Author's Note: So begins my vacation. Hopefully that means many more chapters. I own nothing.
35. Dreams
Piper didn't have the chance to talk to Harry that day. After the debacle at Stark Industries the students had been taken back to school and checked over by the school nurse. Piper got called into the principles office and Coulson questioned her about the Spider-man. She faked ignorance the whole time. Her detention rolled around and she was back in her lab pulling apart the backs of the heads of the last few LMD's she had to reprogram. She was in costume of course, like she always was while on the Helicarier for which she was glad when Doctor Conners walked into her lab unannounced. She waved to him from where she sat connecting the heads of two of the LMD's a book open between them. It was the book she'd found at her parent's house, minus the photo of them of course. She flipped over the mess of wires as the download began and grinned under her mask. Doctor Conners beat her to her book though, scooping it up off the floor and gently flipping it over and reading the title.
"The theory of Cross Species genetics? An interesting read." He handed it over to her.
"Though not really a theory anymore, since you exist." Piper shrugged.
"I just think it's interesting. And it's still technically theoretical, since DNA splicing is still out of technological reach at least for a while. I was an accident. Nobody ever meant for me to happen, not even me." Doctor Conners smiled.
"A happy accident at least, I'm sure most of the city agree." Piper sighed and set down the book. She couldn't help but notice that Doctor Conners' eyes followed it. She'd set it down on its front cover and he was looking at the picture of the author on the back cover, a young man with black hair pale skin and glasses.
"Did you know him?" Doctor Conners nodded and sighed.
"Doctor Octavius? I did actually. We were roommates at MIT. I wanted to use science to help the world, he did too. We spent so many nights planning ways to make the world better." Doctor Conners sighed.
"When we graduated he went off to Oscorp and I never heard from him again. I spent some time at Stark industries. I made some friends there, a wonderful couple, the Parkers. They worked at Stark Industries for a while. But for some reason they went to Oscorp. I never heard from them again either." He looked up and saw the Spider-girl had frozen. She was standing stock still in the middle of the room her hand reaching for the book. Slowly she looked at him. He couldn't see her face but something was definitely wrong.
"Spider-girl? Are you alright?" Slowly almost mechanically she moved turning to face him fully. Her voice was strained.
"The Parkers?" Doctor Conners nodded.
"Yes, Richard and Mary Parker. Are you alright?" Spidey stuttered as she tried to reply and failed. It had been so long since she'd talked to anyone who knew her parents. Or so she thought. She'd never really asked Tony about them, it had all been too fresh at the time and after that it just never came up. She slowly and carefully stepped over to the door clicking it closed.
"Did you know them well? The Parkers, I mean." Doctor Conners nodded.
"I worked closely with Richard for a few years. Mary was in security, until she went on maternity leave." Piper was still facing the door.
"So you know she had a baby. Did you know it was a girl?" Doctor Conners was getting a bit nervous. He'd never seen any of the teens act like this before. But despite this he nodded.
"I did, I was actually at their baby shower." Piper grabbed a table and pulled it in front of the door. Doctor Conners frowned. He didn't think she would do anything to hurt him but this was a bit odd.
"What are you doing?" Spider-girl sighed.
"I don't want anyone coming in here who doesn't already know. I am curious though. How many people are privy to the identities of the teen heroes in Fury's program?" Doctor Conners raised an eyebrow now more curious than nervous.
"It's highly classified. Almost no one knows. As far as I know only Director Fury, Agent Coulson and Agent Hill know. I'm not a high enough clearance level." Piper sighed.
"Well you're about to learn one at least." Still facing away from Doctor Conners Piper reached up and pulled off her mask. Slowly she turned around.
"Doctor Conners my name is Piper Parker and I have a few questions about my parents."
Harry was asleep. He had to be, this was too perfect to be real. Piper was curled up next to him sitting on a black couch he'd never seen before. They were watching one of Piper's favorite science shows. He had his arm wrapped around her. Everything was perfect. A dark voice echoed around him as Piper fell asleep in his arms.
"It could be like this. All the time." The couch changed and now Harry was standing looking at Piper still sleeping in a mass of black that was curling around her, tendrils breaking off. A face swirled out of the blackness. Sightless white eyes and sharp pointed teeth smiled at him.
"You just have to give in to usss. Give in and we'll give her to you." Harry started back at the thing. His suit, the living piece of slime he'd found on his piano. The thing that gave him the power to face up against people who could beat Spider-girl and win. It smiled, teeth like needles peeking out from behind a maw as wide as the face that held it. Harry started backwards almost falling but something caught him. He looked up into his father's face. His father smiled, something he normally only saw around Piper.
"I'm proud of you son." The face of the suit was back. Sharp teeth smiling over his father's shoulder.
"You could have all this and more. Just sssay yesss. Bond with usss." Harry jerked backwards. Suddenly he was sitting up in bed. His watch sat innocently on his bedside table. He clicked it open, just to check. The slime was sitting in the watch unmoving until he touched it. Just a dream then. He sighed and curled back up under his blankets before drifting back to sleep.