The above water station prison for supervillains called the Raft; to house the more dangerous supervillains that couldn't be locked up in Supermax and unlikely to ever be released. Peter was there as Spider-Man waiting in a room with the staff there in disbelief when he had told him that he was using his special privileges in getting a private meeting with a certain someone. The door opened and guards dragged in an aged man with long brown hair and a beard in an orange jumpsuit with his arms and legs in high tech shackles. He was placed in the chair and opposite Peter and then they were left alone.
"Dr Burbank... The Master Menace..." Peter said as Burbank smirked at him; he definitely looked different from the pictures when he was a known respected scientist looking clean shaven and respectable.
"Spider-Man; the newest member of the Squadron Supreme... Is there anything that you wished to discuss with the mortal foe of your team leader?" Burbank ended up asking as Peter took a deep breath.
"Project: Hyperion..." Peter whispered as Burbank smirked to himself.
"I knew I would be asked about this one day but I expected it to be hearing from the god amongst mortals himself when he eventually found out... So you know and don't worry about me speaking about your asking... My lips are sealed and not like anyone would ever believe me anyway..." Burbank then answered.
"Can you please tell me how you got involved in it and was Master Menace an assignment for you?" Peter asked as Burbank shook his head.
"Oh no but from the beginning... Growing up already a brilliant mind in a rough neighbourhood and a harsh upbringing from my parents who ended up dying and I collected the insurance... Dealing with peers and teachers who kept accusing me of cheating but were shown their place... Several doctorates in multiple fields by the time I was 25 and I was given the Nobel Prize... A mere footnote as it was announced on the same day that Hyperion appeared to the public and stole all the buzz..." Burbank explained and looked angry at that which Peter found amusing. "I ended up being recruited by General Alexander into Project: Hyperion... You see; Howard Stark and the others were fearing about Hyperion wanting to be more human and have a normal job so his loyalty to his country's interests would be jeopardised... I was to help with ideas in keeping him in line as well as create counter measures should he ever renegade... You would have thought that they would have thought about this before but that's why they needed someone as smart as me... Through this I discovered Argonite..." Burbank then continued explaining as Peter thought of something.
"You think that Hyperion ever found out about the truth of his upbringing?" Peter asked as Burbank shook his head.
"Oh no... He remained clueless to this day... Still; he kept visiting his parents and I was the one who thought of arranging for their 'deaths' in a tragic accident in a disaster that he wasn't able to stop in time... Animal remains were cremated and they were sent off in retirement as their funeral was being held... Closed off Hyperion from humanity and made him more willing to be a pawn... Mark Milton died that day..." Burbank laughed as Peter glared at him.
"You're sick laughing about that..." Peter snapped at Burbank who shrugged his shoulders.
"Matter of perspective; wasn't long after that with all my anti-Hyperion tech and the armor that I am sure that Howard's son would later copy for his Machine did I realise that I was so above humanity in intelligence and if I succeeded in ending Hyperion... No one would stop me as I take over and lead humanity to a new age of peace..." Burbank then said as Peter smirked.
"How did that work out for you?" Peter then asked pointing to the walls around him as Burbank shook his head.
"I was defeated by my foe's power and locked up here... Waiting for the day that Hyperion finds out and when he does... The Earth will feel his wrath and they will come to me pleading with me to be their saviour... They will have to answer to my demands... I don't doubt that when he does find out... I have been patiently waiting and I must thank you Spider-Man as it feels like a relief being able to get all this out..." Burbank then said as Peter was shaken and then left with the guards.
It definitely left Peter shaken and conflicted; Hyperion should deserve to know the truth but would it be worth it if he would be unable to handle it and takes it out on the world...
The FEAST shelter and May went to her office and which was decorated with news articles about Spider-Man; she closed the door and jumped when she saw Richmond as Nighthawk there. She closed the door as Richmond told her "May Parker... I know that your nephew is the menace known as Spider-Man..."
"I have no idea what you are talking about and even if I did; you are calling Spider-Man what the Bugle used to call you all the time?" May asked him glaring up at him as he just stared at him.
"I sent the Skrullian Skymaster to spy on him right before he got killed, he was there with Hawkeye before he got shot in the head and among those that broke into my base of operations... Used a near perfect replication of his fighting style and moved like him..." Richmond told her as she was shaking her head not wanting to believe him. "Thanks to his recklessness; he got a special girl killed... Her blood is on his hands..." Richmond said as May got furious.
"I don't have to stand here and listen to your accusations and how dare you pin Gwen's death on him? My boy Peter who is my son all but officially is a special boy shaken by her loss and I don't need some brooding vigilante jerk slander his good name! Get out before I call the cops!" May snapped at him as Richmond shook his head.
"You probably raised him telling him that he was special... Giving him lessons about how the world is and his place in it... My parents taught me a different lesson... That the world only makes sense when you force it to!" Richmond told her as she then went to the phone but ended up looking behind her shoulder to see him gone.
"So he really can do that..." May muttered to herself shaking her head.
It was a few days later and Peter was getting ready backstage in his suit to be on the late night talk show the Reily Redding Show. To be a guest with Zarda as well; he thought about Zarda and how amazing his night with her was. Plus she doing all she could to welcome him to the Squadron and open up; and how strong and nice she was. Plus opening about her own insecurities.
But if they did become more; would it be the reverse of him and Gwen since he would be the one who was a mole but he got roped into it. However he knew that Zarda was better than Stark and probably didn't know the full scope.
He decided to go to her dressing room to meet up with her; he ended up finding Jennifer walking out and waving to Zarda. She jumped as she found him and he had a suspicion about why she was there. "Hello Spidey... Sorry just had something private with Zarda..." Jennifer told her grinning as Peter decided to see if he could get a conversation with her for her specific on being a hero.
"Ms Walters... You think that I can please ask... You ever thought of joining the Squadron? Have you ever been offered?" Peter asked as Jennifer sighed shaking her head.
"Just Jen webhead and I have been offered but the full Squadron thing doesn't' suit me personally. I could never get past being on a team with Hyperion... Never been a fan of how he handled things with my cousin..." Jennifer told him as Peter remembered her being the Hulk's cousin.
"He just wanted to be left along; didn't he... I was on the scene of his last battle and I got to speak to him..." Peter told her and her eyes lit up.
"Oh yeah... You were and thanks... At least there are people who don't seem him as a full monster... He was like my brother growing up and was guilty about having me changed when I needed a life saving transfusion and he was on the run when he found me... I transformed and I was scared but he helped me through it..." Jennifer explained slowly with her head down.
"You managed to be in control..." Peter whispered and she nodded.
"Helps that I don't have Bruce's baggage; a lot of trauma and anger issues stemming from growing up with an absolute monster of a father... People see him as a monster but hardly anyone listens to hear about the scared man he was... Zarda does but this issue actually destroyed my marriage." Jennifer told him and she looked upset. "Colonel John Jameon; son of the owner of Daily Bugle Communications who is now the Press Secretary to the White House... Got transformed with mass increased and his strength and agility upon being contact with alien spores when on a trip to Jupiter... Thanks to his old man's coverage; he got famous as the hero Colonel Jupiter.. Things went well with the two of us in our marriage but it became more and more that he listened to his angry loud father more than me about looking good for the camera. Plus old man Jameson trashing my cousin and calling him a monster; a final straw when after Bruce was exiled by the Squadron, old man Jameson called it good riddance and John advised me against speaking up or even let me say anything about it... I couldn't take it anymore..." Jennifer muttered in agitation as Peer was silent.
"You deserved better and so did Bruce..." Peter muttered as she smiled at him.
"Thanks for letting me vent there... You're a swell guy and I definitely sees why Zarda is into you..." Jennifer told him and Peter was nervous.
"I don't know about that... I mean I had a childhood fanboy crush on her..." Peter said as Jennifer shook her head.
"So? A lot of people did; when I was in high school my history calls got shown a film reel of the Golden Agency and I knew that I was in love... Don't let this escape you as she is definitely interested in you for more than a boy toy..." Jennifer told him as she then left as Zarda got out of her dressing room with staff members showing them to the set.
There was Reily Redding on her seat with her blonde hair and purple suit as Peter and Zarda then got to their seats with the live audience cheering them on. "Spider-Man, Power Princess.. Great to have you both here and been a while Power Princess..." Redding told them as they waved to the crowd and faced Redding. "For my first question Spider-Man... Do you really think that you belong on the big leagues team fighting stuff like Ultron and the next alien invasion when you have dealt with street stuff... Stopping purse snatchers doesn't prepare you for saving the world; all that I am saying..." Redding asked as Peter frowned thinking of his words as Zarda looked at him encouragingly.
"Well; I will be doing my best... Don't knock the smaller scale guys out just yet... All that I will say..." Peter replied as Redding then looked at Zarda.
"Now Power Princess... Anything to say about in auction; a mint in plastic copy of the issue of Playboy that you posed in went for million of dollars..." Reddings asked and Peter and Zarda heard the excitement of the crowd with some idiots shouting at Zarda to show her breasts.
Zarda frowned thinking of her words; "Pervs! Leave her alone!" Peter snapped at him and realised what he did as Redding smirked.
"My my... A knight in armor rushing to act on your behalf... Could there be something between you..." Redding asked as Peter panicked.
"Well... If I was lucky..." Peter couldn't stop himself from saying as Zarda decided to smile at him.
"Who says that you aren't..." Zarda asked as she went and kissed him on the lips area of his mask while Peter's eyes closed with the audience acting ballistically.