Wow, okay, so.
I moved into a dorm for graduate school, and nobody in the building knows anything so I'm forced to do in depth research just to figure out how to live here.
I think I had a panic attack. A depression attack? Is there a term for feeling depressed for about 48 hours straight?
I'm better now. Enjoy the chapter that got me through everything.
The classroom door was nearly kicked off its hinges by Fury.
It was his respect for Coulson that stopped Fury from causing much damage to this school. A rookie agent was already patching the hole Nick had punched into a wall when he first learned the details of Taskmaster's intrusion.
Fury was fine though. Venting a little steam was part of his process. A process that also included talking to unhelpful eyewitnesses, useless agents, and smart girls who fancied themselves to be reporters.
Mary Jane Watson. Despite being the most useful witness, she was just as bad as her friend, Parker. She wanted compromises and deals so she could be updated on all the action. It was unheard of for an innocent witness to make such demands, but that's exactly what she did.
The worst part was, Fury didn't even have the chance to pressure her out of making those deals. He needed the information quickly, and Parker would never forgive him if he treated the girl like a common criminal. At any rate, Shield had their information now, and Watson would soon be interrogated for a slightly different reason. Ayala was convinced that the girl knew about the team, and Fury would not allow her to ruin the whole operation.
Then there was an even worse part. Fury needed to visit the team and the aunt, the only ones who were supposed to know anything, and the only ones Fury didn't want to talk to. Teenagers were already so high strung to begin with, let alone when under duress. And Mrs. Parker . . . Fury didn't like it when other people did the yelling instead of him.
But he had faced worse dangers, so he was here, marching through the doorway, the banging door having caused enough noise to startle everyone. Their momentary surprise would be enough for him to begin speaking without interruption. He needed that advantage when May Parker was around.
"We figured out most of how Taskmaster managed to slip in and out so easily," Fury cut straight to the chase. "Turns out that he installed a latent piggyback program in the school's security system back when he was coach here. It allowed him to enter the building undetected. The rest was simply strategic elimination of guards." He ground his teeth. "But that was all run of the mill infiltration. The more interesting details directly involve Parker."
He took a brief pause there to analyze everyone. Despite the fear and worry clearly evident in their eyes, the remaining members of the team were all sitting or standing upright, listening to every word. Mrs. Parker appeared slightly dazed, which was to be expected, but she was also paying attention. Fury continued speaking before anyone else could butt in.
"Parker was taken with minimum harm. So far as Miss Watson saw, there was no beating or even a single punch from Taskmaster. He only rendered Parker unconscious with a sedative gas. Our forensic chemists are determining its identity and origin, but chances are their results will be inconclusive. Now, that being said-"
Fury's luck finally ran out and May interrupted. "Wait, why will the results be inconclusive? Don't you have the best scientists in the world?"
At least that was a simple enough question. "Taskmaster excels in being untraceable. If he leaves something behind, it's normally a dead end. We expect this to be no exception. However, the fact that he did not harm Parker is much more telling. It gives credence to the letter that was sent to your residence." Fury stepped forward to hand May the printout, and she snatched it from his grip with surprising energy.
"That bastard sent a ransom note?!" she seethed. Fury didn't answer, letting the letter speak for itself. Sure enough, May's anger gave way to confusion as she read it. "I–I don't understand. Why is he saying these things?"
"Wait!" Sam whined. "What's it say? You can't leave us in suspense like this!"
May took a steady breath and began to read aloud, voice wavering at times. "'Dear Mrs. Parker, I regret that it is necessary to take your nephew, but I am convinced that it is the best course of action. Peter has powers which will attract all the wrong attention. Shield has already taken an unhealthy interest in him, and I fear they will act soon, certainly long before he turns eighteen. Their manipulations will put both you and your nephew in danger. Rest assured that Peter will b–will be well taken care of, and you will be able to see him again when I remove the threat that Shield poses to him and others like him. Sincerely, Anthony Masters.'" May looked up at Fury. "What is this? Isn't this from Taskmaster?"
"It is from Taskmaster," Fury confirmed. "He's trying to paint himself as a helpful victim. He's been using this cover story with every child he targets. Normally no one receives these messages because the children are already orphaned and alone. Parker was the first with any parental figure, and Taskmaster chose to give you his cover story too, which says a lot. Primarily, it means he wants to make you unwilling to cooperate with Shield by putting the blame on us."
"So he just expects me to be okay with what he's doing?!" May's grip on the printout tightened. "And don't think you're out of the woods either, Fury! It was your security detail he got past!" Her anger dissolved again as quickly as it came. A gasping sob escaped her. "Does this mean that Peter is safe? Taskmaster isn't going to kill him?"
Oh great, she was aware of the threat on his life. Fury preferred blissfully ignorant parents. "That seems oddly likely given all the evidence."
Still shaking with quiet sobs, May's shoulders sagged with relief. "Why is Taskmaster doing this, then?"
"Yeah, why?" Luke echoed. "Compassion isn't like him."
"I'm not entirely sure," Fury admitted. "But I'm treating this as an anomaly with a deadline. Because if Taskmaster believes that he can control Spider-Man, then he's in for a nasty surprise."
A small and crookedly savage smile graced Ava's face. "Pete will work to start a mutiny."
"But if Pete annoys him too much, do you think Taskmaster will get angry at him and snap?" Sam asked, not quite as casually as usual.
"Somebody is bound to snap," Fury said. "I just hope that somebody is Parker. Heck, I'll throw him that party he's been asking for if he can get some venom into Taskmaster."
Everyone reacted differently to that statement. Ava nodded in solemn agreement. Luke looked away. Danny seemed horrified. Sam covered his face with his hands.
May got angry again. "You want Peter to kill a man?!"
Fury shrugged. "Kill, maim, hinder in any way. I'll accept anything that leads to stopping Taskmaster. He's murdered more people than some of the villains who aim for total annihilation. He can't be allowed to continue, especially if he's trying to develop a young army to continue his legacy."
Tears were forming in May's already wet eyes. "If you're willing to use Peter like this, then maybe you're just as bad as Taskmaster is making you out to be."
Fury didn't even accept that as any sort of criticism. "I'm not using him. I'm saying that I'm willing to exonerate him regardless of what he deems necessary while he is held against his will."
The team exchanged some significant glances, but remained silent. Fury had a good idea of what they were thinking. Contrary to what May thought, though, Fury was not particularly happy about this possibility. He had seen how it took a toll on Peter the first time he used his venom. He didn't wish a similar situation on the poor kid.
However, if Parker did manage to get rid of Taskmaster single handedly, the world would be a much happier and safer place.
May sighed, breath catching. "Please find my boy before he does anything he'll regret."
"We'll do our best." Fury had learned long ago never to make promises he couldn't keep.
"That's where we come in, right?" Sam asked. "What do you need us to do?"
Honestly, the team couldn't do anything yet. The techs were still tracking the van through the city's cameras, and there were no other leads. But leaving four heroic teenagers with no guidance was dangerous, so they would receive busywork instead. "You'll begin casing several locations that Taskmaster has either been known or suspected to frequent. Chances are they'll all be empty, but we need to be sure."
Sam saluted and managed to do it all wrong.
The clothes were alright. They were surprisingly comfortable. That wasn't a surprise based on how they looked. They looked like good quality sweats and T-shirts. The colors were vibrant and they were soft to the touch. But Peter was still having a hard time reconciling the fact that Taskmaster was being nice to him.
Oh well, it made life easier for Peter, so he wasn't complaining. He was just going to wear this light gray shirt with army green pants. After he put back the red and blue pairing he had originally grabbed.
People sometimes asked him (as Spider-Man) why he chose red and blue for his costume. The answer was simple: red and blue just went together. Whether they contrasted each other or were mixed into purple, red and blue were just meant to be. That was Peter's understanding of color theory, and it was going to get him into trouble if he didn't learn how to change up his limited fashion sense.
He went to change in the bathroom, because he still wasn't entirely convinced that there were no cameras in the bedroom. The bathrooms were very nice, pearly white and tiled and prone to a terrible echo when the toilet was flushed. They were small and private too. Peter was glad they weren't a communal bath or something. There were four separate ones with their own lockable doors. This way, Peter could take his veneers and contacts out for a few minutes. He could already tell the contacts were going to be an issue. They would start irritating his eyes within a day or two of continuous wear, but he didn't want to reveal anything else, especially something that was a potential weakness. If Taskmaster knew he could blind Peter with a simple flashlight, things would not go well.
And it would be embarrassing.
And Amadeus would have something else he'd like to study.
Peter shivered. He had once imagined fame and fortune if people knew who he was, then he feared rejection, now he was afraid that there were people as crazy as Doctor Octopus out there, willing to treat him like an experiment like all the other mad scientists. He could handle supervillains who thought like that, but regular people? People who went to his school?
His school. What was Peter going to do when he and Amadeus escaped and went back to school? Shield would ensure that Amadeus wouldn't tell anyone about Peter's powers, but they couldn't stop him from pestering Peter himself.
Forget awkward. That would start getting creepy real fast.
Maybe Ava could scare Amadeus off? She couldn't growl at him or he'd want to study her too, but she was intimidating without the amulet. Luke was protective too, so he'd help. Yeah, it wouldn't be so bad.
There was a knock at the door to his bathroom which made Peter jump. He wasn't going to get any rest from his spider sense's constant buzzing at this rate.
"Peter, are you done? Masters is here to take us to dinner," Amadeus called through the door.
"Coming!" Peter called back. He put his contacts and veneers back on and left the one place he could be absolutely certain that he was alone.
Being in an enemy's compound was extremely anxiety-inducing.
Taskmaster was in the hallway, not the bedroom area, as if he actually cared about privacy. He graciously asked the boys if they had found their accommodations acceptable. Amadeus said they were great and obviously well designed. Peter said they were fine, because he couldn't admit that the entire place gave him the creeps.
The dining room was at the end of the hall, across from the kitchen. Peter could tell because he could hear the clatter of pots and pans and smell the food being prepared. It smelled pretty good. Far better than anything a prison would have. Taskmaster was really going out of his way to make this place seem like it wasn't just an underground dungeon.
There was chatter from the dining room, but Peter couldn't tell how many people were in there. He followed Amadeus inside, ready for anything.
It was nearly a normal dining room. A warm and inviting dining room. The metal table had a tablecloth that disguised its utilitarian nature. The lights were a softer, more yellow tone than the lights in the hallway. The chairs looked comfortable and were cushioned. There was a shelf that held books and board games. There were even a few paintings on the walls. They looked like they were done by an amateur. Did they have art nights here?
Sitting at the table were three teenagers. Ty and Tandy sat next to each other. Adrien sat across from Tandy. Everyone quieted down at the entrance of the two newbies, greeting them with happy and kind smiles. Even Adrien looked happier than Peter had ever seen him.
This was insane! It was like stepping into one of those old Twilight Zone episodes where an entire town was being controlled and everyone acted out of character and happy all the time. Or maybe it was more like the 'Attack of the Body Snatchers' movies.
Neither of those ended well, so neither reference made Peter feel better.
Taskmaster came in last. Having him behind and out of sight made Peter uneasy. He turned slightly so he could at least see Taskmaster in his peripheral vision. Taskmaster was waving at the trio at the table. They greeted him as "Mr. Masters." Peter was going to have trouble getting used to that alias. He already hated it.
"Hello, Thunderbolts," Taskmaster said. "I'd like you all to meet Peter Parker and Amadeus Cho. Peter and Amadeus, meet Adrien Toomes, Tyrone Johnson, and Tandy Bowen." He gestured to each accordingly. "I already gave these two a lecture on what we stand for, so I'll let you get to know each other while I help out with dinner." He saluted and left the teenagers alone.
Tandy was the first one standing and rushing over to shake their hands. She smiled so brightly. In fact, maybe her toothy grin really was glowing white. "Hi Peter! Hi Amadeus! It's so great to meet you! I'm Tandy, but you already know that. Let's see-I love crafts and drawing, I absolutely love fresh New York bagels, I've always wanted a pet, I have magical light powers, and I'm a Gemini. I'm pretty sure Ty is my Gemini twin; we're practically inseparable."
Peter stared at her silently, mouth slightly agape. He wasn't trying to be rude. It was just that she had given a lot of information, and the moment she took his hand her skin glowed and Peter abruptly felt ten times calmer despite his spider sense's continued buzzing. It was highly confusing. Amadeus was quiet too, so it wasn't just him.
"Tandy! You're doing your Good Vibes thing again!" Ty came over to stop her, but Tandy had already let go. Peter felt the unnatural calmness slowly melt away.
"I'm so sorry!" she apologized. "I try not to do that unless people ask, but sometimes I feel bad when others are scared and I do it anyway."
She was so distraught, Peter wished he could tell Tandy it was okay, that he had a friend who could spread good Chi too, but he couldn't give anything away.
"Fascinating," Amadeus muttered, and, despite the lingering calmness, Peter wanted to punch him.
With Ty so close, the room appeared a little dimmer, leaving Tandy looking even brighter in contrast. Then she took several deep breaths and her glow diminished. Her grin came back full force though. "Okay, Ty, it's your turn."
Ty rolled his eyes. "Do I have to?"
"Yes. Go on." Tandy nudged him encouragingly.
"Fine. I'm Tyrone, but I prefer to be called Ty. I like looking at art, but never ask me to do it. Everyone loves fresh New York bagels. I've never wanted a pet. I have shadow powers. And I do accept Tandy as my honorary sister, so you both better respect her or you'll find yourselves teleported to Antarctica." The last was said quietly and threateningly, although he held out his hand to shake too.
Peter shook his hand first, a reflex more than anything else. He may not want to be here, but he needed these people to trust him regar-
He was distracted from his feeble plotting by a deep seated fear. It wasn't strong, but it was there, making Ty seem a lot more intimidating than he'd been just a few seconds ago. The feeling was also extremely sudden. Surprising. Peter let go of the handshake with a gasp that was close to a hiss. He had to shut his mouth before his fangs pushed at his veneers.
His cheeks burned as everyone looked at him, but they took it in stride. At least, everyone except Amadeus. Amadeus was watching him scrutinizingly again.
"Ty! Stop scaring people!" Tandy chastised, lightly punching his arm.
"I'm just trying to protect you. Besides, you're the one who started using your powers."
She glared sternly up at him. "You know I appreciate your concern, but I can protect myself. There's no reason to scare the new people. How are they going to feel safe here?"
"Fine." Ty shook Amadeus's hand. Amadeus didn't seem startled at all. "There. Are you happy now?"
"Very." Tandy nodded her head, satisfied. She turned back to Peter. "Sorry about that, emotion projecting is one of our powers. Do you need some help calming down?"
Peter took a step away. "I think I'm done with emotional manipulation for now."
"Fair enough. Adrien, you're up next!"
Adrien came over. Up close, he looked way better than the last time Peter had seen him. He wasn't as thin and the bags under his eyes weren't as pronounced. At least something good had come from Taskmaster's scheme.
"Hi. I'm Adrien. I don't know much about my past or who I am thanks to Dr. Octopus, but Mr. Masters is helping me figure things out. I learned that I like reading, and Tandy is teaching me to paint. As for my powers, I'm part vulture, as you can sometimes see." Adrien transformed into his Vulture form, dark feathers growing and beak protruding. Even his bird form looked healthier. His feathers had a sheen to them they never had before, and his talons weren't chipped from fighting anymore.
"Amazing!" Amadeus muttered. Adrien cocked his head at him, black eyes narrowing before he changed back.
"Okay! Now it's your turn!" Tandy said brightly. "Who's going to go first?"
Peter and Amadeus exchanged glances. Peter was still several steps away from the small group, and Amadeus seemed to take that to mean he was too hesitant to go first. Amadeus gave a small bow to everyone.
"I'm Amadeus, as Mr. Masters said before. I'm an engineering genius who's built such things as an arc reactor similar to Stark tech as well as artificial leaves."
"How can leaves be artificial?" Adrien asked. "Do you mean like when you have fake flowers?"
Amadeus frowned. "No, I'm talking about artificial photosynthesis which could help replace harmful fossil fuels."
"Oh," the small crowd intoned.
"Okay, that's really cool!" Tandy said. "Do you want to share any personal facts so we can get to know you better? Like, what's your favorite color? Favorite dinosaur? What do you like for breakfast?"
Amadeus considered her for a moment. "I guess I like scrambled eggs with cheese, peppers, and sausage. It's a well rounded breakfast." He stopped there, but Tandy kept looking at him expectantly, so Amadeus added, "And the Spinosaurus is cool, I guess?"
"Awesome!" Tandy said. "We have scrambled eggs pretty often, so I'm sure you'll like breakfast here!" She turned her happy gaze to Peter. "And last but not least . . ."
Peter swallowed. He hoped this was the last time he had to introduce himself today. He'd essentially been explaining himself since this morning at the science fair. "Um-Hi, I'm Peter. I like science. And wheat cakes. I love wheat cakes. Bambiraptors are my favorite dinosaurs because they're like tiny little velociraptors. And I have spider powers, kind of like Spider-Man's, but . . . with more emphasis on the spideriness."
"So you can climb walls and do flips?" Ty asked. Peter nodded.
"What's more spidery than that?" Adrien asked a lot kinder than Amadeus would have.
Even so, this was never going to get easier, was it? "I have certain instincts . . ." Peter answered quietly, rubbing his arm.
"And he has spinnerets in his wrist," Amadeus added excitedly, as if suddenly remembering them. "Can you show us how they work?"
Why did Amadeus need to point that out now? And why did he ask it like that? Literally anyone else in the room could have asked the question, and it wouldn't have seemed nearly as demanding as Amadeus made it sound. Peter wanted to deny him just because.
Tandy seemed to notice Peter's hesitation. "It'd be cool to see, but only if you want to do it," she said.
"Yeah," Adrien said. "I understand it's hard to show others."
Wow, everyone else was actually really nice. And Peter did need to check if his right spinneret still worked after Amadeus hurt it. He would have preferred to do this in private, but he'd forgotten while he was in the bathroom.
Aiming at a nearby chair, Peter shot a silk strand. It burned slightly, but not terribly, so maybe it just needed more time to recover. He pulled the chair out enough for someone to sit down. The tug on his spinneret felt sort of . . . uncomfortable? Strange? Ticklish? Painful?
Peter wished he could go home to Phoebe, ask her what she knew about this.
Everyone stared at the strand. Adrien and Ty looked impressed. Tandy clapped her hands and smiled, as if she were proud of this minor accomplishment. Amadeus immediately reached out to touch the strand. Peter felt the vibrations of the touch, and it only annoyed him more. He disconnected the silk line from his wrist to stop the feeling.
"This is so strong!" Amadeus said. He took the strand in both hands and pulled as hard as he could. It only stretched before it went taut. "Incredible!"
Peter begrudgingly accepted the praise and made his way to sit down in the chair, but Amadeus wasn't done yet.
"What do you need to eat to get the proteins to make this silk? I'm assuming this is why you need to eat insects. Can you make full webs? This strand isn't very sticky. Can you make them sticky too? Oh, wait, here." Amadeus struggled, but managed to pull the strand off the chair to hand it to Peter. "You probably need to eat it, right?"
Peter froze, staring at him. Why couldn't Amadeus be one of those narrow minded people who only knew facts about their chosen subject? Peter tried to be civil, but some animosity slipped into his words, "Like most people, I don't eat things that have been handled in an unsanitary way."
"Fair enough," Amadeus replied, unfazed. "I'll use gloves next time."
Peter's fists clenched. What sort of response was that?! Who did Amadeus think he was?! Not even the supervillains had ever been so offensive as this-
"Okay," Tandy interrupted the tense moment with another clap of her hands. "How about we all take a seat? Dinner will be ready any minute now. Peter, why don't you sit between me and Adrien?"
They all sat, and Peter was thankful for the intervention. He didn't really want to be angry at Amadeus. He wanted to be able to convince everyone to escape with him. And Peter knew from experience that it was harder to save someone you hated.
Everyone took their seats. Peter sat between Tandy and Adrien as requested. Amadeus ended up next to Ty on the other side of the table. Just as they began making small talk again, the door opened and Taskmaster came in holding a tray. A tall woman came behind him holding another tray. She had short brown tousled hair, a lithe figure, and eyes that flashed amber, contrasting against her darker skin.
Peter blinked his eyes to mask how wide they had gotten. That lady was Black Cat, wasn't she? She had the same exact features and her lips were the same deep red. She was the notorious thief who got away! She was the one who nearly beat Spider-Man to a pulp!
It was quite terrifying to know that she might live here too.
Yet, despite how formidable she could be, she was currently serving dinner to a bunch of teenagers.
Maybe she was nicer to the Thunderbolts?
Ty, Tandy, and Adrien helped set the table when the trays arrived. Dishes of roast chicken and vegetables were placed as glasses of water were poured. Everyone worked together as if this were a family dinner. The comparison made Peter feel sad and nostalgic, but those feelings were quickly replaced by hunger. He realized he hadn't eaten much since breakfast; he was utterly and completely starving. He began to reach for the nearest dish, barely managing to stop himself when he remembered that supervillain food could be poisoned. Also, no one else was eating yet.
Taskmaster still stood alongside Black Cat. He laid a hand on her shoulder. "Peter, Amadeus, I'd like you to meet my second in command-"
Black Cat stepped away from him, laughing daintily. "Oh, Anthony, you're so . . . chivalrous, but I can introduce myself. I'm Felicia, the modern day Robin Hood taking back what the corrupt rich have stolen. That's why Anthony asked me to help him stop Shield from stealing people's freedom." She sauntered around the table. "You must be Amadeus," she guessed as she passed behind his chair. "Boy genius. How cute." Felicia squeezed Amadeus's cheek, ignoring his irritation as she moved around to stand right behind Peter. She leaned down close enough that he could feel her breath, and it made his spider sense tickle warningly. "And you must be Peter, our newest hybrid. I heard you're a spider."
Peter swallowed, mouth dry. He hadn't yet forgotten how she beat him and nearly kidnapped him weeks earlier. "Um, yes. I am. Part spider, that is."
"How interesting! I'm part cat, but don't worry, I won't eat you. In fact . . ." Felicia dropped a small bag onto the table. "I found these for you. Caught them myself."
The bag was one of those white, thin plastic types with the words 'Thank You' printed on it. It was just see-through enough to let Peter see the movements of insects inside. His stomach growled happily even as his cheeks burned deep red.
"Th-thank you," Peter whispered, unsure what to make of this preferential treatment.
Felicia didn't lean in closer, but her voice got even quieter, barely more than a whisper, so only Peter could hear. "Anything for a fellow experiment."
Oh, so that's why she went through the trouble of catching bugs for him. She must have heard that Goblin experimented on him. Did that mean she had been experimented on too? Peter wondered what psycho was mixing people with cats. He may not be a huge fan of Black Cat, but he was willing to get justice for her.
With that, Felicia went to sit on the end of the table on Adrien's other side. Taskmaster sat at the opposite end, the head of the table. He smiled benevolently at everyone. "It's wonderful to see some new faces at this table. When I first decided to form the Thunderbolts, I knew it would be challenging to find and convince the young recruits of Shield to join my cause. Now I sit here, and I can see the fruits of my labor, the happy faces of the next generation." He raised his glass of water. "To our newest members, and to the many more that we hope to save. To the Thunderbolts!"
Ugh, Peter couldn't believe how sappy Taskmaster was acting, but he raised his glass with the others. Interestingly, he wasn't the only one who thought the toast was overdone. Felicia was rolling her eyes. When she caught Peter's eye, she winked.
Something was going on here. Peter was sure of it. But it involved a mysterious woman who was part cat, and so he was sure of nothing.
With the toast done, everyone began serving themselves. Peter hesitated this time. He was starving so badly, but there was a chance that this food might have been prepared by Taskmaster himself.
That was actually a weird thought, imagining Taskmaster with an apron and ladle.
And a bottle of poison.
Well, all the others were already eating, so the food probably wasn't poisoned. Unless they had already drunk the antidote. Or maybe Peter's glass was poisoned. Or the bugs . . .
"Are you okay?" Adrien asked. "Do you have food preferences? I have raw meat." He pointed at the bloody chicken legs on his plate.
"No, I'm fine," Peter lied automatically. "I'm just . . . trying to adjust, I guess."
"I understand." Adrien tilted his head curiously again. "Do you have instincts that make you feel safe or wary depending on where you are?"
Peter turned to him fully. "Yeah, I do. You have them too?"
"Sort of. It was scary to eat here the first time. Vultures eat together, but I wasn't sure I could trust anyone yet. They've proven to be very trustworthy company though, so now it feels safe. It's so much easier to eat among friends."
It was difficult, but Peter didn't snort at that.
"Will the insects help?" Adrien continued. "Meals settle a lot better when they contain something you like, especially when you're nervous."
Huh, was Adrien trying to help Peter like Spider-Man had once helped him? That was actually kind of sweet. "Um, thanks. It's just that . . . I don't normally eat bugs in front of people."
"Didn't Masters tell you there's no judgment here? You haven't seen me eat my meat yet." Adrien transformed his head and picked up a chicken leg, picking at the meat with his beak. He didn't bother turning his head back to human. "Our instincts know the easiest and fastest way to eat. So eat however you need. We'll try to accomodate you better tomorrow. I promise."
Adrien went back to his meal. Peter found it disconcerting to watch the Vulture rip the meat off like he'd once done to Spider-Man. His spider sense was telling him to leave before he became the main course. With some mental effort, Peter refocused on his own meal.
He supposed the food likely wasn't poisoned, so he started with a sip of water. It tasted like regular water. Peter wasn't sure what else he was expecting. Then he added some cooked chicken to his plate along with plenty of vegetables, testing each. It wasn't bad at all. He finally caved in and breezed through three servings. He had to stop there though, not because he was full, but because the food ran out.
How on Earth was Taskmaster going to afford feeding so many enhanced individuals?
Oh, that was probably why Black Cat had to keep stealing things.
There was a problem though. Peter was still hungry. Quite hungry. It felt as though his three servings had only been a small snack.
Unfortunately, it made sense. He'd had breakfast early this morning, was forced to present his scientific work for hours, been drugged by Taskmaster, and he'd been highly stressed since he woke up. His body was in high gear and it demanded the sustenance to keep up this level of activity.
And there was a bag of bugs right in front of him.
And Peter didn't have any juice to curb his insect cravings.
Well, if he were honest with himself, he would admit that he was currently beyond juice at this moment. He was hungry, not thirsty.
The bugs were still crawling around in the bag, making small noises against the plastic. Peter licked his lips, feeling his fangs struggle against his retainer. He had never reacted like this to Phoebe's live crickets before. But then, Aunt May always made sure he had enough to eat without resorting to bugs.
Peter began to reach for the bag. Then he noticed how Amadeus honed in on the action, and he pulled his hand back.
Why was Amadeus acting like this? Like he was a heartless scientist? It was highly worrisome. Was this the real reason why Shield was keeping a close eye on him?
"Go on, take them," Felicia drawled, gesturing to the bag. "You're not going to decline my thoughtful gift, are you?" She pouted at him.
"No, I really appreciate it." Peter did not appreciate how she called attention to him again. Now he felt like he was being peer pressured into eating them, which was probably Felicia's plan.
How conniving of her.
Well, he really was kind of scared of her, so he might as well go along with this. He reached for the bag again, ignoring Amadeus's stare, and-
Tandy clapped her hands excitedly. "Ooh! We should have a game night! We finally have enough people to make the trivia games more fun!"
Ty, Adrien, and even Taskmaster agreed. In a flurry of motion, the plates were gathered, Ty teleported them away in a flash of shadow, and came right back with several bowls of chips. Adrien returned his face to normal and grabbed one of the games from the shelf. Tandy helped him set things up. Teams were decided upon.
This was how Peter found himself playing a pop culture trivia game with Taskmaster, Black Cat, and four other super teenagers, all while he munched on insects as if they were just another type of chip.
It was even more surreal than dinner had been. And it was oddly . . . entertaining.
Peter was on Felicia and Adrien's team: Cath Vider. Adrien didn't know much, but Peter and Felicia helped him out. Ty and Tandy were the Twin Powers, formidable adversaries in the game. And Amadeus and Taskmaster were the third team, the Taskmanagers. They were also in last place.
Amadeus was not taking this well.
"That's impossible!" Amadeus exclaimed. "Even assuming that it's not just a ball of semi-liquid minerals, the center of the Earth can't possibly go through such short cycles of habitable weather while still housing a diverse ecosystem!"
Ty rolled his eyes. "Journey to the Center of the Earth was just a movie. They weren't trying to be scientifically accurate. They were trying to create an adventure full of wonder."
"What's so wonderful about lies? There are real expeditions that have been more exciting!"
"Do any of them include a dinosaur?"
"Well, no-"
"Then I rest my case."
"You don't even have a case! There's no evidence to support you!"
Peter crunched on his next fly as he watched the exchange avidly. In fact, he was almost. . . enjoying himself. It was a ridiculous thought, but it was so much fun to watch Amadeus realize he wasn't the smartest person in the room with these topics. Also, the insects were delicious. Peter had never tried most of these before. Flies were a little zestier than crickets, beetles were extra crunchy because of their shells, and centipedes were so big! Peter could imagine that centipedes would be more fun to eat if he had his fangs out. Would they be big enough for him to use just a little bit of venom?
For the millionth time that day, Peter felt heat flood his cheeks. No, he was not going to hunt centipedes just so he could use some venom for food.
Wait a minute, venom!
Peter pushed his tongue against the roof of his mouth. There were the soft bumps of his venom glands, not bulging like they had with Rhino, but not empty either. With all these threats around him, Peter was absolutely sure that his body was going to make more venom very soon.
And then he'd have to get rid of it. Because if he didn't, someone could end up hurt. Even as relaxed as he was now, his spider sense was urging him to remain vigilant, ready to strike. Every sudden movement caught his attention, which meant he was constantly at risk of his eyes switching over to selective focus mode, which was not ideal during gameplay. The rest of his senses were dialed up more than normal, and he was even more aware than he usually was of the vibrations of everyone's movements.
It was getting to be a bit much. If Peter kept focusing on his senses, he was going to succumb to a headache, or worse, sensory overload, which he hadn't dealt with in ages. So he begrudgingly focused on the fun instead.
It helped that Amadeus was too busy arguing to stare at him now. That was one less threat.
Peter jumped a little when his name was called. It was his turn again. Good. Recalling facts always calmed him down. So did helping people. And his team needed his help if they were going to win this game.
May gave up on her game of Solitaire. It wasn't distracting her anymore, and she needed to start cooking. The kids would be here soon once they were done searching the city.
It pained her to start seasoning the chicken. She'd had plans to take Peter out to a nice restaurant tonight. He deserved something special for today. And May had even found his father's old lab goggles in the attic. She'd wrapped them up and was ready to present them to Peter during dinner. It would have made him so happy.
Instead, Peter was spending the day with one of his enemies, an enemy who wanted to kill him.
May's heart squeezed painfully. She paused, leaning heavily on the edge of the counter to regain her strength, or what was left of it.
No, she couldn't fall apart, not yet, not while there was still hope. The team might be coming over to comfort her, but she was all too aware that they would need comforting too. She would hold on a little longer. For them.
Time passed terribly slowly, yet at the same time it felt like the meal was ready in the blink of an eye. May was still setting the plates out when there was a knock at the door. She checked the security monitor just to be sure. Luke, Ava, Danny, and Sam were huddled together, melancholy. May hurried to let them in.
"Come in, come in," May ushered them all, focusing wholeheartedly on her maternal instincts. "You must be exhausted. Does anyone want water? I also have a fresh pitcher of lemonade. I'll bring the food out in a moment."
She barely lingered long enough to catch how they watched her worriedly before she left to the kitchen again. In no time, everyone was seated and had a heaping plate of food in front of them. May fussed over them a little more, making sure they had enough. The last thing to do was to make sure they were okay.
"How's everyone doing?" May asked gently. "Any luck?"
Shaking heads all around made her stomach flop. She tried to press on, to start a vaguely normal conversation, but May was losing her grip again. She fell back to worrying and fearing and noticing that she had set out a plate for Peter despite everything.
Her tears came back, and the team abandoned their meals to huddle around her. The silence stretched on, no one said a word, but things were just a little more bearable.
Fun Facts:
- Vultures like to eat in groups for safety.
- They don't like to nest high up, which is why I didn't have Adrien say that perching made him feel safe. In fact, vultures don't even make nests! They just use small rocky crevices or logs to keep their eggs.
- Cats like to chase insects. I think anyone who's own a marginally active cat knows that (although I personally know a cat who has never chased anything in his life).
