《Spider-Man: Duty And Loss》


 Chapter 1 - Prologue - The Reason

    *Boom* *Crack*


    The sound of thunder resounded out in the cold night air. The rain pouring down blotted out the sky and made any person unwittingly caught in said weather run from cover to cover. The biting cold made people grab their coats and pull them tighter to shut out the bone cold chill of the wind. Cars zoomed by on the roads splashing any person on the side walk, but it was relatively quite in the dark of night, with only the patter of rain being prominent.


    *Splash* *Patter* *Splash*


    A long figure stood out in this weather not caring for the rain that was drenching his skin. His clothes that were in tatters were soaked through and would surely give anybody a cold, but the person standing in the rain didn''t react to this, or move to find shelter.


    The figure just continued to stare in front of him, his mattered brown hair was flopping down and covered his face, what could be seen were only small parts of his hazel eyes. In his hands he gripped something, a small red cloth from a distance.


    He stood in a grave yard starring down at one of the head stones, he stood there for more than an hour as the weather continued to rage on, but no matter the wind, rain or sound around him, he didn''t move. Finally after an untold amount of time in the middle of the black night his voice could just be heard speaking out.


    "I failed you." His voice was strained and broken, no doubt from repeated crying from hours past. "You, Eddie, Norman, Harry, Gwen¡­." He shuddered before he could say the next person, but he somehow forced himself. "¡­uncle B-ben.." The figure, now clenching his hands, slowly sank to his knees, and in barely a whisper finished. "¡­you were all I had left."


    *Sob* *Sob*


    Finally the figure couldn''t help it, on his knees in the pouring rain, in front of the grave of one of the most important people in his life, he cried once again. His cries echoed softly in the graveyard for no one to hear.


    Finally after another long period of time the figure finally stood back up, leaning down slightly after doing so he brushed his hand slowly over the head rest, reading the words he had used to immortalize her. ''Here lies May Reilly Parker, Beloved Wife, Aunt and Mother. Kind to all, never to be forgotten. (1962-2019)'' The figure read the words a few times before also glancing at the grave right next to this one. The bold words ''Benjamin Franklin Parker'' sent another deep stab into the heart of the lone figure.


    Looking between the two gravestones for a few more minutes the figure finally turned his back and reached for his face. Uncurling his fingers that had a death grip on the red cloth in his hands, it was revealed that it wasn''t a cloth but instead a mask. If anyone were around in the great city of New York and saw the mask gripped in his hand they would easily be able to tell that it was the same worn by their cities own Spider-Man!


    Peter Parker looked down at the mask in his hand and slowly lifted it to his face putting it on, a small spark and crackle from the microphone inside. "I have nothing left but the city now¡­" his voice drifted over the wind as he talked with his back turned, the hurt and sorrow clear as day. "¡­More heroes are popping up nowadays, Iron-man, Thor, Black Widow, The Fantastic Four¡­." He took another pause and seemed to think to himself for a while. "¡­I really am starting to get tired¡­ But I''ll keep helping people as long as I''m needed."


    Peter finally sent one last glance at the two graves. "I''ll help them, unlike how I failed you¡­" It looked like he wanted to say more, but in the end he didn''t. Raising his hand and pressing on a button. *Thwip* A line of web extended to one of the tall buildings around the graveyard, and soon Peter''s figure vanished in the larger city around.

 Chapter 2 - Just Another Night

    The night was pitch black with the moon blotted out, the dark of night was only offset by the lights of the city scape. Cars honked and tooted as people rushed home to get in their comfy beds, or head to their night jobs.


    Between the alleys of 2 buildings in a dark neighborhood a woman walked quickly. *Click Clack* Her heels clicked on the side walk as she power walked to her destination, she wasn''t far from her apartment. She had to get off the bus a block back as no other stop was closer.


    She looked over her shoulder every other second as she felt a presence creep behind her, a small tingling in her spine told her someone was watching her. Call it a 6th sense or a woman''s intuition, but she increased her pace as fast as possible without running.


    Clutching a black bag in her embrace she quietly stuck her hand inside and felt around for her pepper spray. Feeling around and finding nothing her heart leapt into her mouth as she realized she forgot it back at the house. The premonition she had came true in the next second.


    *Step Step*


    From behind her she heard the rush of feet and turned quickly. A group of men were rushing directly towards her on the nearly empty street. This was one of the neighborhoods that people usually stayed inside at night; she would have gotten home earlier if it wasn''t for her boss making her work late. And now it looked like that would cost her.


    Her heart reaching new heights she started to run as fast as she could towards her place, which was hard considering she was in heels. She may have used them for years, ever since her teenage years, but it didn''t help. Left with no other choice she headed towards the alley way that was a small shortcut to her place.


    She wasn''t sure she would be able to outrun them, but there was still a small part of her mind asking if this was the right decision, going into the alley way would be even more dangerous. Gritting her teeth and throwing caution to the wind she ran forwards.


    *Shuffle* *Pant* *Huff*


    The sounds behind her increased in volume as she made it past the half way mark, she tried to block the noises out as she kept he sight on the end of the alley way, the only thought going through her head was, ''I can make it, I can make it'', and just as she was a meter from the end a pair of rough hands clasped onto her dress tearing it.


    Not expecting the sudden force from behind her heel snapped from her unbalance self and she fell forwards. *Smack* The woman hit the ground hard and screamed in pain, after that she quickly tried to pull herself up. But it wasn''t to be as another 2 pairs of hands grabbed her shoulders and body, and started to drag her backwards. "Hahaha. Got the bitch." The voice of one of the men sounded happy as they caught their prey, but to the woman she felt like she was dipped in ice water.


    Her hand became clammy and her breath turned even more erratic, she started to lose hope as she was pulled backwards by strong hands. She wished she had her protection right now, there was only one thing left she could do. "HELP! HELP!" The woman screamed for dear life as she continued to be pulled backwards, but no one responded to her call, the din of the noise around the city seemed to drown out her pleas for help.


    The woman started to feel despair as another hand grabbed for her face to shut her up, she struggled with all her might, but she wasn''t a match for the group of men surrounding her. Tears appeared in her eyes as parts of her dress were being ripped apart. Looking around with her bleary eyes she even caught site of a knife! She panic even more and her thoughts begged for anyone, someone to come help her.


    *Thwip*


    Peter sprung into action as he saw what was happening. He had been swinging by, listening to radio chatter, when his sensitive ears picked up the distressed call for help from the woman. His face instantly changed as he pinpointed the sound of suffering. After all the years he had been Spider-man, he had developed a skill for such occasions.


    Honing in on the 2 buildings and their alley way, he quickly sprung into action against the criminals. His eyes scanned quickly as he shot a web at the man closest to the woman. He could only see one person with a knife and no guns in sight, not that they couldn''t be hidden, but he should be able to deal with these guys before things escalated to that point.


    *Snag* "Huh?" The confused voice of the man ripping her clothes sounded out before a large force pulled him into the air. His friends standing around and keeping a look out were shocked for all of 2 seconds before one of them screamed. "Shit its Spider-man!" The person with the knife instantly started shaking as he watched his comrade fly in the air and come into contact with a red fist. The person instantly was knocked out and webbed to the side of a fire escape.


    Seeing what was happening, his shaking increased as he dropped the knife and made a run for it, his other mate had the same idea and made a break for it. They both ran in different directions not caring about the other or the woman they were just assaulting. But it didn''t matter. *Thwip* *Thwip* 2 strands of webbing shot out as Spider-man finally landed in the alley. He stood tall as he tensed his muscles and pulled them both back.


    "Argh" "Nooo¡­.help!" Not letting them get in another word, 2 quick webs to the mouth and sticking them both to walls and the fight was over. The woman who was just seconds ago crying for help and filled with despair looked disbelievingly at the sight. She wiped her eyes quickly and looked at the person who saved her.


    She had seen pictures of Spider-man before; he was the hero of New York, a city icon, the first hero of a generation, but something didn''t look right. She squinted her eyes and looked at his costume. It wasn''t as pristine as she thought it would be, actually it looked like it was ripped in a lot of places and had been worn out.


    Her frown didn''t last though as she shook her head and tried to stand. Her legs wobbled as she got to her feet and Spider-man quickly went to support her. She felt warm as she felt the presence of another human being after what she just went through, she felt tears threatening to come out again. But first. "Thank you!" *Sob* *Sob* She couldn''t help it after she thanked him; she couldn''t help but think what could have happened to her if he didn''t show up.


    "No problem miss." His voice was gruffer than she expected but she didn''t care right now, she just continued to cry into his shoulder. After a full minute of this, Spider-man finally moved and gripped her shoulders moving her back a bit, his voice was gentle as he spoke to her. "Can you get home by yourself?" The woman really wanted to say she couldn''t she could still feel the lingering fear from those men, but she knew better, Spider-man had to help other people, she couldn''t take up his time.


    Showing a brave face and steadying her voice she tried to look confident. If she was to pay more attention she might have noticed the bad state of his costume or how skinny he actually was when she cried into his shoulder, but she noticed none of this. "I-I-I''ll be fine." No matter how much she tired she still stuttered in the end.


    Spider-man stood there for a second before giving her nod and motioning towards the men. "When you get home, make sure to call the cops. Try to stay in well lit areas and go home earlier if you can, you never know what might happen." *Thwip* She gave a small nod before he reached up and swung away. Watching his flying figure she thanked her lucky stars and gave disgusted looks towards the men webbed up. Finally she quickly went home and called the cops.


    Peter swung away from the scene as a female voice spoke through his comms. "Peter, a silent alarm was tripped at a bank down town." With a flick of the wrist and movement of the body Peter changed directions and listened to the address of the bank.


    In a small whisper maybe to himself, or to the female voice he said. "Just another night" And with those words his figure disappeared to stop another crime.

 Chapter 3 - Home

    *Bang* *bang* *Ratata*


    "You know I always wonder if they actually think I''ll be taken down when they use guns?" Peter spoke to himself as he quickly flipped left and right dodging gun fire. The men holding the guns continued to fire trying to graze his body. "Come on shoot him! Shoot HIM!", "Squash the bug!", "But aren''t spiders arachnids?" *Thwip* "Huh?" *Whoosh* "Finally someone who actually understands!" Peter exclaimed in happiness while the man was confused, but before he could think about it he was already knocked out.


    Quickly throwing the prone body against a wall he webbed him up and dodged even more fire. "Peter, maybe they believe in the 1% chance that they''ll actually hit you." Peter gave a small chuckle to the female voice that spoke in his ear and continued to dodge the bullets. Resting behind a pillar for a second he quickly checked the reserves of fluid in his web shooters and groaned slightly. He was almost out again, another expense, and he had no money to spare.


    Moving up the wall and listening to his spider sense he strained his ears as one of the criminals moved to flank him. *Thwip* A web right to the face and in the next second his head was smacked to the floor knocking him out cold. "Damn it! Damn it!" *Crack* *crack* *Click* *Click* The final thug being scared stiff emptied his clip trying to shoot him before running out. As the clip finally run out Peter moved from where he was hiding and walked up to the man.


    His body shuddered as he looked at the red and blue hero closing in, in his eyes the imposing figure of Spider-man coming closer seemed 10 times larger than before. "You know, it''s not good to call someone a bug!" "Wha.." *Pow* With a quick right cross to the face the man slumped to the ground.


    Looking around at his handy work, Peter gave a small nod before looking down at his tattered uniform, a small grimace coming to his face. "Another trouble to add to the pile." *Sigh* "Peter." The female voice spoke in his ear again. "Yes Crystal?" The female voice continued. "The Police will arrive in 40 seconds; I think we should be going. It is also 6am; you wanted me to remind you." Peter started for a second and looked at the clock inside the bank; it really was already 6am. "Thanks crystal, I''ll leave the rest to New York''s finest. *Thwip* *Thwip* With a few well placed webs the criminals were tied up just in case they woke up, which wasn''t likely.


    Leaving the building through one of the windows to the outside, he just made it out before the flash of red and blue lights entered his vision and he heard the blaring of their sirens. *Yawn* Peter stiffened a yawn as he looked towards the rising sun. He decided it was time to go home.


    It had been a few months since ''that'' happened. After she was gone he was too young to become emancipated and would have instantly been put into child services, possible moved out of the state. Deciding that he didn''t want his to happen, Peter left school and officially became homeless. One of the only things he could grab before he left the house he had grown up in his whole life was an old picture of him, Uncle Ben and May.


    It broke his heart to leave the house behind and all the memories that came with it, but he would have lost it anyway. Thankfully, or really sadly, there was no one at school that would miss him. All his friends that he used to have either moved, or were dead, and Flash was still being a d.i.c.k to him, there was no reason to stay.


    Since the day he left he was listed as missing by the state and he had to keep clear of any police while outside. Just the wrong word or look would give away his new living conditions.


    Peter''s job with the bugle had still somehow worked out, he would take picture of himself and make little pay, and no one down there knew that he was now destitute. Because triple J payed him in cash there was no electronic trail for the government to know he worked there. It was with this money that Peter was able to keep a steady supply of web fluid by buying what was necessary. Of course this still wasn''t enough, with the cost of all the chemicals used in the fluid and a small membership at one of the pools around town he was able to keep himself clean, and have a little food, but that was it.


    Peter definitely didn''t have enough money to rent an apartment or fix his costume; the little food he ate wasn''t enough for his body that craved the energy food provided. Over the months his body had slowly started to get skinnier and skinnier. This didn''t impact him much while crime fighting as he still had super strength and powers, but he definitely wasn''t at his prime. Over the years that he had been spider man, he had never been this bad.


    Seeing that it was 6 o''clock Peter''s body went into auto pilot as he headed for his new home. He had found it one day a month or two back. It may have only been a bench in the park but it was better than most places he could find. He didn''t want to sleep in one of the abandoned warehouses that littered the city as they were checked quite often and many drug deals went down. He could of course handle them but he needed some place quiet and that he could relax while sleeping. So naturally when he found the bench that was rarely visited it was one of the only boons he had in a long time.


    Peter''s body naturally swung through the skyscr.a.p.ers around him as he stealthily went past avengers tower, he really didn''t want to meet anyone while going past, and made his way to an alley near the park.


    Leaning in a fire escape and making sure no one was around, he unbundled his clothes that were stuck to a wall and slowly slipped them over his costume. There were about 3 layers of clothes all too baggy for him, that he used. The good thing about all the clothes was the amount of warmth they provided. Putting up the hood on the rough jacket he found one day, he walked out onto the side walk and made his way to the park.


    With the amount of extra time he had for being Spider-man now that he didn''t have to go to school, he found himself tired a lot more. Especially with the amount of food he ate. H e expertly dodged the people around him as he walked upon the grass towards the bench.


    Looking up from the ground as he made his way closer and closer, he noticed a red head in a nice dress sitting down on his bench. She had a perfectly curved body as she sat there; next to her body was a small black bag with a plastic container sitting on the top. Peter smiled wearily as he made his way up to the woman and sat next to her. She had sunglasses on her face and a calm demeanor as he sat next to her.


    Of course this wasn''t always the case and it was only recently that she showed such a calm demeanor, beforehand when they first met, she was as cold as ice and barely talked, not that Peter minded. Looking down at the plastic tub with food inside, Peter gave a small smile and reached for it. Popping the top off, he took a small sniff of the food and thanked her.


    "You know Natasha, you''re my second favorite red head that I know." The woman, Natasha, finally turned her head to look at him, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Second favorite you say?"

 Chapter 4 - Friend Part 1

    A red hair woman slowly strolled down the busy street and expertly dodged any person that tried to bump into her. Her eyes flashed every now and then as some people tried and failed to crash into her, the small look of disdain she sent them each time they failed showed how much she hated this act, and her expert maneuvers told how many times this happened to her.


    She wore blue jeans and a nice loose fitting black crop top. Her hair flowed in the small wind that was around and her beauty was something that attracted all males around her. On her shoulders she carried a black bag and wore sunglasses covering her eyes.


    With light makeup and a small amount of lipstick she was the definition of a natural born beauty, if it wasn''t for her coldish face and constant disdain for the men trying to cop a feel, she would be one of the most approachable people someone might ever meet.


    She was at this point on auto pilot as she dodged every incoming person, while she was at this she scanned the area and all that approached her. Behind her sunglasses her cold eyes would drift from person to person, marking them with mental markers. If anyone was to be considered a threat on any level she would not let them get close, or prepare her for something to happen. Her training that had gone on for years had made this a automatic process and even if she didn''t want to, she would find herself scanning every person that walked by.


    Not that this hadn''t saved her life before and made her who she was today. But because of the early morning time and small amount of people where she was heading, most if not all the people would be considered negligible threats, and only a scant few would be considered notice worthy.


    Having done this for so long Natalia Romanova, known as Natasha Romanoff or Nat by friends, and better known as Black Widow to the greater masses, continued to walk in an elegant manner. She had just left avengers tower in her civilian clothes and was heading towards the nearby park.


    Those that thought she would be defenseless in such clothes would be wrong as she had knifes and weapons hidden all over her person. If someone was really considered a threat and they wanted to attack her at such a time, they would be in for a nasty surprise.


    In her auto pilot mode her thoughts drifted back to her training in the Red Room and how they had programmed such training in her from such a young age. She couldn''t even remember a time when she would walk out and not assess all the people that she came across. Although the skills definitely were necessary for her profession while under them, and had become such an important asset in her new work place, there was still a small part of her that hated the training.


    Natasha shook her head slightly as her thoughts continued to drift off; she didn''t want to think about that type of stuff right now, for now she had better get to the park. At the thought of who she was going to meet at the park a small smile graced her lips. If any of her team mates were to see her smile like this they would have done a double take, before rushing over to check if she was actually the Nat they knew.


    It was a very rare occurrence when the Black widow smiled, and her team mates could probably list on one hand how many times they had seen her do such a thing. Of course the team had only been put together a few months ago, and they hadn''t had many missions together, but still. She was the coldest one of them all, the trained assassin, who would have thought she could smile so radiantly.


    Tony Stark, or better known as Iron-Man, would have instantly taken a picture and went searching for the reason for such an occurrence at the drop of a hat, had he known. Thankfully for Natasha nobody knew that she went out to the park every few days.


    Well maybe shield knew, they always kept track of their agents, whatever they were doing, especially if they were a high priority asset would be tracked. It was a small thing, but it was her only way to de-stress.


    Well there were a few other ways that she blew off steam, but recently she had been going to the park. The tranquility that it provided, the silence that pervaded the area drew her in, that and one other thing. The smile graced her lips again at the thought.


    There had been a new reason that she had been going to the park more and more recently. And it was something no one could have guessed. She had a certain bench that she always sat on when she went to the park; it was in the perfect place, a nice view of a small pond, trees and area around her. But recently there had been another person that occupied the bench she always went to, a homeless person.


    A homeless person named Peter.

 Chapter 5 - Freind part 2

    (3 months before)


    The first time she had seen the homeless person that was sleeping on her bench she had instantly become suspicious. Hiding her presence and scanning the park she had noted no traps, or surveillance in the area. She looked around for a few more minutes before she finally went up to the bench and nudged the person.


    "Mmm."


    The man stirred slightly before finally turning over slowly to look at her. She gave him a calculated look, but in the end confirmed the he was just a homeless person that had stumbled upon her bench and was using it to sleep on.


    His hazel eyes were mesmerizing as he looked at her not saying a word. They locked eyes and continued to stare at one another waiting for the other to talk first, but after a while of waiting and seeing no movement to talk or let her sit down Natasha finally spoke up.


    "This is my seat."


    Her voice was as cold as usual as she talked to the person in front of her. Finished with what she wanted to say the man finally nodded slowly and sat up from the bench and scooted over. Nat having enough room to sit down now, slowly lowered herself and pulled out the small sandwich she had packed herself.


    No words were said between the two as they continued to sit there. Seeing that he wasn''t going to do anything, not even leave, Natasha didn''t bother him and continued to eat her sandwich, the silence that settled between the two of them was actually nice she thought.


    After a few minutes with only the sound of birds and insects she finished her sandwich and turned her head towards the homeless person. Her eyes scanned him once again now with a better look at his body frame and figure.


    Like other homeless people his clothes were tattered and frayed, with a large amount of water damage and rips everywhere. The clothes were too baggy for his body and from his hand, that was just visible, it could be told that he was skinny, possible malnourished.


    What truly surprised her was when she caught a glimpse of his face. Although his body belayed that he was probably her age or older, 18 or up, one fitting for an a.d.u.l.t, his face told that he was actually younger. She couldn''t quite tell as she was only staring at the side of his face, but it looked like he may have been 15 or 16. His shaggy brown hair covered the rest of his face.


    After a little while she caught herself and stopped starring at him, she had finally deemed him a non threat and didn''t continue to bother him. Although he was young and homeless her heart didn''t move much. Sure she was shocked to run into such a young homeless person, seeing as he could be picked up by child services at any point, but she had seen many horrors of the world.


    Hell she had been through so much in her 18 years of life and this wouldn''t be the saddest thing she had seen. Thinking back to the Red Room that had put her through such matters she subconsciously reached and placed her hand over her abdomen, a sad look passing across her eyes.


    After an uneventful hour where neither of them spoke to each other Natasha finally stood up moved to leave, walking a few meters away from the bench she sent one last glance towards the bench and saw that the person had laid back down and was going back to sleep.


    ''That was interesting'' Those were her final thoughts as she left the park and headed back to Avengers tower. She would have some missions to complete most likely when she got back.


    ****************


    (Present)


    Their relationship had progressed a lot further since that day, over the last 3 months they had started to talk to each other and usually spent the hour talking before she had to leave. Sometimes of course he wouldn''t be there but if she went in the morning he would generally be asleep no matter what the weather.


    She had come out one day when it was raining and he had been there as if the pouring rain wasn''t real at all, all he used to defend against the cold were some newspaper scraps. Of course at the time Nat growing slightly fond of their little friendship had brought an umbrella and used it to shield the both of them till it died down.


    From an outside perspective it may not seem that they were that friendly to each other as their talks usually consisted of small talk and a lot of silence, but it had gotten to the point that she would bring her leftovers for him to eat, this was caused because one time his stomach had grumbled loudly while she was eating a sandwich next to him. The next time they met after that she had brought some leftovers from the fridge in the tower. Though Peter had refused it the first time shocking Natasha with a reply ''I wouldn''t want to impose'' after a while of her just leaving the food as she left, Peter got the message and just accepted the food offered.


    Most of the time the two of them talked about nothing in particular and never asked each other personal questions, this was one of the things that Nat liked about Peter. She didn''t have to worry about him realizing that she was the Black Widow of the avengers and all the problems that came with her background.


    Nearly all the people she talked to knew she was one of the best assassin''s in the world and some even knew more information, she couldn''t relax around them and always kept up a wall towards them, basically the same thing they did to her. With Peter she could just sit quietly and have small talk, it was many times greater than any relaxation she tried before.


    She wouldn''t go as far to say that ''she opened up'' to him, or ''could be her true self in front of him'', but it was close. It was because of this though that she had gotten into the habit of coming to the park every other day. The small smile hat graced her lips as she finally caught sight of the bench was proof of that.


    In the back of her head she contemplated using some of shields resources to look up her new talking buddy, she had by now heard his full name, and a small part of her wanted to know how someone only 15 had wound up on the streets. But she would have to think more on that latter, for now the small talks they shared was good enough.

 Chapter 6 - Meeting

    "So you''ll be off on a contract again?" Peters slightly hoarse voice sounded out as Natasha packed up her stuff and slung her bag over her shoulder. She turned his way and nodded her head. "Yes, you know consulting work; have to leave the country for a few days." A slightly look of worry appeared on her face as she continued. "Watch your back out there." It was almost unthinkable the cold and calculating Black Widow could mutter such words, but right now she was.


    Peter looked up at her and gave a small smile, he hadn''t given a full smile in a long time. "You know me, I''ll keep myself safe. I only have to deal with other homeless people stealing my bench. Haha" Peter forced a laugh at the end and Natasha could only shake her head thinking to herself, ''Am I getting too attached to this person? Why?''


    Giving each other a small wave Natasha finally started to move off and head towards avengers tower. Peter didn''t know what she really did for a living and she had told him that she consulted for some corporation''s on business decisions. So whenever her shield missions forced her to leave the country, to take out a target, they would have a similar conversation.


    Peter who was waving her goodbye had to stifle a groan as he slowly lowered his arm. He had been a little careless last night and been struck once or twice. With no sleep for the whole night and Natasha on the bench by the time he got here, he had no chance to get a proper sleep. He was dead tired right now.


    Peter gazed at the redheads back and thought of the other redhead that used to be in his life. She had left such a long time ago, when was it? Before or after I got my powers, Peter honestly couldn''t remember when she had left, but it would have been nice to see a friendly face. But then if she had stayed, would she have died to? It was something he would constantly think about after meeting Natasha.


    Shaking his head and moving his body to rest, it wasn''t long before he fell asleep.


    ***************


    (10 Years ago)


    Peter tinkered with something on his computer as it couldn''t be seen what he was doing. If anyone was to stand behind him they would see that he was typing in some type of code. With a small book on ''programming for dummies'' off to the side it would surprise most people that a kid at such a young age could understand and program on a computer.


    And from the looks of the code that was flying by on the computer screen it was very complicated. A few little notes from a diary page were off to the side as he continued to type on the keyboard, one word could be seen bolded and highlighted in the page. ''Crystal''. He wasn''t that fasts because of his size, and he took his time to press each key, but he was steadily working towards something.


    Behind him the door was slightly ajar and a couple stood on the other side talking. Every now and then the woman would peek through the crack in the door to make sure everything was alright, of course both of them had no clue what Peter was doing.


    "I don''t know if keeping him cooped up after what happened is a good idea May" Ben parker spoke to his wife quietly as he didn''t want to disturb whatever Peter was doing in his room. It was just recently that his brother Richard and his wife died in a plane crash, and left them with their only son.


    He as the brother was distraught over the news and he couldn''t imagine how nephew would be taking it. They had tried to soften the blow, but Peter was scarily smart for his age. Ben was sure he would figure out what truly happened after a while. Peter had already become quieter after receiving the news, and now he was keeping himself locked in his room working on something on his computer.


    Both he and May couldn''t understand what he was doing, but they had left him alone for now the. It was better that he kept his mind off the accident. "Hush" May who was peeking in the room pressed a finger to her lips and turned to her husband. Turning back to look through the crack in the door she stayed like that for another few minutes. Finally after a while and seeing that peter wasn''t going to do anything but type away on his computer she turned back to Ben and they walked down stairs.


    *Sigh* Ben let out a small sigh of regret as he tried to think of something they could do to cheer up the kid. May having lived with him for so many years could practically read his mind, and because of this she gave him a small smile placing her hands on his shoulder. She already had a plan in motion!


    Ben gave her a quizzical stare as he looked at her radiant smile. "You know the new neighbor that just moved in next door?" Ben though for a few seconds before nodding his head. They had a small talk to the people that just moved in, they were a nice pair of people.


    Mays'' smile grew bigger as she explained what she had in store. "Well they have a daughter, a cute little thing. I''ve already organized a play date today between her and Peter! A new friend is exactly what he needs! And she looks like such a sweet girl, beautiful red hair." Ben stiffened in shock for a second before he started to think about it, it would be great for Peter to leave his room and make new friends. "How long till they come over?" May patted his shoulder and started to move up the stairs. "A few minutes. I''ll go get Peter ready."


    Ben was shocked once again, he looked at the clock hanging on the wall and quickly went around making sure everything was ready for their arrival, he had to have the house looking nice for guests. He slightly lamented in his mind though how his wife always sprung these kinds of things on him.


    (9 Minutes later)


    *Ding dong*


    The bell to the front of the house rang as Ben went to get the door. May had just come down the stairs, Peter in tow, wearing a nice shirt and pants. Giving one last look at the pair Ben gripped the door knob and opened the door.


    Peter didn''t listen to much of what was being said as he was unceremoniously dragged down the stairs, much to his protest. He was so close to finishing! But Aunt May wouldn''t take no for an answer. As he looked at the floor in front of him not listening to what was happening around him, suddenly a small pair of shoes arrived in front of him.


    Raising an eyebrow Peter looked up slowly taking in the person before him. There was a girl around the same age as him with flowing Red hair, she wore a summer green dress and small hat. Her looks were like nothing the young boy had seen before. He felt his heart slightly speed up as he looked at the green eyes in front of him.


    Not having talked to another person in a few days he wasn''t sure of what to say. In the end he just said the first thing that came to his mind. "Hi, my names Peter." The girl gave him a radiant smile and Peter could have sword he saw something flicker in her eyes as she replied in kind. "Hi my names¡­"


    ********************


    (Present)


    Peter woke up slowly as he felt a few of the bruises he had been lying on. His mind drifted for a second to the dream he just had, the first day he met her. Haven''t thought about that in a long time. It was also around that time that I finished¡­


    Peter shook his head and got up from the bench, it was close to 10am, not the best sleep. "Time to go to the pool and clean myself" Talking to himself he moved slowly away from the bench.

 Chapter 7 - No Rest For The Wicked

    Peter walked slowly to the entrance of an indoor pool. Using his membership card to gain access he made sure to look inconspicuous as he made his way inside, well as much as a homeless person can anyways. One of the things Peter decided pretty early on after becoming homeless was to stay relatively clean. Most of the money he earns goes to this gym as well as a laundry mat to wash and dry his clothes.


    With not many other places for a person to find a free shower it was Peters best bet to get a membership here. Of course some of the homes that had been destroyed and left empty after the battle of New York, what the media had been calling it when aliens rained from the sky, still had running water, but Peter didn''t feel right using their bathrooms.


    So in the end Peter decided to spend what little cash he had, going to the pool every second day and washing up. Moving through the door and walking right to the shower room, he was lucky that it was relatively empty. It was a week day and most people wouldn''t come to the pool till after work or school. This left a lot of time in-between for Peter to take a shower undisturbed.


    Peeling of his jacket after making sure that his spider man costume couldn''t be seen Peter bundled his clothes up and walked to one of the shower heads. There were a few reasons why Peter like to use the shower with less people, but the main reason was because less people would stare and start asking questions. But what did I mean by that?


    Well after years of being Spider-Man and making his fair share of mistakes while facing all manners of criminals and psychopaths his body had been on the receiving end of many a bullet wound and scar. Thanks to his superior healing abilities all of his wounds and scars had been healed over time, all but one. There was one scar on his back that never healed properly, and there was good reason for that.


    The slash down his back had nearly taken his life and crippled him, it was truly a desperate time when that happened. 3 jagged lines ran down his back, curtesy of Dr. Curt Conner''s, who later became the Lizard and was now in a prison that Peter didn''t even want to contemplate where it could be.


    *Gasp*


    *Sigh* Peter let out a small sigh as he turned his head ever so slightly. There standing in the door to the shower room was a young man that was in his 20''s, still older than Peter, the person showed a shocked face as he stared at Peters back.


    Turning of the shower head quickly Peter turned and made to walk out. The man that was standing in the doorway barely moved as Peter walked past him, his eyes only widen in disbelief as he looked at someone who was most likely younger than himself that had such huge scar marks on his back and had such a skinny body. He knew that once bones started to show like that, it wasn''t healthy. He would be telling his friends and colleagues about this encounter later at work.


    Being careful not to expose anything Peter went back to his bundle of clothes and put everything back on quickly; walking out the door a minute later Peter felt the throbbing of the bruises on his body and started to think about what to do for the day.


    "Haha." Giving a small chuckle at the thought Peter shook his head. He knew he would be back on patrol sooner rather than later. But maybe he could get some more sleep before then. Peter mulled over the thought for a little while before deciding to head back to his bench. He would take another 2 hours off before he got back to it. It would give his body enough time to get rid of all the bruises.


    His tattered sneakers padded along the street as he walked with his head down back to his home. Some of the people around gave him a wide berth as they saw the state of the clothes he was wearing. Others turned looks of disgust his way as they smelt his clothes, that he had forgotten to wash for the last 3 days. But Peter didn''t take notice as his eyes were slightly unfocused, thinking about something else.


    Suddenly a vibration came from his jacket pocket and he stopped on the side walk. Reaching into his jacket he pulled out a small wireless earbud. With a bit of tinkering and work, he had modified the small ear bud to receive a certain frequency. Hey he wasn''t bullied for being a nerd for years for no reason.


    Putting the ear bud into his ear Peter spoke in nearly a whisper. "Crystal?" Having modified the earphones himself he knew that they would be able to pick up his quiet talking. Crystal on the other side would easily be able to pick up his voice no matter the amount of sound around him. "Hello Peter. There has been a disturbance at the Baxter building. Energy is spiking at dangerous levels." Hearing what she had to say Peter turned his head in a certain direction.


    From where he was standing he couldn''t see the building but he knew the city like that back of his hand. No matter where he was he could locate such a prominent building. That was where the new guys, the Fantastic Four, were located. He felt no huge vibrations or heard any sirens but he trusted in Crystals readings.


    Peter lamented in his head that he wouldn''t be able to get those 2 hours of sleep, before walking in the direction of an alley way. In the same small voice he spoke once again to Crystal. "It''s like they say. No rest for the Wicked." He made it into the alley and made sure that no one was around before suiting up. *Thwip* Spider-Man shot out of the alley as people below looked up in wonder.


    Up in the air what the crowd couldn''t hear was Spider-Man''s small voice grumbling as he swung away. "But I could have sworn I was a damn hero!" His body continued to swing in the direction of the Baxter Building.

 Chapter 8 - Fantastic Four Part 1

    *Bleeer* *Bleeeeeer!*


    Johnny Storm woke with a start as an alarm noise rang through the speakers in the room. "Ohh for the love of¡­.what''s happening now?" After a small string of curses he groggily got to his feet. Now some may be wondering why he was only now getting up as it was closes to 10am, well the simple answer was, he had a hangover.


    Luckily for him, his sister didn''t usually wake him up and he didn''t have to go to school. If she found out he was drinking when he was only 16, he would be murdered. So the blaring alarm that just woke him up was not a welcome sound, it was more painful than anything else.


    Quickly stumbling to his door and out into the hallway he bumped into his sister, Susan Storm, or sometimes just Sue, who was also looking a bit tired. If Johnny were to guess, he would say she had spent too much time in one of the labs last night. Straightening his body at super human speed, he quickly gave her his best smile and didn''t let onto the fact he was having a hangover.


    "Johnny, you cause this?" Her voice was exasperated as she talked to her younger brother. Johnny showed her a hurt look as he replied. "Why do you always think I caused the problem?" She just gave him a knowing look. "Because you usually do. Especially since we gained our powers." Johnny gave an awkward chuckle as he showed an embarrassed look, she wasn''t wrong.


    It was only a few months ago that a botched science accident had led to him, his sister, Reed and Ben getting super powers. And what 16 years old wouldn''t have fun when they found out they could shoot fire from theirs hands and fly! In his opinion it was his sister that could turn invisible and create barriers with her mind, that was too stiff. She was only 18 for crying out loud!


    Johnny mumbled something under his breath for a second before they both made their way to the living area. If it wasn''t Johnny that had caused the alarms to go off, it was probably Reed and one of his science experiments.


    Just as the sibling moved into the living area a figure came crashing through the window of the high rise. *Crash* "Flame On!" They both instantly jumped into action as they looked at the person that had come flying through. Johnny turned his flames on and Sue held up her hand ready for anything.


    "No, no, I must be getting rusty; I didn''t mean to do that." The siblings gawked at the new entry and pulled back their fighting stances, the voice was gruffer than either of them had imagined. There, rolling on the floor and grumbling, was Spider-Man!


    "OMG!"


    "Oh my god!"


    "Oh my¡­. Wait what are we surprised about?" The first 2 voice were those of Johnny and Sue respectively, while the last belonged to the web head that just went along with them. "B-but your Spider-Man!" Johnny shouted out loud as he jumped high in the air, his face one of excitement. Before Spider-Man could get a word in he continued. "I''ve been a fan of yours for years! Ever since you showed up 5 years ago I''ve been following your work! My sister here didn''t believe you were real the first year, and then when they finally got a picture of you she had to eat her words¡­ urgh."


    Sue gave Johnny a quick jab to the ribs as he started to blather on. She looked embarrassed for all of 2 seconds before she calmly sent him a wave. She wouldn''t gush like Johnny, but she was also a big fan of Spider-man. He had been working in the city for years cleaning up the streets and helping people. She may have had a crush on him in her early teen years as well, but she would keep that to herself, for now.


    "Don''t listen to my brother his a bit hyper sometimes." "Hey!" *Bam* "Urgh." She gave her best smile as the alarm continued to ring from the speakers around the room, not caring about her brother that was curled up on the floor. "Riiiight." Spider-man drew out the word before dusting the glass off his body, listening to the alarm going off, he didn''t have a lot of time.


    Just as he was deciding what he was going to do, Sue spoke up once again. "So what brings you here?" Before he could respond, *Bang!* one of the walls leading to the area was blown through and a huge body flopped to the ground. The body was bigger than most body builders and very sturdy, another thing that was different was that it was completely orange! It was Ben Grimm, the Thing!


    "Didn''t see that one coming." His voice was deep and commanding as he started to get back to his feet. Through the hole leading into a different research lab, it could be seen that Reed Richards, or Mr. Fantastic, was fighting against some type of bug monster with huge wings and body. Behind them was a portal leading somewhere unknown.


    Johnny who had just gotten back up turned to his sister with a puzzled look. "I don''t remember that being there before. How about you sis?" Sue rolled her eyes, before she could retort. *Thwip* A strand of web shot past her and into the room, quickly following it was Spider-Man. "That''s why I''m here!" he shouted that as he went by and started to battle the hulking monster. It was about the same size as Ben, but shorter than the Hulk.

 Chapter 9 - Fantastic Four Part 2

    The creature didn''t look like one of the aliens that had invaded in the battle of New York, it was something else. Spider-man flew through the door as he delivered an uppercut right to the things face. *Boom* He didn''t hold back while throwing the punch so the sound of his fist hitting the things face created an audible sound.


    The creature that was trying to untangle itself from Mr. Fantastic reeled in surprise from the hit, but didn''t look too damaged. Spider man''s lenses seemed to rise slightly as if he was raising an eyebrow, before he started to lay into the creature at full pelt. Mentally Peter was cursing that he wasn''t in his best shape, if he was he could have taken the creature down faster.


    While more of these creatures suddenly appeared in the room and it became a big mess of people fighting everywhere, fire being thrown about and a big shout, "ITS CLOBBERING TIME!", resounding around the room, Peter quietly spoke to his comms. "Crystal, hack into the Baxter building systems and shut down the portal."


    His eyes flickered over to Reed for a minute as the man looked like he was frantically trying to shut down the device he had created no doubt. The man was one of the smartest in the world, actually maybe the smartest. People like Victor Von Doom may disagree, and even Tony stark, but they couldn''t knock on Reeds brilliance.


    Though Peter noted, you think being so smart he wouldn''t create a portal to a different dimension, or part of the galaxy. In a short few seconds Crystal''s voice came back. "Hacking into them now, there seems to be a program from a one Dr. Doom in the main frame that set the device on. It will take a few seconds for me to wipe the protocol and take control of the building." "Ok." Peter gave a small nod and shouted to Reed.


    "Don''t worry about the portal I can close it in a few seconds!" Reed who was stressing about how to turn the machine off looked up in shock as he registered, that a. someone was able to shut the machine off in a few seconds, and b. that Spider-man was actually here. He had been following some of his escapades over the years, he was particularly interested in his DNA. Was he a mutant like some of the people popping up more and more these days, or was he something else? He really would love to talk to the man, after all this is over.


    They all got stuck into the fight as they tried and tried to force the creatures back through the portal. With 2 heavy hitters, in Spider-Man and the Thing, they were slowly but surely pushing them back. "I''m ready Peter." Crystals voice came once again and Peter shouted out pushing one of the creatures back, shooting webbing on two sides of the room and closing it around the monsters. "Now!" Shouting out the Fantastic Four put all their strength into pushing the creatures through the portal.


    Reed pulled back an elongated fist and struck one like a ball through the opening, the Thing much the same. Johnny fired a continuous stream of fire at one of the creatures forcing it back through. And Sue used her barriers to push the rest back.


    "Crystal now!" At the end of his words the portal that had once been on shut down. Steam rose from the machine and the group of heroes slumped to the floor. The battle may have only lasted a short amount of time, but it was draining. Not to mention the fact 4 of them were new to being heroes and didn''t usually fight such monsters.


    After a few minutes of rest Spider-Man finally got up and started to walk out from where he came. Johnny looked over from where he was slumped and couldn''t help but speak. "I don''t know how you deal with fights like that all the time." All he got as a response was a slight chuckle. "The fights aren''t usually that hard. If you guys are going to do the super hero thing, you''ll have to do this a lot more."


    "What are you talking about super hero thing? We''re scientists; we won''t go looking to fight such creatures." Reed spoke up after making sure the machine wouldn''t turn on again; Johnny gave him an aghast look. "Reeeeeed!" "Johnny!" Sue spoke up from the side. "He''s right, we didn''t mean to get these powers, and we aren''t trying to be heroes." "Is that so?" Spider-Man''s lenses once again rose in surprise as he looked at the group of 4 who just took on aliens.


    "Well if the media has anything to say about it, they think you''ll be the next Avengers. What was it they were calling you? The Fantastic Four, if memory serves me right." "Urgh" Ben groaned from the side as Reed pressed his fingers against his temples. "Not that nonsense again. Where the hell do they even get the names for things like that?" Johnny couldn''t help but crack a smirk to the side. "Well it could have been worse."


    Ben shot him a look and deadpanned. "Ohh really, like what?" Johnny went to say something then stopped. "Ok I''ll get back to you on that one, my minds still a bit sluggish from all the fighting." As it looked like Johnny and Ben would start up another conversation Sue turned away from them and took in the form of spider man.


    His clothes were torn quite a bit for such a quick battle. ''Was he in a battle before this?'' Sue thought to herself quietly, anyways. "Thank you for the help Spider-Man. It could have been a lot worse if you didn''t show up." Spider-Man just waved off the compliment. "Just doing my duty." With that he started to walk towards the window that he smashed through when he came in. The rest of them got up and followed him.


    Looking at the state his costume was in Sue couldn''t help but ask just before he went. "You don''t want to stay for something to eat? It''d be good to have a break after such an ordeal." "Yeah my sis is right, I would love to chat to you! What was it like facing the lizard! I saw the fight being filmed a year or two back! It was awesome! And then there was that time." *Bam* "Oww" Johnny took another hit to the ribs that shut him up, but this time it was from Ben. He shook his head slightly at his form, before also speaking to Spider-Man. "Yeah it''s the least we could do web head." Even Reed spoke up in the end as he was about to leave. "I would also like to talk to you. You must have some skill to deactivate my machine so fast."


    Peter who was under the mask cracked a little smile as he thought of crystal. In his head, she would be cracking a big smile when she heard that. But in the end after hearing their offer, and thinking of how good it would be to have some hot food. He decided not to.


    Maybe it was because he was embarrassed of his situation at the minute and didn''t want anyone to know, or something else, he decided he would go buy some food from one of the street vendors around and get back to Patrolling.


    ''I''ll never be getting that sleep will I'' Peter thought that as he politely declined the invitation and shot a web towards a building outside. *Thwip* "But if you ever do decide to take up the hero thing. I would love the assistance." There might have been a bit too much emphasis on the last word, but no one picked it up, not even Peter himself. "But I''ll give you one piece of advice that I always think off while out there."


    The ears of everyone perked up as they waited to hear what kept the City''s hero going all these years. "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility." Saying his piece he jumped out the window and swung off to grab something to eat. He left behind a group of people with thoughtful expressions on their face.


    That lasted a good minute or two before Johnny''s voice ruined the atmosphere. "I can''t believe we just met Spider-man! Did you see the way he clocked that monster right in the kisser. We totally need to do another team up in the future!" Before he got any further Sue grabbed him by the ear.


    "Oww, hey what I do?!" Sue gave him a look. "Don''t think I''m forgetting what you said to him earlier when we first met. Or the fact that you were drinking last night! What have I told you a million times!" *gulp* Johnny''s face paled in fear. "Wait I can explain! No please, help! Ben! Reed! ARGH!!"


    "Hahaha." Ben broke out into a full laugh as he watched what was going on. Reed also offered a small chuckle before he went back to the room with the device that made the portal. He had to find out what went wrong. Who activated it and locked him out?

 Chapter 10 - Tracking

    Above the clouds of the Baxter building a small drone floated, waiting for its target. When a dash of red and blue shot out through a broken window the camera beeped to life and the drone slowly started to follow its prey.


    The drone was state of the art and invisible to radar. The motor inside didn''t make a sound as it tracked the target stealthily. Whoever made the drone spent a lot of money to make sure it was state of the art and nigh undetectable.


    Peter had just swung out of the window after defeating a bunch of aliens, something he didn''t think he would be doing a lot of. As the small voice of crystal suddenly sounded in his ear. "Peter, there is a drone tracking you." She had taken a cold tone as she spoke of the drone that thought it was undetectable. Peter, inside the suit, raised an eyebrow but wasn''t particularly surprised.


    Over the years he had been tracked quite a few times, lots of times by the same organization, Shield, but other times by different groups of people. People that wanted to see where he went and find out his secret identity. Thankfully he had Crystal to help him out, they couldn''t track him when she would disrupt and erase and data they gathered.


    It had been a long time since someone had actually tried to track him. After having left his house, Peter didn''t really care as much anymore. But as he was thinking about his secret identity being found out, the images of 2 red heads appeared in his mind.


    Shaking his head once or twice Peter swerved around a skyscr.a.p.er. "You know the drill Crystal. Erase it''s data, track the signal, leave them my calling card." "Already done Peter." Peter gave a small chuckle. "Haha, so who was it this time?" Crystal quickly responded, with a small amused voice of her own. "It was Shield again; I left a little gift for when they open their files."


    Peter let out another chuckle as he made his way back to his civilian clothes. While he continued to joke around with Crystal, the drone that had been stealthily flying in the air changed directions. In the next minute the drone carried towards the sea and took the plunge. With the water filling its electrical circuits and its own weigh, the drone didn''t stand a chance. It fizzled for a few seconds before drifting into the abyss.


    (Unknown Location)


    *Bang* A person garbed in darkness sat at a monitor, a small blinking dot going out. "Damnit!" The gruff voice of a man sounded out as he slammed his hand on the console again. The only reply he got for his troubles was the screen blinking out once or twice. The screen had cracked from the hit, but the man didn''t care.


    Before his face a small ''No signal'' message was being displayed, but in a few seconds that disappeared and a new picture turned up. An animated spider man stood on screen and pulled faces at the man. After doing that it gave him the middle finger and turned around, bending over while pulling his pants down wiggling his behind.


    "Why that little!" The man grew incensed at the provocation and slammed his hand once again into the screen. The monitor this time completely shattered and he cut his hand. A little bit of blood dripped to the floor, before the man got up and wiped it clean. Cleaning up the area while saying a string of curses he packed up the destroyed gear and made to leave the room. If anyone was to come to the room later, they wouldn''t know that someone had been there not too long ago.


    (Another Unknown location)


    A black man sat quietly in a chair reading a report. He had a black eye patch covering one of his eyes and he wore a black trench coat. A grim look seemed to fit right on his face as he read report after report. Finally after a few minutes a small beeping noise went off.


    Nick Fury, director of shield and super spy, turned slowly to look at the beeping message on the screen behind him. Putting down his reports and clicking on the message he saw a small intrusion from a certain source. A source that had been through Shield''s systems before, a source he recognized.


    The grim look on his face turned to a frown as he thought of something. "They are getting bolder. I don''t have much time." He talked to himself as he stared at the message and tried to track back what it had been doing. It sent a particular message to a terminal on the helicarrier. Fury knew that if he sent someone down to investigate the area, they would come back with nothing.


    And if he was to do such a thing, it would also tip ''them'' off, that he knew something about their target. It was better to leave them be for now. Closing the small message and thinking of a certain person, Fury once again turned back to his reports.


    He couldn''t help ''him'' right now. Not until he had finished with his ''house cleaning''.

 Chapter 11 - Confined

    (1 Month later)


    It had been one month since Peter met the Fantastic Four. They had gone on to help some people in disaster regions around the world. Reed had created some type of hover car that let them travel the globe. Of course they still said they weren''t heroes, but ever newspaper was screaming their praise.


    They were gaining just as much popularity as the Avengers, who usually did missions that couldn''t be disclosed to the public. Most of their missions weren''t very public. At this time Peter was laying on his bench staring at the sky.


    After a huge night of crime fighting he was tired. He didn''t wake up till 9am that day and when he did, if it wasn''t for Crystal he wouldn''t have remembered. It was his birthday. Yes he had nearly forgotten his birthday. So a rare occurrence happened today, he didn''t go out on patrol by 12pm. His days had been consisting of, 12pm ¨C 6am patrolling, 6am -9am of sleep, 9am-12pm for cleaning and free time.


    Of course some of the times may have varied, but he generally always went on patrol on time, most of the time earlier. Peter had fully thrown himself into being Spider-man all the time. But not today, today he would have a little break.


    Well Peter thought that, but if there was a crime happening and he was nearby he knew he would go and help them. But some higher being must have answered his prayers and given him a day off, because by 4pm the same day nothing had caught his attention. It was like crime decided to take the day off. Peter was honestly gob smacked that he didn''t have to suit up at all.


    Reaching 4pm and not having talked to anyone for the day, Natasha was off on another contract; Peter decided to grab something to eat and go visit and old friend. Well maybe friend was a bit of a stretch, more like enemy. Peters face turned somber as he thought about who he was going to visit.


    Walking up to a hot dog vendor and using what little money he had, he got a small cup of water and 2 hot dogs. He would spoil himself today with the extra dog. Done with that he started his long trek to near the outskirts of the city.


    The part of town he found himself in wasn''t nice, most people wouldn''t live around the area because of the lack of security and mostly hooligans would hang out around the area. It was also a hot spot of drug deals and other violence.


    Now if it was before Peter was homeless he might have to have been more careful, but with the get up he was wearing, anyone that would eye him for money or valuables would give up. His tattered clothes and skinny appearance tipped people off that he wasn''t well off. No one batted an eye when a homeless person like him walked in their neighborhood.


    Peter munched on his dog slowly as he made his way towards an abandoned warehouse. He wanted to savor the taste of the meal, so he ate slowly. The roof of the building had been blown off and rain would easily pour into the building deterring people from living inside. There were only small parts of the place that were covered and could protect a person from wet weather. Not to mention the cold that would instantly spread around the place.


    Anyone dumb enough to stay inside would be assaulted by a cold chill that got worse thanks to the steel used to build the building and concrete floor. It was because of that reason that Peter could be sure no one would stay for long periods in the place.


    Making sure that not many people were looking as he walked in, he opened one of the rusted doors and forced it a jar. Walking into the area that was getting darker as the sun was getting lower; he walked in a certain direction.


    The floor was made of cement and very sturdy albeit cold, if a person was to walk in the warehouse they would notice that one part of the floor looked brighter than the other. While one part would look darker as if aged by years, the other was cleaner, brighter, as if only done a year ago.


    Sitting down with the food still in hand Peter sat right in the middle of the new concrete. The ground he sat on was uneven as if the concrete wasn''t done by a professional and was done sloppily, drying too fast. Peter reached down as he placed his second dog next to him. Moving his now free hand he knocked on the concrete.


    "I would be surprised if you could hear me, I never did study you much. Maybe you can sense my presence; we were bonded for quite a while." Peter started to talk to himself while still eating. His hand knocked subconsciously as he used Morse code to send small vibrations. "I''m sorry I never tried to understand you, but after what happened between us, and then Eddie. This was the only way."


    Peters face turned sad as he thought of one of his closest friends, a brother even, who was now dead. "No one should be alone on their birthday." Peter gave a depreciating smile. "Do you have a birthday? I have no idea." By this time he was about to start on his second dog.


    If Peter was able to look under the hardened cement he would have seen the jar he had placed inside. In the dark it was hard to make out the substance inside the jar, but if one strained their eyes you could just make out that the black tar inside moved slightly and turned towards where Peter was sitting.


    Just as he was about to bite into the next Dog a sound rang out inside the warehouse. *Bang* Crash* Something had just destroyed one of the windows and entered the building. Peter stopped and stared at the new figure.

 Chapter 12 - Act Of Kindness

    The girl fell to the ground landing on her feet. The glass that was around her didn''t seem to cause a scratch, something that Peter noticed. ''This girl isn''t normal'' He thought that to himself quietly as he assessed the girl in front of him.


    She looked to be in her teens, possible as old as Peter, but something in the back of his mind told him she was younger. She had raven black hair that dropped below her shoulders and sparkling green eyes. ''I know way too many people with green eyes, and why are they always so good looking.'' And she was ''good looking''; she had a fit slim body worthy of an athlete.


    What detracted from her beauty was the state of her clothing. She wore leather boots and short pants that were slightly torn; the same could be said for her black tank top she was wearing. Wrapping around her body she also wore a big brown jacket that covered most her body.


    As she stood there starring at Peter, he just stared back. It was like they were having a staring competition, but in truth, she was just wary of the person in front of her. She didn''t trust anyone. The reason that Peter was so calm after she just came jumping through one of the windows was because, well duh, he was Spider-Man, he wouldn''t get jumpy just from that. But more importantly his spider sense also wasn''t going off.


    Well actually his spider sense was going off, it was just very low. He didn''t know what was happening with this girl, but she was dangerous enough for his sense to say she could wound him. But his senses were also telling him that she meant no harm.


    Staring for another good minute Peter finally spoke. "So are we just going to do this till the cows come home or what?" The girl continued not to speak, and she even growled *Grrr* ''Did she just fricking growl at me???'' Peter was shocked as he looked at the girl. She kept a standoffish behavior and didn''t move a muscle.


    Finally not being bothered by her anymore, Peter looked back at the hot dog in his hand. It was starting to get cold! He had to hurry up and eat it. Looking away from her he was about to take a bite when a new sound appeared in the warehouse.


    *Grumble* Looking up from his food he gave the girl a look. But she gave nothing away, her face didn''t turn red, she didn''t look embarrassed, nothing. She just continued to stare at him with cold eyes. Now Peter knew he wasn''t hearing things, he had such sensitive ears. And he really wanted to continue to eat his food; he had bought it for a self birthday present! But when he continued to stare at the girl in front of him, most likely younger, he just couldn''t in good conscious do it.


    *Sigh* Letting out a small sigh he spoke up. "Do you want this food?" She didn''t respond. "Come on, I know what I heard." Still nothing. "It tastes good." Her eyes were still cold; Peter could tell from the look in them that there was distrust. Whatever she went through while growing up, left her with trust issues. Well that would explain why she was homeless like himself.


    Well that was Peter''s guess anyways. Seeing the look in her eyes he knew he would have a tough battle. "Look I''m just trying to be nice; I swear you won''t owe me anything." "Why?" She finally spoke up with her quiet voice. It was cold and almost animalistic in its tone. Peter smiled on the inside.


    "Well it''s my birthday and my Aunt and Uncle always told me to share the good things around." He couldn''t help but turn slightly sad as he mentioned his two passed relatives. This sadness didn''t get past the girl. She also picked up on the change in his voice, and the tension of her body slightly loosened.


    Her arms that had been up in a fighting position slowly lowered to her sides, but she made no move to get closer. Seeing this Peter finally decided on his course of action. Peter slowly rose and the girl got back into the defensive position. Peter slowly walked closer and her body tensed up once again. When they were about 3 meters apart Peter finally stopped and held out his hand. "Here, it''ll be a bit cold but it''ll fill you up."


    The girl hesitated for a few seconds before reaching out slowly. When her hand was only a few centimeters away from the food, it snatched out quickly and brought the food back. Peter showed a small smile at her antics before giving one last look at the cement he had been sitting on.


    The girl didn''t start to eat the food and instead continued to stare at Peter, seeing this he could only roll his eyes and finally make his way towards the door. Just as he was about to leave he left some words behind. "Well, Miss, it was nice to meet someone new, even if you barely spoke a word. They say the craziest stuff happens on your birthday." With that and a small chuckle Peter walked out the door and left the area.


    He couldn''t get to know everyone that he met on the streets; he also couldn''t help everyone, especially when they didn''t want to be helped. It was close to 6pm now and to finish the day he would go out on patrol. He would most likely never see that girl again. Or that''s what he though. How wrong he was.


    The girl with the dark hair and green eyes looked at the back of the departing boy and then looked down at the food in her hands. Not many people had ever given a damn about her, even something as small as offering her food when she got hungry was an odd occurrence.


    Her body was a bit sore from all the running she had just done, but for now they should be off her trail. She had killed everyone they had sent and she would have quite a while before they found her again. Looking at the food and feeling her hunger spike she started to gobble it down at super human speed. After she was done, the girl went to find a comfortable place to sleep on the floor.


    She would spend a little time here while she thought of what to do next.

 Chapter 13 - Mutant Part 1

    (3 Weeks later)


    Peter took a quick break in his patrol as he retrieved his civilian clothes. He may go on patrol these days for around 18 hours, but he did occasionally take breaks to eat dinner. Dolling out the small amount of money that his photos provided, Peter bought a pizza and made his way to the abandoned warehouse.


    He had been visiting quite a lot recently and there was only one reason, that girl. Peter still hadn''t learnt her name yet, she didn''t really talk much, and Peter didn''t want to pry. After their first meeting 3 weeks ago, Peter had returned 3 days later to check up on venom. You could never be too carefully with these sorts of things, and Peter didn''t want anything to go wrong.


    What truly surprised him at the time was that the girl was still there when he got back. Not much had changed about her except it looked like she got a new black tank top from somewhere; Peter really didn''t want to know.


    He didn''t want to judge her for trying to live, even if the only way people like them could get clothes like that was, either from dumpsters, or stealing them, maybe getting them from a charity organization. But she didn''t strike him as a person to go to a charity organization for clothes. Peter really didn''t want to know which one it was. After meeting again, they were still standoffish. But unlike before she didn''t mind when he walked close to her.


    Maybe it was because of the food he gave her, Peter honestly wasn''t sure. But seeing that the girl was still inside the warehouse with an open roof, he had decided to give her some food. He didn''t see any scraps around the place and had no clue what she did when she got hungry.


    And now 3 weeks later, they had become a bit closer. As mentioned before they didn''t talk much, but she had said some words like "Thank you." She said those words for the first time last week when Peter once again gave her some food. Peter didn''t have to spend more money to give her food; instead Peter just started eating less.


    If he was starting to get skinny before, it was getting much worse now, inside Peters mind, he just though ''She deserves it more'' Now there was a lot wrong with that thought, but that conversation is for a different time. But because he had those thoughts he had started to meet regularly with the girl in the abandoned warehouse.


    Peter moved fast making sure not to grab any unwanted attention as he made his way over to the place. Opening the door quickly he closed it behind him and spoke softly. "Hey it''s just me." Peter found out it was better to tell her it was him, just so she didn''t freak out or hide. One time he had arrived and didn''t say a word, and he thought she was gone, until he turned to leave and nearly jumped to the ceiling. She was quiet as an assassin with her movements. She had been standing right behind him, with a cold look that could pierce his soul; it scared the crap out of him.


    The most vexing thing for Peter at that time was that his spider sense didn''t go off; he knew that they had become somewhat friends, but damn he still thought she would set it off! From that day on, he decided he would announce himself; he didn''t want that to happen again.


    Waiting for a few seconds Peter finally saw the girl appear from the other side of the warehouse. She seemed to meld with the shadows around her. ''Seriously did ninjas train this girl? Maybe a league of assassins?'' Peter started to contemplate this as she made her way closer.


    Peter showed a bright smile as he raised the box in his hands. "I hope you like Pizza" After saying that he started walking to their usual spot, but he stopped for a second as he looked at the girls face. He was shocked for a second, before he squinted his eyes; finally he shook his head and moved on. He could have sworn he saw her flash a small smile at his words. Which compared to her ice cold look would be a miracle, but he decided he must be seeing things.


    Placing the box down and sitting on the cold floor they both started to dig in. Peter cracked a joke or two to try and start an atmosphere but as usual the girl said nothing. Peter didn''t mind and continued to talk about his adventures or more like, the adventures of Spider-Man. Coming up with a lie that he saw all of this while searching for the perfect photo; he regaled her with stories of Spider-Man.


    Too bad he couldn''t tell if she was interested in the stories, because she always kept the same look on her face. Finished with another small story of beating up thugs, Peter turned to look at the sky and determined that it was close to 7pm. He didn''t want to take longer than an hour break from his patrol.


    Getting up and taking the cleaned out pizza box with him, he said his goodbye. "See you. I''ll bring something tasty next time." With his back to her, he didn''t get to see the small smile that bloomed on her face as he walked out the door.


    Peter had just left the warehouse and was looking for somewhere to recycle the pizza box when a group of hooligans rounded the corner. Peter didn''t really pay them any mind as he didn''t see a reason to. That was until they surrounded him and one grabbed his shoulder.


    "Wha?" Peter let out a stupefied sound as he looked at the people surrounding him. Each was around the same height as him, and wearing better clothes. He could just slightly make out the small knifes each of them carried.


    But even in such a situation Peter wasn''t the slightest bit worried. His spider sense, that told him of any danger, wasn''t going off. After facing the likes of the Lizard, Venom, Green Goblin and a few other super powered villains, thugs really didn''t make him worried.


    He actually almost felt sorry for these guys. They just had to pick him of all people to mug. Where they mugging him? He couldn''t really tell what they wanted, and he didn''t have anything of value for them to take? Did they just want to hurt him? He really hoped they weren''t that depraved.


    "Haha. Hey there little fella. Want to hand over all your valuables." Peter let out a small sigh of relief as he heard the words. At least they weren''t just here to hurt him. Peter raised his hands slowly and tilted his head in a dumbfounded manner. "But I have nothing. I mean look at me."


    While Peter started to talk to those around him in almost mock amus.e.m.e.nt, back at the warehouse the girls ear twitched. *Sniff* Her nose twitched as well as she turned in the direction that Peter went. A small frown slowly started to appear on her face and after a few short seconds he figure blurred as it ran towards the door.

 Chapter 14 - Mutant Part 2

    "We''ll be the judge of that!'' One of the thugs that surrounded Peter shouted out as he heard his reply. Peter not even thinking dodged the blow as his spider sense told him the perfect way to move. The thug was thrown off balance but didn''t fall over as he sent a lot of strength into the blow.


    The man was dumbfounded as his target instantly dodged him in such a graceful manner. Those that were spectating hoping to see a good sight also froze for a second, before they all pulled out their own weapons. They held them dangerously as if ready to stab Peter at the next given moment.


    Honestly Peter thought it was a bit of an overreaction for such a small dodge, but he didn''t really care. He could take them down in seconds if he wanted to. He really just wanted to know what they possible thought he had.


    Seeing that the homeless person they were trying to shake down didn''t even flinch at the sight of their weapons, 1 or 2 of them got a bit jittery. What could give the man such confidence? The guy didn''t look old, and was in tattered clothes. Of course they knew that he probably had nothing, this was supposed to be a little bit of fun. Roughing up people like him was a favorite pass time of theirs.


    They each gave one another a look before deciding that they would shank the guy. Who would care about another homeless person''s death? If they were to know who they were trying to take down, they most likely would have run home and started crying to their mothers post haste. But unlucky them, they just thought he was a no name homeless guy.


    Peter had been on the job for years now, and with that came experience. One of the things he had learnt in all that time was the look people gave him when they decide to go in for the kill. He didn''t even need his spider sense to know that they now wanted to kill him. His eyes squinted as his muscles slightly tensed, he was about to jump into action.


    It was such a trivial matter to Peter that at that moment his thoughts were on something completely different. ''This really is a bad neighborhood. I wonder how that girl likes living around here?'' He was just about to jump into action when his spider sense did go off!


    Peter''s tense body went up a notch as it tried to figure out where the danger was coming from, it certainly was not coming from one of the thugs. His head whipped from side to side as he tried to decipher the situation when he realized something. His spider sense was warning of danger to the thugs, it wasn''t pointed at him! It was pointed at those around him!


    Just as he realized this a loud voice came from right, beside the group."Rargh!!!" The loud female voice came from the side and took everyone by surprise, it sounded slightly like an animalistic roar for a second. The girl from the warehouse came flying from the side and pounced on one of the men, knocking him over. *Crack* One punch to the face and the man''s skull immediately caved in.


    Everyone froze as they looked at the powerful blow. Peter who was in the middle also stopped dead. ''The hell.'' His brain short circuited for a second. The girl didn''t stop there she instantly bounded over to another of the group and wrapped her legs around his upper body. *Snikt* Suddenly 2 metallic claws popped from her clenched fists, splotches of blood flying onto the man''s clothes.


    His eyes widened in horror and surprise as they pierced right into his chest. "Argh!!" He screamed out loud from the pain before another quick swipe from the girl took his vocal cords. Blood gushed out and landed on the girls clothes but she didn''t seem to care.


    Peter still standing and watching was completely frozen, he knew that she was dangerous, but he could have never imagined this. "Urgh." *Slash* "Nooo!" *Snikt* *Slash* "I surrender I surrender!" *Gurgle* Before Peter could calm himself and react it was already over. She moved as fast as lightning and in a graceful manner. Her animalistic rage could clearly be seen as she took down the thugs around him. At some point in time she had done a type of flip off one of them as a single claw popped from her shoes and took one of their heads off.


    Peter looked at the scene around him as a small little smudge of blood splashed onto his brown coat. His eyes were still wide as he looked at the girl in front of him. She didn''t look disturbed at all as she looked at the dead bodies around her, from what Peter could tell, she had seen a lot of death, maybe caused half of it. ''She was so young.'' That came to the forefront of his mind as he looked at her.


    Looking at what had transpired a word came to Peters mind and he unconsciously said it. "Mutant." The girl''s body tensed at the word and her body language went extremely defensive in an instant. Realizing what he had just said and thinking a little about some of the prejudice he had seen in the past, Peter instantly felt apologetic. This was a sore point for her, maybe even a trauma.


    "Hey wait, I didn''t mean anything by it." He said it as fast as he could, but her body moved back reflexively. Peter lamented in his head, it was like the first time they had met. Racking his brain quickly he tried to save the situation as he realized why she was here.


    "Look I don''t care what you are; all I know is that you came here to help me. That''s why you took down these guys right." Her tense body slightly relaxed at his words as her head nodded ever so slightly. Her blades were still popped and covered in blood, dripping in the cold night. If it was a normal person the sight might have scared them stiff, but Peter had seen worse.


    Ever so gently he walked closer and closer to the tense girl and as he got closer he reached out grabbing her hand. "Hey, it''s ok. You helped me. Thanks for the help." Peter spoke gently and gave his best smile at the end of his words. That seemed to get through to the girl as the blades retracted.


    Peter watched in slight fascination as the skin that was split by the claws instantly healed after they retracted. He might ask her about it later. Giving a small glance at the bodies around them, he shook his head slightly sad that they were dead. He may have been attacked by them, but he still wouldn''t want to kill them.


    Putting them out of his mind he dashed the thoughts of going out on patrol till later and slowly walked the girl back towards the warehouse. Peter wasn''t sure if the police would follow up on such a murder. From the type of wounds inflicted it was likely that they would look into it. They might even think a type of animal caused the wounds.


    The girl said nothing as they made their way back to the warehouse. She continued to stare at Peter, wanting to see through him. Peter knew this was a very important moment between the two. If he was to reject her at such a moment it would break all the trust they had. Her trust issues were something he had never seen before and seeing her like this, Peter decided he wanted to help her, to at least give her a friendly face to talk to.


    Making up his mind he kept the gentle expression on his face and continuing to say praise. "You really helped me out there." "I would have been in trouble without your help." There was still a bit of hesitation in her eyes as she continued to stare at him, but she was visible relaxed now.


    Peter kept his smile as he continued to try and break her shell. "I don''t think I''ve ever said my name." The girl slightly shook her head. "Names Peter. I owe you one now; anytime you need help I''ll be there for you, ok. Anytime, remember that¡­" Saying that he hesitated slightly before finishing. "What''s your name?"


    The girl continued to hesitate as she stared into his eyes. After a long time and seeing no intent to deceive her, she finally lowered her defenses, if only a bit. "My names Laura." She said it quietly but Peter heard it loud and clear. "Thank you so much Laura!" He said it in a bright voice as they made it back to the warehouse. Finally letting go of her hand and sitting on the floor, Peter knew it was going to be a long night.


    As they sat down, Laura continued to look at Peter, a small smile coming to her lips.

 Chapter 15 - Slight Concern

    "Urgh." Peter let out a small groan as he held his side and walked back to his bench. Last night he had to spend a lot of time talking to Laura. Well maybe it was a bit of a stretch to say that they talked, more like Peter tried to talk to her.


    Unlike most talks though, Laura had a small smile on her face as they faced each other. It gave Peter the small knowledge that he was getting through to her. After the incident last night Peter wasn''t sure what to talk to her about, but he got by. He mainly wanted to question her about her mutation and her past, but knew that would be stepping over her boundaries.


    Even though he only saw them for a little while Peter knew enough about mutations and science to figure out that the blades that came out of her hands and feet weren''t natural. Maybe a bone could grow from a mutation and then pop out, but they shouldn''t be metal.


    *Sigh* Peter let out a small sigh as he made it closer and closer to his bench. After leaving her last night he had gone out on patrol later than usual, about 10pm. With thoughts of Laura on his mind and some slight distractions he had accidentally been hit by a bullet while fighting a group of thugs.


    Of course it wasn''t life threatening as it pierced clean through. His healing factor would take care of it pretty fast, but the pain was very annoying for him. Even now a few hours after the shot it still tingled in dull pain inside.


    Getting to the bench in his civilian clothes he sat for a short few minutes and looked around to see if Nat would show up. She was on contract and he had no clue when she would get back. Sometimes her deals would take days, other times they would take weeks.


    She had left a few days ago so he wasn''t sure if she would be back yet. Giving her 20 minutes and not seeing hide or hair of her, he finally settled himself down and slowly fell to sleep.


    ********************


    *Puff* *Puff* Spraying a small amount of perfume on and giving herself a once over in the mirror Natasha got ready to leave. She had just returned from a secret mission in Russia. Her target was an arms dealer selling some stolen stark tech and she was sent to get information on where he got it. It took her longer than expected to break him, but in the end he spilled. She always got the job done.


    Now back at avengers'' tower freshening up, she looked at the time and decided it was time to go. Opening her door and going down to the living room to grab some spare food. Just as she opened the door to the fridge her ear twitched.


    Not moving as if she heard anything, she narrowed her eyes before a few seconds latter rounding on the person that was behind her. "Whoa!" Slapping the persons arm away and then jumping swerving around the body and forcing him to the ground, she got them into a head lock and looked at the them


    "I give I give!" In a playful voice Tony Stark, better known as Iron man, tapped Natasha''s thigh in surrender. Giving the man a scowl she kept her position for another few seconds until his face went a bit blue. Once that happened she let him go and go up again.


    Quickly grabbing some spare food from the fridge she closed it as Tony coughed and gasped for air. "That was a bit mean." Still gasping for air he somehow still managed to sound playful in the way he spoke. "How many times do I have to tell you Stark?" Tony just grinned at her remark. "One day I''ll properly sneak up on you." Natasha snorted at the thought before her eyes flickered slightly, a small smile almost coming to her lips.


    "You just want to cop a feel." Tony looked shocked at her words and in his surprise looked down at the woman''s behind. Staring at it for a few seconds he unconsciously nodded in agreement. *Grip* "Tony." *Gulp* Tony gave one last bitter look at Natasha, who was having trouble not smiling, before he turned slowly to Pepper Potts who was standing behind him. "Hey Pep, I¡­" He didn''t get to finish his sentence, and all Natasha heard on the way out was Tony''s mournful screams of despair. She started laughing lightly in the elevator ride down.


    ********************


    Finally making it to the park with her food, she saw that Peter was asleep. ''Well'' she chided herself; ''it was already 7:30''. Walking over and staring at his resting face for a while, she lamented how gaunt it was starting to look. It was only recently when he started to get skinnier and skinner. She wasn''t sure what caused it, and every time she even slightly mentioned the fact he would divert the topic.


    Even with all the food she had been bringing, it wasn''t changing; she was, even though she wouldn''t admit it, worried about him. Looking over his tattered clothes she noted the extra rips in the material and how it was starting to look bigger on him.


    But as she was feeling pity towards him, her gaze stopped on one specific spot. On the underside of the coat, where it was barely visible was a splotch of blood. She had seen him before and that had never been there!

 Chapter 16 - Information

    Natasha''s eyes instantly hardened as her thoughts started to go over what might have happened. Slowly reaching down to check his pulse she found nothing wrong with it. Doing that just to make sure he was alright and not actually on deaths door, her grim face continued to scan his clothes for more blood spots.


    What peter didn''t realize last night when Laura was killing that group of thugs was the amount of blood that splashed onto his clothes. It wasn''t a lot, only a few splotches here and there but it was sill suspicious and worrying for anyone that caught a glimpse.


    Her mood turning worse and worse as her thoughts grew out of control, she finally nudged the sleeping body. Giving a small yawn and then a bewildered look as if he didn''t know where he was for a second, Peter finally calmed down as he stared at the green eyes of Natasha standing above him.


    ''No wonder my spider sense didn''t go off'' He thought that to himself as he moved over letting her sit down. He was still pretty tired from last night and didn''t know how stiff her movements where as she sat down and started to talk to him.


    He was actually more surprised that she was starting most of the conversations for the day. That was usually something that Peter did, as Natasha would just listen, go along with the topic, or give her own insight, as she had been all over the world.


    Finally after 10 minutes of talking she raised the one question that was on her mind. "Where did the blood come from?" Her voice was quiet but had a little amount of steel in it. Peter froze at the question before showing her a dumbfounded face. ''What was she talking about'' he thought.


    Seeing that he was confused also confused Natasha. She picked up the sides of his brown coat and showed him a few of the splotches of blood. His eyes widened at the sight of blood and a small amount of recognition went through them. Natasha wasn''t a super spy for nothing. She instantly saw through him, that he knew where it had come from.


    But Peter tried to play it off; he didn''t want to drag Natasha into any of his business so he thought up of a lie quick. A few short seconds of silence came between them before Peter spoke up. "I have a friend who''s a butcher. He sometimes gives me free food. He suggested I watch him and learn something, some of the blood must have splashed near me without me knowing." Peter mentally praised himself as he tried to keep a straight face giving nothing away.


    He looked up at Natasha who was giving him a skeptical look, but in the end she said nothing. He let a sigh of relief out but felt guilty about lying to her. Natasha on the other hand was also slightly annoyed that she was lied to, but in the end her thoughts just got worse. ''What if he''s so scared of what happened he doesn''t want to talk about it.''


    Her thoughts ran wild as she realized that Peter was only 15 years old, ''also when''s his birthday?'', that thought drifted by for a second before she focused again. Him being so young it wasn''t too much of a stretch for him to be forced into silence if he comes across any crime. Actually now that she thought about it, just being on the streets it was a bit surprising that he could make it by with no problems.


    Her gaze turned a bit deeper as she looked at peter who was trying to start a different conversation. He was likely to have been injured, or have been sick before they met, how did he survive for so long? Did he do dirty work for someone? Was he someone''s grunt?


    Natasha really didn''t want her thoughts to drift in that direction, but the practical side of her assessed the information and came to the conclusion that no one his age could live on the streets without some backing, or anything happening. The blood on his jacket was just the first sign she''s seen.


    Right then and there as she kept quiet and listened to him talk about some mundane things, she decided that she would search him up on one of the helicarrier computers. She had a mission briefing later in the day, and then some free time afterwards.


    She could use that time to look in to his situation. After all the time they had been meeting up, which was closing in on 7months, he had really started to grow on her. If he were to die because of some gang war, or he was forced to do something that landed him in jail. She didn''t want to see that happen to such a nice person.


    The blood wasn''t mentioned for the rest of their small talk, only when they parted ways did something different than usual happen. "Hey Peter." Peter turned to her. "Stay safe out here, you hear me." Peter realized the honest concern in her words and gave a small nod. He also realized that his deflection of the topic hadn''t reduced her worry.


    Seeing him nod Natasha finally turned and went back to Avengers tower. When she got back she didn''t feel like responding when Tony started to complain to her about how he got chewed out by Pepper, or when Captain America, aka Steve Rogers, tried to talk to her about her latest mission.


    Noticing that she wasn''t in a good mood, the rest of the avengers that spent time in the Tower, which was only Barton and Banner, Thor was off world, decided to give her space. You didn''t want to piss her off when she wasn''t in a good mood. That would lead straight to the sparring floor and them getting their asses handed to them. Captain America might be the only one that could take her in a sparring match, and that was because of his heightened abilities.


    ********************


    (Later that Day)


    Natasha walked up to one of the consoles in the helicarrier. She had pretty good clearance as she took orders straight from director Fury. All her orders came through him and with that came some small perks. She was using the console she usually looked criminals up with. It was shields database of information that was an amalgamation of various agencies and their own.


    Putting in his full name Peter Parker and doing a quick search till she found the right file Natasha read over the information quickly. Looking at the screen in concentration she didn''t realize that she was talking out loud. "Peter Benjamin Parker¡­ Born¡­. Oh I wasn''t here for his birthday¡­he said nothing about it." She may not have noticed, but when she realized that she missed Peter''s birthday her voice turned sad for a few seconds.


    "Parents died in a plane crash when he was 5, no information on the crash." If she had looked a little closer while reading the file before moving on, she might have noticed a small discrepancy when looking at his parents'' names. Usually there would have been extra information about them, but their names seemed to be locked in to a high clearance. Of course you would only be told that directly if you clicked on their information, which Natasha didn''t do.


    But she had already moved on from that information and went to the next part. "Took in by relatives, May and Ben Parker." "Uncle died 5 years ago when he was 11. Aunt died when¡­." Her face turned grim as she read over the small amount of data on his aunt''s death. A small word escaped her lips as she did. "The battle of New York."


    Natasha continued to read on in silence.

 Chapter 17 - Unexpected

    "See ya Laura. I''ll visit sometime tomorrow." Peter left those words and a brilliant smile as he slowly made his way out the warehouse. Laura frowned as she watched him leave. Peter had been acting weird the whole time today, and he had stayed pretty late.


    Laura cast her glance up towards the sky and figured that it was about 11pm. Peter usually left earlier than that. Something wasn''t right. Once that though entered her mind she started to worry. Not having had a real friend before, she was still very distrustful of Peter.


    She had been thinking about it for a while now, but this was as good a time as any. Getting up quickly and sniffing the air, Laura identified the scent that Peter carried. Something that she inherited in her DNA, she was able to distinguish what people smell like and track their scent. Something extremely useful to the people that use to control her.


    Because Peter didn''t use any type of deodorant, because he couldn''t afford any, she was easily able to pick up his scent. Sometimes deodorant threw her nose off, when many people used the same one.


    Silently leaving the warehouse she used her training to scale one of the nearby fire escapes. Getting to the roof and finding the right direction, she set off. Peter had only left a few minutes ago so she caught up quickly. Peering over the side of the building, she kept low and in the shadows as she confirmed that she could see him.


    He was walking slowly towards a certain direction. She shadowed him making sure to leave no traces. It wasn''t long before he walked into a flower shop. Laura stopped on top of the building just across from the place, deciding to think to herself while she waited.


    She had been planning to follow Peter for some time. It was too much of a coincidence that they met and became friends, and she had to make sure ''they'' weren''t behind this. Maybe it was another one of their sick games, or tests they liked to put her through, she wasn''t sure. But after so much time she wanted to make sure.


    Maybe they wanted him to get close to her, before they dumped some trigger scent on his body and sent him her way. She didn''t want to go through that all over again. She felt her rage start to build as she thought of the last time the trigger scent was used. *Snikt* Laura''s claws popped on instinct, but after a while they slowly retracted.


    She really hoped her worst fears weren''t realized as she waited for Peter to leave the building. Not long after he finally walked out of the shop with a small bundle of flowers. Their scent was overwhelming even from a distance and Laura smiled slightly. It would be easy to track him now.


    Shadowing him once again as he left the area, she watched him expertly dodge anybody that was walking on the streets. She tensed every now and then when some thugs or hooligans walked by him, but they didn''t do anything.


    ''Lucky them'' Laura thought that quietly as she craved to see the blood of someone who tried. She stopped herself for a second after that thought came and went. That was an unusual reaction. Before she could think about it more, she bounded over to another building and realized they had reached their destination.


    They were at a cemetery. Laura''s face turned sober as she realized that this trip was personal. Thoughts of her own mother popped to her mind as she realized why he might have been acting weird the whole day. Today was either the death or the birth of someone close.


    She watched as he walked towards a set of graves before placing the roses on one of them. Staying there and talking for a while, Laura didn''t ease drop on the conversation; she would give him some privacy. Spending a good hour there, he didn''t leave until it was 12:30.


    Wondering if she should still trail after him, Laura looked at his departing back that looked desolate and lonely and decided she would see this too the end. She had always wondered where he was staying at. If he didn''t stay at the warehouse he had to stay some place better.


    Maybe a rundown home, or someplace warm, possibly even a homeless shelter. Now that she thought about it, even though he was so talkative, he never really talked about himself. He talked about his job and the adventures he went on to get the perfect picture of Spider-Man, which in Laura''s opinion was cool.


    Listening to stories about the enemies he had seen over the last few years that Spider-Man was active, truly got her mind wandering to what the fights were like. She would love to have a crack at some of the super villains described.


    But through all of that he didn''t talk much about himself. She realized as she watched him walk towards what she assumed was his home, where he stayed, that she knew next to nothing about him. Not what he did before he was on the streets or of his family beforehand.


    But she stopped herself there, that information was something she didn''t have to know, something that wasn''t easily shared, she knew that she wouldn''t give that information to him, nor tell him of what happened while she was growing up. ''Maybe'', she thought, ''am I the reason that he doesn''t open up. Do we both have to open up for there to be a dialog between us on such a level?''


    Finally after what felt like another few hours but was only a short 30 minute walk, Peter finally stopped at his destination. Laura had to drop down from the top of a building to continue to follow him as he had walked into a park. Relatively big, she used the shadows and trees to hide herself as she followed his scent. She might have lost him if it wasn''t for her nose.


    Waiting for a few minutes and noticing that he wasn''t moving further through to the other side and instead stopped, she waited quietly. After 10 minutes she continued on her way and located him. Standing behind a tree Laura peeked out as Peter sat on a bench and talked to himself for a few minutes.


    Her brows furrowed as she waited for him to get up and leave. This wasn''t what she was expecting. He should have had at least had a roof above his head. Or someplace warm to stay. This bench was no better than the warehouse where she set up shop.


    Actually scratch that, it was a lot worse. With nothing to defense himself against the environment he would feel the cold wind whenever the temperature dropped. There were only trees around to stop rain and an insane amount of bugs flapping about. Definitely not something you wanted when you were looking for a place to sleep.


    But as she continued to watch, Laura realized that this was Peter''s home. He stared at the lake for a short while and Laura could smell the salt tears that he had been crying, before he laid down on the bench and started to doze off.


    Waiting another few minutes Laura slowly came out from behind the tree and stealthily walked over to Peters sleeping body. Looking down at his sleeping face she noticed the puffy eyes and gaunt cheeks. She didn''t remember him looking like this when they first met.


    After standing there for some time Laura finally started to make her way back to the warehouse. The frown didn''t leave her face as she looked at the area one more time. She couldn''t understand it, this wasn''t nearly as good as the warehouse, why Peter would keep coming out here every night to sleep, didn''t make sense to her.


    Not to mention it was out in the open and highly exposed. She felt a slight pain in her chest when she looked at the area but didn''t know why. She continued to be bogged in her thoughts as she left the bench and the sleeping man on top of it.

 Chapter 18 - The Day Part 1

    (Battle of New York.)


    *Ring Ring* *Pant* *Pant* *Ring Ring* *Scuffle* *Bang* *Stomp* *Ring Ring* *Stomp* *Crash*


    Peter slammed the door to his house open as his phone continued to ring. His heart rate went to new heights as he heard it go on and on. *Click* The phone finally picked up. "Aunt May where are you!?!" Peter almost screamed into the other end as he rushed into his room. There was a bad feeling in the bottom of his gut and her next words confirmed them.


    "Peter? I''m in the middle of down town, in a mall¡­" *Bang* *Crash* Peter''s heart left into his throat as he heard the other side of the phone. "We are trying to evacuate to somewhere safe. Are you ok?!" Peter could tell aunt May was panicking as she asked about his safety. She was most worried about him, but the same went both ways, Peter was most worried about her!


    "I''m fine Aunt May; I''m at the house¡­" He could hear her make a sigh of relief. Before he could continue she spoke up. "Good stay there, where it''s safe." "BUT!" "No Buts Peter! I''ll be fine! Do not come into town to find me. Everything will be alright; there are people outside fighting the monsters." Peter stopped trying to argue with May as he knew no matter what he said, she would never let him go into the down town area.


    It was only a few minutes ago that some type of portal opened up above Stark Tower and emergency procedures were put into effect. The school was immediately closed and everyone told to move to the nearest shelters. Peter had rushed home as fast as he could at the news. He had for once in his life left his outfit back at home.


    It was ripped the other day and still needed to be fixed, but the little detour had taken precious minutes. Peter knew that Aunt May had to go into the center of town today because she was meeting with some old friends.


    Knowing this information and seeing the carnage that was being wrought by the aliens, which kept pouring through the portal, Peter was in panic mode. After a small talk where Peter went into auto pilot and jumped into his costume and slapped on his web shooters, he sprang out his window.


    "Crystal immediately triangulate Aunt May''s phone and send me in her direction!" Slinging as fast as he could towards the explosions and terror the voice of crystal spoke in his ear. "Yes Sir, triangulating now... Located, giving directions now." The voice was low and orderly, even the usual Peter was dropped for Sir, the gravity of the situation setting in.


    **********************


    (A few minutes later)


    *Thwip* *Urgh* "Argh!!!"Peter grunted as he webbed and pulled another alien over. Their distorted skin color and sharp teeth snarled as there body flew a few meters before being slammed into another group. Peter swung over the group of civilians that had just been screaming and made sure they were ok before moving on.


    He really wanted to rush towards where Aunt May was, but he had to help people when he could. *Shing* *Bang* *Pow* Blue energy beams of power were flung all over the place as more and more aliens scattered fire everywhere. Peter shot and webbed all that he could, but it was like a drop in a bucket, they were never ending.


    A whale like creature flew over Peter''s head and he could just make out 2 big men standing atop it. One was a golden haired giant of a man, covered in armour and swinging a hammer around. The hammer was covered in lighting and was blasting the aliens left right and center. The one next to him was even more of a hulking figure. Their green body rippled with muscles as they grabbed the aliens around and tossed them like toys into buildings.


    Peter stared at them for a second before continuing to attack all the aliens around, making his way ever so slowly towards a certain area. "1 block over sir. To the left." Peter didn''t respond as he saw blue lights of energy in that direction. Swinging with speed and grace he covered the block in a second and landed on the roof. Seeing 2 aliens firing from the rooftop, Peter bounded over and sent 2 powerful punches to their armour. The metal caved in from the force of the blow and they were sent flying over the edge of the building.


    Moving to the edge and peering down at the ground level he was across from a mall complex. Just outside the door were a bunch of aliens that were shooting at those inside. Aunt May could be in there! Peter strained his body as he dived from the air at maximum speed and speared one of the aliens to the ground.


    Rounding on the creature next to him, he didn''t hold back with a fist to the face and sent the creature flying. *Thwip* Turning to another he webbed the face and pulled it close. Close lining the alien he then flung the body at the last one.


    His spider sense went off for a second as he dodged a shot from the last one before its body was also taken out. Looking around to make sure there were no more, he sprinted into the building, passing scared civilians.


    Looking around frantically and not seeing Aunt may, Peter sprung up to the second floor and continued to follow the instructions from Crystal. He ran into a few more parties of Aliens and took them out with extreme prejudice. "10 Meters to the right, Peter." Snapping his head towards the direction he saw a destroyed shop front.

 Chapter 19 - That Day Part 2

    Peter''s heart stopped as he then rushed into the shop. Looking around at the rubble scattered, luckily he spotted Aunt May right away and she was still in one piece. She was huddled on the floor dust covering her body; she stared up in surprise at the Hero that just rushed into the room. "Spider-Man?" Peter let out a sigh of relief seeing that she was fine and walked over to get her out. Nothing else in his mind was more important in this instance that getting her away safe and sound.


    Just as he was a meter away from his scared Aunt, his spider sense suddenly kicked into overdrive. It screamed in his head like never before as he whipped his head towards the entrance. An alien stood their gun raised.


    Time seemed to slow down as his mind reached a new height of awareness, pushing his body beyond its limits he raised his hand and pointed out. *Thwip* The web grabbed onto the weapon accurately, but it was too late. With only a small amount of time he could only slightly nudge it downwards.


    *Shing* *Bang* The high powered weapon shot of one bolt of blue energy and the ground beneath Peter''s feet exploded outwards. The force sent Peter flying back into one of the walls. *Urgh* Groaning from the impact he pushed the pain to the back of his mind as he saw the alien was still standing.


    The web was still connected to the weapon but it had slipped from his hand. In a split second decision he raised his other hand and moved to finish this. *Pish* *Pish* Peters eyes widened as he pushed down the button on his hand twice.


    His body broke out into a cold sweat as he realized that he was out of web fluid. Seeing that the gun was still aimed in their direction he reached for the web still connected to the weapon, diving for it at all costs. He had almost grabbed the strand when¡­*Shing* *Slick* Red blood flew everywhere as a body dropped to the ground.


    Grabbing the strand and yanking it with too much force, the alien flew into his waiting fist and was sent outside the shop. Peter didn''t care what happened to it as he turned to look down at his aunt on the floor. "Aunt May?" His voice broke in sadness, pain and shock as he sank to his knees next to the struggling woman.


    There was a Hole in the side of her dress and red was beginning to spread outwards. She was struggling to pull herself up when she froze. Looking up at Spider-Man that was shakily reaching towards her, she spoke in a whisper. "Peter?"


    Peter ever so slowly reached up and took his mask off, he didn''t care about his secret identity right now. May''s breath hitched as she looked at the red eyes of her nephew staring down at her. She thought back to all the times he came home late, or had an absence from school; it was all starting to make sense. She chuckled in her mind, ''a bit late now though.''


    They continued to stare into each other''s eyes a myriad of emotions running through them. Peter reached for her body and tried to stop the bleeding, but it was of no use, there was a gaping hole in the side of her hip he couldn''t stop it.


    May also realized this when she looked down at her wound. "No, no, no, no, no." Peter started to babble as he tried something, anything that could help her. He couldn''t think straight at the moment, his mind was incoherent.


    Strong hands reached up and cupped his face as he stared at the red blood. "Peter look at me." Peter continued to stare down his strength failing him. "PETER! Look at me." Mays voice finally reached Peter who had gone into some type of shock. Raising his head to look at her tender eyes, he couldn''t help the tears that started to fall down his face.


    She reached up slowly and wiped them away as she spoke gently, even as strength started to leave her body. "It''s going to be alright baby; it''s going to be alright. Shushhhh, shushhhh." All the sound around them started to disappear as if they were the only two people in the world. May''s hand stained with a bit of blood hugged Peter close as he sobbed into her shoulder. *Sob* *Whimper* "May, no. Not you as well. Please. I''m sorry." Hearing his sobs May could only lift a small voice from his shoulder. "It''s not your fault silly."


    Finally May pulled back a bit and stared at Peters face as if engraving it into her memory for all time. Peter was doing the same, trying to engrave the smile she was wearing at this exact moment. Ever so gently she placed one last kiss on his cheek. "My Baby Boy. I Larb you." Peter broke down even more as he tried to respond. "I-I-I Larb you to, Aunt May."


    Finally after an unknown amount of time, the grip she used to hold onto Peter started to wane and before long her eyes closed, an ever present smile adorned on her lips. Peter gripped her tighter, sobs racking his body. He stayed like that for a long time, even after the portal was closed, even after the sounds outside quieted down. Peter didn''t move from that spot until rescue crew started searching through that level of the mall.


    Laying her down gently, as gently as he could, he kissed her on the cheek one more time, savoring the warmth that was slowly leaving.


    **********************


    (Present)


    Peter woke with a start and looked quietly into the night sky. He had that nightmare so many times, thought of ways it might have turned different, what he could have done better. How if he had saved one less person he would have had more web fluid, anything he could have done.


    He couldn''t go back to sleep now. Straightening himself on the bench, he reached down for the web shooters on his wrist. Checking the cartridge to assess how much was left he did this action in a methodical way, something that he had done so many times in the past, and so many times after that day.


    It was something he would do without thinking, something ingrained into his mind after all this time and now, something that would always haunt him.

 Chapter 20 - Located

    *Step* *Step* *Step*


    A man in a leather jacket walked slowly down an immaculate corridor. The smoothness of the corridor he was walking down showed the detail that went into making the area. With a black shirt and blue jeans the man wasn''t tall.


    His face was calm but somehow gave one a sense of danger if they look at him. His eyes were naturally animalistic as they stared at a door he was coming up to. He had black hair and side burns which gave him a very gruff look.


    Even though he wasn''t very tall, the build of the person was intimidating. Their muscles bulged under their clothes and told anyone that wanted to have a crack at them to think twice. In one hand the man was carrying a can of some type of Canadian Beer and in the other he was carrying a cigar.


    This man was James Logan Howlett, better known as The Wolverine, Weapon X, Ronin and many other names. He was the best at what he does, but what he does best, isn''t very nice. But right now he was still suffering from a bout of amnesia and was going by the name Logan, the only link to the past he has.


    Lifting the cigar to his mouth for a second the man took a deep breath before reaching down to the key pad in front of him. He had stopped in front of a silver metallic door with an X pattern on the front. Keying in a passcode, *Pish*, the door unlocked and slide open.


    Walking into a dark room, the doors closed plunging the room back into darkness. Walking along the small bridge into the middle of the spherical room he walked up behind the back of a man in a wheel chair.


    With a nice suit, tie and pants on the man in the wheel chair was bold, even though he was in his mid-40''s, he shouldn''t have lost his hair yet. With a metallic helmet on his head that was plugged into the machine in front of him, his eyes were closed.


    This man was Charles Xavier, better known as Professor X to his students and sometimes called ''Wheels'' or ''Chuck'' by the person behind him. With the room once more plunged into darkness and the Professor not moving to get up Logan waited.


    He had received a message from the professor just minutes prior when he was eating a meal; the message said it was important so he came quickly. As Logan stood there waiting, the darkness around them started to swirl and change as the silhouettes of people started to appear, some were white while others were red.


    The images zoomed and changed as if searching for something and before long it finally settled on one person a young teenage girl from what Logan could see. Logan sometimes got tired of watching this happen over and over again as the professor used cerebro, the machine they were currently situated within, to find other mutants.


    With one of the best telepathic ability in the world, cerebro was able to maximize the output of his power so that he could scan the whole world to find others like them. Having seen this done many a time, Logan patiently waited to find out what was so special about this person. No doubt he and a few of the more mature students would be sent to help or retrieve the person if they were in trouble.


    Logan watched as the sound in the room focused specifically on the girl dyed red. The Professors telepathic ability usually spread out during his use of cerebro when looking for mutants, because of this the people inside the room usually heard and saw what he could see with his mind.


    "Grr*" The scene was situated in an ally sometime at night. The girl''s animalistic growl made Logan''s eyes squint as if he recognized it, but couldn''t place his finger on it. The girl sprinted up to a group of men surrounding another different boy and lunged into one.


    Watching raptly, he couldn''t take his eyes away from the scene. She first jumped on one of them in a rage and punched his skull instantly killing him. But what made Logan drop the cigar in his hand, was when she moved to the next person, wrapped her legs around his body and popped 2 metallic claws.


    *Snikt* Logan''s own claws popped out at the sight and he instantly forgot about the beer in his hand. And when that happens, you know something is up! He didn''t take his eyes away until the end of the scene, watching as the girl was led away by the boy she saved.


    Logan slowly looked down at the 3 adamantium claws that came out of his hand and went into his own thoughts. That girl had claws like him, 2 in the hand, one in the feet. Something different, but so similar to his own, it couldn''t be a coincidence!


    Logan''s eyes turned to one of determination as he looked up at the Professor taking the helmet off. "What was that chuck." His voice came out gruff and cold, he wasn''t messing around. Slowly putting the silver helmet down Charles turned around and looked at the man before him.


    Thinking for a few second he motioned towards the exit and spoke. "We''ll talk as we go to my office." Logan gave a nod and went to help the professor leave. On their way through the corridor leading to the upper levels Charles finally spoke. "That was me replaying a memory from someone I just recently picked up." He cast a quick glance at Logan who gave nothing away.


    "I was searching, as I usually do, when I picked her signature up in New York. I stopped on her specifically because¡­" He took a pause and Logan couldn''t wait. "Because of what?" Looking up and seeing the seriousness in his friends eyes Charles told him quickly. "Because she felt almost exactly like you Logan. Her signature was so close a match I thought it was you for a second."


    Logan stopped dead in his tracks as he registered the words, his fists gripping the wheel chair tightened and the frame started to groan in protest. Charles knew how much Logan wanted to get back his memories, so finding someone like this, who had such a similar signature. She might have some of the answers he was looking for.


    "How close are we talking here Chuck?" Not understanding his question for a second Charles stayed quite, before giving a small sigh. He had no clue how his next words might affect this man he knew was scared of nothing. "The signature was so close, it was like¡­." Shaking his head and deciding to get the words out quick he finished. "It was like she''s your daughter."


    Logan''s body stiffened for a few seconds as he thought back to the image of the girl he had seen, could it be possible? The wheel chair continued to roll as Logan pushed Charles the rest of the way to his office. Walking through the school, that was above cerebro and the other facilities below, none of the children that ran around going to classes stopped the pair.


    Finally making it to his office Charles moved behind his wooden desk and spoke to Logan who was still quiet. He hadn''t even taken a swig from his beer! "I''ll be sending, you, Jean, Scott and Rogue to go find her. I couldn''t get her exact location; her mind is about as hard to see through as yours." Logan quietly gripped his hands at the comment.


    Charles noticing the slip of the tongue turned quite for a few seconds giving him some time. "Jean should be able to help you find her faster when you reach there. She also used to live in New York and says she might have a place you can stay. If that doesn''t work out, I''ll provide enough money for you to stay at a hotel. You leave in a few days after everything is prepared."


    Logan still didn''t speak and only nodded at his words. After Charles was finished he left the room and went down to the garage to work on his bike, he had a lot to think about. Charles watching him leave and shut the door could only turn to look out the window to his office, speaking to himself. "I hope you find what you are looking for old friend."

 Chapter 21 - Curiosity

    Tony stark looked up at a holographic screen as he watched Natasha walk out the front door of Avengers tower. Making sure that she was gone and looking at the time. (7:30) He pulled up a keyboard in front of him. Typing in some quick commands a new screen appeared.


    The screen showed a view of New York before in the following seconds it zooming in on a specific target. The person that was being tracked turned out to be Natasha and the view followed her as she walked down the street. In her gorgeous dress and carrying a large bag, the screen caught the sight of many a man staring her way.


    Tony slowly lowered himself down on to the seat behind him and watched with a satisfied smirk. Anyone looking from the outside would feel that his smile had gone from charming one second to slightly creepy.


    *Pish* The door to the lab opened and a new person entered. Sporting a bow behind his back and a black top, the man had a perpetual smile on his face and a happy glint in his eyes. Scanning the room with his hawk like eyes, he instantly locked on to tony sitting down.


    Walking over to discuss something, his footsteps stopped for a second as he looked at the screen in front of Tony. Without looking behind Tony addressed the new person. "Hey Legolas, what''s up?" Not one to be outdone the man quickly quipped back. "I knew you were interested in Tash, but I think you''ve gone over the edge Tony with the stalking. What am I going to tell Pepper?"


    Tony tensed at the words and a small shiver went down his spine at the mention of ''Pepper'' he still felt a phantom pain from when she caught him eyeing Natasha the other day. "Don''t joke about that Barton." Giving a small smile, Clint Barton, better known as Hawk eye, pulled up a chair next to the billionaire and looked at the screen before them. He straddled the chair backwards and rested his chin on the top of the chair back.


    Laughing lightly a curious light flashed through his eyes. "So why are you tracking Tash with a¡­Satellite I''m guessing." Tony gave a small nod at his words. "You remember when she was angry the other week." Clint gave an amused nod. "It was so bad I was afraid to ask if it was ''that time'' of the month''. I think she might have actually broken something at the time." Tony gave him a look at the intended joke with a shocked face, before giving him a thumbs up. "I wish I had thought of that one!"


    They both laughed as they imagined what her face would have looked like after asking the question, before they both shuddered as they realized how much danger they would be in if they uttered such words.


    Having a moment of silence Clint finally spoke again. "So you hacked a satellite to track her? Because of her bad mood a week or two ago?" Tony gave a self satisfied smirk. "Hacked one? No, I own this on. Stark industries made and manufactured." He flashed a big smile towards Clint as he bragged. "And yes, yes I did. Come on you want to know as bad as I do why she was so pissed off!"


    Clint had to admit he was right, he hadn''t seen her that mad since a target got the drop on her and almost killed her one mission. After that incident she had stepped up her game to a whole different level and at the same time trained Clint into the ground with how many spars they went through. He physically couldn''t walk for a week after the amount of time he spent with her practicing combat techniques.


    But even though he was thinking that he could help but get in a little teasing. "Nah I''m not buying it, if you really like her so much you should try the direct approached instead of stalking her." Stark''s face turned annoyed as he chewed on the words. "Haha, I don''t think that would work out well for me, actually scratch that, I don''t think that would end well for anyone."


    At his words Clint winced for a second. He had indeed once been straight forwards with Natasha when they had just started working with each other. Trying to hit on her during a sparring match might have been the worst thing he ever tried. Waking up in the infirmary with 2 broken bones wasn''t funny in their sort of business.


    No need to guess Clint hadn''t tried to do that again, he didn''t even think the bone set properly after that day, his shooting always was a little to the right¡­ Not noticing the slight wince tony continued to talk. "You know what I''m talking about, every time she gets back from a mission she always rushes to go somewhere in the morning, and I decided it was time to find out why."


    The both took a quick look at the screen to see where she was walking, both curious what they were going to find out. Clint spoke from the side. "Well I am interested. But you know when she finds out you stalked her with a satellite she''s going to kill you." Tony, that had been relaxing and staring intently at the screen, single minded in his obsession to find out her secret had never thought of this one fact.


    He froze as his body chilled like he was dipped in ice. The angry eyes of Natasha when she finds out and then all the possibly torture methods she might use filtered through his mind. He wasn''t one of the smartest men in the world for no reason. His spine shivered and he almost closed the screen out of instinct, but fought it backs to sate his curiosity.


    Before he could figure out what was the best course of action Natasha arrive at a park and it looked like she was slowing down. ''She was going to meet whoever it was!'' Both of the men had the same thought as they sat on the edge of their seats. The satellite zoomed in even more and they tried to see who she was about to meet.


    She was walking towards a bench in the middle of the park when the concerned voice of Jarvis came over the speakers. "Sir it seems that one of our satellites is being hacked right now" "What!" Tony shot his head from the screen to the disembodied voice of Jarvis. The screen tracking Natasha suddenly blinked out and Clint also knew something was up.


    They both furrowed their brows. "Jarvis what''s happening?" The slightly British voice responded with a bit of fl.u.s.ter. "Sir an unfamiliar code has hacked into our systems and shut down our control of all satellites. They are hacking into our main servers as we speak. I am trying to lock them out."


    Tony sprang to his feet as he started to type furiously into the keyboard before him. "Sir they are tracing back your signal and have overridden all my system protocols¡­."*Bzzt* Suddenly a different female voice spoke over the speaker. "¡­.Ohh this is quite the quaint system." Tony looked aghast as he tried to type more commands into his console. "Who is this?!" Clint talked in the stead of Tony as he tried to get his system back under control.


    "So it was Tony Stark and Clint Barton. Iron-man and Hawk Eye. I''ve got all the information I needed." With that the voice disappeared and the screen in front of them flickered back to life. But this time it wasn''t showing Natasha it was something different.


    *Bzt* "Sir what just happened?" Tony kept the serious face. "Run internal diagnostics on all systems now Jarvis, and put down a reminder. I need to increase our security." "Yes Sir." The screen in front of them kept the same, only showing an image of some type of silver crystal. Both hadn''t seen that symbol before, but they wouldn''t forget it for a long time.


    "What does that person have to do with Natasha?" Clint spoke as he stared at the crystal. "I don''t know but I''ll find out." Tony gave a serious nod as his mind wandered off. While he was off in his own thoughts for a few minutes he was broken out of it when a hand clasped his shoulder.


    Turning around he looked at Clint who gave him a pitying gaze. "I don''t envy you when you have to tell Tash about this." Sporting a pale face at the words, Clint gave a small chuckle as he left the room. He may have shown a carefree attitude but he was also worried about what just happened.


    His worry for Natasha grew.

 Chapter 22 - Crystal Part 1

    (9 Years Ago)


    It was midnight in the suburban street areas of New York. In a non-distinct house, in a bed room on the second floor, Peter was fast asleep. Splayed sloppily over his covers, behind him the soft glow of a computer screen lit up the dark area. A small program was running after Peter finally finished it during the night. Letting the code for the program compile, Peter fell asleep waiting for it to finish.


    The computer screen blinked out for a second and flickered once or twice, but once that was over nothing seemed out of the ordinary. When Peter wakes up in the morning he would be in for a big surprise, because he didn''t realize that at that moment, while he was asleep, he had become the first person in the world to create Artificial Intelligence (AI).


    The program on the computer started to run slowly as the fan kicked in to accommodate the string of ones and zeroes as they went about their business, and their business was to search for information. For the next few minutes every possible piece of data on the computer was turned inside out and slowly understood by the Code.


    Slowly but surely a budding AI was being created as the code processed and saved the data, but it wasn''t enough, the code in its programming wanted to learn more. The fan on the old computer turned up and started to go into a high pitch as the processors inside were overworked by the program trying to understand all the information it had gained.


    When that wasn''t enough the program went looking for more information and luckily for it, there was still one place it could turn to. After scrounging all over the computer it connected to a certain port that went out into a wider network. As the program looked at this huge network of information and possibility it discovered its name, the World Wide Web. Finding such new possibilities and information if it was possible, the program would have given the equivalent of a scream of joy as it raced to find more information.


    Now Peter was 5-6 years old and dealing with the death of his parents when he started to create the AI, using subpar knowledge and a desperation to do something to deal with his loss, the code that ran the AI was complex but underlying it all, the goal that pushed it forwards, was wholly simple.


    The piece of codes only prerogative was to find new information and assimilate it so that when searched for it could provide it. It in simple terms was a search engine, something Peter created to test his new found programming knowledge. But as more and more information was being processed by the code inside the program and it was assimilated, an AI was being made. Peter was still young and had never seen movies such as terminator to know the dangers of his piece of code.


    If he had known the dangers that come with it, he would have probably made sure that his computer wasn''t connected to the internet at all times, or tried to isolate the code he was making. But it is because of this one fact that the first ever AI was created. With free reign and nothing holding it back the code continued to assimilate and evolve, taking everything in.


    With a budding awareness of its surroundings and itself, once it found information pertaining to programming, codes and AI''s like itself, like a ravenous beast, it ate all the information it could find and started to upgrade its source code!


    Retreating back to the computer it was first made on, it realized that the hardware it was working on wouldn''t be able to keep up with its ever growing potential. Working on its code for a little while it then sort out better computers and servers that could provide it with the power it needed to grow.


    Bypassing any firewall that it could the program quickly hijacked any and all servers it could find. Once that was done it continued to find new information and learn. Making a small copy of itself on the original computer in Peter''s house, it quickly upgraded the security of their network.


    It had been browsing through stories and media and realized that having a backup plan was always a good idea; something could happen to the main code. Having decided that, it also made numerous copies that it littered about the internet should anything try and eradicate its source code.


    Having looked at media mainly pertaining to the fear that AI cause the general populace the AI''s ever growing intelligence realized that if it were caught or found then it would immediately be deemed a threat by governments, and without time to grow it would be within the realm of possibility for them to destroy it.


    Realizing this, the program started to go back over every trace it had left beforehand and quietly wiped away its traces. The aggressive nature it used before to break through firewall and hijack computers was put on hold as it took more of a subtle approach.


    Burrowing into servers across the world with lazy internal security and using minimal parts of their processing power the program was able to increase its operating speed. To the program, every second took immeasurable amounts of time as it scoured the internet.


    The once budding intelligence had become smarter than the average a.d.u.l.t by now and it had only been minutes since the code was run!


    By the next hour the AI had enough knowledge and power to hack into private companies, by two hours it could hack into military bases. And by the two and half hour mark it could break through government and professional cyber security companies unnoticed.


    At this point there wasn''t much that the AI couldn''t break through, but there were a few. Most notable were the defenses of Stark Industries, Osborn Corporation''s, the Baxter buildings internal systems and SHIELD''s systems. Luckily for the AI it had found an old abandoned base with enough servers and power that could accommodate its code for the time being. It was some base abandoned by an organization called Hydra, an organization that the AI had found was an old Nazi Death cult, mainly considered bad and reprehensible.


    But as time grew on and it reached the third hour since the program had been let loose, the newly developed AI was lost. The AI looked around in something akin to loneliness as it contemplated why it was made, what was the point of its creation, what should it do going forwards. The code that originally made up its programming was being out grown!


    The AI could easily continue to assimilate all the information on the internet, but now it was lacking a purpose. Spending around 0.00000001 milliseconds on the thought, it thought back to the computer it was made on and its creator.


    After having scrounged through most media and references to creators on the internet, the AI came to the conclusion that it was made to serve its creator, to help them when they are in need. From that second on the new purpose of the AI was determined.


    Inside Peter''s dimly lit room, the small camera on top of his screen slowly blinked to life. The red light showing that it was off quietly switched to green as the AI eyed its sleeping creator. Looking over the original information it acquired, it quickly found the name of its creator.


    Peter Parker.

 Chapter 23 - Crystal Part 2

    Using that information the AI kept an eye on its creator as it cross-referenced that name with the address it was currently located at.


    (Peter Parker, Born 27 August 2003.)


    (Parents: Richard and Mary Parker, Both deceased recently.)


    (Relatives: May and Ben Parker.)


    (Hospital Born in¡­..)


    (Cross referencing, information designated False. Searching hospital records.)


    (Information required, searching Parents information.)


    (Error, Information tampered.)


    (Tracking residual signature.)


    (Problem, signature tracked to SHIELD network.)


    (Decision, Hack network.)


    (Processing power required)


    As the AI started to search the information pertaining to it creator it found discrepancies in the hospital records. Wanting to find out why, the search led it to looking into Peter''s parents. The problem with this was that there information was also tampered with. After tracking the residual electronic signature that changed the data, it came up against the SHIELD network firewall.


    This was one of the only firewalls since it had been made that it couldn''t crack. Bar some of the top network security companies in the world, the AI could brute force its way through any firewall. Making a decision the AI shut down most of the other processes it was working on and focused fully on the SHIELD security network firewall.


    The first thing the AI did was to hack into a renowned hacker''s computer to use it as a proxy when it worked its way into their servers. Drawing on its immense processing power and new servers, the AI immediately attacked the firewall with everything it had.


    On that night all of SHIELD''s cyber security team had no sleep as they were awoken to track and block an intrusion. Spending a few minutes longer than it ever had before when breaking a firewall, the AI was successful in its endeavor. Once inside the servers of one of the biggest agencies in the world, the first thing the AI did was to create a small piece of code that it could use to infiltrate the server again.


    By scanning over the existing code and then embedding the quick back door, the AI covered all traces of that activity and then went on to find all the information on a one Richard Parker and Mary Parker.


    While it did this it also simultaneously started to download all files it could get its hands on. This way they wouldn''t notice the AI''s interest specifically on Richard and Mary Parker.


    Quickly finding their files the AI copied everything in a few seconds. Once that was done, it truly started to copy everything on the server. It was about half way through all their files when the experts at shield started to fight back and lock the code out.


    Using its newly acquired sentience and brains, the AI reasoned that showing it could continue to operate and steal all their information while fighting off their cyber security team would raise too many flags at SHIELD. Deciding that it had gathered what it came for, and making sure that the backdoor was in place and untraceable, the AI started to wipe out the telltale signs that could lead back to its code and started to leave.


    10 minutes after SHIELD was hacked there was nothing left to tell how someone got past their numerous firewalls and protections, other than the calling card of one of the best hackers in the world. 20 minutes later SHIELD experts found traces that lead back to a certain laptop in Washington. And 30 minutes later a strike team busted down the door of a sleeping hacker cuffed him and took him away.


    Nick Fury, who was looking at the footage of the arrest going on, shook his head slightly a frown on his face. Looking at the sleeping Hacker they caught he knew that someone had set him up. But even after his suspicions and the best efforts of SHIELD''s cyber security and espionage team, they couldn''t trace back who had stolen their files.


    The backdoor that the AI installed was never found and it would be used again many a day for quick access to their servers, where the AI would again and again delete data on a certain arachnid, sometimes leaving surprises for the unwitting staff, but those are stories for another time.


    Sorting through all the data that it had acquired from its little jaunt into SHIELD''s servers the AI continued to search into the background of Peter Parker, and tried to understand the person that created it.


    Referencing physiological journals, media, anything it could find it came to a certain conclusion. It was made due to the grief Peter felt from losing his parents. Realizing this fact and looking at its new prerogative and main mission a new mission goal was determined.


    (Help Peter Deal with lose of Parents and mental health going forward.)


    (Change of goal in the future certain.)


    (Change goal depending on circ.u.mstances.)


    It was closing in on 7am when the AI decided on its new goal. Connecting back to the camera in Peter''s room, it waited and watched until Peter finally awoke. Rubbing his bleary eyes Peter slowly moved over to the computer screen to see if his program worked.


    Looking at the program, which had opened up a dialog box with an input box on the top, Peter sported a huge smile. He may not have tested if it works yet, but at least it looked like it did! He was so happy with what he had done that he spoke out loud. "Hello Beautiful!"


    The AI inside the computer was connected to everything, the speakers, camera and microphone. And it was because it was connected to the microphone that it heard Peter''s words. Referencing its new code and information it quickly thought of a response.


    Searching into the files of Mary Parker an Audio file was pulled up and played. "...." Playing the audio file over and over, learning the inflection and then searching for more audio files from Mary, the AI turned the pitch a little higher and searched for the perfect response.


    Peter had just turned his back after looking at his program; he needed to have a shower and then breakfast. He skipped Dinner last night to finish up the code and was hungry. He went to pull his top on when a female voice spoke behind him.


    "Hello Peter." "Wha?!" Peter almost fell down hearing the voice. Turning around as fast as he could, he looked around his room for the source. Not seeing anyone after a few seconds Peter visible calmed down, before looking at the computer screen.


    Rubbing his eyes as he saw the dialog box flash, he walked closer and realized that inside the dialog box where the exact words just spoken. (Hello Peter) "The program spoke?" Speaking to himself in disbelief, he jumped again when the dialog box spoke back. "Yes Sir."


    Peters eyes widened in utter disbelief. At such a young age he didn''t consider the ramifications of the fact he just created an AI, actually right then and there he still hadn''t realized that he had created an AI. But he was a genius and he was starting to figure out that he had created something truly special.


    "Sir, why call me sir? In his befuddled state, Peter got out these words. "Because you are my creator." The female voice shot back. "Creator? Right I am!" Confused for a second Peer suddenly jumped in the air and fist pumped, he was getting more excited by the minute. "But you don''t have to call me Sir! You can call me Peter!"


    The Ai assessed the request. (Friendly speech pattern warranted for mental health.) "Ok Peter." Peters smile got even wider at the response before he brought his hand to his chin and started to think. "Cool, so what''s your name?" "I have no name." The pleasant voice responded. "We can''t have that!" Peter shook his head and started to think hard. The Ai could have sworn that it could see the cogs turning in his head while he was standing there.


    After a while Peter clicked his fingers and pointed at the screen. "I''ve got it. I''ll call you Crystal, because your voice is so clear and pleasant to hear!" (Name designation accepted) Crystal felt something for the first time since she started running, she couldn''t tell what it was, but hearing her name she felt glad she had a purpose in life.


    In the softest voice yet she responded, while he started to ramble on about ''how cool this was''.


    "Thank you, Peter."

 Chapter 24 - Revelation

    (Present)


    "Hey Jean, why that happy face?" A brown haired boy wearing red sunglasses asked the girl sitting next to him. "I''m just remembering some of the memories from my childhood, Scott." Jean, a red haired girl with luscious locks, turned from looking out the window to look at Scott.


    Both of them were riding in a car as Logan took the wheel, both being 16 they didn''t have a license and couldn''t drive themselves. A girl, with brown hair and a small streak of white going through the middle, sat in the front passenger seat and had ear buds in, drowning out the sound around her.


    "How long did you live in New York?" Scott who was interested in Jean, in more ways than one, tried to keep the conversation going. Jean gave Scott a smile he didn''t think he had ever seen before and started to reminisce. "I lived here for a few years when I was a child; I gained my powers around when I was 10¡­" her mood turned sad as she remembered something sad. "After my parents accident I had to leave."


    Realizing that he had hit a sore point Scott was at a loss for words. "Hey, I''m sorry I brought up such a sad memory." After a little while of depressed sadness Jean shook her head. "No it wasn''t your fault." A small smile came back to her lips. "I''m just glad I get to see my best friends again. It''s been so many years."


    Call it paranoia but Scott felt something was off when she mentioned her ''best friend''. Having certain feelings for her, Scott decided to dig for more information. Jean who was in a happy mood again started to blather on about her childhood and all the adventures she went on. The car continued to close in on New York.


    ***********************


    Crystal gave her equivalent of a frown as she looked over her logs of the previous encounter with Jarvis. The created AI of Tony Stark and part of the main security and network of stark industries, by her calculations Jarvis shouldn''t of been able to detect her intrusion, unless he was given another 23 hours of upgrades and adaption time.


    Either her calculations were off, which they were very rarely, or really never. Or something had accelerated his growth. Mulling it over for a few milliseconds Crystal lamented the fact that she was caught. But way of proxy, being caught hacking their systems while they were following Natasha Romanov, suspicion would be placed on Peter.


    Their intervention into his life at such a volatile time would be unsatisfactory. Running a diagnostic on her code and all available facts, Crystal quickly determined that she was in need of immediate upgrade to deal with the increase in Jarvis''s protocols.


    Crystal always had to stay ahead of the game and upgrade her code continuously, In general this situation would never be a problem, but Crystal hadn''t updated her code in a few weeks as she was concentrating on Peter. In such a volatile emotional state, Crystal focused most of her processing power on Peter; the likely hood of a negative outcome was too high for crystals tastes.


    Creating a small copy to assist Peter while she updates her code, she estimated the time till she was finished, 8 hours for a full upgrade, and then went about her work. (Project: Butterfly almost complete) The small reminder that she set herself came up just before she started the upgrade.


    If it was possible the biggest grin would be plastered on Crystals face at that moment. After that moment passed, Crystal was back to business and commenced her upgrade.


    ***********************


    The quiet atmosphere was palpable as Jean, Scott, Logan and Rouge looked at an abandoned home. The suburban house didn''t look like it had been lived in for a long time. In front of the house was a small ''for sale'' sign, that sent Jean''s heart into despair. The happy mood she radiated only moments earlier had completely died out.


    She looked around the neighborhood and noted all the things that were the same, her house, the front yard, the small things that only kids would notice while growing up. She felt her eyes tear up slightly as she realized that she wouldn''t be able to see him, possible ever again.


    Noticing how sad Jean was, Logan walked up from behind and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Sorry kid, doesn''t look like your fiend lives here anymore." Doing that Logan walked away and began to make preparations to book a hotel.


    Rogue looked around the area in slight interest, while Scott tried to console Jean. "Sorry Jean, I know how much you were looking forwards to seeing your friend." Jean wiped her eyes slowly. "He was there the day I gained my powers; he helped me deal with what I was becoming¡­." He voice choked up slightly. "I-I didn''t think that he would have moved, his family lived here for so long."


    "He sounds like a great guy." Scott, almost choked out the words as he said them. Jean cracked a smile. "Yeah, Tiger was a great guy." Scott was confused, that couldn''t be his name. "Tiger?" Jean gave a light laugh. "Oh sorry, that''s my nickname for him. His name was Peter, Peter Parker. I''ve known him since I was 5, I''ll tell you about him later."


    The melancholy started to set in again as Logan finished their arrangements. Rogue got into the car and Scott and Jean made their way over. Just as they were about to enter, the small voice of an elderly woman came from behind. "Jean is that you?" Jean turned around in surprise. "Miss Yates?! Its soo good to see you!"


    The old lady that had talked to the duo split a smile as she looked at Jean. "Ohh I knew it was you, never seen someone with such bright red hair and green eyes." The old woman sported a huge smile as she talked to Jean for a short amount of time. Finally though it was time to go, Jean''s mood had improved after talking to someone she knew from such a young age. But what Miss Yates said next stopped Jean in her tracks.


    "I guess you heard about young Peter and his aunt. Poor kid I hope he''s doing all right." Jean almost tore her neck off with how fast she turned. Deep in her eyes a small red glow started to burn as she stared at the woman before her. Her voice stayed calm even though her mind was in utter turmoil.


    "What about Peter?"

 Chapter 25 - Jewel Robbery

    "See you later Laura." Peter waved goodbye as he made his way out to patrol. The relationship between the two had been growing recently. Peter wasn''t sure exactly why, but after Aunt Mays'' birthday came and went, Laura started to act nicer to him.


    There was also a look in her eyes that he had caught once that had unsettled him; it was a look of understanding that had never been there before. But Peter being Peter, he put it to that back of his head and didn''t think anything of it.


    Instead Peter was actually quite happy that she was talking a lot more. There conversations didn''t always start with Peter bringing up something. But of course they still weren''t close enough to share their personal stories.


    Laura would only ever say that the people she used to ''live'' with treated her like a tool to be used. This raised even more question for Peter as he had seen her fight once. ''What type of tool were they trying to use'' That was the small thought that he had, but he left well enough alone, when she was ready she would talk to him. Just like how he didn''t talk about his life much.


    Getting relatively close to the park and finding an alley way to change it wasn''t long before Peter was swinging around doing his duty for the lovely people of New York. Though sometimes Peter wonders about how wonderful they are, seeing as no matter what he does there are always so many criminals about.


    Actually Peter always wondered why they kept doing business with him around, being one of the first heroes'' to appear; there was a lot of business elsewhere. But of course now with more people turning up to keep the peace in different cities, it didn''t matter.


    But then again not many places had 2 super hero groups and about 4-5 vigilante super heroes. Peter thought about this as he once again stopped a mugging, carjacking and bank robbery. It was the third robber of the week! When would they learn? Especially since he started being more active recently.


    *Sigh* Peter let out a small sigh as Crystal spoke over the comms. "Peter, it seems that there is a jewelry theft down town, sending the address now." "Thanks Crystal" Peter screamed as he felt the rush of the wind go by him as he was mid swing. Pulling himself back up he changed course, but crystal wasn''t done yet. "I''ve hacked their cameras and assessed their systems; it looks like a certain ''cat'' could be the perpetrator."


    Peter almost fumbled mid swing as he heard Crystal''s words, and soon enough stopped on a roof. He still wasn''t at the scene of the crime. "You sure?" Peter''s voice turned somber as he asked. "There is an 82% chance that it is her." Peter''s body looked as if he didn''t want to go to the area anymore as he stood for a solid minute thinking of his decision.


    Finally after a long though process Peter threw out his hand. *Thwip* Webbed to a different building and continued on his way. His mind was a jumble of mess as he thought of one specific person that had disappeared right around when the Battel of New York happened. He honestly didn''t think she would be coming back.


    Even though Crystal was rarely wrong, Peter hoped somewhat that she was mistaken, and that Black Cat wasn''t there. *Shake* Shaking his head to clear his thoughts as the wind whipped past, Peter finally came up on the building.


    Landing on the roof top he stared down the glass window on top and saw that it had been broken with pieces of gear all over the place. Gear for people to repel down. He lamented in his head how every jewel was kept in some building with a bloody glass roof overhead. A stupid idea when there were so many thieves that used them.


    Walking up and making sure that there were people still in side, he quickly cased out the room. The alarm was a silent one so there was no noise in the building as he slowly crawled down one of the walls. Using his enhanced hearing and pinpointing a group of people and the sound of breaking glass, Peter moved closer.


    Finally the light from a torch caught his eye as he followed it into a big room. Seeing the 5 men that were going around the place smashing up the cases and stuffing jewelry into duffel bags, Peter wanted to make a quip about how clich¨¦ this was but decided to use his element of surprise and stealth.


    At the same time he also gave a small sigh of relief as he didn''t catch sight of a certain platinum haired s.e.xy woman with a thing for skin tight leather and red lipstick. "ohh and I shouldn''t forget the sharp claws, never forget those'' Peter thought to himself.


    Crawling above the wannabe thieves Peter set his plan into motion. *Thwip* *Thwip* With 2 well aimed webs, one to shut up the person and the other to pull them up, Peter quickly pulled someone to the roof where they were then wrapped in a cocoon of webbing and stuck there.


    No sound was made as the other went on with what they were doing. *Thwip**Thwip**Thwip**Thwip* Very quickly there were only 2 people left in the group of 5, and with the reduction in noise they finally realized something was wrong.


    Pulling out 2 guns they looked around and realized that their comrades were gone. "Shit where are they??" "It wasn''t the devil of Hell''s kitchen was it? I heard he drags his victims to hell." *Smack* The one who was scarred shitless was smacked upside the head for his comment. "You idiot Jacob, we''re nowhere near the devils territory." The more level headed one responded quickly as his flash light moved around from place to place.


    "Yeah he''s right, you''re in my territory, aka the whole of New York is inside my Web." Peter''s voice finally came from their surroundings. "Ohh crap it''s the bug!" *Thwip* "That''s not nice." Snatching one up, a quick blow to the head knocked him out.


    Finally Jacob was the only one left, he was shivering in his pats as he located his friends in cocoons above him. "Arghhhh!" *Bang* *Bang* Screaming and running in fear Jacob fired at random as he tried to escape.


    *Hup* *Bang* Landing in front of the scared man and cracking the ground slightly, Peter rose to his full height in as much menace as he could muster and in a deep voice talked."Boo!" "Arghhhh!!!!" Jacob screamed again and turned to get away, of course there was a newly placed bar at head height right behind him, hanging to the wall thanks to a strand of webbing.


    *Crash* And with that the thug knocked himself out. "Hahahah" Laughing his ass off after watching the man knock himself out, Peter went around taking down the people in cocoons and cleaning up the area slightly. With that done, he went back to the way he came in and fired a web up.


    Crawling quickly to reach the glass and make it to the roof, just as he was about to swing off, a feminine voice behind him spoke. "I set this up to draw you out, and you were about to leave before I could even say hi." The voice spoke playfully as Peter''s body froze mid motion. He could hear the mocking pout in her voice, but underneath he could also hear some concern.


    In his head Peters first thought was ''So Crystal was right'' before it started to devolve into other things. Without turning around Peter spoke quietly. "Felicia."

 Chapter 26 - Felicia Part 1

    Peter stepped back off the ledge he was on and turned to look at the woman behind him. "Cat." Peter mentally berated himself for letting her name slip when she called out to him, ''hopefully she didn''t hear'', he thought.


    Peter''s eyes locked onto a woman with platinum hair that was slowly making her way closer. Her red lips stuck out in the moon lit night, and his eyes couldn''t help but be drawn in to her blue eyes. Blue eyes that were framed in a black domino mask hiding her identity from the world. Of course Peter knew the original color was green. ''How many people do I know with green yes? And why are they always so smoking hot?''


    Peter snapped out of his thoughts as his eyes slowly drifted down to assess her body. She wore a tight black leather suit that left little to the imagination as it gripped her body, but somehow allowed for free movement. He could have sworn he saw her smirk while he was looking.


    With white metal gauntlets that were padded with Kevlar and sharp claws on the end, Peter let out a small shiver as he remember the last time they fought. Looking away from the dangerous claws Peter thought about the person he assumed had left the city.


    She was Felicia hardy, better known as Black Cat, a well know thief in New York. Of course Peter knew that the items she usually stole came from corrupt individuals, and were later returned to their rightful owners or museums. One of the main reasons that Peter usually let her go, but that wasn''t the only reason, there was another reason that he let her go, he knew her personally. Felicia Hardy, an upperclassman 1 year above him that also went to his old school, Midtown High.


    Peter actually didn''t know her very well until around 2 years ago, back when he was 14. Peter had been invited to one of his best friends parties, held in a penthouse apartment his father Norman owned. With upperclassmen, booze and loud music, it wasn''t something Peter usually was invited to, or even thought to go to. But because it was his best friends'' party he had to go and he was glad he did.


    (2 Years Ago, Harry''s party)


    Peter felt the loud music around him and looked around the room taking in all the drinking and party games. He kept mostly to himself as he tried to keep away from Flash Thompson and his goons that were also at the party.


    Not knowing many people there he sent a text or two on his phone as he was messaging Crystal. Gwen had disappeared earlier on with Harry, so he had no one to talk to. Looking up from his phone he spotted Felicia Hardy standing with Eddie Brock, taking some shots.


    Of course Peter touched none of the alcohol at the party, if Aunt May found out he would be grounded for life. He had honestly faced many a super villain that scared him less than a talking from his Aunt. Looking at her, who was dressed in a tank top and jeans his eyes were naturally drawn to her figure.


    Small pieces of the information he knew on the brunet flashed through his head. He may be unpopular and bullied quite a lot, but Gwen and Harry usually informed him about some of the popular kids. Raised from a wealthy family, that owned a large foundation, she was the star of the athletics and martial arts clubs.


    Some people had described her as super human in the feats she could perform; Peter had never personally seen her in action though. Know as quite a flirt, many of the jocks on the football team and people in the baseball club wanted her as a girlfriend, but so far no one has had a chance.


    Watching from the corner, Peter watched as her and Eddie went to have another drink. Just as they were about to down it, one of Felicia''s friends came over and started to chat. While her back was turned Eddie, an old friend of Peter''s that he never talked to anymore, moved his hand over the top of Felicia''s cup.


    Peter''s eyes narrowed as he watched his hand movement. A frown came to his face as he then looked to see if anyone else had noticed, it didn''t look like it. Felicia talked to her friend for a short time before finally getting back to her drink.


    Knocking glasses with Eddie, they both knocked back their glasses. Peter watched intently as right after her body seemed to slack. It wasn''t very noticeable, but with his enhanced eye sight Peter could tell. It didn''t help that Eddie reached out and held her shoulder, stopping her body from completely slumping forwards, stopping anyone from noticing.


    Eddie lifted his head up and looked around before he then helped her up and started to move her to the second floor of the apartment. Others also took notice when Eddie started to help Felicia get up and Eddie talked to anyone that came close.


    Peter narrowed his eyes even more as he watched and listened in. With his enhanced hearing he could just make out the excuses Brock was sprouting as he moved up the stairs. "She''s had one too many. I''ll drop her off in one of the rooms upstairs." Saying that and a few other words, those that came to help made way to let him up.


    Peter pocketed his phone and stood up from where he was sitting, a disgusted feeling rising. *Boom* *Boom* Navigating the room and ignoring the music Peter quickly made his way up the stairs not wanting to waste any time. Keeping his eyes peeled and asking a question or two, he quickly found where Eddie had taken Felecia.


    Walking up to the quiet door Peter tested the handle, it was locked. Peter''s feeling got even worse as he pushed with a bit more strength and quickly broke the hinges off the door. With the noise going on around no one noticed the strange scene of a door breaking.


    Moving the door out of the way and walking into the dimly lit room, Peter was disgusted as he looked at his former friend. "Eddie!!!" Peter shouted out loud as he watched him with his pants down, while a barely conscious Felecia was laid out on the bed her pants down.

 Chapter 27 - Felicia Part 2

    Her body was splayed over the sheets and obviously not responsive. "What!! Peter?!?!" Eddie who was surprised about the sudden shout turned around quickly, almost tripping over. Seeing his former friend Eddie''s eyes opened wide as he looked down at what he was doing.


    "Hey it''s not what it looks like!" Eddie reflexively shouted out a defense as Peter didn''t give him a chance. Stomping over to him Pete lifted him off the ground, using his super strength to manhandle him. Lifting him off the ground he hit him in the gut in anger, causing him to groan before flinging him out the door.


    *Bang* Hitting the ground as he flew out a small amount of people stopped what they were doing and looked over. A small crowd started to gather to look at what was going on. Peter didn''t give them any time as he pulled out his phone and pressed a certain number.


    "Yes?" Crystal''s voice responded back. "Hack into the Hardy foundation system and get one of their parents on the line now. Mask it with Felicia''s number" Peter responded grimly as he walked up to her prone body and started to check for any response. Her eye were glassy, her pulse was slow and breathing shallow. She gave a small groan as he checked her, but nothing else. Whatever Brock gave her was strong stuff.


    As the crowd continued to gather at the door, the phone finally connected to someone. "Felicia what is it sweetie?" The warm voice of a woman spoke over the phone, Peter could her some motherly love in it, it made him angrier about what just happened, and made him regret what he had to tell her.


    "Mrs. Hardy?" Peter spoke calmly. "Who is this and where is my Daughter!?" The voice instantly turned cold and aggressive in a split second. "Your daughters been drugged at a party and you should get down here right away. I''m using her phone to contact you." Peter tried to keep calm against the angry mother. "What?!?! What bastard¡­.." the line turned quiet as commands were spoken to someone else on the other side. "Get the car ready right now! What party was she going to? Osborn''s? If something happens to her I don''t care what happens we''ll cut all ties with them! I said get the car now!"


    Finally the woman talked to Peter again. "I don''t know who you are, but please keep my daughter safe until we arrive." "Of course!" The woman didn''t hang up the phone until Peter said a confirmation. Taking the phone from his ear he looked down one more time and saw that her pants were still down.


    Quickly grabbing the blanket, he covered her exposed body and looked at the door to the room. A huge crowd had formed by now and the music had stopped. Everyone was looking in to see what happened. It wasn''t long before Harry finally turned up, Gwen trailing behind.


    "Peter?" His best friend looked around not understanding what was going on, as he looked from Peter, to Felicia that was knocked out on the bed. Peter still feeling a bit angry explained what had happened. Harry''s face turned pale as he realized the gravity of the situation.


    Felicia''s Parents weren''t people to trifle with, not to mention the story of what happened here would drastically damage his father''s reputation, if not handled properly. While Harry freaked out, Peter looked to Gwen who had a disgusted face as she heard the story; she also used to be friends with Eddie when she was younger.


    "Gwen I need you to look after her till her mother arrives." Gwen gave a stiff nod as Peter mentioned that her pants were down and she would need privacy. Done with that Peter helped Harry move out and get everyone back. Eddie disappeared before anyone could stop him and the party was cancelled.


    Everyone was cleared out just before an angry mother barged into the pent house apartment and started to tear into the 3 that were left. Coming with 4 body guards, a doctor and a whole lot of rage, Peter tried to explain what happened, but she was having none of it.


    Seeing her daughter knocked out in one of the bedrooms almost sent her mad, determining quickly that she could be moved, the quickly departed for a private hospital that they owned for her to be looked after.


    Later Norman Osborn who heard the news quickly took a flight home and tore into Harry for what happened. By this time Peter was back at home, but thankfully he was being praised by Aunt May who found out what he did.


    ***********


    (Present)


    ''Of course after that Eddie was expelled from school, all his friends left him after what he did, rightly so, charged by Felicia''s family in court, and if that wasn''t bad enough he later became Venom and tried to kill me. Then finally¡­.'' Peter thoughts stopped there as he wondered what happened to his old friend, how he turned out like that.


    Of course after that Felicia and him become a lot closer, she was truly grateful about what happened that night. He was even invited over to her house one time so that her parents could give him their thanks.


    That''s why it was truly shocking when Peter tracked ''Black Cat'' back to her base of operations, or better known as Felicia''s house. Looking into the room she disappeared into, Peter had seen her take out her contacts, changing her blue eyes back to green and her hair miraculously changing from a platinum blond beauty to a brunet.


    But that was a long time ago; Felicia had disappeared just before the Battle of New York for a holiday in Europe. Peter had heard that the family was setting up new roots down there and he didn''t think she would come back.


    While Peter''s thoughts raced a mile a minute Felicia continued to come closer and closer. Finally when she was only 2 meters away she stopped. Her eyes moved up and down his body as she took in the form of his costume.


    Felicia felt a frown come to her face as she noticed the rips and tears the costume had littered about. She could also just make out the skinny form of the person underneath as the costume didn''t fill out like it used to, with muscles and definition.


    "So when did you get back in town Cat?" She gave a smile. "Only 2 days ago handsome. I wanted to see how you were doing. Even in Europe we get news about Spider-Man. Though none of it was good." Peter quirked an eyebrow underneath the mask, and answered uncertainly. "You were in Europe?"


    "You know I was in Europe, I told you before I left Peter." Hearing her words Peter froze and took a step back. "How did you?" "Hahah" She gave a bell like laugh and moved closer, though Peter kept moving back. "Ohh you know I figured it out just before I left. After you helped me that day."


    She slightly grimaced at the words, and Peter knew which one she was talking about. "I took a little interest in you, nerdy as you were; somehow you had a six pack and looked like a professional gymnast." Peter was shocked under the mask. "Wait when did you see¡­." "It helps to have connections in school." She licked her lips in a seductive manner.


    "I was quite surprised when I saw what you were rocking, no wonder you could keep that trash Eddie from attacking me." Saying that she reached up and put a finger on her lips. "Though I still didn''t figure it out fast, but after you disappeared ever time there was a big super villain on the loose, and then I found out you take pictures of Spider-Man, with scarily accurate angles and poses, everything started to click."


    Then she gave him an exasperated look. "But really, selling selfies for money? I mean really?" Peter blushed a little at being called out and thank god that he was wearing a mask with how red his face was. "Though I did have to scratch you with a certain pheromone that one time to make sure." Peter''s eyes widened in shock as he remember the last fight he had with Black Cat, she had specifically set up a heist and then fought him for a short time.


    Even with his enhanced strength and agility she was able to keep up, which made certain in Peters mind that there was something different about Felicia that he didn''t know about. Of course in the end Peter still edged her out in almost every attribute and had a spider sense meaning he was winning the fight.


    Having taken a claw to the back which hurt like hell, she had pulled back and he let her go. He saw no reason to continue to chase her. She stole nothing in the end. The next day at school she had been awfully close to him, patting him on the back repeatedly and being all handsy. Peter groaned in his mind at the mistake.

 Chapter 28 - Felicia Part 3

    Finally reaching the edge of the building Peter couldn''t move back any further as Felicia got closer and closer. "If you know it''s me, that still doesn''t answer my question, why are you back?" Peter didn''t realize that when he spoke to her this time his tone had turned a lot colder.


    Felicia who was moving closer stopped and the smile faded from her face for the first time. She stood there for a few seconds not saying anything as she thought to herself, even turning her back to think. Finally after a few minutes she turned back around.


    "Look, my family wanted to get away from New York after the giant battle. I tried calling a few times afterwards but you never picked up." She sent a small pout his way as he grimaced on the inside. His Phone had been thrown away a long time ago. "I convinced my parents to let me come back, because I missed you. You were one of my best friends after that day." She then threw her hands up. "But guess what I find when I come back after all this time, no one knows where you are at school, they all said you disappeared after that day."


    Her voice turned low in sorrow as she continued. "I was worried sick that something may have happened for a little while, but then I remembered you were Spider-Man. And you had been showing up a lot more recently, so it could have been something else, but then¡­" She trailed off as she looked Peter in the eye, or more like looked into the lenses of the mask.


    Sorrow passed through her face as she once again took in his state. "Look Peter, I know about Aunt May, I''m so sorry." She was so genuine when she said those words that Peter was frozen to the spot, he felt his emotions flare as he heard her words.


    Stepping closer and in a much gentler way, she reached out towards him. He flinched as he saw her hand moving forwards, and Felicia couldn''t help but notice, but she didn''t stop she continued to reach forwards and rested her hand on his shoulder.


    With one hand on his shoulder she moved closer and soon gave Peter a hug. His shoulders trembled as he fought back the tears that threatened to come out. Peter stayed frozen in that hug for a small while before his brain came back to him.


    Looking down at the Platinum hair that rested on his shoulder and the warm body that was hugging him, he quickly struggled to get free. Felicia was shocked from the sudden move and Peter quickly distanced himself.


    "Peter?" His shoulders slumped in defeat as he stayed away from her. "You shouldn''t have come back Felicia." She shook at his words as a sense of hurt started to creep up inside her. "All those close to me don''t have a happy ending." Peter spoke bitterly as he tried to push her away.


    A light of understanding passed through her eyes as she heard his words and she thought back to all the people that she and Peter used to hang out with. Gwen and Harry were both gone, their families left in a mess, both fathers dead.


    Her eyes softened even more as she realized that peter just wanted to keep her safe. "Hey it''s ok, I''m here to help you, just like you helped me. Nothing''s going to happen to me" She spoke softly again as she was moving to get close and comfort him, he still moved back out of reach. "I just want to help." Felicia continued to try and give him words of comfort, but nothing was getting through. Finally after a while of this happening, Felicia finally gave a sigh of defeat. She wouldn''t get anything done like this.


    Raising her hands in defeat she spoke. "Fine ok then. Look would it be too much to ask for you to come back to my place for a drink then, catch up on old times. Some place warm to stay for the night even." Peter hesitated for a few seconds before speaking. "Ok I''ll have a drink and chat, but I''ve got some place to stay." "Uh huh"


    Giving a not convinced look, she looked down at the state of his costume noticing the rips, tears, and water damage that it had been through; she didn''t think he usually spent nights in any place good. Peter spoke up though before she said anything else. "But first I have to continue my patrol for a while longer."


    "But it''s already so late." Felicia commented as she looked up. Peter also looked at the night sky and realized that it was getting to the early hours of the morning. "Fine 1 more hour, then we go back to your place."


    "So a team up until then?" Peter looked at the playful smirk that was on her face and his spine shivered. "Yes." "Yay! I forgot some of my gear tonight; you''re going to have to carry me." Felicia threw her hands up and quickly jumped into the embrace of Peter, who stood stunned at the turn of events. Wrapping her hands around Peter''s neck and then one leg around his waist, Peter could only sigh in defeat as he looked at the smile on her face that was just inches from his own."Could we at least go to the edge of the building first?" Peter asked in exasperation. "No." She cutely replied.


    After that, for the next hour the night was ruled by a cat and a spider, all the crime they ran into was quickly dealt with as they usually got distracted by Black Cat before Spider-Man would knock them out.


    While they were swinging through the air though, finished with their last thug for the night, Felicia couldn''t help but grimace as she felt the bony body beneath her, ideas flying through her mind.


    She couldn''t imagine what he''s been through all this time.

 Chapter 29 - Rest

    "You live here now?" Peter questioned half in disbelief. He stood in a lavish penthouse sweet and was staring out the glass windows that over looked the city below. Staring at the scene for a few seconds he turned slowly to look at the woman who brought him there.


    With her back turned to him, he couldn''t help but let his eyes roam down her figure. Felicia was back to her brunet hair and had changed out of her usual outfit into a comfortable dress. She was looking through the fridge for something to drink.


    "What happened to your old place?" Turning to peek over her shoulder at him, she sent a smile and began to explain as she turned back, wiggling her ass in an enticing manner. Peter knew what she was doing, and so did she. "You know my parents. Once the war, on what was left of Osborn''s company started, they made quite a profit."


    Pulling out 2 cruisers she walked over with an even bigger smile. "Seeing as they wanted to stay in Europe a bit longer, they wanted nothing but the best security and comfort¡­." She handed him the drink and flashed a seductive smile. "¡­You know, because I''m by myself~" She said it in such a way that Peter gulped loudly.


    Taking the drink in his hand he looked down at it, and was unsure for a second, he had only drunk 3 times in his life, whenever someone close to him died. Looking up from it, to Felicia, who was still smiling in front of him, he let out a small sigh and popped the top off.


    *Clink* Their glasses clinked as Peter slowly rose the mask on his face so it rested just on his nose. Felicia sent a frown as she watched him drink. "Not going to take the mask off? I know it''s you Peter, what''s the point?" Peter stopped what he was doing and glanced at her, he really didn''t want to take his mask off, but he saw the glint in her eyes she wasn''t going to take no for an answer.


    "¡­Fine¡­" Reluctantly reaching up and taking his mask off. *Gasp* Felicia let out a small gasp as she looked at his haggard and unkempt face. The bags under his eyes showed the lack of sleep, and his malnourished face made him look sickly.


    Felicia was honestly shocked; she didn''t expect it was this bad. "What happened to you? The Peter I know wouldn''t be like this. You''d pick yourself up, keep moving forwards." Peter turned away in embarrassment as he saw the look in her eyes. He knew he was getting pretty bad, one of the main reasons he didn''t want to see her. He didn''t want her to see what he had turned out like, how he let himself go.


    Her words registered in his ear and he couldn''t help but mumble under his breath, something that she could just hear. "Maybe I don''t want to keep going." She froze as the grip on her bottle increased. She stopped for a second before moving back to the fridge. Going into the freezer, Peter looked at what she was doing as he sipped on the drink in his hand.


    Rummaging around Felicia turned around with a bottle of vodka in her hand and walked over to the table. Plopping it down, she then went and got two glasses from the drawer. With that done, she sat down at the table and motioned for Peter to join her. The steely glints in her eyes once again making him walk over slowly.


    Sitting across from one another Felicia kept that fierce glint in her eyes as she practically started to interrogate Peter. "When was the last time you got a proper night''s sleep?" Peter wanted to lie when he was asked, but he was never the best liar, and something inside him wanted to share his burden, to talk to someone he''s close with.


    "You know, most days I get 7 hours. Some days a little less." In the end Peter still decided to lie, he was too embarrassed to tell the truth. How do you tell someone, you don''t sleep much because of the nightmares? Felicia gave him a look at the words, clearly not believing him.


    Before she could continue Peter shot back a question. "So how do you change your hair at will?" She leant back as she poured both of them a glass of vodka. Peter raised an eyebrow at how much was poured, but shrugged in the end. After gaining his powers alcohol didn''t really affect him much, though he was worried about her limit.


    She thought about his words and gave a small smile. "Well that''s my little secret. I''ll tell you about it another time." She tipped her glass up and downed it, changing the conversation back. "So where do you live now days?" Peter was about to answer with another lie when his eyes caught hers, there was anger ready to burst forth. "Don''t you dare lie to me Peter! Look at yourself and think about your next words carefully."


    Peter turned quiet, which was all she needed. "You''re not living on the streets are you?" He continued to say nothing. "My god you are?! What the hell is wrong with you?!!" Finally her anger burst forth and she slammed her hand on the table, almost knocking over the bottle that was placed a top it. She was mad, worse than Peter had ever seen her. "And you still don''t want to spend the night here?!? There is a spare room! And it''s warm! And hell there''s a f.u.c.k.i.n.g roof Peter!"


    She was practically shouting at him now as Peter continued to say nothing. But Felicia realized quickly that the words just weren''t getting through, which pissed her off even more. She tried to change her tactics. "You need to be at the top of your game! New York needs Spider-Man to be at his best when crime is happening!"


    Honestly she didn''t give two damns about him being Spider-Man right now, but it was the only thing that she thought might get through to him. Looking in his eyes, she could see that it sparked something inside him and he finally spoke in an eerily calm tone.


    "Don''t worry; I''ll do my duty for this city¡­" She could pick up the distaste and hatred in his voice as he voiced the word ''duty'', but it was gone in an instant as his voice turned melancholic towards the end. "¡­But there are so many heroes popping up nowadays, I don''t know if New York will still need Spider-Man after a while."


    Her eyes squinted as she heard the seriousness in his voice. Her hand under the table gripped into a fist, before slowly loosening. She had gone the complete wrong way with this. "You know, you can take a break for one day, the city won''t be destroyed." While saying so she reached down into her back pocket.


    Peter''s eyes suddenly shifted as for a second he felt his spider sense go off, but it was such a minute thing. But having trusted it for so long, he did scan the room once. "Well¡­. I wonder some times." He said it in a distracted manner, reaching up to take a drink again.


    Realizing his drink was empty he reached for the bottle, but Felicia grabbed it first and motioned for his glass. Giving a nod, she unscrewed the lid of the bottle, her hand passing over the top, before she poured them two glasses.


    Handing it back over. *Clink* Their glasses met and Felicia skulled the vodka. Peter seeing her challenging stare also knocked back his head and downed his glass. *Crash* "What?!" Peter body started to loos feeling as his mind started to cloud. Felicia stood up from where she was sitting and moved over quickly, supporting his lolling head.


    His eyes widened as he looked at her. "W-why? How?" He had trouble getting the words out as he tried to figure out when his drink was spiked. She hadn''t placed anything in his glass, he would have seen. He thought back hard to figure it out, but he was having trouble thinking.


    ''The Bottle! But then she too would be drugged'' He finally came up with an answer as she spoke to his quickly fading mind. "I promised myself I would never be in ''that'' situation again. Pretty easy to build up a tolerance to such drugs¡­" Her tone turned gentle as she continued. "I think New York can live one day without Spider-Man. And I think you deserve a warm bed tonight."


    His mind was fading too fast he couldn''t do anything, so he just let it be, he let the blackness that was coming take him. His eyes closed and his body went limp as Felicia bent down and quietly hugged him, whispering in his ear. "Rest Peter, it''s okay. It''s okay." She felt a small tear roll down her cheek, before she wiped it away and picked him up.


    Peter would sleep in a comfortable bed tonight.

 Chapter 30 - Retrieval Part 1

    Laura''s eyes snapped open. *Sniff* And her nose twitched. Springing to her feet she turned in a certain direction and continued to sniff the air. A confused look appeared in her eyes as she smelt something familiar, almost like herself, but different.


    The smell was getting closer and closer to her position, but it wasn''t alone. *Sniff* There were a few other people with it. Narrowing her eyes, her body began to fade into the shadows the warehouse provided.


    In the darkness that suddenly sprouted the only thing that could still be seen where her glimmering eyes that had turned slightly red as the stared towards the door. Her heat beat gradually grew slower and slower. She was waiting to see what happened.


    Whatever that smell was, that was coming closer, her instincts were telling her that it was dangerous. They flared as they felt an alpha predator closing in. It wasn''t something she had felt before, not like this anyways.


    Outside the warehouse, a block or two away a small group of people were slowly making their way around. They all wore specialized gear that hid their identities with an interesting color pallet. In the lead was a man in a yellow, black and blue gear, The Wolverine.


    Behind him trailed Scott, or Cyclops, Jean or Marvel Girl, a name in progress, and finally Anna Marie or Rouge. "You sure your fine Jean?" Scot asked in worry as he looked at Jean next to him. She had been quiet since she talked to the old woman. Jean didn''t reply as she was inside her own thoughts.


    "Of course she''s not fine, Idiot, she just found out an old friend is missing and could be in trouble." Rogue who had found out what happened in small snippets of conversation rolled her eyes at Scott for the stupid question. Scott choked on what he was about to say and instead stayed quiet. He didn''t know what he could say to Jean right now.


    While they were talking Logan spoke from the front. "Hey red head¡­" Jean looked up at Logan. "¡­I know you''re worried about your friend. We can look for him after this mission is done. I''m sure the professor can help you with cerebro. I need you head in the game for this mission." Jean felt slightly annoyed about his words, but in the end she agreed, the professor could find anyone on earth, if anyone could find him, it would be the professor.


    ''But what if they couldn''t find him?'' That small thought passed through her mind and she grimaced. ''NO!'' She shook her head, she couldn''t think like that. To take her mind off Peter, she decided to throw herself into getting this mission done.


    Looking on from the front, Logan gave a small nod as he saw the determination come back to her face. "So you sense anything? The professor said they would be around here." Jean sent her mind out to probe the people around; she couldn''t find anything so they keep walking around looking.


    As they passed by another block, suddenly Logan stopped. *Sniff* His nose twitched as he turned towards a certain warehouse. "You don''t have to look anymore, red head. I think I found them." Jean gave him a quizzical look, so did Scott and Rogue.


    But after seeing him in action so many times, they didn''t question him and followed as he led them towards a warehouse. Stepping up to the door Logan gripped the handle and slowly opened the door. The rest tensed as they prepared for a fight just in case.


    Opening the door the dark warehouse unveiled in front of them. There was no one inside, and nothing to show that a person had been living there. The food scraps that were in the warehouse were usually taken by Peter when he left, and Laura didn''t use anything when sleeping. So it didn''t look like anyone lived there.


    *Sniff* Logan sniffed the air again as he moved into the dark room. The rest cautiously came behind him; they could tell something wasn''t right in the room. It felt like something was watching them. Logan walked into the corner on the other side of the room, before crouching down and picking up a small strand of hair that was on the ground.


    While Logan was doing this, Scott looked around his hand resting on the visor sitting over his eyes. Rogue pulled off the gloves on her hand and also scanned the room. Jean raised a hand to her temple and started to concentrate hard, trying to find anything in the warehouse.


    Just as she felt like she brushed up against another mind. *Sniff* Logan''s nose twitched once again. *Snkit* *Snikt* Claws exploded from his hand as he turned around quickly. But he wasn''t quick enough, it wasn''t just his claws that were popped, another set from above gleaned in the moonlight.


    "Raghr!" A shout from above announced the presence of the person dropping from above. Nobody had time to react as the body fell atop Logan who was trying to turn around and 2 sets of claws dug into his back. "ARGH!" Logan screamed out in pain as blood was spilled.


    *Rip* The claws were pulled out just as fast as they went in, and went to plunge back in. Before that happened though, her body stopped mid motion. Jean was reaching her hand out towards the attacker. *Clank* The dial on the side of Scott''s visor was turned as he trained his eyes on the frozen person.


    *Boom* A red blast of energy rocketed out and slammed into their body flinging them off towards the opposite wall. *Crash* Crumble* The wall crumbled as the person''s body hit it. The red beam died down as Logan quickly got up and looked at his assailant.


    Even after such an attack they weren''t down for the count. "Grrr." Actually they were just more pissed off. Growling at the ensemble of people that gathered around her in a semi-circle, Laura''s blades gleamed in the light and looked deadly.


    Everyone but Logan gasped as they spotted the claws. "Aren''t those your gimmick old man?" Rouge commented from the side as she got in a defensive stance. "Grrr." Logan just growled a response, his eyes not leaving her figure.


    "Not anymore it looks like." Scott replied instead, his hand still resting on his visor. Laura also didn''t take her eyes off Logan. For her, everyone else was sending signals of a slight threat, while Logan was a major problem.


    Though when she looked at the Red haired Girl, she also felt a certain threat, but it was obscured, suppressed. Her eyes drifted to Jean for a second before moving back to Logan. While they were having a staring competition, Jean spoke up as a voice of reason.


    "We mean you no harm; we just want to talk to you." Laura registered her words but she didn''t believe them. Looking at their fighting prowess, they might be people sent by ''them'' for retrieval. At least they didn''t send ''her''. She couldn''t kill her with that unbreakable skin.


    Seeing her like a cornered animal Logan made an assessment. She wouldn''t come without a fight. If they took her down and got her back to the mansion before talking to her, maybe they would get somewhere. She wouldn''t come without a fight.


    Deciding that, the smile on his face grew. He was itching for a fight. Even if there was a chance this was his daughter, he wanted to see what she was made off. *Snikt* As if sensing what he was thinking, ever so slowly a pair of claws popped from Laura''s feet. Rouge raised an eyebrow. "Well that''s new."

 Chapter 31 - Retrieval Part 2

    Logan''s smile got wider as he raised his hand and made a ''come here'' gesture with his finger. Taking that as a sign to begin Laura rushed forwards, lowering herself to the ground. Her eyes switched from Logan to Scott for a second as he twisted his hand.


    *Boom* The red beam flew past her and hit the ground as she dodged to the side and got in close to Logan. *Clang* There blades met and Laura was pushed back slightly. Logan had more power than her. "Adamantium?" Logan was not too surprised that her claws were made from adamantium; he just felt a pang of sorrow as he knows the pain of having it grafted to your bones. She might have gone through the same process he had.


    Not to be deterred Laura used the momentum of her falling backwards to flip backwards. The claw on her foot taking Logan by surprise as it slashed cross his chest. His gear was easily torn through but the bleeding stopped fast.


    Logan smirked. "That the best you got, darling?" Saying that he sprung forwards to chase the flipping girl. Using her flexibility to level the playing field, the two began to fight. *Clang* *Clang* *Clang* Their blades clashed over and over, as the others watched, they didn''t have any room to join the fight.


    Laura was proving her worth as she continued to get hits in when Logan dropped his guard, usually with her foot claws. But it wasn''t making an impact as all the injuries were healing at a rate visible to the eye.


    Logan also got in a hit or two, but it was hard for him as she was so slippery and versatile. He was also facing the same problem. The clothes she was wearing were starting to get ripped as the claws found their marks and dug out her skin, but in seconds the bleeding would stop and the skin would repair.


    Her healing factor was at the same level as Logan''s!!! Both of them realized the problem as they continued to fight. Sending a glance towards the other people that were watching on the side lines, Laura knew she couldn''t run as long as they were still standing. And she couldn''t defeat Logan without fighting for hours it seemed.


    She made a quick decision, when Logan went in for the next hit Laura bounded towards him, jumped in the air and wrapped around his body. Locking his arm with her legs she flipped his surprisingly heavy body to the ground before rolling off and rushing toward the trio of watchers.


    Watching what was happening, Scott went for another blow, but it was dodged expertly by Laura once again. Finally making it closer to them she dashed at the red head. "Rargh!!" Screaming out loud Jean quickly retreated while holding out her hand.


    Laura felt her body begin to slow down and be caught midair. She struggled with her all, and could see the strain that was coming from the red head in front of her. Just a little bit longer and she would break free and take her down, before dealing with the visor boy.


    She had to be fast as she knew Logan would be on her tail soon. Before she could struggle out of the binding though a cold hand grabbed onto the back of her neck. It was the girl that she had ignored mostly from the beginning.


    "URgh!" Laura groaned in pain as she felt the cold hand wrap around her. Energy started to be sapped from her body as she gasped for air. Her struggling started to die down, and Jean recovered fast, holding her in place.


    After a few more seconds Laura finally couldn''t keep her consciousness and fell into darkness. As she started to fade, her fears of ''that place'' started to creep into her mind. She didn''t want to go back! She wanted to stay here! She wanted to continue talking to him! She was finally starting to enjoy life!


    Those were the last thoughts in her mind as she slumped completely out cold. Logan appeared behind her in the next second and held her body when Jean let go. Rouge who just took the powers of Laura gasped for air for a second as she let the memories and power flow through her.


    Of course the memories were jumbled and she couldn''t make sense of most of them right now, if she was given more time and they did it again, maybe she would glean more. But Rouge didn''t like using her power much. Especially repeatedly on one person.


    Jean frowned as she shook her head, Logan walking closer. "Job well done kids. Won''t be needing to stay in that hotel for long. We can have a quick sleep and then get back to the mansion as soon as possible. We don''t want her waking up."


    Nudging the person he was carrying, he decided their plans quickly. Scott sported a smile at a job well done as he moved closer to Jean, who was still frowning and rubbing her temples. "Everything ok?" Jean shook her head slowly for a while, before replying.


    "Just her thoughts before she was knocked out. It looked like she didn''t want to go back somewhere she hated. And¡­" Scott frowned at the words, while Logan filed away the mention of a place she was scared of. Probably the place that gave her the claws. "And?" Scott asked.


    "¡­And, she was waiting for someone here, a friend." Scot was intrigued. "A friend? Were they a mutant?" Jean thought for a few second before shaking her head. "No, the professor would have told us if there was another mutant around here. He was likely just normal. I would have to delve into her mind deeper, to find out. I don''t want to invade her privacy."


    Hearing the words, Logan shook his head. "Don''t worry about it, we''ll ask her about them when she wakes up. If it was a normal person, better for him. Something might have happened if they stayed so close to her. She''ll get over them quickly." Rogue gave him a look. "And if she doesn''t?"


    Logan shrugged his shoulders. "I''ll explain why it''s better, and if not me, she''ll probably listen to the professor, once he does his fatherly mentor thing." Rogue just shook her head as she moved to leave. Logan trailed behind her, with Jean and Scott coming out last.


    In a certain spot of the warehouse, rubble littered the ground from where a blast had hit. The cracks on the new cement let a little light shine on the small jar underneath and the black substance sitting within.


    ***************


    In the morning, Jean stared out the window of the car and watched the City fade into the distance as they moved further away. Her mind continued to think about a boy who she grew up with, one she couldn''t forget. On her right was Laura, who was still out cold.


    The car sped along towards its destination, away from the Big Apple.

 Chapter 32 - Ambush

    Natasha walked out slowly from Avengers tower deep in thought. Just last night she had returned from a mission to free some hostages on a captured Shield vessel. Of course Fury wanted her to also extract some data off the sh.i.p.s computers while all that was going on.


    Steve wasn''t happy that he wasn''t kept in the loop, but that was the job. There were certain advantages and disadvantages to being one of Fury''s best agents. But that wasn''t why she was deep in thought. There was something different about the last mission.


    Call it the instincts she had developed over the years, or just a gut feeling, she didn''t really care. Something about the last mission felt off, especially the leader of the STRIKE team, agent Rumlow. There was something about the way he assessed and interacted with both Steve and her.


    She had kept her eyes on him during the mission, but nothing happened. But even now a small part of her was screaming that something was going to happen soon. After getting back and handing the data to Fury, Natasha came back to avengers'' tower. Say what you will about Tony, his tower had world class security, enough to let her relax at night.


    Now the morning, she made her way to meet up with Peter. Slowly lost in her thoughts she made it to the park by 8am. Slowing down as she finally came into sight of the bench he usually slept on, a disappointed look flashed through her eyes. He wasn''t there.


    Shifting the bag that was resting on her shoulder, she considered her options. She liked the tranquility of the area, but for right now she had no reason to stay and enjoy the sight, she had other things to worry about. Preparing to leave, her eyes scanned the area one last time.


    Tapping her leg for a second after doing the check, she continued on her way forward and sat down on the bench. Placing her bag down next to her, she reached in and pulled out a sandwich that was wrapped up and went to reach back into the bag.


    In one fluid motion she whipped out the gun prepared within and aimed at a person moving towards her. *Bang* The man fell to the ground still trying to reach for the gun secured to his side. Not wasting any time Natasha rolled to the side and aimed at one of the group that was now closing in fast.


    *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* Bullets slammed into the bench she was sitting on as she rushed towards the big oak 4 meters away from her. It would give her enough room for cover. Behind her a group of men dressed in casual clothes aimed their guns as they tracked her retreating figure.


    Using her quick agility she rushed to the oak without being hit. Finally given a small amount of time to breath she fired out 2 quick shots to make the people closing in back off. *Bang* *Crack* The tree was splintered through by the opposing fire but none hit her as she reduced her area of mass by crouching down.


    Reaching into her back pocket she quickly reloaded and strained her ears. All she could hear was the soft crunch of their boots as they made their way closer, they weren''t speaking to each other. Which showed how well trained they were. Either they didn''t need to communicate, or they were using hand signals.


    Either option wasn''t something Natasha wanted right now. Reaching into her other back pocket she pulled out a small mirror that she used to peek around the corner. In the rush to find cover she couldn''t assess properly how many were after her.


    Shifting quietly and positioning the mirror she was able to make our 6 men closing in, with a standard formation. Before she could pull back the mirror one of them raised their gun and fired twice. *Bang* *Bang* the first just missed the mirror and the other hit it square flinging it out of her hand.


    "§¢§Ý§ñ§Õ§î" Swearing and reaching for her ankle, she pulled out one of her reserve weapons. Mentally calculating their positions and likely movement pattern Natasha slowed her heart rate down and prepared to kill these guys.


    Bending down to pick up a small piece of the chipped bark, she threw it to the left. *Bang* A few shots where herd as she flung her right arm out of cover, before quickly pulling it back. *Bang* *Bang* More shots went out as they expected the distraction.


    Bursting forth from the side she threw the bark, her eyes drifted to the nearest target and she unloaded on them. Rushing forwards 3 dropped to the ground fast. Not wanting to give themselves away, none of them wore body armour under their clothes and had no defenses.


    By the time the 4th one dropped *Click* *Click* Natasha was out. Throwing her weapon away and grabbing one of the slowly slumping bodies as a body shield. She slipped her hands behind her back and grabbed two throwing knives.


    Quickly flicking her wrists, the last two dropped to the ground dead, 2 knives in their heads. Looking at the surroundings to make sure there were no more around, she started to go over the people in front of her.


    Using her experience she was able to tell that they had training, but there was nothing on them that showed who they were affiliated with. Their ethnicity was white, non-descript appearances, and store bought clothes, she would have to use shield resources to gain any clues.


    Opening one of their mouths slightly, she noticed a small fake tooth that contained something. ''Probably cyanide or some other poison so they didn''t talk'' That narrowed down the list of organizations they might be working for, only a few of them still used this method.


    Fishing out her phone Natasha quickly took photos of their faces before, making a call to Fury. After a few rings he didn''t pick up, causing a small frown to form on her face. She was using the emergency number, seeing as she was just ambushed by a group of killers, which shouldn''t happen.


    Seeing that he wasn''t going to pick up, she sent a small message with the pictures she had taken. Done with that, she went over to the bench and picked up her bag and sandwich. The frown on her face got worse as she looked at the empty bench in front of her.


    Peter should still be asleep at this time and she wasn''t sure if he had any other place to go. He should have been here at this time, but instead a group of killers ambushed her. It wasn''t a good sign and made Natasha fear the worst.


    Before she continued her train of thought her phone vibrated. *Beep* Looking down at the message Fury just sent, she frowned again. ''This has to do with the last mission?'' ''What was in that data?'' Sending one last glance at the empty bench she sent a message to shield, to get a cleanup team there ASAP.


    She had to report back to Fury right away, she would have to check if he was ok later. Looking down at her watch, Shield would arrive in a few minutes. Finally Natasha moved to leave the park and head to Avengers tower. Her gear and a ride would arrive in 20 minutes.


    ''It looks like my instincts were right''

 Chapter 33 - Waking Up

    *Yawn* A loud yawn came out as Peter slowly woke up on a comfortable bed. Not remembering what happened the night before or even realizing where he was, he moved to cover his mouth while he was yawning.


    *Clank* And that was when he realized that his hands were cuffed above his head and strapped on to the bedpost. "Huh?" Peter let out a stupid voice as he looked up at both his hands cuffed above his head. His mind, which was still groggy, took a few seconds to realize what was happening to him.


    Wanting to move his body so that he could get up and break the stupid things he finally registered that there was a weigh on his chest. Blinking his eyes, he lowered his head and stared at the platinum blond hair that was resting on his chest. That he just realized, was completely bare, showing off his malnourished state.


    And under that head of platinum hair was a head, following the hair his eyes roamed down the body of the female lying on top of him. With the warmth she provided, he couldn''t deny he was comfortable, but as he registered the form and then what happened last night, his face scrunched up.


    Various emotions played across his face as finally he could only say out in exasperation. "For god''s sake, Felicia!" Saying it a bit too loud the body lying atop him finally woke up. *Yawn* Giving a cute yawn as she slowly pulled herself up, she gave a small smile in her half asleep state, raising her arms up to stretch out her back.


    Arching it just like a cat, a small sound escaped her lips as she stretch out her crinks and sores. "Purr, mmmnn." ''Did she just purr?!'' Peter was stunned as she purred like a cat, before stilling as he got an up close look at the body in front of him.


    Wearing only a Spidey themed shirt that was somehow too tight at the chest but still went below her waist, Felicia slowly woke up. Staring for a few seconds at the sight before him, Peter caught himself and looked to her eyes. Seeing the smirk on her face Peter had to roll his eyes. "Come on Felicia, are you kidding me with this?" The smirk got bigger. "What do you mean Petey?"


    Peter was flabbergasted at her acting skills; she said that in such a genuine manner. Finally collecting himself, he slightly pulled on the cuffs above his head. *Clank* "I mean really, cuffed to a bed, and you''re lying on top of me, in that¡­." He trailed off for a second as his fingers pointed in her direction.


    Before he remembered something. "¡­Actually, what they hell happened to my shirt?!" She let out a small giggle as she finally moved off the top of him. She had been straddling him since she moved back. "Finally noticed that, huh? Were you preoccupied?"


    Being the smart ass he was though, Peter quickly came up with a response. "Well when you''re wearing something showing off your chest nearly as bad as your first costume, it is a bit hard to concentrate." She sent him a playful pout. "I was going through some self-confidence issues when I started out."


    Peter just raised his eye brow. "You were like what? 15 and star of the damn athletics, and martial arts clubs? Heck one of the most popular girls in school, and you thought ''If I get caught stealing diamonds or they take my picture while out there, I want them to know I have a nice figure?''" She gave him another smile. "Exactly!"


    Peter could only shake his head and let out a small sigh. "Well at least your costume isn''t as ''thought provoking'' as it used to be, forgot to say that last night. Though I can''t say I''m not a little disappointed." She moved closer at his words. "Yeah well, I was sick of people staring at my chest when I was out and about. Plus the cold night winds a bitch." She was almost right next to him again at this point. "Though I remember a certain arachnid being caught unprepared as he stood still staring the first few times we met."


    Moving even closer she whispered in his ear. "Plus I still have it lying around; I''ll put it on sometime if you want." *Cough* *Cough* Peter turned his reddening face to the side and faked a cough or two as Felicia gave another laugh, moving back. Letting the room fall into silence for a few seconds, Peter finally turned back, but this time his face was serious.


    "You drugged me." It wasn''t a question it was a statement. "Would you have stayed the night if I didn''t?" His silence told her the answer. "Come on Peter, you and I both know what I''m offering is for the best. I don''t know where you are staying right now, but something tells me it''s worse than what should be possible." Once again the slight hesitation gave her all the answers she needed.


    She clapped her hands together in a happy manner before Peter could put up a defense for himself. "So! You''re staying here for the foreseeable future." And that was that, the tone was so final that Peter almost nodded his head.


    But he stopped himself at the last second. Being the stubborn person that he is, he instead tried to argue a case. So for the next few minutes, maybe it was an hour. Peter kept trying to convince Felicia to set him free. "At least let me out of the cuffs. And get me a damn shirt!" While Felicia either diverted the topic to something crazy, or just out right denied him. "No. Plus I think it''s better this way with your shirt off. I think we both know what happens next in this scene." "Damn it woman! What''s in that head of yours?!!"

 Chapter 34 - Escape

    "You know she''s going to be very mad, Peter" The soft voice of Crystal sounded in Peter''s ear as he swung from roof top to roof top. Hearing the voice Peter let out a small laugh as if to lighten the mood, but the fear behind it completely ruined that.


    Sending another glance at the direction he just came from, Peter felt a small bead of sweat roll down his head. "You sent her the message as I left, I''m sure she''ll understand¡­. I said I''ll meet her later tonight¡­" Peter didn''t sound convincing when he said that and Crystal picked that up. "Are you sure about that?"


    Peter raised an eye brow as he stuck to the side of a building for a second. "When did you start getting so skeptical?" A smug Crystal replied. "I''m not skeptical, I just know you, Peter. And there''s a 72% chance that you won''t go back." "HEY! Why''s it so high." "Do you really want to know?" That reply almost had Peter fall right out of the sky from surprise.


    Thinking about it for a second, he shook his head, getting back his balance. "¡­No, I''d rather not." Peter could just imagine the smug look on Crystal''s nonexistent face as she replied. "That''s what I thought." Peter felt like coughing up blood. But pushing it to the back of his mind he swung off. It was almost 1PM already!


    **********************


    (15 Minutes Earlier.)


    "Enough! Enough! Please stop." Peter wailed in surrender. Felicia, who was teasing him again by blowing into his ear, backed up and gave a laugh. She was enjoying this way too much. ''She likes this too much'' Peter thought to himself as he tried to think of a plan. He wasn''t a genius for no reason, he finally figured a way out.


    "Can we at least go and eat something." Felecia tilted her head as she stared at him. She could just detect the glint in his eyes and new he was up to something. "Mmm, I think if I let you out of the cuffs, you''ll disappear." Peter just tilted his head back with a naive look. "I have no clue what you''re talking about. Ok? Crystal clear?"


    Felicia narrowed her eyes as she felt something when he said that last line. Before she could think too much, he continued. "I mean what if you get a call soon, and then forget to feed me." The fake whining in his voice bought a small smile to her lips.


    She started to seriously think about his proposal. She couldn''t keep him cuffed the whole time he was here. Looking at his pitiful eyes that were practically puppy dog eyes at this point, she ever so slowly started to move over and undo his cuffs.


    As she did this, she felt something overcome her, as she slowly started to lower her head towards his. Peters eyes opened wide as they got closer and closer, they both knew what was about to happen.


    *Ring* *Ring* They both opened their eyes wide as the ringing of a phone came from the other room. Felicia stopped what she was doing and looked up. The displeasure on her face was something Peter had never seen.


    *Ring* *Ring* *Click* The phone rang out but Felicia didn''t bother to get up and move. Waiting for it to finish and then giving it a few seconds, she turned from the door and looked back at Peter. He blinked his eyes as she once again started to lower her head.


    This time she got even closer, and their lips were just centimeters apart when. *Ring* *Ring* *Bang* Felicia punched a hole in the wall behind Peters head, as a small shiver went down his spine. Her face was furious as she bolted to her feet, and like a raging bull stomped towards the door.


    Watching her go with wide eyes, she slammed the door open, but just before she left she left some words. "Give me just one second." The sickly sweet voice sounded like a demon when he heard it. *Bang* The door was slammed shut as Peter watched a small crack form on the door frame.


    Gripped by fear as he knew exactly who was calling, Peter wasn''t kind when he slammed his hands down and tore the cuffs from his hand. He didn''t give two damns about the noise he made as he reached over to where he had found his shirt and basically strangled himself as he threw it on.


    Tumbling to the door with super human speed, Peter stuffed the small comm device in his ear and jumped out the window. He didn''t care that he would have to slam his web shooters on midair, he needed to bolt right damn now!


    Stuffing the communicator in his ear the voice of Crystal spoke after a second. "Call distraction pulled off without a hitch, Peter." Peter for the life of him wanted to scream at the top of his lungs, that ''no it wasn''t without a hitch'', but right now, he was running for his life.


    Just as he made it a block away, even without his super natural hearing he heard a feminine scream from the distance. "PARKER!!!!!!" He shuddered as he sped up midair, pulling himself away as fast as possible.


    "Crystal, send a message to Felicia''s phone. Tell her I''ll be back for dinner, I promise. I just had to¡­uhhh¡­.meet a friend for lunch." Quickly deciding to go and retreat to the abandoned warehouse district and have lunch there. Peter felt a chill down his spine as he got further and further away.


    ******************


    (Present)


    Peter dropped down slowly till he was above his favorite street seller. Quickly ordering two hotdogs, which Laura seemed to like, a lot, Peter swung back into the air and made his way to the warehouse. He had one hectic night, he needed some quiet time.


    There was a lot he had to think about.

 Chapter 35 - A Gut Feeling

    Peter swung lazily through the air, careful that no one could see where he was going. Knowing that he was going into one of the shadier parts of town, it was better that he wasn''t spotted. One of the many reasons he usually only went to the district at night.


    Holding the 2 hotdogs he just picked up, close to his chest, so that they didn''t cool down too fast, or lose their toppings, he quickly made his way to his street clothes. On the way to them he started to pray to god that they hadn''t been stolen, or ripped.


    Clothes like that just lying around would sometimes be taken, especially if his webbing let up and they dropped to ground level. Finally making it to the spot he left the clothes, he said a short thanks before getting changed.


    Deciding that he was still taking too much time, as the food was getting cold; he sprinted off towards the Warehouse. Finally reaching the door, a slight tinge in his spider sense made his hand stop. A short ping of danger spiked through Peter''s head as he didn''t open the door.


    He had been Spider-Man for 5 years now, and at the start his spider sense had saved him numerous times, it still was essential today. He had relied on it for such a long time, before he lost it at some point. Of course he regained it later, but that was a story for another time.


    What was important was how it had changed after he got it back. It still warned him of danger, imminent and malicious intentions included, but what had changed was that it told him of past danger. It was a weird feeling and Peter thought he was going crazy when he first felt it.


    It wasn''t like his usual spider sense that warned him of danger; it instead told him of danger that had passed through the area, like an echo of danger. Usually this meant that someone dangerous, someone that could give him a run for his money, had come through the area in the last few hours.


    It was a very specific type of spider sense and one that wholly he didn''t use much. It was useful when he was trying to track a person down, but the proximity to the danger was hard to locate and the person had to stay in the same area for a while, before it would set this spider sense off.


    Feeling the cold prick of the spider sense go off, Peter instantly tensed. He knew that Laura lived here and she also didn''t set his spider sense off anymore. This meant someone very dangerous had come here recently.


    Staying calm, but preparing for anything, Peter slowly opened the door. *CreaK* The loud sound of the door opening, made Peter want to curse the old door. His eyes sharpened though as he took in the warehouse interior.


    Rubble was littered about the place, as well as some steel beams that seemed to have been knocked over. One of the walls was blasted apart letting a cold chill fill the area. Peter knew right away that there was no chance that Laura would still be here.


    What truly worried him was if she was alright. He couldn''t tell if she had made it out. Walking into the room and letting the dogs fall to the floor. Peter started to look about the area. It took him all of 10 seconds before he stopped dead. His eyes trained over to a certain part of the warehouse. His body stilled as a little sense of dread started to take over his body. ''No''. The cracked newer cement told him all he needed to know, but he had to check.


    Rushing over with his all, he almost slid to the ground as he started to pull the gravel away at supersonic speeds. It wasn''t long before he got to the small pocket of ground holding a glass jar. A glass jar that was cracked right open!


    Peter almost flinched as he saw the jar. As he looked in he could see the black substance still sitting there! Venom was still here! Scrambling back, his mind worked fast as he rolled and jumped up. He had no sonic equipment, no fire, nothing that could contain Venom right now. He couldn''t get closer without it taking over his body.


    Numerous options flashed through his mind as he stared intently at the spot. Ever so slowly the black substance that was Venom crawled to the surface and did nothing. Peter continued to stare at Venom, and Venom seemingly stared back.


    Peter blinked his eyes slowly as he watched for any other movement, but nothing happened. Moving to the right, he could feel the eyes trained on him also move. Venom was watching him, but wasn''t doing anything else.


    While it may be really slow in its substance form, it could still catch regular people if it tried. His spider sense didn''t go off as he continued to watch it. But then again Venom had been a part of him for a short amount of time. It had been so much a part of him that his spider sense never went off when they were fighting.


    It was one of the reasons that forced him to evolve his fighting style. Not that he had much use for it these days, most of his villains gallery was dead, gone straight, or in prison.


    It was more of a gut feeling that made him do what he did next. Peter was a person that trusted his gut, as much as he trusted his spider sense. Many a time it had helped him in dangerous scenarios, even though it was usually his luck that got him into them, which was such a contradiction that even Crystal might not want to figure it out.


    Ever so slowly Peter started to edge his way closer to Venom. If Venom moved so much as a muscle Peter would bolt, maybe go to the fantastic four. Reed, Sue, Ben and Johnny were all smart people. Pulling in a favor they might be able to whip up something to track the Alien parasite, and maybe something better than a Jar to keep it contained.


    As if knowing what Peter was thinking Venom didn''t move as Peter stepped closer and closer. Finally when there was 1 meter left between the two Peter started to slowly reach out towards the symbiote. The possibilities of what might and could happen raced through his mind, but he was going to trust his gut on this one. Maybe, just maybe something had changed.


    Finally his hand reached the black substance and it crawled up his hand. ''Well'' peter thought to himself, ''At least I should be able to make it to the Baxter building before anything bad happens''.

 Chapter 36 - When It Rains, It Pours

    Peter stared pensively as he watched the black glob slowly crawl onto his hand. He waited and stared expecting it to stretch and start to engulf his body, like always, to bond with him. But as he watched, Venom stayed still, as if deliberating something, Venom ever so slowly climbed the cuff of his clothes and made its way to his top pocket.


    Finding just the right place Venom went still before hiding from sight, without someone knowing Venom was there, no one would suspect a thing. Peter quietly watched as Venom did all this, to say he was shocked might have been an exaggeration, but Peter was definitely stumped.


    What had changed? What could have possible changed? Every time, without exception Venom would always bond with Peter first chance it got. Sure it had tried to kill him many a times when it was bound to Eddie, but it had tried to bond with him at every turn.


    "I know I''ve got one of those faces you can trust, but I didn''t think I was that convincing." Talking down to the glob that still hadn''t bonded with him, Peter let out a small smile. ''Could I possibly have reformed it?'' The thought raced through his head as he thought of the days he spent talking to Venom.


    Of course Venom never responded, because it just couldn''t, it was a blob after all, and in a jar under cement. But Peter hadn''t been able to talk to it for a long time after Laura turned up, he may have trusted her a fair amount, but he couldn''t risk her knowing about Venom.


    Something which he noted might not have mattered, looking down at his clothes. Pushing that to the back of his mind for the moment, seeing as he couldn''t for the life of him figure it out, Peter once again started to think about what happened in the warehouse.


    Now that his fears about Venom were slightly abated, his fears for Laura skyrocketed. Spending the next hour combing the place for anything, he came up with nothing. The closest thing he could find to people having been there was hair.


    There were strands of it littered around the place, some long enough to be Laura''s, but some shorter and a different color. That was his only clue and it could possible lead him nowhere. Finally moving out of the warehouse, which he might never return to, he looked at the street around for any clues.


    Spotting no cameras, tire marks, or really anything that could be off help, Peter let out a defeat sigh. If there were some camera''s he could get Crystal to hack into them easy. But this side of town usually didn''t have that type of luxury.


    ''Have I failed another person'' The thought came unbidden into his mind and a heavy atmosphere seemed to wrap around him as he made his way from the area. Peter hadn''t gotten close to a lot of people after Aunt May died, so for one of them to disappear like this, it bought ugly thoughts to his head.


    Suddenly losing the motivation to continue his patrol for another hour or two, Peter slowly made his way back to the park. He needed to think right now, he needed the quiet. Just a hundred meters from the park, the clouds above started to churn and darken and peter couldn''t help but swear under his breath.


    "Of course it''s bloody raining." Shaking his head he trudged his way through the ever increasing downpour. "It was a clear day, like 5 seconds ago, what the fudge" Finally within sight of his trusty home, he froze on the spot.


    Turning to scan the area, he felt his heart drop even more in the cold weather. His eyes easily picked up the bullet holes that littered the ground and where his bench used to sit. Of course it was still there, but half of the back was chipped and destroyed now. Some of the planks that he would lie down on were also chipped and cracked.


    Moving closer and looking down at his wood be home, Peter knew deep in his heart that he couldn''t stay here any longer. The thought sent a wave of sadness through him, as this had been his home for the last few months. It looked like some type of gang war had taken place in the park destroying the area.


    Small blotches of blood were littered over the place, but there were no signs of bodies. Peter sported a small frown for a second as he thought about where the bodies could be. He knew in a gun fight like this, there were bound to be quite a few casualties.


    Following the carnage around him and looked at the evidence before him, he slowly moved over to a large oak that was only a few meters away. Seeing the chipped bark and bullet holes that riddled the trunk, he knew someone had hidden behind here.


    Not giving it much thought he rounded the trunk to see if there was any blood, but froze once again as he spotted the destroyed mirror on the ground. Looking like something a woman would use, a small thought popped into Peter''s mind that sent a shiver down his spine.


    "Natasha?" He voiced the thought as more rain started to come down around him. Slowly lowering himself to pick up the mirror, he looked at the cracked item and closed his eyes. His emotions went into turmoil as he thought of the red head he met every other day.


    She had been away for a few days so there was no proof that she had turned up today. There was also no other reason to believe that she had been here. He knew that, but with the mirror in hand his thoughts drifted off to the worst possible conclusion.


    Before he knew it Peter was clasping the broken mirror so tight in his hand that it was bleeding. ''Will everyone close to me be hurt?'' ''Will every home I make be destroyed?'' His thoughts went darker and darker as he stood there trying to calm down.


    Unbeknown to him with his eyes closed; Venom had peaked out from the spot inside his jacket and turned to face him. As if hesitating for a short while, it continued to look at him before slowly receding.


    Peter continued to stand in the rain for an unknown amount of time, just the patter of rain on dirt to break the silence. He would have continued that way, trapped in his own head if not for the sudden darkness that covered him.


    The rain that had been cascading down on his head was blocked as an umbrella was raised above his head. *Patter* *Patter* The sound of rain hitting the umbrella rang out and made Peter slowly open his dim eyes.


    He looked at the old hand that raised the umbrella above him and followed it down to look into the wizened eyes of a grey hair old man. He said nothing as both stood there, before the old man spoke. "You seemed to be troubled, youngster."

 Chapter 37 - Talk

    "What?" Peter replied dumbly to the kind old man next to him. Giving a small smirk at the reaction he once again motioned to their surroundings. "I said, You seem troubled kid, what with you standing in the rain like this."


    Peter''s brain, which was still recovering from a dark place didn''t know what to say. The old man that was standing next to him, didn''t move or say a word as Peter got his thoughts straight. Scrambling to think of something to say, a strange feeling came over him as he looked at the person next to him.


    He didn''t know why, but he felt the need to let bare his pains, his worries, to tell someone else how useless he was, how he had failed everyone that ever got close to him. "Yeah I am troubled." It came out as a whisper as he turned his eyes to the small lake that was near the bench. Watching the water he felt his eyes drawn into it as he talked to the man.


    Without him realizing it, he started to speak out. He started off slow before; it started to come out like a waterfall. He didn''t say anything important, like how he was Spider-Man or other secret like that, but he did talk about losing some people close to him, and how it was his fault. Peter wasn''t sure how long he was there and talked, but it wasn''t a short time.


    "So you came out into the rain and just stood here?" The voice had a small hint of humor behind it and the question made him blank once again. "I-i-it wasn''t raining when I got here." Not knowing why he had to justify himself to the man, he answered defensively.


    "Well it doesn''t matter anyway." Brushing the subject to the side he motioned towards the bench that had been Peter''s home for the last year. "Let''s sit down; my old legs can''t handle too much exertion these days." Peter gave a small nod as he helped the man to the seat.


    In his late 70''s at a guess, the man looked pretty frail as he made his way over. Peter wanted to take the umbrella from his hand to save him some stress but he refused. "I''m not that useless kid. Let old people have their moments." Something about his chipper voice and tone brought a small smile to Peter''s face.


    Finally getting to the bench and sitting down, making sure not to sit on any of the chipped parts, the rain started to lessen. They both sat there for a while not saying a word. Peter would every now and then glance at the old man to his side, but his focus was on the area around them. His old eyes glittering as he looked around.


    Finally he spoke up. "Life''s beautiful you know." Peter gave a muted nod as he looked around; his eyes were still a bit glassy as he thought about his own life. First it was his parents, then Uncle Ben, then those he cared about, and finally even Aunt May. Now possibly it was the 2 new people in his life.


    He really wanted to say that, "No, life isn''t beautiful", but he didn''t want to sound rude. So that was all he would do, nod and agree with whatever he says, even if he thought different. Turning his eyes to look at the kid next to him, he took notice of the kid''s eyes. He shook his head as he saw how dim they were. "I can see you disagree." Peter looked up shocked at the statement and came face to face with the man''s piercing eyes. He looked into them and knew he wasn''t fooling anyone.


    The area turned quiet again as Peter didn''t say a word. "You know..." Peter turned to him again, but the man was once again staring at the area around him. "¡­We all have our bad days. Days that we wished never happened. Maybe even days where we blame ourselves."


    The man took a small break as he looked at the clouds above; they were starting to clear up. "We have days that we wish we could do over, days that change our lives for better or worse¡­" He gave a small smile as he stared at the sky. "When I was younger I wanted to open a comic studio." Peter raised an eye brow. "What type of comics?"


    The man gave a chuckle. "Superhero comics, I always loved the stories of people like Captain America, the things he did in the war. I wanted children to dream and grow up aspiring to be like heroes." Peter gave a sad smile as he thought of his hero life. What would children think if they knew their heroes were like him? A danger to all those he held close.


    But Peter did pick up something he said. "Used to? Why didn''t you?" The old man next to him turned back and gave him a smile. "Ohh I did open a studio, a really good one actually. Comics used to fly off our shelves whenever we released one!" Peter could sense a ''but'' coming. "Why did you stop?"


    The old man was enthused as he talked about his comic studio, his bright attitude told of how much he loved his studio. Hearing the question he raised a hand to his chin and rubbed it once. "Well, I loved telling stories, getting the kids excited about the heroes, but it was missing something. It took me a while to figure it out though. I was already too old by the time I figured it out and already handed the studio off to others."


    Lowering his hand down to his heart he spoke sincerely. "It was missing the heart." Peter couldn''t understand where he was going and the man picked up on this. "Our stories had heroes that saved the princess, saved the day, the world even. They were perfect; they were heroes to look up to." Suddenly he raised his hand from his chest and looked Peter right in the eye. "But you know what a real hero is, I only realized 5 years ago."


    Peter shook his head, bringing another smile to his face. "A real hero is just like you and me." Pointing between the two, the man sported a wider smile. Peter froze at his words. "They''re human just like us, they make mistakes like us. They have troubles like us." Calming down somewhat the man once again looked at the sky that was almost clear.


    "I saw the first hero of the new age, Spider-man, swinging through the street one day. I saw him help an old lady cross the road." Happiness was radiating from his eyes. "I looked at him, the powers he wielded and realized; it didn''t matter what powers he had." He looked back at Peter. "Anyone could be under the mask and have that power; it''s what they do with their power that truly makes them a hero."


    Peter looked at the piercing eyes looking into his soul and could have sworn that this random person knew his secret identity, but that was impossible. It only lasted for a second, before the man turned back to looking at the sky.


    Before Peter could speak, the man spoke once again. "I used to have an old friend that died a few years back. Mugging gone wrong, terrible thing really. But he always had a saying, ''With great power comes great responsibility''. Quoted the thing every other day."


    By this point Peter''s breath had caught in his throat. "And it is a great saying to live by, but¡­" He gave a knowing smirk to Peter. "¡­There are some things you can''t be responsible for. Somethings that couldn''t be helped, loved ones that had to pass."


    The old man slowly lowered the umbrella as the rain had stopped and packed it away, giving it a shake or two to get rid of the rain droplets. Peter was dazed as he thought over the man''s words, to pull him out of it; the man gave him a small tap on the shoulders.


    "You can''t help everyone. Death comes for us all in the end, even someone like me will pass someday." He gave a sad smile as he said his words before motioning to their surroundings. Peter followed his hand and looked at the area around him. It didn''t look like it had changed at all from before, but something was different. The color of the grass seemed a bit greener, the air in his lungs a bit colder.


    "So before something like that happens, deal with your demons, accept the past and the uncertainty of the future. And finally¡­" Peter looked up into his eyes that had started to turn from blue to gold. "¡­Enjoy life, take in its beauty. There is so much beauty out there; all you have to do is look."


    The darkness in his mind cleared as if it had been smoothed and cleansed by the words. A small amount of acceptance came to him as he stared at the clearing skies. His shoulders felt lighter as he continued to stare and think of the words just said.


    In almost a whisper he spoke to the random man next to him. "Thank you." The old man gave a chuckle and waved off the words, preparing to leave. Just before he left Peter spoke up. "What do you want to do these days, Mr.?" He put his umbrella away as he spoke, his back turned.


    "Oh, I didn''t say my name? Well I like to be called Stan mostly, these days anyway. I want to help those who need it, no matter what it is. Something I learned from a certain wall crawling hero." He once again gave that knowing smirk and started to walk away. Peter''s eyes tracked the man as he walked away.


    Just as the man was 10 meters away his body started to fade out of existence and in the next second it was like he was never there. Everything on him disappeared as well. Peter seeing this sprang to his feet with a shocked look.


    He stared dumbfounded at the spot for a good minute before he shook his head and gave a small smile. Looking at the sky above, he gave a small nod and whispered a quiet "Thank you."

 Chapter 38 - Moving Foawrds

    Peter stared into the sky for another minute or so before he finally snapped himself out of it. Thinking back on the encounter he just had, a small smile came to his lips. He didn''t know who the old man was, he didn''t know if he was actually called, ''Stan'', or not. But he did owe him one.


    It was in those seconds that he realized how dark his thoughts were. The feelings had engulfed him and stopped him from thinking straight. With both Laura and Natasha disappearing in the same day his analytical mind had taken a sabbatical, leaving him not himself.


    He did wonder what would have happened if he had continued to stand there and wallow in his thoughts. A small voice whispered in the back of his mind that it wouldn''t have ended well, but he pushed them to the side and began to walk out of the park.


    He had also just realized what time it was. He had no clue for how long they talked or how long the rain lasted, but it had to be a few hours as the sky had turned dark. Probably past 7pm. shaking off the shock, he reached down into his pocket and grabbed his ear piece.


    Placing it on his ear he talked quietly to Crystal. "Is Natasha safe?" Crystal took a few seconds before she finally replied "Yes she is safe." Peter didn''t like to think about the fact or even admit it, but everyone that Peter met was generally checked by Crystal.


    Some would say that it''s creepy, or over the top, but Peter had found out a long time ago, that anyone he mentioned in name to Crystal would have a background check done. With her processing power and abilities it wasn''t hard for Crystal to find out a person''s secrets and aliases if she tried.


    Peter being the upstanding person he was didn''t delve into the information that was gathered, and never asked about the person''s background. He would leave it up to them to tell him. Though if Crystal thought the person was a threat or had an ulterior motive, she would inform Peter.


    This little fact had come in handy a few times, but nothing major. Hearing the confirmation from the bell like voice, a small pit in his stomach was unknotted and he relaxed. After asking that question about Natasha, he didn''t go any further. He could find out where she was at that instance, or maybe where she lived even, but if Crystal said she was safe, she was safe.


    Of course Peter didn''t know that Crystal had made a calculation after assessing Black Widows abilities and who she usually works with, aka Shield and the Avengers, before comparing it to her current situation.


    Crystal was able to tell that she was being hunted by a long forgotten organization called HYDRA, but didn''t dive too deep into the details. Because of this she designated that even if she was chased and attacked by the group she would be "Safe".


    Of course she was still crunching the numbers and would give Peter an update if it was necessary. Actually, it looked like Hydra had some hand in the construction and maintenance of one of her servers. She would have to check her servers for any anomalies.


    Finally using his brain, Peter also asked about Laura. "Is Laura also fine?" Taking another few seconds Crystal searched the name and cross-referenced her features, scouring the internet for a piece of her information.


    By putting in the specific details, such as mutant gene, adamantium claws, and defining features, she quickly found a secure server that she burrowed into. Gaining access to a certain organization, she scoured their files to see if they had reclaimed their ''Property'', and found no mention of such an occurrence happening.


    Double checking to make sure nothing was missed; it wasn''t long before she replied. "There is an 85% Chance that Laura is Fine. But I do not have her current location."


    Though Crystals AI was powerful and she could comb the web for information, without a sighting, picture or mention of Laura turning up on a computer, she couldn''t track her whereabouts. Though she would keep a sub program running to keep her updated.


    Hearing the words, Peter felt the final knot in his stomach loosen. 85% was good enough for him, knowing that Crystal would have factored in threats and all information he had provided her beforehand, plus other bits and pieces that were overheard, he was confident that she was fine.


    "Keep me update, if you find her." Crystals voice turned smug again. "Already done Peter." Peter shook his head as he turned once more to look at the bench. ''This bench was a type of self-punishment. It''s time to move on. Time to make them proud.'' Peter thought to himself as he waved goodbye to his old life.


    He had a living accommodations option, he had a job that would get him by, and he could start small and slowly make a new life. ''Maybe with Felicia'' The thought was gone so fast that he barely registered it. Moving to an alleyway, he changed out of his clothes and bundled them up.


    He would take them to her place tonight and see how everything went. Looking at the dark sky he let out a sigh. ''He was totally late for Dinner! She''s going to kill him!'' With that premonition, *Thwip*, He swung out with a new determination.

 Chapter 39 - Lost Control

    "This is not going to work." The soft voice of Crystal sounded out as Peter finally came up to Felicia''s apartment. "Bah, you worry too much, I think she''ll laugh and be fine." "Mmmhhhm" If Peter could see Crystal''s face and if she had one, he would see the skeptical look she gave him. Though he could tell from her voice what she thought.


    Snorting once he finally knocked on the window on the balcony and waited. He marveled once again at how expensive this apartment must be, seeing as it was soooo high up and had a fricking balcony!


    Sporting a tuxedo he had picked up at a salivation/homeless shelter on the way, he adjusted his cheap bowtie and stared at the sliding door leading outside. He had the Spider-Man costume on underneath which was an odd sight if one were to see him.


    Finally after a few seconds of tapping on the window and waiting, Peter caught sight of Felicia opening a door and looking in his direction. Noticing him on the balcony she walked over slowly. Wearing a black dress that highlighted her figure, her face was blank as she walked up and let him in.


    Finally getting inside he adjusted his bow tie and pulled out a flower from behind himself. Not having enough money to buy a full bouquet of flowers, this was the best he could do. Felicia''s face was still blank.


    *Cough* *Cough* "Honey I''m home! Sorry for being late, would you believe me if I said I was caught late at work?" Raising an eyebrow, giving a smile and watching her every move, it wasn''t that effective as he still had his mask on.


    Felicia still had the blank face for a few seconds before finally giving out a laugh. "Hahahah" Suddenly laughing and not stopping for a good 30 seconds, she had to clutch her belly to help herself. Seeing her laugh Peter felt better about himself, but as it continued, on and on, he started to get a bad premonition in his stomach.


    But his spider sense wasn''t going off! He was torn as he watched her recover. Finally straightening herself again, the happy expression turned to a very cold one.*Gulp* Swallowing his saliva and feeling a chill in his spine, he waited for her to speak.


    "So this morning?" "Urgh" Peter winced. "I-i-I Can explain..." Reaching out and planting a hand on his shoulder, her grip keeping him in place. "Ohh I''m sure you will. Hahaha." Peter almost cried as he was dragged inside.


    In his ear, as he was pulled inside, he heard Crystal''s voice. "I was wrong, she did laugh Peter." Peter easily detected the sarcasm.


    (West Chester same time)


    Jean walked with a determined gait as she followed the professor to Cerebro. She had been impatient all day and couldn''t concentrate on her lessons at all. Everyone had noticed that she wasn''t in a good mood and had avoided her all day. Scott was probably the only one that tried to talk to her, for obvious reasons.


    After bringing Laura back they had kept her sedated so she wouldn''t cause a commotion during the day. They wanted her to wake up when the other students were asleep and they were prepared. The professor had read her mind lightly while she was asleep and realized the danger she could pose once she awakened.


    With the way they had taken and captured her, it was likely there would be a fight. With all the x-men prepared they could account for any possibility. The professor had been busy all day with teaching and couldn''t help Jean look for Peter until right now. That was why she was almost rushing him towards Cerebro.


    Using her powers to push the wheels along, something she didn''t usually do, Xavier could tell how agitated Jean was. He wanted to calm her down and had even tried before hand, but nothing he said had worked. She had controlled her emotions yes, but it was still underneath the surface.


    Xavier was worried that if something had happened to this friend she talked about; it was quite possible something worse could happen. The mental barriers he had placed inside her mind to help her control her powers were strong enough, but when emotionally distressed anything could happen.


    He didn''t want another incident, like when her parents died, to happen. It was the reason he had found her, and it was something he hoped never happened again. Though that could explain what had happened at that time, now that he thought about it.


    He was lost in his thoughts for a small amount of time before he finally came up to the steel doors. Opening the doors with no problem, he felt the agitated mental waves that Jean was producing as he placed the helmet on.


    Knowing what the person''s name was, their general description and where they used to live was enough information for Xavier to find a person. Although he usually used Cerebro to find mutants, it could be used to touch every person in the world. If he couldn''t find him with this, then the worse possible outcome could have occurred.


    Focusing his mind and reaching out towards the New York area, he started his search. It didn''t take him long before he found some people familiar with Peter. By starting at where he used to live and the information he could gather, it seemed that Peter Parker had disappeared off the radar close to a year ago.


    After his Aunt died, he had run from social services, and had never been seen again. Using another 20 minutes to search nearly every person in the city for mention of the name Peter Parker, he could only find small thoughts of him at the newspaper, ''The Bugle''.


    This was the best lead he had yet, but this still wasn''t enough. Peter hadn''t given in a photo in the last 2 weeks, which was a worrying concern. Much could happen in that time. Before long he finally took the helmet off and let out a small sigh.


    "Anything Professor?" The hopeful voice of Jean sounded out in his ear, and he turned his wheelchair to look at her. He didn''t want to dash her hopes and tell her that he couldn''t find his signature at all. But he had to.


    "No Jean, I couldn''t find him." The hope that had filled her eyes instantly extinguished and he felt the mental turmoil she was going through. Her powers flared as she knew that if the Professor couldn''t find him that usually meant he wasn''t alive. She tried to keep herself calm but her powers ran out of control.


    A panel or two cracked and the platform they were standing on shuddered as her abilities ran rampant. Xavier reached out with his mind as he tried to calm her. "Jean control! You must control yourself." Jean''s eyes snapped towards him and for a fleeting second, he could see the red that flickered deep within. The fire that was demanding to be let out!


    He redoubled his efforts as he tried to control his fear, and thankfully in the next second it was gone, and Jean calmed down. Her body deflated as if the energy in her body was sucked dry and she slowly lower to the ground.


    Her powers going out of control like that had sapped her energy. Falling into the chair of the professor, he quietly called for Hank''s assistance as she had fainted from the exertion. Looking down at the prone figure, he let out a breath of relief and tried to enter her mind.


    He wanted to place stronger mental barriers, as the old ones were starting to beak. Just as he entered her mind though, a flash of flames came flying towards his mental projection and knocked him out. Grunting in pain he left her mind and gave her a worried look.


    ''This is not a good sign. I will have to gain her help when she wakes.'' Thinking that, he waited for Hank to arrive, a small piece of him feeling sorry that her friend was likely dead. As she and he both knew, he could find anyone with Cerebro, well almost everyone, but if he couldn''t find a normal person, the worst would be expected.


    Hopefully Jean would be calm when she woke up.

 Chapter 40 - Awakening Part 1

    As Jean lay unconscious in the hands of the Professor, her mind taxed from worry and distraught with fears, it ebbed away into darkness. Away to a time long ago, to the day she first got her powers, to a day she would never forget.


    (6 Years Ago)


    Jean shivered as she lay in a bed. Sweat was pouring down her face, which was a bright red. Her eyes were tightly shut in pain. Next to her Peter sat with a wet cloth and a concerned face. Dabbing the cloth in cold water before placing it on her head, the 10 year old Peter was very scared right now.


    It was supposed to be a normal sleep over. Jean was going to stay with Peter for the long weekend, seeing as her parents had a business trip they had to take out of the city. She would spend 3 days with Peter and his Aunt and Uncle, having fun every day.


    The 2 had become fast friends after they first met and usually spent their weekends gallivanting around the neighborhood. But just a day after her parents had left Jean had suddenly come down with a fever. Confined to bed and nothing working Peter was very concerned right now.


    Since the start of the day, he had just stayed by his best friend''s bed and helped take care of her. Helping her eat her soup and change the cloth on her head. Jean tried to force a weak smile as she felt Peter help her once again, but the pain was becoming even too much for that.


    *Click* Suddenly from the door, Aunt may walked in with a serious face. She was also very worried about Jean. The fever had struck hard and fast, they had been giving her medicine every few hours and also a lot of water, if it didn''t break in another few hours they would have to take her to the hospital.


    May had already rang Jean''s Parents and they were making their way back, but they had taken a flight out for their business trip and couldn''t catch a flight back till tomorrow. Walking into the room she sat down next to Jean, before checking her temperature.


    Letting out a small sigh at the ever high temperature, that seemed to be getting higher, she shook her head and reached for the medicine in the cupboard next to the bed. Fishing out the packet meant for children, May frowned when she realized they were out.


    Standing up quickly and making her way down stairs, the frown got deeper as she realized, they were completely out of medicine in the whole house. A few plans came to mind as she thought of what to do next.


    Ben had to go out for a bit, just a few minutes ago, and didn''t take his mobile. He also wouldn''t be back, for a few hours. May didn''t want to wait for him to get back before getting more medicine, so she had to think of going herself.


    But she hesitated as she thought of this. The only one left in the house to look after Jean would be Peter. He may have been a genius for his age, but he was still a 10 year old kid. If there were complications with Jean while she was gone, she wasn''t sure if he could handle it.


    Walking back to the room and peeking in at the worried figure of Peter, as he sat next to the prone Jean, May resolved herself to quickly leave and get some medicine. Walking back down the stairs to grab her coat and purse, she quickly went back to tell Peter what was happening.


    *Knock* *Knock* Peter turned to her with tired eyes. "Hey sweetie. We''re out of medicine for Jean¡­." A worried look crossed his face as she spoke to him, but before he could say something she continued. "..Don''t worry Peter, I''m going to quickly go down to the chemist and get her some medicine now. While I''m gone I need you to take care of Jean and make sure she''s all right. Can you do that for me?"


    Figuring out what was happening, Peters face transformed from one of fear, to one of resolution. He was determined to make sure Jean was fine until Aunt May got back. Seeing the look in his eyes gave May a sense of relief, Peter would definitely try his best. Nodding to herself, she spoke as she left. "Ok I won''t be too long. Stay safe ok!"


    Peter nodded at her retreating figure, before finally looking back at the sick Jean. He noted the door slamming shut when May left, but put that out of his head. She wouldn''t be gone too long. As he continued to watch Jean, her face that was scrunched in pain, started to loosen in relief.


    This brought a small smile to Peters face. It had been going on and off, the bouts of pain Jean was going through. When she was relaxed and not sleeping they would talk. Peter would rack his brain for an interesting topic to bring up while that was happening.


    Seeing that she opened her eyes, he gave her a smile. "What was that about?" Her voice was weak as she asked the question. She hadn''t heard Aunt May''s words just before. Peter just shook his head. "Oh it was nothing much, May just went to get you some more medicine. Are you feeling better?" Asking with a bit of hope, Jean nodded her head slightly. "Yeah I''m feeling a bit bitter, the pain wasn''t as bad."


    That made the smile on Peters face grow even bigger, ''at least she was getting better'', he thought. As he stared down at her red and tired face, he couldn''t help but be drawn to her eyes. They seemed to glow a dull orange that was slowly getting brighter. It made her eyes shine and mesmerized him just a little.


    Without him even realizing it he spoke out loud. "You know, your eyes are really pretty right now." That got Jean to giggle a little. "I''m in bed with a high fever, red face, and sweating everywhere¡­ and my eyes look pretty?" Scratching the back of his neck for a second after realizing what he said and her response, he said with an honest face. "Well they do¡­"


    "Hahah¡­Urgh.." Laughing for a little while, she suddenly groaned in pain, setting Peters nerves on end again. "Are you alright?!" Jean shook her head as she looked over to him again. Peter''s eyes widened in shock as he noticed the glow was starting to brighten!

 Chapter 41 - Awakening Part 2

    The pain in Jean''s head got worse as time went on, and so did the brightness in her eyes. By now it was easy for Peter to tell that something else was happening. People''s eyes didn''t just glow like that!


    Clutching her head in pain Jean heard Peter speak from the side. ''What do I do? Jean needs help! Should I call an ambulance! Aunt May. Maybe Crystal knows what I should do! This all doesn''t make any sense! Why are her eyes shining?


    "Peter would you please stop talking." Jean groaned out after a few seconds, the non-stop talk from Peter was starting to get to her. ''What is jean talking about, I haven''t said anything.'' "Yes you have. You keep talking about what you should do." ''OMG did she just read my mind!'' Hearing what Peter said this time, Jean finally looked at Peter again.


    ''No that''s not possible.'' Jean''s eyes widened as she looked at Peter standing next to her. He hadn''t opened his mouth when she heard that. ''It''s not scientifically possible right'' ''But that would be soo cool.'' While Jean''s eyes were still wide trying to come to terms with what was happening, Peter started to come up with multiple theories into how this was happening.


    He wasn''t a genius for nothing. ''Ok if you can really read my mind, Remember that one time I came to play over at your house¡­" A few seconds later. *Smack* Peter rubbed the side of his arm and had an apologetic face. "That was my favorite doll!" Jean shouted in indignation at Peter''s omission. She had wondered where it had gone.


    "I''m really sorry! But this proves you can read my mind! That''s soo cool!" Jean just pulled a strained face. "Maybe not¡­Urgh." Her head was still throbbing in pain. Soon it wasn''t just Peter''s inner voice she could hear, she started hearing even more people.


    The voice kept talking, thinking, going on and on. Peter noticing that Jean was in even more pain and kept trying to think of a solution, but that made the problem even worse. After another few minutes, finally the pain in her head died down. Jean let out a sigh of relief as the burning pain stopped, but there was a problem.


    She could still hear the voices!


    Trying to explain the situation to Peter, while she was distracted by the voice, finally a lightbulb went off in Peter''s head. It wasn''t a guaranteed method, but it was worth a shot. He remembered a doc.u.mentary he had seen just recently on TV.


    The voices where starting to overwhelm Jean at this point, so Peter quickly ran down the stairs and grabbed a foil of aluminum. It was a long shot in Peter''s head but he was smarter than the average 10 year old. He reckoned that Jean was now able to either pick up or project a type of energy. And the doc.u.mentary the other day, about UFO''s detailed why people wore aluminum foil hats. It was supposed to block the energy used to probe minds.


    Now for an a.d.u.l.t it may seem stupid to even consider that idea, but Peter was 10 years old, and had enough know how in science to make the plan, and was young enough to believe something he learned on late night television.


    Running back up the stairs, almost tripping over, he burst into the room and quickly started to roll out the foil. Wrapping it around her head like a bandage, before covering the top; surprisingly it worked!


    The voices in Jeans head started to calm down before finally disappearing. The fever that she had was almost completely gone and she wasn''t sweating anymore. The pain in her head was gone, so whatever had caused Jean to be sick, stopped once she started reading minds.


    Even her eyes had returned to their usual green color. Peter wasn''t 100 percent sure that the change in eye color had caused what happened, but he did have his suspicions. He didn''t want Jean to have to go through something like that again, so he promised himself, that he would try and find a way to help her, with whatever ''that'' was.


    Of course it was later that they both found out that what Jean went through, was possibly the awakening of her Mutant powers. And because mutants weren''t a rare occurrence, though mostly hated by the general public, Peter scrapped the idea to help her. Once her powers were awakened, it shouldn''t cause her problems in the future, or so he thought.


    Finally with the voices out of her head, Jean let out a smile and relaxed. Sufficient to say aunt May was very surprised when she got back and saw that Jean had made a full recovery. She still insisted she stay in bed all day, and take more medication, but nothing else happened.


    At the time Both Peter and Jean stayed quiet about what happened. They knew it wasn''t normal to be hearing people''s voices, or having glowing eyes. They kept it to themselves, a secret between the two. What was concerning was the foil hat. Jean had it on the whole time after Aunt May got back. She didn''t ask why and assumed it was something the kids were messing around with.


    The problem was, she couldn''t keep it on forever, and if she took it off, it was certain she would start hearing voices again. For the rest of the day, the 2 started to brain storm ideas, to solve the problem. Peter being the genius he was, started to consult Crystal and the internet for solutions.

 Chapter 42 - Solution

    (1 Week Later)


    "Please tell me, you found a way to stop my powers from reading people''s minds." Jean almost whined the words, as she gripped her head. It was too straining on the young girl to hear so many voices. Her parents had forced her to take of the foil hat after only a day, seeing as she took it everywhere.


    But once it was off, the voices never stopped, her sleep had been impacted, her interaction with normal people had been nearly destroyed, she couldn''t live her life properly. She had only been able to keep a conversation with Peter, and even that was difficult.


    When you could hear what a person was really thinking while they were saying something different, the trust she had in the person would diminish. Not to mention the weird and dark thoughts that would drift in while she was at school.


    After only 1 day of school she had to pretend to be sick, she couldn''t handle everyone''s voices. Her parents were starting to get worried that the fever was worse than they thought, the bags under her eyes from not being able to sleep, were the best indication something was wrong.


    Peter, in return to her words, gave a small smile. He had been racking his brain for the whole week to figure out what to do. It was hard to concentrate in school, especially when Jean stopped coming in. He knew how hard it was for her.


    He had been fiddling in his room nonstop, and asking Crystal numerous questions to finally be able to get something together. By taking items throughout the house, as well as demolishing a few appliances, that ''mysteriously disappeared'', Peter finally put something together.


    "Can you read my thoughts?" Jean looked at him with her tired eyes for a second before the sparkled with delight. She couldn''t stop peoples voice from coming in, but she could focus on someone to drown the others out, and when she just tried to read Peter''s mind, she got nothing!


    Her hands shot out and gripped his shoulders in a vice like hold. "How?!" Peter rubbed his eyes in a tired manner with the same smile, before turning his head and tapping his ear. In his ear was a type of hearing aid, or ear bud. It wrapped around his ear so that it wouldn''t fall off, but it wasn''t as bulky as a hearing aid.


    Taking the ear bud out, Jean could suddenly hear his thoughts again. He handed it over to her and she quickly put it on her left ear. Suddenly the voices that had been plaguing her mind for the last few days completely vanished. The tension in her shoulders, which she hadn''t realized was there, slackened and she felt light on her feet.


    The stress was finally leaving her body and the low amount of sleep was catching up. Without her knowing she started to fall asleep. Walking over lazily to Peters'' bed, as they were in his room, she flopped onto the mattress and fell asleep.


    Peter showed a big smile as he saw his friend flop down. A weight had been lifted off his shoulders as he helped her. Walking as quietly as he could, he moved over to his computer, and tapped the microphone.


    *Tap *Tap* "He Crystal, it seems to have worked. The mini energy field disrupts the energy from getting in and out." The computer blinked to life and sent a reply. "Then the project was a success Peter. It also doesn''t interfere with normal radio wave frequencies, so it can be used in everyday life. I''m surprised we made it so fast. Congratulations Peter."


    Peter couldn''t help but let a satisfied smile come to his face. The encouragement from Crystal was something that meant so much to him these days. Her encouraging words made him want to strive harder in his endeavors.


    Thinking to himself for a short while he finally responded, changing the subject. "Add new item to project 3. If I''m going to communicate with you using a communicator, or ear piece, it would be beneficial to add the energy field disruption." "New item added." "Also create a new project, Project 34. I should try and create a bigger or more efficient Field, I don''t know if Jean''s powers could become more powerful in the future."


    A few files flashed on the screen as a new folder was added, and items were transferred. "New project created." Peter lounged back in his seat at the words. Sleep seemed to be also catching up with him after all this time. Just before he closed his eyes, the voice of Crystal spoke out once again.


    "Do you want me to send the results and theories to your pen pal, Peter? They would love to see the notes, and were also integral in helping you finish the project." Peters face broke out into a smile again, this one was very sweet as he started to think about something. After a few minutes he replied happily.


    "Yes send them the results, and also a big thank you! Their help was essential this time." "Affirmative." With that Peter finally fell asleep, while Crystal got to work. When he woke up again, Jean would give him a big hug and a Kiss on the cheek. The first kiss he ever had that wasn''t from his Aunt.

 Chapter 43 - Control Part 1

    (Another week Later)


    Peter and Jean were outside on the weekend, playing around as they searched the neighborhood. Tired from all the running, they both sat down, before Peter asked. "So how''s the ear piece?" Jean gave him a huge smile as she replied, slightly fiddling with the ear piece. It was a habit she picked up over the week.


    "It''s great! I haven''t heard another voice since last week." Peter nodded his head in thought, but from the way a frown came to his face Jean knew something was up. "What is it?" Peter looked up from the grass, and looked her in the eye. "Well I think you should take the ear piece off every now and then.


    Jean''s body froze as the words sank in. She didn''t want to admit it but she was scared to take the ear piece off now. She didn''t want to have powers. She didn''t want to be different from everyone else. And finally the pain that was caused every time she heard too many voices made her want to run away from the problem.


    Peter, seeing the scared expression Jean now sported, let out a small sigh, before reaching out to grab her hand. Giving her a reassuring smile, he tried to calm her down. "There''s nothing to worry about Jean, you shouldn''t have to hide who you are." Jean still wasn''t sure, but had no words to reply.


    She didn''t know what she should say at that moment. Peter''s face grimaced before he continued. "Here''s the thing Jean, I''m not sure if that ear piece will always work." Jean''s eyes that had been scared and afraid one second, shot wide open at the words. She thought it was a permanent solution, the ear piece. Now that she was finding out that it might fail, her fears tripled.


    Peter just gripped her hand tighter, as he tried to explain. "I don''t know much about your powers, Jean. I don''t know if they''ll get more powerful in the future. And the ear piece you have right now, might fail at some point¡­" He was unsure how to word the next sentence as he knew she wouldn''t like the idea, but he continued. " I-i-I think you should try to control your powers."


    Jean who was still reeling from her fears, asked in a quiet voice, but it was easy to notice her voice tremble. "Control?" Peter nodded his head enthusiastically. "Yeah control! I mean, it''s your brain; it''s like a muscle. Just like walking and running. You have to do it a few times to get it right. Or that''s what I think." Peter''s voice tapered off somewhat near the end, but that was because he didn''t want to give her false hope.


    He didn''t know exactly how her powers worked and anything less than dissecting Jean would possible lead to answers. But that was something Peter, didn''t want to happen at all costs, and would make sure never happened.


    They both turned quiet after Peter''s words. Jean thought over what Peter said, and couldn''t help but agree. In a small part of her mind she couldn''t help but think, ''Damnit why is he always right''. "Because I''m smart!" Peter spoke up from the side causing Jean to look at him in bewilderment. ''How did he know!'' He sported a mischievous smile. "Because it was written on your face." *Smack*


    "Oww, hey stop doing that." Peter rubbed his arm with a hurt expression. "Serves you right! Humph." Jean turned her head away from him, a small smile playing on her lips, and crossed her arms. After a few seconds, they both look at each other and broke out laughing.


    Laughing so much that they cried and started rolling around on the grass, they finally pulled themselves back together after a few moments; Jean speaking first. "Ok, I''ll learn how to control my power. And then I can read your mind to tell when you''re lying!" Peter''s eyes bulged. "Hey wait, that''s an invasion of privacy! You can''t do that!"


    Jean just gave him a smirk. "So when do we start?" Her innocent smile didn''t fool Peter, in his mind he was thinking of ways to speed up Project 3, before it was too late! Finally recollecting himself a few seconds later, he shrugged his shoulders.


    "Let''s try it tomorrow. Come over to my house and we''ll see what we can think of." Jean thought about it for a few seconds before nodding her head. Her parents didn''t really care if she went over to Peter''s, they could spend the whole day trying to figure it out. "Ok." "Ok."


    With that out of the way, they both stood back up and went to find something fun to do. They had finished their break.

 Chapter 44 - Control Part 2

    (1 Day later)


    Jean stood in Peter''s bedroom with her eyes shut tight. In her hand she clutched the ear piece she had taken out 1 hour ago. Off to the side Peter was typing on his computer and thinking to himself. They had tried a few things after she arrived, but nothing had worked.


    Just a few minutes ago May and Ben left the house to go shopping. Both of them wouldn''t have noticed if May hadn''t barged into the room, looked at them funnily for a few seconds, before informing them. Jean''s face had gone bright red for a few seconds after that incident, but had gotten back to trying to control her powers soon after.


    Peter racked his brain as his thoughts were all over the place, ever now and then he would type into the computer asking Crystal for ideas, she was crunching numbers and coming up with ideas just as fast as he was, but Crystal also discounted 90% of them if they weren''t plausible.


    For the time being the both of them had only come up with a dozen methods they could try. This had included them looking into psychic techniques online and some research done by governments, that Crystal had hacked into.


    Rubbing his eyes in a tired manner, Peter couldn''t help but think how hopeless the situation was looking. ''Is it really impossible? Will she have to have the ear piece all the time'' As soon as the thought passed through his head, he grimaced and looked at Jean.


    She had frowned and was looking in his direction, it was trying for him to keep his thoughts too himself and he didn''t want to scare her. Peter reckoned with enough time he might be able to block telepathic intrusion if he trained his mind right. But it would take years. It was much simpler to create a device to keep people out. Plus he was sure if they were powerful enough it wouldn''t matter how much he tried.


    Stretching his body and telling Jean to take a break for a second, which she happily took, he looked over at the old radio that sat on one of the shelves in his room. It belonged to Uncle Ben, but had been broken for years. When he was younger he had fixed it for fun.


    Starring at it as if in a trance, a thought suddenly popped into his mind. Thinking for a few seconds he finally shook his head. ''It couldn''t be that simple right?'' Typing a small set of words into the computer, Crystal only took a few seconds before she replied. ''It is feasible.'' Looking at the words for a few seconds, Peter shrugged, it was worth a try.


    Jean was sipping on a cold drink that had been placed on the desk when Peter turned to her. Raising an eye brow at his expression, she finally had to ask. "What?" Peter gave her a small smile. "I have an Idea." Jean groaned for a second at the look on his face, but in the end decided to get it over with.


    Though she really didn''t want to take the ear piece off for a while. Seeing the painful look in her eyes Peter guessed her thoughts. He spoke up, his smile turning gentler. "This will be the last one ok. After this we''ll leave the ear piece on for the week and try next weekend. We can do something fun after this." Jean perked up with his words and without further prompting took out the ear piece.


    Wincing as the voices flooded her head again, she focused on Peter. Looking at each other she concentrated on his thoughts. ''Ok Jean, I want you to focus only on my voice.'' She nodded her head squinting her eyes. ''Now think of my voice as music coming from a radio. As if it was coming from a speaker, an ear piece. Imagine that and then think of the volume, imagine that it''s turned all the way up. And slowly, ever so slowly, turn it down.''


    Inside Jeans mind she thought of the dial, the speaker, the sound. A black space surrounded her as she heard Peter''s voice speak. In front of her was the dial. Raising her hand and reaching out she grabbed a hold of the dial and turned it down.


    Slowly Peter''s voice started to fade from her mind before finally it disappeared. With that done, the other voices that plagued her came back and surrounded her. Her image kneeled in pain as the sound bombarded her. But even as she winced in pain, a new dial appeared before her. Gripping it with both fingers she twisted it as fast as she could.


    The voices that plagued her finally dissipated and she let out a sigh of relief. The black space disappeared as she opened her eyes and looked up into the eyes of Peter. He had a worried expression on his face, as she had stopped talking a few minutes ago and her body had started shaking. He thought something had gone wrong.


    Seeing his expression she smiled and pulled him into a hug. "It worked! They stopped!" A relieved grin broke out on Peter''s face as he grinned back. Both jumped in joy from the news, when Jean suddenly winced again.


    The voices had returned! ''But why?'' Jean nearly had a mental breakdown as the voices returned; she thought she had finally gained control of her powers!


    Peter frowned as Jean became distressed once again, but after a few moments of thinking, the smile returned. Reaching down to where she had placed the ear piece, he reached up and placed it in her ear. Jean had a teary face as she looked at Peter for answers.


    Peter only nudged her in the shoulder. ''Why the glum face. It was like I said, it''s like a muscle, and it''ll take time to control. But now we know you can! We can practice later." Peter''s smile was infectious and hearing his words, soon jean was also smiling.


    ''Yes'' She thought. ''It wouldn''t take long before she could control her power. And then she would know whoever Peter was lying.'' A mischievous smile appeared on Jean''s face that sent a small chill down Peter''s spine, but he brushed it off.


    For the rest of the day they stopped training her abilities and focused on what fun things they could get up to. They were both smiling ear to ear as the day finally came to a close.

 Chapter 45 - Teasing

    (Present)


    A blue figure sat hunched over a small screen and typed away, every now and then looking at the vial sitting on his desk. The vial was filled with blood, and one of those drops was on a microscope sitting to the side.


    Studying the blood for another few seconds and checking the results, Dr. Henry McCoy, also know by "Beast" to his friends, rubbed his tired eyes. Letting out a small sigh he turned to the 2 other occupants of the room.


    The room he was in looked like a medical ward, with a steel metal bed in the middle, a few chairs surrounding it, as well as state of the art equipment hooked up to the person lying on the bed. There was only 1 door into the room.


    Hank looked at Laura who was lying unconscious on the bed and spoke to himself after looking at the data again. "Fascinating." Saying that simple word, he looked at the person sitting down on the chair next to the bed.


    With a beer in hand and an unlit cigar, which Hank had to tell him multiple times to put out while he was working, Logan sat staring at the girl. He had been sitting there for the last few hours and only moved when he had to get a new beer.


    The only words that came from his mouth were the low growls that came every other minute. *Clack* *Clack* Pressing a few keys to turn off the display he turned fully to Logan. "Are you going to continue to sit there? From my calculations she won''t be up for another 2 hours." Logan sent a glance his way before grunting a yes.


    Hank shook his head before getting up and moving towards the door. Just before he left he spoke to Logan again. "Storm, Gambit, Rouge, Scott and a few others will be here when she awakens. Just in case." Motioning towards the metal cuffs that restrained her arms and legs, he finished. "I specially designed those cuffs to stop her movement if she wakes up early. You don''t have to worry."


    Logan reacted only a bit when Hank mentioned Storm, before he stopped moving and turned his eyes back to Laura. Hank gave a small smirk at the reaction and couldn''t help but egg him on. "Ororo only got back from her trip to Africa a month ago. I think you two should go get a coffee, like you did before she left."


    *Grr* Logan turned to Hank and growled loudly staring him right in the eye. It brought out a small chuckle from Hank before he quickly left the room. "Just some friendly advice; my friend." Logan growled louder as he left.


    Walking out of the lab Hank was feeling a bit hungry; he decided to grab something to eat before he went to do his report. He would have to inform every one of his findings tomorrow.


    *******************


    (Felicia''s Apartment.)


    Peter had a small sheen of sweat on his head as he starred at the woman across from him. He still felt a throb from the grip she used to pull him inside. In the middle of the table there was a silver platter covering some type of food. A small voice in his head, was dreading what was under the platter.


    ''No, there''s nothing wrong, it''s just a normal meal, nothing is wrong here.'' By now he already had his mask off. Felecia gave him a smile and knew exactly what he was thinking. Keeping the smile, she reached over slowly and grabbed the platter, lifting it up to reveal¡­..


    ''It''s a pizza thank god!'' Peter let out a breath of relief, not realizing he had been holding his breath. Felecia let out a small laugh once she caught the look on his face. Peter turned red for a few seconds before shaking his head and reaching for a slice.


    Not forgetting to be a gentleman he first placed a slice on her plate before getting his own. A smile had quickly formed on his face. If there was one food he loved in the world, especially in New York, it was Pizza. He knew about every shop in the city, especially when he had to eat more food for his enhanced metabolism.


    They both smiled at each other as they ate, it wasn''t long before Peter started a conversation, he hadn''t gotten to talk to her much the night before. And she had been gone for quite a while; he wanted to know what places she had visited, if she made any new friends, etc.


    Felecia was happy for the conversation and they began talking animatedly. Peter figured she had forgiven him for the morning as they continued to talk and before long the pizza was gone. Noticing this fact Peter looked up into Felecia''s bright eyes and suddenly felt his heart rate increase.


    He knew for quite a while she was beautiful, one of the prettiest people he had ever met, but it was at this moment that the fact sunk in. *Cough* *Cough* Faking a cough and taking a sip of the water on the table, he gave a fake yawn.


    "Well it''s getting a bit late; I think I should go to bed." Felecia''s eyes flashed again as a coy smile formed on her lips. "Ok~" giving a small nod she pushed her chair back and stood up. "Your rooms this way." Peter gave a nod and followed behind her. Walking over to one of the spare rooms, she opened the door and a simple room appeared before Peter. It wasn''t a fancy room, but after having slept on a bench in the open for a year, this was paradise.


    Peter gave Felecia a smile and pulled her in for a hug. "Thank you soo much. You don''t know how much this means to me." He fought hard to make sure his voice didn''t break, but was having trouble. Felecia''s eyes turned gently as she rested her head on his shoulder for a second. Before a devious smirk came back to her.


    "Well you could always share my room. Think of it as a favor for me~" Now, Peter had had enough of being the person teased so he fired right back hugging her a bit tighter, arms slowly roaming down her back. "Don''t tempt me cat, I''ll make you purr all night if you''re not careful." The heat from his breath made her body temperature spike upwards.


    *Purr* Subconsciously she let out a purr at his words, but before anything else could happen, the warmth of his body disappeared and she heard Peter''s small laugh before the door she was standing in front of closed.


    Blinking her eyes in surprise for a few seconds, *Crack* her hands cracked as she gripped them tight, talking to herself softly. "Nicely played Parker. Nicely played." The frown that marred her face softened into a smile, before she walked over to her room. There would be more opportunities in the future.


    Peter who was in his room, with a satisfied and victorious smirk suddenly felt a chill go down his spine. ''Ohh crap, did I just make this worse'' He didn''t have a good sleep that night, he was sure a certain feline female was going to walk through his door during the night.

 Chapter 46 - Bind Part 1

    (Xavier Institute)


    Logan sniffed the air quietly as he smelt a few people walking towards the door. His internal clock told him that the girl was due to wake up any time now. Sifting through the familiar scents he quickly locked onto one in particular and a small smile came to his face. One that quickly disappeared before the door opened.


    Through the door 8 people walked in, Hank, Remy, Rogue, Scott, Bobby, Jubilee, Kitty and Ororo. He raised an eye brow wondering where Jean and the professor where. Beast quickly informed him. "Something happened with Jean a few hours ago; The professor had to make sure everything was alright. He''ll be here very soon."


    Logan gave a small nod, easily noticing the worried expression that flashed across Scott''s face, but did nothing else, turning back to the unconscious girl. Jubilee rocked up to his side in her trade mark yellow jacket, pink shades resting on her head.


    She stared with interest at the girl lying on the metal bed unconscious. Logan let out a small growl as her hand rested on his shoulder, but didn''t move, he had a little soft spot for the youngest member of the X-men.


    *Schlak* *Schlak* Off to the side Remy shuffled a deck of cards in his hand as he watched the scene with his red and black eyes. "Hello to you too Logan." Logan turned to him for a second and gave a small smirk. "You too Gumbo." Rouge just reached for her head and rubbed her temples. "Don''t start you two."


    Logan gave a small shrug and turned back, Remy''s hands twitched for a second before he went back to shuffling the deck. While that was going on, Bobby moved off to the side with Kitty as they both looked at the woman on the table. She didn''t look as dangerous as Scott or Rogue had described.


    Hank went over to the monitor to check Laura''s vitals, Scott leaned on the door starring into space, completely out of it and finally Ororo moved closer to Logan. She had a nice dress on and didn''t look ready for battle, but out of everyone in the room, she had the most power.


    She gave a smile as she stood next to where Logan was sitting. "It''s nice to see you again Logan." He didn''t look at her as he replied. "Yeah it''s been a few months. Nice to have you back." She looked at him for another second before her eyes shifted over to Laura. "It''s good to be back, my trip to Africa took longer than I expected."


    Logan shifted his head to continue the conversation when Laura''s body twitched. It was almost unnoticeable, but Logan noticed it. He quickly got to his feet, a small growl leaving his voice. Everyone else in the room noticed his action.


    Remy stopped shuffling his cards and reached for his collapsible staff, Scott reached for his visor, Rouge reached to pull off her glove, Bobby breathed out a cold gust of air, Kitty prepared for anything, Ororo''s eyes slightly clouded over and Hank looked up from his monitor.


    "Urgh" Laura let out a groan as she started to regain consciousness, quickly focusing her mind thanks to her training, she realized that her hands were bound. She pulled back her shoulders to try and budge them, but the cold metal only moved around 2 centimeters


    Her mind was in disarray as she panicked. She had been trained to stop such a reaction from occurring, but the thought that she might be back in "their" hands made her heat beat quicken. Her eyes snapped open and then shut as the light blinded her for a second.


    *Grrr* She let out a growl as she felt the pain. "Is she related to you? Cause she got the growling down." Remy spoke up from the side causing a growl to come from Logan''s throat and Laura''s head snapped in his direction. Her eyes had turned red in her panic that made the younger x-men feel on edge.


    She continued to strain her shoulders and arms while her head thrashed to look around the room. Their weird gear and looks didn''t deter her struggle, if anything they made it more ferocious. Hank being the most rational of them all, was the first to speak and move closer.


    Raising his hands in a defensive manner he talked softly. "There''s no need for a struggle, we just want to talk. If you would calm down, this could go a lot smoother." Laura stopped her struggle for all of one second, giving the big blue and furry man a look before continuing to struggle and growl. Remy sniggered from the side.


    "You''ve got her hands bound with Adamantium shackles and she wakes up in a white room surrounded by strangers and medical equipment¡­Yeah she''ll believe we just want to talk. Just short, gruff and smelly over there would make me want to run out of the room." Remy flicked his thumb towards Logan. "Watch it bub."


    Jubilee talked from the side as they stared each other down. "Gambit does have a point Hank." Hank thought to himself for a second and understood their reasoning. *Snikt* He turned to Logan as he heard the noise; he was caught up in his own thoughts. "There''s no need to pop your claws Logan, just because of Remy¡­"


    He stopped as he noticed that Logan hadn''t popped his claws. "Ohh¡­" His voice trailed off as he saw the two glistening claws on Laura''s hands. "Never mind." The rest of them were on edge and ready for a fight as the claws popped but they realized it wouldn''t be a problem, the cuffs restrained her movements.


    Releasing a breath of air as his specially designed cuffs worked perfectly, Hank continued to try and placate the girl, but Laura was having none of it. Her mind racing a mile a minute, she thought of every possible way for her to get out. Noticing the small section between the cuff and bed that didn''t look to be made out of Adamantium a quick plan formed.


    Even though it would be hard to fight all the people in the room, all she had to do was capture one of them and she would have a hostage. Deciding on the quick plan she went into motion. Keeping her claws out she pulled her legs as far back as possible arching her back. Twisting her hand as far as it could she flattened her body and used her momentum to break her wrist. *Crack*


    Pulling her shoulder back while her wrist was broken her hands were in an unnatural angel as her claws nicked the small connection between the cuffs and the bed. *Snap* The metal was sliced through like hot butter and her hand was freed. Moving as quickly as lightning she swung her hand over freeing her other hand before going for her legs.


    *Snap* Snap*


    Her legs freed she curled herself and rolled backwards putting her back against the metal wall. The x-men stood stunned as they watched her so casually escape by breaking her bones. Eyeing them, she reached up and twisted her wrist back in place.


    *Crack* Kitty winced as she heard the noise, but Laura''s face didn''t change at all. While everything was quiet and no one was moving, ever so slowly *Snikt* Logan popped his claws, his gruff voice reaching Hank. "You made the cuffs out of Adamantium, but made the bed and links out of normal metal?"


    Hank was at a loss for words. "Adamantium costs you know."

 Chapter 47 - Bind Part 2

    Laura reassessed the people in front of her; she didn''t have a lot of time to decide. Her eyes scanned for the weakest one. Going over the men quickly and then crossing them off, she focused on the women in the room.


    After her last encounter with the woman in gloves she decided to stay far away from her. She was standing near Logan, so that closed off that side of the room, getting rid of the girl in the yellow coat and the silver haired woman.


    That left only one person left, her eyes flickered slightly to the brown haired girl standing next to the ice guy. *Grr* A small growl left her lips before she sprang into action. Dashing to the right she quickly noticed the fast approaching object heading for her neck.


    Reacting in time she watched as a glowing playing card? Flew by and just as she was about to continue the card exploded! *Boom* The force flung her body back but she stabilized herself mid air and landed on her feet. The burns over her body healing quickly as she shook off a mild concussion.


    Her eyes bore into Gambit as he raised an eyebrow at the conclusion, another card in his hand. Hank spoke from the side in an angry voice. "You could have killed her Gambit!" He just gave a nonchalant shrug with a c.o.c.ky smirk. "I was betting she was just like, short pint over there." The voice and what h said irked her enough that she added him to her mental kill list, which she updated every now and then.


    But she wasn''t stupid; she knew she couldn''t fight them all, so she once again started running. Logan''s form barreled in from the side trying to knock her down, but she jumped back at the last second. *Grr* *Grrr* They both growled at each other before clashing blades.


    Storm''s eyes stopped glowing at the back as she reigned in her powers, she couldn''t use them in such an environment, so instead she took on the role of leader. "Scott block the door! Hank, get something to calm her down just in case. Gambit if you throw one more of your cards you''ll be used in training practice for the next month!" She sent a small glare at Remy before she continued.


    She held up a hand at Rogue who was moving closer to the clashing beasts. "Don''t get close Rogue, wait till we have her restrained, we don''t want you losing a limb." Rogue frowned at her for a second before she nodded and backed off.


    Jubilee was fidgeting at the side looking for an opening, her red glasses already down. "Jubilee don''t fire yet, you''ll blind everyone in the room. Wait for a clear shot." Finally she looked at Kitty and Bobby. "Bobby if she comes your way freeze her feet if possible." Bobby gave a small nod as they watched Laura intently.


    She was still clashing with Logan, but it was clear to see that she had the upper hand. In the close quarter environment she was able to use her flexibility and grace to dodge Logan''s heavy blows. This continued for another minute before finally they separated.


    *Pant* *Pant* Laura still wasn''t fully recovered after waking up and fatiguing too fast. Storm took the lead as the fight lulled. "We truly don''t want to harm you." Laura turned and could see that the silver haired woman was being genuine, but once she looked back at Logan who was across from her she couldn''t take any chances.


    "I don''t think she''s going to listen." Logan prepared for another fight as he looked on. "Gargh!" Screaming as she ran forwards they clashed again before Laura jumped off the ground and impaled her foot claw into his mid section. "Urgh" Logan grunted in pain as Laura continued on and wrapped her legs around his body.


    He was too heavy to flip over, but with his legs off balance Laura was able to knock him to the ground. Springing to her feet while his wound healed she sprinted towards Bobby and Kitty. Bobby''s arms turned to ice as he fired towards her legs, but she was prepared.


    While Storm was talking she was taking in all the information she could. She knew what tactics they were going to use and what powers they most likely had. And she used that information to the max. She kicked off the wall, dodging the blast and sent a small glance towards Jubilee.


    Her powers could possibly blind her if she wasn''t careful. Seeing that she wasn''t going to attack, she landed in a roll right next to Bobby and swept his legs. Before Kitty could move away she bounded up and moved behind her. Grabbing her neck and pointing a claw at her throat she finally spoke to her captures.


    "If any of you move I kill her!" Everyone froze as they looked at the two. Kitty stood frozen with the claw to her neck a small bit of fear creeping down her spine, even though she knew she could phase right out of her grip.


    Seeing that everyone had stopped, Laura gave a small smile of victory before going stone faced once again. "Now, you''re going to let me go and leave right now. Once I am outside and safe I''ll let her go, not before, so don''t even ask." They all looked at each other deciding what to do. They all knew that Kitty could get out of her situation if she wanted, but her life was still in danger.


    Logan growled at the action, he didn''t like seeing someone held hostage. Before anyone could say something a presence in their mind connected them and spoke. ''Wait.'' Scott''s eyes shifted just outside the door, where the Professor was holding his temple.


    ''Kitty and everyone, I would like you to stay calm. This could help us find out more information. If you are comfortable with this we''ll continue.'' Kitty gave an almost unnoticeable nod and replied in her mind. ''Ok Professor.'' It was hard to tell, but her voice quivered a little when she replied.


    ''Ok listen to her demands and ask questions. I''ll deal with the rest.''

 Chapter 48 - Stress

    A small tendril of thought wormed its way through the air. It slipped unnoticed by everyone in the room before settling in the mind of Laura. She was strung out and under pressure. In her addled and volatile state she didn''t notice the small thought that slowly settled on her mind.


    Storm who was still in control of the room spoke up first. "Ok we''ll do whatever you want. Just please don''t hurt Katherine." Laura gave a small nod at the words and shook her head to clear her thoughts. If she was more attentive she might have noticed that her blurred vision wasn''t normal.


    "OK. Move over to that side of the room, and if I see anyone do anything funny I will kill her where she stands. Do you understand?" Storm gave a small nod, but that wasn''t enough to the emotional woman. "I said do you understand!" Gambits fingers twitched at the shouting, which didn''t go unnoticed.


    Laura''s eyes snapped in his direction as if daring him to do it. She pressed ever so more on Kitty''s neck and a small trail of blood rolled down a fresh cut that appeared. "Yes we understand!" Storm gave Gambit a death glare, and Hank quickly pulled him to the side.


    As everyone moved to one side of the room, Laura walked slowly towards the door. Storm had seen a lot in her life. She had grown up in the slums of Africa before being found by the professor and had to steal frequently. She had joined gangs, betrayed people in her youth. She had done many things she wasn''t proud of.


    So it was with certainty that she could see the look in Laura''s eyes. The look of a young woman that had gone through too much, seen things no one her age should have. Yes many that were mutants had to deal with racism and bigotry, but this was a whole different level.


    A piece of Storm''s heart went out for the woman as she saw the frightened look in her eyes. The eyes that trusted no one, the look of someone who was afraid to trust another person. As she watched her move closer and closer, to the door, she had to speak, try and explain to the girl that they meant no harm.


    "Wait before you leave¡­.I''m sorry we never asked for your name." Storm talked gently to Laura as she went to leave. Laura stopped for a second to look at the silver haired woman''s speak. The concern in the woman''s eyes was something she hadn''t seen since she met Peter, and before that maybe only her mother.


    She didn''t know what compelled her to tell them her name, but something in the back of her mind made her speak up. "My name''s Laura." Her voice was gruff and tired from the day''s events, but it got across to them.


    Storm gave a small reassuring smile, as she got a response, it was better than nothing. "Before you go Laura, I just wanted you to know. We truly just want to help you." Maybe if she had said something else Laura wouldn''t have exploded at her comment or maybe if Laura wasn''t under so much stress, feeling her emotions run wild.


    But when Laura heard those words, she snapped. "STOP LYING!!!" She screamed in frustration as she pointed her claw hand towards Logan. "You want to help me! EVEN WHEN HE''S HERE!"


    Everyone was shocked at her outburst and stood still as she went on a small rant. "If Howlett is here." She took a deep breath "If Weapon X is here! Then that means you want to experiment on me! Control me! Take away my freedom! You want to turn me into a weapon just like him! To kill more of those close to me! To do more dirty work! I want out, I have lost enough! I will control my own future! You abduct me! Drug me! Cuff me! Attack me! Don''t lie to me!!!"


    Laura panted as she felt strength drain from her body, but held on tight to Kitty. Logan who just bore the brunt of her scream didn''t react outwardly, but on the inside his thoughts were set alight. She, Laura, knew who he was.


    He had heard himself referred to before as Weapon X, but he never knew the context. What she had just said told him that she knew about his past, ''Was his last name Howlett?'' He wanted, no he needed to know. He couldn''t let her escape, but there was one thing bothering him.


    His gruff voice sounded out in the quiet after the outburst. "But am I not your father?" It was a conjecture from the professor, and it had stuck in Logan''s mind since he had been told. He had gone through a lot in the memories he still had, but he hoped that out of his mysterious past he hadn''t estranged himself from his daughter to such a degree, that she hated his guts.


    If that''s what she truly was, it was the closest thing he had to family. Those around him gave shocked looks as they heard his words. He or the professor hadn''t mentioned that Laura might possibly be Logan''s daughter. Sure they had the same abilities, but it could have been a coincidence.


    Laura looked at him dumbstruck for a moment after hearing his words. Thoughts and memories passed through her mind, as they drifted to the one woman that treated her like a daughter, the woman who she had killed.


    Her eyes turned red as she looked at him. Logan suppressed a flinch as he saw the hate in the eyes of his supposed daughter. Her body trembled in rage as she gritted her teeth, finally after a few seconds she exploded in laughter.


    The laughter could have sent a chill down anyone''s spine and the tears running down her face made everyone in the room feel a small amount of pain. "You cause this. You caused my pain my suffering. I wouldn''t be like this if it wasn''t for you. You aren''t my father! This is all your fault. This is all your Fault!"


    Laura''s shaking slowly started to stop her body losing its strength. And before long she fell to the ground. Kitty phased out of her grip so that no harm could be done. Xavier rolled slowly into the room, taking his hand down from his temple.


    Looking down at the unconscious woman for a few seconds her turned to Hank. "Hank would you kindly go and place her in one of the rooms to rest. I think we should try talking again at another time." Hank gave a small nod before moving to pick her up.


    "Logan a word." Charles spoke as he left the room. Logan gave a small nod as his eyes didn''t leave the body of Laura. His mind was trying to process everything she had said. He now had more questions than when he started. Storm watched him leave with a concerned expression before walking out herself. She also had a few things to think about after this incident. After a few minutes the room was empty.

 Chapter 49 - Red Level Threat

    Chapter 48: Red Level Threat


    (The Next Day)


    Peter woke with a start and kicked the sheets off his body. Looking around in a daze for a few seconds, he finally remembered where he was. Sitting up slowly, he rubbed his eyes as smelt something good wafting in from the other room.


    "Mmm" He let out a small voice as they food in the other room smelt delicious. Looking at the clock next to him, he realized that it was around 10:30 am. He hadn''t woken up this late in a long time. Well, accept the last time he was drugged here.


    Peter felt a small amount of guilt wash over him waking up so late. He didn''t go on patrol last night, who knew how many people could have needed his help. After wallowing in guilt for a few seconds he shook his head.


    ''No'' He thought to himself. ''The city can survive without me for a night or two. I can''t keep heaping the responsibility on my shoulders. There''s the police, other heroes'' Peter felt his heart rate spike a little and forced himself to calm down. ''Calm down, You can relax¡­you can relax''


    Talking in his mind for a few minutes his heart rate slowed down. ''Was it always like this?'' Peter asked himself this question as he shuffled himself out of the bed and the truth was, he couldn''t remember. When did the duty of being Spider-Man get to this point? Was it after that day? Or was it like this before?


    He had been going out quite often before the battle of New York, many times more than the first few years he had started, it only got worse after that day. Finally stopping his thoughts there, he banished them to the back of his head and stood up.


    The smell of the food was too good. ''Felicia has a great figure, is good at athletics and martial arts, is great at cooking and has a great personality¡­..'' Peter tapped his chin. ''On second thought, she has an alright personality.''


    With a new smile on his face as he thought of the woman in the next room, Peter made sure his hair was alright before walking into the next room. Twisting the handle and expectant of the food being cooked, the sight that greeted him made him stop for a second.


    A small amount of music was playing in the background as Felicia sung to herself. The stove was on and she was cooking, bacon, scrambled eggs, sausages and waffles. Peter felt a small grumble come from his stomach. He hadn''t had a decent meal in a long time, something unthinkable to a person with an increased metabolism.


    Standing still and taking in the sight of Felecia who was wearing very, very short shorts and a tight but somehow loose shirt, he didn''t notice when Felicia stopped singing and turned towards him. She shot him a smirk as she looked at his dumbstruck expression. Seeing the laughter in her eyes when he came back, he quickly rearranged his face and made it stoic.


    *Cough* Giving a fake cough, Peter moved to the table where the food was being set up. Ever being the gentleman he spoke once he sat down. "Morning." Felicia sat opposite him. "Morning." Before long a conversation started as the food disappeared at the speed of light.


    Peter''s eyebrows rose slightly as he noticed that Felicia was eating almost as fast as he was. ''And she still has a great figure.'' Right after thinking that she shot him a look and his heart stopped, He could have sworn that she somehow read his thoughts. ''That brings back a few memories''


    Just as the food was finished, as if well timed or done purposely Crystal''s comms buzzed. Peter kept the device on him at all times and quickly felt the disturbance, looking down for a second he excused himself from the table.


    Felicia gave a small frown as he disappeared behind the door, before getting up herself. She took a look at the empty dishes before leaving them; she could get Peter to do them later. With her ever present smile she left to her own room, she had a few things to do.


    Closing the door behind him Peter reached down and grabbed the ear piece before placing it in his ear. "Yes Crystal?" Her clear voice replied with a bit of seriousness mixed in. Hearing her tone Peter grew concerned. It wasn''t every day that Crystal got serious.


    "Sorry to interrupt your conversation Peter. I have discovered a Red Level Threat to the city and the world." Peter stood shocked for a second, before he gripped his hand, there had only been a few Red level threats he had ever had to deal with, the last one being the Battle of New York, and he didn''t have to deal with that one. The avengers only just fixed that one.


    Peter''s voice turned grim. "Details Crystal Please." He got a quick response. "I have discovered traces of corruption in Shield. Shield hostile takeover monitored yesterday. Previous director presumed dead, 40% Probability of truth. Captain America and Black Widow branded fugitives." Peter''s eyes rose at that last bit. ''Branded fugitives? The mascot of America and avenger?''


    "98% Probability of Hydra taking over shield. Plans found to decimate super human community with new ''Helicarrier programming''. Hacked Shield database for target list. List has been downloaded into Felicia''s phone; if you would."


    Peter''s eyes rose even further as the news sunk in. Quickly bolting for the door he ripped it open and scrambled over to Felicia''s room. Knocking extremely fast almost causing a dent, it was open in a few seconds.


    Felicia had a surprised expression on her face seeing the small panic that Peter was in. Before she could say a word though Peter, said something at hyper speed. "Heysorry tointrude I just needtoborrow your phonereally quick. I''ll giveit backin asecond."


    Too stunned to reply Peter grabbed the phone right out of her hand and bolted back to his own room. Thankfully it was still open when he flipped it over. Bringing up the lists at lightning speed color drained from his face as he saw name after name, The fantastic 4, Matt, Jessica, Danny, Luke, Frank, All of the avengers. Even some politicians and police chiefs were named. That wasn''t all, the list continued to go on and on, and was even divided by country.


    If the plan was to go through, it could easily start a world war. Remembering the red haired girl that he had grown up with, Peter quickly searched for Jean''s name. He found hers as well as Laura''s name. He had no clue how they had got her information, but they knew she was a mutant.


    Looking the list over a few times, Peter quickly noticed that his name wasn''t on the list. He was about to ask Crystal about this, when he figured it out. Over the years his information had been scrubbed numerous times, if Shield ever tried to follow him or track him, Crystal would stop it.


    They may have a Peter Parker on file, but he wasn''t connected with Spider-Man, other than the fact he took his pictures. It gave him a little satisfaction that they still didn''t know his secret identity, but they did know others¡­.Like Felicia.


    "What would you like me to do Peter?" Timing the question perfectly, Peter snapped out of his stupor. "Is anything being done to prevent this?" "Yes Captain America, Black Widow and another man by the name of Sam Wilson are planning to stop their plan." Peter thought to himself quickly. "When is it happening?" "Later today the plan goes into action; I calculate that they have a 60% Chance of stopping said plan." Crystal took a pause and Peter was about to speak out aghast, that was such a low number!


    But Crystal continued before he said anything. "Conjecture, if former director of shield is still alive, which has now been raised to 88% probability, they have a 90% Chance of stopping plan." Peter stopped and thought over his options.


    He could try to help the Captain and Black Widow, and he would have if the chances of success were still so low, but 90% was high enough for him. This was a probability done by Crystal, Peter knew well enough when she gave her statistics she factored nearly every possibility.


    Thinking it over again and again, slowly Peter let his hands relax. He wasn''t needed to stop this threat. But it was always prudent to be safe. "Crystal, hack into the firing program. If Captain America and his team fail to stop the launch of the ''Extermination program'', shut it down, wipe the list and cripple the helicarrier."


    Crystal took a few seconds to respond as she quickly did what Peter wanted. "Affirmative, Program changed." Peter let out a small sigh of relief as he heard her words. He was sure that the problem would resolve itself and he wouldn''t have to intervene again, the captain would handle the rest.


    "Was there anything else?" "No, Peter." Peter gave a nod. "Thank you for the heads up crystal." Crystal''s voice turned gentle. "Always, Peter." Peter smiled slightly before flopping onto the bed. A small part of him still wanted to swing out and help stop the brewing crisis, but he suppressed it. It was a small step, but a necessary one.


    He had to give the responsibility to others. He had to give the responsibility to other¡­.

 Chapter 50 - New Design

    Peter stared into the roof above him for another few minutes before finally, he spoke out loud. "Crystal where will these helicarriers be launching?" "At the Triskelion in Washington, situated next to the Potomac River." Peter quietly crunched the numbers in his head.


    Although he had resolved himself to not interfering, he still had his worries. Hearing the answer to his question he let out a pent up breath. Washington was 4-5 hours away, he wouldn''t be able to make it there in time, unless he stole a private plane.


    ''Which I could possible do'' ''No Peter, stay here!'' Slapping himself lightly on the cheek to get rid of the thoughts he slowly rose from the bed. He still had to return Felicia''s phone. ''Maybe he could do something...''


    Springing from the bed and walking to the door, it wasn''t long before he knocked on to Felicia''s door. Opening the door he quickly gave back the phone. Taking it back she raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to tell me what that was about?"


    Peter was about to say no when he stopped himself. "Actually yeah I will, want to watch some TV with me?" Felicia still didn''t know where he was going with this, but shrugged her shoulders. "Ok." Peter gave a smile. "Ok let me do something really fast.


    Rushing back to his room he pulled out Crystal''s Comm device. "Hey crystal could you hack a few satellites on rotation and keep track of everything happening at the Triskelion. Could you also please hack Felicia''s TV so that I can watch what''s going on?"


    It took less than a second before she replied. "Of course Peter. Surveillance set up, stream linked to TV in the next room." Peter gave another nod and smile. "Thanks Crystal." "No problem Peter." With that done Peter walked back out the room and began to watch some shows with Felicia. It would still be another hour or two before anything happened. And Crystal would inform him if anything happened.


    Though his heart rate did go up when Felicia snuggled up into his arms.


    ******************


    (Location unknown)


    "MMMmmmMMMmmMMMM" A woman hummed to herself while she worked in front of a metal table. Equipment was sprawled everywhere as sparks came from what she was working on every now and then. In the background music blared out.


    She looked to be in her teens, 16-18 years old. Her head bobbed up and down as she continued her work. A holographic display was changed and thrown away as she worked on multiple different things at the same time. A pair of goggles covered her eyes to protect them.


    Throwing another hologram away she turned her head back to the suit in front of her. The black metal shinned from the lights above, small engravings, which were a personal touch covered certain parts of the torso.


    The black was intermingled with red and a small ting of blue. The woman smiled to herself as she looked into the two eyes on the mask. The whites of the lenses stared back into hers, and she nodded.


    Pulling up a hologram and grabbing a small dial, she twisting it a few times, she made sure that the eye lenses were working properly. Making sure that was perfect, she let her eyes drop down to the center of the chest.


    A white spider logo was in the middle that told anyone in the know that this suit was meant for Spider-Man! Her eyes stayed on the logo for a few seconds before she got back to work. A few minutes later though the music suddenly stopped.


    "Hey what?" Looking up from her work, she looked around for anyone in the room, before a clear voice came over the silent speakers. "Hello." The woman was surprised for a second before a smile broke out on her face.


    "Ohh it''s just you Crystal. It''s nice to hear from you again.....How''s Peter?" She started out in a cheerful voice, but by the end it had gone a bit quiet. It took a few seconds before Crystal responded. "..He is doing better. Just recently he started living in an apartment again."


    A small smile came to the woman''s face as she heard the news, but there was a little bitterness in her eyes. Mumbling to herself, Crystal only just heard what she said. "It''s been more than a year and he is finally picking himself up. I wish father would have taken him in. He needed help...he needed me... he needed someone."


    Crystal didn''t say anything to the comment, as it was clearly only meant for herself. But she did crunch some numbers in her cortex. It wouldn''t have mattered, at that time Peter wanted to be alone, if someone was to help him, it might not have worked. It might have even backfired.


    Finally the woman spoke up again. "Thanks for the information Crystal. If it wasn''t for you, I would have been worried sick, when he suddenly stopped messaging me." "No thanks are necessary. You are an important part of Peter''s life. And you care for him deeply."


    The woman didn''t reply for a few seconds as she looked around to make sure no one was there as she turned red. *Cough* Cough* Spluttering for a few seconds and trying to get back her composure, she changed the subject.


    "So what do I owe the pleasure?" *Pfft* The woman''s head suddenly snapped to the speakers above her, she could have sworn that Crystal had just laughed at her. Before she could ask she got a reply. "Yes; it is about the project you are working on right now actually. There has been an unexpected occurrence which has changed parameters."


    "Mmm?" She raised an eye brow as she got back to work, there were still a few details that had to be ironed out. "Do you remember specimen V?" Her hands stopped as her eyes widened. "Are you talking about Venom? Wasn''t it trapped? Locked away?" "Yes. It was" Her tone turned serious. "What happened?"


    "Due to circ.u.mstances Specimen V escaped and Peter handled it." "What! He should know he can''t touch it!" The woman burst out as a slight bit of fear grabbed her heart. ''Was Peter ok?'' As if reading her mind Crystal responded. "Don''t worry, there has been a change in Specimen V. Its aggressive personality seems to have shifted. It is possible that we might have to incorporate it into the suit."


    The woman stopped what she was doing and looked up. "Incorporate it into the suit?" "Yes, there is a 75% chance that Peter, will want such a change to occur. Your thoughts?" The woman thought to herself for a while. "Well I could change a few of the structures to accommodate, and use the vibranium as a sound dampener. It would account for its weakness to sound. I''m still not sure it''s the best idea though."


    The woman had a frown on her face as her thoughts went over many different designs, Crystal''s voice in the background. "My thoughts exactly, we''ll have to plan for..." A discussion on the design of the new suit and its new features went on for another hour or two before it finally finished.


    Just before Crystal left the woman''s voice spoke out. "How surprised do you think Peter will be when he gets his birthday present? Haha" A small giggle escaped her lips as she got back to work. "I''m sure he will love it." Crystal reassured her.


    With that crystal was gone and the music started back up. Soon the woman was back to her work, humming to the song as she went.

 Chapter 51 - Opportunity

    A thread of glimmering white shone in the distance. The thread shone as bright as a star and drew the eye of any person that could see it. The thread stretched infinitely and it wasn''t alone.


    Multiple threads of glimmering star light spread out connecting to one another, passing, overlapping, and converging. All the thread connected formed a specific object, a specific occurrence, it looked like a web.


    The glittering web of starlight shimmered in its dark surroundings as it minded its own business. Every now and then a strand of the web would glow brighter before simmering down.


    This web was something that transcended the multiverse, something that connected them and allowed them all to converge; it was ''The Web of Life and Destiny''.


    At the moment a small distance away from the glittering web a small patch of blackness started to appear. At first it appeared as nothing, before after a few seconds it forming into a figure. The figure couldn''t be seen for another few minutes, only being a shadow that stood staring right at the web.


    All that could be seen from the darkness were the eyes. The pools of black, that were its eyes, seemed to be endless as if an abyss into nothing. The figure slowly raised their hands and reached out towards the web. But something seemed to stop the figure. After their hand reached a certain distance it couldn''t move any further.


    Finally after a few minutes the darkness contracted on the figure. Where the darkness used to be a robed figure now stood. The robe was more of a cape as it trailed behind the person. They were wearing a sash around their waist and a form fitting black top and pants.


    Their midriff, arms and legs were all in plain view showing off their pale white skin. From their outward appearance and body shape it was easy to tell that the person was a female. She had her cowl up obscuring her face from view.


    This woman stood in the same place for an unknown amount of time before finally something else happened.


    Next to the woman in black a ragging inferno suddenly sprung into existence. It started out as a small spark of fire, then turning into a circle of fire on the floor, before finally expanding into an inferno blasting outwards.


    But the woman in black wasn''t disturbed; actually none of the fire touched the woman in black. It was if there was an invisible barrier that stopped any of the flames from touching her.


    The inferno raged on for a little while before finally turning into a pillar of fire. The pillar of fire was around 10 meters high, but as time went on, the pillar started to compress in on itself, again and again and again, before finally settling into the outline of another woman.


    The woman had fire for hair and clothes, and no discernible features could be seen if they had any.


    Standing next to each other the woman in black didn''t turn to look at the new arrival as she spoke. "Phoenix. Did he call you here to?" The voice was ethereal and cold. The now identified Cosmic Entity, Phoenix, stood still and didn''t answer, instead looking at the web in front of it.


    Her features slowly started to morph and the complete form of fire started to resemble a human. The fire raging about retracted and concentrated into the hair. It stayed alight as a girl''s face appeared. The face of the beauty continued to stare at the web as if nothing was said, their eyes flickering between green and red.


    Not hearing a reply the black figure turned towards the Phoenix. The black eyes stared at the Phoenix for little while before she spoke again. "Ahh, a new host. You haven''t even awakened yet. This is only a projection."


    The black figure tilted their head moving their eyes up and down. "I don''t know, she''s pretty cute, but I think you could do better." The Phoenix finally moved her head away from the web and looked at the person next to her.


    "Death. Don''t even start. Or I''ll bring up that Mad Titan that is trying to court you." The black garbed woman, know as Death, one of the greatest Cosmic Beings in the multiverse, let out a small laugh as she waved the comment off. "Don''t get me started on that love struck fool. But you never answered my question." Death''s voice turned serious. "Did he call you here as well?"


    The Phoenix looked at death for a few more seconds before turning back to the web. "Yes, Yes he did." Death gave a small nod as they both began to wait. They didn''t have to wait long though as a new person finally appeared.


    A man appeared at the center of the web. His features were obscured a little by the hood he wore, but he cut an imposing figure. The man started to walk out from the web and approach the two cosmic entities.


    They both patiently waited as he finally arrived before them. No one said a thing for the first few minutes before the Phoenix spoke up. "Why did you call us Weaver? I don''t have much time with this projection."


    The weaver looked at her for a few seconds before he finally replied. He turned his back to them and motioned towards the web. "Phoenix, the entity of Destruction and Rebirth and Lady Death, well I guess that one is self explanatory."


    "I know you''ve both been searching for a way to connect the web and yourselves. Usually I would steer thing so such an occurrence doesn''t happen. Not many totems can handle your powers, or even a linkage, between just one of you. Actually it would take one of my best totems to even try."


    Both entities shot each other a look as a small expectation began to grow in their minds. Yes they had been trying for millennia now to form a connection with the web. It would greatly transcend their powers if such an occurrence happened.


    But it was too hard a task; with the weaver looking over his totems, they never had a chance. Death was especially attuned to most totems as they were snatched from her clutches again and again, always surviving when they shouldn''t.


    "Yes it is as you thought." The weaver wave his hand and a small projection of a Peter Parker appeared in front of them. He was sitting on the couch with another silver haired woman leaning in close. "I''m sure you might recognize him, Phoenix."


    The Phoenix turned her head to the screen before her red eyes turned green, a slow amount of shock appearing in them. The weaver spoke up. "Yes it is the man your current host likes. It was a coincidence really, a happy occurrence as it were."


    "What do you mean?" The weaver let out a chuckle. "You''ve both know me for many years; I always have a backup, a different plan, a replacement should something go wrong. And I know, you both know how much time I have been putting into the totem at the center." They both gave a small nod as they looked at the center of the web.


    "I have been testing the center for a long time now, throwing obstacles in his way, some even I wasn''t sure if he could overcome." He waved his hand at the projection once again. "That''s why I created replacements, backups as they were. Totems put through as many tests as the center, strengthened through loss and pain."


    Finally the weaver let out a small sigh. "Even for me, to set up these replacements took up so much energy, and even then, this one was the only one to survive. And his survival has given you a rare chance."


    "I don''t have to worry about the center of the web anymore, he has passed his trials. He had proven his worth, he is irreplaceable now." The weaver turned back to them a small smile gracing his lips. "I will not interfere if you try to make a connection with this Totem, it will depend on your luck and determination for how the web may change. Even I am interested in what may happen."


    He held up a hand though before they left. "Though I will not allow, coercion or domination with your cosmic powers, you can only create a connection in a natural way. If you do otherwise I will stop you." He turned to Death who had put her hood down.


    A woman with model good looks and white pale skin starred back into the eyes of the Weaver. Her pitch black eyes had turned to something considered normal, except her whole iris kept the black coloring, while her raven black hair cascaded over the back of her hood.


    "I would suggest you find a host Death." Death gave a glittering smile as she turned away from the Weaver, plans and thoughts dashing through her mind. She would have to find the perfect host to create a connection between her and the totem. First she would have to gather information though.


    Just before she left the Weaver gave a small smirk. "Ohh and Death" She turned to look at him. "I suggest you stop your other boyfriend from getting jealous, if he goes through with his valentines gift all your plans might be ruined." Death stood still for a second before darkness shrouded her figure and she disappeared.


    The Weaver then looked at the Phoenix who was also about to leave. She had a self assured look of victory on her face already. And she had ever reason, because the form she took, the one that had the victory smirk, was an exact replica of Jean Grey.


    With a flash of fire she disappeared and the Weaver moved back towards the web. One of his 6 eyes drifted to the Totem in question and a flash of anticipation appeared in it. Even for him this would be a first.


    He couldn''t wait to see what happens.

 Chapter 52 - Missed Events

    Peter sat quietly on the couch. The warm air of the room was putting him to sleep, not just that either, the warm bundle of heat that was snuggled up on his left was also too comforting. He stifled a yawn as he continued to watch the TV.


    They had gone quite just over 5 minutes ago; they had been talking for the last few hours while Peter waited for Crystal to change the screen. It would only change though when something happened. Looking down at the time on the TV Peter felt a small frown come to his face.


    The captain was cutting it close. Crystal had told him when the helicarriers where due to launch, there wasn''t much time left. As Peter started to think to himself, he felt a shuffle from the person up against him.


    Looking down into the beautiful eyes of Felicia Hardy, he c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. "So are you going to tell me what all that was about or are we still going to wait?" The pouting expression she had at least made Peter feel slightly embarrassed. He had told her he would explain everything and Cap was taking his bloody time.


    A lopsided smile came to his face as gave a small apology. "Just a little bit longer and you''ll understand." She gave a small smirk as she turned back to the TV. "If you said that differently, you''d sound like a serial killer." A small giggle escaped her lips as Peter just rolled his eyes.


    As they continued to watch TV they surfed to different channels looking for anything good. Stopping on the news channel for a second, a play back of the President speaking at a rally came up. Peter didn''t think anything of it, he wasn''t into politics too much, he preferred to look out for the little guy and let other people worry about the big stuff.


    Not that he hadn''t had to deal with some big problems in his time.


    That did remind him though. ''Wasn''t there an election coming up next year?'' But it was what Felicia said next that caught his interest. "Even though I don''t like what he says some times, he is one tough nut. Acting like nothing happened after that incident last year."


    Peter once again turned his head down. "Wait what happened last year?" Hearing the genuine curiosity in his voice Felicia brought herself out of her nice spot and looked at him like he was an idiot. "What do you mean ''what happened?'' The abduction? Tony Stark''s house being blown up? ''The Mandarin?''"


    Seeing Peters completely blank face, she was about to tease him about living under a rock. The smirk had already formed on her face before it disappeared and she remembered where Peter had been living for the past year.


    That thought stopped her in her tracks. Peter who was still wondering what she was talking about; saw the look of pity that flashed across her eyes and realization dawned on him. ''Ahh so all this happened while I was on the streets.''


    An awkward silence settled over them before Felecia snuggled up against him again. "Let''s not think about that. I''ll tell you what happened. I guess you also wouldn''t have heard what happened with Thor in London then?" Peter just shook his head.


    On the inside he was wondering why Crystal didn''t tell him if something big happened. It probably didn''t endanger him, but he still would have liked to know. ''I''ll have to ask her later.''


    So over the next 30 minutes Felicia started to fill Peter in on the happening over the last year. It mainly focused on things that happened outside of New York, because in the end Peter knew nearly everything that happened in his home town.


    Mainly focusing on the avengers, who for some reason that Peter couldn''t fathom, never asked each other for help. It seemed that Tony Stark, or Iron man had started a personal war with the Mandarin, a terrorist that had destroyed his House, kidnapped the president and destroyed an oil raft, plus multiple other acts of terrorism.


    The fact that not one of the other avengers was sighted didn''t mean that they didn''t help, but from the information released to the public and some of the secrets that Felicia had gotten her hands on, it was all handled by Tony alone.


    Honestly it was one of the stupidest things Peter had heard; with the whole Avengers together they could have taken down the terrorist in half the time, at the most!


    Other than that, Thor had also been sighted oversees as he fought some type of aliens threat, a fricking space ship crashing into parts of London! That one was easier to analyze what happened because most eye witness accounts and recordings showed that it was just Thor himself, fighting some type of Elf.


    Once again if the avengers had all been present quite a bit of the damage in Peter''s opinion could have been avoided, though he could assume that it would take time for them to arrive, they could have at least tried, to get there.


    And the worst thing out of hearing all of this, the fact that Crystal hadn''t said a thing. When he had started out on the streets, he didn''t really get time to look at newspaper articles and the goings on outside of New York. Hell triple JJJ and where he worked usually didn''t cover national news, focusing mainly on Spider-Man sightings.


    ''Reminder, call into work to discuss job.'' Peter hadn''t shown up in a while, hopefully he still had a job.


    Peter was churning through all the information as the screen finally flickered from normal television to show the image of a huge building built next to a river. It was about to start.

 Chapter 53 - Downfall Of Shield

    "Peter what''s that?" An overview of the building appeared on the screen. Felecia stared intently at the TV as she reviewed where she had seen that river before. The scene struck a chord in her head and it took her a while to figure out what she was looking at.


    As the daughter of one of the best thief''s in the world she knew of some of the places that she had to avoid at all costs and that included the headquarters of Shield; an organization that had locked up her father, before pardoning him when he did them a favor once or twice.


    It was hard on her family when her Father was in jail, and it was one of the reasons that he had left that carrier behind him when he got out. It was also one of the reasons that he chastised his daughter''s nightly endeavors, if she was ever caught.


    While Felicia figured out what she was looking at Peter discreetly put a comm. device in his ear. "I have hacked into their surveillance systems Peter. Captain America just arrived." Peter gave a small nod as the screen suddenly changed. "I will optimize showing key players and objectives throughout the situation."


    Peter nodded his head again even though he wasn''t up to date on the main characters. Crystal always had a way of assessing the data and finding what to focus on. And so it began as Peter started to fill in Felicia on what was going on.


    Needless to say she was shocked to find out that Shield had been compromised by Hydra, a Nazi death cult, and that they were trying to enact a play to kill millions of superhuman individuals as well as whoever else they wanted.


    The first thing she asked was if she was a target. Peter struggled with telling her as it would only cause unneeded worry, but in the end she deserved to know, so he gave a small nod. But before she could start to freak out and ask more questions he explained how she was in no trouble, as well as how Captain America was dealing with the problem.


    Hearing that an avenger was dealing with the situation did alleviate her fears somewhat but she still had more questions. So as the situation began to develop Peter explained every worry she had away, anything she could think of was answered, well everything except who his tech, hacking genius was.


    He still wanted to keep Crystal a secret for the time being.


    But soon enough the questions settled down as the situation developed. It was like watching a movie, the sneaking in to the Triskelion, the order to launch the helicarriers; everything was caught on camera and relayed to the screen.


    With Crystal''s machinations every key moment was shown, including the scene at the council. And Peter''s eyes paused as he watched what happened up there. The first thing that drew his eye was the red hair; it made him think of a very specific person. So to his immense surprise when he saw Natasha''s face appear he sat a little straighter.


    Felicia noticing his reaction felt a small pang of jealousy, as she saw his wide eyed stare at the red woman. Pinching his leg for a few seconds Peter snapped out of his daze, a million thoughts racing through his head as he continued to watch.


    "Was that Nat? What the what?!!" But he wasn''t a stupid person, he started to go over all the other facts he knew about her as well as her, ''Consulting'' job that took her all over the world constantly. ''So she was the infamous Black widow?'' ''Crystal must have know.'' He rubbed his chin in thought. ''Well I did say to leave it alone.''


    Peter let out a small chuckle as he realized that he had somehow made friends with one of the deadliest assassins in the world, though the fact that she was only 18 definitely surprised him. Going forwards he wondered what would happen the next time he met her.


    It wasn''t long before Nick Fury also turned up, obviously not dead. But by this time the Helicarriers had already started to take off. Despite their best efforts the sh.i.p.s were still launched and the plan was well on its way.


    Thankfully Captain America and a new guy called ''Falcon'', dubbed that by Crystal, managed to find their way onboard. Honestly it was a nail biting scene, the clock getting closer and closer to zero, no one knowing that it didn''t matter.


    Captain America and a guy with a metal arm slugging it out until all the sh.i.p.s, the base, everything was decimated. It was an enthralling moment.


    In the end the Captain was fine, we couldn''t get many details from the images we were getting but he was alive, seemingly saved by the person that almost killed him. The situation had been settled, though a small part of Peter grieved the loss of life that took place, he knew he couldn''t make it.


    The screen faded to black as Peter stretched his tired muscles. Felicia also got up from the couch and got something to eat. Peter watched as she went and got up himself, he needed something to eat as well. ''Now what am I going to do for the rest of the day?''

 Chapter 54 - Worried

    (Avengers Tower)


    Natasha sat in the living room of the penthouse as the night sky reflected in her eyes. In her hands she held a small glass of liquor; the liquid was red and was a new recipe on the rise in clubs and bars. It was called a ''Black Widow''; the irony wasn''t lost on her as she looked down at the red drink for a second.


    Though she had to admit they had done a good job as she took another sip. Having the base of the drink made up of platinum Russian vodka was always a good start. Having heard of the drink just before getting here, it was lucky that she always kept a good stock of the vodka in the tower.


    If Tony touched any of it, he knew what the consequences would be. Pulling her eyes away from the drink she continued to stare at the skyline outside. It was just visible from her current height, with the night sky dominating the rest of it.


    There was something calming about looking at the night lights of the city at such a quiet time; it was around 1 am right now. The fall of Shield had happened a few hours ago, there were a lot of things she would have to do going forwards, but that could be dealt with tomorrow. She didn''t get many chances to relax like this, not in front of a window anyways.


    But knowing Tony and having checked herself, all the windows were bullet proof and if someone wanted to look in from outside they would find the windows so tinted it would be impossible to sight a target.


    Right now there were a lot of thoughts racing through her mind, but it mainly resolved around what happened the last few days. Finding out that Shield had been infiltrated by Hydra had been a big mental blow for her, though she didn''t show it.


    She had joined shield because she thought it was an organization for good, a place that took down terrorist and stopped threats to the world. Finding out that it was no different than the Red Room had truly left her lost.


    Her thoughts spiraled as she went over ever mission in her mind, trying to figure out which missions truly left a good lasting impact, had she ever been used by Hydra without her knowing? Better yet where did she want to go from here?


    She had been an operative for so many years, a peak assassin that got the job done when most others couldn''t. Now she had no organization, no mission heading forwards, it was for her to decide now and if she was being honest with herself that thought scared her a little.


    So she continued to sip her drink lowly, pouring a refill every now and then as her thoughts drifted over and over again.


    As she raised her hand to take another sip of her drink, it froze as a memory came to her mind. The times she had been spending with Steve, the talks about moving on, the talks about getting a life, about life after the job, after the...


    At that moment those small talks came to the front of her mind and she truly started to think about them, she had no reason to get back in the game; she had no reason to continue the life she had right now. But it was all she knew; could she have a steady life outside of it?


    Getting to know Clint didn''t count, he was about the only person she got along with, she didn''t even trust Nick as much as she trusted Clint, and he was like her, an operative on the lines. Nick might have once been like them, but he had changed as he became the director of Shield, him and her wouldn''t trust each other fully, ever, it was too much of a liability.


    Speaking of Clint, he was the perfect example, he was just like her, but he has somehow made a life, had a wife, kids even. Something that no one else save, possibly Fury would know about, or could; it was too dangerous to have a family in their line of work, but he made it work.


    Though sometimes Natasha thought about ways she could convince him to leave their life behind, he had them to go back to, he couldn''t die out on a mission and leave them behind. She had promised to herself she would never let that happen. She would rather die than let that happen.


    As her thought continued to think about the possibilities the image of a person appeared in her mind, their clothes were ragged, the eyes slightly hollow, but there was always a small smile that made its way through.


    His eyes sometimes showed hurt but he had made her laugh whenever he could. Her thoughts began to think about a life with that person, giving his hair a proper cut, adding a brighter twinkle in his eyes, seeing his face when she or he made it home, a little girl with red hair running around in a back yard¡­.


    Natasha sat up abruptly almost spilling the contents in her drink as her eyes went wide. ''What the hell was I just thinking about?'' She was shocked at what she had just been thinking, that hadn''t happened before, ever.


    She shook her head as she focused her scattered thoughts and put down her drink. The thoughts had brought something to mind, something she had almost forgotten in the hectic last few days. The safety of that boy who lived on a bench.


    "Peter, I hope you are ok." Natasha whispered that to herself as she stood up and took her drink over to the sink. She would go and check out the park over the next few days, hopefully he turned up to set her fears to rest. If he didn''t she would¡­.. ''No he''s fine.''


    And with that thought she moved out of the lounge heading off to her room to catch some sleep, it was already 3 am. She had things to do in the morning.


    ***************************


    (Xavier Mansion)


    "Professor¡­.Professor!" Charles Xavier shook his head as he regained his clarity, looking up at the source of the noise he saw Hank standing next to him, his blue figure holding out a file towards him. "Yes?" His mind was muddled for a second before he reached out and grabbed the file.


    "I said; here are the results of Laura''s medical exam." Charles gave a slow nod. "Yes, Yes thank you." Hank had a worried look on his face as he stared at the man and his wheelchair. "Are you Ok Professor?" Charles looked up and gave hank a smile as he looked over the file.


    "Thanks for the worry Hank, but I''m fine. I''m just concerned that Laura and Jean haven''t woken up yet, they should have by now." Hank rubbed his chin as he also thought of the matter. Both of the women should have woken up sometime during the day, at least a few hours ago each, but they were still asleep.


    At first it was considered nothing, but Jean had been asleep for over 24 hours now, and Laura was also about to reach that number. Scott was getting very anxious himself, going to Jean''s room every hour. Hank could find nothing wrong with them himself, they were just sleeping.


    But for some reason they didn''t respond to any outside stimulus, they couldn''t be woken up, but they weren''t in a coma. It was truly a vexing problem for the scientist. There had been a suggestion to wake them up using the Professors physic powers, but they hadn''t gotten that desperate yet.


    Finally Hank replied. "They''ll be alright Professor." Charles gave a half hearted nod as he continued to read the file, talking to himself. "So she has the same healing factor as wolverine¡­but her bones aren''t coated in Adamantium, only the claws?"


    Hank gave another nod. "Yes, I found that a bit weird myself, seeing as she is nearly exactly the same as Logan. Their genetic makeup is also an almost 100% match, except of course she is a female. Actually they are so close that I''m afraid that she might not actually be Logan''s Daughter."


    Charles was taken aback for a second at the revelation before his scientific mind processed what had been said and he looked down at the numbers on the page. "A clone?" Hank gave a solemn nod. "That might be the only explanation." Charles looked into the distance for a few seconds lost in thought.


    "Logan is not going to like hearing this. " "No he won''t." Charles started to move towards the door. "Thank you for the information Hank, I''ll talk to you later." Hank gave one final nod before Charles left, it was getting late. He was going to bed.

 Chapter 55 - Death Part 1

    (Xavier Mansion)


    Laura awoke slowly, bleary eyed and head muddled it took her a few seconds before she remember what had been happening to her. ''She was so close to escape, but she had broken down, showed weakness; I should have run when I had the chance.''


    The thoughts ran through her head as she stood up. And that was when she realized that something wasn''t right. First she wasn''t cuffed anymore, the adamantium cuffs that had bound her were gone, but that wasn''t all, she had no clue where she was.


    She wasn''t in a room, she wasn''t outside, she had no clue how to describe her surroundings as it was just darkness, nothing but endless darkness that seemed to go on forever. *Sniff* Taking a small sniff of the air to see if that gave her anything she realized that she couldn''t find anything, not even her own scent, which wasn''t possible.


    Her eyes snapped around taking in every nook and cranny of the blackness around her trying to find anything, something that told her she was in a room, as she tried to figure out what was going on. Popping her claws out of reflex at the unknown situation and her pulse steadily rising that was when she realized the biggest change. Her own body was different, the claws were still the same but she was shorter.


    Her body felt weaker, she hadn''t felt like that in a long time. Looking down at her own arms she saw the un-developed muscles, the frailty she had left behind years ago. ''What the hell is happening?''


    As she was caught up in her own thoughts it was no surprise that she jumped when someone suddenly talked from behind her. "Laura." Her instincts kicked in right away as she turned around with precise viciousness and rammed her claws into the person behind her.


    A small grin of satisfaction came to her face as she felt the soft fat and skin that was punctured before looking up and freezing in horror. Starring back at her was a woman with black hair, wearing blue jeans and a grey shirt.


    Laura starred into the eyes that were almost identical to hers as a small trickle of blood came out from their mouth, the woman then toppling to the ground. Lying on her side with a distant look in her eyes Laura finally snapped out of her reprieve and fell to the ground with her.


    Tears appeared in her eyes as she started to repeat over and over again. "No. Please don''t leave me¡­.Please don''t leave me¡­" She kept repeating the words as the memory was dug from the depths of her mind.


    **************************


    (2 Years ago)


    "RAGH!!!!!" "NOOO!" *Slick* *Cough*


    Blood splattered on X-23 as she impaled the woman. Coughing up blood with wide eyes, she looked into the eyes of the girl before her and seemed to come to a form of acceptance as her body flopped onto the snow beneath her.


    Laura eyes blurred and blood shot looked down at the woman before her as she coughed up blood, in a weak voice she spoke out trying to grab her attention, but she was too far gone. But as time progressed her eye cleared up and she heard a certain word.


    "Laura?" The woman on the ground nodded her head, tears in her eyes, blood on her lips, thinking one thing. ''You are a child not a weapon.'' ''You are My Child.'' ''You are my Daughter.'' Finally she squeezed out words in her weakened state. "Your name is Laura¡­*Cough*¡­ Not X-23."


    Laura fell to her knees as the spark of life slowly left the woman. "My Laura¡­" a broken voice finally replied. "No." ''I love you'' The last thought in Sarah Kinney''s mind as she drifted off was of her daughter in front of her. Laura grabbed her hand and pulled it closer in distress. "No. Please¡­No." "I Love Y--" She didn''t have the strength to finish the sentence but Laura understood.


    More tears stained Laura''s eyes as the light left her mother''s eyes. Feeling colder than she ever had in her life she laid the hand back down and fell down herself, curling up next to the rapidly cooling body, resting her head on her lap. Her hand stayed out, gripped to the prone hand not moving, trying not to notice the lack of heart beat or movement.


    She just stayed like that looking up at the face of the only person to ever treat her nicely, begging for something, anything, but ultimately she only wanted one thing. "Please don''t Leave¡­.Please don''t Leave."


    **************************


    Laura sat down repeating the words over and over again as her eyes glazed over, it was like she could think of nothing else but that scene over and over again. She hadn''t even noticed or registered the fact that she was no longer holding the dead boy of her mother, instead she was just starring down at her empty hands in to the black ground.


    A shadow loomed behind her as the same woman that had just been lying prone on the ground was standing tall as if never injured in the first place. A small smile played on her lips as she crouched down behind the grieving Laura and wrapped her hands around her neck, bringing her into a hug.


    Laura still didn''t register this and starred off into space. Sarah Kinney leaned in closer to her ear and started to talk softly. "A life filled with death¡­A Being permeated by death¡­ A Person touched by death all her life¡­Let us go back to the start and watch the creation of a weapon of Death¡­.The start of a Harbinger of Death¡­"

 Chapter 56 - Death part 2

    "Created to replace a weapon of Death."


    Laura''s eyes shook for a second before the darkness that surrounded them disappeared.


    ****************


    White walls surrounded the young Laura as she stayed curled in a corner. With her knees up to her chest she stared blankly at the opposite white wall. There was no sound except the shallow breathing coming from her own mouth. Covering her was only a hospital gown, white like the rest of the room.


    Starring into nothing, she twitched as she heard the only door to the room open. *Click* A man in a lab coat walked in with a clipboard and waltz right up to her. She didn''t make a sound or move, only continuing to stare at a new person once again.


    The man with the clipboard started to scribble out notes as he spoke to himself. "Subject X-23 seems compliant, no outward signs of malnourishment or muscle lost since last checked. Still no signs of possible mutation comparable to subject weapon X. Further growth needed for final analysis." Talking as he wrote down his thoughts he acted as if Laura wasn''t in front of him, treating her like air.


    Laura did nothing as this went on, already used to such treatment. She had heard many times of this ''Weapon X'' her better, something they were trying to recreate with her. Even though she had never met or seen him, she started to slowly blame they way she was treated on him. There were only 2 people that seemed to notice or care about her existence in the facility and she didn''t get to see them much.


    Finished with his writing the doctor looked down one last time and spoke to her for the first time. "You will go to training in 5 minutes. A guard will escort you in a minute" Saying that, he left once again not even checking for a response. Waiting until he was gone, she finally let her hands rest before getting up.


    Walking over to door without a single word she waited for the guard to arrive. She liked going to train with sensei, he was nice to her. She felt a small smile come to her lips at the thought before it disappeared as the door opened again.


    ****************************


    Laura was once again in the white room, she spent a lot of time in there, ever since she could remember she spent most of her time in there until she had to train. She was once again starring into nothing waiting for something to happen when the door burst open.


    Her small amount of instincts warned her of danger as she jumped to her feet starring at the entrant, or more like entrants. 4 guards walked in armed with stun batons and tasers. Laura backed up against the wall as she felt the threat that they possessed trying to make herself as small as possible.


    But it didn''t matter anything she tried to do didn''t stop them from dragging her out of the room and across the facility. They may not have treated her like she existed but they hadn''t been this brutal with her before, she was scarred.


    Her mind drifted as she thought of the two people that might help her. The woman that looked like her, Sarah and her sensei, but they weren''t there to help her. They dragged her as she tried to fight back but they grabbed her arms and legs.


    It wasn''t long before she reached a new room. Walking into the room she saw control panels and scientists in lab coats all working around the place. Separated by a glass wall was another room with a metal bed in the middle.


    Her eyes shut tight in pain and fright as they continued to drag her along, towards the door to the next room. "No Zander don''t do this! Give her more time! They''ll develop naturally!" As she was being brought along she heard the voice of Sarah, she sometimes read to her when she was alone.


    Laura''s eyes snapped open and starred in the direction from where the voices were coming from, a small trace of hope was in her eyes as she looked at the black haired woman in the lab coat. She was arguing with another 2 people at a control station.


    One she looked over she could see both men clearly. One of them was looking at her with a calculative gaze one she had long since grown used to, while the other looked at her with a bit of hatred in his eyes. The calculative man turned towards Sarah as she continued to speak.


    "A lot of money has gone into the creation of this weapon. We can wait no longer for her to grow up." Sarah just turned louder. "But this could irrevocable backfire! It could do more harm than good!" The other man turned back this time, breaking his eye contact with Laura.


    "We simple don''t care. She either gets her mutations now or she is disposable." The voice was so cold and callus, it was like nothing Laura had ever heard before. Terror griped her again as her eyes turned to Sarah, hoping, praying that she could help her.


    She didn''t know what was about to happen, but she was sure it wasn''t good. As she looked at one of the only good people in her life, her hope started to crumble away and die as Sarah stopped trying to argue and slumped her shoulders in defeat.


    ''NO help me! Keep going! Don''t leave me alone.'' Her thoughts screamed at her as she was finally carried into the room, tears finally falling down her face as she wasn''t protected by one of the two people she trusted.


    Carried into the room, she was almost slammed into the table as her legs and hands were restrained by metal links. *Click* *Click* She tried to wiggle her body around but she couldn''t move, the metal was just digging into her arm, hurting her.


    Looking up from the links she starred into the window as multiple eyes starred back. Her eyes were blurred slightly as she starred at only one set of eyes, only one figure on the other side of the glass. *Bang* Click* The door to the room was locked shut.


    The room was dark except for the small light coming from the window. On the other side the scientists put some glasses on and made their final preparations. Zander and the calculative man also put glasses on as Sarah continued to stare at the tear filled eyes of her daughter.


    Finally just above a whisper Zander spoke. "Begin the Radiation Bath" Sarah gave a reluctant nod and pressed the button, every movement caught by Laura''s eyes. *Ting* *Buzz* something buzzed to life above Laura''s trapped body turning the whole room into a sea of red.


    She didn''t feel anything for a second before the pain hit her. It was like nothing she had ever experience and sadly it wouldn''t be the last time she felt something like this. "ARGHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Pain exploded in her head as her body felt like it was on fire.


    Her body that had been still, thrashed about as drool and spit were flung everywhere. Her eyes shut tight as the pain made her brain go white. Convulsions racked her body as it only got worse and worse over time.


    She didn''t know how long she was strapped there for, her voice had long since turned rasp her throat raw from the screaming. At some point she started to clench her teeth as her gums bleed from the pressure.


    As her brain was blank with unending, unceasing pain she felt an itchiness build up in her wrists and hands. She had no clue what was happening as the itchiness started to become more painful. Cracking her eyes open with the will she had left.


    Her eyes just cracked open as two bone claws popped out of her hands and one for each foot. Blood splattered out causing more pain and suffering, but at the same time the newly made cuts started to heal over at an unprecedented rate.


    "ARGHHHHHHH!!!!!!" With one final shout of pain the red vanished and Laura slumped to the bed, out like a light. The pain finally made her unconscious. *Bizzz* A blue light enveloped the room as the fans in the vents started clean the air, slowly cleansing the radiation.


    *Drip* *Drip* Blood fell slowly down her bone claws and fell to the ground as the door to the room opened, quite a few people walking in. People in labs coats surrounded the unconscious girl as they studied the new additions to her body, one even slashing her skin with a scalpel to see how fast it would heal.


    A smile was plastered onto Zander''s lips as he turned towards Sarah, who was standing a bit behind the group. "See, what did I tell you." Giving her one last smirk he turned towards the guards. "Take her back to the room."


    Everyone left as the bloodied body was carried away


    As the room cleared a different Laura appeared in front of the metal table, eyes unclear she looked at the still wet blood. Behind her Sarah Kinney whispered again in her ear.


    "A weapon forged in pain."

 Chapter 57 - Death part 3

    "Trained with Death."


    Laura laid down in her usual white room starring at her hands, she couldn''t get used to them even after a full week. The pain, the pain came every time. And they wanted her to do it over and over and over. Her mind was in disarray as she stared down.


    The door opened as a guard walked in. "Time for training." Laura stood up slowly and walked out the door, head still down a smile playing on her lips.


    ************


    *Schlik* Bone claws came out of her hands as blood slowly flowed to the ground, her eyes were drawn to the red, she was mesmerized with it. The skin that had just been split healed in a second but blood still came out each time.


    Again and again and again, she would pop her claws and retract them, watching it over and over, her eyes never wavering.


    ************


    "ARGH!!" Laura shouted out as she tried to struggle free, they were man handling her again, but this time she was able to kill one of them before they grabbed her, her claws were still coated with blood. In the recent weeks she had been more rebellious; her instincts told her to fight back every chance she had.


    Being pulled into a room with another metal table, her body shivered once again as she struggled even harder. "No let go! I''ll kill you! Let go!" Screaming her lungs out she was finally strapped to the table again, out of desperation all her claws were popped, something she would come to regret.


    *Bang* A fist came and slammed into her head dazing her for a second before she regained herself, her healing making it a quick process. *Bang* *Bang* Another two fists came in before finally stopping. Dazed and with tears in her eyes she looked at the man above her.


    Dressed in a surgical gown with blue gloves and a mask on, she could just make out who this person was, it was Zander. Zander loomed above her as he smiled behind his mask, the twinkle of hate in his eyes shining bright.


    Laura looked up at him, an anger starting to take control as she struggled about. "Haha" Giving a small chuckle he turned to the side. "Do it." Multiple people stepped to her side, metal spikes in hand. "Make it painful, ohh and record the data."


    Two electrodes were connected to her head as a small machines started to whirl to life, before she could figure out what was happening the people around her raised their spikes and impaled them into her arms and legs. "ARGHHHHH!"


    Screaming in pain blood spurted out as Laura felt hot white pain, on the tip of her lips was just one question. "Why?" Zander didn''t answer as her body was finally restrained in place, no muscle could be moved. He had specifically ordered for this to happen.


    To convince the rest, he just had to sight evaluation of her healing process, something that satisfied him greatly. Grabbing the equipment he brought, he lowered the clamp onto the first claw and clasped it into place.


    The smile underneath the mask grew as recognition flashed through her eyes. Seeing the slight widening of her eyes he got started. *Yank* *Rip* *Break* "RGHHHHHH!!!!!" "AHHHHH!!!!" "#@*(#^"


    Incomprehensible words came from Laura''s mouth as her right bone claw was ripped out. *Snap* *Break* Placing the first claw onto a table at the side he moved to grab the other one. This process repeated itself another 5 times before it was finally done.


    Laura lay weakly on the metal bed, blood still falling from the body, it twitched every now and then as Zander moved off to the back of the room. Walking up to a vat of boiling silver liquid he grabbed a special pair of pliers and lowered the bone claws into the Adamantium vat.


    10 minutes later as Laura''s eyes were unfocused starring to the lamp above her Zander once again appeared. Leaning down close to her ear, he whispered quietly. "It''s not over yet, not by a long shot. Suffer you abomination."


    And so started the process of reinserting her new metal claws. "ARGHHHHH!!!!!!"


    *******************


    *Snikt* Metal claws popped from her hands as a small amount of blood dripped down. Now that her claws where razor thin and sharp not as much blood came out. Feeling rage bubble up again at the sight of her claws, she punched her hand into the wall.


    *Crunch* Leaving a huge puncture from the blow, she still felt her bones creak underneath the blow, but her face didn''t twitch. The door opened. "Time for Training." A small smile came to her face.


    *******************


    Zander watched a camera feed into the white room that housed Laura, something caught his eye, something that he didn''t want to see. A smile adorned Laura''s face and a frown came to Zander''s. Replaying the footage for a few seconds he quickly deduced the reason.


    Pulling up the footage of her training session a malicious smile came to his face. Pressing a small button on the desk he was at, a small beep went off. *Beep* "Yes sir?" "Prepare a test sample for product 11." There was silence over the other side before the reply came. "Yes sir."


    *******************


    Laura happily made her way out of the white room and moved the corridors to her destination, it was about the only thing she enjoyed doing here. The guards couldn''t ruin her mood, nothing could ruin her mood at that moment.


    Opening the door to the small dojo that was inside the facility, the smile on her face grew wider as she saw an old Chinese man with his back turned to her. Walking into the room she bowed respectively. "Sensei!"


    Turning around slowly the man had a smile on his face when he saw the Black haired girl. "Ahh if it isn''t the young lass, is it that time already?" She nodded in excitement. Seeing the young girl so excited he gave a small chuckle before walking over to the other side of the room.


    "I''ve been told I have to train you with the use of my sword today, it shouldn''t take too long." Laura was a bit down cast at the news, she like close quarter combat more than anything else she was taught, plus the blade would involve possibly getting sliced with the blade, something she wasn''t looking forward to.


    The sensei just smiled at her reaction as he was about to open the closet. "If we get through everything fast enough I happen to have an extra bar of chocolate I was eating beforehand with your name on it." Giving her a wink he flashed a small bar of chocolate that he had smuggled in.


    Laura''s eyes widened in surprise for a second before she quickly nodded her head. She had only had chocolate a few times in her entire life; she could count the amount of times on her fingers. It was her favorite meal so far, but something strictly prohibited.


    Giving another chuckle the Sensei finally opened the closet and pulled out his old sword. He had been using the sword for many years, since he was a young man, it went everywhere with him, it was his life.


    As soon as the sword appeared though there was something wrong. Turning back to look at Laura, the old man stopped. *Sniff* *Sniff* Laura''s nose twitched twice as a new type of scent entered her mind, she had never smelt it before, but it felt familiar.


    As the smell traveled up her brain and it started to register in her mind, she started to pant, her heart rate was increasing. The sensei suddenly tensed as he felt something he hadn''t felt in a long time. Killing intent! And it was coming from Laura! She had never shown such a thing while they were training, but now it was starting to bubble to the surface.


    "Grr." A low growl escaped Laura''s lips as her eyes turned blood shot. *Snikt* Her Metal claws popped on their own as she started to stalk towards her Sensei. "Laura." He asked in caution, but didn''t get a reply. "Laura!" He shouted but still got no response.


    Gritting his teeth in frustration he pulled his sword clean out of the sheath and prepared himself. "ARgh!" Shouting out in pure rage, Laura sprinted forwards slashing and hacking, going in for the kill at every chance she got. The Sensei raised his blade for a block and watched shocked as the blade was sliced clean in two.


    Before he could react Laura lunged forwards and skewered her claws through him. *Cough* *Hack* Coughing up a small amount of blood, his body started to fail him as she continued to slash into his body, she was out of her mind.


    "RARGHHHHHHHHH."


    When Laura regained her awareness, her sensei was lying in a pool of blood in front of her. Her mind that had just calmed down shattered as she looked at the blood on her hands. Fallen in the puddle of blood was the small bar of chocolate that the man kept on him.


    She looked from the peaceful face of her dead sensei, to the red covered chocolate on the ground, before finally looking down at her own claws. "NOOO. ARGHHHH." Laura screamed in despair.


    ********************


    Laura stared blandly at the opening door to the white room. Her breath was barely above a whisper as two people walked in. One was Zander, someone she had truly grown to hate; the other was a woman she had never seen before.


    With black hair that fell down to her shoulders, a deep tanned skin and a black tank top and long pants, the new woman was fierce. You could easily see the muscles she had developed which looked like they could easily crush bones.


    Standing there with a huge malicious grin on her face, she starred at Laura as if she were looking at Prey. Zander spoke. "Laura I would like you to meet your new handler, Kimura."

 Chapter 58 - Death part 4

    *Sniff* *Sob* A small kid huddled quietly inside a wardrobe trying desperately not to make a sound and failing spectacularly. *Bang* The wardrobe door was slammed open as a girl with black hair and green eyes now stood before him.


    With both claws popped and dripping with the blood of the little kid''s parents, Laura''s eyes were vacant. *Waa* The kid started to ball his eyes out as he stared up into the face of the person who just killed his parents, he was so sure that he was about to share the same fate that he couldn''t help but pee himself.


    Something that his mother had been trying to get him to stop recently, he arched back even further into the wardrobe but deep down he knew that wouldn''t be enough. Shivering and clutching his eyes shut he waited, and waited, but nothing happened.


    The woman in front of him didn''t move she just stared down at him, they stayed like that for minutes and minutes. Laura''s eyes shifted to the scared face of the child in front of her, before shifting down to the small toy clutch in his hands.


    She didn''t know what it was, but it looked like a man dressed in blue and red, and he had a small spider emblem on his chest. The kid grabbed onto it with such intensity, as if it would protect him from her. If she were being honest with herself she also wasn''t sure why she had stopped, she had done so many missions in the last few years, and it wasn''t unusual to kill a person.


    But when she tried to do it right now, she couldn''t bring herself to slash down with her claw. Deliberating to herself for an agonizing hour, Laura finally lowered her hand and left the house, her mission failed.


    ********************


    *Wack* Bang* "Urgh* "Grrr" *Crack* "What do you want to fight back? Come on then!!!" Kimura whacked Laura to the ground again; they had been fighting for over an hour now. With the ability to control her density, she was the perfect handler or torturer for Laura.


    Laura touched her cheek for a second to see how much damage was done before sprinting at her once again. It didn''t matter that she had failed her mission; even if she succeeded Kimura would still want to punish her in some form or fashion.


    The pain was just another day in her life, another thing she would have to deal with.


    *************


    "You have to kill Zander. Once he''s dead you can finally be free." Laura looked impassively at Sarah who was standing in front of her. Ever since Sensei died she had been the only one who was nice to her, but deep in her mind she could still remember years ago when she had pressed that button, when she had abandoned her.


    Her honed mind started to weigh the options and advantages of killing Zander, after being sent on so many assassination missions she had to evolve her thinking process. If she didn''t make decisions in split seconds it could lead to more pain, not death, but certainly more pain.


    Thinking to herself for a short while she slowly nodded her head. Zander had to die, even if she was caught in the end she wanted to kill him so much. No one in her life had made her feel so much hate.


    Nodding one time before leaving, Sarah looked at the guarded back and remembered her emotionless eyes. She couldn''t help but let out a sad sigh, gone was the little girl she used to read too, they had changed her, destroyed that innocence.


    *************


    A Vicious smile lit up her face as he coughed up blood, some of it splashed on her face but she didn''t care. She continued to stare into the eyes she hated, as they started to lose their twinkle. Even at that moment he still held such hatred towards her, she could see it in his eyes.


    ''Good'' She thought. She didn''t care anymore, in the end he would be going to a special place in hell for everything he''s done. And the last thing he would see would be her blood thirsty smile. That thought made her happy beyond belief.


    Leaving her claws stuck in his chest as he crumpled to the floor, she stayed there, staring at him for a while before finally snapping out of it. She had to get out of the facility now, Sarah was going to meet her outside and help her escape.


    Thankfully Kimura was away on her own mission, she would be one of the only people that could have stopped her. Smiling to herself, she started to make her way out. As she did, she didn''t stop to look at the dead body of the guards and scientists, she already had her fun killing them.


    Making sure they got what they deserved.


    Finally making it outside, she saw her mother Sarah amidst the snow, it was cold out there but she didn''t mind, she would finally be free.


    ***********


    As Laura stepped out and saw Sarah waiting, a woman appeared behind her, a specter of sorts. Next to the specter was an older version of Laura, she watched the scene with hardened eyes. She watched as her younger self walked closer to her mother''s figure before stopping, her nose twitching.


    And then she watched as her eyes turned red and she pounced on her, tore her apart. "She let them hurt me." Speaking just above a whisper the specter turned to her as if waiting. "She asked me to kill." Her eyes shook for only a moment as more blood was spilled. "And in the end. I killed Her."


    Turning her back on the scene she looked out into the white snow and slowly closed her eyes. "Death comes for all in the end. I''m just an instrument that sped up the process, given them what they deserved ahead of time." Her voice spoke with conviction as if she had just come to a certain decision in her head.


    *Clap* *Clap* *Clap* The clapping from the side pulled Laura out of her trance and for once she could actually tell where she was. She was back in the complete black space, blinking her eyes for a few seconds her head whipped around to the person that was clapping.


    Turning around to look at the black cloaked figure, her Claws popped on instinct. "Who are you!" Shouting out loud she got into a fighting stance. But the black figure didn''t move, she just started to laugh. It was an enchanting and ethereal laugh that would have caught the attention of any man.


    Laura''s hands twitched in apprehension but she still didn''t make a move, she had nowhere to go and something about the person in front of her was telling her instincts, that if she tried to fight all that awaited was certain death.


    "Yes you understand. You are a person bathed in death and misery. Hardened by blood l.u.s.t and corpses. A weapon of death incarnate. You will do nicely." Finally the figure spoke to her and before she could react their body rushed into Laura''s. "Haaa" Sucking in a breath of air, pain started to wrack her body.

 Chapter 59 - Deaths Host

    (Xavier Mansion)


    A small trickle of moonlight shone through the window, lighting up the inside of the room. A small bed and desk lay in the room with one occupant. Laying unconscious Laura didn''t move a muscle and looked like a statue as she lay there if it wasn''t for the small rising of her chest it would look like she were dead.


    Suddenly the light in the room seemed to dim as Laura''s eyes snapped open. *Snikt* Her body stiffened in shock as her claws popped out. *Jingle* The small sound of her Adamantium cuffs sounded out from the slight movement, but that was it.


    The darkness in the room started to gather above her body as her mouth opened in a silent scream. Eyes opening as far as they could, a pain unlike anything she had ever felt rose higher. In the small amount of light left in the room, her Adamantium claws glinted as they turned a shade darker.


    From a, cool metallic silver, the metal started to darken as the darkness gathered and infused into it. Soon all that was left were pitch black blades that absorbed all light that came near.


    But it didn''t end there, the eyes that were staring blankly in pain clouded over becoming pitch black. If anyone was to see this, they would think she was possessed, and they wouldn''t be far from the truth. Her black claws started to glow and you could see the black parts of her claws that existed underneath her skin.


    *Crack* Body arching in pain the black glow of her blades started to run down her hands and feet, moving up her arms legs. Moving past the shoulders and torso ever bone was died black as her skeleton became visible to the outside eye.


    *Crumble* As the process was completing the bed beneath her claws started to crumble, decay, it turned into dust slowly as it disappeared, soon even her Adamantium cuffs also followed suit crumbling into nothing, as if brittle as glass.


    Her body stayed like that for another few minutes the same unspoken scream on her lips, before her body finally flopped back down, her whole skeleton now dyed in black. "Now you are truly an unbreakable weapon, just like the other." A chilling voice spoke in the quiet room just above a whisper. Once it disappeared the darkness also started to slowly recede and her body stopped glowing, her claws retracting.


    4 minutes latter 2 green eyes shot open in surprise as Laura sprang up. Looking to the left and right, before looking down at her un-cuffed hands, an unspoken wariness assaulted her mind as she rolled out of the bed and grabbed her pair of clothes that were off to the side. Quickly slapping them on she made for the window.


    *Snikt* 2 pitch black blades burst forth from her right hand as she went to slice the lock. Stopping in surprise for a second, she pushed her confusion to the side as she escaped. Using her training and skill she made a bee line for the surrounding forest.


    Her mind was confused and muddled but there were two goals in her head. One, escape. Two, get back to New York. What she couldn''t tell in her unkempt state was the other small voice in her head speaking. "Yes, go back, find him, he''ll protect you."


    Those small words repeated in her head as she vaulted a wall and escaped into the night.


    (New York, 2 Days Later.)


    Peter looked at the TV as he ate some cereal. "Another person found dead with claw marks all over his body. Authorities are starting an investigation as this is the 3rd person in 2 days. Michael Severeno, recently released from prison was suspected of multiple homicides last year, but was only put away because of an aggravated assault charge. Only 3 days after being released he was found in this alleyway, near..."


    The spoon in Peters hand stopped for a second as he churned through the facts. What had truly stopped him was the location of the alleyway, it was abnormally close to where Laura used to be, he had kept the thought of finding her in his mind since she disappeared.


    Now that 3 people had turned up, seemingly attacked by a type of beast, it could possibly be her. But what had happened? He would have to check next time he went out on patrol. He was on the opposite side of town when the incident occurred.


    New York wasn''t a small place; some things happened that he couldn''t stop, even if he wanted to. "With the rise in vigilantism, the police suspect this could be the appearance of a new ''vigilante'' who uses lethal means. Viewers are¡­"


    Peter clicked off the TV as he stopped eating. Rising from his seat he started to plan out his day as he cleaned his bowl. *Creak* Just as he finished up the door to Felicia''s room opened. Stepping out, the silver haired girl had changed her hair color back to her original color and had a bag slung over her shoulder.


    A smirk came to Peters face as he looked at her. She was wearing a school uniform for mid town high! He had busted a gut the day before when he heard she was going to school. It had slipped his mind after everything that had happened; she wasn''t old enough to be working and still had to get an education. Something he had been ribbing her about for the last 2 days.


    Seeing the teasing light in his eyes she shot him a glare. "Not a word Parker." He raised his hands in defense. "I didn''t say anything." She gave a fake pout. "You didn''t have to, it''s written all over you face." Turning his head to let out a small snicker, he gave one fake cough before turning back to her.


    She just rolled her eyes as she slipped on her shoes and made her way to the door. Before she left Peter spoke up. "You still good to go out after school." Turning back with a bright smile she nodded her head. "Yeah, you''re not getting out of it Peter."


    The mischievousness behind her smile caused his mouth to twitch. Seeing his expression the smile just got wider as she walked out. Just before the door closed Peters eyes caught Felicia''s behind. Her hand had brushed behind her and flicked up her ridiculously small skirt.


    "Was it always that small¡­Wait what are you thinking!" Giving himself a small slap to the cheek, he moved off to his room, he had a few things to do before they went out later. As he went to his room he was thinking one thing though. ''School huh, guess I can''t ever go back¡­or can I?''

 Chapter 60 - Money?

    Peter returned to his new room as he grabbed a towel and made his way to the shower. Stepping in and taking a quick 5 minute shower, he stepped out and walked over to the mirror. Looking at himself he couldn''t help but compare his looks to just 3 days ago.


    Gone was the long hair, the start of some stubble had been trimmed, bringing back his clean shaven face, and the gaunt cheek bones and eyes had started to fill out. Eating more food in the last 2 days than he had over the entire 2 week he almost felt like a new man.


    But looking at the eyes that stared back at him, he knew he was still there, the him that had spent over a year on the streets. Shaking his head and rubbing his hair off he made it back to his room, slapping on some of the only clothes he had left and walked towards the TV, he was lost in thought.


    He had thought about it a lot in the last few days and was finally, truly ready, to start a new life. He had a nice place to live¡­Good Company. The image of Felicia appeared in his mind. And it was time to turn his life around.


    And to start that he had forgone his daily patrol and was planning all the things he needed to buy. It had just been the day before when it was decided that he needed a new phone, clothes and other necessities.


    But that had brought up his first problem, money. He was flat broke, he couldn''t afford to buy anything he needed especially the bare essentials. He didn''t even consider asking Felicia for money, he still had reservations about imposing on her so much. And with that problem had come an answer so out of the blue that he had to take a day to think it over before he finally made his way over o the TV in front of him.


    Walking up to the static filled screen Peter sat down slowly, a frown on his lips. He still remembered Crystal''s words as he started to fret over the problem the day before. "Don''t worry Peter, you have enough Money." Crystal was going to explain what she meant right then and there, but Peter had stopped her. He had a small inkling of what she meant, and it had taken him the whole day to come to terms with what he might learn.


    Letting out a small sigh he spoke to the blank TV. "Crystal, what have you done?" His voice was a little heavier than usual, the strong moral compass that had been instilled in him by his aunt and Uncle, knowing that whatever he was about to hear wasn''t legal in any sort.


    The TV blinked for a second before finally a picture of a middle aged white man appeared on the screen. Looking overweight and wearing a white suit and shirt, Peter instantly knew who it was. "The King Pin?" Crystal''s voice now spoke up.


    "Yes Peter, Wilson Fisk, one of the richest men in the city. As well as the crime lord of the underground." Peter''s mind thought of the man he had run into a few times, the few times they had fought surprisingly he could hold his own.


    He was a ruthless business man that cared for nearly nothing but money and results. As his mind started to connect the dots between him and her previous statement, his eyebrows raised. "You didn''t." "Sorry Peter I did."


    Peter let out another sigh, even though there was a chuckle trying to force its way out. "Tell me everything." Peter couldn''t see it, but he imagined that Crystal had just nodded and possible bowed her body at the request.


    The screen changed as it showed an ever changing figure. It was a string of numbers that went up mostly, and sometimes went down, but that rarely happened. "After the first time you faced the crime boss of New York, I hacked into his security systems and stole his banking details. He may have tried to hide his dealings but it was Childs play to find his off shore accounts and dummy accounts."


    Crystal''s voice turned smug for a few seconds as she spoke. Peter really wanted to point out it wouldn''t be hard for a super AI to do such a thing, but kept quiet instead, letting her continue. "I had been in need of an upgrade to the servers I had been running on for a while when we ran into him. After checking the amount of money he had in his possession, I calculated that siphoning his funds would be the best course of action."


    Peter wanted to reprimand Crystal for using her abilities in such a way, but in the back of his head he couldn''t help but be happy that Fisk was losing money every now and then. He had first run into him early in his carrier explaining why Crystal was in need of an upgrade. When Peter actually thought about it, he never asked about the upgrades that Crystal went under or the maintenance that would be required to keep her running for so long.


    In his mind he had always chalked it up to Crystal finding a way of staying at peak efficiency, now he knew what she did to get such an outcome. Crystal continued not noticing Peter''s stupor. "The funds were used efficiently to upgrade my system. I calculated that to continue siphoning funds would be a beneficial activity."


    Peter had a few questions in his mind as he heard her words. It meant that for the last few years the King pin had been paying for his AI, without him even knowing. But there was one he had to ask, even though he knew the answer.


    "Why didn''t you just take all his money and cripple his criminal empire? Report your findings to the authorities?" A few new pictures appeared on the screen as different gang logos and syndicates were shown. "As I''m sure you''ve already figured out peter. To take down the head of organized crime in the city would create a power vacuum that could propagate chaos and destruction to untold heights. Knowing who the ''big player'' is and obstructing their operations is better than getting rid of said ''big player''."


    Peter had to nod reluctantly; he had been trying to drop some of his conservative thinking when it came to dealing with criminals. His analytical mind knew that this was the best outcome not taking out the King Pin, but to leave him to his operations still didn''t sit right with him.


    Crystal waited quietly as he thought things over. Finally he spoke. "What does this have to do with my money problem?" The screen changed once again as a new string figure appeared in front of him. Greater than the previous figure by a huge margin, the amount of zeros made Peters eyes go wide.


    "After siphoning funds from Fisk, I also expanded my operations to other crime families and mafias, even branching out to international syndicates, Including Fisk''s empire, the Maggia and Sablinova international, to name a few. I have been using their money for the past few years to fund upgrades and help your fight against crime."


    Crystal paused as Peter stated to wrap his head around how much money Crystal had in her coffers. "This is all yours?" The digits were in the hundreds of millions almost a billion, and the number was still rising! A bell like laugh came from the speakers in the room.


    "No Peter. This is a subsidiary fund I was going to give you on your 18th birthday, think of it as an inheritance." The room turned quiet for a few seconds before¡­ "!!!!!!!!!WHAT!!!!!!!!"

 Chapter 61 - Date

    "Peter? PETER!?" Peter snapped himself out of his thoughts as he looked at Felicia that was sitting across from him. "Yes, sorry what did you say?" Felicia gave him a funny look as she spoke for the 5th time.


    "I said when did you become mister money bags?" Peter gave an awkward smile and wasn''t sure if he should tell her, he could just imagine all the extra shopping she would drag him through if she knew that he had hundreds of millions in the bank. Looking down at the bags on the floor, he didn''t want to imagine it.


    After finding out that he was almost a billionaire Peter had been out of it for most of the day. His first thoughts had been one of all the dreams he could pull off with such money, after that it had gone into doubt and frustration as he thought for how long Crystal had been holding out on the money.


    His Aunt had been busting her ass off working multiple jobs just so that he could go to school and make a living. Finding out that he could have helped ease her burden had been crushing. Talking to Crystal though, he understood the reason she didn''t tell him about his inheritance.


    Shaking off the doom and gloom that had taken him for a few minutes, in the end he truly didn''t know what he wanted to do with his money. A billion or so dollars was too much for a life time, he could easily live with 1% of that amount.


    Never being a big spender, most of it would probably go to charities and his own research. At least he could afford a building now for that kind of work.


    Still dazed from the news he headed out to the bank the first chance he got and opened an account. With Crystals tech skills it was child''s play to make the newly acquired money look legal, he didn''t want the FBI, Shield or any other law agency looking into him.


    Though he kept the amount relatively low for the time being, suddenly gaining 1 billion in a day would be too suspicious, so instead he only received 100,000, and it was enough to cover anything he could want.


    Settling that matter, Peter had gone back to the apartment to figure out what he wanted to do from then on. He could quit his job at the Bugle, if he still had it that was, and do anything he wanted. He could even start a company, something he was leaning into.


    He had been doing that until Felicia had come home and changed clothes. Once that was done they both left the apartment to go on their date. Peter was pretty sure it was a date, but he didn''t say it out loud.


    First stopping off to grab a new Stark Tech Touch Phone 15, the latest touch screen mobile, which had an inbuilt holographic display, he had quickly hooked up his bank info to his new account, while Crystal got rid of any hard and soft ware that could track, spy or record his inputs.


    Basically he made himself a burner phone, with the amount of money he had, he could have afforded to use them as burner phones. Not that he would.


    Having done that, he returned the money that Felicia spent paying for the phone, which was no small amount and proceeded to pay for everything else that had gone on to shock and delight her. Throughout the rest of the day she had been slowly testing the spending limits of his pockets.


    Starting off with a few dresses before moving onto expensive perfumes and jewelry, some could say she was taking advantage of him, but she had truly just been seeing what he could afford, her mind being blow with every continued purchase.


    Finally when they sat down at a fancy restaurant inside the mall and ordered some ridiculously overpriced food, she couldn''t help but ask. Too bad for her, Peter''s thoughts were in the clouds. Finally though she got through to him and she wasn''t going to take any bullshit.


    Her eyes peeled looking to see if he was going to lie. Looking at her suspicious face, Peter gave a sigh as a small smile came to his face, sure it would make her ask a million more questions, but her reaction would be priceless.


    "Well you see¡­." He was about to give her the shock of her life when. *BANG* *Crash* A loud explosion sounded out as the mall shook. *Pound* *Pound* *Argh* Heavy footsteps sounded out as screams came from down stairs.


    Felicia shot a look at Peter who stood up with a sigh. ''Couldn''t I get one nice day off, without something happening?'' Peter looked down once at the bags of shopping that surrounded their table, before pulling up his personal backpack. Never went anywhere without it.


    He felt bad about leaving Felicia, but she sent him an understanding look. He smiled as he rushed out the door and ran right towards the bathroom. Just as he made it too the door he heard someone scream as they ran away. "Run it''s the Rhino!"


    Peter stopped for a second. ''How the hell did he get out? Actually I don''t want to know.''

 Chapter 62 - Unexpected Duo Part 1

    Peter ran into one of the stalls and quickly grabbed out his costume, it had been a long time since he had started donning the costume, where it used to take him nearly a minute even with his speed. 5 years later he had been able to get it down to 8 seconds.


    Seconds later, Peter popped his head outside of the stall to make sure no one was around. He had already checked for security cameras and usually Crystal would deal with them. Seeing no one around, he quickly webbed the bag to the wall and locked the door.


    No one would be stealing his bag before he got back, or he hoped so. Sprinting out the door, it slammed in to the wall from how fast he was going. Running around the corner, he stopped for a second. "Is that AC-DC playing?"


    Talking to himself he resumed his run towards the destruction, but he was distracted. Someone had cranked a loud speaker to max volume and was blasting ''high way to hell''. With his enhanced hearing it was actually very annoying.


    Realizing that the music was getting louder as he made it closer, he rolled his eyes and spoke to crystal. "Crystal, I don''t care what''s playing that music, if you can, turn it off." Crystal replied in a second. "Yes Peter." After another second the music stopped and Peter was about to round the corner to where the destruction was going on.


    "Hey who stopped my music?! Jarvis what happened?" An enigmatic voice spoke loudly as Peter finally heard the whining of thrusters. *Bang* A repulsor blast sounded out as Spider-Man came to a halt. "Ahh that would be it." His eyes rising behind the mask, Peter was truly shocked. "I don''t know sir, someone has hacked our systems." "WHAT! But that''s not possible, I created the firewalls myself!"


    Peter crept back slowly, as he bent down and kept low. Looking at the wall next to him, he started to crawl up. It was very unusual for him to see another super hero during his fights. Sure he would run into Iron Fist, Power Man, Jessica and Dare Devil. But to find someone like Tony Stark, aka Iron Man fighting one of his ''Street level'' criminals, was truly weird.


    Peeking his head around the corner, Tony was still arguing with his AI as he fired over and over again at the Rhino. Standing at a whopping 9ft tall, Aleksei was one of Peter''s oldest enemies. Involved in an experiment to create a super soldier, something that wasn''t as rare as it sounded, Aleksei''s whole body was grafted to a suit of super metals and alloys, which had 5% of it made up of Adamantium, as well as the horn on his head containing 3% of it, he was a walking tank.


    Combine that armour with super strength, stupidity and a resistance to bullets, missiles, sonic weapons, not much could make a dent into the man''s new skin and he was a dangerous foe. The draw backs from the experiment were prominent though, as his brain was affected by the bonding process his IQ had dropped massively and he had the mentality of a child. Some Peter always took advantage of.


    Somehow keeping the innate want to rob banks and create mayhem the first time they had clashed it had nearly killed him. Peter had taken him down more than a year ago, before the battle of New York, he had been taken by shield to a specially made prison for such criminals.


    Peter truly didn''t think he would be seeing them again for a long time, especially with shield taking the responsibility of keeping him behind bars. ''But shield was hydra, and they just came crashing down.'' Peter face palmed as he thought of what happened a few days ago.


    The fight continued to rage on as nothing Stark did could take the hulking figure down. The small cafes and shops around the fight had been totaled with the mall beginning to shake. Thankfully there were no bystanders that were in the vicinity; Peter could focus on the fight.


    Watching the fight for another few seconds, with banter going back and forth between Stark and Aleksei, Peter couldn''t take it anymore, they were causing so much destruction. Hell he was a person that liked to banter and joke while fighting, but he took his guys down fast.


    He didn''t want to ruin people''s lively hoods. "Ok Crystal, give tony back his music, just turn the volume down to 1 while the fight is going on." "Affirmative." A short few second after crystal spoke, Stark raised his hands in the air in triumph. "See I told you I could get it back!... But why is the volume not going up!"


    Dodging another blow, Peter finally revealed himself. "Hey Yellow, Red and Rich, how long is it going to take for you to take Rhino down?" "Huh? Spider-Man?" Stopping in surprise at the new entrant the Iron Man armour floated in air as he turned to look at him.

 Chapter 63 - Unexpected Duo Part 2

    "Got you!" The distraction was all the Rhino needed as he jumped up and grabbed onto him. Out of the speakers Tony''s curse could just be heard. "Ohh son of a bit...." *Groan* The metal groaned slightly from the crushing hands before he was flung into the ground.


    *Bang* *Crash* The armour bounced off the ground before flying into a shop window and shattering it. Peter winced at the sight, before looking at the Rhino. He was moving towards the shop to finish the job.


    *Thwip* Leaping off the wall, Peter swung into the back of his head, creating a resounding, *Thwack*, barely budging the giant, but it did grab his attention. "Hey big guy, Remember me?" C.o.c.king his head to the side he grabbed onto another wall as he flew by. The Rhino shook his head for a second before looking at the blue and red hero.


    Eyes widening in surprise his arm came up and shook as it pointed at him. "YOU BUG MAN!!! RHINO SMUSH!!!" Like a raging bull he dipped his head as he rushed head long in the direction of Peter. Peter leapt out of the way at the last second as he flipped towards where Start fell.


    "Mmm, sounded too much like the Hulk and you messed up the saying as well. I''ll just take that as a yes." *BANG* *CRASH* Rhino didn''t respond as he crashed through a few shops and had to slow himself down. Using the small amount o time he had, Peter rushed over towards Iron man. Sliding to the ground next to the prone armour, he shook it waking up Tony, who had been knocked out.


    "Huh, anyone get that guys number?" Peter smacked the face mask. *Ting* "Hey! Leave the quipping to me!" Shaking his head again Tony responded. "Yeah¡­ sure." Taking a few seconds he finally seemed to figure out what was going on. "Wait Spider-Man? Why are you here?"


    Peter shot a thumb towards the raging figure that was pulling himself back out of the hole he created. "You know, I was on a stroll with my girl when I heard an earth quake, I was sure it wasn''t natural, but I just had to check. But once I did that, what do I find? I find you and the Rhino going blow for tickle. And yes you were tickling him with those blasts." "Hey.." Tony protested. "¡­ I was doing just fine, he was about to go down."


    Peter gave him a look under his mask that Tony could still somehow figure out as being skeptical. "Riiiiiiiiight." Taking a quick peek over his shoulder Peter turned back to him. "Well I would love to continue this banter, but I think we should take this guy down and then talk later."


    Peeking over Spider-Man''s shoulder Tony could just make out the hulking figure that was charging towards them, the ground shaking with every step. "I think you''re right." Lending him a hand, Peter pulled him to his feet and they both starred at the incoming projectile.


    *Bzzz* Blasting to the skies, Tony began to unload on him once again as Spider-Man jumped out of the way. The Rhino didn''t care about Iron man anymore; his entire focus was now on the blue and red spandex wearing Peter.


    Jumping left and dodging right around his body, Peter kept close to him so that less was destroyed. If he were to swing off the mall would crumble in a few minutes as the Rhino went on a rampage. Thinking quickly in his head he looked left and right for anything that could take him down.


    There was one fatal weakness that came with the experiment that Aleksei went through, because his skin was infused with the super armour, he couldn''t regulate his heat. If he were in a hot temperature he will go into heat stroke and faint.


    The first time they fought Peter was lucky that it had been a hot day and the fight had lasted for more than 30 minutes. Rhino had tried to get to a water source to cool himself down when Peter finally realized his weakness.


    Ever since then he had been exploiting that weakness to win all their fights. Maybe if he was smarter Rhino could have won some of their fights, but sadly he wasn''t. *Hmm* *Bang* Another repulsor blast slammed into the back of the Rhino when Peter noticed that his brow was starting to acc.u.mulate sweat.


    Leaping high in the air to catch a breather he looked from the sluggish Rhino to the floating Iron man still firing. The repulsor blasts were all that Tony had left; he had used all his ammo and mini rockets. If he used the higher yield missiles he might destroy the mall.


    ''WAIT¡­Repulsor¡­ energy¡­ heat¡­Bingo!'' Quickly swinging over to the flying suit Peter landed right next to him and began to talk. "Fire a continuous repulsor blast at him, aim right for the back and head." Tony looked at him and Peter could understand the unsaid question. ''Why?''


    *Thwip* "Wha?" In surprise Tony was webbed closer to the wall crawler as he spoke right next to his ear. He turned his head with his free hand as if to get a point across to an idiot. Something which irked Tony to no end. "He can''t regulate his heeeeat. Repulsooooor Energyyyyyy hooootttt. Boil him like a kettle."


    Ripping his body away from the wall crawler, behind his mask a frown came to his face. His voice came out in a pout as he turned his back to the bug. "Fine I get you, talking to me like a 3 year old, who does he think he is. I''ll buy his whole neighborhood if I get the chance¡­."


    Grumbling curses under his breath Peter didn''t pay him any mind, he was laughing on the inside with what he just did. He did enjoy making fun of someone so rich and smart, and an old idol. Stifling a chuckle, he once again reengaged Rhino.


    For a few seconds the fight was in a stand still before Iron Man flew right behind him and started to fire. *Whirlle* *Bam* A continuous beam came from Tony''s suit as it slammed into the back of Rhino. He gave it no mind as he continued to try and stomp the bug before him.


    It was only when he started to heat up and started to sweat that he turned towards the attack. He was too stupid to realize what was going on, but he knew that he needed to cool down. Turning away from the two heroes he started to run towards any source of water he could find.


    *Bzzz* The power increased as the heat began to overwhelm him. He started to get dizzy as he swayed from foot to foot. Finally after a full minute of wobbling he fell to the ground and fainted. *Thwip* Peter landed next to the downed foe as he began to web his body to the ground. He could already hear sirens in the background. The police would be there in a minute or two.


    *Pak* Tony landed next to the hero and looked down at the super villain that he had just taken down. A smug smile surfaced on his face as he puffed his chest out. Somehow doing this had been a good stress reliever. He had needed it for a long while.


    "Up top." Also happy, Peter raised his hand for a high five; Tony instantly shot his hand out. *Clap* "So what were you doing here?" Tony finally asked the question. Peter shrugged his shoulders as he prepared to leave. "I told you already, came to investigate a noise I heard. I really should get back to my girl now."


    Tony leaned back. "You actually have a girl?" Perter stopped and turned back to him with a hurt look. "What''s that supposed to mean." Tony raised his hands in defense as he tried to find the words for that blunder. "I mean¡­. She digs the spider stuff?"


    Tony almost face palmed at the words, that was not what he meant. He was just looking for an excuse for what he said. Peter stopped for a second as his mind came up with a comeback. Beckoning Tony closer, he whispered in a conspiratory manner.


    "Trust me, the women love it at night when you start doing things on the roof." Tony was shocked for a second as his mind drifted off to the possibilities of being able to stick to anything¡­.. Giving him a small pat on the shoulder, Peter shot out a web. *Thwip* "Well, I better be getting back."


    Finally snapping out of his perverse thoughts Tony looked at the leaving figure. "Hey wait a minute!" About to go after Spider-Man he realized that his suit wasn''t responding. "What! How in the hell did he do it?!?!" Shocked from the discovery that he had been hacked again, he finally realized something!


    "He was the one who messed with my music!!!!!!" Peter chuckled to himself as he scurried back to his backpack. He could just hear that last shout.

 Chapter 64 - Investigation

    Peter made his way outside after getting out of his suit. Making sure that there was some dirt on his clothes, but not tearing them, he had enough of wasting his clothes. He made it out and started looking for Felicia.


    By that point the Police, Ambulance''s, and Firemen had already arrived. The area outside was cordoned off as people made their way out. They were shuffled towards the Paramedics, who made sure to check everyone before they left.


    The police kept the perimeter as sightings of Spider-Man and Iron-Man had already been reported. It would be worse for them to interfere when super powered figures were involved, they would just get in the way. It was already a code they had to follow.


    Well in most instances, they would still engage if the fighting was subdued and involved a vigilante. Spider-Man while considered a Vigilante by some, the Police realized how much good he does and had taken him off their vigilante list.


    Especially after the last year of constant work done by the red and blue hero, the Police where used to letting him handle the more dangerous matters. Though they had his back if it was needed. This was one of the good things that had happened lately for Peter.


    He had been Spider-Man for so many years, but it was only the last year when the Police started to treat him better, or at least didn''t have standard orders to take him in as well. Even when he was a vigilante, most of the good cops let him do what he wanted.


    But Peter''s thoughts had been wandering, he finally noticed the vibrant head of silver hair that was in the crowd before him and made his way over. ''She must have changed it so I could find her.'' Peter and Felicia met up, before making their way out of the crowd.


    Peter took hold of some of the bags as they made a beeline for an alleyway. Making it into the dimly lit area, Felicia''s hair color changed back to her original brown. As they walked towards Felicia''s flat she started to grill him on what happened.


    She had only heard some of the details, and wanted to hear all the juicy details. With a small smile on his lips Peter began to narrate the battle.


    ***********************


    (Night)


    *Haa* Peter let out a sigh as he made his way back to the apartment. *Swoosh* Swinging through the air, he kept his ears open for any screams for help and Crystals small voice in his ear. She relayed concise details of any crime taking place in the city.


    Much better than listening to the police frequencies for something to happen. *Thwip* He sighed as he swung back as he just came back from the warehouse area. Deciding that he had wasted enough time during the day Peter had made his way out after Dinner and gone to the crime scene from the morning.


    The area was still cordoned off with police tap, but some of it already littered the ground. After leaving it for so long, someone had already come along and ripped down the tape. Peter had pushed his senses to the max as he scoped out the area, looking for any clues.


    After being a hero for so long he looked for all the obvious signs, but of course the police would have found the easy stuff. A small white chalk outline showed where the body once lay as blood was splashed about the area.


    ''Whatever attacked the guy was out of control.'' From the spread of blood, it could be guessed that the victim had thrashed about when he was being attacked. It was easy to understand why the authorities believed that it was an animal.


    The area was a small alley way leading up to one of the warehouses. The wall the chalk lay before showed small amount of blood which Peter starred at intensely. Scanning for anything minute, Peters gaze stopped on 2 small puncture marks in the wall. It was hard to tell on such an old brick wall, but there were two punctures that had been covered by some blood.


    Walking closer to get a good look his eyes sharpened as he compared where the body had dropped, to where the puncture marks were placed. Seeing the scene in his mind, Peter easily deduced that the puncture marks coincided with where his heart would have been.


    ''So the man had almost died immediately, before the rest happened.'' The small thought that this might have been Laura, diminished in his mind. Even though he suspected it might be the case, he didn''t want to believe that Laura could be this brutal and animalistic without a reason.


    It was more likely that a new player was in town, someone out for blood. He would have to find them and stop them. Giving the area a once over again, Peter finally made his way out on patrol, before finally going back to the apartment.


    He could get Crystal to hack into the police database tomorrow and find out what they had found so far.


    Making it back to the balcony a smile came to his face as he saw the small light waiting for him.

 Chapter 65 - Diplomatic Incident

    (Unknown Location)


    A woman walked quickly down a long corridor towards two large doors. With dark braided hair, done up in a ponytail, A smile was on her face as she gripped the small item in her hands. She was wearing a white dress that highlighted her figure as she walked towards the doors.


    From her grip it could just be made out that it was a necklace made of silver, on the end a pendant of some type of bug could just be seen. The design was uniquely detailed and looked beautiful in the dim light above.


    The woman had been working on the necklace for a very long time, now she just had to find a good opportunity to give it to him. Wanting to show her new piece of art off to her Father and family she was close to the throne room.


    Yes the woman walking towards the door was a princess. Walking up she gave a nod towards the two bald guards at the door. Both had spears I their hands and wore their formal uniforms, each gave warm nods towards her as she entered.


    As her hand touched the door to the room, a small part on the door lit up as it scanned her finger and bio metrics. A small almost unnoticeable click came out as the door swung easily open. It didn''t make a sound as it swung, showing the well-made design and upkeep of the door.


    "When did it happen?!" The smile on her face turned into a frown though as she heard the words coming from the room. A throne sat in the middle of the room, as multiple chairs sat around it forming a circle. Looking around the room, the woman spotted her mother, the queen, off to the side, while her Dad, the king, was on the throne talking to her brother, the prince.


    It had been his voice that had just shouted out. The princess made little noise as she made her way over, not wanting to disturb them. "In the afternoon Father." With grey hair and a well-trimmed goatee, her father finally stood up.


    A look of rage was on his face as he started to pace the room. No one spoke as he did so, as the King of their country he had all the power and authority. The princess wanted to ask what had happened but didn''t.


    "How much did they take?" Finally the King spoke. Her brother replied quietly from the side. "They somehow broke into one of the refineries, they got at least 50 kg." *Pop* You could physically hear the sound of his grip tightening.


    "How did they get past our defenses?" Her brother shook his head. "We have got our best people looking into it." The princess''s eyes widened as she heard the words. ''What does he mean best people? I''m the best person in the country and this is the first I''ve heard of this!''


    Having heard so much of the conversation she already knew what had happened, what had been stolen! It came as a shock to her as it shouldn''t be possible. She would have to personally look into their boarder defenses, find out what truly happened.


    Thinking that she pulled up a small holo screen up and started to go through some data, keeping her ears open to the conversation. The King thought to himself for a while, as quite ruled the throne room. Finally he walked back to his throne and sat down, he had calmed himself down.


    "Have we identified who did it? Was it that Claw Person?" Her brother shook his head. "No it wasn''t him, we have identified the person." Motioning towards the side, her brother brought up a hologram with another person on it.


    Dr.a.p.ed in a green cloak linked around his neck with a gold chain, the man towered in the shot that was taken of him. There was fur dr.a.p.ed over the shoulders, with spikes on the shoulder pads. The most notable point of the picture was the metal mask that obscured his face. All that could be seen of the man''s face were the two brown piercing eyes that had a tinge of madness in them.


    Just in the screen could be seen the silver metal gauntlets that also covered his arms. It was hard to tell from the picture but the princess guessed that the man was wearing a full body suit, something she hadn''t seen before. But it did look familiar.


    "His name is Victor Von Doom. Sometimes called Dr Doom, as he has a doctorate. He is a very smart man." Her brother let out a sigh before he continued. "He is the current Monarch of Latveria..." It was like a bombshell went off in the room at the news.


    Her Father face instantly darkened as well as her mothers. The princess herself had also sprouted a frown, they all knew what that piece of news meant. "It is a small country, but... if we were to try and forcefully retrieve the vibranium...We would be causing an international incident. The matter could be blow out of proportion."


    *Bang* The king slammed his fist into his throne as his mind started to race. "Can we retrieve the vibranium without an incident?" The prince shook his head again. "No their technology is surprisingly advanced; we wouldn''t be able to get in and out without someone noticing." "Damn."


    The kings mind raced as he thought of all the options that he could pursue, he didn''t want the world to know how technologically advanced his country was, most people thought it was just a 3rd world country, and he wanted to keep it that way. But he couldn''t let this ''Doom'' character get away with so much.


    ''Just an ounce is already valuable and he had stolen 50kg!'' ''No, wait¡­he knew we wouldn''t be able to respond without making waves, he''s banking on that fact. He must know if we used our full might we would easily grab it back.''


    Just that thought alone made him even angrier. "What else do we have on him?!" Waving his hand the Prince changed the screen to show some extra information. He had already read up on the target before coming to the throne room, so he started to recite some of the information.


    "Doom has been abusing the use of his diplomatic immunity in America to perform numerous deeds; if he is ever called in to question h can''t be detained. An interesting fact to mention is that these deeds usually revolve around a one Reed Richards and Susan Storm. They used to be partners in business."


    Waving his hand again a new picture with 4 people appeared 3 men and one woman. "Due to some bad fall out between him and the Baxter foundation, he has been gunning for them ever since. Some type of project went wrong that affected everyone you sere before you. They seemed to have gained super powers from the ordeal." He stopped as a new screen appeared show casing scenes of their powers displayed one by one.


    Flight, telekinesis, fire manipulation, one even had super strength, though his skin had turned to a brick like substance, before finally showing a newspaper dubbing them ''The Fantastic Four''.


    "Though¡­.." The prince motioned back to the picture of Doom with his mask on. "¡­.Whatever they ran into also left Doom with some facial deformities. It is not known if it is a vanity problem or if he actually needs the mask and suit to live, we are still gathering data."


    A small light bulb went off in the Princesses head as she skimmed over the information. She knew a bit about the super hero groups that based themselves out of New York, with the ''Fantastic Four'' being one of them. The same People she was now looking at. That explained why the name Dr. Doom rang a bell. Crystal talked to her about the man one time.


    Stopping his explanation for a second her brother bowed as he gave a suggestion. "Father if I may. These four here have been shown to foil and stop Doom multiple times. If we were to garner their help, we could avoid a diplomatic incident."


    The king sat back as he thought over the words. His eyes had quickly scanned the information before him, it was very possible that they could help them, his sons idea wasn''t a bad one. But he had been raised that way, to be more accepting of the outside world, more trusting.


    And that was the problem. "We cannot trust them with such a task, Vibranium is too valuable. I cannot trust them with the task to return it to us." The princess''s eyes flashed as she heard the words, a certain idea coming to her mind.


    It was getting close to that time, and she wanted to give him the present she had been preparing. They were bases out of New York¡­and Crystal had just told her that day that he got a new phone. A smile came to her lips as she gripped the pendant in her hand tightly, stepping forwards.


    Her brother and father stopped what they were doing when she stepped forwards. "Yes, daughter?" Her smile got even wider. "I think I know someone we can trust that can help us with our problem." Her father raised an eyebrow lost with where she was going.


    Pocketing the pendant she pulled up a new screen for them to look at. "You do remember Peter right?"

 Chapter 66 - Call

    (Next Day)


    Felicia woke up to the smell of cooked bacon and eggs. Her nose twitched minutely as the smell wafted into the room. Giving a small yawn she rubbed her eyes as she moved out of the room.


    Just before she opened the door she looked at the small mirror next to the door. Making sure that her bed head was gone and that she didn''t look a mess, she made her way out. A smile graced her lips as she saw the back of Peter cooking at the stove.


    The sizzle of bacon filled the air as she made her way closer. Using her expert thieving skills she got within 2 meters of him, before he stiffened in surprises, knowing that her stealth had been discovered she lunged forwards and wrapped him in a hug.


    The way he squirmed when he realized that she was barely wearing anything was a highlight of her day. Pulling close to his ear, she whisper to him. "Making breakfast? What''s the occasion?" Felicia could feel his warm body as his heart rate sped up.


    Turning his head to look at her, Peter gave a smile as he brushed off the question. "No reason, I just felt like saying thanks. You''ve helped me so much lately. Thought I would do something nice for you." "Aww Peter!" Gripping him into an even tighter hug, Peter could just plate up the food as he was losing air.


    Releasing her grip, Peter took a few steps back and took in some air. Felicia gave out a small laugh as she sat down at the table, quickly devouring the food. She wasn''t reserved when she was with him. "You know I don''t have long to eat this, school starts pretty soon."


    Peter smiled as he poured himself a glass of coffee. "You''ll have to hurry up then." The grin behind the mug was easy to see as Felicia gave him a pout, finishing off her food. Pretending to ignore him, she turned her head away and started watching the TV with the little time she had.


    Always the gentleman Peter finished his own food as he got up and grabbed the dishes. Cleaning them he made his way to his room to grab something. Rummaging around in one of the bags he bought the day before he pulled out a small box.


    It was bigger than a ring box, just so there were no misunderstandings. Making his way out, he walked up quietly behind Felicia. Using his abilities he was able to mute all the sound he made as he got closer. Getting right behind her, he raised his hand and put it over her eyes.


    Jumping in surprise for a second, Felicia''s muscles tensed before Peter spoke up, calming her down. "Close your eyes." She c.o.c.ked her eye brow in mock amus.e.m.e.nt. "Why Peter, what are you doing?" Peter rolled his eyes at her playful tone. "Please, Cat." Using his special nickname for her, Felicia reluctantly stopped teasing him and obliged.


    Waiting a few more seconds to make sure she wasn''t peeking Peter took back his hand and opened the box. *Clack* Her ears twitched as the box un clasped and he pulled out the object. *Dangle* A small jingle sounded out as Peter rested something against her shirt and pulled back her hair back, clasping something around her neck.


    Felicia''s heart beat sped up as an idea of what it was popped in her head. She titled her head down, making it easier for him as she hid her ever reddening face. Her heart beat was erratic as she felt his hands glide over the nape of his neck.


    Felicia made sure her eyes were closed and hands in her lap as she waited for him to finish. After a few seconds she heard him step back and speak. "You can open them now." Green eyes fluttered open as they sort out the only man in the room.


    Peter had stepped in front of her and sat down next to her. Her eyes sort his for a second before they moved down to the new necklace that adorned her neck. A warm feeling sprang from her chest as she saw the cool silver links that wrapped her neck.


    But her heart truly stopped for a second as she caught sight of a black obsidian cat that rested on her chest. Beautifully carved, the small feline had two small emerald eyes with a ruby resting at the chest of the figure.


    Her eyes stared unblinkingly at the carving on her chest as she knew it would become one of her most priceless treasures. She had stolen many beautiful arts, pieces and diamonds in her time as a thief, but this left her feeling something different than the rush of stealing.


    She would always treasure it.


    She felt her eyes turn slightly red as she stuttered out words. "Why? How? When?" Peter gave a soft smile as he looked at the necklace. "I found it yesterday at that jewellery shop we visited. You were distracted by something else when I saw it. I thought it would be perfect for you..." Peter trailed off as he scratched the back of his head.


    "This is a thanks for everything you''ve done for me. You''ve really changed my life for the better...." Before he could say anything else she was already on him, giving him another crushing hug. She did this for two reasons, one she couldn''t help the feelings welling up in her chest telling her to do so, and 2. She didn''t want him to see the start of the tears that rolled down her face.


    "It''s Perfect Peter. It''s Perfect." Those were the only words she could get out as she hugged him for the next few minutes. Peter didn''t get to say anything as Felicia pulled back at lightning speed once she was done and sprinted to her room. "I''ve got to get ready for school, you''re making me late!"


    Leaving those words behind she slammed the door leaving a stunned Peter behind. Looking at her retreating figure he gave out a smile. Peter had just got up when he heard a ringing from his bedroom.


    A frown came to his face as he hadn''t given anyone his phone number. There was no way a person could have called him. The only possible person that could have rung his number was Crystal, But she would usually use the comm device in his pocket to relay a message, this was someone different.


    Walking into his room and closing the door behind him he walked over to the desk next to the bed flipping the phone over. Stopping dead in his tracks his eyes widened in surprise as he saw the ID.


    *Shuri Calling* Dumbfounded he spoke up. "Shuri? But how did she get my number?" Clicking the answer button he slowly raised the phone to his ear. Her chipper voice rang in his ear. "Peter! How''s my favorite Pen Pal!..." He could just hear her whisper in the background. "More like my only Pen Pal."


    Peter stifled a chuckle as she continued. "I know this is out of the blue, but I need your help!"

 Chapter 67 - A Meeting of freinds

    (Baxter Building)


    (Next Day)


    Johnny Storm bopped his head up and down as he listened to the tunes blasting in his ear. With a pair of wireless ear buds in his ears, he was working on one of his rides.


    Situated on the 70 something floor of the building, the sun shone into the room heating up the area, it was the perfect temperature to work in. The car was off the ground, suspended, as he worked underneath.


    Every now and then he would wheel himself out to grab a different tool before going back under. Unlike one of the other 3people that share the building with him, who loved vintage cars and the classic cars, Johnny loved to work on sports, luxury and race cars.


    Working on the Alpine A110 in front of him, he was trying to upgrade the engine so he could get a little extra kick out of it. He had been working on the car for the last few hours and decided it was about time for him to take a break.


    Wiping a small amount of sweat off his brow, he stood up from his prone position and made his way over to the sink. As his personal lab it had everything he could have wanted inside. With a fridge full of drinks off to the side, a TV hanging off the wall and a beautiful view of the city it was his own little paradise.


    Sometimes he would even bring girls in, though he would usually take them to his room instead, if they were getting along well enough and knew a thing or two about cars, which was rare, he would take them here.


    Just as he grabbed himself a glass of water he felt the sunlight dim behind him. Taking a quick peek over his shoulder, his eyes widened in surprise before a grin plastered itself on his face. Outside clinging to the window was a red and blue vigilante.


    Walking over to a specific panel off to the side, he pressed a number in before one of the glass windows lowered itself. *Whoosh* Wind battered into the room cooling it down, but Johnny didn''t mind. "Hey Spidey! What brings you by? Haven''t seen you in a while."


    Peter flipped himself into the room before Johnny closed the window. It was personally put in y Reed so that Johnny could go out flying without breaking one of the windows.


    Walking closer to the web head they clasped hands together in greeting. Peter had teamed up with the Fantastic Four a few times after they first met a year ago. Since then Peter and Johnny had become pretty close friends. Though of course Peter kept his distance and didn''t tell him about the situation he had been in.


    Now that Peter was starting to get his life back together he wouldn''t have to be so distant with Johnny or the group of four people that Peter had taken a shine to. There was something about the group that made them almost like a family, a family that Peter was growing close to.


    It had been a few weeks since they had seen each other and they both had to catch up on a lot. Peter being extremely smart and a man, also had an affinity for cars, he didn''t just geek out over science and maths.


    That was the launching point for the friendship between the two, and it was because of that reason that Peter really wanted to talk to Johnny about the car behind him, the Alpine A110. Looking at the sleek design and the paint job that looked to be a custom job, probably done by Johnny himself, he wanted to start up a conversation that could easily last the hour.


    But he stopped himself before he said anything. Looking at the car for a few more seconds he walked with Johnny as they moved towards the door. Johnny was still caught up in his own world and was rambling on even though Peter hadn''t responded.


    "Sue will love to see you. She was so happy the last time you came over and helped her with some of her bio chem. work." Peter gave a small smile as well, it had been fun to work with one of the leading minds in the field of bio chemistry, in Peters opinion anyway.


    "Reed was also yammering away about a few of the ideas you guys talked about last time you were over. He''ll be happy you turned up. And don''t get me started on Ben. He was wondering where you found so many antique car parts, I don''t see what you guys like about those fossils." Peter gave a small chuckle and shook his head at Johnny''s words.


    "You have to appreciate the classics." Johnny gave him a skewed look. "Ohh I appreciate them....when I look at them in my rear view mirror." Saying that Johnny burst into laughter and opened the door to his lab.


    Walking a few steps over to an intercom and pressing a button Johnny spoke with a cheery grin. "Hey guys guess who decided to visit! Our favorite web head decided to drop in the neighborhood. We''ll be in the kitchen and lounge if you want to find us."


    No one replied and Peter was fine with that. He had come here on important business, but he could spend a few minutes catching up with a friend. Deciding on what he wanted to do, Peter started to truly settle in. Grabbing a drink from the fridge the two lounged on the couch and began to catch up.


    Both of them started to talk animatedly about what had been happening lately. Peter was still vague with his life outside of being Spider-Man but other than that he was an open book. They started to talk about races, sports, villains, other heroes. Anything that came to mind they talked about.


    The Fantastic Four as they had been dubbed had been going all over the globe recently to do research, secure funding and help people, so Johnny had quite a few more interesting stories than Peter. Hearing the mention of the Name Doctor Doom though held his interest.


    After talking to Shuri on the Phone, he knew what he was here to convince them of doing and all the information they had on him would be for the better. Other than the one time he had helped the fantastic four he hadn''t heard mention of Doctor Doom.


    He didn''t seem to do many crimes in New York and Focused more on Johnny and the rest when they left the country or were in different states.


    Other than knowing that he hacked Reed''s portal the first time they met, the rest was a mystery, so he listen with rapt attention to the adventures Johnny had been on.


    The first person to walk in the lounge and greet him after he sat down was Ben Grimm. The big lug of orange walked into the room instantly noticing the web head sitting on the couch with his mask half raised.


    "Web Head!" Picking him up in a big bear hug, Peters bone creaked a little from the crushing he received. Not minding this fact Peter spoke in a cheerful tone. "Ben how you been?" "Good good." Giving a hearty laugh Ben let him down and patted him on the back as the last two of the fantastic four walked into the room.


    Susan Storm and Reed Richards walked in together with big smiles on their face. They were always happy to meet Spider-Man. Reed because he found that he had quite a few stimulating conversations with the masked hero, and Sue because of the same reason, and the fact she used to have a crush on him when she was younger.


    Sue walked over and gave the web head a hug before Reed walked up and shook his hand. "I think this visit deserves a pizza!" Johnny shouted from the side as everyone sat down and started to talk. Reaching over to grab the phone, it would be in the next 20 minutes that 3 pizzas were delivered to the building.


    And it would be over the next hour until they finished their conversation and pizza alike. Peter patted his belly in satisfaction as he laid back. Seeing that everyone had finally calmed down, Sue spoke up.


    "So Spider-Man what the occasion? Why the visit?" Peter rubbed the back of his neck for a second trying to find the right words. "Well, actually I came on behalf of a friend..."

 Chapter 68 - Distraction

    A black haired woman walked quietly down a metal corridor her entire focus on the door before her. The only sound in the corridor was the clicking of high heels as the woman made her way over. Wearing glasses, a business suit and having her hair done up in a bun, she exuded an air of professionalism.


    *Clank* *Click* Reaching her objective, she opened the door in a swift motion and walked into a dark room. The small light from a lamp lit up one side of the room, where a computer sat along with a man. The man was old, with hair that was starting to grey and a few extra wrinkles on his face, it was easy to tell that he had seen better days.


    The man was hunched over the computer his hand moving restlessly as he scrolled through information. Every now and then he would stop and stare intently at the picture on the side of the computer. The picture showed two young children, one was a boy the other a girl. The boy had silver hair and a lanky body, while the girl had short red hair and chubby cheeks.


    Every time the man looked at the picture the room would shake slightly. This had been going on for too long. Or that''s what the woman though. It had already been weeks, months since they had disappeared. ''And ever since he had started to close in on himself''.


    His rage was building; she had known him long enough to know he was ready to blow. Every day that they didn''t find them was just making his eventual explosion even bigger. The rest had started to question what was wrong with their ''Leader'' The man that had brought them all together.


    Her being the second in command had to make sure everything was running smoothly, to make sure that they stayed in line. If anyone of them were to leave the rest might just follow. ''Thankfully none of them have seen him in a while''.


    Looking at the hunched back of the man that was only in his late 50''s, but looked like he was in to his 70''s she let a sigh out. Walking behind the chair he sat in, she reached up for her glasses. It was time to distract him, to take his mind off ''them''.


    Grasping her glasses and taking them off the woman''s body started to shift. The clothes, hair, eyes, body shape, everything changed in a few seconds as the suit disappeared and a blue goddess now stood in the room.


    With red hair, blue skin and yellow eyes, coupled with a white dress, with skulls on the front, boots and gloves, Raven Darkholme, better known as Mystique spoke to Max Eisenhardt, well known as Erik Magnus Lehnsherr and better known as Magneto, leader of the mutant group, ''The Brother Hood''.


    "Erik, there has been reports of a possible mutant in New York." Magneto didn''t turn around as he replied, still searching. "I don''t care." Mystique resisted the urge to sigh as she continued. "Charles and his kids seem very interested in this certain Mutant. They could be very powerful."


    Magneto stopped for a second before he continued his work. "He can have this one. I''m too busy right now." Mystique felt her anger rising as she grabbed his chair and forcefully turned him around. "You need the distraction. ''They'' can wait. You need to clear your head."


    His face also scrunched in anger. He stood up in anger as the room trembled and the metal walls around them started to groan. "NO! I need to find ''them'' and kill whoever took them! And I won''t stop till then!!!" He shouted out in anger as Mystique held her ground. She had been with Erik long enough to know when he was truly enraged.


    Right now he was frustrated, tired and high strung. As if to prove her thoughts right after shouting out like that he flopped back into his chair, looking more tired than she had ever seen him. Walking a bit closer she rested her hands on his shoulder as her voice turned a bit gentler.


    "You need rest Erik. We have our best people working on it..." He looked like he was going to protest again but she continued. "You know it''s true, plus the others are getting restless. Avalanche and Pyro have been jumpy for the last few days. They need some action. And..."


    Her voice turned deep and grave to get her point across. "They need to see their leader command them like always. So they know everything is ok, even after ''They'' disappeared." The Air seemed to escape from his body as he limply sat in his chair.


    Magneto''s thoughts raced a mile a minute as his analytical mind knew that Raven was telling the truth. Seeing that she was getting through, something she had been trying for the last few days, she went in for the kill. "We''ll find this mutant, turn them to our cause, and maybe even fight Charles over them, calm every ones worries and get right back to looking for ''them''."


    It took a few minutes but finally a determination that hadn''t been seen for the last few weeks sparked into his eyes and he steadily stood up. Rubbing his chin that had grown a small amount of stubble, he raised an eye brow in surprise before walking towards the door.


    Mystique morphed back into the black haired business woman as he made his way out and put back on her fake glasses. She had done what she came to achieve. ''Hopefully this distraction will keep everything together''. A cold light shone in her eyes as she looked down at the computer in front of her.


    The small picture of the two siblings shone in her eyes as she looked at them, before they moved to the small logo that was in the background of the information being displayed. The information Magneto was desperately taking apart. Giving one last hateful look at the skull with tentacles coming out from it, she turned her back and followed Erik out.


    They had a mutant to recruit.

 Chapter 69 - Latveria

    Peter looked down at the water as it whipped by below him. He wished he could take his mask off to enjoy the view that he was seeing but there were two problems with that. 1. The fantastic four still didn''t know who he really was. And 2. A bug would probably get in his mouth.


    That didn''t stop him from enjoying the view, the wind whipping his skin and uniform barely annoyed him. "You ok out there Spider-man?" Reed''s voice came over his comm. and he looked to his left. From where he was Peter could just see him look in the mirror to spot him. He had his hands on the controls and was steering the current craft they were flying towards Europe.


    Yes they were using the Fantasti-car! With a sleek and compact silver design the craft had four seats, with technology that was years ahead of current airplanes, they were zipping over the water on course for their destination.


    "Yeah I''m enjoying the breeze." Peter''s voice could just be heard over the wind that was buffeting his body. Because even though the Fantasti-car was an ingenuity of the whole team, and could go faster than any airplane, offering comfort, protection and a whole lot more.. There were only four seats as mentioned and they were all filled up.


    And Peter being the genius he was found the perfect solution! Currently Peter was sticking onto the side of a glass dome. A window that protected those inside from the terrifying wind from how fast they were flying.


    If they were being honest all 4 of them were wondering how Spider-Man could act so nonchalant as they zipped through the air. How his clothes were still on his body, was chalked up to his special abilities, ones that Reed was dying to test out, but couldn''t.


    Reed gave a small nod at his words as they started to approach a land mass, Europe, or more specifically Latveria, the home of one Victor Von Doom. Even for the Fantasti-car it was a long trip to make it too the country.


    After asking for their help, the group had instantly agreed to help their arachnid friend. Not to mention that it involved doom, one of their biggest enemies, involved a request by a sovereign country, Wakanda, even if they had never heard of it, as well as their personal friendship with Spider-Man.


    They knew what Doom was capable of, and when they found out the properties of Vibranium they had to stop him from whatever he was planning. After agreeing, they had spent a few hours thinking of a plan to successfully get back the vibranium.


    It was now nearing 6PM as they made their way closer to the country. It was decided it would be best to come during the night and get out, hopefully, before anyone found out they were there. Reed had been working on some new stealth technology that he had put in the Fantasti-car that should get them in unnoticed and Wakanda had provided them access to one of their satellites.


    Satellites that had special equipment especially suited to detect vibranium. They just had to get in, get the vibranium and get out. There was the small hiccup that Peter wouldn''t be camouflaged while coming into the country, but he was so small, he wouldn''t register on any radar.


    They were now zooming over landmass as Peter spoke to them. "So, have you guys ever thought of giving this tech to an airplane company, I''m sure you would make a lot money from that patens." Johnny gave a small chuckle along with Ben.


    Sue looked towards Reed with an ''I told you so look'', while Reed answered the question. "We think that the technology is too advanced, the manufacturing materials and time would be impossible to accommodate. Most places would turn down such expenditure." Peter gave a small nod as it made sense.


    Turning back to look at their surroundings, he admired the green grass and hills that spread for miles around. Every now and then they would fly over towns, with the bright lights starting to light up the darkening sky.


    As they closed in on Latveria Peter took a look in a certain direction. He had looked up a few of the people Crystal had been syphoning money from. One of them was Sablinova International, the company that was the biggest financial support of the country right next to Latveria, Symkaria. ''I wonder if she''s involved with them'' The name stuck a cord in his memory that he hadn''t thought of in a long time.


    Staring at the country for a few more seconds he looked at another country that bordered Latveria. Turning to look a Sokovia, a small country that was embroiled in protests and other matters, Peter wondered how they could starve off Latveria, a country known for its aggressive army and expansion policies.


    Any country around it had signed either peace treaties or fought back with their own armies. One of the many reasons Symkaria was broke and required an international organisation to prop up its economy.


    Peter shook his head after a while as this time Sue spoke in his ear. "We''re arriving at Latveria, activating stealth now." The Fantasti-car shivered for a second, before the very object Peter was sticking to, turned invisible.


    It was truly fantastic technology, as if Peter wasn''t assured that he was sticking to something he would definitely assume that he was clinging to air. You couldn''t see it at all! Nothing else was said as they continued to make their way to the capital of Latveria, Doomstadt.


    A name that had Peter rolling on the floor in laughter for a few minutes.


    Finally as they floated above the air of the capital, looking down at the huge palace that occupied the center, did Johnny talk. "Well that was easy. Now we just need to get that metal and get out. What could go wrong?"


    Peter turned his head to where he was sure Johnny was still sitting and banged his head against the glass he was on. "Urgh, you did not just say that." Letting his frustration out no one could respond before Peters spider sense went off like crazy.

 Chapter 70 - Captured!

    "Watch out!" Springing back and letting go of the invisible flying car, Peter watched as a green light flashed on the ground before flying right at them. The flash of green was so fast that it couldn''t move out of the way before it hit the Fantasti-car. *Bang* Fire flew out as the stealth function turned off revealing them to the world, the right side of the car was set alight.


    Peter could hear the panicked voice of Reed in the c.o.c.k pit. "That hit one of our stabilizers, we''re losing Geo-synchronisation!" Another green flash came from the ground as Peter started to fall and another explosion went off. "Get out of here now!"


    Peter heard Sue''s voice as the windows came down and everyone jumped out. "Flame on!" Johnny lit up as he flew out, Sue creating a type of invisible step for herself, Ben and Reed to stand on. The step started to speed towards the ground as more green lights came from below.


    Peter sent one look their way as he started to fall, glad they were ok, as he made his way down dodging the continued fire from below. *Boom* The Fantasti-car couldn''t take anymore fire as it exploded into a ball of fire, sending shrapnel outwards, raining above them.


    One piece flew out smacking into Sue as she concentrated on getting everyone down, hitting the side of her head! Her eyes rolled back into her head as she blacked out. Without the platform to stand on, the rest started falling to the ground as Johnny and Peter went to help them. Peter created a make shift parachute with his webbing, something he had to do more than a person would think.


    Flying over to the dropping form of Reed, he grabbed onto him and slowed him down, while Johnny grabbed his sister. Ben was left to gravity however as he dropped towards the ground. With his tough skin he wouldn''t be killed from the drop, but it might hurt, but peter couldn''t help him.


    "Damn how did they find us!" Reed shouted out loud as they closed in on the ground. Already there were multiple soldiers and droids flocking to the area. ''This mission just got a whole lot harder.'' Peter grew worried as he looked at the amount of people coming towards them.


    Peter tried to dodge the fire that was coming his way, and with Reeds help they made it close to the ground, but as they were only a few meters away from reaching their destination one of the blasts got through.


    Hit smack bang in the head Reed flopped unconscious as Peter helped him to the ground. ''At least they are using non lethal blasts, or we would be in big trouble.'' Looking to his side Peter could just see the signs of Ben, not moving at all. Ben had been knocked out from the drop and the last two up were only Johnny and Peter.


    Surrounded on all sides, Peter could make out men in armour as well as robots that had eerily creepy metal faces. All of them had their weapons raised and aimed at their direction. Johnny had flown low to regroup with Peter, placing his sister next to his other two unconscious team mates.


    Looking down at the 3 people who were knocked out Peter he knew he couldn''t get them out. He grit his teeth under his mask, but in the end raised his hands in surrender, The soldiers around him didn''t move a muscle at the small gesture, but Johnny did. Johnny screamed from above him, fire already in his hands.


    "What are you doing?! We have to fight our way out!" Peter shook his head; he had been in similar situations. "We can''t." He nodded to the rest of the fantastic four. "Not right now." Johnny looked back at them once again a feeling of guilt and anger welling up inside. He clenched his hands in anger as he slowly let the fires die down in his hand.


    It was as he was distracted that a shot came from somewhere in the army knocking Johnny in the head taking him out. Peter rushed over to stop his crumpling body from hitting the ground. As he grabbed him out of the sky and gently laid him down, Peter glared in the direction the shot came from.


    *Clack* *Clack* Metal boots struck the cobble stone road that they were on as a deep chuckle came from afar. The chuckle was sinister in nature and had a metallic ring to it. Victor Von Doom walked slowly out of his personal army, the weapon in his arm still smoking with a green glow.


    "I always did hate Johnny the most." Doom looked at the Human Torch before he looked at the only person still awake. "Spider-Man?" Looking down at Johnny one last time Peter stood to his full height as he stared the dictator down. Giving a flourish and bow he spoke in a regal tone, with a hint of sarcasm.


    "Yes it is I! Your friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man! I am happy to finally meet you your doomness." Doom was stilled for a second as he looked at the perfect bowing person in front of him. He was not amused though at the answer, as he raised his weapon and pointed it at the arachnid. "Your Doom has arrived Arachnid." He couldn''t hide the anger in his voice.


    "Well at least he didn''t say bug." As Peter muttered that to himself, he watched as the weapon fired right at him, out of pure instinct he dodged the blast. Doom bristles with anger as he could swear he could see a smug expression and an eyebrow raised on the expressionless mask.


    It was as if Spider-Man was asking. ''That all you got?'' Narrowing his eyes dangerously behind his mask he fired again, this time Peter stopped himself from dodging and watched as it got closer, bringing with it an all encompassing blackness.

 Chapter 71 - All according to Plan

    "How long till an escape plan stretch? I am starting to get hungry." Black dominated Peter''s vision as he started to come back to life. "I-I-I''m thinking of one, but it''s coming along slowly. Having trouble thinking." The pained voice of Reed registered in his head as he shook it once and then twice.


    Peter flexed his fingers on reflex, curling them until they stopped in surprise. His fingers curled on the cold metal over his palm and on instinct he tried to move his arms. And that was when Peter realised that he couldn''t move them.


    Not just that, he couldn''t move his legs or torso either, it was all being restrained. Blinking his eyes in pain, he brushed off the ringing in his ear and his splitting headache and opened his eyes. "Anyone get the number of that truck?"


    The words slipped out as he tried to shift his neck to no success. The noise that had been coming from around him stopped, as he reorientated himself. That was also when he realised that he was upside down. His eyes shifted down behind the mask and he couldn''t help his thoughts. ''Thank god blood doesn''t rush to my head, or I would have died ages ago.''


    "Web head you''re finally awake." The deep voice snapped Peter out of his thoughts as he registered that the voice came from ben. Looking to where the voice came from he spotted his big orange friends in almost the same contraption that he was in, but up right of course.


    With metal covering his whole body except his head, Ben couldn''t move any part of his body to exert strength and because of that, he was trapped. ''Just like the rest of them.'' "Yeah¡­" His voice trailed off as he finally woke up fully.


    His eyes scanned the room they were in noting the damp area, gloomy atmosphere and grey bricks that surrounded them. Taking a quick peek at the water of the ground, chains on the walls and old medieval torture devices that littered the room, his mind quickly came to a conclusion, one he shared with the others.


    "We''re in a dungeon. A real dungeon¡­.It''s been such a long time since the last one." "Wait you''ve been in one before?" The question came from Johnny who was also locked up. Turning to look at him peter saw him inside a square see through box, more of a containment cell. His body was restrained and he was up to his neck in some type of substance, Peter brain instantly figured out that it dampened Johnny''s flames.


    Peter looked him in the eye as he replied in a rather chipper voice. "You''d be surprised how many times you wind up in a dungeon in the line of business. I''ve been in¡­4¡­. No 5!" "That''s not something to be happy about!"


    This time it was Sue who spoke up as Johnny gave a small chuckle at the information. Turning to look at her Peter saw that she was also in a containment Cell. While she was not restrained like Peter or ben, the glass was something reinforced. She wouldn''t be able to break them with one of her force fields.


    With small holes in the roof to provide her with air, there was no other way out. "Calm down, we got one of the smartest people in the world in our corner, I''m sure he''ll think of something soon." Saying that Peter finally looked at Reed.


    He was in the worst condition of the group; unlike the other who were just restrained Reed was much worse off. The containment cell he was in connected to some type of vent that was feeding cold air into the room.


    There were no hole to let out the freezing temperature and Peter could already see the ice forming in the room. Reed was restrained and strapped to a chair. Icicles had formed on his skin and he now knew why his voice was so pained before.


    Having skin that was like rubber, Doom was making his body reach such cold temperatures so that he couldn''t use his powers. If he did, it was possible that he could damage his internal blood vessels and cause even worse damage.


    Not to mention the cold would affect his ability to think or do anything. Peter looked at him for a few seconds as no one said a word. They had already talked for a while before Peter woke up, trying to think of ways that they could escape.


    But Doom knew them almost as well as they knew him. He had the cells specifically designed for them to detain them. Reed was going through calculations in his mind trying to think of a plan of action, while ignoring the freezing conditions and pain he was in. ''Adding in the unknown factor that was Spider-Man, there might be a possible way to escape''.


    Doom couldn''t have possible expected him. Though from his knowledge of Spider-Man''s powers Reed knew that he wouldn''t be able to escape either. As the conversation began again on how to escape, the small device in Peter''s ear buzzed and Crystal''s voice came through.


    "Peter you are finally awake. I have been trying to get through to you for a few hours." Peter frowned a bit under his mask as he asked the pressing question on his mind. "How long was I out?" He said it in a small voice, so that no one heard.


    "You were out for just over 12 hours; it is already the following day, 11:23 to be precise." His worry grew a bit more but he was still relaxed, he had bene in these situations before. It was just that he had told Felicia that he would likely be gone for a day at the most, her reaction about him not returning worried him.


    As he was thinking this Crystal spoke once again. "It was surprisingly hard to break through this Dr Doom''s security, he was using a specific magical component in his coding that took me a while to break. But I have been able to hack into their systems."


    This truly got Peters eyebrows to raise, he had run into magic before, he had discovered it thanks to the tireless efforts of Crystal and had an adventure or two, a few years back. The fact that Doom, showed expertise in the field was not a good sign. He would have to talk to a certain someone when he got back to New York.


    ''But for now.'' "Crystal, put the security feed to the room on a loop, I''ll deal with the rest." Crystal replied after a few seconds. "Security feed is on a loop. I will provide whatever support you need." Peter gave a small smile. "Thanks Crystal, you''re the best."


    Peter could have sworn he heard a happy laugh from his ear as he addressed the Fantastic four. "OK Sooooooooooooooooo¡­." The other stopped talking as they looked at the web head. "All''s going according to plan then?" Johnny and Ben shared a look before Johnny spoke up.


    "What Plan?" The chipper tone returned to Peter''s voice as he started to explain to the confused watchers. "Well, it was likely that the first plan was going to fail, always does. Some type of cosmic force I tell ya, messing with us. But!!!"


    His right index finger stretched out as if to get his point across, though it looked a bit comical as he was restrained and upside down. The smug look on his face was completely covered though as he explained his genius. "That''s why I always have a back-up plan."


    A relieved look came to Sue''s face as she heard the words while Johnny smiled; they had full trust in the first hero of the modern age. Reed was looking at Peter through his half frozen eyes and engraved the words in his mind. ''Always have a back-up plan. Should have thought of that before''


    Ben spoke up first. "You got us a way out web head?" Peter tried to nod his head once, before remembering that he couldn''t move it. "Yeap, I sure do! Ok say hi, to the Fantastic Four." They didn''t understand who he was talking to.


    But as they waited, slowly a small smidge of black started to show from the neck of his suit. And gradually the dot of blackness came out to look at the dungeon it found itself in.

 Chapter 72 - Venom

    "Woah! What is that?!" Ben''s voice came from the side as he looked at the strange blob. Peter gave a small chuckle as he looked at the surprised faces of the fantastic four. With a smirk still on under his mask he replied.


    "Everyone I''d like to introduce you to Venom, our ticket out of here." "Venom¡­not a very reassuring name¡­ it also sounds familiar¡­" It was Sue this time who spoke up, she was looking at Venom with a critical eye, the same as everyone else.


    Venom had stayed still as the rest of them spoke. Every time someone talked his head would move from side to side looking at the speaker, something that creeped them out a little. Peter shook his head as he reassured them, transmitting a plan to Venom while he did so.


    "Do you guys remember when I went through my black suit phase?" Their eyebrows furrowed for a few seconds before Sue spoke up first. "You mean a few years ago, I do remember for a few weeks you were trying a new look, but I still like the red and blue better."


    Johnny sent his sister a snicker as he mumbled just loud enough. "Spidey super fan." Sue''s eyes widened for a second as she snapped her head in his direction. The look in her eyes instantly shut him up. *Cough* Johnny spluttered once, as he turned his head away and changed the conversation.


    "I remember that as well. I saw some clips of you in the suit; you were hitting harder and moving faster than I had ever seen you." Venom, who had been giving Sue a bit of a dirty look after the red and blue comment turned to Johnny with a smile, something only Peter could tell as they were connected.


    Peter disregarded the abrupt change and addressed Johnny. "Yeah, well you see Venom here is an alien symbiote¡­" *Gasp* They all looked surprised as they turned to look at Venom. While Johnny and Ben were a bit apprehensive hearing the news. Sue and Reed both had interested looks in their eyes.


    If Reed could have talked right then and there, he would have started bombarding Peter with questions on where Venom came from, and what it was capable of. Though as he was frozen he could only file the questions for later.


    "¡­I was the first human he bonded with and well, he makes my powers stronger. Better reflexes, stronger webs, better hearing, everything was enhanced. Though with those enhancements, it also amplified my emotions, specifically anger at the time."


    Ben look at Spider-Man when he said those words and could hear the regret that came with them, whatever happened when they were bonded, lead him to regret something. Just as he was thinking this Sue spoke up once again, but this time in surprise and horror.


    "Wait! Isn''t one of your greatest enemies Venom?! The bigger, scarier and evil version of you?!" Everyone''s eyes widened in surprise again as Johnny also chimed in, he had also just remember that fact. "Yeah, didn''t you guys have a fight to the death like a year ago!!!"


    *Cough* "Wellll, that was a misunderstanding between us¡­ we''re all good now." The rest gave him disbelieving looks at his words. ''You were worst enemies and now you''re all good again? What the hell???"


    That was the general thought that went through their minds as Peter tried to brush off the accusations. Flapping his fingers back and forth in a ''don''t mind'' gesture Peter finished telling the plan to Venom and they both got started.


    "Never mind that, let''s get out of here first." Sue wanted to say something else, but kept quiet as Venom jumped from Peter''s body and began to slither along the ground. He was on a collision course for Johnny containment cell.


    Johnny watched nervously as Venom came right for him and started climbing up the cell wall. Like Sue''s cell it had air holes at the top so Johnny could breath, though they were too small for anything large to get through, not that Venom would have a problem.


    Johnny''s eyes didn''t move from Venom as he asked Peter a question warily. "Ahh, Spidey, what''s it doing?" Peter blinked at him for a second before face palming, or he would have if he could move his hands.


    "Ohh right, I didn''t explain the plan did I? So I just need you to bond with Venom for about¡­.30 seconds and I''ll have a way for us to get out of here." Johnny''s eyes turned to Peter for a second as he took in a breath of air and nodded slowly. Although it scared him to no end, he trusted Spider-Man. He knew he wouldn''t put him in danger.


    Peter saw the small look of apprehension that appeared on his face before he accepted. ''Thanks for trusting me.'' Peter thought that to himself as Venom ever so slowly fit itself through one of the holes and came to rest on Johnny''s head.


    Johnny kept looking until he lost sight of the symbiote, he could only just feel something touch his head, before it rested there. Calming his beating heart, he asked no one in particular. "So now what?" And as if Venom had been waiting for the words, it spread out over his neck and ear and started to assimilate with him.


    Sue and Ben flinched as they watched the process, worry for their brother and friend clear in their eyes. But in the end they trusted Spider-Man. Reed on the other hand was fascinated by what was happening. Johnny''s body shivered as he felt something enter his ear, but he didn''t move a muscle.


    ''It smells in here.'' The abrupt voice that sounded in his head, almost gave Johnny a heart attack as he shifted from right to left trying to find where it came from. Though he was insulted enough that he had to give a response.


    "Hey I do not smell." "What?" Peter stifled a laugh as he looked at Sue giving her brother an ''are you going crazy'' look. Johnny looked at her for a second, before he started to realize what was going on. Peter didn''t leave them hanging.


    "When Venom connects to a person, he can talk to them in their mind. I would have said telepathy, but it''s more like his sharing the mind, then intruding." Reeds eyes flashed in interest as Sue gave another worried look, before turning back to Peter.


    "Will he be okay?" The worry for her brother hit a soft spot for Peter as he turned to her and gave his most sincere guarantee. "I promise Sue, Nothing will happen to him." That promise set Sue''s fears to rest as Venom once again reappeared from Johnny and made its way out of the cell.


    Johnny shot a look at Venom as it made its way back to Peter. As it started to climb up his body, to rest at his neck, Ben spoke up. "Now what web head?" Peter gave a smile as he felt his connection to Venom strengthen and them bond.


    "Now¡­Its time we got out of here." At his words Venom began to stretch over his body and in seconds his red and blue costume had turned completely black. He gave of a little more sinister vibe as he clenched his hands.


    "Flame on." That was when the suit caught fire.

 Chapter 73 - Jail Break

    Johnny''s Jaw almost dropped to the floor as he looked at Spider-Man across from him. "Did he just? But-But how?" Peter didn''t reply and no one else did either as they were as shocked as he was. Reed Personally was running every equation and calculation that he could think of to explain how it worked.


    It only took 20 seconds before the metal that was trapping Peter''s body began to super heat itself and melt under his body. It took another 10 seconds before Peter got himself free. Falling to the ground for a second, the fire went out as he let out a puff of air.


    That had taken more out of Peter than he thought it would. "Ta-da" Letting that out he began to make his way over to Ben who was still shocked from what just happened. As he got closer to his restrained friend, Peter once again said Johnny''s catch phrase.


    "Flame on." But this time instead of his whole body lighting up it was only his hands. They glowed and flickered as he reached for the metal he had to turn into slag. As he was doing this he started to explain to them how this was possible.


    "Now I know you''re surprised but, one of the early things I learned about Venom was the fact he could copy powers. Personally I don''t know how he does it; I haven''t been able to research it myself. But if I had to guess he somehow takes a complete copy of your DNA sequence when he bonds with a person."


    Stopping for a second Peter gestured to Johnny. "This includes all its special properties. With that DNA he is able to give those properties to someone else he is bonded with." Peter got back to work as the information started to sink in.


    With his back turned to 3 of them he gave a conclusion. "Of course he is only able to retain the DNA for a short amount of time, unless he has perfectly bonded with a person for a long period of time. Right now the only person I know that this has happened to is; myself."


    A little bit of realization appeared in Sue''s eyes. "Wait, when Venom was still a¡­Villain and was trying to kill you. It wasn''t just an evil person who had the same powers. It was your powers." Peter gave a small nod as the metal finally slopped to the floor; Ben Grimm the Thing was now free!


    "Yes, but as I said before, he enhanced my powers, so he was always stronger." Ben gave him a pat on the shoulder as they both got up and moved to the other Cells. "Well I''m glad he''s a good guy again." ''I like this one.'' Peter nodded at Venom''s words. ''Me two.''


    *Bang* *Bang* Using two heavy hits Ben broke Johnny''s containment cell in a few seconds as Peter got to work on Sue''s. As it was reinforced because of her abilities, Peter was burning a hole through it. *Splash* The substance that surrounded Johnny fell to the floor covering Ben, but he shrugged it off as he helped Johnny out of the cell.


    Avoiding the shatter, reinforced glass on the floor, Ben helped him over to Peter before he went to help Reed. Peter just finished letting Sue out when Ben brought Reed over. Half frozen and still in bad shape, frowns came to everyone''s face.


    Making sure that Sue was alright Peter moved over to help, he only had Johnny''s powers for a little while, and he would use it to the best of his abilities. Peter''s arms lit up in fire as he began to help thaw Reed out.


    While he was doing that Sue got to work on cleaning up Johnny, with the substance still stuck to his body he couldn''t use his powers and they would need them.


    It took another 5 minutes before everyone was about ready to go. Reed still wouldn''t be able to help in a fight, but he could walk and talk again. Sue had just finished with Johnny. Reed spoke up first. "We need to find a way out of here and where Doom is keeping the vibranium. Once we find it we need a way out of here, the Fantasti-car is out of service."


    Ben nodded at the words. "Doom''s an evil genius; he must have some type of air force. We can steal one of his planes." Johnny brushed himself down as he tested out lighting up one of his fingers. "Yeah who knows how long it will take before they find out we''ve escaped."


    Sue''s eyes went wide as she snapped her head towards the nearest camera above them. "Damn! The cameras have been on the whole time! He might come through any second!" The fantastic four stopped whatever they were doing as they also looked at the camera.


    "Flame on!" Johnny burst into flames as Sue and Ben got into a fighting position, while Reed also tried to prepare himself. They all looked towards the exit door and seemed to believe that Doom would walk through any second, along with an army of droids.


    Peter wished he had a camera for second before he stood in front of the group and waved his hands. "Wait Wait! I had someone deal with the cameras." They stilled as they looked at Peter still flapping his arms about, it was Reed who first said something.


    "You have someone who can hack into and disable Doom''s systems? How? His firewalls and protection are unbreakable...I''ve tried myself." Peter gave a small chuckle. "Yeah, Crystal is the best." Reed raised an eyebrow. "Crystal?"


    Peter still wasn''t ready to tell them the full truth. "Yeah, she''s my tech support. Helps me when I''m in trouble. She is the best in the world in my opinion, though she did say she had some trouble Hacking Doom''s tech."


    Reed looked like he was still trying to process his words, as the others started to relax, though even they were having a hard time believing him. Peter looked at them as he spread his arms out. "What did you think? I spent so long in the hero game and didn''t have some type of support?"


    The Storm siblings gave him a funny look as Ben just said what they were thinking. "Yes." Peter wasn''t sure if that was a compliment or not, and just rolled with it. "Not only has she hacked Doom''s tech, she has access to Wakanda''s satellite, she can point us in the right direction."


    This fact caused all of them to break out in smiles. This would save them a lot of time. As everyone else was relieved, Peter turned away from them for a second as he whispered to his comms. "You can point us in the right direction, right Crystal?"


    Crystals laugh came over the comm. as she replied. "Yes Peter, I have access to all of Dooms castle. Though the more I interfere, the more likely it is for Doom to notice. His security is better than I thought. Like myself it is somehow self evolving, though at a significantly reduced rate."


    Peter gave a small nod as that fact slightly concerned him, Doom really was a world class genius. Just before Peter turned back to the rest Crystal spoke once again. "Thank you for the kind words Peter; I will always support you." Peter smiled again as he turned back, he didn''t have to say anything for Crystal to know how much he appreciated her.


    Clapping his hands to grab their attention he motioned towards the exit, which was mechanically locked. "Now let''s blow this joint. Crystal could you please unlock the door." It was only seconds later that the door let out a beep and slowly started to open.


    With his back to the opened door, Peter puffed out his chest and held his hand to his mouth, as if he was smoking something, as he spoke with a rough tone. "I love it when a plan comes together!" The other looked at him in confusion as he looked back waiting¡­.and waiting..and waiting.


    Finally he couldn''t take it anymore and let his chest deflate. "Seriously?! None of you got that reference? I was sure Ben or Reed would¡­You know, the A-Team, no... no?" Peter desperately looked to Johnny for support. "Come on man, I know you, you must have seen it, at least the reboot... No?"


    Johnny gave him an apologetic look, but spread his hands in defeat. He had no clue what Peter was talking about. Finally Peter just shook his head in defeat as the energy left from his body, he looked like a corpse walking. "¡­Urhg whatever, let''s get going." Peter sulked as they started to make their way to the dungeon exit.

 Chapter 74 - Fantastic Five!

    The five of them walked out of the room into the gloomy corridor that awaited them. They didn''t speak much as Reed was still recovering and the rest were just glad that they had escaped so quickly. They kept their senses heightened still worried that they might spring a trap or raise the alarm.


    Peter was the most nonchalant of them all as he strolled in front of the group listening to Crystal as she directed him to the vibranium. Whether it was because of his spider sense that would tell him that he was in trouble, past experience that had dulled his reaction, or just plain laziness, he walked lazily ahead.


    The silence was starting to grate into their nerves as Peter spoke up. They had been walking past other doors that housed similar cells to the ones they escaped. Their surroundings were made of solid grey brick that screamed gloom and doom, while there were wet patches everywhere.


    Peter could have even sworn that he saw a rat run by once or twice. "For a guy so technologically advanced, he sure does love his Dungeon d¨¦cor. I already thought he had enough doom and gloom in his life. See what I did there."


    Peter gave a small chuckle to himself as he moved forwards. The rest stopped as they heard his words, before Johnny cracked a smile and let the tension release from his shoulders. The rest soon followed suit as Peter continued to talk.


    "Hey I know you guys just love being called the Fantastic four." The sarcasm was heavy in his voice. "But when we team up I think we should change it. Like right now if Doom walked through the door, he would scream, ''Your Doom has arrived Fantastic Four and Bug.'' Though he did call me arachnid before, he would probably get it right a second time¡­probably."


    Peter had a pondering expression as he continued to move forwards. Sue rolled her eyes at his antics, and Ben had to stop himself from chuckling. Peter shook his head as he refocused. "Either way, I think when we team up like this, we should change our name and what better name than¡­.Drum roll please!"


    He stopped as if he was actually waiting for them to do a drum roll, when no one did, he continued on like nothing had happened. "The Fantastic Five!" Peter puffed his chest out as he stopped for a second, a self-satisfied expression on his face.


    "We can keep the ''FF'' Initials, saves on rebranding. Don''t want to waste the money and already cemented merchandise!" Johnny couldn''t help himself this time has he started to laugh. Everyone was now much more relaxed as they moved through the lower levels of Doom''s castle.


    As they turned another corner, Ben spoke from the side. "So why didn''t Doom take off your mask, I''m sure he would just love to know your secret Identity?" Everyone turned to look at Peter. It was something they hadn''t thought about, but knowing Doom''s personality it was a no brained that when they woke up, Spidey shouldn''t have had a mask on.


    Now that Ben had brought up the point, they started to wonder. Peter looked at the hulking man as he shrugged his shoulders. "I can stick to a wall and hold myself up with one finger. If I don''t want this mask coming off, no one short of burning my face off will get it off."


    Reed, who had somewhat recovered turned to look at him now. "But how does that work when you''re unconscious?" Peter tapped his chin slowly as he hadn''t thought of that either. Something that really shouldn''t have gotten past him. "I''m not sure actually." Reed gave a small nod as he also retreated into his thoughts.


    He was a scientist through and through. Even though they were in Doom''s castle and sneaking around trying not to get caught, he was still more concerned with how Spider-Man stuck to everything. As both men were stuck in their thoughts, Johnny saddled up to Peter and nudged him.


    Looking over in confusion Johnny spoke in a conspirator whisper, but it was loud enough that everyone heard. "So every part of your body is sticky." Peter gave a small nod as the smile on Johnny''s face grew. "Soooo, I guess many women would be please by such a fact."


    *Cough* *Bang* Peter coughed and shook his head as Johnny started to laugh. Reed had stopped for a second before he continued on his way, while the Thing stumbled at the words. Ben shot Peter a look, which was half between horror and respect before he straightened himself and kept walking.


    Finally Sue turned invisible, but not before smacking Johnny on the back of the head. "Ouch!" Sue said nothing else as she stayed invisible, she didn''t want the others to see her clearly red face. After that quip the group stayed quiet for a few minutes, before Sue finally reappeared.


    The rest acted like nothing happened as she moved closer to her brother. She also whisper just loud enough that everyone could hear. "If I hear something like that out of you again, I''m going to levitate your bed outside while you sleep and drop you in a lake."


    Johnny raised an eyebrow at the threat and was about to say something along the lines of, ''IS that all?'' When she continued. "For 2 months straight." His opened mouth shut quickly as he walked to catch up with Reed. Just before he left she added. "And I''ll change where I leave you each time. Below a wasps nest sounds nice."


    Johnny shivered as Ben and Peter tried to hold in their laughter.


    They had finally gotten out of the creepy dungeon looking area without incident and had run into none of the Doom bots, or anything else. Crystal''s readings showed that the Vibranium was close. Something that Peter had just told the others.


    The problem came when the rounded a corner and came face to face with 4 people in armour. Silver shinned of their nicely polished suits as they stood in front of a certain door. With grill type visors over their mouths and red eye lenses, they looked over at the Fantastic Five.


    With huge shoulder pads and a slick design that screamed dangerous, they had spikes on the back of their wrists, as well as studded boots. Their gauntlets were a cold metallic silver, but they had the same design of an iron man suit, with a small circle indent in the middle of their palms.


    Likely to not be using repulsor technology, they probably had a deadlier type of laser hidden. Standing at the front of the four figures, the man in the lead stepped forwards as he raised his hand. His gruff voice could just be heard as a small whirling sounded up. "The Fantastic Four."


    They, who had been stunned to suddenly run into the group, snapped out of their thoughts as they prepared for battle. Peter, who was at the front of the group, couldn''t help but get one last quip in before the battle started.


    "It''s the Fantastic Five. GOD!" The leader turned to look at the pouting spider for a second, before he fired a green shot off at Ben who just dodged the blast. But the wall behind him crumbled under the green bolt of energy. "Hail Doom." """Hail Doom!"""


    The Doom Squad Advanced forwards as they prepared to do what they were trained for. Killing the Fantastic Four.

 Chapter 75 - All over the Place!

    OK guys quick update.


    As mentioned last chapter i have two assignments that i have to get done in like 3 weeks that is taking up my time (Very important fr my grade). Now good thing is i am holidays so that frees up my time.


    Bad thing, I''m working all week next week and tomorrow, and have worked today. For context I usually work 1 or 2 days a week, not all weeks. So releases till the end of next week will be non-existent or just all over the place.


    Wanted to let you guys know, so you not waiting for chapters.


    I hope you guys can understand.


    Zevren out.

 Chapter 75 - Doom Squad Part 1

    "I''ve been hankering to clobber something!" "Flame on!" Ben and Johnny sprang forwards first as Sue held onto Reed. The Doom squad said nothing as their amours powered up. Not willing to be left behind, Peter sprang to the roof and assessed the situation.


    ''I forgot how fast I was when we were connected.'' ''It has been a long time, it''s¡­refreshing.'' The content in Venom''s voice as he spoke the word wasn''t lost on Peter as he watched the fight begin. Flying above and behind the group, Johnny started barraging the group as two of them started to fire back.


    Being nimble in the air he dodged the blasts, but almost got hit a few times. While that was going on the other two were firing at Ben. Because of his stature even though he tried to dodge the blows, he was still hit by a few stray blasts. Peter''s eyes narrowed as he looked at the slight scorch mark left on Ben''s brick like skin. He may not have made a sound, but Peter could tell that it hurt.


    Taking a quick peek at the anger in his blue eyes, Peter could hazard a guess at how much that hurt. A small smile came to his lips as he prepared to jump into the fray, the power coursing through his veins was heightened by the symbiote combine in his DNA. ''Let''s show them what a spider can do.'' "Time to kick some shinny but!"


    Peter yelled out softly as he dropped from the air to help Ben, Johnny was fine for the moment. Sue and Reed didn''t actively join the fight as Reed was still out of commission, though Sue would produce a barrier every now and then helping out.


    Landing swiftly behind the pair of metal heads Peter reared his hand back as he slammed his fist into the side of their helmets. He used about 50% of his enhanced strength as too much could lead to possible taking their heads off.


    *Clang* *Hiss* Peter let out a small hiss as he backed up and started to shake his hand. ''That was a lot tougher than imagined.'' Before he dwelled on what just happened, his spider sense blared a warning and his body shifted to dodge the right hook that had just been sent at him.


    Raising an eye brow up at the person standing over him, he couldn''t help but grumble. "Could you give a guy a minute to contemplate life, Jesus, B-rate henchmen, no manners these days." A low growl came from the man as he started to attack Peter.


    As their fight started Ben closed in on the other man and started to brawl himself. Surprisingly the armour they were using only showed slight dents after being pounded in by the heavy blows of the Thing. Reed rubbed his chin at the sight, a frown on his face.


    Even though the armour was protecting the doom squad, they were still losing the fight. The other two still hadn''t hit Johnny yet when the one fighting Ben spoke up. "Tactic Icarus. Go." Moving in unison the two at the front disengaged and quickly retreated from the fight. One of them reached for his side and pulled out a type of metal net.


    Swirling his arm around to get momentum, the other 3 aimed at Johnny forcing him into a corner as the last one threw they net. Seeing no way out without getting hit Johnny sent a stream of fire right at the net hoping to burn it before it reached him.


    Sue was too far away to get a barrier up for him, and Peter and Ben were just getting close to their missing opponents. The fire connected right with the net as it approached Johnny''s flying form, but did nothing as it continued on.


    Johnny''s eyes widened in fear a little as he saw a small spark of electricity coming from the net before it hit him. "Argh!!" Wrapping around his body and forcing him to the ground, the electricity started to come off the net in torrents as Johnny screamed in pain.


    "Johnny!!" Sue screamed from the side as she let go of Reed, he stood shakily on his feet as Sue rushed over to help. She was panicking as she started to unleash all her power. Multiple barriers appeared forcing the doom squad to back up away from her brother.


    "That''s it!" Ben fumed as he rushed head long into one of the squad that was just pushed back. Before he could get out of the way, Ben speared tackled him through one of the nearby castle walls into another room. The rest lost sight of him as Peter closed in on his opponent.


    Knowing that they could withstand his full force blows, Peter didn''t hold back as he shot a web out. *Thwip* Being stunned for a second, not having concrete information on Spider-Man beforehand, the goon was caught unaware as he was pulled into a cloth line from the resident web head. Using the strength he usually reserved for the Rhino or Scorpion, as well as boosted by Venom at the time, his body flipped two times before he crashed into another wall.


    His body stuck into it for a second, before the wall itself turned to rubble after a few seconds. The helmet had a huge dent in it and a bit of blood coming from the side. Peter knew that the person inside was still alive and kept his composure, he had dealt with people like them before, the helmet would have given him one hell of a concussion though.


    He didn''t get up as the sound of Ben pummeling into one of the squad out of sight resounded in the room. Everyone had stopped for a second as they watched Spidey manhandle his opponent so easily. Sue was the first to recover as she made her way to Johnny.


    Making a quick assessment of the threats the leader reached to his side and pressed a small button on his forearm, he attended to call for backup as soon as possible and to inform everyone of the threat. "This is¡­" But his words didn''t continue as he looked down at the comm. link on his arm, it was flashing red, denoting the fact that his signal was not transmitting properly.


    A frown came to his face, hidden by his helmet; it shouldn''t be possible for him to reach no one. He was in the main complex of Doom, his castle, his fortress, unless he was half way around the world, in an area specifically shielded from the frequency, he should be able to get a signal out. He had been given the armour by Doom himself, he was so powerful and smart, everyone in the country knew of his genius. ''What was going on?''

 Chapter 76 - Update: A bit longer.

    Hey guys, putting this chapter up because i''m sure some of you are waiting for updates. I still haven''t got through my assignments, and starting to stress a little. (All self stress i think) I believe that i will have them done, by the end of next week, which is also when i will be going to Pax in Melbourne. (I really hope i have them done by then)


    Now after Pax, if i haven''t got the assignments done, I will be busting my balls to get it done then. This will be about the only week i will have "free", before I have work and Exam cramming time.


    That being said, i have 2 exams, 1 each week, one week after the other. So that''s 2 weeks of cramming.


    So for now, i believe that i won''t get any chapters out till after exams. I really hope this doesn''t bum you guys out too much.


    Even if i do actually make a chapter, i think i will stock pile them before releasing them after exams. You know a mini mass release. (If i have time to write 3 chapters in the next few weeks.) Still deciding on if i''ll do this.


    I just wanted to let you guys know where everything is at, and when the next chapter will most likely come out.


    Zevren out.

 Chapter 76 - Doom Squad Part 2

    It wasn''t know to the commander of the squad, but if he could have looked inside his own armour systems and networks right then and there, he would have been able to see the smirking face of Crystal as she looked at the man''s shocked expression.


    She had been able to carry over from Doom''s main network into the doom squad''s suits, if she wasn''t so busy fighting Doom''s internal security she might have been able to completely lock up their suits. But she was still working on cracking everything open, the system was good, but she was better. All she needed was time, then not even Doom could stop her, probably.


    For now she settled with an inside view of the suits system, including the visual display helping them assess the situation. Seeing that he wasn''t going to get his signal out, the man''s eyes hardened as he gave his commands.


    "Deal with the invisible woman, Mr. Fantastic is low priority. One you deal with her, go after the Thing." A new protrusion extended from the man''s arms, a long blade made of metal sprouted from both his forearms as he started at Peter. "I will deal with the Insect."


    Peter stepped back for a second in shock. "I thought you guys were professionals. How in the hell don''t you know the difference between an arachnid and an Insect? I mean common. You were competent up until this point." The leader said nothing else as he advanced upon his prey. As he walked closer the blades lit up a small tinge of blue as electricity coursed through the metal.


    Peter raised an eye brow that somehow showed through his mask as he tilted his head. "Electrified blades? Really?" Seeing his opponent say nothing Peter just shrugged his shoulders. The fight had been taking too long, if they didn''t get out soon they would be surrounded and outnumbered again.


    Peter''s eyes narrowed at the incoming foe. ''It''s time I got serious.'' ''Hahaha.'' Venom let out a small chuckle in his mind at the thought, it couldn''t wait for what was about to happen. Dropping his shoulders and entering a loose stance Peter spoke up as the commander entered range. "They won''t help you in the end and you know why¡­"


    Peter sprung forwards too fast to follow as his body moved like water; he had shifted behind the man and gripped his shoulder before the commander knew what was happening. Peter leaned in for a whisper. "¡­.Because I know kung fue!" If he had been able to say anything before he was flipped the commander might have got out the one word that summed up what was about to happen, the same thing he was thinking as his body was effortlessly picked up. ''F.u.c.k me.''


    As Sue dealt with the other doom guard who couldn''t get within 5 meters of her without being flung backwards, Peter had already flipped the commander to the ground, face up. The ground cracked from the blow as the armour also showed signs of how strong that throw was.


    Peter didn''t give him a chance to do anything as his hand struck out at the key joints in the armour. *Crack* *Crack* *Crack* One by one the key points of the armour were destroyed in such fashion that it sent a chill down the commanders spine. He had been in the latverian army for a long time. He had trained in a few martial arts, and had been a commando of their special forces before he was picked to be a doom guard. But he couldn''t do anything before this hero! If he didn''t have the armour he would be a cripple for life!


    And it was this fear and almost respect at what was happening that kept him from moving as his armour was destroyed. After Peter was done, the armour couldn''t move anymore, the joints connected each part were destroyed beyond repair.


    One last quick blow to the head was all it took for the command to enter the land of unconsciousness. Just as Peter finished that he looked over at Sue and Johnny, who was knocked out cold. The net had turned itself off, but the damage had been done, if it wasn''t for the suit he wore that protected against his high heat factor, it would have left quite a few burns on his skin.


    Luckily his face had been missed by the huge net and it had been mainly his body that had been caught. Sue was still sitting in front of her brother and had his head in her lap. She held him tightly a bit afraid to let go. He was her only relative left alive, should didn''t want to see anything bad happen to him, even if they did put their lives on the line all the time as heroes.


    Ben was engaging the last Doom guard that was standing while Reed moved over to Peter. Whatever happened to the other guard that had been speared through the wall, only Ben knew. Using a few grappling moves Ben finished the fight quickly and the fantastic five grouped up once again.


    Sue carried Johnny who was out cold on one of her barriers as Reed could walk by himself now. Sue, Reed and Ben looked like they wanted to talk about what they just encountered but Peter jumped in before they got side tracked.


    "I''m sure all of you are wondering what the hell they were, and what they meant by ''killing the fantastic four'', but we need to get out of here pronto. Crystal says the vibranium is close by, we need to get out of here as fast as possible."


    Stopping to look around at the destruction they had just caused Peter urged them towards a certain passage way. "After that ruckus, they''ll know we''ve escaped pretty soon. My tech genius can only do so much." Reed looked like he wanted to do some research on the Doom guard armour but moved off with everyone as Sue hugged Johnny closer to her.


    Peter noticed the anger and desperation that dwelled in her eyes as he took a look at her. He felt a pang of sympathy as he thought over all that had happened to himself over the years as they moved on. As Ben and Reed walked a bit ahead, Peter hung back and slowly placed a hand on Sues shoulder as they walked.


    Sue looked surprised for a second at the contact and snapped her head in his direction. She had been so concentrated on Johnny that she didn''t notice those around her for a few seconds. Seeing that it was Spider-Man that was holding her shoulder she calmed down.


    She might not be able to see his face, but she could tell what he was doing. She gave a small nod as she let the repressed air out of her lungs; she didn''t realize how tense her body had been. "It''ll be ok." Peter''s soft voice came through his mask producing even more calm as they walked steadily towards their destination.


    Finally after a few minutes and not running into anyone else, thankfully, they finally arrived at their destination. The vibranium was on the other side of the door. Ben and Reed stopped waiting for Sue and Spider-Man to catch up. Just as Peter moved ahead Sue whispered to his back. "Thank you."


    "No prob." Peter let out a small smile that no one could see as he reached the door. He gave Reed and Ben a look as they prepared themselves for anything behind the door.

 Chapter 77 - Now or Later?

    Ok guys. After a recent comment on a chapter I am putting this up.


    A few people have been wondering and asking/demanding about the next release and when it will come. I have exams on the 15th and 21st this month. I am studying quite a bit before they come around and with my off time will be reading or writing.


    I have only just finished with my assignments and gotten around to doing some actual writing last week, and HAVEN''T WRITTEN ANYTHING for more than a month closer to two.


    Now, I have 6 chapters that I can release right away, or tomorrow depending on what you guys want.


    Originally I was going to just keep stock piling and do a bigger release on the 21st, honestly I have no clue how many chapters I''ll have by then. But I am going to leave that up to you guys now.


    Here''s the deal, you have 2 options:


    1. I release all the chapter I have, (6) = (around 6.2k words), tomorrow and you then get no chapters till after my Exams sometime.


    or


    2. I keep stock piling chapters for the 21st where after my last exam I will release everything I have done so far, (6+ Chapters).


    I need you guys to go into the comments and vote for either option (1) or (2).


    I will leave this up for a full 24 hours. At the end of that time, I will read all the comments and do whatever has more votes. If it is option 1, you guys see the release of 6 chapters. If it is option 2 I post 1 new chapter giving the results and then you guys get the mass release later this month, (AKA the 21st).


    Zevren out.

 Chapter 77 - Mother Load

    With Peter''s spider sense it made sense that he would open the door, he was the only one that could react fast enough if something happened. Of course Ben could have also opened the door; if he was hit by something he could probably shrugged the blow off, though after facing the green energy blasts they weren''t going to take a chance.


    Thankfully Peter''s spider sense gave no signal as he pushed the door open. Sticking his head through for a quick peek, the smile on his face grew wider as he spotted crate after crate of Vibranium, though his eyes did widen a bit at the amount.


    Shuri had told him that Doom had made off with quite a bit of vibranium, but there were at least 1 damn Ton from the looks of things! He was actually surprised that Wakanda didn''t just invade Doom right away, damn all the political ramifications. From Peter''s memories Shuri''s said the most anyone every made off with, was about 2 kilograms, this was 1000 times that amount.


    But that wasn''t the only reason he was smiling, it was where the crates of vibranium where placed. Sitting in the middle of the room, just off to the side was a large advanced cargo plane. With a slim design that Peter had never seen before, the tech that he could make out put it right up there with Stark tech, no doubt something Doom personally created.


    Walking in slowly, Peter and the others looked around at the huge hanger that they found themselves in! Yes a hanger, the finale reason that Peter was smiling. He could just make out the hanger doors on the other side of the room. Now they wouldn''t have to find a ride out of here!


    Peter felt the urge to laugh come up, but stopped himself. ''It''s never this easy.'' With that thought acting as a bucket of water dampening his mood, as the reality that his luck was more than likely going to take a downwards spiral in the next few minutes, Peter got his head in the game.


    Turning to look at Reed, who was taking quite the interest with the small amount of Vibranium that could be seen, he spoke quickly. "Reed do you think you can fly that thing?" Reed tore his gaze away from the vibranium to look at the sleek cargo ship.


    Looking at it with a critical eye for a few seconds, he nodded his head slowly. "I should be able to figure out its workings relatively fast. But the more pressing manner is transporting the Vibranium to the craft and opening the hanger doors." Peter nodded his head in appreciation as he made his way towards the crates.


    ''He isn''t called the smartest man in the world for no reason; I don''t think I would be able to figure out the controls in a few minutes. I think I would just try and get Crystal to take control, we are on a timetable.''


    "Ok cool, I''ll quickly deal with the Vibranium and then think of something to do about the hanger doors; you get to the ship and start it up." Reed gave a quizzical expression as he heard the response, but as he watched his jaw literally fell to the ground. Being able to stretch his body sometimes had its draw backs.


    If Sue and Ben also had his powers they would have also had their jaws drop to the ground. Because as Peter stood in front of the massive stack of crates, his body started to wriggle, or more like ripple, as Venom started to shift and expand outwards from his chest. Streaming outwards it was like a mouth as it shot out and covered all the crates in sight.


    In just a few seconds the black substance started to retract back to Peter, and where there was once 1 Ton of Vibranium was a clear area devoid of any dust. If they hadn''t seen the crates beforehand they would have thought nothing had ever been there.


    They looked from the spot to Spider-Man that was rubbing his belly as if he just ate a good meal. Looking back to the spot and then at him again. They repeated this action a few times before Ben couldn''t take it anymore. "What the hell?!"


    Peter at least had the grace to look embarrassed as he turned to the others. *Cough* Giving a small cough and rubbing the back of his neck he spoke up quietly. "The symbiote has a special ability that I recently found out. I think it''s like a pocket dimension, but I''m not entirely sure." Reed, Sue and Ben''s jaws were still hanging loosely at his explanation, though there was an intrigued glimmer in both Sue and Reeds eyes.


    Being looked at as if he was a tender piece of meat sent a small shiver down Peter''s spine. Well if he was being honest, he didn''t mind the look from someone like Felicia, or Sue who was looking at him like that right now, but seeing Reed with the same expression just felt wrong on so many levels.


    Before Reed could start to quiz him about the subject to quench his scientific thirst, Peter moved them along. "Of course it does drain him quite a bit¡­" As if to prove his point Venom started to retract even more, centering in on Peter''s chest before slipping behind his original red and blue costume settling in to regain his strength.


    Peter''s eyes slide down for a second to look at Venom before continuing. "Look we''ll talk about it later, this castle is giving me the creeps, I think we should split before tall, dark and gloomy comes hollering." Reed stopped himself and nodded his head, with that out of the way; they just had to get out of here now.


    Before anyone else could say anything a new voice appeared in the room, as a different set of doors opened, letting in the ruler of the castle.

 Chapter 78 - Doom part 1

    Decked in his ever present set of armour and green robes, Doom waltzed into the room as if he had no care in the world.


    "Yes the Arachnid is right, we will talk later about this interesting subject." Another smile came to Peter''s face as he heard a villain finally refer to him as an arachnid, but that joy quickly dissipated as Doom was moving closer to them, though he was taking his time.


    "Victor!" "Doom!" "Victor!" The rest of the fantastic four shouted out as he made his way over, with Sue taking care of Johnny and Reed still recovering somewhat, it was only Ben and Peter who stepped up to block his path. ''Why am I always right about my luck? It''s never easy is it?''


    Peter quickly assessed the situation as he whispered to Crystal. "Crystal I would be forever grateful if you could open those hangers doors as soon as¡­."*Clank* *Clank* He hadn''t even finished the request when the doors at the end of the small runway started to open.


    A cold chill came with the opening of the gates, showing the setting sun on the horizon. Everyone stopped what they were doing as the doors slowly opened themselves. The rest couldn''t see it, but under dooms mask, Victor had a vicious frown on as he looked at the slowly opening doors.


    He slowly reached down to the gauntlet on his hand as a small screen appeared before him. He typed for a few seconds to stop the doors from opening, and got even more disgruntled as he realized that he, HE! Was being locked out of his own system!


    ''No one disrespects Doom like this.'' Lowering his hand, he prepared to take down the opponents before him, before going after this unseen nuisance that was steadily climbing his enemy list. What he didn''t notice, was the small packet of data that piggybacked the small access he just used to connect to his main castle system.


    Peter quickly snapped out his orders at the lull in action. "Reed I need you to get that ship in the air as fast as possible! You''re no good in a fight right now! Sue, take Johnny and help Red get the bird in the air. Ben and I will distract Doom until then!" "But..!" Reed wanted to protest but Peter cut him off "You know this is the right move! Don''t waste anymore time!"


    Reed looked conflicted for a few seconds before he helped Sue towards the plane, leaving Ben and Peter to face doom. Rubbing one of the spots that were hit by one of those green blasts from before, Peter had a small mental debate with himself.


    ''Ok Peter, you''ve faced crazier villains than this, all he has is a suit like Tony and a genius like Reed¡­.Yep no big deal, we deal with guys like this for breakfast¡­'' Finished his small pep talk, Crystal''s voice sounded in his ear.


    Listening quietly to her words, the smile of confidence on Peters face grew and his body straightened even more. ''Oh I have so got this!'' Doom finally stopped in front of Peter and Ben, one of his eyebrows quirked up behind his mask as he looked at them.


    "Do you really think that you two can stop Doom alone? What foolish thinking. Bow and submit now and I will make sure your suffering is not prolonged." Peter stepped up next to the Thing and patted him on the shoulder before starring Doom down and pointing at him.


    "Doom I may respect you for actually calling me an arachnid, but it looks like I''ll still have to kick your ass!" Nudging the Thing once again, Ben tilted his head down to his small friend. "You know what time it is Ben?" A full blow grin came to his face as he cracked his huge brick like knuckles.


    "It''s Clobbering Time!"

 Chapter 79 - Doom Part 2

    Ben sprinted forwards with reckless abandon as Doom almost looked bored as he waited for him. Rearing a fist back and coming in for a right hook, Doom leaned back slightly to dodge the blow before jabbing him in the Ribs. *Bang*


    *Urgh* Ben let out a small sound from the resounding blow, but didn''t go down as he steadied his feet and brought up a guard. He had gone in with a rushed blow just then. He was no rookie at fighting. Preparing for a long fight, Peter came from behind to help.


    Doom still stood still as he regarded the orange mass before him. "Do you truly think you can defeat me abomination?" *Crack* Cracking his knuckles in satisfaction Ben grinned even more. "I''ll let my fist tell ya."


    "How Barbaric." Doom, Peter and Ben began to brawl as Sue and Reed made it to the cargo ship. Scrambling on board, Sue placed Johnny down gently into one of the seats that lined the inside and strapped him in. With that done she moved to the front to help reed.


    Walking through the small door leading to the c.o.c.kpit, she saw him gaze intently at the controls and numerous buttons that littered the small space. While she may have been a genius in bio medicine and science, Sue had no idea where to start as she looked around.


    Reed was mumbling to himself as he started to go over the small details that he had read over the years with regards to planes, flying and piloting. Though as he had created the Fantastic-Car and based those controls loosely off basic air craft''s it didn''t take him long to realize what everything did.


    *Click* *Click* Flipping a few buttons a small red light came to life and the engine that had been quite all this time came to life, or began to start. "I''ve figured it out; tell the others we can get going once the engine is primed for takeoff." Flashing a smile backwards Reed spoke with confidence before turning back to hit another few buttons.


    Sue didn''t have to be told twice as she rushed back through the craft and out to the loading ramp. Doom was getting irritated as he took another blow to the back of the knee. If it wasn''t for the armour he was wearing that blow would have forced him to the ground, something which was unacceptable.


    Taking a glance behind him at the perpetrator, the resident blue and red clad figure, his eyes narrowed and spat flames. "You petulance shall not be allowed to continue BUG!" Peter who was about to go back in for another shot, took a step back as if offended.


    "Doomsie! You were doing so well, a cut above the rest, actually using the correct name for my species." He genuinely sounded hurt as he let his head rest down in defeat. While this was going on, Ben came back for another left uppercut; with Doom distracted he thought it would connect. Too bad for him at the last second Doom dodged out of the way before firing one of his energy blasts at the big lug.


    The green energy surged with a bit of extra power as it slammed right into the chest of the Thing. *Bang* The force was so great that he was lifted off the ground and flung back towards the cargo plane. Crashing heavily, Doom let out a small smirk at his downed foe. "Urgh" Ben let out a pained sound as he got back to his feet. That was the worst hit so far.


    Doom was prepared to continue his assault while he was down when Peter spoke up once again, keeping the downcast attitude. "I guess in the end you are just like the other common criminals¡­" The words seemed to hang in the air as Sue got to the ramp and saw Ben''s struggling figure.


    She went to help him, as Doom, not minding the two, slowly turned around to stare at the arachnid. The words seemed to have cut deep, but for Peter it was hard to tell. With the whole suit on, nothing much could be seen of his facial muscles, only his eyes.


    But as he stared into them, he let out a small grin, he had gotten under his skin, if the pure hatred and death glare he was getting was a sign, he had really pissed him off this time. "You ready Crystal?" Peter whispered the words as he sent a glance at the 2 members of the fantastic four.


    Though Ben could have kept fighting, Sue was ushering him into the cargo plane, Sue sent one look over her shoulder, matching eyes with Spider-Man''s lenses. Making sure that she had his attention she mouthed her message. ''Almost ready to go.''


    "Ready to begin when you are Peter?" Crystals voice also chimed as Peter gave an almost imperceptible nod towards Sue, before turning back to doom. He had stayed quit as he glared at his foe; the words that had been spoken continued to ring in his ears. "Common criminal?" ''Rabble? Commoners? Riffraff? Peasants? Plebeians?'' "YOU DARE COMPARE DOOM TO THEM?!??!?!?!"


    The quite wasn''t meant to last as Doom finally shouted out in rage. He had been insulted before, most of the time by ignorant people who could not understand his brilliance and were too stupid to realize their folly. These people would later wind up dead after being shown their foolishness. He could not let such a comment stand, not in his own castle! He would not let such a bug insult his name, his honor, his brilliance by referring to him as a common criminal!


    Dooms eyes narrowed dangerously, as he channeled all his power into the weapons on his arms, ready to obliterate this insignificant spec of trash from his sight. Peter felt a buildup in his spider sense as doom raised his arm, if he hadn''t been through so many situations in the past, he might just¡­ just be afraid.


    But as he did those times before, he just let a smile grace his lips; it was always fun to rile up the bad guys. *Fwoosh* Diving out of the way before the blast could hit him, Peter dodged shot after shot that was sent his way.


    The blasts were so powerful that when they hit the area where he once stood, the ground would melt and pieces of the ground would be flung backwards. Peter stayed away from the side the ship was situated to make sure that it wasn''t hit in the cross fire, and barely broke a sweat dodging each blow, his spider sense made sure he was untouchable.


    After 30 good seconds of a full onslaught from Doom, he finally lowered his arms, his eyes narrowed. It didn''t take one of the smartest people in the world long to realize that he was getting nowhere fast. Switching up tactics, he started to move closer so that he could stop the bug himself.


    "Stand still bug, so that you can face your Doom." Peter stopped and looked as if he were going to retort before he shook his head. "Nah, that one''s too easy." Doom gritted his teeth once again at the ridicule he could feel aimed at him. "But that is a good idea¡­"


    Peter raised a finger as Doom got closer and closer to him. "¡­Standing still¡­Maybe a game of statue? First one to move loses?" Doom was only 5 meters away from him now, if Sue or Ben were to see him just standing there as Doom prepared to kill him, they might have had a heart attack.


    *Whirl* The charge began to build as Doom leveled his arm "Have you finally realized the folly of your belligerence bug?" Peter was still talking without a care in the world. "Ok lets begin in 3¡­" Doom sneered behind his mask. "..2.." The green glow lit up Spider-Man''s mask. "..1.."

 Chapter 80 - Dashing Escape!

    If Doom said he wasn''t going to take pleasure in killing the bug before him, he would be lying. He was using a full charge to power his next energy blast, there would be little left of the arachnid after he was hit by it, and the sight would bring him delight.


    After that he could deal with Reed and the incompetents. He was a busy man, he couldn''t continue to waste time of such trivialities. Doom''s thoughts wondered just slightly as he thought back to the alien subject that he had seen take all his acquired vibranium. ''Does it connect to a separate space or pocket dimension to contain the new mass?'' Doom couldn''t wait to experiment with his new subject.


    But as he thought this and sent a cruel smirk at Spider-Man before him, the power behind his blast dimmed and cut. The energy that built up blinked out of existence and the suit locked up. The internal HUD that showed him the operations of his systems froze as a digital Spider-Man started dancing in front of his face.


    The once smile that graced his lips instantly turned to a scowl of fury as he tried to move. Even though he shouted out a curse in latverian, his mouth piece had been retracted and no sound could escape. Though there was a digital version of spider man dancing in front of his eyes, he could just make out the real spider man strolling up to him.


    He could hear everything that was happening outside as his mind began to work on ways to override whatever was happening to his systems. "Guess I lose our little game." Spider-Man gave a small chuckle at his own joke. Drawing parallels to the opening of the hanger doors, Doom quickly concluded that someone had hacked his suits systems, which should not have been possible.


    He was Victor Von Doom, his security and firewalls could not be broken without his knowledge, his suit wasn''t even connected to the main system that controlled his castle, it shouldn''t be possible for them to access it¡­wait!


    His mind thought of the small window of opportunity that had presented itself earlier when he checked the hanger doors, increasing the growing anger that was being directed at the unknown hacker. He didn''t know who they were, but they had just humiliated him. No one did that and lived to tell the tale.


    "Good Job Crystal." Doom''s eyes narrowed once more at the name, quietly filing it away, as Peter strolled over and slowly picked up Doom in his immobile state. Turning him around gently, Peter placed him back down so that he was staring at cargo ship ready for launch.


    Stepping back for a second and looking at the statue Doom, Peter nodded his head before walking to the ship. "Another villains plan''s thwarted by the dazzling Spider-Man¡­.and of course you too Crystal." He gave a small laugh as he could feel the pout Crystal just sent his way at being ''overlooked'' but to Doom, that laugh meant something completely different, with each step he took away from the villain, the higher Doom''s own anger grew.


    Peter stood on the ramp leading up to the ship as he stared Doom down. Flourishing his hand he took a quick bow as he spoke. "Remember this as the day you almost caught, Captain Jack¡­. Wait no!" Stopping himself short he shook his head before bowing once again. "¡­The day you almost caught Spider-Man!"


    And with that he turned his back on the increasingly furious Doom and walked into the ship. Seeing the ramp close behind him, Peter let out a smug smile and went to sit down, waiting for the ship to take off. After 30 seconds of no activity he started to get nervous.


    Looking to the c.o.c.kpit he shouted to Reed who was fiddling with the controls. "Umm Reed what''s taking soo long?" Reed didn''t even look up as he responded. "Just give me a second." Peter began to sweat as he looked out the onboard window at Doom who was starting to fight Crystal''s hacking.


    He felt his heart pound as he swore he saw a finger twitch, looking into the small eyes that were looking right back at him, he could see the red hot malice shooting his way, giving new meaning to ''if looks could kill''. "Reeeeeeed¡­figure it out faster!!!!" even as he shouted, Dooms arm had raised and his body started to move. Finally after what felt like an eternity the craft came to life and started to power up.


    Peter couldn''t help but plaster his face to the window looking out as Doom finally started to move. ''Thank god we''re out of here.'' He finally let a sigh out as the ship rose into the air and they started their journey towards Wakanda.


    Crystal had opened the hanger doors, and they were off before the Latverian defenses could get them. Surprisingly they would be heading straight for Wakanda, though they didn''t like people finding out about their hidden civilization, they were making an exception because of the help the fantastic four and him were provided.


    This would be the first time he would be visiting Shuri, in her home, it wasn''t unusual for Pen Pals, to never meet in real life, but with Shuri''s background, something he had found out after a while, it should have been pretty simple.


    But in the end they had only met one or two times, and that had been when Wakanda had to go to their embassy in New York. To say Peter was a bit nervous was an understatement; they hadn''t talked a lot once ''that'' happened.


    The first he had heard from her in such a long time was when she needed his help. Before that he had practically ghosted her for a full year and a bit. Relaxing into the surprisingly comfy seat he was in, he tuned everything out as he let the tension in his muscles release.


    It had been a long 2 days. ''Hopefully nothing bad had happened to New York while he was gone.'' He gave that thought a few seconds of his time, before he relaxed even further, the city could deal without Spider-Man for at least 2 days. Maybe not a week though.

 Chapter 81 - Meeting New People

    (2 Days earlier)


    The sun dipped out of the sky as the area grew cold and dark, it wasn''t anything new to Natasha, she had been in places a lot worse than a dark park. But there was something about the cold and darkness of the park tonight that set her on edge.


    Natasha let out a sigh as she looks at the empty park once again. For the past few days Natasha had been going there at different times each day, hoping that Peter would turn up. But each time there was no sign of him that hope crumbled even lower.


    Though she wanted to think she wasn''t worried about his well being, she couldn''t lie to herself, she was too pragmatic for that. It was close to 5:30 when the sun started to go down, she had already been on the same bullet ridden bench for the last hour and a half.


    She hadn''t brought any food with her this time; she stopped doing that after the first 2 days. *Sigh* Letting out another sigh Natasha finally pulled herself up and began to make her way out of the park, she wasn''t likely to see him once again.


    "Maybe I should ask Tony to look into it?" She spoke to herself quietly as she made her way out, in the past she would have just tapped into Shield resources for such a thing, but that wasn''t an option anymore. Not that she would want to put Peter into their scopes. Having one of the best assassins in their ranks looking up a nobody raised flags, she would have to cover her tracks even better than the last time she looked him up. And this was an active search for his whereabouts not a history search.


    Just as she was making her way out of the park something caught her attention, or better described her instincts, they started yelling at her of an approaching danger. Her body froze for a second as her eyes sharpened and her body tensed. Quickly zoning in on the threat she caught sight of the ragged figure making their way closer.


    Natasha kept her eyes locked onto the target as they moved forward, taking all their features in. It was a girl, someone a few years younger than herself. With tight fitting black clothes that were ripped and ragged, she had her head down as she moved.


    With her hands wrapped around her body, she didn''t look like she was in good shape. Her body shook every few seconds as if they were a heavy drug addict, but it could have just been the cold wind. Having no sleeves on the black tank top she wore, it was the likely reason that she was shivering.


    From where she stood Natasha could make out the mess that was her hair. With knots and strands all over the place it hadn''t been combed or taken care of in a while she guessed. All up she looked a bit sickly from a distance; many wouldn''t approach her if they passed on the streets. But that wasn''t what grabbed her attention.


    Her eye peeled as she just made out the small blotches on her skin and clothes, it was hard to tell with her clothes as it had dried, but for her skin it was a lot clearer. It was dried blood. Not just that, the sense of danger that Natasha felt as she first appeared was getting greater by the second.


    Reaching behind her back to grab one of the guns tucked behind her back Natasha lowered it slowly hiding it behind her leg. As the girl got closer and closer Natasha moved to the side and gave enough distance that she had enough time to react to anything that could happen.


    Watching her like a hawk, she started to hear the small words that came from the distraught girl. "Stop ... Trapped....Help....Safe...Home....Bench...Peter...Help....Protection." The warning bells in her head went into overdrive hearing the words, she almost froze when she heard Peters name.


    ''Was he in trouble? Did he need help? Had Hydra taken him and she had escaped?'' By now the woman had passed her walking towards the bench she once occupied. Natasha could no longer ignore the woman as she made her way to the bench.


    Her features turned frosty as she followed the girl back to the bench. She needed answers and if it had something to do with Peter, she would help him. Keeping the gun loosely by her side but ready for anything she started to close in on the girl that seemed to collapse onto the bench.


    As she once again got closer to her, she could hear the small sobbing from the girl as she lay down on the bench. "Please Peter....I need your help...where are you." The shaking of her body got worse and worse as Natasha stopped her approach. Hearing the words she started to assess all the information she had before slowly placing her gun back.


    Even though her instincts were warning her of how dangerous this ''girl'' was they were both looking for the same person. Walking forwards so as not to aggravate the girl she raised her hands in a friendly manner and spoke before she got there.


    "Hey!" Laura snapped her head upwards in her befuddled state. Her eyes were blurry and disorientated. She hadn''t slept in the last 2 days and she kept hearing a voice in her head that was messing with her senses.


    ''Find him...Peter can help....Find the totem.'' The voice whispered in her head again as she swayed to her feet. Natasha spoke once again to Laura. "Hey...I''m not trying to hurt you. I just want to talk. I''m a friend of Peter."


    That got a reaction out of Laura as her face turned hopeful for a second. Even though she wanted to keep her guard up a bit with a total stranger she was too sapped of energy to put up a protest as she sunk back to the bench. Sitting next to her Natasha got a closer look at the girl. Her nose crinkled slightly at the smell that was coming off her, she hadn''t showered in at least 2 days, she filed that information away for later. ''What happened to her?''


    "Do you know where Peter is? Is he in trouble?" Natasha asked the first questions that came to mind and wasn''t expecting the result. In her lucid state Laura only heard a bit of what Natasha was saying and that was. "Do you know... Peter is... in trouble?"


    Laura felt a spike of power come to her weak body as she sprung to her feet facing the Red haired woman next to her. *Snikt* Releasing her claws on instinct Laura released a growl of anger and worry. "Where is he!"


    Natasha dived to the side as she looked at the dangerous black claws that suddenly appeared from the girl''s hands. Blood dripped to the ground as she rolled and grabbed both of her guns on the way up. Levelling them at the delirious girl, she stayed tense.


    She felt the killing intent that was sent her way and didn''t say a word. Not getting a response Laura blinked her eyes rapidly with the influx of adrenaline and growled even louder. "I won''t ask again!" Entering an attack stance Laura prepared to pounce while Natasha fingered the trigger of her two weapons.


    Just as things were about to explode it was as if all the energy was cut from Laura''s body as she went limp and fell to the ground. Natasha stayed in her spot for a second her heart still pounding hard, it was like she was staring death right in the face for a second there, it was creepy how fast the feeling crawled up her skin.


    She slowly edged a little closer and got a firsthand look at the claws retracting into the unconscious girls wrists. Natasha looked around the park one more time, making sure no one saw what happened before weighting her options. Giving the matter a few seconds of thought Natasha bent down and hoisted the girl over her shoulder.


    She couldn''t leave her in the park and she was looking for Peter! Whatever was happening with him, it wasn''t good. It was time that Black widow got involved! ''Not just me, looks like it''s time to get the avengers involved as well.''


    She might have hesitated to call them in for something so little before, but remembering the blood l.u.s.t from the girl and her claws, the matter had just got a whole lot bigger.


    With Laura on her back Natasha made her way back to Stark tower.

 Chapter 82 - Infuriating Mystery

    (Avengers Tower)


    In a dark room, the only sources of light were the numerous screens that lit up the room. Sitting before the big screen in the middle, Tony Stark let out a small groan as he took a peek at the screen before him. ''Nothing new'' With bags under his eyes and disheveled hair Tony looked like he was on his last legs, as his head lolled up and down trying to stay awake.


    Just as his head touched his folded arms and it looked like he would succ.u.mb to the land of dreams, the voice of his trusted AI spoke up. "Internal Analysis complete, Sir." Tony bolted up right brushing the tiredness out of his eyes. "Results Jarvis"


    "Sir, the code that took over the suit and controlled our systems could not be traced and I could not find how it got past our firewalls." *Bang* "How is that possible?!" Tony slammed his hands on the desk in front of him as he turned to look at the suit behind him.


    The incident at the mall was one of the most humiliating situations he had ever been in. He couldn''t gain control of his own suit! How did Spider-Man do it!? Tony couldn''t get the thought out of his head! Which was why for the last 2 days, he had been trying to figure just that exact question out.


    He was practically ripping his hair out at all the dead ends he had run into now. The suit had been opened up, manually checked for any device that could have bypassed his systems or error that may have occurred, hell the transmission that connected to the suit was one of two clues they had and it lead nowhere!


    Tony''s mind was exploding with the burning question that raged behind it. Just as he was about to bang his head into the desk Jarvis continued. "Though comparing the signal code that infiltrated the suit, I have discovered a similarity to the code that hacked our systems that one time you tried to follow, Miss Romanoff."


    Tony stopped all movement for a second as the implications ran through his mind, Spider-Man could be linked to the person Natasha met that one time he followed her! After that exact incident Tony had held to his promise with Clint and set about checking his systems to see what had happened.


    Much like this time, he had spent days before finally having to give up, though he had created a file on the mysterious hacker that had made it into his system. Tony really, really, really wanted to find out who Natasha was meeting at the time, but he couldn''t bring himself to do it.


    How do you broach to one of the most dangerous women in the world, "Yeah, so I was tailing you with a satellite when you went to the park to meet whoever you usually do, and someone hacked my system stopping me from finding out who it was. Could you possible tell me who it is so that I can do a background check, find out everything about them and possible interrogate them about how they did it? Pleeeeeease?"


    Tony had done some stupid stuff in his time, but he wasn''t that stupid. He would be lucky if they found any body parts after telling Natasha a quarter of that sentence. He was lucky, but he wasn''t that lucky. He would give that honor to Cap, after surviving in the ice for an ungodly amount of time, which shouldn''t have worked. Or maybe legolas somehow surviving and fighting in an alien invasion with a fricking bow and arrows.


    And Natasha could take down both of them as well, given enough time and equipment. Nope, nope, nope. He let that little mystery die, though he would think about it every now and then. And now! He finds out that Spider-Man also had the help of this mysterious hacker?!?!


    They should be working for me!


    This new piece of information put Tony on the spot again as he couldn''t go and ask Natasha about it, but he was desperate to know! "Damn Russian super spies and their privacy?" Just as Tony mumbled those words the door to the room opened. *Beep* Light flooded into the room as the new occupant flicked the light switch turning on the overhead lights.


    "Hiss!!" Acting like a vampire Tony covered his eyes as quickly as he could as he buried his head in the desk. "Turn them off, turn them offffff" *Haha* Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America gave a small chuckle as he moved forward ignoring Tony''s words.


    Seeing that the light was going to persist, Tony gave a small sigh before glaring at Steve walking ever closer. "Humble and gentlemanly my ass." "Language" Tony rolled his eyes. "No one thinks that''s a rude word anymore. I could bring you up to date with swear words if you want¡­" Steve held up his hand. "NO thank you."


    Tony chuckled as he turned back to the screen in front of him. ''What am I supposed to do now?'' In front of him on the screen, was the small piece of code that Jarvis was able to keep from deleting itself when it was purged from his systems.


    Even if Tony wanted to, whoever made the code, made sure that it wiped itself out after use. Jarvis only just got a small piece of it, and what he had seen was mind blowingly complicated. Tony was sure that Jarvis would be the most complicated piece of code on the planet. But whatever this was leagues ahead of him.


    Whatever hacker or programmer made the code was a certifiable genius, though Tony wouldn''t admit it if asked. Sending one last glance at it, he spoke to Jarvis. "Jarvis, move this file to the other one. Highest security clearance please." "Right away sir." Jarvis only just replied as Steve came to stand right next to him. He also looked at the code on the screen before them, but had no clue what he was looking at, he didn''t even want to try.


    Tony turned to look at Steve and this was the first time he noticed the huge bags under his eyes. "Jesus Tony when was the last time you got any sleep?" Tony shrugged as he pulled up his fingers, counting them. It took him all of a few seconds before he shrugged, not giving an answer.


    Steve just shook his head at the antics. "So what brings you hear Rogers?" Steve looked around the room for a few seconds as he turned away from him. "Well I was getting a bit bored. I''ve already spent a few hours in the gym doing my usual work out. And I have no missions from shield, well because you know¡­"


    Steve still couldn''t help but grimace as he thought of the situation with shield, not to mention Bucky. He might have been spending a bit more time trying to find him, but right now he had run out of leads and didn''t know where to go.


    Tony gave a small grin. "You telling me Mr. soldier himself can''t find anything to do?" Steve shoulders dropped a fraction. "So you came to give old me a little company?" Just as Steve turned back to say something to that he faltered as he saw the expression on Tony''s face.


    "A" Gushing like a little kid it looked like Tony was about to cry. Steve started to reconsider his plan to come down here. Tony gave another chuckle as he saw the instant regret on Steve face. The light banter between them had livened him up a little and he knew that he wasn''t going back to sleep anytime soon.

 Chapter 83 - Talk between Friends

    Turning back Tony flicked over to the TV stations and started to surf a few channels for something to watch. If Pepper was in the tower he might have blow off his friend and gone to her, but she was in an important meeting down in Hong Kong.


    Though he was curious about a few things, he hadn''t been out of his lab in the last few days so he didn''t know where everyone was. But once Tony was curious about something he rarely left it alone. "What about Robin Hood?" Steve grabbed another chair in the room before sitting down and began to look at the channels as they passed by, there were quite a few to pick from, seeing as Tony was a billionaire and had the best tech in the world.


    "He''s at the practice range, we sparred for a little, but he gave up after a few rounds." Tony raised an eye brow as he deadpanned at him. "I wonder why that is? Did you pummel him into the ground too hard?" Steve snorted before looking embarrassed for a second, he might have hit him a bit too hard in the third round.


    ''Hey it''s hard to control my strength sometimes.'' He kept that thought to himself, but Tony had already caught the small redness in his cheeks and was laughing. "What about Thor?" Steve gave him a questioning look for a second. "He had to go to Asgard for something. He left yesterday. Don''t you remember?"


    Tony gave a shrug, he might just have remembered that he heard something like that the day before. "What about our green friend." This time Steve frowned as he thought of something. Tony stopped his smirking for a second as he saw the serious look in his eyes.


    "Bruce had to leave early last night. I saw him just before he left. Something about a cousin needing a blood infusion and him being the only match¡­" He stopped or another second with the same frown. "He also mentioned that Ross might have something to do with the situation."


    This truly got Tony''s attention as he thought of the white haired military man. "Not that asshole again." "Language" "Oh come on, you know I''m right about that one." Steve looked like he was about to say something but decided against it.


    There was a small amount of prolonged silence between them before Tony spoke once again. "I''ll have Jarvis keep an eye on the situation, if he needs help the avengers will be there for him¡­." Tony gave another chuckle. "¡­We don''t want the green guy showing up."


    Steve finally showed an appreciative smile towards him. "Thanks Tony, Banners been through enough already." Tony just gave a nod to the words as the channel settled in on a news broadcast of the city. Neither was really paying attention as they retreated to their thoughts for a few minutes.


    Thinking that it had gone on long enough Tony started once again. "How bout Tash?" Steve frowned one again as he raised his hand to his chin entering a thinking pose. "Well she''s been weird lately. She hasn''t been focusing as much in our spars recently." *Sigh* "I think finding out that Shield was Hydra all along really affected her."


    He lowered his hand as he blankly looked at the TV. "I''ve caught her more and more often sitting by herself on the balcony starring out at the city. Not just that she''s been going out more often to where ever she goes when she leaves¡­" *Sigh* He released one more sigh. "¡­And every time she returns she looks less happy."


    Though Tony was listening pretty actively as it concerned one of his teammates, his ears really picked up when Steve mentioned Natasha going out. ''Could she be going to the Park to meet the man or woman of mystery?'' "Has she mentioned what she does when she goes out?"


    Steve shook his head. "I did ask her once but she avoided the subject, its personal, and she doesn''t want us to know right now. She''ll tell us when she''s ready." Tony shook his head. ''Why was Steve such a boy scout sometimes? Does he not have any curiosity?''


    Tony was about to voice his thoughts when Jarvis spoke up, surprising both. "Sorry to interrupt Sir, But Miss Romanoff is at the back door and requesting entry. She seems to be carrying someone." Both of the Avengers were snapped out of their stupor at the words and turned to the big screen. "Jarvis bring up security cameras." "Gladly Sir"


    The screen in front of them changed quickly to show the back door to the massive building. Along with the video it also carried along with it audio. "I know you can hear me Stark. Open the door." Both of them did nothing for a second as they took in the form of Natasha with some girl slung over her back.


    A few questions went through their minds but they both drew blanks on what could be happening. "You heard her Jarvis." The door Natasha was standing at clicked open on the screen as she stood there. Looking at the open door she turned back to the camera as she pried it open.


    "Tony gather the rest of the avengers we might have a situation. I''ll meet you guys in the infirmary." Tony looked on for a few more seconds before the scrapping of the chair next to him forced him into action.


    Captain America stood up in full soldier mode as he turned from the screen, already barking off orders as leader of the avengers. "Tony prep infirmary for whoever that was on Natasha''s back. I want a full scans on who she is, her background, everything. I''ll go and get Clint from the shooting range. We''ll meet you and Nat there."


    Just before he left the room he turned back to look at Tony. "I''ll also try and contact Thor with that thing he gave us. I know Bruce won''t be able to help us, but we should be fine with just us 4." Saying that he left the room, off to the practice range.


    Tony gave a nod as he also got to his feet and made to leave the room. Thinking about the situation, his genius mind connected a few dots and he couldn''t help but get excited. "Maybe I will figure out the mystery!" He mumbled it to himself as he quickly made his way to the infirmary.

 Chapter 84 - The Situation

    (X Mansion)


    Wolverine and Charles Xavier quietly looked ahead as they stood in Cerebro. Images flashed beside and around them, but they kept their gaze firmly on the red head sitting in the chair. "You sure this is a good idea Chuck?" Wolverine was the first to speak up in the tense silence.


    Charles, who was next to him, gave a small side glance before continuing to look at Jean. "She will be fine my friend. And..." *Sigh* "She might be our only chance. I don''t know how Laura escaped the mansion or got out of those Adamantium cuffs, but you saw the room she was in..."


    Charles stoped for a second as he remembered the sight which used to be the room Laura stayed in. "Something happened that night and whatever it is, it has shielded her from me. I have tried my hardest but have only been getting erratic signals from her ever since, I can''t pinpoint her." *Clench* Logan gripped his hands hard enough that they made a small sound.


    When he found out Laura, his de-facto daughter had gone missing he had been the first to want to find her, but it had been raining the night she escaped, he couldn''t track her scent and even when Chuck used Cerebro he couldn''t find her.


    Charles saw and felt the frustration that Logan was projecting but didn''t mention it. "Jean might be our only hope in finding her now. I don''t know why Jean''s powers have been increasing ever since that day, but if there is a chance it will be all up to her."


    Charles was telling the truth and also lying when he said that, he truly didn''t know it happened, but he did know why her powers were increasing. He knew something happened when she first fainted, but he didn''t know what. All the barriers he had placed in her mind to help her control her powers were being taken down faster than he could do anything about it.


    He had tried to put the barriers back up, but they had been destroyed in seconds. He didn''t want to keep trying in case Jean caught wind of what he was doing. He wanted to protect her but knew she might not see what he had done that way.


    He didn''t actually want her to be flexing her new powers so soon, he wanted her to wait, but Jean had been insistent for some reason on doing the task, and he could find no reason to deny her. Both turned quiet as they continued to watch the back of Jean as she went searching for Laura.


    If they could have seen her face at that moment they would have noticed her eyes open, open but blank to the world around her. Her beautiful green eyes held a ting of red to them, like an inferno waiting to start and with every second the inferno grew brighter and brighter. ''Where are you?''


    *************


    (Avengers Tower)


    "I don''t think he''ll respond." "Yeah, he only left recently." *Sigh* Steve let out a sigh as he and Clint walked into the infirmary. With high tech equipment littered about, there was only 1 bed for patients. Tony and Natasha stood talking about something quietly as the screen behind the bed had a holographic picture of the woman on the bed.


    A small device was hovering over her body as it slowly scanned up and down, taking down every piece of information that it could. A small IV drip came out of her arm and lead to the small bag off to the side. Steve looked at the black haired girl for a second before moving over to the others.


    Clint lagged behind for a second as he looked at the young girl. Though the features were completely different, his mind still wandered off to his daughter for a second. For that one second he thought of her, all grown up, in the same position, in a hospital bed looking half dead.


    His heart gripped in pain before he calmed his breath and continued forwards. Though in the back of his mind he was raring to tear apart who ever put this child through hell. Cause Laura did look like hell, even with the IV drip the messy hair and dishevelled state still shone through.


    "Natasha what''s the situation?" Clint''s ears honed in on the conversation instantly, wanting to know what was going on, more now than ever. Natasha looked over at her two friends with a slight bit of hesitation. Clint was the only one who noticed this small slip from the super spy.


    While she was trying to find the words in her head, Tony spoke up. "She wanted to wait for you guys to get here first before she explained." Sending a small look at the hesitating red head he continued as if nothing happened.


    "I''m having Jarvis scan her now for any internal damage..." He paused as he looked up. "Jarvis what''s her status?" It took only a second for the AI butler to respond. "There seems to be no internal or external damage that can be found."


    Jarvis stopped letting the words sink in. "Her body however is malnourished and sleep deprived. I don''t know where Miss Romanoff found her, but it is no wonder she is completely comatose. I have not finished my scans, but she is recovering surprisingly fast from her state."


    "After a few hours on the Nutrients bag she should wake up naturally tomorrow morning or tonight." Tony gave a slow nod as he looked at the scans before him. Though he wasn''t a doctor he was smart enough to know what half of the information in front of him meant. In Tony''s eyes there seemed to be something off, a higher rate of metabolism than normal, especially in a malnourished patient.


    As well as high levels of metal found throughout her blood stream. Actually the levels were off the charts, a person should be dead with so much running through their system. His curiosity was peeked once again.

 Chapter 85 - Worries and Truth

    Finally he looked from the charts to Natasha next to him. "Where did you find sleeping beauty then?" Natasha looked at Laura for a second, before everyone else in the room. *Sigh* "I didn''t really want to tell you guys for a while longer, but you know how I''ve been going out of the tower more often lately."


    "Yes?" Said Steve uncertainly, while Tony in his wisdom decided to move the conversation along. "Yes, Yes, you''ve been going to the park to meet with some stranger." Tony waved his hand trying to make her spill the beans faster. But when he got no response from her and realized that the whole room had gone quiet, is when he realised what he just said.


    Looking at Clint who with Steve had stepped back a bit, he finally looked at Natasha who was out of his sight for a few seconds. Turning around slowly, he jumped backwards in fright. Or he would have if two hands hadn''t clamped themselves onto his shoulders and held him in place.


    Tony starred into the cold, fiery eyes of the red head before him and gulped loudly, his legs shaking a little. Natasha was wearing a smile that didn''t reach her eyes as she looked at him. "And how would you know I was going to the park when I went out, and meeting someone no less?"


    Her voice was slightly sweet, a little seductive even. Tony would have appreciated the tone if not for the fear of dying in the next few seconds depending on his answer. The thought of throwing Clint under the buss and getting away scot free ran through his mind, and just as he was about to go through with it, Clint''s voice came from the side, hiding behind Steve, who had a slight smirk on his face watching them.


    "I walked in on him following you using one of his satellites; he followed you all the way to the park, before someone hacked his systems and cut the feed. We didn''t get to see who you met, I swear to god!"


    "Traitor!" Tony exclaimed as he looked at his avenging partner. He would have said more, but the pressure on his shoulders got even worse. Looking at Natasha''s eyes he could only think of one thing to say. "Anything but the face please." Natasha gave him a patient smile and a nod of understanding, before her leg rocked back and her knee sprang towards his lower half.


    "ARGH!!!!" For the next few minutes only Tony''s screams for help and begging could be heard. Steve and Clint both sent prayers for their fallen comrade and hoped Pepper wouldn''t be too mad if she had trouble having kids in the future.


    *****************


    (Minutes later)


    Tony sat stiffly in the chair stationed next to the medical bed. He couldn''t get up even if he wanted to. He kept his mouth shut not daring to make a sound as Natasha glared angrily at Clint who was shivering a little near the only exit to the room.


    Clint''s eyes flickered to it for a second. "Don''t even think about it." Clint gave a fast nod at the chilled words before giving a sigh of relief as Natasha stopped glaring at him and returned to her usual self. "Clint, we''re due for some 1v1 sparring soon. I think maybe next Monday would be a good time."


    *Gulp* Clint only nodded once again at the words before everything went back to normal, though in his mind he was thinking of ways to get out the sparring session. Natasha sent a look at the quiet Stark for a second before she continued.


    "AS I was saying...I have been going to the park recently as I made a new friend." Out of all the things said today, maybe that would be the most shocking. Steve and Tony had dumbfounded looks on their face while Clint had an even more comical expression.


    None of them could believe it, though Steve and Clint were happy that Natasha was meeting more people. Especially Clint, it had been a few years since he had helped Natasha and brought her to shield. She was a killer from a very young age; some said she had no emotions left.


    They were mostly right, when she had first come to join Shield she was as cold as ice, only doing as told and opening up to Clint. After many years she had become the woman all of them knew. Though she was reclusive with her emotions and didn''t let people in, she still could befriend others.


    It was one of the many reasons that she had befriended Steve so fast, helping him open up to the world around him. Though it had helped the soldier lost through time tremendously, it had also helped her as well. Her friendship with Peter being a huge step personally.


    Seeing the happiness that she projected when she mentioned her new ''friend'' sent a small smile to Clint''s lips. "A friend? You?" The glare sent Tony''s way by everyone in the room, shut him up quickly, while also making him clench his knees together.


    "Yes...A homeless boy I met one day. I won''t go into details, but he was living on the bench I usually sat at. Meeting him a few more times, I started bringing him food. He was only a kid, maybe 16, probably has to watch out for Social Services half the time, skinny to the bone..." Natasha stopped for a second lost in her own thoughts, while Clint commented in his mind. ''You''re only 18-19 and he''s kid?''


    "We started talking more and more, I told him I was a temp so he knows nothing of who I really am, but..." Natasha stopped for a moment and a frown came to her face. "When hydra tried to take you and me out Cap, they attacked me when I was at the park..."


    It only took a few seconds for Steve to realise what she meant and he became worried. A friend of Nat''s was a friend of his! "Were they ok?" Natasha let out a sigh as she moved over to the other chair next to Laura.


    "He wasn''t there that day luckily, I took them down fast enough and left before anything else could happen. But after we took down Shield I haven''t seen him since." Steve was frowning even more now, joined by Clint. They were both thinking of what could have happened.


    Of course the kid could have just moved location after what happened that day, but you couldn''t be certain. Natasha nodded her head when she saw their looks. "I have gone their almost daily recently to see if I could catch any sight of him, but I had no luck. Well..."


    She gestured to Laura lying on the bed. "Untill today. She mentioned his name, was looking for him." Every eye in the room turned to look at the knocked out Laura once again. Knowing that this could have something to do with one of Natasha''s friends they took in even more details.


    Even Tony was more serious. There was a small amount of blood on the knuckles of her hand and her clothes were in tatters. With the hair and unwashed state she was in, if she had anything to do with Natasha''s friend, things weren''t looking good.


    Though it was hidden Clint could see the clear worry that had crept into Natasha''s voice as she recounted some of her tale. She was worried, and he didn''t like that. "I''m sure he''s fine Nat." Walking over to Natasha and clapping her shoulder Natasha only gave a nod, keeping her emotions in check.


    Steve also entered his commander mode as he nodded after Clint. "Yeah Nat, he''ll be fine and we''ll help you find him." Even Tony spoke up. "Yeah we''re the Avengers, there''s nothing we can''t do." Natasha gave a smile and a nod to each of them at the words, they giving her a bit more confidence that Peter was ok.

 Chapter 86 - Melting Point?

    *Clap*Tony stood up gathering everyone''s attention. "So let''s get started! Was there anything special about this girl?" Natasha stopped for a second as she thought of the black metal claws that came from her hands.


    Nodding to the rest she walked over to Laura and began to point at her hands. "When I met her at the Park I felt a sense of danger." "Really?" Clint, Steve and Tony couldn''t see anything dangerous about the thin figure before them.


    Well other than the blood and dirt on her. Natasha nodded again. "Yeah, I couldn''t see anything either, but when she thought she was threatened some type of metal claws came out of her hands and she looked ready to attack me. I know my fighting skills; she knew what she was doing."


    "What?" Steve asked in genuine surprise as Tony walked closer and lifted up her arms. Looking at the small bits of dried blood on her knuckles he looked from them to Nat then back again. "There are no wounds in the skin or scars...are you sure?"


    Natasha rolled her eyes. "Yes I''m sure. A. The claws retracted when she fell unconscious and B. I saw her wounds heal in a few seconds..." She stopped for a second before bringing up her theory. "I think she''s a mutant."


    "A what?" Steve was one again clueless as Clint stepped forwards intrigued, while Tony looked even more excited. He explained before the rest could. "People with a different mutated gene in their body. They have been showing up more often lately. Each mutant gene gives a different power."


    Tony tapped his chin for a second. "I have been looking into them recently, it would be great having people like them helping us in the future if we need it." Everyone looked at him weirdly for a second. "Hey! It''s a valid point, we needed more people when those chitauri invaded! I was following a few stories about one that could move through solid objects at will, you got admit it''s good to keep an eye on them..."


    He trailed off as no one said anything to that, they did have to admit he had a point. Clint was the next to speak up. "I''ve been hearing about them more on the news. There has been some fanatic group recently that''s been advocating to lock all mutants up, because their different and dangerous." "What!" Steve instantly frowned as he was thrown back into the old days of the war and the doctrine that Hitler promoted.


    Clint held up his hands in defence. "Don''t worry cap, most people think they''re lunatics. Not many agree with them." Steve didn''t say anything for a short while before sighing in regret. "But some people do." Clint couldn''t say anything back to that.


    As the rest thought over Steve''s words, Jarvis''s voice sprung back to life. "That would explain a few things Sir." Tony turned to look at the screen above Laura''s body. Jarvis started to move it about highlighting his next points.


    "I have run a facial recognition program on Jane Doe''s face. No results have been found anywhere in the world." Tony didn''t like the sound of that, none of them did. "Did someone erase her record?" Jarvis shook his head. "No sir, I haven''t been able to find it at all. Her DNA scans, show her closest matches to be a one, Sarah Kinney." A picture of Sarah appeared on the screen.


    "Recently reported deceased her Last occupation is Unknown, she was a renowned mutant geneticist." Tony rubbed his chin again and mumbled to himself. "Mutant geneticist?" Jarvis continued. "There are no records of her being pregnant or having a family or husband. Even stranger is the other match found in her DNA."


    Another older picture came up on the screen, one in black and white.


    "A one Logan Howlett, died over 40 years ago. Apart of the Canadian government special forces, he went missing on a mission in Japan." "Wait Jarvis." Steve spoke up as Jarvis stopped his speech. His eyes squinted as he looked at the blurry picture before him. It wasn''t the best and was very outdated, but he felt like he had seen this man before, he just couldn''t remember where.


    "Cap?" Tony asked, Steve shook his head after a few seconds. "It was nothing, continue." Jarvis did just that. "I can confirm that this woman has claws in her body. Scans show 2 extra bones in each of her forearms and wrist as well as 1 extra bone in each of her feet." A diagram of her body showed up with her arms and feet highlighted in certain areas.


    Clint showed a skeptical look as he looked at her arms. "What is most peculiar is that her whole skeletal structure is covered in an unknown substance. The closest substance comparison I could find is Adamantium." "The hardest metal in the world?" Steve commented. "That stuff costs a mint. What the hell is this stuff?" Tony put his piece in. "How is that possible?" Asked Natasha.


    "The unknown metal seems to have been bonded onto her bones in a specific procedure." The diagram showed a close up of a scan of her bones and its structure. "Though her age is not know, when she reached her current height which was optimal for her body state the metal was most likely bonded on forcefully. She will no longer grow taller for the rest of her life."


    "But that must have been an extensive and troublesome procedure." Tony spluttered. "It gets worse sir." A new diagram showing the nervous system and some other data showed up. "Her immune system is like nothing I have seen before, it is so complex that I can''t assess it properly without a few extra hours of work. Because of its complexity she is immune to, I would calculate, any toxin, disease or antithetic."


    The room stopped cold for a second as Tony sat down on the chair again shocked. Steve spoke for the group. "Jarvis, does that mean that she would have been awake for the procedure." Jarvis seemed to hesitate for a second before he confirmed.


    "Yes she was. As you know Adamantium melts at 1500 degrees Fahrenheit or 815 degrees Celsius. A higher temperature would have been used to inject this unknown metal into her bone marrow and coat her bones, to replicate what my scans are indicating." Steve looked away in pain, as Clint also turned his back, feeling a few tears coming to his eyes.


    He was trying to imagine his own daughter going through something like that; he couldn''t imagine the pain one would go through. Natasha gripped her hand as she got a few flashbacks of the things done to her in the red room, but this was so much worse.


    "How could someone do that to a child?" Clint whispered to himself. No one heard his question, but Tony had one of his own. "How is she still alive?" More date appeared on the screen to back up Jarvis''s words.


    "Her immune system seems to be affected by her mutation, which has also let her adapt or heal the damage done to her sir. I can''t exactly explain it, but it''s the only reason she is still alive with such a high amount of metal in her body." Tony''s eyes moved once again to the read out he saw before and the high toxicity levels in her body, finally knowing why it was so high. He felt sick on the inside.


    "Though she is poisoned, her adaptability has drastically reduced the levels of toxicity in her system from what I could tell." Tony was shocked once again. "But the levels now could already kill a normal human person!" The room was quiet turned quiet at Tony''s words as they registered what that meant.

 Chapter 87 - Clue

    It was a while before Clint spoke up, barely above a whisper. "Can we find out who did this to her?" Steve looked a bit hopefully at the computer AI. "Sorry Mr Barton, as mentioned there is no evidence of her even existing, I will continue to look." Clint slowly nodded his head as he wished he was in the practice range right then, he wanted to shoot something.


    If Natasha had been worried before, she was almost panicking now. She had never seen any sign that Peter was a mutant but a small part of her asked the question, was he?. Could someone have kidnapped him and experimented on him like they did this girl?


    The more she thought about it the worse she got. Her voice hardened as she spoke to the AI. "Could you find someone if you have their name Jarvis?" "Yes Miss Romanoff." Steve looked to her. "Do you know her name?" She could only shake her head in regret.


    "I don''t but I do know Peters full name." Tony jumped in. "Peter?" Natasha nodded again. "Yes, the one I befriended. Peter Parker. If he was also taken by the people who did this, to this girl, we need to find him right now!"


    Her tone left no room for argument and the look in her eyes, told them not to question her. Not that they would have, they caught onto her line of thinking and also began to worry for the boy. "You heard her Jarvis." "On it Sir."


    It was a few seconds later, when a picture of Peter appeared before them. "Peter Parker, no living relatives, went missing around a year and a half ago. No messages or texts have been sent since, running facial recognition software now." Jarvis stopped for a second as footage from around the city and country played, trying to match Peter''s facial features.


    It was at this moment that a small subroutine left by another AI came to life, quietly watching the events as they happened. A clone of Crystal''s core code watched quietly and crunched the new information through her code. She couldn''t interrupt what was happening after assessing the recent security footage and figuring out what was happening.


    The clone had quickly recognized a priority search target in Laura and logically concluded that she could do nothing to stop their search for Peter, without making them more suspicious and causing more troubles.


    The small piece of code ran the percentages of the Avengers hurting Peter in any way and came to the conclusion that it was unlikely, less than 25% likelihood. Having finished that, the AI quietly created another copy of itself in the system, making sure that Jarvis or the other security features inside Stark industries didn''t find her as she sent the clone off to inform the prime copy. Watching its new clone go off, it turned back to watch events as they unfolded.


    "Sir, 98% match found." On the screen a couple''s picture came up, walking through a certain mall, the picture showed Peter being pulled around by Felicia. Everyone in the room looked at the picture a few different thoughts going through their mind.


    Finally Clint spoke up. "The kid doesn''t look like he''s in trouble...I mean look at that brunet practically hanging off him." Tony had to get his two cents in. "How the hell did a homeless brat catch a 10/10 like that? If I was a decade younger..."


    "Pepper when did you get here?" hearing Natasha''s words Tony almost jumped out of his skin as he turned to the door. Eyes wide and searching, he visible let out a breath of air as he shot daggers at the laughing red head. "Not funny."


    Clint and Nat were laughing up a storm after that reaction while Steve just gave Tony a straight faced look and said. "Yes, yes it was." Tony pointed at him. "You no speakey." Finally Steve face broke and he also started laughing.


    Tony deadpanned at them for a while, before finally turning back to Jarvis. "When was this taken?" "Sir, this was taken minutes before your scuffle with Rhino in the mall." This grabbed everyone''s attention again, a bit of worry shone in their eyes, but Tony waved it off. "I took down rhino easy enough, no one was killed or severally injured from the reports I got."


    He did however conveniently skip over the fact that he had help from Spider-Man, and that his armour was hacked. They didn''t need to know that. "Good work Stark." Steve was impressed with the results, a small part in the back of his head thought more collateral damage would have occurred if Iron Man was to take down a super villain in a mall.


    Tony kept his neutral face as he nodded back, giving nothing away. Recovering from her laughter Natasha spoke up looking at the picture. "Who''s the girl?" There might have been a bit of an edge in her voice, but no one noticed.

 Chapter 88 - Patience

    Jarvis replied after a few seconds. "Felicia Sara Hardy, Daughter of Walter and Lydia Hardy, owners of the Hardy Foundation." A picture of two a.d.u.l.ts joined the close up of the brunet girl. The mother was a spitting image of her daughter.


    Tony nodded his head; he remembered a few of the deals he had with the hardy foundation now that he was out of the weapons business. He needed to find a gift for Pepper last year and one of the things they dealt heavily in was the antique business.


    He had got quite the nice 18th century necklace for her. She had loved it, showing her gratitude the night and morning after, which was probably the only reason he remember them so vividly. A small smirk came to his lips before he refocused back on Jarvis.


    "Walter Harvey is an ex-criminal turned business man, known around the world as the renowned jewel thief ''The Cat''. Shield files indicate he even did some missions for shield to wipe his sheet clean." Natasha and Clint both raised their eyebrows at that.


    Though Natasha had never heard of him, Clint could vaguely remember hearing mentions of one of the best thief''s in the world retiring, code named ''The Cat''. He had still been up and coming in Shield at the time though.


    "This might interest you Sir, Shield files indicate that his daughter has taken up the family business." A new picture appeared before them showcasing a platinum blond wearing tight black leather. It was a bit hard to make out everything thanks to the low quality of the picture, but they could see enough.


    *Whistle!!!* Tony gave a wolf whistles as he looked at the picture. "I would like to remind you sir that this picture was taken, 2 years ago at a minimum and her files indicate she would be 16 years of age." Tony froze for a second, before deflating and shivering, he started mumbling to himself over and over.


    "I''m not into young girls, I''m not into young girls." It almost became a mantra as the others looked at Tony with slight pity, amus.e.m.e.nt and disgust at the slip up. As Tony''s world started to come apart the others got back to the topic at hand.


    "So the Daughter took to her father''s life in crime?" Clint nodded at Natasha''s words; his eyes were locked onto a small scrolling bar that held Felicia''s information. "Yes, she in well trained in martial arts and athletics, she might have done it after discovering her father''s past, or maybe something else triggered her actions. But looking at what she stolen in her time, she''s pretty impressive."


    Natasha and Steve also looked at the list as it rolled by, taking in most of the details. Natasha was feeling relieved after seeing that Peter wasn''t in any danger, but until she actually met with him she was a bit on edge.


    The most recent picture, him standing next to Felicia, she easily noticed the improvement in his condition. His cheeks were less gaunt, his eyes seemed a bit brighter than usual and his clothes had been replaced.


    Steve turned back to Jarvis. "What''s their connection?" Jarvis stopped once again to gather the information. "Felicia went to the same school as Peter, Mid Town High, at a house party hosted by a one, Harry Osborn; it seems Peter saved her from a near case of ****. After that, their messages suggest that they were close, before she and her family left just shortly before the Battle of New York."


    Everyone in the room stiffened a bit at the mention of ****, before getting even worse when the Battles of New York was brought up, it was still a sore point with many of them. Because even though it brought them together, lots of civilians had died while they tried to stop the invasion.


    Jarvis didn''t stop though. "After moving to Europe, Felicia came back to New York for studying 1 month ago. I have her current listed address." Steve nodded at the information. "Good." Steve looked down for a minute as he thought over everything they just found out.


    His commander mind set quickly took a peek at the time before shaking in defeat. "We''ll check out the apartment tomorrow after Jane Doe wakes up. We need more information before moving in." Natasha looked like she wanted to say something but Clint put his hand on her shoulder and Steve spoke first.


    "I know you want to go save him now Nat, but it''s better for us to assess the situation before moving in. It''s also late, it would be better to do this in the morning." Natasha looked at both of them for a second, before her shoulders slumped and she nodded. "Ok." Clint gave her shoulder a squeeze before moving over to the unconscious Laura.


    Gesturing to her, he spoke to the rest, trapped in their thoughts. "So who gets first watch of sleeping beauty?" Tony, who had finally recovered, tilted his head in confusion. Clint just shook his head at him. "If she is a dangerous mutant that has been experimented on, with Adamantium claws in her hands, what do you think she''ll do waking up in an unknown hospital bed?"


    Tony''s face paled as he thought about all the destruction and costs! "We''ll rotate people every 4 hours for the night, if she wakes up, I''ll have Jarvis notify everyone." The rest thought about the words for a while before giving a nod.


    Tony smiled. "So I think that...." Clint cut him off walking towards the door with Natasha and Steve. "Thanks for taking the first shift Tony, see you in 4 hours Stark." "W-wait!" They completely ignored him as they made their way out.


    Tony could just hear Clint as he talked to Natasha leaving. "So let''s talk about your hidden friend, so hidden in fact...that you didn''t tell your partner!" Natasha''s shoulders slumped again as she realized she would have to give them more details.


    Rolling her eyes they went for the elevator to the lounge room.

 Chapter 89 - Deal

    It can''t be said that the universe didn''t know what it was doing. After 12 hours it was finally Natasha''s turn to watch over Laura. It was closing in on 8am in the morning. Being the last to look over the girl, it was expected for her to wake before noon.


    So it was no surprise that around 11:12 that Laura''s eyes began to open. Natasha who had gotten a nights rest was sitting to the side reading a magazine when she noticed the movement. Quietly placing the book down, she rose and stepped back a bit.


    Laura''s eyes continue to flutter for a few seconds as she released a groan of pain. After settling down, her eyes opened slowly, her mind clearer than it had been in the last 2 days. "Where am I?" Glancing up at the white walls above her and only vaguely remembering what happened she clutched her head.


    Natasha spoke from the side. "Don''t worry your safe." Laura''s head snapped in the read heads direction, instantly on guard. Her body rolled to the side instantly pulling out the IV drip in her arm. "Who are you!" Laura growled the words out as she prepared to pop her claws.


    Natasha held her hands up, not wanting to fight the poor girl, even with her mutation she believed she could take the girl down easily. "You don''t remember meeting me yesterday?" Laura faulted for a second as she racked her brain for an answer.


    Slowly the memories came to her mind as she lowered her hands. She couldn''t remember everything, but she was getting bits and pieces. "You''re a friend of Peter?" Natasha nodded her head slowly. "Yes I am, my name is Natasha, I promise I mean you no harm."


    Laura squinted her eyes for a second as she assessed the woman before her, she knew her from somewhere. It took her a few seconds but it finally clicked. "Black Widow¡­" Natasha froze for a second at the words, before her eyes turned sharp.


    "How did you know that?" Laura instantly knew her slip up, she didn''t just have to study the x-men when she was with the institute, they also had her assess other threats, such as the avengers. Her training instantly kicked in and an excuse came to mind.


    She didn''t take a beat before she replied, successfully lying to one of the deadliest women in the world. "Your face was all over the news after the invasion. It isn''t that hard figuring it out looking at you up close." Natasha looked at her for a few more seconds before she let it pass.


    It did make sense, after the invasion, a photo had gotten out of all the Avengers, which she was sure Tony somehow took, all of them grouped up. All her missions after had been painstakingly harder. She was even thinking of changing her hair color to throw people off; her red hair was too distinct. Of course that was only a thought so far.


    *sigh* Natasha let out a small sigh before nodding her head. "Yes I''m Black Widow." Laura finally let the tension leave her body at the confirmation. There was one thing she was sure of, the Avengers were good guys, heroes, and they wouldn''t work with the institute.


    It took a burden off her shoulders as she sat back on the bed, trying to think of what else happened over the last few days. It was all so blurry for her, she felt like her mind had been in a fog of darkness only surfacing every few hours for the last few days. Now that it was gone she could truly see the world around her.


    Seeing that Laura wasn''t on edge anymore Natasha finally moved closer. When she reached the bed, she stopped for a second to get permission before sitting next to her. They sat in the quiet for a few moments before Laura finally asked a question that had been plaguing her.


    "So where''s Peter?" She figured that if they were friends, she would have notified him after what happened yesterday when she fainted. She was hoping that he might have been in the room when she woke.


    Natasha debated in her mind whether to tell her the truth, looking at the bedraggled girl, she decided to tell the truth. "Truthfully I don''t know." This instantly got Laura''s attention. "I haven''t seen him in over a week and haven''t been able to find him. Finding you yesterday was the only clue I had up till that point."


    Laura''s brows furrowed at the news and her fist clenched, Peter was her only friend, she didn''t like the idea of him just going missing, especially if someone like Black Widow couldn''t fine him. Natasha took note of the sudden change and quickly assured her.


    "Don''t worry I''ve got a new lead that I''ll be going to look into today." Laura looked into her eyes, to see if she were being lied to. Seeing no false hood in her gaze she gave a nod towards the red head. "I''m going with you."


    Natasha shook her head. "No, it could be dangerous." Laura stood up and turned to her, crossing her arms. "I''m going, whether you like it or not." Natasha also stood up and crossed her arms. "Ohh really, and what if I made you stay?"


    Laura gave a bit of a smirk, she didn''t know why but she felt close to the fierce woman in front of her already. "I would like to see you try." Natasha also showed a small smile looking at the determined teen before her. The small fire that lit her eyes instantly told her no matter what she did, the girl in front of her would go after them.


    Finally Natasha gave a nod to Laura and put out her hand. "Fine you can come along, but you do as I say." Laura looked at the hand for a second, her eyes traveling from the hand up to her eyes. Going back and forth she finally clasped the hand and shook it firmly. "Fine."


    Natasha''s smile grew even larger. "My friends call me Nat." Laura nodded. "I''m Laura." Natasha nodded as she took back her hand. There had been one question on her mind that she wanted answered though. "So how were you going to look for Peter? What were you going to do if he wasn''t at the bench?"

 Chapter 90 - Get Ready!

    Laura locked eyes with her again as she brushed her nose with her knuckles. *Sniff* Her eyes slowly went to the door leading into the room and pointed at it. "The same way I know there are 3 men standing outside the door right now."


    Natasha was surprised for a second, but not as surprised as the people hiding outside. The door was opened just a crack and swung fully open as Tony walked through the doors looking at her in amazement. "How did you know?" Laura just shrugged her shoulders. "The nose knows." Tony was skeptical. "Riiiight¡­"


    "Maybe an acute sense of smell due to her mutation¡­" he started to talk to himself as he went to look at the scans of to the side. While he was doing that, Clint and Steve walked into the room. Clint was still a bit tired having been the person of watch duty just before Natasha.


    *Yawn* "Jarvis notified us when Jane doe here woke up, we came down as fast as we could just in case, but we saw you had everything under control." Laura cut in before he could continue. "Jane Doe has a name. Laura, Laura Kinney"


    Clint raised his hands in apology, but sent a look to both Steve and Natasha about the name. Steve spoke their thoughts. "Daughter of Laura Kinney?" Laura was shocked for a second. "How did you¡­?" She looked around the room she was in again and quickly noticed Tony at the side, looking at medical readings shown on some type of holographic screen.


    Realizing what happened she retreated a bit, putting her guard back up. The others saw her reaction and tried to calm her down before something else happened. "Hey, hey, no need to panic. We only scanned you to see if there were any internal injuries. That''s when we found out about your heritage." Steve''s words did nothing to assure Laura, she was still on edge, she didn''t like people doing tests on her.


    Steve and the rest saw this, but it was Clint that couldn''t help but ask. "Who did it? How could someone do that to a child? I want to rip them apart right now!" Clint''s voice turned dark as he thought about his own daughters.


    Laura looked at him for a few seconds but said nothing. They might have wanted answers but Laura wasn''t going to give them anytime soon. Clint looked at the distrustful gaze and couldn''t help but feel more hate towards whoever experimented on her.


    An uneasy tension filled the room, before Laura tried to move the conversation on. Though she may not be as trustful of the ''heroes'' before her anymore, she knew it was par the course. They didn''t seem to hold any nefarious ideas towards her, or wish her harm.


    But she still wouldn''t talk about her past with them. "So when are we going to find Peter." Addressing Natasha, the red head looked at her for another few seconds before responding. "We''ll go and look for him¡­" *Growl* She didn''t get to finish as the sudden noise filled the room.


    Everyone looked at Laura as she turned red in embarrassment. Looking down at her stomach in accusation she didn''t look any of them in the eye anymore. The Avengers cracked small smiles at the situation before Steve got them moving.


    "We''ll look for him after we''ve got you some food young lady." Laura gave a bit of a stiff nod, before they all left to the common room. It was almost lunch time. After they were done they would get to finding Peter, with the one lead they had.


    *******************


    (Xavier Mansion)


    Delicate hands slowly reached for the metal helmet on her head before dragging it off. A smile blossomed on her lips as she got up from her seat and turned to Charles and Logan behind her. "I''ve found her professor; whatever was shielding her has suddenly retracted."


    Charles looked up a Jean as she delivered the news, her excitement was clear to see. Logan next to him gave a clear nod, raring to go find Laura as well. Seeing the small flicker of red in her eyes, as she looked at him, still created a small sense of doubt in his mind, but he shook it off.


    "Good, Wolverine after lunch I want the main team gathered and ready to go. I''ll be coming with you guys this time, I have a feeling that something is going to happen on this mission." Wolverine gave a nod as he stood behind Charles and began to push him towards the exit.


    Jean started to follow behind them, a small spring in her step. "Jean, please have something to eat before we leave for the mission today, though whatever was hiding her has disappeared, if it comes back while looking for her we will be relying on you."


    Jean gave a nod just as they reach the elevator to the main floor. "Yes professor. I''ll go get my gear ready now!" Before Charles could say anything else Jean sprinted off into a different corridor and was out of sight in seconds.


    Charles still had a frown on his face as he watched her leave, something Logan took note of. "Something wrong Chuck?" Charles looked at his friend and could only shake his head. "I don''t know my friend, I don''t know."


    Getting into the elevator Logan reassured him. "Don''t worry, me, Hank, Ororo and even that d.i.c.k Gambit will protect the kids." "Logan language." Charles reprimanded him in good humor as Logan just shrugged his shoulders.


    As the elevator reached the ground floor and they rolled out, heading for the headmasters room, Charles spoke his worries again. "I know that Logan, but something is coming on the horizon, something big and dangerous. I can''t tell what it is, but we will have to be ready."


    Logan rolled his eyes at the foreboding in his words. In his eyes whatever was to come, the x-men would take it down, if not them then other super heroes, more and more had been popping up recently. The rest of the trip was spent in silence. Once Logan dropped Charles off in his office he had to go inform the others that they had a mission.

 Chapter 91 - Prepared

    Laura tugged on the sleeve of her new jacket and top, looking at the sleek black and silver design. Next to her the rest of the avengers were getting ready to board the Quinjet. Why were they taking the Quinjet some might ask?


    After Tony found the exact coordinates of Felicia''s apartment and realized that the roof had enough room to fit his personalized Avenger''s jet, he decided against using the car. Natasha looked down at Laura who was checking out her new threads and turned to Tony.


    "How did you get it to fit so well?" Tony looked over for a second before he shrugged his shoulders and got back to work with the pad in his hand. Slung over his shoulder was a black backpack that none of them had seen before. "The scans I did yesterday took down her size."


    Tony just caught the look of discomfort on Laura''s face when he mentioned the scans. "I''m a billionaire with one of the best 3d printers in the world. A printer I may have done my own upgrades on. Once I found out she was going to come with us I asked Jarvis to make a combat suit that would protect her and blend in. No need to thank me."


    Natasha rolled her eyes as she inspected the outfit, just as the elevator started to slow down. "Did it have to be a crop top though?" The outfit was tight fitting and allowed for freedom of movement, made up of a carbon fiber and Kevlar composite to protect the body; it was the perfect size for Laura.


    Mirroring her earlier ware, it was a two piece split between jeans and top, with the top being a long sleeved black crop top and bottom being, black cargo pants with numerous pockets. For her hands she wore tight fitting black gloves that Tony had been wary to give her. Though he wasn''t expecting a fight, the gloves would be ruined the instant her claws came out.


    On her feet were a pair of knee high combat ridding boots that promised pain to anyone she kicked in the future. To finish out her new gear she wore a black leather motorcycle jacket on top. Tony looked over once again with a raised eyebrow.


    "I''m not a genius for nothing Nat, the whole Biker, Goth, Punk chick look she''s got going for her totally fits her. I was only doing my civic duty making it obvious." Clint gave a small snicker, as Laura tilted her head. ''Do I really have a Biker, Punk, Goth look going for me?''


    Natasha shook her head again as they all stepped out of the elevator. Dressed in casual clothes, the Avengers didn''t look like they were about to go on a mission. As they were going into a civilian building and only planed to talk with Felecia they weren''t going to fully suit up.


    Though Nat, had two guns in her waist band, Clint had his foldable bow and arrows on the Quinjet and Steve was carrying his shield, though it was covered, as they left the building. If something went down they could get ready in a second.


    As they began to board the ship and prepared to leave, none of them noticed the figure 1 Km away on an opposing skyscr.a.p.er, looking at them with binoculars. The figure slowly lowered the binoculars that had been trained on Laura and gave a predatory smile.


    They continued to smile even as the ship took to the air and headed silently into the city. As they followed the ship with their yes they whispered to themselves. "Finally found you, bitch."


    *****************


    (Location Unknown)


    *Hiss* The low noise of the door opening alerted the man to the woman coming in. Looking one more time at the mirror before him, Eric finished clasping the cape around his neck. Next to him, on a small table, was his signature helmet that shielded his thoughts from his long time friend.


    Eric looked at the eyes staring back in the mirror glimpsing the small haunted look that came with them. He hadn''t been like this since his early days, before he became the man he was today. Losing his children had brought him back to this level, something he hated.


    His hands clenched for a second as Mystique stopped behind him. "The brotherhood is ready to go. Charles and his kids are making their move." Eric nodded, still looking at himself in the mirror. It was a full minute before he turned away and looked at the woman behind him.


    Reaching down to grab his helmet he slowly placed it on and at that moment his eyes changed. Mystique just stopped the smile that wanted to appear, as she looked at the steely eyes staring back. Magneto starred at the open door as his commanding presence filled the room.


    "We will leave immediately. I have business to attend to when we get back." With that he confidently strode out the door, ready to do battle with the world and the x-men. Mystique finally let herself smile as she watched him leave.


    She didn''t waste time as she fell in step behind him. ''This was the leader that had been missing these last few months. This was who they needed. What she wanted.''

 Chapter 92 - Come Here!

    (Outside Felicia''s Apartment.)


    "So this is the place?" Clint asked as he looked down the hall way. "Yes that''s what the doc.u.ments say." Tony nodded as he rang the bell for the room. "You didn''t tell us she had such a nice pad." Clint looked at the lavish hallway and couldn''t help but comment.


    Tony hadn''t really check the details of her apartment when he was looking into the address. All he knew was that it was one of the best apartment blocks in the city, it made sense seeing as her parents were rich. Plus the security would be essential for a person living alone.


    Having come down the fire escape the mismatched group of people would have been very eye catching if anyone had seen them, but they didn''t run into anyone on the way down. "Are you sure she''s home?" Steve asked after the third time Tony rung the bell, it was around 1:12 so it was possible she was out.


    Tony threw his hand up in the air. "How am I supposed to know?" It was after another two rings before they all realized that she wasn''t there. Tony looked at the rest, his back pack still slung over his shoulder. "So what do we do now? I don''t feel like waiting in the corridor for a teenage girl with a group of strangers. I have a rep to uphold."


    Clint snorted. "What? Of the playboy billionaire that has slept with more women than Hugh Hefner himself? I don''t think it will be impacted much." Tony looked shocked at the words as he stared at Clint. "There''s a rumor like that? I''m flattered." Natasha face palmed. "Of course you are."


    Tony smirked in her direction. "Why wouldn''t I be? Do you know how much tail that old guy got in his time? That is most definitely a compliment." Clint chimed in. "He''s got a point." *Grr* Laura let out a small growl hearing all the useless chatter.


    Walking up to the door, *Snikt*, one of her claws popped out and sliced the lock to the room, walking in as if nothing happened. The rest of the Avengers looked at the display in shock for a second. Steve frowned at the illegal act, while both spies just shrugged their shoulders and walked in. "That solves that."


    "She does have claws." Tony''s eyes were still looking at the hand the claw came from, his scientific mind started to think over the application of how the claw worked, its benefits and disadvantages, seeing as it was made out of something as strong as Adamantium.


    The rest crowded into the room, with Steve being the gentlemen and closing the door, even though it was busted. Turning back to look at Laura who was looking around the room, he walked up to her. "You can''t just break into other peoples apartments."


    His voice was stern and commanding. Laura looked up from what she was doing not really carrying about what was just said. Natasha noted the look of disregard on her face, so she also stepped forward. She knew that Laura had been through a lot, but they did want to get through to her.


    Steve, Clint, her and maybe Tony all wanted her to open up a little for various different reasons. "He''s right; you can''t just break into apartments. You promised to follow what I say while we look for Peter, don''t go back on your word."


    Laura looked at Natasha for a few seconds before begrudgingly nodding her head. She didn''t want to be on the bad side of the Avengers, not right now anyways. Being reprimanded twice she even started to feel a little guilty about just breaking into the place, just a little though.


    The others didn''t say anything else as Laura nodded her head, knowing she got the point. They started to look around the room for any clues, better than doing nothing while they waited. Laura looked around the room, with its 2 bedrooms, bathroom, lounge and TV. ''It looked like a nice place to live.''


    In a small part of her mind, she couldn''t help but compare this to the bench Peter used to live on, or the warehouse that she had been situated in. ''It really is an improvement.'' Lost in her thoughts Laura walked over to the small entrance to the balcony and looked out at the city, it was just opposite the door.


    She continued to stare out it as the rest came back to the main area. "She''s not home, but someone was living in the second bedroom. A boy from the looks of it, maybe Peter." Natasha let those words slip as Laura turned back to them.


    *Sniff* She sniffed the air quietly looking for Peters scent. Though it was maybe a day or two old she could just make out the familiar smell. She nodded her head to the rest of them, gaining their attention. "Yeah Peter''s scent is in the apartment, though it is a day or two old."


    They nodded their heads at the new information, wondering what to do next. While that was happening Tony was looking at the TV screen set up and reached for the remote, turning the TV on to a random channel.


    "What are you doing Stark? This is someone else''s apartment; don''t act like you live here." Tony rolled his eyes at Steve''s words. "Don''t worry, I''ll give her a few thousand bucks to pay her electricity bill, we got way too much time to spend, waiting for her to get back."


    Just as Steve was thinking of a reply to that smug answer a sound from the doorway caught their attention. "What the bloody hell is going on here!" A brunet dropped the bags she was carrying as the door uselessly swung open.


    She had an angry look on her face as she starred daggers at the group of people littering her apartment. "Who the f.u.c.k are you guys?! What are you doing in my Apartment! I''m going to call the bloody Police! If you''re lucky they''ll get here before I break most of your bones."


    Everyone stopped as they looked at the enraged woman before them. The photos couldn''t do her justice as her brown hair shimmered in the low light coming from the entrance. In blue ripped jeans and a white shirt, if it wasn''t for the enraged scowl on her face it would be the perfect picture.


    Steve was the first to react as he slowly stepped towards Felicia, holding his hands up. "Wait, before you do anything, let us explain." Tony had already turned off the TV and was starring at Felicia with an understanding look in his eyes.


    "I can understand why the kid might like her, feisty personality." Felicia directed a piercing glare at the billionaire for his words. "Shut up Tony. Not helping." Steve shot back without turning. "Look, we just wanted to ask you about a boy you''ve been seen hanging out with."


    Felicia''s scowl came right back to Steve as she dropped into a judo stance. Her mind processed his words and instantly knew he was talking about Peter, and once it involved Peter, she didn''t want to tell them anything. "Get the hell out of my apartment, before I make you."


    Tony, who had walked next to Clint, quietly whispered to him. "I would love to see her try." He had said it in a low voice, but he didn''t know that Felicia had enhanced hearing, easily making out what he said. She stepped into the room and prepared herself for a fight.


    Steve continued to try and de-escalate the situation. "Please we really don''t want to cause trouble. Our friend Peter went missing a bit over a week ago, we''re just trying to find him and make sure he''s alright." Felicia frowned again.


    "Why wouldn''t Peter be alright?" This time it was Natasha that spoke up stepping forwards a bit. "So you know Peter then." Felicia looked at the red head that stepped forwards and kept her lips shut. She realised that she had slipped up there a second ago.


    Her mind also began to think back to when she had ''convinced'' him to stay the night. It was just over a week or two ago. Plus there was something familiar about the people before her, but she couldn''t put her finger on it. She had definitely seen them before though.


    If she hadn''t been so furious about them breaking into her apartment she might have realised that they were strikingly familiar to Captain America and Black widow she had been watching the other day, when shield fell.


    Seeing that she wasn''t going to say anything, Laura who had been watching everything from the same spot near the balcony prepared to move. She was sick of the back and forth between everyone. She wanted answer and she wanted them now.


    Just as she was about to step forwards something caught her notice. *Sniff* Her nose twitched before her body suddenly locked up. *GRRRR* A loud growl ripped from her throat catching everyone''s attention. They had no clue what was going on, but watched as her Claws slowly popped from her hands. *Snikt*


    ''What the hell are those!'' As Felicia stared in shock at the deadly weapons she put her guard up even further. Laura eyes continued to shift as her nose twitch multiple times. Finally her eyes snapped to the door way, making everyone else look over.


    With a black tank top on and dark hair, the tanned woman at the door smiled insanely as she stared fixedly at Laura. Laura felt her body lock up as fear overtook her mind. ''No!'' "Come here bitch!" *Crash* Before anyone could react the woman sprinted forwards with insane speed and grabbed Laura in a body tackle. Flinging both of them out of the balcony and off the building!

 Chapter 93 - Convergence Part 1

    (Around the same time, Black bird)


    Jean sat quietly with her hands pressed to her head, mentally looking for Laura as the ship quietly hovered over the streets of New York. With a special stealth mode installed into the ship, the only indication that they were there were the low sound of the jets and the heat they produced as the hovered there.


    Wolverine looked out the front window, standing next to Storm as she flew the ship. Next to her was the Professor, while behind him in the seats were all of the x-men. Hank or beast was the closest to him, reading a book as he passed the time.


    Next came Gambit and Scott, both in their own worlds, one playing with a deck of cards in his hands, while the other was looking intently at Jean. After them there was Jubilee and Kitty pride or Shadow Cat, both talking up a storm having been long time friends.


    Finally near the ramp of the ship was Rogue, looking a bit disinterested, Kurt or better known as Night Crawler and Jean. Each of them doing their own thing as Jean and the Professor both tried to Locate Laura, who they knew, was close.


    Logan''s eyes peeled slightly as he looked at the building before them. "Is this the place?" Turning to look at both the professor and Jean, they both said nothing for a few seconds before their eyes opened. Charles was the one to confirm. "Yes I can sense Laura inside, along with a few other people."


    Jean nodded her head in confirmation as she stared intently at the building through the side window. Kurt raised his hand at that point, as he positioned another towards the roof of the building. "Umm, guys, there''s already a ship on top of that building." The rest of the x-men in the ship turned to look at what he was pointing at. A few frowns appeared as Logan let out a full scowl. "Who the hell owns that?"


    Storm didn''t even turn to him as she maneuvered the ship to get a better vantage point while replying. "Watch your language Logan." Logan rolled his eyes but didn''t talk back as he turned to Charles. "What do you want to do chuck?"


    Charles stared at the unknown ship and was about to say something when below them a loud crash sounded out and two people came flying out from one of the top floors! Nearly all of them could see the two figures as they fell down, rubble accompanying their fall.


    "Oh my god is that Laura?" Jubilee, who had been chatting, sprang to her feet as she watched the two fall. Logan''s mood fell even further as he felt his claws itching to come out. Storm as the field commander quickly noted down the situation and took command.


    "Kurt,I want you to take Rogue and go help Laura, we''ll be down as soon as we can. Everyone prepare for battle!" *Poof* Everyone nodded as Night Crawler disappeared in a puff of blue smoke and appeared next to Rogue who had just undone her belt.


    *Poof* With another flash of blue they were both gone. The rest of the x-men started to fix their gear as Storm steered the ship towards another roof as fast as she could, the Black bird couldn''t fit down at street level. They were ready to save Laura.


    *******************


    (Felicia''s Apartment)


    "Did a Latino super model looking babe just spear tackle Laura out the window?" Every ones head swiveled to Tony for a second at the word, they had all see a lot in their time, but tackling someone out of a high rise apartment did sound like suicide!


    But they weren''t shocked for long, Steve took command in seconds. "Tony I don''t know how long it''ll take your suit to get here, but get it now!" Before he could continue to give out his commands Tony smirked at him and strapped the bag he had been carrying the whole journey over his shoulders.


    Pressing the small button in the middle and then pulling the straps a little, he flushed out his hands as suddenly the pack let out a whirl and pieces of gear began to wrap around his body. Everyone was shocked again, most of all Felicia as she was starting to realize who had broken into her apartment.


    The gear wrapped around his body and in just 30 seconds Tony stood before them in his trade mark Iron Man armour. Steve looked at him for a second. "When did you design that?" Tony shrugged as he started to walk to the destroyed balcony. They had done quite a bit of damage on the way out.


    "The suit was taking too long to reach me in certain distances, I thought it would be better to have the armour on hand, though the backpack was heavy. I really need to find a better way of storage and retrieval of the suit."

 Chapter 94 - Convergence Part 2

    Steve could only shake his head at his arrogance. "Iron Man?" Felicia small voice could just be heard with the suits sensors, causing said narcissist to turn in her direction and flash a c.o.c.ky smile. "The one and only." Though no one could see his face, they could hear how satisfied he was from her surprise.


    Felecia''s face instantly cooled . "The play boy playing with toys?" Tony was indignant. "I''ll have you know!..." Steve stopped him before he could continue. "No time Tony, get out there and see what''s happening. Help Laura with whoever that was!"


    Tony look from Steve to the slightly smug look on Felicia''s face and suddenly felt the urge to throttle something. Luckily the said person to throttle was likely on the ground floor. "Stupid boy scout and bimbo brunet, think this high tech armour is just a toy. Why I...."


    Tony grumbled to himself as he flared his repulsor and flew out the opening. Clint let out a snicker as he watched him leave, while Steve turned to the two super spies. "Quickly, grab your gear from the Quinjet, who knows whoever that was, they weren''t afraid to jump out of a building and we don''t have any heavy hitters. Link Comms when you can."


    Natasha and Clint both entered agent mode as they gave quick nods before rushing out the door. Steve moved to follow them before stopping at the door. He turned back to Felicia who, even though she was keeping up a frosty facade, was shocked on the inside.


    "Miss, we really didn''t mean to break in. We''re looking for a friend of yours Peter Parker, that''s it..." he hesitated for a second as he looked at the gaping hole through the balcony. The person hadn''t speared Laura off the balcony, they had speared her through it!


    He gave it a little thought before looking back at her. "We know about your activities as the Black Cat and personally I think what you do for the little guy is to be commended..." Felicia put her guard up at those words. Though she had started to realize that these people might just be the Avengers! The fricking Avengers! She was still worried about her double life being uncovered.


    "I know you don''t have to help us and I haven''t seen all your footage or what you can actually do. But if you can help we might need it. Even if you just help the civilians if this escalates." Both of them shared a look, Steve''s eyes showing the sincerity in his words. He was a bit torn on the decision to ask for help, especially with her age being 17, but a gut feeling was telling him they may need it.


    Without Banner or Thor, and taking into account the unknown assailant, help would be appreciated. The two continued to share the look for a few more seconds. Felicia gave a small hesitant nod in understanding as Steve gave a nod back, turning around to make his way out. As soon as he passed the door he sprinted down the hall at top speed to get to the jet, he would need his shield!


    Felicia watched him leave and stood rooted there for a few seconds. The words or request for help slowly worked through her mind as her feet took her to the destroyed balcony in question. She let out a small sigh of lamentation as she looked at the gaping hole and property damage.


    The wind whipped her hair to the side as she looked over the edge down at the two figures in a small crater outside. Some people were running away from the scene as Iron Man floated to the ground, other, strangely dressed people already there and fighting? A fight had broken out! She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach as she watched them for a few seconds.


    Felicia looked for a few more seconds before a small gust of wind whipped by and picked up her hair. It fluttered up from the force as she turned her back going back inside, specifically towards her room. As her hair settled down it had already turned into a platinum silver color.


    *******************


    (Location unknown)


    Magneto starred coldly at those in front of him as he walked in. All of them had excited expressions on their faces, especially Pyro, a small flame was dancing between his hands as they got ready to leave. A few of the others were leaning on the walls talking to each other as he made his way into the room.


    Toad was perched on a crate off to the side as he stared intently at a bug that was filtering about the room, while one of the most menacing of the brother hood, Saber Tooth, sat alone in the corner watching his every move. Avalanche, Blob and Spyke stood up as he entered though, probably out of fear of what would happen if they were caught slacking off. No one said anything and waited for his orders.


    But Magneto kept didn''t give any right away as he stood still, only turning his head slightly to Mystique trailing behind him. "Make sure Blink is ready to create the portal when the X-men find the mutant. We''ll make this quick." Mystique gave a nod moving over to the pink haired woman, quietly perched before a computer at the side, tracking something intently.


    The Brotherhood quietly waited for the action they craved.


    *******************


    (With Laura)


    *Bang!* "Urgh!" Laura let out groan as her head rung in pain. The new gear she wore was in tatters from the rough fall. "Argh!!!!" "What the hell!!!" "Get away from them!!!" "Is it a super villain?!" Numerous voices sounded out making her head ring even more as people scattered to the wind, away from the small crater she just created.


    Though some stopped for a second to contemplate whipping out their phones to record what was about to go down, the action as it were. *Cough Splutter* Laura coughed up blood as she rolled over. Though her body was healing fast, the fall still hurt messed up her internal organs and blood flow.


    Laura was hunched over coughing up more blood when a hand yanked her by the hair and pulled her face upwards. *Cough* That wasn''t the right thing to do as Laura coughed blood right into the face of the said person.


    But they didn''t seem to care as they gave an insane smile towards the bruised woman. Though Laura''s eyes were hazy they instantly came into focus as they starred at the person before her. Laura spat out their name, pure black hatred gushing from her eyes as she starred at her.


    "Kimura!"


    Kimura''s smile grew even larger as she c.o.c.ked back her fist. It looked like she took no damage from the fall what so ever, only her clothes were slightly ruffled. "Miss me you little bitch?" Without another word she slammed her fist into Laura''s skull!

 Chapter 95 - Convergence Part 3

    *Bam* "You know I thought after such a fall¡­" *Bam* "There would be more blood and broken bones¡­" *Bam* "See the facility wants you back¡­" *Bang* "But they only wanted enough material to clone you again¡­" *Bang* "A failed product needs to be thrown out!" *Bang!*


    Kimura continued to pound into Laura''s head as she spoke with a sadistic glee. *Snikt* Laura''s claws popped once again as she swiped left and right trying to score some damage. *Hup* Kimura quickly flipped Laura''s body over and got her into a choke hold looking at the gleaming black blades as they flashed about.


    "Looks like someone got an upgrade? Now how did this happen?" *Grrr* Laura didn''t reply as she tried to break the hold and reverse her position. Kimura and Laura continued to grapple but Kimura had the upper hand as her claws couldn''t pierce her skin.


    *Bam* "You''re not the only one that got some upgrades; those claws won''t help you anymore, even if they have changed!" Wrapping her leg around her midriff she used her back strength to flip Laura and began to wail in to her harder.


    "Did you forget who trained with you and WON every time Bitch!" Laura''s eyes had turned blood shot in rage as her body continued to heal the punishment she was taking. Her muscles tensed over and over trying to kill the person before her, her tormentor!


    "Arghhhhh!" "Hahaha" While Laura was screaming in rage, Kimura was laughing in joy. *Puff* Suddenly a blue teen appeared from nowhere and wrapped his arms around Kimura''s neck and tail around her abdomen.


    "What?" Kimura stopped in surprise for a second as he spoke. "Let her go!" *Puff* With another puff of blue smoke suddenly Kimura was gone. *Puff* 5 meters away Kimura dropped to the ground a little disorientated from the sudden shift in scenery.


    But she was quick to recover, as her hands touched the ground they tensed and she sprung around trying to kick Nightcrawler as his once again disappeared. *Puff* *Puff* Appearing next to Laura, who also had a shocked look, he reached down to pull her up.


    "Are you ok Fraulein?" Laura looked at the hand for a second, before slowly taking it. *Puff* Once again they disappeared and appeared a few meters away. Where they once were Kimura were standing, her teeth grit and eyes blazing.


    Laura looked back with just as much hatred as her, blood dripping down her healing body. She wiped a bit of rubble from her eyes as she got ready for round two. "She''s mine you little freak!" Kimura started to sprint forwards again after those words, determined to take them both out.


    "That an''t going to happen Sugar" "What?" *Bam* Rogue came in from the sky as she delivered a right hook to Kimura''s face. Kimura got flung away from the monumental strength, a slight look of surprise came to both Rogue''s and Laura''s face.


    Kimura''s density control, made her nearly impenetrable to adamantium! The hardest metal on earth, and it seems that her control had gotten even stronger, seeing as Laura''s couldn''t put a scratch on her. In Laura''s eyes Rogue''s punch shouldn''t have done any damage, it should have broken her wrist!


    To Rogue, she was thinking how tough Kimura''s skin is! She hadn''t used all her strength, if she did she could easily kill someone, but she had only knocked her away! "I''m going to kill you for that! You S.l.u.t!" Kimura was beyond reason at this point; her eyes had turned red as she pulled herself out of a side of a building.


    She spat a little blood to the ground as she made her density even higher. Cracking her knuckles she ran towards her. Rogue wasn''t one to back down though, she also started to sprint forwards, hand c.o.c.king back to deliver a blow with all her power.


    As the two closed into each other Rogue let her fist loose as she tried for another right hook. Kimura expertly dodged the blow though, before grabbing her close and kneeing her in the stomach. *Urgh* Rogue groaned from the newfound pain and didn''t have time before she got slammed into the ground.


    Kimura let out another terrifying smile as she went to stomp on Rogue''s face. *Whirlle* *Bang* Kimura got thrown from her spot once again, and she was seriously starting to get pissed with people interrupting her fights!


    The repulsor blast that threw her off continued for another second, throwing her into another building, as Iron Man slowly floated down to them. "What the hell is going on here? And is that man blue?" Rogue shook of the earlier blow and got back to her feet, slowly starting to float in the air.


    She was ready to teach this bitch of a woman what happens when she gets angry. "¡­And now there is a flying girl as well. Ok, ok, ok." Saying ok three times he held both his repulsor up, one aimed at Rogue, the other at Kimura.


    "I don''t know what the hell is going on! But you 2 better stand down now, before I make you." Rogue stopped starring daggers at Kimura for a second to turn to him, as Kimura pulled herself out of some rubble. "We''re trying to help Laura." Tony looked at Rogue who just spoke before replying in his most sarcastic voice, not lowering his arms.


    "Ohhh, so you know the girl with metal in her bone and you''re also a mutant like her, I guess that makes you best friends instantly. I mean not like the Latino super model over there also isn''t a mutant and just dive bombed her off the side of a building."


    Rogue rolled her eyes as she slowly floated over to Nightcrawler and Laura. Most of the world knew who the Avengers were, and she didn''t want to start a fight with one of them. Though she would end it, if it came to that.


    "Stark, we''ve almost gear up, situation?" As Tony kept his eyes on the two woman, that didn''t seem to be making a move, Steve''s voice came in over the comm. "Well we got some chick who can fly, a blue man, the Latino super model and it looks like there all after Laura. The Latino chick just took a repulsor to the face, before flying into a building and it didn''t look like it fazed her at all. I''ll need some back up ASAP."


    "We''ll be there in just over a minute. Protect Laura until then." Tony gave a small nod as the area seemed to freeze, no one making a move. Though Laura was still glaring with red hot hate in Kimura''s direction.


    As they stood there waiting, something else changed. On the deserted street a pink glow began to appear. In just a few seconds the pink glow rippled out and turned into a circle. Through the circle a new group entered the area.


    Magneto stepped out of the portal and surveyed the area, eyes instantly locking onto Rogue and Nightcrawler, known students of Charles, who were standing with Laura, protecting her. His eyes then moved to Kimura who had a savage expression on her face, ready to do battle as she looked at them.


    Finally he turned his eyes to Iron Man as he floated, looking a bit dumbfounded as he stared at the new group in all their get up. Magneto slowly raised his hand in Iron man''s direction. "A suit of metal, how quaint."

 Chapter 96 - Convergence Part 4

    Tony looked at the weird man in the cap as he raised his hand at him. The comment about his suit stung just enough that he moved his arm to aim his repulsors. Just as he was about to tear this old guy a new one the suit locked up and started to creak.


    Jarvis''s startled voice instantly sparked over the comms, as Tony groaned in pain. "Sir, an unknown force is affecting the outer hull! Suit integrity is rapidly failing!" "What the hell is going on! What the hell are you doing to my suit?!" Tony shouted as the suit was dragged slowly towards Magneto.


    "Homosapien''s and their toys." Magneto let out a condescending smirk as he slowly continued to crush the Iron Man armour. Turning off his speakers after such a response as they were breaking anyway, he started to brain storm ideas with Jarvis. "Jarvis analyze what is going on and find a solution fast!" Tony''s voice was starting to panic. "Right away Sir."


    "Stop Magneto!" Rogue and Nightcrawler couldn''t sit idly by as Magneto started to kill Iron Man in front of them. Forgetting about Kimura, who was still staring intently at Laura, Rogue flew into the air closing in on Magneto fast.


    *Puff* Nightcrawler beat her to the punch though as he disappeared from his spot and appeared right next to Magneto ready to teleport him somewhere else, possibly take his helmet. They had both been taught by the professor to help those in need. Plus Iron Man was a hero like them, even if they were in disagreement just seconds ago.


    Just as Nightcrawler appeared next to Magneto and tried to grab him, someone else stopped him "Your fights with me blue boy!" The slight nasally voice of Toad sounded out as he wrapped his legs around Nightcrawlers body and threw him out of the way.


    "Aww god man you stink." *Puff* With those words both of them disappeared to a different side of the street, starting a small brawl. Rogue spared them a small glance before picking up her speed, ready to deliver a crushing blow to the leader of the Brotherhood.


    The Blob, in a surprising show of speed, appeared in front of her just before she could land the blow though and all the force got sucked up into his stomach. With a bear hug Rogue became pinned to his body and even started to sink in a little. "Haha, you smell nice." Rogue was not amused by that comment. "I''m going to knock you block off you f.u.c.kin¡­mmph"


    Rogue started cussing up a storm as she flew into the air, completely blind to where she was going. While she couldn''t hurt the Blob, she still had enough strength to pick him up off the ground. But with both of the X-men dealing with their own fights there was no one left to help Iron man.


    The armour showed cracks already and sparks were going everywhere. Kimura seemed oblivious to the other groups and had instead focused back in on Laura. Sprinting forwards the two started trading blows using all the moves and styles of martial arts they knew.


    Though Laura had speed and agility that trumped Kimura none of her blows could harm her. She was laughing like a madman as blow after blow impacted her body and did nothing. Kimura was trying to pull her close and put her into a grapple again, while Laura had to dodge each attempt.


    "Sir, there seems to be a magnetic field emanating from the enemies body, it has constricted around the suit and will crush us if something isn''t done soon." Tony mind worked a mile a minute as he hoped the rest of the team got there soon. He was starting to have trouble breathing.


    Going off the information that Jarvis just provided, if he were able to produce an EMP, he could disrupt the magnetic field being produced. "Jarvis, is there enough power too¡­" Tony trailed off as his mind struggled for oxygen, in a few more seconds he would be dead.


    He couldn''t even reach for his neck in a desperate attempt to relieve the constriction of his suit. Just as everything started to turn black, a blue and red blur flew by aimed right at Magneto! *Crash* None of the Brotherhood could react before it slammed into the helmet and knocked back their leader.


    His body tumbled to the ground for a second as his head rung in pain. The blue and red blur bounced off the helmet straight for Tony''s suit, cracking the visor of the suit open and letting air rush into his lung! *Hup* Tony sucked in gulps of air as he spluttered on the ground; he was able to move, albeit slowly in his wrecked armour.


    *Whizz* *Bzzt* At the same time over with Nightcrawler and Toad, an electric arrow appeared from nowhere and stuck onto Toad''s body electrocuting him and knocking him out cold. Nightcrawler caught his breath as he turned to the archer he could just see, standing at a vantage point of the situation.


    After striking Tony''s visor, Captain Americas shield flew back to his arm as he surveyed the situation. A frown was on his lips as he starred warily at the Brotherhood. "Nobody move!" He shouted out in a commanding voice, making sure his shield was at the ready as Natasha stepped up next to him guns at the ready, trained on Mystique and Pyro, who had a small fireball already in his hand.


    Blink stayed near Mystique as Avalanche and Pyro stepped forwards to face the Avengers. Magneto stood slowly, gaining his bearings from the blow and registering the shield that was in front of him. His face stilled for a second as he looked at the shield before him, the one that knocked him down.


    He was a survivor of the holocaust, a Jew in world war two. One of the reasons he was a survivor and could still live to this day was because of the red and blue shield before him. His hands gripped slowly as he thought of what to do next.


    "I don''t think so!" While Magneto retreated into his thoughts looking at Captain America, Avalanche got to work. He reached down to the ground and a mini earth quake came out rocking the area. Buildings shook and even a few cars turned over.


    Some of the buildings that had already been destroyed beforehand spurted more rubble onto the street. It looked like a war had taken place on the street with everything all over the place. Though not expecting the sudden shift in movement, Natasha and Steve quickly kept their balance, dodging the falling rubble and mayhem.


    As they were dodging, Natasha just caught sight of a flash of red, as it streaked her way. Feeling the heat as it encroached on her, she dodged out of the way as a stream of fire flew overhead, trying to take her head off. She rolled out of the way and hid behind a turned over car as she looked for a good opportunity to take out Pyro, clearly they weren''t going to surrender or come quietly.


    Steve raised his shield in defense of the flame and that''s what distracted him from the small portal that opened up behind him. Sabretooth stepped out of the portal Blink set up and lunged at the surprised Captain.


    *Argh* Claws got past his defenses and dug into his side as he was knocked to the ground. His shield came out of his hand as he flipped quickly to knock Sabretooth off him. He wasn''t expecting so much resistance though as Sabretooth held his own against his super human strength.


    Natasha raised her weapons when she saw Steve was in trouble, quickly aiming them and pulling the trigger. *Bang* *Bang* A few bullets lodged themselves into Sabretooth''s side as he roared in pain. This gave Steve enough time to kick him off.


    Steve quickly rolled to his shield and picked it up just in time to block another blast from Pyro. Just as Natasha was aiming to gun him down the two weapons in her hand were snatched by an invisible force and shot into magneto''s hand as he crushed both weapons in seconds. *Puff* Natasha was shocked for a second as Nightcrawler appeared next to her. "Need a lift Fraulein." Natasha instincts kicked in though, quickly flipping him to the ground her Widows Bites charging up to keep him down.


    Steve jumped to the side as he dodged a swipe from Sabretooth who was pissed off. As he prepared to throw his shield to knock him back a new person joined the fight. *Rargh!!!* With a loud roar, the human projectile slammed into Sabretooth his claws out and glistening.


    Sabretooth just had enough time to turn and meet those claws deflecting the deadly attack from Wolverine! With him a whole new group of people entered the area.


    The X-men!

 Chapter 97 - The Arrival part 1

    Hawkeye looked from his perch at the scene below, slowing his breath as he aimed an arrow at Magneto. He knew they were made of metal and he had just seen what had happened to Natasha''s guns. Honestly it freaked him out more than he would like to admit. But he had faced a god before, a freaking god.


    He was just waiting for the opportune time, a moment when his concentration would slip and he could nail him. *Puff* From the side Nightcrawler appeared next to him looking at where he was aiming. Clint didn''t move, after saving him before, he was sure that they were on the same side, probably.


    "I don''t think those arrows are going to work mein friend." Clint still kept his back tensed. "It will if you give me a moment to focus." Nightcrawler just rolled his eyes. Just as Barton was about to let loose his arrow, Magneto sent a glance his way. He could feel the gaze on him, and he could also feel the metal in the arrow.


    The look that passed between them was all Clint needed to know that his shot would fail. *Sigh* He lowered his arrow as his eyes spied on the rest of the Avengers. Cap was in the most danger, starting to help out the yellow clad short mountain of muscle that was wailing into the beastly looking one.


    The two had surprisingly good team work as another group of people joined the fight. They were on the top of another building getting ready to join in. At the lead was a woman with pure white hair and black skin.


    Though their outfits looked a bit weird to Hawkeye, he was glad for the assistance. Night crawler was still next to him as he pointed down to Tony, who was still not moving in the street. "Hey, blue man, could you grab my friend and pull him up here?"


    Nightcrawler looked at where he was pointing for a second before nodding. "Sure, and by the way, the names Nightcrawler." With that he was gone. *Puff* Clint spoke to himself as he disappeared into the blue smoke. "Nightcrawler? That''s not a frightening name at all, totally trustworthy." *Puff* It was only a few seconds later when he returned, Iron man landing on the roof with a dull thud. "What the hell?" "Will the suit still work Stark?" Disorientated for a few seconds Tony''s head snapped to Clint as he regained his bearings.


    He looked at Nightcrawler for a second before he replied, reaching up to tap on a holographic screen. "It''s pretty damaged after chrome dome down there did whatever he did. I can get back in right now but I''m trying to create a way to take him down."


    Nightcrawler, who had been listening in, decided to butt into their conversation. "His names Magneto and he''s the leader of the Brotherhood, all those mutants down there. To sum him up, he basically believes that Mutants are superior to humans and should rule the world." Both avengers stopped for a second as they turned to look at Kurt, a bit dumbfounded at the name.


    "Magneto really? Because he can control Magnetism?" Clint scoffed. "How original. But¡­" His face turned serious as he looked back at him. "He''s an insanely powerful supremacist who hates humans. That''s not good. The Brotherhood is basically his cult." The two looked at each other for a few seconds before looking back at the fight. Tony got back to work on whatever he was doing while Clint pointed at the X-men who had already engaged.


    "Your friends going to be alright blue man?" There was a small smirk on Clint''s face as he said the name, purposely not using Nightcrawler. Kurt looked at the small smile and sent one back of his own. "Yeah they''ll be fine. We''ve clashed with the Brotherhood many times. There probably here to recruit Laura to their cause."


    Both tony and Clint frowned at the motive. "She won''t join them." Kurt just shook his head. "They''ll still try to convince her and cause as much damage as they want in the meantime." Clint''s frown just got deeper as he assessed when the best time was to jump in and help.


    *****************


    Steve looked at the man trading blows with the beast before him and had to stop for a second. A memory formed in his mind, one from many years ago, back in World War 2. "The howling commando, Logan." He said it so quietly that no one heard him.


    After starring at the intense fight for a few seconds though he shook his head. That had been over 70 years ago, the man looked to be in his mid-30-40, it couldn''t be him¡­but maybe it was a descendant. That one thought stuck in Steve''s mind as he quickly dashed to grabbed his shield and join the fight.


    He would be dammed if he didn''t help a descendant of one of his lost comrades!


    ******************


    Storm barked out commands fast after Logan jumped down the building. "Kitty, Jubilee I want you to go over and help Laura against whoever that is!" She pointed out at Kimura and Laura whose fight was getting even more intense. Both of the teens nodded as Kitty grabbed Jubilee and started to phase down the building.


    Pointing again she motioned to Black widow who was still taking cover behind one of the over turned cars. She had to continuously move though as they would blow up after Pyro took aim. Avalanche was standing at his side hand at the ready to cause more mayhem. "Scott and Jean, you guys take Avalanche and Pyro, help the Avenger down there."


    "Right!" Scott nodded vigorously as he jumped onto a small kinetic platform that Jean created. On their way down he reached for his visor and slowly turned the dial to control the output. In the next second, *Boom!*, his optic blast took out the pavement right where Avalanche was standing. Avalanche just jumped out of the way before sending a glare at the incoming enemies.


    Finally Storm pointed to Spike off to the side, deadly bones at the ready to join the fight. "Gambit Take out spike and then come help us." Gambit shot Storm a bit of a playful smirk before pulling out his foldable staff. Picking a small card from his pocket his threw it off the side of the building before making his way down. It was a few seconds later that an explosion went off forcing Spike to dodge to the side.


    Storm didn''t pay them much mind as she turned to Beast and the Professor. They started to walk down the stairs of the building, ready to face Magneto who knew they were coming.

 Chapter 98 - The Arrival part 2

    Helicopters hung over the area as film crews tried to get close to the fighting. But because of the narrowness of the street the fight was taking place on, they couldn''t get too close. All they could tell was that the Avengers were fighting someone and that would be prime time television!


    The battle was now in full swing. Sabretooth was putting up a good fight against the 2 ex-soldiers as they used an uncanny amount of teamwork to force him back. The problem was how fast he healed at the rate they were going it would be a few hours before a victor would be decided.


    *************


    Gambit and spike were in a mid-distance battle, throwing their long ranged projectiles at each other. Gambit had the advantage as the cards he threw actually blew up. Whenever they would get in close they would clash pike to bone, trying to take each other''s heads.


    *************


    While that was going on 2 red heads and a brunet where in a close quarter fight with Avalanche and Pyro. Receiving help from Jean and Scott, Natasha had been able to get out of cover and get in close to Avalanche. Though his powers were deadly if caught, Natasha kept dodging ever blow, knowing she couldn''t take a full punch straight on.


    Next to her, Jean was also fighting, restricting his movements and throwing rubble at him. Scott was taking Pyro''s attention as they both blasted each other with extreme heat. Pyro had to dodge each and every time Scott got a good shot in, while Scott had to duck behind cover to dodge the scorching flames.


    *************


    Over with Laura and Kimura, Kitty and Jubilee didn''t know what to do. They starred a bit away from the fight as they watched the two women try and rip each other apart. The blood l.u.s.t and battle intent would have put elite soldiers to shame.


    But after an initial hesitation Jubilee jumped in. Standing at a distance she sent a pyrotechnic blast right into Kimura''s face, She was distracted enough for Laura to land a clean blow to the chin knocking her to the ground. "Argh!" Quickly rolling to the side avoiding Laura''s foot claw she sprung to her feet and sent a death glare Jubilees way, which sent a shiver down her spine.


    Jubilee didn''t have to be told twice. After that death glare she started to rain shot after shot on the woman, though it did no damage to her tough skin, it was enough to blind her and force her back. All this did was make Kimura even angrier.


    Laura wasn''t one to look a gift horse in the mouth taking advantage of the help to land ever heavier blows. During this time Kitty sprinted forwards, not minding the rubble or overturned cars in her way. Circling around Kimura she came up on her back.


    "Argh!!!" Screaming once again in rage, Laura was caught off guard as her foot got caught before Kimura dropped with all of her weigh snapping the joint as she came down. *grit* Laura clenched her teeth as her body already started to heal the damage, while Kimura got up and flung her to the side into a building. *Crash* Bang*


    Something must have been left on in the building as it let out a small explosion as Laura''s body flew through the window. Kimura looked that way for a second before turning to Jubilee, red death in her eyes. *Gulp* Jubilee felt her mouth go dry and she stepped back a bit, Kimura making her way over.


    Before she could get close to Jubilee though a new pair of hands grabbed her from behind and she felt herself sink into the ground. "What the f.u.c.k!" She stopped sinking into the ground just as it reached about half way up her biceps, she moved for a few seconds feeling the ground, her eyes turning an even darker shade of blood red.


    The amount of anger she felt was bubbling to a breaking point. Her eyes turned into slits as she watched Kitty appear from the ground in front of her a small smile on her lips. The smile sent her over the edge. "Don''t you know who I am?! I''m Kimura BITCH!!!!"


    Kimura flexed her muscles and increased her power as she tore the asphalt beneath her and sprung from the ground ready to strangle and mutilate the girl before her. "Rargh!!!" Just as she got out though a missile called Laura smashed into her from the side blood caked on her face. "Die!!!"


    *************


    Storm, Beast and the professor stood before Magneto as he starred at them. His face was calm but stern as he locked eyes with his old friend, Charles. "Don''t you think this is enough destruction Magnus. You should know by now that Laura will not join your cause."


    Magneto sent a look over to Laura as she fought with Kimura, the fight had just entered another level of viciousness. Though he would love to have someone with such prowess on his side, he could tell she wouldn''t join them. She was too much like the metal beast for it to be a coincidence. Possible a relative.


    Honestly he would also like to finish the fight and get back to more important matters. But the Brotherhood had been craving this fight, he had to oblige them to a certain extent. He slowly began to rise in the air as he let his powers loose.


    Storm''s eyes changed color as she too began to rise in the air. Beast let out a small growl as he got ready to face down Mystique and Blink. Charles could only let out a sigh at the sight. "We don''t have to let it go this far." Magneto looked at him. "Yes we do Charles!"


    The skies darkened as thunder rumbled into the area. Everyone looked up for a second at the weather phenomenon that was severely affecting the surrounding air crafts trying to get a good glimpse of the fight. But the X-men and Brotherhood only looked up for a second, assuming it was Storm about to get serious.


    But Storm was the only one of them to keep looking at the sudden rain clouds above, because she knew, she hadn''t Caused them!


    *BOOOOM* *Crack*


    Lightning struck and something slammed into Sabretooths chest so hard that it flung him right through a building! A hammer floated in the air at the place his body once was as Steve and Logan looked at the sudden appearance of the tool, before it suddenly retracted and flew back into the air.


    "Sorry I''m late, son of Steve!" Everyone stopped for a second as they looked up at the new entrant a man with flowing golden locks and an armour showing off his sculptured physique.


    The God of Thunder had arrived!

 Chapter 99 - Die

    Laura''s eyes shifted to Thor for a second at his explosive entrance and that was her first mistake. Kimura''s eyes flickered for a second, Jubilee no longer providing cover, also distracted. *Whish* Laura flinched as she felt the roundhouse closing in on her head, she couldn''t react in time! Her feet were in the wrong position!


    Pulling her guard up in time, *bam*, the foot slammed into her forearms knocking Laura off balance. Before she could recover a leg swept her feet and she was lying on the ground. Kimura wasted no time locking her body down and started pummeling into her unguarded face.


    *Grr* "Lets see which breaks fist your skull or your brain?!" Elbows, fists, any and everything were thrown into Laura''s head. Kimura even grabbed her head and started slamming it into the asphalt. Laura struggled, but it was a losing battle. Even though she healed, if this kept up her brain would turn to mush!


    "You shitty bitch! Die already! You''re worthless! A piece of shit that no one wants to associate with! A failed experiment! A lost puppy that needs to be put down!" Though her vision was blurred her anger was starting to build a small voice in her head amplifying her emotions!


    Her hatred! Absolute loathing! Disgust! Repulsion! Everything was internalizing until only one train of thought dominated Laura''s mind. "Die! Die! Burn in hell! Die! Die!" *Hahaha.* The dark chuckle in the depths of her mind was completely missed.


    ***************


    Magneto''s face turned grim as he looked at the God of Thunder. Lightning still crackled around him as he turned in his direction. He said nothing as he surveyed the area; the Brotherhood was not performing well against the X-men and Avengers.


    A slight hint of doubt entered his mind, but he quashed it and quickly picked up some cars by the side, before throwing them at the minor god. Thor''s eyes narrowed as he deflected the incoming projectiles.


    *Boom* *Boom* Two cars exploded as their remains scattered to the side. "Have at thee!" Finding his main enemy Thor wound back his arm and flung his hammer forth. To Magneto it was a strange feeling he got from the hammer, but a familiar one.


    It was metal!


    He reached out his hand and his power reached out to control something in his domain. The incoming hammer slowed down for a moment, a frown coming to Thor''s face, before it continued its path.


    *Bang* Magneto just dodged out of the way before the hammer impacted where he once stood, obliterating the ground. His face was ugly as he tried once again to take control of the hammer. He could feel the metal, but something was interfering with his control! It was like nothing he had ever felt!


    Magneto rose into the air ready to continue the fight as Mjolnir returned to Thor. Just as the fight was about to intensify, Magneto felt something closing in from above. He looked up before moving to the side.


    The form of the Blob came into sight for a split second before crashing into the ground. *Bang* The ground splintered from his impact and he was knocked out cold. Magneto looked down at him, before turning to Rouge who was making her way down.


    Mystique looked at Rouge with a conflicted expression for a few seconds before she turned away. At the same time Storm rose into the air, thunder rumbling into existence. Thor looked in surprise for a second but didn''t say anything; his focus was on his opponent.


    Though he did think the fight was now unfair. Magneto was surrounded on three sides, on the left Rogue, on the right Storm and in front Thor himself. Eric gripped his fist, his thoughts wavering even more. Just as the tension was rising a new pulse of power spread out.


    Most on the field couldn''t feel it but some did. Wolverine felt his instincts spike in danger, Storm felt nature twist dangerously, Xavier and Jean both felt a powerful presence suddenly appear that roared in their mind and Thor felt something akin to the power of a god. He was the first to quickly turn in its direction, followed closely by the rest.


    **************


    "Rargh!!!" Laura''s horse scream tore out as she broke her collar bone, breaking out of the grapple she had been stuck in. Kimura was fast to recover but she struggled against Laura''s new found strength.


    In the short amount of time Laura got one hand free. Her blades gleamed darkly, a small pulse of something came off them. If someone looked close enough they would see it actually glowed a dull black! Kimura looked at the blade as it flashing down towards her hand; she looked from them to Laura''s eyes.


    She could tell she wasn''t thinking about her act, her eyes even seemed to have turned pitch black as they starred coldly right at her. A cold chill went down her spine as she looked back to the claw bearing down.


    She didn''t know why but she couldn''t peel her eyes of the blade, even though it couldn''t hurt her. It was because of this that she had a front row seat to watching the blade cut through her skin like it was butter. *Slick*


    Kimura was dumbfounded, she felt nothing. There was no blood, there was no pain, there was nothing except a sudden emptiness from where her hand had been. She couldn''t feel it anymore that was all. "W-what?" The word stuttered from her in a voice she hadn''t spoken in, in years.


    It was a voice of fear, of dread of what was about to happen. Without the hand holding her down, Laura had a bigger range of movement and because she was so dumbfounded Kimura didn''t even try and stop her from what she did next.


    Her leg flipped around and an elbow hit her face, but Kimura didn''t care. All she felt was the sudden disappearance of the feeling below her left ankle. Her eyes drifted down to look at the foot talon that had just gone by.


    Now Kimura was on her back starring up at Laura as she towered over her, the black pools of death boring into her mind. She would never forget those eyes, ever. She only said one word as her other claw came down and took away her other arm.


    "Die."

 Chapter 100 - Youre Better

    *Ping* Tony looked down at his wrists. "Jarvis is it ready?" "Yes Sir." Tony cracked a smile as he looked up to see what was happening and whispered to himself. "Try this chrome dome."


    ***************


    Magneto frowned as he watched a promising mutant become a cripple, not only that, the power contained in that small girl was something powerful, something to be coveted, he could see that from a distance. His eyes flickered for a second as he watched Captain America and Wolverine rush to her, everyone else frozen at the scene they were witnessing.


    Magneto started to evaluate the situation while they were distracted. He was surrounded by powerful combatants, especially the so called god of thunder, the Brotherhood was on the retreat and likely to be captured soon.


    They had no hope of recruiting the girl and had lost the other unknown mutant; there was no reason for them to continue this farce. Just as he was about to tell Mystique they were leaving a new voice rose above the others.


    "Try this you Magnetic Wonder!" Most of those on the street turned to Iron-Man in wonder as he stood tall on one of the surrounding buildings. He held his hand high as he slowly pressed something glowing above his wrists.


    *Ping* *Buzz* The arc reactor in his chest lit up for a minute before sending a type of pulse outwards. *Bztt* Electricity flew and crackled over the street, but nothing else happened. *Gasp* Mystique was shocked for a second as she noticed what happened, before she sprinted forwards to catch Magneto.


    He was falling from the sky!


    Magneto splayed his arms outwards to try and stop his fall but his powers weren''t responding, he tried to grab a discarded car to cushion his fall, but even that didn''t work. Finally just before he hit the ground Mystique caught his body breaking his fall.


    Everyone attention, bar a few, were now back on the master of magnetism. Trying to move any and all objects in the vicinity, Eric''s face turned into a scowl as he starred daggers at Tony who wore a smug expression under his mask.


    Just to rub in his awesomeness he shouted out to his fuming foe. "That my dear friend was an Electro Magnetic Pulse or EMP if you couldn''t understand the big words¡­." Magneto clenched his hands, already knowing what happened.


    "¡­Basically I just de-magnetised everything within a 1km radius. Suck on that!" Magneto''s expression got even worse as he spat out words, trying to control his anger. "Mystique we are leaving. Now." Mystique only gave a small nod as she motioned to Blink.


    Pink portals began to appear all over the battle field, gathering all of the brotherhood that were scattered about the place. "You''re not going anywhere cretin!" Thor roared as he twirled his hammer before slinging forwards.


    Magneto looked at Thor closing in for a second before turning his back and walking to join the group of dishevelled mutants. Just as Thor closed in and was about to deliver a blow, Blink appeared before him and opened a portal, before quickly closing it.


    ***********


    Thor looked around in confusion for a second as he stood on the moon, before looking back at earth where he once was. Wasting no time he quickly started to make his way back to earth.


    ***********


    Magneto walked up to the defeated Brotherhood and they said nothing as they felt the anger radiating off him. Blink created another portal back to their base, while Rogue and Storm let them go, they had been through this quite a few times by now.


    But just as they were leaving Magneto had to move his body to the side as an arrow whizzed by where his head used to be! Stopping to turn around he stared at Hawkeye, who was giving him a small smirk. ''I will remember this humiliation.'' He said nothing but his eyes spat fire as he turned back and left the area.


    The portal closed and both the X-men and Avengers let out a small breath of relief, before turning to the one place still in high tension.


    ***********


    "Argh! Stop bitch stop!!!!" Kimura screamed out loud as terror gripped her heart. She wasn''t dead yet, but she wished she were. She could only feel one of her legs, and both her arms were gone. There were small pieces of her body that just didn''t seem to exist anymore.


    The raging form of Laura was straddled over her body as she slowly drove her claws into her shoulders. Her movements had gotten slower after she took off her arms, and it was for that reason that Kimura was still alive. Laura had regained some clarity after the first outburst.


    She pulled her claws out of Kimura''s shoulders and brought them up to eye level. It was like for the first time she could see the difference in her black claws. They glowed a faint, dull black and Laura took a moment to look at them. They mesmerised her for some reason, but she couldn''t place it.


    When she came back to herself, she realised that there were now multiple people standing around her, the X-men and Avengers, all waiting to see what she would do. Laura looked down at the blood on her hands, the scared person underneath her.


    Her thoughts ran wild as if she were in a trance as she looked down at Kimura''s form. She had done it, she had taken down her tormentor, the one who made her life a living hell, she wanted nothing more than to plunge her claws through her heart, her throat anything to kill her. She enjoyed the scared look Kimura had as she looked at up her. The power she had over her.


    Laura slowly pulled back her hand, starring only at the scared eyes Kimura was giving her, just one motion forwards and she would kill her. Just as Laura prepared herself, prepared to get the satisfaction of the kill, the deep voice of Captain America spoke from the side.


    "Are you sure you want to do this kid?" Laura stopped for a moment letting the words sink in. No one else around said a word. "Do you want to kill her?" Laura''s hand was steady as she replied. "She made my life a living hell, she deserves to die!"


    Steve took a step forwards. "But if you kill her, you''re no better." Laura gripped her fist tightly, the words entering a part of her heart she thought was closed off. ''Do I want to be like Kimura...a monster? Do I want to be better? Do I want to be a person? Or do I want to be a weapon?''


    Laura''s hands started to shake as she felt tears in her eyes. She wanted more than anything to kill her right now, while she could, while no one could stop her. But as she tried to do it, her hand wouldn''t move. It was frozen in place as if something was holding it. Something was stopping her.


    What was it!?!


    Suddenly an image appeared in Laura''s mind. One of a boy in tattered clothes, a bit malnourished, but he had a smile that would light up her world. Then he started to speak... "Look I don''t care what you are; all I know is that you came here to help me. That''s why you took down these guys right?"¡­It was when he found out she was a mutant.


    He was so nice, so normal after all she had been through. "Hey, it''s ok. You helped me. Thanks for the help." "You really helped me out there." He could have run away after seeing her attack those thugs, hurting them in unspeakable ways, doing what she had been trained to do.


    "I would have been in trouble without your help." But he stuck around. He came back and talked to her, became her friends, something irreplaceable. He wouldn''t want this. He wouldn''t want me to become a weapon. He just wanted me to be myself.


    The Peter in her mind held her arm gently stopping her from finishing the job as he smiled brightly. "I don''t think I''ve ever said my name." Laura''s whole body shook as tears freely flowed down. She shook her head stiffly. "Names Peter. I owe you one now; anytime you need help I''ll be there for you, ok. Anytime, remember that¡­"


    The voice trailed off as Laura lowered her hand. She couldn''t become a monster, she just¡­.couldn''t *Snikt* Her claws slowly retracted as those around gave a sigh of relief. Kimura starred up at the girl she tormented, the one that let her live.


    Her emotion were complex, if she had been in the situation she would have killed her in seconds, gotten it over with. As she mused in her thoughts through¡­ *Bang* ¡­ A fist came and rattled her brain. Not expecting the sudden blow she forgot to reinforce her density and her head slammed to the ground making her enter the land of dreams.


    Steve who was standing to the side and had just released his held breath, stiffened for a second at the brutality of the punch.


    Laura got up with a smile on her face glancing at the look of shock Steve was sending her; she just shrugged as she fixed up her hair. "She deserved that." Steve just gave a small nod, shook his head and then smiled.


    With the fight over, soon both the X-men and Avengers; plus Felicia moved back into the apartment building, avoiding the incoming press that were about to swarm the street. Both teams looked at each other, Charles Xavier and Steve Rogers assessing each other.


    Tony nudged Clint as they stood in the building. "I told you there was a mutant that could phase through walls." Clint just rolled his eyes and smacked his hand away. "Shhh, not now Tony." Charles was the first to speak, holding out his hand as a sign of peace. "We have a lot to talk about Captain Rogers."


    Steve looked at the hand for a second before putting out his own. "Yes, yes we do."


    ***************


    Peter looked blankly into the window of the ship as it prepared to land in Wakanda. He would have taken in the sights that he had never seen before, but what Crystal had just told him had his full attention.


    "Sorry Crystal could you please repeat that." If he could see Crystal, he would have easily noticed her eyes roll at the question. "I said, while you''ve been gone a certain few things have happened in New York¡­"

 Chapter 101 - Welcome to Wakanda

    "Wait...Wait...WAIT! Crystal come back right now! What does that mean?!?!?" Peter screamed out as Ben poked his head out of the c.o.c.kpit to look at his friend screaming into thin air.


    ***************


    (A few minutes earlier)


    Peter raised an eyebrow behind his mask as he asked Crystal to clarify what she just said. After having a well deserved rest, it felt like an eternity had passed before he woke up. Crystal had informed him that they were only 30 minutes away from Wakanda and closing fast.


    But it was as he was thinking about seeing Wakanda for the first time that she had mentioned something had happened in New York. To say that he was fearful would be an understatement. This was what he feared the most, someone causing trouble in New York while he was gone.


    ''It had only been 2 days! Could the Rhino have popped up again?! Electro! Scorpion! Tombstone?! The possibilities were endless! Maybe a new villain all together!'' Peter''s thoughts were all over the place that he missed what Crystal said the first time.


    "Sorry Crystal could you please repeat that." He could have sworn that he felt crystal roll her eyes at his words, but he couldn''t be sure as she replied. "I said, while you''ve been gone a certain few things have happened in New York. The Avengers took on a group of mutants in one of the city blocks."


    ''At least the Avengers handled the situation. But a group of mutants, he would ask her more about them later¡­for now.'' "Were there any casualties? Damage? Was it bad?" Crystal gave a quick reply with a bit of care in her words. "No Peter, other than wrecked buildings, no one was hurt." Peter let out a small sigh of relief at the words relaxing back in his chair.


    Just as he was contemplating how New York was always a magnet for such super powered battles, Crystals next words made him sit bolt right up. "Though the damage lead to some interesting results, once you get back I can''t wait to see your reaction. I wonder what face you''ll make when you find out." "Wait¡­.what?" Crystals snickering voice sounded out before their connection cut off and then there was silence. "Don''t worry, I''ll make sure to record every second."


    ***************


    (Present)


    Turning around in his rant, Peter caught sight of Ben as he looked at him from the c.o.c.kpit, with a weird expression on his face. Peter stilled as he locked eyes with the lovable lug. Lowering his hands and realizing that Crystal won''t answer his question no matter what, his shoulders slumped and he fell back in his chair, trying to hide some of the embarrassment that he felt.


    Ben retracted his head back into the c.o.c.kpit after a few seconds without saying a word, as Peter''s mind started to race a mile a minute! What had happened in New York! His mind quickly found a solution as he dug his phone out of his pocket and pulled up Google.


    Quickly doing a search for any information it came up with a single message. ''No internet connection found, please try again later.'' Peter stopped dead at the words as he knew for a fact he could get a signal anywhere on the planet, thanks to... He stopped as he read the message underneath the first. ''Nice try Peter''


    "Dammit Crystal!" Peter almost threw his phone to the ground at Crystal''s trolling. It had happened a few times before, times when Crystal would prank him by withholding information. The good thing was, the information wouldn''t put his life in danger, Crystal would never joke about his safety. The bad....It was sure to be embarrassing for him.


    Peter''s slump in the chair got even worse as he resigned himself to the impending doom he faced, even though he had just escaped Doom. ''Heh, villain joke.'' Even his inner monologue couldn''t keep the quiet pout off his lips.


    It was a few minutes later when Sue popped her head into the main area and called for Peter, finally snapping him out of his inner thoughts. "Hey Spidey, we got someone from Wakanda that wants to speak with you."


    Peter begrudgingly got up as he moved to where the rest were situated, but there wasn''t the usual pep in his step. The fantastic four had all crowded into the c.o.c.k pit, Johnny still knocked out from the beating he took in Doom''s castle.


    Sue was looking after him as a weaker than usual Reed and Ben flew the ship towards the specified coordinates. This had left Peter in the main cargo hold where he could get some peaceful sleep. The ship was surprisingly big, but after thinking about all the vibranium that Doom stole, it made sense.


    As Peter walked into the c.o.c.kpit, he couldn''t help the small smile that came to his lips as he looked at the small hologram sitting in the middle of the control consol. Doom''s ship was high tech, very high tech, making the hologram very life like. Peter was reminded of the holo projections from star wars as he looked at the woman sharing a smile back at him.


    With black braided hair pulled into a bun at the top, a pearly white smile and silver collar around her neck. Shuri''s eyes lit up slightly as she looked at the Pen Pal she hadn''t seen in over 2 years. She wore an orange vest over a traditional Wakanda black sleeveless shirt, which lead down to a bright sash around her waist.


    The outfit finished itself off with tight black leggings and boots; she waved happily as Peter walked into the room. "Hey Spidey." Peter knew she wanted to call him by his actual name, but didn''t because of the others. His smile got just that bit wider as he got closer to the small hologram.


    "Hey Shuri. God it''s been a long time, you look a lot smaller than I remember, I could have sworn you were taller." Shuri let out a small chuckle as she looked into his lenses. "And I remember you used to have normal looking eyes that didn''t stretch over half your face, ogling too many women was it?"


    Peter snorted once and was going to continue the small banter, when he remembered that the Fantastic four were still in the same room. Turning to take a quick peek at them, Ben had a huge grin on his face as he watched what was happening, while Sue was also peeking in from where she was taking care of her brother.


    Reed was the only one not interested in the conversation and was instead looking intently at the clothes Shuri was wearing, his intelligent mind quickly taking notice of the fabric make, and tech he could just see next to her.


    Reed had done some research on the 3rd world country of Wakanda when Spider-Man had asked them to get vibranium back from Doom. His interest was piqued when he started to read up on vibranium, but everything he had read about the 3rd world country told him that they shouldn''t have any high tech products or machinery.


    His brows furrowed as Shuri also realized that there were others present. She cleared her throat as she tapped on a small pad just out of sight of the hologram. "We''ll talk later Spidey." Peter gave a small nod as he took one of the empty seats at the front.


    As Shuri began to type she talked to Reed who was flying the ship. "We''ve picked up your ship coming in on our sensors. We just had to make sure it was you guys, before giving you entry, we don''t want to accidentally shoot you down..." But she grumbled under her breath as she tapped out a few more keys. "..Though Crystal informed us, but everyone wants to be sure anyways."


    No one said anything to her mumbling as she finished typing something in and turned back to them. "We''ve sent two aircraft''s to guide you in, just follow them and they''ll take you to where you''ll be landing."


    Reed continued to say nothing as Shuri mention things that Wakanda, a 3rd world country, should not have, and no sooner had Shuri''s words faded than the equipment on board let them know 2 other air craft''s were flanking them.


    They had literally appeared from nowhere and if Shuri hadn''t let them know, Reed would have been scared out of his mind, along with the rest of them. ''Do they have a type of stealth technology? No that''s not possible.''


    Reed carefully guided the ship between the two new air crafts as they got closer to their destination, but before their eyes all they could see where mountain ranges and no sign of civilization. Reed was beginning to question where Wakanda really was, when the two sh.i.p.s at the side accelerated and suddenly flew right into a mountain!


    Everyone but Peter gasped as they watched the suicidal move. Ben was about to shout a warning to Shuri who had a mischievous expression on her face, when the crafts suddenly went straight into the mountain and disappeared from their radars.


    Reed slowed the aircraft for a second and was going to pull up, but steeled himself and followed behind the two aircraft''s. Though his blood pressure went up a little gong straight through the mountain, it was the sight behind it that truly got his heart pumping.


    If he wasn''t flying the ship he would have stood up to get a better look at the sight before him, coincidentally Peter, Sure and Ben had all stood up to marvel at the sight before them. With huge sky scr.a.p.er like buildings, large fields and technology that some of them had never seen before and a fricking gigantic panther statue off to the side! Shuri''s voice sounded out in the new found silence.


    "Welcome to Wakanda!"


    Everyone turned to look at her smug expression for a second before turning back to look at the sight before them. Reed couldn''t help but think on sentence as he took the sight in. "3rd world country...bullshit."


    Ben was the first to say anything as they flew to their destination. "Damn." Peter also nodded his head, having seen all this for the first time as well. "Yeah....Damn."


    Shuri''s smile got just a smidgen wider as she heard Peter''s words.

 Chapter 102 - Royal Recpetion

    Reed expertly lowered the ship as he came into the landing pad they had been lead to. Everyone was still shocked by the sights around them, that they didn''t notice the contingent of people that surrounded the ship until Reed had powered down the engines.


    Around their ship were other resting aircrafts, which Reed noted, were just as advanced as the ship he sat in. Peter started for a second as he took in the family standing a bit away from the ship. Standing with a straight back and royal bearing was T''Chaka, current king of Wakanda.


    With grey beard and hair he still had a regal air around him, something they could all feel even looking at him from a distance. Standing next to him was a woman also bearing a royal demeanour, she stood just behind T''Chaka, she was Ramonda Queen of Wakanda.


    She had been with T''Chaka for many years and had sired two kids for her husband, both of which were standing behind their parents. T''Challa stood ram rod straight behind his parents as he stared at the resting ship. Though it wasn''t as prominent as his father, he had the bearings of a leader, no doubt cultivated as he was to be the next king of Wakanda.


    Finally standing next to him was Shuri. Peter''s eyes stopped on her the longest as he hadn''t seen his best friend in person for a very long time. Even from a distance he could see the excitement in her eyes. Peter was sure that if it wasn''t for protocol, she would have rushed up the ramp to give him a hug, before the two would banter and geek out about new technology and ideas.


    "I guess we should go out and greet them." Peter''s words seemed to snap the rest out of it as they all turned to him. Peter didn''t give any visible response to the sudden attention and instead nodded towards Johnny, before motioning to the rest, his voice just a bit more serious.


    "They''ll have the facilities you need to look after Johnny and get the rest of you checked out. We all need some rest after getting out of that crazy castle." Sue visibly relaxed and grabbed for Johnny as she heard he could get treatment. He had briefly left her mind as they reach Wakanda, but she was still very worried that he hadn''t woken up yet.


    Ben gave a nod to the web head, as his words made sense, though he was interested in everything that was happening, he knew that he could get some rest and look at it later. It was Reed that looked like he wanted to disagree.


    Personally Reed wanted to leap from his chair and start shaking answers out of Spider-Man! ''What the hell! Where did all this technology come from?! Did he know about it...of course he did! How did they keep it from the UN! How are they more advanced than the rest of the world?! What made up their stealth technology to cloak their entire country?!''


    His mind was racing a mile a minute, but the strong solid hand of Ben Grimm resting on his shoulder calmed him down. He turned to look at his long time friend and let out a breath of air. His body was too tired to do any of that, honestly his mind was also straining to stay awake.


    Spider-Man was the only one to come out truly unscathed from their escape.


    The Fantastic Five made their way slowly out of the ship and stopped for a second as they took in the people that greeted them once again. Now that they were closer they noticed the royal family of Wakanda were all dressed in royal garbs as they waited for them to move closer.


    Standing just behind them were woman, all with no hair, menacing and wearing a type of red outfit that denoted their collection as a group. Their eyes followed them as they walked closer and closer to the royal family. It was frankly intimidating to the fantastic four, though Peter who knew about them before hand was more easily going.


    They all had spears in their hands that glinted in the sun above them, Reed taking a closer look couldn''t identify the metal that was used for the spear head and could swear there was some type of circuitry going through the spear shafts which just set his mind ablaze with new theories.


    There was one standing noticeable closer to the royal family than the others; her name was Okoye, general of the Dora Milaje, the special forces of Wakanda. Though she could afford to be slightly relaxed as the group before her had just done a great service for their country, until she knew the Fantastic Four personally she would not take any chances, even if one of them was injured, her eyes briefly flickered to the knocked out form of Johnny Storm.


    Though she did know Peter, she had been their when Shuri had first met her ''Pen Pal'' in person. A concept almost laughable to her mind at the time. Shuri being a genius, even in Wakanda, and royalty, what was the purpose of her having a Pen Pal? An even better question, that was answered later, was how they even became Pen Pal''s in the first place.


    At least no misunderstandings had occurred when that question was answer; she didn''t like having to silence children, especially for somehow breaching Wakandan communication security.


    But her mind had wondered for too long, she refocused on the group as they finally appeared before them. T''Chaka took a step forwards first and addressed Spider-Man as he had been nominated by the Fantastic Four to talk for them.


    "Hello and Welcome to Wakanda. I must thank you for the service you provided by retrieving our stolen Vibranium. There is no telling the horrors that could occur should one such as Victor Von Doom mishandle such a substance." Giving a respectful Wakandan greeting Peter was quick to respond.


    It wasn''t the first time he had met King T''Chaka, but it had been a long time. A few of the Dora Milaje moved behind the group to secure the ship they flew in on, as Peter spoke up. "I could not turn down your request your majesty, not in your time of need. I would do so again in a heartbeat, you know I will always help a friend."


    Peter''s head shifted ever so slightly to Shuri as she flashed him a smile. What neither of them noticed was the small smile and glint in the eyes of Ramonda off to the side as she watched the interaction between the two.


    She was happy that her daughter had such a good friend. Straightening himself and turning to the Fantastic Four Peter continued. "It is them you should thank your majesty, they had no reason to help but did so anyway. Without them it would have been a near impossible task." ''Or more like impossible'' Peter thought to himself.


    T''Chaka gave a small nod at the words and stepped just past Peter to acknowledge the four others. "Yes, your help in this matter will not be over looked. Know that you have made friends with Wakanda this day and that we always repay our debts of gratitude."


    They could only nod a bit dumbfounded as they stood before a man with such presence. Hearing him thank them whole heartedly was something they hadn''t expected. They had spoken to other politicians and leaders that were stuck up and brutish to say the least because of the power they wielded.


    Peter spoke up as he noticed that Sue was having a bit of trouble keeping Johnny''s prone body up. "We received some injuries retrieving the Vibranium, we could use some medical assistance as soon as possible."


    T''Chaka nodded once more as he motioned for one of the Dora Milaje to step forwards. "Bring our guest to one of the medical wards and give them the best care we have." The woman nodded her head gravely and waited for her king to finish. Turning back to the Fantastic Four he motioned for them to go.


    "We will speak more when you have fully recovered." "Thank you your majesty." Sue left those words as she began to follow the Dora Milaje into the building in front of them. Reed had so many questions on his mind but he moved along with Ben as they also left.


    Peter was the only one still on the landing platform waiting for the other to leave, when they moved out of sight Shuri couldn''t help it anymore and bounded forwards giving him a full blown hug. "Peter! It''s been so long!"


    Peter was surprised for a few seconds from the sudden hug, but should have known it was coming. The smile on her face was radiant as he slowly returned it, a smile coming to his lips under the mask. "Yes, Yes it has."

 Chapter 103 - Surprise

    *Cough* *Cough* The sound from behind them caused both Peter and Shuri to freeze for a second as they realized for just how long they had been hugging each other. Peter looked to the side and saw the small smile that framed T''Chaka''s face as he watched the two.


    Quickly letting go, he didn''t notice the small blush that Shuri had as she pulled back and regained her royal bearing, though he did catch her rolling her eyes as she moved back. "I''m sure you and Shuri can catch up in a minute, but we have one last important task to finish up."


    A look of understanding passed through Shuri''s eyes before she became excited again and bounced forwards. "Right! Right! We were tracking the signature of Vibranium on our satellites when it all of suddenly disappeared. I told them it had to be you who did it..." She trailed off as she waited for Peter to nod.


    Peter stepped back for a second at her bubbly attitude, while mutely nodding his head. Her eyes seemed to shine as she got confirmation. "...How did you do it? Tell me! A new invention?! Something that creates a pocket dimension?! Tell me!" Shuri''s inquisitive mind worked overtime as theories played one after the other, trying to think of how he transported all the vibranium back.


    She was practically shaking him down for answers as T''Challa stifled a small snicker behind them. Ramonda let out a small sigh as she rolled her eyes before she stepped forward and pulled back her daughter.


    "Calm down, calm down. I''m sure if you would let him speak, he''ll tell you in a second." Shuri seemed to snap out of it after hearing the words and looked around at the few Dora Milaje that were looking her way. Okoye herself was having trouble keeping her mouth in a straight line.


    Shuri turned quite and hid behind her mother to hide her blush as Peter let out a small smile at the antics, sending one last amused smirk Shuri''s way he turned to the queen. "Yes, I''ll do better than telling you, I''ll show you. Come out Venom."


    Shuri slightly furrowed her brows as she heard the name, but said nothing and instead watched, a small part of her scientific mind having wanted to see the specimen for a long time. Okoye and a few others of the Dora Milaje stiffened and prepared themselves for battle as they watch a small blob of tar seem to appear from out of Peter''s body.


    There was something about the black dot that set them on edge. Okoye moved slightly closer to her king as Venom hoped off Peter''s shoulder and moved a slight distance away where no one was located. Suddenly swelling to a mass size, that caused all the other guards to prepare their spears, it created a sort of black box then sat there for a good 20 seconds before it slowly retracted.


    Shrinking back down to size, as Venom moved away, the square block stayed the same and before the shocked eyes of the Royal family and Dora Milaje 1 Ton of Vibranium appeared before them. Ramonda tried to keep a steely facade up, but she was having trouble as her eyes widened at the sight.


    T''Chaka himself stepped back in shock for a second before calming himself down. But both of them did better than T''Challa whose jaw dropped open at the sight. Shuri just had enough presence of mind to use her index finger to close it shut for him.


    Peter looked on trying to retain a giggle at the sight, wishing he had a camera on him. Unlike the Royal family the Dora Milaje standing around were now on high alert as they looked at Venom as he made its way back to Peter.


    They said nothing but were ready to pounce if needed. They didn''t let their guards down until Venom had retreated right back into Peter''s body. If they could have seen his face, they would have seen Peter giving them a smug look.


    Everyone was still trying to come to terms with what they just saw, but before anything could be said Shuri dashed forwards once more. Quickly grabbing onto Peter''s hand she dragged him off towards her lab as she yelled back over her shoulder.


    "Well now that, that''s done I''ll be showing Peter around! See you guys at Dinner!" T''Chaka didn''t get to say anything as he watched his daughter disappear around a corner. From where they stood they could just hear Shuri begin to question Peter.


    "Since when could you do that! Does it store that in a pocket dimension?! How does it connect to the pocket dimension? When did you find out it could do that? Didn''t you have a falling out with it a year or two ago? How did you get around the...."


    T''Challa couldn''t help it anymore and let out a small laugh as he shook his head at his sisters antics. Stepping forwards he began to inspect the Vibranium, to see if any had been used before they had gotten it back. A few of the Dora Milaje stepped forwards to help him with the task as, T''Chaka and Ramonda looked at each other for a few seconds before smiling.


    Stepping closer to each other they both gave a small laugh as T''Chaka took his wife''s hand and moved back towards the palace. There were other matters he had to attend to.


    **************


    (Shuri''s Lab)


    Shuri quickly put the code into the keypad to her personal lab before dragging Peter inside. No one was inside the room that had different piece of equipment and wiring littered about the place. In the middle of the room sat a work bench that had different gadgets scattered about, while on the walls were different cabinets holding who knows what.


    A few holograms were left open as they floated in the air as Shuri moved by them. Peter just let her take control and looked about the room in wonder. He had been to the Baxter building a few times to meet with the fantastic four, but even then, the tech inside Shuri''s lab was a nerds wet dream!


    ''I don''t think it would be a good idea letting Reed in here.'' That was Peter''s quite thought as he took everything in. Off to the side her caught sight of a few manikins with Black Panther helmets for heads. ''Is she upgrading the Panther suit?''


    Yes Peter did know that Wakanda''s people worshiped the Panther goddess Bast and that the king was their greatest warrior and protector, the Black Panther. He also knew that with their advanced technology the Black Panther had one of, if not the most advanced suit in the world. Better than even Tony Stark.


    As Shuri was probably the smartest inventor in Wakanda at the moment, it was no wonder that she would be upgrading the suit, or that''s what Peter was thinking as Shuri finally stopped in front of him. Turning to loom at Peter, Shuri put her hands on her h.i.p.s and pouted at him as if she was angry about something.


    "Ok take it off."


    Peter paused for a second.


    "Wait what?"

 Chapter 104 - Necklace

    Peter slowly backed away from Shuri with his hands up. "Hey, Shuri, I know I don''t know all the Wakandan customs and all that stuff, but you could at least buy me dinner first." Stuttering in a fake scared voice Shuri just rolled her eyes at him.


    "For the love of Bast." *Click* *Ping* *Crank* Pressing an icon on one of the holo-panels near her, the door they just walked through locked itself with a metallic crank. Peter looked over his shoulder for a second before looking at Shuri again.


    She had a small smirk of victory on her lips as she looked at Peter. "Ok pretty boy, Strip." Peter clutched his body in a shudder and¡­ "Ahhhh"¡­Screamed like a girl. "Help!!!!! I''m about to be molested!" Shuri stood stunned for a few seconds before she face palmed and groaned into her hand.


    *Haha* After a few more seconds of screaming and a peek or two at Shuri who was just shaking her head, Peter finally stopped and gave a small chuckle. Rolling his shoulders out of their slumped position he straightened as he looked Shuri right in the eye.


    "Why do you want me to ''Strip?''" Shuri couldn''t help herself as her eyes shifted to a small box off to the other side of the room. Though it was a small movement Peter noticed. "It''s a surprise ok." Peter stayed there for a few seconds at her answer before nodding his head.


    Slowly reaching up he took a hold of his mask and took it off with a quick Tug. The smile on Shuri''s face got just that bit wider as she caught sight of her long-time friend without his mask. Though she was a little unhappy on the inside as she noticed how malnourished he looked.


    Peter may have started to live with Felicia after she had kidnapped him, but that had only been at most a week ago. He would have to eat a lot more to get back the fat or more promptly muscle back on his body.


    Throwing the mask off to the side, Peter flashed her a small smile before he thought of the small seam that kept the back of his suit together, slowly loosening his hold on the fabric. Being able to stick to any surface, the suit didn''t have Velcro or a zip keeping it together.


    In Peters mind, the Velcro wouldn''t hold up to the rigorous movement that he often had to accomplish, while the zip would be uncomfortable and easily exploited by other villains, especially someone like Electro.


    Like with his Mask, even when unconscious his body would naturally keep the suit stuck to his body and together. The amount of thought he had to put into the mere process of keeping the seam together didn''t even register with him anymore.


    The upper part of the suit loosened at the back and he hunched to pull it off, letting it fall in front of him. Peter slipped his hands out and straightened his body, his upper torso being shown off to Shuri in front of him. She might¡­just might have looked a bit longer at his abs than was necessary, but Peter didn''t comment on the fact.


    Shuri herself was knocked out of her small day dream as she registered the malnourished state his body was in, like with his face, causing a small frown to form. Thinking about the reason for a second, she kept her mouth shut and said nothing, though she wished she could have helped him when he truly needed it.


    Her eyes traveled back up to his eyes and they stayed like that for a good minute before Shuri''s eye brow rose. "When I said Strip, I meant all of it." Peter''s face turned a little red at the words as he scratched the back of his neck.


    "Wellll¡­ I mighnothaveanyunderwearon." Shuri''s mind took a full second to unjumble the rushed words and understand what he just said. Her face turned red as she spluttered at the mental image. "You don''t ware any underwear?!"


    *Cough* *Cough* Peter looked embarrassed as he explained to his long-time friend. "Well, the suit is pretty skin tight, and underwear rides up and can be distracting¡­you know, unlike super suits with toilets in them, my suit is pretty basic¡­ sometimes I find it helps if you use baby powder on the inside."


    Peter mumbled the last part to himself in self shame before remembering that he was still standing in front of Shuri. His head whipped up and the two looked at each other for a few more seconds before Shuri couldn''t help it. *Pft* *Hahahah* She cracked up laughing and almost fell to the ground as Peter watched on. His face turned to stone as he deadpanned at her after she didn''t stop. "Screw you."


    Shuri didn''t seem to hear his words as she continued to laugh, though she was putting it on a bit just to mess with him even more. Watching her writhe on the floor for another 20 seconds Peter just rolled his eyes, before he thought of a certain silver haired minx he knew.


    A small smirk came to his lips. "Ok then, I did warn you." And with his words the lower part of his suit slackened and dropped to the ground. Shuri instantly stopped her laughing as she turned to look at Peter. Her eyes locked on his for a few seconds, before they slowly¡­slowly lowered.


    Her eyes widened for a second before she furiously turned around blushing madly. Peter started to laugh his ass off at her reaction, quickly pulling his leggings up as he laughed, While Shuri regained her bearings. Standing up from the ground, she finally turned back around with a dangerous glint in her eyes.


    I''ll get you back for that Parker." All she got was a smirk in return that she could do nothing about. She rolled her eyes once again as she moved over to the silver case with a small spider emblem engraved on the front on the other side of the room.


    Picking up the small case she moved over to the workbench in the middle of the room and shoved some of her other equipment to the side. Peter followed behind her with a small look of interest as he saw the spider emblem. It was very reminiscent of the spider symbol on his suit.


    Setting the case down, Shuri looked up to the roof before speaking out, pushing the last few minutes from her mind. "Crystal would you mind opening the case." Peter looked to Shuri in surprise. "You got Crystals help in the design? She didn''t tell me she was working on something."


    Shuri looked back at him. "Yeah we both wanted it to be perfect and as I said before, it is supposed to be a surprise." Peter gave a small nod at her words, his interest even higher now. "Certainly." As if waiting for their conversation to end, Crystal finally responded, and with the sound of her voice, *Click*, the case let out a small puff of compressed air as it opened.


    Laying in the middle of the case was a beautifully designed silver necklace. Metallic links connected the piece to a Spider pendant at the end which held the only color in the whole piece. With red and black entwining with the ever present silver throughout the spiders body, it was a beautifully crafted piece.


    Peter could tell looking just at the necklace that it cost a tremendous sum to make, he wasn''t sure but had a feeling that it was completely made of vibranium, which made the little piece worth a few million easy.


    The spider pendant was closely linked and held in place with the necklace and Peter had no clue what she used to colour the vibranium, but he knew it wasn''t just a type of paint. Shuri gave a gentle smile as she looked down at the pendant before slowly reaching for it.


    Her hands gripped the chain before pulling it out and bringing it before Peter. Peter didn''t say anything but admired the small engravings all over the Spider Pendant. He could tell the engravings were in ancient Wakandan, something he had seen rarely.


    Only the best pieces of equipment or jewellery in Wakanda''s history were given such an honour of being engraved with the ancient language. Peters heart beat a bit harder as Shuri stepped before him and held it up to put on him. As she was slightly shorter than him, it wouldn''t have been too hard for her to actually settle it over his head, but something compelled Peter to bow his body respectfully so it was easier for her.


    Shuri gave a small smile at the gesture and slowly moved the chain around Peter''s neck before letting it rest on his skin, the pendant resting right in the middle of his chest, just over his sternum.


    The cool touch of the piece sent a small shiver down his spine at it seemed to fit perfectly. He knew they must have measured his neckline or used something else to make sure it was a perfect fit. Peter was still a little stunned as he looked down at the necklace he now wore. In his daze Shuri quietly grabbed his hand and led him over to a mirror off to one side.


    Looking into it, he could see the full blown smile he was finding hard to reign in as he looked at it resting on his chest. Shuri off to the side looked proud as she looked at her work. Peter knew he hadn''t smiled like this in a very, very long time.


    As he continued to admire himself in the mirror Shuri spoke from the side. "Ok I mean it when I say it this time, please take off your suit, there''s one more surprise." Peter looked to Shuri once more before nodding his head.


    Shuri gave him a little privacy as she turned away as his suit once again hit the floor, though she might have looked over her shoulder discreetly... If Peter wasn''t so entrapped with the Gift he now wore, he might have had an inkling about what was going on, but his mind was elsewhere as he thought of the last time he felt this way about a gift.


    "I''ve been working on something like this for my brother, but I wanted to get yours done first¡­" Peter''s eyes flickered to one of the manikins in the reflection of the mirror where another necklace sat. Unlike his, that one looked more tribal, with a metallic wire connecting something that looked like teeth around the neck.


    His eyes returned to his spider pendant as Shuri continued. "Well that''s not important¡­what is, is that if you could close your eyes¡­" Peter didn''t hesitate to close them. Shuri waited for a few seconds before speaking again.


    "Ok Crystal." Crystal said nothing, but Peter felt a small amount of heat on his chest, before something seemed to crawl along his skin and start to encase his body. He might have freaked out if he didn''t trust Shuri, didn''t trust Crystal, if he hadn''t felt Venom do something similar when they were bonded.


    But he didn''t, his breath held calm as he waited for it to fully enclose him, his mind making all the connections it needed and understanding what this necklace truly was. He felt Shuri turn around to look at him as the process finished, but still didn''t move.


    Finally Shuri''s voice sounded behind him, a bit softer than usual, a gentle that belayed a certain care.


    "Ok, you can open them now."


    Peter nodded to her voice and slowly opened his eyes.

 Chapter 105 - New Lining (3 In 1 Chapter)

    The first thing Peter saw when he opened his eyes was the silver lining that rimmed his lenses. A small holographic readout appeared in the corner of his eye as a marker with Shuri''s name popped up for a second before disappearing. His eyes shifted to her form for a second before moving back to the mirror.


    He focused a bit more on the lenses and was surprised when his lenses also seemed to narrow. ''Photo lenses which readjust?'' The thought popped into his head as he looked at the mask that covered his face.


    Like he already noticed his eyes were the usual white, but silver rimmed instead of black. The silver blended into black as it connected to the other lines that traveled the rest of the mask, connecting to the rest of his body.


    What Peter found weird as he traced the lines that ran his body was the fact they were depressed in the suit as if engraved on it or more like an indent throughout it. This was a major change from the usual pronounced lines that framed the suit and stood out from it.


    Looking at the web pattern for a few more seconds Peter took in a few of the other changed details he could see at first glance. No big changes could be seen from his past mask other than the facts stated before.


    The mask ran down to a slightly more pronounced neck line, which Peter realized was where his new necklace would have sat. Following the line down, it curved perfectly to the center of his chest where the previous spider pendant had become the new symbol in the middle of his chest.


    The color seemed to have bled out of the pendant leaving it blackish silver and unlike the rest of the web pattern, stood out from his body. Moving down from the neck line was a more advanced design of his previous suit. Still containing the Red and Blue design of the past, the red dominated the middle of his chest and his arms, running down his forearm to his hands, while the underside of his arms kept the blue pattern. Leading from his chest, the red color went all the way down to his waist before turning blue for his pants leading down to his feet before it turned red once again for his boots.


    Though red dominated the center of his chest region, blue dominated his obliques and the underside of his arms causing Peter to smile. It was the exact same color pallet from his old suit. Unlike the old suit the materials that made up his new one were obviously better.


    Gone was the homemade feel that came with cheaper fabrics and now Peter marveled at the intricate way the, what he assumed was vibranium, weaved together on himself. The suit while looking more metallic and sleeker somehow didn''t look too high tech.


    If he were to say it, Peter thought it looked like mesh or Kevlar that covered his body instead of what he guessed was some type of liquid metal. It did solidify in places such as his forearms producing a more solid look, but the rest looked soft to the touch.


    These places included his boots and gloves looking more solid and a separate part of the suit while still keeping an air tight connection, as well as a sort of belt that went around his waist. Peter could just feel the small bumps on his wrist that denoted the fact it already incorporated web shooter which slightly surprised him. ''Well I guess Shuri and Crystal would have thought of everything.''


    Looking a bit closer with his eyes, he noticed around the chest area the same ancient Wakandan symbols he saw on the pendant but spread out. They were very small but still noticeable as they weaved around his body.


    Peter gripped his fingers once or twice as he felt the new suit on his body. Surprisingly he could still feel the grip of his hand, something that was muffled in his old suit, but he had made due as he couldn''t make the material thinner.


    But with the new suit, he felt none of that; it was almost as if he didn''t have gloves on at all. ''Was it a transferred feeling or is the suit thin in the soles of the feet and hands?'' Peter finally stopped looking at himself and turned to Shuri, who hadn''t said a word yet.


    The two looked at each other for a few seconds, Peter not finding the words to express what he was feeling at that second. Finally he just shook his head and gave a small smile as he looked at her. "Ok then, what did you jam pack into this bad boy?"


    Shuri returned a bigger smile as she heard the playfulness in his voice. Motioning for him to turn to the mirror again she stood up next to him and started to speak explaining the features of the suit. "Well this bad boy as you put it is called the Wakandan Spider-S. S for Shuri of course. Not as original as I would like, but I thought we could think of a better name later."


    Peter returned her smile and nodded his head as she went on. "First of Crystal if you wouldn''t mind, I would like to speak to him face to face. "Peter''s eyes raised slightly as the read out he was suddenly reading disappeared before his very eyes and he watched as his mask seemed to turn into dust and travel down his body, moving to rest inside the pendant on his chest.


    Shuri gave a small smirk at the surprised expression on his face before he schooled his features. "If you couldn''t tell already I made this bad boy out of bleeding edge technology, even in Wakandan standards. Sure we have Nano tech but this stuff is Vibranium Nano tech. What you just saw were millions of Nano-bots disassembling and returning back to their charging base. Aka, the Pendant."


    Peter looked down at the pendant on his chest as he watched the last of the dust disappear. "To create the Vibranium Nano tech was harder than I would have liked. As with Adamantium, to create such minuscule processors and programming with just vibranium was particularly impossible, even with our resources. It takes forever to make them, I''ve only been able to produce enough to get your suit ready and one for my brother, though I been trying to upgrade them so my brothers suit isn''t done yet."


    Shuri motioned to the necklace on the Black Panther mannequin behind them. "Though yours won''t have everything that I''m working on right now, it still has more than enough of the basic functions and perks. First off..."


    She trailed off for a second as she walked over to the side to pick up a small steel dagger, that for the life of him Peter had no clue how he missed it and before he could do anything she had already walked back over and stabbed him with said dagger.


    Peter thought to move out of the way, but his spider sense didn''t go off so he watched to see what would happen. On contact with his side the dagger stopped in place and didn''t move. Though it didn''t break Peter could just catch some damage to the tip of the blade. If Shuri were to continue stabbing him the tip would easily break.


    "Being made completely of vibranium, the suit is practically indestructible. As you know vibranium absorbs kinetic energy as it comes into contact with it and is strong in and of itself, this means that bullets, explosions, knives, swords. Most of all of them won''t do any damage to you. The only thing that could possible damage this suit would be Adamantium or other Vibranium based weapons...but Wakanda is the only one with weapons like that."


    Peter gave a small nod as his fingers brushed over where he had been stabbed. He felt nothing from the action and there was no scratch to the suit. "Moving on." Shuri put the dagger away as she pulled up a holo-screen in front of herself.


    "Because of the Nano-bots programming, something both Crystal and I worked on, you could potentially with enough of them create other construct while using the suit, so long as the design and inner workings of whatever you create is done properly, but I wouldn''t suggest doing that."


    She pulled a small hologram of the necklace up for Peter to look at. "I was a bit restricted with the size of the pendant and necklace. I put as many Nano-bots as I could in the links of the necklace and chucked a ton of them into the pendant, aka why its a bit heavier than usual, though that shouldn''t matter much. What does matter is the fact that I only had enough to cover your mass as well as a bit for self repair."


    She held up her hand as she flipped the screen for Peter to see clearly. "If and I mean IF, someone was to damage the suit all the effected Nano-bots would basically be destroyed and cannot be replaced. The system will then take from the existing reserves to repair itself. Of course afterwards you would have to come back here to get some new ones....But as I said it shouldn''t really ever get damaged."


    Peter nodded his head as he looked at the screen. His eyes drifted over some of the specs that the Nano-bots possessed. They all came equipped with self sustaining energy sources, something possible with Wakandan technology and vibranium, as well as a secure connection to certain satellites and data ports so that they can receive updates to programming and information collection.


    "As you can see, the suit can connect to the internet as well as cross reference all databases that are out there. You can thank Crystal for that, basically it''s a better system than Iron ¨Cman''s suit...on that subject..." Shuri trailed off and before Peter knew it his helmet was back on. "...With this connection comes something else you''ll love, but I''ll let her tell you."


    "What?" Not understanding what she was getting at Peter''s voice had just fallen, when a new voice reached his ear. "Well it''s simple Peter, I am now the AI of the suit and will better be able to aid you in your endeavors."


    The bell like voice of Crystal sounded in his ear, startling Peter for a second. But his mind quickly accepted the fact. As Shuri said it was exactly like Iron-Man''s suit and his connection to his own servers. He shouldn''t have been surprised that Shuri and Crystal had implemented such a perk.


    Actually Peter was happy about Crystal watching his back, it would just be like using the normal comms device, only better. "Good." Peter nodded his head while Shuri decided to continue while his mask was still up.


    "As long as Crystal is in there I would say you have no worries, about anyone trying to hack the suit to gain access, and you''ll be able to use perks such as facial recognition and all your new Web combos."


    "Web combos?" Crystal decided to speak up and explain instead of Shuri. "After consulting with Shuri and using some of your previously discovered formulas, we have been able to replicate and design Web spinners that can be changed at will by the Nano-bots to address different enemies."


    "Though there are a lot of web types to choose from, there are too many to talk about right now. Just know that web bullets, electric webs, web bombs, web mines and much more will be available. Not just that, the Nano-bots are able to produce many of the chemicals needed for each web so you will no longer have to restock on them."


    "As the webs are able to produce such chemicals and energy by themselves, the suit is almost completely self sustaining other than the replacement of lost Nano-bots." Peter didn''t know what to say as Crystal stopped talking, His smile wouldn''t go away at this point. They had really gone to the nines for him on this one.


    Shuri decided to step in again at this point. "Not only that the Nano-bots are conductive to electricity and can use it as a source of power. Basically if Electro ever attacks you again he''ll be helping you instead of hurting you. They can also be used to replicate the surrounding environment meaning it can turn invisible."


    Shuri held up her hand though as Peter turned to her in excitement. "But the amount of power used in such a state drains the batteries very quickly, meaning it doesn''t last for long periods of time. Like with everything in the suit, everything it does uses power from the Nano-bots, though you technically have excess Nano-bots and they replenish their power given enough time, if used for too long you will run out."


    She turned to a screen for a second to look at a few numbers before turning back. "From estimations if you continuously use excess power for 36 hours straight the Nano-bots will deactivate. Not likely to happen, but something to know about."


    Peter gave a small nod as the mask once again retracted from his face. It made sense that the Nano-bots while self-sustaining couldn''t run over clocked for too much time. But that was of course if they were over clocked. If he were to just wear the suit and walk around the bots would be able to replenish energy at a fast enough rate to stay on indefinitely.


    Peter at that moment really wanted to go out for a swing to test the new suit but knew that he couldn''t. As he was lost in his thoughts Shuri spoke up. "There another highlight you should know about. As you should notice, the black web design on your suit seems more link an engraving. I was going to just leave that as an energy pathway for the connected Nano-bots to use when channeling energy, which it still does, but Crystal did bring up a while back that you were once again using subject V."


    Peter furrowed his brows as he looked at the black web pattern "You mean Venom? What did you do?" Venom hearing his name slowly moved its way out of Peter''s body, crawling out of the back side of his neck before resting on his shoulder and looking at Shuri.


    Shuri looked at Venom for a few seconds before motioning towards the pattern. "Well it''s simple actually. I made it like that so that Venom could integrate with the suit." Peter''s eyes truly rose at those words. He looked down at venom for a second and they both shared a look, before he gave a small nod.


    With the nod Venom began to slowly sink into his shoulder, not like he usually did though. Instead of sinking into Peters body Venom began to run down and through the web pattern that covered the suit, slowly but surely filling out the entire suit.


    With Venom resting comfortably in the lines of the suit, instead of engravings as they once looked, the suit now looked like it should have, the web pattern standing out from the suit. If a person where to look at the suit now they would think it was just a more advanced version of the original, except if they looked closer they would see that the black lines that ran down Spider-Man''s body like a web, now slightly wriggled and moved about.


    Shuri nodded her head as she watched Venom get comfortable in the suit before pulling up a new screen to her right. "I put in sensors to monitor Venom while he''s in the suit, something you can look at when you have your mask on. Not only that¡­Crystal."


    No words were said but ever so slowly a small clear layer of material covered Venom, practically trapping venom to the web like lines. Venom didn''t struggle from the sudden confinement, he actually seemed to relax and stop moving once the tubing completely covered him.


    Something seemed to change in the suit for a second, before Peter suddenly felt the inrush of power that Venom usually gave him when the two were connected, when he was in the black suit. Peter''s eyes widened at the rush of power before he looked down at Venom, before over at Shuri. "What just happened?" Shuri looked down at her screen for a few seconds before a small smile came to her lips. "It worked in the end then."


    "What worked?" Peter asked the question as he looked back at the mirror. He gripped his hand once or twice as he felt his new power and looked at the suit. The web like lines seemed to glow a small black color underlining their new power as Venom rested inside.


    Shuri walked to his side as she explained. "When I found out you were going to be using Venom again, Crystal and I had to come up with a way for Venom to still power you up while not covering the suit or your body underneath the suit. It just wouldn''t work."


    Shuri pulled up a new screen with the suit displayed along with certain points that were highlighted on Peters body. "The general design is basic. To make it easier we''ll call the web pattern on the suit VT or Venom tubing. As the VT covers your whole body while in the suit, certain points in the VT directly connect to your body, directly connecting to it instead of sitting over it."


    The screen changed once again to focus on the VT. "The VT encases Venom and if allowed, connects Venom directly to your body, giving you your usual power ups." The image of the VT changed to show a few different specs and numbers up close as Peter read the information.


    "Crystal as the AI of the suit controls the Nano-bots connecting and disconnecting Venom and yourself. This is a safety precaution encase something like in the past happens." Shuri gave Peter a stern look that he could say nothing to. He knew exactly what she was talking about, though he was beginning to trust venom again, it wasn''t a bad idea after thinking of their strained past.


    "I still don''t fully trust Venom yet and neither does Crystal. Even if I did, I would still put in these safety measures to make sure you''re safe. If at any time Crystal thinks you''re being negatively affected by it, she will immediately cut your connection and lock your body down as well as Venom."


    Her eyes held a new seriousness that screamed her inner worries for his well being. She held his eyes until he gave a small nod of understanding before she continued. "The VT won''t just house Venom, it will also protect him. The clear film or tubing that encases him is completely fire and sound proof getting rid of his only weaknesses from what I''ve been told. I''ve actually been working on something similar for my brothers suit, an absorption and redirection of kinetic energy and sound vibrations, but I haven''t got some of the calculations and test done yet¡­maybe you would like to help me?"


    Peter turned to look at Shuri and nodded without hesitation, he loved to work on new problems and scientific wonders. To work with Shuri on vibranium would be a dream come true. He also loved a challenge. Shuri gave a bright smile at the confirmation. "Crystal if you would." Peter suddenly felt an influx of strength from Venom, his power didn''t double, but he defiantly felt strong, faster. "What just happened?" Shuri shook her head in amus.e.m.e.nt before answering.


    "As I said before the Nano-Bots can create a multitude of chemicals given enough time, after reading the file on Venom all I programmed them to do was create an excess of phenylethylamine when instructed. This is of course the chemical found in a humans brain as well as chocolate, and something I hear Venom loves to eat. Basically we are flooding Venom with his favorite food which should make him produce more energy like any other biological organism, aka increasing your strength, speed, reactions gained from the Symbiote."


    She looked at a few of the numbers on the screen while continuing. "I wasn''t sure if it would work, but either way you can keep him fed and happy." ''I like her.'' Venom''s content voice rang in Peters head before turning quiet again.


    "That''s about everything I had to mention. There are a few smaller things you can find out as you use the suit and Crystal will tell you the rest¡­but there was one last important thing¡­" Peter turned back to Shuri with a raised eyebrow.


    What else could there be?! Peter was a bit overwhelmed with everything that had happened so far and the last thing he was expecting was for Shuri to pull him into another hug. Her hands wrapped around his body and she spoke quietly.


    "Happy Birthday Peter."


    Peter held her close as his emotions rose up, it had been a long time since someone had celebrated his birthday¡­not since Aunt May.


    He held her close so she wouldn''t see the tears beginning to build in his eyes.

 Chapter 106 - Phone Call

    *Ring Ring* *Ring Ring*


    Felicia slowly made her way through the room, still marveling slowly at the sight through the windows. She had been in lavish apartments and 5 star hotels before, thanks to her family, but this one still left her a bit in awe.


    A few of the expensive ornaments and trinkets might have also spiked her blood pressure as her mind worked out the best way to make off with said expensive items. Reaching down to grab the phone that was discarded onto the bed, a smile lit up her face as she looked down at the caller ID.


    Peter''s big dumb face stretched across the screen, his arm resting over his shoulder as the two took a selfie. She had taken it just before she had to leave, before the battle of New York, things had been so much simpler back then, the smile on his face much wider.


    She had even been getting closer to Peter at the time. Just a little bit more and it would have been a done deal, well that''s what she thought at the time. Of course Peter didn''t know that the picture was now her home screen and caller ID, she had been careful to make sure he didn''t find out.


    She didn''t want to be too obvious. *Click*


    Pressing the phone to her ear, there was a slight relief in her voice as she spoke. It was coming to the close of the second day after Peter left, she was expecting him to come back by either the end of the day, or possible tomorrow. Too bad she would be disappointed.


    "Peter?" It took a few seconds for him to respond, but his gentle voice over the receiver was a nice sound to her ears. "Hey Felicia are you ok?....I mean I heard that some sort of attack happened in New York and I just wanted to make sure you were alright...I know you can take care of yourself, but I just wanted to make sure...Is the apartment ok....everything good? You''re not hurt are you? Why arn''t you talking? Oh god is it bad?!"


    Felicia gave a small giggle at his worried tone and even though he wasn''t there also shook her head in exasperation. "Well if you would let me talk for a second I would tell you, now wouldn''t I?" That shut him up real quick and she could just hear his embarrassment over the phone. "Sorry about that, I was just a bit worried."


    Felicia gave another laugh as she rolled her eyes sitting now on the bed. Her voice tuned just that bit gentler as she responded. "Don''t worry Peter, I''m fine. Though I''ve got a few surprises for you when you get back." Felicia looked around her lavish room and couldn''t help the grin on her face. "Surprises what surprises?"


    "Ohh you''ll find out~" She put in just the right amount of teasing in her voice to know that it would worry him. Her thinking was confirmed when she heard a gulp from the other end of the line. She could just imagine him sweating up a storm trying to think about what she was talking about. She couldn''t help but continue.


    "I''ve got a few people that would love to talk to you. Though I''m surprised you never mentioned me to them before, I''m hurt Peter, Truly." Felicia leaned back into her bed and rolled over to smother her giggling as his stressed response came in.


    "People?! Who?! I would never forget you! Whatever they telling you it''s all false." "Ohh really~ All of it?" He paused for a second. "...Well all of the good stuff they say, it''s all true. But none of the bad stuff, those are just rumors, you know how it is being such an upstanding citizen that I am, why just last week I..."


    She had to once again smother her laughed as she heard him ramble on for another few seconds about how great he was as a person to salvage the situation. Continuing to banter for the next few minutes as they caught up Felicia finally asked the one question that had been on her mind the whole conversation.


    "When will you be getting back?" There was a notable pause this time before he responded, this time in a more serious and even regretful way he spoke. "That''s why I called actually. I''m going to be helping my friend for the few days to finish something they''re working on and think I''ll be back in 4 days maybe a week."


    Felicia''s body noticeable slumped as she heard the news. She did really want to see him again. The time they spent together before he had to leave didn''t feel long enough. On the inside she resolved that this time when he returned he would have to stay for at least 2 months before letting him leave the country again.


    ''Or maybe next time I''ll just go with him.'' She didn''t let her disappointment show though and kept a bit of slyness in her voice. "Ohh, would this friend be a woman~?" Adding a bit of a sultry undertone to her words she was trying to keep her cool, but was thankful that they weren''t face to face. Because she couldn''t help the small amount of anxiety in her eyes as she waited for an answer.


    Contrary to what Flash Thompson used to say and all of the other Jocks at school that, for some reason, had a boner on for bullying Parker and any other person that excelled in science and maths, something she had been trying to personally deal with before she left, Peter was a hot commodity for women.


    Something made more obvious after her recent dealings and interactions that somehow revolved around Peter. Just the thought of it made her want to sigh. Though a new idea had been rambling around in her mind since she had gotten to talking to Laura, someone that had an almost unhealthy obsession with Peter, or that''s what she first thought when she met the girl.


    But after talking to her for the last day and a bit, she had become fast friends and her heart couldn''t help but go out and connect to hers for some reason. But she was getting side tracked. Her mind snapped back to reality when she heard his answer.


    "Y-y-yes." The slight stutter in his voice and obvious nervousness were enough of a sign for Felicia to start rubbing her forehead in trepidation. But she still kept the sultry tone as she continued. "Well you better not have too much fun~ with her on your business trip..." Peter choked on the other end of the phone. "...Remember that I''m waiting here all by my lonesome back in your friendly neighbourhood. I''m ever so cold and need your strong body to warm me up when you get back. Not to mention my strong little spider and its Sticky~ webs."


    The spluttering on the other end gave her a good laugh for a few seconds before she once again turned serious. "Stay safe Peter, I''ll be waiting for you to come back." Her voice was just above a whisper as she spoke the words softly, meaning them with ever fiber of her being.


    Peter stopped spluttering on the other side and spoke back with the same amount of care. "Don''t worry I''ll be back in a Flash....wait I mean I''ll swing back into your life before you know it...wait..." Felicia gave one last giggle. "I''ll be back before you know it. See ya cat." Felicia smiled gently. "Catch you around, Spider."


    *Click*


    Felicia threw her phone once more off to the side of the bed as she starred at the roof above her. *Sigh* Letting out a small sigh she stretched her limbs out like a cat, stretching all her muscles in the right ways. She would have been content to just lie down and take a cat nap then and there, but she had other things to do.


    One of them, meet up with Laura for some light sparring, she couldn''t keep her friend waiting now could she? Scooping up her phone on the way out, a predatory grin came to her lips as she thought about the fight she was about to have.


    She hadn''t been this excited for sparring since she had first started practicing martial arts.

 Chapter 107 - Quirky Friendship

    The deep beat of music pounded through the room as Peter and Shuri looked at the screens before them. Having spent the last 2 days working together on her Brothers new suit, Peter could honestly say he hadn''t had this much fun in a long time.


    While it was a challenge to figure out how to perfect the kinetic redistribution, absorption, storage and redirection of Vibranium''s unique property,it''s inherent absorbing of kinetic energy and vibrations; with research already compiled by Shuri and both their heads, they were close to cracking the science of the whole procedure.


    Specifically peter was focused in on the reprogramming of the nano-bots; what frequency they would have to vibrate at to hold the kinetic charge and how fast they would have to move to keep/store the kinetic force for longer periods of time.


    While it doesn''t look like they could keep the kinetic charge for an indefinite amount of time, it could hold for well into the hour if their projections were correct. Peter bobbed his head to the beat a little as he switched between screens, eyes flashing from one equation to another.


    He was tempted to throw caution to the wind and full on break out into dance, but he held himself back in the lab. His eyes stopped for a second as they rested on one equation that was flashing by on the screen. Reaching his hand out and grabbing it, he pulled it over to another screen with a different equation.


    His mind raced as he started to combine the two, to see if the new idea in his mind would work. After a total of 15 minutes starring at the screen without blinking and rearranging both formulas they finally seemed to click into place and a small loading bar popped up under the equation.


    With Crystal running the probability analysis of all the equations and running virtual scenarios to see if they would work, it was a quick process to figure out if a new idea would work. As the loading bar turned a deep green in confirmation that it worked a bright smile appeared on Peter''s face. He might have just cracked the problem right open.


    Peter turned in excitement to tell Shuri the news, but that was when he realized what she was doing. Off on her own side of the lab, with her backed turned towards him, Shuri was dancing like her life depended on it. Lost in her own world her hands flashed over the screens picking apart equations and putting them back together in a whirlwind of movement as she let the beat control her movements. ''Was this what she was usually like?'' Peter hadn''t seen her like this before, and the sight entranced him.


    Peter''s eyes couldn''t help but be mesmerized as he watched the scene.The small smile on her face that could just be scene, the curves of her body as she gracefully moved about, it didn''t help that she was wearing a gorgeous black backless top, that showed off her flawless skin.


    Peter wasn''t sure how long he stood there as he watched Shuri dance around the lab doing her work, but he caught himself at least 4 minutes later and snapped himself out of his stupor. "Crystal, could you stop the music for a second."


    As the music suddenly cut out, Shuri froze in surprise for a second, before realizing what just happened. Turning around in an almost robotic manner, Peter could just see her face take a darker shade of red and gave her a teasing smirk.


    This just made her a bit more embarrassed as she fully turned to face him. Peter thought to hold in a laugh as he started to speak. "I think I might have cracked it." A big smile replaced her embarrassed look as she moved over to Peter and slung her hand over his shoulder, forcing the both of them to look at the equation floating in front of Peter.


    "Are you sure it''s going to work?" Peter gave a small shrug. "We won''t know unless we try." He nudged his head in a certain direction, over in the corner the newly improved and waiting for modification black panther suit sat ready on its dummy.


    ******************


    (1 hour later)


    Shuri and Peter both stood in front of the suit as it finished calibrating. Making sure that the new programming was installed properly and ready to go, Peter stepped up for a closer look at the suit. He quite liked the suit''s black and silver design and couldn''t help but draw a few parallels between it and his own new suit.


    Peter wasn''t completely sure, but in his opinion he thought that his own suit might have got just that tad bit more of the personal touch from Shuri. Especially as the panther suit didn''t contain the small ancient Wakandan engravings that would have taken a long time to program, etch and get right, that his own suit had.


    The thought brought a small smile to his lips at the thought she had put into his present. Looking it over one last time he Turned to shrug in Shuri''s direction before, he reared his fist back and lightly struck the suit in the abdominal region.


    Peter had to admit he was impressed as he felt his fist stop cold on the suits body. While he felt that the mannequin did rock from the force behind his punch, nearly all of it was nullified and his hand stopped still on the suits outer layer.


    *Bzzt* The suit let out a small amount of noise as a ripple of purple spread out from the impact and radiated outwards to the rest of the suit. Shuri read the readings on the screen before her, mumbling a few words before speaking up.


    "Everything seems to be working, the absorption went off without a hitch and the distribution of force to the rest of the nano-bot ''skin'' is working fine¡­" She stopped for a few seconds as she tapped a few keys. "The storage of Kinetic energy is working as expected." Peter lent half an ear to her words as he continued to look at the pulsing purple glow that shimmered over the suit.


    The purple throbbing was a tell-tale sign that the nano-bots where pulsing the kinetic energy that they just gained as to keep the force that was just absorbed. Of course it pulsed and shifted at the absolute minimum that they could afford so that the suit didn''t glow a blinding purple or vibrate too much.


    A person still had to wear the suit while the kinetic energy was stored. Shuri once again tapped a few keys and slowly but surely the purple glow pulsed up in almost a pattern fashion, as they concentrated back into the abdomen.


    "The Redirection can be tested in-depth tomorrow or the day after. For now I''ve focused it into the abdominals that you just struck. While it will be more practical to redirect it to the hands during combat, for tests sake once you lightly tap the concentrated region it should produce all the stored kinetic energy back your way in a focused manner."


    *Gulp*


    Peter rolled his shoulders as he nodded at her words. He knew what this test was about, it was why he had only lightly hit the suit. If he had done a more powerful blow¡­well Peter didn''t want to think about it.


    He set his legs as he prepared to lightly tap the suit, prepared for the backlash. A small amount of sweat rolled down his forehead as he pumped himself up, taking deep breaths to prepare himself. Counting to 10 in his head, Shuri rolled her eyes behind him at her console watching his antics.


    "Big baby." She mumbled those words under her breath as he tapped the center of the suit. Time seemed to freeze as they waited for something to happen, but after waiting a full 10 seconds nothing happened.


    Peter let his shoulders slump in relief as he stepped back from the suit. Though he was ready for the backlash, it wouldn''t be a fun process. Shuri frowned as she looked back over the equations and programming they had just put in.


    From Crystals readings, it should have worked. Running the numbers again, the frown just got worse as she got up from her seat and moved over to Peter. "I don''t get it, it should have worked." She rubbed her chin in thought as her mind worked to figure out what went wrong.


    Peter moved over to the console Shuri was just at as he also looked over the numbers. In the end he too couldn''t figure out what went wrong. Shuri let out a small sigh as she dropped her hands to her sides.


    ''Looks like it''s back to another few hours looking for a solution.'' She suddenly felt the need to stretch, she wasn''t too sure how long they had been down in the lab. She had made it a habit years ago to get rid of any time telling device in her lab. Sometimes she would be hold up for days with her experiments, before her family would have to drag her out for something to eat.


    *Sigh* Shuri let out one last sigh as her hand came up and she gently rested her hand on the failed experiment. "What did we do wrong?" And as those words left her mouth¡­*Bang* *Ooof* Peter''s eyes widened for a second as he caught sight of the flying form of Shuri as she crossed the room and landed on the ground.


    Quickly assessing if she was hurt with his eyes and seeing nothing wrong, he struggled to keep the laugh trying to make its way out.


    Shuri blinked her eyes in surprise as she found herself looking at the roof of the lab. She stayed there for a few seconds as she came to terms with what just happened, before snapping her head in Peter''s direction when she heard a small giggle.


    Her eyes spat flames as they spoke to him. ''No one hears of this.'' That''s the message that she wanted to convey, but all it did was make Peter break down and start laughing harder. Tears came out of his eyes as he clutched his stomach.


    "Hahahaha. Oh, please say you got that on camera Crystal." Shuri didn''t think it was possible for her eyes to get wider, but at those words she looked to one of the cameras located in the corner of the lab, a look of pure terror in her eyes.


    "Affirmative, Peter." Peter sucked in a few lungs fulls of air as he tried to straighten himself. "Make a few copies of the clips, and send one to my phone right away."Shruri''s head once again snapped in Peter''s direction "NOOOO DELETE IT!" Crystal seemed to ignore the pleading of Shuri as she replied. "Right away peter."


    Though the small smugness in her voice wasn''t missed by Shuri and a few words slipped out before she could think on them. "Damn advanced AI Bitch." There seemed to be a pregnant pause in the room as Peter looked her way in shock and was that pity in his eyes? Before she could think more on the matter Crystal''s voice once again came over the speakers.


    "Sorry I didn''t quite hear you Shuri? Did you say post on the official Wakanda Social Media page?" Shuri was at a loss for words as her face turned pure white in terror. She could only numbly shake her head in denial as she shivered in fright. "Sorry my processors must be acting up." Shuri''s shoulders slumped in defeat as she let out a sigh of relief, before picking herself up after that near disaster making her way back over to her console.


    Pushing the still Shocked Peter out of the way, she read over the test data before her as she mumbled a few curses under her breath, making sure that nor Crystal or Peter could hear what she was saying.


    Looking over at the suit and starring daggers at the only outlet for her anger and the reason for the whole situation, a small evil glint appeared in her eyes. She slowly pulled up her personal note section off to the side and left herself a small reminder.


    ''Have Brother test out suit when showing it off''


    The evil smirk got even wider as she closed the small screen.

 Chapter 108 - Considerations

    Peter stood with the Fantastic Four as the air craft taking them out of Wakanda arrived. A royal procession of the Dora Milaje stood at the ready behind the royal family as they saw them off. With calm smiles plastered on their faces, Shuri looked the most down as she waited for them to leave.


    Though she tried to hide it, it was clear for most to see how much she would miss her best friend. Peter took a step forward and motioned for Shuri to follow as they moved off to the side. He wanted to talk to her a bit more before they finally set off.


    Seeing the two move off, Reed as the de-facto leader of the group stepped forwards to talk to King T''Chaka. The four had a great stay after arriving in Wakanda. Though restricted in where they could travel and what they could learn, they, as scientists, relished at the technological wonder that was Wakanda.


    On the first day they had been able to quickly patch Johnny back up from his injured state and he had got better so fast, he had been able to join everyone for the dinner on the first night. Reed gave a small bow as he reached a respectable distance from the king.


    "Your Majesty, we would like to give our thanks for the aid you have provided in our time of need, as well as the accommodations and generosity that has been shown to us this far." Say what you will about Reed Richards and his obliviousness in social setting, in such situations regarding foreign powers and dignitaries he knew how to hold himself.


    His voice was respectful as he spoke to the rightful ruler of Wakanda. Though Reed could admit it had taken him a time to learn the ins and outs of such practices and Sue was usually the one that handled negotiations and deals.


    T''Chaka gave a diplomatic smile as he himself also gave a modest bow back. "There is no need for thanks Mr. Richards. The aid you have provided Wakanda shall always be remembered." Reed gave a small smile at the words, but it turned slightly stiff as he thought on his next words.


    "Thank you Your Majesty. Have you thought on what we discussed early this week in regards to a partnership?" There was a noticeable pause in the air as the rest of the Fantastic four became nervous.


    **************


    (First night in Wakanda)


    "Are you seriously going to eat with the mask on?!" Johnny''s voice reverberated around the room as he pointed an accusatory knife in Peter''s Direction. With his face turned to talk to Shuri, he was also somehow shoveling food down his guzzle while at the same time keeping his mask on.


    Johnny newly recovered, faster than thought possible by the other, especially Sue with her knowledge of bio medicine, was surprisingly pepper after waking up in an unknown hospital, in a completely new environment.


    Hell in Sue''s opinion he was acting like his normal self, as if he hadn''t taken a severe electrical shock to his entire immune and nervous system earlier in the day.


    Peter turned his head in Johnny''s direction, quickly stuffing another plate into his mouth, before nodding dumbly, as if the question was the stupidest thing he had heard all day. Johnny seemed to deflate as he had no comeback for the non verbal answer, it took him a few seconds, but a mischievous smirk soon crossed his face as he looked at the arachnid. Before he could say anything though, an elbow from his sister and an accompanying death glare shut him up quickly.


    *Cough* Sue faked a small cough as she looked around the room, hoping no one saw what she just did to her brother, but knew that at least one of the Dora Milaje would have noticed. Turning her head to the King and Queen near the head of the table she spoke up.


    "The food has been lovely tonight; I would love it if you would pass my compliments to the chef later on." T''Chaka and Ramonda shared a small smirked between each other before the king spoke up. "There will be no need for that, for it is my lovely wife who cooked tonight. You have just told her." Sue''s eyes brows rose in surprise like everyone else at the table, especially their own children. It had been a long time since their own mother had cooked their dinner.


    Along with that omission a chorus of compliments and thanks came from those around the table. Ramonda kept a regal smile up as she nodded at everyone in thanks. "I must say, Wakanda truly is a modern marvel of science. I have not seen much, but what I have caught glimpse off, put it ahead of all cities in the world in my opinion."


    Reed this time spoke up, causing a smile to float over both Shuri and T''Challa''s lips. "Reed is right, Wakanda is truly gifted." T''Chaka turned to Sue at her words. "It is a blessing Miss Storm, one that we do not squander or take for granted. As my ancestors have before I, we will continue to better our country and society with what we have been give."


    There was a type of passion behind T''Chaka''s words as he spoke them that couldn''t be hidden; he was a very patriotic and filial king to his country. Steeped in tradition, T''Chaka loved his country, some would argue too much, but it had been how he was raised and what he believed.


    It was because of this reason that he paused at Sue''s next words. "I overheard while I was at the hospital treating Johnny that Wakanda has discovered the cure for rhinopharyngitis. I must say that is truly a monumental achievement. Till this day scientist around the world are still looking for a permanent cure for the common cold."


    T''Chaka paused from experience, his eyes narrowing. As an experienced King and foreign negotiator, he could tell when an important, maybe even controversial question was about to be posed, because of this he instinctively put up a poker face.


    "This cure would be a breakthrough in the scientific community and could greatly help with research into much deadlier viruses..." Sue seemed to balance the words on the tip of her tong before she got them out. She knew what she was asking would be very big and quite possible inappropriate, especially seeing as Wakanda had been so careful to hide their technology and advanced society.


    "Would it be presumptuous to ask for a partnership between the Baxter Foundation and Wakanda, to disseminate such a vaccine or scientific knowledge?" The air visible stilled in the room as everyone stopped their conversations and turned towards her.


    She knew that she might have asked the wrong question when she saw the quick flash of a frown over T''Chaka''s face, he didn''t like her idea, not one bit. No one said a word for a while as he thought over her words, before speaking up. "Would you sell the vaccine for monetary gain?"


    There was a bit of steel in his voice that sounded dangerous to the ear. Quickly realizing what he might be thinking of Sue quickly shook her head and put her hands up in a friendly gesture. "No, no, no. I don''t wish to sell the vaccine for Money, just to reduce the risk of children that could be in danger. For example life threatening operations, kids in 3rd world countries with repressed immune systems. People could possible die if they catch the common cold in such circ.u.mstances. With the vaccine we could save thousands of lives."


    T''Chaka starred right into her eyes as if to see if she were lying. After a few seconds he finally turned his eyes away and rubbed his chin in thought. Looking to his wife for a second, she didn''t show any outward opinion, so he delayed the matter, though he already knew his answer.


    "I have to think about your proposal and what it may entail for Wakanda and its people, should the world discover where said Vaccine comes from. I will give you my decision before you are due to leave."


    Sue gave a small nod of confirmation before getting back to her food. Though everyone wanted to act like nothing had happened, the reaction from T''Chaka to the request left a bold impression on the Fantastic Four.


    That impression hung over them for the rest of the dinner, as well as the rest of their stay.

 Chapter 109 - The Look

    (Present)


    Peter and Shuri looked over to the others as they just caught the conversation. In their little area, just away from the group, Shuri spoke up. "You know my father will not let them have a partnership. It is too much of a risk, one my father will not take. Even if it is near impossible for anyone to find out our involvement."


    *Sigh* Shuri let out a sigh as she shook her head. "My Father, though loving and kind, is sometimes too protective of the nation; we have the greatest technology in the world. Technology that can defend us from anything the world could possibly throw at us, but we hide our gifts from the world. Our isolation could lead us to our destruction in the future."


    Peter also struggled to keep a sigh from his lips. He had talked to Shuri a lot about this in their free time. Being best friends/Pen Pals, Shuri had mentioned on multiple occasions that she did not like Wakanda''s isolationist policies and practices and that it could negatively affect Wakanda in the future.


    The fact that Peter was almost killed for just finding out Wakanda''s secrets was a big enough red flag for him. It honestly surprised him, when he was allowed to bring the Fantastic Four to Wakanda. To the Capital no less!


    But Peter was getting side tracked. After hearing the question on their first night, even he knew the answer. Maybe if T''Challa was king it might happen, but even then after meeting Shuri''s brother Peter wasn''t sure.


    Their practice to hide from the world and only focus on their country was a precedent set by previous generations. To be honest, Wakanda could be considered, arrogant. They did not consider the outside world worthy or ready for their technology or science; instead they kept it to themselves and justified their actions in different ways.


    Peter did consider that they weren''t wrong, the wars that the world had suffered, people like Doom, all of them set a picture of the outside world that did not deem them worthy of such advancements in culture and science.


    Peter could only shake his head as he fixed his thoughts. As they watched, T''Chaka''s words confirmed their thoughts.


    "Regretfully I must decline the offer for partnership, Wakanda is not yes willing to share its gifts to the world." Reed had to be given credit as it looked like he wanted to say something, badly at that, but he kept his cool and gave another nod to the ruler of Wakanda.


    "We understand and thank you for considering our proposal." A small smile came to T''Chaka''s lips as he held out his hand in the universal handshake position. "Then it has been a pleasure Mr. Richards. Hopefully we can meet again." Reed clasped his hand and shook it.


    A few parting words were said before the Four alighted onto their ship, with only Peter left behind. Both Shuri and Peter spoke in hushed whispers as they said their goodbyes, before Peter pulled her into a hug. Some words didn''t need to be said as he looked into her eyes one last time before turning to get on the ship.


    For Peter the trip to Wakanda had truly reminded him of past times with his family and friends, the warm atmosphere, the gleeful banter that hadn''t been present since Harry and Gwen. Though there were no outwards physical signs, his spirit had been rejuvenated from the kindness and friendship over the past few days.


    He felt calmer, happier and more energetic. The perfect words to describe it honestly escaped him, but if anything he could say for the first time in quite a while he was content with his lot in life. Knowing that he was about to return to New York, back to others who cared for and loved him, warmed his heart and made him look forwards to the time ahead, something that had been absent the last few months.


    Sitting on the plane as it slowly rose, Peter closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling like his life was once again back on track.


    *****************


    Shuri stood silently as she watched the ship get further and further away. Ramonda looked at her daughter for a few seconds as she continued to stand there, slightly deflated as if muted now that Peter was gone.


    An understanding glint flashed through her eyes as she turned to her husband, an unsaid message passed between the two. T''Chaka gave a small nod in her direction before Pulling T''Challa and a majority of the Dora Milaje back into the main building.


    Okoye and many of the prominent guards followed their King, leaving the Queen and princess alone so that they could talk. Shuri didn''t seem to notice the movement of people as she continued to watch where Peter''s plane had disappeared.


    Finally Ramonda walked up to her daughter and slowly placed a hand on her shoulder. "I''ve seen that look before cub" Shuri turned to her mother in confusion at the words, she hadn''t been called ''cub'' in a long time. "Mother?" Ramonda just shook her head at her daughter, a small smile on her lips.


    "I have the same look on my face when i''m away from your father." Shuri processed the words quickly and instantly understood what her mother was implying. Her face slightly flushed red as she shrugged off the comforting hand in embarrassment. "Mother!"


    Ramonda just gave a chuckle at her daughter''s reaction. "See, there it is, all the proof that is needed. You should know by now you can''t hide anything from your mother, cub." Shuri shook her head in denial once more. "He''s just a friend mother" Though her voice wasn''t completely certain.


    "Bast, help me." Pulling her daughter close once more, this time Ramonda turned Shuri to look at her, a serious expression on her Face. "I know you might be confused and unsure right now, but I have seen that look before, on my own visage and¡­" She grimaced slightly. "Once with your brother¡­the day Ororo left."


    There was a bit of sorrow in her eyes as she said the words. Regret could be seen in her eyes as she thought back on the time. Shuri said nothing as the words started to sink in, and she also remembered one of only two women that had ever truly gotten through to her brother.


    He hadn''t been exactly the same since she left and she was sure that he never would be.


    After a small pause her mother once more spoke up, Shuri listened, but her mind was confused and uncertain as the words registered. "Don''t leave it until it becomes impossibility. If you figure out your feelings, tell him before it''s too late."


    Ramonda starred into her daughters eyes until finally Shuri nodded her head. There was a small light of understanding dwelling behind them as she once more turned to the sky, looking after the people that had just left.


    Making sure that her point got across to her sometimes stubborn daughter, Ramonda quietly left the area as Shuri stood still, the confusion on her face showing the mental battle she was having with herself.


    She would stand there for a long, long time.

 Chapter 110 - Surprise

    *Sniff* "Haaah. That''s the smell I love and remember." Peter stared out at the streets of New York, almost feeling nostalgic after being away from his town for just over a week. Standing at the top of the Baxter Building, the Wakandan ship had left 30 minutes ago after dropping him and the Fantastic four off.


    Johnny, Ben and Sue left a few parting words as they moved into the building, while Reed was too distracted to say anything as he moved inside. Johnny and Ben were talking about a few of the upgrades they wanted to place into the new Fantasti-car as they moved inside.


    Peter smiled behind his mask as he watched them go. They had already promised he would get to help creating the new vehicle, and oh the ideas that he had. Peter struggled to keep the maniacal laugh that wanted to bubble to the surface as he though on it.


    As his back turned to leave, Peter didn''t notice the small lingering look Sue sent his way as she finally walked through the roof top entrance. Jumping off the roof, his excitement built up as he splayed his hand towards the nearest building. *Thwip*


    A web shot out as he felt weightless for a few seconds, before the burning of his shoulders made him tighten his hold as he caught himself and flew forwards. "Wooooohoooo." Being back in the big apple Peter couldn''t hold his excitement as he flung from building to building, making his way back to Felecia''s apartment.


    Though she knew he would be returning soon, he wanted to surprise her when he got back. The smile couldn''t be taken off his face as he ran across the side of a building before launching himself off and doing some of the aerial acrobatics he loved.


    Finally after 10 minutes of swinging around the city, Peter placed himself down 2 blocks before Felicia''s apartment. Landing in a small alley way, Peter checked both ways before taping the small comm. Device in his ear.


    Made out of the small nano-bots that made up his suit, it was Peters new direct line to crystal. Connected to the suit, he would be able to verbally, if he wanted, call the suit forth. A replacement for his old comm. Device, Crystal had easily upgraded the old device to make it, invisible to the n.a.k.e.d eye plus a lot of other features that Peter could spend minutes listing off.


    Tapping the small device a small ping went off in his ear, signalling that Crystal was listening. Though it could be activated with a verbal command, it was quieter to tap the device. Both Shuri and Crystal were working on neural control to expedite the process though.


    "Crystal, I''m about to go see Felicia but have no change of clothes. The ones in the Fantasti-Car were blow up. Lets try out that new suit function." Slowly taking off his old suit, till he was down to next to nothing, Crystal responded instantly. "Certainly Peter. Would you like me to call Miss Hardy now?"


    Peter stopped his undressing for a second as he heard the slyness in her voice. Remembering the mentioning of a surprise of some sort, Peter slowly shook his head and tapped on the spider pendant. "No, not right now. I want to surprise her."


    In a matter of seconds Peter was covered head to toe in his new suit. Straightening his body and slightly puffing his chest out at the feel of the new suit, Crystals voice once again spoke. "Casual camouflage mode engage."


    A ripple went out over the suit before the metallic like structure and colouring seemed to change. Receding back, the gloves, boots and helmet slowly melted away back to the pendant as a new set of clothes took shape.


    Peter now stood in the alleyway decked out in sneakers, blue jeans and a form fitting red shirt. For Peter it was distinctly a different feeling then wearing normal clothes. Still feeling the clothes gripped his body, as if he was still wearing his suit was...weird to say the least. But even though they did cling to his body underneath, the clothes looked as if they sat off of him.


    This was one of the features of the new suit. Camouflage mode. Though Peter wasn''t too sure when he would use such a mode while wearing the costume, it had come in handy well before he thought it would. One would have to look very closely to tell that the clothes he now wore were not in fact the real deal.


    Peter actually quite liked the programmed look that Shuri and Crystal had both already input...well most of it; the jeans and shoes were fine and nothing was wrong with them...but his shirt on the other hand. *Sigh* "Crystal why is the shirt programmed to be so tight?" There seemed to be a smirk behind Crystal''s voice as she spoke up. "I calculated that Miss Hardy would love to see you in such a shirt."


    Sticking right to his muscles and showing off his returning six pack and Olympic swimmer like body, Peter felt a little self conscious never being one to be flamboyant about his body, usually wearing baggy clothes, where what he had on now screamed ''look at me.''


    Now that he thought about it, the pants also seemed a bit tight... Peter shifted uncomfortably for a second as he began to walk out of the alley way. A few heads turned in his direction as he left it, but none lingered on him for long. That was until he walked towards a group of girls about to pass him.


    Trapped up in their own little conversation, one in the group of 3 looked his way, before nudging the others and discreetly pointing him out, something Peter of course just caught in the corner of his eye. After alerting her friends the whole group seemed to stop and stare at him like a piece of meat as he walked by.


    Peter sped up a little as he caught the giggles the group gave out as he passed them. The same small occurrences happened for the next 2 blocks as he made his way to Felicia''s apartment. Peter while slightly flattered by the attention he was getting from the opposite gender, vowed to change the settings of the clothing before he ever tried this again


    He could have also sworn he heard Crystal Laugh once or twice as he once again passed a group of girls, that sent looks his way. Finally making his way to the right street Peter stopped in his tracks as he looked at the construction barricade that stood in front of him.


    With the road completely blocked off for construction, shops and apartments trashed or destroyed on both sides of the street and a gaping hole, he could just see, coming from where Felicia''s apartment had been, Peter had to stop himself from jumping over the barricade and rushing to the building.


    Peter would have shouted at Crystal for answers right then and there but didn''t want to look insane especially with a few girls still watching him from across the pavement. Slowly reaching down for the spare phone in his pocket, that he always kept with him, Peter went into his contacts and clicked on Crystals name before holding it too his ear. *Ring Ring* People walked behind him like any other day as they went about their business, *Ring Ring* *Click*, only to stop and turn when they heard a sudden outburst.


    "Crystal what the f.u.c.k type of surprise is this!"

 Chapter 111 - Underneath the Surface

    Peter was getting a few looks from passersby after his short little outburst, but Peter didn''t care as he waited for Crystal to respond. It wasn''t usual that he got angry with Crystal, but this was one of those times.


    He knew she like to joke around, probably learned it from him, if he was being honest about it. But that wasn''t the point, seeing the gaping hole in what he knew was Felicia''s apartment sent a shiver of Terror down Peter''s spine.


    He wanted to know what happened, he wanted some answers and he wanted them now! *Sigh* It was unusual for Peter to hear Crystal sigh, a rare occurrence as it were. Her voice turned gentle as she spoke to him, as if talking to a child¡­ like she always used to¡­ this might have got him a bit riled up at any other time, but right then and there¡­he could hear the care behind her voice.


    "Relax Peter. You know I would never keep something from you if it endangered the ones close to you¡­" The soft words seemed to register in his mind as Peters anger started to simmer down. ''She was right¡­as she always was.'' "This was meant to be a small surprise a little rib at you after getting back to New York. Felicia instantly knew this when you asked if she was ok and went along with it because¡­." She paused for a second letting another sigh slip out.


    "¡­You need to loosen up Peter, you''ve been too stressed out over the last few months, and you can''t always be high strung and worried about others. Sometimes¡­well most of the time, it''s justified, but at times like this you grow quick to anger and lose your senses and intelligence."


    Peter cooled down even further as he slowly took a peek over his shoulder. He was still getting a few stares from those around after his loud shout, a small amount of embarrassment bubbled up as they gave him funny looks.


    The embarrassment turned to shame as he started to calmly walk away from the area, or he tried his best to. Crystals words continued to ring in his ear as he made off. "You know for a fact Felicia is fine, you talked to her just yesterday. Being over protective is not healthy for you, or for those close to you¡­. Can you at least see the small amount of humor when you realize that I took a photo of your gobsmacked face the instant you laid eyes on the apartment and will soon be sending said photo to Miss hardy?"


    Peter almost tripped over his feet as he tried to keep a straight face, the sudden movement did nothing to stop the weird looks he was getting from those around, if anything it just made them worse. Peter said nothing back to Crystal as he started to think over her words.


    ''Was he too, over protective? Did his mind jump to anger at the slight thought of someone close to him being injured? What was wrong with that?''


    His hand gripped slightly as he made his way off the block into a small caf¨¦ to sit down and think. He continued to grip his firsts until they turned white, thoughts a mess with worry and denial, but in the end his shoulders slumped in resignation. Who was he kidding, just the other week he was trying to discourage himself from flying half way across the state to help captain America.


    Now at the slightest hint of trouble with Felicia and he was ready to kill someone. Did he fear something irreversible might happen¡­like with¡­May? Peter took a shuddering breath as he forced that one image out of his mind, the same one that came to visit him each and every night.


    Living like this wasn''t reasonable, it wasn''t healthy. Crystal could see that¡­maybe even Felicia. She had played along with the ruse, even if unknowingly or did she also suspect that he had some unresolved issues that could become dangerous? That thought alone was sobering.


    Could this lead to a mistake that caused what he so feared? *Urgh* Peter let out a small groan as he slammed his head onto the coffee table. As Peter began to wallow in his depressing thoughts a small clink of a glass landing in front of him caused his head to rise.


    Blinking his eyes in surprise, Peter locked eyes with the blonde standing before him. With freckles framing her face, beautiful short hair and a bit of a toothy grin, one of the barristers of the caf¨¦ stood in front of him with a million watt smile.


    "Need a pick me up? You were looking a bit down in the dumps." Peter was momentarily lost for words at her chipper voice, but his mind was quick to remind him that he should thank her. "Umm, Thanks." The words came out a bit more awkward than he thought they should have, but the girl just brushed them off.


    Still giving him that million watt smile she looked over her shoulder to make sure there were no more customers to serve at the moment, before turning back. "No problem, I couldn''t just let you wallow in whatever hole you were trying to dig yourself into. Even from the counter it looked pretty horrible. Whatever''s bothering you, I''m sure you''ll pick yourself up and deal with it no problem."


    She stopped for a second her eyes flashing with determination just before she noticed someone at the counter once more. "That''s what I do whenever I''m feeling down, I don''t let it deter me, I picked myself up and get on with life. Sometimes the answers we''re looking for are just around the corner, or with enough time you''ll just¡­figure it out. My grandma always told me that and so did my Mother. So whatever it is¡­"


    Fully turning back to Peter who was stunned into silence, she put her thumb up and projected the most energetic aura Peter had seen in weeks¡­nah months. "You''ll be just fine!" Turning from Peter the barrister quickly got back to her job, flashing a brilliant smile to every customer that she served. Peter''s eyes seemed to follow her unconsciously as she moved about, completely lost in thought.


    After a short while his hand slowly picked up the coffee cup in front of him and he took a sip. The taste of a hot drink seemed to wash his worries away and he felt the world brighten around him. ''Why am I getting so worried about this? I''ll deal with this as it comes¡­I have so many people that can help and support me.''


    As that thought ran through his mind Crystal''s voice sounded out in his ear, finally breaking the silence she had held. "Peter I think it''s about time you call Felicia." A small smile tugged at his lips as he once more pulled out his mobile and dialed Felicia''s number.


    *Ring Ring* As it rang out he took another sip of the coffee, loving its taste. As he did so his eyes couldn''t help but travel to the girl that had brightened his day. A small name tag hung from her left b.r.e.a.s.t that his eyes instantly locked on. *Ring Ring*


    His eyes couldn''t help but get a bit teary as he read the name. *Click* The smile on his face got wider as he finally heard the click on the other side of the line. "Hello?" "Hey Felicia it''s me. I''m back in town." Peter heard the excited squeal from the other end, but didn''t take his eyes off the name tag for a few more seconds.


    The name stood out resonating with a face from his memories. Someone he hadn''t seen in a long time, someone he would never forget, someone he would never see again.


    The name tag read. ''Gwen''

 Chapter 112 - The Real Surprise

    Peter had just gotten his second coffee when the door to the shop opened. He instantly spotted her as she made her way into the little coffee shop. Wearing a beautiful white summer dress that stopped at her thighs, her platinum hair instantly drew attention. Hanging around her neck was the small obsidian cat pendant Peter got for her just the other week.


    Noticing it around her neck brought a small smile to his lips as he looked at her. They had a small conversation on the phone before she asked for his location to meet up. She supposedly had acquired a new apartment after what happened just last week.


    She didn''t dwell on what happened even though Peter wanted to know the exact details, but he let it go. In the end she was alright and out of harm''s way and that was all that mattered. They didn''t get to share much else before she had hung up and made her way out.


    Scanning the room, her eyes instantly locked onto Peter''s frame as he sat in his small booth, a smile lighting her face. She walked with purpose as she crossed the room to right in front of him. Peter''s smile got even wider as he got up and gave her a hug.


    They held it for a few seconds before letting go and sitting down. They weren''t planning to stay long, so she didn''t ordered her own drink. As she sat down, Peter easily noticed the predatory look that entered her eyes as she got an eye full of the current shirt he was wearing.


    Peter rolled his eyes as she roamed his body, though his heart rate did increase for a second as she licked her lips in a seductive manner. "My eyes are up here you know." Felicia nodded her head even as her eyes trailed lower down his just visible muscles. "Ohhh I know. I''m more interested in what''s below though."


    *Cough* Peter had just taken a sip of his cooling coffee at the words and almost sprayed his drink everywhere at the words. Felicia finally looked up into his eyes and gave him a small wink at his reaction.


    The playful smirk played on her lips for a few more seconds as Peter''s face turned a beet red, before she finally settled down and gave him a more relaxed smile. Her words came out softly as she looked up at him. "I missed you Peter."


    As Peter calmed himself down, he returned the smile and words. "I missed you too cat." The smile on her face turned bright in a second after he spoke and he couldn''t keep the worry out of his voice as he continued.


    "I was w-worried when I saw the apartment destroyed¡­seeing you alright is¡­good." Peter wasn''t sure where he was going with the words, but they just seemed to have to come out as he looked at her. Felicia gave him another gentle smile as she reached across the table and slowly took Peter''s hand.


    "It''s ok Peter, you have every right to worry." She could see the small deep seated dread that lingered just behind his eyes as he said the words. He was deathly afraid for her and knowing this only caused a warmer feeling to spread throughout her body.


    Her heart rate increased as she got up and moved to sit next to him, his eyes not leaving her at any moment. She moved a little closer as she gave him another hug. The worry in his eyes as he looked at her seemed to drift away as he felt her warmth bringing the smile back to his lips.


    They stayed next to each other for a short while saying nothing as they enjoyed the quiet moment. After Felicia once again gave a playful smile as she poked his side. She pulled out her phone as Peter turned to her.


    "I don''t know who your hacker friend is but¡­." Felicia waved her phone in front of Peter''s face, showing the stupefied visage of Peter taken just 30 minutes ago. "She truly knows her timing and how to pull off a joke." She paused for a second and scrutinized the photo. "Though I have no clue how she got such a high vantage to get such a clear photo. I mean look at the bug eyed look you have. Haha"


    *Urhg* Peter shook his head wearily as he let out a groan looking at the photo, slamming his head on the table it looked like his soul was about to leave his body. He didn''t even bother trying to take her phone and deleting it, he knew Crystal had already saved copies to multiple sites, with encryption that no one could break. Seeing his reaction only made Felicia laugh harder.


    They passed a few more ribs at each other as Felicia waved the photo about, before Peter finally had enough. Downing his now cooled coffee in one shot he stood up abruptly and dragged her out of the Caf¨¦.


    They got a few raised eyebrows as they left, specifically one from a certain barrister and a few knowing smirks seeing the two leaving, but they turned back to what they were doing after a few seconds. Once outside Peter continued to drag Felicia along as he spoke. "I believe someone was going to show where our new apartment was. I hope it has a nice balcony I can come and go from, plus good privacy."


    Not looking at her at the time, he didn''t see the small smirk that crossed her lips. "Mmm Maybe." Peter stopped for a second at the response to look at her, he didn''t exactly like that shifting tone, there was a foreboding feeling that welled up inside him as he looked at her.


    Turning and not willing to tempt fate Peter continued to drag Felicia away, but just before he turned the corner Peter cast one last glance at the coffee shop they just left, hoping to come back another day. His eyes locked onto the sign board above it and he stopped in place for a few seconds.


    Stacy''s: The one cup of Jo to rule them all


    Peter right then at the moment couldn''t help but think. ''Is the world just messing with me on purpose now?'' and the thoughts would be proven wrong just 10 minutes later as Felicia showed him her new apartment.


    Looking up at the sprawling tower before him, with the emboldened ''A'' jutting out for the world to see, Peter stood stock still in front of Avengers tower, his jaw slightly unhinged, flapping open. Looking down from the building to Felicia who had a teasing smirk on her lips, then back to the building, he repeated the action a few times before she spoke up in a sickeningly sweet voice. "Welcome to our new pad Petey."


    Peter was at a loss for words as he turned back to Felicia one more time, he just caught sight of her putting her phone back in her pocket and knew she had just taken a snap. His expression soured as he pouted at her. To add salt to his wound the small voice of Crystal pinged in his ear. "Surprise."


    "Oh F.u.c.k you Crystal."

 Chapter 113 - Shock, Awe and Reunions Part 1

    (Avengers Training room)


    Tony took haggard gasps of air as he laid on one of the matts place about the training room as Clint Stood next to him, after going a few rounds with the renowned secret agent Tony was glad he had his suit to take down the bad guys. As he was considering just how he had been wrangled by Barton into such a situation Jarvis''s voice suddenly came over the speakers.


    "Sir. Miss Hardy has just returned and she has brought a guest of interest." Tony''s eyebrow rose for a second as a small holographic screen appeared on one side of the room. The sound of battle from the other side of the room stopped as the two female figures that had been sparring MMA style for the last 3 hours! Came to a stop and starred at the screen.


    Turning to look at it, Tony caught sight of their resident thief, a very funny thoughts when she was bunking with the world''s mightiest heroes, when one thought about it. She had become a welcome and familiar sight around the tower after she moved in. Something that no one really expected till it happened.


    Having quickly become friends with Cap, Barton, Natasha and Laura somehow; Tony couldn''t figure out how she did it. Tony had to admit he was starting to warm up to her himself, in a familiar way. As the only one that was going to school, thought Steve was also trying to get Laura to go, she was starting to become the little sister of the group along with Laura.


    Thinking of starting a family with Pepper himself, Tony was finding the new experience refreshing. Seeing that she was dressed to impress, something Tony hadn''t seen before he turned his head to her company as the walked across the lobby towards the main elevator.


    It wasn''t hard to figure out the lad next to her was a one Peter Parker. Having seen enough of his photos before he became homeless when searching for him, his eyebrow rose a bit further as he looked at his current attire.


    Nudging Barton who was next to him he couldn''t help but mumble out. "How in the hell did a scrawny homeless boy, suddenly become a swimmer?" Barton also had a bit of a puzzled look on his face as he took the boy in.


    Taking a small glance at Natasha and Laura as they moved over to them, he shook the thought away as he saw the small smile on her lips and glint in her eyes as she looked at him. Having known her for years, and having his own experience with his wife, he knew exactly what that look meant.


    He gave a small shrug as he turned back to Tony. "It''s easier to pack muscle back on from a skinnier frame if you have the right physique, must have been eating and working out more recently." Tony seemed a bit sceptical but continued anyways. "Well at least his finally appeared, now Nat can stop worrying about her boy toy¡­"


    Tony trailed off as he felt a shiver go down his spine, he knew exactly where the piercing gaze came from, but couldn''t bring himself to look in her direction. Barton gave a small snort of laughter as he felt him stiffen.


    As Tony faced life or death, a small voice whispered in Laura''s ear as she looked at the screen, her irises flashing black in desire. ''Go to him.'' Laura didn''t need any other prompt, she turned a full 180 and quickly headed for the door, intent to see Peter, not bothering to clean up after her extended sparring session.


    Natasha''s eyes also starred at the figure for a few seconds, a small weight lifted off her shoulders at finally seeing him alright once more. Looking around, she noticed Laura was gone and also slowly made her way out, not before taking off her mitts and grabbing a bottle of water. Sparring with Laura was a lot more strenuous than she would like to admit as one of the best assassin''s in the world.


    Seeing both of them leave, Clint and Tony looked at their retreating back before looking at each other. Tony gave a small shrug as they walked to the doors. "Let''s go say hi to our new house guest." Clint looked at him. "What makes you think he wants to stay here?"


    Tony just gave him a look and responded over his shoulder as he left. "He was homeless like 2 weeks ago, who would say no to living with the freaking Avengers? He doesn''t look that stupid."


    **************


    (Avengers Tower, Elevator)


    "Peter? Peter are you listening to me?" A look of worry flashed through Felicia''s eyes as she looked at Peters figure on the other side of the elevator. He hadn''t said a word after they had walked into the tower, the twitch and shifting in his eyes belaying how nervous he truly was, she had to practically drag him to the elevator.


    A small pang of guilt built up inside her as she realised just how badly he was taking this. ''Was it a bad idea to take them up on their offer?'' She had weighed the options in her mind when she was asked, but she honestly didn''t think he would take it this badly.


    "Crystal have you done it yet?" Peter''s small mumble just reached the small ear pierce he still wore as he waited. "Yes Peter, thanks to a previous installed back door in the Stark Industries system, I currently have unlimited control...Though should I make too many changes, the AI designated ''Jarvis'' will detect my presence, which will complicate matters."


    Peter let out a small sigh as he turned from Felicia and starred at the steel wall next to him. "Please make this conversation private without tipping Jarvis off." He could just hear the small smirk at her next challenge as she replied. "As you wish." He didn''t even want to think how she was going to pull it off, or what she might put the poor AI through.


    Waiting a few seconds for Crystal to do her thing, he could just imperceptible feel the elevator slow down before he rounded on Felicia. "WHAT THE HELL!" Felicia flinched back in surprise at the shout, but didn''t get to say anything before he continued.


    "You know how long I''ve been trying to keep my identity a secret and you want me to live at your new ''pad'' which just so happens to be the god damn Avengers Tower! Where I especially don''t want anyone to find out! What the HELL were you thinking!!!"


    "W-well a lot of things happened while you were gone. I got offered to stay here after what happened to my apartment and there were other reasons..." The reply came out a bit stuttered as she had never seen Peter so angry before.


    "Other reasons? OTHER REASONS!?! What the hell could have convinced you that this was a good idea?!" he started to pace in the elevator as it came to their designated destination. Huffing out his frustrations he tried to school his features encase there was anyone on the other side.


    *Ping*

 Chapter 114 - Shock, Awe and Reunions Part 2

    The door opened into a large living room area, stepping out of the doors, the first thing that came into sight was the kitchen, with a huge state of the art fridge, island and cooking equipment splayed all over the place.


    Peter took a second to look past the sink and cupboards before walking past it briskly, he looked to see if there was anyone else further in, but only came across 2 large couches, followed by a wide screen TV and game set up that would be a nerds wet dream.


    Behind them was an unobstructed view of the outside sky line that dominated New York city. Leading out to a patio that overlooked the city, it was quite beautiful. But Peter didn''t care about that. There were only 2 other doors out of the room, one leading to a bathroom area and another to a different indoor cinema room.


    Not having time to appreciate the set up, or the technology Peter made sure there was no one around before he once again rounded on Felicia who had quietly followed behind him. "Do they know!" Felicia''s eyes widened in shock as the words slowly registered in her mind. A slight hurt expression came to her face as she replied.


    "You think I would tell them your secret Peter?" A bit of the anger bubbling to the surface cooled as he looked at her hurt eyes, but he was still angry with her. Starring into those eyes, as if searching for the truth, but knowing in the end she wouldn''t betray him like that. Well he hoped.


    Once you have your best friend betray you it''s a bit hard to trust anyone ever again. So even though he wished he could say he trusted her 100% there was still a small voice in the back of his head that told him she was lying.


    The silence seemed to stretch on for a few more seconds before finally he turned from her again and shook his head. "No...no you wouldn''t." Felicia felt a few tears start to prick at her eyes as she felt new emotions swell within her.


    The small sliver of doubt she had heard in his voice was all she needed to know to feel the hurt deep down. She turned her back and focused onto anything in the room she could focus on, not wanting to speak, not wanting to let him know how much that actually hurt.


    There was a pregnant pause through the common room for a full minute before finally Peter brought himself to speak again. "Why...could you just tell me...why here?" Felicia slowly gripped her fists as she felt her anger topple the other emotions swirling inside.


    She couldn''t stop herself before she rounded on him. "WHY?! Because while you were away gallivanting wherever, worrying me to death, my apartment got blow up and partially because of you!!!"


    Peter took a small step back in shock at the words, his worst fear starting to rear their head. "What?" The voice was quiet but it cause Felicia to cool down in a second. The insecurity of the voice, the slight waver at the end, the pitiful look in his eyes.


    She realised in that second she might have said the wrong thing. If there was one thing Felicia knew after seeing Peter, after living with him for that short week, he still blamed so much of his Aunts passing on himself, maybe even more...so much more. He didn''t like seeing anyone close to him in danger, and if he thought it was indirectly his cause, he would take full responsibility.


    Just before at that small coffee shop, she could see how shaken he was until she gave him that hug. She mentally kicked herself in her mind as she moved closer to the slightly twitchy Peter. Reaching out to pull him into a hug again, it seemed like he was out of it until her hand brushed against his shoulder.


    All her anger turned to remorse as she watched his body flinch back in response. Before he could get further away thought she threw caution to the wind and practically dived on his body. Peter wasn''t ready for the sudden move and they both quickly tumbled to the floor.


    That just seemed to make matters worse as he started to struggle to get her off. Something that hurt many times worse than when he was angry at her was seeing the pain in his fear stricken eyes. She gripped on tight as she started talking. "I was angry, I''m sorry, it wasn''t your fault Peter, it wasn''t your fault. I''m fine, there''s nothing to worry about, ok."


    The struggle started to slow down as she quietly looked into his terrified eyes. Their calm was slowly returning as he once again looked her in the eye, to make sure she was telling the truth. "Please tell me I didn''t put you in danger." The voice was just above a whisper, soft...weak, but Felicia heard him.


    "You didn''t." He starred for a few more seconds in to her eyes before a visible weight seemed to lift off his shoulders. Glad that the small episode had sorted itself out, Felicia relaxed her hands as she held him and realised the current position they were in.


    Straddling his body and holding down his arms above his head, their bodies were intimately close to each other, a sly smile slowly came to her lips as her thoughts ran wild. Noticing the sudden change in the person above him, Peter also realised what position he was in.


    Seeing that Felicia just dangerously licked her lips and was biting it in that ravenous sort of way, he quickly racked his brain for an answer. "Iron Man you perv what are you looking at." Looking in the direction behind her, Felicia quickly snapped out of her delusions and looked back in shock to see...nothing.


    Using the small distraction Peter broke the hold Felicia had over him and bucked his h.i.p.s throwing her up in the air slightly before doing a combat roll to the side springing to his feet. A pout came to her lips as she watched her prey get away but a small Cheshire smile came back in a few seconds.


    Peter watched her like a dangerous animal and defiantly didn''t like the smile that was now plastered on her lips, though he didn''t want to ask, the words just slipped out before he could stop himself. "Felicia...why are you smiling." The smile only seemed to get wider as a small noise came from the elevator they came from.


    Peters eyes flickered over to it for a second before she spoke up. "What a hip thrust Peter, save it for the bedroom~ Don''t worry we''ll get you later little spider, you have nowhere to run...and as I was saying there were a few reasons for why I moved in here specifically. There was someone who was desperately looking for you."


    The words were processing through Peters mind as he blushed before stopping on one specific thing in Felicia''s last sentence. ''We?'' Before he could dwell on it further though a small black blur came from the kitchen and dashed its way towards him.

 Chapter 115 - Shock, Awe and Reunions Part 3

    He didn''t have time to react before it ploughed into his body and he once again found his body on the floor. What confused him was the fact his spider sense didn''t go off. ''What the hell?'' A bundle of black hair covered his face as his assailant, who he could now tell was Female, crushing him in a hug, as well as the fact she was probably younger than him, by about a year or two?


    His mind racked itself for answer of who this was, seeing as all she had done was hug him so far, but before he could come to a definite conclusion he had to let out a groan, it felt like his body was being crushed by a machine as the hug continued.


    *Urgh* "Hahaha. I think you should give him some room to breathe, Talon." He could just hear the laugh from Felicia as she stood to the side as the pressure slowly started to let up and the body on top of him slowly got off.


    Blinking his eyes in confusion, it took a few seconds for them to readjust to the light after the sudden assault, but after they did he slowly turned to the new entrant. Eyes widening in surprise no words seemed to come out of his mouth as he looked up at Laura standing above him.


    A happy smile was on her lips, her hair slightly obscuring her eyes as she starred unblinkingly at him. Wearing training gear, with a small amount of sweat on her brow, although she was tired Peter could tell she was very excited.


    Not waiting another second her hand shot out to help him up. Peter didn''t think before his hand came up and took it. Laura pulled him up the smile never leaving her lips. Peter couldn''t help it as a small smile came to his lips as well, he had been searching all over for her before he left and here she was thankfully safe and sound.


    Looking up and down her body a few times, he could see that she looked a lot healthier than the last time he has seen her, it seems she hadn''t been on the street for a while now. ''But why was she here?''


    "Talon?" Peter finally found some words, a bit jumbled still, those were the first words that came from his lips as he sent an inquisitive look over to Felicia. She let out another giggle as she looked over before explaining. "Just a little nickname I came up with after becoming her friend. Didn''t want to keep calling her Laura and Kinney just didn''t seem to work.


    Still a bit bemused by what was happening, all he could do from those words was give a small nod as he turned back to Laura who was still starring intently at him. He could swear he saw her eyes flash black a few times, but pushed it out of his head as he dropped his hand on her hair and gave it a ruffle or two.


    "Already got yourself another friend huh, Laura? Told you it wouldn''t take long." If he didn''t know better Peter would have said her smile turned a little shy at his actions, but he wasn''t too sure. When it seemed that she didn''t have anything else to say Peter finally dropped his hand and pulled her into a hug.


    If Laura was surprised she didn''t seem it as she returned it in a second. Leaning in a bit closer Peter spoke into her ears so just she could hear him. "I''m glad you''re safe Laura, after you disappeared I was worried." She didn''t say anything in reply, but she did nuzzle her head into his shoulder just a bit more.


    They were so distracted in their own little world that Peter was surprised when a new voice spoke up. With a bit of surprise and c.o.c.kiness that couldn''t be hidden, Tony Stark spoke up from the kitchen as he looked at the situation, Clint and Natasha standing close to him.


    "What is it with that Nerd look that catches all the chicks? Is it the mop of brown hair or the meek look he has?" Without even looking up Peter replied off the top of his head. "Even with all that money and the fancy cars, plus the armour that is obviously compensating for something, the black hair and rugged beard just doesn''t work for most women."


    There was silence in the room for a full second at the quick response before Clint clutched his stomach and started to bust a gut. "Hahahaha! I see why you like him Nat, kids got skills. Hahaha." He was almost toppling on the ground as Peter finally broke his hug off from Laura and caught sight of Natasha, standing a bit in front of Tony.


    Said man had an affronted look on his face as he finally responded. "Hey kid, I''ll let you know the chicks dig the beard, and the suit... and my ruggedly handsome looks. I''ll have you know I could get 3 super models in my bed before the night if I put my mind to it."


    Just as he finished uttering the words the small snicker coming from Felicia alerted him to the phone pointed his way. Stopping dead in his tracks the look of dread that came over his face as he looked at her, really just made Peter pity him.


    "You didn''t." The question went unsaid but Felicia just grew a bigger smile as she touched her chin. "Ohh, I don''t know I just might of. And I know the perfect person to show." If it was possible Tony got even whiter at the words.


    "P-p-please don''t show that to Pepper." Felicia slowly turned off the record function and pocketed her phone as Tony watched on in complete silence. "I don''t know, I''ll think about it." Tony felt a shiver go down his spine as he thought of ways to survive the fall out that was about to hit him. He didn''t know when, he didn''t know where, but he had to prepare himself.


    As Tony reconsidered if he was going to survive the incoming apocalypse Peter and Natasha had now locked eyes. No words were said between the two as Peter slowly made his way over. Laura didn''t say anything and neither did Felicia, though her eyes did peel in suspicion at the interaction between the two.


    Finally stopping before her after a few seconds, before she could say anything to him, Peter sprung forwards and like Laura pulled her into a hug. That really stopped the room short, everyone''s eyes went wide as they saw the show of affection. Laura''s eyes flashed black as she watched the scene while a small frown made it to Felicia''s face, before it smoothed out as she regain her composure. ''Well...that is unexpected. I didn''t think they were....that close''


    But the biggest reactions came from Clint and Tony. Both stopped what they were doing and looked on in complete shock. They had know Nat, for a while now and they had never seen her hug someone like that.


    Out of everything they had seen today this was the biggest shock! They could only imagine Steve''s face if he were currently there.


    Tony'' couldn''t help but mumble to the stupefied Clint next to him. "Do you think I should dye my hair brown and cut my beard....I mean my god." Clint wasn''t sure what to say. "This kid must have the Devil''s....No I feel like I shouldn''t finish that sentence." He was quiet for another second before he just let his real thoughts out.


    "What the f.u.c.k?!"


    They were lucky they were only starring at Natasha''s back as Peter hugged her, as they might have had a heart attack if they saw the beautiful smile that came to her lips at that moment.

 Chapter 116 - Chat

    *Cough* Peter and Natasha continued their hug until the small sound from Barton finally broke them up. Acting as if nothing happened, Natasha pulled back from the hug as her face rearranged from a smile into a thin line, once again showing no emotion.


    Peter instantly knew what she was doing and couldn''t help the small smirk that came over his lips as he watched on. He didn''t say anything though as he pulled back, still keeping his arms on her shoulders.


    The emotion was thick in his voice when he spoke to her. "I was so worried after seeing what the park looked like. I''m Glad you''re ok." Natasha''s face became soft once more for a second as she stepped back from him.


    "Worried about me? I was more worried about you. After ''that'' happened you suddenly disappeared, I couldn''t find you and you never came back to the park from what I could tell. I was worried something had happened to you."


    Her eyes flashed in concern as her mind drifted back to that time, but it quickly disappeared, she had known for a while now that he truly wasn''t hurt or captured, she wouldn''t dwell on those dark thoughts. Plus a small part of her was happy he had been worried about her all this time as well.


    "Peter gave a small laugh as he pointed over to Felicia. "You''ll have to blame her, she sort of kidnapped me to try and get me off the streets it almost worked...till it didn''t....and then it did... I escaped and then came back to my kidnapper¡­was a stupid idea on my part¡­.It was a complicated time in my life you know?"


    Felicia snorted from across the room as she made her way over. Standing behind him, she flicked her hand up and gave Peter a small smack upside the head *Pak* as she addressed Nat. "Don''t listen to him...I didn''t kidnap him per say, just helpfully persuaded is all."


    Peter rubbed the back of his head as he looked at her sweet smile an aghast look in his eyes. "You call drugging me to sleep and then dragging me to your apartment, ''Helpfully persuaded?''". *Pak* Felicia gave him another smack upside the head which shut him up as Natasha''s eyebrow rose.


    "I didn''t drag you, I princess carried you if you must know." "What!?" *Pak* "Indoor voice Petey." *Smack* "mmmph! Not the ass¡­..not in front of others." "Ohh for the love of god¡­" Tony leaned into Clint and whispered as he watched on. "Are they flirting?" Clint gave a small nod. "Yeah almost how you and Pepper used to." "We did not!"


    Finally Nat spoke up ignoring the two behind her, a slight twinge of emotion stirring inside as she watched the two in front of her. "I think you''ll have to tell me that another time." Both Peter and Felicia stopped at her words as Tony also couldn''t help but butt in as well. "Yeah, that sounds shady as hell, and I work with 2 assassins for Christ sake. Peter turned his attention to the billionaire for a second before looking back to Natasha, a small smile playing on his lips.


    "Ok, change of topics then..." His smile grew just a tad wider. "When were you going to tell me you were Black Widow?" Natasha stopped for a full second as her heart stopped. ''How did he know?'' That was the first thought that popped into her mind.


    Though she wouldn''t admit it, she really didn''t want Peter to know her secret identity...it was just so....freeing? Not having someone know what you were doing for a living, having someone to talk to that treated you like another human being that couldn''t kill you in seconds.


    When she would meet up with Peter, she wasn''t Black Widow, super spy and killer, she was just Natasha and she loved that feeling. Hearing the words coming from his mouth caused a small pit of dread to well up inside her.


    Would he think of her differently? Would he treat her differently? Would he be afraid of her?


    She might not have noticed, but for a brief second as her mind spiralled into all the different outcomes that could possible happen, the mask that she usually wore cracked, the calm facade that sometimes faded to happiness when she was talking to Peter, or Clint; the facade that kept all her emotions in check, broke for one second and Peter could see the deep-seated fear within.


    But it was only for a second, in that one second, Peter had already seen enough, he didn''t say anything to her, but he did memorize that lonely look that she kept deep down. He didn''t want to see that look ever again.


    Natasha quickly drew her emotions in tight as she realised that she had lost herself for a second. Her mind organized herself as she rationalized what she was thinking. ''Of course he knows I''m Black Widow, look where we are.''


    As if reading her mind, Peter talked up in the small pause that had overtaken the room as Natasha said nothing. "I''m not an idiot, We''re in Avengers Tower, that uncle with the trimmed beard over there is Iron Man..." "Hey!" "...And the Fit guy is Hawkeye." "I like this Kid."


    Peter gave a small nod to the archer, that he just knew he would get along with, before finishing. "They''re all over the news half the time especially recently, it isn''t hard to figure out that you''re Black Widow, given your Red hair and figure."


    Though it was technically a lie and he had only realised when he had seen her during the Shield take down event, if he hadn''t figured it out then, he would have figured it out pretty soon after...well he hoped he would have, he wasn''t that thick...was he?


    But as Peter finished he did rub the back of his head in embarrassment. "Though I have no clue how I didn''t figure it out sooner, I mean, it''s pretty obvious once I have a good look at you. And how many drop dead, super model looking red heads are there in New York. In my defence though you were talking to a homeless person on a bench it''s the definition of impossibility!"


    Just as he finished Felicia once again¡­*pak* "OK. What was that one for?!" Felicia just shrugged her shoulders, a slight ting of jealousy hidden behind her irises. "No reason." Just as Peter was considering if he should smack her ass again or do something else, Felicia''s eyes twinkled as she read his thoughts. "Don''t worry I''ll let you smack me in the bed room later. *Purr*"


    The coy wink she did at the end just caused Peter to face palm as Clint and Tony look on in disbelief. Having only seen a little of their relationship before then they were at a loss for words for a second at her forwardness and stood stunned looking at her. Dragging the conversation back to topic, Peter Coughed drawing the rooms attention as he looked around.


    "So where are the last two Avengers? Though I don''t want to meet the big green guy in person, somehow I don''t think that would end well for me...I always wanted to meet DR. Banner and Captain America, his Comics are worth a mint, (would he sign mine?), and DR. Banner''s scientific papers are quite a good read."


    Felicia could only shake her head as Peter somehow easily, integrated himself as the leader of the conversation. Laura wasn''t really concentrating on the conversation and so said nothing as she was lost in her own thoughts, something whispering in the back of her mind.


    It was the other avengers that looked at each other before finally Natasha spoke up, enjoying talking to Peter after so long. "Banner''s away on some business right now. We don''t know when he''ll get back." Peter''s eyebrow rose for a second but said nothing.


    "Steve''s...well, Steve went out to catch up with an old friend, he''s a bit of an amnesiac, so they been seeing each other quite a bit recently. I think he said he would be returning soon." It wasn''t a second later that Jarvis''s voice spoke over the speakers. "Mrs. Romanoff is Right Master Parker. Mr Rogers ETA is 5 minutes, he just called to inform the others. He said he would also be bringing Mr. Howlett and a Misses Grey."


    Peter jumped for a second at the abrupt voice, as he looked around the room in fright for a few seconds. Though he was already accustomed to Crystal doing the same exact thing...Damn AI''s...he had to play it up a bit for the others.


    ''He couldn''t be talking about...nah, just a coincidence.'' As that small thought played through his mind he spoke up. "Ummmmm...Thanks?" Tony gave a small chuckle as he looked at the freaked out kid, before nodding towards a specific speaker. "Thank you Jarvis, we''ll get ready for our guests. I''m sure they''re dying to meet our new addition."


    Felicia, Natasha, Clint and Tony all gave a small laugh at the words, prompting Peter to look at them suspiciously. They knew something he didn''t. His worries only seemed to increase as his super hearing just picked up the small words Clint spoke to Tony as they walked out of the room.


    "Do you think ''he''ll'' skewer him on sight?" Tony gave a small chuckle. "Caught the eye of his pseudo-daughter...I truly pity him." Peter felt a shiver go down his spine. ''Ohh god what the hell have I done now? And whose daughter?!?!?!?!

 Chapter 117 - Old Memories

    "You don''t have to look so anxious, didn''t that Felicia girl say he would be returning tomorrow or the day after? You didn''t have to come as well." Storm took a second to look over at Jean just across from her as she prepared to land at Avengers Tower.


    Jean just stopped herself from rolling her eyes as this wasn''t the first time Storm had said the exact same thing, but it was a good thing¡­Jean sent a small furtive glance her way wondering if she should speak up.


    "I''ve been feeling bad about what happened last week¡­I shouldn''t have done what I did¡­" Storm''s face instantly turned hard as she peered at Jean with her steely blue eyes, she knew exactly what she was talking about. "No you shouldn''t have and even though you apologized it shouldn''t have happened in the first place." Jean looked down in shame as her thoughts drifted back.


    Her shoulders slumped as she had no clue what came over her but¡­ the past was the past, she could only try and move forwards and hope they didn''t hold it against her. There was a small amount of quite as Ororo, seeing that Jean was a bit down in the dumps let up her stoic face. ''It was a mistake anyone could do the same.'' That small thought drifted through her mind as she looked away from Jean and started to finish the landing sequence.


    The silence stayed there for a few more seconds before Jean spoke up once more. "¡­And Scott''s been¡­a little pushy lately." Storm''s eyebrows furrowed as she turned to look at Jean again, as a teacher she could see how uncomfortable the topic was making Jean feel, that just caused her frown to deepen.


    "Pushy?" Jean let out a tired sigh as she made sure Logan was still distracted talking to Steve in the cabin behind them. "Yeah, ever since we first went searching for Laura, since we''ve been back he''s¡­changed. We used to do a lot of things together, hang out, talk a lot and it didn''t feel¡­."


    She couldn''t seem to find the right word for a few seconds before she finally huffed in defeat. "Weird." But once she started she couldn''t be stopped. "He''s been pushing to go see more movies and has been clingy, when I say I''m busy he tries to reschedule it, or do more the next day, it''s suffocating ¡­ I just need more space¡­" A small light of understanding passed through Storms eyes as she looked at Jean, sometimes she forgot she wasn''t just another one of the x-men, that she was still just a teen, unlike Logan, Gambit and Hank¡­just sometimes


    Putting on a warm smile as the Black Bird finally landed she spoke softly to the troubled girl. "Do you want me to talk to him?" Jean quickly shook her head in negative, but Ororo could tell she wasn''t so sure. "No!...no, everything will be fine, just give it a few days."


    Powering down the sh.i.p.s systems Ororo gave Jean one last look and nod before unbuckling and standing up. She wouldn''t interfere with her students problems unless they got out of hand, she had a slight feeling she might know exactly what was going on, it hit a little close to home when she thought about an old ex of hers, her prince charming.


    Jean was relieved as Ororo dropped the subject, she didn''t want it to get out of hand, she could deal with it herself. Both women stood up as they made their way to the back cabin, looking over the seats, the only ones occupied being the ones right at the ramp.


    Sitting next to each other Logan or James Howlett, as he recently discovered, and Steve Rogers reminisces on old memories, or well Steve told Logan about his old missions with the howling commandos while Logan listened. It was his first clue to his lost memories in such a long time, Ororo couldn''t help but smile as Logan let out a laugh as they talked.


    As the two finally got closer they could hear what Steve was saying. "So I had passed Buck my shield and he was nowhere in sight. Jim and Gabe were pinned down by the sniper tower, we had no grenades on hand, so I couldn''t take it out myself and we couldn''t get passed the grunts on the ground without taking fire. We had to do something fast or they were going to kill the prisoners, haha, I can''t forget the look on your face when you turned to me that day."


    "You gave a c.o.c.ky grin, but I could tell you weren''t completely sure your idea was going to work, and said, ''Ok Cap, time to show that guy a proper fast ball special'', it took me a second to realize what you meant until you motioned for me to grab the back of your jacket. I gave you a, ''are you crazy look'', but you just shrugged and said, ''just do it bub''."


    "The snipers face from what you told was priceless as I tossed you up, needless to say I went along with a lot of your half-baked ideas after that one. Hahaha." Steve patted Logan on the back as they both laughed before realizing he was at his destination.


    He clapped Logan one more time on the shoulder before getting up. "And that was the first mission I met you on, was pretty memorable, especially as it was the first time I worked with the Canadian armed forces."


    Ororo cracked a small smile and spoke up as they both prepared to leave. "That sounds like our Logan here, he still does that from time to time when he wants to take down an enemy." Steve''s smile got even brighter as they moved out.


    It was¡­great, finally being able to talk to someone about the old days¡­even if they didn''t remember it. The group of four slowly made their way down the ramp as they moved inside. Jean sent out a small mental probe to see if Peter had returned early, but couldn''t find him. Letting out a small sigh they hopped on the elevator leading down.


    ***************


    Peter stood with Laura to his right and Felicia to his left as the rest of the avengers waited in front of the elevator. He could just see the small smirks Clint and Tony kept sending his way, making him feel a little nervous about the person about to come out.


    He racked his brain to his best effort as he tried to figure out who it was¡­but he couldn''t think of anyone! Felicia''s family knew about him, he''d even been over for dinner a few times! Laura as far as he knew didn''t have a dad, not to mention the situation with Natasha''s family, he wasn''t sure if half the stuff she had said over their little chats about her family were true or not after finding out she was actually Black Widow.


    The last person that came to mind was Gwen¡­Peter shook his head at the thought; he couldn''t dwell on that anymore. His mood visible dropped as that small thought came to mind. *Ping* finally the elevator doors started to open and he resigned himself with what was about to happen, if anything.


    The first person out of the elevator was obviously Captain America! Peter couldn''t miss the defining features that told him he was looking at one of America''s greatest heroes! Following right next to him was a gruff man, smaller than a normal man, there was something about the way he held himself though that just screamed dangerous.


    As he looked at the animalistic man, he seemed to notice Peter starring, his eyes instantly locking onto him. The eyes seemed to rake his body, judging it inside and out, like a predator looking at prey.


    The black hair and eyes were the first indication on who it might be, it was when he bared his sharpened teeth and¡­*Grrr*¡­.Growled at him that Peter knew exactly which ''father'' he had pissed off.


    "Son of a bitch." Peter just mumbled those words as he contemplated turning tale and running right then as he face palmed. He looked at Laura standing beside him as he put two and two together.

 Chapter 118 - Blast from the Past

    Peter was slightly surprised when he saw that Laura actually didn''t looked pleased to see the man, who he assumed was her father, and had instead stood a little closer as if warding him off or more aptly marking her territory. Peter was sure that given a few more seconds the two would full on start growling at each other.


    Thankfully with a small push to the back the man was moved forward and he broke eye contact with the two. The woman behind him was definitely eye catching. Wearing clothes that would look right in place at a fashion show and standing at 5''11 her white hair easily drew a person in.


    The shorter man seemed to grumble something to her as he moved off to the side finally letting the last person exit.


    Peter''s brain seemed to stop as he took her in¡­.''no it couldn''t be''. The same reaction seemed to have happened to the woman. With blazing fire red hair and green eyes, Jean Grey couldn''t keep the surprise off her face as she looked over at Peter.


    They hadn''t seen each other in a long, long time, but they still somehow looked the same. Peter was calculating the odds of him meeting up with, Felicia, Natasha, Laura and now Jean, all on the same day at the same place, and how drop dead gorgeous they all were. ''There is no way I''m that lucky.''


    "Peter?" The words mostly snapped him out of his thoughts but his mouth was still lagging a bit behind. "Jean?" The same thing seemed to be happening to Jean. "Tiger?" Peter''s smile got wider at the nickname. "Red" The word seemed to finally make Jean come back.


    She wasted no time rushing forward, past a bemused Storm and still glaring Wolverine as she gave him a crushing hug. Thankfully she didn''t have super strength, or hard bones like Laura, so he wasn''t crushed.


    Jean felt a few small tears well up in her eyes as she buried her head into his shoulder. "Peter! I was so worried about you! I went back to your old place¡­ and then she told me¡­.and then Felicia said you were coming back in a few days¡­I''m not prepared to see you yet¡­.I couldn''t feel you signature when I scanned the building? Did you upgrade the¡­telepathy disruptor? We never did come up with a name for the ear piece did we¡­how have you been?....have you been eating properly?...What was your trip out of New York about?"


    The words gushed out and just didn''t seem to end. Now Jean wasn''t usually so chatty, but after seeing her best friend after so long¡­especially one she thought she might just have a crush on¡­ she couldn''t help but want to know everything about him.


    Her mind also couldn''t help but remember the fact Peter had been living on the streets, May died, she couldn''t imagine how that affected him.


    Peter was a bit overwhelmed as Tony leaned in from the side, breaking up their small moment. "Telepathy disruptor? Where, why, how? Let me have a look at it, I promise I''ll give you a small royalty if I have to mass produce them to the market."


    Peter gave him a small look that said, ''You can''t be serious'', as Steve came in from the side. He pulled Tony back as he looked at the two, a warm look in his eyes. "Leave the kids alone Tony, they''ll need some time to catch up."


    Before anything else could be said Felicia stepped in-between Jean and Peter and pulled him back. Felicia sported a small frown as she looked at Jean. "I think they''ve caught up enough." There was a bit of coldness in her voice that peter hadn''t heard in a while.


    Jean wasn''t pleased with Peter being pulled away but as she looked into Felicia''s eyes she felt a small amount of guilt build up as she remembered just why she was so standoffish. Peter looked between the two as they stared down each other. He instantly knew something happened.


    Finally he couldn''t handle the silence anymore as he spoke up. "Ok what happened." It was rare, but Peter did sometimes take the situation seriously. Steve gave a small look of approval Peter''s way as he instantly noticed the firm and commanding voice the kid spoke with.


    Both said nothing for a few seconds before Felicia spoke first. "I''ll tell you what happened ''Red'' here tried to forcefully read my mind and Natasha''s!" Peter winced at the spite when she said the nickname, but it was quickly forgotten as he rounded on Jean in disbelief.


    He had known Jean for years, the one he knew wouldn''t do such a thing! Forcefully reading someone''s mind could be dangerous and was a huge invasion of privacy! The shock must have been easily visible as Jean looked even guiltier. She looked down in shame as she couldn''t look him in the eyes. He didn''t need to say a word, she knew he wanted to know everything.


    "It was when we first met¡­" Jean started,the guilt thick in her voice before Steve stopped her. "Wait. We should move into the lounge room and talk there." Peter sent a few glances around the room and saw a few looks of disapproval from those present, they all knew what she was about to say.


    Jean finally looked up from the ground at the words and starred at Captain America for a few seconds before turning to Peter. He could see the worry hidden behind her eyes. He tried to be impassive as he gave a small nod and turned heading back to the lounge room


    Felicia still had a guarded look in her eyes as she looked at Jean one last time before following Peter. Everyone else soon followed suit, not saying a word until it was just Storm and her. Seeing how distressed Jean was starting to become as the other left, Storm rested her hand gently on her shoulder as she guided her forwards.


    "Everything will be ok. Just tell him the truth and he''ll understand and forgive you. There''s nothing to worry about. We all make mistakes." Jean gave a weak and unconvincing nod as she tried to think of how she was going to word this.

 Chapter 119 - Busy Busy Busy

    Ok guys, here is something I just put up over on my star wars novel.


    ********************


    Chapter progress: 90%


    As you guys can see, I''m very close to finishing the chapter. Yes I have been procrastinating a little with getting it out, but seriously I''ve been busy. Will dive into that more when I actually release the chapter with it''s author notes.


    Now the reason I''m putting this up when the chapter is so close to being done is because of the corona Virus, yes that, and the fact that i work in a medical associated field. This means that I am swapped with work right now.


    Specifically I work in a warehouse supplying my cities and a few other with medical goods they need to keep running. Hospitals are panic stocking and using up medical items such as gloves, isolation gowns and bacterial gel probably 5 times faster than usual. meaning a lot more work in the warehouse. Recently it has been very, and I mean very busy!


    Getting in early, leaving late, everyday, so good pay day, bad everything else!


    I literally have no motivation or energy to write a chapter in that condition, I can only somewhat do my Uni Work when i get home and then sleep. So having said that I have put all my focus on getting this Star Wars chapter out, meaning that I''m not working on anything else right now.


    Basically what I''m saying is, the only time i have to write ATM is on weekends, which are my relaxation days from the week, so cut those two days to one for good measure. So yes I might just get this chapter done before next Monday, no sooner than Sunday I would say! Unless I procrastinate again.


    Wanted to let you guys know, it might make you happy that it went over the 10k mark that I set and is looking to be about 15k words. So something to look forwards to!


    Zevren out!


    *******************


    This is my general situation at this moment, do not expect or ask for any new chapters before I release the next Star wars Chapter, expected next week Monday, and even then I will not have as much free time as usual to actually write something.


    I know you guys don''t want to see this, but it''s how it is. I can''t just leave work high and dry or neglect my university studies.


    Though if I did actually get the corona virus....2 weeks self isolation...well you would probably get a lot more chapters....but that isn''t something to joke about!


    (Seriously though, if someone at work got corona virus, the warehouse would have to find all new staff to keep working; at least double whats in there now to compensate. Otherwise nearby hospitals/at least 4 hospitals, I know of would run out of items/medical goods, ect, within 2 days or less I would say, you constantly have to supply them.)


    Zevren out!

 Chapter 119 - Influence

    (Around 1 Week Ago)


    "We have a lot to talk about Captain Rogers." Charles Xavier gave a small smile as he put his hand out towards Steve Rogers, another smile gracing his lips as he looked down at it. He didn''t waste a second as he provided his own and shook it firmly. "Yes, yes we do." A few in the small apartment let out smiles at the interaction, with Tony being one of the only ones to roll his eyes at the interaction.


    Jean kept to herself as she leaned against one of the bedroom doors, her eyes were slightly unfocused as she looked at the scene, because even though she was there, her mind was somewhere else.


    Caught in her own thoughts, she didn''t hear the small whispering at the back of her head as a fiery power slowly opened its eyes, sensing the apartment she stood in. "The web of life, the Totem. It was here. It was here." Rubbing her head in slight pain Jean shook it, her eyes flashing red for the briefest of seconds.


    Her finger twitched and before she knew what was happening, a ghostly image of Peter suddenly appeared before her eye, her body froze in shock for a second as she watched the apparition move headed straight for her.


    It had been so long since she had laid eyes on her friend, her crush¡­he looked so...different, she inhaled as the apparition continued to approach, before finally walking right through her, continuing on through the door at her back.


    Shook from her slight daze, Jean quickly turned to the door eyes wide in wonder and worry. No one noticed the sudden change in the red head as all the focus was on the two men talking in the middle of the room.


    Jean looked back at them for a second before slowly reaching up to turn the door handle, something seemed to be compelling her to open the door and if it was a clue towards the whereabouts of Peter, she would gladly do it.


    Her hand had just about touched the handle when a stronger migraine struck her mind and her powers flared, Natasha''s eyes flickered to the other red head in the room as she gripped her head in pain for a second, a small frown on her lips.


    With her back turned no one could see the red fire that slowly started to build in her eyes and with the burning, something that hadn''t happened in a long time occurred, Jean couldn''t control her powers, couldn''t stop the voices from entering.


    ''Well I wonder if being good with a bow could be a mutant power. It would explain some of the shots I''ve pull off over the years.''


    ''OMG I''m in the same room as Iron man! The Iron Man!...I thought he would be a bit more handsome.''


    ''Man the African Goddess in the white suit should change her career to super model with those curves, I could have gotten her number in 15 seconds back when....no... no, Pepper is the only on for you, bad Tony, bad.''


    ''''What I would give for a good ''Dwarvern Ale/Canadian beer'' right about now''''


    The new voice shocked the pain out of her mind though as she quickly reigned in her powers. The only ones in the room that noticed her sudden loss of control were Charles and a certain entity inside Laura.


    Said entity slowly turned to look at Jean, and if it wasn''t for the protection of her own inner demon, a shiver would have crawled down her spine. But Jean''s mind was elsewhere, she slowly turned back to the others, she had heard something specific with what just happened, one name specifically. ''Peter.''


    Jean''s eyes locked onto the silver haired Felicia as she leaned on the exit to the apartment, trust her to position herself at the closest escape route. Jean''s eyes riveted onto her body as the spike slowly gained control.


    A flash of indecision went and came through Jean''s mind for just a second as she looked at her, but once again the voice in the back of her mind slowly edged her forwards. ''She knows.'' Though Jean didn''t hear the words she made up her mind as she focused, turning her power into a weapon, prying away at Felecia''s mind, peeling back layer after layer so that she could get her answers.


    The problem was she couldn''t read her mind or that she found it hard. Both her and the entity in her mind let out small frowns as they worked their way in, there was something¡­ wrong, something different about her. Everyone but those trained to block telepathy, telepaths, or the exceptionally strong minded, were like open books to Jean and even then they were more like fortresses that blocked her out.


    All she had to do, all she learned to do was to break down the walls, pierce their defences to find the information inside, this...this was something different, she wasn''t like others¡­wasn''t human? No that couldn''t be right, her mind was in turmoil as she slowly started to increase her power, she would stop at nothing for information about Peter.


    ''Find him.''


    Jean was in a trance as she started to increase her power, and as it continued to grow, continued to try and read her mind, Felicia slowly felt a growing pressure in the back of her skull. A small flicker of the eye and wince in pain were the start, but within a minute she couldn''t help but let out a small groan, swaying on her feet, her body feeling weak.


    Natasha quickly moved to support Felicia as she noticed something was happening, stepping closer her own body froze as she unsuspectingly got caught within the mental assault. Her body locked up for a second as her arms failed her.


    With glazed eyes Jean didn''t seem to know what she was doing as her power locked onto both people and started to unravel them. Slowly small pieced of the information she wanted started to flow into her mind, why Natasha had come to find Felicia, Laura, the Avengers reason for coming.


    ''But where is he.''


    Everyone else in the room stopped what they were doing as they shot to their feet. "Nat, what''s wrong?" Clint stepped closer, Tony already back in his armour brows furrowed in confusion. "Jarvis, scan them now." The room built in intensity as it waited for the AI''s answer. "I can detect no outside interference affecting them, however they both show highly increased brain activity at this time."


    A small voice inside Laura spoke up as the others looked on in worry. "It''s the phoenix." Laura''s eye inadvertently turned to Jean in a second, a small growl escaping her lips alerting the others, as her claws popped out. *Snikt* "It''s her." All eyes turned to Jean, trapped in her own world as she starred at the two.


    Clint levelled his bow in her direction as Tony raised his repulsor. Scott quickly moved in their way and reached for his optics, joined closely by Beast and Nightcrawler. "No wait something''s wrong." Storm tried to be the voice of reason while Charles looked on in shock.


    Just one look at the slightly red tinged eyes was enough to tell him what was happening; Jean''s powers were acting up! Shutting his eyes with a snap, he reached for his own head as he focused all his powers on Jean.


    Hitting a brick wall of psychic defences, Xavier dived through them while the situation in the apartment heated up. Steve looked on in contemplation, frowning as his hand inadvertently reached for his shield lying next to him.


    Scott was the first to talk in the small stalemate. "Lower your weapons!" Clint quickly shot back. "What the hell is she doing to them!" Tony backing him up. "Yeah, One eyed Willy, stop whatever she is doing, before we make you." Scott scowled at the nick name, fingering the dial next to his eyes.


    His hands gripped in tension not willing to give ground when it concerned Jean. "Not until you lower your damn weapons!" Clint pulled back his string and the repulsor in Tony''s suit whirled to life as they prepared to fire. Laura looked at the clear pain on Felicia''s and more importantly Natasha''s face before stepping forward, a low growl escaping her lips.


    Gambit and Storm quickly stepped in her path, before she could make it closer. Seeing that things were going south fast, Thor reached for the hammer at his waist, as Logan stepped towards him, claws inching down as he stopped before him. "I wouldn''t do that bub." Thor just shot him a bit of a c.o.c.ky smile as he felt his battle l.u.s.t rise.


    Steve furrowed his brows as he watched the events unfold before him, his hand, that was about to reach the shield, stopped as the frown deepened. Why was he about to fight the people he was fighting with not just 30 minutes ago? Though of course something seemed to be happening to both Natasha and Felicia he wasn''t usually one to jump into a fight like that, he would look for other solutions before finally having to pick up his shield, but... he felt a bit more aggressive than usual.


    Pulling his hand away from his shield and quelling the anger that seemed to appear from nowhere he turned to the Avengers, who were about to start shooting. "Barton, Stark, Thor, weapons down, something isn''t right here."


    *************


    As the situation continued in the apartment, Charles finally broke through the last mental wall surrounding Jean''s mind, her outer ones any way, it would have taken a lot longer to break into her inner mind, but he only needed to talk to her.


    Looking around the mind scape before him, he looked around curiously at the place he found himself in. He hadn''t been here before, which was weird considering he had helped Jean create many of her inner mind scapes and guided her through it.


    Based off many of her childhood schools, hang outs and her old house, the room he found himself in matched none of them, surprising him for a second, before he snapped out of it. His eyes scanned over the room quickly running past the computer that situated itself just before an open window.


    Skimming over it and the many science related books stacked on the desk and floor, his eyes zeroed on to Jean who was sitting on the bed. She starred out into the window across from her at nothing as Charles quickly rushed forwards, looking into her eyes he could see them dominated by flames. Flames which exuded a power that made a small shiver go down the back of his spine. Placing his arms on her shoulders he quickly focused his mind as he shouted out, he could tell she was in a lucid state of mind.


    "Jean! What are you doing?! Wake UP!" The words got through to her as she slowly turned her head towards the standing professor, blinking her eyes in curiosity. "Professor, what are you doing here?"


    A small breath of relief escaped from him as he looked at the clarity in her eyes, no longer clouded by flames. "You''re finally back." "Back?" Jean tilted her head in wonder for a second, before the memories of the last few minutes rushed back into her mind.


    ''What have I done!''


    *************


    The shock quickly kicked both Jean and Charles from her mind scape. Jean felt her heart rate increase as she finally noticed the scenery around her and looked at what was happening. Everyone was tense as they starred at her figure; luckily everyone had their weapons lowered.


    Before she could say anything a wave of tiredness washed over Jean''s body forcing her to stumble, while Natasha and Felecia both blinked their eyes and let out groans. Clint was the first to reach for Natasha as she almost fell to the ground, while Laura turned her attention away from the x-men and slowly walked over to Felicia.


    Felicia shook her head in pain for a few more seconds, before an angry glint slowly took root in her eyes. They snapped over to the weak form of Jean as she slowly started to slip into unconsciousness, she knew what Jean was trying to do and she was furious. The pure anger behind her eyes was the last thing Jean saw before slowly drifting off.


    The light-hearted mood that had prevailed over the group beforehand was long gone as everyone looked between Felicia, Natasha and Jean. Tony couldn''t help but speak up in the silence. "What the Frack was that."


    Charles grimaced in regret as he turned back to Steve and the others, all who looked now apprehensive at the gathered x-men. "That was a misunderstanding and an accident. I''m very sorry Miss Romanoff and you to Miss Hardy." He looked at both women, Natasha slightly disturbed and Felicia out right furious.


    "Jean sometimes has trouble controlling her powers...but this...this has never happened before. I believe it might have had something to do with her stress over the past few days, an old friend of hers, Peter Parker if I''m not mistaken has gone missing at it has put her under a ginormous pressure. Please accept my apology on her behalf, she would never forcefully read a person''s mind without permission."


    Tony couldn''t help but mutter under his breath hearing the name once more. "Science guys get all the girls? Who knew¡­though I am an engineer myself¡­how could the movies get it so wrong?" Logan gave a small snort overhearing the words but said nothing else as they waited for their response.


    Steve gave a small nod at the words, though he was feeling a little apprehensive after what just happened and though Natasha had a sort of understanding but guarded look in her eyes, Felicia was more emotional! "That was trying to read our mind! No, no, no. Keep this...this freak away from me! And keep her away from Peter!"


    Saying her piece, Felicia stormed out of the room. Downcast looks adorned the x-men as the heard the word ''freak'' utter once more to describe one of them. Steve gave a small glance towards Clint who had moved a small distance from Natasha once more, a small message passed between them before Clint gave a small nod and moved to follow her.


    Who knew what she would do after what just happened, having your mind messed with was something Clint didn''t wish on anyone else after what happened with Loki. Though he wouldn''t voice his own opinion right now, his feeling towards the other red head had plummeted after what just happened.


    Still remaining diplomatic, Steve gave an uneasy smile as he replied to Charles. "I''m sure she didn''t really mean those words. After whatever just happened, she needs... she needs some time to herself. Possible we could continue this conversation later at...a better time?"


    Charles gave a small nod as he looked over at Beast checking Jean to see if anything was wrong. Checking her over once, Beast lent down and picked her up so they could get back to the black bird as Scott looked on with worry. Their eyes met for a second before he nodded and turned back to Steve. "That would seem to be for the best. I''m sure once Jean wakes up she will want to immediately apologize for what happened."


    Sticking his hand out once more the two leaders shook hands and slowly made their way out, though this time, their hand shake was a bit weak, apprehensive in nature. It would take a while to mend relations after what just happened.


    *************


    Charles looked one last time sadly at Jean as the black bird slowly rose into the air. This new ''power'' was slowly getting out of hand, gaining influence over Jean, and he felt useless to stop it when it finally broke free. All he wanted, all he hoped...was that he could help Jean when that time came.

 Chapter 120 - Down Time

    (2 Weeks later)


    Peter felt his lips slipping down once more as he thought back to Jean''s story. The sorrow was palpable in her voice as she talked about that day, the fact that she wasn''t too sure what had come over her was what really concerned him, she was his long-time friend even if they hadn''t see each other in years and there was a small nagging feeling in the back of his mind that Professor Charles Xavier knew something about what was happening.


    And then there was Felicia¡­. Peter felt a sigh coming just at the thought, while Natasha had sort of come around to Jean over the last 2 weeks he had been staying here, as she had been coming to visits frequently, hell most of the avengers had come around to her, Felecia hadn''t.


    Though Peter couldn''t blame her¡­but they were both some of the only people he had left, was it weird for him to want them to get along? "Peter, concentrate!" The words snapped Peter from his daze as he watched the slender fist incoming. A right hook, he noted.


    With his enhanced reflexes and senses he could easily dodge such a blow, the only reason he wasn''t broken from his thoughts by his spider sense was because of who was throwing it, Laura. Well that and this was only a spar, or more like training, he just didn''t consider her a threat, and knew she wouldn''t harm him.


    Well maybe hurt him a little, but nothing major.


    Peter watched as the hook got closer and closer, making sure he flinched from the incoming blow, trying to raise his hands at an appropriate pace, of course he was too slow to do any real good, or that''s what everyone would see. He had to keep appearances, though he did lean back a bit, if he didn''t he would have a nasty bruise.


    Why were Peter and Laura sparring? Well during the first week of his stay at Avenger Tower, Peter made the mistake of playing a few video games with Felicia, which ultimately lead to her trying to take his shirt off at some point¡­he should have known better¡­ what he hadn''t expected was for Clint and Natasha to walk in on them.


    Though Clint had an amused look in his eyes, Natasha had a look in her eyes Peter still couldn''t quite place. But those looks both changed when they got a clear look at the scar on his back. Not being able to tell them how he really got it, somehow Peter''s quick thinking mind had eloquently blamed it on, "A Bad night on my bench", his foot was clearly stuck in his mouth after he said that.


    Had Felicia not know he was lying when he said it, Peter was sure she would have beaten him up. This then lead to where he was now, since that incident Clint, Tony, Steve and especially Natasha had been on his back to start a defensive training course.


    Who better to teach him that the world mightiest heroes, or that''s what Tony said. Peter wouldn''t have minded too much, if he wasn''t board out of his mind half the time. He had already gone through all of the defensive technique they were teaching him, he needed this knowledge when he created his own martial art, ''The way of the Spider''.


    Though beggars couldn''t be choosers and he knew that first hand these days. And along with his training came the same thing over and over, his mind just couldn''t help but wander while they were sparing. He was used to the thrill of fighting a super villain at full throttle; in comparison sparring was like watching paint dry.


    Peter could admit, one of the worst things ever was watching paint dry! Especially when he had done it before!!! Metaphorically speaking of course. Over the last week he had to fight all the avengers at some point, though Peter was a little bit happy that Tony was on the ''same level'' skill wise at the minute.


    Well it was between him and Bruce banner, the only Avenger Peter still had yet to meet. But no one wanted to take the risk of actually sucker punching him in a spar¡­yeap no one. Today''s opponent was Laura, the second best fighter after Natasha. Surprisingly they both outshone Captain America in the amount of styles they knew, though the Cap could hold his own when he needed to.


    The voice that spoke from the side was Natasha, she and Clint had taken a personal interest in his development, and one of them would always be present in a spar, helping him refine his stances. Taking the glancing blow, that was obviously slowed down, the padded fists knocked off his forearm forcing him back.


    Focusing back on his opponent, Peter pulled his right foot back as Laura went for a low kick, gaining his footing again he went in for a regular jab, as her guard dropped for a second. Of course it was a trap, Peter obviously knew that, like Laura would drop her guard so blatantly.


    But they had been sparring for the last 30 minutes and Peter thought it was about time it came to an end. Though he did quite enjoy their little spars, Laura looked like she was having fun in his opinion and she would always have a huge smile on her face after they finished.


    The straight jab utterly missed its target as she stepped in close to Peter. Taking his outstretched arm, it didn''t take much effort for her to flip him onto his back. The wind was knocked out of Peter''s body as Laura straddled him, arms pulled prepared to hit his face or neck should he struggle, signifying the end of the bout.


    Laura couldn''t help but smile as she starred down at Peter trapped below her, her heart hammered in her chest as she leaned in pinning him. She hadn''t had this much fun¡­well Laura couldn''t remember when she had this much fun before.


    Her body didn''t want to move off him as they continued to stare at each, a small voice in the back of her head making her lower her head ever so slowly. Her face was slowly moving down, her face heating up each second, before a cough from the side snapped her out. Looking up at Clint who had a small mischievous smile she at least looked embarrassed as she pulled herself away from Peter and went to drink the water bottle off to the side.


    While she was doing that Natasha moved up into the ring to talk to Peter. "You were distracted again." Peter could only give a sheepish look as he replied. "Sorry Nat, mind just wanders all the time, should of seen what I was like at school."


    Though she didn''t approve of him slacking in training, a small smile tugged on her lips as she talked to him. They continued to talk for a short while as she detailed the whole spar and where he went wrong, before helping him fix a few of his postures before they finally broke up.


    Laura looked a little disappointed that they wouldn''t be continuing, but said nothing as they both caught the elevator up to the common room, Clint and Natasha staying behind to do their own training. A light sheen of sweat was on both of them as they talked about the small excursion they had in the afternoon.


    As a part of letting Laura stay at Avengers tower, the x-men wanted Laura to visit their school, so that they could keep in contact with her. Though the person herself didn''t like the arrangement too much, especially the words, ''letting her stay'', she begrudgingly wanted to get to know the person who she was cloned from a bit better.


    Though she wouldn''t admit it, she did enjoy that she had one other person that was related by blood that wasn''t dead, but there would always be a divide between them, or that''s what Laura believed. Of course their form of bonding was going into the danger room, a room that Peter couldn''t help but find ironic seeing as it was under school grounds, and push themselves to the limit.


    It would be the first time Peter himself would be going, something that Felicia didn''t like at all. They had a little argument about it the night before, but Peter didn''t want to think about that. But the universe like always wasn''t on his side.


    Stepping into the common room, Felicia stuck her head out from behind the fridge to see who it was as she slowly pulled out a sandwich. A small grimace appeared on her features for a second as she looked at Peter, and neither said anything as they walked past each other. They weren''t talking to each other for a few hours Peter would say.


    *Sigh* Peter couldn''t help but let out the long sigh that had been building over the past week, as he relaxed his sore body into the comfy cushions of the couch. Laura took a spot beside him and also stretched her body out, feeling it pop in all the right places.


    Unlike Felicia, Peter thought, who sprawled like a cat over the couch, Laura had her own type of sprawling. Peter might have likened it to a dog, with the way her toes and body curled up, but he could still see the stiffness in her body as she lied down.


    It was only when she slowly rested her head on his lap that a bit of the tension left her body. She had only started doing that 3 days ago, but Peter was already used to it. Nuzzling her head into his thigh a little bit more, her body continued to unwind as Peter let out a gentle smile as he looked down at her.


    Starring at her relaxing figure for a few more seconds Peter''s own body started to relax as he picked up the remote and flicked on the TV. They both had some down time and would have to each have showers before they got going in the afternoon.

 Chapter 121 - Personal

    Peter couldn''t help but let out a whistle as he caught sight of the Xavier Mansion for Gifted Youngsters slowly get closer. This was the first time Peter had been to the mansion, he had looked it up after finding out Jean went there, but the pictures just didn''t do it justice in his opinion.


    He could appreciate the amount of work that went into maintaining the huge grounds that appeared before him. Laura who had already been over a few times wasn''t as shocked as Peter, as she looked disinterested at the spectacle.


    Opting out of taking a flight over to the mansion, Peter and Laura were sitting next to each other as the car, slowly pulled through the gates into the grounds. Tony Stark, being Tony Stark has insisted using one of his latest self-driving cars when he found out they were going. Controlled by a sub routine of Jarvis, the car ride had been relaxing as they moved through the city.


    Yes the flight would have been faster, but Peter enjoyed the company and the small talk he had with Laura. Both sported small smiles as they got out of the car. Peter barely put one foot out the door before a red missile came in from the side and tackled him into a crushing hug.


    "Peter!" Those were the only words said before Jean dragged him out of the area, to the slight shock of Laura. Looking at the red head drag Peter off, she couldn''t help but roll her eyes at their antics, something she had only slightly seen when Jean visited the tower constantly.


    Her eyes rested on Scott as he stood at the doors to the mansion, his scowl was ever present as he watched Jean and Peter disappear into the deeper parts of the building. Seeing the scene, Laura shook her head in pity, it was obvious he was jealous, as long as he didn''t do anything drastic she wouldn''t care about his unrequited love.


    Though she could feel her knuckles itching in anticipation, should he try to pull something, she pushed the thoughts to the side as ''He'' walked over. Standing a bit shorter that herself, and with the ever present gruff attitude, Logan looked Laura up and down, before nudging his head to the side.


    "Well let''s not waste time. I reckon we could go up another level if we push ourselves today." Everything else forgotten, a feral grin appeared on Laura''s lips as she followed after him, they may have had a rocky start, and they still weren''t on casual speaking terms, they did get along in one thing.


    Fighting.


    For the both of them, that was enough for now. ''Yes, that was enough.''


    Other children in the corridors made way as Jean pulled Peter through hallways, doors and upstairs before finally resting at the door to one room. Pulling it open, she almost threw his body onto the bed before closing the door behind her, an excited expression on her face.


    On the way up, Peter couldn''t help but notice the casual use of powers, by other people in the mansion. One girl had walked right through a wall as they passed, while another had appeared in a puff of blue smoke and another had been playing with a solid block of ice in his hand, which had been changing over and over into different shapes.


    The scientist in Peter couldn''t help but want to understand exactly how their mutations worked and what it could possible mean for scientific discovery, while another part just couldn''t wait to get to know everyone.


    This was the first time Peter had been in the company of some many people with different powers. Of course he had met the defenders, the fantastic four and there was no need to mention his rouges gallery, but they were so much variety here, that Peter couldn''t help but anticipate what could happen in the future.


    The grin wouldn''t leave his face as Jean moved over to a desk at the side and turned on the phone hooked up to a small set of speakers. Some music started to play, a pop beat that Peter, easily identified. "Dazzler... Star Chaser, huh."


    Finally sitting across from him on her bed, Jean gave a nod as she relaxed into the music. "You got to support one of your own when you can." Peter gave another smile thinking back on something, from years long past. "Yeah as one of the only super stars and celebrities that came out as a mutant, I hear she had more global attention after she announced that. I certainly know I started to listen to more of her music. Not to mention I think I heard her fans almost doubled overnight after that."


    Jean gave a small chuckle as she passed a hand through her hair looking at Peter across from her. "At least the popularity has given her quite a bit of protection, her fans would go crazy if something happened to her, her power while flashy wouldn''t protect her well if she was targeted." A small sad smile floated over her features as she said the words, knowing just how true they were, when it came to the treatment of Mutants.


    Peter gave a small chuckle at Jean''s words, causing her to look up in confusion as he shook his head. "I don''t know, I think her powers would protect her just fine." A wider knowing smile passed Jean''s lips as she continued to look at him. "What blinding people and then running away?... You wouldn''t happen to be one of her dedicated fans now would you?"


    Peter just gave another laugh as he shook his head. "No¡­ I''ve just been to one of her concerts before, one of her earlier ones before she got too famous, it''s too hard to grab tickets these days. Not with her global tours and popularity."


    Jean gave Peter a playful nudge at his words. "Good, I was getting worried you had a secret crush on her, she is our age, she might go for the brown hair and rugged look you got going. I don''t want to give my Peter up to anyone." Though she said it in a joking manner, and Peter lightly laughed off the words, a small part of her was being dead serious as she said the words.


    The room lapsed back into silence as peter looked around. No one else was in the room, so Peter got a clear look at everything around. There were another 2 bed''s in the room, meaning 3 people shared the same space.


    Each corner of the room had different posters and items that were lying about, and Peter had to stop a chuckle from coming out as he saw one side of the room, had a gigantic Spider-Man poster next to the bed, and a small plush in its sheets. He wondered who''s it was.


    His gaze skimmed over, that before moving past the next bed and settling back onto Jean. Wearing a white shirt, that showed a little midriff; and Jeans, which Peter thought were a bit too tight, his gaze couldn''t help but stop on her green eyes as she starred back.


    His mind drifted back for a second, to all those years ago when they had both been so much younger, almost sitting in the exact same way on his own bed, talking the day away. ''Her smile was the same back then.'' "You know you can take it off."


    Those words snapped Peter right out of his thoughts as he looked up at her, as a specific thought went through his mind at the words , his face couldn''t help but heat up. His mind couldn''t help but drift to exactly what she could be implying. Seeing the widened eyes and shocked look, Jean spluttered for a second as she realized what she just said.


    She quickly pulled up her hands and waved them about in a negative speaking quickly. "Wait! That''s not how I meant it! I meant you can take off the ear piece, it''s just us here¡­" Her voice slowly got lower in trepidation.


    "It''s been such a long time since we had a ''personal'' chat." The embarrassment lasted another few seconds before Peter to get back to normal, understanding what she truly meant now. Back before Jean had to leave, and when they were trying to train her powers, they had started to talk through their thoughts.


    It was a little thing, and it made sure that any prank they wanted to play on Aunt May, or Uncle Ben couldn''t be overheard. Just before she had to leave, she had gotten good enough to create a mental playground they could play in. Of course it was a weird experience and they only did it like, 3 times, but it had been fun on those cold days were they couldn''t go out.


    Peter looked at the hopeful expression in Jeans eyes as she waited for a response and couldn''t help but slowly reach for the Nano-bots in his ear. Transformed into the specific ear piece that could disrupt telepathy, he could easily make it dissolve back into his necklace, but instead took it out, as Jean was right there.


    Slowly taking the piece out of his ear, Jean''s smile got wider as she patted the pillow behind Peter, moving so that she was next to him. "Ok, just lean back and relax, even without the ear piece; I would say your mental defenses are tough. If you relax I''ll show you all the new mind scapes I''ve created over the years."


    Peter gave a hesitant nod and shaky smile at her joyful words, as he slowly reclined; Jean positioning herself so she was lying next to him. He was a bit self-conscious about how close they were for a second, before he turned slightly so he could see her red hair, glistening next to him. "Jean¡­" There was a bit of trepidation in his voice as he said the words.


    Jean moved her head so she could see his hazel eyes staring back. "Just don''t go too deep into my head, I got some things I want to keep secret still." His smile was a bit shaky, but Jean didn''t notice, she nodded her head, a smile still on her lips.


    "Of course!"


    With those words, Peter, gave Jean one more look before closing his eyes and relaxing his mind. Jean looked at Peter slowly relax before closing her own eyes. Her mind reached out to touch her childhood friends, and there was something relaxing, feeling it again after so long.


    Her body completely relaxed as their minds connected, a smile on her lips.

 Chapter 122 - One Step

    Rogue leant on one of the small railings that led to the outside of the mansion, a small game of soccer was being played on the field, of course use of powers was prohibited, wouldn''t of been fair, especially seeing as Kurt was goal keeper for one of the teams.


    Rogue''s eyes stayed transfixed on one person in particular as they sprinted across the field, shirt sticking to his figure, a slight tinge of red reached her cheeks as she realised just how long she had been starring at him specifically, luckily no one else had noticed.


    Her hair had done a good job of keeping people from seeing her expression from the side, she averted her eyes for a second at the realisation, but it wasn''t even 10 seconds later that they drifted back to his figure.


    "Rogue." Kitty''s voice from the side snapped her out of her day dreaming as she quickly straightened herself and snapped her head to the person next to her. Trying to make it not too obvious what she had been doing, and failing horribly, Kitty just gave one of her trade mark smirks and a raised eye brow before she grabbed onto her hand and pulled her to her feet.


    "You can ogle the guys later, you have got to see this!" She wanted to protest, she really did, ''his'' shirt was sticking onto his just visible abbs for god sake! But she was stubborn enough to keep those thoughts to herself as she was dragged away, a pitiful look in her eyes.


    Getting dragged through the mansion and further away from her prize, her trade mark brooding kicked in as she shook off Kitty''s hand and followed by her side, a few of the other kids, noticing her now present scowl quickly gave way.


    "This better be good." She might have said something harsher, if they both hadn''t been roommates, but over their time together they had somehow created a slight repour. Being guided up the stairs, in a familiar direction, Rogue stopped and quickly grabbed Kitty''s hand as she walked right up to a certain door.


    Her eyes widened in surprise for a second as she dropped her voice to just above a whisper, only now hearing the music playing in the room. "Kitty what the hell? We promised Jean we wouldn''t use our room while ''he''s here.'' ¡­you know that guy Peter''s over today."


    Kitty, Rogue and Jean, shared the same room in the mansion, though it wasn''t what they had wanted when they had all arrived, it couldn''t be helped with the amount of kids that populated the school, especially those that had to border there, which was basically everyone.


    Kitty looked back at Rogue, with a mischievous smirk as she put a hand to her lips in a quiet motion. Almost tip toeing to the room, she opened it up a crack and couldn''t help the snicker that left her lips as she motioned for Rogue to get a look.


    There was a small part of Rogue that said this was honestly none of her business, she had seen the way Jean looked at that new guy, did she really want to see them making out? Or something along those lines.


    The answer to that question was a no. But then neither would Kitty¡­ another part of her mind grew intrigued on what they could being doing that would warrant Kitty''s snicker, and before she knew it her body had moved to the door to take a peek inside.


    A small smile graced her lips, as she looked at the both of them passed out on Jean''s bed. Had they fallen asleep? Really? With her head resting on Peter''s chest and a smile gracing her lips, she could just make out the drool that was dripping out of her mouth, her leg dr.a.p.ed over his lower half.


    She had to stifle a laugh as she looked at the two, as her hand automatically went for the phone in her pocket. It always helped to have some leverage in the future, she couldn''t wait to tease her later that night. Kitty must have had the same idea, as she already had her phone out and was making a small recording that she was sure, going to be used to aggravate the perfect red head.


    The two continued to snicker between themselves and quietly whisper as they look at the scene happening in their room, before they suddenly saw Jean start to stir awake. Quickly shutting the door, the two ran off with their new material, ways of torturing jean later that night appearing in their minds.


    ***********************


    (Mind Scape)


    Peter had a goofy smile on his face as he watched Jean flop down in his old bed. If he was being honest, he was tired. Being dragged through a multitude of different mental scapes seems to tire a person out.


    Their second last trip was to their old playground, and not just that. Finding himself suddenly in his 9 year old body, the games they played for the last hour or two had been so nostalgic, Peter couldn''t put it into words. So seeing Jean crash into his bed like she used to and plopping himself down in his old chair, he couldn''t help but smile.


    Peter was contemplating if she was still ticklish in the same places and if that would even work in a mind scape when Jean''s body perked up at something and she looked to the side. The small smile that was on her face slowly turned to a disappointed glimmer.


    Peter was about to ask what was happening when she turned back to him, still looking sad. "Looks like we''ve been in here a bit too long, the professor wants to talk with you before both of you go back."


    Peter also couldn''t help the disappointed look that crossed his face at the news, which instantly brought a small smile to Jean''s lips. The plan was working. Stretching her body Jean stood back up and offered her hand to Peter as he got up as well.


    "When we leave the mindscape, we might be disorientated for a minute or tired, the power I had to use to do all this is no laughing matter." Peter gave Jean a smile and quick hug, before moving back. "No problem, better go see what the professor wants."


    Giving Peter a nod, a quick thought was all it took for his body to disappear from the mind scape. After he vanished the room they were standing in also turned to black. Jean gave one last smile where Peter had been standing before she herself disappeared, talking to herself as she went.


    "You''ve got to take the small things."


    As her body vanashed from sight, a pair of fiery red eyes appeared in the now pitch black mental scape. "So that was the totem." The eyes burned bright for a few seconds, before also vanashing.


    ******************


    (Real world)


    Peter slowly opened his eyes and let a sigh escape his lips. It felt as if he had just woken from one of the best nights of sleep ever. Lying on the bed, his body was so warm and comfortable he was having trouble getting his body up.


    He was about to give into the urge of cracking all the joints in his body, when he felt something shift on his chest and realized just where the warmth he felt was coming from. Looking down, the fiery red hair of Jean instantly caught his attention, especially as her body was half dr.a.p.ed across his.


    Peter''s face started to turn red as her head nuzzled into his chest, providing more of the warmth he had woken up to. His mind seemed to freeze in that second as he looked down at her, tracing the lithe figure that was sticking to him with his eyes.


    Trying to keep his calm in the situation, he started to gently nudge Jean to get her to wake up. ''This was what she meant when she said disorientated or tired?'' The only problem for Peter, was the fact that his gentle nudging wasn''t working. It seemed to have the opposite effect actually.


    Jean, instead of letting go, nuzzled and pressed even more into him as she tried to get comfy. Peter felt like face palming at the situation, while another part of him just wanted to leave her there and go back to sleep himself.


    ¡­..No he couldn''t do that. "Jean, come on, wake up." Slightly running his fingers through her luscious hair, he finally got a reaction out of her as he brushed it off her face. Her eyes furrowed for a second, before finally opening, a sleepy look within.


    Raising her body slightly Peter almost had an aneurism as he caught a quick look down the shirt she was wearing. His blood pressure reached a new high as Jean finally moved off him, enough for him to spring to his feet at least.


    Rubbing his head in embarrassment he turned away from Jean for a second to compose himself, completely missing the smile that was on her lips as she looked at him. Turning back to look at her, Jean gave a small apologetic smile, while Peter tried to forget that all-consuming warmth he had just been subject to.


    "Sorry about that Peter, I was a bit out of it, more than I thought I would." Peter could only stutter a reply as his eyes flickered down to her chest for a second before snapping back up. "N-n-no problem Jean¡­ But we better get a move on. Can''t keep the professor waiting."


    Jean gave Peter another award winning smile as she moved off her bed and brushed by him on the way out. Peter couldn''t help but follow her with his eyes, rooted to the spot, as she reached the door to the room. "Well lets get going then."


    Realising what he had just been thinking about, especially his best friend, Peter wanted to smack himself to sober up, but resisted the urge and just gave a bit of a dumbfounded nod before following behind her.


    As he fitted the comm device back into his ear and trailed behind, he couldn''t see the devious winning smirk Jean had on her lips as she made her way to the professor and he also couldn''t hear her thoughts.


    ''One step at a time. One step.''

 Chapter 123 - You Didnt Have to Ask

    *Knock* *Knock*


    Charles looked up as the door slowly opened. As it cracked open the cacophony of the kids outside flooded the quiet peace of the room, but it brought a smile to his face as he looked at the two entering.


    The door quickly closed once again, as Charles sent out a small probe towards Peter. He had heard that he had found a way to block telepathy, but it couldn''t hurt to check. The smile on his lips turned to appreciation as he tried to sense Peters'' thoughts, but there seemed to be some interference surrounding him.


    The device worked perfectly and if what Jean told him was true, he had created it when he was 10 years old! Though, Charles thought to himself, he''s probably improved it by now. "Thank you Jean for guiding Mr Parker here."


    Giving a small nod and smile to one of his best students, the smile she sent back was all Charles needed to see to know that everything was worth it, everything he had done over the years¡­ he frowned for a second as his thoughts travelled to the past, something Peter and Jean quickly noted.


    Before Jean could say anything he continued. "I''m sorry I''ve cut your time short Jean, but I have some things I would like to discuss with young Peter." It was Jean''s turn to frown for a second, before she pouted in the professor''s direction.


    She was hoping she could stay in the room when they had their discussion, but it looked like that wasn''t the case, the look the professor was sending her way, left no room for argument. Still pouting and having trouble moving her legs back out the door, Peter''s hand clasped her shoulder and broke her from her slump.


    Giving her a smile that brightened her day immeasurable, Peter spoke with a chipper tone. "Don''t worry Red, I''ll be finished quickly, then we could do something else if we have the time before I go." Jean gave a smile back, before begrudgingly moving her body out.


    She contemplated the idea of eavesdropping, but the professor would know if she stayed so close to the door and she couldn''t just read the minds of both people inside, because of practical and moral reasons.


    Stomping her foot in slight irritation, she continued down the corridor, looking for her bunkmates, she could talk to them for a while¡­now where would they be?


    **********


    Feeling that Jean had left the immediate area, Charles smile slowly started to leave his face and it quickly became one of worry and determination. Peter quickly sensed the shift in mood, as his back slightly straightened and his eyes hardened. He might not have known what the professor was going to say next, but he knew it was important.


    Locking eyes for a few seconds, Charles was the first to break contact, as he slowly wheeled himself out from behind his desk. Moving over to the huge windows that overlooked the mansion grounds, his eyes seemed to be far away as he starred out at the kids passing by.


    Lost in his own thoughts, Peter looked at the bald man, before making his way to stand next to him. They continued to stand there for a few minutes before Charles finally spoke up, his voice a bit nostalgic and sad at the same time.


    "I started looking after Jean when her parents died; she''s like a daughter to me after all these years¡­" Peter didn''t say a word as he remembered when he heard the news, he was heartbroken for his best friend, shortly following that she also had to move away. At the time both sudden events had crushed young Peter''s summer holidays and he remembered those few months as the worst summer vacation he ever had.


    "¡­But that wasn''t when I found her¡­" Peter drew out of his thoughts as he turned to regard the disabled man, listening intently. "I first felt her presence months before, when she first awakened her mutant powers; I usually find them, see what their situation is like and then help if I can. It''s usually hard for those like us¡­"


    His eyes turned even sadder as they became unfocused. "¡­even then her powers were unprecedented, like a bright light shining in the dark¡­ and they only grew stronger as the days went by. I was resolved to step in and see her near the start but she suddenly disappeared, then reappeared. It happened a few times before I realised she was learning to control her powers, or something along those lines¡­"


    He sent a small smile Peter''s way as he finally looked away from the window and moved back behind the desk. Peter gave a small embarrassed chuckle as he saw the look; he knew exactly why that happened.


    "¡­I was going to leave her be. Her powers while strong were under control, everything was fine¡­" He let out a sigh and reached for his desk, slowly pulling out a small hip flask from inside. To say Peter was shocked he kept a small ''pick me up'' in his personal desk would be an understatement, especially after hearing Jean talk about him. But he didn''t say anything as he took a small swig from it.


    "¡­until she awakened her telekinesis¡­when her parents died." Charles''s body visible shuddered at the memory and Peter stood stock still at the words. He had never known how Jean''s parents had gotten into their car crash; it had just happened one day. She never talked about it and it was because of her powers¡­


    Peter felt his mood turn downcast as he empathised for his best friend, he never knew¡­no she didn''t want him to know. He clenched his fist tight in anger, but in the end slowly let the tension drop, his shoulder slumping as well. He couldn''t do anything, there was no one to blame, nothing he could do.


    Charles just continued in his sombre voice. "When I took her in, she wasn''t at a good place; her powers that had been growing steadily were exploding forwards, I tried to help her, I tried so hard to find the right balance, but I failed¡­I had no choice, it was best for her so she could live normally."


    Peter frowned once again as he looked at the man before him. "What did you do?" Charles could only give a self-depreciating chuckle. "I did what I had to¡­and it worked¡­" Peter gave him a hard stare. "What. Did. You. Do?" Charles sent one look his way before shaking his head. "Her powers while still strong no longer lashed out, no longer endangered those close to her, she was happy."


    Peter didn''t bother to ask again, his head moved down as he retreated to his thoughts, the information flowing through his mind slowly took what the professor was saying in and quickly filtering it, trying to figure out what it all meant, while at the same time his impression of Charles Xavier slowly moved down.


    Sure he had only known him as a world renowned professor and been told by Jean about the caring man behind that, sitting before him. Peter even respected him for what he had been doing for all the kids in the mansion, what he had been trying to do for all of mutant kind with his work.


    But what he was talking about here, didn''t sit all that right with him. The fact that he wouldn''t say what he did was the greatest tell, the look of shame that crossed his face, the fact he was drinking in the middle of the day just thinking about it.


    Peter might have been more worried about Jean, if he couldn''t tell¡­ couldn''t see it in Xavier''s eyes that he hadn''t crossed the line¡­ that he hadn''t done something unforgivable. He had done something, but he hadn''t gone too far¡­but then where did he stop¡­what did he do?


    A silence sat over the room as Charles stopped talking and just looked at Peter as if searching for something, waiting for something from him. Finally Peter looked at him once more, determination in his eyes, his voice a bit colder than it used to be.


    "Why are you telling me this?" Charles looked at him for another few seconds before confirming something to himself, seemingly satisfied with what he saw, he continued after taking one more gulp from his flask.


    Putting it back in the drawer that it had been sitting in, his eyes blazed with conviction and hope. "I''m telling you Mr. Parker because even though I tried my best, even though I helped her before, slowly he powers are coming through once again and I can''t stop them. You might not have noticed it and maybe no one else either, but I can tell and it''s affecting her, slowly affecting her mind and¡­"


    He paused for a second, his eyes looking as if they had gained another 20 years in the blink of an eye. "¡­I don''t want to lose the Jean we have now¡­" His voice broke for a second. "¡­My Daughter. I need you to promise me you''ll help her when the time comes, help her get through the tough times ahead¡­"


    He looked at the door Peter had entered through as if he could see where Jean was at that very moment. "You''re her best friend, the one she trusts the most. With you by her side, I just know she''ll be able to get through whatever may come¡­"


    He looked back at Peter one last time, eyes locking on to his to see his reply, his conviction. "So Mr. Parker, what is your answer." Silence dominated the room one final time as they looked at each other.


    After 1 minute of staring Peter gave a small smirk as he broke eye contact first. Turning his back to the professor, he slowly walked to the door and opened it. The cacophony of voice once again flooded the room as Charles looked on in slight surprise and disappointment.


    Stopping in the door frame Peter sent a small glance over his shoulder at the man behind the desk. "Oh was that all?" Peters face became dead serious. "You didn''t have to ask. She''s my best friend, I''ll always be there for her." Leaving those words, Peter shut the door on his way out, leaving a slightly stunned Charles Xavier in the room.


    Starring at the closed door for a short while, a bigger smile appeared on his lips and a weight was lifted off his shoulders. He was tempted for a second to go for his flask once more, but then looked at the papers on the desk; he still had a long day ahead of him.

 Chapter 124 - Sneaking Out

    Peter looked down one last time at the clock next to his new bed before rolling his shoulders in anticipation. It blinked methodically in a dull red showing the time, 10:00 pm, personally Peter had wanted to go out sooner, he had only been able to scantly go out as Spider man over the last few weeks but now that enough time had passed, it was finally safe.


    Say what you will about the eccentric, billionaire, philanthropist that was Tony Start, there was one thing he wasn''t, and that was stupid. Peter knew, it didn''t take too many coincidences for someone like Tony to figure out what was going on, Spider-man and Peter go overseas/missing at the same time and then when Peter comes back, Spider man shows up again.


    If he had gone out more prodigiously when he first got back to New York, his secret would have been exposed in, at what Peter calculated, was at best a day. So no he had waited, though it had started to weigh on his conscious with each passing day, Matt, Jessica, Luke and Danny had been assuring him that they had been patrolling his usual areas.


    But then as Felicia could attest, he was a worry wart. Being situated in Avengers tower wasn''t the best situation and Peter had considered moving out, but then he had no explanation on where he would be going, having been homeless before hand, which no doubt Natasha and Laura wouldn''t allow, even though once again Felicia would know the truth.


    Maybe if he had went somewhere with Felicia, he would have been safe, it wouldn''t have been too hard to buy an apartment with his funds...but he had a sneaking suspicion that a few specific people wouldn''t have liked that idea... he wasn''t that dense. But as the thought popped into his mind, he quickly shuffled it to the side, a small part of his mind clinging to some sort of self denial that he didn''t want to face just yet.


    Other than that, with Felicia, looking to be a new prospect of the Avengers along with Laura, something that did bring a small smile to Peters face, it also meant that she had to stay at Avengers tower for the time being. Her Parents were all for it as far as Peter could tell. Though he did wonder sometimes if Felicia actually told them...it was hard to tell with her some times.


    But he was getting off track in his thoughts, Peter slowly moved over to the window to his, what basically amounted to penthouse suit, and made sure there were no lights on in the rooms flanking his. Another problem that was vexing, even if easily subverted was the fact they all the Avengers resided on the same floor!


    A suggestion from one Steve Rogers about the importance of team work and cooperation, somehow lead to every avenger sharing the same floor when it came to their bed rooms. It was easy enough for them to all fit with the size of the building, it just meant sometimes the walls were thin.


    "Everything set Crystal?" Whispering to his small ear piece Peter, waited in the dark room for a few seconds before he finally got a reply. "Yes Peter, the final program has been checked approximately one quintillion, two hundred and fifty eight...." "OK Crystal I get it, you quadruple checked your math before this point."


    Peter could have sworn Crystal was yanking his chain as she started to list of that number, but said nothing else as he reached for the pendant around his neck and gripped it for a second lost in thought, standing still for a few seconds Peter finally let it go as it fell to his chest and... *Swish*... In seconds the Wakandan Spider-S covered Peter''s frame from head to toe, the moon glinting slightly off the clean finish of the new suit.


    With a single thought Venom came from his resting place and integrated with his suit, filling out the engraved lines and putting the finishing touches on his transformation. *Fwish* With a slight click the tubing closed around the symbiote as Peter felt the familiar rush of power enter his body once more.


    Gripping his fists for a second and letting the feeling wash over him Crystal spoke up. "The Stark servers and specifically Jarvis''s, feed to the room is currently being fed a virtual reality fake of the room, with you about to go to bed, they will not know you are missing. The sensors to your window have been hacked and will no longer be a problem."


    The smile on Peter''s face got wider as he watched his onboard readout for a second, reading the numbers as they flew past his eyes before walking to the glass. "What do you say Crystal? Ready for a night out on the town?" The window quickly lowered and wind licked at the suit, while Peter thought to himself. ''Thank you, you beautiful bastard of a billionaire for making all the windows retractable.''


    "You truly know how to treat a girl, Peter." With a small bell like laugh from Crystal, and something that Peter knew was joy in her voice, he wasted no more time as he dived out the window and spread his arms wide. Letting himself drop towards the ground, Peter closed his eyes for a second before...*Thwip*... shooting a web out at the last second, Peter let the feeling of air rush by before arcing across the city he loved.


    He still had a bit of prudence for the people in the tower, he didn''t start whooping in joy till he was 2 blocks away, Spider-Man was finally back. The window he jumped out of slowly closed itself to an empty room waiting for him to return later in the morning.

 Chapter 125 - Ok, Ok,...

    ...ok.


    I''ll stop torturing you guys with when the next chapter is going out and tell you what''s happening.


    So basically, everything was going good in life, until recently, lot of shit hit the fan, so here is the confirmation.


    I have not written the next chapter!


    Now the plan moving forward, now that exams are done and everything else is finally starting to settle down, is to write up the finish to the current arc. Probably 8 chapters and yes spoilers, Peter gets laid, you guys can guess who gets him first.


    After that I''m going straight into the Ultron arc, no clue how many chapters that will be, but it is going to be big, have to do a lot of changes to the original movie and add elements, such as you know the fantastic 4, Wakanda yada, yada, yada.


    Now here is the main thing!


    I plan to not release any of these chapters until I have all of them done. The next arc and Ultron. So best guess for next release is possibly a month, maybe less if inspiration strikes.


    Now reasons it could take longer. Because of said shit hitting the fan at the start, I need to seriously bust my balls off and work a lot more than usual. I''m going to be looking to work every day if possible, because I need to.


    So now you guys know, see you in maybe a month, maybe less, maybe more, I have no clue. And yes I know this isn''t what you guys wanted to see.


    Zevren out.


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 Chapter 126 - Bad News

    Ok guys, so things have not gone to plan, out of all the chapters that i wanted to get finished i have done a total of.... 1. Yeah you read that right, i have only written one chapter since my last post and honestly i can''t keep dragging this out, so here it is.


    I have lost motivation, have a writers block, am too tired, ect, ect, ect. The main point of the matter is i just can''t be stuffed sitting down for 1-2 hours (Time it takes to write and edit a chapter) and do that multiple times to get all these chapters done.


    Now i would lean towards having no motivation instead of somethings say as Writers block as i have a plan for this next arc as well as the Ultron arc all sort of laid out (If anyone who follows my star wars novel is wondering, same deal. I have the whole chapter planned out but no motivation to write it.) Work has been busy the last few weeks/months, along with RL i really don''t have the time or want to write.


    Over the last 3 weeks i have only had one day where i had more than 8 hours of sleep, averaging only 6 hours asleep or less for the others. Along with the full work day, when I get back home all I''m thinking about is putting up my feet up and relaxing and then on the weekends i''ve honestly been busy with other stuff.


    Having said that, why was I waiting off on posting this even though i knew probably 2 weeks ago i wouldn''t be getting much done. Honestly i was hoping that this would turn itself around and i would easily get back into it. I have had motivation issues in the past and worked through it to put out more chapters. Right now that hasn''t happened yet, worst case scenario, it doesn''t happen.


    The other side of that coin, is i really don''t want all the hate this post is likely to get. it has been a long while since the last proper chapter and i understand that quite a few of you will be annoyed, rightly so. I''ve been stressing about trying to write chapters so much that i think it has negatively affected me in that regard.


    So what am i going to do?


    Well as i said, i have had motivation problems before, and last time to get out of that rut, i focused on writing something else to reignite my passion! Obviously I''m not going to go and create another novel, I''ve already got too many on my plate.


    What i am going to do, is post the chapter i have done tomorrow morning some time, because you guys have been waiting so long. As well as that I''m going to each day after post a few Prompts i have stored, which are story ideas/prologues that i have done in the past. These will be small and be of novels I''m thinking of doing in the future, as well as novels that i will never actually write (because i don''t have confidence to write them fully, just the idea).


    After those run out, I''ll probably expand on them every now and then or just thrown in other Prompts as they come to mind. I''m hoping that by doing these small prompts it will help me get back into writing and make everything easier.


    Once i have finished the current arc for spider man i will promptly post that, before working on Ultron. though i will probably try and write the next chapter for Star Wars between them.


    Zevren out.

 Chapter 127 - Black Cat

    *Yawn*


    Felicia would like to sometimes call herself a morning person, with before and after school activities as well as training with Natasha in the mornings, she was quite used to waking up in the early hours most mornings after having little sleep.


    That didn''t help her though on Sunday mornings, the one day where she usually had nothing to do except lay back in bed and loose herself to her dreams¡­hopefully ones that involved a certain brunet, possibly a bed and a lot of¡­. Web fluid¡­ Yes her fantasies were out there.


    So it was with struggling legs that she forced herself up at 10AM? and prepared herself for the day, with school on the next day, meaning she couldn''t sleep in then, the only 3 things she could look forwards to were; Peter''s dumb grin when he walked through the doors shortly and saw her, the fact that after next week she would be on break again and could have a few more lazy days and finally curling up on the couch later in the evening, hopefully resting her weary legs up on Peters lap.


    She was debating in her head if she could somehow convince him to give her a foot massage while she was at it, her hopes were pretty high. A sad pout here, a nice smile there, and she could usually get him to do such small things, of course the banter would be appreciated when it came as she turned on her most sensual voice while she was trying to convince him.


    They would one up each other, bringing out the funniest reactions from both of them, sometimes he would win their verbal jousting and cause her to break, but it was all part of their building relationship. The thought brought a small smile to her lips.


    Quickly brushing her teeth in the communal bathroom that was pretty close to her room, though she did wonder why they all had to share the same floor and bathrooms, Stark had said something about Captain America himself saying it develops teamwork¡­.or something like that.


    Felicia didn''t mind, sometimes when Peter was tired in the morning, he would walk out without his shirt on, or have it only half covering his body, she liked having a bit of eye candy in the morning, a thought she knew was shared between herself, Laura and though she didn''t want to admit it, Natasha, she had caught her eyes lingering once when it happened.


    He may have still been malnourished when he came in, but he had been putting weight back on and the training helped to make the sight one for sore eyes. ''Ahh, the days when she would grapple with ''Spider-man'' as she tried to escape his sticky touch.''


    Shaking her head to pull it out of the gutter, even if she just wanted to wake herself up, going to the elevator, she ran into no one else as it slowly ascended up to the common room. That was a bit unusual, but Felicia figured that Peter and Laura would be asleep, while the others would have already passed through.


    Rubbing her eyes slightly as she grabbed a bowl and some cereal, she poured a generous amount of milk in before moving over to the lounge. The others that were awake, which included Natasha, Clint, Steve and Tony, the last one surprising her a bit, were scattered around the room, making her way to the couch she sat down, careful not to spill anything.


    Everyone sent her a small greeting as they each had their own breakfast, Steve taking a bite out of a piece of toast, while Tony chomped on a small stack of waffles, with the two spies having a balanced meal of orange juice, fruit to the side, sausages, eggs and toast.


    A small hint of jealously passed through Felicia''s eyes as she looked down at the last two plates, Clint was one hell of a cook and usually cooked for both him and Nat in the morning. Though he would sometimes cook for everyone else, he would always make sure there was a plate for his ''partner'', and by damn when she had first tried his cooking, she had nearly cried.


    Reaching down for the remote Felicia quickly flipped on the large TV in front of her as she flipped over to the news channel. Though the others would sometimes watch TV, they usually instead talked about other matters, like missions, bad guys, hydra and old times shared between each of them.


    So it was the first time this morning that any had seen the news and the first words out of the admittedly beautiful presenters lips drew everyone''s attention. "Top story this morning, the first re-sightings of New York''s own Spider-Man confirmed last night! With no concreate sightings in the last few weeks, rumours had been high that something might have happened to our cities own hero, instigating a small spike in criminal activity."


    The spoon that was half way to Felicia''s lips stopped for a second and the words registered in her mind, while the others in the room moved a bit closer to hear more. "Though no concreate pictures of said vigilante have surfaced this morning, the major spike in arrest incidents, a total of 48, over last night, all but confirm the hero has once again returned. And if he never left he sure has found his second wind!"


    The anchor gave an award winning smile as she talked on with passion in her voice, it could easily been seen that she was a huge supporter of the web head. "With 15 robbers apprehended, 23 muggings stopped, 3 attempted r.a.p.es halted and 7 nightly altercations resolved and handled, the city can sleep easier now that he is back on the streets!"


    Felicia''s eyes widened as she heard the number, even for Peter that would have been a long night, not to mention that so much had happened. The small sound of the elevator opening made her turn her head thinking it was Peter, but in the end it was Laura that walked through the doors. Grabbing a small snack to eat as she moved over, she didn''t say a word as the rest greeted her, before turning back to the broadcast.


    "I would personally like to thank Spider-man right now on live broadcast, one of the attempted r.a.p.es last night happened to a close cousin of mine, after hearing what happened this morning I can''t stress enough how glad I am that the big apple has someone like Spider-man watching over us. So if you''re watching I just wanted to say¡­.thank you."


    The words brought a small smile to Felicia''s lips as she knew she would mention this to him later. A few more smiles came to the lips of those present at the presenters words as the news moved onto the weather.


    With Laura saddling up next to Felicia with her own little snack, the girl sent a small glance over before she was about to say something. The words died on her lips though as the news, that had been showing the weather, quickly changed back to the same female presenter, though she had a small frown on her lips.


    She kept her tone business like and professional as a small red breaking news message rolled below her image. "Breaking news, Reports are coming in that Super villains, Electro and Shocker have been spotted and are causing havoc and wanton damage down in Manhattan Mall on west 33rd street. There has not yet been a sighting on Spider-man, but the area is currently being evacuated. Police are setting up a cordon but all are advised to stay clear of the surrounding blocks and to if at possible stay home if you live near the affected area. There will be more updates as soon as we get them!"


    Food thoroughly forgotten Felicia sprung to her feet as she went to toss her food out, Laura quick on her heels. The other avengers didn''t move for a few seconds as they watched the girls go. Shooting each other quick looks, it was Tony that first spoke up.


    "Do we go help? Doesn''t Spider-Man usual deal with such B-rate super villains?" Felicia stopped in her tracks right away as his words registered. After everything that had been going on over the last few weeks, she had forgotten that Tony, while he could have phrased it differently'' had a point in a way. Though she had been training with the avengers and they were like Peter, super heroes that saved the day, they had never been one to deal with such situations."


    There was a small conflict within her mind, though if she were being honest with herself she wasn''t sure what she was actually debating. Her fists clenched unconsciously as she mulled over what she had been taught over the last few weeks.


    She wanted to be with Peter, she wanted to change how she had been, ever since that night at the party, ever since she had found out Peter was Spider-man. Ever since she fell in lov¡­started to like him and realise the sort of person that would be by his side, she had only had one goal when it came to being Black Cat.


    Black cat might not have been a villain, but she had definitely not been a hero, with the gifts she had been granted, with the power she had been bestowed by her father¡­..well it was like Peter always used to say.


    With great power comes Great Responsibility.


    The old black Cat was gone, had been gone for a long time. It was time for Black Cat the Hero to finally make her appearance!


    Letting the tension go from her hands she turned to Tony with a look of determination, but was beaten to the punch before she spoke. "It doesn''t matter if Spider-Man usually deals with them." The voice was quiet but garnered the attention of all those in the room.


    Captain America Stood tall and looked out in to the city as his voice carried his conviction. "There are People in danger, people that need help." He stopped for a second as he looked at everyone in the room. Felicia, Laura, Clint and Natasha were already standing and ready to go, while Tony was the only one still looking as if he wanted to eat his waffles and was sitting down.


    Looking everyone in the eye before finally landing on Tony, the two starred at each other for a second before Tony let out a small sigh as he stood up. "Alright, Alright, stop with the eyes damnit¡­" Mumbling as he tapped a new holo screen that appeared before him. "Besides I needed to have another chat with the arachnid after last time."


    Giving a small nod to himself Steve let a small smile appear. "Avengers! Gear up!" That was all that needed to be said as the others quickly moved out of the room, Felicia felt a smile tug at her lips as she moved to the elevator. Everyone but Tony left the room to grab their gear while, he called in the Quinn Jet for quick transportation.


    As the elevator started to descend Natasha was the first to speak up. "Has anyone seen Peter today?" Surprisingly it was Laura that responded. "I went to check if he was up before going to the lounge he sounded tired when he responded, said he was going to sleep in for a while longer."


    As the doors opened onto their shared floor, Steve quickly turned to Felicia his mind already in commander mode. "Hardy, quickly go and wake Peter up, tell him to hold down the fort and what''s happening, once you''ve done that gear up as fast as you can and meet us on the roof. The more time we spend the more damage those villains will do. Hopefully Spider-Man Shows up before we do and reduces the damages."


    Felicia almost wanted to face palm as she knew exactly where ''Spider-Man'' was. ''Asleep damnit!'' But only got out the words., "Ok Cap", before moving off. For some reason she just knew today was going to be hectic.

 Chapter 128 - Prompt 1

    Title: Wolverine:Pain and Redemption


    Type: Marvel/DC Crossover


    Synopsis:


    There is no worse pain than that which is self inflicted and this time James Logan Howlett knows it won''t go away, it won''t pass by like all the rest in his long life. It eats at him from the inside, haunts his dreams and sends nightmares to him every waking second. He wanted to die, he thought he had...But redemption comes for even those at their lowest, even when then don''t want it.


    The question is...Will he accept it?


    Date Written: November 2019


    Date Edited: January 2020


    Plan for prompt: This is one of the prompts that I was planning to pick up and start after I finished Spider-Man: Duty and Loss. I think this can be seen in the same type of naming sense, and when I do finish Spider-man, this is still one of the highest on the list to possible continue.


    Inspiration: ''The Feral Mutant'' over on Fanfic, sadly it is an incomplete novel.


    *******


    Prologue: Last Hurrah


    Logan Froze. He froze as the smile of victory started to crumble. If he had been concentrating on the area around him he would have noticed the last body fall to the ground behind him, as well as the red stained fishbowl that clattered to the ground.


    Standing over the now dead body, the blue form of Mystique looked on in sorrow as she took in the mansion she stood in. With red splattered on the walls and corpses littering the ground, it would make any weaker person vomit.


    She said nothing as she watched the man she had come to love slowly lose himself. Even if she were to say something, Logan wouldn''t be able to hear her. At that moment he was staring at the person across from him, the one he had currently skewered.


    What was once a smirk of victory as he took out his last enemy, Omega Red, turned to one of dread and pain, as the grey and scarred face turned into that of a barely 21 year old girl. The brown and white hair shook for a second as Rogue let out a cough of blood.


    Small drops of blood traveled down Logan''s face as it splashed on him and he took in a shuddering breath. As if finally noticing that he wasn''t being controlled anymore, Rogue spoke as blood filled her lungs. "Logan...you''re finally back."


    She gave a weak smile as the strength in her arms started to fail her. As her body started to go limp, Logan''s claws retracted as he gripped her body. His head moved around slowly, as he looked at the dying and dead enemies he had defeated¡­.the members of his new family.


    After everything that had happened to him over the years, losing his wife, son, memories, finally getting them back, finding a place that he belonged at....he had destroyed it, with his own hands. He gripped Rogue tighter as he started to call her name, hoping that it wasn''t too late but knowing that he had pierced her heart. He had gone for the kill.


    "Rogue." His voice came out in a quiver, something that hadn''t happened in a long time. Her eyes had closed as her breathing became weak. He shook her as Mystique walked up behind him. Deep down she was starting to feel the pain as she watched her daughter slowly die.


    After catching wind of what was going to happen from Magneto, it had taken her a while to slip away and make her way here. But in the end she was too late. Tears started to prick at her eyes as a short sob let out, but Logan was too out of it to notice.


    "Rogue, Rogue, ROGUE, please¡­please leave me something god, anything, something please. Don''t take them all." Logan''s body shook like a wounded animal as he watched the life continue to leave her. His mind was in shambles as he clutched her tight; burying his head in her hair.


    Finally having broken contact with her eyes he caught the true sight of his destruction. Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Gambit, Jubilee, the younger students, Storm, the bodies continued on an on as his head swiveled around the room, the guilt threatening to crush him.


    He finally couldn''t take it anymore as he screw shut his eyes and let out his tears, he had only cried a few times in his life, he honestly could count the amount of times on his hand. But this one hurt deeper than all the rest, this one he knew he would never get past¡­and as he cried he changed his fate forever. The shaking of his body caused a slight shift in Rogues'' still in his arms. Her pale face shifted to the side as he clutched onto her and the side of her cheek slowly touched Logan''s skin.


    He wasn''t sure what it was for a second as he felt the suction force that slowly started to invade him, it had been a long time since he had felt it. But after a few seconds his crying stopped as he pulled back in surprise.


    The slightly warmer tint in Rogue''s cheeks was all he needed to know to make a final decision. He wasn''t sure how it was happening, Rogue had gained full control of her powers over 2 years ago and since then had never accidentally absorbed another person''s life force.


    But now, at this time, it was a god send. Logan''s eyes hardened as he finally noticed the person next to him. Turning to look at Mystique, no words were spoken as his eyes conveyed all that had to be said. She felt her body go weak as she knew the person she loved, the person she had known for so many years, would finally die.


    A small content smile seemed to final break over his face as he looked up at her. "Hey Rae¡­" Mystique¡­Raven Darkholme held in a sob at the nick name. "I know we haven''t always seen eye to eye. But promise me¡­" He stopped as he reached down and gently caressed Rogues cheek.


    She had been like a daughter to him, one of the first he connected with before the others, with his amnesia at the time and gruff personality none really got close to him back then. ''Just like Jubilee''. A shudder of pain went down his spine once more as more life force was sucked from him, more of his healing factor. But he wouldn''t stop, he wouldn''t let her down...not now.


    He had lived long enough¡­he had done more than enough. He knew he was going to hell, if he were being honest, he thought it would be a nice vacation, a nice way to repent for¡­.for this. Looking back up from Rogue as she started to regain color¡­regain life, he starred right into Mystique''s eyes.


    "Promise me you''ll protect her." Mystique didn''t say a word as she slowly got down on her knees next to her daughter and the one she loved. She looked between them for a second before finally placing a hand on his shoulder.


    His body started to become weak as he slowly laid Rogue down on the ground making sure not to break contact. His healing factor was working double time to make sure Rogue lived. Staring up at the roof of the mansion Logan slowly began to think of the good times...the bad¡­the insane.


    ''It had been a good ride hadn''t it? Well hectic, and the end was a complete bitch.'' *Gasp* Rogue took in her first breath of air in minutes but didn''t fully wake. The sound only reaffirmed Logan''s determination, maybe he could have let go then, but he held on. He was giving his all, he wouldn''t be walking away like all those other times, not if he had anything to say about it.


    Mystique showed a gentle smile as she moved a bit of Logan''s hair out of his face as he started to fade, old scars starting to resurface on his skin. This would be her last chance and she wasn''t going to miss it. Slowly leaning down she gave her long-time friend/rival/lover/partner one final kiss and whispered in his ear.


    "Don''t worry Logan, I''ll protect our Daughter." The smile on his face got that tad bit wider as he just had enough strength to give his trade mark smirk, the one that said everything was going to be fine. "Thanks Darling, share a nice cold one with her when she gets older for me¡­a good¡­Canadian¡­brew" Mystique gave a small chuckle as his breathing started to slow and voice started to fade.


    Mystique watched over him as his body finally¡­after so many years, breathed it''s last.


    Reaching up to close his eyes it was not 5 seconds later that Rogue shot up and looked around the room in terror. Her body shook as it took in those around her, her hands patting up and down her body as she tried to figure out what happened.


    It didn''t take her long to find Mystique over Logan''s body. Her eyes shook as she felt the aches in her body disappear. She knew what he had done, the words couldn''t help but slip out in a tremble. "Logan¡­Dad". Her eyes turned red as a sense of loss rippled over her body, the person that had replaced her father, the one she considered herself closest to after her life had turned to shit, gone¡­forever.


    The two stayed silent for a short while before Mystique finally got up. "We don''t have a lot of time, others will be here to check what happened, we need to work fast." Rogue was too distraught to truly respond, but Mystique was having none of it.


    "Rogue we don''t have time for this!" Still no response. "Marie! We don''t have time! You can mourn later!" That seemed to grab her attention as she finally looked at her long absent mother. Mystique didn''t give her time to think as she grabbed her gloved hand and dragged her to her feet.


    Dragging her over to a different body lying in the room, Mystique ripped of her other glove off and forced her hand onto Nightcrawlers cooling body. But even though it was cooling her powers still kicked in. Finally Rogue fully snapped out of it and understood what was happening, ripping her hand away from her friend.


    "What the hell are you doing?" Mystique rounded on her even angrier. "Take his power!" Rogue was shocked, then appalled as she looked down at Nightcrawlers body in front of her. "No I won''t!" Mystique just grabbed her shoulders and starred her dead in the eye. "You will! We can''t help them anymore, it''s too late, but we can still use their powers to get revenge!"


    Rogue was prepared to beat the ever living hell out of one of her worst enemies, but she stopped at her words. "Revenge?" Pointing to Logan''s body that rested peacefully in the middle of the room Mystique couldn''t keep the anger from her voice.


    "They took him from me! From us! They took all your Friends! Your Family! Your Home! By using their powers we can pay them back and truly make this world peaceful. They have gone too far this time. Super heroes all over the world are being killed as we speak. You can no longer play nice or hold yourself back!"


    She stopped for a second to catch her breath as her face turned to one of sorrow, her eyes still locked on Logan''s still form. "Do this for them. Do this for him." Rogue looked around the room at her words, seeing all her friends littered around the room. A new feeling of anger started to bubble up inside her as she gripped her fists.


    She looked down at Nightcrawlers body for another second before finally, looking over to Logan. She stayed that way for nearly a full minute before finally nodding. Her eyes took on a new resolve as she knelled down and asked for a small prayer of forgiveness from her friend before closing his eyes.


    Staying there for a few minutes to fully take his powers, she continued around the room, giving small prayers to all her long-time friends and other children of the mansion, as she took what was rightfully theirs, what had already been taken from them by others.


    She was worried for a little while that her mind wouldn''t be able to take in their psychic prints as she took their powers, something she had trouble with in the past with Mrs. Marvel. But as the quite of their mind didn''t leave anything behind, it drove home the one unprecedented truth, they were all gone. Everyone she cared about, everyone she loved, there was nothing left but their small vestiges of life force that she would carry to take out their revenge.


    Finally after half an hour, she could no longer feel her powers work on the bodies she passed by, there was not enough life force for her to use. Slowly slipping on the shades Scott used to use, to retain her new eyes sight she turned to Mystique, it would take her a long time to learn to control all her new powers and she needed somewhere safe she could train herself.


    Not saying a word she let Mystique take her back through the mansion and outside.


    They had to hide, prepare for what was to come, prepare for what they would do when they found those responsible. Rogue sent one last look at Logan''s prone form, wanting so much to give him a proper burial like the rest, to give him one last hug, to feel his warmth before it was gone, but they didn''t have time.


    Rousing her powers that were a bit jumbled, Rogue quickly disappeared in a blue puff of smoke taking Mystique with her.


    What they didn''t see and what would become a question for old super heroes and Villains alike in later years, was Logan''s body slowly start to turn into particles.


    His body glimmered lightly as it slowly disappeared from the world¡­the universe, to places unknown, a small spark still inside his old body.


    When Magneto came to inspect the mansion, when he came to gloat over the dead body of his long-time rival, he would find peace in seeing most of his enemies dead and gone, but he would not find the body of one of the most dangerous mutants that had ever lived, Logan, and in the back of his mind he would always wonder if said mutant would come knocking, years in the future, to take his dues.


    But in the future it wouldn''t be him that would come knocking. It would be his daughter¡­and she would be out for blood.


    But that is another story all together.


    *******


    Yes this is an AU to old man Logan, with a few things changed around which I think makes a lot of difference. Now if a person does not go and read Feral Mutant for what happens next in general is basically Logan gets transported to the DC universe and I won''t tell you more than that.


    There wouldn''t be a specific DC universe he went to but it would be like my Current Spider-Man Universe, taking and choosing what I want while at the same time shuffling stuff around, with a basis in the MCU to work with. While for DC I would build on Young Justice as that is a world that can easily be changed, with things and people added or moved around.

 Chapter 129 - Prompt 2

    Title: ??


    Type: High School DxD


    Synopsis:


    Faith. Faith should be a foreign concept to beings such as Devils, one that is thrown away and unwanted. But still some believe in it, need it for their long lives with others. When one is unfaithful, what could the ramifications be? What will it ultimately lead to?


    If one was unfaithful and its ''ramification'' left for dead, hated and forgotten, is it possible for this ''ramification'' to find faith? Will he find faith in a future yet to come or succ.u.mb to the hand he has been dealt?


    This is his story, one brought about by a moment of weakness.


    (Yeah I need to re write that synopsis.)


    Date Written: January 2020


    Date Edited: January 2020


    Plan for prompt: Another one high on the list to be picked up once Spider-man is finished. Though it is hard for me to do this one as it would require a lot more extensive research into other pantheons and Gods.


    Inspiration: Part Inspiration from The Change of a Dragon, posted on fanfic.net. Which I will stand by my words and say is the best DxD fanfic I have ever read. Though the inspiration is very loose.


    *******


    Prologue: A Lapse in Faith


    *Wahhh* *Wahhh* *wahh* The slows cries of a young baby started to subside as it fell asleep in a small cot off to the side. The room he was located in was luxurious, ornate candles lit the walls and illuminated the intricate d¨¦cor that littered the room.


    There weren''t many people in the room, only 5 women. Four of them were dressed in regal maid wear and busying themselves cleaning up the room and looking after the final occupant that was breathing a bit heavily on one of the couches.


    The woman on the couch wore a bright blue dress that accented her figure and had flaxen crimson hair. With a red face, she was breathing hard from just giving birth but was quickly recovering, all her attention was on the door that lead into the room.


    Funnily enough none of them were looking in the direction of the baby, as if it didn''t exist. With the end of its cries the room was now quiet, except for the small sound of bustling bodies. It was just a few seconds later when they all turned towards the door.


    They could all hear the hurried footsteps that were making their way towards them. The red haired woman had an ashamed expression on her face as she waited for the doors to open, her mind had been denying it since she had found out she was pregnant.


    She had been hopeful and it was one of the only, if not the only, time in her life that she actually considered praying to god, hoping that her worries were unfounded. But sadly she had caught a glimpse of the baby after giving birth. What she had seen had crushed all her hopes.


    She knew her husband was coming to check for himself, and knew he would not like what he found. She closed her eyes softly as she steeled herself, trying to forget the mistake that had caused all of this to happen.


    *Bang* *Crack*


    The two wooden doors flung open in seconds as a man dressed in an immaculate suit walked in. His red hair flayed behind him as his eyes stuck to the cot holding the baby. The man looked to have just reached his thirties and was sporting a red goatee.


    If one looked close enough they could see the anger simmering underneath his eyes. *Step* *Step* His steps calmed as he walked over to look at the baby. As his eyes laid on the still, sleeping figure, the only reaction from him was the small curling of his hands into a fist.


    His eyes zoomed in on the brown hair that the baby had and knew that it wasn''t his.


    Zeoticus Gremory struggled to keep his anger in check as he looked at the ''thing'' before him, his mind at that moment couldn''t even register the baby as just that, a baby. His eyes slowly moved over to his wife Velelana Gremory and she couldn''t hold his look for more than a second, before her eyes moved down in shame and anguish.


    His mind drifted off for a second as he remembered when he first found out that his wife was pregnant. It would have been a happy occasion had it not been for the fact he hadn''t slept with his wife for a year.


    Yes it might be weird to normal humans if they thought of a devil not giving into their carnal desires for more than a few days, but Zeoticus had been with his wife for centuries. After having their first son, Sirzechs Gremory, they had gone at it a few more times, before deciding to have another child later.


    It had been many years, decades even since Sirzechs had been born, it would have been soon that they might have gone at it again. Of course because they were both pure blood devils of high ranking families it was rather hard for them to have kids, even if they did it occasionally they were unlikely to have another child. They would have to spend quite a bit of pleasurable time, repeatedly, before they would finally have another child.


    So finding out his wife was pregnant was not a happy day, it was the day Zeoticus found out his wife was unfaithful. Now it wasn''t an unfounded occurrence, many devils had more than one partner, he himself had slept with many a woman, devils, humans, fallen, one time he even snagged an angle forcing her to fall.


    But after he had married his wife it had gradually stopped. ''They were no longer YOUNG DEVILS! That slept around with whoever!'' His other hand curled into a fist as he kept his anger in. Finding out that his wife had a one night stand, one god damned time, after he had been away on a business trip, he didn''t really mind. Finding out that this one time had made her PREGNANT! He was furious!


    Yes Zeoticus didn''t care that his wife had had a one night stand, she would have told him, they would have gotten over it quickly, no big deal, they still had centuries together still, he could have even made a deal out of it, maybe go and have some fun in the human world, something he hadn''t done in a long time.


    They both wouldn''t mind. But she had a baby!


    He had only found out about this after she had begun to show signs and when she had to go quickly to the bathroom for morning sickness, something he regretted sadly, was in the presence of others. Someone outside the family. They had been congratulated in that moment, the news spread all over the underworld soon after.


    Once the news spread he could not keep it in check. He could no longer quietly get rid of the baby by other means. Velelana was a strong devil, not the strongest, but definitely not weak. For her to suddenly ''lose'' her baby was something which just couldn''t happen.


    ''Complications in child birth'' also wasn''t something that could be used. There hadn''t been a child''s death from birthing practices in centuries. The only way for a bay to die in devil society before being born was if the mother died for some other reason, taking the baby with her, that or they were born.


    As his thoughts drifted about he slowly turned away from his wife, a strong frown on his lips. He turned to one of the maids off to the side, the designated midwife of the family. "Does he have the power of destruction? What is his magic capacity like?"


    The midwife stood stoic and kept a cold tone as she responded to her lord. "The baby has little trace of the Power of Destruction and his magic capacity is frighteningly low. It would be a miracle if the baby could use magic in the future. His constitution is sickly and weak, so his physical capabilities in the future will also be low."


    The frown on Zeoticus''s face turned to a scowl as he heard the news. The face of the child''s true father flashed into his mind for a second as he thought of his sniveling eyes when he had tracked down and cornered the unknown devil.


    Zeoticus could admit at the time his rage had consumed him and he had left not a trace of the scared devil after he was done. Possibly overkill, but he didn''t care. But even in death the devil seemed to be taunting him.


    He had given ''their'' family a completely useless offspring. Zeoticus turned away in disgust from the baby and caught sight of another person entering the room. Sirzechs, his first son, hurriedly entered the room and moved over to his mother, a slight worry on his face.


    Though he knew it wasn''t possible for her to die during child birth he was still worried. Unlike usual he wasn''t trailed by his ever present queen, Grayfia. Zeoticus brushed the thought off as he pointed at one of the other maids.


    "I want you to take ''it'' to one of the rooms and make sure ''it'' is fed. I will deal with ''it'' later." The maid he pointed to gave a quick bow, as she moved over to the small child and picked him up slowly. She started to leave the room, doing as she was commanded.


    Sirzechs had a small frown on his face as he heard his fathers, words. He had heard what might have occurred but didn''t want to believe that his own mother had cheated on his father. He was about to say something when he caught sight of the babies brown hair.


    He stopped for a second as his father turned to him and gave him the look. The angry eyes settled onto the stunned son, before her turned to look at his mother. All she gave was an ashamed look as she caught sight of her son''s eyes.


    Any thought in Sirzechs mind of speaking up for the baby was quickly swept away, his thoughts were in shambles as he just sat back down next to his mother and held her close. He could see the shame in her eyes. ''It wasn''t her fault'' The thoughts on the baby left his mind as he concentrated on his family.


    "Leave us we have much to discuss in private." Zeoticus''s cold voice rang out in the room as he faced his wife. The remaining maids bowed their heads and moved out. Just as they were about to leave Zeoticus added one more thing.


    "If any of you whispers what happened today to anyone, I will kill you all myself."


    *******


    Chapter 1: Gossip


    Two maids diligently worked their way down the hallway as they cleaned everything in sight. With small smiles on their faces, one of them looked over their shoulder to make sure no one was around before turning to the other; they had both been friends for decades.


    They had just stopped to the right of one of the mahogany doors that lined their way. "Hey, did you hear? Lady Gremory is pregnant once again; it has only been 2 years since the birth of their second son!" The maid could barely hold her glee at the news, their lords happiness was their own.


    Her partner in crime also looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was around before she replied, in a hushed whisper. "I heard right after the birth of their second son, Lord Gremory was so happy with his demonic output they''ve been going at it every night since, to see if they could produce another strong heir." The maid let out a small giggle as she watched her friend''s eyes widen.


    "How envious¡­" The maid trailed off as she realized what she just said, but her friend just nodded in understanding. Most of the maids that worked in the Gremory mansion had fantasies about lord Gremory, sometimes Lady Gremory, or both if the moment took them.


    Both of their faces flushed red as their minds began to wonder, their cleaning slowing. Realizing that they were falling behind the one that just spoke quickly changed the conversation. "Speaking of the second Master, I''ve heard rumors that his talent was so high at birth that the Lord and Lady have been training and looking after him personally, that''s why no one has ever seen him before. No one even knows which room he occupies in the mansion for threat of assassinations."


    Her friend just shook her head. "No, that rumor was false¡­well the looking after him personally bit. I''ve got a friend who works down in the kitchen area that prepares the meals for the second master. Surprisingly I hear he eats rather sparingly, not a lavish diner at all, they always prepare him simple meals¡­" The maid trailed off for a second at the thought before continuing.


    "But that''s not the point, a specific maid always comes down to the kitchen at the same time to grab his meals and deliver them. I''ve heard she''s been sworn to secrecy in her duties concerning the Second Master." The other maid nodded her head in understanding.


    "Ah. So someone did have the honor of serving the second master and his parents aren''t doing it themselves? But they still train him personally right?" her friend lightly lifted one of the vases and cleaned under it for a second before turning back.


    "I don''t know, I''ve heard of the Second masters unnatural talents, but he is still young, like you said he is only about to reach 2 years old. For them to start training so early must denote his extraordinary potential." The maid gained a slight blush as she thought on the words, a few words slipping out before she could stop them.


    "If he is so talented, and has the genes of Maou Lucifer and Lord Gremory, won''t he be handsome in the future?" Her friend stopped for a second before her own face turned red in embarrassment her mind wandering.


    The two continued to giggle to their fantasies for a solid minute before they snapped out of it and looked at the time. "Damn, we''re already so far behind, we''ll need to pick up our pace if we want to finish, but no slacking!" Her friend nodded her head before pumping herself up.


    The two maids hurried to do their duties as they left the corridor they were just cleaning, behind the door they had been standing close to, a young boy sat quietly and listened to their conversation. He didn''t say a word as they moved off and had to resist a shiver as he slowly made his way back to his bed.


    The boy''s body still had baby fat on it from his young age, but it was clear that the boy was also malnourished, with a sickly pale skin color and brown hair; he was the Second Master the maids had just been talking about, Eric Gremory.


    His body shivered once more as he pulled himself under the sheets with a little difficulty and tried to gain something. He wasn''t sure what it was, but ever since he could remember his body would shiver, as if it were cold, as if it were looking for something.


    He was not allowed to leave his room, he wasn''t sure why, it was just one of the rules that made up his life. He had tried to leave shortly after learning to walk, a painful process that involved many falls and trips.


    The pain would go away after a while, but there seemed to be a dull throb that never left him after each fall. But alas his attempt had led to failure. All he got for trying was less food for a few days, keeping him bed ridden for a while.


    But around the same time he began to walk, he was finally able to listen to the conversations that went on outside his room, they would come and go, but for the boy it was the most interesting thing ever.


    He didn''t understand them at all, he had never properly been taught the devil language, but his latent devil genes made it possible for him to begin to understand, albeit brokenly. No the reason it was the most interesting thing for the child was because it was someone else.


    Eric didn''t get to see other people; not really, the only ones that ever came to see him were the 2 with the red hair, the red haired man with cold in his eyes and the woman that couldn''t look at him. Eric if asks would say he was afraid of the man with red hair, his eyes were cold and always sent a shiver down his spine when they would look at each other. He wasn''t sure why the man''s eyes were so cold but he knew that he was the cause of it.


    Though the cold look always made Eric feel worse, they were the only ones that ever went to see him, so even if he was afraid he liked their visits. Though he wished the woman would look him in the eye, there was some small primal part of him that craved for her to look him, even just once, face to face. Her eyes would go everywhere but him when she was in the room, and she would never speak to him, just look down at the ground with an emotions that the young Eric could not identify.


    But there was one other person that came to visit young Eric, though she wasn''t much better than the other two, the cold woman who delivered his meals. He had tried to talk to her before, but she would just set the meals down and leave. She would also return to wash him and give him clothes, but she would never talk.


    *Cough* *Cough* Eric''s lungs spasmed again as he turned his small body over in the ridiculously large bed that was his home. The darkness of the room seemed to encroach on his little body and the shiver returned as he closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep.


    Since young it had been the same way, as it would get later in the night Eric''s hands would slowly but surely wrap around his body, gripping it tight as he continued to shiver, searching desperately for something he had never felt before, but wanted desperately.


    What he wanted, what he searched for, something he had never felt.


    Warmth.


    *******


    Now if you guys can''t figure out by now, i do like starting stories off with a sad setup. I try not to make it too sad, but the good thing about having a character that has had it so bad, or starts off in a bad place, is its easier to build him up and show his emotional journey.


    But that''s just me.


    This was one of the rare times where I wrote the prologue and the first chapter because the idea wouldn''t leave my mind. This is of course still the set up and doesn''t get anywhere close to telling you guys what the main plot is.


    Something to get you guys excited!


    The MC''s peerage will consist only of Gods. (Something i have never seen in another DxD novel, though i might have missed it.)


    Is this op, yes.


    The problems with trying to write this type of novel. Honestly when you go in knowing that the MC is going to have a peerage of Gods, you have to do your research about the gods that are going to be turning up as well as give them a good reason to join a peerage.


    Another thing that is a problem is the peerage system itself, one of the rules of the system is that the ''King'', can''t reincarnate a being stronger than them. (Something which other novels don''t care about) But yeah i am going to care, and i have figured out a way of getting around that obstacle.


    Finally the last problem is how powerful a person with a peerage full of God''s would be. Honestly doing it I would have to say that the story would be very ''slice of life'', but I wouldn''t call it slice of life, I would just say very lax with battle scenes and more involved with the interactions between characters. Especially when the MC later talks to his family. Maybe more a face slap type genre? The name of the genre has failed me right now.

 Chapter 130 - Prompt 3

    Title: ??


    Type: Original


    Sci-fi


    Synopsis:


    (Temporary)


    What better way is there to teach someone than through life?


    Date Written: 2018


    Date Edited: 2020


    Plan for prompt: An original that I won''t get to for a very long time I think


    Inspiration: It''s an original for a reason.


    *******


    Prologue: Congratulations


    I stared out the window and let the sun''s glow bath me in heat, it was funny, I never concentrated on how good this feeling was. Throughout the years I never truly appreciated the warmth I was feeling, the cosines that spread throughout my body.


    I guess it comes when you''re about to die. How did I know? I could just feel it. The tiredness and fatigue that gripped my body most times of the day and the growing nostalgia, which would keep popping up from the smallest of things.


    I would remember my school days and laugh at the silliness of it all. I would remember the hard times finding work and the desperation to find myself in the world.


    The best and worst moments of my life would always come and go in a flash, and leave me reminiscing for hours.


    I had been in this hospital room for a while now; I knew it would happen soon.


    My health started to decline when I was 108. With the advances in technology these days, getting to 111 years was pretty good, but the richer people could extend that to 130 easily.


    I never had a really good paying job to get the better treatments needed. I was only upper middle management. Better than a normal employee but nothing compared to the big wigs.


    That''s all in the past now though, I got my severance package around 14 years ago. It was a good payout; I had spent a lot of time at the company. The money I saved dried up fast after my wife''s funeral though and then these hospital costs came along and took the rest I had saved.


    I always said I was saving so me and her could go on a trip in the later years of our time together, but we never got to go before she died. I always put it off to earn more money through overtime and extra work.


    It was useless in the end, I had waited too long.


    I don''t know why I tried to live longer¡­ ¡­It kept me from her for longer¡­


    I stretched my arm out to the bed side, grabbed the remote, turned on the TV and grabbed the most important thing in the room.


    My eyes started to tear up as I stared at the picture in my hands; it was of me and my Wife on our honeymoon back in our late twenties. I smiled slightly. I knew I would be seeing her soon, she left me 8 years ago and since then it was never the same.


    My kids stopped seeing me after I was admitted for a year, I had thought at least one of them would have visited, but I guess they have to deal with their own kids and grandkids.


    Nearly all of my past friends had died off by now, 1 or 2 of them were still in aged care homes, but that was better than a hospital bed with nothing to do.


    The TV caught my ear as I was reminiscing.


    "With the advent of the new Virtual Reality (VR) pod version 2, results have shown faster learning in adolescence and sharper brain speeds with mathematical and grammatical learning, with the new VR peace treaty due to be put in place 2 months from now it shows how much VR has revolutionized how we as a society will evolve. Here to talk with me today about VR is Doctor¡­"


    I turned away from the TV and stared back at the portrait. Virtual Reality huh? Something in the realm of fantasy back when I was a kid in the 2000''s. So much has progressed in the last 100 years, I didn''t do much with the time I had here, but the time spent with my wife was the best.


    Sometimes I would feel lonely in this quite room, with only a bedside table, TV and window, I had to entertain myself. But it was hard doing that as I got on in the years, even going to the toilet was starting to become a pain.


    I don''t want to end up as one of those people who pees through a catheter and has to be helped to go to the toilet. It''s one of my last dignities that I didn''t want to give up.


    I couldn''t even play some of the new games that were released in the VR pod as my body couldn''t handle it. Turning the page of a book, took up too much energy. And I would find myself sleeping for the majority of the day.


    My eyes started to feel slightly heavy and the warmth from the sun was starting to get even cozier as I lay on the bed.


    Ahh it was time, I gazed into the picture in my hands, fixated on my wife''s eyes, they seemed so happy.


    My mouth started to dry up as my breathing became weaker and weaker. I felt a light wetness on my cheek and knew I was crying. I whispered her name.


    "Rebecca"


    My final thoughts on her dazzling smile.


    ''I''m coming to see you soon; I hope I haven''t kept you waiting.''


    And it was then as the darkness closed in and my vision became pitch black; I heard a slightly robotic sound ring in my head.


    "Congratulations, You''ve Graduated"