Field Alpha was unusually tense.
Gwen leaned over the digital map, marking locations from their last few patrols. "That's five clean hits in a row," she said, tapping a blinking dot. "All quiet, zero footage, zero fallout."
Luffy sat on the counter beside the gear rack, tossing a wrapped protein bar between his hands.
"And how many times did we just watch things happen when we could've done more?"
Gwen turned slowly. "We stopped what we could. That's the whole point—be effective without being seen."
Luffy dropped the bar. "We're ghosts, yeah. But ghosts don't stop bombs. Or drug deals. Or gangs. We've been playing safe for weeks."
"Because safe works," Gwen shot back. "Safe keeps us from being found."
"Maybe I'm okay with being found if it means helping more people."
The words hung in the air longer than either of them expected.
Gwen looked away first. "Take your own patrol tonight. I'll take a different zone."
Luffy nodded tightly. "Fine."
Gwen: East Side Patrol
Gwen swung silently through the industrial district, her thoughts noisier than the city beneath her.
A call came through on their internal channel — a suspected deal under the subway overpass. She adjusted her mask and dropped low, crawling along the support beams overhead.
Below, two men passed a small case back and forth. Gwen narrowed her eyes, pulling a mini-recorder from her belt.
But her hand slipped.
She caught herself with a quick flick of webbing, stopping just before she would've dropped into view. One of the men glanced up, but she was already gone.
Her heart pounded. That had been too close.
As she perched on a billboard a few blocks away, she whispered, "I'm not used to doing this alone."
Luffy: Lower Brooklyn
Luffy crept across a rooftop overlooking a neighborhood square. A loud argument had turned physical in an alley just beneath him.
A man shoved another against the wall, shouting something muffled.
Luffy dropped between them with no warning.
"Back off," he said.
The aggressor turned, startled, and swung. Luffy didn't dodge. The punch landed—barely—and the man bounced off Luffy's chest like he'd hit a tire.
He fell backwards into a dumpster with a thud.
A teen nearby screamed and pulled out a phone.
Luffy cursed under his breath and yanked his distortion scrambler. A pulse fired.
The footage fuzzed. He disappeared before the second blink.
Field Alpha – Later That Night
Luffy walked in first. Gwen followed a few minutes later.
Neither spoke for a while.
Eventually, Gwen set her mask on the table and sighed. "Almost fell through an overpass."
Luffy rubbed the back of his neck. "I overreacted. Could've flattened a guy. Think someone tried to record it."
Gwen raised her eyebrows.
"Fried the camera," he added.
They sat side by side in silence.
"We're better than this," Gwen said.
"We're better together," Luffy corrected.
She gave him a small nod. "Exactly."
They opened the Power Journal and began a new page together.
New Protocol: DUAL-OP DEFAULT
All non-emergency patrols to be conducted in pairs.
Silent coordination system: double-rhythm pulse.
(Tested and approved)
If solo op is required: must be pre-logged and followed with backup route.
"We're not weaker together," Gwen said as she clicked her pen. "We're just smarter."
Rooftop – One Hour Later
As they perched in silence before the mission, Gwen took a moment to observe the quiet skyline.
"Do you ever wonder what it'd be like to do all of this in the open?" she asked quietly.
Luffy leaned back on his hands. "What, like full costume, press interviews, swinging in daylight?"
"Not quite that far. Just... not hiding. Not lying."
Luffy thought for a moment. "Honestly? Not really. If we weren't hiding, I don't think we'd last this long."
Gwen exhaled slowly. "I guess. But sometimes I want the people we save to know. Not for praise, just... acknowledgment."
He nodded. "I get it. But maybe the right people will know one day. The ones that matter."
They stayed there for another minute, the wind brushing past them before the break-in call came through.
Back in sync, Gwen and Luffy landed together on a rooftop overlooking a small warehouse.
They watched as a minor theft attempt played out below — two guys trying to haul stolen boxes into a van.
Gwen webbed the van's back doors shut as Luffy dropped in, deflecting a wild punch and knocking one thief back with a simple shoulder bump.
Thirty seconds later, both men were unconscious and the van disabled.
They didn't speak until they were swinging away.
"That felt good," Gwen said.
"Not because we fought," Luffy added, "but because we moved like a team."
Gwen nodded. "Let's keep it that way."