Author's Note: So I know I said one more chapter until Homecoming but I had to split this chapter into two because it became way too long. It was like 13,000 words long for just one chapter. So I'll edit the next chapter really quick then post that one right after. Sorry but it's actually this chapter and the next one until Homecoming.
I also want to address some concerns with the story. I don't believe that the relationship between Peter and Emma is moving too fast. Peter is a little attracted to her because she's mysterious and beautiful but he's confused about that attraction because of Liz. I think Emma is also attracted to Peter but she's confused because she doesn't know what any of it means so she's not likely to just give into that attraction anytime soon. It'll be a while before her and Peter will get together but I can say that their relationship will progress once they find out about each other. So probably acquaintances to friends/partners in crime... or rather partners in being heroes. The reason that there's already a growing attraction between Emma and Peter is because they do have a connection and I wanted to convey that in the story.
Also Emma's cursing... I just want to say that's because she's compensating for not actually being an adult even though she's had to think like one for the majority of her life. It's also for shock value. I don't think it's just an American thing either... other people curse at young ages. I didn't really curse when I was fifteen that often but now I do. I mean it's like I do it all the time. Just when I injure myself or when I'm driving. Lol.
I'm also in pacific time for those of who were wondering. I just update at weird hours and never at the same time. So... I'm not in some weird time zone unless you're from a different country.
Thanks and I'll have the next chapter up within the hour.
Emma was now into her third week of school and she was starting to feel like she might've been relatively normal. Actually that couldn't be anything further from the truth. Whenever Emma was given mundane tasks to do just like any other teenager, she remembered that she wasn't a normal teenager… she wasn't like any of the others sitting around her. Tony could pretend that she was like them but in reality she wasn't anything like them. There were times that Emma caught herself staring at the others. A girl chatting with her friend when she was really supposed to be doing her classroom assignment. A boy discreetly watching a youtube video while peeking every once and a while at the teacher's desk to make sure he was safe from getting a detention. Emma finally analyzed Betty Brant who concentrated very seriously on the assignment she was working on. Emma knew then that she could never be like them.
The blonde secretly wondered if any of them knew someone like her was in their midst. Probably not. Still… didn't they get the distinct feeling that there was someone very dangerous in their proximity? The same feeling prey like zebra got whenever there was a lioness stalking them in the distance. It was truly sad how oblivious her fellow classmates were to her presence. A few years ago she would've made no hesitation in killing or harming them if they got in her way. Of course, things were a lot different now. It was then that Emma allowed herself to finally look at Peter who was sitting next to her. She didn't turn her head to look at him like he normally did when he would glance at her. No, she looked at him from the corner of her eye very discreetly as he concentrated on his classroom assignment. She noticed the way the a small crease formed in between his eyebrows on his forehead as he furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. Emma could've laughed at the way his tongue poked out of his mouth as he erased something furiously. He was a strange boy, that was for sure.
She assessed his appearance carefully and wondered if there was anything different about him today. He still looked the same. The same somewhat neatly kept brown hair. The same navy blue hoodie. The same worn looking converse. He still looked like the same dorky Peter Parker she had seen the day before. Yet… there still seemed to be something different about him than before. Maybe he used a different soap or shampoo than before. Using her enhanced senses, Emma discreetly inhaled the air around her to see if she could smell anything different but there was nothing different at all. Emma was suddenly disgusted with herself. Did she really just smell him? She wasn't normal but that was going a bit too far... even for her. Emma was beginning to feel very frustrated as she normally did whenever she was around Peter.
Emma didn't know why she found him so interesting. Probably because he acted so strange and nervous all the time. Something told Emma that wasn't all there was to it. She started finding herself wondering what kind of books he read…What music he liked listening to… What did he do with his life when he wasn't being Midtown's boy genius. Emma told herself that she only wondered about those things because she found him to be very suspicious but deep down she knew that wasn't true. Why did she concern herself with such an idiotic teenage boy? If Emma was being honest then she was absolutely positive that Peter Parker would never be a threat to her. How could he be? She was the Viper Assassin. Even if whatever Peter was hiding was remotely dangerous, he would never pose any threat to Emma. So then why was she so hellbent on finding out what he was hiding?
For a moment Emma considered what Darcy kept teasing her about. Did she feel some sort of attraction for Peter? Emma assessed his appearance once more. She supposed he was cute in a dorky way. His complexion was oddly clear for a boy his age. His eyes were also a lovely shade of brown that practically lit up in excitement whenever he was happy about something. Peter seemed to be a very positive and upbeat person which was the opposite as to how Emma always felt. Peter was good looking… Emma would give him that but she didn't know if she could be attracted to someone like that. She wasn't even sure she was capable of ever feeling anything like that. Hydra and Rumlow had done a really good job at beating and torturing feelings like those out of her. The blonde had a hard enough time finally admitting to Steve that she loved him so she highly doubted she would start circling Peter's name in her notebook with little hearts and start planning their wedding anytime soon. She didn't think she could ever possibly feel that way about anyone. She had only known him for a couple of weeks. Besides… Peter was just a normal boy. In what world could she possibly ever understand him and in what world could he ever possibly understand her. However, there was one thing that Emma did know about Peter. He had a way of making her feel extremely sick whenever she was around him. Feeling like she was going to spill her guts whenever she was around someone probably didn't mean that she was attracted to them.
Emma felt her phone vibrate on the table. She quickly picked it up and looked to see who had texted her. Peter, looking up from his assignment, glanced curiously at Emma's phone and noticed that it happened to be a Stark phone. He knew that a lot of people had Stark phones but he also knew that they were immensely expensive for a fifteen year old to have. He admired the Stark phone silently but also wondered how this was the first time he had ever seen Emma using her phone. It was odd now that he thought about it. Most teenagers used their phones every minute of the day but this was the first time that he actually saw a phone in the blonde's hand. Usually he only saw her using an outdated iPod but that was the extent of it. Peter suddenly wondered why Emma was using an iPod if she had a Stark phone. Stark phones had unlimited access to music.
Susan: Tony told me you're living in Queens. R U Ok?
Emma smiled when she saw the text message. She hadn't heard from Susan since she was brought back to the compound. She had talked to the dark haired woman briefly once she arrived at the compound, telling her what had happened at the airport. She could tell that Susan was devastated to hear that Steve and the others were deemed war criminals but it wasn't like there was anything they could about it. Emma hadn't had any contact with her in a while because she only reminded her of Steve. She was technically Steve's girlfriend, wasn't she? So what did that make Susan… her soon to be step-grandmother? That was a weird concept. Emma quickly texted Susan back.
Emma: I'm doing fine. Just attending high school… I'm incredibly bored.
It only took less than a minute for Susan to reply to the text.
Susan: Lol. I feel sorry for you. I remember high school a little too well.
Emma glanced at the text, deciding that it was best to leave the conversation at that. She was surprised to see that Susan had texted her again.
Susan: Do you have a bf yet?You have a date to homecoming?
Emma glared at the screen of her phone before she bitterly texted a response. Like Emma would ever be seen at a homecoming dance. Emma had seen all the flyers and posters littering the school about an upcoming homecoming dance and Emma wasn't the least bit thrilled at the prospect. What could be interesting about some lame dance in the school gym? Nothing. Emma would probably be furthering her investigation into Spider-Man's identity while all the idiots were embarassing themselves at the dance. To Emma if something didn't serve a purpose to her personal agenda then she deemed it completely useless.
Emma: Everyone needs to stop asking me that. It's annoying.
Emma didn't care if Susan responded. She refused to discuss such ridiculous things. It was enough that Darcy constantly teased her but she didn't need Susan teasing her too. When had this become her life? A few years ago she was the fearsome Viper Assassin and now people teased her endlessly. It became very evident to Emma that she wasn't scary anymore… she was losing her touch.
"Emma, you have to put that away." Peter whispered to her as he frantically looked between her and Mr. Harrington. Emma hadn't exactly been discreet when she pulled her phone out. She had been texting on her phone in plain sight. "What if Mr. Harrington sees you?" Emma put her back on the table, turning it over, before she looked back at Peter. He had a worried look on his face and Emma was very amused. She smirked at him, raising her eyebrows.
"What? Are you going to tell on me, Parker?" Emma asked sarcastically. As she leaned back in her seat looking completely relaxed and uncaring if Mr. Harrington spotted her. Peter's eyes widened as he glanced back at Mr. Harrington. He really amused her whenever he got that worried look on his face.
"No, but if Mr. Harrington sees you he might give you detention." Emma rolled her eyes at him.
"It's not like he can see anything through those goggles he calls glasses." Emma retorted. Peter looked around the room, worried that anyone might've heard her. He glanced back at Mr. Harrington who was still sitting at his desk, completely obvious to what Emma was saying, as he graded papers. Emma gave Peter an amused look. "Just relax, Parker, don't get so worked up." Peter glowered at her before he went back to doing his work. And Emma thought she be could uptight at times…
As soon as the bell rang, Emma got up from her set and followed the other students out the door. Emma already had her earbuds in her ears as she was listening to her iPod. She listened to 'False Alarm' by the Head and the Heart allowing herself to concentrate on the lyrics as she waited in line to leave the classroom. If there was one thing she hated about high school was the fact that she felt like a penguin. Everyone was crowded around each other all the time which caused everyone else to waddle around in the midst of all the crowds. Listening to music was the only way Emma was able to distract herself from the close proximity of others. Finally Emma was able to exit the room and walk down the hall. It looked like it was time for PE which Emma was never excited about. It was a real pain in her ass whenever she had to hold back or downplay her strength.
"Are you nervous about Friday's test?" Peter suddenly said as he started walking beside her down the hall. Emma spared him one quick glance before she looked straight ahead. She didn't know why he had been so adamant about talking to her lately. Ever since that day at the record shop, it seemed like Peter had gotten it into his mind that they were friends. Emma didn't even like admitting that Michelle was her friend so Emma didn't know why he seemed so insistant on being her friend. Emma didn't really have any friends unless you counted adults that were twice her age. Emma scoffed at Peter's question.
"I don't get nervous about anything." Emma told him even though that was sort of a lie. Emma did tend to get nervous but only about life threatening situations. School never really made her nervous. How could it? She had been through so much in her lifetime so whatever school threw at her, she could handle with absolutely no problems.
"Well, I still think that there's some more studying that I can do." Peter admitted, not seeming that fazed by Emma's usual bitter tone. He was starting to get used to the mystery that was Emma Lewis. He was sure that he wouldn't solve that mystery anytime soon but he didn't mind that.
"There's just so much that happened in Ancient Egypt." He continued to say. They had since moved on from China in Mr. Harrington's history class and now were studying ancient Egypt. Peter had gotten a perfect score on the Ancient China test but he felt like he had Emma to thank for that. It's not like he did bad in History but he always thought it was boring. History just didn't hold his interest like chemistry or physics did. He was never able to retain a lot of the information in the history textbooks but the story Emma had told him about Emperor Qin, really stuck with him. She had a way about her that made Peter hang onto her every word. Peter just couldn't describe it.
"Well, most civilizations were like that. Every civilization that thrived at least…" Emma commented.
"You should be an archaeologist." Peter said suddenly as he looked at her. He blushed when Emma looked over at him.
"What?" She questioned in confusion, wondering if she might've misheard him.
"It's just that you're so good at history and I can tell that you really love it. Maybe you'd be interested in becoming an archaeologist." Peter informed her and Emma raised an eyebrow at him.
"What? Like Indiana Jones?" Emma inquired and Peter laughed.
"I guess. Indiana Jones is pretty cool." Peter replied. Emma just nodded in agreement. Peter then took the opportunity to steer the conversation in a direction. "Speaking of Indiana Jones and all things Harrison Ford, I'm starting to really wonder what Star Wars: Return of the Jedi is going to be like without Harrison Ford. I mean… there were the prequels but we all know how much a mess those were. I'm just curious as to what the continuation of the original trilogy is going to look like without Han Solo." Peter rambled on and Emma just listened without interupting. She thought it was so funny when he started rambling on about nerdy things. The sight truly was amusing. He paused as he looked at the blonde walking next to him and noticed that she was very quiet. "Anyways… What do you think?" He asked.
"I wouldn't know." Emma immediately answered. Peter gave her a confused look.
"What do you mean?" He questioned and Emma just shrugged.
"I mean that I've never seen Star Wars before." Peter immediately stopped walking, standing in the middle of the hallway with his eyes wide and his jaw hanging open as he stared at her. Usually Emma would just keep moving but she could tell that this was going to be really interesting so she stopped in the hall with him.
"You've never seen Star Wars before?!" He asked in disbelief and Emma rolled her eyes.
"I believe that's what I just said." Peter just shook his head at her.
"I can't believe you've never seen Star Wars… do you even know what Star Wars is?" Peter said, practically interrogating her like she had committed some crime.
"That's the space movie with the pointy eared guy, right?" Honestly, Emma knew what Star Wars was even though she had never seen the movies. She knew the general plot. A young small town boy with big dreams and a mysterious past faces a traumatic event that sends him whirling into a life-altering adventure with a old man for a mentor. It was pretty much the standard plot for every adventure type movie. Emma saw the way Peter got all mad as he heard her compare Star Wars to Star Trek. It was quite funny the way his nose scrunched up and his face grew red.
"No! That's Star Trek… That's not… That's not Star Wars." He told her furiously as he tried to be angry with her. Peter found it really difficult to be angry with Emma especially when she smiled at him like that. Could he really call that a smile? No, it was more like a smirk. He noticed how her blue eyes lit up with amusement as she smirked at him. He didn't think it was possible that there were eyes that were more beautiful than hers. A stunning oceanic blue that held little flecks of green in them if you looked closely enough. The green in her eyes even seemed to glimmered in the sunlight. There was something very familiar about her eyes and he felt like he had seen them before… on someone else. That was impossible though, wasn't it? No one could have eyes like Emma. Peter suddenly snapped himself out of those thoughts. What was wrong with him? He didn't like Emma. He had only known Emma for a couple of weeks and he couldn't possibly like her like that. No, he liked Liz… he liked Liz who was beautiful, smart, kind, and sweet. While Emma was certainly beautiful and smart, he knew that she wasn't nice or sweet. Not like Liz.
"This is really pissing you off, isn't it?" Emma asked teasingly and Peter huffed.
"No." He said bitterly, pouting a bit as he tried to pretend that he wasn't appalled.
"All those sci-fi movies… Aren't they all the same?" Emma pressed, wanting to see how far she could push him.
"No, they're not." Peter told her. "Star Wars is the best franchise in history. Star Trek is lame and boring. Star Wars has jedi, lightsabers, Wookies, Han Solo, Ewoks, Boba Fett, and the Millennium Falcon. What does Star Trek have? Oh, that's right. Nothing because it's incredibly lame." Emma laughed as Peter rambled on passionately about Star Wars. Peter noticed that for the first time she seemed to genuinely laugh. The laughter reached her eyes as her blue eyes seemed to sparkle from the laughter.
"I don't know, Parker, Star Trek does have Bones." Peter gave her a confused look.
"Bones?" He questioned.
"Yeah… you know, Dr. Leonard McCoy. He hates people almost as much I do. I feel like we'd get along really great." Emma informed him and Peter just shook his head.
"I can't believe you've seen Star Trek but you haven't seen Star Wars." Peter mumbled, pouting as he did so.
"It's not like I'm a nerd about it like you." Emma told him. "I've only seen the new movies. My sister made me watch them. Apparently she has a thing for Chris Pine." Although Darcy wasn't her sister in real life, the rest of it was true. The brunette really did seem to have an attraction to the handsome actor.
"Maybe you could come to my apartment and you could see the movies." Peter suddenly suggested, breaking Emma out of her thoughts. She gave him a confused look, not entirely understanding what he was asking.
"What?" She questioned and Peter looked down at his feet nervously.
"I was just thinking that since you've never seen any of the Star Wars movie you could come to my place and we could watch them. I have all of the movies." Peter elaborated. "We could even study for Friday's test beforehand and then watch the movies. Wednesday would be good." Emma raised an eyebrow at him as she smirked.
"Are you trying to ask me out, Parker?" Peter immediately started blushing, his face an alarming shade of red.
"N-no, of course n-not." He stammered as he shook his head furiously. "I j-just meant as f-friends. Ned will be there." Emma shook her head at him.
"Relax, Parker, I was just kidding. I'd be happy to study and watch Star Wars with you two dorks." Emma told him jokingly. She told herself that she was only going to take him up on his offer because it would give her more of an insight into Peter Parker's life. She might finally be able to find out what it was about him that was so weird. On the otherhand, Emma found that she didn't mind Peter that much. How he get so worked up about the littlest of things greatly amused her. "Don't worry, I know you're in love with Liz. I wouldn't want to be the other woman." Peter glared at her before he started walking towards the gym and Emma followed him.
"I'm not in love with Liz." Peter grumbled. Emma could only smirk smugly at his reaction as they walked to class. Pushing Peter's boundaries was going to be fun. She'd probably make him regret inviting her to his apartment. Maybe she could even overlook his weirdness and actually have some fun and do something as mundane as having a movie marathon with a couple of friends. Friends… That sounded weird. Emma didn't have friends but it looked like Peter was bound and determined to change that. If only her father could see her now. Instead of figuring out a way to assassination a politician covertly, she was trying to see if she could be friends with normal teenagers. Her father would most definitely be laughing at her if he could see her now. That was for sure.
Emma headed straight for the townhouse right after school. Happy had sent her a text message indicating that he wanted to facetime. His request made Emma curious about what he wanted to discuss with her since she hadn't had any contact with the others after she moved out of the compound. Emma assumed that Darcy might've talked to Tony but she was never sure. Emma didn't really care either way. As soon as Emma arrived at the townhouse, she headed upstairs with her Stark phone in hand. The townhouse was completely empty since Darcy was still working at the university with Jane. She probably wouldn't be back for a couple of hours.
When Emma walked into her room, she was met with a shocking sight. Resting upon her queen size bed was a large brown paper bag with her name written on it. Emma cautiously stared at the bag as she slowly backed up against her desk on the other side of the room, her gaze never leaving the bag. Most people would curiously open the bag but Emma knew better than that. Someone had been in the house and someone had left the bag for her. For all Emma knew, that person might still be in the house. She reached underneath the desk and felt for the familiar shape of her gun. It was technically an illegally purchased gun since Stark didn't know she had it and she was only fifteen. Way too young to purchase a gun. What Stark didn't know was that Emma still contacts around the world from her time at Hydra and she was able to contact an Russian arms dealer. In exchange for some weapons, she provided information about the whereabouts of a former ally of his who had betrayed him and ran off with about two hundred grand. If you knew the right people and had information on the other people then you could get anything.
Using her enhanced hearing, Emma strained her ears to hear anything inside the townhouse but she didn't hear anything. She sniffed the air as well and came up with the distinct smell of designer cologne and aftershave. Emma remembered that scent a little too well seeing as she remembered the scent of most people. She huffed in annoyance as she put down her gun immediately, rolling her eyes as she held up her phone. Emma immediately found Happy's contact in her phone and hit the facetime button, waiting for her call to connect to Happy's phone. Within a minute's time Happy's face popped up on the screen.
"What were you doing in the house?" Emma immediately asked the older man, not even giving him a hello.
"It's good to see you too, Emma." Happy greeted sarcastically. Emma gave him a glare.
"I asked you a question, Happy. You know…when I walk into my room and see a mysterious paper bag on my bed, it makes me feel like there might be some asshole in the house planning to kill me." Emma told him. "Next time you want to leave a mysterious package in my room, try not to act like a serial killer."
"Well, I'm sorry. Tony told me to return your suit… I figured you'd be more ecstatic about it. Well, more pleasant since I don't think you can feel joy about anything." Happy responded which caused Emma furrow her eyebrows in confusion.
"Suit?" Emma questioned and Happy just raised his eyebrows at her.
"Have you not opened the bag?" Happy asked her.
"I don't tend to open random bags, Happy. There could've been a bomb or chemical powder in it." Happy just shook his head.
"You really are paranoid sometimes." Happy told her. "Just open the bag."
"Next time maybe give an explaination instead of leaving a random bag on my bed." Emma replied as she started to open the bag. "And I don't call it being paranoid. I call it being cautious." Emma explained as she looked at the contents of the bag. It was her Viper suit. The same one she had worn during the airport fight and the same one Tony had designed. Her suit along with her mask was within the bag. The only thing she really saw that was missing were her Viper Bites. If Tony was returning her suit than she could understand why he wasn't returning her Viper Bites. He was trusting her enough with the suit but he still wasn't trusting her enough to let her have her Viper Bites. It made sense.
"Tony's been hearing about all the progress you've been making at school… that you're actually trying to be a good high school student instead of wrecking havok in Queens so he decided that it was only fair that he returned your suit." Happy explained to her. Emma just raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.
"Why didn't Tony just give it to me himself? Is he scared or something?" Emma quipped and Happy just sighed.
"Look, Tony gets why you're mad at him and he accepts it. He knows that you don't want to see him." Happy responded. "So my job as asset manager is to make sure you're doing okay and staying out of trouble." Emma scoffed. She decided to put that small bit of information about Tony away and save it for later.
"Asset manager?" Emma questioned. "I don't really like that term 'asset'. That was my name for several years when I was with Hydra." Happy's eyes widened as he heard what Emma had just told him. Truthfully, Emma didn't really care what anyone called her, she just wanted to watch Happy squirm.
"I didn't know… Tony never told me about that." Happy spluttered as he tried to apologize for what he had just said.
"It's fine, Happy, you didn't know." Emma told him. "I don't really care what you call me so…"
"No, I'll try to think of something different. I'll try to tell Tony that there's a reason I should know about these things." Happy said the last part with a bitter tone. It was fairly obvious that Tony didn't make it his goal to inform Happy about important matters all the time.
"So you're job is to manage "assets"?" Emma asked suddenly, changing the subject.
"Essentially, yes." He answered and Emma nodded her head.
"So you manage other assets too? I'm guessing that I'm not the only one." Emma further questioned and Happy gave her a surprised look, confused as to how she had so effortlessly questioned his job description. It was clear where this path was going.
"Um… I don't know if I'm inclined to answer that." Happy replied.
"I know I'm not the only one you're managing if you're an asset manager, Happy. Tony wouldn't give you this job if there was only one asset." Emma said with a conniving tone. Tony warned Happy about Emma. He told him just how manipulative and deceptive she could be… how she was able to twist your words around until she got what she wanted from you. Yet, Happy had still fallen for it. "Who's the other one?"
"I really can't divulge that kind of information, Miss Rogers." Happy said with a firm tone and Emma raised both eyebrows in feigned surprise.
"Miss Rogers? I thought we were closer than that, Happy." Emma told him as she smirked. "It's Spider-Man, isnt it? He's the one you're managing. Don't deny it. I know it's true." Happy glared at her.
"Tony is going to be so pissed at me." He grumbled.
"Who is he, Happy? Who's Spider-Man?" Emma asked, deciding to be bold and not beat around the bush. "Is he a science experiment gone wrong? College student? Pizza boy? It's okay, you can tell me. I promise I won't say anything." The smug tone in Emma's voice somehow made Happy distrustful of her.
"I'm not telling you anything, Emma." Happy said in a harsh tone. "I wouldn't be worrying about Spider-Man if I were you. I'd be more focused on high school and the homecoming dance. Spider-Man isn't any of your concern. Now if you'll excuse me but I have to get things ready for moving day. I'm not sure if you're aware of this but Tony sold Avengers tower and now it's my job to get everything ready." Emma actually did know about that since she watched the news and didn't live under a rock. It had made her a bit sad, something she would never admit, at knowing that the place that had become her first home in a long time would no longer be her home anymore but Emma knew that it could never be her home again. Steve and the others were gone anyway and it would probably feel empty and dark without him there.
"You're welcome for the suit by the way." Happy said, breaking Emma out of her thoughts. "Do your homework and stay off the pipe." Happy then hung up on her and Emma was left staring at the screen, feeling disappointed that she hadn't gotten more out of him. Well, at least it was a start.
Emma set her suit and mask on the bed. It looked as though Tony might've even repaired the suit a bit since the fight at the airport. Now that she had the suit back she knew exactly what she was going to do. Emma had done as much investigating as she was able to do on her own while she was investigating Spider-Man. Now that she had the suit back she could turn the investigating up a notch. Honestly, Emma thought it would take her a lot longer to get the suit back but it looked like the odds were now in her favor since Tony had decided to give her the suit back. This would definitely speed up her little investigation a lot. Without another thought, Emma grabbed her Viper Assassin mask and put it on her face.
"You there, McConaughey?" Emma inquired.
"It's nice to see you again, Miss Rogers." The familiar Texan drawl said into her ear. Emma grinned when she heard his voice.
"It's so nice to hear from you again. It's been months." Emma said.
"Yes, I did happen to notice that the past couple of months were increasingly boring ." McConaughey responded.
"Whatever, I'm just glad to hear your voice again." Emma told him. "You have no idea how boring these past couple weeks at school have been."
"I imagine that any school would be boring for you, Miss Rogers." Emma nodded even though she was only talking to an AI system. If Emma had any friends than McConaughey definitely was one of them which was a bit sad since he was only an AI system and not a real person.
"Has Stark managed to hack you?" Emma questioned. "Can he see what I'm doing?"
"It seems that Mr. Stark has made no move to hack into my system although he has placed a tracker in your suit." McConaughey informed her and Emma scoffed.
"Figures. Well, it's better than him poking his nose into my business all the time." Emma said bitterly.
"Mr. Stark had provided me with instructions for you in case you ever feel the need to rise up to the challenge of fighting crime on the streets of Queens." Emma rolled her eyes.
"Fat chance of that ever happening. No, you don't need to worry about that, McConaughey." Emma told the AI system. "I don't really have a superhero streak in my body. Steve was the only reason why I wanted to join the Avengers in the first place. I'm not a really selfless, heroic person although I'm flattered that Stark thinks I am." Emma paused briefly as a smile came over her a face. It wasn't a kind smile but rather a conniving smile.
"I'm actually going to be using your services for something a little more selfish than that." Emma told him. "I want you to find everything you can about Spider-Man. I want to see articles, youtube videos, images… just everything. If there's a Spider-Man sighting anywhere in the city then I want to know about it."
"Of course, Miss Rogers." McConaughey answered as he quickly got to work on researching Spider-Man. The lenses of her mask came down so that Emma could see all the articles he had brought up. It seemed that the lenses were currently out of thermal heat vision as she didn't see the normal blue and multi colored vision like always. Emma just saw red as all the articles and images about Spider-Man began popping up.
"I'm currently looking for distinct patterns in the vigilante Spider-Man's behavior, Miss Rogers." McConaughey informed her as he looked through the internet and other databases on Spider-Man. "I am detecting that he seems to tend to his Spider-Man persona around a quarter after three in the afternoon during the week and ends his antics around eight in the evening. However, on weekends his antics are much more erratic and spontaneous." Emma nodded as she took in this information.
"So he probably has a real job or something if Spider-Man's only his part-time job." Emma deduced. "Are there any other patterns in his behavior?"
"Spider-Man only seems to fight petty crime. Minor cases of theft, lost pets, and vandalism." Emma already knew about that.
"Yes, I've also discovered that too. I just don't understand why he wastes his time fighting petty crime if he's capable of so much more than that. I mean… you saw the way he fought my father and I. He handled us like we weighed nothing." Emma said in frustration as she tried figure out who this guy was. "Why is Stark not using this guy for bigger and better things? Why is he letting him run around Queens and waste his potential?"
"You pose a very interesting question, Miss Rogers." McConaughey said before continuing. "During your conflict with the others, I was able to record his movements and defensive stance. I had estimated his physical strength to be approximately thirty two percent more enhanced than your average physical strength capabilties. Spider-Man's other enhancements are undetermined but I've calculated that his enhancements are more than likely to be much more highly advanced than your other enhancements as well." That information didn't do anything to reassure Emma.
"Gee, McConaughey, that sure makes makes me feel better." She told him sarcastically.
"You did not let me finish, Miss Rogers. While his enhancements are at a higher rate than yours… I've also determined that his movements were increasingly more sloppy than yours. I can deduce that Spider-Man is not a person who has had his enhancements very long. It would seem that he also lacks the training you have which would make you the winner in any future conflicts." Emma kind of already guessed that after the fight at the airport but she was never entirely sure how experienced he was at fighting. It seemed like she had guessed right after all.
"So we can guess that he wasn't born with the enhancements he now has… He recently acquired these ablilties." Emma suggested.
"It is safe to assume that explaination, Miss Rogers." McConaughey replied helpfully.
"We wouldn't happen to have access to any of Stark's files on Spider-Man, would we?" Emma asked hopefully but she was left disappointed when McConaughey responded.
"It would seem that Mr. Stark had restricted all of your access to Avengers related files." Emma sighed.
"Well, it was worth a shot." Emma said. "Are there any Spider-Man sightings right around now?" It took McConaughey a moment before he replied.
"There is a Spider-Man sighting five blocks from your current location. The vigilante looks to be apprehending a thief who's stolen a woman's purse." Emma nodded at that information.
"Okay, I'm not going to find out who Spider-Man is by just sitting around here all day researching." Emma said in a determined tone. "In my experience you actually have to go out there and do something."
"You plan to confront Spider-Man, Miss Rogers? As yourself or as the Viper Assassin?" McConaughey questioned. "I would highly recommend not confronting Spider-Man as your alter-ego. He might not take kindly to the Viper Assassin." Emma rolled her eyes.
"I'm not stupid, McConaughey. No, I'll just be myself… Well, not Emma Rogers but Emma Lewis. My other alias." Emma explained. "If I want to grab his attention then I'll need to be involved with some sort of crime. Usually I'd just steal a car and see where it goes but I don't think that's an option this time around."
"Yes, I wouldn't recommend grand theft auto, Miss Rogers." McConaughey said in a snide tone but Emma ignored him.
"No, I can't get caught commiting a crime. Tony will find out and more problems will start coming out of the woodwork." Emma just shook her head as she tried to come up with a better idea. A grin came over her face when she thought of it. "I know… I can't get caught commiting a crime but maybe I'll be able to be a victim of a crime."
"I don't like where this is going, Miss Rogers." Emma just laughed.
"Yes, that's it. I'll lure a couple of dickheads into an alley and see where it takes me. I'll be the damsel in distress. No guy can resist a damsel in distress." Emma said, excited because it was a brilliant idea.
"And what if Spider-Man doesn't make an appearance, Miss Rogers?" McConaughey inquired. "What would you do then?" Emma just shrugged.
"Then I'll take those assholes down and disappear. I can take care of myself, McConaughey." Emma told him. "Either way… I'm not worried."
"What would you do then? Expect him to reveal his true identity to you?" McConaughey asked. He was a very intelligent AI system and Emma could tell that it was encoded within his system to make sure Emma was being completely logical and rational about her decisions. Emma knew that this was the most rational decision she could make in regards to Spider-Man.
"Of course not. I don't think he's that stupid." Emma then glanced back at her suit which was still on the bed. She curiously started looking through the utility belt on her suit and trying to see what she could find. While digging through one of the compartments, Emma was pleased at what she had found. There was a small handful of tracking devices that were about the size of a skittle although much thinner. That was exactly what Emma had been hoping to find when she went looking through all the little gadgets on her utility belt. Stark had briefly told her about the trackers when he first gave her the suit a couple of years ago. Emma had been so sure that he might've gotten rid of the trackers but it looked like he didn't. Her job was going to become a whole lot easier. Emma held up one of trackers to the light with a satisfied smile on her face.
"He might not tell me who he is but this tracker will."