Peter jogged towards the stage of his exam, listening to the announcement of his classmates' victory. They made it, he thought to himself. Congratulations guys!! But I'm not gonna be left in the dust...
His thoughts trailed off as the closed gate into the City Stage came into view and the boy slowed his pace. Waiting off to the side was Flash Thompson, wearing his black armor. He looked up, briefly acknowledging Peter's presence. There was a chill in the air, reflecting the expression on his face.
"Flash..." Peter greeted, attempting to be civil.
His partner didn't so much as grunt in reply.
They stared up at the giant doors, knowing the fight of their lives was just ahead. Right on cue, a buzzer went off and the doors opened to reveal a sprawling urban setting.
Flash walked in without saying a word, ignoring the special handcuffs left for the team in a container. Peter grabbed the cuffs and caught up to Flash. The boy's eyes were glued to the area in front of him, hyper focused and trying to ignore his classmate.
Finally, unable to deal with the silence anymore, Peter took a breath and began to speak.
"Seeing as you're leaving it up to me to state the obvious, allow me to point out how screwed we are right now," he began. "Iron Man has tech that, even at half power, can basically nullify our Quirks. You flat out refused to strategize with me. And going off your whole 'alpha dog' mentality, you're planning on going straight in to try to slug with the guy... Am I wrong?"
Flash glared at the boy. Even after all these years, Peter could still read him like a book. He sped up his pace, trying to leave his partner behind.
"Hey! Did you hear me??" Peter asked.
"Just stay out of my way, Parker," Flash finally said. "I'm winning this thing on my own."
Peter sighed, "You're an idiot..."
"What was that?" Flash asked darkly, a few black tendrils began to wriggle on his body.
"I said you're an idiot if you think you can beat him, let alone by yourself," Peter replied, incensed. "All that time on the football field, and you never learned how to be a team player?"
"That was a game, this is different," Flash retorted bitterly. "Real heroes don't lose, and they don't need help from others."
"I think the Avengers would've said otherwise..." Peter snarked.
"I didn't ask for your damn opinion, Wall-Crawler!!!" The boy thundered. He lashed out a black tendril from his arm in anger.
Peter narrowly dodged it thanks to his Spider Sense, and the whiplike end of Flash's Quick smashed into the pavement, cracking it.
Black goo began to cover more of his body and face, the tendrils getting larger and waving angrily on his shoulders. Flash seemed to realize what he did, and the goo subsided a bit as he attempted to rein in his temper.
"Now quit following me, nerd," he said bitterly. "Worry about yourself from now on."
"But-" Peter was cut off by another swipe of Flash's clawed, black arm.
"I said go!!!" He roared.
"Ugh, fine! Have it your way!!" Peter exclaimed, giving up and throwing his hands in the air. "I'm heading for the exit. You wanna get your ass kicked and fail this thing, suit yourself!!!"
The boy pulled down his mask and thwipped a web to a nearby building, pulling it taunt to swing away. "When you're getting curb stomped by freaking IRON MAN, don't come crying to me!!" He called back, before disappearing into the urban jungle.
"Ugh, there's no sense of teamwork between those two, is there?" Asked Claire, watching from the Monitor Room.
Wanda shook her head, "From what Peter told me, Flash used to bully him. And after the internship, his attitude's gotten even worse."
"I can't really blame Parker for wanting nothing to do with that jerk," added Seol. "But this isn't the kind of stage where a solo act will get you by. Especially with their opponent..."
At the other end of the stage, Iron Man prepared his assault. "Friday, report," he said.
"I've detected two heat signatures within the arena," replied the Irish A.I. "The first is attempting to leverage higher ground."
"And the other?" Asked Tony, his eyes briefly scanning over the map presented in his HUD. Two dots appeared, showing the locations of his students.
"It would appear he's taking a more direct approach," said Friday.
"Gotta be Thompson," Tony muttered. "Parker's not brazen enough to fight me head on like that. Think it's part of a strategy?"
"Unlikely, given Mr. Thompson's track record," replied Friday.
Iron Man cracked his fingers, "Well then, guess it's time to play the bad guy. Friday, send in the Jericho..."
Spider-Man landed on a rooftop, deciding to first get a lay of the land before advancing further.
Ok, there's different buildings with varying heights, he thought to himself. Hiding won't do much good, since his armor's probably equipped with heat sensors like one of his older models. Wish there was a way to see him coming... Huh, note to self, come up with a tracking system for the suit- Ack! Focus, Pete!!
The boy smacked his cheeks, trying to make himself focus back on the task at hand. At least I'll have different levels to work with for swinging. Flash'll be no help as a partner, he made it clear that he's flying solo. As far as speed-
His inner analysis was cut off, however, by the sudden tingle of his Spider Sense. Looking up into the sky, something was cutting through the air at high speed. The lenses of of Peter's mask zoomed in to get a better look, going wide in realization of what it was.
A missile, long and grey, was hurtling towards the city. Before beginning it's descent, the metal tube broke apart to reveal a number of of smaller missiles launching out towards the ground. Two or three of them were heading in his general direction.
Aw nerts, he thought, leaping off the roof a la Die Hard before it was struck by a missile. The top floors exploded out upon impact, the costumed boy narrowly avoiding being caught up in the blast. Twisting his body and shooting out a web line, he pulled himself away from the falling debris.
Down below, he spied Flash charging down the road, trying to avoid chunks of building as a particularly large one fell his way. Without hesitating, Peter swung down at full speed, coming out of it to deliver a hard kick at the the slab of concrete. It broke into pieces, littering the area but otherwise leaving Flash unharmed.
"I was fine! I could've avoided it!!" He glared up at Peter, now mounted atop a street light.
"You're welcome!!" Peter shot back, his eyes narrowed.
"Wow, for partners you two don't work well together, do you?" Said a voice, making both boys freeze up, slowly turning their heads towards it.
Though a thick cloud of dust and debris, Iron Man hovered towards them. His crimson and gold armor gleaming in the sun. "Still, that makes my job much easier," the 'villain' continued, his voice modulator giving off a more sinister tone. "I'll destroy this whole city, and everyone who lives here. And I think I'll start with you worthless heroes..."
Damn, he's really intimidating when he wants to be... Peter thought, trying to steady his nerves as his Spider Sense flared up once again. "Let's get out of here!" He said to his unwilling partner.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Ordered Flash, a dark look on his face as Iron Man flew towards them. "I'm coming at him..." Said the boy with determination. "With everything I've got!!!"
At that moment, Flash leapt towards his opponent, using the tendrils on his legs to spring himself upwards. You're not the only one with new tricks, Parker, thought Flash. He pulled out a pair of pistols from the holsters on his thigh and began shooting.
"Heh, bullets? Really?" Asked Iron Man, as they bounced harmlessly off his helmet. He stuck out his hand and caught Flash in mid air, stopping the boy's momentum. "I'll take this," he said, snatching up one of the pistols.
But despite his current situation, Flash grinned. "Hands're full now, aren't they?" He asked as the black goo covered his face. Without warning, his shoulder compartment sprang open and fired a missile point blank at the Armored Avenger.
Within the suit, Tony had to avert his eyes, momentarily blinded by the blasts. "Cute trick," he said, before slamming the boy hard into the ground. "But once again, useless."
Indeed, the armor didn't have a scratch on it. Iron Man ripped off the shoulder pack, tossing it aside as the black goo retracted from the boy's stunned face. "Now for your little buddy..."
Peter didn't need his Spider Sense to tell him what was coming, and shot a web out to pull himself away as Iron Man surged over, throwing a punch that could shatter a car, even restrained.
"So whatcha doing?" He asked, looking up as the boy attempted to flee. "Turning tail and abandoning your teammate?" Iron Man began to fly after him.
"He's the one who told me to get lost!" Peter yelled back.
"Oh kid, how quickly you forget one of the first things I taught you," said Iron Man, grabbing the boy's foot. "Getting involved where you're not needed or wanted, is the essence of a hero!!!"
He threw Peter back down to the ground, and into the path of Flash, who at that moment was leaping after them. The boys collided in mid air, knocking against each other.
"Well this is no good," said Pietro, watching the fight unfold.
"One wants to face the enemy, the other wants to retreat," put in Danny. "As long as their paths remain divided, neither of them will succeed."
For Peter, Iron Man is his hero, thought Claire. The very idea of fighting him head on is an absurdity. She glanced at a smaller screen, which focused on Flash struggling to stand back up. I don't know this Thompson kid very well, but going by his results in the Sports Festival, he has an amazing combat sense... But why is he in such a hurry to fight?
Back on the paved city road, Flash got back to his feet and began to march back towards Iron Man. He's stopped as a strand of webbing connects to his back. The boy glared back at the red and blue figure holding the end of the web.
"Get this crap off me!" He growled, the features of his face becoming more hateful.
"You need to calm down," said Peter, the lenses of his mask narrowing. "Fighting him like this is suicide!"
Flash let loose a tendril, slicing through the web line, "Shut up!! I'm winning this thing! Like I said, that's what it means to be a hero." And he continued to march forward.
Peter stared, "Flash... You-"
But this momentary distraction left him vulnerable, and the boy was slow to react when his Spider Sense went off. As he attempted to move, Iron Man slammed Peter down on his back, pinning the boy to the ground with with a destroyed semi truck.
"Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back," said Iron Man, now giving his full attention to Flash. He surged forward and delivered a punch so hard it made the boy puke as the impact launched him backwards.
"Flash!!" Peter called out, worried for his partner. But through the cloud of dust, Flash began to rise again. His body trembled during the struggle, and he nearly lost his footing. But not his determination. It made Peter think back to a time when they were both kids, before Flash's quirk emerged.
"Whoa, look!!" Called a 6 year old Flash Thompson, pointing at the tv. "Iron Man's fighting M.O.D.O.K!!!" At his home, the boy ran up to get a closer look. His playmate of equal age hurried over as well.
"Lemme see! Lemme see!!" Peter yelled, running to join his friend.
"Keep it down, brat," said a woozy voice from the green armchair. Flash's stepfather, Harrison, sat back in a slouched position, remote in one hand, an unknown beverage in the other. "I only said you could have your friend over if you left me alone. Now quit blockin' the tv."
"Gimme a break, it's Iron Man!!" Replied an irritated Flash.
"Oh wow, it looks like M.O.D.O.K brought henchmen!" Added Peter. Indeed, on screen, several men in yellow jumpsuits and holding dangerous looking weaponry surrounded the hero.
"Hmph, won't matter to him," snorted Harrison. "Numbers never do to guys like that. He'll show 'em who's boss, just like every other time." As he took a swig of his beverage, Iron Man effortlessly dispatched the yellow clad henchmen in seconds before moving onto their boss.
"See?" Harrison added, belching slightly. "Real heroes don't lose, and they don't need help from extras. Now get outta here, I'm not missing the game for this..."
As he changed the channel, Flash looked up at his drunken stepfather, a mix of loathing and disappointment on his face.
"C'mon Eugene, let's go play outside," said Peter, attempting to pull his friend away from the big chair.
Flash reluctantly followed his friend. While he'd never respect this man, something he said stuck with him. Real heroes don't lose... the boy thought. And they don't need help...
"Y'know, I get why you're so angry," said Iron Man, approaching the battered Flash Thompson. "It's because of Parker's sudden improvement, right? Your position on the class pecking order's being threatened..."
"Just... shut up, Iron Man," Flash replied, bitter and exhausted. "If I have to get help from that nerd, then I'd rather lose..."
"Hmph, that's a poor attitude for any hero to have," Iron Man shook his head. "But as you wish..." The pro hero raised his left hand, the repulser beginning to glow as it charged for a black.
Suddenly, Friday spoke up. "Warning! Incoming projectile-"
"Breaker One-Nine!!!" Called a voice, cutting the A.I off as the Armored Avenger was knocked aside by a sudden impact. The half destroyed truck slammed into him, smashing the hero into a building. Flash looked to the side, Peter was standing now, his shoulders heaving from the heavy breaths he took. His costume had some rips and scratches in the fabric.
"Get over here!!!" He shot a web at Flash and yanked him into the air as they swung down an alleyway. Down below, Iron Man easily pushed the truck off of him regained his bearings.
"Damn, let my guard down for a second..." He began to scan the area, however his monitors were a bit glitchy. "Friday?"
"Impact has damaged targeting systems and other sensors," she replied. "Estimated time before auto-repair completion, 1.5 minutes. Time remaining until exam completion, 5 minutes. Estimated time remaining before you must jettison armor, 7 minutes."
"Damn, it sucks being at half power," Tony muttered as his systems began to come back online. "Oh well, guess I'm doing this the old fashioned way!" With that, he took off into the sky and began to fly over the rooftops.
Down below, Peter swung with his partner through the dark alley. It certainly wasn't easy having to carry a passenger. Flash began to come to, realizing what was happening.
"Put me down, Parker!" He ordered.
"Will you shut up!?" Peter replied, shooting out another web line. "I'm trying to give us breathing room!!"
Flash's eyes went solid white, "We said, put us down!!!"
And he struck, so fast that Peter didn't have time to react. A whiplike tendril smacked into his back, knocking them both into a wall. They landed on the ground hard.
Peter was the first to stand, fed up with Flash's bad attitude. He grabbed the boy by the collar of his costume and slammed him against the wall, actually making cracks in the brick.
"What is your damage!?" The boy exclaimed angrily. "Do you seriously hate me that much that you'd rather lose than team up!?!?"
Flash spat a bit of blood out to the side, smacking Peter's arm away. "I don't hate you, Parker..." He finally said, breathing heavily. "I hate having to rely on someone else just to prove myself. The fact that it's you pisses me off, but-"
"But nothing!" Peter's lenses narrowed dangerously. "Ever since we were kids, you were all about winning. Your damn ego is gonna screw us both if you don't work together with me. I told you before you couldn't take him alone, so why-?"
"Because we don't have a chance in hell of running!!!" Flash retorted angrily. "You're supposed to have brains, right? Then you already know against his crazy speed, there's no way to avoid fighting him!"
"So that's why you charged him?" Peter asked, incredulous. "Even though you knew our attacks won't even dent his armor? I told you there's no way to win like that against Iron Man!!"
"Shut up!!!" Flash glared at Peter, his eyes going white again and black tendrils waving angrily around his body. Peter receded somewhat. While he'd seen Flash angry before, this was something different.
The boy himself saw his reflection in Peter's lenses, and backed away almost in fear. He took a deep breath, and thought of the techniques he learned to channel his rage from Wolverine. Finally, after a moment, he looked more or less like normal and Peter stepped forward. He glanced around, making sure there were no surveillance cameras nearby.
"You're Quirk's acting up again, isn't it?" Peter asked, concern in his voice.
"Not now," Flash replied, still trying to settle himself. "Alright... I will agree that fighting Iron Man head on is a bad idea. That said, he'll catch up the second we try and run for the exit. So here's what we're gonna do..."
In the upper level of the makeshift city, Iron Man flew through the sky, monitoring the streets. He was searching for any sign of movement.
Playing it safe, huh kid? Thought the hero, That was smart going for my sensors, but they're just about fixed. And if you're heading for the exit, then that's where I'm obviously gonna be, so running out the clock's a no-win strategy. So just what're you planning?
"Auto repair complete, boss," said Friday. "I'm picking up movement. On your six."
Tony turned his head, just in time to see Spider-Man swinging up from behind.
"Incoming!!!" He yelled, coming out of the swing with a fist cocked.
"Decided to go for the throat, did you?" Asked Tony, maneuvering around to intercept the punch thrown by his student. The boy's momentum stopped as Iron Man caught his fist with one hand.
The hero grabbed Peter's chest with his other hand, fingers tightening on the fabric of his costume as he held the boy in midair.
"Announcing your position as you try and sneak up on me?" Mocked the 'villain'. "Gotta say, as far as plans go, this wasn't very smart!"
Peter grunted, looking at his teacher through the lenses of his mask. "You're not wrong, Shell-Head," he grinned under his mask. "A smart move would've been to distract the villain while my partner made the real attack, right?"
Beneath his helmet, Tony's eyes widened at the implication.
"Proximity alert!!" Announced Friday as Tony spun around. Swinging over using a borrowed web shooter, Flash delivered a powerful kick to the Armored Avenger. The sudden impact forced the hero to release Peter as he slammed into the nearby building.
"Now!!!" Flash yelled, as he and Peter covered Iron Man in a cocoon of webbing as they landed beside the hero. Peter stuck to the wall thanks to his quirk, and Flash's clawed fingers dug into to concrete, securing himself into place.
"That won't hold him long, where's his hand!?" Asked a frantic Peter.
"This one's free!" Replied Flash, grabbing at a gauntlet. As he took out the handcuff, a tingle went down Peter's spine.
"Flash, duck!!!" As if instinctive, the boy dropped down as a repulser blast nearly made contact with his head.
"Get those cuffs over here, now!!" Ordered Flash, struggling to pin the armored hand against the wall. With his other hand, he reached out towards his partner. A tendril began to stretch over as Peter tried to hand over the handcuffs, holding it by one of the clasps.
Suddenly, from within the cocoon of web, a glowing blue light began to shine brightly. Peter didn't need Spider Sense to know what would happen next, neither did Flash as he leapt aside. Unfortunately, both were slow to react as a condensed beam of energy erupted from the cocoon.
"UNIBEAM!!!!" Exclaimed Iron Man, his signature finishing move doing its job and weakening the web prison. He burst out, knocking the boys aside in opposite directions. They landed hard on the ground as Iron Man began to hover again.
They gazed up at the hero with wide eyes. "Are you crazy!?" Peter yelled. "Were you trying to kill us!?"
"Well, yeah. I'm a villain, after all," Iron Man replied with a shrug. "That was a nice plan by the way. Too bad it won't work again..." He pointed at the boy's hand.
Peter looked down, his eyes widening with horror. He still held half for the handcuff, but the middle link was destroyed, separate from the one Flash held in his own hand. His partner looked equally fearful. Within his helmet, Tony glanced at a timer in the corner of his visor. It showed 3 minutes remaining.
"Well shit..." Flash muttered.
"Now do we run?" Peter quipped dryly.
"There's barely enough time for you kids to make it to the exit," Tony continued, getting into an attack position. "And standing between you and that, is me."
Iron Man launched a series of mini missiles from his shoulders at the boys. While they weren't set to heat seeking, they presented an obstacle to be avoided. Peter managed to jump up high and avoid the stream coming his way as Flash went low and surged forward to avoid the rest.
But that's exactly what Iron Man was counting on, and he deployed a sonic disrupter on his left arm, firing at the boy. Flash was knocked off his feet as he roared in pain. His nose began to bleed and black tendrils around his body began to wriggle violently, a screeching noise filling the air.
Flash raised his left hand, still armed with the web shooter he got from Peter, and attempted to fire. But Iron Man noticed and increased the intensity of blast as he stepped forward. Raising an armored fist, he brought it down hard, breaking the device and rupturing the web cartridge. It covered a good chunk of the boy's arm and torso.
And then it came: the rage that he struggled to control began to build within, just like during the Sports Festival. And just like that day, Flash heard the menacing voice from inside his own head;
"Kill him..."
The boy paused for a moment, frightened by the return of the voice. He shook his head, attempting to clear his mind. A difficult task with the waves of energy pulsing against his body.
"Kill him!!! Do it now!!!!"
The voice was deeper this time. Urgent, and more sinister. He could feel a presence within his mind attempting to take control of his body again. As much as the boy struggled, it didn't seem like he had enough in him to fight both Iron Man and his apparent inner demon.
Suddenly, another voice cut through the noise. "Let him go!!!!!"
Overhead, Peter swung into Iron Man, delivering a double kick that knocked him to the side. The hero took no serious damage, but it was enough of a distraction to force him to power down the disruptor and change his focus.
Peter picked up the piece of handcuff Flash had dropped and charged at the hero. He went in with a series of punches, actually landing a few before Iron Man countered.
The hero caught him by the wrist and slammed the boy into the ground, rag-dolling him from side to side. His grip was so tight, Peter could hear something crack, but wasn't his wrist. The triggering mechanism for his web shooter was snapped apart from the barrage. Finally, Iron Man released the boy as he lay dazed in the crater made by him impact.
"Had enough, kid?" Asked the hero, standing over him with hands on his hips.
Through the cracked lens of his mask, Peter's eyes narrowed. "You kidding? I got ya right where I want ya," he said tiredly, as he slowly began to rise. Peter was off balance, but he managed to raise his arms and ball his hands into fists.
"That's the spirit..." Iron Man said as he prepared to deliver the finishing blow.
"PARKER!!!" Flash thrust his fist into the air, as if throwing a punch. Suddenly, from the top of his fist, a thick black strand of goo shot out towards Iron Man, who grabbed Peter and raised him as if he were a human shield.
"Nice try, Thompson," Iron Man drawled. "But never shoot at a target when he's holding a hostage!"
Flash grit his teeth, slowly regaining control of himself. Despite the pain, he managed a grin, "What if my target was the hostage?"
"Huh?" The hero blinked.
All of a sudden, Peter twisted around in the hero's hand and clamped the handcuff around his gauntlet, with the other cuff was securely around his own limp wrist. The buzzer rang to signal the end of the exam.
Iron Man was stunned, I thought I broke that thing, so how-?
He paused, the answer was right in front of him. Holding the cuffs together, was a mixture of webbing and black goo. Beneath his mask, Tony smiled. Both boys were out like lights, exhausted from the ordeal and overuse of their Quirks. But he knew on each of their faces was a look of triumph.
Within the Monitoring Room, Wanda and her brother leapt in the air, high-fiving excitedly while Danny smiled serenely over his friend's victory. At the end of the stage, the sign with the Principal changed to say 'Good Job' as an announcement made it official:
"Peter Parker and Eugene Thompson... PASS!!! This concludes the examinations of Class 1-A."
Later, in the infirmary, Claire Temple stood before an unarmored Tony Stark. "Do you have zero concept of the phrase 'holding back'?" She asked, pinching the bridge of her nose.
Tony shrugged sheepishly, "I wore the restrictions, even went at half power the whole time."
"And yet you called a missile strike on a pair of high school boys..." The Night Nurse stressed, waving her arm towards a pair of beds.
The boys in question were both passed out, recovering with a helping hand from Claire's Quirk. "To say nothing of the fact that you might've caused permanent damage to their bodies with how much you-" Claire continued to rant at the hero before he cut her off.
"I couldn't afford to play nice," Tony said firmly. The man known for his flippant, jokey attitude was being uncharacteristically serious for a change. "I put up a decent act, but you and I both know the clock's ticking as far as my time as an effective hero goes."
Tony looked over at the sleeping Peter, a few bandages wrapped around his body. "I've got it on pretty good authority that something big's coming," he went on. "And if I can't be there to protect them, then I'm gonna be damn sure they're ready to face whatever comes their way..."
.
.
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Barber's Chair
• Alright, much like in MHA, we get a better idea of what makes the bully tick. Unlike Bakugo, we see that Flash didn't exactly have the best home life, possibly contributing to his more hostile nature.
• Flash's Quirk seems to be acting up again, possible foreshadowing of a turn to villainy?
