Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Marvel; all rights belong to their respective owners.
I know it's been a while since I updated, but I've been busy with school and my other stories. This chapter doesn't have much action, but it does work on developing my characters and furthering some of Peter's relationships.
Chapter 51
Reminisce
New York City
The night was as usual in the city that never sleeps. All except a single red figure flipped through the sky. The figure pulled a red baton from his side holster. He plummeted to the ground before a thin cable shot forth from the weapon, piercing a brick wall before going taught.
Daredevil swung through the air, retracting the line and smashing it into the side of a building, bringing him towards it. He landed on the roof and rolled to a stop at the very edge. He 'looked' out over the cityscape and gave a very rare smile.
Tonight had been a good night for him. He broke up a mugging, stopped a robbery, and had actually talked down a suicide jumper.
His ears perked, and he turned his head in the direction of another air-born individual.
Spider-Man fired off another web-line bringing him closer to Matt's position. Daredevil smirked as the hero swung near him. Any second now, Peter would swing up to him with some cheesy one liner or greeting.
Matt waited. And waited. He heard Spider-Man swing over him. And he heard nothing. Matt 'watched' as Spider-Man flew over his head and swung back into the city.
Matt continued to stare after the young-man, a frown now present on his face.
"Something's wrong." He muttered.
He quickly pulled out his weapon and fired the grapple into the air, snagging it on the edge of a balcony. He flipped the switch on the side of the Billy club and was pulled into the air, swinging after his wayward friend.
Peter was furious. Enraged. Inflamed with raw hate, all towards SHIELD. Mattie and Flash, they were both idiots. Trusting someone like Nick Fury and his black-suited goons.
Then there was Rogers. Captain Steven Rogers, better known as Captain America, had just told them that they had done the right thing. That ignorant old man had just signed on with two high schoolers being trained as secret agents for a counter-terrorist team.
Even worse than that, the old bastard had lectured him on loss. Him! Of all people! Peter had lost so much and that all-American ass claimed Peter had no idea of what loss was! He had lost more than he should have. He lost his parents, Gwen, Uncle Ben, Harry, and now his friends were being shanghaied into SHIELD.
Spider-Man swung around the bend of a building but saw a slim shadow next to his own.
'What the?' Peter thought before flipping around in midair. He fired off a slew of webbing without aiming, hoping the scatter shot would capture his stalker.
Daredevil flipped over the webbing before sailing over his younger companion. He landed in a roll on a roof, followed shortly by Spider-Man who landed perfectly on the roof.
"Little quick to the trigger there, ace." Matt said.
"Sorry, but…ya did sneak up on me." Peter replied.
"Don't you have a sixth sense?"
"Oh, yeah…" Spider-Man said scratching the back of his head.
Matt looked a little put off by his tone before his brow narrowed in confusion.
'No witty retort? Something's bugging him.' Daredevil sighed, pocketing his Billy club. "So what's got you so wound up?" he asked.
"Huh?"
"You completely blew me off when you passed me, no 'What's up DD' or 'How's it hangin Matt'. You just swung over me. And then there's the fact that you're so jumpy right now. Seriously, if I hadn't dodged, I'd be a pile of webs on red brick right about now."
"I Just…I had a lot on my mind. It's nothing, I'll get over it."
Daredevil wasn't convinced. "Really? This have anything to do with why you bailed on training tonight?"
Spider-Man looked up at the red-clad hero in surprise. "How di—"
"Cage called. He said you got a call and freaked out. So I'm pretty sure it wasn't nothing. If you want to keep it bottled up, fine. But if it's going to start affecting you, and more importantly the team, I need to know."
Peter looked at his defacto-mentor and sighed. "I…I just met with some friends."
Matt raised an eyebrow. "I assume it didn't go well."
"You don't know the half of it." Peter replied bitterly as he recalled all that happened in the past hour.
"Then explain it to me." Daredevil replied leaning against the building's railing.
"It's a long story…"
"I have time. So talk."
Spider-Man sighed and hopped over the railing, sticking to its side, right beside his devil themed ally.
"My friends…have powers. I found that out pretty recently."
"And I assume you didn't bother to mention it to me or the others, right?"
Spider-Man looked up at him with a small glare.
"I didn't want them involved in this! Hell, the only reason I even suggested Bombshells and Jones join was to keep them from going criminal! Mattie and Flash had nothing to do with the lives we live!"
"Easy." Matt said holding his hands in surrender.
"I'm sorry Matt…But, they're my best friends…Hell, they don't even know what I am. Mattie thinks I'm just a mutant who knows her secret. I don't want them in this life. It's not them."
"You want them to be protected. Don't you?"
"The only reason MJ knows my secret was by accident. To be honest…I feel like she's safer actually knowing my identity."
"Then why the secrecy between these other friends. My best friend knows about my double life and we work things out just fine."
"She only knew by accident. But half the time I'm afraid of what will happen to her. I can't help but think what happened to Gwen will happen to her! I can't even-!"
"Pete. Calm down." Matt ordered, seeing his younger friend begin to lose his cool, again.
"I don't want to lose her. I just…now I've lost my friends."
"What do you mean, you lost them?"
"SHIELD found out about them. They got involved and they—They got in their heads! They told them they could be heroes! SHIELD said that! The lying sack of espionage shit-faced bastards told them that!"
"Peter. Were they forced?"
"What? No! No, it was there choice but—"
"Then there's nothing you could've done. I trust SHIELD as much as I can break into it. But it was there decision to make and they made it."
"Don't you dare!" Peter roared. "Don't you dare preach to me about that! You sound just like him!"
"Him?" Matt asked.
"Captain America! SHIELD's poster boy! He said the same thing! He said it was fine turning them into soldiers!"
"I'm sure he didn't mean it that way."
"How would you know?! You're not a soldier! None of us are!"
"We are soldiers, Peter. We're at war. Whether it's with criminals, super-villains or whatever life throws at use, we are soldiers in a very complicated war. One that won't end."
"I can't believe this! I'm in a loop!" He screamed, leaping back onto the roof. "I'm stuck in a fucking loop! One after the other it's the same goddamn thing! War this! War that! There is no war!"
"Peter there's always a war. What defines one is different for everyone. But knowing what your own war is, that's the very first step to winning it. I know my war, I thought you shared it too."
"No! I'm done with this!" Peter screamed, stepping onto the roof's edge and raising his wrist. "I thought you of all people would understand what I was going through!"
Without another word, a web-line fired from his wrist. Spider-Man leapt from the building and swung away from the building, leaving Daredevil to sigh in exasperation.
"You need to wake up Peter. We are at war."
"I'm glad you recognize the situation." An older voice said.
Daredevil whirled around, drawing his Billy clubs and raising them to a fighting stance. To his surprise, he saw an old woman, with dark sunglasses, sitting in a red and black wheelchair.
"Who are y—"
"I am Madame Web. As for what I want, it concerns my young ward you just saw having a tantrum."
Matt didn't lower his weapons. Something felt off about the woman. It should've been impossible for her to have snuck up here without alerting his sense. In fact, she couldn't have made up here at all! She was crippled!
"I see that you are confused. But rest assured, despite my disabilities, I am quite mobile. Just like you Mr. Murdock."
That did it.
Daredevil threw his baton straight at Madam Web, only to hear it bounce off the brick wall behind her.
"Wha-?" It then clicked. Matt could actually see her. Not the way he normally did. Not with his sonar. He could actually see her.
"You…you're in my head." He growled, finally recognizing what was going on. He was fighting a telepath. A goddamn mind reader and a psychic.
"Aren't you perceptive. I'd like you to know that I appreciate you trying to stop Spider-Man's ridiculous notions."
"They're not ridiculous. I understand where he's coming from, but this isn't the time for him to be getting emotional now."
"I agree. He has a much greater destiny to play. One that he must train for in all haste."
"He is training."
"No. Not your moronic sparring matches you hold in that beaten down shack. This is bigger than you. You and all of your friends, you have no idea what is coming. Nor do you have any idea what that boy will have to face."
Matt could see her smile. He didn't like it.
"I'm going to ignore all the insults you just threw my way and get straight to the point of me asking questions. What threat?"
"It doesn't concern you or your 'team'. It only concerns Spider-Man. I've come here to tell you to stop playing on his foolish dreams."
Matt quirked an eyebrow. "What dreams?"
"Of being a super-hero. You feed his childish notion of being some great vigilante of justice."
"What's wrong with that? He's doing good. He's making a difference, saving lives, helping peo—"
"Not lives that matter." Madam Web responded.
"All lives matter. I don't know who you are, and I don't really care. But if you threaten Spider-Man, this city, or any one of my friends, I will stop you."
Madam Web simply smirked. "I warned you. Let no one forget that."
The woman's body slowly disappeared from Matt's mind.
Matt scanned the area for any sign of the woman but found nothing.
'Damn psychics.' He thought before walking over towards his missing Billy club. He picked up the red weapon while thinking.
If she knew his name, it was probable that she knew the others as well. This would call for some investigations. And if Peter didn't know about this woman already, he might have to pay him a visit too.
The Coffee Bean, Next Day
"They joined SHIELD?" Mary Jane asked quietly, her coffee untouched on the table between her and her boyfriend.
"Yeah." Peter responded solemnly, staring blankly at his own cup.
"Mattie and Flash?"
Peter nodded his head again.
"They joined the shadiest spy agency on the planet, the very same one that is being questioned for covering up the Hulk incident?"
"Yes." Peter said, slowly losing his patience.
"The one that funds the Ultimates?"
"Yes! What part of this aren't you getting?" Peter snapped.
"I'm just trying to wrap my head around this Peter! I'm having trouble believing that two of my friends willing joined the government." MJ said scowling back at her enraged boyfriend.
"Well it happened! And Captain Hypocrite approved of it all! Can't SHIELD just stay the fuck out of my life?!" Peter muttered grabbing his head in his hands.
"Maybe you should talk to them, y'know? Get them to change their minds."
"I tried! I confronted them! I begged them! Pleaded with them!"
"As Spider-Man. Not Peter Parker." She whispered.
"They idolized him! Hell, Mattie's one of Spider-Man's biggest fans! Flash even thinks he's a hero!"
"But you scare them. They may think you're great and all, and you are, but you scare people Peter. And I don't think the beat down you threw on Captain America helped."
"I was trying to save them!" Peter argued.
"But they won't listen to Spider-Man, they don't know you under the mask. But they know Peter Parker. They know you. The lovable, handsome nerd who moonlights as the vicious crime-fighting vigilante. Well, they know you except for that last part." MJ said with a small smile.
"Even if I talked to them, they'll know I got the information from Spider-Man. I take my own photos. They freakin' think I'm like his best friend or something!"
"You? Your own best friend?" MJ said trying to stifle a laugh. "I didn't know your social life was so lacking."
"This isn't funny MJ." Peter said, making her stop laughing. "They'll think Spider-Man sent me to talk them out of it. They won't trust me."
"Then maybe you should show them that you trust them."
Peter looked at his redheaded girlfriend, shock in his eyes.
"No." he said.
"Peter, think about it."
"The answer is no MJ. I'm not telling them. To many people know who I am under the mask already. It's too risky."
"You don't think that Mattie and Flash would sell you out, do you?" MJ asked in disbelief. Not believing that her boyfriend was so paranoid.
"No! But knowing who I am puts them in danger! It puts you in danger!"
"So you're saying if it wasn't for me and Gwen stumbling on you in the warehouse, you never would've told us who you were?" MJ asked.
Peter froze at those words. He was on thin ice now. "No, MJ, I didn't mean to say I didn't trust you! Or Gwen, but I—"
"If we hadn't found you…would you have ever told us?" MJ asked.
Her eyes held an almost pleading look in their eyes. Peter desperately wanted to reassure her. To reassure her that he did care, but he couldn't lie to her either. He promised he would stop lying to her and Gwen when they agreed to help his crusade.
"Peter?" MJ asked, pressuring him for an answer.
"I…"Peter said meeting the girls' gaze.
"No." he said finally, lowering his head.
MJ said nothing for a moment.
Then she spoke. "Why not?"
"I didn't know what you would think. I didn't want to involve you. I didn't want you to get hurt."
"Why would you think that?" MJ asked, genuinely hurt by the truth in his words. "Did you think we were defenseless? Did you think we couldn't take it?"
"I was afraid of what would happen. That you would end up like…"
"Like who?" Mary Jane demanded.
"Like…like my Uncle Ben." Peter said with downcast eyes. "And guess what…" he continued still not looking up. "Gwen ended up the same way."
Mary Jane didn't say another word. She grabbed her brown jacket and stormed away from the table, leaving Peter alone in the center of the room while several people cast glances at him.
He tuned out every little whisper his enhanced hearing caught, every jab about him being a jerk, or how a babe like Mary Jane had ended up with him. The worst part was he couldn't exactly defend himself from the accusations either.
He sighed, eyes staring blankly at the table in front of him. He wanted to crawl into a hole and waste away. He was back to square one in this situation. He had no one to turn to, and no one that could help him.
"Women. They drive ya crazy but ya can't help but love 'em."
Peter looked up to see a Caucasian man in a brown trench coat and an eye-patch. The man was clearly in his late fifties as indicated by the graying sides of his brown hair.
"Uh…" Peter responded, looking up at the man suspiciously.
The man didn't seem bothered by Peter's look as he took a seat cross from the teen.
"Have to say, this place makes some damn good coffee. And believe me, I've had some damn good coffee in my life."
Peter glared at the stranger, waiting for any sign from his spider-sense that he was in danger. When none came he decided to speak.
"Listen, I'm usually a lot nicer to strangers, but I've had a shitty week and I really don't feel like humoring some weirdo. So either get out of that seat and walk away, or I will throw you out of this shop."
The one-eyed man stared at Peter for a moment before leaning back.
"I'm really starting to think that I should add anger-management to your file."
"What?" Peter asked, talons extending from his fingertips.
"Who are you?" he growled.
"Ya don't recognize me do you?" the man said.
"Should I?" Peter responded with a snarl.
"Jesus Christ, kid. You're supposed to be a smart high schooler. I even wore the eye-patch for fuck's sake."
"Eye-Patch?' Peter asked looking at the man. He thought about this for a moment before it clicked. His eyes narrowed in sheer rage.
"Fury." He snarled.
Nick Fury smiled at this. "There may be hope for you yet, son."
"Save it. I'm not even gonna make a racial crack about you pulling white face, I want you out of here."
"Free country."
"Is it?" Peter snapped back. "I thought this was the country of 'any kid with powers gets drafted into your super-human hit squad'!"
"You wanna talk about this? Fine. Let's take it outside."
"I'm not going anywhere with you. You wanna talk, you're gonna have to drag me outta here with an army of SHIELD agents."
"Okay then." Fury said with a smirk. He raised his left hand.
Peter's spider-sense started to tingle. He did a quick look-see of his surroundings to find several men and woman, couples and singles stop drinking coffee and turn their attention to the table he and SHIELD's director were sitting at.
"You've gotta be kidding me." Peter muttered. "Don't tell me that o—"
"Your waitress was an agent." Fury said with another smirk. "So, you want that fight? Or do you want me to pay for coffee and give you a ride?"
"To where?" Peter asked, eyes darting around the room for any chance of an escape route.
"The Triskelion." Fury said.
Peter's blood ran cold. This was it. They were gonna take him down, lock him up and work him over until he'd be begging to be on their team. The teen gritted his teeth before Fury's next words sank in.
"I think your best friend needs a visitor."
Peter looked up at the director in shock. And once more Fury smiled.
"Harry Osborn seems pretty lonely these days."
The two men stepped into the large black SUV that was Fury's ride. Once the doors shut and the windows were rolled up. Fury pulled his fingers underneath the skin of his neck and pulled off the chameleon mask, revealing the bald black man to Peter once again.
"You always travel with an entourage?" Peter asked looking out the window to see several civilian clothed agents leave the Coffee Bean to follow them.
"Comes with the territory, kid. As Director of SHIELD, even a little get together with a friend becomes a minor military operation. Half the people in that restaurant are highly decorated SHIELD agents. My entire wardrobe was destroyed and replaced with bug-laced clothing with all sorts of nifty little gadgets. My coffee was analyzed by the best of SHIELD's labs to check for chemicals and poisons. I've got three Black Ops snipers in a three block radius and every word I'm saying is being analyzed by our satellites and recorded for the record."
"Holy shit." Peter muttered.
"Signing up for this job is like being the Pope, the Queen of England, and the president of the USA all rolled in one. It's basically signing up to be a paranoid schizophrenic with a big-ass paycheck. But the girls are pretty and I get to smile on all our underfunded side-projects."
"Like you're super-soldiers?" Peter asked rhetorically.
Fury answered regardless of the boy's tone. "Exactly."
Fury started the ignition and drove the car out of the parking spot and into the crowded New York Streets.
Peter was silent as Fury tapped the side of his steering wheel. The one-eyed general looked at the boy and sighed.
"Ya like music?" he asked.
"I guess." Peter muttered.
Fury pressed a button on the dash, turning on the music.
"Teenagers scare
the living shit out of me!
They could care less, as long as somebody bleeds!"
Peter looked at Fury, who in turn, stared at the radio. He quickly clicked the button on the dash, switching the radio off.
"Silent ride it is." Fury muttered.
Across Town, Dr. Sofen's Office
The door opened to allow May Parker to enter the room of the renowned psychologist. She walked into a well-furbished office with an oak desk fitted with a computer, a name plaque and a leather rolling chair, currently occupied by a stunning blonde.
Dr. Karla Sofen smiled back at the elderly woman. May nervously sat down in the chair across from the desk.
"Thank you for coming May." The doctor said, welcoming the older woman.
"I'm sorry to have called you here on such short notice but I just needed to discuss some last minute changes with you." The doctor continued.
"Changes?" May asked.
"Nothing to worry about dear, in fact this is actually quite good for you." The woman said with a disarming smile.
"R-really? Why?"
"I know you've been meaning to set up an appointment between me and your nephew, and I told you my schedule was full, but now there's an opening."
"Really?" May asked, hope creeping into her voice.
"Yep. Unfortunately, one of my patients left the country and in no uncertain terms, cancelled all of our future sessions."
"Oh, I-I'm sorry to hear that." May said with sincerity.
"Oh it's not your fault dear." Dr. Sofen responded. "He had international issues, as he put it. Regardless, I can squeeze your nephew…Peter, was it?"
"Yes."
"Excellent. I can squeeze him into a session about this Sunday. Does the morning work for you?"
"Yes. Thank you!" May said.
"Oh it no trouble." Dr. Sofen said, examining the woman's relief. "May…if I can make an observation."
"Y-yes?" May asked confused.
"You seem stressed. Has the situation with your nephew gotten worse?"
"Uh…what do you mean?"
"May, you're stressed. I don't need a degree in psychology to see that. You must be under a lot of pressure with what's happened in the past year, but I think you could benefit from this type of therapy too."
"Oh, uh…I don't know. I don't think we could afford that. Things are tight as it is and I—"
"Don't worry about the money." Sofen said, brushing the matter aside. "I'll give you this session free of charge. But don't tell anyone, 'kay?" The doctor said with a stunning smile.
"Lie down on the couch there," Dr. Sofen said gesturing to the sofa. "I'll start the session right after I check something."
"Okay." May said, complying with the woman. She walked over to the couch and sat down on the soft furniture.
The doctor walked in several seconds later. She sat down in a chair across from the older woman with a singe gold necklace in her hand. The thin gold chain was connected to a small yellow gemstone that glowed a dull yellow.
The gem caught May's eyes as it rocked back in forth. Her eyes followed the yellow orb as it swung in the gold chain.
"Now listen closely, May." Dr. Sofen started. "I want you to relax…I want you to take deep, slow breaths…"
May followed her instructions, eyes still glued to the swinging jewel. May's breathing began to slow. Soon, her breathing was slow and deep, just as Sofen ordered.
Sofen smiled as she saw another patient go under.
"Very good May. You're feeling so relaxed now, aren't you?" she purred out.
"Yes…" May muttered in a blissful tone. Her eyes felt heavy and her mind was clouded. It was like being in a deep fog, but May had no desire to leave it.
Seeing that the elderly woman was under her power, Sofen smirked.
"Now then May. How about you tell me everything about yourself, and your nephew."
Triskelion
The black SUV barreled down the road that led to Manhattan Bay. Inside, Nick Fury had his eye glued to the road while Peter Parker looked absentmindedly out the window.
"Are we there yet?" He asked again.
"For the fifth and last time, no. And why are you even bothering to ask? You can see the damn building from here."
"Eh…too lazy." Peter muttered.
"Jesus Christ, this is why I don't have kids."
"Yeah, that's why." Peter muttered while rolling his eyes.
"You could be a little more grateful."
"For what? Threatening me into going to the Triskelion?"
"For letting you see Osborn at all. Not even his Ex gets visitation rights." Fury said as the car once again stopped in the heavy traffic.
"Wait, Liz knows he's there?" Peter asked turning to face the director.
"Yep. Odds are Thompson and Franklin do too."
"And you really think they'll be okay with that?" Peter said with a glare.
"They're his friends. Well, Flash and Liz are. But Mattie probably won't sit tight about it either."
"Don't get me started on the teen drama. They nearly had a cat fight yesterday."
"Huh?" Peter asked.
"Franklin and Allen. Nearly tore the room apart until Kaine intervened."
"Wait, Kaine's with them?"
"I needed someone to keep and eye on them. Besides, if it stops him from fucking every chick in a skirt, then that's another problem off my plate. Seriously, what type of libido do you have?"
"How many people has he slept with?" Peter asked. Truth be told, part of him didn't want to know how many more women his clone had slept with in the two days since they reconciled.
"One."
Peter just stared at the man. "He slept with just one of your people and you're complaining?"
"It's not exactly comforting that sex is his favorite pass time. It's not yours, right?"
"Wha-? No! I'm not a sex-maniac!"
"Just checking. Want to make sure your using your upstairs brain instead of the downstairs one. Once ya get a taste of sex, it's a little hard to ignore it."
"Yeah…" Peter said as his mind flashed back to his and MJ's more 'explicit' activities.
"Well look at you. Sixteen and ya already threw out the V-Card." Fury said with a miniature grin.
"Shut up." Peter muttered in irritation.
The car pulled up to the end of the peer, just feet from the edge of the dock. Peter looked at the mile long distance between their current position and the Triskelion.
"Uh…don't we need a boat?" Peter asked.
"Nope." Fury responded as he tapped the touchpad hidden under his dash.
Peter felt the car shift and he looked out the window to see the car lifting off the ground. The tires had flipped onto there sides and were now rotating like rotors.
The van lifted itself off the ground and shot forward, propelling itself across the New York waters.
"You have a flying car?!" Peter exclaimed as he looked out the window in amazement.
"One of the perks of being director." Fury said with a smirk as the car got closer to the island.
Peter stared up at the massive structure as the car landed on the tarmac. The Triskelion loomed over the vehicle, its shadow casting a dark silhouette across New York's bay.
The car slowly lowered itself on the ground, its wheels retracting under itself, returning to normal tires.
"Welcome to the Triskelion." Fury said, stepping out of the car. Peter followed suit and walked alongside the director, marveling at the massive tower in the center of the island.
"This is your headquarters?" Peter asked, realizing how stupid the question sounded after he said it.
"Yep. Now put this on." Fury said, handing him a thick metal bracelet. Peter looked over the device and saw several glowing blue circuits covering the device's thick shell.
"What's this?" he asked, waiting for his spider-sense to warn him of any danger the object posed.
"Image inducer. You'll see why."
Triskelion, Lower Levels, The Vault
Fury and Peter rode silently down the elevator as the thick steel doors surround them. Peter watched the floor meter decrease through the negative range, indicating they were almost half a mile below ground.
"So…" he started.
"What?" Fury asked not bothering to look at him.
"If we're this far below ground, underneath the bay, is the Vault flood proof?"
"Yes. But the failsafe for any severe breakouts was just installed."
"You mean after the Vault blew up underground and all those meta-criminals got loose?" Peter asked.
"Yeah. None of your rogues got out by the way."
"That's good to know but…I heard from a friend of mine that the X-Men were involved (Ultimate X-Men chapter 15)."
"They were."
"So…what's the new failsafe?"
"We flood the damn place." Fury responded as the elevator reached their destination. Fury walked past the retracting doors with Peter following close behind.
"Flood it?!" Peter exclaimed as they stopped in front of a massive checkpoint. Several cameras fixed onto mounted mini-guns hung from the ceiling as the massive blast doors barred the two's entrance.
"Best way to stop them. Permanently."
"That's ethical." Peter said with a scowl.
"These people lost any rights they had when they altered their DNA to give themselves powers. It was their own choice."
"And mutant criminals?" Peter asked.
"For them its just bad luck. Really bad luck."
Fury tapped the side of his earpiece before speaking.
"Director override, Fury, Nicholas J."
The blast doors groaned before slowly retracting towards the walls. Fury looked to Peter and nudged him in the side.
"Put the bracelet on. Otherwise everyone in here will know who you are."
Peter looked down at the bracelet in his hand and then at the rapidly retracting walls. Peter sighed before placing the device on his wrist. The device seemed to shrink, locking the bracelet onto the teen's wrist.
A blue shimmer appeared around Peter before his form shifted to that of an older man wearing a brown trench coat. He looked like an older version of himself, or to Fury, he looked exactly like his father, Richard Parker.
Fury smirked before leading the disguised teen deeper into the Vault.
As they passed the dozens of cells that lined the thick walls, Peter saw that the only thing separating the prisoners from them was a thin force field of blue energy.
As they walked along, Peter saw some of his own rogues in their respective cells. One that shocked him the most was that of Rhino.
The massive mechanical man was locked in a massive metal contraption that covered both his arms and legs as well as locking his chest and waist into the wall. Several tubes were locked into his body, pumping him full of what Peter could only assume were sedatives.
"I thought he…" Peter said as he saw the villain's eyes slowly move. They opened to reveal a dazed and confused looked.
Fury grabbed Peter by the shoulder and pulled him along.
"SHIELD picked him up and pieced him back together. We've kept him sedated for the most part, but he's still able to move. His body is more machine than man at this point."
The duo passed two more cells, each one occupied with a restrained Mac Gargan, aka, The Scorpion, Vermin, and a powered down Electro, his blue body trapped in human flesh by a power dampening collar wrapped around his neck.
"Wouldn't a collar revert Mac back to human?" Peter asked as he gave the poor creature a sympathetic look.
"We tried it. It didn't work. His DNA was basically grafted into the scorpion strand that Miles Warren dosed him with. It'd be like putting a collar on a human. Nothing would happen."
Peter stayed behind for a moment as he looked at Mac. The feral animal slept soundly in its cage while Electro stared out the field-like window of his own.
"Fury…" he snarled before turning to the man's company.
Electro didn't know why, but something looked familiar about the man. He brushed it off before turning back around to look at the wall of his cell.
Peter trailed after Fury before passing the one of the few cells that was separated by thick steel walls overlapping on top of a blue force field.
"Who's in there?" Peter asked as he passed the door.
"Daddy Osborn himself." Fury said, not looking back.
Peter turned his head to look at the cell. All seemed quiet for Peter, but he was sure inside Osborn was a raving animal on a very short leash.
"So…Osborn…" Peter said finally catching up to SHIELD's director.
"He's unstable. Half the time we find him talking to himself, other times we see him beating on the walls of his cell. OZ messed with his mind. Even worse than his son's."
"Is Harry—"
"You'll find out soon enough. Just walk twenty more feet and you'll see."
They finally stopped in front of a cell that looked exactly like Norman's. Fury pressed a switch on the wall and waited fro the hand scanner to confirm his identity. The red scanner flashed green before beeping in recognition.
The doors slowly slid up, retracting the blast doors to reveal a thin blue shield that separated Peter and Fury from the young orange-clad man inside.
Harry Osborn looked up at his visitors and his eye widened. "Mr. Parker?" he muttered in disbelief.
"What? No Harry it's me."
"Huh?"
"It's Peter." The teen said with a grin.
"But you like your dad!" Harry exclaimed getting up from his cell's bed.
"I do?"
Fury grabbed Peter's wrist and brought it into Harry's view.
"Image inducer. Nifty little gadget, huh?"
"Pete?" Harry asked in amazement. "W-what are you doing here?"
"I came to talk." Peter responded.
Harry looked between Fury and Peter until Peter looked at Fury. The one-eyed man took a few steps back to give the two some space.
"Not the most private setting, but okay." Peter said.
"Why?"
"Uh…why what?"
"Why'd you come here?" Harry asked.
"Uh, let's see, my best friend took an illegal mutagen that turned him into a raging, monstrous psychopath and got himself locked up. I'm paying you a visit so I could talk man! Come on, you're my best friend, why wouldn't I be here?"
"I-I just didn't think that…that they'd let you in. That they'd let anyone in."
"Yeah, but I'm here." Peter said with a grin.
"Okay…" Harry said, still not sure of what to do.
"How's your…'condition'?" Peter asked carefully.
Harry let out a sigh while rubbing his eyes.
"Still working on it." He muttered before gesturing to a metal collar around his neck.
"This thing gives me most of my sanity back and keeps me from hulking out on OZ. But…they haven't found a cure yet."
Peter turned to Fury.
"It's true. OZ was more difficult to treat than we thought."
"Just use that damn cure arrow that Hawkeye used on Kaine! You were planning to use it on me too, right?" Peter snarled.
"Just make a batch for Harry and his dad!"
"It's not that simple. The anti-OZ serum we used on Kaine stabilized his genetic mutation. It didn't take away his powers because it wasn't meant to cure OZ. Even if we did try to adapt it, the OZ strand bonds to the genetic tissue of the host. OZ is locked in, and it's designed to adapt. Even the prototype would resist a cure. That's why our little serum wouldn't work on them, or on you."
"It's fine Pete." Harry said. "As long as I got the collar, it shouldn't be a problem."
"No more crazy temper tantrums?"
Harry opened his mouth to speak before he saw a thin figure move from behind Peter. The goblin sneered underneath his tattered brown cloak.
"Why listen to this wuss Harry? We could crush his skull! Burn his corpse! Just let me out Harry…I can ignore all that guilt…just let me take the reins!"
"Harry?" Peter asked following his friend's gaze.
"Nah…no more tantrums."
Hell's Kitchen
The entire warehouse was busy with activity as dozens of men and women lifted, carried, and pieced together several massive machines that dwarfed the size of a car.
"What the Hell are these things?" a street kid muttered as he adjusted his red hoodie.
"What do they look like? Giant fucking robots. Now shut up and help me lift."
Another man said. The teen walked over and helped the man lift a large pipe off the ground and onto the assembly line that split the warehouse in two.
The mechanical part rolled down the moving platform and down to several mechanical cranes being operated by another worker up in the rafters. The man used the crane to lift the part and move it towards one of the three incomplete robots.
The workers standing near the machine gathered around the descending part and caught it as the crane released it. They slowly pushed the pipe into a slot on the robot.
"How's it looking out there boss?" Shocker asked as he continued to play with a tablet, his feet propped on a table while he leaned back in a chair.
Mysterio stood in front of the one-way mirror that separated his office from the work floor.
"Like a bunch of street urchins piecing together multi-million dollar machinery." He muttered through the voice filter in his mask.
"I think we should get some more muscle, sir." Shocker said as he tossed the tablet on the table.
"I mean, we only got so many guys right now. I mean, me, Zabo, and what's his face?"
"Marko?" Mysterio said, still staring out the window.
"Yeah. But we got that new guy coming remember? Tarantula."
"I'm well aware of him, Herman. He has his own team of super-beings and isn't afraid to use them. But that's where these come in handy." Mysterio said, placing his hand on the glass.
"Machines that will follow orders to the letter. No selfish crooks looking for a quick score, but loyal machines. Beings unafraid of death."
"Ouch." Shocker muttered getting up from the table.
"That hurts…but if ya want some one who isn't afraid of death, I actually might know a guy."
Mysterio turned to his enforcer. "You've peaked my interest."
"Yeah. I knew him back in my old arson days. Smart guy, was reformed though."
"Then how does he benefit us?"
"He WAS reformed. Until about two years ago. He and his girl got into a nasty little accident. Girl didn't make and he took a big hit to the head. Docs say he can't feel a thing. He's got no emotion. And he's a hell of a shot."
"Really now?" Mysterio muttered. "I wouldn't suppose that you know where he's being kept, right?"
Shocker grinned under his mask. "I know the place. Its called Ravencroft."
Ravencroft Asylum
"Marcus Lyman, Patient B118. Lovingly nicknamed Massacre by the NYPD is…" Dr. Ashley Kafka started as she reviewed her latest patients file, she doubled checked that her recorder was still on before she continued.
"After further analysis of Mr. Lyman's condition, I came to the conclusion that he is too unhinged to remain in the psych ward. I've requested to Mr. Pogue that he needs to be transferred to the isolation cells and possibly Ryker's Island. They have the best security for preventing self harm, and harm to other patients. I recommend incarceration only as a method of last result."
The doctor looked down at her files, moving the report to look at the picture a man in his late thirties with shaved brown hair and a cold gaze.
"Marcus Lyman was the victim of an unfortunate bombing at the stock-market. And unhappy client attempted to smuggle a bomb in but was caught by security just outside the building. Despite the attempts by the police, the man detonated his bomb near a crowd of civilians. The resulting blast killed Lyman's wife and caused permanent brain damage to Marcus himself. The result rendered him incapable of feeling any human emotions or making any attachments."
"He was committed to Ravencroft shortly after murdering ten civilians in a mass shooting. While I don't consider myself one to give up on patients, I feel that Mr. Lyman may be a lost cause. I've suggested corrective surgery, but Mr. Pogue refuses for the sake of cost-cutting measures."
Dr. Kafka clicked the stop button on her recorder and sighed, leaning back in her chair. Her day had been stressful enough as it was, and the thought of giving up on one of her patients didn't make it any better. But Lyman had shown no indication of improvement so there was nothing she could do. The surgery was the most viable solution, but without Pogue's approval, she couldn't go through with it.
The doctor swung her chair around and prepared to leave for the night, but she knocked over a stack of files that were lying on the ground. The papers scattered across the floor, causing the doctor to curse.
"Dammit." She muttered kneeling down to clean up the papers.
Her irritated mumbling stopped when she came across a file. The photo showed a patient with red hair and crazed green eyes. Cletus Kassidy, the Carnage Killer. Sent to Ravencroft after the mass murder of over ten innocents and two police officers. He had been the first inmate she'd given up on. But this was because he didn't want to be fixed.
He loved the idea of chaos, he reveled in it. He saw no wrong in killing innocents, but instead found a twisted purpose in it.
The doctor looked back at her tape recorder and then back to the file on the floor. She picked up the paper and returned to her desk, picking up the recorder as she did so.
She pressed the record button again and continued speaking.
"More disturbing news to report. Subject A666, Cletus Kassidy, has shown increased signs of violence and homicidal tendencies since his admittance to Ravencroft."
"I've made repeated attempts to have him express himself through less harmful means, but none have taken. He has no next of kin and no friends. His tendencies are violent and I recommend that he be moved to Ryker's Island as soon as possible and placed under maximum security. No further notes."
Triskelion, The Vault
"Listen Pete…I'm sorry." Harry said, resting his head in his hand.
"About what?" Peter asked, still standing in front of the cell.
"Everything…when I was juiced on OZ I felt…free. For the first time in my life I felt like I could do anything on my own. Not by my father will, not because someone told me to…it was just so…liberating!" Harry exclaimed with a smile on his face.
Peter cringed as he recognized the smile. Not the goofy or cocky grin that was his best friend's, Harry Osborn, but the manic smile of the Hobgoblin.
"Okay pal, step off the crazy wagon again." Peter warned, his eyes flickering to Fury.
"It was so intense! The power! You know what it's like!"
"Yeah…I do."
Images of Carradeen's beaten body flashed through his mind.
"But you come down from a high eventually." He said.
"Yeah…" Harry replied. "But it was crazy…"
"Listen man, I'm gonna help ya through this. Me, Flash and Liz, we're still here for ya. So, hold out just a bit more, kay?"
"It's not like I have a choice right?"
"Not really." Fury said stepping in.
"Sorry but visiting hour is over. Time to go kid."
Peter reluctantly stepped back as the doors to Harry's cell sealed shut.
"Feel better now?" Fury asked.
"Barely. You thought a little chat with my best friend would fix my mood? I still hate your guts."
"Love the honesty kid." Fury muttered as they walked out of the prison.
"Listen, I don't care if you like me, but all I'm asking for is a little trust."
"Trust? You want me to trust you? You're a manipulative son of a bitch who tricked my friends into joining your little super squad!"
"I never said I was a saint."
"How my mom ever trusted you is beyond me!"
Peter's spider-sense tingled as Fury grabbed him by the shoulder.
Peter turned around to see the enraged look from the Director of SHIELD.
"Watch it kid. You are on thin ice now."
Peter saw the look of anger in his eyes, catching him off guard.
"What…touchy subject?" Peter asked, trying to gauge the man's reaction.
"Think what you want about me, I couldn't care less. But don't start disrespecting you're mother."
"Wh—Oh don't tell me you were in love with my mom! Jesus what is with the whack jobs…first the Jackal now you?"
Fury pulled his hand back and glared at the kid.
"I did love Mary. She was closest thing I had to a sister. So show her some goddamn respect. You owe both your parents that."
"Wait…you knew my dad too?" Peter asked with suspicion.
"Who'd ya think walked your mom down the aisle? Your grandpa was dead by the time they married."
"You…you gave my mom away?"
"Yeah. I told you, she was like my sister."
"Please don't tell me you gave my dad a talk about breaking her heart…you didn't, right?"
"I wanted to…but Mary talked me out of it. Hard to argue when he was involved in our line of work."
"What?" Peter asked. "My dad was bio-engineering professor."
"Damn, I'm just breakin' down walls with you today aren't I? He wasn't a teacher. He was FBI. Bio-Terror Response Unit. How'd ya think he knew what your mom did for a living?"
"They were both…heh…Everything I knew about them…" Peter muttered.
"A lie? Yep. Believe me, they were serious about the science crap though. Mary came to me one day and said: 'Nick, I want out.' When I asked her why she showed me a picture of a little kid. You."
Peter looked up at the man.
"They wanted a family. And for you to have a normal life. I'm actually sorry you never got that life."
"They died in the lab explosion. Was it an accident?" Peter asked.
"Was it actually just a—"
"It was an accident. Big case of shitty luck. I know, kid. I didn't want to believe that it was just chance. Not to them. Not to two of the best people I've ever known."
"So it wasn't Hydra? Or some secret murder plot?" Peter asked with a saddened tone.
"Sorry kid. Sometimes bad stuff happens to good people."
"Yeah…fate's kinda a bitch."
"That she is." Fury said as the two left the building.
"When you made the anti-OZ serum…was that meant specifically for me?" Peter asked as they entered the elevator.
"Yes." He responded.
"Guess it didn't pan out that way, did it?"
"Yeah…but I guess it worked out."
"What?" Peter asked.
Fury sighed.
"I wasn't wrong to make a contingency for you. People with great powers…they don't always make great decisions. But, you're on of the rare few who make the right decisions."
"What are you saying?"
"I ain't saying sorry. But I should've given you more credit."
"Uh…T-thanks…I guess…" Peter muttered in slight surprise.
"Agent Quatermain will take you back to Manhattan. Until then, well keep an eye on your friends."
Peter's rage resurfaced at those words.
"Don't just thin—"
"But, think of it this way, you don't want them in your line of work, but they're in that world already, and better they learn to handle themselves from us, then let them run around getting themselves hurt, or worse, others."
Peter closed his mouth as he reluctantly accepted the fact.
"Besides, we got Kaine here. And unfortunately he's still got a conscience." Fury muttered with a smirk.
A man in a suit with close cut hair and a thin beard approached the duo.
"Sir." Clay Quatermain saluted before looking at Peter.
"Mr. Parker, if you'd come with me."
"Yeah…okay."
Fury watched as the transport lifted off the Island and flew back towards Manhattan where Peter would be dropped off.
Fury turned around and headed back into the Triskelion.
He rode the elevator back down to the Vault before stepping out.
He walked briskly down the hall before opening up the cell door to one Harry Osborn.
Harry looked up in surprise before he scowled.
"The fuck do you want?" Harry spat.
Fury stared at him coldly. Then he smirked.
"You got two choices. Stay in this cell to rot away until we find a cure for OZ, or, you can do some good."
"What?"
"I need a team. And I think you'd be good for it." Fury smirked.
Unknown Location
The dark lab was covered in dust, dirt and cobwebs. Light flooded into it as its doors opened after years of abandonment.
A gorgeous woman in a tattered black dress stumbled into the room, collapsing onto a nearby table.
She panted in exhaustion as he looked over her body. Her dress was in tatters, her plan had been ruined, and now she was exhausted, her healing factor had drained her of all her energy.
She slumped against the table as she sneered in anger.
"Damn them!" she cursed.
Ana Soorya released a sigh of irritation before placing her hand on her stomach. She gently rubbed it with a small smile gracing her lips.
"Still…my plans haven't been completely ruined…" she purred as she felt the life within her pulse at her touch.
"Ssshhh…" she whispered soothingly. "Don't worry…mommy's here…and eventually…daddy will be too."
Another chapter done. Sorry if there was little action, the next one will have a lot and be warned, more heart ache is to come!
Next Chapter: Choices!
