Chapter Ten

"An eerie calm has settled over New York City. Apparently some sort of aerosolized antidote was launched from Oscorp Tower, which seems to have counteracted the biotoxin. Residents of lower Manhattan can rest peacefully, knowing that the alleged mastermind of this terror plot, Dr. Curtis Connors, is behind bars."

. . .

Silence filled the room as I sat on one side of the desk. Sitting across from me was Director Fury. He was reading the files I had written since Dr. Curtis Connors was arrested three nights ago. I wasn't sure if he was impressed or annoyed that I had put my life on the line so many times.

"Spiderman isn't a threat. He's helped save hundreds of lives that night, and the police still want him arrested," Fury grumbled.

"He helped more than just a few hundred lives," I pointed out, remembering the people already infected with the serum.

"Either way, SHIELD will still be monitoring his every move." Director Fury suddenly leaned forward and eyed me curiously. "Barton told me what happened at the bridge, and the tower," he added.

I raised an eyebrow at him and shrugged. So I risked my life yet again, and was grounded. Not like I haven't done things like this before. Though fighting a giant lizard had been terrifying. And on more than one occasion I was praying the car didn't plummet into the river.

"I was trained for this," I simply replied.

"Even so, I think you've earned some time off, for real this time." What he said next caught me off guard, "I'd also like you to check in on the Grid. From what I've gathered things aren't getting any better. They might need your help."

Might being the operative word. I still wasn't sure what to say to Beck. I was rather hoping I could come up with some sort of apology for leaving them like that.

With a simple goodbye handshake, I walked out of the office to think about what he had said.

. . .

"Where have you been?"

"I..."

"My father died. There was a funeral. They shot rifles and made speeches. Two of my teachers showed up, and even Flash showed up. Everyone was there but you."

"I can't do this. I can't do this. I'm sorry."

"What are you saying?"

"I can't see you anymore! I can't!"

"He made you promise, didn't he? To stay away from me. So I'd be safe."

. . .

Four days had passed since Connors was arrested. SHIELD had stepped in to place him under lock down in the same facility as Cyrus. It was finally nice out after having two full days of rain. I took the chance to get out before I checked on the Grid.

Since the night Connors was arrested I had stopped by Captain Stacey's grave twice. Even though I had no direct ties with him, I still felt responsible for his death. That familiar sense of pain kept coming back. Natasha had said that it would take time to get over it.

On my way there I happened to see someone familiar standing at the grave. I wasn't sure if I should avoid her or just see how she was doing. I'm sure right now Gwen needed a friend more than anything else.

"Mira, it's good to see you again," Gwen said after noticing me.

"Hey Gwen," I replied with the faintest smiles. "I... I'm sorry about your father," I added.

Gwen's face paled before she regained her posture.

"He always told me that I should stay strong, even in times like this," she explained once her expression softened. "That eventually I will need to learn how to look after myself. He won't always be here to protect me."

I just stood there in silence. From a very young age I had learned to protect myself. Living on the Grid had forced me to adapt to the situation. I wondered if Gwen would have done the same thing had she been in my position.

"How's Peter?" Her question caught me by surprise. Was she jealous that Peter and I had been friends? Had being the operative word.

Since that night on top of Oscorp we hadn't seen each other. I knew Peter was still angry that I had lied to him. He had every right to be pissed and feel betrayed. I would've felt the same way had someone done this to me.

"I'm... not sure," I admitted guiltily. "We haven't seen each other since we had an... argument."

Gwen just nodded at that and fell silent once more. An awkward silence fell between us as I thought over everything that had happened.

With all the trouble with the Lizard, I never had a chance to patch things up with Beck and Tron. Maybe Director Fury was right to say I should pay them a visit. After all it was my fault I had avoided them all this time.

"I should probably go," Gwen suddenly announced. She glanced at me warily. "Thank you, for caring about him."

I stared at her in disbelief as she walked away. Had she meant her father or Peter? I wasn't sure, but I dared not say anything. Once she was gone I looked up at the tree growing between the graves and held back a sigh of annoyance.

"You can come down, she's gone," I muttered before folding my arms.

Moments later and I was joined by someone I never expected to see again. Peter looked just as surprised as I did before we both burst into laughter. That awkward moment of seeing each other again was short lived.

"Man, you are good," he sighed once he caught his breath. "So uh... I wanted to apologize for what I said that night," he added.

"You don't have to apologize," I told him. "It was my fault... I should have told you the truth from the start."

Another silence followed as we stared at the grave. For the longest time I wondered whether or not being part of SHIELD was what I had really wanted. After the fight with the Lizard, I realized why I had joined SHIELD. It wasn't just to follow in my parent's footsteps. It was to keep the people I cared about safe.

"I can't resist asking, but what's it like being... you know," he asked.

"It feels like they're watching my every move," I replied honestly. "Especially Clint. Having an overprotective father isn't exactly a good thing." We both laughed at that statement. "Everyone always compares me to them. But Captain Stacey... he said I was nothing like them."

I swallowed as I remembered that night. I couldn't get any sleep after that. Both Clint and Natasha had stayed behind to keep an eye on me. That battle had taken an emotional toll on me. I was far from ready for another fight.

"You know, I think he's right," Peter suddenly said. I looked at him in surprise before he explained, "I mean, they're master assassins. And you, you aren't afraid of jumping into danger. You risked your life to help someone you didn't even know. And that takes a lot of guts."

Biting the bottom of my lip, I suddenly realized that he was partly right. If I had told him about the Grid he might think differently. But right now I wasn't sure if he was ready for that. So for now I would leave that part out.

"So does this mean we're friends again?" This time Peter eyed me curiously. I couldn't help but smirk at the question.

"Of course," I replied. "I should probably warn you that SHIELD will be keeping track of you," I added a bit more cautiously. Knowing Fury he was watching me right now. He said that it was a safety protocol. But something told me my overprotective parents had something to do with that.

"I guess I'm okay with that," he said with a shrug. "As long as they don't interfere too much."

"So, we seeing each other again tomorrow?" I asked.

Peter just grinned before nodding in agreement. At least our friendship had been severed. Now I just needed to patch things up with Beck and Tron.

. . .

"Mr. Parker, tardy again. Well, at least we can always count on you."

"Sorry, Miss Ritter, it won't happen again, I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Mr. Parker."

"Yeah, but those are the best kind."

. . .

"Sir, we've developed the code you asked for."

"Excellent. Now we just need our little experiment to move forward."

"Sir, what does the code do?"

"If my theory is correct, which it usually is, this code will effect the way a User acts. Even repurpose them to my likings."

"But why a User?"

"You'll find out soon enough, soldier."

. . .

I was never more happy to be back on the Grid. There was just something about it that always made me feel at home. Maybe because this is where I grew up. And where I learned how to defend myself. So much time has passed since I was last here, especially at Argon City.

Only now something seemed off. The city lights weren't glowing a calm blue and white. Lightning streaked across the sky, signaling that a storm was developing. Despite the day and night features Sam had placed on the Grid, the air was still dark as night.

Well, that wasn't ominous at all. It was probably a good thing I had left Rinzler behind. Something told me that this was about to get ugly.

And sure enough my instincts were right. Almost as soon as I started walking the sound of footsteps echoed behind me. I whirled around, half expecting to see a familiar face. What I did see made my skin crawl with dismay.

Soldiers, wearing the old black guard circuits had surrounded me. They were all armed with stun grenades and smoke bombs. And the only weapons I had were my feet and disk. This wasn't going to end well.

"So, you boys gonna tell me who sent you?" I demanded as I activated my disk.

The soldiers remained silent, much to my disappointment. I was ready to swing when something flew in my direction. I didn't have a chance to react as energy coursed through my system.

A low chuckle followed as I stumbled to the ground. "You'll make a fine experiment." Helmet receding from the soldier's face, I looked on in disbelief at the familiar sight. Before I could fight back another stun grenade was thrown in my direction. Black spots clouded my vision as my consciousness started to fade.

Where was that backup when I needed it the most?

AN: So the last bit was more like a prologue than anything else /= But I wanted to post it here to lead into the sequel. The sequel will likely be shorter word-wise, but I've already got quite a few chapters typed up and planned out. Big thanks to 2theSky and Panda Bear Lover 317. You guys are amazing :) And a thank you to everyone who reviewed earlier or even gave this story a quick glance. Means a lot to me ^^

(And if anyone hasn't found out, MercyMe's new album is out today on the 8th of April! If you haven't ordered it now than I recommend getting it. Amazing music from a great band)