(Hours later...)
At the dining table, Felicia was eating a bowl of bibimbap while reading an issue of a horror manhwa anthology on her phone. It was about a ghost girl who haunted villages with her crying and screams of anger. She would often appear to criminals and evildoers and kill them to spare innocent bystanders from her fate. Sometimes the girl would miss being a human and reflect on her past... A normal girl with a happy life and a promising future, only for them to be taken away. Then she was humiliated, hurt by criminals...and death greeted her when she was buried alive. The girl couldn't pursue her dreams and do the things she loved. Now, only screams of anguish escaped her mouth, for not being able to find closure.
As Felicia read the issue, tears filled her eyes. The ghost's story resonated with her in a way. It was like seeing herself in a mirror that she chuckled at the irony...
She then grabbed a glass of milk and drank it. When the blonde girl was about to continue eating after finishing the current issue, a video call came up on her phone's screen. Just one word on it that said "Mum" and Felicia got ecstatic that she accepted the call straight away. It had been sometime since they both last talked.
"Hi, Ma!" Felicia greeted her mother, Lydia, as she lowered down the phone stand attachment on her phone case and repositioned it so the camera could face her.
"Evening, Kitty!" The old blonde woman on the screen smiled at her daughter.
"Oh gosh, Mom. That just sounds weird."
"Well, you mostly drink milk and you're pretty fond of cats," Lydia chuckled, making the young Hardy embarrassed and quickly hide the glass away from the camera.
Felicia just rolled her eyes in amusement and let out a giggle. "Ma, come on. Really?"
"Alright, I'll stop. By the way, what's that you're eating? Is that Korean cuisine?"
"It's bibimbap. I made it myself!" she said it proudly.
The mother nodded at Felicia. "You're really great. Mom is so proud of you. Maybe I should try it sometime.."
"Aww, thanks, Ma. And you should! It's really nice. Anyway, how have you been?"
"I've been a little...stressed, honey. Having meetings with executives, checking documents, and all that. But I'll be alright. How about you? How's your college?"
"Uh..." she paused for a moment, "...It's a little messy. I got lots of homework and I haven't finished them all. I'll do them soon."
"Okay, hun... Hm. Anything new? You made new friends in college?"
"N-Not exactly. Well, I met two guys and got to know them a bit. But I don't consider those guys as friends and I don't think I'll ever make one. I'm not sure I can trust them."
Lydia sighed softly. "Felicia, I know what happened to you... I understand why you are like this. But not everyone is the same."
"Not...the same? Mom. Last time I made friends, they used..." Felicia grit her teeth and carefully rephrased her words, "They broke my trust... How the hell am I supposed to trust people?"
"You try to open up again while staying cautious," Lydia suggested to her daughter. "Is it risky? Yes actually... But does it hurt to give it a try?"
"...Probably, Mom," Felicia answered, still thinking that building a trust with someone wasn't worth it.
With that answer, Lydia could only respond with a nod of understanding... "It was just a suggestion, hon. You don't need to suddenly try to trust someone you just met. Take your own time. Do things at your own pace, Felicia. It's alright." She then checked the time and it dawned on her there would be another meeting.
"You're about to go back to your work, right Ma?"
"Sadly yeah..." Lydia looked somberly as she wanted to spend more time with her daughter but business got in the way. "Don't worry, honey. I'll make time for you, okay? Mom loves you," she assured her daughter.
"I know. I love you too, Mom," Felicia replied, "Take care!"
"You too, hun," Lydia smiled at her before closing the call.
After the conversation, Felicia remained silent, processing her mother's suggestion as she continued to eat her bibimbap... It kept echoing in her mind, along with her fears and doubts...
*
"Okay so like you said earlier today... We hunt for info that will lead us to Mr. Quilt Guy and this Tombstone guy. Is that correct?" Peter asked through his mic as he was in a group call. He was wearing his earphones at that moment while lying on his bed.
"I- Quilt Guy?" Shocker's nickname earned a laugh from Felicia and a chuckle from Kaine. "Spidey, why did you even- Oh my goodness."
Peter could only give a sheepish laugh. "Sorry, can't help it. I mean his suit is full of patches so..."
Felicia giggled then cleared her throat, "Alright. Back to business. Yes, it's correct. You guys have checked the file?"
"I have," Peter answered.
"Me too. So I checked the file. And it was a...bill of lading from a warehouse," Kaine asked Felicia, "How did you get it?"
"I broke in to a building belonging to them yesterday. Had to knock out some guards and interrogate one of 'em. Then I found a place where I copied one of the documents. And that's how. The place basically stores any information relevant to them and their activities."
Upon hearing that, Kaine could only raise his eyebrow. "...You could've just copied a document that will lead us straight to their headquarters, right?"
"The other documents are... Let's just say they are tightly protected. And I'm no hacker, so I couldn't penetrate through the security and I only got one lead," she sighed.
"Damn..."
"C'mon, Scarlet. At least it's better than nothing," Peter assured Kaine. "Speaking of the lead info, I suppose we are going to the warehouse for the next mission?"
"Yup."
"What is our approach, Cat?"
"We do things quietly. Knock out guards, interrogate them if need be. And disable security if we can. After that, we extract the next piece of info and get the hell outta there."
"What if the situation goes south?" the older Parker asked, "Is there a plan B?"
"Yes. We do things loudly. But it might mean I need someone to cover my back while the other buy us some time. I don't know who will though," Felicia said. "Any suggestions?"
For a moment, Kaine recalled the day he almost lost his cousin. So he took some time to think before giving his answer. "I'll buy you guys some time. I...I prefer if Spidey has someone to back him up too... If that's okay with both of you, of course."
"I think I'm fine with that. Webs, what do you think?"
Noticing how Kaine really cared for him, Peter just smiled and said, "I'm fine with that too, Cat."
"Alright. Now that we have planned out the things, when will we execute it? I'm free tomorrow evening," Felicia told the Spider-Men.
"I think I and Webs are free too tomorrow in the evening, aren't we?"
"Yeah, we are," the younger Parker confirmed what his older cousin said.
"Good. So we're game for the mission." Feeling a little nervous, Felicia then confessed to Peter, "Spidey? Not gonna lie, I have a bad feeling about this. Like, it won't go smoothly..."
"Don't worry too much, Cat," Peter chuckled, "Let's try to keep an open mind and hope for the best case, alright?"
"Alright... So, that's the end of it. I'll be waiting you two on a rooftop not far from the warehouse."
"Noted."
"Peterrr! Time for dinner, lil' scientist!" Mary called her son from the dining room, which freaked Peter out.
"U-Uh yeah, in a bit! I'm on a call!" Peter replied. He then facepalmed and let out an annoyed groan as he thought, "I should've picked a better time to call. My secret identity can get blown. And why does mom keep calling me that?"
"Did someone just call you?" Felicia asked in a confused tone.
"Yeah... Sorry, I gotta go," the young Parker laughed sheepishly, "Anyway, see y'all tomorrow!"
After saying goodbyes to his friends, Peter unplugged his earphones, put them down along with his phone at a desk nearby, and got out of his room. While walking to the dining room, he saw his parents sitting with their plates of spaghetti bolognese on the table. He let out a chuckle when he spotted his own plate already prepared.
"Mom, you know I can get it on my own, right?" Peter said as he picked a fork and pulled a chair to sit down.
Richard and Mary simply laughed at their son's comment and the family started to eat their food while trying to make conversations. They were just about what everyone did today and trending topics in general. If not, they talked about upcoming movies and past superhero movies.
"So, Peter," his mother asked him, "Who were you in a call with earlier?"
"Oh well, just Kaine and a new friend."
Upon hearing that, both of Peter's parents looked at him in surprise and interest.
"A new friend? Who are they?" Richard asked as he brought some spaghetti to his mouth with his fork and ate it.
"Uh..." Peter fidgeted his fingers, remaining silent for a bit. "...It's complicated. I haven't known much about her." Those were the only words he could say, which made Richard and Mary share a worried look before turning their attention to Peter.
"You don't know much about this new friend of yours..?" Mary said with a hint of concern.
He could only shrug. "It's complicated, Mom," he repeated what he said to his father, "But I think she's a good person."
"You think? Kid, we're talking about a stranger you befriended!" Richard said. The old man sighed as he looked at his son in the eyes, "Peter... Let me tell you something, okay? When I was your age, I used to be a lonely kid. Some guys approached me and wanted to befriend me. I didn't think much of it and I... They used me and played with my trust. They weren't real friends."
Disbelief was painted all over Peter's face. He was so in disbelief that he couldn't process what he had heard, so he had to ask. "What... What are you saying, Dad?"
"I'm saying you should be careful who you are making friends with, Peter," Richard explained.
"Be careful because we don't know whatever they have in mind. Ulterior motives, true intentions, whatever it may be." Mary not only added that but also gave a reminder. "We're not saying you should not make friends. You should because they will have an important part in your life. Just be careful by choosing the right people."
Richard turned to his wife and smiled at her. "Exactly," he said, before looking back at Peter, "We don't want you to learn it the hard way. Trust me, Pete. It's just...painful. I couldn't recover from it for some time and it affected me really hard."
"Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad. I'll keep that in mind... But I'm sure my friend won't do something like that," he maintained his view on Black Cat.
At that moment, Mary looked at her husband. Richard froze... His eyes widened in horror, as it dawned to him that history would repeat. Deep down, he could only hope...and pray his son would be spared from the pain he experienced.
A/N: Now that they're done with the planning, expect lots of action in the next chapter. Yes, lots and lots of action :) Wanna find out? Stay tune by following and making this story your favorite! And as usual, I appreciate comments and shares by you :D
