Peter was alerted by the system in his mask to a text message from M.J:
"Kate told her mom that she's 'staying with a friend from boarding school,' so I'll keep her here for the night. I'm going to try and get some rest too; just drop her gear off when you get a chance. Window will be open."
He felt a little bad that M.J. had to deal with an unexpected house guest, but ultimately Peter was glad that it worked out that way. Avoiding another trip through the city so soon would allow Kate's wound to heal at least a little faster since it sounded like everything had gone well as far as its treatment. Still, he felt the need to send an apologetic reply.
"Okay; sorry for dumping her on you like this. I didn't think through what would happen after you treated her."
Once he sent the message, Peter peeked in through the window and into the room of the visitor from space he had brought in. He hadn't received an update since the first one they gave him, but he hadn't heard any loud beeping or seen any doctors or nurses acting with haste and urgency outside of the boy's arrival, so that had to be good news.
Peter's thoughts wandered to the kid lying in the room. What in the world (or worlds, perhaps) was some kid maybe a couple years off his own age be doing out in space? Had he been left behind, stranded on an alien world as he had been when the Snap occurred? Even more intriguing was the boy's outfit; it looked almost like a uniform, from the boots to the shiny golden helmet. Where did he get it? Did it signify anything? Was it what had kept him alive all this time?
Peter was interrupted from focusing on his mind's incessant questioning by another alert of a text message from his girlfriend.
M.J: "You did the right thing. Also, don't forget to try and get some rest yourself."
Peter promptly sent a reply.
"It's me, remember?"
Her response was equally prompt.
M.J: "That's why I have to tell you, dork. Seriously, be careful."
"Will do," Peter sent in response. He then turned to see one of the doctors finally approaching him.
"What's the latest?" he asked.
"Well, he's still on pace for what we predicted," the doctor replied. "His body is taking in the nutrients and hydration, so his body should more or less get enough to wake up here in a day or so."
"Okay, good," Peter replied, feeling a little relieved. He'd hoped for a little more good news, but right now, even no real news would have to be good news.
"Spider-Man," the doctor spoke up again, "some of the staff have caught on TV what happened, or at least what it appears..."
"I honestly don't know too much, if that's what you're getting at," Peter said.
"Neither does anybody else," the doctor said, "and that's what scares them...scare us. Look, like I said, the kid's not going to wake up for a while, so if you were wanting to do some investigating, we should be able to handle it from here."
Peter turned his head, peering in the window once more. He hated to leave the kid, not just because he was concerned about him, but also because he was hoping that once he'd regained some of his strength, he'd be able to clarify what he'd meant before. The words of warning were still fresh in Peter's mind, and it made sense that by now word had spread through the bystanders near him that had likely heard it.
Others were likely just as concerned as the doctor had been too; though the woman kept her composure, Peter could tell there had been a fear in hiding behind her eyes, and it was a fear that, if he was being honest with himself, was growing in his own mind now. Maybe she was right; maybe he needed to try and get ahead of this thing on his own. Still, he needed to make sure that at least one person had a way of contacting him if the boy should wake up. He reached for his belt area, pulling out a small device, offering it to the doctor.
"You can use this to contact me," he said as the doctor took the device in her hand. "Just press the center to activate it. Please, call me if there is any change in his condition. I want to talk to him as soon as I can."
"Of course," the doctor said.
Peter then began walking down the hall towards the exit. Along the way, he drew the eyes of almost everyone he passed by. Under normal circumstances (or at least whatever passed for them anymore), it would probably be very similar, but even just glancing, Peter could see mixes of fear and hope in their eyes: fear of the unknown, and hope that he would protect them. As he came near the exit, Peter felt an invisible weight steadily increasing along his shoulders. It was the weight of expectation, the weight of thousands if not millions of lives that he had to protect.
He barely had time to process any of this when, as soon as he stepped out the doors of the hospital, he was ambushed by reporters and cameras. Almost instantly, there were a million questions being shouted his direction; he could only pick up bits and pieces, but it wasn't hard to guess what they were asking about.
"I'm looking into it, alright?" he said to someone in the crowd, before firing a web and swinging off. Once he was a sufficient distance away, he dropped to a rooftop, yanking his mask off to let out a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. He steadied his breathing, trying to refocus. Still, the weight on his shoulders felt heavy, and he couldn't stop thinking about the worried looks people were giving him on the way out. It was all so much, but he had to find a way to handle it.
"Easy Pete," he said to himself. "You rebuilt part of an alien spaceship to make it back home. You can figure this out too."
His mind a little steadier, Peter slipped his mask back on, swinging off the building. He didn't know how to proceed overall, but he did have at least some idea of where to start. Since he couldn't talk to the stranger right now, maybe the ship he came in would have some answers.
Returning to the site of the crash, Peter was grateful to see that it hadn't been hauled off by the government just yet. The police had canvassed the area and created a perimeter, keeping people away as best they could. He arced his web, landing near the craft itself.
"Spider-Man, thank goodness," an officer said as they approached him upon landing. "Any idea what this thing is?"
"Nope, but hopefully we can get some answers," he replied. Peter walked closer to the ship, which really was more like a small pod, coming to an angle where he had a clear view of the inside, squatting down on both knees. There wasn't much to see; however, compared to his prior time in spaceships, the controls seemed surprisingly...simple.
"What do you think?" the officer asked.
"Honestly," Peter said, standing back up, "I think it really is just an escape pod of some kind. It's just big enough for one person to fit in, and it looks very simple to pilot, at least from my limited knowledge of spaceships that is."
"So... what was he escaping from then?" the officer asked.
That WAS the question, wasn't it?
"I don't know," he confessed. Opting for a closer view, Peter walked right up to the ship, bending down to get a more thorough look at the inside. He scanned for any potential devices that might contain recordings or any other information, but there didn't appear to be much there. He briefly considered trying out a few buttons, but quickly decided against the idea. There were too many bystanders around; if he even accidentally restarted the ship somehow, it could lead to disastrous results.
Suddenly, a swarm of other vehicles came up, and people in fancy suits came pouring out of them.
"They're the ones coming to get the ship out of here," the officer said, just as the one who looked in charge came up to them both.
"Gentlemen," the man said, "thank you for watching over this, but we'll take it from here."
"Uhm, okay," Peter stammered, "and who are you, exactly?"
"Acting S.W.O.R.D. director Tyler Heyward," he said, extending his hand for Peter to shake, "and I must say it's an honor to meet the last standing Avenger.
"Thanks," Peter said, shaking the man's hand, the phrase he'd just uttered running around in his head.
The last standing Avenger.
"I know this is very sudden," the man said, reaching into his suit's inner pockets, pulling out what appeared to be a business card, "but I believe it will be best if we work together, so here's a way for you to contact me."
"Oh, thanks," Peter said, taking the card from the man's hand. He had to admit, something like this wasn't what he expected from a government organization with a nickname similar to S.H.I.E.L.D. Maybe that was a good thing though, given the latter's uncovered demons within and all that.
"I don't suppose there's anything you can tell us now based off what you've been able to observe is there?" the director asked. Peter shared with the man what he had told the officer and what had happened upon the craft's first arrival. After that, they began working to load up the craft onto a larger vehicle to take away, and Peter decided it was time to investigate elsewhere.
His first stop was back at the Alchemax facility where he and Kate had uncovered the truth earlier that night. Unfortunately, the men who he'd overheard earlier were still running some tests. He landed nearby (though still out of sight) and tried to listen in again, but there was nothing of importance to pick up on, aside from how much trouble they seemed to be having with whatever bug those machines had infected the satellites with.
Giving up on that spot, Peter moved on. He went to past sites that he and Kate had fought the machines at, carefully investigating the areas that he could, even getting into the system to try and figure out what they were doing. The most he could figure out was what appeared to be that they were conducting research on the earth's technology and other random pieces of information, mostly within the last few years. None of it seemed to make sense though; did these machines hope to steal and or assimilate earth's technology for itself? Clearly these things were highly advanced in their functioning, likely beyond anything earth possessed outside of maybe Wakanda, so why would they need anything from here?
Peter searched and investigated all night long, not only looking for answers as to the plot at hand, but also the whereabouts of any such machines like the ones he'd encountered previously. Unfortunately, he had very little success in any of these endeavors, despite thorough searching. With only a couple hours left of actual nighttime before the sun would begin to rise, Peter finally decided to heed M.J.'s advice and at least try and take care of himself a little bit. He returned to where he had stashed Kate's gear, bringing it back to M.J.'s dorm room, where the window was open just as she had promised.
Moving inside very quietly, he could see Kate still fast asleep on the bed, the wounded area still covered in bandaging. M.J. appeared fast asleep as well, having spread a spare blanket and pillow on the floor. Peter wasn't sure how well she could sleep on such a surface, but he himself had gotten used to taking naps on Manhattan rooftops, so he knew he wasn't one to talk.
Setting Kate's gear in a corner of the room, he stepped over to M.J, squatting down next to her. He turned to do one last check to make sure Kate wasn't awake before rolling up his mask halfway up, bending down and giving M.J. the lightest of kisses against her hair.
"I have to figure this out," he thought to himself as he stood up again, pulling his mask back down. "I have to stop this; I WILL stop this, for her."
Quietly taking his leave, Peter swung back off into the city. He decided against going all the way back home, instead choosing a building close to the hospital where he had dropped the stranger off at. The building wasn't that far from where he lived, but still, he wanted to be ready to respond as soon as the system in his suit alerted him that the doctor he'd given the device to decided to use it. He needed answers, and he needed them fast.
Laying down on his chosen rooftop, Peter stared up at the stars for a moment, his mind wondering what was out there that the stranger had been so afraid of? What horrible beings had likely held him captive for so long that he was in such rough condition upon his arrival? Worst of all...what were they planning to do when they got here?
These thoughts circled in Peter's brain until he had no energy left to process them, finally allowing him to fall asleep.
Hope you're still enjoying it!
Continuing to pray for you all; stay safe and healthy!
"You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions." Hebrews 10:34