Hello, thar. Meinos Kaen here!
Welcome to the third chapter of The Legendary Spider-Man! For more info about the reason of my delay, and the future of this and all my other stories, please check my profile.
Meinos Kaen
Previously, on The Legendary Spider-Man...
"Everything that's happened here today must remain a secret."
"The ruins we found are compatible with other constructions of the Shuu-Pa race."
"He wanted someone-No. He wanted me to continue his research."
"... Maybe I should join this mission, after all."
"Special Containment Facility 7."
"Whatever it was they couldn't just get rid of it! They couldn't! What makes you think we can?!"
"The mission continues."
Now!
"Alright. This should do it." Peter said as he deciphered the commands on the console. After getting past the front door, they had come to another set, sealed shut, which would lead them underground. But first, they had to reboot the power lest they had to blow the door to kingdom come.
And after their previous considerations about the function of this structure, it wasn't something they felt comfortable doing. "There." With one last input, a low humming noise began to resound in the room, the walls themselves coming alive with light. Strong enough to light their surroundings but not harmful to their eyes, even without a visor or helmet.
"The power readings are rising steadily." Norman declared as the AAD(1) sent the data readings directly to his visor. "Should we proceed to open the door?"
"Peter, be ready but wait for my command." Ben ordered, motioning for the science team to get away from the door and for his direct subordinates to take a formation, half standing the other half kneeling in front of them, all keeping their weapons aimed at the door. "... Alright, do it."
"Here goes nothing." Peter said, using the input that would open the door, swallowing his nervousness. A chime, like an alarm, went loud in the room. He stared at the door which was coming live with light as well. 'I've been waiting for years for this opportunity. Continue my parents' task, clear my father's name.' A loud 'hiss' echoed in the room. The door was airtight. 'And yet, why does every single cell in my body scream at me to just go back?'
The door's two halves slowly began to slide to the right, a strong wind blowing over the team's bodies as it rushed to fill the space behind it. Peter scrunched his eyes. There was something-A silhouette. "Watch out!" He screamed, and to their merits not one of the Field Ops opened fire right there, even if he could see a couple of them jump on the spot.
The door opened completely, and something humanoid shaped fell to the ground, the support of the door no longer present to sustain it in an upright position. As it fell on its back to the ground with a dull thump, everyone's eyes trained on it.
It was a shriveled, mummy-like body of humanoid shape, covered in the discolored remains of a dark red suit which left exposed only its hands and head. The tint of its skin was a very pale azure, but he knew that it had once been a dark blue. Its hair were long black locks, and its ears were slightly pointed, just like its chin. Its eyes were empty sockets, but again Peter knew that they were supposed to be very similar in colors if not in shape to human ones, normally.
He knew all this because he recognized the species, even if it had disappeared from the galaxy for more than 700 years. All the time spent on his parents' research had made sure of it. "... It's a Shuu-Pa. Or, what's left of one." He declared, and the Field Ops finally relaxed, the members of the science team sighing in relief, with the exception of Norman who was observing the body with something akin to fascination.
Then, as quickly as it had appeared, the body started crumbling down to dust, the airtight sealing that had preserved it for so long now gone. "Nobody touch it." Norman motioned for the biologist to come near and they knelt by it carefully. "This is one of the most important finds of galactic history. A Shuu-Pa body. No one has ever seen one in more than seven centuries."
"Well, then, congratulations are in order, dad. Peter." Harry piped up, causing both the scientists to turn in his direction. They found the young operative pointing at the open door with one outstretched arm. "I think you just hit the jackpot."
The group all turned in the direction of the door. As one, their eyes widened.
Behind the door there was a corridor, its walls made in equal part of metal and natural rock. Lined up against them were dozens of dead Shuu-Pa, of both sexes, in discolored suits either in shades of red or blue, all of them starting to feel the effect of the air and reacting to it accordingly. Peter swallowed.
"If these are the fiches, I really don't want to see what you can cash them in for."
Year 3025 AD
The energetic crisis forced humanity to look at the stars for their future. In 2925, twenty great space ships of the Cradle Class left Earth. One hundred years later, three of those ships have settled on planets devoid of intelligent life.
Five now share their intended destination with alien cultures. Four have taken theirs with the strength of arms. Three others have become their own destinations, expanding into sprawling space stations. Of the other five, nothing is known, lost in the sprawling cosmos.
Among the second group of Cradles, the ship Mida has been turned into a space exploring vessel, tasked with mapping the galaxy and re-establish physical contact with the other ships. Peter Parker is a crew member of the Mida, bringing on his back the legacy of his
parents, whose research on the mysterious race of the Shuu-Pa brought on a tragedy.
After the discovery of Shuu-Pa vestiges on the planet Argos 6, Peter descends planetside with an exploration team, which includes his uncle Major Ben Parker, Chief Lab head Norman Osborn and his best friend and Soldier Trainee Harry Osborn, and proceed to enter an ancient abandoned facility...
Marvel in Space
The Legendary Spider-Man
Episode 2 - With Great Legacies
"Alright. Here's what we're going to do." After the initial shock wore down, the team had got their wits together. The science team had taken to isolating the 'original' body that had appeared before them, while the Field Ops radioed in to the Mida, signaling that they were going to need a biological containment unit. "We can't all go down. In case something goes wrong, the team left here will be tasked with calling in support from the Mida."
"So a few of us have to stay behind." Flash observed, shouldering his rifle. "Who is it going to be?"
"Me and Peter will have to go down, of course." Ben continued, weighting his options. He didn't want to risk leaving the back team exposed as well, in case something managed to get past him. So, two veterans and two rookies for side. "Harry, Flash, Gordon. You're coming with me. Thomas, you're going to be in charge of things here." One of the veteran operatives nodded in acknowledgement. The major then turned to his nephew. "Peter, what about the science team?"
"I'd suggest leaving mister Tanaka and mister Hollander behind. Their field of expertise is very specific, and it's suitable for tagging and securing the biological samples we have already discovered." Peter shot back immediately after. He had been thinking about it for a while now, it seemed. "Mister Osborn is an expert in various fields of knowledge. Since we don't know what we'll need to know..."
"Better to keep our options as wide as possible." Norman finished, nodding in appreciation. "Should we head down now?"
"First, we have to suit you and Peter up. A visor isn't going to cut it anymore, if the place has been sealed air-tight for seven centuries." He turned to the younger Osborn in the room. "Harry, lead them to the Skip and give them two full body suits."
"Yes, sir." As Harry lead his two charges -a bit uneasily in regards to his father- back to the Skip, Ben focused on the corridor opening in front of them. There were a few differences between this one and the one on Falcon 3.
This one seemed more... Complete, for lack of a better word. The complex Richard had discovered was less aesthetically pleasant, the tunnel was mostly comprised of natural rock. There was less metal. Also, it lacked the string of centuries old bodies.
Which presented another oddity. He had seen his fair share of dead bodies. Most people tended to forget, but he wasn't always on the Mida. He had been a real soldier, once. The humans helped the Gunri in their civil war and the blood shed for Helios rightfully made the planet as much their home as it was the alien race's. They found true acceptance in the shared struggles.
Point was, none of the bodies in front of him looked like they had died of a violent death. The first body had been leaning against the door, that's why it fell on its back. All the others were either in a similar standing position or sitting on the ground. Hunched over hugging their knees, their head held low.
He couldn't tell exactly what they had died of, but one thing he could say for sure. It wasn't violence.
No, from what he could read from those bodies' final resting positions... It was like they had accepted death, resigned to it and waited for its embrace.
-I-
"Damn. This thing is... Ew!"
"Smells stuffy, huh? Happens with second hand suits." Harry snickered at Peter's discomfort as he and the veteran named Gordon followed the young scientist and Norman, being the last couple of the marching column that started with Flash and Ben. They had started their descent ten minutes before, and their surroundings had become more metallic the more they descended. "But it also means that the air filters work."
"Good. I won't take any chances." Ben commented, leading the group with Flash by his side, guns trained and ready to shoot.
"We're advancing at a snail's pace." Norman scoffed, expressing his distaste for their pace. "What exactly has you this much on edge?"
"This structure has several levels. Just because on the first there wasn't anything dangerous, it doesn't mean things will stay like that." Ben answered. "... There's another door."
The long corridor was finally over. It had taken them the better of five minutes to walk it in its entirety, and the rock had completely left place to metal. The door at its end was the twin of the first one they had opened. Again, Ben made his three subordinates take firing positions while Peter approached the door, finding a pad on its right.
"Damn, we're stuck. This needs a password." Peter declared as he observed the ideograms on the buttons of the pad. "Without hints, it could take weeks."
"And we can't blow it to kingdom come, or this whole thing may come crashing down on us." Flash added with a grunt, remembering his commander's experience with the last of those structures the Mida had discovered. "What now?"
"We have to contact the Mida. Make them ship down a cutting laser." Norman answered, earning a nod from Peter. Still, it'd take hours.
"Why don't you just check the buttons to see how worn down they are?" Harry's voice suddenly broke through the silence, causing everyone to turn in his direction. "You know... The most worn down ones are most probably the ones used in the password. They probably had to open this door many times, right?"
"... Harry, you're a genius." Peter held his AAD with a grin as it started analyzing the pad, while Norman stared at his son and gave him a nod of approval. Peter knew that Harry was probably beaming under the helmet. The device identified four buttons in a similar high state of usage. "Four buttons." He then, going with instinct as he found one green and one red button, pressed the first one. The led displayed four horizontal lines side by side. "And four symbols to punch in! We're lucky!"
"Try the combinations that make up a meaningful word first." Norman instructed, and Peter obliged as Ben and his direct subordinates took firing positions again. A few seconds later, the door slid open. Gordon whistled out.
"Will you look at that." As Peter got up and laid eyes on the scenery behind the now open door, he found himself reigning in a similar reaction. "I guess the one upstairs isn't the only entrance."
"Yeah. I doubt they could have squeezed that through the doorway." Flash commented, referring to the spaceship that laid in the middle of what Peter identified as a hangar.
The spacecraft laid in the middle of the huge space on a heightened platform, facing away from a huge tunnel that surely led to another entrance far away from their current position. It shape was angular and sharp, four times the size of their Skip, in two different shades of blue.
The rest of the huge space was filled with boxes of cargo and machinery for handling said boxes. A huge metallic door laid on the far side, and smaller ones littered the sides other than the one with the exit tunnel. A ramp was going to be their way down to the floor, and at their same height, on the wall on their right, an observation deck stood out of the white and grey that dominated the room.
"Think it's still functioning?" Flash asked, excitement clear in his voice. Peter found it strange. He had never heard that kind of tone coming from the blonde in all the years he had known him.
"At this point? Wouldn't surprise me." Ben commented. "Let's go down."
-I-
"Hey, Harry."
"Hmm?" The Ground Op didn't tear his eyes away from his surroundings, as he and Gordon were guarding Peter as he worked on the controls of the lift they had found on the side with the observation deck. He had said that he felt confident in trying and get some schematics of the structure out of them.
"What's with Flash and the spaceship?" As Peter mentioned his fellow trainee, Harry glanced in the direction of the other group, who were inspecting the spacecraft. Flash seemed uncharacteristically jumpy and eager to assist. "I've never seen him act like this. Well, I'm not exactly a friend of his, but-"
"He's a spacecrafts geek." Peter almost dropped his device at that, and Harry snorted in laughter at his senior's words. "He's been dead-set on making it into the Wings since day one. Hasn't lost an orientation meeting, and he can name all the names and specs of all spaceships known to mankind. That's the first Shuu-Pa spaceship ever recovered and he's one of the first people to lay eyes on it."
"And he had the balls to bully me?!" Harry sighed, shaking his head.
"To tell the truth, the two things are correlated, Pete." Harry said, remembering the time he confronted Flash about his treatment of Peter. After knowing him as a trainee, he understood that the blonde wasn't on the bully train just to follow the 'make the social pariah miserable' trend. After all, he had always left Harry alone. No, for Flash it was personal. "And no, I can't tell you more. He's grown out of it, but I think you should ask him yourself."
"Fat chance of that happening anytime soon." Peter shot back, just as he finally managed to crack into the database. "Call uncle Ben and the others. I'm in."
"On it. Ah, by the way, Pete..." Harry had been curious about something ever since they opened that second door. "Just out of curiosity, what did the password mean?"
"In english, you mean? Well..." Pete raised himself from his knelt position. "It had two meanings, in two different spectrums of light. In one it means web." He brushed off his knees. "In the other, it means bond."
-I-
"So, I've gotten the schematics of the whole structure. They're much more precise than any screenings we've made from the Mida."
"Obviously." Norman commented as the young Peter shared the recently downloaded information with everyone. His software was truly miraculous. It translated the Shuu-Pa's programming code into the human one precisely and with the utmost speed. "Seems we're at the level denominated Space Dock."
"Kind of in your face, ain't it?" Flash said. No one laughed. "Ehm, I mean... With the spaceship and all..."
"Underneath we have four more levels. Named: Storage, Living Quarters, Experimenting, and... Shrine?" Young Peter continued, his voice denoting a certain interest in the Shrine level. Norman was far more interested in the Experimenting one. "That's weird. Shuu-Pa didn't have a religion... Or if they did, they never shared their beliefs with other races, I guess."
"Should we call for more people?" Gordon asked, earning a shaken head from the older Parker.
"No. The purpose of this mission is to scout ahead before deploying more people. We have to make sure it's safe before that." Norman nodded in agreement, even if it was for another reason. Too many people would risk contaminating any specimens they could come across before he had secured them.
"... I'd say we start by checking this 'Shrine'. I bet whatever they were containing in this facility is down there." Harry suggested, hoisting his rifle over his shoulder. "It is the deepest level, after all. That's where I would put something I didn't want the world to see ever again."
"A sound reasoning." Norman added. Harry was surprising him with his insights. Nowhere near the level of intelligence one would expect from the fruit of his loins, of course, but at least he wasn't the ignorant meathead he believed him to grow up into. Still, this 'Shrine' and whatever it contained weren't his most pressing concern. The Experimenting level... It probably meant labs. Data. Specimens. A treasure trove for his research, probably.
"Well, then we'll have to head down to Experimenting first, then. The lift doesn't reach that last level." Seemed like fate was on his side. He allowed himself a small smile. "According to the schematics, the only access to the Shrine is from the level above."
"We have our destination, then." Ben finalized the order, and Norman, for once in his life, found himself shivering in anticipation. For a biologist and geneticist like him, entering a vault of knowledge of the most evolutionally advanced race that had ever scoured the known galaxy was like the prospect of rare candy for a pudgy overweight brat. "Gordon, stay behind. Guard our exit."
-I-
Ben was fought. On one hand, he was glad that so far they had found nothing like what he had seen on Falcon 3. And yet, he felt that the more they postponed a meeting with danger, the bigger it would be when they finally found some.
The Experimenting Level was full of now operative machinery and lab rooms, with a large open space in the middle of it. At its end, they could see an arc and stairs leading to the lowest level: the Shrine. "... There it is."
"Finally." Peter swallowed as he observed the flight of stairs. "Maybe we'll find some answers."
"Weird." Flash commented as he tried to contact the rest of the team. "My Comm-device doesn't work."
"Mine neither." Harry confirmed for Flash. "Maybe there's some kind of metallic barrier inbetween the two floors? Blocking the signal?"
"Just in case, then, I think it'd be safer if we didn't all go to the lower level." Norman commented. "Wouldn't be safe to take chances to have our exit be cut off."
"... True." 'Also, I bet you want to check the labs. Don't you, Norman?' Ben acquiesced. He didn't feel happy with the decision, but it couldn't be helped. The most expert in the Shuu-Pa civilization would have to go further. And Peter, much to his chagrin, would be safer shielded by his two friends than by him. "Harry, Flash. Accompany Peter. Be careful down there. Harry, you're in charge."
"Yes, sir." Harry answered, and motioned to Flash to follow him to the stairs. Peter and Ben exchanged a nod with his uncle before following the two Ground Operatives.
-I-
"... God almighty in heaven." Peter let out as he laid eyes on the scenery that presented itself to him. Flash and Harry were silent, but he guessed they had been shocked into silence. The chamber was too different, and too majestic.
As highly technological as the rest of the complex, the room nonetheless projected a very different feel. It had a very different purpose, Peter theorized. In hi-tech braziers unknown materials burned blue after centuries, flanked by colorful murals which adorned every square inch of the corridor's walls on the way to the altar at the opposite end from the three young men's position. "This... Is this a place of worship?"
"... If it is, they sure had some weird deities." Flash added with a glance to the altar, taking point and leading the way, Peter and Harry right behind him. The young Osborn's eyes darted slowly over their surroundings, taking in the drawings.
"... These murals are creepy." He offered. He couldn't follow exactly the story. The drawings were too chaotic. He could distinguish bodies and blood and scenes of fighting, though.
"And this altar's weird." Flash continued as he stopped in front of the altar, the corridor opening in a circular room. A finely engraved metallic base supported a statue in shades of blue and dark red. "This looks like a Shuu-Pa, but-"
"Shuu-Pa didn't have six arms." Peter confirmed Flash's suspicions as he observed the crouched statue, trying to understand-hot. "What-!" His chest had suddenly become unbearably hot. 'My chest? No!'
"What the hell?!" Harry shouted as Peter suddenly broke the seal on his suit. The oxygen levels were good enough, but still-then he noticed the red light. "Peter, what's wrong?!"
'My mother's necklace.' Peter didn't answer. He finished removing his helmet and got out of the tactical suit, ending back in his skin tight standard suit. Hanging from his neck, the artifact shone strong with crimson light. He slowly gathered it with his hands, finding it warm to the touch.
"Hey! This thing's doing something!" Flash bellowed. The altar was trembling, a single spot on its surface shining with dark blue light."Parker, what's going on?! And-" Flash turned around, taking in Peter's situation. "You too?!"
"Peter!" Harry said, shaking his friend. But Peter was miles away.
Something was grabbing at the base of his neck. Something invisible, but warm. Prodding him, pushing him, asking something of him.
He didn't notice when he ripped the necklace off his neck, nor that he had made its sharp injection point appear. "Peter, what are you-Woah!" The ground under their feet started to move and shift.
"Hey! The altar's going Richter!" Flash shouted as the shaking of the altar increased its trembling to the point of being noisy. "Holy crap!" The walls and ceiling folded on themselves and disappeared into the ground, revealing nothing but darkness. The braziers turned to red, illuminating the endless expanse of an underground cave.
"Peter, get the hell away from there! We have to get back!" Harry pulled on his friend's arms, finding him rooted on the spot. "Snap out of it! We have to-! PETER!"
"SON OF A BITCH!" The taller of the two soldier trainees let out as Peter stabbed his chest with the necklace and a bright blue flash left the altar in a straight line and connected with the young scientist, burning his clothes immediately surrounding the artifact.
-I-
He was floating. It wasn't a new sensation for Peter, living on a space-ship. But unlike the sterile and technological environment of his home, this vacuum where he floated was filled with a natural warmth. Not the warmth of a star, but that of a living being. Of soft azure skin, of a loving embrace, of slender arms which wrapped around his midsection. Silky hair the color of blood filled his nostrils with the scent of flowers unknown to him.
"I got you." She did. And now he never wanted her to let go.
-I-
"Wah!" Harry averted his eyes as Peter's body lit up with violet light, blinding him for a few seconds even with his helmet on. When he regained his sight, Peter was on his back, staring wide eyed at the ceiling. "Peter! Are you okay?!"
"... What the hell happened?" The young scientist asked as, dazed, he brought himself to a sitting position, Harry immediately by his side.
"What happened?! You started going crazy and stabbed yourself in the chest with your necklace! That's what happened!" Flash's words caused Peter to gasp and look at his exposed chest.
"What?!" In place of an injury or his protruding necklace, Peter found a red and blue crystal protuberance growing from the middle of his chest. With a body in the shape of a full eight with four legs for side, half pointing down and half pointing up. "... Harry, a warning. I'm about to freak out."
"Join the club. I'm the one who saw you act crazy!" Harry groaned. He grabbed onto Peter's arm and pulled him to his feet. "We have to get you away from here. And-" The loud echo of an explosion reached the chamber from the upper floor. "... Christ! What now?!"
"Uncle Ben?!"
-A few minutes earlier-
"... This is wondrous." Norman whispered as he continued to work on the terminal, proceeding smoothly. His eyes observed line after line of precious information. "This was a biology lab."
"Biology? What were they studying?" Ben asked, not removing his eyes from their surroundings.
"Probably themselves." Norman could feel the confusion in the man guarding him. He decided to enlighten him. "The most widespread theory about the Shuu-Pa's tremendous superiority as a species is that they experimented on their race's genetical code."
"So, they artificially turned themselves into a race of superhumans and started policing the galaxy?" Ben commented, earning a slight nod from Norman. "Makes you wonder their reasons, though."
"Reasons are unimportant." Norman stated, finishing with the last line of the current file and finding a strongly encrypted one. He set his device to work. In a few seconds, the file was wide open. Line after line of text started pouring in front of Norman's eyes and downloaded into his device. The scientist's eyes widened. 'This data...! Yes! This is exactly what I have been looking for! With this-!'
"Norman! What the hell did you do?!" Ben shouted as a loud alarm went off. The scientist bit back a curse, her lips a thin line as he finished downloading the file and removed the device. "We've got to go!"
"I know." Frowning, Norman followed Ben out of the room and into the open space, heading for the stairs to protect the retreat of their younger counterparts. Only to have to stop mid-way.
Part of the floor had disappeared, and something started to lift out of it. Humanoid in shape, it was though much bigger, standing at 8-feet tall and completely made out of dark blue metal. The head was a cylinder, with a grey line in the place of the eyes which suddenly flashed red. The robotic creation raised his right arm and pointed it at the two humans, his metallic forearm morphing into a charging plasma gun. "DODGE, NORMAN!"
-Now-
"WHAT THE FUCK IS THATTHING?!"
"What does it look like?! A freaking robot!" Harry clarified for Flash as they reached the upper level again. The open space area was littered with two scorch marks, the metal melted in places. Ben narrowly avoided a third blast by jumping out of the way. A few meters behind him, Norman laid sprawled out on the floor. "Dad!"
"Uncle Ben!" Peter went to move to his uncle's help, but Harry stopped him with one arm.
"Peter, no! You'd only get in the way!" The copper-haired soldier admonished his friend. He was worried like hell about his father too, but exactly because of that they couldn't run in like that. "Sir! Your orders!"
"Harry, support me! Flash, take Peter and Norman and get them the hell out of here!" Ben focused briefly on Peter's state of undress, too busy fighting for his life.
"Yes, sir!" Harry swallowed and ran in, gun blazing with a volley of bullets. They impacted the armor of the robot and dented it, but didn't go through. 'Resistant armor.' "Sir, no damage from normal ammo!"
"Don't switch to Solar yet! Look for weak points!" Saying this, Ben unleashed a volley of bullets towards the head of the construct, which was aiming at Harry. A second before the bullets hit it, the cylinder descended into the main chassis. 'Found one. But he guards it well!'
"Come on, Parker!" Flash grabbed Peter roughly by the shoulder and pulled him away, running towards Norman. "I'm going to need your help with the Lab Head!"
"O-Okay!" The young scientist swallowed, bringing a hand to his face. He always grabbed on his glasses when he was nervous... Only to find none. He had lost them somewhere. 'What...? But I can see perfectly!'
"Sir, his other arm!" Somewhat compensating for the number of enemies, the robot started charging twin shots in his arms. Harry and Ben dodged again, only for the Major to realized with dread that it hadn't been aiming at him. "PETER!"
"AAAH!"
"UGH!" Flash and Peter weren't hit dead on, but the explosion of the plasma round caught them flat-footed, charring both of them and sending them skidding to and over the ground. "Aaack..." Peter felt nauseous, his vision swimming. "G-Got to... Get..."
'Let me join you.' The nausea disappeared, but it was replaced with confusion, which added to the fact that his body was still stunned. Peter felt a strange sensation. Like a presence, right under his skin, tied to an unfamiliar voice echoing in his surroundings.
'W-What? What is this?'
'Let me join you! Hurry!'
'Join me? What-Who is this?!' Confusion and dazing didn't allow Peter to notice that the robot was shrugging off the attacks of Ben and Harry, and charging for another shot aimed right at him.
"PETER! GET UP!" Harry shouted, his gut wrenching and turning. He could already have lost his father. He couldn't lose his best friend too.
"PETER!" Ben had already lost his brother. He wouldn't lose his nephew too.
The robot shot.
The round never reached its target.
"... Huh?" The heat reached Peter just as his body recovered. His vision became clear again. He looked up.
His uncle was there.
Shielding him with his body. Their eyes met. Peter saw relief. Ben exhaled.
Then he fell to the ground in front of Peter, flames still burning the major's body and the remains of his environmental suit. "UNCLE BEN! NOOOOOO!"
-I-
"Shit..." Harry cursed, his arms shaking in fear and rage. Now unrestrained. "SHIIIIIT!" He dodged the volley aimed at himself. 'Fucking monster! Come on, Harry! Think! He's got to have a weak point! Somewhere where the armour-!'
-I-
"Nononono, uncle Ben! Uncle Ben, please! Please don't die! Not you too!" Peter pledged, shocked, stunned, unaware where to even begin to help his uncle. 'I have to get him to a medic! I have to get him to aunt May! I-'
'Peter, please! Let me join you!' The voice was back again.
'Not-Who are you?! What do you want?!'
-I-
"Come on, you asshole... Come on!" Harry stopped dodging. Instead, he held his ground and aimed, his ammo having switched to the powerful Solar kind. He was waiting for his opportunity. Waiting for the only time when the robot would shed his armor. "There! You like to keep me waiting, don't you?!" When he started to charge up for a shot. Harry pulled the trigger. "DIE!"
-I-
'I want to help you, Peter! Let me join you! Let me help you save them!' Peter was a rational person. Usually, he would never, ever trust a random voice suddenly appearing in his head.
But right now he wasn't rational anymore. Right now he was desperate for any kind of help anyone could provide. 'How?! How do I let you?!'
'You just have to want it, Peter...'
'I do! I do want it!' Peter thought, his fists trembling and his eyelids hurting, so hard they were serrated. "JOIN ME! LET ME SAVE MY UNCLE!" His chest started shining with crimson light.
-I-
"AAACK!" His hit had struck true. The robot's arm blew up, generating an explosion that hurled him across the room and slammed him against the wall, knocking his head against the inside of his helmet. 'N-No. Got to... Stay... Conscious... Huh?' As his vision started to fade, Harry saw someone step into his field of vision.
A silhouette clad in an unfamiliar uniform. A one piece nonetheless divided into different parts. Two crimson boots, delimitated at knee-height by a white outline which left space to a body part that went up, over legs and hips, only to stop at the shoulders, where it again left space to white and then to red. The same happened at the height of the elbow, separating the suit into gloves. A large white spider-motif decorated the back of the silhouette. He caught the outfit rippling and moving upward, as it finished covering a head of full brown hair.
"... Peter?" Harry murmured before passing out.
-I-
"... This..." What Harry couldn't have seen was the front of the suit. The red descended deeper, right to mid-chest, right below a smaller spider-motif. The head part of the suit had two big white, insect-like lenses which let Peter observe himself. But what really shocked him was the feeling.
His body had never felt so strong. He felt a surge of power coming from within that he could scarcely believe he was successfully containing. He gripped his fists and then laid eyes on the recovering form of the robot.
He rushed it.
The robot noticed, and tried to swing his arm at the new enemy, but found himself not in the same place anymore. With a somersault, Peter had suddenly landed on the robot's shoulders. Before the head could retract into the chassis... "Oh, no you don't!" Peter grabbed onto the cylinder with both hands. "NrrrrrraAAAAAH!" And ripped it off from the body in a shower of sparkles and cooling oil. "You stupid piece of-" With another somersault, Peter dodged another arm-swing, grabbing onto the appendage as he did. "CRAP!" Using it as a pivot, he successfully slammed the robot into the ground.
"Harming my uncle?! Harming my friends?!" Putting one foot on the main body, Peter pulled. He threw the freshly ripped off arm against a far wall, leaving an indent into it. "Not again!" He then proceeded to tore into the construct with a fury of punches and kicks, ripping off pieces of armor and cables as they presented themselves up for grabs, oil showering him from head to toe like blood from a corpse. "NEVER AGAIN!"
In a couple minutes, nothing was left of the robot but random pieces. Peter stood, panting, his hands holding onto cables as the robot's activities died down, for good. He let go and immediately dove for Ben's body, making a run for the elevator.
-I-
Gordon was bored. He understood the importance of watching their backs, but leaving him alone to guard an elevator shaft? That was a waste of man-power, if they asked him. He should be down there with the others, helping them explore. He should-
The elevator's door was kicked open from the inside. Gordon almost opened fire. How had he missed the elevator working?
Except that it wasn't. "Please, help me!" A figure clad in a full-body suit was hanging from the inner walls of the ceiling, a badly injured man strapped over his back. He flung inside the room and gently leaned him on the ground. "We have to get him to a doctor!"
"M-Major Parker?!" The soldier gasped, kneeling down by his superior. He opened his comm-link. "This Gordon! Major Parker has been badly injured!"
"The others are injured too! I'll brink them right up!" With a jump, Peter dove into the darkness of the elevator shaft. At the moment, he wasn't questioning his power. He didn't have time to think about how he had the strength to rip open a robot and an elevator, climbing the shaft by leaps and bounds, sticking to surfaces.
All that was for later. Now, he could only hope that he hadn't been too late to save his uncle. And hope Harry and the others were also well.
To be continued...
In the next episode!
"Peter, I'm sorry. Your uncle is..."
"What did you do to yourself?!"
"Who are you? What do you want from me?"
'I don't know who I am.'
Glossary
AAD: Ambient Analysis Device
