"Well, I guess I can come visit," Penny said with a wry smile, unable to refuse Gwen's earnest offer.
"Awesome! How about this Sunday afternoon? I won't have much going on after lunch, so it's the perfect time to show you around," Gwen said, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
"Someone else can come with me too, right?" Penny asked, glancing around at the others.
"I would love to, but I am going out of town with my family," Missy said, visibly disappointed.
As the others chimed in with similar answers, Penny remembered that most people would already have trips planned for the Spring Break next week.
"Well, at least you will come, right Penny?" Gwen asked, looking at her hopefully.
"Yep, wouldn't miss it for the world," Penny replied with a small smile. She didn't have any other plans anyway.
"So, Penny, are you really interning at Watson Tower?" Cindy asked suddenly, turning towards her with narrowed eyes.
Penny hadn't shared anything about her Microbots invention at school, so most people still thought she was just bragging about her internship.
"Ah, yeah. I have been interning with Watson Technologies for a few months now," she said, sitting up a little straighter. In truth, thanks to her Microbots, she could have easily landed a full-time position—but Aunt May and Luke both insisted she was too young for that kind of commitment.
"So… have you seen the famous, handsome Lucas Watson in person?" Cindy asked with a teasing grin. Even Sha Shan leaned in with interest, while Gwen suddenly shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
"Uhm… ye-yes, a few times," Penny stammered, coughing awkwardly as memories of last night's embarrassing moment surfaced.
"I heard he is dating the Invisible Woman—Susan Storm. Is that true?" Cindy asked in a whisper, eyes locked on Penny like a hawk.
"NO!"
"NO!"
Both Gwen and Penny blurted it out at the same time, a bit too loudly.
They stared at each other in surprise before quickly looking away as everyone else glanced between them suspiciously.
"I—I mean, last I checked, he was still single," Penny added, a pink flush creeping into her cheeks.
"Penny must have heard that from her workplace," Ned said slowly, still looking puzzled. "But Gwen, why did you say no?"
"Yeah, Gwen?" Cindy pressed with a raised brow.
"Oh, that—Lucas is, like, a family friend. My dad invited him over for dinner last month," Gwen said quickly, avoiding their eyes. "He mentioned that he wants to focus on his studies and the company instead of dating."
Her voice trailed off as a faint blush colored her fair cheeks.
"Ooh, did Lucas Watson turn you down?" Sha Shan asked with genuine interest.
"That can't be true, right?" Missy said in alarm, glancing at Gwen. Even Penny turned towards her, raising her eyebrows curiously.
"No, no, nothing like that," Gwen said quickly, eyes darting down to her plate. "Luke was just responding to my mom's question—not mine."
"Oooh, now it's Luke instead of Lucas?" Sha Shan teased with a knowing chuckle.
"Stop it," Gwen warned with a roll of her eyes, swatting lightly at her.
Penny finally let out the breath she didn't realize she had been holding. Looking down at her plate, she felt both relieved and frustrated. If Luke really had turned Gwen down, what chance did she ever have? Not like she could ever muster up the courage to confess anyway.
Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.
Penny shook her head to clear away the useless thoughts as she stood up with the others.
---
"Just one more day, then it's a week of freedom!" Ned said, walking beside Penny. "I can't wait."
"There are still the Spring Break assignments to do," Penny said with a smirk as they stepped out of the school building.
"Yeah, yeah, those can be done later," Ned replied, waving it off. "Man, I wish Missy was in the Robotics Club. If she were still here, we could all hit the arcade together."
He glanced into the distance, spotting his mom's car waiting nearby.
There weren't many students left on campus—it was already late. They had stayed behind to finish assembling the robot for the upcoming competition after Spring Break, as they won't have much time later.
"Well, she is more into the Art and Crafts Club, and their members never stay late," Penny said with a small shrug. "So it can't be helped."
"That's true." Ned adjusted his bag. "Okay, my mom's here. Do you need a ride somewhere?"
"Nah, I'll take the subway. I have gotta be at Watson Tower in half an hour. See you, dude," Penny said, offering a fist bump.
"See you." Ned smiled, bumping fists before heading off.
"Hey, Mrs. Leeds!" Penny called out, waving cheerfully at Ned's mom. She got a wave in return before turning towards the subway entrance.
Once she was alone, she popped in her earbuds. With a subtle hum, the microbots in her bag reassembled into a sleek skateboard. Hopping on, she rolled smoothly down the sidewalk, humming along to the beat.
A quiet subway ride later, Penny stepped out in front of the gleaming structure of Watson Tower, the evening light bouncing off its mirrored surface.
She pulled her ID badge from her bag and clipped it on before passing through security. Penny had noticed lately how much tighter—and more advanced—the security at Watson Tower had become. Then again, the entire tower had expanded significantly.
A quiet sense of pride filled her chest, as her construction microbots had played a major role in the renovations.
The building was still bustling with people in sleek formal wear moving in and out, but Penny ignored the crowd and headed straight for the elevator. She pressed the button for the 25th floor. Floors 21 through 30 were dedicated to the research and development division of Watson Technologies.
After presenting her working prototype of the Microbots, Luke had personally upgraded her setup and granted her a spacious private lab tucked into a quiet corner of the R&D wing.
Today, the floor seemed emptier than usual—not that Penny mingled much with the others anyway. Swiping her keycard at the door to her lab, she stepped inside with a relieved sigh.
One of the best perks of working in these labs? The self-cleaning robots. She had begged Aunt May to get one for the house, but her aunt insisted it would just make her lazier. So instead, Penny had settled for a fingerprint lock on her basement. Small victories.
"Okay, Karen, let's pick up where we left off yesterday," Penny said aloud as she plopped down in her chair. The PC hummed to life on its own. "Show me the molecular structure of the Web Fluid again."
She took a few small canisters of her prototype web fluid from her bag and set them gently on the nearby desk. She had a more complete version locked away safely in this lab, but she also had a habit to keep some rudimentary ones at home to tinker with whenever inspiration struck.
"Soon I will finish this formula," she murmured, holding one of the canisters up and kissing it dramatically. "And then I will finally ask Luke for that one thing."
Looking at how hard she was working, Luke had promised—after she completed the web fluid project—he would grant her anything she asked for.
"But to make me pick just one thing out of everything I want? That's just cruel," she said with a grin that stretched ear to ear.
"Penny," came a calm, omnipresent female voice that echoed through the room, wiping the grin right off her face. Penny sat up straighter in her chair.
"Yes, D.A.I.S.Y.," she sighed.
"You have not completed your daily exercise routine." The voice replied in the same calm voice.
"Ugh, do I have to? It's so late already. Can't I take a break just for today? Please, Miss Super-Kind AI," she said, clasping her hands together and looking up toward the ceiling in mock reverence.
"No," D.A.I.S.Y. responded mercilessly. The screen in front of Penny shutting down automatically.
"Only a consistent, structured regimen can lead to healthy development in a growing young woman," the AI added in a wise, almost smug tone.
"All... right," Penny groaned, dragging herself toward the lab door. She paused mid-step, clutching her stomach theatrically. "Umm, D.A.I.S.Y., I think my lower half is in pain. Must be... you know... that time of the month. Maybe we could postpone today's session?"
She gave a pained smile to the corner of the room, knowing the cameras were always watching.
"There is still one week until your menstrual cycle begins," D.A.I.S.Y. replied, lacing her voice with just the right amount of sarcasm. "So it appears you really may need immediate medical attention. Shall I call the resident doctor for you?"
"Nope! Nope. No need," Penny said quickly, waving it off. "It was probably just my lunch."
She sulked as she walked out, muttering under her breath, "Stupid Luke and his stupid AI..."
Her footsteps echoed dramatically as she trudged toward the elevator, dragging her feet like a doomed soul headed to the gallows.
Although there was a gym on the 18th floor reserved for general employee use, Luke had granted Penny access to the 66th through 70th floors—an entirely different level of training facilities. According to him, hardly anyone used them anyway, so she could train there without issue.
She had explored all of those floors once, and honestly, she still questioned if the whole thing was a bit excessive. Who on Earth could even lift those massive weights? The first time she saw them, she actually got dizzy just looking at their size.
Still, there were plenty of cool amenities, like the VR training chambers on the 70th floor. One of these days, she promised herself, I am definitely trying those out.
Penny arrived on the 66th floor and groaned as the wide training field stretched out before her.
"Kill me now," she muttered, dragging her legs across the pristine floor toward the far-right corner.
After changing into gym shorts and a fitted training shirt from the locker area, she made her way into the weight room. Luke had given her a daily training regimen—one she was almost certain had been crafted by that evil AI, D.A.I.S.Y. The routine kept getting longer and more detailed every time she checked.
"I should have just told her I would do my daily exercise at home…" she mumbled with a pout. At least I can slack off there. But here? D.A.I.S.Y. would definitely catch her, as she monitored everything—and if Penny skipped a single exercise, the AI would absolutely lock her out of the lab until she completed every last one properly.
"All right. Let's do this," Penny said, walking past the intimidating, monster-sized weights until she reached the very end of the rack.
There, nestled quietly at the edge, were two tiny 2 lbs dumbbells—her trusty companions. She picked them up, raised them above her head, and began her reps in front of the mirror.
"One... two... three... four... f-ugh-five... s-six... seven... e-eight... n-n-nine... t-ugh-haaa... t-ten..."
The dumbbells slipped from her trembling hands and fell onto the padded floor with a soft thump. She wiped her sweaty forehead with a towel and collapsed onto a nearby bench.
"T-Two... more sets to go..." she whispered like a war survivor.
Eventually, Penny managed to complete her full weight training, though her arms and back ached in protest.
"All right... just two more exercises left," she said to herself, grabbing a bottle of lemonade from the vending machine and taking a long, refreshing sip.
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Penny took a deep breath and stared at the track in front of her.
"Why is this track so damn big? It's bigger than even a football field," she muttered, eyeing the jogging path that circled the entire floor. "Okay... just one lap. You have done this before, Penny Parker. You can do it again. Believe in yourself!"
With a determined nod, she took another deep breath and started jogging.
"Haa... haaa... oh crap, my legs already hurt and I haven't even made it a quarter of the way," she panted, then remembered, Wait, I am not supposed to talk while running. Conserves energy or something…
"On your left."
A sudden breeze whipped past her as a voice called out clearly. Penny blinked and turned her head just in time to catch a blur of a woman sprinting past her.
What the—?
Before she could process it, the voice rang out again.
"On your left."
She barely managed to turn her head before the same woman zipped past her again, like she was casually doing laps at light speed.
"Haaa... haaa... am I hallucinat—?"
"On your left."
She didn't even get to finish the sentence before that voice cut her off a third time, and she saw the toned, muscular back of the mystery runner fading into the distance once more.
"What... the... fu—"
"On your left!"
"Shit—Ouch!"
Penny's foot tangled awkwardly with her other leg, and she went crashing to the ground with a loud thud.
"Hey, you okay?" The same clear voice called out again, this time full of concern.
"Arghhh... yeah, I dunno. I think I tripped on... some mysterious object someone left on the track," Penny groaned, still lying flat and opening her eyes dramatically.
This time, she got a clear look at the woman kneeling beside her. Shoulder-length blonde hair, warm smile, and—Penny tried not to stare—but the woman had some huge breasts.
"Sure, sure," the woman said with a gentle laugh. "How about we get you off the ground first?" She offered her hand.
"Yeah, thanks," Penny mumbled, grabbing it.
The woman pulled her up with surprising ease, her grip firm like steel. Penny nearly lost her balance again.
"Woah—thanks. For a second I thought my arm might pop outta the socket," she muttered, shaking her hand loose with a nervous laugh.
"Oops, sorry about that," the woman said with an apologetic grin that was almost too dazzling to be fair.
"Hi, I am Penny," she said, brushing herself off and glancing up at the towering, stunning woman in front of her.
"Nice to meet you, Penny. I am Peggy," she replied, shaking her hand again—this time more gently—with a friendly smile.
***
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