Chapter 11
"You know, when I joined the Avengers, I thought there'd be a bit more action," Scott yawned as he flew on top of an ant he found.
The moon glowed in the night sky as the heroes patrolled the area, hopping around the rooftops, walking down the streets in disguise, and soaring overhead.
Over the comms, Sam shouted, "Hey, you're the ex-con, man. Shouldn't you know the importance of patience on a stakeout?"
The Falcon flew across the sky, eventually roosting on the top of the Capitol Building, "Nothing like nights in the city."
"I'll say," Strange smiled as he floated down next to him.
"Shouldn't you be down at the harbor?"Sam asked with a smirk.
"Parker's got that taken care of," the doctor answered.
"He's a good kid. Seems trustworthy," Wilson said.
"He is. Believe me," Stephen smiled, "So, T'Challa was asking earlier about you and a certain shield."
"Of course he was," Sam sighed, "Look, it's nothing to worry about, man."
Strange raised an eyebrow, "Rhodes told me you used to help counsel veterans. I would think a man such as yourself would be more open about how he feels."
Sam let out a small chuckle, appreciating the irony a little. His face softened, "When the government found out about Steve giving me the title...they weren't exactly the most welcoming. Said I was reckless, irresponsible...that I didn't deserve to carry the shield. When news broke out, well, you can guess how the world reacted."
"You don't seem the type to care what others think."
"Well, when the country you risked it all for thinks you're unworthy...you start to reevaluate some things," Sam shook his head, "Crazy thing is I saw my nephew earlier. He and his friends, they heard about the whole thing and they're excited. They actually think I've earned all of this."
"And what do you think?," Strange inquired.
"I don't know."
The two remained silent for some time, a quiet atmosphere hanging above them. After a minute, Strange finally broke the tension, "Look, I didn't know Rogers well, but I know you and from what I've seen, I think you've got what it takes."
A small smile appeared on Sam's face, "Thanks, Doc."
…
The Lincoln Memorial was silent that night, as there were thankfully no tourists or citizens crowding the area as per usual. T'Challa dropped down from the ceiling, landing on his toes in front of the pale statue of the sixteenth US president. He scoped the area, trying to see if anyone suspicious was lurking around.
Thankfully, the only other person there was the intergalactic warrior herself, sitting on the right hand of the Lincoln statue, "So, no luck on your end or you too busy looking for a ball of yarn to mess with?"
"How funny," T'Challa sarcastically muttered, "So far, nothing suspicious. There must be a better way of doing this."
"Well, this was never gonna be a cake-walk," Carol shrugged, slowly floating down towards the king, "I've searched the atmosphere myself. Nothing orbiting the planet."
"You say that as though it's an easy task," T'Challa chuckled.
"Well, you can thank the Tesseract for that."
"Dr. Van Dyne told me about that," the king nodded, "I'm curious."
"I hear that's not great for kitties."
"A warrior of your power-level, who can fly across the globe as easily as jumping over a small puddle, is there any challenge you cannot overcome?"
Carol shrugged, "Probably, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try and fight it."
"You are determined. I respect that."
"You damn well better."
As T'Challa rolled his eyes and walked away, Carol's smile slowly faded, her eyes turning to the floor. Maybe there was no one who could beat her with fists or guns, but Carol knew that not all wounds were physical.
She pulled out her phone and tried to make another call, but once again, the only response she got was a voice telling her to leave a message at the tone.
As Carol hung up, the sound of something thwipping drew her attention away. She soared outside to see something swinging across the city. Not in a red suit, but in a black suit and tie.
Carol tilted her head, "Kid?"
…
"Okay, Peter, you can do this," the boy muttered to himself, sticking to the side of the wall of the brand new Oscorp facility and trying to fix his hair, "Just show them the invitation and walk right in."
Beneath him were scores of people in suits, showing the security guards their tickets. Whenever someone entered, the lights from inside would shine out in an almost heavenly manner.
He began to walk down the side of the building, but stopped and turned around, shouting at himself, "Wait! Wait! What am I doing?! These guys are depending on me! I can't ditch my post!"
Peter halted in his tracks and once again, made a turn towards the ground, "I mean, it's just for a little bit. Say hi, shake some hands then walk away."
And another turn, "But what if they find out? Spider-Man the flaker! That's even worse than a menace!"
Once again, "Buuut this could be a place where the Kree would want to strike! I mean, lots of high-profile people. Probably gonna show off some new tech. You're technically following orders! Alright, loophole for the win."
The boy hopped off of the wall and landing on his toes, tightening his bow-tie and walking towards the entrance.
…
"Wow," the teen whispered to himself as he entered. This was the most he'd ever been surrounded by rich people in his life. He recognized tech moguls, businessmen, CEOs, all of them chatting with one another and sipping what looked like champagne.
The room was massive with bright blue holograms displaying the newest tech from Oscorp. Tech such as new cell phones, models for updated security systems, and more. Peter couldn't help but snap some pics of this scientific nirvana before him.
"I died and entered nerd heaven," Peter breathed, taking this all in.
Behind him, a familiar voice spoke up, "Peter! You made it!"
Peter turned to see Ned, stylishly dressed up with his hair combed.
"Ned!," Peter grinned, "Holy shit, man! This is incredible!"
"Your buddies at Stark Industries have anything like this?," Ned bragged, arms out, "Happy you came now?"
"Man, I'm so glad I didn't miss out on this!," Peter smiled, "I don't know what MJ was talking about, this is amazing!"
"Glad you like it, man! By this time next year, you're gonna be seeing my name on one of these displays," the hero's friend flashed a smile.
Peter laughed, "From Guy in the Chair to Guy on Top."
"Like the sound of that," Ned nodded before his eyes widened, "OH! Ohmygosh, Pete! I gotta go get Mr. Osborn! He's been waiting for you all night!"
"Wait, you were serious about that?," Peter gasped, "Norman Osborn, he really wants to meet me?!"
"Dude, the second I told him that I was your friend, he lit up like a Christmas tree!," Ned explained, "He even made me his personal assistant once I told him!"
Peter squinted, not sure if Ned heard how that sounded, but his excitement at meeting the great Norman Osborn himself overrode his emotions.
"I'll be right back!," Leeds rushed away, disappearing into the crowd.
Peter nodded absent-mindedly, his heart racing. Unfortunately, that glee eroded into shame. What was he doing here? All his talk about responsibility and he was ditching his own. He had to leave. No two ways about it. As he got lost in his own thoughts, someone brought him back down to reality.
"So, he seems nice."
Peter gulped before turning his head to see Carol Danvers standing behind him. Rather than her usual armor, she wore a bluish tuxedo and slacks.
"Uh, hi, Captain Carol, hey! Funny seeing you here! Small world!," Peter stammered nervously, "Um, what, uh, what're you doing here?"
"Well, I was just scoping Lincoln Memorial for Kree when out of nowhere, I saw something swinging through the air," Carol recalled in a sarcastic tone, almost like a parent about to bust their child for sneaking out, "Now, I thought to myself,'That can't be right. Peter's down at the docks.' Long story short, I followed you and here we are."
"Where'd you get the suit?" asked Peter.
"Not important," Carol quickly noted, "Now, fess up, kid."
"Uh, well, I was thinking that the Kree came here for weaponry and to make a statement and everything, so, I was like, 'Oscorps's opening something up here! Yeah, they've gotta be around here somewhere.' So, I came here-"
Carol interrupted, "And you conveniently happened to already have tickets to come in?"
"I...do not have a proper excuse for that," Peter admitted defeat, "I'm sorry, Captain Carol. I felt awful the second I walked in. I...I have to go."
Before he could walk off, Carol placed a hand on his shoulder, "Hey, Peter."
Carol looked at the kid and memories came to her. Memories of nights where Monica would sneak out to go play with her friends when she thought her mother was asleep. Carol always knew about it, but she made it clear that as long as her child stayed out of trouble, she'd allow it. She couldn't help but think back to those memories.
She sighed, "Keep an eye out for any Kree here and I won't tell the others."
Peter looked up, surprised, "Wait, really?"
"Don't make me regret this, kiddo," Carol grinned.
"Oh my gosh, thank you so much, Captain Carol!," Peter jumped in the air with excitement, before rushing off.
Carol shook her head, amused by the kid's energy. She let out a breath before turning towards the exit.
However, the man standing right behind her had other plans in mind.
Carol's eyes widened, a mix of rage and gear in her pupils, as the person facing her devilishly smiled.
"Hello, Vers," grinned Yon-Rogg.
…
Peter strolled through the halls of the building, awaiting his meeting with the billionaire himself. He couldn't believe Captain Carol actually let him go off and enjoy the party.
However, with every step he took, the boy couldn't help but feel guilt wallow up in him. He spent so long working to not be some type of goofball, someone who would run from their responsibility. Now, he was abandoning his post for something that didn't matter in the long run.
He groaned, "What am I doing?"
He began to turn around, planning to text Ned that something came up and that he had to leave in a hurry.
However, as he stepped towards the exit, the webhead heard something coming from down the halls. The sound of laughter.
Peter's hair began to stand on edge as he shivered, "Shit. What now?"
He put a finger to his ear, prepared to call the others, before pausing, "Wait, what am I gonna tell 'em? 'Hey, it's Peter, your friendly neighborhood ditcher?'"
The cackling noise grew louder as Peter could barely walk further towards it, his Peter Tingle growing stronger and stronger, trying to pull him away. He whipped out his web-shooters, squinting his eyes as the sound increased.
As he was about to turn around the corner, something burst through the doors behind him. Peter flipped around, aiming his wrists at the character's sudden arrival.
The thing was covered in green and purple armor and was floating on what looked like a flying glider. The haunting laughter continued to grow as the thing looked down at the hero. What caused Peter's heart to sink was what covered the thing's face. The yellow eyes, the grinning teeth…
It almost looked like a goblin.