It had been a cool summer's morning, with a cloudless blue sky and a nice breeze winding past the island of Manhattan as the city that never sleeps began the day anew.
A fresh copy of the Daily Bugle or Globe went to every home and outlet that carried them or had a subscription for the paper. The usual headlines varied from whatever the flavor of the week was. Whether it be an article about the latest decisive victory of the Avengers, a new juicy rumor about the island of Krakoa, an interview with celebrities like Robert Downey Jr. or Simon Williams. And in the Bugle's case, more often than not, a story and scathing editorial about the local vigilante known as 'Spider-Man' accompanied with a photo usually taken by one 'Peter Benjamin Parker'. Speaking of which-
In the borough of Queens, the brunette seventeen-year-old took a good long look at the room he had spent most of his life in.
He remembered playing with a chemistry set his Uncle had bought him one Christmas, melting a hole in his desk that was still very much there.
He remembered two-and-a-half years ago, waking up on the ceiling the night he got his powers after being bitten by that radioactive spider. He had been so stoked that he could give Flash Thompson a wedgie-or something to that degree.
He remembered sewing his first costume to remain anonymous during his brief wrestling career.
He remembered leaping from his room the night of his Uncle's murder, filled rage and despair as he stalked the city on the hunt for the killer.
He remembered cobbling together the first version of his web shooters and having to quickly hide them when Aunt May came barging in, once again trying to convince him to date her friend Anna's niece.
And he remembered his first kiss, shared out the window of his room with Mary Jane Watson who was out her window as well. He was glad that he'd finally given in to May's wishes, MJ was like a dream come true and a good confidant when he came out to her as Spider-Man. Though she admitted that she had known for the past year.
All in all, this room had character to it, and he was sad to leave it.
"PETER THE LIMO'S HERE!" He heard May call down from the first floor.
He responded back promptly, quickly grabbing the duffle bag off his bed. Filled with amenities he needed (and probably didn't need for where he was going). And before breaching the threshold of his room. He took a hold of the knob and gave a nod to his own little fortress of solitude. "See ya when I see ya!"
Peter bounded down the stairs, the front door opened as Aunt May waited on the front deck, hands her mouth and eyes closed as she tried to compose herself, the tears still came. She was about to be an empty nester, she said she'd be okay when day came-but she never figured it'd happen so soon.
"Hey Pretty Lady, why the wetworks?" Her nephew asked coyly, with a wry smile.
The woman in her golden years, hair whitened and skin being to show her age, wiped away the tears and sniffled. She returned the boy's smile with one that meant to be reassuring. "Sorry Peter, I'm just...I'm just so proud of you!" She quickly embraced her nephew in a tight hug, eyes clenched. This was her little boy, and he was going off into the world for bigger and better things. "Ben would be proud of you!" she sweared, knowing that somewhere, he was some place better. She knew in her very heart that this was true.
Peter said the only thing that came to mind, "He'd be proud of both of us," For nearly two years, after Ben's death, his Aunt had picked herself up by her bootstraps. Managing to keep the house in good condition without the added support of her husband. She got work with local philanthropist Martin Li and F.E.A.S.T. shelter. This helped when the bills came around, more so with her nephew's part time job at the Bugle as a photographer.
Though she wished that he would take pictures of things other than that of that horrible Spider-Man. It put him in too much danger, though she was glad nothing serious ever happened to Peter, minus a few bruises when a superhero battle got too intense and he got hit with some debris.
"I know he would be, he's probably looking down at us from heaven. Smiling and being glad that we've gotten so strong," She finally let him go as the limo driver honked his horn.
"WE GOT A SCHEDULE TO KEEP HERE LADY!" He growled from the driver's window.
"Of course, of course….*sigh*" She cupped Peter's cheek, looking into the eyes of the last remnants of her family, a family that had been taken away from her throughout her lifetime. Ben's Brother, his wife, and of course, Ben himself. With a clenched free hand. She prayed that Peter would be alright, the school he was going to wasn't in the country, he'd be so far away from her. She wouldn't hear his jokes in the morning, and he wouldn't be eating her wheatcakes for a long, long time. But she couldn't smother him, every boy had to take his first step, and part of that is the parent accepting this fact and allowing it. She would.
"...be safe, okay?" She paused, trying to think of something else to say, "-And make sure to call me every day-okay?!"
Her nephew gave a nod, and one more hug. "I will Aunt May, don't worry. I will." With that done, he headed for the limo, the limo that would take him to that fancy academy her dear nephew had been accepted to. It would be good for him, it had to be.
If Peter was being honest, he was nervous to leave. He was putting on a brave face for his Aunt, but he wondered how things would turn out when he left. He knew his villains wouldn't stay behind bars for long, and he knew Gobby was planning something-he hadn't seen that weirdo in a while, and that was usually a sign of scheming afoot.
A small voice in the back of his head told him that NYC wasn't defenseless. There was Matt, the Heroes for Hire or that strange moon dude. So there'd be people to stop someone like the Shocker or Electro.
But what about Otto? Peter hadn't seen him in a while as well, him having escaped prison a few weeks ago and going silent. He wasn't so sure a guy like Iron Fist could take him if he had something up his sleeve-maybe Reed could (if he and his family were even in this reality at the moment).
The door of the limo was open, the driver now out and waiting for him with his hand on the handle. Peter looked at the seat in the limo like it was a stargate, beckoning him to a future unknown. "Please don't let this be a mistake…" He reassured under his breath, only to immediately feel the wrapping of arms from behind and resting of a chin on his shoulder.
The Parker Boy blushed on a dime when her breath met his ears "What? Like leaving without saying goodbye to your girlfriend~~" She immediately pecked his cheek, reddening the teenage vigilante's face like a tomato.
"Oh my god…" The driver rolled his eyes and walked off, complaining about how he was never getting out of here.
Peter gave a condescending whistle, "Sheesh, wonder who shat in his cornflakes, heh,"
MJ chuckled, Peter now facing her, her hands holding his, and vice versa. Her long flowing locks of red danced like fire in the wind, her eyes glowing like emeralds. He couldn't help but lose his breath every single time he saw her. "Can't blame him Tiger, every other week we're invaded by aliens or something funky like that,"
"Come on, don't be hyper-"
She got closer to him, her chest touching his, he felt her breath on his.
He gulped "b-bolic…" She really was a dream come true for him, and he was really hoping he wouldn't have to see her before he left. "MJ...you're making this really, really hard for me…" It would make it oh so much more difficult to get into that limo.
She gave a Cheshire smile, tilting her head to the side. "I know!" She touched her forehead to his, he felt her warmth and it sent a shiver down his spine. "But if it keeps you from getting hurt every other day, I'm golden~~" She had helped patch him many times over the past year. Peter's opinion was that she had really gotten good at it, maybe she could have become a doctor.
No, her aspirations were far more splendid. "When I get back, you better have an emmy!" He joked. MJ raised her brow in a cocky manner.
"Yeah well…" She took him fast, her lips clinging to his and then some. And for what seemed like forever, She left his embrace. "...you better give me a kiss that good when you get back, Tiger~~!"
"Heh...yeah, yeah-" He sputtered, getting a joyous reaction from the redhead. She really was the only girl for him, and he wouldn't have it any other way. No one else could create the feelings she made him feel in his very soul. And as much as it hurt, he knew, he hoped that she wouldn't move on when he was gone. "Don't worry I'll do you one better, when I get back, dinner, a show and…." His pupils shrank for a second, his cheeks slightly turning a shade. "...yeah dinner and a show!" He repeated, his voice a twinge higher than it had been.
Mary Jane Watson snorted a cute little laugh as she turned away from him and made her way back home. Peter could only smile, taking in a deep breath of air and letting it go.
He looked over his shoulder and sideyed the driver, who was bitterly enjoying a cigarette while shooting him daggers. "Alrighty, let's get this show on the road Jeeves!"
The driver grumbled a curse, a curse that couldn't even begin to ruin Peter's day as he took his seat, closed the door and the wheels began rolling.
Peter hoped everything would be okay,
He hoped Aunt May would be safe, and not too lonely. Though Matt did promise to pop in every once in a while, for a visit. And she did get a near weekly call from a distant family member from Peter's Dad and Uncle's side of the family. Plus, Mr. Li was a good boss. He knew she'd be okay.
He knew everyone would be okay, at least he very much hoped so. MJ, Gwen, Harry, Liz, Robbie, Matt, Glory, Betty-Heck he even hoped ol'JJJ and Flash would be okay (maybe trip and fall on their faces every once in a while though).
Today was a brand new day for him, a brand new start. He'd be going to a nice school, something he didn't think he could possibly ever be in. Sure, Midtown was all fine and good, but at Chaldea, he could finally wax his scientific prowess. And it'd be easier than having to fenaggle Curt Connors to use his lab for a little bit or having to constantly clean his room when he wreaked a bit of a mess.
The teenage vigilante let his shoulders relax, laying his arms against the top of the seat. It was going to be smooth sailing for Peter Benjamin Parker-no crooks-no Flash-and no costume (well, he hoped so anyway).
Peter couldn't help but let his jaw drop. He then rubbed his eyes, blinked twice and still, his jaw was left hanging. He was nearly speechless.
"Ugh," He felt himself flush as the beginnings of a headache started to creep up "You gotta be kidding me?!" He took a step, getting himself off the private helicopter and on to the cold asphalt of a leviathan of a structure. The second his feet hit the ground; he began clutching his shoulders. You gotta be kidding me! For miles and miles, there was only the cruel embrace of the cold. Snow every which way and up. From hill to hill with the mountain side circling the already circular white structure like a badly made cereal bowl.
His head, as if on a ball joint, looked everywhere around him, his mouth still open. "WHERE THE HECK AM I?!" He cried to the heavens above, Yahweh, Zeus and Odin, all probably laughing at him like he was a chump. And he was honestly starting to feel like a chump. I didn't sign up for this! This thought occurred as the helicopter began taking off.
He turned on a dime, and reached for it in vain, but it was too late. The aircraft, now airborne, was leaving him in the dust. Peter bit his lip and squinted his eyes at the helicopter, for a brief moment, he considered grabbing his web shooters and leaping up there. "...*sigh*...dammit," Secret identities, they were more trouble than they were worth sometimes.
With his only way of escape exiting stage left, the currently marooned Peter turned to the front of the structure. Unimpressed was the expression on his face, like the building itself had bombed on stage during amateur hour. He rubbed his forehead and clicked his teeth. Did I just fall for a supervillain scheme or something-cause that is clearly not a school! His spider sense hadn't gone off, even when he was taking that nap during the helicopter ride. So maybe this wasn't the devious plot of Doctor-something-or-other. Still, he should have taken a look out the window, or tried to have convinced the pilot into turning him around.
He reached into his pocket, grabbed his phone and much to his chagrin-there was no signal. Ah crap, He groaned something fierce. He was hoping he could maybe get Reed to have Ben come pick him up in the Fantasti-car, nope, that wasn't even an option. "Ugh...should have seen this coming….how would I have seen this coming?" He deadpanned, asking no one. Yeah, just keep talking to yourself Parker, that'll get you out of here.
He tapped his foot in annoyance, the reality of the situation became firm to him, and he gave in. Let's get this over with,
He came to the entrance, the entry through it being based on one's own genetic features. That being a hand and retina scanner. With little other option, he placed his hand on the scanner and brought his eye to the other.
The machine hummed to life, -/Base Sequence: human genome confirmed/ Peter then felt a quick prick to his finger from the scanner.
"OW! Rassum frassum piece of cra-"
-/Alignment: Chaotic-Good/
Alignment? Why the hell would they need to know my alignment? What-these guys big DnD fans? He asked himself as the machine continued.
-Peter did as he was told, -/Welcome to the center of the future of humankind. This is the Security Organization for the Preservation of Humanity, Chaldea./
Preservation of humanity? I mean, I'm not against that, but that doesn't say 'highly academic private school' to me. Sounds like a weird SHIELD thing...did I get suckered into joining a SHIELD ripoff?
-/Fingerprint, voiceprint, and DNA authentication *error* cleared. Magical Circuit asses-*error*-ment complete/
A few questions started popping into his head at the mention of magical circuits. And with those questions, he felt his headache turn up on the metaphorical dial. He clutched his forehead in near anguish.
-/Username Required./
Cringing, "Peter Parker." He said matter-of-factly, if not a twinge exasperatedly.
-/Username matched. You are recognized as a member of the *error* primates./
Don't know why I wouldn't be-well if you ignore the radded-out blood.
-/Nice to meet you./
"Yeah, super to meet you as well, talking computer." he stuck out his tongue, still miffed about the pricking.
-/You're our final visitor today./
Yippee.
-/We hope you enjoy your time here./
"Oh don't worry-I'm not staying long. Because I'm honestly feeling a bit bamboozled here!"
-/We are very sorry. Another 180 seconds is needed to *error* complete the admission process!/ It said it so cheerily too.
"OH COME ON! It's colder than the water the Titanic sank in out here!" He reeled back at the dark reference, wanting to wash his mouth out with soap. His Aunt didn't raise him to talk like that-she also didn't raise me to wear red and blue, and beat up crooks, either. He felt his head beat, his eyes glossing over for a few seconds before returning to normal. "Please...please just hurry up," he begged, regretting his decision to even wake-up this morning and not hearing what the computer said next-
Peter went blank a second afterwards.
The past few moments being hazy to him, the teenage vigilante was soon let in, finding his way to what he might guess to be reception. He faced a woman, with long swept back blonde hair with bangs on the side, sitting at the desk.
The woman was reading a book with a bored expression. "*yawn*..."
She hadn't even noticed him.
He coughed into his fist.
She took another second, presumably to finish a paragraph, before sighing, clasping the book shut, setting it down and looking at him with an unimpressed glower. This gave Peter a better look at her, and she was rather stunning. She seemed to be in her late twenties, with unblemished porcelain skin. crystal blue eyes, a slender but curvaceous body that could easily surmised due to form fitting pure black (tactical type) uniform wore her. Along with that, she had a black choker around her neck and crimson red lipstick on her lips,
She was rather attractive, not in the same league as MJ-but who could be "Yo," Peter replied awkwardly.
"Are you Master Candidate 48, Peter Parker?" she asked dryly, very clearly bored with any possible back and forth that would come from the brunette talking to her.
"My friends call me Pete,"
"Uh huh," she smiled condescendingly before grabbing something from a drawer on her side of the desk.
Spider-Sense flaring, Peter caught what she had thrown.
"That'll be your mystic code, Mr. Parker. Go to the closest bathroom, change into it, leave your bag here, it'll be taken to your room as you head to Central Command and wait for the orientation." she said with a dry huff, like she wished she could be doing anything else.
Mystic code? Why do I feel like I accidentally stepped into a room in the Sanctum Sanctorum? "I think there's been a mistake here, I was told this was a private school and-"
She cut him off, her voice like a finely sharpened knife, "You have an hour Mr. Parker-Good day to you."
Peter bit his lips and inhaled, another severe beat moving like a maelstrom through his headspace. "Oookay then, gotcha!" Before I leave, I am so going to web up her seat-yeah, that'll show her! He snickered slightly, but another strike of his aching head stopped him dead in his tracks. Alright, new plan. Go to this orientation, tell the guy in charge there's been a mistake-and voila! I'm home free! He reassured himself, heading to the closest bathroom and changing.
The receptionist returned to her magazine, not even giving the boy a second glance, well actually, "Nice ass, face isn't bad either..." she said offhandedly.
Peter felt restricted wearing this unif-oh excuse me, 'mystic code'. Stepping out of the bathroom, duffel bag with his old clothes stuffed in with his other attire and gear, he couldn't help but tug at the collar.
It felt like he was back at Reed and Sue's wedding, having to take snaps of them for JJJ while wearing an old hand-me-down monkey suit from Uncle Ben. Its style had been that of a silver leisure suit from the seventies, and Pete had to resist the urge to web Johnny's mouth shut with each comment about how he was bringing back disco. That's not even my gimmick, I'm not the Hypno-Hustler!
This ultimately wasn't the same, but the uniform he had on just didn't feel right with his style. The mystic wasn't really that restrictive movement-wise, he guesstimated that he could probably do twenty somersaults before the thing tore.
Still, this felt like something MJ would wear, or may consider wearing. Peter had seen her collection of fashion mags, this thing on him would have probably been something from Roderick Kingsley's Fall Collection.
It'd honestly look really good on MJ, now that I think about it, especially with a skir- His face reddened and he shook the thought away. Another zap to the synapses came to him, and he figured he just better find the Command room before this headache got any worse.
After dropping off his bag, sticking his tongue out at the woman who was still nose deep in her book. He attempted to find his way to the Central Command Room-keyword there being attempted.
Peter rounded corners,
Another strike to the head came-
Peter tried to ask for direction (they were all too busy),
Another strike to the head came-
Peter tried opening locked doors,
Another strike to the head came-
Peter stumbled into the cafeteria,
Another strike to the head came-
Peter peaked into an old-timey looking workshop,
Another strike to the head came-
Peter accidentally found female bathing room (luckily no living soul was in side or in sight)
Like clockwork, another shock bruised his cranium-
And finally, Peter, his vision going down the drain faster than you can say wall-crawling menace. Everything was becoming a blur, the beats in his head pulsing faster than before, like something was trying to break its way out his skull.
He didn't know what room he was in or if he was even in a room to begin with, but he vaguely made out the form of a couch or bench (something like that). Oh good, finally some luck, he thought miserably, he 'gracefully' tripped his way to the seat.
Letting his back hit it, the feeling of the cushion bringing a small sense of relief to the brunette. I got an hour right? He weakly surmised, letting the gracious embrace insensibility take hold of him. "I'll just rest my eyes a little...then I'll find that room…" he said softly, his voice travelling through his breath and being unheard.
First Light, dread him, defy him-
I stood still, on a singular point on the ground.
First Light, it's all wrong-
The world around me changed, second by second, so fast that I couldn't even comprehend when the biome I stood had switched.
First Light, not our light, he loathes the light-
A wasteland of blades, a hill with a single sword, a forest, a prison, a library, a temple,
First Light, infinity is suffocating, the cosmoses sentinels bound, his wrath is unbinding,
A church, a castle, a prison, a battlefield, a mountain, a beach, a frozen tundra, a ship,
First Light, three are most in danger, fear him and those who herald him-
So on, and so on, I couldn't even begin to keep track, yet, I still could see detail in them all. I felt like I wasn't supposed to be here.
First Light, the First Darkness, he will wait, he will bide, yet his impact shall come-
It became black before me, the only light around me being something that shined from above. It felt nice….like I had I always known it.
Parker, Peter, Menace, Hero, Killer, Savior, Spider, Man-
I felt them grab me, and tried to jump-their hold was too strong. I looked below and I saw them all. Their eyes glowing an insidious indigo. Then, I made out more detail, and I recognized them-I recognized all of them as they began to drag me down into the dark mass.
Their costumes, their forms, even as altered as they were, still rang to me with their meaning.
Iron Man, Hawkeye, Black Panther, Matt, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Hulk, Thor, Black Wid-
I tried to fight back, tried to throw a web at something, tried to reach for the light.
I was pulled deeper, and deeper and I saw more,
The symbols of I didn't recognize and faces I had never seen,
They all spoke to me, I couldn't make out a word-not until one of them spoke directly in my face.
Son, fight, fight until there is nothing left to fight for…
Captain America begged me, his voice, his tone, one that told me how scared he was.
But I'm only one guy-I-I-
Don't let the lights die! Do you hear me son?! Don't let him become-Fou? Kyuu Kyuu!?
Hey stop it, why the hell are you poking me?
Fou! Fou!
WHY ARE YOU LICKING ME!?
Sen-
"-pai...please wake up! It isn't morning, and it is definitely not night." Her voice was nice, a bit meek, but calming in all senses of the word. This did nothing to cool Pete's jets.
The dream was barely a memory now. Pupils shrunk, instinct kicked in and found himself leaping from the seat, over the bespectacled girl and into a corner of the room-fisticuffs up and ready to beat down whatever one of his rogues had gotten the drop on him…it's, it's a girl….
"Kyuu?" the little white bundle of fluff question, still sitting on the seat cushion and looking at him, much like the girl was.
He straightened up, hands clasped behind his waist, before raising one in greeting "Heya…name's Pete…." He felt his soul trying to leave his body in embarrassment. He looked around the room, "Where am I exactly?" He spoke, in effort to quickly move past his moment of Spideyness.
"You're in one of our break rooms, senpai, to be more specific, you're in the one closest to the Central Command Room."
Huh, not bad Parker. You just missed it by that much. "Ah thanks Ms…uh...I don't know your name,"
She was fair-skinned, her lilac hair covered the right of her face. Only one of her appealing lavender eyes was revealed to Peter. The black grey hoodie, black shirt, white collar and red tie combo plus the glasses of hers made the teenage vigilante think of one word. Cute!
"My name, I certainly have one, nice and respectable one…but I don't know if I mean enough to answer. It is a difficult question to answer when asked about senpai." She explained.
Peter looked left to right, unsure of where she was going with this.
"...I've never really gotten the opportunity to use it, I don't usually leave a good first impression." Her lavender eye descended somewhat, head tilting down for a brief second.
"Hey don't say that, you just haven't found your moment...I mean I was basically a wallflower until high school. I was constantly called Puny Parker, or King of the Dorks, oh and…" He trailed off, "...yeah not good examples, I'm still called that sometimes." Along with Freak, Menace, Bug, Insect, Pervert (just because I wear spandex does not mean I am into weird crap!) He thought sourly. "Was that awkward...sorry if it was." He gave a light snicker, hoping to smooth this out.
She shook her head, "May I ask you a question, senpai?"
And she never answered mine, that's fine "Shoot."
She queried her eyes, "Huh?"
"Uh...ask the question," Why did Peter get the feeling he was talking to one of those sheltered kids. Sort of like Harry, but before Papa Osborn actually let him attend high school.
"Oh! I wanted to ask why you were sleeping here, and not in your room. I've read that it's bad for your back when you don't sleep on a mattress. Or can you not sleep unless you have a smaller area of space?"
"I wasn't really planning on crashing here, I just felt little-" The little fluff ball peeped up, running towards Peter and sniffing him. He looked at it, and felt a slight buzz of his spider-sense when it was close to him. Should I be worried about that thing?
"Oh, I'm sorry Fou, I forgot to introduce you, didn't I?"
You haven't even introduced yourself, besides being vaguely cryptic!
"This is Fou. Despite his sciuridae-esque nature, he's a privileged life-form that's allowed to walk freely within Chaldea." She gave a sweet little smile with that last sentence. "Fou here ran off, and he led me directly to you, Senpai."
"Kyuu." Fou stated-matter-of-factly, the slight buzz in Pete's head not entirely going away as it scurried away from him and on to the lilac-haired girl's shoulder. "Fou." He nuzzled against her head, much to the girl's hinting embarrassment.
"He doesn't really go near people, so he must like something about you, Senpai."
""Kyuu!" he squeaked.
"I suppose that means you'll be his second-caretaker."
"Cool…" The buzzing kept on, but Peter did his best to keep calm, "...but yeah I was trying to head for the Central Command Room for the orientation. I got a little bit drowsy-" More like I had a freaking migraine "-and decided to just take a minute."
"That happens to most new arrivals."
"It does?"
"You're just feeling the effects of the simulation, nothing to worry about."
Don't know if I believe that. Also-what simulation?
A new voice made itself known, "Aw, good to see you talking to one of the newcomers!" His was a calm yet sternly regal voice, the owner of it sauntering through the entrance of the breakroom and coming up from behind the girl, "Are you beginning to come out of that shell yours, Mash?"
Mash huh? Weird name to give your kid, Peter remarked, his attention changing to the long oak brown-haired man, who was wearing an emerald top hat, purple tie and green dress coat. He looked very cordial on the surface. His features relaxed and almost cat-like.
But it wasn't the surface that sent Pete's spider-sense on overdrive, a cold sweat running down the back of his nape. His pupils shrunk and his nerves tensed.
"Though one has to wonder why one of our master candidates is sleeping in the break room, surely it'd be more comfortable to sleep on a bed."
He would have questioned the term master candidate, but instead he found himself to assuage the panic currently overtaking him. Something was seriously off about this guy, but Peter couldn't let him know that he knew that.
"My name is Lev Lainur, I'm one of Chaldea's technicians. And it's always good to meet the new rookies when they arrive. You're Peter Parker, correct?"
"Yes." He replied hesitantly.
Mash seemed to notice his tenseness, quirking her head to the side in puzzlement.
"You came highly recommended by one of our sponsors, so how long was your training? eight months? two years?"
"I'm sorry, did you say training?" He took in a breath, and consoled himself. But the intense buzzing was still there, at least he was able to think straight. I did get suckered into some kind of SHIELD thing didn't I?
"Did you not have training? How peculiar, but we do have some amateurs (even some complete novices like candidate fourty-seven) here to fill out the ranks. It is nonetheless odd that you were recommended to us without it though." Lev stroked his chin.
Yeah man, you're telling me-actually I can probably use this. "I was actually told I was heading to a private school. And I think there might have been a mix-up with me being here in... where are we exactly?" There was a bunch of snow, so maybe Greenland, Tibet, Russia-Canada?!
"You're in Antarctica, Senpai." She chimed in, saying it like it was obvious.
"Antarctica?!" Well that explains why I didn't have a lick of service.
Lev's brow furrowed, "Hmm, well Mr. Parker, you've certainly given me a bit to think about-but I'm sure the director can figure this out and settle this little mystery of ours." He spun on his heel and faced the exit. "Speaking of which, it's almost time for the orientation," He looked to Mash, "Best to not keep everyone waiting, come along Mash. Oh and please tell me when you're going to run-I swear you'll cause me to have a panic attack someday!" He joked, clearly not even mad at her.
She was oppositely earnest in response "Yes Mr. Laniur, I'm sorry." Her head down, almost bowing. Before she left, she took one last look at Peter. "Sorry if I caused you any stress Senpai...as for your question earlier, my full name is Mash Kyrielight, and it was nice to meet you!" She said sheepishly before quickly following Lev.
This left Peter in the room with the fluffball. Who was back on the ground and staring at him intently.
Peter crossed his arms defensively at this. "Aren't you going to follow her?" He asked, the little creature still being a source of his Spider-Sense sounding off.
"Mmkyu, kyuu!" Fou said back to him, subsequently leaving Peter by his lonesome to follow Mash.
And thankfully, the buzz finally went away-instead the headache returned, tormenting his mind that was already being twisted by the questions he had to consider at the moment.
How does he get out of here?
What did Lev mean by master candidate? Adding on to that, what was he and that white fluffer up to that'd cause his spider-sense to flare-up.
And finally, why was she calling me senpai? What does that even mean?
He figured he'd take the most logical option he had, attend the orientation and see if could get his butt out of here or stay to make sure Lev and Fou weren't going to do something sinister.
He hated having the burden of heroism on this shoulder sometimes, it would have been easier to run. But nah, Pete never took the easy way out, that just wasn't him.
The teenage vigilante found what he guessed was the Central Command Room, and it was a sight to behold. Grand in scale with a calming blue color scheme, the centerpiece of the room was a deep aqua orb of light that appeared as the Earth, with five halos moving about like a gyroscope.
Before it was a group of people in the same mystic code as Peter, sitting in chairs.
There were chairs to the side (he saw Lev, Mash and eight others). The lavender head noticed the brunette and gave him slight head nod and a shy wave.
He waved back with a charmed smile, Mash blushed-this was noted by a feminine-looking individual with a bluish fade and bleached hair. They'd said something to Mash with playful smile that made the girl blush and hide her face. An auburn-haired girl, wearing a ribbon-esque eyepatch over her right side, seemed to listen with interest.
None of the others paid with Mash paid him any mind, except for a bespectacled girl with dark brown hair tied in twin tails. Looking up from a book in her hand and quite briefly sniffed the air-only to look to him with a disgusted glare.
Peter gave her confused look, what'd I do? He shrugged and let it go, besides continuing to have a track record of being late, continues to move forward.
He cringed as another strike came to his cranium-what the heck?!
A viewing room hung overhead that housed others upon the orientation that was about to begin.
Treading lightly, Peter tried to look for a spot in the back, a few of the people who noticed him scowling and laughing silently at him for presumably being the last guy. I feel like I'm back at Midtown, he thought, cringing as his spider-sense and headache created tumult in his skull.
The only seat that was open was one at the very front, towards the right of the room. Taking the loss, he quickstepped his way to the seat and took it, feeling embarrassed as he noticed the glare of the woman who stood in front of the group before the gyrosphere.
She had long pure white hair, a ponytail on the side wearing something else Pete could have sworn he had seen in one of MJ's finer fashion mags.
"Cutting it close, but at least we're all accounted for,"
Yep, that's directed at me, wonderful. A severe strike pulsed through head.
She continued, "I welcome you all to the special organization, Chaldea, I am its director Olga Marie Animusphere." She took a moment, "You have all been reviewed and selected to join our ranks towards the safety of mankind's future based on your trait of being able to conduct spiritron dives, activate your magical circuits and ninety-nine percent chance of being viable as a master…"
Peter felt his eyes go dull, I didn't understand half of what she said, what the hell are these terms? His head wobbled slightly.
"...you will be mages unlike any other, wielding both magecraft and science in tandem to better effectively complete our upcoming missions….huh?-you!" And that was the last word Peter heard before everything went black.
Why are you here-
The web has no claim over this-
Why do you tread where you ought not to-
You are going to die here-
Prepare yourself, little spider-
Peter had felt himself be moved, held on to, His burgeoning subconscious trying to make-out what was happening to him.
He felt whoever was supporting him, stop, He felt his lips move and his voice trail out haphazardly.
"Everything's okay, Senpai." He knew that voice, he had only heard it for a few minutes, but he recognized it all the same.
"Really...because I feel like I just went a few rounds with Rhino!" He quipped, full control returning to him as he felt his forehead.
"Rhino? I've never actually seen a real rhino; do they normally attack you?"
The brunette blinked a few times, adjusting to the light around, his world finally clearing up. He felt his arm around her shoulder as her hand on his on the other side. He looked to her, the range of their crowns being a bit too close for Peter's comfort.
The lavender head looked into his eyes, "How are you feeling?"
The reality of his situation dawned on, "...All things considered, I could be doing better," He admitted. "Could use an ibuprofen or something."
"Hnn, odd to see the effects of the simulation affecting you for this long. You really didn't have any prior training, did you?" Mash double-takes, "Well, basic magical training anyway."
"What do you mean?"
"When Director Animusphere noticed you were drifting off, she went to slap you awake-but you sidestepped her, used your hands to propel yourself off the ground, did a flip and ended up on the other side of her crouched on all fours…before collapsing to the ground."
Secret identity-what's that?! He mentally facepalmed. This had been the second time this girl had seen him be super, and the second time he had an audience. Here's hoping they don't start connecting dots with a certain wall-crawler from Queens.
"It was really impressive, Senpai. You must be quite skillful at physical type magecraft, because I've never actually seen anyone be adept enough to do that sort of thing when looking like they were about to pass out." Mash bit her lip, turning her eyes away from him.
"Alright my turn, are you okay?"
Mash popped out of this state in an instant and nodded, "Oh yes, Senpai."
Wonder what your life was like to make you so timid, Peter recalled, subsequently surmising how to answer with the information he had gathered to give an 'answer' to her about his status of being magically inclined. "Yeah, I'm no wizard-sorry," giving a weak grin, causing Mash to snicker. And again, the word came to his head to describe her was, cute.
"Nonetheless, it was cool to see you move like that. Though the Director didn't think so."
"Yeah, she seems like a real barrel of laughs," Pete's cheeks warmed, and once more, a part of him told himself to squash this before it went any further. "I think I can stand," Mash let go of him, Peter felt wobbly, but was able to take a solid stance. "There we go! So, I'm guess I passed out ag-"
*Something fast, small, most likely dangerous, is shooting for your head!*
"-ain." Peter crouched suddenly, a quick explanation coming to him about as the unidentified flying object sailed over him and halted itself at the wall. The impact had no slam, which was one thing he noted, faking tying his shoes and looking forward, seeing Fou trotting over to them. This widened Pete's eyes, definitely dangerous, got it.
"Fouuuu!" He drew out, seeming a tad grumpy. The little squirrel-thing then turned the other cheek to Peter, heading over the Mash with a run and-
Holy crap it just hit her in the face! He readied himself to bring the beatdown on the fluffer, but stopped when he saw that Mash didn't seem that shocked by the action. The fluffball soon was resting on her shoulder like he had been in the breakroom, though this time it had its chest puffed out and was seemingly staring daggers at Peter.
Mash saw his wide-eyed expression, "Fou likes to do that, it makes it easier for him to rest on my shoulder."
Taking this in a better fashion than he usually would, Peter replied. "So he does that often, that's like a little trick you taught him right?"
"Fou!" He barked at him, like he had said the worst thing imaginable.
Mash just patted his head to try and calm him down, "Calm down Fou," She looked to Peter with an inquisitive expression "No, I didn't teach him any tricks, but it does seem Fou here sees you as a rival. Though the question remains why he would consider a human as one of his own."
"Fou!" He threatened.
"Though I'm sure he'll get over it by tomorrow."
You're no Juggernaut pal, bring it! He smirked, subconsciously challenging the little bugger. "Well, he won't have to worry. I'm not planning on staying here long."
"What do you mean?" She looked shocked.
For one, I've seemed to have stepped in a situation Stevey Strange would be more comfortable with. "Like I said, I'm no wizard Mash, whatever's going on here is above my paygrade." He didn't exactly know what the deal was, saving humanity's future, but that just seems like a catch all term. Probably should have tried to stay awake so I could have gotten a better picture of the sitch. "And I know zilch about 'magic'," he quoted, he half didn't believe in it. Sure, he had teamed up with a few magic users over the past year, but he usually went with Reed's explanation of magic. It's just really advanced science.
"Please reconsider Senpai, we really need all hands-on deck for the mission. Even if you don't know anything about magic. I'm sure Lev or perhaps the Doctor can help you out with the basics."
Get help from the guy who set my spider-sense ablaze? No thank you, not sure who the other person she's talking about is. Peter shook his head, "I'm just a kid from Queens, Mash. I got my whole life ahead of me-and I don't need to get myself wrapped up in something I don't even believe in."
"Oh...okay, Senpai." She pursued her lips, her cheeks puffing slightly.
Pete frowned, oh come on, don't do this to me.
Downtrodden, Mash moved past him, "I'll lead you to your room, I was already doing that...I guess I just wanted to talk to you...sorry for bothering you."
Why do I feel like I just kicked a puppy? He pinched his nose and took a second before following her. He cursed his luck, and he cursed the headache/instinct that had made him act without consideration for his identity.
He was led through the halls of Chaldea, the place having more room than Peter would have expected. They passed a large window that presented the icy tundra outside. They were moved by a small number of people who were out and about and finally, Peter stood in front of what would be his room if he stayed, 33. He filed that in the back of his head.
"Well, here's your room, Senpai," She sounded completely defeated. There was heavy silence between them, and Pete didn't really know what to say besides the expected thanks. "I better get going, I'm on the first mission, A Team, so they're probably waiting on me in the command room."
"Mkyuu Fou!" Fou leaped off of Mash's shoulder and approached Peter.
This cheered her up somewhat, "Fou says he's going stay with you, just in case you change your mind,"
"Kyuu!"
She turned away, presumably heading back to the Command Room. An ache came to the teenage vigilante, and with the judging eyes of Fou, I just can't leave things like this, Peter decided to push his luck.
"Hey Mash!"
She turned to him, "Yes Senpai?" her features were almost back to normal if not a bit sullen from their previous exchange.
Before he left, Pete figured he might as well have lunch with her. Maybe that'd simmer down the guilt and maybe he could get Mash to be a bit more confident in herself. Harry did it for him, before the bite of course. Just hope MJ doesn't find out I'm hanging out with another girl, 'course I chill with Gwen-but she's like a sister to me. "When you get back, how about we get something to eat, the food's good here right?"
Mash tilted her head, pleased. "It's not bad."
He clasped his hands, making a clap sound, "Excellent, it's a date!" He joked.
Mash's pupils went round as her face turned a shade "YES! It-it's a date!" She yelped, swiftly turning around and rushing off.
Peter's nose crinkled, Now I really hope MJ doesn't find out about this,
"Fou." He acknowledged.
Peter peered down at the fluffer; he peered up at him. The buzz the little beast gave him was still there. "Okay...what's your deal?" He asked, not expecting an answer he could understand.
"Mkyuu!" the white ball of fluff declared proudly.
"Yeah, that's what I thought." He palmed his forehead and outwardly groaned. A strike pulsed throughout his skull, and Peter figured it was time to think of a plan.
Wait till nightfall. Stick to the shadows and see what I can scrounge up on Lev and Fou here. Then get on the first chopper out of here and get this info to the Doc so he can take care of it. Finally, go back to staying up past curfew and beating up muggers in alleyways. He pinched his chin and nodded to himself. Ignoring Fou who still seemed to study him, Peter turned to his door and began opening it, sliding to the side.
He stepped through the threshold, Fou followed, Better get some shuteye though, I don't need to play spy with a splitting hea-
The man, his strawberry-blond haired, fluffy, looked to be in his early thirties. He stared back at Peter while the covers of what was supposed to be his bed were lapped over him while he sat crisscross in front of a laptop.
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?"
"I could say the same thing pal!"
"No-I mean who gave you permission to be in here? This is an empty room!"
On the small table near the bed sat Peter's duffel bag. "My stuff's literally right there."
The strawberry-blonde looked to his left, the covers rolling off him to reveal his ponytail, "I thought I was being messed with-ah dang it," He pouted, "this is where I slack off!" He said miserably. He closed the laptop with a heavy sigh. "I'm running out of places to hide," He threw off the covers and raised himself from the mattress to meet Peter, the guy's attire being one of a doctor, possibly, with a badge of a vertical symbol of two diamonds connected, centered on his green collar. His badge hung underneath the symbol.
Romani Archaman, the name seems to fit.
Archaman scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, "I knew this would be taken away from me eventually. But change is constant and all that," He sized up Peter, "So you're the last candidate huh? Peter, right?"
"Yup." Pete said as close to plainly as he could, the buzzing and pulsing maelstrom in his head raring itself up to his notice once more. He tensed his features.
"Hey are you okay?"
Peter waved him off, "Yeah, just a headache-nothing to worry about." He lied.
Archaman didn't seem to quite believe him, narrowing his eyes as gave Peter the once over. "You went through the simulation, didn't you?"
"That's what I keep hearing." Despite the fact that I've had this headache before I even entered the building.
Archaman snapped his fingers, "Well you're in luck, I'm actually the head of the medical department-name's Romani Archaman. But for whatever reason, most people here call me Dr. Roman."
Peter's eyes dulled but he kept on trucking, "Rolls off the tongue better than Archaman I guess."
"I know right? Sounds cool too, if not a bit sweet in a way."
Peter cringed, "UGH!" A sharp jolt going through him, he felt like he was going to fall over again. He reeled, breath sharpened, he was going to fall flat on his face again.
Roman caught him, "You are definitely not well,"
"Aw come on coach, it's... just a flesh wound…." Peter joked weakly.
"And you're getting your references mixed up-yikes!" Roman helped the young vigilante move to the side of the bed, Peter was sat down, much to his relief and decreasing sobriety. "I'll be right back, please don't go anywhere-or you know, fall on your face."
The Doctor left the room, leaving Peter alone (not completely though). Fou had jumped on the bed and sat beside him, his head tilted to the side.
"You're...enjoying this aren't you?" He asked, his breath hampered.
The squirrel shook its head, "Fou!"
"Coulda...fooled me…" His body moved to and thro on the bed. He tried his best to stay still. Trying to focus on anything to keep awake, "...how in the hell…did you sail through the air like that?"
"Mykuu kyuu."
"That makes complete sense." He would have rolled his eyes, but he didn't have the energy to do so.
"Kyuu."
He heard the footsteps of someone come in, "Sorry about the wait," Roman said without a breath, "But I swear the tylenol gets moved to a new place every time I look for….it-HOLY CRAP! Is that what I think it is?!"
"Fou!"
"Golly! I think it is, I thought you were just a rumor Mash was spreading to mess with me!" He paced over to the bed excitedly.
"Mykuu!" Fou replied vehemently as Roman attempted to pet the little fluff ball. Fou ran away from him.
"Aw come on-I don't bite. It's just really cool to meet you!" Fou kept at arm's length from him. "I'll give you a treat if you let me pet you." He optioned.
The fluffer gave him a deadpan expression. Turning away from Roman in a huff.
"What's with the glare..." Peter groaned, catching the attention of the doctor. "...oh, sorry about that Peter!" He spoke earnestly as he uncapped the bottle of pills and placed one in Peter's hands. He then gave him an open bottle of water.
Peter ingested the pill and let the water take it down his throat. His mind cleared a little, the pain still there. "Heh, thanks Roman, appreciate it." He meekly said.
"That's what I'm here for, making sure you guys stay healthy for the job!" he beamed, capping the pills and remaining water and setting it on the side table. "It was lucky your room was this one, like Vegas lucky! Who knows what would have happened to you if I weren't trying to find just about anything to do while the guys and gals in the command center do the real work."
"I don't think luck is the word to describe my day, Doc,"
Roman shrugs, "Well, maybe. Least you're not on the Director's bad side like I am."
"Don't quote yourself on that, I-uh, fell asleep while she was doing her speech."
Roman recoiled, "ooh, yeesh, first day here and you're already on her bad side. I'd say that's a record, but I'm not one to talk-she kicked me out of checking everyone's health for the Rayshift experiments." He tapped his index, "One, because the machines are better at reading the vitals of the mages in the coffins," He then tapped his middle, "And two, I apparently make everybody slack off when I have nothing to do." He let the comment sit for a moment, "Her words, not mine."
"So, you decided to go and sulk somewhere, right?"
"Is it that obvious?"
"I've been there." Usually when I'm late to catch a crook and someone like DD or Cap are there.
"SWEET! I've met a kindred spirit!"
Peter couldn't help but smile at the man's enthusiasm. But he felt like bursting his bubble a little bit "...sure, but I'm afraid I won't be here long."
"Huh? Did you get put on the second mission or something?"
"No...I was sort of...for the lack of better word tricked into being here."
"What? Were you told you were going to become a part of a prestigious mage family by joining?"
"My Aunt was given an envelope a month back that said Chaldea was a private school. And I think it's obvious this place is in no way a school."
"Of course, Chaldea is a security organization. Don't know how you misconstrue that as it being a school. I mean-we're not the X-Men."
"No, they're too busy playing zion or something." If I even believed the rumor mill, but Wolverine did act strange last time I teamed up with him.
"Jeez, and I thought the politics of the Clocktower were shifty, Krakoa has made things kind of a headache for us since it was founded."
"Who's that? If I can ask."
"Some of their members use abilities that are very close to true magic, we've tried contacting them to see if they could help us. We've never received a reply, heck, even our Shield contacts can't seem to get messages to the island without having to leap through a bunch of hoops." Roman scrunched his face at Peter who seemed a tad perturbed. "Do you need more water?" He offered.
Peter realized he was getting off track here, "No, no. I'm remembering why I can't stay. I'm not a magic user."
"Well, no one nowadays can use magic, only a select few."
"No, I mean-I'm not a mage, I've never even dealt with magic-I don't even believe in it!"
"Then how are you here? Most candidates are at least familiar with the basics of thaumaturgy."
"I don't even know what thaumaturgy is Doc! I don't understand what the hell a rayshift is, what magic circuits are-I don't even know if the word Abracadabra means anything!"
Roman clicks his mouth, "You sound like a civilian."
"That's…" Not entirely accurate "...because I am, I woke up this morning in my Aunt's house thinking that my future didn't have people talking like they were Dr. Strange in it!"
"How do you know who the Sorcerer Supreme is?"
Peter gulped, "Sorcer-what now? Sorry, I had a frog in my throat, I said Houdini." He lied, hoping Roman would buy it. Houdini and Strange don't even sound remotely alike Parker.
Romani shot him a skeptical look but let it pass "Hmm, well if that's the case and you really don't know anything about magecraft. You shouldn't have even been able to enter the structure in the first place. We would have your DNA on file, and we wouldn't have allowed any possible candidate through unless they had the proper amount of circuits."
"The computer kept saying error, when I was signing in."
"Really? That's alarming!"
A small com on Romani popped to life, "Romani, we're going to start the Rayshift soon. Could you come in case of an emergency?" It was Lev. "Team A's condition is perfect, but Team B and down are less experienced. The readings say they are experiencing some slight abnormalities. Probably anxiety, but it's better to be safe than sorry."
Romani clicked a button, "Well I'd be a tad stressed if I had to be in something called a coffin. Maybe some anesthesia would help?"
"Uhuh, yeah, just hurry up will you? The director's getting antsy."
Roman sighed, "I'll be there in a jiffy!"
"Good, see you in two minutes." The com clicked off.
"It's gonna take me a bit longer than two-but that's what I get for trying to goof off so far away from the infirmary." He moved his attention back to Peter, "You just rest for a while, some sleep should help alleviate that headache of yours. And when everything settles down, I'll talk to the director to see what the deal is with your little quagmire." He raised his fist to Peter, "Cool?"
Peter accepted, "Cool." and bumped his fist to his.
"Heck yeah, I've made a friend today!" He pumped the air in victory, Peter half-smiling at the reaction.
Soon, the Doctor was out the door, this left Peter alone with Fou yet again.
"Kyuu?" he asked as Peter got up from the bed and grabbed his duffel bag.
Unzipping it, Peter took out the first two layers of clothes and to his relief, he found that the bag hadn't been rummaged through at any point since he had opened it last.
At the bottom sat his work suit in all its red and blue glory, the whites of his mask staring up at him like it was saying it was time to get to work. Beside it were his web shooters, the metal of them gleaming due to the light above. He then checked the side pocket within the bag, finding six extra rounds of web fluid.
"Fou?" The fluffball peaked over the side of the bag, he looked up to Peter.
"What? You gonna tell everyone my secret?" He quipped, twitching as another shot of pain rained through him. Cool, everything is accounted for. And I thought bringing my suit along was a bad idea. He mentally high-fived himself. Probably still is, if I'm caught, they're probably going to connect the dots about me...unless someone else here is from New York. He shrugs, moving to the last thing on his mental to-do list. His hand went to another pocket, with a quick pull of the zipper, Peter had in his hand the last real picture he had taken before leaving.
Matt, Harry, Gwen, even Johnny (he had a hell of a time explaining why the Human Torch was there to Gwen and Harry). And of course, he and MJ in the middle. It had been a going-away party for him, and it had been a good night. The last part of it being a private dance with MJ. I still couldn't dance worth a dang, but she took the lead.
He wished he could go back to this moment, but like the Doctor said, change was constant. And right now, he had the responsibility to get through this headache and find out what Lev was planning, My spider-sense doesn't just go psycho like that for anyone.
"Mkyuu?"
"And you're still under investigation my friend,"
"Fou fou kyuu!" Fou defended himself.
"Heh heeh…" he drew out, his view of the world around him had begun to tornado and before he knew it, Peter fell down.
No light hung above me this time, I was completely surrounded by darkness, my red and blue's clung to my body.
The crack of thunder sounded off, then a flash of lightning and I realized they were all around me. Their eyes red and their weapons and fists raised for fight.
I try to step away, but at every angle they were there, ready to see what I'd do. Spider-sense was screaming at me to run, warning me that this was a place I shouldn't be.
I agreed with it wholeheartedly.
The chain came at me from the side, I dodged to the other,
A bullet sailed through the air next, and I leaped above it, spinning, shooting a line of web outwards. It stuck and I pulled without a second thought.
I sailed through the air, and it was too late to realize that what I had stuck to be another guy ready to kick my ass.
His fist, as big as the Hulk's, punted me down to the ground, and before I realized it. I felt my lungs squeeze and I couldn't catch a breath before the next volley of pain came.
A spear was brought down upon myself, and I rolled, picking myself up again and crouching to avoid another jab.
I aim for their face, but my webbing never fires. What!?
My web shooters are gone!? Then I noticed it, I wasn't in costume anymore.
My spider-sense didn't even blare as a sword came slashing at me. It struck and cut my chest. I blurted out a curse and backpedaled, only to meet another sword that slashed my arm, then another, then another.
I was going back and forth, an arrow struck my shoulder, and I felt a knife be dug deep into my back.
I was raised up and slammed down to the ground. I was stomped on, I was trampled on, I was punched, I was kicked, I was set ablaze, I was poisoned, I was shocked.
And with every hit, I felt like just lying down and taking it. I mean I already sort of way. I just couldn't react fast enough.
I asked why? And received no answer. Their barrage of pain kept coming, each one of my attackers having their own way to get me to howl.
Nothing, it stopped. I was grabbed by the scruff of my neck and brought to my knees. I felt arms, strong ones hold mine. I hazily saw two swords, curved with a black and white pattern crossed before my neck by someone behind me.
He asked a question that I could barely hear,
He made a snide remark that I couldn't understand,
I know you're not supposed to be here-
Doesn't like dealing with your kind-
Do you think those ideals of yours, that code of yours, will remain stone-
I comprehended and answered, "Dude...I've fought tougher guys than you...you wouldn't even make it on Speedball's radar!" I joked, knowing absolutely gosh dang sure I'd regret it. "...And I've gotten it this far man, with my luck-I think I might bet on black!" I heard him laugh darkly and the blades were taken away, and those who bound me, let go. "Oh...I'm glad you liked my type-five...I've been really working on it…" I was kicked in the back and sent tumbling towards Earth.
I skidded and stopped, I raised my head, and someone stood in front of me, his hair messy, his garb that of a knight. A sword at his side and a shield like a cross in his hand.
I couldn't make out his expression before he grabbed my hand and got me to my feet. I got a better picture of him, still, it was hazy.
He gave me a reluctant smile. He held my hand.
It's only the end of the world-
May not be exactly happy about it-
But I've seen you-
Know of you-
Maybe you'll set things right-
Maybe despite the stereotype, you're worthy-
"What are you talking about?"
It's about to happen-
The others renewed their assault,
The shielder backed away from me and let it happen,
Let's see if you're up to the challenge-
I screamed like there was no tomorrow.
Let's see if you're more man than spider-
I couldn't comprehend as a louder noise drowned me out-
BWAAH-BWAAH-BWAAH
Peter, eyes widened and instinct kicking, went from the floor to the ceiling. He found himself in the dark, red flash in his eyes every few seconds.
-/Emergency. Emergency. A fire has broken in the Central Power Station and the Central Command Room./
Fou was gone, he noticed that first, landing back on the ground he went for his duffel bag. Wait they said the command room, shit-Mash! He had just met the girl too, an image of an NYPD captain flashed in his head. Never again.
-/Central Area's containment wall will activate in 90 seconds. All staff must evacuate from Gate 2 at once./
He slapped on the web shooters,
A sharp pain came to his head,
he continued, going for his mask. Peter was an inch from it, he hesitated. The large white eyes of his mask staring back at him. They're going to ask questions, should I even-
-/Containment wall will close in 40 seconds. Those remaining in Central area evacuate immediately-/
Everything shook for a moment, the cain raising, trademark sound of an explosion from off somewhere in the distance.
The lights came back on, but the alarm still blared. Peter Parker didn't think, he did. He donned the mask of Spider-Man and pocketed the remaining cartridges of webfluid. Without thinking of more than getting people out of the blast zone safely, Spider-Man shot out from room 33 and headed for where the smell of smoke was strongest.
Staff ran past him, trying to reach safety before the walls closed. He went to the ceiling to not impede them.
In what should have taken 5 minutes by walking, 3 minutes by running, had been cut down to 30 seconds due to the advantages of having the proportionate abilities of a Spider.
The doors had been blown off, leaving it wide open and Spidey skidded to a halt before it. He entered without consequence and found the Command Room in dire straits.
The ceiling had collapsed, fire was overtaking everything and debris like boulders sprawled everywhere with the telltale signs of bodies underneath. Too much blood, shit I need to work fast!
The only part of the room that had remained stable was the gyrosphere the wall-crawler had never gotten the name to. The rings were moving, faster and faster, spiraling out of control as the voice of the computer said something that Spidey didn't care to listen for. It didn't matter.
He got to work, lifting up and grabbing anyone he could find. Didn't matter if they were dead, as long as he got them out of here.
He smashed large cylinders that held people in them. Are these the coffins Roman mentioned? It was a passing thought that escaped Peter as he got a young man with greyish hair out of one.
70 seconds had passed, and the teenage vigilante had gotten close to twelve people out, seven out of the coffins and five that were under rubble. He knew this wasn't everyone.
He got them to the corridor and then immediately headed back into the command room.
-/Coordinates switching to final phase of Rayshift-*error*-Coordinates, AD 2004, January, 30th Fuyuki, Japan./
Spider-Man went to the ceiling or what was left of it and tried to find anyone else. "HELLO ANYONE!?" Please answer, he begged
-/Unsummon Program set. Please start final adjustments./
"FOU!" The arachnid looked down, to see Fou on the ground waiting for him, and beside Fou, under a large hunk of rubble, was a pooling mass of blood and a girl with lavender hair.
Mash! He let himself drop.
-/Fut-*error*-ure changed-no trace of Humanity found./
-/Chaldea's fate has changed./
It hurts, Mash thought pitifully, her vision blurring as she stared into the fire with a small shape sat in front of her. Please...somebody save me...I don't...I don't want to die here... Tears streamed from her eyes. I didn't even have a chance…
Why would anyone save her though, she didn't matter, she was just a disposable body. She wasn't for anything more than this. She wouldn't have been able to experience anything more than what had been planned for her at her conception.
Romani hadn't lied to her, she knew that. But she wished those fantasies he had given her had become a reality. She wished she could have felt the warmth of the sun, the salty taste of the ocean or the smell of a forest. But she had to accept this, this was her fate.
Yet still, a fresh regret burdened her heart. She really wished she could have had that lunch with Peter. It would have been the first time she actually hung out with anyone close to her age. But she supposed those flights of fancy were only in novels, it reminded her of the little mermaid in a way. A girl's dreams had been crushed by forces uncaring.
A form landed in front of her. The weight of the boulder came off her and she heard his voice.
"Phooey! talk about tight spaces, right?" She recognized that voice, it was muffled, but she knew it. It was Senpai.
She found herself brought up by his arms, him doing what she had done for him when he fainted. She looked at him and her pupils shrunk, the hairs on the back of her neck standing. "Senpai?" she asked weakly.
She couldn't tell if he was looking at her. The white eyes gave away no emotion. He must have noticed her go frigid. "Oh sorry about that-" He lifted up the base of the red mask, revealing the jovial face of Peter Parker. "It's me, now let's get out of here before we become a couple of Thanksgiving dinners!"
He took her into his arms like a bride and Mash felt a warmth come to her as he began moving.
Fou sid eyed the silhouette of the figure watching over the two. "Kyuu?" The figure, knightly in their form, paid him no mind, merely watching and waiting for everything to begin.
-/Viable Candidate Pool: 0.1% Locating remaining master candidate/
A large section of the roof fell down in front of him, he backpedaled, making sure to hold Mash securely.
His bare heels skidded to before the gyrosphere, the once blue machine now turning red. Don't think Mash has the strength to ride my back, so I'm gonna need to aim carefully. He began to aim a shot at a possibly still stable part of the ceiling.
-/Candidate 48: Peter Parker found./
He heard his name but didn't bother to give credence to it as he fired the line, only for it to be brought down by more falling rubble. Dammit!
-/Central Area, sealed. 180 seconds till internal containment procedure./
"...they shut off the area...we can't get out…" Mash explained, her voice strained.
Spidey's mask raised a brow. "I've been in tougher spots, we'll get out. I promise!" He held her tighter and tried to scan for a route. But everywhere he looked, his spider-sense told him it was just danger lying (or falling) in wait.
Okay...no need to panic. Who am I kidding-this is bad!
-/Unsummon Program, start. Spirit Conversion, start./
The rings of the gyrosphere were out of control, and the arachnid was starting to believe he had found himself at a dead end.
He looked at Mash and wanted to apologize to her. For getting her hopes up.
-/Rayshift starting in 3./
"Mash...why are you glowing?" He asked, the question sounding dumb as it came from his mouth.
-/2./
"I'm not the only one...Senpai…" she gasped, the teenage vigilante then finding that he was also being overtaken by golden particles.
That's not good.
"Senpai?"
"Yeah?"
-/1./
The lavender head smiled, "Thanks for coming back for me!"
-/All procedures clear./
Spidey just shrugged, letting her go for a moment, holding her solely with one arm, as he took off his mask before embracing her once more. "What can I say-
-/First order, commencing operation./
"-I was in the neighborhood."
In a blinding spectacle of light, their bodies were overtaken and as a cascading vortex of blue materialized-Peter Parker and Mash Kyrielight were gone...