The booming sound filled Peter's ears with white noise and his stomach with dread. He instinctively checked the clock, as though an attack on one of the most secure bases in the world ran on a set schedule. It was only four, far too early for dinner. Alice must have started early.
As he ran out into the living room, Natasha burst through the door to the suite. She seemed relieved when she saw him and Peter knew just by the look on her face that she'd started to run towards the jet, but turned back when she remembered Peter was with her.
"Take what you have and let's go," she said, her voice jerking Peter to reality. He always paid attention when the older Avengers gave commands, but there was something about her voice specifically that gave him greater pause. Tony's ideas were often shut down by Cap or blurted out as more of a suggestion. In Peter's memory, no one had ever shot down an order from Natasha.
"My math book," he started weakly, glancing over his shoulder to the bedroom he hadn't finished packing. "I can't leave it here. That thing costs, like, a hundred bucks and my homework's in it."
Natasha pursed her lips, as though to keep herself from shouting at the kid. Of all the things to be worried about in an emergency situation, she couldn't believe that Peter's first thought was about some school textbook. To be fair, Peter also had no idea why he wanted to get that book so badly. Perhaps it was because he couldn't allow himself to believe that this whole situation was really happening.
"Consider it an internship expense," Natasha snapped, grabbing Peter's arm. She crossed over to the door with him and pressed herself against it, trying to hear out into the hallway.
"I need to get my suit on," Peter said. He was thankful he'd packed that in the bag he was holding first, but he hadn't found the time to get it on. With everything happening around them, he felt naked without his suit. At least Natasha was wearing her usual black leather outfit and had her guns on her. She might not be a god or a mutant, but she could fight, something Peter worried he wouldn't be able to do on his own.
"No time," Natasha replied, her tone still oozing contempt for Peter's needless interjections. He knew there would be an end to Natasha's very short line of patience, so he quieted down about his worries.
After another moment, Natasha must have felt it was safe to head out because she grabbed the door handle and pushed it open. It was only then that Peter heard more screams and bangs, likely from a gun of some sort. Natasha still had a strong grip on Peter's arm and the two made their way down the hall towards the labs and conference rooms as well as towards the chaos.
Peter loved being Spider-Man. He loved being part of the Avengers. Well, being an auxiliary Avenger. An Avenger Intern. He just wanted to help people and keep everyone safe. Running through those halls at that moment was torture because he could hear the sounds of people screaming, of people dying and there wasn't a single thing he could do about it. He knew Natasha would do anything they to save those people if there was something that could be done, but if she was booking it to the jet, then there must not be any hope.
If I had just put my suit on, Peter thought ruefully. If he'd put his suit on first thing, he'd be able to go and help. He'd be able to save the SHIELD agents and stop Alice. Maybe he could even figure out why she was doing something like this and who she was working for. Everything had come crashing down so quickly that he still couldn't believe the kind, outgoing woman he had met the day before was plotting something so evil.
If I'd been more perceptive. Less trusting. More alert...
They rounded the corner towards the hangar where the jet was. It was then that Natasha let go of Peter's arm so the two of them could sprint through the large metal door that opened up into what looked like a giant underground garage with no ceiling. They ran up to the sleek black Avenger's jet and Natasha keyed them in with a well-placed handprint on a hidden scanner on the side of the plane. The door open and the ramp unfolded and the two of them scurried inside.
Natasha ran to the cockpit and launched herself over one of the big black chairs. She fell into her seat and immediately began coding in locations and accessing the entrance to the hangar that was overhead and very far away. Peter, meanwhile, lingered by one of the side windows, looking out at nothing as the bangs and shouts reached him, even inside the jet.
"There's no time," Natasha said, catching Peter's attention. He turned, but she still had his back to him as she got the engines started. "I scanned the area and found three explosives ready to detonate. Even if we went back to help, we'd never make it back to the ship in time. The best thing we can do is get out of here."
"How did you-" Peter started, but Natasha cut him off.
"Because I know you, and I know how Tony has trained you. And, as infuriating as it is, the two of you are extremely similar. You want to do all you can and then even more than that, even if it means killing yourself." Slowly, she turned herself so that just one eye met Peter's. "And Tony specifically told me to make sure you get back in one piece."
"But those people," Peter said, his voice beginning to rise with anxiety. He took a few careful steps towards the front of the jet. "Agent Harrington. What about him? His family?"
"The people who work in these SHIELD bases are trained from day one on how to handle situations like this," Natasha explained in an even tone as she turned her focus back on the controls. "And they accept the risk that, if their training doesn't help them, then they might die. It's not a secret. This isn't the kind of job for everyone, but those who take it know the risks."
"Doesn't mean they deserve to die," Peter mumbled, crossing his arms as he took a seat on the side of the jet.
This earned him the briefest, but harshest glare he had ever received from Natasha. "I never said deserved," she said with a cool bite in her tone. Peter swallowed and looked out the window, decidedly ending the conversation. He didn't want to argue and he knew he was being overdramatic, but he also wanted the screams to stop.
Finally, the plane rumbled and started to take off. The simple white ground below started to grow smaller as Natasha slowly took the plane up higher. Peter let himself relax into the chair. He wasn't happy about how all of this turned out, but perhaps he could talk to Tony about it later.
Peter was contemplating whether or not he would want to just go straight home or stop by the compound when the plane violently shook and he was launched out of his seat. It took a moment for him to realize he was on the floor, but he started scrambling up when he heard Natasha shout, "We've been hit!"
"By what?" Peter asked, trying to get up on steady feet at the jet rocked violently back and forth. He made his way over to the wall and braced himself against that, but had to also grab the chair so he wouldn't go flying. Natasha didn't answer him, but he heard what sounded like an explosion off to the left. Upon looking out the window, he saw that bits of the wall had been shot at and icy dirt and snow were falling into the base.
Slowly, he started to move towards the front of the jet so he could get a better view of what was going on. Another blast didn't hit the jet, but the aftershock caused it to rattle and Peter fell over. He caught himself before he fully went down and used the two hands he'd firmly planted on the ground to give him leverage as he got back up.
When he reached the cockpit, Natasha was struggling with the controls. All of the screens and beeping made Peter's heart race and he couldn't quite tell what exactly was going on. One thing he did notice, however, was a digital outline of the ship with a red 'X' marked over the left wing. It didn't register for a moment, but when it clicked, his gasped loudly. The left wing had been hit.
He wanted to ask more questions. He thought about hopping in the second seat and trying his best with the control. However, Natasha was extremely overwhelmed and, since he'd never flown a jet before, he didn't think he'd be much help. But, he knew one way he would be more helpful.
Turning on his heel, he made his way along the wall and back to where he had been sitting. It was difficult to get there amidst the rumbling and violent turning of the jet, but he got to the sitting area relatively fast. Above the single seat was a compartment where his half-packed duffle bag was. It took a few tries since the jet was still shaking at every moment, but eventually, Peter managed to get the hatch open and grab his bag.
A minute later, Peter was suited up. He moved back to the cockpit and noticed that they were almost to the top of the tall entryway that would return them to the surface. He also saw that Natasha was frantically typing codes into one of the computers, but a negative error message kept beeping back at her.
"The roof isn't opening," she explained without looking up at him. "But we can't stop and we won't be able to break through it." Peter caught his breath as he peered up at the roof. As he released the air in his lungs, he knew exactly what to do.
"I'll be right back," he said and turned, though he glanced over his shoulder to see what Natasha would say. She spun her chair so she could look at him and he noted her surprise at seeing him in his suit. What surprised Peter the most, however, was that she didn't say anything, just nodded at him.
"You're not going to stop me?" he asked, bewildered. He knew it wasn't the time for that question, but he couldn't help but blurt it out.
"Something has to be done," Natasha reasoned with a shrug. "While you're out there, try to get the wing straightened out. It's damaged, not destroyed."
Peter had so many other questions, but the jet made a violent lurch to the left and he knew there wasn't much time. He ran to the emergency exit on the side of the jet and pulled his mask on before he kicked the door open.
"Peter there is an unknown aircraft directly behind you," Karen's sweet voice told him as he braved the rapid winds and climbed onto the side of the jet. For a moment, he looked down, though he immediately regretted it. He couldn't see the bottom, but he did see another small plane coming up behind them. Thankfully, he was able to stick to the outside of the jet, which helped him as it shook.
He crawled up to the top of the jet and saw that they were just about to hit the roof. Without another thought, he shouted, "Karen, get the explosive webs ready!" There was an upbeat ding and Peter knew they were good to go. "Aim for the middle of the roof there. And… go!" Two webs launched from his shooters and they hurled towards the top of the cylinder. The second they made contact with the metal of the roof, they exploded and Peter was thrown towards the back of the jet. He was able to cling on with the stickiness of his suit and as he looked upwards, he saw blue sky. They were free.
Unfortunately, Alice was behind them in a tiny jet of her own, as she helpfully reminded them when she sent another rocket their way. It missed Peter by a mere inch, though he knew she was likely getting another loaded. Still, he had more work to do before he could head back inside the jet.
Scrambling upwards, he moved towards the left side where the end part of the wing flapped wildly in the wind. It was detached from the base and hanging on by a sliver of metal, so Peter launched a web and managed to stick the parts back together. This immediately steadied the plane and the constant and violent rocking almost completely ceased.
"Whoo-hoo!" Peter whistled as he held onto the web with one hand and found his balance. He found this quite fun. The wind whipped at him and he wished he had his mask off so it could blow through his short hair. He felt like he was one some sort of amusement park ride if that ride involved running away from a crazy lazy on top of a billion dollar jet.
From the angle Peter was at, Siberia looked quite beautiful. A clear, crisp blue sky was above him and below laid frozen white snow that sparkled in the sunlight. He saw they were coming up on a forest of what he guessed were pine trees, but he also couldn't be sure because he wasn't a botanist. He could almost forget that he was sent to Siberia against his will and then attacked by a crazy lady. Almost.
Maybe this hadn't been such an awful trip after all. Peter wasn't happy about leaving all those people behind, but it was another lesson to be learned. He also would have to explain how his math textbook went missing, but he hoped Tony would cover the expense… Without telling May. Regardless of payment, May absolutely would kill him for forgetting his book.
"Incoming missile," Karen reported, breaking Peter from his thoughts. He turned and saw the rocket coming at him, but there wasn't much he could do. Natasha couldn't dodge the missile in time and it smashed right into the back engine of the jet.
Suddenly, Peter was falling, hanging onto the jet only by the web that now fruitlessly tied the left wing together. With another lurch of the plane, Peter was thrown forward past the ship and into the trees.
The only thing he saw was white before his world went black.
I sort of had to deal with either shorter chapter and a normal chapter or have one giant monster chapter. And, since I'm still editing and wanted to be on time for Update Day, here's this one! I seriously can't thank you all enough for the love you have given this story. I appreciate it so much. You're all wonderful! Thank you!
