Chapter 7 - Whole
It's kind of funny.
My Spider-Sense is screaming that things are coming at me from twelve different directions, and that I'm about to be very much dead.
I always thought I'd die fighting off people like, dare I say it, the Sinister Six.
Never thought that it'd happen in the passenger seat of a van beside Kitty Pryde.
I can only imagine how white my face was as we careened around another corner. I had to loosen my grip when I felt the plastic begin to give. After several brain-numbing, nail-chewing more moments like that one, the van finally screeched to a halt in the parking lot. I refused to move an inch from my position. Kitty looked at me.
"What?"
"Life… flashing before eyes…"
She gave a giggling little laugh.
"Oh come on Peter, where's your sense of adventure?"
"Back at the institute, in the very bottom of my bottom drawer."
She stuck her tongue out at me and grabbed my arm, pulling me out through the driver's door.
She's how old?
"Now, do I have to do that the entire time we're here, or are you going to behave yourself?"
"I'll be good."
"Great."
To my profound relief, she let me up at that point. I'd had enough of being dragged on the ground for a while. I needed to be in control of my own movements for a bit. After being dragged through the institute, the car ride was a bit much.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As it turned out, there was a valid reason for us being here. It seemed that Evan's birthday was coming up, and Kitty needed to get something for him, and she was well aware of the fact that I needed to as well. She was, unfortunately, still dragging me around.
At least it's by the arm this time.
"Uh… Kitty?"
She looked at me.
"Yeah Peter?"
"Can I have my arm back?"
"No."
"I'd like to go get something for Evan. You do remember that he's why you dragged me down here right? Because you seem to be heading for the ladies section."
She blushed, then pushed me off.
"Fine. Just be back by the van in two hours got it?"
"Yeah. Got it."
With that, I exited the store and started down the interior section of the mall, looking for something that Evan might like. I was browsing a sporting goods store, examining a skateboard (with a spider-man like design on it) when it hit me.
Oh boy.
The spider-sense tingling I got this time was not the duck-you're-about-to-be-shot-at tingle, it was the something-really-really-bad-is-about-to-happen-in-that-direction tingle.
It was pointing to the store I had left Kitty in.
This is so not my day.
Having been sans-suit for a while now, I grabbed a red ski mask in addition to the skateboard I was holding and went over to the cashier. The tingle was still small, but growing, meaning that the event in question wouldn't happen just yet. The mask was a precaution. With any luck I'd be able to drag Kitty out of there before whatever it was hit.
I paid and left, and was about halfway there, when the tingle spiked.
Oh no.
Shots rang out. People ran for the exits. I ran for the restroom. I looked down. I was wearing a pair of black jeans with a blue shirt and a gray jacket. Shedding the jacket in the stall, I climbed into the air vents and placed my jacket and the stuff I bought inside. I ripped the tags off the mask and slipped it on.
Well, this certainly brings back memories…
I dropped down inside the store's changing rooms. I had to play this human. Kitty probably wouldn't say anything to questioning police, for the institute's sake if nothing else, but she was likely to recognize my clothing.
There were three of them, wearing Nixon masks, and they had a stereotypical bag of cash with them.
I wouldn't be surprised if that bag had a dollar sign on it somewhere… And for that matter, why do they always wear presidential masks? I mean the analogy is interesting, but I think that kind of thing would fly right over these guy's heads…
A fourth ran back to them from the door.
"Guys, the pigs are everywhere! What are we going to do?"
"We take hostages, what else?"
Okay, he's probably the leader.
They each ran to grab someone. Of course, with the guns they were toting, most people had run the moment they had seen them, so options were limited, and they had to spread out a bit to find them. Leader-man walked off out of sight from where I was, but door-guy came right at me while lackeys one and two shrugged and went off in the other two directions.
Maybe this won't be so hard after all.
Door-guy came around, looking for people, and I crept around the clothing rack, letting my spider-sense tell me where he was. I poked my head around, and spotted his back.
Perfect.
I straightened myself, and tapped on the guy's shoulder. He spun, and his eyes were wide. I unloaded a solid punch, considering the guy was a non-power, and he dropped like a rock. I crouched and pulled back the mask, grinning at the stunned expression on the guy's face.
I heard a groan behind me, and saw lackey two stumble back, his hands covering his crotch, gun dropped on the floor. A hand sailed out of the wall and connected with the guy's chest.
Figures.
Kitty couldn't see out of the wall right now, and she, having a similar thought to me, didn't want to be recognized. Only now, she couldn't see to aim at a vital place. The crotch-shot had probably been luck. The next punch that sailed out hit his head, and he went backwards.
I left before she could have a chance of seeing me, looking for leader-man and lackey one.
Lackey one went down as easily as door-guy, but leader-man would be trouble. He already had his hostage. An older gentleman, the guy was obviously extremely scared.
Remember…
For an instant, I saw red. Without stopping to think, I was between them, the old man on the floor, my hand holding the crook's wrist above my shoulder. A grow emitted from deep in my throat, and I took him down like the others, only blood was seeping out of his nose. I checked his pulse and found it fine. I sighed.
I shouldn't have gotten that angry. I could have killed him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Well, I got one of them, but the other three were already knocked out."
"Really?"
The expression on Peter's face was unreadable. I had just been released from police questioning about what had happened, and I was now telling Peter what had really happened as we walked back to the car. Peter's jacket was completely zipped up and he eyed the van suspiciously.
"What?"
"I'm not sure I want to go back with you behind the wheel."
I frowned.
"You drive then."
"Don't have a license."
I looked at him.
"You're kidding, right?"
He shook his head.
"It's easier to use the subways in New York. Never had the need."
"Then you don't have a choice. Get in."
"I could walk."
"Get. In."
He sighed, and his shoulders sagged in defeat. I grinned as he got in, not entirely sure why I was so insistent about winning every argument with him. The ride back to the institute was fun, though Peter seemed a little nauseous. The look on his face was troubled as he walked to his room, absently carrying his bag. Watching him go, I muttered.
"Geeze, the way he's acting you'd think that he was the one who had to fight off runaway bank robbers…"
"He did."
I spun, to find the professor behind me.
"P-Professor!"
He smiled.
"I monitored the situation when I heard your thoughts. Peter was the one who took out the other three. And now he has to come to terms with it."
"Come to terms with it? He did a good thing, didn't he?"
"Yes, but… it's very complicated."
The professor sighed.
"You should get some rest as well Kitty."
I nodded and turned to go to my room.
"Oh, and Kitty…"
I turned back.
"Yes professor?"
"Don't tell Peter, or anyone, that you know. He has enough to deal with right now."
I nodded, and went continued upstairs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I sat on my bead and stared at it. In my mind it was not a red ski mask, but a different mask, still red, but with white eyes and a black webbed design. No answers came. In the mall, I had not even stopped to think about it, I had simply acted. Simple as that. I eventually gave up attempting to figure out why, and went to bed. My dreams were troubled, with Uncle Ben repeating the word over and over again, but the scenery was different.
It was the institute.
The next morning, I came back into my room from my shower, mind still focused on the dream, and I saw the red ski mask on the floor again.
Remember…
With great power, comes great responsibility…
I stood fully, and stripped down to my underwear. It was time to grow up. It was time to stop hiding behind my fears, and start living up to my responsibility.
I dug into my bottom drawer. I pulled out a skintight costume. I dressed in it, and felt the spider emblem on the front press itself into my chest.
I put my other clothes back on over it, tucking the extra pieces in the back of my suit as always.
I smiled.
Nothing had ever felt so right.
It's kind of funny.
My Spider-Sense is screaming that things are coming at me from twelve different directions, and that I'm about to be very much dead.
I always thought I'd die fighting off people like, dare I say it, the Sinister Six.
Never thought that it'd happen in the passenger seat of a van beside Kitty Pryde.
I can only imagine how white my face was as we careened around another corner. I had to loosen my grip when I felt the plastic begin to give. After several brain-numbing, nail-chewing more moments like that one, the van finally screeched to a halt in the parking lot. I refused to move an inch from my position. Kitty looked at me.
"What?"
"Life… flashing before eyes…"
She gave a giggling little laugh.
"Oh come on Peter, where's your sense of adventure?"
"Back at the institute, in the very bottom of my bottom drawer."
She stuck her tongue out at me and grabbed my arm, pulling me out through the driver's door.
She's how old?
"Now, do I have to do that the entire time we're here, or are you going to behave yourself?"
"I'll be good."
"Great."
To my profound relief, she let me up at that point. I'd had enough of being dragged on the ground for a while. I needed to be in control of my own movements for a bit. After being dragged through the institute, the car ride was a bit much.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As it turned out, there was a valid reason for us being here. It seemed that Evan's birthday was coming up, and Kitty needed to get something for him, and she was well aware of the fact that I needed to as well. She was, unfortunately, still dragging me around.
At least it's by the arm this time.
"Uh… Kitty?"
She looked at me.
"Yeah Peter?"
"Can I have my arm back?"
"No."
"I'd like to go get something for Evan. You do remember that he's why you dragged me down here right? Because you seem to be heading for the ladies section."
She blushed, then pushed me off.
"Fine. Just be back by the van in two hours got it?"
"Yeah. Got it."
With that, I exited the store and started down the interior section of the mall, looking for something that Evan might like. I was browsing a sporting goods store, examining a skateboard (with a spider-man like design on it) when it hit me.
Oh boy.
The spider-sense tingling I got this time was not the duck-you're-about-to-be-shot-at tingle, it was the something-really-really-bad-is-about-to-happen-in-that-direction tingle.
It was pointing to the store I had left Kitty in.
This is so not my day.
Having been sans-suit for a while now, I grabbed a red ski mask in addition to the skateboard I was holding and went over to the cashier. The tingle was still small, but growing, meaning that the event in question wouldn't happen just yet. The mask was a precaution. With any luck I'd be able to drag Kitty out of there before whatever it was hit.
I paid and left, and was about halfway there, when the tingle spiked.
Oh no.
Shots rang out. People ran for the exits. I ran for the restroom. I looked down. I was wearing a pair of black jeans with a blue shirt and a gray jacket. Shedding the jacket in the stall, I climbed into the air vents and placed my jacket and the stuff I bought inside. I ripped the tags off the mask and slipped it on.
Well, this certainly brings back memories…
I dropped down inside the store's changing rooms. I had to play this human. Kitty probably wouldn't say anything to questioning police, for the institute's sake if nothing else, but she was likely to recognize my clothing.
There were three of them, wearing Nixon masks, and they had a stereotypical bag of cash with them.
I wouldn't be surprised if that bag had a dollar sign on it somewhere… And for that matter, why do they always wear presidential masks? I mean the analogy is interesting, but I think that kind of thing would fly right over these guy's heads…
A fourth ran back to them from the door.
"Guys, the pigs are everywhere! What are we going to do?"
"We take hostages, what else?"
Okay, he's probably the leader.
They each ran to grab someone. Of course, with the guns they were toting, most people had run the moment they had seen them, so options were limited, and they had to spread out a bit to find them. Leader-man walked off out of sight from where I was, but door-guy came right at me while lackeys one and two shrugged and went off in the other two directions.
Maybe this won't be so hard after all.
Door-guy came around, looking for people, and I crept around the clothing rack, letting my spider-sense tell me where he was. I poked my head around, and spotted his back.
Perfect.
I straightened myself, and tapped on the guy's shoulder. He spun, and his eyes were wide. I unloaded a solid punch, considering the guy was a non-power, and he dropped like a rock. I crouched and pulled back the mask, grinning at the stunned expression on the guy's face.
I heard a groan behind me, and saw lackey two stumble back, his hands covering his crotch, gun dropped on the floor. A hand sailed out of the wall and connected with the guy's chest.
Figures.
Kitty couldn't see out of the wall right now, and she, having a similar thought to me, didn't want to be recognized. Only now, she couldn't see to aim at a vital place. The crotch-shot had probably been luck. The next punch that sailed out hit his head, and he went backwards.
I left before she could have a chance of seeing me, looking for leader-man and lackey one.
Lackey one went down as easily as door-guy, but leader-man would be trouble. He already had his hostage. An older gentleman, the guy was obviously extremely scared.
Remember…
For an instant, I saw red. Without stopping to think, I was between them, the old man on the floor, my hand holding the crook's wrist above my shoulder. A grow emitted from deep in my throat, and I took him down like the others, only blood was seeping out of his nose. I checked his pulse and found it fine. I sighed.
I shouldn't have gotten that angry. I could have killed him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Well, I got one of them, but the other three were already knocked out."
"Really?"
The expression on Peter's face was unreadable. I had just been released from police questioning about what had happened, and I was now telling Peter what had really happened as we walked back to the car. Peter's jacket was completely zipped up and he eyed the van suspiciously.
"What?"
"I'm not sure I want to go back with you behind the wheel."
I frowned.
"You drive then."
"Don't have a license."
I looked at him.
"You're kidding, right?"
He shook his head.
"It's easier to use the subways in New York. Never had the need."
"Then you don't have a choice. Get in."
"I could walk."
"Get. In."
He sighed, and his shoulders sagged in defeat. I grinned as he got in, not entirely sure why I was so insistent about winning every argument with him. The ride back to the institute was fun, though Peter seemed a little nauseous. The look on his face was troubled as he walked to his room, absently carrying his bag. Watching him go, I muttered.
"Geeze, the way he's acting you'd think that he was the one who had to fight off runaway bank robbers…"
"He did."
I spun, to find the professor behind me.
"P-Professor!"
He smiled.
"I monitored the situation when I heard your thoughts. Peter was the one who took out the other three. And now he has to come to terms with it."
"Come to terms with it? He did a good thing, didn't he?"
"Yes, but… it's very complicated."
The professor sighed.
"You should get some rest as well Kitty."
I nodded and turned to go to my room.
"Oh, and Kitty…"
I turned back.
"Yes professor?"
"Don't tell Peter, or anyone, that you know. He has enough to deal with right now."
I nodded, and went continued upstairs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I sat on my bead and stared at it. In my mind it was not a red ski mask, but a different mask, still red, but with white eyes and a black webbed design. No answers came. In the mall, I had not even stopped to think about it, I had simply acted. Simple as that. I eventually gave up attempting to figure out why, and went to bed. My dreams were troubled, with Uncle Ben repeating the word over and over again, but the scenery was different.
It was the institute.
The next morning, I came back into my room from my shower, mind still focused on the dream, and I saw the red ski mask on the floor again.
Remember…
With great power, comes great responsibility…
I stood fully, and stripped down to my underwear. It was time to grow up. It was time to stop hiding behind my fears, and start living up to my responsibility.
I dug into my bottom drawer. I pulled out a skintight costume. I dressed in it, and felt the spider emblem on the front press itself into my chest.
I put my other clothes back on over it, tucking the extra pieces in the back of my suit as always.
I smiled.
Nothing had ever felt so right.