We found the abandoned gas station that Betty saw on our way to the club. As Scott pulled into the parking lot, Kitty passed ski masks to MJ, Betty, and Ned. Without question, they put them on. Betty patted her covered face a few times before she looked down at herself.
"I feel like I scheduled a robbery right before a gala," she joked. That got a chuckle out of everyone else.
"So, how are you going to interrogate this guy?" Ned asked.
"We'll worry about that once we get him situated," Scott replied as he himself masked up. After putting on his glasses and fedora, he looked over his shoulder at Ned. "Would you kindly monitor the police frequency? We'll need to know if we have to clear as soon as possible."
"I got you."
Scott nodded. "Okay. Everyone else, let's go."
We filed out of the SUV. After Scott made his way around back and unlocked the tailgate, he lifted it open, allowing Joanna to grab Doug and hoist him on her shoulder with ease. I couldn't help but look at her for a bit. It occurred to me that, prior to this moment, I never knew what her powers were or if she had any powers to begin with. From what I just saw, I figured she had super strength. But people with super strength rarely, if ever, had that as their only power.
I'm living proof of that.
Joanna turned her face towards me and smirked. "You look shocked, Little Spider," she teased.
"I… I didn't know you have powers," I explained.
"She has quite the set of powers," Scott spoke up. He beckoned us to follow him to the front door of the gas station.
Joanna scoffed. "You talk as if you know."
Scott came to a stop and turned around, facing her. "I know quite a bit about you, Frenzy." Joanna's mouth went ajar as her eyebrows rose. Underneath my mask, I smirked. Scott finally caught her off guard. Scott continued. "I know you can lift at least 10 tons, run up to around 60 miles an hour, exert yourself physically for hours and hours before you even start getting a little weary, have the agility and reflexes that would put even the most elite of athletes to shame, and steel hard skin comparable to Luke Cage's."
Joanna stared at Scott for some seconds. She then chuckled as she shook her head. "How did you know?"
"I heard stories about you, too. Particularly, there was one time in, Alaska, where an abandoned oil rig exploded. Allegedly, said oil rig was being used as a stop for a human trafficking operation. And, allegedly, a Marine who you match the description of went AWOL and laid waste to it – but not before getting those being trafficked onto a fishing boat belonging to a crew that decided to help out. I've kept my ear out for you ever since. Of course, I never knew your real name. But the more I've been around you, the more I was able to piece things together." He paused for a moment. "I have to say, for someone with steel hard skin, it feels rather soft."
Joanna turned her head away. If I didn't know any better, I could have sworn she was embarrassed.
"I'm no hero," she said quietly.
"I beg to differ," Scott replied. Joanna looked back at him. She then gave him a smile – no mischief or suggestiveness, just an earnest smile.
"Well, I'll handle the door," Craig stated. "I'm guessing codenames from here on out?" Scott nodded. "Alright." He pulled out two picks started to work on the door. As Frictor worked, I turned towards MJ.
"How are you feeling?" I asked, checking up on her.
"I feel like we're about to film a UK Drill video," MJ deadpanned. She looked at me. Despite her mouth being covered, I can tell she was smiling. I chuckled. "Seriously, how do you spend all night in a mask?"
"A lot of experience and a lot of experimentation with fabrics," I replied. "One never thinks such a thing would be an important part of being a superhero, but sometimes, it's the little things, you know?"
It was at this point that Frictor got the door unlocked. "Access granted," he spoke before he opened the door. One by one, we entered. Once inside the former store, I looked around. It was dirty. There were pieces of old newspapers and crushed empty cans all over the floor. The only bit of a light came through the window from the street light outside. And even then, it still wasn't much – the dust on the windows dimmed the light quite a bit.
"Hey Frenzy," I spoke. "Would you lean him up against the wall?" Joanna… or Frenzy… obliged, taking Doug off of her shoulder before placing him against the wall. "Thank you, kindly." I brought my arms out and shot out two bursts of webbing. Joanna stepped out of the way, narrowly avoiding the webbing that pinned Doug against the wall.
"How's it looking outside?" Cyclops asked, apparently talking to Ned.
"Everything looks clear," Ned replied over our communication pieces. "Police were called to The Bar, but they don't have much to work on, thanks to Peter and Edith."
"We don't know how long that'll last," Shadowcat commented. She then walked up to the Doug. "Time for you to wake up, Sunshine!" She brought her hand around and slapped him across the face with an audible smack. Doug grunted as he stirred. Shadowcat backed away as Doug came to. Slowly, he opened and closed his eyes repeatedly.
"What… what is this?" he mumbled out. He tried to move off of the wall, only to see that he was stuck. He looked down at himself. He then looked at us. "…The X-Men?"
"Nah, we're The Avengers," Frictor snarked. "We came to offer you a spot on the team."
"What do you want with me? I've done nothing to you guys!"
"It's not so much about what you did as it is about who you work for," Cyclops explained. "We have reason to believe that Hammer Industries is holding one of our own captive. We also have reason to believe that they're holding them in a secret facility in the Sonoran Desert. And considering that you both work for Hammer Industries and live in the Palm Springs area, we have reason to believe you have information that we need. So, we need you to talk."
"I don't know anything about this facility you're talking about," Doug spat. "I just live out here on Hammer Industries' dime. And I'm not the only one."
"Wow, so they pay you to stay out here and live it up?" I mocked, fake awe in my voice. "Man, I never had a job like that before." I turned towards Frictor. "Have you?"
"Can't say I have," he replied. He looked at Doug. "Do they have any openings in that department? What did you put on your resume to get it? Do you need a Bachelor's degree for that job of yours?"
"If it hasn't been made apparent, we don't believe you," Joanna cut in as she stepped forward. "As a matter of fact, I know you're lying. See, I know Justin has always been a shady character, so a secret facility would be so on brand for him. Now, I'm not going to act as if I'm the poster child for upstanding behavior, but I like to think I have standards. But, enough about me – let's talk about you, and the information you got in your head. We're not letting you go unless you spill. So, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. And while I have no problem with doing things the hard way – especially with a tactless horn dog like you – I think my colleagues here would prefer the less grisly route. So what's it going to be?" Doug stared at her for a few moments. He then chuckled. Said chuckle became a full on laugh. We all looked at each other, wondering if this guy was serious. We all looked back at him. Joanna became irritated. "I'm sorry, did I say something funny?"
"Do you think I'm stupid?" Doug asked mockingly as he continued to laugh. "I already know about you guys. The X-Men and Spider-Man killing? Give me a break. You guys never go too far. You don't even kill! All I have to do is wait you out before you guys just leave me alone!"
"…Who lied to you?" Betty asked in an eerily sweet tone.
Doug stopped laughing as he looked at Betty. "…What do you mean?"
At that, Betty put her right hand over her mouth and giggled like a stereotypical schoolgirl. "Sweetie, what you told us is… somewhat true. See, the 'No kill, no excessive force' thing… it's not a rule. It's a guideline. Granted, it's one that we try our very best to adhere to. But, just like how rules are meant to be broken at times, guidelines are meant to be deviated from. And, sweetie, we have deviated from our guidelines quite a few times, much to our chagrin."
Betty took this time to slowly walk up to Doug. We all stayed quiet as Joanna stepped aside. Well, most of us did. Ned took that moment to voice what we were all thinking.
"…Whoa…"
Betty stopped in front of Doug before she tilted her head. "…You say you're not stupid. I hope that's true, because I'm going to lay down the details of your current situation. Right now, no one knows where you are. Every bit of surveillance footage that could have been used to track us has been scrubbed and erased. For all your buddies know… you basically disappeared off of the face of the Earth." She made a noncommittal noise with a shake of her head. "And now, you're in a room full of rather dangerous people, and you only know what five of us can do. It's sad to see, but sucks to suck." She brought her hands together dramatically, causing Doug to flinch. "So, what should we do about our guideline, sir? Will you allow us to stick to it? Or will we have to deviate?" Doug didn't say a word at first. He just stared Betty. Betty sighed in disappointment. "Unfortunate." She turned away. "So, shall we take turns or…?"
"I'll talk!" Doug yelled out. "I'll talk!"
"Smartest thing you said all night," Betty replied in a tone that actually sounded complimentary as she turned back to Doug. MJ and I looked at each other. I never seen Betty act this way, and I don't think MJ ever seen her act this way either. "So why were you reassigned?"
"There's a secret facility out in the desert," Doug began.
"You don't say!" Frictor replied in fake shock, earning a glare from our captive.
"Frictor," Betty chastised lightly as she looked over her shoulder at him. "Let him speak." She turned her attention back to Doug. "Don't mind Frictor. He gets a little agitated at times, but he means well. Please, Doug, continue."
"As I said, there's a secret facility out in the desert. It was shut down when the company got investigated over the Stark Expo incident – you know the one. But, ahead of Justin Hammer's release from prison and reinstatement as CEO of Hammer Industries, it was reopened… allegedly."
Betty nodded a few times. "So what's going on in that facility for it be off the books?"
"…I… I don't know." Doug averted his eyes. I could hear his heartbeat go up. He was lying.
"I don't believe that," I growled out.
Betty sighed as she shook her head. "Doug, please don't play dumb with me. Don't you know it's rude to lie to a lady? Especially considering that said lady has some friends who are not as… polite… with their questioning." I heard the sound of metal rubbing against each other. I looked over my shoulder to see Shadowcat with a kunai in each hand, sliding the sharp edges of each one against one another back and forth. Just like during the Midtown incident, I laced my hands together and pushed them outwards, audibly cracking my knuckles. The room was dimly lit up by a red glow – no doubt from Cyclops.
"You might want to tell her the truth," MJ spoke up in an eerie tone. "I've gone three weeks without having to burn someone alive from the inside. I'm still haunted by the smell of burning organs and the sight of smoke leaving the orifices of those that forced my hand." MJ slowly walked up to Doug and brought her right hand up. "Are you going to make me break that streak? Therapy is expensive, you know?"
Doug's heartbeat rose up even more. I started to see sweat form on his forehead. He was panicking.
"Th-th-th-they," he sputtered out.
"Take your time," Betty encouraged. "Use your words."
"The facility… it's a part of Hammer Industries' secret research branch. They deal with things such as pharmaceuticals, genetic research alteration, chemical weapons and the like!"
"How many floors are in this facility?" Cyclops demanded.
"It's five! The first and top floor is the administration and security floor. The next two floors are labs and such. The second to last floor is where the testing areas are. And the bottom floor is… The bottom floor is where they keep the test subjects."
"That's likely where they're keeping her," Frictor stated. He sighed. "So we know it's underneath the gas station. How does one enter?"
"Through the garage," Doug replied. "The code is…"
"We won't need it," Cyclops interrupted. "I'm usually one for subtlety, but every now and again, I like to enter really loudly. And with that, we leave. We'll call the police at noon tomorrow and let them know you're here. Hang tight until then." Cyclops turned towards all of us. "Let's go."
"You're going to leave me here?!" Doug bellowed out.
"Look, despite my dislike for you, it's nothing personal," Joanna replied. "But if we let you go now, you're just going to tip off your higher ups, and we really don't need that. So… have a good night." With that, we all left as Doug yelled at us, calling us some really foul names. Once outside, Frictor used his lock picks to lock the door.
We made our way back to the SUV. We all filed in quietly, except for Frictor. He lifted up the carpet on the floor of the second floor seats before he lifted it a trapdoor. In the revealed compartment were several license plates and a screw driver. He picked up a license plate from Arkansas along with the screwdriver before he walked around to the back of the vehicle.
As we waited for Frictor to switch license plates, Ned turned to Betty. "Sweetie… what you did in there?" he started. He smiled widely. "That was badass!"
"I have to admit, that was pretty impressive," Cyclops added.
"Guys, stop," Betty replied bashfully as she bowed her head and covered her already masked face with her hands.
"Seriously, where did that come from?" I asked.
"I'd like to know, too," Frenzy said with a smile.
Betty lifted her face from her hands and looked around at all of us. "Okay, I'll tell you guys, but promise you won't laugh at me."
"I promise we won't laugh at you," Shadowcat assured.
It was during this that Frictor returned, opening the door of the SUV. "Laugh about what?"
"About how Betty was able to put the fear of God into Doug," MJ explained.
Frictor chuckled as he deposited the license place that was previously on the SUV. "Oh, I want to know." He closed the compartment before he moved inside.
"Okay… so…" Betty took in a breath. "…So, as a couple of you here may know, I… I write fanfiction. And… I've been writing one where we're all a part of this hero group." She paused. "Except for you, Frenzy. But I promise I got you in the sequel."
"No worries," Frenzy said dismissively. "But please, continue."
"So yeah, I may or may not have channeled an original character that's based on how I think I'd act like if I was a hero."
We all went quiet for several moments. Frenzy then smiled.
"…Oh that is adorable," Frenzy commented.
"You write fanfiction about us?" Cyclops asked. I couldn't tell if he was disturbed or genuinely curious.
"I do," Betty admitted. "Quite a bit actually. And, I admit… some of them involve a lot of crackshipping."
"…Yeah, I'm going to need all of that," Frictor stated with a chuckle. "But after the mission, though."
"Ditto on all of that," Shadowcat replied.
"Speaking of character," I cut in. I turned my head towards MJ. "What was that?"
"I may or may not have spent time in The Drama Club," MJ answered deviously. "Did I scare you?"
"…To be honest?" I leaned over and whispered in her ear. "It kind of turned me on a bit."
MJ scoffed before she whispered low enough so only I can hear. "Everything I do turns you on."
"You're not wrong."
"Okay, everyone, let's get back to the motel," Cyclops announced. "Once we're out of sight of the gas station, we'll take our masks off. And go to sleep. We're going to have a long day ahead of us in the morning, so we'll need all the rest we can get."
No one said anything as he started the SUV and drove. There wasn't even a joke from Joanna. I guess it started to sink in. In the morning, we were going into a hidden research facility, not knowing what was going to be waiting for us to get back one of our own. I bowed my head a bit. I was nervous. I was worried. In my head, I had so many bad case scenarios running through my head. A part of me felt ashamed for feeling this way. The X-Men rescued me from a dark place. They were a huge reason my life was back on track. And they brought me into the fold and made me one of their own. And yet here I was, feeling shaky.
Back at the motel, I was about to hit the hay early. However, MJ grabbed me by the shoulder before I could.
"Shower first, then sleep," she ordered. I whined a bit, but complied. And I was glad for it. As soon as I entered the bathroom, I took a whiff of myself and…
"Yikes," I muttered to myself.
After 15 minutes in the shower, I dried myself before I made my way out, using the towel to cover my bottom half. As I walked out, MJ walked in, carrying a couple of pieces of clothing in with her. As she showered, I got ready for bed, getting dressed in a pair of blue boxers and a red t-shirt. About twenty minutes later, MJ was done. She walked out, dressed in a pair of black boxers and this white t-shirt with black sleeves and a red spider on the front. I remembered that shirt – it was handed out by some recruits from University of Richmond that visited Midtown.
"So, how're you feeling about tomorrow?" MJ asked as she joined me in bed.
"I haven't felt this nervous since The Battle of Earth," I replied with a huff of my breath. "I know I shouldn't, since, logically, The Battle of Earth had higher stakes. But…"
"Maybe it's because the stakes feel a bit more personal?" MJ offered.
"I mean… The Battle of Earth was personal, too." I looked up towards the ceiling. "If we lost… people would have been lost again. And I don't know if we would get a third chance to do it all over again."
Michelle nodded a couple of times. "That is true. But, right now, you're here for your family. And you and your family – The X-Men – are here to help Craig get closure. Getting that closure is a huge risk and danger in and of itself. Plus, add in the fact that there's a chance that Carmilla could be… you know… The point is you'd be crazy not to be extremely nervous."
I looked at her. "You don't think that makes me weak?"
"It makes you human." She then smiled mischievously. "That, and that boner you had when I was grinding against you."
I wouldn't realize it until some days later, but Michelle brought that subject up to distract me from my own nerves for the mission itself. When I realized it, I was grateful that she did. I was in my head about the rescue mission. I didn't want to let my fellow X-Men down. I especially didn't want to let Craig down. So, her teasing was a blessing.
However, that would be days later. At this very moment, the only thing on my mind was embarrassment.
"Oh my gosh!" I exclaimed. My face heated up as I covered my face with my hands.
"I didn't mind it," MJ assured as she patted my stomach. Slowly, I lowered my hands and looked at her. Still, there was that smile of mischief. "But just know, when the Valentine's Day Dance happens, we can't dance like that unless we want to get kicked out."
"Well, if worse comes to worst, we can take it to the roof," I pointed out in partial jest.
At that, she chucked shortly. "Well, it'd be better than the counter at Peter Pan."
"You know, you keep bringing that up." I turned onto my side so I could look straight at her without straining my neck. "…Are you sure that's not something you'd be interested in?" I was semi-joking. A bit to my surprise, MJ answered candidly.
"…Okay, I'll be honest. The first time I said it, it was supposed to be a joke. But the closer we got, the more and more I thought about us actually doing that. Maybe, somewhere down the line, if I ever become that crazy, we can talk about it. But…" She paused for a moment. "…Look, I never had sex before. I'm not one of those people who make a big deal about virginity. I'm not one of those people who want to have their first time be super special or anything. So, don't worry about having a thousand candles lit or having the bed and floor covered in a ridiculous amount of rose petals. But, I do have a bit of a criteria for when it happens. For one, I want it to be with someone I love. Secondly, we'd both have to be ready. And lastly, it has to happen on a bed, preferably in a bedroom in a home that at least one of us lives in."
"…Em… can I be honest?" MJ narrowed her eyes, but nodded. "I think that sounds super special."
At that, she scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Of course you would." I smiled. "So what about you? How would you want your first time to go?"
"I never really thought about it," I admitted. I frowned slightly. "You're the first person I ever had any semblance of sexual activity with and the only thing I'm sure of is that I want my first time to be with you."
MJ smirked. I saw her face become a bit flush. After that, she raised her eyebrows a bit. "So you never had any fantasies regarding us? Or any type of dream?"
I paused for a moment. I then smiled sheepishly. "…I've had quite a few dreams. Nothing major, though."
She lifted up her hand and playfully jabbed her finger into my shoulder. "Tell me one."
Internally, I sighed. I knew she wasn't going to let it go. Even if I refused now, she'd just ask later. Though, to be frank, I wasn't too opposed to telling her.
"Okay… so…" I paused. "All of my dreams of that matter ends with us… doing the deed. But, how we get to the point differs. So there's one that's like… So, during one dream, we were out in some countryside, walking to a town because our car broke down or something. And then it started raining hard. We start running. A couple of minutes later, I pointed out this creepy house out in the distance. You were reluctant at first. 'This is a horror movie scenario – black people don't do well in horror movie scenarios,' you said." At that, MJ chuckled. I smiled before I continued. "But, we eventually get there, and we knock the door. The door opens, showing this maid. She lets us in. She explains that the family who owns the house was out of town. She was nice. She set us up with a room we could stay for the night. She even had the cooks make us dinner."
"What was it?" MJ asked.
I took a moment to try and recall the details. "I think it was coq au vin for the main course with this buttery baguette on the side and Black Forest gateau. It was a pretty fancy dinner. Once we were done, we went to bed. Except, when we got to the bedroom, we realized it was one bed. We fought over who would sleep on the floor – we both wanted the other to take the bed. And then we decided to share it. We tried to go to sleep, but we couldn't. So, we just talked about school and stuff. And then you asked me about Liz. See, this was before I told you I was Spider-Man, though you were about 67 percent sure I was."
MJ scoffed. "You're not very discreet."
I chuckled. "I was definitely not as discreet as I thought I was," I agreed. I stopped chuckling, though I was still slightly smiling. "But yeah, you asked about Liz. I said I missed her quite a bit, but things were over between us before it really began and it was my fault. I told you I felt like a horrible person, and you told me I wasn't. You talked about how smart I was and everything. And then… you told me you liked me. I looked at you, all surprised. I thought you were screwing with me. Then you kissed me. Kissing led to touching. And then… yeah."
MJ gave me that lopsided smile. "How was I?"
"I think I cried tears of joy," I replied in earnest. "And then Aunt May woke me up. It would take me a while but… I started to realize that I liked you."
Her smile became a bit wider. "Well, I want to make you happy cry in real life. As a matter of fact, I want to ruin you so bad that no one else can compare to me."
"Well jokes on you – if I can help it, I won't ever know what anyone else is like and wow, that sounded a lot better in my head." I groaned as I rolled onto my back.
"I'm in love with a dork," MJ mockingly lamented. She sighed for dramatic effect. "Come here, Loser." She raised her right shoulder briefly. I smiled bashfully before I rolled onto and laid my head on her shoulder. She brought her arm and rubbed her hand slowly up and down my back. "…You're the only person I want to ruin." She placed a kiss on my forehead. I closed my as I moaned at the touch. "Now get some sleep." I kept my eyes closed as I nodded, ready to doze off.
"Good night, MJ."
"Goodnight, Peter."
Things were quiet for a few moments. And then…
"Hey Peter?" MJ spoke up.
"Yes MJ?" I replied.
"I'm copping a feel." I didn't get what she was saying until I felt a squeeze on my butt. And… I didn't hate it. I snuggled closer against her. She relaxed her grip, but kept her hand on my butt.