that are still considered "incurable." The other's working on cleaning up the oceans and fixing the atmosphere.
Big problems.
But… solvable ones.
I already talked to Tony Stark about it, and he's on board to help scale everything globally.
Though… lately, he's been pushing a little harder about me joining the Avengers.
…Wonder why.
I was pulled out of my thoughts when I realized I'd reached MJ's place.
I slowed midair, then dropped down onto her fire escape. A quick tap of the Omnitrix, and I shifted back to normal.
I knocked lightly on her window.
It didn't take long before she noticed me and slid it open.
I climbed inside.
"Thanks for not screaming this time," I said with a grin.
She rolled her eyes. "You can't blame me for that. You showed up in the middle of the night out of nowhere, and your armor looks terrifying in the dark."
"Fair enough," I admitted. "Anyway, here."
I made a quick motion with my hand, and a pill bottle appeared out of thin air.
She blinked. "How do you even do that?"
"Little spell my master taught me," I said casually, tossing it to her.
She caught it easily.
I started to turn.
"Wait, Omni."
I paused and looked back at her.
She hesitated for a second, then met my eyes.
"Look… I know this isn't really your thing, giving advice and all, but can I ask you something?"
I shrugged. "You can. No promises it'll be good advice, though."
"That's fine," she said, sitting down on her bed. "I just need a second opinion."
I walked over and sat beside her, leaning back slightly.
"Alright," I said. "I'm listening."
"Okay… for months now, I've been trying to apologize to an old friend. But the problem is, another girl keeps stopping me. Her name is Michelle Jones—she's so insufferable. She always interferes, never even lets me talk to Peter alone. Sometimes I just want to throw her out a window."
"Whoa," I said.
"Don't worry, I don't mean that seriously," she added quickly.
She let out a breath, her voice softening. "It's just… if I were her, I'd probably do the same thing. No, I would do the same thing. What I said to Peter that day… It's pretty unforgettable. I didn't even apologize. I just walked away."
She looked down at her hands.
"I've regretted it ever since. I wish I could take it back. I was so caught up in trying to be popular, and honestly… that means nothing after you graduate. I just… I want to be friends with Peter again. Like we used to be."
I listened closely. She really had been trying, every chance she got, to talk to him alone, but MJ2 never left them together long enough.
"My best advice?" I said. "Keep trying. Show him you're serious, show him you really want to apologize. I'm sure she'll back off eventually."
And I'd make sure she did. Peter and Mary Jane needed to talk, without interference. Whatever happened after that should be Peter's decision.
"I doubt that," she said quietly. "If I were her… I'd be scared to leave him alone with another girl, too."
I paused, that thought catching me off guard. Wait… does Mary Jane actually like Peter like that?
I pushed the thought aside and stood up.
"Just keep trying," I said. "I'm sure everything will work out."
I turned toward the window, activating my suit. In a flash, I transformed into Jetway and shot into the sky, heading back to base.
Cindy Burman POV
I groaned, clutching my side as another wave of pain hit me.
This had been going on for days now.
I didn't know what was happening, but something was wrong. My whole body ached like it was being pulled apart and put back together at the same time.
Like I was changing.
"Cindy, we have to go to Franklin. He can help you," Courtney said again, sitting at my bedside.
She'd barely left my side since this started.
"We can't," I muttered through gritted teeth. "I made a promise to Ava and Yolanda. I'll be fine."
"You are clearly not fine," she shot back. "And I'm pretty sure they'd understand. We can't exactly take you to a normal hospital."
She wasn't wrong.
One blood test. One X-ray. That's all it would take for them to realize I wasn't normal, and then everything would spiral from there.
"I said I won't break my promise," I snapped. "I already hurt them enough."
"Cindy," Courtney pressed.
"I SAID NO!"
The words ripped out of me louder than I meant.
She flinched, stepping back slightly, not out of fear, but concern… and confusion.
And then
Something shifted.
My vision warped.
For a split second, everything changed, colors faded, replaced by glowing heat signatures. Courtney stood in front of me like a walking flame, her body radiating warmth in sharp, vivid detail.
Then just like that… it was gone.
I blinked rapidly, rubbing my eyes. "What the hell…?"
"Cindy," Courtney said slowly, staring at me. "Your eyes… they just turned reptilian. Like your dad's."
My stomach dropped.
"What?"
"That's it," she said firmly. "We're going to Franklin. Now."
"I said—"
Before I could finish, she lifted me like I weighed nothing and headed toward the door.
"Hey, put me down!" I protested weakly.
I hated how little strength I had right now.
I used to be stronger than her.
Now? I couldn't even fight back.
I should've taken that super soldier serum when Franklin offered it…
But with how my body felt right now, I wasn't even sure that would've helped.
"Mom!" Courtney yelled as we moved through the house. "Get your car keys, we need to go to Franklin's base!"
"Noooooooo," I groaned, letting my head fall back against her shoulder.