A/N: Please don't hate me, dear readers. The wait for this was far too long. I've been thinking about this story every day. I've received the kindest reviews and words of encouragement. After battling months of depression following some unexpected changes, illness, and a death in the family, I finally felt ready to put the finishing touches on this chapter. It feels good to be writing this again. I want to finish it. I feel more motivated to finish it. Your continued support will help to fan the flames of motivation that I feel. Don't give up on me. I know I have some stories that I didn't get to finish, but this is a story I want to see through to the end. Whatever it takes! ;)
Cross-posted to AO3. Special shout out to my reviewer Timothea_Janet_Drake for the idea about the Infinity Stones.
Chapter 7: Snap
The Avengers were all still trying to wrap their heads around the revelation that the Kree could be involved.
Tony shook his head, "How did I ever miss that? I should've seen it."
"You can't beat yourself up, Tones," Rhodes reassured him. "None of us were really at our best during those five years. I can't say I would've noticed at first." He shrugged. "I just happened to be looking for something strange this time, so the symbols stood out to me."
"I'll see if I can send a signal to Danvers," Clint offered, moving to get the communication sent out quickly.
"Tony…" Bruce called gently. "... We're running out of time. We need to finish this."
The Iron Man nodded, moving to put his attention back on the decoy infinity stones.
Before they could discuss anything further, Scott and Pepper entered the room with an FBI Agent right behind them.
Tony lifted his head and frowned. "Intruder Alert," he said, clearly unhappy to have a stranger join them.
"Take it easy, Tony," Pepper assured him. "We can trust Jimmy."
"Agent Woo is a friend, Stark. He's helping us keep Ross and the Security Council at bay so that we can arrange an exchange with Valentine," Scott added.
Tony continued to work, but lifted a skeptical eyebrow. "I still say the best hands are our own. We don't need law enforcement. This is between Valentine and the Avengers. We are the only ones who can get those hostages out safely."
"I actually agree with you, Mr. Stark," Woo commented, surprising the heck out of most of the Avengers in the room.
"Sorry… what?" Tony asked, pausing in his work once more. Bruce twitched mildly with anxiety, clearly not eager to have another set back. "I don't think I heard you correctly. It sure as hell sounded like you agreed with me a moment ago."
Woo shrugged. "I did. The FBI feels strongly that this won't end well without your help."
The earth's mightiest heroes all exchanged looks with one another. "Then what the hell are we standing around here for? Let's finish this already!" Bucky declared, motioning to the others to follow him into action.
"Just not that kind of help," Woo cut in, halting any potential movements to the door.
Scott spoke up before the others could, "Hear us out, guys."
Woo quickly continued before any of the heroes could try to argue. "We're not asking you to go in with guns blazing. The safety of the hostages is our first priority."
"No shit," Tony commented, trying to put his attention back on the decoys Bruce wanted him to be focusing on.
"Which…" Jimmy added. "...I know you understand. All too well." He sent a sympathetic look in Tony's direction. "I'm trying to say that we need your resources. There are things that you can do to help us see this through in a way that minimizes the risk of any additional lives being lost."
The room fell silent at that comment, clearly all of them envisioning Peter's teacher who was murdered by Valentine.
Pepper cleared her throat, bringing everyone back into the present moment. "It's a brains before brawn situation," she explained. "She'll expect a fight. Jimmy and the other law enforcement officers feel that it's important that we avoid playing into her expectations."
"Perfect!" Bruce exclaimed, confusing everyone for a moment. It took a few seconds for the others in the room to realize that he wasn't referring to the plan that had barely begun to be explained. "We did it. 4 down and 2 more to go. These stones look good enough to trigger my own traumatic memories of the real thing!"
"Ooookkkaayyyy….." Scott breathed out in response to the unexpected interruption. He was looking at Bruce as if the man had suddenly grown a second head.
"You asked for brains, we're giving them to you," Tony remarked in defense of Bruce's outburst. "This is our plan." He nodded towards the replicas he and Bruce were making (mostly Bruce because Tony was so damn distracted). The stones even managed to have a faint glow.
"My word…" Pepper quietly exclaimed. "How did you manage to make them look so real?"
"Real jewelry," Bruce answered. "We used real gems as our starting point, and then… well… we basically infused them with ionizing radiation to give off the appearance that they have power."
"Genius! You see?" Tony remarked. "We've got plenty of brains to go around. Valentine wants the Infinity Stones? We're going to give her the Infinity Stones… sorta"
"So we take the Not-So-Real Infinity Stones to her and kick her ass for good measure," Bucky added, clearly growing impatient with all of the planning and lack of action. His best friend was old and running out of time on a good day. And this day was straight out of hell.
Woo sighed. "Listen… you're the Avengers. I'm not trying to argue against you." He looked around the room to ensure the anxious heroes were listening. "I'm merely trying to find a way to work with you. Your idea to create decoys for Valentine was smart, but those are merely going to be our ticket through the door."
Bucky threw his hands up in exasperation. "Which is where the ass-kicking comes in! What are we even talking about here? Let's give her the fakes and get Steve and the kid outta there!"
After remaining quiet for too long, Rhodey finally chimed in. "Tactics, Barnes. The mission. We can't go into that museum half-assed, and you know it." He studied Woo for a moment. "If I understand our new FBI friend clearly, he's saying that having the fake stones is only the first step."
Woo nodded, happy to have someone in the room who sounded reasonable. "Exactly! The FBI and other law enforcement officers on the scene can support you… we can help get you inside. However, there is no way that she will let the authorities through those doors."
"I think you need to mention the arsenal, Jimmy," Pepper added. Tony frowned, but bit his tongue so that Woo could explain.
"Right." He sighed. "Officers on the scene recovered security footage indicating that they have some advanced weapons. We're going to be outmatched."
Rhodes nodded. "Hence your earlier statement about how she is expecting a fight?"
Jimmy nodded.
"Okay… what are we saying here? She has one of us… hopefully me, I might add… take the stones to her inside the museum? I go in, but you don't want me to use my nanotech to take her out? How do you think that will work? I'll just be her next hostage."
"That could be her plan," Woo shrugged. "It's hard to know for sure. I just think she is expecting the Avengers to burst through the doors. Her weapons indicate that she's prepared for that. In no way do we want civilians caught in the middle."
The room went quiet as realization set in. Woo was right. As badly as they wanted to go in and beat Grace and her lackeys to hell, it would only endanger the hostages. They didn't even know what kind of damage their weapons could do.
Tony snapped his fingers in realization. "The Kree!" he burst out, looking towards Rhodey. "Those weapons… How much do we want to bet that those are Kree technology?"
"Uh what?" Woo asked in concern. "No one mentioned anything about…"
"-I bet you're right, Tones." Rhodes responded, cutting off Jimmy Woo in the process. "That tracks. If she is somehow in league with the Kree, they won't want anything getting in the way of getting the stones."
"Hold on!" Scott chimed in, looking confused. "The Kree? What are we talking about here?" Pepper looked equally confused… if not mostly concerned. Damn aliens.
"I found Kree symbols in the programming for Valentine's old tech. We don't really know how or why, but it seems that Grace Valentine is somehow working with the Kree."
"Aliens?!" Woo shook his head. "Again? Why can't these people leave us alone?"
Clint chose that moment to walk back in, clearly having heard enough of the conversation to chime in. "Because they were trying to step in when half the universe was gone," Clint said. He looked pale and unsettled. "According to Danvers, there is some evidence to indicate that they wanted to activate what was left of some sleeper cells during the Blip. She thinks perhaps they were manipulating Valentine and her technology to wipe memories of remaining humans. Market her software as a self-help app, but use it to wipe more than just painful memories away. Apparently, Carol is intimately familiar with the Kree ability to wipe a person's memory. She's concerned that they intended to make mankind more cooperative by forcing them to forget what they have to fight for." He shuddered. "There's more, but that's the gist of it for now. She's on her way to look into the Kree movements as we speak. She's going to get Thor and the Guardians to help take care of any threats that may be lurking beyond the atmosphere."
"Memory wiping… of course it had to involve memory wiping," Bucky commented. It sounded more like he was thinking out loud than really commenting to the group.
Pepper blew out a breath. "Okay… Let's start from the beginning." She looked at Woo. "Jimmy, what do you need from the team?"
"Uh…" His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. "I'm, um… I'm still trying to wrap my head around the part where aliens could be involved." He cleared his throat. "BUT… this is why I ultimately came down here. The FBI can help you play your role in the exchange that's likely to take place. However, she'll be expecting a fight, or some kind of double-cross. We can't let it escalate to a point where she pulls out those weapons. That is where you come in."
"You mean that is where you want us to figure things out for you," Tony chastised. Pepper sent him a warning glare, and he swallowed back any further admonishing comments. He rubbed a hand over his tired eyes. "Okay… how do you anticipate that we stop her from pulling out those weapons? She doesn't exactly play nicely. If she has them and plans to use them, then she will most certainly do just that."
"We take control of the exchange," Rhodes commented, thinking out loud. He looked at Woo. "What if we make her come to us? Can we lure her away from the hostages?"
Jimmy looked thoughtful. "Maybe. You want to try to get her outside?"
"That would be ideal," Bruce chimed in, sounding hopeful. "We get her away from the hostages so that we can get in there and get them out."
"No way she'll fall for that," Tony remarked, sounding exasperated. "As much as it pains me to say, she isn't stupid enough to fall for that. She'll catch on. No way she'll leave the hostages. She needs their lives to be at risk in order to keep us cooperative. She knows damn well we can't let things get out of control. If civilian lives are lost on our watch today, we lose our battle with the Security Council for good. Think about it. She chose this day for a reason."
Clint nodded. "The Kree chose this day for a reason, Tony. If they're involved in the way Danvers suspects, they will want the Avengers to be toast."
"She wants it to escalate to a fight. If we fight her… maybe even the Kree join in… just imagine how badly that could escalate. Those people inside… and probably the first responders on the outside will all be collateral damage. The Security Council will no longer be thanking us for bringing back half the universe. If we even survive, they may just lock us away for good."
Tony growled in frustration. "Damn it… we are so fu—"
"-Boss, Grace Valentine is calling you," FRIDAY cut in.
Pepper's eyes went wide, "It's her 30 minute check-in." She looked at Agent Woo, "We need a plan."
Tony shushed her gently, nodding his head to indicate that he would take her call. They would need to know her demands if they had any chance of making a solid plan of their own.
Peter was fidgeting and feeling twitchy. He was in this strange headspace where he could no longer understand why he ever thought it was a good idea to take a break from Spider-Man. After all, he had once told Mr. Stark that having abilities like his, when the bad things happen then they happen because of him.
My fault. My fault. My fault.
Peter's eyes glanced over at the blood stained floor where his teacher once sat.
My fault. My fault. My fault. My fault.
He moved his eyes over to study his best friends, who looked completely terrified. Grace might kill them, and that thought made his blood run cold.
Myfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfault
He began to rock himself back and forth a little. Myfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfault
"Queens," Steve's voice gently whispered.
Myfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfault
"Peter. You need to try to calm yourself," the older man's voice tried again.
He didn't stop rocking. The rocking made him feel a little dizzy. The dizziness actually felt oddly nice. It drowned out his racing thoughts a little. Maybe he could just pass out and embrace the silence for a little longer? He began shaking his head back and forth as he continued to rock.
"Shit," he heard Cap mutter.
A hysterical giggle escaped Peter's lips. "Language," he muttered. But he still kept rocking and shaking. His skin was crawling.
I want out. I want out. I want out.
Steve sighed next to him. "You with me, kid? I need you. Please don't lose it on me, Peter. Take a deep breath. Slow that breathing down. Come on, Peter."
.Out.
't breathe. Come on, Peter. Come on, Spider-Man. Come on, Spider-Man. Come on, Spider-Man. Come on, Spider-Man!
Peter rocked forward, pulling slightly at his wrists.
Come on, Spider-Man. Come on, Spider-Man!
When you can do the things that I can, but you don't . . . and then the bad things happen . . . they happen because of you.
"She's going to k-kill them, Steve." Peter finally choked out. "I d-don't know. I can't… I can't let the bad things happen."
"Where are you, Queens?" Steve asked firmly.
That was a weird question. "What?"
"Where are you? Look at me." It was Steve's Captain America voice. That was a command, and not a request.
Trying to take a deeper breath, Peter finally lifted his eyes to Steve. Peter was frowning, and there was sweat beading up on his forehead.
"Good. Listen… you're on the verge of a panic attack. I have a feeling that your mind isn't exactly with me right now. The flashbacks, right?"
Peter gave a reluctant nod. His rocking had slowed, but he didn't stop.
"Whatever your mind is showing you right now, son, it's not real. You're here. You're with me. Tony won't let anything happen to us."
Peter clenched his jaw and shook his head again. "Tony's not here. I have to… I have to save myself. I've done it before. I c-can do it again."
"But you shouldn't. Not now," Steve's commanding voice was back again.
Peter was leaning forward and shaking his head once more.
"STOP!" Steve whispered desperately. "Do not break out of those bonds, Peter. We can't afford the attention right now."
There was a pause as Peter tried taking some more deep breaths. What was Steve talking about?
"Your friends can't afford for you to draw this much attention to yourself right now," Steve added, clearly anxious to break through to Peter's frantic brain.
Those last words finally clicked something back into place in Peter's brain.
He can't let the bad things happen.
Steve is worried about him breaking his bonds.
Would that be bad for his friends? Why?
"We don't know what she might do if she learns that you're enhanced," Steve added.
"Oh," Peter breathed out, finally realizing how much damage his frantic mind almost caused.
"You're okay, Queens." Steve soothed, keeping his voice as low as possible. "Just listen to my voice." He paused. "Breathe in through your nose. . . Hold for a moment. . . Out through your mouth." He paused again. "Good. Again."
Steve continued these directions until Peter's body was more settled and his breathing evened out. Peter listened carefully to the older man's voice. His commands were firm and yet somehow still soothing. He allowed his enhanced hearing to really take in his friend's worn out voice. As he listened, he also noticed that Steve's heart rate settled as well. He had scared the older man. He promised Steve to wait, and yet the loosened bonds on his hands told him that he had merely broken that promise.
He had just started to allow his hearing to pick up other noises in the room as well.
And then he wished he hadn't. His eyes snapped open, and he looked frantically at Steve. "She's calling Mr. Stark again. Has it already been an hour?!"
Steve shook his head. "No… she told him that she'd call to check in." Steve glanced across the room. It was the first time she chose to make a call away from them. "She's asking about the stones," Steve commented, his enhanced hearing still working despite his age.
Peter focused his hearing as well. "I… I can hear Mr. Stark, too. They're…" He focused some more, frowning in concentration. "They're talking about the stones. He… He's telling her that they nearly have them all ready."
Steve sighed, "I sure hope the team knows what they're doing."
Peter swallowed nervously. "Cap, she's threatening my friends again."
"They're safe, son. Tony is doing whatever he can to cooperate with her." Steve used his shoulder to nudge Peter and get his attention. Once Peter was looking at him, he added, "You need to cooperate, too."
The young man's brows furrowed in confusion once more. "What do you mean? I don't really have any other options." Peter nodded towards his bound hands and feet.
"Oh, really? Cause it looked like you were ready to let your alter ego loose just a few moments ago," Steve scolded gently. Peter dropped his head in shame at that reminder. "Look… you may get your chance, but we still have to wait it out. Breaking free is a sure fire way to tick her off, and it's better for you… and most definitely for your friends… if you avoid ticking her off."
Before Peter could consider a response, he looked up. He heard Valentine's footsteps. Those steps would be seared into his brain after this day.
"Well, well… I have some wonderful news, boys! Your wanna-be daddy is giving me exactly what I want." She turned the phone around so that Peter and Steve could see the screen.
Peter's heart skipped a few beats. There were 4 glowing infinity stones in that photo.
His mentor was yelling at Quill, "Don't, don't, don't engage, we've almost got this off!" Star-Lord growls in anguish, "Tell me she's lying. . . ASSHOLE! Tell me you didn't do it!" "I... had... to," The Mad Titan replies distantly.
"No, you didn't... No, you didn't…" Quill continues to rage and then proceeds to pistol-whip Thanos in the face. "NO, YOU DIDN'T!"
Mr. Stark tries to stop him. "Hey, stop! Hey, stop! Stop! Hey, stop! Stop!"
Peter is so close. He can feel the gauntlet coming free as he tries to ignore the menacing glow of the stones that still rest within the knuckles. "It's coming! It's coming! I got it! I got it...!"
But Thanos awoke… and then the world would change forever. All with just a
SNAP
"Earth to Petey Pie," Grace cooed, snapping her fingers in front of his face again. She mistook his faraway look as surprise rather than part of yet another flashback.
Peter refused to look at Steve. He knew that the older man would just be giving him more worried looks.
"Don't look so surprised, sweetheart. You're valuable." She bent down in front of him. "Tony Stark is bringing me the most powerful items in the universe… to save you… you!" She smiled. "I can't believe my luck. It's like my universe is finally being set right." It was Valentine's turn to have a faraway look in her eyes. "After all this time, things will finally be as they should be."
"What happens next?" Peter inquired nervously. He was afraid that maybe he had spoken out of turn for a minute when she turned her cold gaze to look at him directly. Her murderous eyes sparkled, however, with something like glee.
"So much, Petey. So much is about to happen," she answered. Her voice just sounded creepy now. It was like listening to a maniac in a horror movie. Which made sense if Peter was honest with himself… he was living in a horror movie at the moment. She took hold of his chin with an odd gentleness, pulling his focus completely on her. "But do you know what might not happen? Hm?"
Peter hoped to know the answer, but some part of him (maybe his spidey sense) told him not to speak. Instead, he waited for her to continue.
"Because Stark is being so obedient… and because you've been sitting here like such a good boy… your friends may just get to live."
Peter couldn't stop the sigh of relief that escaped. It seemed to please her.
"That makes you happy, doesn't it?" She cocked her head at him, then glanced over to Steve with her eyes. "I'm not always a monster, boys. I just expect my orders to be followed. Keep doing what you're told, and we may just see you and your friends come out of this in one piece." She moved her hand to grip Peter's hair forcefully and added, "So be sure to listen to me, Peter. My trigger finger tends to get itchy, so be a good boy and don't make me kill again. Got it?"
If Peter opened his mouth to answer, he was convinced that he might throw up. Instead, he just nodded and hoped that conveyed his understanding well enough.
She smiled at him with the sickly sweet smile that made her look all the more like a psychopath. "There's my sweet, compliant boy." And then she did something that Peter never expected. She leaned forward and planted a kiss on his cheek, just to the side of his lips. It was strange. His skin was crawling again. Clearly, she was toying with him. She got a sick thrill out of making him squirm.
Peter could actually hear Steve's teeth smack together as the older man held back the urge to violently protest the action. Peter supposed the older man sensed the game Grace was playing as much as Peter. One wrong move could put MJ and Ned right back in the crosshairs.
This was a test. A sick test of compliance. Peter squeezed his hands into tight fists behind his back. He could feel blood trickle out from where his nails broke the skin. He would not let her break him. He didn't move as she repeated the action on the other cheek, even closer to his lips.
She wanted him to break. She was a killer circling her prey. She enjoyed Peter's pain, and she was looking for a reason to kill one or both of his friends. Peter steeled himself, prepared for her to give him the ultimate test, but it never came. Before she could decide to kiss him on the lips, her gaze drifted towards his injury. Peter prayed to Thor that his face didn't show a reaction. He was sure that the wound looked so much better than it should. His stupid healing may just damn him more than losing her sick game would. Peter gulped as she moved some hair away from the cut, and he also heard Steve's heart skip a beat.
Peter didn't speak. What could he say? He dare not risk his big mouth causing trouble for him now.
"Hmm…" She hummed. "This could be a lot worse, Peter." Her eyes met his once more.
Peter's heart was in his throat. "Wh-what?" he asked nervously.
She gave him a crooked smile. "If you sit here and be the good boy that I know you can be, the worst will be behind you. All I need… is your obedience." She stood back to her full height. "Do try to avoid anything to make me the bad guy, Petey. I think we both know that you prefer my nicer side." And then she winked at him and walked away. Peter caught Ned and MJ sending him shocked and worried looks before he turned his attention back to Steve.
"Dude…" he whispered. "Sh-she's a full-blown psychopath."
"You're not wrong," Steve agreed. "You okay?"
Peter nodded, switching his gaze to ensure that Valentine's attention was elsewhere. "That was too close." Too close to her discovering his healing factor… too close to Peter losing his cool and breaking free earlier… too close to the psycho kissing him in an attempt to break him.
Peter was about to share these thoughts with Steve when another voice shrieked out in annoyance. "Are we SERIOUSLY going to pretend like THAT didn't just happen?! She's sick!"
Flash.
Leave it to Flash Thompson to ruin a moment of relief.
For a second, Peter thought Grace hadn't heard Flash. But then he saw her shoulders stiffen and her fists clench.
"Oh god, no…" Peter whispered frantically.
"Steady, Peter… don't react… whatever she does… stay calm," Steve advised.
Peter watched in horror as Grace turned towards the bully. Her eyes were angry, but there was also a poorly masked delight deep within her eyes. Flash had given her a reason to be violent, and she was pleased by this.
Flash clearly hadn't meant to be so loud. He was obviously growing frantic as Valentine began to take slow and measured steps in the kids direction.
Peter watched as MJ maneuvered herself in front of Flash. The panic he had felt earlier came flooding back to him, and he began to rock back and forth once more. Why did she have to be so brave?
"Move it," Grace growled out, gripping MJ's hair so that she could force her out of the way. She stood menacingly over Flash. "What the hell did you just say?"
Flash's mouth dropped open like he wanted to give her an answer, but no sound came out.
"You have a lot of nerve speaking out of turn, you little asshole. You hold no real value for me. You even confessed to being cruel to my prized hostage over there," she said, pointing a thumb over her shoulder towards Peter. "You should be more careful how you speak, you pathetic little worm!' With that, Grace sent a strong right hook into Flash's face.
Peter was breathing heavily as he watched Grace start pounding into Flash. They were just kids! What was with this woman? He wanted to yell for her to stop, but he was also afraid that could only make things worse.
Ned and MJ yelled for him instead, screaming for Grace to leave Flash alone. Peter's eyes were blurring with something, but he couldn't be sure if it was anger blurring his vision or tears. Maybe both.
When you can do the things that I can, but you don't . . . and then the bad things happen . . . they happen because of you.
[SNAP]
[GRUNT]
[BANG]
SCREAMS
[PUNCH]
[THUMP]
[PUNCH]
[PUNCH]
[SNAP]
[CRASH]
[PUNCH]
[THWIP]
GASPS
[PUNCH]
[BUZZZZ… POW]
[BUZZZZ… POW]
[THUMP]
[THUMP]
It all happened faster than Peter could comprehend. He honestly couldn't say exactly what happened. Flash was a jerk, but he didn't deserve to get beaten to death. Nor did Ned and MJ deserve to be attacked and roughly pushed aside by her crew while she beat him mercilessly. He vaguely remembered breaking the zip ties and jumping towards his friends. He somewhat recalled getting thrown into his own Spider-Man display and grabbing the old web shooters. He had some recollection of Steve following his lead and breaking his own bonds. He even had some dream-like memory of Steve breaking his own display to grab the remnants of his fractured shield, throwing it in the direction of the chaos growing around Peter and his friends.
But the crazy looking stun gun that took him and Steve down? He probably wouldn't remember that at all.
A/N: Is it just me, or did Peter and Steve just complicate things? How will their Avenger friends get them out of this safely? Hang in there with me, my friends. You'll find out who survives this madness as the story continues!