MORE UNEXPECTED SURPRISES
Down in the Quinjet hanger below the Avengers Mansion, the team had just received the Black Panther's call for assistance, and Avengers members such as Captain America, Wasp, Vision, and Hawkeye were seen racing towards and entering the Quinjet so they can rush to the Panther and Spidey at the Wakandan embassy. As Cap quickly takes the pilot's chair, with Hawkeye taking the co-pilot's seat, he looks over his shoulder to address the Vision, whom he can see floating towards and taking a seat, with the shrunken and the Wasp growing to normal size and taking hers. "Vision," said the archer. "Any word from Stark?"
"Affirmative," Vision replied as strapping in. "Iron Man has informed me that he, Ms. Marvel and Thor are almost finished in preventing the oil spill in the North Atlantic Ocean, should meet us at the Black Panther's location into ten to fifteen minutes."
Hearing this news caused Hawkeye to roll his eyes with irritation. "As usual, punctuality isn't Stark's strong suit," said the archer, not sounding the least bit surprised.
Cap, regardless of his disappointment in this development, still remained vigilant at the task at hand. "Well, the Panther still needs us! So Vision, just tell Tony to meet us at T'Challa's location as soon as he can!"
"Right away," Vision quickly replied, with his eyes now glowing yellow as he tried to make contact with Iron Man's ID card.
However, the Wasp appeared to be worried as she turns her head around the cockpit as if to look for someone. "Wait, where' Hank?"
Suddenly, Wasp gets her answer when the miniature Yellowjacket flies in, hovers over to an empty seat next to the Wasp, and regrows back to normal size as he takes his seat, startling his female partner in the process. "Sorry I'm late, was in the middle of something important, but here now, and ready to bust some heads."
Though Wasp was glad to see that Hank was present and accounted for in terms of their mission, Wasp still looked quite disturbed to see him as the reckless and violent Yellowjacket.
Nevertheless, the sight of seeing a suitable team assembled was enough to get things moving. "Then let's move out!" said the Super Soldier, who then proceeded to set the jet for takeoff, a process he had just now gotten the hang of.
Suddenly, a doorway underneath the Quinjet's platform opens up, and thus, began to descend from the hang and into the secret underwater jet runway underneath the mansion.
As the jet went through its launching procedures, the Wasp turns to this time look at Yellowjacket with a skeptic expression. "So, Hank, what's 'important' project are you working on?"
Yellowjacket, still looking focused at the incoming fight ahead, decides to answer Wasp's question, all the while not even turning to face her. "First off, it's Yellowjacket when we're villain busting. And second, let's just say this project is a surprise."
This answer only made Wasp cross her arms in frustration. "Well, if it's related to science, or your new love in beating up bad-guys, probably not going to be much of a surprise."
Yellowjacket only smirked as he secretly patted a small pouch in his belt, which was housing a small box, one that was small enough to hold a ring. "Trust me, Jan, this surprise, you'll like."
Moments later, the Quinjet finally reaches the underwater launching point, and a split second later, the thrusters kick on and the jet speeds forward through the runway, passed the opening door, then zooms upward and bursts out of the water underneath the Brooklyn Bridge into the air to assist the Black Panther.
Meanwhile, miles away from the states, three other Avengers, Iron Man, Thor, and Ms. Marvel had just successfully saved an oil tanker and prevented an oil spill, and thus streaked across the sky to return to New York. Along the way, the Kree powered Ms. Marvel looked over her shoulder to address her two teammates. "Come on boys, you've gotta be able to move faster than that!" she told them with urgency, but also letting her love for the sky get to her a little, and thus uses her Kree given abilities to go faster.
Thor, however, sees this as a challenge to race to get to their home city, which makes him smirk a little. "As you say, dear Carol," said the Thunder God, and thus grips his hammer tightly and increases his speed.
As for Iron Man, he looks at both his speeding teammates with a raised eyebrow behind his faceplate. "Well, nice to see two people finding joy in racing towards an emergency. J.A.R.V.I.S., divert all power to thrusters."
"Yes, sir," replied the loyal A.I. and seconds later, the thrusters inside Iron Man's rocket boots and gauntlets increase, and the Armored Avenger himself flies faster keeps up with his teammates. And though deep down, he knew that the Panther could take care of himself, he silently hoped that he, Thor and Ms. Marvel make it back to New York in time.
Meanwhile, back in New York, both Spidey and the Black Panther still raced towards where they saw the explosion, with the Web-Slinger shooting and swinging off web-lines and the Wakandan King sprinting from rooftop to rooftop. As he web-zipped from one roof to the next, Spidey secretly felt terrible, even when trying to prevent what disaster was occurring now. "And another point goes to the Parker luck," thought the Web-Head. "By giving me another catastrophe to stop, and in the process, break a promise to the only family member I have left..."
...Spidey then flashes back to just a few hours prior, back to when he just arrived in a darkened corner of the science building of Empire State University as Spider-Man, but by that point, removed his mask and was in the middle of changing into his civilian clothes and begin his internship job as Peter Parker. After slipping on his blue and tan shirt, thus covering his costume, Peter felt his cellphone both ring and vibrate in his right front pocket, which prompts him to pull it out and answer it. "Hello?" said the young man after putting the phone next to his right ear, and is both surprised and relieved when he hears the voice on the other end. "Aunt May, hi! Are you at the hospital already?"
On the other end of the line, May Parker herself is riding on the passenger side in the car belong to Dr. Bromwell, who just so happens to be driving her to the Manhattan General Hospital for her check-up. "No, not yet, we're just now heading over there," May answered. "Dr. Bromwell was nice enough to give me a ride, as well as let me borrow his cellphone so I can call you. Are you at the university?"
As he answered, Peter had just begun walking up the stairs of the science building. "Yeah, I just made it. But still, I'd feel a lot better if I was there with you."
May couldn't help but smile at Peter being overprotective, seeing it as part of him trying to be responsible. And while she was proud of him for it, she still wanted him to be focused on his newly reinstated internship of ESU. "Peter, I'll be fine. It is just a checkup. Besides, you need to focus on keeping your job at the university now that you have a second chance. Now have a good day, and you know the rules when you're done."
Peter smiled as he reached the top of the stairs and right in front of the door. "Yeah, I know, Aunt May. To let you know when I'm off the clock, and I will, promise! Love you and bye." With that said, Peter hung up his phone and placed it back in his pocket, leaving his hands free to open the door and is surprised to see Dr. Miles Warren, the man who replaced Dr. Conners as the university chief scientist, waiting for him."
"Ah, Mister Parker," said Warren, looking at his watch. "You're actually...on time! Given what I've heard about your habits on being late, this is a definite plus!"
Peter took a moment to scratch his head somewhat sheepishly, thought silently grateful that the fight with the Zodiac was brief, even if it was thanks to the mysterious Iron Patriot. "Yeah well, I do want to prove that I'm trustworthy," he told Dr. Warren, though he secretly wished that he was saying it to both Dr. Curt Conners and his Wife Martha, since he knew that they were the ones he had to prove himself to during the incident concerning Dr. Conners' transformation into the infamous Lizard. Nevertheless, he was under the watchful eye of a new boss, and not wanting to destroy his internship a second time, tried his best to please him. At one point, Peter took a moment to look around to see Gwen, who also worked at the lab, but much to his disappointment, she was nowhere to be found. "Has Gwen already left?"
"Yes, I'm afraid so," Miles replied, putting on a warm demeanor. "Her shift ended about an hour ago. Sorry, Peter, I know that you two are friends, but due to circumstances beyond my control, I had to alter your hours."
"Oh, I know sir," said Peter, understanding the situation but still somewhat disappointed. "But hey, what can you do, right?"
Miles gave the young man a smile, as well as a small nod. "Well, hopefully, we'll have our budget back soon enough." Suddenly, his smile soon changes to that of a serious expression as he tells Peter this. "I have to make a quick phone call for just a second, so go ahead wait for me in the lab, and I'll be there in just a few minutes."
"Yes sir," Peter replied to the doctor and soon watched him turn and walk to his office. And as the young man watched the scientist leave, Peter couldn't help but feel...uneasy about him. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was just something about Dr. Warren that seemed 'off' and 'unsettling', something that disturbed the young teen, even as he turned and made his way to the lab...
...Back in the present, the now fully suited Spider-Man still had his suspicions of Dr. Warren as he zipped towards where the explosion occurred, and assuming it was caused by the Panther's would be assassins, the Ringer and the Spot. "Seriously, why is Dr. Warren suddenly on top of the list of creepy enough to be a future super villain?" thought the Web-Head as he zipped off one line to get close enough to battle just ahead. "Well, that's a suspicion that can wait. I need to help Black Panther take those two clowns down before they hurt anyone else! And hopefully, I can get this done fast enough to let Aunt May that I'll be late coming home. Hope she'll forgive me for making her wait, and most importantly, I hope she's all right."
Meanwhile, back at the Parker residence, Peter's worst nightmare was coming true. For May Parker herself is staggering across the living room, with her skin completely pale and having trouble breathing. She presses the button on her medical alert necklace numerous times, before she finally takes one deep breath...and collapsed face first onto the floor.