As I mentioned before this is the next chapter focusing on Peni's POV. The next chapter will go back to Noir in 1934 for more single dad detective antics. This will the last time I post this here since it now has its own dedicated story: A Fragile Web.
Make sure to give your feedback for this chapter, particularly for Peni's character. I'm still tweaking her and might re-write this chapter if people don't like her personality. Also, as I mentioned before this is more of a mini-fic so chapter lengths will be generally lower. Hopefully this avoids bloating.
February 16, 1945
Peni missed her dad.
The young, dark haired girl sat up on the bed and hugged her knees to her chest. It'd only been a few days since her dad left - for her sake, she reminded herself - and still she couldn't stop thinking about it. Her dad was gone and it was because of her. Because she'd gotten careless and the wrong people found out who - what - she was.
She pressed her face against her legs and sniffled. Her thoughts drifted back to their goodbye a few days ago. She'd clung to his legs, cried and begged for him not to go while the mean man with the eyepatch and cigar and the blonde man with the shield just stared at them. Her dad told her that it'd be alright and that he'd see her again soon, but she didn't listen. She didn't want to see him again soon; she wanted him here now.
There was a skittering across her legs and eventually a small weight settled on her right knee. Sad. She looked up and, through teary eyes, saw her best friend sitting down at her knee in a slump. The black, long legged spider sagged across the small space and she immediately felt bad. She rubbed his thorax gently and forced herself to smile. Whatever she felt he did too.
"Sorry..."
'Miss.'
"Yeah, I do..." She sighed and laid down fully. Spider (he didn't have a name and never accepted any she gave him) skittered up her body to her left cheek. Peni closed her eyes and focused on the noises outside. It was noon now so the feast shelter was full. Auntie Mary Jane would be busy now, just like she'd always been after she took over after Grandma May's death a couple of years ago.
'Hate.'
"She didn't hate us." Peni shook her head gently. She didn't know exactly what happened between her and dad, but apparently it had something to do with her mom and the way she was born. Her dad never told her even when she asked, always telling her he'd do it when she got older, and Grandma May didn't say anything either. Now she wished she said something before the pneumonia hit her.
She hadn't left her room much. Ever since her dad went away she didn't have the energy and Auntie Mary Jane told her it wasn't safe outside. They opened up that camp in Long Island a couple of weeks ago and she knew people like her were being taken. It was enough that both her and dad told her to pretend to be Chinese if anyone asked. They still weren't treated well, but at least they weren't taken to the camps.
'Friends.'
"We can't go out, Spider..." Peni mumbled. It wasn't like she didn't want to see Hiro. He was one of the few Japanese friends she had here. A lot of the others looked down on her because of who her dad was. Hating people who were different came from everyone, her dad said.
'Sick.'
"I know his aunte's sick." Hiro was really worried about it the last time she saw him. His family didn't make much and it was getting harder and harder for them to afford medicine. She'd begged her dad to help and he gave them some medicine. She still remembered Hiro crying and hugging and thanking her for it. She blushed slightly at the memory and, just for a moment, forgot all about how sad she was about her dad leaving.
She really did want to see him again, but what could she do? Her dad told her to follow whatever whatever Auntie Mary Jane said and even if she went to Auntie Felicia she'd just send her back here too. She was worried about the camps just like her dad was. Even with how much money she had she couldn't protect her if the soldiers and the people in the suits wanted her.
It was the same reason dad had to leave after the people from S.H.I.E.L.D knew what she was.
'Leave.'
"I...I dunno." She sat up and bit her lower lip while Spider moved to the top of her head. She really did want to see Hiro again, but what if she got caught? Auntie Mary Jane would be so mad and then she'd tell her dad and then he'd be mad too. Auntie Felicia might get mad too and after that she wouldn't be able to get those fancy treats Spider liked. It was just too risky.
'Worried.'
"Of course I'm worried! But..."
'Quick.'
She looked out to the midday sun. Auntie Mary Jane would be busy helping the people for at least a few hours and Hiro's place wasn't too far if she ran for it. If she went there and just handed the medicine then she could make it back before anyone would know she was gone. Her dad taught her not to draw attention to herself and she knew the alleys. No one would catch her if she didn't want it.
Nodding resolutely, she made her way to the dresser and changed out of her pajamas. Spider jumped from her head and and grabbed the bottle of medicine from the drawer while she pulled out the small bag from under her bed.
She opened the zipper slowly and looked at the tech inside. This was the reason S.H.I.E.L.D wanted her. Ever since Spider bit her when she was a baby she'd been smart; smarter than most kids or even adults. Spider showed her things and she built them. Not the exact same way since she didn't have the parts for it, but close enough. Her dad helped.
She put the small web grenades in her pocket and strapped the webshooter to right wrist. This was the hardest thing to make. The vision Spider showed her had them look small and something she could hide easily. The ones she made were big and bulky and covered most of her wrist up to her elbow. Dad told her never to use it unless she had to. Hopefully this counted.
Peni put on the loose coat and Spider hid inside her collar, "Hold on." She opened the window and clicked the webshooter twice. The web stuck to the windowsill and she slowly climbed down to the alley below. She didn't have her dad's powers. If she fell she'd hurt her legs, "Mmm." She clicked another button when she landed and the web detached, hanging awkwardly from the window. She'd clean it up when she came back.
She pulled up her collar and ran through the familiar alleyways. She'd gone through this place dozens of times. She could probably close her eyes and wouldn't hit a wall once.
Peni made it to Hiro's apartment building in just 10 minutes. She put her hands on her knees and panted. Tired. Peni rolled her eyes. Yeah, of course she was tired. She didn't have her dad's powers. Spider told her it was because he was the last of the spiders on his group so she couldn't contact the guy who gave her dad his powers. The visions were the best he could do.
She went inside quickly and ran up the stairs. Hiro's place was on the third floor. Peni saw a few people whispering when they saw her and ignored it. She always got look from the people who just looked at her eyes and skin. They called her a lot of things to her face. Jap, Nip, Half-breed...it hurt at first, but now she just ignored it. Her dad taught her not to pay attention to what idiots thought about her.
Peni knocked on the door gently, "Hiro? Tadashi? Mr and Mrs. Hamada?" No answer. Brows furrowing worriedly, she jiggled the knob and was surprised that it wasn't locked. Peni looked around briefly then slipped inside.
The entire place was empty. She called out their names again and still got no answer, "Hello?" She checked all the rooms. Nothing, not a trace. Did they all leave? No, that didn't make any sense. The door wasn't locked and none of their things were here. Maybe they moved? Hiro did say they might have to find another place, but she always thought it wouldn't happen so soon.
She felt that small tingle at the back of her head and her hands drifted to the web grenades in her pocket, "Who's there?" a loud, cranky voice cried out. Peni looked back and her shoulders sagged slightly when she saw Mr. Monroe. He was a mean old man who always seemed to wear the same stained shirt that barely held in his gut.
"It's me, Mr. Monroe!" she said.
"Ugh, great, the Jap." He didn't like her. At all. Which was fine since she didn't like him either. The only reason she ever talked to him is cause he owned the building and he never stopped being so nosy, "Your little boyfriend ain't here. Get lost."
'Eat'
'No, I'm not eating him. He probably tasted bad.' she chided mentally, "Where's Hiro? And the rest of the family?"
"They're gone." He grunted.
"Gone where?"
"What's it matter? You ain't gonna see them again."
Peni grit her teeth. He was always so annoying! "Fine, I guess I'll get my dad to ask then." His eyes widened briefly then he grit his teeth in a scowl. Mr. Monroe was scared of her dad. She didn't know why but she knew it was the reason the worst thing he did was throw slurs at her when dad wasn't around.
"Fine, you little..." he muttered a few more expletives under his breath then finally said, "They got taken to that camp up on long island. Guess some of the other tenants didn't like spies hangin' around."
"Wh-What?! Who?!"
"I don't know. I'd give em a piece of my mind if I knew - the Japs still owed me this month's rent and now I'm out some long green cause of that snitch."
Peni ignored his selfish rant and ran back down to the ground floor. Hiro and the rest of his family were gone. Taken. Why? Because people were scared? They didn't do anything! Just because there was some war going on somewhere else didn't mean the people who lived here were bad! Mr and Mrs. Hamada were some of the nicest people she knew! They didn't deserve this!
She was crying again. Peni wiped the tears on the sleeves of her coat while Spider nuzzled her cheek. This wasn't fair...
'Camp.'
"Go to the camp? We can't. We're supposed to be back before Auntie Mary Jane finds out we left." And even if they did go there what then? The place had soldiers and they wouldn't let them in. Or they'd lock her up.
'Sneak'
Peni bit her lip. Her dad taught her things. How to sneak away, where to hit someone bigger. Only to defend herself, he said. The world outside was dangerous and he couldn't always be there to protect her. If it was dark enough and the guards were tired then she could maybe sneak inside, but even then she couldn't save Hiro and the rest of his family.
Her dad could've. He could save anyone - he was a hero. He saved Auntie Mary Jane and Auntie Felicia and the people who came to him for help. But not her. She couldn't be a hero.
'Medicine.'
She gripped the bottle of antibiotics tightly. She'd heard stories of the camps. People crammed together and treated like prisoners just because of the color of their skin and the way their eyes were shaped. People got sick there and none of the soldiers cared. Hiro's aunt was already sick and they wouldn't get any medicine. Even if the bottle was small it could still help.
"...Okay, let's go."
She made her way there on her foot. By the time she got there the sun was out and the night chill was enough to make her shiver. Peni sunk into her coat and crouched behind a bush. The camp was big with a high fence to keep everyone inside. She snuck over to where there weren't as many guards and ran to the fence. She only had one chance or else they'd catch her.
She clicked twice and shot a line of web to the top of the fence. She scrambled up and over as quietly as she could and jumped into a nearby trench just before the guard passed by again. The web was dark enough that he wouldn't see it unless he looked close and even if he did find it he'd just think a giant spider made it.
Peni waited for the footsteps to fade before she hopped up the trench and into the main part of the camp. Her coat and face were dirty because of the fall but it made it easier to blend in with the others. Peni looked around the crowds of people and held back a cry. All of them looked so sad and beaten. This was wrong. She wished she could do something.
She saw a familiar head of dark hair not too far away and she ran to him, "Hiro!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him into an embrace.
Hiro turned around and, after a few seconds of wide eyed surprise, hugged her back, "P-Peni?" They separated and Peni nodded tearfully. He hugged her again and laugh cried, "Wh-What are you- did they take you too?"
"No, I snuck in." She grabbed the bottle and raised it triumphantly, "Antibiotics! Didn't your Auntie Cass need them?"
"Y-Yeah, she does, but-" He lowered the bottle and looked around warily, "Come on, we should get inside."
Hiro led her to one of the big houses. It was cramped and filled with beds, but for now it was empty except two people in the corner. Peni recognized them immediately, "Mrs. Hamada." Peni hugged her too and frowned at the other woman sleeping on the bed. Ms. Cass looked worse than when he saw her last. Her skin was pale and clammy and her eyes were sunken in.
"Peni. So Peter couldn't stop you from being taken too, hm?" She smiled down at her sadly.
"She didn't get caught, mom. She snuck in." Hiro handed her the bottle, "She brought us some medicine. Auntie Cass can get better now, right?"
Mrs. Hamada took the bottle. She wasn't smiling, "I...thank you for doing this, Peni, but I'm afraid this won't be enough?"
"I-I can get more medicine! Just tell me what you need-"
"It's not that. It's this place." She scowled, "Cass needs to be in a hospital, not trapped in here and forced to work. The only reason they let me in here to watch over her is because she finally collapsed today."
"Then...Then what do we do?" Hiro asked. Peni held his hand and squeezed it.
"I don't think there's anything we can-" her eyes suddenly widened and Peni felt the tingle again, "Peni, you need to hide."
"Wh-What-"
Without another word both she and Hiro shoved her into the a nearby dresser and closed the door. Peni peeked through the small crack. She heard the door open and footsteps drew closer to them, "What are you doing here?" a rough voice asked. Peni looked closer and saw the tall, pale skinned man wearing a labcoat. He was looking right at Hiro, "Shouldn't you be working outside?"
"I...I wanted to check on my aunt," Hiro said softly.
"Hmm..." He looked past him and picked up the bottle of medicine on the bed, "Where did you get this, boy?" Hiro didn't answer.
"W-We had it in case of an emergency." Mrs. Hamada said, "My sister is sick. If we didn't treat her she would die. Please, Dr. Connors-"
"I'm not interested in your excuses." He pocketed the bottle with a sneer.
"My aunt needs that! You can't-"
Two soldiers - must have been the other footsteps she heard - stepped forward. One of them smacked Hiro in the face with the butt of his rifle. Peni covered her mouth with both hands to keep from screaming while Mrs. Hamada shouted and cried at them in Japanese, "You know the punishment for disobeying the rules. Take them both. I'm sure we can find a use for them below.
Peni and Hiro's eyes met for just a second, but she saw what he meant to stay: 'Don't do anything.' He wanted to her to escape even though this was all her fault. Peni shut her eyes tightly and argued with herself. Could she go out there and save them? Even if she could they couldn't carry out Ms. Cass and they wouldn't leave her behind.
The choice was made for her. She didn't know if it was because a noise eked through her clamped hands or something else entirely, but one of the soldiers stared at the dresser with with narrowed eyes. Hiro gasped and, before she could say anything, tackled the soldier's side.
"Peni, run!"
Peni's body moved on its own. She fell out of the dresser with a crash and ran to the door. She was almost there when a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders from behind and lifted her up into the air, "Who are you?!" The scientist screamed, spit flying at her face. Peni screamed struggled in a panic, "I don't recognize you. Are you a new prisoner?! Answer me!"
He shook her roughly and didn't notice Spider jump. He landed on his face and bit his mandibles down his right eye. The scientist let go of her and screamed, both hands pressed against his face. Peni grabbed Spider in a panic and ran out of the door back to the camp outside. The people outside were still shocked, unsure of what was happening inside the cabin.
She ran back to the fence. A few of the soldiers noticed her escape and chased after her. Peni fumbled for the web grenades in her pocket and threw them all behind her.
She didn't look back, but she did hear their screams and curses. Hopefully it meant they were all trapped. She scrambled up and over again before another soldier grabbed her, "Hey, I've got her! I've-"
Peni webbed his face and kicked him between the legs. The soldier fell and she kept running, straight into the forest with the sounds of screams and sirens behind her.
Back at the camp, a pale man in a wheelchair rolled his way to the trapped soldiers. He paid the confused and panicking fools no mind and picked at the dark silk between his fingers. He knew it all too well.
Otto Octavius' face split into an ugly smile. It appeared the Spider was interfering in his work again. This time he'd see to it that it'd be the last.
Well...that didn't go well. Looks like Peni's first foray into being a good Samaritan didn't work out so well for her. Then again what else can you expect when a 10 year old tries to play hero with nothing more than some web ejectors, a weak spider-sense and her best spider friend.
Anyway, as the end of the chapter indicates Peni's main baddie will be the monstrous scientist, Otto Octavius. I figured a non-physical, cerebral antagonist fits a non-physical, cerebral protagonist. I'll save the identity of Noir's baddie for now. Hopefully this chapter was enjoyable.
Questions:
1. Do you guys want Noir and a 10 year old Peni to work together? Right now the two scenes are very solo focused - in the 1934 segments Peni's an infant while in the 1945 segments Noir is in Germany after the deal with SHIELD.
2. Should Peni get access to a steampunk-esque mech or do I just have her stick with gadgets and stealth?
Review Answers:
Retrogunner7 - Most readers just ignore his references, same way Gwen helped dismantle HYDRA and fight Skrulls in the timeskip.
Cyclopz - Something tells me this father-daughter relationship isn't going to be so happy. Being a single dad in the 30's is hard.
Nameless - Nope, can't say I've seen it.
That Geeky Guy - He's 19 since he was 18 when he impregnated Yuri, but yeah. Hopefully I do this single dad thing right.
Lolrus555 - To be fair I did imagine that original Noir in Looking Glass had a Troy Baker voice. Also, as much as I like the compliment, the Cohen club scene happened after Noir's true identity was already revealed. I just made that scene cause I like the scene, not for foreshadowing.
Sure, hit me up with any fic help you need :)
