Parker swung wide, hanging onto her webbing for dear life. She quickly shot another piece of webbing at the closest building, but Vulture cut it down. She lost momentum from her swing and crashed back into the brick building, her head bouncing. She groaned as she banging into the side of the building a few more times. There was a loud ringing in her ears and from a distance, she thought she heard Vulture laugh.
"Had enough, little girl," he mocked.
She growled in response. She hated being called a little girl. She was fifteen for crying out loud!
With renewed strength, she pulled on her webbing until it was taut. Using it as a lead, she ran sideways across the building and catapulted herself toward Vulture, letting go of the webbing in the process. She smirked at the surprise on his face. Parker twisted in mid-air, her right arm reared back for a hard right hook.
But she never delivered the punch. She paused for less than a heartbeat as she saw herself and Vulture being broadcast, live, across the TVs in Time Square.
Oh no. Dad's gonna kill me, she thought, as she collided with Vulture.
Tony collapsed onto the couch in the living room, where he was joined by Steve, Clint, Nat, and Sam. Steve flipped through the channels as Tony sunk his teeth into a well-earned sandwich. He had spent the past two days locked in his workshop making modifications to a new suit for Parker as an early birthday present.
The Avengers froze as Steve stopped on a news channel. Tony stared, his sandwich quickly forgotten, as his daughter plummeted toward the streets entangled in Vulture's mechanical wings.
Suddenly, the camera zoomed in on a thin string of webbing. When the webbing connected with the nearest building, Spider-Girl was jerked free of Vulture's grip. But he wasn't giving up anytime soon. Enraged, Vulture righted himself and soared into the air. Spider-Girl aimed more webbing at the flying man, but he had made some modifications to his wings.
She let got of her webbing as a small, short-range missile flew in her direction.
"JARVIS! Ready the suit," Tony yelled as he vaulted off the couch and towards the nearest exit.
"Where should I have it pick you up, Sir," the AI inquired.
"Out the seventh floor window," Tony said as he jumped from the landing.
It didn't take long for his newest suit to locate him and protect him from the seven-story fall. Once secured in the suit, Iron Man took off for Times Square, leaving the rest of the team glued to the television screen.
As they watched, Iron Man rocketed onto the screen just in time to save Spider-Girl from a nasty fall. He wrapped his left arm around her waist and shot a laser out of his right palm, quickly ending the fight with Vulture. Spider-Girl caught Vulture in a web as he fell, and secured him for the police who waited below. With Spider-Girl in tow, Iron Man flew off as quickly as he had entered the scene.
Several minutes later, the pair touched down on the seventh floor landing. Parker wrenched her slashed mask from her face and turned to glare at her dad as mechanical arms quickly removed Tony's suit.
"What was that all about," she demanded.
"What...I was saving your life! That's what!"
"I had it covered! I don't need you to come swooping in to save the day every time I get into a small fight!"
"Small?! Small?! You could've been killed! You know the rules! No going after targets like the Vulture alone! And during the school day, no less!"
"Really?! I save the city from a crazy man with alien wings and you're mad I skipped school?!"
"Someone has to be concerned with your education, because you certainly aren't! I've seen the reports, young lady. You're grades are slipping. That's all three rules broken in one morning!"
Parker huffed, disgusted, and stalked into the living room.
"Miss Stark, my scans indicate that you have a mild concussion and several cuts that require stitches," JARVIS commented in his suddenly annoying British accent.
"Fuck off, J," she growled.
Tony grabbed her upper arm and spun her around to face him. The quick movement made her head throb and she almost fell.
"Hey! Don't talk to my AI like that," Tony spat at her, jaw clenched in anger.
She wearily jerked her arm free and rolled her eyes.
"He's just a computer. It's not like he's real." She turned and headed toward the elevator.
"And just where do you think you're going? This isn't over, Parker," he shouted at her retreating form.
"I'm going to bed! Or is that 'against the rules' now too?"
Tony sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose as the elevator took Parker down to the floor they shared.
She didn't bother to change out of her mangled suit; she was too tired and in too much pain. She flopped on her bed and was asleep before her head hit the pillow. She slept deeply, allowing her body to heal itself. She was still asleep when Tony quietly knocked on her door around dinner time.
"Parker," he called as he stuck his head in the darkened room.
"My scans indicate that she is asleep and in the middle of a healing cycle, Sir," JARVIS informed him in a softened volume.
"Thanks, J. Keep an eye on her will, ya? Let me know if anything changes."
"Of course, Sir," the AI replied.
Tony rejoined the rest of the team for dinner. Shortly after dinner, Tony's watch buzzed.
"Another HYDRA fraction found," he read allowed the message from Coulson.
"Time to suit up, team," called Steve. "Meet on the landing dock in ten for debriefing."
"What about Parker," Bruce asked. "Should someone stay with her? There's no telling how long this mission will take and she was pretty banged up earlier."
"JARVIS says she's healing and should be fine with more sleep," Tony said, trying to keep the worry from his voice. "Besides, she needs to cool off for a little while."
Bruce nodded and left to get ready for the mission.
