Thank you Prongs100 for pre-reading.

The reaction to the last chapter was mostly kind, so thank you for that. I am aware this story isn't taking the direction some of you would expect, but I am happy with it. Don't forget, it's a series so the things you want and expect are coming, but it's not an easy road to get there. I have established Peter's character and taken notes from canon, and that's what I am portraying here. That will continue in Story II and the big changes come in Story III which I am currently working on—and having an awesome time. If you're happy to come on the journey with me until then, awesome, if you choose to stop reading, that's a shame, and if you choose to stop reading now and wait for all the parts of the series to be posted, I understand that as I tend to only read completed stories myself.

I know this update is either early or later depending on your perspective, but I didn't want to wait until Saturday before posting, even though I posted Tuesday. It's the kind of day in which I need something good, and reviews are the best.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Tony paced back and forth by the couch, his hands clenching and relaxing at intervals. Part of him was incredulous that Peter had done this, taken off, but the larger part knew he would have done the exact same thing in his position. Peter had been slammed with the news—more if he'd heard, as Rhodey believed, all of it. As mature as he was, as brave and strong, he was still just sixteen years old, and it was too much for him to take.

The worst part was that he hadn't just taken space. Rhodey had put on the suit and searched the forest, but Home Base said there was no one out there. Peter had gone completely.

They'd gone out and asked around town if anyone had seen him, and Steve and Sam still were out there, spreading the net, but Tony had seen sent back after almost punching a gas station clerk that had been more interested in taking a selfie with him than talking about anyone he might have seen.

He ran a hand over his face and blew out a breath. The hardest part, worse even than knowing Peter was in danger of being found by Ross out there, was the fact he couldn't help him. He wanted to talk to him about what he'd heard, work through it with him, comfort. But Peter had run away from him. Tony blamed himself for it. Things had been going so well with him, and Peter showed no reluctance when Morgan stated he was Tony's son, but it hadn't been enough, and that was Tony's fault. If he been clear on how much Peter meant to him, that they could talk as and when he needed to, Peter might have stayed.

He'd let him down.

His phone rang on the table, and he snatched it up, hoping it would be Steve or Sam bringing news, but it wasn't a number he recognized, and his greeting upon answering was curt.

"Yes."

"Tony, it's me, Peter…" the achingly familiar voice replied.

His breath caught, and he choked, "Peter! God, kid, where are you?"

"I can't tell you," Peter said, and he sounded wrecked by the words. "I need time alone. I'm safe, though, no one will find me."

Tony squeezed his eyes closed. "Peter, please don't do this. Let me help you. I get that you're scared, but I can help. Please, just tell me where you are. I'll come alone if that's what you need."

"I can't," Peter said, sounding on the verge of tears, though when he went on, his voice was impassioned. "I don't need you anymore, but Morgan does. Go home and take care of her. She's little, and she's—" He cut off with a gasp, and then there was a long pause before he said, "I think you should go home, Tony. She needs you. I have to go. Go home!" The call cut off quickly, and Tony was left staring at the blank screen.

"Well?" Rhodey asked, bringing Tony's attention to the fact he'd entered the room. Tony hadn't even noticed.

"He won't tell me where he is," Tony said, voice low and defeated. "He doesn't want me to find him. Just told me to go home."

"The hell with that," Rhodey said, and then shoved Tony's shoulder. "Tony, snap out of it. You've got a number for him now. Track the damn call!"

Tony sucked in a shaky breath, his shocked inertia breaking, and his fingers fumbling with his phone to call up his AI. "Friday, get me a location on that call, now."

"Yes, Boss," she replied. There was a pause, and then she said, "The call came from Queens, New York."

Tony cursed. "He went home! Must have hitched the whole damn way. Hell, he's going to be found there. Ross has to be monitoring the area."

"Then we go get him," Rhodey said. "Come on. We can't wait for Steve and Sam. You can fly us close in the jet."

"Yes!" Tony said urgently, and then sense returned. "You'll have to stay here, Rhodey. It's no good us getting Pete back and losing you in return. And you'll draw more attention with the APB Ross put out on you."

Rhodey looked stricken, but he nodded and said, "Yeah, you're right. Okay, Tone. Go get him back. Go easy on him, though. He's scared already."

Tony had never needed his friend's advice less. He was worried about his kid and angry that he'd put himself at risk like this, but he wasn't going to show it. Peter was going to get a hug when he found him, then he'd make sure, make damn sure, that he knew he could always talk to Tony about anything, that he'd never need to go it alone again. Tony would make sure Peter knew he was his son, and he loved him.

He'd left it too long already.

"I don't need you anymore, but Morgan does," Peter said, tears streaming down his face from fear and sadness.

He wanted Tony to come for him, to save him, but he couldn't have that, and his need for Morgan to be protected was much stronger. She was the innocent, the one that needed protection. Peter could take care of himself, at least he could handle what they threw at him. But Morgan… She was so young, and Peter loved her so much. She was his sister, and he had to protect her.

"Go home and take care of her. She's little, and she's—" He gasped as he realized he'd almost slipped. He took a deep breath and then went on quickly as Ross cut a hand across his throat, a clear indication for him to get off the line. "I think you should go home, Tony. She needs you. I have to go. Go home!" He ended the call and lowered the phone to his side, tears streaming down his face unchecked.

"That was stupid," Ross stated. "You better hope he didn't pick up on what you were trying to tell him."

Peter swallowed the lump in his throat that had formed while talking to Tony. "I didn't tell him anything!"

"You mentioned his daughter too often to be subtle."

"No, he knows I love Morgan, and I'd want him to be with her. Really, he won't be suspicious. He'll understand."

"You better hope he does," Ross said. "He turned to the man with him. "Arrange for the surveillance on Queens to be stepped up. I want to know where Stark goes. If he's not there… If he didn't take the bait and instead looks for you elsewhere," He narrowed his eyes at Peter, "we're going to have a problem."

Peter licked his lips. "He'll go there, I know."

And then, he hoped, he would go home to Morgan and protect her. He didn't expect Tony to give up on him straight away, that was too much to hope for, but if he was with Morgan, she'd be safe. He would know she was in danger, he'd be able to tell, and he would protect her. Peter was screwed, but Morgan, the one that mattered, would be safe.

"You better hope so. I don't want to kill Iron Man. He's been useful in the past and has a reputation and image that the people of our country need to look up to. I will, though, if he becomes a nuisance. I have a far greater prize in my hands now than a man in a weaponized suit." He tilted his head at Peter. "You are my weapon, Peter, and I am going to harness you."

"What do you want me to do?" Peter asked weakly.

Ross smiled, a twisted thing that made Peter's palms sweat. "I want you to do so much, but I do not believe you will be willing to take my orders just yet. But that's okay. I have time and a plan." He nodded to the man with him. "This is Mr. K'Tewe Thuri, you will call him sir. He is going to be… molding you."

Peter looked at the man, assessing him. He was tall and muscular, but Peter didn't believe it was the physical threat he posed that Ross wanted him to see. There was cunning and intelligence in his eyes that Peter thought was the bigger threat.

"What are you going to do to me?" he asked.

Ross chuckled. "You will see. Now, Peter, stand against the back wall with your arms held above your head. Mr. Thuri will be coming in. If you attack him, we will kill the child. If you resist in any way, we will kill the child. If you continue to resist after she's dead, we will go to your good friend, Mr. Leeds, and bring him here to be your cellmate. We won't kill him straight away, but we will make him suffer. Now, do as you're told."

His heart pounding, Peter set the phone down on the bed and then walked to the back wall. He held his hands above his head, the hair on his arms and the back of his neck standing on end as there was a swishing sound behind him and a rush of air on his back. He could feel someone approaching, and then cool pressure on his neck that he remembered from when he'd been taken.

He tried to brace himself, to prepare, but the electric shock that surged through him still dropped him to the floor, and he suffered for an immeasurable time before darkness took over, relieving him from the pain.

Steve stood behind Tony as he rooted through his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. He fumbled with it for a moment and then inserted the right one in the lock and pushed it open.

"Pete," he said tentatively. "Are you here?"

"How would he have gotten in without the key?" Steve whispered.

Tony huffed a laugh. "That kid can get in and out of anywhere he likes. He can climb the damn walls."

Steve sighed. "That'll do it."

They edged through the hall and into the kitchen. There were no sounds to indicate anyone was there apart from them, but Tony continued through the living room and bedroom, still calling to Peter tentatively.

Steve let him go and looked around. The place was clean, and there were things dotted around that made it looked lived in, a mug and plate on the drainer, the TV remote dropped askew on the couch, but it was also almost sterilely clean. Tony had either be cleaning it himself, which seemed unlikely, or he paid someone else to do it. He wondered how often Tony came here after Peter and his aunt were gone

Tony came back into the room, running a hand through his hair and looking strained. "He's not here. I don't think he's been here at all."

"No," Steve agreed. "I don't think he has." He placed his hand on Tony's shoulder. "But that's a good thing. We've got to assume that Ross is monitoring this place in case he comes back. It's not the end, Tony."

Tony nodded. "No. It's not. But it's not what I wanted. I just…" He rubbed a hand over his face. "I wanted to find him, Steve, bring him home. I hate the idea that he's out there alone and scared. He's only got himself and the Stones to protect him, and we don't know if he'll use them."

"I think he will," Steve said, though not altogether confidently. "He's smart. If he needs time to think, and god knows I would if it was me, he's not going to get himself into trouble to take it."

Tony's eyes became distant, and he said quietly, in what sounded like an admission of guilt. "When he called, he told me to go home to, to take care of them, of Morgan. I don't think he knows…" He squeezed his eyes closed. "I didn't get it done in time."

"Get what done?"

Tony looked away, his eyes sad and face slack. "Rhodey kept telling me I needed to make it clear how much he meant to me, that I loved him. And I do, Steve. He's my kid in every way but blood. I didn't tell him, though. I think if I had, he would have stuck around. He would have known what it'd do to me for him to take off, and he'd know I would be there for him no matter what happened."

Steve knew Tony would never have admitted it to him if he hadn't been so overwrought and desperate, and it was strange for him to see Tony allowing himself to be vulnerable. He was glad he was saying it, though, not reverting to his old ways and shutting down. It meant he could offer comfort with the hope it might be accepted.

"Tony, he knows you love him, and he loves you. He's just taking time for himself right now. I wish he wasn't, just like you, but I don't think this is in any way your fault. I think he told you to go home because he thinks it's what you need, and maybe it is. You've got Friday at your new place, right?"

Tony nodded. "Yeah."

"Then maybe you should go home and work from there. Be with Pepper and Morgan, take care of them. We'll all work to track Peter down together, and when we find him, which we will, we'll work out whatever comes next together, too."

Tony stared at him a moment and then shook his head. "I can't go home yet. I'm no good to them like this, and Morgan will be full of questions. If she thinks I'm with Peter, she won't worry. I don't want her finding out he's gone off. I'll go back to base with you, hook Friday up, and work from there." He nodded jerkily. "Yeah, we'll find Peter together."

Steve nodded and followed him from the apartment.

Peter came back to wakefulness lying on a cold, hard, stainless steel table with leather straps around his wrists, chest, and ankles.

Thuri was standing beside him, fiddling with the controls on a white box with dials and a plastic headset with metal discs attached by wires.

"Good, you're awake," he said in his heavily accented voice. "I've been waiting for you."

"Why am I here?" Peter asked nervously.

"To be reborn."

He picked up the headset and yanked on Peter's hair to make him raise his head then rammed in down on him. The metal discs pressed against his forehead, cold and hard.

"This is going to be interesting," he said. "We've seen from the stun gun that your body can handle a large dose of electric current at a time, so we've had to branch out for you." He patted the box. "This is an electroconvulsive therapy machine. We're going to use it to… hmm… reset you."

Peter licked his lips. He'd heard of ECT, seen One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, and his heart began to race at the thought of what he was about to be subjected to.

"Why do you want to reset me?" he asked.

There was a laugh to his right and he turned to the side to see Ross standing by the door. "Because we need you to comply, Peter."

The word fell strangely on Peter's ears—what did they mean comply?

'Okay, you need to quit holding back now,' Power said. 'Get off that table, get out of this room, embrace and accept our power, and get the hell out of here.'

"I can't," Peter murmured.

'Do you know what they're going to do to you?'

"Yes."

"What can't you do, Peter?" Ross asked.

'The hell with this,' Power snapped. 'We need to talk,'

Peter's eyes dimmed, and then he found himself in the room with the Stones again. He was standing behind his usual chair, and he gripped the back of it with a tight grip as Power began to speak, or perhaps shout was the right word.

"You cannot do this, Peter! Do you know who's in control right now?" Before Peter could answer, he rushed on vehemently. "You are! You've shackled us, controlled us, and we cannot protect you if you don't let us!"

"I can't… Morgan…"

"Then embrace and accept us!" Power shouted. "Let us save you!"

"This is dangerous," Space said, holding up a hand to silence Power. "More dangerous than you know. They will be able to use their equipment on you without us defending you, and they will hurt you. And if they succeed in their plans, you will be a weapon. They will take control of you and make you do their bidding. Do you know what happened to Sergeant Barnes?"

Peter shook his head. "I know he was The Winter Soldier, and he said he hurt people, but I don't know why."

"He was brainwashed as you are about to be. He was under Hydra's control. You will be under Ross's control. Are you willing to risk that?"

"I don't…" Peter's heart was racing, but he knew what mattered most. "I can't let them kill Morgan."

"This is about more than one child," Space said.

Peter slammed his hand down on the back of the chair with a loud bang and shouted, "No! It's not!"

"And if they can make you a weapon?" Soul asked quietly. "If you can be used for evil?"

Peter squeezed his eyes closed, a tear falling down his cheek, and said, "I can't let them kill my sister. She's just a kid. I love her. I'll stop them using me, I won't let them make me do anything, but I can't fight back yet."

They all sighed, and Mind stared him in the eye. "Peter, you have taken all choices away from us but one. If you will not utilize our fullest power to escape—"

Peter stopped him with a hand cut through the air. "Can you guarantee Morgan will be safe if I do? If I do what you want, accept all the power and become what Strange was talking about, can you swear to me Morgan will be safe?"

"You will be able to protect her," Space said.

"That's not a guarantee," Peter said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Power rolled his eyes. "We can't make promises as you'll be the one it depends upon. You will be more than capable of escaping and protecting her, but it'll be on you to do it."

"Then I can't," Peter said with a sinking sensation in his gut. "I can't rely on myself for something this important. I've tried to do the right thing before and almost drowned a ferry full of people. I'm not doing it."

Mind stared at him a moment, face inscrutable, and then said. "Then you're leaving us no choice. There is only one way can protect the world from our power, and that is to abandon you."

Peter's eye widened. "You can leave? Why didn't you do that sooner? I wouldn't live forever, I'd be normal, and I wouldn't be a threat."

Mind and Soul exchanged a meaningful look, and then Mind said, "We cannot leave you. But we can withdraw. Understand, though, Peter, that you will be totally alone. They will not be able to use us as a weapon, only you, but you will be defenseless against them." He narrowed his eyes, and his words seemed to impart a warning. "You will no longer be Worthy."

Peter threw his hands up. "You think I care? I never wanted to be worthy. I just wanted to be me. Do whatever you want, hide or stop or whatever. That's the right thing to do. They won't be able to use me to do anything with you. I'll just be me again."

He would be Spider-Man, with that strength and resilience, but that was a far smaller threat than him with the Stones' power.

"Very well," Mind said. "You will be alone."

"We're sorry," Soul whispered. "We'd stop it if you'd let us, but we want to do good. If they control you and us with it, they will be too dangerous—you will be too dangerous. You'd be worse than Thanos."

Peter nodded. "I know, I get it, so just stop or whatever. I'll handle what they'll do to me, and you'll be safe, locked away from them." He looked pleadingly at Mind, who he felt he knew best, and said, "You won't let them use you?"

"We won't, but we will not be able to stop them from hurting you, either. This will be all on you, Peter. All you can do is fight for control of yourself and hope that Mr. Stark finds you before you run out of strength."

Peter nodded. It wasn't perfect, but if he was there, obeying, Morgan would be safe. He would let them hurt him if that was what happened, he wouldn't fight back as that was the only way he could protect her, and he would fight for his own control. If that failed… He would find another way to thwart them. He might not be able to die to stop it, to kill himself, but he would find a way.

"Thank you," he said fervently.

Mind nodded. "We will not speak again for a long time, Peter, possibly never. I hope you know what you're doing."

"I do," Peter said.

"No," Power said scathingly. "You don't. You have no idea. But you've made your choice, a damn stupid one, so you're on your own. Good luck, kid. Try not to go too crazy."

Peter winced but nodded.

He willed himself away, out of the room, and as the table and Stones disappeared, and he blinked up at a white ceiling, he heard Mind call to him once more. 'Peter, your only defense is your strength of mind. Do not be afraid to use it if you need to be protected. You can make it all go away.'

Peter wanted to ask what he meant, but with the last word, he felt a disconnect in his mind and knew the Stones were gone.

It was a long time before he spoke to them again, and in that time, he saw and did, suffered and hurt others, immensely.

"Ahh, you're back," Ross said. "Would you like to tell me what happened?"

"I… uh, I spaced out," Peter said.

"I think you're lying. I do not need to punish you, though. You will soon be telling me everything I ask. Thuri, prepare."

Ross smiled cruelly and picked up a bucket from the floor. Peter heard the sloshing of water inside, and then it was being upended over him, soaking him to the skin.

"That will do," Ross said with satisfaction. "Prepare yourself, Little Spider. You are going to learn to comply."

Thuri took a rubber wedge from the table, yanked open Peter's mouth, and stuffed it between his teeth. Peter gagged and tried to breathe around it, but his lungs felt empty and strained.

Ross stepped away and Thuri moved back to the machine beside the table, and he watched as he moved his hand slowly to the dial, seeming to take enjoyment in the moment, and then he turned it, and Peter's world exploded in agony. Electrical current rippled from the pads against his temples, down his body to his toes, the water making it touch every part of him, through clothes and on his exposed skin. His head strained back, and his teeth clamped down on the rubber wedge hard enough that he thought they were going to break.

Through the pain and over his internal screams, he heard Ross say, "Enough," and then the current disappeared.

He blinked up at Thuri, who smiled down and him and said, "Hear these words, little spider, and comply." He leaned closed, and his smile widened to expose perfect white teeth. "Ukulangazelela… Amandla… Amanzi… Iglasi…"

The words meant nothing to Peter, but they seemed to echo in his mind, and he tried to block them out. It was hard, though, he was scared of what the words were going to do to him, and he wished he still had the Stones to distract him.

He couldn't have them, though. They were the biggest threat there. He had to go through this alone to protect others.

And he had to go through it without fighting for Morgan's sake.

So… What do you think? Who wants Thuri's and Ross' heads on a plate? *raises hand* I do.

The words used in this chapter have the following meanings:

Ukulangazelela — Longing.

Amandla — Power.

Amanzi — Water.

Iglasi — Surge.

At least they're the words according to Google Translate which is notoriously crap. It was the best I could do, though.

Until next time…

Clowns or Midgets xxx