Severing Ties
Summary: Things are looking up for Peter. It had been a few months since Doctor Octavius passed away, and Peter was getting his life on track except for a few things that wouldn't let him be. That's all about to change as someone, somewhere, needs Peter, and he's going to be in for a wild ride.
Chapter 6: Anti-Mutant Movements
Jackie took a deep breath as though she were jumping over the edge of a cliff. "My name is Jack-of-All-Trades," she introduced. The thief had run away with the blade still in his arm. Jackie was shaking with the effort she exercised.
"That's an odd name," Spider-Man said.
You don't know the half of it, she mused. She breathed deeply, again. "I've been trying to contact you for over three weeks. I'm an emissary from Professor Xavier at his school for gifted children. I'd like you to come with me, and travel to the school."
"Why?" What in the world is this about? Spider-Man thought.
"The word 'gifted', in simple terms means 'mutants'. Professor Xavier has noticed your unique talents and wishes for you to talk with him. He has formed a team called the X-Men, and they help other mutants to protect themselves."
The suspicious glance Spider-Man shot at Jackie went unseen. Mutants? Something clicked. All the things he'd been hearing about people with inborn talents that weren't natural for humans. He'd disregarded them as tabloid sellers. He was too stunned to speak for a while. "Where would I have to go to talk with him?" he finally asked.
"The school's location is not given away freely. When and if you decide to go, you can see for yourself. I'd be in trouble if I just outright told you about it," Jackie replied in a small voice. Her face was beat red and her eyes were locked to the ground.
"Do you honestly expect me to go to this unknown place with you, when the only things I really know are that you get into scrapes a lot, and that there's a man named Professor Xavier who wants to talk to me about mutants?" The tone of his voice betrayed that he would do no such thing.
"No, but I really would like you to think about it. We need you, Spider-Man; no ifs, ands, or buts about it." Desperation lightly laced Jackie's voice.
"If I say no?"
"Not only will a lot of people be put in unnecessary danger, but so will you."
"I might think about it. When Peter tells me about the report and how it went, I'll possibly give you my answer," he relented.
Jackie let out a sigh of relief. "I was so afraid you were going to hate me or something. I mean…it's no accident that I've had to be saved more than once."
Because she couldn't see the questioning look, Spider-Man had to voice his confusion.
"It took me awhile to be able to talk to you without stuttering or anything. I mean, the first time you rescued me, I was just thinking, 'Oh, my Lord, he's real.' And I do, really, have a crush on you, like Peter probably told you. I just…didn't know whether or not you were just some tale made up to make me look like a fool in front of my class." When Jackie noticed she was rambling, she gazed down at her feet, embarrassed that she had said so much. She avoided looking at Spider-Man. She said a little more, and she sounded a bit forlorn. "See, I have a reputation of screwing stuff up. This was supposed to be my chance to redeem myself." She shrugged. "I probably won't have any other chances, but oh well. It's your life, I guess." She breathed a body-racking sigh. In deep thought, she just stood there.
"Hey," said Spider-Man as he stepped closer. He lifted Jackie's face from the ground by her chin. "You'll get other chances to redeem yourself. Don't beat yourself up because they judge you on what you can't do. You're right. It is my life, so it's not your fault if I refuse. I will seriously think about your offer." He was going to say more, but found the feeling of being this close to her supremely uncomfortable. He wanted to be closer, but he knew he needed to be farther. He felt her breath on his mask, and just stood there, staring into her dark eyes. He gently let go of her chin, and stepped back. "Don't get into any more trouble on purpose. I can find you easily enough. See you when Peter tells me how your report went," he said as he swung off, not liking how husky his voice sounded.
He got home, and looked at the boxes he'd already packed. Summer clothes were in a cardboard box that was sealed with tape and marked. Old volumes of encyclopedias from his youth were in another box that was considerably bigger. He still needed to straighten up a bit, but that could be done on the last day.
He took the sleeping pills he still had, and slept dreamlessly. When he woke up, he was not as energized as the first time he took the pills, but that was to be expected, the doctor told him. He went to class, and was not late. As soon as class finished, Peter figured he could make the rounds quickly as Spider-Man to make sure everything was peaceful. It wasn't, and a few tough guys got it harder than usual. Afterwards, he went to the library.
When he saw Jackie, he knew something was wrong. Her eyes were bloodshot, and there were shadows under them. Her hair was more messed up than normal, and she looked like the life had been sapped out of her.
"Jackie? What's wrong?" he asked, sounding concerned.
Her expression was like she wanted to cry, but tears weren't forthcoming.
"I know something's not right. Care to tell me about it?"
"I'm not returning," she commented without feeling.
"When were you even leaving?" he inquired, remembering that he wasn't supposed to know about her mission.
"I'm leaving when I turn in my paper that we both worked so diligently on." Her voice was different now, and not just because of the hollowness. There was an intelligence, hidden deep within it, that wasn't evident before.
"Why?" Even though he knew the answer, it would be suspicious not to ask. He cared about her, and, as a friend who cared, he asked.
"My task will be complete after I get the answer from Spider-Man." She proceeded to tell him about how she was to talk to him about Professor Xavier's school for gifted children.
Peter noted her surprise when he didn't get angry, but nodded like he already knew. "Spider-Man told me. He's really thinking it over, but he doubts he will go."
Jackie huffed in frustration. Her melancholy turned to anger. "It shouldn't be that hard to figure out. If he stays here, he'll get badly injured, and a mass of kids will get locked away, or worse, killed," she snapped.
"If he doesn't stay here, who'll protect the city against crime?" Peter countered in defense.
"The police!" Jackie said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It is their job, ya know? It's not like it's a 'damned if you do; damned if you don't' situation!"
Oh but it is, Peter thought.
"I don't think I'll be able to work on the report today. I'm too preoccupied." Having said this, Jackie crossed her arms across her chest and leaned back into her chair. Lips pursed in controlled annoyance, she gazed at the ceiling.
"We need to. There are still holes in it. If those holes are still there when the teacher grades it, it's flunked. You don't want that, do you?" He didn't mean it to come out harsh and commanding, but it did, and Jackie looked at him oddly. "Well?"
"Of course not," she replied humbly. She took a deep breath and uncrossed her arms.
"Alright, then. Let's pull yourself together, and fill in these holes."
That day, the two accomplished more than they ever had in a single day. As Peter reflected on it on the way home, not even seeing the brewing storm, he realized it was because Jackie didn't talk about different subjects, request breaks, or make random jokes about the materiel they were reading. It unnerved him to think about the events that led up to this. What would he answer? Would he agree? It would be for common good, he noticed after thinking about it. Certain people needed protecting, and he was good at that. He picked up a Bugle Paper and paid for it.
'Mutant Riots Breaking Out Everywhere,' was the headline. People with signs were protesting 'THE FREAKS OUGHT TO BE LOCKED UP!' As Peter read the article, he knew they'd be turning against him as Spider-Man, again. He bumped into a tall man on accident when he didn't pay attention to where he was going.
"Sorry," he murmured.
"No problem," the man said back. "Hey, you're that Peter Parker, aren't you?" Peter turned around. The man had an arm in a sling. The other hand was in a pocket of his large overcoat.
"That would be me," he replied.
"Yeah, I heard from Curt Connors that you were tutoring at the library…Wait a minute, haven't I seen you somewhere, before?" A flash of lightening enabled Peter to see the man's face. Peter blanched as he remembered that face. He was on the train with Doc Ock. "Spider-Man?"
Peter sighed. "Guilty as charged, I guess."
"Amazing. I'm Greg Nowak."
"Nice to meet you." They shook hands. Immediately, Greg's hand that wasn't in the sling went back into his pocket.
At the worried look on Peter's face, Greg said, "I won't tell anyone your real identity, don't worry about that. I've had a bit of experience with hiding secrets."
"Right." Peter was feeling too awkward to say anything else.
"What happened to Doctor Octopus, anyway? Nobody's seen or heard from him since that day on the train," Greg wondered.
Peter took in breath. "He sacrificed himself to stop his fusion reactor. He's at the bottom of the river," he explained calmly.
"I see. He was a real nutcase. I'd have use of both my arms at this minute if not for him." He paused as he looked at the sling that held his arm. "When he shoved the lot of us back to get to you, one of those metal limbs connected with my arm and knocked it straight into the window. Besides breaking the bone cleanly in two, there were glass shards that had to be removed."
As he was telling this, Peter shot a quick glance at the paper still in his possession. Greg noticed.
"Hear about all the anti-mutant movements, eh?" Peter nodded. "They'll be demanding to tag us next, the fools." It wasn't said with the venom for vengeance, but rather with pity for their prejudices.
"Us?" was all Peter could say. Not really being used to speaking to strangers unless behind his mask, he couldn't really think of anything to say.
"I'm…ya know…one of them. I…uh…can create things. Breathe life into them and such," Greg explained.
"Fascinating," Peter complimented.
Greg shook his head. "I can't help protect anyone, though. Others have told me that I have the power to destroy as well as create but I could never…" His voice trailed off.
"There are more of you?" Peter asked.
"We all live in one suburb. It's kind of understood what we are, but we live like normal people, without any hassles or worries about keeping secrets from our neighbors."
"I never knew."
"That's what I meant by having the experience of keeping secrets. I take it you've talked to the plant from Professor Xavier?" he inquired curiously.
"You knew about that? How?" Peter asked.
"Xavier keeps in contact with us, and tells us what's going on in our state. So, thought about your answer?"
This caught Peter so off guard that he told the truth and his doubts about going. "I can't go. There are people who count on me."
Greg sighed. "Think carefully, Peter. There's more to this than it seems. I hope to see you, again, some time," he said.
"Same here. Good night, Mr. Nowak."
"Call me Greg. Good night to you, too, Spider-Man." The tall man with a broken arm turned and went his separate way.
Peter made his way home, and slept soundly without the medication that night.
(A/N: Wow...I never dreamed I would have 20 reviews and I'm only at chapter 6...marvelous! Stupendous! Amazering! ----that is a word made up from something I can't quite remember...I just know that it's fun! XD
FieryKitsune: Like yur penname. It's very interesting. Thank you for reviewing. Hope the mystery isn't quite gone, yet...but I have more than one plot brewing....mwahahahahahahaha -cough cough- Ahem...Peter's doctor gave him some medication, and the aftereffects of something have faded away, so Peter's finding himself better than before. :-)
Quiet Escapist: That certainly was a long enough review. I liked it. -lopsided grin-. Jackie's knack for attracting trouble is explained in this chapter. I'm not going to comment on the PeterxMJ relationship simply because it's going to be one of those things that will be undecided until the end. Thanks for the long review! XD
DiabloDude1: Yay! I know I have at least one intelligent reviewer!! Hoorah! Congrats, dude. Umm....it was not Dunst's fault that the character of MJ was screwed up, she was simply following orders(not that I'm defending her or anything. You wanna hate her, that's perfectly fine with me...We could start a Dunst Bashing Club or something...hehehe lol). Hope you enjoy this chapter. -big smile-
Laurajslr: Did I frustrate you with that cliffhanger? Terribly sorry. I won't do it again in this chapter, I promise. :-) I still can't believe that someone's parents actually wanted me to go with them on their family vacation...It was just odd...hope you had fun on your trip, and that you enjoy this chapter. -thumbs up-
I'm happy. If you're happy, too, you should review! Actually, you should review anyway cuz I need to get better at writing and hear what you have to say. Thanks for reading!! :-) )