Eli stared at the television, watching with great interest as the news unfolded. He'd heard some of his friends that he would play ball with talking about it last night, but he wasn't sure he believed it until now. For the last two years or so, there was no talk of any superheroes in the world other than Spider-Man. The guy seemed to be working overtime, even if he was only really active in one city.
Now, however, it seemed that all of that was changing, as reports were running of an encounter two people resembling Iron Man and Hulk had helping Spider-Man rescue people from a bad fire. What was more interesting was that these people seemed to be completely different from the heroes they looked like; the person in the iron suit definitely sounded like a woman from the brief times they showed her talking, and whoever the Hulk guy was, he could actually speak in full sentences.
The news had been saying all morning that they were the "New Avengers," even if Spider-Man didn't quite look like he was on board. Eli observed that he seemed uncomfortable, even overwhelmed once or twice in some of the shots they caught of them all. Still, it appeared to be a solid possibility.
"Eli," he heard his grandfather say, "you want to come out back and give me a hand?"
"Yeah, yeah sure," Eli replied, grabbing the television remote and turning it off. He knew his grandfather didn't actually NEED help with tending the plants he grew in the back yard, but he appreciated that he would still ask to spend time with him like that, even if what likely only to get him to turn the TV off. He turned and headed out towards the back door, where he could already see his grandfather rearranging some stuff, sorting through where exactly to plant some things.
"You trying to grow a forest back here or something?" Eli teased.
"Hm, maybe I will," his grandfather replied. "Might actually spruce up the neighborhood a bit."
Eli let out a laugh as he went over to help, moving some small trees around. Their backyard wasn't very big by any means, but there was still more than enough room for a few trees and a small garden. Being out there was about the only time Eli ever saw his grandfather at peace. The work required seemed to give him a sense of purpose, something he was still searching for himself.
"So, what was so interesting on TV earlier?" his grandfather asked as he went to pick up a shovel.
"Oh, not much," Eli claimed.
"Come on, boy," his grandfather replied, seeing through his lie. "Whatever it was, it sure seemed to catch your eye. Don't know why though; ain't nothing good on anymore really."
"It was just something about some new superheroes or something," Eli said, moving over to grab another potted plant.
"Don't get no ideas," his grandfather replied.
"Why?" Eli asked. "Because maybe I might end up doing something with my life?"
His grandfather stopped digging, firmly gripping the handle as he looked him in the eye.
"Because it's a waste of time," the man said.
"I know you feel that way," Eli said, "and I know why you feel that way, but I can't just keep sitting here when I know I can do more."
"Okay, let's say you do go out there," his grandfather said. "Let's say you even help save the day once or twice. It'll feel good, really good at first. But it won't last."
"You don't know that," Eli replied.
"Boy," his grandfather replied, "I know that better than you think. You know I do."
"Look, grandpa, can we not do this again?" Eli said, moving over to the small garden to check on it. "We've been over this before."
"We keep going over it because you still don't seem to get it," his grandfather protested.
Yep, same old tired conversation alright.
"The garden looks good," Eli said. "If you don't mind, I think I'll actually go for a walk."
His grandfather looked a little disappointed, but he gave no protest about the idea, so Eli went around the side of the house and onto the road. He didn't have anywhere in mind he particularly wanted to go; he just wanted some time to think. It was just so frustrating to know that he could do more than he was, but to have the family he lived with not show support for him to do so.
He hated thinking this way, but if he was honest, Eli almost felt trapped. His grandfather was a bitter man, and that so often seemed to manifest in his daily life. The man had had a hard life, for sure, and Eli knew that the memories, or the pain, of what he suffered would never go away. Still, some part of him was still holding out hope that, somehow, his grandfather might come around and support what he wanted to do one day.
But what if he never did? Would it be wrong of him to still act on what he felt he needed to anyway? Eli believed in family and looking after one another, but the desire to go beyond that was growing in him day by day. He'd even taken some steps to try and be ready should he not be able to refuse the call any longer, but he still hadn't hit that point yet. Eli felt his grandfather needed him, and he didn't want the man to be alone.
After the life he'd had, that might be the worst thing he could do.
No, for now, he would wait. He would just have to try and have as much patience as possible about the situation. He would to keep working at it, and eventually, his grandfather would come around.
Maybe.
There had been no sighting of the three men for a few days now, and Kate was starting to wonder if she was too late. Whoever they were, they seemed to have almost completely vanished. She had tried using facial recognition software and other technological means, but there was nothing. She had investigated Alchemax more, but that was a dead end as well.
Adding to her stress was the fact that she had to be more careful now that her mom was back. The fortunate thing was that their home was huge, so she had plenty of space to work with, but still, Kate's mom seemed like she always wanted to talk, the conversation usually ending up back at the same place: her future. She was at least happy on some level that her mother cared so much, though Kate wasn't completely sure if it was her that she cared about so much as the future of the company, as well as her own image.
Kate knew the tabloids were likely talking about her, particularly since she began to spend less time in the public eye. Speculation over how she was spending her time was likely running rampant, and her mother was probably not too happy about it. She rarely said anything, but Kate could tell she cared a great deal about their family's image in the eyes of the world. She just didn't know exactly where all her priorities were, but she made up her mind not to dwell on it too much. She had a job to do, a mission to accomplish, and no societal or familial pressure was going to stop that.
Looking away from the computer for a moment, Kate pulled the device Spider-Man gave her out of her pocket, turning it over with her fingers. It was a small, simple-looking device, nothing that fancy. The only button was the one in the center that would send out a signal to him if they needed to meet. Something told her that was the way Spider-Man was in real life to: someone to not overcomplicate life but appreciate the simple things.
She still wasn't 100 percent sure as to why he had given her the device in the first place. He seemed genuine in his desire to help, but she was wondering he was doing it more to protect her than to actually work with her. Kate knew that she still had some work to do, but she hated the thought of someone feeling like she needed to be babysat while out in the field. To be fair though, she was the one that came away injured, even if she had fought not to show it in front of him. Honestly, if it hadn't been for him, she might've been in trouble, so maybe he had a point.
One thing Kate didn't doubt though was Spider-Man's heart. He could've been angry and simply turned her over to the authorities or exposed her at their second meeting, but instead, he allowed her to explain and gave her the benefit of the doubt, even though she had given him no reason to do so. Kate may not have known him long, but even after such a short time she believed what the press had been saying the last couple years about Spider-Man being a hero.
Kate's thoughts were interrupted by her computer beeping at her. It had picked up on the location of the guys she'd been tracking; it turned out they were heading for an Alchemax facility that contained access to a large satellite, something that hadn't been present at the other locations as far as she knew. Whatever that meant for their plan, it couldn't be good.
Kate looked at the device Spider-Man gave her. Should she call him in or go and check it out for herself first? It only took her a moment to decide on the former, and she tapped the button before heading to suit up and grab her gear. She would have to put aside any questions about his motivations for now, or any desire she had to prove herself to him.
Right now, the only thing that was important was the mission.
"See! That's totally a practical explosion!"
"Okay, so ONE explosion so far has been a practical effect," Happy said. "Just wait, you'll see what I'm talking about."
"Don't count on it," Peter replied. He had finally convinced Happy to sit down and give the Star Wars prequel trilogy another try, and he wasn't about to let the opportunity to begin debunking the man's accusation regarding it being centered on special effects just a few minutes into the movie. He had a feeling that there would be little actual watching of the films so much as one of them pointing something out what helped their cases to the other party, but it was fine to Peter.
He was confident he would be the one to win in the end.
Unfortunately, they were soon interrupted by Peter's phone making a beeping noise. He reluctantly pulled it out, hoping that it was just M.J. sending him a text or something. Of course, it was no such thing, but instead something Spider-Man related. More specifically, it was coming from one of his signal trackers, which could only mean one thing.
It was Kate.
She must've found the men who attacked them the other night, and if she was signaling him, then she was likely already going after them, and he wasn't about to let her take on three enhanced individuals with just a bow and arrow, resourceful with them as she was.
"Guessing you have to go?" Happy said.
"Yeah," Peter said reluctantly. "I'm sorry man."
"Don't apologize," Happy answered. "There will be other opportunities to show you I'm right."
"Don't count on it," Peter said, pointing his phone in Happy's direction for emphasis. He then got up, promising he would be back as soon as he could be before heading up to his room. By now, he had gotten pretty good at quick changes, so Peter was into his Spider-Man suit in no time. He double checked his web shooters and back up webbing supply before taking off, wanting to make sure he was ready. He had been working on a tougher web strand that he hoped would be able to hold those guys down, maybe even all of them at once if he was lucky.
Once everything was checked on and in order, Peter leapt out the window, firing a web and swinging through the night sky. He fired up his mask to show where Kate's tracker was leading him to. Sure enough, it was in the direction of another Alchemax facility. Everything kept leading back to that place, and hopefully, Peter would find some answers tonight.
He was also worried about Kate though. He knew she deserved the benefit of the doubt; the girl could hold her own, for sure, but after the last time they encountered those guys, he was really hoping she wasn't trying to take on more than she could handle. Peter wasn't going to try and discourage her from it though, as he did not feel like that was his place.
For now, all he could do was be there for her, and hope that that was enough.
Hope you all are still enjoying!
Continuing to pray for you all; stay safe and healthy!
"You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you." Isaiah 26:3