Part 7

Inside the Triskilian, Shield agents and personnel avoided the Ultimates locker room at all costs. For the last fifteen minutes, ever since Peter got back to base, loud sounds of crashing metal could be heard coming from the locker room. Glass shattered, metal crunched and the walls shook as an untamed fury was unleashed inside.

"What's going on?" Steve Rogers, better known as Captain America, rushed down a long corridor to the locker room.

"Spider-Man," a female agent said. "He's trashing the locker room."

"Why?"

"Don't know. He just came back from his mission and locked himself in there."

"Does Danvers know?"

"No." The woman produced a radio from her belt. "What me too…"

"No, don't alert Danvers or anyone else. This is something the kid needs. He's had his life taken away from him before he's gotten a chance to live it. I can relate. Wouldn't you be angry if you were in his situation?"

"But he's gonna tear the locker room apart. With his strength he could bring down the building."

Steve Rogers leaned against the far side wall to the left of the door and crossed his arms. "He's no Hulk but he could possibly do what you say. I'll put a stop to the destruction if it gets to out of hand. Besides, everything in there's on Tony's tab."

Since entering the locker room, he had ripped off his new costume and it now lay uselessly on the floor. Now wearing only a pair of boxer briefs he was single-handedly demolishing the room he first got his new costume in.

"I hate this place!" Peter shouted as he lifted a portion of lockers and hurled it across the room. They collided with a gear locker that housed Hawkeye's equipment. Broken bows fell to the ground along with their shattered arrows. No sooner had the locker settled to the floor when he sent his fist through the side of another locker. A nearby bench was next as he stomped on it, breaking it in two.

"Damn Carol Danvers!" A half-filled clothing bin was tossed upwards and broke through the ceiling, sending down a rain of plaster, broken bulbs and ceiling tile.

"I want out!" He turned and punctured a nearby wall with a punch hard enough to rattle the lights overhead.

It was a bad wall and equally bad place to hit as he ruptured the water pipes from the shower on the other side. A strong jet of water hit his face, making him wet and even more crazed. With a grunt, he dug his hands into the wall and ripped a sizable portion off. He threw it across the room as more water shot out of the pipes and sent it through the door.

Taking this as his cue, Steve Rogers ran in to put a stop to Peter's rampage. "Parker, hold up!" he nearly slipped on the wet floor as he entered. "Calm down!"

"Just stay the hell away from me!" Peter yelled with hate filled eyes. He was glad he was wet from the water. It hid the tears escaping from his eyes from being so angry.

"Parker!"

"Go away!"

"Listen to me, I…"

Before he knew what happened, Steve was flying backwards through the room from being punched by the crazed teen. He was out cold before hitting the ground. Peter didn't get a chance to realize what he had done as his spider sense went off a moment before he was hit by a paralyzing ray from Ironman. He found it was no use in fighting its effects as he lay on the ground motionless and watched as the visor on Ironman's helmet rose to display Tony's face.

"What the hell are you doing Parker?" He was looking at the destruction the teenager caused. "I told you to go back to base, not destroy it."

Peter tried to move but it was a futile attempt.

"I should have you thrown in a cell for this, but since I've had time to think about your situation I won't do it." He looked over at Steve who was being tended to by the woman from earlier. "The effect will wear off in about twenty minutes. I didn't use a full charge on you. Use this time to calm down then come to my office. Oh and don't forget to at least put on some pants."

Peter tried one more time to move but his body simply wouldn't do so. "Damn you Stark… Damn you."

"Not the first time I've heard that kid. My office, thirty minutes."

Forty-five minutes later, Peter opened the door to Tony Stark's office and entered. Sitting behind a large red oak desk, Stark swirled a glass of brandy before taking a drink. He was dressed in business attire, a polar opposite from the blue jeans and black shirt Peter wore.

"I told you thirty minutes," Tony said. "You're lousy at following orders boy."

Peter didn't say a word. He just stood in front of Tony's desk with an angered expression. Tony Stark only took another swig of his brandy while his eyes remained on him. "You don't have to say anything Peter, just listen."

Peter, he's never use my first name before. Peter thought.

"You've gone from admiring me to hating me faster than it takes for me to get a good buzz going. So I didn't believe you when you said you hate me. The others I can understand but hey, how can anyone hate Tony Stark? Anyway, believe me when I tell you that I know what you're going through, and no, this isn't the liquor talking."

"You sure?" Peter asked then was immediately told to shut up with a Stern look from Stark.

"You forget that I was once held against my will. However, unlike you, my confiners weren't up to doing good. I know what it's like to have your freedom taken away and hate those responsible. Just be grateful we saved your life instead of constantly threating you with taking it away."

Peter shifted on his feet as Stark shifted in his seat. He poured another glass of brandy before moving to stand in front of his desk. "I'll be honest with you. Everything I've seen of you radiates of greatness. You have a brilliant mind and the incredible ability to do so. But you need to do better. Every one of Shield's agents follows orders without question, something you need to do. You need to act more like a Shield agent, when you're ready."

Those last three words caught Peter by surprise. Never did he think Tony Stark, Ironman, would say that. "Why did you do that? Why did you…"

"Fury had a contingency plan made especially for you should you get seriously injured or worse. The fact that our scientists altered the suit your father made didn't come at a better time. We just don't know what the side effects are but regardless, I went on record as saying this was a bad idea from the beginning. Not about saving your life, but making you work for us as part of a covert strike force. That was Carol's idea by the way. It is true you have incredible potential but you still need to work at getting better.

"Mr. Stark, I…"

Tony held up a hand to stop Peter mid-sentence before taking another swig of brandy. "Suppose I told you to go to your room. On their way there you just so happen to stop by a Shield storage room that has various gear that is used for undercover operations with a large window that just so happens to have its security alarm turned off. What would you do then?"

Peter shifted from one foot to the other. "What about Danvers?"

"Leave Carol to me. She needs to understand that she can't hold under aged mutations against their will unless their criminals. So again I ask, what would you do?"

A slight grin crept up on Peter's face. "I think I'll go to my room now."

As Peter turned to leave Starks office, he called the teenager one last time. "One more thing, good job making the locker room look like one of my birthday bashes. The repairs a coming out of your salary but away."

"I get paid?"

"Go to your room, Parker."

Wanting to say something more but deciding against it, Peter left the office and shut the door behind him. He quickly journeyed to his room but not before making a quick pit stop at a storage room.

To be concluded