"We're going to Detroit."
Spider-Man had resolved himself, entered Stark Tower, and marched right up to Tony who was currently walking purposefully down the hall, but, before he could open his mouth, Tony tossed him that little bombshell.
He froze. Tony did not, continuing to walk to the mission room, so he had to run to catch up.
"What? Why Detroit?"
"We're going to start visiting neighborhoods. We're going to start focusing on different areas of the country, not just New York," said Luke Cage. He was waiting for them in the mission room, along with the rest of the team.
"That's new," remarked Spider-Man. He found his usual perch on the wall, for a time distracted from his need to tell Tony about his new power.
"I think it's a great idea," said Captain America.
"I didn't say I didn't."
"We're going to the neighborhoods in the city. We're going to places the cops are afraid of."
"Oh. Yipp- urgh," Spiderman hit the ground.
Cage rolled his eyes.
"Always with the funny. Get up. This is serious."
There was a moment where everyone stared over to the corner behind the long table that Spider-Man disappeared to. Then they heard the gasping and it hit them all at once. They rushed to Spider-Man's side.
"Oh shit," Cage breathed. Spider-Man convulsed on the ground. "What the hell…"
"Just stay calm," Tony ordered. "Everyone back off."
He knelt by Spider-Man and took off his mask. Peter was still convulsing violently and his eyes were rolled up to the back of his head.
"Bob, hand me your cape."
The Sentry offered it without question, watching the whole affair in silence.
Tony bunched it up and put it under Peter's head. He gently rolled him to his side and sat back. He watched him in silence. Peter continued to shudder, eyes still wide open and rolled back. Blood began to trickle from his nose.
"Is that all you're going to do?" asked Cage incredulously.
"That's all he can do Luke," replied Captain America. "Peter hasn't been out of it for that long."
With one last violent tremor, Peter suddenly cried out and went limp.
"Peter? Peter, can you hear me?"
"Oh God," Peter moaned. "Please tell me someone has a bucket."
Alarmed, Tony grabbed the trash can and gave it to him.
"Thank you," Peter responded politely then retched. "Ugh. Oh God. Oh God! Tony, we can't go to Detroit! We have to go to the North Pole!"
There was a moment of stunned silence as the New Avengers looked at the man on the floor, bemused.
"Peter, just calm down. Let me get you down to the lab and we can see what's going on with you. Whatever it is, I can help you."
"We don't have time!" Peter was sweating profusely and he looked at Tony beseechingly. "I know I should have told you before and I was going to, just ask Reed, he knows what's going on, I just got distracted, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but please, please we have to evacuate North Pole, it's coming and it's going to kill everyone there because it wants Michael and Michael has no idea what's going to happen and he's going to be in a lot of pain and it will hurt so much. There's a big tacky Santa Claus next to the post office and-"
"Peter! You're not making any sense!"
Peter babbled on. "I know, but I've been seeing things before they happen and I haven't been telling you and you have to believe me now or everyone in North Pole will die!"
The entire team looked at him for a moment in silence. Then Wolverine spoke up. "I say we believe him. He's smelled different for a while now. Maybe this is why. It smells like he's been near Reed recently too."
"What do you mean by North Pole?" asked Cap.
"Do you have any other information on Michael?" asked Tony
"Santa Claus?" asked Luke.
Peter's relief was obvious. He closed his eyes and thought.
"North Pole… it looks like the name of a city, somewhere north. Umm… Canada. Michael is… a postal worker, Michael Pointer. He likes hamburgers and French women and baseball and thinks he's a perfectly normal guy. Yes, he's Canadian. It's after him. He's a mutant, but he doesn't know it. It's after him and it will kill everyone in a ten mile radius to get to him. It's coming now. It can see our star. It will be here soon."
He opened his eyes.
"We have to get Michael away from people! It'll kill everyone! Then it'll kill Alpha Flight to get out of Canada!"
"What!" exclaimed Wolverine. "No way, kid."
"Calm down, calm down," ordered Tony. "I'm running a search for a Michael Pointer now… I've got him. Michael Pointer, on the payroll of the Canadian civil service. North Pole, Canada."
There was silence. Having the information verified made it much more real. Peter looked down.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this."
Tony shook his head. "We're not going to worry about it now. Sentry, Spider-Woman, Wolverine, Luke, you're with me. We're going to go pick up Michael Pointer. Captain, please stay with Peter for now and show him to my astronomical lab. You two keep a look out for this thing you say is coming."
…...
Using Tony's instruments, Spider-Man was able to detect the creature as it entered their solar system. The Sentry and Iron Man engaged it in space, but it made its way past them. Marvel Girl was standing by with Wolverine, Spider-Woman, and Cage on the ground, with a very frightened and confused Michael Pointer. She fought it off, but received a blow that stunned her while unlocking her old cosmic powers. It used this time to enter and control the body of Michael Pointer. Wolverine, Spider-Woman, and Cage were helpless to stop it as it took off across the Atlantic. It made its way to Genosha where it found Magneto. There, the New Avengers defeated it, though not after it entered Magneto. SHIELD came for Magneto, but their plane exploded in the air. Magneto's body was never recovered.
…...
Peter awoke to the sound of voices. Cap and Tony were arguing in the corner.
Peter groaned.
"Please tell me I'm not in a lab somewhere. Just say that you two snuck into my bedroom to steal my porn. I won't tell anyone, just take it and leave."
"I'll take that to mean you're feeling better," said Tony. "How do you feel?"
"Like I just fought several rounds with a dozen Doc Ocks. What happened?"
Cap stepped forward.
"You collapsed in the astronomical lab not long after Xorn was thrown into the sun. I barely caught you before you bashed your head against the table. You've been asleep for almost a day."
"Oh shit. Did I have an 'episode?'"
Cap and Tony exchanged glances.
"You don't remember?" asked Cap. "You collapsed in the mission room."
"Shit. In front of everyone?"
"I'm afraid so," said Tony. "Peter, why didn't you tell us ahead of time? You had plenty of opportunities."
"Anything else you have to tell us?"
Peter shrugged.
"I'm pretty sure I'm fired from my teaching job. I haven't checked my messages yet."
"I'm sorry to hear that. Anything else about your visions?"
"Nothing more than I already told you. I have one, I get a horrible headache, I stop whatever I see, I sleep for a day, I don't remember anything. I've been able to deal with almost all of them by myself."
Captain America raised an eyebrow.
"Almost."
"I had a friend help me out a few times."
"Who?"
"Al. You know, Alyosha Kravinoff, Kraven's son."
Tony and Cap both looked at Peter incredulously.
"Didn't he try and kill you once?"
Peter waved off their concern.
"Yeah, but we're good friends now."
Tony put his hand to his forehead.
"Let me get this straight. Your new powers were manifesting themselves as visions of the future. These visions would leave you weak, knock you out, and give you amnesia. You didn't want to bother your teammates who care about you and might actually be able to help you in some way so you turn to a former wild-man who tried to kill you to assist you with your new abilities."
"Hey, it's not like I sought him out!" Peter defended himself indignantly. "He found me in an alley after the first vision."
"This story just keeps getting better and better," Cap muttered.
Peter colored and looked at his hands.
"Peter you're supposed to be intelligent! Why do you never use that mind of yours!"
Tony sighed. "Well, we can't do anything about it now. But we can help you now."
"You will let us know when you see something again?" asked Cap.
"Yes sir," said Peter, looking like a chastised child. "Can I go now?"
"Are you kidding? I'm calling Reed over now. We're going to have to run some tests."
"Not again," Peter moaned.
"First, your colonoscopy."
"Tony, I told you a thousand times that isn't funny."
…...
TBC
I'm really not sure about this chapter. Please review and let me know what you think.
Thanks to lilaeth, FanFan, EricaLeeV, and bigshiro for your kind reviews. They keep me writing.