Mary Jane Goes To Hell

by Lord Hoth

Peter Parker's battered psyche is reeling from the harrowing events of Kraven's Last Hunt. Desperate to help her husband, Mary Jane Watson-Parker seeks the help of the superhero community to undertake a seemingly impossible quest: to retrieve the soul of Harry Osborn from beyond the grave.

9. Warning

They descended to a lower level of the lab, where everything was done behind safety screens with protective gear. Mary Jane watched through very thick glass as floating, silver robots stirred a river of what looked like molten lava.

As Hank was engrossed in his work, MJ was not expecting anyone to strike up a conversation with her. She was certainly not expecting a yellow-and-green android to walk out of the wall.

She searched her memory for its name. "Vision."

"Mrs. Parker," said a very calm, but human sounding voice. "You hide your discomfort at my sudden appearance quite well."

"Thank-you," Mary Jane said. She quickly wondered aloud. "Are you going to tell the Avengers about this?"

"In time, they will learn," Vision replied. "But I will not alert them with sufficient notice for your efforts to be hindered."

"Thank-you," Mary Jane said.

"I would be remiss, however, if I did not warn you of the potential dangers."

Mary Jane rolled her eyes.

"I do not believe that Doctor Pym has given you sufficient information about the true risks you are facing."

"You think because I'm a woman, I can't handle myself?"

"Not at all," Vision said. "I have measured both sexes of Human as equally good at handling conflict. What troubles me more is that you will be more vulnerable to Mephisto in other ways."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"In Mephisto's interactions with mankind, he offers them bargains in exchange for their souls. But the souls he most covets contain extremely pure emotions."

"I don't know how pure my emotions are right now," Mary Jane said.

"The devotion of a wife to a husband usually caps out somewhere below the stage where she journeys into Hell to recover his best friend."

"Harry was my friend, too!" Mary Jane insisted angrily. "I failed him, too. He died saving my life. And my husband's life, as well. I can't let his sacrifice be for nothing. The Parker family needs a win, Mr. Vision, and Mary Jane is gonna get it for us."

Vision smiled. "I will do my best to aid you, Mrs. Parker. I just had to make you aware of the risks."