Sometimes when she dreams she's running from a river of blood.
Sometimes it's fire.
The promise of death always follows.
She was in a fire this time.
Smoke blocked out the sky as the flames were burning everything in its way.
And yet she wasn't running away.
"I knew you'd come!"
She looked up and despite the smoke, she could see him jumping high above her with a smile on his face. His blue eyes burned as fiercely as the flames as he went deeper into the blazing inferno and for some odd reason, she followed him.
She kept her gaze on him and watched how he pulled people away from the flames, carrying them in his arms as if it was second nature.
She looked down into her own arms to find a man in hers.
A foreign feeling within her mind as she ran in toe with the boy, saving people from the fire.
It felt right.
Saving people when she was created to kill.
They saved everyone from the raging fire.
The people all looked at her with nothing but gratitude.
The boy, Peter, was smiling.
She was too.
In that small moment, she didn't feel like a hollow machine made for killing.
She felt like a person, she felt like...
She woke up to the soft light of the sun shining through her window, illuminating her excessively large room. Her petite figure arose from her bed with ease as her emerald eyes adjusted to the light. She looked around her softly lit room, her eyes covering every corner as something was off.
She looked around, she was still in the same beige room that was left barren with only herself and the necessary components of a bedroom occupying it. She looked outside her window of considerable size as her vibrant red drapes were pulled to the side. She could hear the sounds of birds chirping.
It was peaceful.
For once, she was allowed to have a peaceful slumber without her mind plaguing her.
Chapter 4: Sooth Awakenings and Troublesome Developments
She mindlessly looked past her vibrant red drapes and out her window. She looked past the many large trees and fields of grass, past the township which was like a small city, and gazed into the direction of the city that was miles away. The memories of yesterday came flooding into her mind quickly; she recalled the beginnings of what would seem to be another uninteresting day. She remembered the accident that changed that, her choice to leave the mansion and get as far away from everyone as possible. She remembered the weather that seemingly mimicked her own thoughts, she remembered the boy that was her own age, she remembered meeting Peter Parker…Spider-Man.
She had fought alongside him against a savage creature.
She had saved lives with him and for the few times in her life, she remembered the smile she had when she heard his words.
The more she recalled the events the more her mind rationalized that it was nothing more than a deluded fantasy that only the likes of a girl named Katherine "Kitty" Pryde could come up with.
And yet her room still retained the faint stench of the New York sewer system.
She let out another sniff in a hopeful attempt to find another scent, and past the stench that burned her nostrils, she indeed found another. It was a pleasant one, one that distinctly belonged to the boy she met yesterday. She turned to her bedside and grabbed her phone, recalling how he was amazed at the fact she had such a device.
She went to her contacts, her emerald eyes slightly widening as she read aloud the alliterated name.
"Peter Parker."
So it wasn't just a delusion.
She felt relief wash over her.
Despite how unfathomable it may have sounded, she did meet the brunette boy named "Peter Parker," she did save lives, and she was going to do so again today. She got off her bed and approached her dresser; opening up the top drawer she was greeted with clothes that were given to her by Pryde. It was full of graphic tees and colorful sweaters, clothes unfitting for her and the task she had. She did manage to find a pair of black leggings which was given to her for training and whilst she had never gotten the chance to use them for their intended purpose, she found a greater usage for them.
She grabbed them and then proceeded to the second drawer, taking out clothes that belonged to her. It wasn't much but she didn't need much, all she needed was if it was adequate or not, which they were. Upon donning the pieces of clothing she looked at herself in the mirror. She wore a black sports bra, a pair of black sports arm warmers that covered her upper arms down to her knuckles, a black choker with a pendant most precious to her and the pair of black boots that she always wore.
The attire itself was good enough for her but she furrowed her brow as she was missing something vital.
"Bring a mask!"
That's right.
She didn't have such a thing and while she knew where to get one, it would be challenging to do so without being seen. She came up with a plan in her mind as she put on a pink shoulderless sweater.
It would have been easier to do it if she had woken up at the right time but considering the fact that it was nine-thirty and that she had slept in for an hour and a half, she would have to do it later in the day.
Breakfast was going to start any second now and everyone was required to show up.
She put her phone in her pocket before leaving her room.
She stepped into the grand hallway that had beige painted walls and white pillars. The hallway was littered with doors leading to rooms just like hers, though most of them were unoccupied. The walls beside her were decorated with the finest of paintings, while luxurious chandeliers hung above her as a beautiful red carpet was gently placed with glorious golden tiles underneath her feet. She walked down the hallway, her head slightly tilted up as she thought about Parker.
She was taken out of her thoughts though as the scent of a girl was trailing right behind her. She could smell the nervousness on her before her voice shakingly radiated with it.
"Hey… X!" the high-pitched voice of a girl hesitantly said behind her in an attempt to grab her attention. It belonged to the aforementioned Kitty Pryde, one of the handful of students who lived here alongside her. She was sixteen like herself, and she stood at five feet, five inches tall, like her as well, but that was where the similarities had ended. The brunette girl who had hair that reached past her shoulders always made attempts to converse with her and despite her efforts to ignore them, she never got the hint nor did she get the concept of walls either. She halted her walk and turned around to face the innocent girl who had called her by her "name." Her emerald eyes blankly watched as Pryde nervously approached her, a look of uneasiness all over the girl's face.
"I uh...I just wanted to say... sorry about yesterday," Pryde said as she guiltily lowered her head and held her elbow. Laura looked at the girl, perfectly recalling the events that led to her leaving the manor yesterday. She could tell from the regret that came from Pryde's voice that she was heavily scolded like her.
She could smell the bandage that was gently placed over a small wound.
While what she did was stupid, even Laura knew the naïve girl only had innocent intentions in mind.
She did not deserve nor did she need more scolding.
"Do not do it again," she simply said in her monotone voice.
Upon hearing her words the girl lifted her head as she was surprised by the girl's acceptance of her apology.
"I-I won't. I promise," she sincerely said to Laura who simply turned away, satisfied with her answer. She proceeded to walk towards the steps that would bring her down towards the first floor and to the kitchen.
Pryde followed her.
"I'll uh…I'll make it up to you," she said as she walked side by side with her. "Like…If you ever need anything just ask?" Kitty enthusiastically said however Laura just let out a simple "hm," to acknowledge her offer. She would never take it though, Pryde couldn't offer her anything outside information on the latest trends and superheroes.
Superheroes...
Laura looked at the innocent girl who adored the few characters that "Saved the day." She couldn't gather information about Parker yesterday but she knew Pryde could provide important details about him for she borderline obsessively drowned herself with knowledge concerning them.
"Spider-Man," Laura simply said, causing confusion to appear all over Kitty's face.
"What?" she asked as she was confused with the sudden mention of the red and blue superhero.
"What do you know of him?" She expanded upon her initial statement.
"uhhh…what would you like to know?" the girl asked, she was caught off guard by the request but quickly grew increasingly excited as she got a chance to talk about one of her favorite superheroes. "Anything," Laura said as both girls reached the stairs leading to the main room.
"Well, he's a hero," Kitty stated strongly with the utmost belief in her voice.
Laura already knew that but it was a start.
"Despite what others might say," Kitty added, which gained Laura's interest.
"What do they say about him?" She asked as she only knew he was on every headline.
"Well…a lot of people call him a menace. They all blame him for every disaster that happens even though he's the one that stops them," she said with pure annoyance in her voice. "Ever heard about the mass murders that took place a month ago?" Kitty asked Laura who shook her head in response to this.
"Really? It was like, national news," Kitty exclaimed which caused Laura to shake her head again. "Well anyways, there was this villain called the 'Green Goblin," Kitty began to say as they finished walking down the steps to the living room. "He was a monster who murdered countless people. He's fought the likes of Iron Man and the Fantastic Four but the only one that beat him was Spider-Man in their first encounter a little bit over a year ago. Last month he and Spider-Man fought on the Golden State bridge where I think at least twenty-five people would die from explosions caused by the Goblin and another eight-ish would be personally killed by him; two of which would be the CEO of Oscorp: Norman Osborn and a high school girl who he threw off the bridge before he was once again stopped by Spider-Man," Laura listened intently, she wasn't aware of any of this.
She hung at the mention of a high school girl.
"Who was the girl?" Laura asked curiously.
"I don't know, I think she was related to a late police chief or somethin' which is why the Goblin held her hostage," Kitty said with a shrug but Laura looked at her wide eyes.
Hostage?
She already thought that it was oddly specific to be dropped off a bridge if he had the capabilities to slaughter multiple people, but to be held hostage as well…was the Gwen girl she heard Parker speak of, the one who died? It would explain the manner in which he chose to speak about her.
It would explain a lot of things.
Pryde was already passing on valuable information.
"The Daily Bugle: a media company that runs a smear campaign on Spider-Man broadcasted a story that Spider-Man was responsible for the deaths that occurred on the bridge without there being any real evidence. Other news agencies started picking the story up so much so that S.H.I.E.L.D. had to make a public statement that Spider-Man wasn't in leagues with the Goblin and that he stopped him before he could take more lives, " Laura wasn't surprised by this, if people didn't make senseless accusations then there was no need for this entire building to exist.
"Only one person came to the defense of Spider-Man and that was Johnny Storm: The Human Torch, a core member of the Fantastic Four. While taking autographs from fans a reporter asked him if he would apprehend Spider-Man which caused him to say on live T.V. that he's a hero and that he'd gladly fry the face off of anyone who thought otherwise. " she finished saying.
To be the only person to come to his defense, this Johnny Storm must've been some close ally or friend. To her limited knowledge, she knew the Fantastic Four was a superhero team situated in New York so there was no doubt they must've crossed paths with Parker. Her thoughts dwindled on Storm though, taking autographs? It seemed like the actions of a glory hound more so a hero.
She wondered if Parker did such a thing.
"Does he take autographs?" she asked.
"Who? Spider-Man?" Kitty asked with a raised brow.
Laura nodded.
"No, he doesn't do any of those things. He just appears when people need help and leaves when they no longer need it. It doesn't matter what it is, he just helps, and now he's gone…" she finished with a downcast expression.
Laura noticed this.
"He'll be back," Laura simply stated as she kept looking forward.
Kitty whipped her head up to face the raven-haired girl she knew little about. "You think?" she hopefully asked, "I know," Laura stated confidently as the both of them entered the dining room area. Kitty let out a smile, "Better not tell Logan that," Kitty said with a chuckle as she imagined his reaction.
"I already did," Kitty looked at Laura, the girl she's only known as "X", who she's only seen have two expressions: stoic and angry but to her surprise, she witnessed a new expression.
A tiny smirk was on her face as she said this.
It lasted for just a matter of seconds before she defaulted back to her stoic look but it was there.
Kitty let out a small laugh at the raven-haired girl's response as the both of them took their seats. Laura turned her attention to the T.V. to dwell upon her recently gained knowledge but the voice of Kitty stopped her.
"I didn't know you were a fan?" Kitty said with a smile. Laura looked at the girl, an unamused expression on her face as she flatly said, "I'm not."
"Then why all the questions?" Kitty said in a teasing manner which Laura ignored.
"That's none of your business," She said flatly.
Kitty tried opening her mouth again but as she saw Laura turn her attention away from her she knew the conversation was over.
"Is Kitty talking about Spider-Man again?" a male voice asked from the kitchen. Kitty turned to look at who spoke while Laura kept her sights on the T.V. She knew who said that. It was Scott Summers, a twenty-two years old man who stood at six feet with short brown hair brushed to the side and had an athletically built body.
He was in the kitchen with two others, a woman named Jean Grey and a man named Henry "Hank" McCoy. Grey was twenty-two as well, standing at five-foot-six with waist length-curly red hair and green eyes that were darker than hers. McCoy was in his early thirties, standing at five-foot-eleven, whose build nearly resembled that of an ape if it weren't for his mostly dominant human features. He's a caucasian male who had long blue-ish black hair that dominated his body, a thick but well-kept beard, and bushy brows.
He is a man of science from what she's seen, preferably spending most of his time in his laboratory.
The three of them were making breakfast and were just about done if the sheer overwhelming smell of the pancakes was anything to go by.
She didn't pay any attention to the conversation Pryde had with Summers, choosing to keep her eyes focused on the T.V as she dwelled upon what Pryde had told her.
It wasn't much but furthered her original assumptions of him.
He is a hero, she knew that the moment she saw him run off to save those people yesterday. People didn't like him though, they called him a "menace," however not everyone seemed to have agreed with that sentiment. The people yesterday were relieved and thankful for his actions and whether they represented a small minority or the majority was something she would have to look into.
As for possible allies, it would be obvious that Johnny Storm was one of them. She's never heard of him, but she knew the Fantastic Four was a renowned superhero group like the Avengers, however, unlike them, they prioritized the advancement of humanity through realms of science that the simple mind couldn't comprehend. If Storm felt so strongly about Parker that he would go out of his way to defend him in front of millions, then did the other members of the Fantastic Four feel the same way? Did they know who he was? Did he have other allies? Was S.H.I.E.L.D. one of them?
She was taken out of her thoughts as she heard a voice boom from the kitchen.
"Breakfast is ready!" She heard the voice of Summers yell from the kitchen. She watched how the others who resided here quickly came. The first to arrive was nine-teen year-old Robert "Bobby" Drake who stood at about five-eight and Twentey-one year-old Kurt Wagner, who stood at a five-nine. Drake was still in his pyjamas with his blonde hair bedridden, Wagner was the same but he at least smelt like he had a shower. Appearance-wise Drake was average for a young adult but far as mental faculties though, she deemed him to be that of a twelve-year-old. The boy had spikey blonde hair and caucasian skin. Wagner's appearance was vastly different from everyone else's as he had blue-tinted skin with two-toed feet and three-fingered hands, flat yellow eyes alongside pointed ears and a prehensile tail.
Ironically, despite his demonic appearance, he is deeply religious.
Laura watched as Pryde's attention was now fully on Drake as he took a seat in front of her, Wagner sitting to his right. To her knowledge, Pryde and Drake were in a romantic relationship with each other, how she could stand him enough to be in one with him though was beyond her. Summers and Grey were also in a relationship although theirs was much more serious as they've been together for years.
Like many things, she could only watch and imagine what it would be like.
Love was a concept she did not understand.
She turned her attention to the T.V. It was simple news playing. Stocks within Stark and Trask industries were rising as Oscorp and Roxxon went down. It would stand to reason that the deaths of multiple officials alongside the CEO would put any company in a less than desirable situation. The news then proceeded to cover the current poverty crisis that was happening.
She glared fiercely as the news reporter stated that Wilson Fisk acquired another piece of property in the city.
Ororo Munroe soon came walking into the room. She was a beautiful African woman with long wavy white hair. She stood at five-eleven and was in her mid-twenties. She was a calm and well-mannered woman and she dressed like it too. Adorning a white blouse with a long purple skirt. She greeted the students gently with a soft "Good Morning," everyone responded to it, even Laura, though she opted for a nod.
Logan soon came in, wearing nothing but jeans and a wife-beater, "Mornin," he said casually as he walked into the kitchen to grab a beer.
"Morning Logan," Jean and Kitty happily said.
"Mornin' half-pint," Logan said with a small chuckle.
He turned his attention to Jean.
"Mornin' Jeanie," He said in a slightly flirtatious voice.
"Morning Logan," Scott said as he slightly glared at the gruff man who ignored him.
The final one to enter was Professor Charles Xavier, dressed in his usual suit as he came through the door in his wheelchair. Xavier was a bald caucasian man who always dressed professionally. He had a soft smile on his face as his hazel eyes watched over his students.
Everyone sat within a pre-established spot within the dining table with the professor eating at the head of it. The ones on the left started with Logan, Munroe, Grey, Pryde, and her in that order, with Mccoy, Summers, Wagner, and Drake on the right.
No one sat in front of her.
McCoy, Grey, and Summers brought out the pancakes they made for everyone, with everyone having two pancakes with a mini bowl of maple syrup on the side. Everyone said "Thank you," as they received their meal but she once again opted for a small nod.
Pryde and Wagner let out prayers before eating their food while everyone else went to immediately devour their thin flat cakes of batter. Uninteresting conversations she paid no mind too soon came up.
Munroe had made a light-hearted insult about Logan's attire and choice of beverage.
He let out a gruff chuckle as he took a sip from his beer.
She ate quietly, watching the T.V. as the channel quickly cut to a scripted breaking news segment.
"Spider-Man is back!"
At this almost everyone went quiet, turning their attention to the T.V. that was just moments ago on for the sake of background noise. The professor even went to raise the volume as he and the others watched with undivided attention.
"Reports from last night indicate that a man dressed in red and blue alongside a girl battled against what can only be described as a "Dinosaur." The "Dinosaur," that the few people on the scene reported seeing during the dark and stormy night, was on a rampage before Spider-Man alongside an unidentified girl battled it before saving the lives of countless civilians."
Pryde turned her attention to Laura for a brief second but she paid no mind to her. She then turned her attention to Logan where she would then yell, "I told you!" as she stood up from her seat and pointed at him. He let out a grunt already knowing that he lost the bet. The other students watched the scene with small laughs as Summers listened closely to what the news had to say, a small smile on his face as he heard about the hero's return.
"You gott-," she tried to say but Logan interrupted her.
"-I know!" he said in an annoyed tone.
"Wonder what Jameson has to say about this?" Scott asked with a mouthful of pancake in his mouth. "Let's see," Jean said as she decided to change the channel.
She watched as the channel quickly changed from the Globe and onto the Daily Bugle.
"That wall-crawling menace should have stayed in whatever cesspool he's been in for this past month. Like I said from the beginning, that freak would inspire others to follow his actions and he has. Because of him, we have these costumed lunatics running around and taking the law into their own hands like this, 'Devil of Hell's Kitchen.' Now with his return, a 'Giant Dinosaur' is rampaging through the streets of this amazing city, and who knows what else will follow? I demand that the mayor of this fine city and the chief of police to get their act together and finally put that wall-crawling threat behind bars, alongside the rest of his-"'
"And that's why we watch the Globe, shame no one else does," Jean said as she immediately changed the channel before he could finish that sentence.
During that whole entire time, Laura glared at the ridiculously mustached man.
She did not like him.
"I swear that guy isn't living in the same reality as we are. A massive earthquake could happen and he'd blame Spider-Man." Bobby said causing Kitty to chuckle.
"It doesn't matter what he thinks," The Professor said as he watched the screen carefully, "Spider-Man has proven himself to be a hero on numerous occasions. I only wish that I could learn about the man who was underneath the mask and why he does what he does," The Professor said as he looked at Laura but she ignored it.
"Same here," Logan said as he looked at Laura.
She also ignored that.
She just met him, she didn't know everything about him.
But she learned enough from just being with him.
"He does it to help people, why else would he do it?" Pryde answered as she was oblivious to who to whose Logan's words were directed too. Most of the students and faculty agreed with her however Logan had his own answer, "Wealth and fame," Logan answered in a confident tone. Pryde retorted by saying, "If your definition of fame is getting slandered by the media then yea."
"Some people look for that kind of attention half-pint," Logan refuted.
"He doesn't even get that much attention, most of the time he ends up being ignored in favor of other heroes," Kitty replied as she dismissed Logan's words.
Wagner tried to support the brunette girl, "Yea, and If he was doing it for money Logan don't you think he would be doing sponsors or be providing a similar service like the heroes for hire?" he said with his heavy German accent.
"Heroes for hire?" Logan raised a brow as he heard the term, "Never heard of 'em," he said as he drank his beer. "They're new in town. From what I've heard they're just mercenaries with ethics, using their powers to help people if the dime is good enough," Summers said as he partook in the conversation. "Shit bub, where can I sign up?" Logan joked, causing a few people to chuckle.
"It's probably too late, with Spider-Man back why would anyone want to pay for their service when he'll do it for free," Pryde stated. "They only got business because of the rise of crime due to his absence, but with him back I doubt they'd last long," Wagner added with a smile.
"He just sounds like an idiot missing a good chance to make money," Logan said as he went back on topic. "Anyways, helping people, isn't that what the Avengers or the Fantastic whatever are for?" Logan asked.
"It's the Fantastic Four," Pryde corrected, earning a low growl from Logan. "And Spider-Man arrived before the Avengers did. He and the Fantastic Four are the first modern-day superheroes to appear," she spoke with a passionate voice.
Summers decided to add to Pryde's statement as he too was well versed in the topics of superheroes. "The Fantastic Four is more like adventurers though; discovering and exploring realms of science first, saving the world, being superheroes second. The Avengers on the other hand only deal with world-ending threats, like how we only deal with mutant ones," Summers added, finishing off the final part with a hint of disappointment and wanting. "Spider-Man is the only actual dedicated superhero. He deals with everything, kids about to get hit by a car? He'll be there, a thief running off with a woman's purse? He'll be there, a mo-"
"I get it, I get it," Logan said as he was getting annoyed at Summers's admiration for the hero. Laura listened closely however, Summers, Pryde, Wagner, even the professor spoke highly of Parker and she could only validate their beliefs.
"But back to elf's point about wealth, how do we know that he's not getting rich off of this? As far as we know he could possibly be getting paid by some corporation or government," Logan pointed out. The students who tried arguing against Logan tried to answer but were left speechless as he could be right, they didn't know the web-slinger outside the news.
Judging off how Parker reacted to her having a Stark Phone she could tell he wasn't getting paid.
"Give me one good answer as to why he would want to run around in a stupid lookin' costume and help random people who hate him?" Logan challengingly asked the lot.
Laura pondered her answer as she knew she was the only one that could give one.
Logan did have a point though, why was he doing this?
"Chivalry died long ago," She heard a voice within her head say but she mentally berated it, shaking her head at its words. She didn't know much about Parker, in all actuality all she had to go off of were his words and actions but that was enough. She didn't think about him at all when she passed him on that street, too preoccupied with her own thoughts.
From what she understood, he was doing the same.
Minding his own business, thinking about his own problems, but then the roar happened. She remembered how she abruptly stopped her motorcycle to look in the direction where it came from, only to change her focus when she saw him instantly break out into a sprint when people instantly cried for help.
Apart of her wanted to ignore it and drive off but when she saw him break out into a sprint, she followed him. She was surprised when she saw him leap stories high, surprised to find that he had powers like her, and even more surprised when she saw him instantly battle whatever that creature was in order to defend that woman and her child.
She couldn't put it into words but when she watched him use his powers to fight, to help, she couldn't just watch from afar when she too could do the same.
"Because I could, meaning I had to,"
Is that what he meant? That if you have the power to help, it's your duty to?
That was the reason he gave her for saving the woman but with how confidently he said those words it was as if he was speaking about something greater.
Logan who had his eyes on her the entire time took notice of her shaking her head.
"Got an answer?" He simply asked.
Everyone around the table had their gaze on the raven-haired girl now, watching with anticipation as the girl who spoke few words met the gruff man's blue eyes with her green ones. Laura looked at him, matching his glare with her own, he instigated this whole conversation for her answer.
And she would give it to him.
"Because he can, meaning he has to," she simply stated as she crossed her arms. She was confident with her answer despite it not being a complete one. She may have been grasping at straws but that answer strangely fit the boy when it came to her understanding of him.
"So she can speak?" Drake muttered, "What did you say?" she asked in a threatening manner, causing the blonde fool to instantly say "No-nothing." He was similar to Parker when it came to the incessant jokes but that was it. Parker was different from him, he was different from the rest of them and not for the obvious reason. He has experienced pain, while most here don't even know the meaning. She knew this by the way he answered her questions, by the look of guilt in his eyes.
It was the same guilt she found in hers.
But in his words, there was something else.
There was purpose.
"Because he can, meaning he has to," Logan reiterated as he looked up to ponder his words. Xavier did the same, "because he can, meaning he has too….that is quite noble if you ask me. That was a good answer X-23," The professor finished with a small smile.
"Good enough," Logan said as he leaned back on his chair.
She did not know what her purpose was.
Everything she's done up until now has left her feeling hollow and lifeless.
Wrong.
But when she was there with him, running into the fire and saving those civilians, she didn't feel any of that.
She didn't know what words to use, but she knew she wanted to do it again.
She was going to.
Breakfast was finished shortly after this conversation.
Many of the students left to go do their own things, Drake and Wagner left to go play their games while Summers, Grey, and Pryde went to venture into the nearby township. Pryde invited her; She declined. McCoy left to go do some tinkering in his lab while Ms. Munroe was off in the garden tending to her plants.
The Professor was in his study as always.
Currently, she was on the second floor standing in front of one of the many elevators that were within the building. It would be safe to assume that the mansion housed not your average everyday teenagers, so it would stand to reason that the mansion itself wasn't your average everyday building and that was the case. While the mansion itself housed two grand floors alongside a luxurious basement, below all that were the sublevels which housed the finest of technologies and a room where she could easily acquire a mask for her ventures with Parker.
And Logan…well he was standing right in the middle of the main room watching her, not even bothering on hiding for they shared the same nose. She had ignored his presence but he let it be known by being the first one to speak up.
"Didn't think you of all people would partake in that conversation," he said as he walked towards her. She had stopped what she was doing and turned around to face him, "You started it so that you could hear my answer," She flatly stated.
"It worked didn't it?" he said with a smirk as he walked up the steps at a modest pace. "I'm going to help him again," she bluntly said as he stood across from her causing Logan to drop his smirk in response to this.
"No you're not," he said in a way leaving no room for arguments.
"Why?"
"You know why or do we need a repeat of yesterday?" he said accusingly to the girl.
"It was an accident," she said, referring to the events of yesterday.
"And that accident is exactly why you can't help him," Logan said firmly.
"She went through my wall, how do you want me to react to that?" Laura fiercely defended herself
"I want you to react by not immediately killing someone as a first reaction, you're lucky all she got was a tiny scratch on her arm," Logan retaliated with the same amount of ferocity. "It won't happen again," Laura replied, hoping that it would end this pointless conversation.
"It will," Logan said, dismissing her comment.
"It won't," She reaffirmed.
"It will," he stated once again.
"How do you know?" She said angrily as she was more than fed up with this whole entire interaction.
"Because I know that the only thing you know how to do kid, is to kill; you seem to have forgotten that," He said bluntly but upon seeing her shocked reaction he immediately followed up on this. "I…I didn't want to say it… but you've forgotten that killing people is the only thing you know how to do. It's not what you chose… and it sure as hell ain't what you wanted but that doesn't change the fact that it's the only thing you know how to do," he said softly with regret at his sheer bluntness and sympathy towards the girl's misfortune.
Her fierce and angered demeanor quickly changed upon hearing those words escape his mouth. She stood up straight, looking at him with an expression of disbelief before bitterly looking away.
He was right.
The only thing she did know was how to kill.
"...you said that I could be more if I came here…." she said lowly as she tried to hide her sadness. He looked at her softly before putting an arm on her shoulder, "And you will be, but that takes time. Right now you aren't ready and the only thing you'll end up doing is hurting more people," he said with the utmost sincerity.
Despite his words, however, the events of yesterday had echoed within her mind. She remembered the people she saved, the words of thanks she gave. She remembered the blonde-haired boy she saved all those years ago. She remembered the brunette one she just met who told her she was more.
She was more.
"You're wrong!" she said fiercely as she batted his arm away.
Logan grit his teeth, "I wish I was but on instinct, you almost mauled Kitty yesterday. It doesn't help that you let your anger get the better of you either."
"And your anger doesn't get the better of you?" she countered upon hearing his hypocritical statement.
"I'm not saying it doesn't, but at least I can control myself. You can't, and because of that, you will kill someone," he stated with whole-hearted belief.
"I can do more than just kill!" she yelled fiercely which caused him to take a step back. "I saved people yesterday. I am more than just a killer. I can help," she stated with the utmost emotion in her voice as she shook him as hard as she could. After shaking him viciously though, she still retained her grasp on him as the conviction that was within her was exponentially dwindling.
"...I can do good…I want to do good…" she said in a softer, wobbly tone as she looked down. Logan looked at her, taken aback by her words. He started regretting his own. He wasn't there yesterday, maybe he was wrong…maybe….
"Logan!" the commanding voice of the Professor said behind him. He turned around to look at the crippled man and asked, "What is it Chuck!? I'm busy," he said as he gestured to Laura who had a gaze on him as she still retrained her grasp on him. "I need you in my office," he said calmly as he flashed a small smile at Laura.
Logan turned his attention back to the girl who looked at him with a pleading look in her eyes, was she looking for his approval? Did she want him to stay and finish this conversation?
He shook his head and let out a sigh.
"We're continuing this later," was all he said as he brushed her grasp away and went to go towards the professor.
She clenched her fists as she saw the retreating figure.
She wouldn't be here when he returns.
Peter Parker's morning didn't start until eleven o'clock.
He opened his eyes slowly and was greeted with a snail's point of view of his floor. He took his time getting up, letting out a yawn as he stretched his arms and puffed his chest out.
"Waking up never felt so good," he thought to himself as he ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back so that he could clearly see his room.
There was still a mess of clothes all over the floorboards.
He had to clean his room.
He moved the piece of cloth that was on his lap when he tried getting up but stopped abruptly as the texture of it wasn't the wool he was accustomed to. He looked at his lap where the top half of his Spider-Man costume laid. He lifted the costume up with one hand and looked at it in a very confused manner. He must've grabbed it subconsciously while he slept, confusing it for a blanket. He got up and gently placed the costume on his bed which stood a couple of centimeters away from where he slept.
"I really couldn't have stayed conscious for a couple more seconds?" he complained out loud. The fight from last night must've taken more out of him than he thought which was weird because he's faced stronger foes before.
He didn't feel sore though, in fact, he felt...amazing...spectacular even.
He raised his hand to his face, moving his fingers back and forth before finally making a fist. He turned his attention to the costume that was gently sprawled on his bed, "I am Spider-Man," he said proudly, finishing it off with a smile.
All the wounds from the previous night had all healed and with the way he was feeling, he felt like he could take on Aleksei, better yet, have round two with that Lizard monster head-on.
He'd wait on Laura for that one though.
He recalled the girl who seemed to be rough around the edges with a fond smile. Something about her made his gut scream that he could trust her, which was rare cause that gut feeling was only shared with five-no six people.
There was something about her…
He shook his head, he'd figure it out later.
Right now, his body demanded him to follow his regular morning habit. He hesitated though as he approached his window, looking at the white light that shimmered through his blinds. He almost wanted to leave the blinds closed for he had no trouble seeing within his darkened room but the morning habit compelled him.
He reluctantly complied.
The moment he moved them out of the way he instantly put his arm over his eyes in an attempt to shelter them from the literal blinding light. "Ugh…" he took a step back and looked the other way as he wasn't expecting it to be this bad.
Tears started to form in his eyes.
Was this how Mole Man felt when he gazed upon the sun? He shook his head, if he had to use Mole Man as a comparison then something was bad. It took a couple of minutes but his eyes soon recovered. When he looked out his window yet again he could only smile, it was a beautiful summer morning. The sun shined brightly as birds flew above the quiet neighborhood of Forest Hills. He decided to open his window and pop his head out, closing his eyes as he felt the nice summer breeze on his face.
He looked down his street of twenty-one Ingram, everything seemed to be…clearer, which was strange because his vision was already perfect. He looked across his street to see a newspaper rolled up on the neighbour's doorstep. To both his astonishment and confusion he could read the title of the paper. It read: 'Spider-Man Returns,' with the line right beneath it saying, 'masked vigilante returns with mysterious accomplice to battle a ravenous reptile.'
He rubbed his eyes and checked again, to make sure he wasn't just seeing things but he could still read the title as clear as day.
"That's odd," he thought to himself, he could never see things so clearly before and he had perfect vision. He looked up when he heard the roar of an airplane above him and looked at it. He gazed at the flying vehicle and once again to his surprise, he could distinctly make out the symbols and name of the company that was adorned on the side of the plane while it was still far above the clouds.
"Woah…" was all he could say as he was left speechless.
He was never able to see such detail before.
He pulled his head back and closed his window turning his attention to his mirror which was on the opposite end of the room. He looked at himself, noting how nothing seemed to have physically changed. He was still five-seven and had a lean muscular build, his hair still made him look like he was from twilight, his eyes were the same colour, he still couldn't grow chest hair, and his you know what was still the same length as well.
He confirmed this by pulling on his boxers and looking down.
His scars were still there as well, so why did he feel so different.
He brought his right hand close to his face, feeling some otherworldly force compel him to give it his undivided attention.
He felt something coming from his forearms as if they were burrowing their way out of his body.
"What the…." he said questioningly as he brought his forearm closer to his face.
Instantaneously something came sprouting out of it.
He immediately recoiled and let out an agonizing scream as an excruciating, burning pain found itself spreading throughout his forearm. The pain was for a very brief second, but it was so excruciating that he was left hunched forward and breathing heavily.
He gave himself a good fifteen seconds of rest before even looking at what caused the abrupt pain. When he did though he could only look on, completely dumbfounded as on his forearm was a foot-long...skewer...stinger?
"...holy shit…" he said quietly as he stared at the newfound oddity. He raised his other hand to see if it was the same and indeed it was. Out of both forearms, there were razor-sharp, bone-like skewers that were at least a foot long.
"Where...Where did...Where did these come from?" he said in complete and utter bewilderment as he looked at them from every possible angle.
First the vision, now stingers….what was happening to him?
"Peter!" he heard his Aunt say worryingly from downstairs, "Is everything alright?" she must've heard his cries.
He looked at his stingers, everything was not alright.
"Yea!" he said as he tried coming up with a somewhat coherent lie, "Just-just stubbed my toe!"
"A-alright," Aunt May said from the bottom of the stairs, "Breakfast is ready by the way," she said but he didn't respond to that. He let out a sigh of relief instead as she believed his lie. He always felt bad lying to her but it was better than the other option.
He turned his attention back to his stingers, a look of worry all over his face as he didn't know what to do with them. Quite frankly, he was more worried about where he got them.
Maybe it was Laura.
She also had claws.
Maybe she had some virus that just gave people claws.
Maybe it was God.
He always did like screwing with his life.
Maybe this was God's way of thanking Peter for accepting who he really is. Maybe God just noticed that he hasn't been in the patch notes recently and was in due for a buff, after all, whenever the villains come back they always have a new gimmick or power to make them even more threatening and an even bigger pain in the ass.
But did he really need to give him more lethal options? he didn't need to be able to stab people, nor did he want to. He observed his stingers, despite them seemingly being made out of his bones, the edges seemed to be just as sharp as the tip.
And because of his superhuman durability, there was no doubt they could at least slice someone in half.
More strength would've been nice.
You don't have to worry about stabbing someone with more strength, nor do you have to worry about accidentally slicing them. Your only worry is if you accidentally blow someone's head clean off, or drive a fist through their body, which doesn't sound any better, if not worse, but at least strength gives you muscles.
You can explain away muscles with ease or you can do what he does and just wear baggy clothing.
Footlong stingers on the other hand…how the hell do you explain that?
Better yet...how do you hide them?
He remembered how Laura's claws worked, they retracted into her hands, right? Maybe it was the same with him, after all, they came out of his body surely they could go back in...right?
He tried taking the same approach he did when he controlled his strength.
They didn't go down and that frustrated him.
He was taken out of his thoughts as he could hear his aunt coming up the stairs.
"Oh no..."
His eyes practically came popping out of their sockets as he panicked in his head.
What was he gonna do? If his aunt saw him he would be completely boned. His eyes moved towards his bed where his costume laid. He quickly grabbed it and shoved it underneath his bed but in the process, he stabbed his mattress.
Which was just dandy because he definitely had money lying around to get a new one.
Aunt May was walking down the hallway now while he was frantically planning what to do. His instincts told him to just jump out his window but it was closed and she already knew he was here so that would only make things worse. As she knocked on his door he quickly jumped on his bed and pulled his sheets over him and the hole he made, hoping that she wouldn't suspect a thing.
The moment she entered his room he felt a weird sensation coming from his forearms.
"Peter, Breakfast is ready by the way," Aunt May said as she perked her head through Peter's door so that she could look at him.
He sat up, his attention changing from his aunt to his wrists.
"Th-thanks, I'll be down in a sec..." he said as he looked at his wrists which now showed no sign of his stingers. "What are you doing on your bed, Peter? I thought you stubbed your toe," Aunt May asked as she was confused with his sight.
"I…I did and I…fell on my bed," he uneasily said, she raised a brow, "and your sheets?" she pointed out as they were over him. "They uh…they fell on me," he finished with a nervous smile.
"You know Peter, you can always have breakfast later. If you want to get a few minutes of extra shut-eye it's fine with me," she told him warmly. "No-uh, it's fine… I'll-I'll have breakfast now, I am kinda hungry," he said as he sat up from his spot and rubbed his stomach.
"Well then go, it's on the table, I prepared a nice meal for you," she said as she closed the door to his room before going back downstairs.
He stared at his wrists where his stingers once were.
The good news is they can retract into his body and it wasn't as painful.
The bad news is that he doesn't know how to do that.
Does he really have to go through this stage again? The first time was fun, okay, finding out you can cling to walls and lift a car with ease was any teenager's dream. Finding bone-like skewers protruding out your forearm that hurt like hell? Not really anyone's dream, nor was it fun.
Nor was there any reason as to why he got these new upgrades, he got his first batch of powers from the spider-bite… where did he get these? he thought as he looked at his forearms.
He shook his head, he'd figure that out later. He had to get dressed first and get ready for breakfast, more importantly, be sure to keep his distance from his aunt as to make sure that he wouldn't hurt her by accident.
He got dressed immediately, putting on a white t-shirt underneath a blue zip-up sweater with a simple pair of jeans before going downstairs. To his surprise when he walked into the kitchen he was greeted with a warm plate of eggs and bacon, a whole lot of bacon, and a fat smile on his aunt's face. He looked at her with a combination of bewilderment and excitement for bacon was like a once-a-year thing reserved for special occasions.
Aunt May was always scared that it would give him cancer.
He took a seat and almost dived into his food, but not before praying after receiving a glare from his aunt. The second he finished praying however, he grabbed a stick of bacon and bit right in, relishing the flavor of the crunchy and chewy meat.
Upon looking at her nephew's satisfied smile Aunt May let out one of her own,
"You know, the news said Spider-Man is back," she said to the boy which caused him to immediately stop eating the breakfast she prepared. "You wouldn't have had anything to do with that would you?" she said in an almost all-knowing way.
"I just take pictures of the guy," he tried saying nonchalantly, Aunt May always assumed he was friends with Spider-Man. "I assume with his return you're going to go back to the Bugle then?" she said as she turned around to wash the dishes.
He scowled at that, he tried his best to push that thought to the back of his mind. He knew he'd have to come back, the bills don't pay themselves and despite him intentionally ignoring his bank account, he already knew he was flat broke after paying for last month's bills.
The only thing he had to his name was the twenty that was lying in his wallet.
"Yea…" he said in a deadpanned tone, he didn't want to deal with Jameson.
He instantly jolted out of his seat as he felt his stingers come out of his wrists, he held in the agonizing scream as to not startle his aunt but she turned around immediately when she heard the table shake.
"Peter?" she asked questioningly as she looked at her nephew who looked to be extremely frightened, "Is anything wrong?"
"N-No-No, I just- there was a centipede," he lied as he held in the excruciating pain while he attempted to hide his stingers behind his now crossed legs. "Where?" she asked questioningly as she looked around the room, "It crawled underneath the fridge," he said, nudging his head towards the appliance.
As she went to circle around the fridge Peter took the opportunity to freely panic within his mind. He didn't know what to do, what could he do? He knew how to control insurmountable strength, not foot-long bone stingers. He never kept his eyes off his aunt as he raised his hands, there's a reason why he was still here and not bleeding out on his bed.
He might not have known where his stingers came from but he guessed that there must've been a reason as to why he didn't impale or wound himself in his sleep. He looked at his aunt who let out a sigh before turning around, everything moved in slow motion from there.
He looked at his legs, and then back to his stingers, and then to his aunt.
He braced himself for the worst possible outcome and slammed his hands onto his quadriceps.
"Peter...what are you doing?" Aunt May asked questioningly as she looked at her nephew who had his eyes closed and his hands flat on his legs. He opened one eye and tilted his head, there was no pain and it wasn't because of the shock of impaling one of the body's largest arteries.
It was because his stingers immediately went back into his forearm as they came into contact with his body. "It must be some type of self-defense mechanism," he thought as he stared in amazement.
"Peter stop goofing around and eat your food," Aunt May scolded, he reluctantly raised his hands and to his relief, the stingers didn't instantly pop out again. He nodded and hesitantly went back to devouring the food in front of him.
It was good, it was really good.
It helped him clear his mind from anything that could possibly trigger his stingers.
"How do you like it?" Aunt May asked as she watched her nephew lose himself in the food. "It's amazing," he said with a mouthful of food, "Peter!" May said in a scolding tone but all
When they died down she looked at her nephew with loving eyes, "I'm guessing that walk of yours helped?"
He looked at her for a second before nodding, "Yeah...yeah it did," he said with a smile. "I uh…I was thinking about him a lot yesterday," he said to her softly. She took a seat in front of him, "Ben's is always there for me when I feel lost too," She said as she put her hand over his, "Not a day goes by when I don't think about him," she said warmly with a sad smile.
"How…how did you get over it?" he reluctantly asked her. She only held his hand tighter, "Who said I did?" she let out a brief chuckle as she said this but he could feel the underlying pain, the pain he was to blame for. "I'm not over it Peter, I don't think I'll ever be…but I've learned to live with it thanks to the people dear to me like you and Ana," Peter smiled at that but the guilt still remained. "We Parkers may be made out of stern stuff," she said as she grabbed his bicep, "But even then, there are some things you can't handle alone," she said with an encouraging smile. "I'll always be here for you whenever you need me," he let out a soft laugh.
"I know," he said as he held her hand, he was so lucky to have her.
"And I won't be the only one," she added.
He let out another laugh, "I know."
"I'll take that as you're going to go meet your friend Johnny then?" she said with a raised brow.
"Yea…" he finished with a smile.
He had to thank him for everything, although knowing him, that would definitely go to his head. Peter let out a mock shiver as he thought more and more about thanking Johnny Storm, the boy who practically forced people to take his autograph and follow his social media.
"He sounds like a really good and caring boy Peter, I'm glad he's your friend," Aunt May said with a smile, Peter let out a quiet laugh, "I am too," he finished with a smile.
He was looking forward to seeing him again.
Not just him but the others as well, Ben, Sue, Reed…
He thought about Reed for a second. He was the smartest man on the planet, had access to technology that no one else had, and personal expertise when it came to "developments." If there was anyone that could help him with these recent developments it was him.
He continued on with breakfast talking to his aunt for the rest of it, his stingers not resurfacing once.
"So what are you two going to be doing today?" May asked.
The answer to that was obvious, he'd go on patrol with Johnny for a little bit, maybe have a race around New York again. Aunt May can't know that though so he thought about the other 'normal,' activities they did together.
Whenever crime was low and Johnny was in this dimension they would always play some games. "Hang out I guess, play games," he responded.
"That's all?" May asked. "Well, I have to meet someone later," he said to his aunt.
"Who? Harry?" his aunt responded. He wasn't sure Harry was still his friend, and he wouldn't lie to his aunt and say they were. "No, it's someone you don't know. I uh…I met her yesterday," He hesitantly said as he scratched the back of his head. He already regretted mentioning Laura to his aunt as she abruptly stopped washing the dishes to look at him upon hearing the word "her."
"Her?" Aunt May said to her nephew as he raised a brow, her voice brimming with interest.
There was no turning back now.
"Yea…her name's 'Laura,' I met her yesterday," he said with food in his mouth. "Really? In the storm?" Aunt May asked as she recalled the vicious weather. "Yeah, she uh, uh…," he tried his best to come up with a good lie but none of them sounded good in his head.
Who said he had to lie though?
"...she helped me when the storm got really bad," he said to her. He watched how his Aunt took in his words before letting out a small smile, "Laura," she said warmly, "She sounds like a nice girl," Aunt May said wholeheartedly.
"Little rough around the edges…" Peter said as he remembered her aggressive attitude, "...but… she is," he said softly, "No matter what she says," he added with a small laugh because he knew that if she were here she would staunchly decline that statement.
"I'm not a hero," he mockingly said within his mind, causing him to let out a smile on the outside.
Aunt May noticed the wide smile he had on his face while he was talking about her.
"So where are you two going to go?"
Where were they going to go? They were going to meet at Washington Square Park but that wasn't really a good answer? They were going to hunt down a giant-mutated-gecko. Where does one find a giant-mutated-gecko?
"...The zoo…" he answered. She raised a brow to this prompting him to continue, "...to look at…alligators," alligators were reptiles, and they were giant reptiles too, close enough.
"Does she like alligators?" Aunt May asked.
Did she like alligators? He didn't know, all he really knew about her was that she dressed in all black and had a motorcycle.
"Um….I think so," his aunt didn't look satisfied with his answer, "She likes motorcycles too," he added. She let out a laugh at that, "And what does your friend Johnny like?" Aunt May questioningly asked. He could tell Aunt May was amused by this conversation, he didn't talk about his friends a lot, mainly because he didn't have a lot. Most teenagers don't take being constantly blown off too kindly.
Which is why he was glad Johnny, the only other teenage superhero, became his friend.
After a lot of battles, arguments, and insults of course.
"Cars," he answered, Johnny had a hard-on for cars. "That's all?" she asked as if she was expecting more. "Cars and girls," he didn't know which one Johnny liked more, to be honest. Aunt May let out another laugh at this.
"You're friends seem like quite the characters Peter, you'll have to bring them here one day," Aunt May said warmly. He knew Aunt May would like both of them. He'd have Johnny meet Aunt May sometime soon, he knew she wouldn't recognize him. Laura however? Sure, he trusted her more than most people, but inviting her to his home? It would at least take a couple more team-ups before she steps foot in here.
"One day," Peter simply replied.
Aunt May lovingly stroked his cheek.
"I'm glad you have friends now Peter," she said warmly. "And it seems you're not the only one, even Spider-Man, someone who has always worked alone seems to have some friends now. That fiery fellow from the Fantastic Four and now this mysterious girl," Aunt May said offhandedly as she listened to the T.V. He let out a small laugh at that, "Yea…I guess he does." he said warmly.
He finished his breakfast soon after this and washed his plate despite his aunt insisting that she would do it. He walked into his room, ready to grab his stuff and travel to the big N.Y.C. A smile on his face as he planned today's activities.
He'd stop by the Baxter building first thing and once everything was figured out, go on patrol with Johnny until he had to go meet Laura at seven.
Aunt May was right when she said that he did have friends.
He smiled at that thought as he opened the door to his room.
He absentmindedly closed the door behind him.
When he turned around after shutting it he froze in place, blinking multiple times as a pair of emerald eyes blankly looked at him.