"I can stay. You guys can't," Miles said firmly, looking around at the others as they continued glitching.
The room flickered with unstable energy as the other Spider-People phased in and out slightly.
Then Peni pointed.
"What about him?" she asked, gesturing toward Max.
Everyone turned.
Max stood there completely stable.
No glitches.
No distortion.
Nothing.
He let out a small breath.
"…Yeah," Max said casually. "You really don't want me handling interdimensional travel."
To emphasize his point, his mask slowly retracted.
Beneath it—
A burning skull.
Hellfire poured from his eye sockets and mouth, flickering unnaturally in the dim room.
"I carry the Curse of Vengeance," Max said calmly. "And I already struggle holding back in one world."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Give me access to infinite ones… and I promise you, I won't."
The flames intensified slightly for a moment—
Then the mask reformed over his face.
Silence followed.
Even the Spider-People—who had seen a lot—looked uneasy.
And honestly?
They had every right to be.
Max noticed it… but didn't react.
He needed them cautious.
Needed them to follow the same path as before.
"…So," Spider-Man Noir said after a moment, breaking the tension, "shall we see if the kid can do it?"
The focus shifted back to Miles.
Testing began.
Jumping.
Timing.
Leap of faith.
Max watched for about thirty seconds…
Then lost interest.
He already knew how this would go.
Miles would struggle.
Then succeed when it mattered.
That wasn't where Max needed to be right now.
He had already done what he came for—introduced himself, planted his presence, and ensured he'd be part of the coming fight.
Everything else?
Would happen on its own.
"…Yeah, I'm out," Max muttered quietly.
No one stopped him.
Most of them were too focused on Miles anyway.
Max slipped out of the hideout and swung into the night.
The city stretched out beneath him, alive with noise and light, but his mind was already somewhere else.
Alice.
She had sent him an address.
He followed it.
The building stood on the outskirts of the city.
An old Fisk property.
Abandoned.
Or at least… it looked abandoned.
Broken windows.
Damaged doors.
Barrels scattered outside, some with old burn marks—like they'd been used for fire by people trying to stay warm.
"…Yeah, homeless definitely moved in here at some point," Max muttered as he landed nearby.
He paused.
Then focused.
His senses expanded.
He could feel presence.
Life.
Energy.
And—
"…One," he said quietly.
Just one.
Alice.
Max frowned slightly.
"I mean… I know the homeless crime rate is high, but killing all of them?" he muttered. "I really hope she just scared them off…"
He stepped inside.
The interior was… better than expected.
Still rough.
Still damaged.
But cleaner.
Like someone had at least tried to fix things up.
Debris had been moved. Certain areas cleared. Paths made walkable.
Max followed his senses deeper into the building, moving through hallways until he reached a section that stood out.
One room.
Much cleaner.
Much more put together.
"…Must be her old room," Max said.
He knocked.
The door immediately fell inward with a loud thud.
Max winced.
"…My bad, I'll—"
He stopped.
Alice stood inside.
But—
She looked… different.
Black fox ears sat on top of her head.
A matching tail swayed behind her.
Both made entirely from symbiote biomass.
They moved naturally.
Fluidly.
Alive.
"Oh, you're here earlier than I expected!" Alice said brightly. "Well? What do you think?"
She turned slightly, showing off the tail with a playful flick.
Max blinked.
"…Okay, yeah, that's impressive," he admitted. "But how are you doing that?"
He stepped closer, studying it.
"From what I know, symbiotes can only replicate things based on DNA they've absorbed. And this?" he gestured slightly, "this is advanced."
Alice shrugged casually.
"I mean… I just ate a few animals," she said.
Max paused.
"…Of course you did."
She smiled.
"Humans are way less tasty, by the way," she added. "I can survive on normal food. Chocolate's still great."
The extra biomass slowly retracted from her ears and tail, pulling back into her body like liquid shadow.
"I can teach you how to do stuff like that," she said. "Your symbiote should be able to manage it too."
Max nodded slowly, still processing.
His gaze shifted around the room.
It was mostly set up now.
Cleaner.
More personal.
And there—
On the bed.
The stuffed fox.
Max's chest tightened slightly at the sight.
Alice noticed but didn't comment.
Instead, she clapped her hands lightly.
"Alright," she said with a grin.
"Time for training."
Max looked back at her.
"…Training?"
Alice's eyes gleamed slightly with excitement.
"You've got insane power," she said. "Ghost Rider, symbiote, your mutation… but your control?"
She tilted her head.
"…Still kinda sucks."
Max let out a small breath.
"…Yeah, that's fair."
Alice stepped closer, poking his chest lightly.
"So," she said, smiling, "let's fix that."