- One month later -
"Peter, honey? Can I come in?"
A woman twisted the doorknob, fighting a lock Peter had designed. Peter shifted in his bed. Both Niobe and Peter were covered in dirt from a fight the night before.
"No!" Peter said.
He reached down to Niobe who was unconscious on the floor. Peter slapped her arm until the Jedi budged. When their eyes met, he held his finger to his lips. Niobe nodded. They had been out all night rescuing people from a fire. They had forgotten his age, his obligated schooling.
"Peter, class starts soon, honey. And you have to take the bus today, my car is in the shop. Remember?"
Peter frantically tried to get out of his Spider-Man costume, while Niobe watched him stumble around.
"Give me second, I'll be out! I'm gonna get the door! Just give me a second," Peter said.
He shoved Niobe towards the closet.
"Peter, please just let me in, alright?"
Peter climbed about in his room, moving among the walls and ceiling.
"I'm...trying to get...!" Peter said.
Niobe squinted in confusion at his antics but buried herself among the clothes in his closet as asked.
"You have a final today, are you ready?" The woman said.
"Yes! Just give me a...!"
Peter dropped his boot and the shoe landed on the switch for the automatic lock on his door, which accidentally unlocks the door, Peter drops down onto his bed and pulls the covers on himself.
"Whoa! Don't come in! Stay outside! I'm so naked!" Peter said.
"Peter! For goodness sake!"
As Aunt May is about to enter Peter noticed his Spider-Man boot on the floor and quickly shoots out a web to grab it and pulled it under the bed covers.
"You'll be late again..." she said.
Aunt May noticed Peter lying in bed under the covers with only his face showing which is covered in dirt.
"Are you alright?" She asked.
"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just...I'm very naked right now," Peter said.
"What happened to your face, it's filthy?" She asked.
"It is?" He asked.
"Yes," she said.
She reached to clean away the dirt. He pushed her hand away with a light touch.
"Oh, yeah, yeah. I was cleaning the chimney," he said.
Niobe face-palmed.
"We don't have a chimney," May said.
"Whaaat?!" Peter asked.
"You're late!" May said.
"I know! I'm late!" Peter said.
"Downstairs, now! Alright?" She asked.
"Can you...can you leave. I'm completely naked here." He said.
"I'm leaving." She said.
As she goes to leave Aunt May notices the ceiling lamp swinging from side to side, she then leaves and closes the door.
Niobe steps out from behind clothing.
"Subtle," Niobe said.
Peter threw a boot at her.
OOOOO
"You could tell her the truth," Niobe said.
Peter pulled his school shirt on. She grimaced at the atrocity of his situation. No Jedi would have to face such difficulties.
"She'd make me stop," he said. "People need me."
Niobe raised a brow.
"The Avengers handle global threats," Peter said, "I-I handle local issues."
Niobe shrugged.
"I can't just leave everyone to fend for themselves," Peter said.
Niobe nodded.
OOOOO
Niobe had run from the compound. She took a bus to the downtown area everyone called Times Square. Her body ached with each step. Niobe could still see Helen's face drenched in guilt and sadness. Anakin would not wake up. After everything, she still lost him.
Obi-wan received his wish. Niobe had not spoken to the master in weeks. She had taken careful precautions to strengthen her mind against his attacks, but now, she could feel those precautions weakening. The whispers had returned.
"Obe?"
Peter landed in front of the Jedi in his Spiderman uniform. She felt dazed. Peter was so far away. She was floating.
"What are you doing out?" Niobe asked.
"N-nothing major," he said. "Just helping a few people. I was just heading back."
Niobe nodded. She could not bring herself to care about Peter being out on his own for the night.
"Hey," Peter said. "What's wrong?"
"Anakin did not wake up," she said.
Peter's head dropped.
"I cannot feel him in the force," she said.
Peter brought her into a hug. People began to crowd around them with phones out.
"Everything will be okay," he said.
Gasps filled the air. They pulled apart. The gasps were directed towards the center of the square. Spiderman was no longer the draw of attention.
"Mason, I need a ten-eighty-five. Send out units to the southern corner of Duffy Square," a man said. "Everyone, get out the way, please! Get out the way!"
Crowds moved back from a single figure. Niobe squinted. The people around the man quickly backed away.
"Sir! Get your hands away from the cables, right now! Sir, get your hands away from the cables! Let me see your hands, please!"
The figure looked at the cop and the cop drew his gun, pointing the cold metal at Max.
"You stay right where you are! Do not move!" He said. "Freeze! Get down, on the ground!"
"He is afraid," Niobe said.
The man stepped into the street, suddenly a big truck bounded towards him beeping their horn. Max inadvertently flipped a big truck with his electromagnetic powers. The police panic. Niobe called her lightsaber to her hand with the force. Officers surround the man, guns drawn.
"Get down on the ground, now!" An officer said. "Get down on the ground, now!"
"It's not my fault! Stop! Please..." The man said.
Niobe's heart broke. This was unfamiliar to the man too.
"Repeating. Get down on the ground, now! For your own safety..." An officer said.
All around them, footage of the man was spreading across T.V. screens.
"Oh, my God. They see me. They see me. They see me. They see me," he said.
One of the cops started dropping tear gas near the man.
"No!" He said.
"On the ground, now!" An officer said.
"No, stop! Don't do that! Please! Wait, it's not my fault! It's not my fault! I said stop!" The man said.
As the gas started to overwhelm the man, his emotions exploded triggering a wave of energy that flips the squad cars. Peter sprang into action, swinging in and catching the car in time. Niobe moved up behind the man. She reached out to his mind in an attempt to calm him.
"I'm glad you're not one of those cops that ride a horse," Peter said.
The cops start shooting at a man, but his powers deflected the bullets. Niobe was thrown out the man's mind by the attacks from the cops.
"All team members, hold your fire and wait for my call!" An officer said.
Peter threw the cop car aside. He looked to Niobe who gave him a slight nod to go ahead. The haze still remained over her mind. She was going to be unsuccessful.
"Hold your fire! I repeat, hold your fire and stand down!" An officer said.
"Stop. Stop it," the man said.
"Yo, Sparkles!" Peter said. "Hey, how are you doing?"
"That's you?" The man asked.
"Yeah, I know it's me! Who are you?" Peter asked.
"You don't remember me?" The man said.
"No, should I?" Peter asked.
"I walked into the street, the...the car almost hit me. You swung me up, you saved me! You said you needed me," he said.
"The guy...you're the guy with the blueprints," Peter said.
"Yes, blueprints," he said.
"Yes, I remember you. Of course, I remember you, you're my eyes and ears," Peter said. "Uh, what's...what's your name again?"
"How could you forget me?" The man asked.
"No, I do. I know it. I know it, don't tell me," Peter said.
"It's Max."
"Is it Max?" Peter asked.
"Yes," Max said.
"I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you with the...you look different. How are you?" Peter asked.
"I don't know what's going on with me," Max said.
"I can see that. I can...I believe you," Peter said.
"It's strange. The power, that I got so much...I got so much anger," Max said.
"I can see that. I can see you don't want to be here. I can see you're scared. I can see you don't know what's happening to you. I can see that you don't want to hurt anybody. You're gonna be alright," Peter said.
Niobe's skin tingled. She looked up to her left. A sniper was aiming to shoot at Max from above a building.
"I don't want them shooting me anymore," Max said.
"They're not gonna shoot you," Peter said.
Peter turned to the crowd.
"You guys, this is my buddy, Max! I told you about Max. No one shoots at Max!" Peter said.
"You and me, okay? It's just between you and me talking..." Peter said.
As Max takes a step towards Peter there's a surge of electricity.
"Woh! Stay right there, stay right there. Just be careful with the grid and the electricity. Just..." Peter said.
"I just...I just wanted them to all see me," Max said.
"How about you come with me, we'll go somewhere, we'll talk away from these people, okay?" Peter asked.
"Yeah. I guess..." Max said.
Max took a step back, his body produced a surge of electricity. Niobe ignited her blade, sending the sniper's attack. She jumped in front of the bullet, sending the metal into the ground.
"No! Stop! Stop!" Peter said.
Max growled. He had not seen Niobe. Max turned his powers toward her. Niobe caught the electricity with her blade, redirecting the voltage into the concrete. Peter jumped to stop Max by using his webs, but Max suspected the attack.
Max sent electricity towards Peter throwing Peter into Niobe who turned her blade from the incoming body. Then as one of the giant monitors is about to drop on a cop, Peter manages to save the cop by using his web to pull him aside. The crowd cheers for Peter.
"Spidey! Spidey! Spidey! Spidey..."
Max's head turned. He watched the crowd chant Peter's hero name.
"You stupid freak!"
"Electro dummy!"
"He lied to me, he shot me..." Max said. "Shut up!"
The screens switch over to Peter.
"You're so selfish," Max said.
"Stay with me Max," Peter said.
"You set me up," Max said.
"No, I didn't set you up," Peter said.
"You lied to me!" Max said.
"No, I'm trying to help you! Let me help you!" Peter said.
Max touched the power grid on the ground, sending a surge of electricity across the street which throws Peter in the air.
"No!" Niobe said.
The Jedi jumped towards Max, catching a stream of electricity with her blade.
Peter managed to use his web to save the people standing nearby before they get electrocuted, the crowd cheers for Peter again. Another surge is flung towards Niobe sending her back to the ground.
"It's my birthday, now its time for me to light my candles!" Max said.
Max aimed electricity at Peter, who kept through the air with his webs. Max grabbed some electrical cables, jacks them into his chest which sucks the electricity into his body taking all the light out of Times Square. Max pushed his power outwards across Time Square tearing through the area and sending the crowd running for their lives.
Niobe threw her blade at Max, cutting through his arm which began to regrow after falling to the ground. Niobe turned to the force. She held Max to his spot, keeping him from attacking. Peter released pressured water onto Max with a fire hose spray. Max's powers failed. Niobe released him, watching him fall to the ground.
"Alright, that's enough," Peter said. "Mike. Big John. Nice work, fellas. It was a pleasure doing business with you. "
Niobe stood over Max. She leaned down, caressing the blue skin. He was so lost. His mind was a twisted maze. Max looked to Niobe. His face softened.
"You see me...?" Max asked.
"I see you, Max," Niobe said. "You are not suffering alone. I never wanted to hurt you. Neither did Spiderman. We want to help you, and I am sorry for the pain we caused you."
Max's hand latched onto her own. Niobe smiled at the man. Something connected in her mind, the fog faded if only a little.
"Obe?" Peter asked.
The gentle look in Max's eyes dissipated. Peter helped Niobe off the ground.
"Let's get you back to Mr. Stark," Peter said.
"Goodbye, Max," Niobe said.
Peter held his hand out towards the sky, releasing a web, and flinging them towards the Avengers compound.
