Peter: Hey Beautiful. Have you seen Mr. Stark or Happy? I can't get a hold of them…
Aqua: I mean, I've seen them. Haven't had the biggest chance to talk to them. Especially Happy.
Peter: I've been leaving Happy messages. But he hasn't been calling me back. Feelin' pretty lonely over here.
Aqua: Oh, I doubt that. Just continue your daily life.
Peter: Just continue my daily life? My daily life has kind of changed…
Aqua: Just keep going to school. Keep up on your homework. Keep texting me "good morning" and "good night". Or all throughout the day. I really don't mind the texts.
Peter: Well of course I'm going to text you. But what about any missions? The Avengers?
Aqua: …You do realize the Avengers are kind of split up right now…. Right? Any missions have been solo missions. That doesn't mean put yourself in danger. I don't want to see Spider-Man Dies Fighting Criminals on the news…
Peter: You won't. I'm just "Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man". Nothing more.
Aqua: And nothing less. … How was your day today?
Karen: Are you sure you wish for me to not tell her?
Peter: WTH… Ignore Karen. I'm not sure what's going through her OS.
Aqua: Tell me what?
Peter: Don't worry about it. It's nothing.
Aqua: Peter. Tell me what?
Peter: I said it's nothing. Just, if you get the chance, will you let Mr. Stark and Happy know that I'd like to talk and I'm ready at any point for an assignment.
Aqua: Um… yeah… … What aren't you telling me?
Peter: Hey, I'll talk to you later. Something came up down here. Have a good night!
"What the hell is that about…?" Aqua couldn't help her thoughts from coming out.
"What is what about?" Tony was sitting on the other side of the couch. It was movie night, but Aqua wasn't too interested in the current film.
"Oh, uh… I just – nothing." Aqua looked back down at her phone for a second before flipping it over and leaving it in her lap, turning her attention back to the tv.
Tony glanced over, not oblivious to her shift in attitude. "Is that Peter?"
Aqua glanced back, a little nervous to try to delve into a conversation. She took a deep breath before nodding. "Yeah. Says he's been trying to get a hold of you."
Tony sighed. "That can't be all you guys talk about. There has to be something else you guys talk about."
"Well of course not. Actually, Karen interrupted our texts with 'are you sure you don't want me to tell her?' and Peter just tried to brush it off. Emphasis on tried. Is Karen even supposed to be able to do that?"
"Depends on what was happening at the moment. I haven't released full functionality, but there are some basic things that Peter can customize." Tony paused realizing what he was saying. "Wait. Karen? Who is Karen?"
Shit… wasn't supposed to mention that… Aqua could feel Tony boring holes in her face, waiting for her answer.
"Aqua, Peter shouldn't have access to the AI. So, who is Karen and how is she able to interfere with texting in the suit?"
"Well… Karen is a person who always needs help from Spider-Man. They were probably talking when he was chatting with me through the suit and her sentence got caught be the voice tracker." She felt confident in her lie, but also knew that now that Tony had an inclination that Peter had access to more than he was supposed to, he was going to be checking anyways.
"Are you lying to me? You better not be lying to me. I can accept you keeping something from me, but lying is a different story, young lady." Aqua could feel her guilt rising, both for lying to Tony and for somewhat spilling the beans on Peter. She finally sighed.
"Okay, fine. I'm lying, but I can tell you that I don't know how he gained access." She got up and put her phone in her pocket. "I'm going to go out for a walk."
"Ok. Thank you for telling me the truth. Be sure to turn your sound on. And don't be too late; we've got dinner plans." Aqua gave a thumbs up and began to walk out of the room, heading for a door to take her outside. Since Tony had taken away some of her access, the best way to find things out or clear her mind was to go for a walk outside.
The day was beautiful. It was cool and some clouds hung in the sky. Birds were flying cheerfully; Aqua whistled a tune similar to their own, making them flutter happily passed her. The ground was still damp from the shower the day before, but not enough to deter Aqua from heading to the woods surrounding the compound. There was rustling in the brush, but she kept herself quiet as she made her way through, heading for a clearing she knew well. The rain had left an amazing freshness to the air, giving Aqua a calm sensation that eased any tension she had gained from Peter's texts.
As Aqua came into the clearing, she only felt peace, and though she promised herself she wasn't going to think about Peter's texts, her thoughts automatically moved in that direction. As she laid down, she felt the damp grass begin to soak her clothes, and let her thoughts wash over her. What was he not telling her? Why couldn't he tell her? Was it something she had done? Was he going to leave her? Something just wasn't right.
And how was Karen able to send a text even though she was clearly talking to Peter herself? She controls the voice-to-text parameters, which means it should be setup that only Peter's voice will get moved to the text before being sent.
Aqua could've looked into it if Tony hadn't restricted her access. If Tony had 100% access, Aqua had probably 80% access before. Now, she was down to 60%. Less than some Avengers, more than the average soldier. Still less than she was used to, and it was proving to make things a little frustrating. With more access, there were so many things she could help with or occupy herself with. Since the restriction, she had begun to take more time going outside, being in the forest, and talking with Peter.
Suddenly, Aqua felt the air shift. She sat up, searching around, realizing she had trapped herself in the middle of the clearing with no way to hide without flat-out running. She didn't see anything, or anyone, so she slowly got to her feet, keeping herself low to the ground, and materialized a ring of sharp icicles. She side-stepped her way to the edge of the clearing only to suddenly bump into something just behind her. She hadn't felt its presence or a disturbance in the atmosphere, which scared her. She quickly pushed off from the ground in the direction she had been facing, trying to get away from whatever was behind her.
"You are interesting, little one." She turned to find a large humanoid towering at the edge of the clearing, his booming voice overtaking her thoughts. His skin was a vibrant purple and he held a brilliant gold glove on his left hand. "You are not like others of this world."
Aqua kept quiet. If it wasn't so obvious, she would have already sent an alert on her communicator, warning Tony and the others that something was happening. If she had the same level of access, she could have said three simple words, but no. By trying to protect her, he had now made it even more dangerous. So instead, she kept her hands in the fighting ready-position and materialized more ice, trying to plan how to protect herself.
"You're a little older than what I would usually prefer, however, you will be beneficial to me. Especially with your powers." The giant gave a wide grin.
Aqua's brain couldn't quite keep up. At first, she was only thinking of escape, but soon after the giant finished speaking, her thoughts went from confused to realization to fear. And her face matched her inner panic. The giant grinned wider before closing his gloved fist, leaving the clearing empty and peaceful once again; the only signs of life being the animals that made that forest their home.