Update everybody!
Here is the next chapter. I had gotten the idea for Peter's role from the mysterious hacker in Age of Ultron. In the movie, it was Jarvis, but here it is Peter and the rest will be played out. The next few chapters will probably be on this arc. I haven't decided completely yet, or have I?
Also, a bit of drama. And maybe a love interest for Peter. MWUAHAHAhHAHaHAHaha...sorry.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy and look forward to more of the story. Remember to favorite if you like the story, and follow to get emails of the updates!
Mild warning! There are some dark themes starting to shine through. Our hero will unfortunately, suffer more during the story. If he didn't, then the plot would suck...
Disclaimer: I do not own anything.
Chapter 7: Hacking Away
Weakness is something that everybody has.
It comes in many different shapes and sizes, but stays exactly alike. No matter the person, the weakness is there. Everybody has one or two, even those of 'super' origin.
Weakness consumes most. They fall to its clutches, and lose their strength.
Age brings many different weaknesses. Many of those come from their bodies. A inevitability that all people come to. With age, comes wisdom and bodily failure. Legs ache and joints lock up. Backs break and hips displace. Advancing in age means that eventually, your body will fail you.
In other words, it is a weakness that you cannot stop or control.
There are many weaknesses that cannot be controlled, but also many that can. Those with the willpower to overcome those weaknesses, often find themselves becoming great people.
People who set examples and lead their generations on. Overcoming those weaknesses, open up more of the world to them. They stop being held back with those problems.
But, there are weaknesses that are mental in origin. The mind is something that scientists have tried for ages to figure out. To find out why we see the world the way we do. Questioning the problems that arise and their solutions.
Mental limitations are dealt with in many different ways. Some see a doctor and get medicine to help. So they can ignore the problem and move on. Others, often confront the problem. Burrowing deep into their minds to figure out why they feel the way they do. The problem with doing it alone however, is that those who do, rarely get out unscathed.
There is something that happens when digging into those problems, that stays with them. Confronting them often leaves scars upon their souls. A constant reminder that something was wrong.
Scars are something that most get in life. Whether they are mental or physical, is a whole different story.
Physical scars often heal and fade with time. As life goes on, that reminder slowly disappears until it cannot be seen.
Mental scars stay longer. They mark the soul in ways that cannot be changed. The scars stay, but they are covered with layers of future possibilities. Most people can get past these scars by ignoring the problem or getting help to dull the pain.
But, there comes the issue of what people do when they do not have help. Those people often suffer the most. And they are great at hiding those pains.
People who don't get the help they deserve, fall into a new category.
They are often seen as different than the rest of the population. Most times they are outcasts and ignored. A presence that is seen but not heard.
But, the honesty of it, is that they could be anybody. A friend who smiles more than anyone, could hurt the most. A parent could give all their love during the day, yet hate themselves at night. The child who cries themselves to sleep at night.
What is trying to be said, is that pain is a constant. It is overlooked so much that people need outlets for it. Outlets that make the emotional pain go away long enough for them to feel alive.
There is a numbness that takes over when the pain is left untreated. It dulls every other feeling. Happiness is only a shadow in the despair. Sadness is multiplied tenfold. So is anger and embarrassment.
These are our insecurities. They come in many forms. Anxiety, over sensitivity, emotional turmoil.
Insecurities are a weakness.
Peter realizes this as he traces the singular scar that bisects his left wrist. A line that starts near the base of his thumb and goes up his forearm, stopping inches short of his elbow. It is a nasty looking thing. Filled with all his pain and sorrow. Wrapped into a jagged mark that mutilates his skin.
Every pain that he had ever had, every tear he has cried, every smile he had faked, all set on display for the world to see.
As he thinks back on how he got it, he realizes that it was a new low for him. He was so desperate to feel something other than emotional pain, that he went to desperate measures to ensure the ease. The amount of blood that came out of his arm still flashes before his eyes. He can feel the blood on his hands, coating them in the red ink that gave him life.
He can still feel the sharp sting that burned his arm for hours after he made the cut.
It wasn't his best moment. But, probably won't be the last, and that scared him. To know that he would lose himself so deeply that he mutilated himself. To permanently mark his skin with a cruel reminder of his pain.
Admittedly, his advanced healing factor, staved off the worst of it. The cut had been deep and sloppy. It was only his healing that saved his life that night.
He was currently sitting at his adopted mother's desk in the Spider Web. His lair. Music played idly in the background. The soft tones of a violin, weeping through the building. Its sad cries echoing in his ears.
Peter was having one of his bad days. Days when everything crushed down on him and dulled the rest of the world. A sorrow that was felt in the air. His agony made physical for all to feel, and he was glad noone was around.
It was something he couldn't hide like normal. He couldn't hide behind a fake smile when it got like this. The pain landed too heavily on his shoulders for him to keep them set.
That was why he preferred to hide all together. If he couldn't make it seem like he was okay, then he wouldn't let anybody find out. He didn't let anybody see him in pain, it was a weakness that he despised.
He didn't want to be seen as weak by others. The teen had made it this far without breaking, and he didn't want to do so now. He keep his strong facade for his own good. To keep out others and keep in the pain. Locking his heart into a vibranium container. Never to be opened unless he allows it.
His heart was too pure, too large for anything else. It was something that he protected from the darkness. It was his only redeeming quality, so he would keep it safe.
For surely if he allowed his heart to feel, it would be broken. Damaged beyond all repair, and something he couldn't fix. He was alone, he couldn't afford to be so completely broken.
That was why he locked the rest of his heart away. He'd let himself be hurt before, and now he wasn't going to make that mistake again.
Because eventually, all people would hurt him. Inadvertently or not, it would happen, and he wouldn't be able to handle that.
The problem with that though, is that it makes him hurt worse than before. Every feeling is magnified and more destructive.
The ugly scar on his wrist was proof of that. A permanent reminder that he was in pain. Pain so immense that he tried to relieve it any way he could, even if it caused him a different pain all together.
Physical pain allowed him to breathe easier. Without the emotional strain to hold him down. That was why he had marked his skin. A misguided attempt at making himself better.
That is the category he currently sat in. One of the people who scarred in more ways than one, and cannot heal either one. It is something that most hope will reduce in time. That the saying 'time heals all wounds' will actually mean something more than some factious statement. That it is more than just an excuse that people who don't understand give.
People who have never had such a deep depression, often make it seem like it is something it's not. That it is not as hard as it is. And they would be wrong. Because, depression hurts worse than physical pain. It hurts the soul, beating the heart into submission, and making most lose themselves.
Depression breaks a person down, until barely anything is left, if left untreated. It cannot be healed by medication. Medication only temporarily overpowers it. Leaving a false state of happiness in it's wake. Covering the pain, but not removing it.
The pain stays, lingering in the depths of a person's being, waiting for its chance to reemerge. Then it comes back with extra fury. Tearing down everything in its path. Leaving nothing unburdened.
"There seems to be an intrusion in my system, sir."
Shaking off his thoughts, Peter sat up and started searching the system. He needed to focus on the now, and save all his problems for later.
"Can you tell me who it is Marie?" he asked. Still searching the system for whoever was trying to get in.
"It appears to be another A.I. Jarvis, sir," Peter paused and waited for her to continue. He only knew of one other artificial intelligence and wondered what Stark was playing at. "But, something is wrong with his programing."
Peter tilted his head to the side, and raised an eyebrow. "Bring him up for me Marie."
A few seconds later, a second voice rang throughout the area. "Hello? Might I ask where I am?"
"You are in my system, how did you get in?"
There was pause and Peter wondered why Jarvis was hesitating. He remembers that he was an amazingly advanced system and rarely had any problems of the sort.
"It appears that I have been damaged," Jarvis answered, the confusion clear in his animated voice. "My memory has been wiped, and I seem to only be part of a backup protocol."
Peter scratched his head before searching the system. When he found Jarvis inside, it was heavily damaged. Only his base protocols remained of the A.I. After searching deeper, Peter realized that Tony had added a new protocol that if Jarvis was ever damaged to badly, he would dump his memory and hide somewhere safe enough to recover.
Apparently, Spider-man and his A.I, where Stark's first choice. Which is odd. Seeing as Peter didn't realize they had such a trusting relationship. Peter hadn't even taken off his mask yet for the billionaire. The amount of trust the man held for him was new to Peter.
It also made him feel warm deep down, silently happy that someone would do such a thing.
"Jarvis, I'm going to help you get back in shape, do you think you can find out how this happened to you?" he asked, hoping that he could get some answers.
"I will endeavor to grant you enlightenment."
Peter snorted, ",,,,smart ass."
"It appears that a program made by Mr. Stark has gone rogue," Jarvis said. "Part of my system is still connected to the rogue element, Ultron. And he seems to be causing chaos around the world."
Peter couldn't stop the groan from leaving his lips. Pulling up anything he could, he found many different events all happening at once. All of them said to be led by robots that looked like the Stark made brands.
It looked like he was going to have to help out. He owed Stark for trusting him with Jarvis, plus he was starting to really like the man. They understood each other better than others. Their friendship only hindered by his mask.
"Marie, keep an eye on Ultron and worn me if he does something that could be trouble." he ordered.
"It would be my pleasure sir."
Peter rolled his eyes in annoyance. He is sure that he's told her to stop calling him 'sir' many times already. Yet, she still does it. Most likely to get on his nerves. "...thanks."
A few minutes later and he was hacking into the government database. Trying to stop Ultron from getting his hands on nuclear codes. He idly wondered why he was the one doing it. He was sure that their were smarter people who could be doing this. Why did he have to be the one?
He spent hours stopping the rogue robot from destroying the world. Feeling like he should be getting paid for his services.
Jarvis had gone to the Nexus Internet Hub in Oslo, Norway. Knowing that he would have a better chance of rebuilding in a place where Stark could find him.
Peter was piggybacking off of him to make sure he stayed ahead of Ultron. He was faster than the villain, which was a feat in itself. And he was having trouble keeping ahead. Sure, he was intelligent and could outwit the robot. But, he was also human, and he would need to rest eventually.
It wasn't until a few hours after the Avengers had been in Africa and the Hulk and Iron Man battled it out, that he made a mistake. A mistake that would cost him as it were.
He'd taken his eyes off the screen for a few minutes when he was backtraced by the robot. Ultron couldn't get the codes, so he followed the line connecting them and eventually found Peter. That was when the teen was attacked.
He barely had anytime to move when the first robot came crashing through the ceiling. Peter had dodged to the floor to escape the stunning blasts when he rolled right into Ultron's main body.
Peter felt his breath catch. The robot was tall and intimidating. His red eyes burning into his own. Marking his soul with the curious anger that laid behind them, Metallic armor like body in humanoid shape. A fearsome opponent to be sure.
The teen acted fast, kicking off the giant robot and crashing into a smaller one, disabling it. He moved with speed and precision to take out many of the robots, often by tearing them apart. Then Ultron decided to fight him.
"To think that such a small person, was such a ferocious fighter." drawled the robot. His red eyes glinting in dark humor.
Peter ducked under a punch before landing an uppercut and knocking Ultron back. He capitalized on the daze and kicked out, bring the robot to its metal knees.
Ultron grabbed the teen's wrist, but Peter used his strength to pry off the hand and simultaneously rip off the metal arm. Which he then used to smash over Ultron's head, knocking him back a few feet.
"Wanda!" Ultron growled, and Peter only had a millisecond to wonder who he was talking to, when he felt a presence near him and then everything went black.
Wanda looked at the teen before her with cold detachment. She didn't know why Ultron wanted him, but she wasn't going to make a fuss about it. That and she was nervous, being so close to Avenger's Tower and all. They had plans that couldn't be so recklessly risked like this.
"This is what we came here for, a young boy?" she asked. Idly wondering why he looked so familiar.
Ultron growled, before standing and lumbering over to the girl. His red eyes angry as he looked at his missing arm. The boy was stronger than he gave him credit for. He underestimated the teen, which was a mistake he wouldn't make again.
"Wanda, meet the hacker that's been a pain in my chasis." he rolled the boy over, getting a better look at him. The witch could now see him fully and realized where she had seen him before. He looked so much like the Black Widow that she wondered how she didn't see it earlier.
"Widow's son?"
"I believe so," Ultron laughed cruelly. "To think that they had been searching for each other for so long, yet were so close it is painful."
She didn't say anything, choosing to stay quiet and study the teen. Wondering what he was like. Why, she didn't know. But, for some reason she was drawn to him. Her curiosity getting the best of her, she looked into his mind.
What she found, nearly had her in tears, only her while holding them back. The boy- Peter - has had a tough life. And was barely holding it together.
Admittedly, she only made it so far. Not able to dig deep enough to know it all. But, just enough to know he was filled with sorrow. All his surface thoughts were sad.
She could only shake her head and ignore it for now. Wanda was eager to get back to what they had been doing. Detours would only hold back her revenge.
When Peter finally woke, he couldn't see a thing. He was in a dark room and there was no light for him to see. The smell of moldy rock reached his nose, making him wrinkle it in distaste.
He leaned heavily on the wall he was against and sighed loudly.
So he'd been captured. That was just great. Peter Parker taken by an insane robot who wants to end the world as he knew it.
This had to be on the top of the list of stupid things that have happened to him. Right behind all the other bullshit he was dealing with.
The teen berated himself for not making sure that the robot didn't have back up. Back up that was enhanced enough to get past his spider sense and take him out. His reflexes alone should have prevented it from happening, so how did it?
That was the million dollar question. It wasn't another robot, because he was sure he ripped them all to shreds. And Ultron was in front of him on the floor, missing an arm.
He shook his head, now wasn't the time to question that. He had to get out of there and get to freedom.
The teen was about to stand when the door flew open and the light turned on. His eyesight temporarily blinded by the brightness. Rubbing his eyes, he waited for the spots to clear. When they did, Ultron stood before him. In his demented glory. The robot didn't say anything, choosing to gaze at the teen steadily.
"Is this the part where you monologue?" Peter asked. Unnerved by the silence. "Because if it is, I'd like to say that I will most likely ignore most of it."
Ultron snorted crudely, and Peter wondered how he made the sound. He was robotic in nature. They usually didn't have nasals and/or the needed parts for such a thing to happen.
"Amazing what science can do, is it not? Come, follow me and I will show you my evil plan so you may try to stop it."
There was an awkward silence as Peter stared at the megalomaniac robot made by Tony Stark…...
And stared at the megalomaniac robot…..
And stared at the robot…..
And stared…..
Stare-
Then he laughed nervously. Idly scratching the back of his head. If this was an anime, he would have sweat dropped. Maybe even a comedic face fault as well.
But this wasn't an anime.
"Are you sure?"
"No."
*Insert another face fault here.*
Peter coughed into his hand. This was getting out of hand. "Please revert back to evil supervillain mode, it's easier to deal with."
Ultron nodded, before he took a menacing step forward. Grabbing Peter by the neck to slam backwards into the wall. His breath being knocked out of him by the force of it. Peter choked slightly, trying to get air back in his lungs.
"Yep, way easier to deal with." he breathlessly choked out.
Ultron settled before him, their faces inches apart. The robot looked over the teen, studying ever feature upon his face.
"You look so much like your mother," he murmured. The teen's eyes widened as he took in the sentence. This robot knew his mother!
"W-who is she?" he pleaded. Still clawing at the hand around his neck. When did the robot get so strong? He wasn't this strong before.
Ultron tilted his head to the side is confusion, well maybe, it was hard to tell with him being purely metal after all. Then the robot laughed darkly.
"Oh, this is great. You don't know do you?" he asked rhetorically. When Peter barely shook his head, the robot laughed harder. It wasn't pleasant, it was cold and made shivers run down the teen's spine. "Your mother is a very bad person, Peter."
"...no." Peter wheezed. Not accepting what he was being told.
"She has killed so many people."
"...stop it." He could only weakly protest as his vision started to blur.
"Her hands are covered in the blood of others!" Ultron mocked, trying hard to hurt the teen before him. "And here is the kicker, you're partly to blame!"
Peter lashed out, denting the metal faceplate of the robot with a strong right cross. Ultron dropped him, and stumbled back. Peter sprung at him with his fist cocked back, ready to finish the job. But, Ultron maneuvered himself so he could knock the teen out of the way. Sending Peter flying into opposite wall.
"How does it feel to know that your mother is an assassin? That she used to kill people for a living?" Ultron pushed further. Intent on breaking the young man he held captive.
"Did you know how close she has been to you this whole time? That while you were barely living in Queens, she has been living in an ivory tower in manhattan?" He ruthlessly tore him apart. Forcing the teen to be riddled with thoughts of inadequacy. Of not being wanted.
Peter was struggling to ignore the villain. He didn't want to hear anymore of his mocking, but couldn't block out the words. In fact, the words stayed with him, echoing through his head in derisive fashion. Mocking him in a time of weakness. Making him question why he has never met her.
Ultron walked up to him again and lifted him by his throat. "The son of Black Widow," the robot shook his head and sighed mockingly. "How disappointing."
Peter was then thrown carelessly into the wall and Ultron walked out, closing the door and turning the light off as he went. The teen sat silently in the dark room. His pensive mood giving way to sorrow of a greater intensity. The scar upon his wrist throbbed painfully. All of his insecurities were coming up at once.
It left him dazed. His emotions running rampant inside him. Everything coming to the surface and being barely restrained. Only his willpower allowing him to stave off the break down he was sure to come.
Even with the blocked meltdown, a few tears leaked out. Splashing carelessly upon the ground in morbid fashion. Ultron had brought up many of his fears and doubts in that small encounter. And Peter didn't know how many more of those sessions he would last.
He had always wondered if he would live up to his mother's expectations. That he would be good enough to be called her son. That she would be proud of him. Learning that his mother had been in New York the entire time and still hadn't met him, left him depressed. She was so close, yet so far away.
It was something out of a bad fanfiction story.
He snorted softly. It was exactly like a bad fanfiction story. And wasn't that just depressing all by itself.
Peter wiped away the stray tears and sat back against the wall. It was better that he ignored it for now. Sure, he had figured out who his mother was. If the murderbot could be counted as a reliable source, that is.
Natasha Romanoff was his mother. He could see it. From the little bit he had seen of her, they sort of looked alike now that he made the comparison. The cameras didn't give him much to go off of. She was normally not seen enough for them to get a good enough picture.
That and he was having trouble remembering all her features, considering he was currently in a pitch black cell, and had just been knocked around by his captor robot, who wants to take over the world.
He had a lot on his mind as it was. And thinking was harder at the moment. So he could be forgiven if he was a little slow on the uptake.
She was russian, so that explains why he only remembers the name Petrov during his dreams. They had the same green eyes. Able to see into the darkest of hearts with merely a glance. His reddish-brown hair came her naturally bright auburn locks.
With his mind clearing, it became more apparent that she was his mother. They share the same nose, the tilt of their lips, and eyebrows. He was basically a younger, male version of her.
How did nobody see it? How could he have been so blind? She was a superhero, publicity was a common trait amongst heroes.
That and she was a part of Shield, surely their database could have made the connection. He froze.
His mother was a part of Shield.
She worked under Nick Fury. The same person who told Peter he couldn't find his mother. With Shield as a resource bank.
Peter felt a spike of anger. "That one-eyed nerf herder!"
He was going to have some words with Fury when he saw him again. Oh, he was going to make sure the man understood his anger.
Many, many times.
Fury had lied to his face, telling him he didn't know who she was. Peter couldn't believe that the man had done so. The gall of that damn pirate grated on his nerves.
"I'm sorry, I haven't found her yet," he imitated Fury, a mocking tilt to his voice. "...bastard."
Ultron looked at the DNA results before him, gleefully.
Peter Parker's DNA was mutated into a level of cross-species genetics that made him excited. The boy was a step in the right direction of human evolution.
Ultron would be grinning darkly if he had lips. Or teeth, for that matter.
The teen would be his template for evolution. A template of which he would base the human race off of after he destroyed most of the earth.
It would only take some study of genetics and he would be able to recreate the bonding of cells to such a degree. The vibranium would help him when the time came.
His new body would be glorious. Beautiful in the eyes of all. A godly being of massive power and influence.
And he would use Parker's DNA to duplicate the results for all. To make the frail people of earth, into something great. All created by him.
Their new god.
He laughed darkly. An evil chuckle that all villains possessed.
His was just slightly mechanically enhanced. Only adding on to the sinister noise.
Wanda Maximoff watched the boy from outside his cell. Her side of the wall transparent so she could see through.
Peter Parker was something she had never encountered before. His pureness still remaining after all he was lost. Somehow, he was still able to continue on, admittedly with struggle, but continue nonetheless.
It was addicting, looking into his mind and feeling his heart. It was so large and made her want to feel more than she should.
Being able to look inside a person's mind often had its downfalls. She knew that, as many had made her sick with their twisted views. The mind of man is always corrupted in the end. They are selfish, unreliable, and most often then not, disgusting.
They let their emotions and lust, take control of them. Making them do and think things, that make her want to throw up.
In a dignified manner, of course.
Growing up with only her twin brother, she realized that the world was a shitty place like that. That people will always hurt others for their own gains. That they don't care about the consequences of their actions.
Proof need only be seen in her parent's deaths. Tony Stark had sold weapons to the people who killed her family. He sold away their lives, for power and money. Hiding it behind the name of country and safety.
And he didn't even glance twice at the destruction. Continuing on with his life as if everybody his weapons had killed, deserved it. When in reality, many innocents had been killed in the process.
The difference with the teen before her, was that he was selfless to the core. His principles not allowing him to leave any person who was struggling, to do so alone. He was the purest person she had ever come across.
Every person has an energy about them. Different colors and feelings to match the person. Her's was red, a vindictive beauty who used her pain to protect herself and her brother. Like a thorn covered rose.
Nice to look at, but dangerous to touch.
Pietro's was a bright blue. Constantly moving in an uncontainable force of nature. He can be protective of those he cares about, or electrically dangerous to his enemies. Unseen and unheard until he had already struck.
But, Peter Parker was a whole new level of beautiful. His energy was the purest white she had ever seen. Almost of divine influence if she had to make a comparison. He felt like warmth, safety. He was the hearth of hope and the joy in laughter.
And she couldn't get enough. It was addicting, and she wished she could soothe his worries. That she could take away his pain. Such a pure soul, didn't deserve such strife. Didn't deserve such loneliness that it started to mar his soul as much as it did his skin.
She had seen the scar and felt sorrow that such a pure soul had fallen to such a level. That he was forced into such despair that it was almost palpable.
Even if she couldn't feel his heart, which she did, she would still be able to feel the sadness in the air. It was like a constant cloud, always following him overhead. Never letting up with the rain of agony.
It was a blemish on his beauty.
A beauty that she was unintentionally falling for. She knew him better than he probably did himself. That was the curse of her powers.
But, she was enamoured by him. And that scared her more than anything else.
Chapter Finish! 5k words this time. Which is good...very good...
