Madame Web

"Ben, Henry, is that you? Did you die too?" The first words out of Cathy Webb's mouth after waking were far from pleasant.

Ben, the paramedic she had addressed, merely sighed in relief, his smile undiminished. "Cathy, why can't it be that you came back to life?"

"I'm not dead?"

"Everyone dies. You'll die someday too, but definitely not today." Henry, who had spoken from the side, stood up and wrung the water from his long hair and thick beard as though wringing out a rag.

He did not examine the woman before him. After all, the two before him were certified paramedics with the New York City Fire Department. There was no need for an unlicensed back-alley doctor like him to step in.

Ben gave Cathy a brief examination. Once he confirmed that she had no serious external injuries, he supported her and prepared to return to the ambulance on the bridge.

They were both soaked through. Though the season was approaching summer, the river wind could still give them a cold. They needed to find a way to dry off.

Ben also needed other diagnostic equipment to give Cathy a more accurate scientific assessment. For that, they had to return to the ambulance.

Henry said nothing and followed silently, carefully observing Cathy Webb. Unfortunately, there was no way to tell from her appearance whether she had awakened her abilities.

Madame Web's powers were not the sort that let her fly through the sky or burrow into the earth, something instantly recognizable at a glance. The female paramedic's condition could only be monitored afterward.

Accompanying Cathy Webb, who had just died once, they slowly returned to the bridge. More ambulances and police support had already arrived, so neither Ben nor Cathy was in a hurry to return to work.