Walking into spiderwebs 3

Part 1: YSEMF CH 62

Part 2: YSEMF CH 66

"So are we talking Captain America or Spiderman?" Xander asked. "Cause ever since I woke up in the hospital and saw the changes that's what I've been thinking."

"Hospital?" Tony asked concerned.

"The swim team coach was dosing all its members with some sort of demonic fish steroid that was turning them into monsters. I joined the team so we could find out what was going on," Xander explained. "I wasn't spending the night at a friend's house last night I was spending it in the hospital making sure I was clean."

"That... sounds familiar," Tony said. "Do you know what he used?"

"The labels were all in Russian, sorry," Xander said.

"Tiger Shark," Tony said. "Of course if he was using that project... damn."

"What's wrong?" Xander asked. "We dumped all the containers in the sewer, it should all have washed out to sea by now."

"Well, the activating agent in the Tiger Shark serum, and its knock offs, is the same as many other projects including mine, your mother's, and Captain America's for that matter."

"You're from different projects?" Xander asked. "Wait! Captain America… Vita-Rays? But that's just a comic book."

"Yes your mother and I are from different projects and no, Captain America is real, they changed the name of the energy used to Vita-Rays. The actual term is gamma rays," Tony explained. "So more than likely there is a gamma ray projector hidden in the school, and I feel like an idiot because we could have activated your abilities by exposing you to gamma radiation and we never even thought of it."

"How do you have the same powers if you're from different projects?" Xander asked.

"Sex is the simple answer, the more complicated one involves knowledge of biochemistry and biology that mankind in general still knows nothing about," Tony explained.

"So whoever I have sex with is going to gain the same abilities?" Xander asked.

"Yes and no," Tony said. "One, it takes years, and two, they have to have the right genes, and three, you need an activating agent like a gamma ray projector."

"So you two were just lucky?" Xander asked.

"A similar DNA profile in strangers causes a basic level of attraction," Tony said. "So it's a pretty good bet that your Cordelia has some of the necessary traits in her DNA, if that's what you're asking. It took years before I gained enough of your mother's serum in my blood to give me her abilities while it was less than a year before she gained mine. Don't ask why."

Xander had a vague idea as to why and definitely didn't want it confirmed. "Yes, sir."

"Already having an active serum in our system, we didn't need another dose to activate, which will be needed for your spouse if you two should decide that. Just putting that out there now so you don't have to worry about it."

"Good to know," Xander said, relaxing a little.

"Now my serum would work on nearly anyone, but your mother's requires a specific set of gene sequences so your powers may differ from hers to a degree," Tony warned him. "For instance my bio electric blasts are a lot stronger than hers, but I can't glide on the wind like she does and her telekinetic webbing is something I'll never get."

"What powers am I going to get?" Xander asked excitedly.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"It was just a good thing I could absorb his bio-energy," Jessica said with a chuckle as she explained to the two girls how they'd discovered Tony had developed similar powers to hers.

Cordelia stared wide eyed while Buffy just looked shocked.

"Of course that lead to a rather unique training method as you can well imagine," Jessica said. "Since you can't absorb bio-energy, I'd suggesting having him hold a lightning rod. Needless to say, don't let him massage your scalp or run his fingers through your hair during sex until he has mastered his bio-energy. Fortunately that should occur pretty quickly."

"How do you deal with the super strength?" Buffy asked. One of the reasons she'd chosen to date Angel was because she didn't have to worry about causing life threatening injuries while in bed together.

"That's never been a problem," Jessica replied thoughtfully. "I know that logically it should, but I have honestly never given a lover more than a few bruises. I suspect a different portion of the brain deals with muscle control while having sex."

"How can I tell if that applies to me as well?" Buffy asked.

"Buy a cheap plastic vibrator," Jessica replied. "If it shatters, you'll know."

"What about the two of you breaking furniture?" Cordelia asked.

"We are kinky, furniture is cheap, and pheromones add a little something," Jessica explained.

"That's why you don't drink on special occasions," Buffy realized.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Xander watched as his father rewired his metal detector.

"And viola, one homemade radiation detector," Tony said.

"It's probably just sitting in his office and we didn't recognize it," Xander said.

"Or he could have hidden several gamma cells in the walls of the steam room and relied on the passive radiation to slowly activate the serum," Tony pointed out.

"Or both," Xander admitted, thinking how things usually turned out on the Hellmouth.

"Best to be on the safe side," Tony said. "The last thing we need is another hulk running around because some kid screwed around with something he shouldn't."

"You keep talking about comic characters like they're real," Xander said.

"Have you noticed how the people who live here tend not to notice the monsters and suppress anything that doesn't fit their worldview?" Tony asked.

"Yeah," Xander agreed.

"It also applies to strange things they've seen outside the city, superheroes in particular. I'm not sure why that is, but I suspect it's intentional," he said thoughtfully. "It certainly made it easier for us to hide here."

"So Captain America, Spiderman, the Fantastic Four..."

"Are real people that the comics are loosely based on," Tony agreed. "Spiderman's comics for instance are not authorized by the hero himself and so are really loosely based on him, since he isn't a public figure and has a secret identity."

"You've only mentioned Marvel characters," Xander noted.

"Marvel is the only one who specializes in actual superheroes, the rest are made up," Tony replied.

"So you and Mom were heroes?" Xander asked getting excited. "Did you have your own comic books?"

Tony chuckled. "Deep cover operatives, remember?" Your Mom was a publicly known hero however, while I had to play the bad guy or rather I played the mercenary role so if I acted as her backup or such it was because I was being 'paid'."

"So who were you two?" Xander asked.

"Still can't say," Tony said with a sigh. "However as soon as we get you trained a bit, so we're sure you'll be safe, we'll be able to find a telepathic friend of ours and have the rest of our programming removed so we can tell you."

"What about causing a paradox?" Xander asked.

"The act of moving in time causes the timeline to split," Tony explained. "It is literally impossible to cause a paradox."

"You're going to prevent your younger selves from getting sent back in time, aren't you?" Xander asked.

"Our jobs are important, but we wish to stay retired," Tony told him, "So they need to stay in this timeline."

"How old are they?" Xander asked.

"Eight or nine years older than you, well not counting the years your mother spent in suspended animation anyway," he replied. "Long story, don't ask. Ready to break into your school?"

"I have keys," Xander said.

"Don't be a killjoy, son," Tony said. "It's been ages since I've broken into anything, let me have my moment."

"Sorry, Dad," Xander apologized with a grin.

Typing by: Abyssal Angel