Yes, times had changed.
Even in the same universe, if the timeline was too early, no one would have ever imagined superheroes becoming subject to a registration system.
Every publicly active superhero now had to register their identity. Either you never revealed your powers and kept them hidden your whole life, or you registered—but even then, you weren't allowed to recklessly use them.
But the one thing you could never do was have powers, refuse to register, and still use them openly on the streets.
If you tried that, you'd definitely be greeted with: [FBI, open the door!!!]
Don't underestimate America's current surveillance. With underground agents and Tony's satellites, tracking down a superhero who used their powers on the street was child's play.
Use your powers at 5 PM on the street, and by 6 PM, you'd come home to find agents waiting at your door—smiling and politely greeting you.
Yes, times had changed.
Of course, there were exceptions.
Wanda, Gwen, and Hela hadn't registered, nor had Devourer Girl.
But Devourer Girl was different—she had hidden herself exceptionally well and had no connection to Lorien.
As for those three, though? The only reason they didn't register was because they were with Lorien.
Who would dare ask them to?
After Gwen finished explaining all this, Silk was stunned.
"So you're saying… superheroes now have to register?"
"Yes." Gwen nodded.
"Did you register?" Silk asked.
At that, Gwen couldn't help but chuckle. She glanced at Lorien, then shook her head and said,
"We don't need to."
There were three types of people in this world who didn't need to register:
1. Villains.
2. Those outside America.
3. Lorien Su and the superheroes affiliated with him.
So when Silk noticed how Gwen's gaze—whenever it came to power or authority—always drifted toward Lorien, she immediately understood and nodded firmly.
"Gwen, I need your help."
Hearing that, Gwen finally nodded in satisfaction.
Since Silk was also a Spider-Woman, and since she was willing to do good, Gwen agreed to help her.
After all, if Silk turned to crime, Gwen's reputation might suffer by association. But if Silk did good, it would only strengthen Gwen's own standing.
So Gwen looked to Lorien, waiting for him to decide how best to help.
Lorien thought for a moment. Should he just take her inside immediately?
Ahem. Better think seriously.
After a pause, he said,
"I'll have the Avengers prepare an apartment for you first. But you'll need to register your name and abilities."
"This way the authorities will recognize you, and you'll be able to live more easily day to day. Don't worry about exposure—the superhero world and ordinary New York operate on completely different levels."
"Of course, this is only the initial arrangement."
"As for the long-term plan, I'll discuss it with Gwen once I get back."
"Hm?"
When Gwen heard that, she immediately understood. Lorien definitely had other plans in mind.
So she nodded silently, showing she agreed.
Silk also let out a breath of relief.
"No problem," she said with a nod.
Whatever happened, she first needed stability in this universe. Otherwise, even food and shelter would be an issue.
With the decision made, Lorien gave a small nod and raised his hand.
"Then let Gwen take you to the Avengers Compound. We can handle it tonight—the sooner you go, the sooner you'll return."
"Me?" Gwen blinked, puzzled for a moment. Then she understood.
"Alright."
Lorien nodded and snapped his fingers.
"Snap~"
In the next instant, Gwen and Silk vanished, teleported straight to the Avengers Compound. Lorien, meanwhile, returned home alone.
As for why he sent Gwen with Silk? That, of course, had to do with future plans.
And besides, they were both Spider-Women. It was better to let them get to know each other first.
After arriving home alone, Lorien stepped into the Little Universe.
Sure enough, Wanda was there.
Seeing Lorien show up at this hour without Gwen by his side, Wanda immediately knew he had something important to say.
"What happened?"
"It's about the Multiverse."
Lorien walked over to the lounge chair and sat down. He patted his lap.
Wanda gave a helpless little smile, then came over and sat sideways on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Lorien inhaled the faint fragrance from her hair and skin before speaking.
"The Multiverse is in chaos. A second Spider-Woman showed up in New York—she came from another universe."
"She's only been here a few days. This afternoon..."
With that, Lorien explained everything: the cause of the incident, what had happened earlier in the day, and how things had ended just now.
He thought Wanda would offer some advice.
Instead, her eyes lit up with interest.
"So… Gwen almost got kissed by a beautiful Spider-Woman?"
Lorien:
That's where your focus goes?
Can't you pay attention to the Multiverse?
He lowered his head into the softness in front of him. Wanda's clothes at home were loose, and her collar did little to hide her generous curves. Lorien easily helped himself to a "strawberry cake."
"We initially thought she was a lesbian. But it's not that—her powers are what trigger a primal instinct in her."
Wanda only found it stranger. She pushed Lorien's forehead lightly.
"Your hair… tickles."
Then she asked,
"So what's causing these primal instincts? There has to be a reason."
Lorien nodded.
"Two reasons."
"First: attraction to strength. Gwen revealed her power, and Silk instinctively sensed it."
"Second: spiders themselves sometimes show this kind of pseudo-condition."
"So her instincts should only react toward Gwen. Even if other Spider-Men appeared, she wouldn't care."
"Of course, she insists her orientation is still normal.
But whether it really is—I don't know."
Honestly, it was hard to say. What if this instinct turned Silk bisexual? Attracted to Gwen but still open to men?
After all, everyone knew how it was. America had, what, ninety-seven genders now? How were you supposed to define that? Define my ass.
But Wanda seemed amused. She rubbed Lorien's chest and teased,
"Then you'd better keep a close eye on Gwen. Wouldn't want her getting swept away by a female spider."
Lorien was speechless.
Excuse me? Was that an insult to my charm?
Fine then—I'll insult yours right now!
Ah-woo!
He took a big bite of the "cake" in front of him.
"Ahh!"
Wanda trembled all over and quickly pushed his head away.
"Alright, alright! I'll stop joking. Tell me the real plan~"
Lorien indulged himself a moment longer before lifting his head, satisfied.
"Actually, I've been thinking."
"This is the second Spider-Woman, but what if there's a third, a fourth, a fifth, and so on?
"If no one takes charge, even if they're all good people, chaos is inevitable."
"So I was considering—what if Gwen became the leader? Not the Spider-Queen, but… the lead spider. To unify and manage them all."
Wanda's expression grew brighter by the second.
"That could work!"
She looked straight into Lorien's eyes.
"Just like the Goddess Alliance Gwen and I formed."
"You could help her start a Spider Alliance! With Gwen as the leader—the strongest one—they'd definitely agree."
"You'd provide the base, resources, equipment… They've just arrived in this universe. If they saw their own kind, of course they'd join."
"That way, we'd have our own security organization!"
Lorien's eyes lit up.
He'd be the mastermind, and Gwen would be the leader.
If more Spider-Women showed up later, he'd recruit them all under Gwen's banner.
He wouldn't have to lift a finger. Gwen would run the show.
By day, everyone could live their own lives—school, work, research.
But in their spare time? New York would never run short of Spider-Men.
And if anything happened, Gwen could lead them into action while Lorien sat at home, commanding an army of spiders.
It was perfect.
And Spider-Men's morality wasn't even a concern. As long as you treated them well, they'd never forget it.
Marvel's favorite sons and daughters—their character was guaranteed.
So… this plan really could work!
Lorien thought it over and nodded at Wanda's idea.
"Then it's settled. When Gwen gets back, I'll tell her. We'll draft a detailed plan."
Wanda nodded eagerly, already scheming.
"Then what should we call it? Spider-Man Alliance? Spider League? Or since it's two women right now—Spider-Women Alliance? Spider-Women League?"
Honestly, they all sounded good. Lorien was satisfied with every suggestion.
But…
"Let's wait for Gwen to get back. She should be here soon."
"Alright!"
...
On the other side.
Gwen had already taken care of Silk's identity issues. The two of them were now standing outside the Avengers Compound, speaking with Natasha.
"Thanks, Natasha. I didn't expect it to be this quick—I thought I wouldn't make it back tonight," Gwen said gratefully.
At that moment, Silk was holding several things in her hands: a set of keys, an SSN card, a driver's license, a bank card, a credit card, and more.
These were Silk's "identity documents."
In the U.S., citizens don't have ID cards. The number on the SSN card serves as identification, but it's rarely used. The most important document is the driver's license.
In America, you need a license to fly, to check into hotels, to drive—basically anywhere that requires proof of identity, they'll ask for your license.
That's why life is so difficult for adults without one. And why undocumented immigrants can't get by. Without a license, no one will hire you. One look and people will know you're not supposed to be here.
Alright, back to the point.
Natasha waved her hand dismissively.
"No worries. Underground agents have plenty of public housing in New York."
"As for identities… don't forget what we used to do."
They were agents. Whatever identity you wanted, they could create it. A regular identity was nothing—she could just as easily hand you a spy's identity if you wanted one.
"Anyway, thanks again," Gwen waved. "I need to get Cindy home first. See you later."
Natasha had wanted to ask more about the "other universes" Gwen mentioned earlier, but she knew it was something troublesome—and far beyond her reach. So she didn't push further.
"Goodbye, Gwen. Cindy."
She nodded, opened the Compound's gate, and let them leave. Watching them walk off, Natasha thought for a moment before turning back inside.
Gwen's earlier explanation had been simple:
"Lorien said we can't reveal too much yet. She's just another Spider-Woman from a different universe, so I brought her here to get her identity sorted."
That was all Gwen revealed about Cindy's origin. Just "another universe."
But Natasha could tell. That "other universe" wasn't something simple. Still, it wasn't her business—she had no way of reaching that level.
...
After leaving the Avengers, Gwen and Cindy swung through the city together, their webs crisscrossing between skyscrapers.
As they passed a tall building, both shot their webs upward and landed side by side.
"Thwip—clack!"
"Thwip—clack!"
They crouched low upon landing, then slowly straightened.
Silk looked back toward the Avengers Compound and asked,
"Do you think my universe has an Avengers too?"
"Yes." Gwen nodded, gazing at the Northern Tower.
"Then… do you exist in my universe?" Cindy pressed.
"No." Gwen shook her head this time, explaining, "The people across the Multiverse aren't fixed. We're all Spider-Women, but not necessarily the same person."
"There are many Spider-Men across the Multiverse. But there's only one Cindy, only one Gwen, only one Lorien, and only one Wanda."
"For most others, though, there usually is a duplicate of themselves, and their histories are pretty similar."
Cindy processed that for a moment, then nodded slowly.
"So, in the future, we might run into more Spider-Men—but none of them will be the same."
"That's right."
"But what if there are too many? Right now there's you and me. What if more show up? Three, four…?"
Gwen considered that possibility, and it already felt troubling.
Even if every Spider-Man was good, too many would still be a problem.
Two spiders in one frame was fine. But what if one day it turned into three… four… eight… or even eighteen?!
That would be chaos.
Gwen let out a sharp breath, then said,
"When I get back, I'll ask Lorien what to do."
"But if there really are too many, then I think we'll need to form an alliance. Something to keep us in check and organized."
"What do you think, Cindy?"
Cindy stood in her spider suit, her face partially covered by a red bandana.
It was identical in style to the one Gwen had been playing with Lorien the night before—though Cindy's was fabric, while Gwen's had been metallic.
That bandana, Gwen had only taken off from her waist that morning. As for Wanda's metal one—well, it had ended up pressed beneath her own ample chest, leaving a diamond-shaped imprint.
But that was beside the point.
Now the two Spider-Women stood atop a skyscraper. A gentle breeze brushed across Cindy's face, lifting her long, black hair into the air.
She gazed out over the beautiful city, then turned to look at Gwen.
Gwen felt Cindy's eyes on her. She shifted sideways and warned,
"If you try anything, don't blame me for tossing you off this building."
So cruel. But… I kind of like it.
Cindy's cool, almond-shaped eyes narrowed slightly. But Gwen's words snapped her back to her senses. Otherwise, she really might have leaned in just now.
Returning to the earlier topic, Cindy's eyes lit up with realization.
"Right now it's just you and me. But if more Spider-Women come to this universe, then we should form a…"
"Spider-Women Alliance!"