Chapter 93

It was nearly a decade since the time Peter Parker was left with his aunt and uncle that he found himself asking the question again of what happened to his parents. He couldn't help it, not when the situation was still so confusing to him. His parents had been on a private plane that went down. But his parents weren't well off, not enough to fly on private jets.

So why were they on one in the first place? And did it really go down by accident?

He may have been Peter Parker Stark-Rogers now, but that didn't mean he had any less questions. He was still confused by everything that happened, and he wanted to know the truth.

And if there was anyone who would be able to find out for him, it would be his adoptive mother.

He took a deep breath as he walked into the living room. Morgan was down for a nap, and his parents were sitting on the couch together, watching a house renovation show that Steve enjoyed watching.

"Can we talk?" Peter asked, as he stood off to the side, and immediately the tv was off and both of them were looking at him attentively. He took a seat in an armchair beside them, as his mother gave him a concerned look.

"What's wrong, Peter?" she asked him gently.

"I want to know what happened to my parents," he said hurried. "I know it was a decade ago that everything happened, but I looked at the police reports that Uncle Ben had, and it never made sense to me. Why were they on that plane? What happened to the plane? I remember my dad hugging me before he left, and there was sadness in his eyes. And more than just the 'I'm leaving my kid and going on a trip sadness', he looked like he knew something was going to happen to him. But if the plane went down by accident, how could he have known?"

"You're right," Toni told him, and his heart sunk at the confirmation. She sat up and placed her cup of coffee down on a coaster on the coffee table. "I dug into it, Peter. Years ago, around the time that I first met you. I had talked to your Aunt and Uncle about it, but it never really sat right with me, just like it's not for you either. Because it seemed like something was missing. And around the same time, SHIELD came into my life as well, and I was already trying to run surveillance on them. I didn't really get any matches however until the HYDRA info dump. JARVIS had way into the system then, and he found a match for Mary and Richard Parker in those files."

He sucked in a deep breath, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You were still young," she told him, "You were only thirteen at the time. I talked to your Aunt and Uncle about it and we decided to wait until you were a bit older, or you came asking questions. It was in the past, and it always seemed to hurt you to talk about them, and well, I guess we just wanted to shield you a bit longer."

He nodded, knowing they were right. Before his teens, he wasn't sure he'd be able to process whatever had happened properly. And until now, he wasn't sure he had truly wanted to know. But Toni knew what had happened to his parents and he wanted to know the truth. No more hiding it. He needed to know.

"What happened?" Peter asked, finally.

"Your mother worked with SHIELD," Toni told him. "Your father was working with Oscorp on a project, and suddenly he wanted out of it because he found what they were doing to be highly unethical. He tried to destroy most of his research, and they were going on the run until SHIELD was able to properly bring down Oscorp. But then well, the plane went down."

"HYDRA?" Peter asked, knowing that it was very possible that the terrorist organization had brought down the plane. Because if his mother was getting assistance from SHIELD for something they didn't want to be released into the world, then HYDRA would most likely have a stake in making sure that didn't happen.

"It could have been," Toni said softly, "But there was nothing in the files that indicated HYDRA had a presence in the operation, like in some of the other HYDRA infested missions. Which means it's also just as likely that Oscorp had a part in it as well."

He trembled a bit, "A corporation would have my parents killed because my dad's research was too dangerous?"

"Not all corporations are ethical," Toni said, as she moved to sit beside him. "A lot care far more about the bottom line than the ramifications of their products. If your father was working on something that was valuable, that Norman Osborn really wanted, well, from what I've seen from that man, I'm unsurprised he would do such a thing. He's not the kindest person. And I doubt he would have taken the destruction of the research lightly."

"Do you know what he was working on?" Peter asked her curiously, wanting to know if there was any knowledge of the research that was so valuable that he'd been orphaned because of. What was his dad working on that had gotten him and his mother killed?

"I'm sorry, Sweetheart," she told him, "There was nothing in the files I found. I tried digging into it on the SHIELD side, but shy of breaking into Oscorp's servers, I don't think I'd find anything. And while I certainly can do that, it's a lawsuit waiting to happen and could destroy Stark Industries. But if you want, I can reach out to some contacts. Say that you're curious about your father and see if I can find out anything for you?"

"Okay," he nodded, and she wrapped an arm around him, "Thank you. For looking into it. For telling me about them."

"Of course," she said, as Steve handed him a cup of hot chocolate that he'd been making.

He had no idea what had happened to his birth parents, but he would find out the truth.


As summer drew on, his sixteenth birthday quickly approached. His Mom had asked if he wanted to throw a big party for it, even offering to have a gala of sorts for him or whatever else 'the kids these days found hip'. She'd said the last part in a joking voice, but he'd vehemently protested. He liked the kids at his school, but he didn't particularly want anyone over other than MJ and Ned. They were his friends, and the rest were acquaintances or still trying to cozy up to him because of who his adoptive parents were.

So instead, Toni had invited over all the Avengers, Ava, Pepper, even Shuri, T'Challa, and their cousin Erik, who was apparently cool now.

"This is amazing," Ned exhaled as he stood beside Peter, "Dude your life is insane. I can't believe I'm hanging out here with all the other Avengers. This is amazing. I don't even know what to say."

"Dude, you're like seriously fangirling," Peter said.

"It's extremely uncool," MJ agreed.

"Okay, but a princess just said hi to me," Ned squealed.

"Shuri?" Harley said, as he approached them with solo cup of pop.

"You better not have spiked that or Toni's gonna kill you," Abigail said, giving him a dirty look.

"What me?" Harley said, winking at MJ, causing her to glower at him. "Never."

"Dude there's like all the Avengers here and they're all watching everything like a hawk because they're so used to mission type situations where things go bad real quick," Lila said, as she rolled her eyes and pointed to her dad. "He's doing perimeter sweeps every five minutes with his eyes. As if a sixteenth birthday party is a target for all the villains around. If you think they haven't noticed you drinking underage, then you're wrong."

"Who's drinking underage?" Toni said, as she approached them then, holding Morgan. "Harley if you spiked the punch, then I'm having a conversation with your mother about it."

"Why does everyone think I spiked the punch?" Harley pouted. "Would I ever do something like that?"

"Yes," Steve deadpanned.

Toni handed his sister off to Peter, and he held the eight-month-old as Toni took his cup and sniffed it.

"Okay, unspiked," she said, "You got lucky, Keener."

"Maybe I'm just saving it for the after party," he grinned at her, and she rolled her eyes at him.

"Why would you want an after party when this is the party?" she said, amused.

"Cause there are so many oldies around," Shuri said solemnly. "You invited my brother and look at him. He's being all broody. With Erik. We're gonna have a party with just us fun kids after."

A crowd started to gather around them as his family all wanted to be a part of whatever was happening right now.

"I'm not broody," T'Challa said, as he approached them then, "I'm having a conversation with Erik about one of his initiatives for the new Outreach centre."

"Who talks business at a party?" Shuri said, "Very boring."

Morgan reached up then, and he tried to duck out of the way. She'd discovered the ability to grab things, and her new favourite thing to grab was Peter's hair. But even with his spider powers, he wasn't quick enough to avoid having her hold a fistful of his hair.

"Morgan, no," Peter groaned, trying to gently pull away.

"JARVIS, take a picture of this," Toni beamed, as she watched them, "You're both absolutely adorable."

"You're not the one who's hair is being pulled out," Peter complained, as Morgan giggled.

MJ had a grin on her face that she wasn't even bothering to hide.

"I want one," Pepper said, as she looked up at Rhodey, and he wrapped his arm around her waist. "Or two."

"How about three?" he asked her, with a stupid grin on his face, and she beamed up at him, before pulling his face down into a kiss.

"They better all call me Aunt Toni," his mom said, interrupting the two of them. "I'll be their favourite and spoil them absolutely rotten. Just you wait."

"You want my children to call you Aunt Toni, when the one you have that can speak refuses to call me anything other than Rhodey?" the man complained, "Do you know how long it took me to get him to stop calling me Mr Rhodey? Get him to call me Uncle Rhodey first, then maybe we have a deal."

Shuri laughed at him, and he flushed a bit, not feeling the least bit sorry. He was raised to treat those around him with respect, especially if they earned it. And Mr Rhodes had definitely earned his respect with how badass the man who was his sister's godfather was.

"I can start, if you want," he squeaked, and perhaps that was the wrong thing to say.

"Wait, if he gets to be called Uncle, then I want to be as well," Harry said, "I'm her cousin and all, I deserve the same familial titles."

"I'm her cousin too," Ava stuck her tongue out, "And everyone knows that I'm his favourite."

Well, he'd never admit it out loud, but he did enjoy talking tech with Ava.

He looked around in shock, unsure of how to properly handle the fact that he had apparently gained a bunch of new aunts and uncles without realizing it.

"It's a bit overwhelming," Steve whispered to him, as he clapped Peter on the back, "I definitely felt the same when I first moved into the Tower. But they mean well, and you'll appreciate having them in your corner."

"Enough," Toni stopped the cousins from squabbling. "Peter will call you all whatever he wants. Now let's cut some cake. I know Peter has some after party planned to watch all the Star Wars movies with commentary and if they're to finish at a relatively reasonable time tonight, then we got to get this party moving."

"Do you think I can be adopted?" Ned asked, causing the teenagers all to burst into laughter.


Wanda nervously moved her hands in the pattern that Doctor Strange was showing her. She had been at this for about an hour as he had her attempt to perform a few basic spells as an assessment. Her magic that she'd had before was different than the kind that he had practiced. But she hoped that she would be able to learn a new kind, that even if not similar, was close enough to what she once had had.

She'd been at Kamar Taj for a week. She hadn't practiced any actual magic until that point, but she'd been learning the basics. How their magic worked, what their purpose was, how to concentrate so she'd be able to channel her magic with control. And the types of magic they could create.

It was amazing. That an entire organization existed in secret for years, protecting humankind. That they'd been there all that time when she'd felt alone and been there helping others.

"You need to want it, Miss Maximoff," Strange told her, not unkindly. "You need to give it your all. You cannot try it half-assedly in the fear that it won't work. If you do, you're never going to be able to control your powers. And if I recall from reading your file, control is not something you had a strong handle in before you lost your powers."

"I'm trying!" she said desperately, knowing he didn't quite believe her.

"Well you're going to need to try harder," Strange told her impassively.

She glared at the man, as she began to concentrate, trying to focus all her magic through on the task at hand: opening a portal.

He claimed it was simple magic. Something that even beginners could do; and yet she found herself doubting that fact.

"Concentrate, Miss Maximoff," he said, knowing she was starting to get distracted.

"I am!" she said, trying not to shout, but the magic to make the portal kept breaking away.

"I'm finding that rather difficult to believe," Strange taunted her. "I thought you wanted this. You asked Stark to come ask me to train you. And despite my busy schedule, I agreed to. Yet here you are, just giving it a weak attempt to conjure something any kid off the street is able to. Do you even want your magic back? Or do you want to go back to being ordinary?"

She screamed then, as red magic emerged from her, as she channelled it all into creating the portal in front of her.

She fought against her exhaustion, channelling everything she could into keeping it open, as the portal opened to a size big enough for a human to walk through it.

"That's enough," Strange said, as she heard a hint of pride in his voice, and she dropped the spell that she'd struggled to hold.

"I did it," she said in surprise, as she looked down at her hands. But something was different. When Strange and the other sorcerers at Kamar Taj practiced their magic, it had a gold light to it. They were drawing from the energy of the universe.

But hers were red. Red like the mind stone that had given her the powers originally.

"You did," Strange said with a nod, "I believe that concludes our assessment."

"Wait, it's over?" she asked in disbelief, "Why? Did I not do it right? Please, just let me try it again, I can do this. I promise!"

"You did it exactly how I assumed you'd do it," Strange told her, calmly. "Wanda, your powers aren't gone. You were right when you said it was said it felt like your powers are inaccessible. The mind stone blocked your powers until it deemed you worthy of using them again. I think with the right training you'll be able to control it again. It won't be the same as before where you used your anger to access it. But if there's one thing we specialize in here it's meditation."

"I can have my powers back?" she asked, a bit dazed.

"And more," he shrugged, "If you're amenable to it, I'd like to combine your training with our teachings here. Things like opening a portal, or other spells. I think you'll find they come in handy beyond basic mind control and telekinesis."

"Yes!" she said perhaps a bit too quickly. But she didn't care. She would do anything to have her magic back, even if it meant months of training.

"Then we better get to work," he said with a nod. "Do the portal spell once more. This time, I'd like you to step through it, close it, then return back here."

She nodded and got to work.


Peter Parker Stark-Rogers fiddled with the subway token between his fingers, unsure of what he was about to do. It was a bit ridiculous to him, and honestly felt like something from a conspiracy theory. However it had started when he'd found a piece of paper in his father's brief case with the words "Roosevelt 2pm" on it and nothing else.

Which had led to a trip down the rabbit hole, googling Roosevelt + New York to see what it turned up.

One that involved red tape and lines all over his wall, trying to figure out what had happened to his parents. Because it had been six months since he had originally asked his adoptive parents about what had happened to his birth parents and since then, he'd been no closer to finding out the truth.

He'd gotten frustrated in the end. He couldn't figure out anything new that the Toni hadn't looked for already. Torn it all down. And picked up the calculator when he noticed it.

Because he owned the same one. It was what he used in his differential calculus classes. And it had taken him so long to notice but how couldn't he see it before? There was a weight difference. The one he was holding was a similar model to his own, but it weighed so much more. And he'd taken off the back of the calculator to find subway tokens inside of it, hiding in little slots.

Why was his father hiding subway tokens in a calculator?

His father took the D train every day.

The googling had led down another hole, and now he stood in an abandoned subway station, holding a bunch of tokens in the secret Roosevelt station which the former president had taken to avoid the public eye.

Peter put a token in the slot for the turnstile and the wall didn't move.

But the ground behind him began to shake. He watched at the tracks split in two, and a subway car emerged from the ground. Cautiously, he walked into it, and was stunned to see a fully set up lab inside.

What had his father been working on?

He could see experiments clearly still in stasis inside and walked over to a computer that was still on. He looked at it in surprise to see it had finished downloading a file. What had it been?

He clicked the open option and watched as the file unencrypted itself, as a video began to play. A video of his father.

"My name is Richard Parker," his father said on the screen. "Whatever lies will be told about me, I'd like the world to know the truth. Oscorp was already a leader in genetic research when Norman Osborn made a deal with a military organization to continue funding my research."

He sucked in a deep breath. HYDRA? Was Oscorp working with the terrorist organization?

"I discovered what they were going to use it for," his father continued in a heavy tone, "Weapons, biological weapons, of course. So, I refused. And now, to eliminate me from the picture, Norman Osborn has falsified evidence against me in order to take control of my work."

"But it doesn't matter, because there's something else Norman Osborn doesn't know," his father said, "The human DNA that I implanted in the spiders was my own. Which means that without me or my bloodline, Oscorp can never continue or replicate my experiments."

Peter let out a watery laugh.

"I have destroyed as much as possible from the archives," Richard said on the screen, "But I didn't have time to kill all the spiders, so as a scientist, my choices are very clear now. I have to disappear, to get as far away from here as I can. But as a father, it means I may never see my son again. And nothing is as important to me as my son, Peter. Nothing in this world. But I have a responsibility to protect the world from what I've created. And protect him from what I know Osborn is capable of."

The tears flowed down his face freely now. He heard his younger self calling for his father on the screen, as the video file ended.

The whole reason that he had powers was because he was bitten by a spider at Oscorp. A spider that had been part of the work his father had been working on before he'd been killed. Research which was tuned to work only for Parker DNA.

Meaning he had powers because of his father. That it wouldn't have worked for anyone else. Powers his father had never wanted to be released into the world

"Peter?" he heard his mother call out, and he looked up in surprise to see her walk into the subway car, looking around in surprise.

"Mom?" he asked her, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh Baby," she said, taking a look at his face, "I asked JARVIS to find out where you'd gone. You left the Tower to suddenly, and well your room was a mess. What happened, Sweetheart?"

He played the video clip for her again, unable to formulate the words. She wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"Oscorp was working with HYDRA," Peter said, shaking, "And they killed both of my parents for his work. They're gone because of those monsters."

"They're not going to get away with it," Toni assured him, "I promise you that, Peter. We're going to bring them to justice, okay? They won't get away with what they've done to you."

He let her words of comfort wash over him, unable to quite say anything else. Because what else was there to say?

His parents were dead. And he had powers because of his father. None of this was random. It couldn't have been. It wouldn't make sense for it to have been. And yet, he found himself unable to quite make sense of it.


At thirteen months old, Toni could sufficiently say that she was convinced her daughter was a genius. Not that Steve quite agreed with her, but what did he know? Her daughter always looked like she had a knowing look on her face when Toni told her all about the scientific work she was involved with, knowing that while it may be way over her head, it was good to stimulate her mind.

Besides, Peter enjoyed talking to Morgan about his homework too, so she knew it wasn't just her who did it.

She'd only been back at work for a month or so, seeing as Morgan was old enough not to need her all the time. But even with that, it wasn't as if she had to really go anywhere else. She sometimes went downstairs for board meetings, but more often than not, she stayed on their floor to get her work done or would walk down a flight of stairs to her lab.

She was fiddling with some designs on her StarkPad, as Morgan sat on the ground, playing with some building blocks with Peter. He was trying to help her design the Stark Tower with baby versions of legos, but she seemed more interested in pulling apart the pieces than sticking them together.

"Morg, we gotta put them together if we're gonna make a Tower," Peter teased her, as he lightly tickled her stomach causing her baby girl to burst into giggles.

"She's growing up quickly," Bucky noted, from the other end of the video call Steve was on. The two were talking more frequently now, and it was clear to her that Bucky was improving. He wasn't quite that ready to come home yet, but he was healing. And that was the most important thing.

"She really is," Steve said, looking at their daughter fondly. She knew he wasn't quite ready to see Morgan grow up, from the lamenting he'd partaken in the other night while they were in bed. And she agreed. She knew Peter was sixteen now, and in a few short years, he'd be off to University. And while she wanted him to go to the best school out there, she wasn't all that sure she wanted him to move out quite yet.

When Morgan had started walking, she'd cried a bit from joy, as her baby walked over to her.

"What do you say, Morgan?" Peter asked her, "Do you think we can put another three stories on this tower?"

She clapped his face in agreement. "Peta," she said, and Toni froze.

"Did she just?" Toni asked, as she dropped her tablet.

"That was her first word!" Steve exclaimed, forgetting he was talking to his friend. JARVIS switched the camera feed so Bucky could see Morgan through the cameras in the room, rather than Steve's phone.

"Peta," Morgan said again, giggling, as Peter looked dazed at her.

"She said my name," Peter grinned, as he lifted his sister up and bounced her around the room. "Did you say my name, Morgan? Yes, you did."

"Peta," Morgan said in agreement, as she touched Peter's face.

"I want to be a bit upset that I wasn't her first word," Steve said, the smile never once leaving his face, and she knew what he meant. They'd been having a competition since her birth about whether she'd say Mama or Dada first. With the prize being bragging rights for eternity. Take it to their daughter to exceed expectations and go with her brother's name first instead.

But how could she bring herself to be anything less than thrilled when Peter's smile made it all worth it? Seeing him with his sister, and the joy he'd felt about being her first word filled her heart with warmth, and she wished, not for the first time, that her children could stay as children forever.

"She really is your daughter," Bucky said, as Steve remembered his friend, "To be fair, I would have said Peter's name first too, given that the two of them have a strong attachment. Plus, who would want to say Steve first, when your wife is as lovely as she is?"

She let out a laugh, as Steve mockingly glared at his best friend.

"I can't wait to text Ned and MJ," Peter grinned, as Morgan pushed the Tower they'd been building over, and the pieces spread out across the ground. She giggled to herself, looking awfully pleased at the destruction she'd caused. Toni knew then that her daughter would be a great creator, constantly tearing things down, to create them better than they were before. Her genius, adorable, daughter.

"Oh Morgan," Peter sighed, "Do I need to start bribing you to not knock down the Tower now too?"

Wait.

"What do you mean bribe?" she asked him eyes narrowed. "What were you bribing your sister with?"

Peter gave her an innocent look, and she knew immediately that he must have been up to no good.

"You and Dad were so sure her first word would be one of your name, that you didn't even consider other contenders. You competed against each other, and didn't even see me coming," he grinned, and Bucky burst into laughter.

"Are you saying that you've been secretly trying to get your sister to say your name first instead of ours?" Steve said, looking equally betrayed.

"Yup," Peter popped the 'p'. "And it worked, didn't it? Clearly I'm her favourite."

She let out a dramatic sigh, "I guess this is just how it is now. My children conspiring against me. I see how it is. I hope the two of you never grow up because I don't want to imagine the chaos you're gonna bring."

"Peta," Morgan said with another giggle as if she was agreeing with the sentiment to cause chaos.

"Yes," Peter agreed with Morgan, "Better watch out, Mom."

She didn't even bother hiding the grin that filled her face.


Bruce Banner let out a sigh as he steered the Asgardian ship towards Earth. It seemed like the last few days had been filled with nothing but confusion and chaos.

Had it really been two years since he'd left earth? Since Ultron? And why did the Hulk even decide to leave the planet?

He'd been so upset and angry with himself after he'd attacked Johannesburg because of the witch forcing him to turn and controlling the Hulk. He'd been so mad that he'd had no say in the matter. That even though Toni had assured him that there were no casualties in the fight, he'd still felt responsible for all the damage that had been caused.

Then Natasha had kissed him and shoved him off a cliff. She'd taken advantage of the fact that he was confiding in her about his uncertainty and caused him to cheat on the love of his life.

He closed his eyes, pained at the thought of Ava Carter-Sousa.

The woman who'd given him a purpose since he'd moved into the Tower. The woman who had showed him that he was much more than the Hulk. Who had no troubles accepting the both of them; Bruce and the Hulk. She talked science with Bruce and didn't tip toe around him like he was a bomb ready to go off at any moment.

Instead she'd offered him love and support. She'd been there for him through all his uncertainties and nightmares and had promised him that he'd get through all of it. She'd loved him even when he couldn't even like himself, and she'd been the love of his life.

And he'd hurt her.

He knew it had been selfish asking her to run away with him. But that was what Bruce Banner did when he got scared. He ran away. He ran far, far away, terrified of hurting anyone else in his life. And he was ready to run away again.

Only this time he'd asked her to join him.

He knew it was selfish. She had a brother who cared about her. Parents who loved her and wanted the best for her. Toni, who was her sister in all but name. She had a family in the Tower, and it had been selfish of him to ask her to leave it all behind.

So he'd left. He wasn't sure if it was the Hulk's decision or his, but he knew he probably would have made the same call. Ava deserved better than them. She deserved to be loved and cared for. She deserved not to be hurt the way he'd hurt her.

She deserved better than him.

"You will be back soon, Friend," Thor said, as he approached him. Bruce must have been an open book, because the god seemed to know exactly what was on his mind.

"Even then," Bruce said, "I hurt her a lot. I hurt her more than words could even describe. I don't know if she'll forgive me for everything I've done. I'm not even sure that I would forgive myself for leaving if I were in her position. I put her through so much, and I wouldn't be surprised if she moved on."

"You must have faith," Thor told him. "You were also not yourself for the better part of the last few years."

"It doesn't matter," he shook his head, "I hurt Hulk. I hurt Ava. And Hulk and I both wanted to keep her safe. I'm not certain that even if I were the one in charge if I'd have done anything differently. Well, I wouldn't have left the planet and all, but I'm sure I would have stayed away just the same. I would have hurt her, just the same."

"You won't know what the outcome is, unless you try," Thor told him gently, "Lady Ava cared for you strongly. And if she's moved on in your absence then you must try and fight for her, but respect her decisions regardless of the outcome. I learned that myself with Lady Jane. Do not lose hope."

"She still deserves better than me," he laughed hollowly, and felt the guild eat at him. For what he'd done to all those he'd left behind, but also that he was complaining to Thor. The Asgardian had lost his planet when his sister had attacked. He'd lost everything he'd grown up knowing. And here Bruce was complaining to him when they were on a spaceship heading towards Bruce's home planet so the race could seek refuge.

"Perhaps," Thor told him, "But that is up to her to decide, is it not? Give her a chance and see if she decides that she wishes to accept you back into her life or if she wishes for you to walk away. And whatever her decision may be, show her you are a man of honour and honour her choices."

"I still love her," he sighed, knowing the god was right. He'd tell Ava how he felt, but if she wanted nothing to do with him, then he'd let her be. She deserved to be the one to decide this time if she wanted to walk away or still wanted him in his life.

He heard a pinging sound on the onboard computer then as he looked at the monitors. He frowned at the sight of it, as it showed that there was a ship approaching them quickly.

He glanced at Thor who seemed to have caught sight of the ship as well, and both of them looked just as worried as the other. He saw the ship then, through the window, and had a sinking feeling in his chest. He had a feeling that what happened next would not be good.