Man of Steel, World of Marvels.
Disclaimer: This is a work of diction, I do not own any of the characters that appear in this fan fiction, BTVS, Superman and Marvel are still own by their respective owners.
Well, there was a better turn out this time, I'm happy you enjoyed the introductory beat down I had Xander administer to my version of the Sinister Six (who speaking of, Spider 2 seems to confirm they will appear in the third installment, it was a pretty good movie though I think Cap 2 and X-men did better, just laying that out there.)
For those of you who asked why Doc Ock was not present, I am not entirely certain but I am pretty sure he is dead during that period as Kain killed him before the whole Clone Saga was wound up although would appreciate someone verifying this though since I can't find all the comics about this I would like. I mean I do want him around and perhaps deal with him in a way that prevents the abomination that is Superior...hmm perhaps knocking him into a coma or something more drastic.
Anyway what I have here for you at this moment is my attempt to prevent One More Day & Brand New Day…let's hope I succeeded.
"Talking"
"Whisper"
*SOUND EFFECT*
*Thought*
Chapter 4:
High above the Earth…
Currently floating in high orbit around the world was one Xander Harris, eyes closed and listening intently to the many voices his ears could pick.
*So many cries for help…* he thought sadly, oh how he wished he could help them all but he had to prioritize despite wishing not too. He had long accepted thanks to Clark's memories and talks with Giles that for all his power he was just one man who would never be able to save everyone.
It was a cold and harsh decision but one he had accepts bitterly.
This of course had the side effect of making sure his personal mission to rescue the daughter of Spider-man all the more important. His mind travelled back to his conversation he had with Giles…
Flashback…
"You wish to rescue the child of this Spider-man individual?" Giles asks as he, Xander and Krypto were now in the control center of Fortress where the sole Kryptonian was reviewing the information his artificial colleague had downloaded.
"Yes, from what I remember their baby was never found but was hinted at still being alive and in another reality was found and raised to carry on her father's legacy."
"And this Osborn character? What reaction do you expect of him?" Giles asks as he begins reviewing all known reports on the man.
"Osborn is a sick bastard who has made it his personal mission to make Peter suffer but he is also a control freak and a schemer, what better way to both hurt his pride and divert his focus from Peter than messing with his so called crowing moment."
"Hmm, you speak truthfully as his psychological profile does point to that, be prepared though for if he can he will find a way to retaliate he will do so."
"No doubt he will, the guy is the type to lose it big time if things don't go his way, and besides he may not know magic or have Kr but he could get some form of tech to take me out…hell he may try to use Adamantium or something." He says to his artificial confidant as he looks up files on everything regarding the Parker's hospital stay, any trace of Osborn during his return and anything else he feels is relevant.
"True, but I doubt that will dissuade you from following this course of action will it?" Giles asks rhetorically.
"Nope, its part of the whole Superman mystique, help the helpless and all that. Now we are going to need some tech to pull this off so let's get cracking."
End flashback…
They had outlined the plan and were on standby for the moment Osborn surfaced to carry it out. Therefore in the meantime he occupied himself by doing his best to fulfil his role as this world's Superman…though he had not claim that name as he didn't know how people would react to it.
Though right now many were finding his presence rather comforting in the absence of the Avengers and Fantastic Four…and far more preferable to the X-men. That last one galled him somewhat; he hated how the hate groups were taking advantage of the situation.
He was having Giles keeping an eye on Graydon Creed and Bastion, especially that last one as he knew he would begin his operation at any moment, he hoped he wouldn't be too late or that he couldn't help the innocent people who were dragged into becoming soulless machines designed only for killing a people who never chose to become what they were.
*And I can't touch the tin plated bastard because he has government backing right now.* He thought darkly at that limitation. Any further thought was stopped when he heard a radio transmission.
-This is chopper 15, we see the site, and the whole damn platform is lit up like a bonfire. — His eyes found the source of the transmission soon enough, a burning oil platform, using his X-ray he could see people hold up in a relatively intact section.
He didn't say anything as he dived into the atmosphere in semblance to a falling star as he was enveloped in hot plasma and boom of thunder as he pierced the sound barrier.
He was soon floating over the rig, the flames and explosions painted a horrific sight and from what he could it was going to go off soon. He ignored the radio chatter that picked up at the sight of him as he soon saw the surviving workmen.
He dove in the inferno clearing a path to the nearby Helipad and his target, the flames and red hot metal meant little to him as he got closer. Before arriving a nearby barrel exploded and covered him in its ignited contents, he ignored it as he tore open the door before him.
The group of men stood in shock at the sight of fire covered man who did not show an ounce of discomfort.
"Gentlemen it's time to leave, so follow me and I promise you will make it through this." Xander spoke calmly as he put out the flames covering him. The trip was hardly what one would call uneventful but with their savior keeping track on them they managed to make it to the Helipad.
"Wait here, I'll flag down the cavalry." He says to them as he floats up and spots one of the choppers. He flew quickly towards them, at the half way point the copilot motioned towards him and Xander in turn quickly motions towards the survivors.
Soon he is helping them on board the vehicle when fate decides he has enjoy a bit too much of good luck and a nearby towers begins to fall under the strain of its own weight.
*Crap! Crap! Crap!*
"Take off now!" He orders as he races towards the falling the debris while he hears the third member of the search and rescue team yell at the pilot.
"You heard him boys! Get this damn bird off the ground or we are all dead!"
As the helicopter's engine began power up to lift off he flew directly into the path of the tower, the metal strained while he himself bared the weight upon his shoulders letting out a grunt as he forced it back enough to not cause problems with the rescue.
Once they were a safe distance he let it go and flew away at fast pace to watched as it crashed over the landing pad and was soon followed by a massive explosion. The Kryptonian hero made sure no piece of shrapnel ended up hitting any of the surrounding Helicopters and boats that had monitored the situation.
Once it was all over he floated towards the Helicopter that carried the men he rescued, he always felt the need to know the people he rescued were safe. It brought some measure of comfort that he had done his good deed well, and it was in this case as they saw him and cheered.
The pilots gave him a thumbs up to which he saluted before finally taking off into the skies above. All the while he never realized his actions were being monitored from on High…
SHIELD Hellicarrier…
Deep in the bowels of the flying fortress a meeting took place between two factions dedicated to the protection of the world from both internal and external threats.
-As you can see from here, our boy here shows a remarkable level of skill in rescue tactics and the use of his abilities to perform said rescues rather well. — A woman's voice spoke as the images of the recent event ran to the captive audience of three. In this case, it was two men and woman in dark blue uniforms and white straps around their chests save for the only other woman there who wore all black.
One of the men was a rather tall and muscled red haired man in a bowler hat; this was Dum Dum Dugan a close confidant of the man on his left since their days fighting alongside each other in the Second World War.
Said man looked to be in his late 40's, though it much more than that, with brown hair that whited out at the ends and his most distinguishing feature being his single eye. This was WWII legend Nick Fury, head of SHIELD and the bane of many terrorist organizations around the world.
To his left was a woman of raven and white hair, she had a calm and collected demeanor much like the man she took orders from, there stood Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine another person Fury could safely trust and perhaps more.
And finally the last member of this meeting was a woman with vibrant red hair wearing a black Kevlar suit, red hourglass belt buckle and two unique "bracelets" for which was known for, this was the spy/Avenger Black Widow.
On a screen next to where the monitors showed Xander in action was a woman with emerald hair and green lenses, this was Abigail Brand head of SWORD, an organization much like SHIELD but with focus on visitors from the starts than domestic threats.
"I think it is already established that he has chosen to be one of the white hats Brand, and since it is you calling me it means he ain't local." Fury gruffly replies as he chews on an unlit cigar.
-Got that right, we took some scans of him while he was on top of the world, no human or mutant readings. This guy may look eerily human but he sure isn't, the problem is I don't know what species he is because he isn't a Pink Kree, a Xanderian, a Skrull or even a damn Shi'ar.—
"Well don't look at me Brand, this is your neck of the woods, I only take notice because this guy is a heavy hitter and we are at our weakest given past events." The last part came out bitterly for as he thought back to the loss the world experienced with the deaths of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four.
It was a heavy blow to the morale of the people, and if he was honest he wasn't exactly happy as well as the loss of Steve Rogers was something he was coping with as best he could. They may have had their differences of opinion but Nick never doubted that Steve was his friend just as much as Dugan is; they had gone through too much in the war and in their fair share in the present.
*Nat's not doing any better either…* the head of SHIELD thinks as he looks at her discreetly *…she's been keeping busy but if she thinks I can't see she's hurting then she is way off.*
Natasha Romanoff may be hard woman who has led a hard life to most who don't know her but life with the Avengers had opened her up many things she had been denied by both her former handlers and herself…friends and family.
The deaths of many she knew on the team cut her deep but she would not let that stop her from doing her duty, he figured it was because in her mind she owed it to them to honor their memories and he respected that because he too owed it to his fallen friend.
*This world will still be here Steve, I'll make damn sure your sacrifice wasn't in vain.*
-I know what my job is Fury but have you heard anything on him that might give me something to work with, all I got is a theory of him being a possible offshoot to the Strontians and that is weak at best. — Brand replied at her counterpart.
"Have you tried looking to see if he is like Hyperion from Squadron Sinister?" Black Widow spoke for the first time since the meeting began.
-Yes we did and found no connection to that musclebound idiot.—
"What about his power level, how strong is he? How hot do those lasers of his get? How fast can he go?"
-Listen those are all good questions but I need him here to get the answers as well as find out how he got planetside without us knowing.— Abigail replied with exasperation because she had indeed been searching for those answers and more since the man had appeared and found out he was alien.
"Well I guess we better get cracking on that, we need to fill in the power vacuum and this guy may be a good way to start." Fury says in turn as he looked at the big picture and how Xander fitted in it.
-Let's just hope this doesn't come back to bite us in the ass. Brand out. — And with that she cut off transmission, leaving the occupants to speak among themselves.
"She does raise a good point Nick; this could come back to haunts us." Dugan ever the honest one says to his long time commander and friend.
"Maybe so but we need to get a handle on all the situations that have been popping since that Onslaught mess. We got lucky in that none of the major players have made a move yet but we can't get lax here, we need the Avengers to act as a deterrent, and as for the Four…I'm stumped there because who do we got that can replace our resident super genius."
"Although I cannot say who could replace Reed Richards Nicholas, I could ask around for any former or retired Avenger to step forward…I will lead the team if necessary." Black Widow says with utmost seriousness.
"We'll table that in case of a worst case scenario but if it does come about can you do it?" Fury only asked as he knew the problems that came with breaking in a new team after losing the old one.
Natasha for her part while not wishing such a burden could not let the legacy of her allies simply fade away into obscurity.
"I will do what must be done to honor their memory Nicholas…they would have done the same for me." She ends with a hint of sadness.
"Okay, compile a list of who you believe can make the cut; I don't just want anybody who is just looking to take advantage of this." Getting a nod from her he dismisses them before looking at the image of Xander as he flew away from he fought the six.
*Who are you and why have you come here?* He could not help but wonder, he wasn't the only one.
Daily Bugle, New York…
"Urich! Get in here now!" Bellowed the Editor & Chief of the Daily Bugle, one J. Jonah Jameson. A flat topped man with graying hair, small mustache and a rather unique personality, at least that is his opinions while others are so sure that is the word they would use.
"Easy Jonah, remember he just got in from LA." One of Jonah's long time coworker and friend Robbie Robertson says in efforts to curb his boss's temper, the dark skin man was a well-respected for braving Jonah's notorious temper only because he knew he was a good man and reporter despite it.
"That's the problem with reporters this day Robbie, back when I started out when we got back from a high class scoop we immediately got to work on another." The older man grumbled.
Robbie nodded though really he had to resist the urge to roll his eyes, Jonah was a bit of a slave driver at times but the man had strong solid work ethic and good eye for talent. The only FAULT he could find in the man was his single minded anger at a certain wall crawling hero.
Just then the door opened to admit a middle aged man with dusty brown hair an horn rimmed glasses, here was Ben Urich a man who despite his fair share of troubles still kept his moral fiber and professional attitude in pursuit of the truth.
Behind him was probably the only other person who could get away with messing with their employer. A brown haired woman with a page boy haircut and a mischievous, no non-sense attitude but with a heart of gold, there stood the quite lovely Betty Brant.
"Here's your coffee Jonah, black with two sugars and your wife called wanting to know if you will be free for dinner at home and finally your son called to arrange a lunch next week."
"I asked for three sugars!" He grumbles at her before taking the drink and pushing on "…tell her I'll be there as soon as I can and tell John I'll see him on Monday at our favorite place at one. Now Urich I got a new job for you, I assume you've heard about the new cape in town?"
"The guy with a red cape and blue suit? Yeah I heard of him, guy saved the workers of an oil platform that caught fire is what I heard on the radio." The reporter replies calmly.
"He did? Damn it we should get on top of that ASAP! Robbie get someone on that I want interviews and pictures of these guys now, I want to know how they plan to fix that mess and how it started."
"On it JJ."
"Anyway Urich I want you to get on top of this, find a way to talk to the guy and get his story, the man is hot news right now. We got lucky with Parker being on the scene to get those pictures of him beating the crap out of the six stooges but we need more." Jonah pulled up the pictures Peter took to further illustrate his point.
"Uh how are he and MJ by the way? Cause I could his skills since he is more experienced with the heroes."
"He's still on sabbatical while he helps his wife get better." Robbie replied quietly.
Robbie, Betty and surprisingly Jonah were very supportive of the Parker's during this trying time. Jonah had paid him more than usual for his pictures of the new hero and continued to pay him while he was absent.
"Oh, I'll pay them a visit them and see how they are doing." Urich replied as he wanted to be there for them as they had been good friends to him.
"I'll join if you don't mind; I have some natural medicines I wanted to give to MJ." Betty intersected as she too wanted to visit.
"Yeah, yeah ok we get it…just don't forget your job, we need details like how he calls himself because all we got is an S on his chest."
"We could call him Super stud." Betty says with no shame as he gives the picture a long look.
*Hmm yummy! He can save me anytime!*
"Put a lid on it Brant, we got enough of that with all those fan letters asking for a date. No this guy needs something iconic, something daring, something that just says look at me."
"How about…Superman?" Betty adds with a confident smile.
"That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard! Get out there and get me another coffee!" Jonah bellows.
Betty rolls her eyes before looking at Robbie with a knowing look.
"5 seconds." She whispers to him getting a wink in return.
Five seconds later…
"I got it! We'll call him Superman!"
"Nice work J.J." Ben replied dryly while looking at Betty who gave him a smirk.
*The man who marries her is either got balls of steel or is crazy as hell.* He couldn't help but think with mirth.
And so without even trying Xander now had been given the title to go with the symbol, it would be up to him to prove worthy of both. But now came the time for plans to come to fruition and for history to be changed as if by the flip of the coin…
Over the skies of Paris, France…
Xander floated lazily over the city of lights, eyes closed and ears open as he was listening for a specific voice. The reason he was there was because his patience had finally paid off.
Flashback…
Xander was flying over the New York skyline; he flew high to avoid being seen while using his powerful eyes and hearing to keep vigil over the city. As he flew over the Chrysler building he was contacted by his synthetic ally using a very specific bandwidth only he could hear.
-Xander, we got a hit from the monitoring program we set up in the SHIELD satellite network…it's him.—
This had been the first phase of their operation; a program was made to monitor all communications in the world that was tapped into the SHIELD mainframe. It may not be entirely legal or ethical but he saw the need for it and therefore did his own snooping to get the results needed though with precautions of course.
Their technology was advanced and unknown for sure for sure but that was no reason to get cocky or assume they couldn't be caught, Xander firmly believed in the phrase "Assumptions are the mother of all fuck ups."
From there they began their search for the child; Giles monitored through the Fortress any signals that matched Orborn's voice patterns as well record the patterns belonging to any agent of his, once found he would trace the locations and send it to Xander.
He couldn't respond to Giles comment but they both knew full what came next as he flew down to change into his street clothes and assumed his identity. Landing on a secluded rooftop he activated a new function of his suit as he finish changing.
Light soon surrounded his face and instead of a black haired & brown eyed man there was a red headed, deep blue eyed man with a lighter skin complexion as opposed to his light tan from the west coast.
*Have to give Giles credit, this new hardlight function is good way to hide in plain sight. Now I just have barrow a uniform and get the packages we prepared for the DNA samples*
This was another aspect Xander had to cover, making sure they had the right child, so both he and Giles came up with a simple solution, disguised as a mail man he would go to the home of the Parkers and using a genetic scanner disguised as a pen he would take DNA samples of Peter and Mary Jane.
End flashback…
He was worried at first Peter's spider-sense would get triggered but the process was so quick and harmless he never suspected a thing, something for which Xander was grateful for.
Now here he was after his artificial confidant had captured a conversation from their target that led them to this city. He had made sure to memorize the voice of Osborn's accomplice so now he just had to find her, though providence seem to favor him as his patience bared fruit.
"Hello Colette." He heard spoken in fluent French, it was close enough to the voice he had heard that he used his telescopic and X-ray vision to find the source, there he found a woman in her late twenty's mid-thirties with light brown hair and eyes speaking with a teenager who held a sleeping baby.
"Hello madam." Colette replies kindly, seemingly unaware of who or what the woman before her had done as well the true connection she had to the sleeping infant.
"Has she caused you any trouble?" the woman asks, from what he can tell from her voice there interest but false warmth to her voice.
"No madam she has been nothing but a perfect little angel. Haven't you precious? Your mother is so lucky to have such a sweet and beautiful child." The teen's voice shows that she is quite taken in by the child, making him wish she didn't have to get involved in this travesty but he can't deny the child's parents the right to raise their child and keep her away from the clutches of Osborn.
The teen leaves the baby in a crib and then turns to look at the other person in the apartment.
"Thank you once more for babysitting, here is your payment."
"Thank you madam, I am glad I could be of help, good bye."
He sees the girl leave and the woman drops the act, she took a look at the baby then pulls out a phone.
"It's Mongrain."
-Ah Alison, how are you and our little bundle of joy hmm? — The distinct voice of one Norman Osborn comes from the other end.
"Kid's fine and so am I, any idea how long I have to keep up this act?"
-Patience my dear all will be revealed in good time, besides so long as you get paid what difference it makes how much time you spend with our little bundle of joy. — The psychotic man seemed calm but there was an underline of seriousness there.
"I don't like playing mommy, I am a professional and even though you pay me well I value my freedom when not on the clock." The woman snips back at her employer.
"I understand my dear, truly I do but once I make my triumphant return to the land of the living then the games begins again and the child can takes its place as one of my pawns against my dear arachnid friend."
*That damn snake! What does he think this is really a game?!* Xander furiously thinks as he descends, time was up Mongrain's and Osborn's little game. Landing on the veranda and forcing open the doors he strode towards the shocked woman who grabbed her purse and pulled out a silenced pistol from it.
*Can't let a ricochet hit the baby!* He quickly thinks while maintaining a stony look on his face.
*PAF!* the muffle shot comes out repeatedly as bullets head towards him, do to him it is of no consequences as he casually picks them off like flies and drops them to the floor.
Once he was in arms reach the desperate woman reared back the gun holding arm, aimed for the face and bashed him on his left side…he didn't even give the benefit of turning his head. Faster than she could see he grabbed the offending appendage and applying enough force to make her think twice of doing that again he plucked the gun with his free hand and casually crushed it.
"That was not nice." Was all he says to her as he shoves her away into the door, the force was enough to knock her out but not kill her, his tactics may get rough but deep down he didn't set out to kill people as that was not something Clark Kent did as well as his own fears of losing himself to the power.
He made sure to check her for any permanent injuries before turning away and picking up the discarded phone where Osborn was still demanding his partner in crime to speak.
"Hello Mr. Osborn, you sound very well for a dead man."
-Who the hell is this?! —
"I have no name yet at the moment but what I can tell you is that I am someone who doesn't appreciate sick bastards like you toying with good and honest people's lives like they were playthings…" the plastic creaked as he felt his anger rise at the insidious madman on the other end "…ESPECIALLY bastards who think children's lives are expendable, so be prepared Mr. Osborn because if you thought Spider-man was a thorn in your side wait till you get a load of me you sick fuck."
*CRUNCH!*
The remains of the phone slowly fell as the Kryptonian took a moment to calm himself. For although he had Clark's memories he knew he could never be that man, he admired the way the man believed that there was good in everyone but as far as Xander saw it human nature was in a shade of grey and not black and white as his time both in and out of Sunnydale taught him.
He would try to be the hero without falling on the darker side of things but he made no illusions in believing men like Osborn were capable of doing the greater good without wanting something in return or something shadier in the works.
Once he was done he moved onto the next part of his plan, taking a small device no bigger than cell phone he approached the baby and from the device a blue light passed over her small body.
-ANALISIS COMPLETE…100% MATCH. — It read on the screen.
"Score one for the good guys." He smiles as he says this after reading the results. Placing away he pulls out two special pieces of equipment, at first glance they appear to be mere crystals no bigger than silver dollar but they were so much more.
Gently he placed one on the baby and in moments the crystal seemed to expand and engulf her small body. Xander then moves towards Mongrain to adjust her position and proceeds to do the same as before leaving behind an adult sized crystal with her inside.
What these crystal were in actuality were a form of stasis pod, the occupant would peacefully sleep in a dreamless state and be preserved and protected for transport.
Carefully picking them up and maintaining a good grip on the two he set off towards New York…it was time to bring a family back together.
Home of Peter & Mary Jane…
Both husband and wife were currently snuggled together on the sofa of their apartment holding each other while watching a movie, it was slow going but Peter felt he was making head way with his wife as she moved on from the tragedy that befell them.
It was hard for him to see her so sad about losing the baby, it was the same for him too as he was looking forward to being a father but it was not meant to be. Coupled with the loss of Ben at the hands of the murderer of his first love and his surprise return from the grave it took all his strength not to lose it in front of her.
Thankfully he had the support of his aunt and his friends in the Bugle to help him through this time. May would visit them whenever she had a chance, Robbie and Betty phoned asking how they were and Jonah was actually very kind in letting Peter take as much time as he needed away from the work with pay to be with his wife.
All in all he was glad he had such good friends to help him…though there was one group of people he wished were still with them, namely the Fantastic Four. To him and them they were rather close in their friendship bordering on the familiar, Johnny and Ben's antics aside they were like brothers to him who he knew he could count on when he could use their help and vice versa. Sue and Reed were to him two of the strongest people he knew and he felt great respect and admiration for them and the council they often shared with him meant much.
Their loss alongside with the Avengers was a heavy blow to many; he couldn't even begin to imagine what their son must be feeling. He tried to check up on him as much as he could but what with the upsurge in crime due to the events of the past weeks and the need to be with his wife he hardly had the time much to his regret.
"Peter? You ok Tiger?"
"Yeah babe, just thinking about things, it wasn't important." He says to disperse any worry she may feel.
"You are a poor liar Mr. Parker." She chides in a friendly manner getting a sigh from her husband.
"You know me too well Mrs. Parker…" he replies warmly before deciding to tell her "…I was just thinking about Reed and the others, about Franklin…us."
"I miss them too Peter." She replies truthfully, she really wishes she could have talked to Sue but that just wasn't a possibility anymore.
*Why do terrible things have to happen to people like them and us? Don't we all deserve some happiness for all we go through?* She thinks to herself while holding Peter closer and smiling as he reciprocates the gesture. She silently gave thanks that he was here with her during these trying times.
Their inner musing were cut short as they heard a noise from the front door.
*KNOCK!* *KNOCK!* *KNOCK!*
"Huh? That's odd, were you expecting company Peter?" She asks.
"No, you?" He asks in turn but she simply shakes her head in denial before another series of knocks comes. Peter get's up and moves towards the door, taking a look through the peep hole he sees it is blocked by something, he senses no danger so he calmly opens the door to see no one there but an envelope taped to the door addressed to him and his wife.
*Okay, that isn't odd at all.*
Taking it off the while giving the hallway one last look he moves back towards his wife who also eyes the item curiously.
"What do you have there?"
"Well I am hopping it is a big fat check with lots of zeroes."
Rolling her eyes at her husband's need for levity she sits next to him as he opens the envelope and both begin to read its contents.
-To the Parker's—
-I send this to you in hopes to arrange a meeting with you, the nature of which is of great personal importance to you both in order to rectify a great injustice committed against you.—
Both look at each other as they try to make heads or tails of that before turning their attention back to the letter.
-You are no doubt wondering the meaning behind these words but I can assure you without a shadow of a doubt that you will be greatly benefitted from it. Why I do this and who I am will be revealed upon our meeting, but rest assured I am a friend and someone who feels this injustice must be undone.—
-Please, meet me at this address today and all will be revealed, I have only your best interest at heart.—
The letter ended there leaving the couple confused and bewildered by its odd nature.
"What do you think it means Peter?"
"I don't know MJ, but should we go? I mean what if it's a hoax or worse a trap?"
"I don't know Tiger, call me crazy but I feel like this is something we should do."
"Women's intuition?" He asks with a smirk getting one from her.
"Of course it is you know that my intuition trumps your spider-sense every time." The redhead replies with a mischievous look on her face.
"Maybe you should be the one wearing the spandex then?" He replies getting the same look as she whispers in his ear.
"Oh no sweetie, I am saving that little gem for our anniversary."
"Oh… Oh!" Peter can't help imaging that and wonder if she has been taking lessons from Felicia before he hears her giggle and smiles. It was just like before and showed there was still this fire for life he had come to love from this woman.
"Well let's get ready Peter, we can't have our mystery guest hanging now can we?"
Peter once more just chuckled and was glad her mood was getting better, not to say he wouldn't be on the alert after all. With that in mind he went to get ready and join his wife in this latest venture all the while wondering what was to come.
Minutes later…
Both husband and wife had arrived at the meeting place, which to their surprise was a police station, and were further surprised to find a group of very familiar people there.
"Parker? What are you doing here?" The recognizable voice of J. Jonah Jameson was heard as he, Robert Robertson and Betty Brant stood next to him also surprised to see the married couple.
"I could ask you guys the same thing."
"Well we got an odd letter addressed to us telling JJ here about a major scoop and needed Robbie and me as additional witnesses." Betty replies before moving to hug MJ while Robbie and Jonah went to Peter.
"It is good to see you though, how are things?" Robbie asks kindly as always.
"Good, were getting there, it may take a while but will make it through this."
"You're damn right you will Parker, it's easy to just lay down and die but it takes guts to get right back up after a hard blow. Hell I have gone through craploads of bad situations but that never stopped me and it sure as well won't stop you if I have a say in it." Jonah adds as he feels the need to add his opinion on the matter as he has gone through his own personal tragedies but refuse to just quit hence why he shared his own wisdom to the man before him who.
Say what you will about the man but Jonah did care for the people who worked for him though he had a hell of time trying to express it in a productive way.
"Thanks JJ, I really appreciate it."
"You better, I need you fresh for more pictures of this new cape, aside from the ones you got when he stopped those six goons nobody has caught a decent picture of him. We need to follow up on this, the man is a real class act to not be afraid to show his unlike that damn Spider-wuss."
However any further talks were stopped as a voice drew their attention while everyone else in the vicinity gasped at the sight before them.
"It takes more than showing your face to make a hero Mr. Jameson, I for one believe that Spider-man is such a man and I take comfort in knowing he is out there doing good."
Now all eyes of the group turned to look as the saw the man who had been slowly gaining notoriety float down towards him with a tied and gagged woman in one arm and a large crystal under his other one.
"What the hell?!" As per his explosive nature Jonah exclaims at the sight of both the man he had praised and his cargo.
"I am glad to see you all came to receive my letters, it gives me hope that justice be delivered this day…" Xander speaks confidently before looking at the officers who had stopped and stared at the sight before calling out to them "…officers I require your help with this criminal I have before you."
One of them a man of Hispanic decent whose badge reads Ramirez steps force cautiously.
"What is her crime?"
"It is primarily adding and abetting in a kidnapping of a defenseless child mere moments after birth and taking said child to a foreign country." He responded gravely while levelling a look at his captive.
"Those are grave charges; do you have proof of this?" The officer had to ask as per his job demanded of him.
Xander pulled a small disk from his belt.
"This contains video evidence of her reaction when I showed myself to her when I went to arrest her; I also have a recording of her speaking to the one who orchestrated this whole debacle." The look shock and slight fear on Mongrain's further helped Xander's case.
"Do you know who did this and why? And what is that giant crystal you are holding?" Ben asks as his reporter instincts come to the fore while taking out a tape recorder.
"Thank you for asking the latter Mr. Urich, I have to say I admire your dedication to expose the truth even in the face of danger." Which was true as Xander knew the man had done all he could to expose men like Kingpin and Osborn.
He gave Mongrain to the officers before cradling the crystal and tapped the center causing it to retract much to the surprise of the growing crowd more so when a small baby was shown. But for two people surprise was the least of their concerns as they were approached by the powerful being.
"Mr. & Mrs. Parker, I believe this little lady has been denied her parent's long enough." He softly spoke to the pair as he gently handed little May to her mother.
MJ felt a myriad of emotions as she gazed at her daughter, pain, longing, remorse and hope.
"How did you know it was our baby? Or that she was kidnapped? And who was responsible?" Peter asked rapidly as he looks at his child, deep down he knows it is his, something in his gut tells him that much.
"Calm yourself Mr. Parker…" Xander replied soothingly as he anticipated this reaction "…I know this is your child because I discreetly obtained yours and your wife's DNA to make a comparison, and yes I realize that it was presumptuous of me but given the cause I felt at the time discretion was the better part of valor, though I am sorry for it and will understand if you want to press charges."
Xander meant it when he said that, he would freak out as well and would not to settle up so he accepted there could be repercussions for his actions. It didn't change the fact though that they would be well worth it as he had done what he set out to do.
Peter only relaxed slightly as his worry now was if his altered DNA came up and thus told this man of his heroic alter ego though given the man's honest apology and his willingness to accept responsibility told him he may not have to.
"How I found out about this crime is simple enough to answer, I have extremely good senses which include hearing. While I was doing a fly by over Europe I overheard a conversation between this woman and her boss. I began to dig a little deeper to be certain of what was going on before I acted." He replies with his cover story, he didn't feel like telling people he knew about certain future events and be labelled a nutcase…that would be bad for his image.
"But you could have fake this all!" He heard someone in the crowd say.
"True, but why would I? I don't know these people; they are no threat to me and have nothing I want. But if it will make them and the public feel better I shall surrender myself to the authorities until a proper DNA test is done that proves without a shadow of a doubt that it is indeed their baby." With that said he turned towards the police holding the woman and held out his hands to be cuffed.
"Officers, I surrender myself to your judgment, though I ask that you provide protection for the Parker's as I fear for their safety and that of their baby."
*Ok not part of the plan but they need to see I am not making this up and that is their baby girl, I just hope Osborn doesn't pull another fast one while I'm here...oh who am I kidding of course the asshole will pull something.*
However it someone some higher power took this chance to throw him a bone.
"Wait, he isn't making it up…" all eyes tuned towards the accused woman as she spoke "…I and the doctor who helped deliver the baby were hired to fake her death and kidnap her." Mongrain says firmly causing a gasp to be let out by the gathered people.
*Fuck Osborn! If I'm going down I am taking that son of a bitch and all others down with me!*
Cries of outrage and insults soon came and all directed at the woman, Peter held his wife protectively while she held her baby even closer their eyes conveying their outrage well enough.
"Why? Why would you do this to us?" The redhead asks because she can't fathom what would drive people to take her child. Peter however was already piecing it together and one name came to mind about who had the time and resources to pull this off.
*Osborn! Damn you Norman! You took Gwen and then you took Ben and now you tried to take my baby!?* His emotions were all over the place and the answer the woman gave only worsened his mood.
"Money, I got paid a lot of money to take care of your brat."
She never saw the hand that flew at her until the loud crack was heard.
"Ugh!"
"You sick twisted whore! Let me go Robbie! Let me go teach that bitch a lesson!" The fiery Betty Brant cried out as Robert held her back.
"Easy Betty! Easy! Right now Peter and MJ need us more!"
"Brant!" Jameson's voice boomed earning both her and his employees attention.
"Calm down right now…" he repeated "…now I get that your pissed, believe I am too but Robbie is right, the Parker's need support right now agreed?" He says evenly to the woman and gets a reluctant nod before she is released and walks towards the reunited family.
"Robbie I want you to go with them, make sure they get home safe and call me when you do. Parker, take as much time off as you need and I'll make sure your checks get to you, we'll call if we need you but right now focus on your family." He said kindly to them earning nods from them before he look at the apprehended woman with a dark look.
"Urich, you're with me on this story we are going to get to the bottom of this come hell or high water…" he spoke resolutely before he leans towards Mongrain who leans back after watching the display "…as for you I will make sure, as God as my witness, I will make damn sure you and anyone else involved in this…this barbarism burns for it."
Jonah look spoke nothing but truth; this was the sort of thing that got to him on a deep level as he was never one to tolerate any form of injustice, even less on against those close to him whether as employees or friends.
Ben was of a similar mindset as he prepared to get in touch with his contacts in the police to get all the facts and make sure the truth came out... he owed to his friend to make it did but before that.
"Thank you for helping my friends…" Ben pauses for a moment before deciding to go through with it, it was going to be in tomorrow's paper either way "…Superman."
Xander froze when he heard the man call him by the name of the iconic character, up till now he had doubts on whether or not to claim it for himself. He wasn't and wouldn't be like Clark Kent in his entirety, he would be his own Superman flaws and all so that made him wonder if he had a right to be call that.
"…Superman?"
"You don't like it?" Betty asked as she approached the man "I thought it appropriate what with your "S" symbol and other reasons I thought off."
*Like that super-hot bod! Yum!* She thinks privately.
"Well I have nothing against per say it but you don't think it makes me sound arrogant?"
"You just gave us back our baby and brought one of the people responsible to justice…" Mary Jane spoke up as she approached the hero, her smile on full blast as she held her baby close to her heart "…you are anything but arrogant, you are a hero Superman."
"Let's hear it for Superman!" Peter suddenly yelled as he started to clap, he was soon followed by many others as well as the cries of his new heroic name.
He couldn't help but smile in thanks for the support, he had set out to do right thing and had succeeded and now he felt like he truly was Superman both in spirit and in name.
*Of course now I have to maintain this focus, there is a lot of work to do from here on in and the chance for failure is always going to be there.*
"Well Miss Brant, the people have spoken and they happen to agree with you so Superman it is then." He gave her an easy going smile that made her blush.
He started to float of the ground before turning towards the reunited family. Little May had been startled by all the commotion and was a bit fuzzy though MJ was there comforting her child. It would be a while before the little one would feel comfortable in her mother's arms but he had faith in her, he gave a warm smile one she returned fully alongside her husband.
Peter didn't know where this new development would take him but he knew that he would be dammed before letting his family suffer like they had again and also that he had help this time. He gave the man who had made his family whole again a nod in thanks, on that was reciprocated before he took to the skies once more at a sedate pace before blasting off with a loud boom.
"Come on Tiger…" his wife spoke up as he turned to look at her "…we finally get to put that room in use." She ends with tears of joy breaking out.
"Yes we do Mrs. Parker, yes we do." He replies lovingly while rubs his daughters head, relishing in the warmth that comes from finally getting a chance to be a father.
*I don't know who you are Superman but thank you, thank for giving us back this beautiful gift.*
With that the pair leave with their chaperones while the police take their captive and make sure justice is served.
Meanwhile in an obscure part of Paris, France…
The man known as the Green Goblin sat calmly while drinking from a wine glass his favorite vintage…the room's destroyed and shattered contents painted another story while the criminal mastermind thought peacefully.
He knew full well what was to come, Mongrain would talk and questions would be asked, he knew this for it was predictable. He did not care about that, no what he cared about was the fact that his greatest triumph had been thwarted by a complete unknown.
This hero had destroyed his perfect plan to break his nemesis Spider-man, for which that insult would not stand. Oh no, his pride would not allow it to happen not if he had anything to say about it.
"Well hero…" he spoke darkly as he took a sip "…you have just made number two on my hit list. No one gets away from ruining my plans and lives to tell about it…no one."
And with that looming threat in the air, only time would be able to tell what the repercussions would be of this impending clash between good and evil.
To be continued…
A/N: Well here we are, now what possible ramifications can come from this? My primary one being that it prevents Peter from revealing his identity in CW, I never understood the logic behind MJ's and May's comment on how this would not blow up in his face since they have experienced firsthand what happens when the bad guys find out who he is.
I mean MJ was attacked by Brock and Osborn while May was buried alive as part of a plan from the Goblin so why would Marvel discard those events and think we wouldn't remember them and so many other cases of how wrong things can get that way? Damn right disrespectful if you ask me.
Now we have little May in the picture and I believe that Peter's character would not allow that to happen, the others know the risks but a child? No he wouldn't play those odds with the life of his child, I won't have him quit but I will not have him do that stupid mistake Marvel did that led to what we have now.
So now we have to ask what is next. I find myself wondering what I should do next.
Should I a) have him meet the Thunderbolts so he becomes aware of them being that he knows who they are and what some of them will do. Should I b) have him join some of the X-men who get taken to Shi'ar space to save them from the Phalanx while not knowing what is going to happen or the trial of Gambit? Or finally c) Have him stay on earth and deal with Operation: Zero Tolerance?
I could use some input here on where to go here so I can decide.
Also just to let you know that thing with Betty was just that, a thing not hinting at something more in the future. Also what should his occupation be? Should I go default and have he become a reporter? Make him a mobile handyman who goes to place to place? Shop teacher? Again input would be appreciated?
Anyway to all the reviewers who kindly reviewed in support of this story thank you for still being here with me on this journey, I am still working to become better at this than I am now so that hopefully I remain worthy of your kindness and support. I know many of you want me to bring back the Kr but trust me I have something special cooked up but I need certain elements to return from counter earth before I can make them and yes Xander will go to counter earth with Spidey to return the heroes.
I am currently working to update my KP/Marvel story and I am halfway done while my Avengers story is 2/4 of the way done, as for my Halo stories those will b a while in updating as I am focusing on updating the others before them so I ask for your patience.
To the reviewers who think I was whining, you clearly have no understanding of standing up for one self or compromising in the face of getting really pissed at reviewers who don't know the first thing about writing or dedicating themselves to something that brings peace of mind and a measure of satisfaction to one self…you have my pity for that, you really do because if we don't stand up to them they think they have power over us and I do not hold to that, I will NEVER compromise again EVER.
To the reviewers who still don't get the concept of what I am doing here…you don't deserve my pity or my anger; you deserve nothing but my utmost apathy towards you and your non helpful comments. Please go bother someone else who cares and leave the writing to the professionals.
And with that I leave you my readers, PEACE!