The Mask

"What do you mean we can't get EDITH back?" Peter asked.

"I mean we can't get it back," Alice replied. "It's been confiscated by the government on behalf of the United Nations on the grounds that it violates the Sokovia accords."

"How?" Peter asked.

"The Accords strictly regulate the use and distribution of highly advanced technology and technology that bestows superhuman capabilities. EDITH obviously qualifies as the first and the government has made the case that it also qualifies as the second.

"In creating and giving you EDITH, Tony Stark violated the Accords which he signed."

"But—"

"Just let it be Mr. Parker. You're not getting EDITH back, I'm sorry." Peter didn't think Alice sounded very sorry, just frustrated that she'd failed to completely fulfill the terms of her employment. "But," Alice continued, gesturing to the box in front of him. "You get all your other things back at least."

Peter was concerned about not getting the glasses back but he supposed that if it was with the UN it wouldn't be too bad. At least it would be more secure than he could keep it, and since it had been taken on the grounds of violating the Sokovia Accords, Peter supposed the British government wouldn't be able to hold onto it for long enough to get access and it would soon be in neutral hands.

"And that concludes our business, Mr. Parker." With that, Alice walked back out the lobby door, leaving Peter alone with the box that held his suit, web shooters, and other Spider-man paraphernalia. As concerned as he had been about the man-Alice, there was something about the daylight that had made him confident enough to go downstairs on his own. Of course, the plain clothes agents Fury had supposedly planted in the hotel last night had also helped.

Peter gazed into the box. He reached in and pulled out his mask. It was strange. The mask had originally been to conceal his identity. Now though, it would only serve to scream it to the world every time he put it on.

Maybe I shouldn't put it back on…

And to think he'd only just accepted the role Mr. Stark had given him. Only now, he didn't have his secret identity, he didn't have EDITH He needed advice, he needed to talk to Mr. Stark, or even Captain Rogers. Only, he didn't have either of them anymore either.

"You shouldn't brood kid, it's not a good look on you."

Peter looked up to see the red haired man who'd filmed his confrontation with Beck looking down at him.

What was his name? Wallace West?

Peter quickly scrambled to his feet. "Mr. West."

The young man laughed at that, but Peter thought he saw something behind the laugh. It sounded almost like a faint echo of what this Mr. West used to sound like. "Please, call me Wally, Mr. West was my dad." He held out his hand to shake and Peter took it, reflecting on Wally's use of past tense to refer to his father.

"Wally," Peter said at last. "Call me Peter." Peter dropped his hand. "Thanks for what you did."

The red head visibly tensed. "What do you mean?"

"Back at the trial, and I guess on the bridge. I mean I could have used some help but since you're not enhanced it's not like you…" Peter stopped himself. "I'm sorry, I'm rambling. Just, thanks."

Wally seemed to relax at that. "You're welcome," he replied. "So what's on your mind?"

"Huh?"

"You looked like you were thinking pretty hard about that mask of yours."

Peter looked back at the mask in his hands. "Yeah, I was just thinking about… You know about EDITH right?"

"Those fancy glasses that billionaire gave you?"

That's an odd way to talk about Mr. Stark. "That Billionaire?" It's almost like he doesn't really know who he was, or at least doesn't care very much.

"Um, yeah," Peter replied. "Well, they've been confiscated by the UN."

"Is that such a bad thing? I mean, given what it can do, you'd want it to be as hard to use by the wrong person as possible. The UN isn't likely to just hand it over to anyone and they're probably gonna keep it pretty secure."

"I know," Peter replied. "It's just that Mr. Stark trusted me with that. He trusted me with a lot of things, and I kind of feel like I've failed him. And now that the world knows I'm Spider-man, I'm not sure if I should go swinging around New York anymore. Maybe I should just go back to being ordinary Peter Parker."

"Is that what you want?"

"I already have a target on my back now that people know I'm Spider-man, and after last night, I think it's pretty well established that EDITH only adds to that. I've got plenty of enemies as is, I'm not sure I should be adding more by continuing as Spider-man. Especially now that my friends and family are in danger too."

"But it sounds like you really looked up to this Stark guy."

There it is again…

Peter nodded.

"Sounds like you need to figure out what you really want," Wally remarked. "Do you want to live up to Stark's expectations by being one of those Avengers, or do you want to be ordinary Peter Parker. Go to school, get a job, see if that thing with your girlfriend's gonna go anywhere?"

That was a good question.

What do I want?

"I kinda want both," Peter replied.

Wally looked thoughtful at that. "I suppose they don't have to be mutually exclusive, but you do realize that it's a lot harder to do both. And I mean a lot."

"You sound like you speak from experience."

Peter noticed him tense up again. "No, not at all," he replied, almost too quickly. "It's just that, being an Avenger takes a lot of time and it's also pretty dangerous, like you said." For some reason Peter didn't quite believe the first part but he understood what Wally meant. "If you think you can handle that then go for it."

Peter nodded. "Thanks," he said at last.

"Don't mention it," Wally replied. The older man checked his watch and visibly started. "Love to keep talking but I better outfiltrate myself or I'm gonna miss my flight. Hope you figure things out Peter." With that the odd red head dashed out the front doors to the hotel.

"Outfiltrate?" Peter shook his head and picked the box with his things up and began to make his way back to the elevator.

One of the concierge greeted him as he passed. "Hey, it's Spider-man! Can I get an autograph for my son?" he asked.

"Um…" Peter had not expected that, though he supposed he should have. Things really were going to be different now that the world knew who he was. "Sure, I guess." Peter set down his box and took the pen and photo the man offered him. Peter recognized it as a zoomed in image of his fight with Beck's drones over the Thames. He didn't know if he should sign it Peter Parker or Spider-man but in the end, he settled on the latter.

As he wrote on the photo the concierge said to him, "You know, I never doubted for a second that you were innocent. I took this myself so I knew what really happened."

"Oh, uh… Thanks sir." Peter awkwardly handed the pen and photo back to the man.

"No, thank you. If it wasn't for you and that Blur guy, who knows how many people that fraud Beck would have killed?" The man left to return to his duties, leaving Peter standing in the hallway next to his box pondering just who this "Blur" was.

They left for New York later that afternoon. Peter sat next to the window on the flight back, deep in thought. MJ sat to his left, reading a book about the JFK assassination while Ned chattered about the Blur behind him. Peter caught something about buildings being rebuilt overnight in Sokovia but he was too absorbed in his own musings to pay much attention.

Is there any reason to think I can't do both? The only thing that's changed is that everyone knows who I am now. That didn't stop Mr. Stark. He just came right out and announced he was Iron Man. And there are plenty of other Avengers who don't have secret identities. But they all stay at the compound, they can protect themselves and each other and those close to them. I'm just a high-school kid.

Peter remembered then something his Uncle Ben had told him before he died. "Those who wield great power bear the mantle of responsibility." Peter certainly had great power… And then there was EDITH He may not have it anymore, but he was still responsible for it and the man-Alice was after it. Peter thought back to his conversation with Mr. Stark when he'd lost his suit. "I wanted you to be better," he'd said. Peter thought back to the space-donut. He remembered what he felt when Mr. Stark made him an Avenger.

That's right… I may be a high-school kid, but I'm an Avenger too.

"I'll do it."

"Do what?" MJ asked, making Peter realize that he'd just said that out loud.

"Yeah, do what?" Ned asked, having been snapped out of his Blur fanboying.

Peter swallowed. "I've just been thinking about what happens now. What comes after we get home."

"And?" MJ asked expectantly.

"Things'll be different now that everyone knows I'm Spider-man, but I won't let that stop me. It didn't stop Mr. Stark. I'm gonna keep being Spider-man."

"How about you focus on figuring out a college first," Aunt May suggested.

"Yeah, after that video showed up they all dropped you like a hot potato," MJ added.

And then there's that.