《Spider-Man. House Of Venom》


 Arc One. Chapter One. The Second Worst Day

    They say the worst day of your life is when someone dies. For Peter, that was the day his uncle Ben died.


    He had been waiting to pick him up from soccer practice. When he was a child Peter loved sports, the feeling of running free, the rush of scoring a goal, and then finally the pizza afterwards. It was the final and Peter¡¯s team had made it all the way to the Cup, but Uncle Ben had been ill. Knowing it was important he had taken Peter anyway, staying in the car to keep warm, and while Peter was celebrating his win with the team, a carjacker had tapped a gun on the window.


    Uncle Ben had always been a logical and practical man, working with his hands, rebuilding and fixing cars, and he was never one to back down from a problem. As he argued with the man, trying to persuade him to take the higher ground, the teams were let out, and an excited Peter rushed towards him. Fearing for the boy, Ben grabbed the gun, which went off. As he lay in the parking lot of the sports centre, he quietly passed away in the arms of one of the other dads at the match. He was a retired police officer and while he gave as much comfort as he could, a few of his friends chased and caught the killer.


    The funeral had been surreal to the 8-year-old. Unsure of what to do or how to act, he simply held onto Aunt May''s hand the entire time. She cried and while there were well-wishers there, no one stayed to help after the wake was over. She had cried alone, and Peter had no idea at the time what to do to make her feel better.


    To add to the misery, the carjacker got no jail time. His defence, surprisingly competent for a public defender, argued enough distortions into the case and caused enough reasonable doubt that he walked free, a stupid smug grin on his face.


    "Hey kid", he shouted to the boy, standing stupefied as to why his Aunt was crying. "No harm no foul huh?" his lawyer shushing him and pulling him away as he complained.


    It''s a pain you can''t explain, a hollow empty kinda hurt, like losing a piece of yourself when really, nothing''s missing. Peter would look round and expect his uncle to be there and the pain would take his breath away, he would stare into space, trying not to cry as he fought against the memory of that day.


    His Aunt May was the only person he had left in the world after that. His parents had died in a car accident when he was just a baby and he never remembered them, so alone with only each other they did the best they could.


    The life insurance payout was minimal at best, forcing the young boy and his Aunt to move back into Midtown, a small apartment at the limit of their budget. Aunt May made sure that Peter never went without, even if she had to work two jobs and spent most of the time exhausted. They might not have had the best, and some things might have had a more dubious origin but Peter knew that he was loved. Aunt May made sure of it.


    Life became more of a routine to be filled than an event. Aunt May took a job at a laundromat and a local convenience store, her meagre wage supporting Peter as he changed schools and tried his best to shoulder the pain. Peter wasn¡¯t stupid though and he could see that the work was slowly killing her. She was only in her early 50¡¯s but the stress of the store and the less than stellar safety equipment at the laundromat was slowly ageing her beyond her years. He knew she would never say anything, knew she would rather suffer than have him see one second of her pain, and he promised himself that one day he would make sure she never had to work for one second longer than she had to.


    Changing school should have been a good thing, new friends and new memories to help cope with the grief of losing his uncle, but his lack of enthusiasm for sports isolating him in the football dominated Midtown Junior Elementary. Its effects rippled into Midtown High, where after an off the cuff remark about wasting money that could have gone to the science club, Eugene "Flash" Thompson decided to make Peter''s life hell.


    It started off as small stuff. Peter would find his locker vandalised, one of his books would be missing and hidden somewhere Peter either couldn''t get to or reach. It started small, but by the time the boys hit puberty and Flash, once similar in build to Peter buffed up, helped by sports and a whisper of various chemicals, it turned worse. The once harmless and childish pranks became much more sinister. Peter would find his locker not just vandalised but trashed, his books ripped or covered in something worse than water. On a few occasions, it even turned violent, when Flash knew there were no teachers around Peter ¡°fell¡± and managed to burst his own lip.


    The school was no help. Even when Aunt May made a scene they did nothing, Flash was too well known, too important to the school and even as a High School football player the sponsorship deals and publicity he brought to the school made him untouchable. More importantly, he was rich and the donations his father gave to the school each year would hurt the already flagging school budget. Flash was given a minor telling off, while glaring daggers at Peter. All they had done was made it worse and from then on, Peter said nothing, quietly swallowing the humiliation and the anger at both Flash and the school.


    He only had two things in his life that made High School bearable. The first was a girl. Gwen Stacy. Her love of science and math, plus her uncaring attitude towards Flash and his pose meant that as soon as she decided Peter and her were friends, they were friends.


    Gwen was just as brilliant as Peter, even if their talents lay in different fields. He could look at something, listen to its motions, its noise, and figure out what was wrong with it. Of course, this had been trained by years of taking things apart and putting them back together again, even if he wasn''t always successful. Gwen¡¯s lay in the chemical, She could look at a formula on paper and know what it was, math came easy to them both and they bonded over shared science and math clubs.


    Gwen was the one person that Peter knew he liked more than just a friend, they shared looks, small intimate hugs, and the little things he felt made it more special than with anyone else, but he also saw the way Flash looked at her, the way everyone looked at her, and then the looks they gave him right after. He was afraid, not just of the rejection if she did say no but of what the school would do, Flash didn¡¯t need a reason but this was giving everyone else one.


    As part of their group, Felicia Hardy also kept a presence in Peter''s life. She always seemed more interested in Gwen but as they spent more and more time together he found comfort in a familiar face, another person who when confronted by Flash made sure not just him, but the rest of his group knew she didn¡¯t care who his father was. Being the captain of the Judo club also gave her a menacing air that meant Flash and the others kept away from her, and in turn from Peter.


    While not quite a friend Peter had one last person in his life. Harry Osborn. The son of the second richest man in America, he, unfortunately, failed to follow in his father¡¯s footsteps. His intelligence was lacking, as was his motivation, and it came down to Peter, the smartest boy in school to help him. His mother died of a rare and incurable genetic disease and it was her wish that Harry be raised with a more grounded education. Harry had been glad, his relationship with his father was strained and doing anything that made him angry was a plus in Harry''s book.


    Of course, his father, Norman Osborn, objected and when Harry''s grades came back as below average it fell to Peter to raise them, earning a small sum to help with bills he readily accepted. Norman never really accepted the boy, his background was offensive to the billionaire but Harry and Peter ignored him, a rare act of defiance on Harry¡¯s part.


    Peter kept himself to himself, even when an old childhood friend resurfaced, MJ Watson, Peter kept his distance. Time, awkwardness, and a stark warning from Flash made him realise they were living two separate lives now. They shared classes, shared friends but never reconnected in a meaningful way. Peter was polite but distant. With most of his classmates, Peter was polite but distant. Each one of them had a connection to Flash, each one of them looked at him with either disgust or pity, suffering the rumours and stories spread by not just Flash but the crowd of cronies making Peter''s life worse than he could imagine.


    The years spent in Midtown slowly grew, and Peter, once a cute 8-year-old, found himself in the prime of life, 18 and graduating, his last year at Midtown High. Academically, he would graduate Valedictorian with scholarships to New York Universities mechanical and electrical engineering departments, a full-ride grant covering all his costs.


    Everything was on track, he had the education planned, he had an internship with Hammer Technologies planned and accepted. With Harry being the son of Norman Osborn he had even offered to get him an internship there, but Peter had refused. Not out of foolish pride but simply he was afraid that Flash would be there, Gwen had already warned him he had been in the building a few times, speaking to her as if they were friends and Peter knew that if Flash found him, he would either lose his place or the bullying would continue. This was Peter''s way of escaping from the hell he had made the past four years, even if Hammer didn¡¯t have the most dazzling reputation, it was still one of the big three.


    Stark Enterprises would have been his first pick, but no one got an internship with Stark unless you already had a huge line of credentials, with Oscorp being the territory of Flash that left him with Hammer, and he had hollered with joy as he was accepted. Justin Hammer was more of a showman in Peter¡¯s eyes, but he still got military contracts, still got plenty of press, and it was still a huge deal on Peter¡¯s C.V.


    He had just celebrated his 18th birthday, the cold winter months would soon be coming to an end and with Christmas and the New Year out of the way he only had 6 months left of school to worry about. Exams and the end of year Prom, which once he worked up the courage he would ask Gwen if she wanted to go with him. He was building to it, last week when she said happy birthday she gave him a quick peck on the cheek before scampering off and hiding next to Felicia, who seemed to be annoyed she did it as much as Peter seemed to be happy she did. He had proof she liked him, and he was going to do it, he had even started to look at corsages, which Aunt May began to tease him mercilessly about.


    Even with Flash making sure his days at school were miserable he could come home to a safe and welcoming home. Life was good, it could be better, Peter knew it could be but he was still happy. He just hoped that Uncle Ben would be proud of him.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Two. Changes

    He stared at the permission slip in his hand, Aunt May had already signed it and as he handed it over to the guard they gave it a quick scan and then handed it back.


    Peter Parker, Age 18.


    Senior Year Photography Project.


    Document and Photograph Work Placement for Oscorp.


    Was printed on the guest pass and, having clipped it to the lanyard, hung it around his neck. Peter stood waiting with the rest, taking quick snaps of the building. He¡¯d been handed an Oscorp camera and had to hand it back at the end of the tour. Once they had scoured and verified that he hadn¡¯t taken a picture of anything secret, it would be downloaded onto a memory card and sent to the school.


    It was fascinating being in Oscorp, Harry had told Peter a few times what the place was like and Peter had been promised a tour by Harry''s dad, Norman, for years now. This time, with school pass in hand and camera strapped to his neck, he was seeing the working bustling lab that was the beating heart of Oscorp.


    Sure, Peter had to follow Gwen and Flash around as the suck-ups and sycophants pointed and made fun of the "nerds" but he didn''t care. Flash''s parents were on the board and Gwen had been interned here for the past year already. She was smart, plus Flash had been trying to get into her pants forever. Peter often wondered if part of Flash¡¯s imagined slight against him was his friendship with the three most popular girls in the school. MJ, Gwen, and then Felicia, his co-chair on the Math team.


    It was tough, watching someone dumber than a pet rock, slide into a job and a life Peter would have killed to get, but he couldn''t, he wouldn''t feel sorry for himself. He had the best grades in class, even higher than Gwens and even if Harry talked a lot of hot air, Peter knew he was trying to get him an in with his Dad.


    As the first part of the tour wound down they were headed towards the food court at the bottom of the building again. Flash and the rest of the football team, unimpressed by the science, sat on the tables and laughed at the passersby, even they could recognise the boss''s son and gave them a wide berth.


    Peter was enjoying his lunch, a bottle of apple juice and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, made and packed by May when he felt the splash and heard the laughter. Flash had launched a soda at him, shouting ¡°oops!¡± While he and his cronies laughed, Peter was soaked. Pouring the dark sticky liquid from his lunch box, wiping himself down as best he could, Peter swore under his breath and headed towards the toilets to clean off.


    He swore at the mirror in the bathroom, knowing he only had 6 more months of Flash¡¯s bullshit before he was free. He had his own life after school planned and Flash wasn¡¯t a part of that, even if he had to take a lesser internship at Hammer Industries to avoid him. He had no hope of one at Stark Industries, people from all over the world gave up well-paying jobs just to work there, a high school kid had no chance.


    As he mopped the soda from his clothes and washed his face, he never noticed the thin web dangling above him, and the faint tickle at the back of his neck as the strangely coloured bright red and blue spider landed on him. As he straightened up he felt something on the back of his neck and as he brought a hand up to find out what it was, he felt a sharp pain where he felt the itch. Gasping for air as the sudden electric jolt shot through him, he crumpled to one knee, finding his legs going weak and all feeling going from his hands. Struggling to stand he feebly reached out towards the door, hoping, praying someone would hear his attempted cries for help.


    He struggled weakly as he felt someone tugging at his clothes, and he was sure someone said his name over and over but he couldn''t focus, everything was so bright and so loud. He was sure someone took his things, rummaging through his clothing. He felt something wet splash on him and it didn¡¯t even register he¡¯d been sick.


    ¡°Fuck, get him outta here. If Osborn sees him we¡¯re screwed,¡± and Peter felt the rough hands of a few people pick him up and then the bright glaring light of the outdoors. He was hoisted and thrown into the trash at the back of the building, struggling to rise. Through half-opened eyes, Peter began to try and make his way to the street. Falling several times he gasped and groaned as he found his body unresponsive. He knew there were people around, he could hear the heavy thudding of their footfalls and as he tried to call out for help his tongue was numb and his voice came out slurred.


    "Hey, Kid?" Peter''s mind was still reeling, nausea and cramps causing his body to tense and curl up. He was too far gone to reply. Pain, nausea, bright pulsing light all assaulted his senses, and wherever he was, the smell was horrendous. Like raw hot garbage being fried in faeces and puke.


    "Yeah, he''s a tweaker, tag ''em and bring him in with the rest."


    A cold liquid seemed to pour into his veins, bringing relief to the nausea and agony of the world. Peter hoped someone had found him, taken him to get help, and not one of the various gangs he had heard of, taking kids from the street to sell.


    Peter was manhandled onto a table and he tried to fight back. Something inside him told him this was wrong, that he needed to escape, but his muscles screamed at him when he tried to move. His skin felt raw and every fibre of the hospital gown he''d been made to wear was like sharp knives against his skin. Each breath filled his lungs with a cloying scent of the woman, he could smell her fragrance and it wasn''t perfume. She was excited and it was almost palpable, a thick taste on his tongue.


    Peter knew all his senses were going wild, even the voices he heard were distorted as if underwater or screeching in high pitches. The lights of the room burned like stars and he had to keep his eyes closed, even seeing the bright stripes slip past as he was wheeled somewhere. A smell of disinfectant penetrated both nostrils and he hoped this was a hospital.


    He felt a sharp prick on his arm and the world went black again.


    "Okay, Okay. Test subject 15 Gamma, Alien Subject Sigma. Bonding test in 5. 4. 3. 2 and 1."


    They had taken the boy, stripped him from the foul-smelling and mismatched clothing, disinfected him and checked him for any serious illness. The procedure went better on the less doped up subjects and while a mess, this one seemed to be younger but healthier than most. Poor bastard, the tech thought as he strapped him to the table, doesn''t even look 20.


    The nameless technician flicked a switch and watched as the glass-reinforced box slid open. The test subject instinctively crawled its way towards the unconscious boy, flowing like pudding over the smooth panel designed, when activated, to keep it securely held.


    Cameras and scanners of all types recorded the interactions between the boy and the alien, hoping to unlock the secrets of the bonding, hoping to finally report a successful integration of symbiote and man.


    Flowing over and under the robe, the alien finally covered the young boy''s scrawny body. It began by hooking microscopic tendrils into his brain and nervous system, attaching itself to the host it had been granted in a symbiotic relationship. The boy''s eyes flickered as it began the joining process.


    Watching the monitor the technician studied the various screens, recording the boy''s heart rate, neural activity, and body temperature. All these would spike as the alien attempted to take control, then if the joining was successful level out. So far all joining had killed the host, their heart rate hitting 200 bpm and neural activity, bursting the delicate blood vessels in their brains. This would be trial 64, all homeless men, women, and now a teen.


    The symbiote paused, something was wrong, something was pulling it from its natural position of resting on the host''s outer body and pulling it into its cells, shredding and decomposing its own body.


    Unseen a chemical reaction began in Peter''s cells. His DNA was already breaking down, being reformed and as the alien symbiote sought to cover and merge itself into his body, the chemical reaction spread to it. Its DNA was being broken down and reformed with the boys, host and symbiote, into one organism. The symbiote screamed in agony as it was digested by the enzyme, struggling to remain whole, seeking a place to hide within the new host''s body but there was nowhere. It began to pump a toxic chemical into the host, hoping to kill it before it could kill them both. As long as it survived they would live and get their revenge. Even then the chemical was absorbed, changed and as its toxin began to affect its own cells, it screeched in agony.


    As the monitors reacted to this development the technician watched with boredom. The kid wasn''t going to make it as his heart rate and EEC began to hit critical levels. Normally the symbiote would begin to detach from the host, leaving the now dead pile of flesh for him and his colleagues to dissect, to figure out where it went wrong. This time he watched with rapt attention as the alien seemed to flow into the boy''s body.


    He began to spasm and the body of the stick-thin teen seemed to bulge, something wriggling under his skin. The tech scowled, was the alien attempting to eat the boy? That was new, most of the time they either attempted a joining or melted the body, he¡¯d never seen a joining like this and as he checked the monitors, he watched in amazement.


    He¡¯d seen it all before this. If the body was too badly drugged up the creatures just killed the host rather than attempt a joining. The worst ones just melted as the symbiote flowed over them as if they were offended by the offering of tainted meat. He had seen it too often to be bothered, it just meant he needed a bucket to clean the room rather than the usual autopsy and paperwork a fresh death brought.


    Did it want younger fresher meat than had been provided? Reaching for his intercom "Ma''am, this time is different, the alien seems to be reacting to the younger body"


    After a brief pause. "Monitor closely, report once the procedure is finished."


    Making sure each camera was on, making sure each device was recording fully, the nameless tech watched in amazement as first the boy''s heart rate slowed, then his brainwave activity returned to normal, and finally, the seizures or whatever was happening had come to an end. Unlike the other times, even the training video they had been made to watch at the first successful joining, this was completely different. The symbiote had been absorbed into the boy, rather than covering his skin on the surface it was hiding internally.


    The thermal cameras had noted that the symbiote had completely assimilated into the boy''s body and his now taut wiry muscles glistened with a sheen of sweat as if he had been working out.


    The tech shook his head, he needed to get laid after this. Lusting after some kid didn''t give his image any favours, young yes, but this boy was a one-way ticket to jail.


    Turning away from the monitors, his hand was inches away from the intercom when the thump against the glass made him jump in his chair. Turning he saw the boy stood staring at him with eyes black as pitch. Winding up a punch, he thrust his arm through the glass shattering it and covered them both in broken pieces. The tech had time to let out a strangled scream as the creature reached for him with a black clawed hand.


    "WE ARE VENOM!"


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Three. A New Day

    When Peter woke up the first thing he realised was how sore he was. Each muscle seemed to be more painful than the last and his mouth was filled with the faint taste of strange metal. Groaning and slowly lifting himself off the bed, he paused for a second when he caught sight of himself in the clothes strewn mirror he had leaned up against the wall.


    Moving the dirty laundry onto the floor he gazed in marvel at himself. He was skinny, yes, but now his muscles rippled under pale skin as if he spent hours at the gym rather than the library. He raised a hand over his head, he wasn''t sure but he might be taller? Peter shook his head, that wasn''t possible, hell, even the muscles he saw were impossible and the more he stared at the strange reflection in the mirror the more he thought he was dreaming.


    He looked over at the door frame, it had been a while since he and May had measured him but as he stood next to the marks he saw that his normal 5¡¯8¡± was now closer to 5¡¯11¡± and he cursed, didn¡¯t quite make the 6ft mark, but the extra height made a difference, especially when he stood tall and didn¡¯t slouch. He used his hands to brush the still unkempt bed hair, it was still its normal light brown colour and still hung loosely in front of his eyes. Aunt May had been threatening him with scissors but he liked it a bit long. It hid his eyes and some of the expressions he made, it was a little shield he could hide behind when he kept his head low.


    He knew he was the geeky sort of handsome, no matter what Aunt May said. As he stared at his reflection it seemed that the once pale skinny boy was now a fit muscular man. He even felt as he moved from side to side, trying to stretch the pain from his arms and legs that his underwear was tighter. As he peered into them, well, that''s definitely new he thought, staring at what was now less of a pickle and more of a cucumber tucked into his boxer shorts. Shaking his head and leaving it alone, for now at least, he went back to posing in the mirror.


    He tried a few times to flex like the advert gym members, posing to entice memberships, but his muscles screamed in stiffness at him. He would figure this out, he could figure this out, but first, he needed to get some food and maybe a banana into him. Muscle stiffness meant two things, either he had been working out, or more likely whatever happened to him yesterday had cramped all his muscles up.


    Slowly making his way downstairs he noticed Aunt May sat at the breakfast table, a sullen scowl on her face. Easing himself into a chair he slowly reached for some fruit and cereal.


    "Well?" His aunt spoke first.


    "Oh yeah, thanks for getting me Aunt May, I dunno what happened, I guess I ate something or I uh dunno." She leaned back in her chair


    "Thanks? You''re gonna say thanks? You storm home at 3 am, rant on about your uncle, break a chair and then pass out and you''re saying thanks? " She had stood up and was pacing behind her chair, waving her arms as she talked.


    "Uh, what? No Aunt May, no, I got sick at Oscorp. I think I threw up, and then I was home, you didn''t come to collect me?" Peter couldn''t have looked more guilty, 3 am he thought to himself, what the hell happened?


    "You got sick huh?"


    "Yeah, Aunt May, I got sick, I puked and uh, I think someone took my clothes," Peter sat bolt upright, "my wallet and camera, oh man, they took them."


    Peter slouched back down. When he had woken up there was no sign of his clothes, bag, or camera. The camera had been Oscorp¡¯s so he didn¡¯t care too much, it was the waiver he signed that if he lost it, he would have to pay for it that bothered him. He''d always wanted to be a photographer but he found a passion for mechanics and electronics early enough he''d never had the time. Normally it was just for fun but Flash found out about it somehow and had volunteered him to photograph the Oscorp field trip, thinking it would be funny.


    Aunt May pointed a finger at him, "You, you stay quiet and sit there." Reaching over she pulled the phone off its recharging cradle. "Yes Midtown High, I need to speak to the person in charge of the class trip to Oscorp yesterday, Student Peter Parker. ID 1469902. This is his aunt." She paced back and forth. "Yeah. So Peter didn''t come back last night and I heard he got sick and, uh-huh, yeah that''s right, uh-huh. YOU LEFT HIM AT OSCORP. What the hell were you thinking? Leaving a student without supervision and without calling me." Aunt May was silent on the phone. "Yeah, well you bet your ass I will," before hanging up.


    "Uh, Aunt May?" Peter looked up from his cereal. He had seen her mad before, anytime Peter came home with a torn book or ripped clothing she would scowl and try her best not to yell. Peter didn¡¯t know her exact age but he knew the wrinkles and calluses on her hands were from working too hard, that the lines and small grey hairs were from stress. She was, as Flash taunted him often enough, an attractive woman. Thin but not skinny, she had the bearing of a tiger and the attitude to match. Taller than Peter by a few inches and modestly built, Peter knew she had kept her social life on hold, not because of lingering loyalty to his uncle, but to Peter. She spent her time and energy to make sure Peter''s life was as good as it could be, and Peter loved her all the more for it.


    "You aren¡¯t going to school this week Peter, no phone calls either and no social media, you stay quiet about this. I''m serious." Peter kept his head down and just nodded. It was then the door buzzer sounded. Peter looked up and May just glared at him. Slinking down in his chair Peter knew to keep quiet when Aunt May was mad, it might not have been him her anger was directed at but fire didn''t care who it burned and he knew Aunt May was a fire right now.


    Tilting his head slightly, he could hear the voices at the doorway as if he was sat right next to them, "Well Mr Osborn, are these papers to make sure we don''t sue your ass for leaving an 18-year-old who was exposed to god knows what at your facility to get home alone in a taxi?"


    Aunt May was fuming, not only did the school just leave him there but now Norman was using his son''s friendship with Peter to try and wrangle his way out of any possible liability.


    "I can sue, any lawyer will take this pro bono and if anything, anything shows up on a blood test you know you''ll lose."


    Peter panicked, whatever was happening to him was probably something that happened at Oscorp but it would be testing after testing and no freedom, especially if it was an experimental drug. While his curiosity at what was happening to him was high, the desire to stay out of a lab and any government research facility was greater.


    "Mrs Parker, these are a formality." Norman was a smooth talker, years of kissing ass and plying money out of gullible investors had made him king at getting his own way, "with Peter''s sudden illness Harry was concerned, his friend Gwen collected his things and while I''m sure the taxi incident was a mistake we can settle this without dragging it through the courts, can''t we Peter?"


    Peter leapt from his chair, "Mr Osborne, can I see that?" Peter skirted around Aunt May and took the papers from Norman. It was standard stuff, but buried within the small print was several liability clauses, forbidding Peter or any offspring from suing Oscorp, Norman or any of his offspring basically, forever.


    "Sir, this could be bad if it gets out, even if it¡¯s just a stomach bug, the liability to your insurance alone will cost you millions, 250K settlement, I''ll sign this plus an NDA. Anyone asks, it never happened." Peter was shaking, he was trying to blackmail Norman Osborn


    Norman Osborn was not someone you usually bargained with, he was used to getting not only his own way but anything he wanted. He never approved of Harry slumming it with public school kids but his late wife had made him promise to try and ground his education a little and he had agreed.


    He snorted. "150 and you sign today."


    "250, to take care of taxes, and I''ll sign today."


    Norman reached into his jacket, took out his chequebook, signed his name with a flourish and ripped out the freshly penned check. "Sign."


    Peter took a pen from next to the phone hanging on the wall, signed his name next to each cross, 6 times in total and taking the check from Norman, handed him the papers. Norman snorted and walked away without saying anything.


    Peter had been right, the insurance alone would have totalled millions if word got out a student had been poisoned there. The experimental creatures that escaped had all been caught, so contamination hadn''t been an issue but even after testing each student''s blood they couldn''t be 100% sure none of them had been bitten. Even that could cause a lawsuit, medical procedures on underage kids were bad enough but whoever let those things out of the Archive was going to pay.


    Five years ago he had personally made sure that every one of those freaks was caught and killed. He wouldn¡¯t let the incident happen again, not after so many people died. He clenched his fist in anger just thinking about whichever idiot did this and how bad it could get.


    He had personally fired the dumbasses that bundled them into taxi''s to get them home and now he would find someone to take this hiccup out on. What was worse was that those particular spiders were supposed to have been destroyed years ago. Someone screwed up and he was going to find out who.


    Of course, to hide the payoff he had to spend 250 grand of his own money so he was naturally angry and he would take it out on Harry as well. It was his lack of intelligence that made him befriend the Parker kid in the first place, Norman knew his parents before they died and their brilliance had passed onto him.


    If Harry had one fraction of his intelligence he would never have had him befriend a loser like Parker just so he could copy homework and get help with exams. Cursing his bad luck Norman made sure to spend the rest of the day spreading his anger to anyone responsible for this mess.


    Peter closed the door and with his back to it, slid down sighing. "Sorry Aunt May but Norman can be tough. Harry gets in trouble for everything, if we didn''t back down, he''d make sure he got what he wanted, and you know, at least his way we got some money."


    He smiled at her, hoping she wasn''t going to be too hard on him. She looked like she had aged a hundred years when Norman showed up, Peter knew they could fight and probably win a much larger settlement but it would ruin Aunt May''s health. He would also have to endure a medical, and that could be a disaster.


    While she and Uncle Ben weren''t that old when he began living with them, having to raise even the quiet Peter had been difficult for her. Her mousy brown hair was dishevelled and while tidy, Peter knew that harsh chemicals from the laundromat didn''t do her hair, skin, or lungs any favours.


    Aunt May had aged before her time and Peter hated himself for having helped. It was his fault Uncle Ben died, it was his fault Aunt May had to work every hour she could.


    Now though, now he had money, now he had the means to pull himself and her up out of this place. Even with Norman''s scowling face, Peter didn''t care. He had capital, a good head and most of all, someone who loved him. He still had to figure out what exactly happened at Oscorp though. A new physique was great but the memory loss and the ranting at Aunt May might be a symptom of a much bigger problem. Peter needed to figure out exactly what was going on, and that meant away from prying eyes. If anyone found out, especially Oscorp, he could end up in a lab or worse, on a series of slides, carefully catalogued for study.


    Sitting down on the floor next to him, "You sure Pete? Cause it¡¯s not me that has to deal with this. I mean, I''ll help to spend the money but, if those bastards did anything you''re the one who''ll have the problems."


    Peter just smiled and leaned his head against Aunt May''s shoulder. "I dunno Aunt May, I think, I think I''ll be fine."


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Four. Testing the Limits

    With Oscorp settled and a new sense of financial freedom, Peter had decided to lay low for a while. Whatever had happened to him needed to be tested, and sneaking out to find somewhere quiet and out the way seemed the best option. Aunt May had taken to checking up on him every few hours since he''d gotten sick, and while he appreciated the concern it would interfere with his tests.


    Aunt May had granted him a week off school, to make sure he wouldn''t be sick again and to make sure that everything was settled. She had meetings with the Principal and the school board, even if Peter wasn''t a child anymore, leaving a sick student was unacceptable.


    Peter shook his head though, with the issue settled with Oscorp and Peter being an academic student rather than one of the football rising stars, Aunt May would meet a roadblock. Whoever decided to leave him there would get a slap on the wrist, maybe a note in their record but Peter doubted much more would happen. He was a little fish in a little pond being circled by sharks.


    Till then he had a week to figure out exactly what had happened. The figure in the mirror was still him, not as short, cute but now, now he had muscles. A lean taut six-pack that he knew without months of hard work and a strict exercise and diet routine he would never have achieved. Whatever made him sick at Oscorp also changed him, did something escape from a lab? Did he have super cancer? Peter began to hyperventilate, super cancer. He knew Oscorp studied lots of different infectious diseases. Pete get a hold of yourself, he thought, cancer doesn''t give you abs, but then what did?


    Studying himself in the mirror, Peter pulled the same poses he''d seen other, more famous bodybuilders pulling, until he realised that posing in a mirror was not only pointless, but he looked a bit dumb. He hadn¡¯t become a big muscular guy, his body was lithe and wirey, built for speed, not strength. Shaking his head, maybe Gwen would like to see the new him, maybe she''d be more willing to go to the end of year Prom with him if he flashed her a little Pete treat. Laughing at his own stupid joke, he decided to head out, muscle tone was great but muscle strength was king.


    Pulling on some loose clothes and a hoodie he called out to Aunt May "out for a bit, need some fresh air, love you," before heading out into the more deserted parts of Brooklyn. It wasn''t too hard to find somewhere deserted. A local party animal made the mistake of setting up in what he thought was an abandoned warehouse, which was, in fact, a meth lab.


    Several gunshots and a few dead partygoers later, it turned into the shoot out of the week. While the tape was still up, there had been no cops or scavengers in the building for a while now, and the freshly pasted for sale sign showed that evidence collection was over, and the realtor was trying to offload the building to whatever poor sap bought the now named partymethdeath house.


    Of course, Peter knew he had the money from Oscorp, maybe this was his chance to get a building and actually start on his first dream, Pete Tech, or even PTech. Rolling the name around in his mind for a while, he made a mental note to head to city hall and register himself as a fledgeling company.


    Working for Oscorp was great but he knew that he''d always be in Harry''s shadow, even if they never spoke again. His tutoring the son of the company owner would follow him around like a bad smell. He''d be under constant scrutiny and have to deal with calls of nepotism. Maybe branching out on his own was a better idea, small and manageable tech companies were all the rage. If he had a hook, a piece of tech original to him he could see it happening.


    Lifting the yellow police tape Peter made his way to the side door, still swinging free from where the cops busted it open. Inside was a mess, the floor was stained with the remains of blood, industrial cleaner reducing it to nothing more than a brown stain, and the heavy scent of industrial bleach and solvents clung to the air. The meth labs themselves had been stripped clean, fitments for power and water hung on empty walls where their cooking stations would have been. Four hollowed-out shipping containers held the labs and crude bunk beds for the workers, either held here to cook or just too lazy to move and risk more exposure.


    While the evidence collectors would take anything drug-related, and the cleanup crew would take anything of value or not too badly stained, the warehouse was still full of discarded counters, tables, and other household items. Trash and other unidentifiable refuse were everywhere.


    Pallets and other debris littered the floor, covered in bullet holes and while the shell casings were all gone, it was obvious from the mess what had happened here. Surveying the 1000 sq metre building, Peters mind clicked over. Labs, fabrication rooms, server room, and even a small home to live in while he worked all swam in his mind. The portable office shoved into the corner giving a stark contrast to the rest of the rubbish littering the warehouse, the deals must have taken place there, relatively untouched with no blood stains or bullet holes they probably only got the cookers, not the dealers or the main boss, whatever kingpin ran the operation.


    The building was sound, it had no running water or electricity but the windows and doors were all functional if a bit rusty. The first thing Peter did was to secure them all with hidden locks. This was to be his hideout and the last thing he wanted was a bunch of squatters to take it over while he was at school.


    He splashed out a bit and fitted a new lock to the side door and made sure it looked jammed rather than locked, twisting the frame slightly so it appeared stuck after being battered open and made sure each other entrance was secured from the inside. There was now only one way in or out, and he had the only key.


    Peter made his way into the portable office and it was clean, he guessed even drug dealers had standards or more that whoever drug dealers made drug deals with, had standards. Stowing his bag and removing his hoodie, he began to think of what he could do to test out whatever Oscorp had done to him. There were plenty of walkways to reach the windows he could run along, wrought iron staircases he could use for pull-ups, and as he searched his phone for exercise routines his excitement grew.


    For a week, Peter did nothing but come to the warehouse and test himself. Starting small he lifted pallets, crates, furniture, and anything he could get his hands on, and eventually, it came to the portable office itself.


    Lifting it gently at one end he found he wasn''t even straining himself even when it was lifted from the ground a few feet. Peter lay it back down and stared at his hands, the rigid edge of the office hadn''t even left a mark on his skin let alone cut him.


    Eyeing the shipping containers Peter had a smile on his face, soon to be proved right as with some strain he lifted one and held its edge above his head. He did grimace a small bit, as the rubbish inside shifted and clattered down to one end.


    Next, he practised his agility, climbing up the scaffolding and leaping from girder to girder. The walkways up to the large windows gave him a suitable climbing frame. With ease he rappelled and swung between the solid welded struts, flipping and catching himself from one side of the building to another. He completely lost track of the time, even the dimming light from the windows was oblivious to the boy joyously swinging between girders and rafters. It wasn''t until a rattle at the main door, a security guard must have heard his whoops and hollers, that Peter lost focus and missed his handhold.


    Time seemed to slow as he fell, while the warehouse wasn''t huge at 10 meters high, the fall would be enough that even enhanced he would either smash his head open on the floor or cripple himself. As he fell, reaching out to grab anything, he felt a strange sensation and a white line zipped out from his wrist, snagging and webbing itself to a walkway across from him. Tugging on the lifeline he was pulled by its elasticity onto the underneath of the steel grating where he found he was stuck, hanging on, not by the line he had shot out, but by his fingertips, glued like a bug.


    A flashlight shone into the warehouse but as Peter was currently several metres in the air, in a dark warehouse, glued to the underside of a walkway, the guard couldn''t see anything. Peter had made sure that even clearing the place he left it messy enough his presence would go unnoticed. Sighing with relief as the guard left, Peter dropped himself down, held onto the walkway by his fingertips but feeling no strain on either his arms or his fingers. Lifting himself, as if doing pull-ups, he found that unless he forcefully pulled his hand away from the steel he was stuck, each hand capable of supporting his weight. It took conscious effort to take his hand away, and testing one hand at a time soon found that he stuck when he wanted rather than all the time.


    Peter, unwilling to kill himself by repeating the fall, stood on the ground and stared up at the underside of the walkway. lifting his arm he pointed his wrist and tensing his muscles, stared as nothing happened. He knew it wasn''t a fluke, whatever he had done had sent a sticky line from his wrist and it might have happened in a panic but he was sure he should be able to repeat it.


    Examining his wrist and forearm he felt a dense knot in the muscle, and a long tube reaching to the crease of his wrist where the veins stuck out. Using his fingers he pulled at the skin and as he pressed and prodded, a line of thick fluid spurted out. As he looked closer he could see several small holes within the ridges of his skin, small enough to be unnoticeable, but when pressed in the right place acted as a font for the fluid. Like a spider, Peter thought to himself.


    The fluid was more a stringy mass, sticky and fibrous, gathering it up it pulled apart just like a web. Maybe it was a spider that bit me, Peter thought to himself as he stared at the mass. Scowling, he stared up at the walkway he had fallen from, and the line he shot out earlier was gone. Taking out his phone he checked the time and after a few minutes, the white webbing seemed to dissolve into some kind of light airy foam before dissolving completely.


    After muscle training, Peter devoted some time to test out his web abilities, tensile strength, web thickness and duration, even if it was strong enough to make solid objects out of. Sadly while he could make the web thicker or thinner, the most he could do was make a small ball, soft and capable of splatting like a gel or hard like a rubber squash ball, but he discovered that by increasing or decreasing the pressure in his arm he could make the web last longer like a rope which stayed for hours or into a foam-like spray that evaporated after a few seconds. He was disappointed that he couldn''t make a bat or shield but being able to make his own "bullets" was great. No need to get greedy, Peter thought to himself, having superpowers is badass enough.


    Fascinated by the newest discovery Peter made it his mission to explore the limits of his new abilities. Right after I finish school, he lamented. It was then a smile crossed his face, and he chuckled to himself. Flash, he thought, let''s see him try something now. And with the thought of getting revenge against Flash, and with a smile on his face, Peter took one look around the warehouse and a plan began to form in his mind.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Five. School Daze

    It had been a great week as far as Peter was concerned. He had done nothing but test the limits of his new powers, and found not only was he strong but tough as well. He had slipped and fallen from one of the walkways and was surprised to find himself unhurt, taking a risk he then jumped and hit the concrete floor of the warehouse from ever-increasing heights until he threw himself off the roof. Sure it hurt but no more than a bruise formed and it was gone the next day.


    He had even decided to purchase the warehouse and a steely-eyed realtor looked at him like he was joking. It took a call to his bank, from his phone, from her phone, and finally from her office phone for her to believe that he was actually being serious. As if someone would want to spend an afternoon listening to anyone droning on about warehouse insurance, life insurance, and then fill out several trees worth of forms, all just so they could prank a bored realtor.


    They haggled on the price, the original asking was all of the $250,000 Peter had, including any taxes he would pay. Peter argued about the mess the warehouse was in, and with its current history, he got the price knocked down by $50,000. The paperwork would take 2 weeks to go through and he could collect the keys once it had.


    The whole inside mess was his responsibility and any problems arising after the sale was complete had nothing to do with the realtor, he signed away most of his rights to complain by getting the price lowered. After he had left, the realtor secretly sipped a flask, not expecting a murder crack den to be anything other than be an eyesore on her books.


    The only thing spoiling his good mood was a return to school. It was his final year and a big one too, graduating top of his classes in everything but the sports was a given. Even Gwen grudgingly admitted that she''d lost out on his smarts and hard work but even after all that, he still had one problem and he caught a whiff of his overpowering cologne before he came into view.


    "Hey Puker," Flash yelled, his lack of wit coming across even more with his naming sense


    "Oh, hey Flush"


    Flash scowled, "what you call me?", he growled at Parker.


    "Flash, you know, what everyone''s called you since year one," Peter smirked, the overpowering stench of Flash''s supposedly expensive cologne hid a few different chemical smells to Peter''s enhanced senses. Maybe nothing as heavy as steroids but Flash was definitely doping on something.


    "Yeah, you''d better remember that," Flash had already made sure none of the teachers was around and he strode towards Peter, ready to body check him into a locker when Parker moved suddenly. Flash felt his footing go and he rammed headfirst into the painted steel of the locker door. He was sure Parker hadn''t done anything but it felt like someone tripped him so it didn''t matter if he had or not, Parker would pay either way.


    Feeling for a bump on his head he growled again and reached for Parker, only to find his wrist gripped in what felt like a vice. Parker pulled him close and Flash thought he had been slammed into the locker again as Parker body checked him, falling backwards Parker went skidding across the floor as everyone turned to see what looked like Flash hitting Peter hard enough to send him flying.


    "That''s enough Mr Thompson." Peter and Flash''s homeroom teacher, Ms Munroe had seen the altercation, and while she was well aware of their history she couldn¡¯t interfere even though she wanted to. Flash''s father made several large donations each year to the school and the football team, and she would be out the door if she gave Flash any trouble. Strangely enough, Flash looked confused at what transpired, he had hit Peter so why did he look like the injured party?


    Even Ms Munroe raised an eyebrow at the pair. She had been witness to their altercations before and Peter always came out the loser, so what was different now? As she cast an eye over him he blushed. If he had one teacher he crushed on it was her. She was a tall African woman with a hint of an accent. Her dark chocolate skin and long white hair were always perfectly wrapped in a business suit and she was stern but understanding, offering Peter advice when she could. She radiated authority and even Flash knew not to argue too much with her, as if she was a force of nature rather than a simple guidance teacher.


    Gwen appeared and helped Peter to his feet, "Geez Flash, give it a break yeah." Gwen was one of the only people Flash knew not to mess with. Even if his dad was a board member of Oscorp, even if they had more money than most of the school combined it didn''t pay to get on the wrong side of the law, but still, his wrist was aching from where Parker had grabbed him and the body check left his chest hurting. Peter smiled at Gwen, he could smell the sweet perfume coming from her and as he tried his hardest to stop the blood from flowing downwards he still stared at her. Gwen was a little shorter than him, liked to wear her hair loose and in a bob cut and as it flowed around her neck the deep blonde colour, that Peter knew was natural, looked like spun hay even under the crappy school lighting. Peter had seen her in a summer dress and knew that while she was slender she ran and did ballet, toned legs and was small in the bust department, not that Peter was too obvious when he looked, but look he did.


    It was as the trio stood in the school corridor he heard it


    Leave Peter alone Flash, go to homeroom


    Looking around the normal group of onlookers were there, Flash¡¯s cronies, who he never bothered to remember their names, and the school¡¯s golden couple. He had no idea what their names were either as they attended an outreach class.


    There was some big program from a school in New York to see if kids with special needs could attend a normal school, at least part-time and the pair, a cute but kinda dorky redhead and a weird kid with strange red coloured glasses was staring at them, along with everyone else. Catching Ms Munroe¡¯s attention the redhead shook her head almost imperceptibly and Ms Munroe sighed.


    ¡°That is enough, the class bell will ring soon, you should all make your way there. Now!¡± she emphasised and the crowd dispersed.


    "Phff, whatever, nice to hide behind a girl Puker," Flash had had enough and stormed off into the classroom.


    "You, uh, don''t mind I saved you huh?" Gwen asked Peter, it was a secret she liked him and wished they were dating but her presence shielded him from Flash.


    "Why would it bother me that my friend is a badass?" Gwen grinned and Peter caught the whiff of a new perfume she must have been trying out, as she smelt great. "Come on, let''s get to class before-" and with that, the bell for the start of school rang.


    The last year of school was dragging on for Peter, his course work had all been completed ahead of schedule, his exam prep was all done, and application forms were being sent off to all the major colleges and universities he could think of, and now he was a property owner. The warehouse deal was done and signed, he just needed to wait for his cheque to clear and the paperwork to be official. Once that was done he could begin to clean the place up and had already been scouring the internet for designs based on scrap shipping containers and prefabbed offices.


    That was the future though, right now he still wanted to get school finished and done with, get Flash out of his life, and start his own internship at Hammer. Gwen had done hers early as her birthday meant she was 18 at the start of the year and had gotten a head start. So much to do and it seemed like he was stretching himself, and more importantly his finances, thinner and thinner.


    Peter was brought out of his musings by another of his classmates batting his arm. Felicia Hardy, his co-captain on the math team had sat next to him, "Look, Pete, I know you might be happy about finishing the year but some of us still have work to get done. We''ve got one more trimathlon event and I need to know if you¡¯re going to be puking your guts up before it. You missed practise last week." Felicia wasn''t the most socially gracious person he knew and her bluntness grated against his own over-politeness. As Felicia leaned over him he caught the same scent that Gwen had been wearing, the slight sweetness of it tickling his nose and while he hadn''t thought of Felicia that way before, as she leaned over him he had trouble concentrating.


    Felicia had bloomed early and unlike a lot of the girls had a bountiful harvest. As she lectured him they bobbed up and down and Peter wished she would have a bit more perception on what effect she was having on him. Her long hair, cascading down her back was tied up, and while blonde it was almost silver in colour.


    "Yeah Felicia, I''ll be there, I promise. Wait, didn''t you get sick at Oscorp too?"


    Felicia pulled a face, "yeah but I didn''t need to spend a week in bed like a little bitch."


    Peter just shook his head, yup, as tactful as ever. As she leaned over the table to lecture him he tried not to stare right down her top, as this close, he saw exactly what colour, and how well-fitting her bra was, even if she seemed unaware.


    "Look Pete, whatever happened at Oscorp wasn''t serious enough for you to screw up my future. If you''re still sick or climbing the walls or something, drop out of the club and let me get someone in who''s more reliable."


    Peter shook his head, "Felicia, I''m fine, so no wall climbing needed. Look just get off my case already, okay?" with more forcefulness than usual, Felicia leant back surprised,


    "No need to be a dick about it, Pete."


    "Oh, wait, what''s the perfume you''re wearing, cause uh, it''s nice."


    Felicia shook her head, "Lame Pete, lame." Standing up to leave Peter could only watch as she walked away.


    "What did I say?" he mused to himself. Flipping his phone back over the plans he had for the warehouse was, for now, a secret. Not that he would have told someone like Felicia anyway, she was an acquaintance, not a friend.


    He bookmarked several sites each one with instructions and floor plans of container homes, normally used in places suffering a disaster or with a large homeless population, but to Peter, these were gold waiting to be mined and would put money in the bank.


    Closing the browser down he mused over the remains of his lunch. Felicia raised a good point though, with midterms coming up and the clubs seeing their final push for competition season, would he have time to get the warehouse cleaned and fixed up without help?


    He didn''t know anyone though. The only muscle he knew that could help to move and renovate would be Flash, and he would rather learn to sing and teach racoons to do housework than ask him for anything.


    Even Harry was of no help, he''d hire contractors and Peter would be out hundreds of thousands of dollars just for them to look at the place. No, he needed to make time for this, he needed to get a grip on his life, once and for all.


    With his new powers though the work should be manageable on his own. He would have to be careful not to attract too much attention to himself. A skinny kid lifting piles of lumber or sacks of concrete would look strange. He had amazing powers but he needed to be careful not to draw attention to himself.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Six. Russian Roulette

    Peter was broke. By the time he''d paid taxes, realtor fees, and a whole bunch of things he never even knew existed for buying a warehouse, he had less than $20,000 left of the money he''d gotten from Osborn. While that might have sounded like a lot to anyone else, by the time he paid for materials and supplies to finish the warehouse and the workshops, he would be completely broke.


    As soon as he started to buy even the bare minimum of the tools he needed to clean the warehouse up, he realized that getting $50,000 knocked off the price had been a con, and that the inside would need that in maintenance just to make it clean let alone livable.


    He needed a job, it didn''t have to pay well but it had to pay. Peter had meant to venture around the area his new home was in for a while now but he''d never gotten round to it, or at least not properly. Swinging his way out and back never gave him the street level view he needed, and after walking for about 10 minutes he came across what he had spied earlier.


    The area was clean, saying a lot of a semi-industrial warehouse district. There were plenty of truckers and conveniences for them as well as a good amount of hookers, but that wasn¡¯t what Peter was looking for. A lot of places like this needed temp workers. A large haul coming in needed an extra pair of hands paid in cash and then forgotten. He could make a few hundred a week just hauling boxes or sweeping floors. If he got desperate or an emergency came up he could look for something temporary, but what he really needed was a steady income. It was in the window of a 7-11 near the warehouse that he spotted an advert for a full-time position.


    It wasn¡¯t going to be perfect but it suited what he wanted. Good pay, flexible hours and guessing that a junkyard in the middle of Brooklyn wouldn¡¯t be completely legit, a good way to score some maybe less than legal electronics or scrapped computer components.


    The junkyard was massive, piles of scrap cars had been made into a maze of sorts but from the ground, it was even more imposing. Clutching the advert in hand he made his way through the entrance, under the large yellow and black sign, "Alexsi''s Auto and Mechanical Scrap" written across it, the undersign of "we buy any used or broken items" had caught Peter''s eye. He was now here not just to try and find a job, but to scout out any useful machinery for his starter company.


    As he made his way to the office he saw a fat bearded man about to start prying open what looked like a server rack on the top of a huge steel workbench, raising his eyebrows in alarm.


    Peter shouted "hey, hey you, wait, stop, no," while running towards him.


    The thick heavy sound headphones the man was wearing must have either blocked out all the noise or he just ignored what to him was a kid, but Peter grabbed the crowbar out of his hands. "Hey wait," and as the man reached back for a lump hammer, Peter raised his hands in defence.


    ¡°Whatn the fuck''r you doin?" the man drawled as he waved the hammer at Peter, he moved the headphones down and yelled, "Hey boss, we gots a thief."


    "Hey no, no. You''re about to make a huge mistake, I can explain." Holding up the crowbar, Peter had backed away far enough that if the man swung not only would he miss but Peter would get a clean swipe at his neck. Of course, with the crowbar in hand, Peter was ready to make sure he never got the chance to even swing, and as he tensed he felt the other man coming out of the porta office.


    A short but well built and heavily balding man came out of the office, wiping his hands on an already dirty rag. "Oh come on Bens, it''s a kid. Hey, what you doin huh? Bens get back to work, and you, you can fuck off." The man had little patience after being disturbed,


    "Wait, sir, the server case. Your uh, the employee was about to crack it with a crowbar"


    The bald guy shrugged, "So?"


    "Well, it''s an Oscorp Azura server shell, those have anti-theft devices inside. If the case is cracked or damaged they send out a signal and then destroy the drives so they can¡¯t be used again," Peter said. ¡°Even a scrapped one has a small backup power cell, in case, uh, they get stolen.¡±


    The man frowned, "Is that so?"


    "Uh yeah, I did some work on a broken one before, plus the specs of the case were leaked online a few years ago, that''s why Oscorp ditched them. The mark 2 is bolted to Oscorps server room," Peter began to explain but the older man interrupted him,


    "Yeah, kid I don''t care. Can you fix it?" He waved the rag at the advert in Peter''s hand and realising he was giving Peter a chance to prove himself, he nodded.


    Peter crumpled the job application in his hand "yeah, yeah I can but uh, can you not you know, hit me with the hammer as I do?"


    "Yeah, Bennie here is only interested in the case, you musta just uh, startled him is all". Bennie nodded and put his headphones back on, "so Mr uh,"


    "Parker, Peter Parker." Peter offered out his hand but the man just looked at it, his own hands greasy.


    ¡°Alexsi, Alexsi Sytsevich, Owner. So Parker, get to it, you need anything for this?",


    "uh", looking at the workbench he spotted the screwdriver he needed, "no, as long as Mr Bennie doesn''t mind me using his tools I''m fine",


    "Mr Bennie?" Alexsi laughed, "Nah, it''s just Bennie and sure, go ahead."


    Peter grabbed the flat head screwdriver and running his fingers along the bottom of the case found the screw latch he was looking for, angling the screwdriver''s head he inserted it into the tab and pushed upwards. There was a clunk and on the side of the case a panel had slid out.


    Looking for a box knife, Peter extended the blade and slid it between the panel and the server housing, gently pulling them apart until it sprang free on a thin wire. "Uh, do you have any? Oh never mind," Peter grabbed a pair of snips with one hand and while holding the panel with the other, reached into the open case and after three snips put the panel back. At the front of the server case, he slid open the first panel and pulled out the server blade.


    "All done," he said as he passed the hard drive to Bennie, who slipped it into an antistatic bag. "Uh, once the case is empty you can unscrew the top and bottom of the sides and get the transmitters out, they''ve got no power right now but are still good to use."


    Peter wasn''t dumb, he''d just committed a felony in front of someone who apparently didn''t care too much about that side of things, even owning a scrapped Oscorp server case was illegal. They fell under military spec hardware and you needed a massive amount of licenses and other paperwork to handle them. If a junkyard in Brooklyn had something like that, he was the reincarnation of Jesus.


    Alexsi nodded, "Bennie, take care of it while me and Pete here have a little chat, my office is a bit more private for these kinda things." Alexsi ushered Peter into a cramped and cluttered office space, it was more like a holding pen for possibly repairable items and paperwork than a meeting area, but after lifting an old engine block off a seat Alexsi motioned for Peter to sit while he got into a large leather chair behind his desk.


    "So, you want the job, ¡¯cause it''s yours. No set hours, no set pay. You get 10% of the selling price of whatever you fix once they sell, and you keep your mouth shut about what you''re fixin. If that is acceptable, then start when you can and I''ll pay you when things move.¡±


    From the look on his face, this was non-negotiable. No wonder no one wanted this job, it was fine if he could repair a big-ticket item but toasters and other junk would make him nickels and dimes. The advert was obviously a scam to get a few free hours of work from someone desperate enough, and while Peter was, even 10% wasn¡¯t enough.


    "20% if I take it in trade, I''m looking for a few things for my company." He hoped Alexsi would see the value of his skills.


    "Oh yeah, whatcha makin?"


    "I dunno yet but uh, I own the warehouse on 1st and Brooke,"


    Alexsi snorted, "The methdeath place huh? Hope you didn''t pay much for that, we did the clean up on it and boy that place''s a mess."


    Peter had to agree, mainly on the state it was in and definitely not on the man''s definition of ¡®clean¡¯. "Yeah, but it''s fine, I¡¯ll just want small things, I saw you got some portable offices still flat-packed, how about those for the server case?"


    Alexsi snorted, "you know Pete those are uh about 5 grand new, and I got 5, that''s a lot of missing work you''re talking about."


    "Umm, Mr Alexsi, boss sir, no, those drives are Oscorp military spec, valued at 50 thousand dollars each, the tracking I just disabled would have the feds and a whole bunch of cops here if they''d been set off, and there''s what 10 drives in that case, so half a million, even 20% of that is"


    ¡°Is that so?¡± and Alexsi paused and then waved his hand, "yeah yeah okay, I get it, okay, take em. You''re killin me here, killin me. You need em delivered?" Peter looked a little guilty and nodded, "fine fine, but you better be worth it. Hey Bennie, get the flatpack offices for the kid, there''s five in the back."


    "Four," Bennie shouted back,


    "uh it seems one''s being used, so four okay?" Peter nodded. "Fine now get outta here, come in tomorrow and we''ll get you started. I got a few small things you can work on to try you out, and you know, speak a little more kid, we don¡¯t bite here," and Alexsi laughed, ¡°but here,¡± and Alexi slid open a drawer and pulled out a wad of notes, counting out 10 bills, tapping them on the desk he passed them over to Peter who stared at the man handing him $1000. ¡°An advance, cause you know, one¡¯s missin, but you better be here tomorrow, or uh,¡± and he gave Peter a look.


    Peter smiled and nodded, and Alexsi raised an eyebrow ¡°uh sorry, yes, thanks, uh boss,¡± and Alexsi just shook his head. Peter was over the moon as they worked out the deal. He¡¯d just scored four offices he could turn into not just a home for himself but workshops, and a thousand bucks. It was a start and once he managed to get the warehouse cleaned up, he could get a few tenants in. It was his backup plan in case his business failed and would give him income while he got it off the ground.


    Checking out plans for his own home had given him the idea. He had four shipping containers with some minor bullet damage and an office. The extra offices would give him space to work in while he rented out the others. Students would be best, he thought to himself. They were less fussy and he could charge a decent amount for what would basically be a room with amenities. Less hassle to build but still earn him a decent amount each month, he just needed to get it to work and to make it appealing to rent.


    Alexsi watched as Peter Parker, his latest employee, wandered through the piles of junk, stopping every now and again to check something that must have some value to him. Thinking back to what the kid had said, Alexsi reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a large survival knife, hiding it under some paperwork.


    "Hey Bennie, come here a moment wouldja?"


    He needed answers.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Seven. Gone In a Flash

    Peter was on a high as he went about his school day. First, he had got the warehouse smelling and looking a lot cleaner after sweeping for a few hours and bagging up most of the trash, and second, with the delivery of the four portable offices, he could get some flooring down and actually build a basic workshop inside the warehouse. Without paying attention, he''d been searching the web for storage container house designs and hadn''t realised where he was walking.


    Slamming into the back of Flash his phone went flying and of course, Flash angrily turned, ready to swat the person stupid enough to barge into him. "Parker" he growled and without missing a beat swung a fist at him.


    Peter''s eyes went wide as the fist Flash had thrown seemed to move in slow motion, it was clear where Flash was going to strike, and Peter felt that with no effort at all he could move out the way. Squatting down as if going for his phone, Flash missed his swing, pulled back for another and realized Parker had ducked, switched to an uppercut. Flash''s punch sped towards Peter''s exposed face but to Peter, Flash might as well have been moving underwater. Smiling to himself, Peter made a plan.


    Peter rolled back on his heels and skidded away from Flash, avoiding the blow. Flash''s temper rose and with a growl, he lined up a kick to Peter''s midsection as he tried to stand. There was a sickening crunch as Peter seemed to slip, falling out the way and as Flash''s foot collided with the concrete wall support, he howled in agony and dropped clutching his foot. The force of the kick had twisted it at an abnormal angle, the noise of his own bones breaking, and as Flash saw the damage and the pain began to radiate from it, he began to feel queasy and a line of vomit dribbled from his lips before he passed out.


    "What the hell is going on here?" yelled Mrs Donaldson, as students quickly hid the phones they had been using to record the fight. Of course one of Flash''s cronies, Peter couldn''t even remember his name, piped up, "Parker started it," and Peter found himself being hauled off to the Principal''s office.


    He sat there for hours, an ambulance came and Flash was taken to hospital, a uniformed police officer came but after reviewing the cell phone videos shook his head and left. Peter had no idea if he was disappointed he wouldn¡¯t get to arrest a kid or if he was pissed at having his time wasted. Peter knew exactly how that felt as he sat waiting.


    Eventually, though Flash''s Father, Jack Thompson, came into the office, yelling and his face was beet red, probably a sign of congestive heart failure thought Peter before he began yelling at the boy. He looked old and the well-pressed suit and tie did nothing to hide the man''s obnoxious stench. Peter could smell the booze on his breath and the faint scent of lipstick on him. He never had a high opinion of Jack, someone who let his son act as Flash did was just as bad, and right now, he was proving Peter''s point.


    "You, You little shit, I''m going to sue you. My son''s ankle is broken and he''ll miss the finals. You''ve ruined his career."


    Having heard enough, and having had enough from Flash, Peter stood straight. "Go ahead, go ahead and I''ll stand before a judge and tell them, about the bullying, about the previous assault, all the complaints my aunt already put in, and about how I seemingly managed to injure Flash while on the floor, me, 5 ft 7 against Flash, a high school football player" and Peter took a step forwards, ¡°So yeah, sue me? Go right ahead and see how well you do.¡±


    Peter''s anger was palpable and even Jack took a step back, his fury being doused by the boy in front of him. Of course, someone like Jack Thompson just moved target, if the boy wouldn''t be intimidated then the Principal would.


    "Him, I want him expelled, for fighting. He''s cost you the season, the final is next week and Flash will be out for at least 6 months. So do something!¡± He yelled.


    "Uh Mr Parker, while I can¡¯t expel you because I would have to expel Mr Thompson as well I do feel that such behaviour is unbecoming of the school valedictorian. It might be better if Ms Stacy took your place, don''t you think?" The Principal stammered. Peter blanched though, losing the top spot was going to hurt him in a lot of different ways.


    "That''s it? Expel the little shit, you feeble-minded moron," Jack shouted,


    "Umm Mr Thomson, as I said I would have to expel your son as well, however, removing Peter''s name from the valedictorian list does deny him access to several scholarships. Several scholarships I might add that is the only way Peter would be able to attend college." The Principal had whispered in Jack¡¯s ear but Peter had heard what he said, cursing internally because he was right. The conditional scholarship offers he got were for top students only and this not only screwed up his college plans but his university plans as well.


    Jack shrugged his arm away from the Principal, "Fine." Jack Thompson stared at Peter, ¡°Hey wait, you''re that kid who puked in the lab weren''t you?" he smirked and pulled out his phone and dialled a number, "Yeah it''s me, Jack, I think you''ve got an internship for Peter Parker lined up yeah, shred it, yeah it''s fine. Hammer won''t care anyway, just some loser punk." He smirked at Peter, who subconsciously balled his hands.


    Ending the call he smiled, "Nice to see you again Ernie, golf on Sunday?"


    The principal shook his hand, "Of course, of course," as if ending a child''s career and ruining his life was just another normal Monday for him. "Oh, Jack. How long did you say Flash would be in the hospital?"


    "About a week and then he''ll need to have surgery, so maybe 4 weeks".


    "Ah, not good. Peter, you''re suspended for 4 weeks, if Flash has to miss school then I don''t see why you should be free to attend. I''ll have Gladys send a message to your Aunt, I''m sure she''ll have words to say to you as well." The principal motioned to the door, dismissing Peter while Jack stayed behind, no doubt to see what else they could do to make Peter''s life hell and as he left he tried to avoid slamming the door closed.


    As he made his way through the corridors, Peter swore in his mind, fucking assholes. Not only did they just take his future but with 4 weeks of missed classes, he''d miss mock tests and study time for his midterm exams, ones he needed to get any chance of a scholarship at all, with the 250k almost gone he needed them. Grabbing his bag from his locker Peter stormed out of the school, ignoring Gwen''s shouts about helping him with what he would miss. He was too angry to talk to anyone, too angry to think of anyone but that fucking Jack Thompson.


    Peter had done his exam prep already but the school provided more materials that only the teachers got their hands on. Peter knew full well that it wasn¡¯t really for students like him, it was for the stupid assholes like Flash, the ones too dumb to get a decent score without cheating. The problem however lay in that by missing them his attendance dropped, his test scores, graded on an average dropped, and finally, his chance to get top marks in the final exams dropped. Missing out 4 weeks of school, right before exams was a nightmare, and with the suspension already a black mark on his record he was being punished even more for that asshole''s temper tantrum.


    As Jack Thompson walked through the school halls he was feeling smug with himself, he''d maybe not gotten what he wanted but ruining that little shits life was even better. Flash would lose out on several football scholarships and if his ankle didn''t heal properly then his football career was over. As he made it through the parking lot he clicked the fob for his car and scowled as the normal beep beep came out distorted. He had been so angry at hearing about Flash he had left his car near the school¡¯s entrance, ignoring the no parking signs. There were no cameras, so why should he care.


    Jack stood open-mouthed staring at his car and in his shock, he dropped his briefcase. Someone had vandalised his car. No, someone had rammed one of the ¡®No Parking¡¯ signs right through the roof and into the driver''s seat. The wheels were bent at an angle and all four tires had been slashed open, not just cut but great gouges were ripped out of the tire walls. Stunned, he just stood there, unsure of how to even report this.


    While Peter knew Jack couldn''t and wouldn''t say anything, the random act of violence he committed against the car did make him feel better, he''d made sure no one saw him and drove it right down through the car''s chassis, even removing it would wreck the car. The smugness lasted until he got home and an irate May was waiting for him.


    "So, fighting? What did I tell you about that, It''s not like you Peter," she was mad, and she stood with her arms crossed as she glared at him.


    "Aunt May, I didn''t, honest, Flash''s dad blew it out of proportion." May calmed down after he''d explained it all and even had a small grin when he explained how Flash had broken his ankle. That left her face when he explained that without the valedictorian spot and the four-week suspension, he''d lose out on every scholarship that he''d applied for.


    She was downright mad after Peter had finished explaining and had reached for the phone when Peter stopped her, shaking his head, "Aunt May, we can''t, you can''t do anything. Flash''s dad is on the board at Oscorp. I lost, even with pictures and evidence to clear me, I still lost.''''


    A deflated Peter couldn''t bring himself to tell her he''d spent almost all of the 250K he had, it would be better to wait until the warehouse actually looked like a startup company rather than a warzone.


    ¡°No, but I can still phone the school board about this Peter. Twice now, twice Flash Thompson has cost you. I don¡¯t care if his father is a board member, I don¡¯t care if he¡¯s rich. Peter, I have to do something.¡±


    He patted her shoulder as she sat slumped at their kitchen table. "Don''t worry Aunt May, it''s fine.¡± Knowing that May wouldn¡¯t let this go, ¡°It''s fine, I uh, kept it secret but, I''ve got a job and I''ve got a plan, everything is going to be okay, I promise.¡±


    It would be fine. Even without help, he had a different way to get back at Jack and the Principal. One that involved more than just a signpost through a car. One that would make a broken ankle seem like a minor scrape, Peter decided there and then that if Flash Thompson dared to make a move on him again, he wouldn¡¯t hold back this time, he would make sure Flash got what he deserved. If his life was ruined anyway, why not make Flash¡¯s life hell as well, make him feel what he was going through, make him know what hell was like.


    Aunt May stared at Peter, the frown on his face and the anger that blossomed after it. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s fine Peter, It¡¯s fine. You¡¯ll be okay.¡± she reached over and gently patted him on the hand, taking it in her own and rubbing it with her fingers.


    Peter shook his head, ¡°yeah, sorry Aunt May, sorry, just, angry I guess,¡± and as he leaned into her and cupped her hand with his other one, he realised he¡¯d been thinking about doing a lot worse than wrecking a car. He needed to get a grip, needed to take back control, not just of his life, but of his anger as well. Before things got out of hand, and it was more than just a car he smashed up.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Eight. Alls Fair In Love And War

    While Flash was in the hospital, high on painkillers, Peter was actually having a blast. He''d not only gotten all the junk cleared out and crushed at the junkyard, but a huge supply of dubious whitewash had come in. Peter knew it was stolen, but after fixing half a dozen fridges, and a huge LCD TV that only needed a new starter for the internal light, he''d managed to get several huge drums of it to paint the whole floor. Sure he had to give the excess back but right now, he didn''t care.


    He''d even discovered a new power. Thinking back to when he strained against the concrete cemented post, his skin bled a black viscous liquid, covering him head to toe in a slick bodysuit. As it covered him he felt his muscles surge with hidden power and the post came tearing out of the ground with no effort. As he rammed it through Jack Thompson''s car he heard an echo in his mind, we are strong, we are Venom. The spider bite must have been making him slightly weird but Venom was cool, he liked the sound of it.


    Recalling the way he felt, the way he wanted to get back at the assholes who ruined his life he found the skin would extrude out of his pores, two weeks of suspension and he no longer needed the anger or the hate, it was now a reflexive action, responding to his will. Not just that, but as he¡¯d raged at the car his fingers had become thick claws and as he tore with glee at the tires he burst through the rubber with no issues.


    The warehouse was 100 meters each way and at night when he knew only the most diligent of security guards would be about, he upended each of the shipping containers and lay them against one wall. He then spread out the paint with a huge floor brush and opened all the windows and left it to dry. After a few days, he did the other side and with a little persuasion, he got Alexsi to part with some expanding insulation spray. He had to pay for the sprayer and mask at full price with no discount. Alexsi had squared him in the eye this time, it was only a rental but Alexsi refused to budge, the upside being that he got to keep it for as long as he needed it.


    Peter knew he was being generous since Bennie had decided to leave, his mom was ill in Seattle, and he''d gone to take care of her leaving Peter to cover his work as well as make up his own. It was fine though, once he''d shown his expertise in not only mechanical and electrical repair, Alexsi had him fixing everything from appliances to mobile phones. Peter had also made out from this deal. Alexsi had a lot of industrial machinery around, which Peter had borrowed temporarily. This let him, not just weld the big bay doors shut, but reinforce the building itself and insulate it further. He got a welder and an arc cutter and had already drawn out plans to build houses out of the storage containers.


    His plans were slowly taking form, the nouveau chic of living in a warehouse was coming into fashion, and no one minded paying less for an apartment made out of a shipping container if it was warm, dry, had the amenities of a normal place, and most of all was cheaper. Peter could invite a couple of tenants into the warehouse, stay in the offices and make some decent money himself by doing nothing. He didn''t need the scholarship as much anymore, well, as long as his ideas panned out.


    He soon had two 20 by 20-meter hollow boxes in the warehouse, each one took a corner and he planned to make a small garden between them, with plastic sheeting and a raised platform he would make sure that watering it took care of any mould issues and it wouldn''t die in the winter, it would add a little hominess to the warehouse''s drab white and grey interior. He would paint it eventually but right now, white was clean and more importantly, free.


    Plans upon plans were swimming in his mind and these were the easiest. He was slowly growing his abilities and wasn''t even going to venture out hunting until he knew he wouldn''t fall and die on his first night or be killed by a lucky knife strike. After getting into a fight with Flash he persuaded Aunt May to let him go to self-defence classes. The classes were slow, of course they were. No one expected a bunch of kids and old ladies to become MMA fighters overnight, and he had to temper his impatience. Slow and steady, as with his powers, he couldn''t force lessons, even if he could afford them.


    Back in their apartment, Aunt May was taking her time getting used to Peter being out of the house more than home. She knew he was working but it was nearly midnight each night before he wandered in, tired and smelling of work. Grunting a basic hello before devouring her home-cooked offerings and heading to bed. Most days he was gone before she even got up. It was good to see him work but at the same time, it was worrying he wasn''t taking any breaks.


    Tapping her finger on the kitchen table,  she was going to interfere and while Peter might hold it against her this time, she was worried. Picking up the phone she flicked through the list of contacts that she took from Peter''s phone. "Yes hello, this is May Parker, Peter''s Aunt, can I speak to Gwen please."


    Giving Gwen the address Peter hung out at most seemed like cheating, she''d been online and checked out the junkyard he worked at, repairing old appliances was fine, Ben had started off fixing kids bikes before moving up into a car mechanic, and she thought nothing was wrong with working your way up.


    The warehouse he had been to most days though was worrying, the news report of a shootout and subsequent meth-lab discovery wasn''t a happy image, but if a junkyard cleanup crew was there, she knew he''d probably be hauling trash rather than cleaning bloodstains. It would be fine though, Gwen was a sensible young woman and she trusted her with Peter, even if Peter didn''t know he needed it.


    After the phone call, Gwen stared at the address May had given her, and even if she didn''t recognise it, she recognised the building. It had been in the news plenty, as even with Brooklyn, a shoot out was huge news. She had immediately called a cab and headed into the industrial zone to find out if Pete was okay. When she got to the address though she was shocked. Whoever had been here had done a great job. Most of the buildings had the usual grime and street dust blackening their walls but this one was clean. None of the windows were boarded up, and they shone as the light reflected off their anti-glare tint, which was either freshly repaired or newly installed. After the horror stories of the news, she was glad if Pete was in there it wasn''t as bad as everyone made out.


    The chainlink fence surrounding the property had been repaired and the gate swung on a newly oiled hinge. The path leading to the main door had been weeded and blast cleaned, small chips in the concrete had been filled and evenly sanded. This wasn''t a work job for Pete, someone was renovating the property for sale again and Pete was probably on the crew helping them. Fresh welds around the large shuttered loading bay confused her though, why weld the bay closed if it was going to be sold but the fresh paint on the door, chalked as "wet," and the massive new bar lock were hints as to what she would find inside.


    Gwen knew better than to just barge into a strange building so she banged on the door before noticing a buzzer, the intercom crackled as Pete''s voice, "Hello?" sounded through it.


    "Yeah Pete, it¡¯s Gwen, can I come in?"


    It sounded like he fell off something and there were a lot of clattering noises before a, "Sure, sure," and the buzzer sounded as the lock released.


    What was inside blew her mind. Everyone was talking about gentrification these days, in fact, her father had a huge file on some of the more aggressive attempts to get older or lower-income tenants out of their apartments so the renovators could come in, but this was on a whole other level. Two massive box apartments sat on one side, freshly sprayed a deep blue colour with a white corrugated plastic roof, unneeded in a warehouse but adding to the aesthetic, between them a raised white picket fence lined dirt patch had been tilled and waited for seeds. While unfinished, each box house had a path chalked out and Pete had begun to spray mark lines for a front yard. Piles of scrap steel plates were still lettered so she guessed he hadn''t finished.


    "What the hell Pete? I expected a crime scene, not a hipster farm. You explain right now mister." Gwen was faking her anger but she still wanted to know, and making Pete think she was mad was the fastest way to get proper answers.


    "Oh uh, Hi Gwen," was all he said though,


    "Don''t you hi Gwen me, Pete, what''s this, apartments? Are you helping build condos in old warehouses now?"


    "Uh, no," he replied and cursed under his breath, he''d bet anything Aunt May put a GPS tracker on his phone and had now roped in Gwen to keep tabs on him. He rubbed his forehead between his eyes, "Uh here Gwen," Peter pulled out a folding chair he''d scavenged, and as Gwen sat down, he began to explain.


    Listening to Pete talk, her own anger slowly overtook her curiosity about what he was doing. Harry hadn''t been back at school either and even after several attempts to contact him, he hadn''t answered either his phone or any texts. Once Peter had left school, Gwen had been unable to find out what was going on.


    As well as his suspension, he''d also gotten a text rejection from Hammer, citing "inappropriate behaviour" as the reason for cancelling his internship. Pete had really got some crappy luck this time but her eyes began to sparkle when he started on the next part.


    "So uh, yeah, I own the warehouse but please don''t tell May. I kinda spent my college money on it but uh, look, see, two apartments," and motioning over to the partially build portacabin, "and my own place. I added some solar panels to the roof so electricities free, and,"


    "This is great Pete," Gwen was in awe. Pete had shown her the inside of one of the box houses and it was huge, sure he had just sketched out the floor layout but she could see that for one person in Brooklyn he could get maybe $2000 easy for each one. "I want one," she immediately stated, "non-negotiable."


    "Uh Gwen, I really need the money you know and it doesn''t feel right charging you for,"


    "No!" She pushed against his shoulder, "proper landlord, lease, and I want one. MJ and I were talking about getting our own place but this, this is amazing Pete."


    Pete grinned and scratched the back of his head, "well yeah but most of the plans came from the internet, and Mr Sytsevich has been,"


    "Alexsi Sytsevich?" Gwen interrupted him, "My dad has a file a couple of inches thick on him Pete, he''s a crook." Pete looked away pulling a face, "but yeah, you already knew that huh?" She asked.


    "Look Gwen it''s a job and I''m not doing anything illegal I swear. I just uh can''t tell May and please, please Gwen you can''t tell her either."


    Gwen smiled evilly at him, "It''s fine Pete, you just gotta do one little thing for me." She took a deep breath, taking a risk to finally admit after all this time how she really felt about him,


    "Anything Gwen, anything."


    Looking him straight in the eye. "Good, so now we''re dating."


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Nine. A Date To Remember

    Of course, Peter was okay with Gwen''s attempt at blackmail. He''d liked her since they started school together but he lacked the courage to say anything, plus her dad was kinda scary whenever he''d met him. Of course, as soon as they had stared awkwardly at each other for a moment, Peter''s brain caught up with his mouth, "so uh if you''re my girlfriend then," and without even asking he had moved over and lightly brushed his lips against hers.


    Gwen was shocked that the quiet ¡®is he ever going to admit he likes me¡¯ Peter had just kissed her, not a forceful domineering kiss but gentle testing the waters kiss that she didn''t mind. It was good that Peter wasn''t a two-dimensional studying robot, he had secrets and flaws even under all that anxiety. Her mind froze as she glanced down, making sure Peter''s hand stayed at an acceptable level, she noticed he had a massive erection, holy shit she thought to herself, Peter was packing but her cheeks began to turn red. She''d never dated, and got the "boys are scum" lecture from her dad. This was as new to her as it was to Peter, but even she had a limit.


    Turning to hide her embarrassment, "yeah, that''s, good, good Pete, good," she stammered, crying internally. She didn''t want to put him off, but damn boy, get some self-control, it''s been less than a minute since we started. "Uh, Pete, clean, you kinda smell a bit." Peter sniffed himself and noticed that his clothes were covered in dust and grime, and that he did smell a bit.


    Peter scurried over a barrel of cold but clean water, get a grip Parker he thought to himself. His heart had been hammering in his chest, and as he lent in for the kiss, the sweet scent of Gwen and her perfume shot right into his brain and down into his pants. He doused himself in the cold water, thankful for the small trickles, as they cooled not just his body but his lust. The barrel was all he had, while there was plumbing, most of the facilities were trashed and it had been on his to-do list.


    Gwen stared, there was no doubt she was blushing but she just watched him as he ran the cloth over his chest and then towelled himself off. Pulling a clean T-shirt from a pile and spraying himself with the most inoffensive deodorant he could find, he smiled over as he realised she was watching him.


    Peter being Peter, though, was oblivious to what was wrong and started going on about his plans for the apartments, like an excitable puppy. Once he got going all his social anxiety disappeared, and Gwen admitted to herself that it was adorable.


    Blueprints, wiring diagrams, and decorating samples all came flying in a barrage of nonstop timetables and plans. Gwen was starting to feel a little overwhelmed with just how much planning Peter had done, her only plan was to graduate with honours. Sadly thanks to Flash''s interference, she was taking Peter''s place as Valedictorian, and then spending the summer looking for a place to stay.


    With that solved all she needed to do now was tell her dad and MJ. Peter and MJ''s relationship was weird, they grew up living next door to each other, lost contact when Peter and his Aunt moved and when they got back in touch, Flash warned him off. Flash and MJ hooked up last year of Junior High and had been dating ever since. She never liked him though, while MJ and she were best friends she could see the worry etched on her face and she knew while her home life was bad, that Flash didn¡¯t make things any easier for her. She¡¯d tried to get MJ to open up, even inviting her out with her and Felicia, but she either never came or sullenly watched the pair having fun.


    Her dad was a different story. Once upon a time he had no opinion of Peter, he was just another smart kid but as Gwen aged, his opinion changed. Even though Peter was quiet and respectful when they met he always looked at him with suspicion, as if Gwen would suddenly announce she was pregnant one day and Peter would be at fault. It was the typical overprotective father bit Gwen had read about in so many novels but it was tiring to live with. Even now, as news Peter had been suspended reached his ears she had been lectured about proper behaviour and how if he wasn''t careful Peter would end up a delinquent and drag Gwen down with him.


    "Gwen? Hey uh Gwen, if this is boring, we could," Peter checked his pockets pulling out a few fives and ones, "I dunno, get a burger or, or yeah, a burger," seeing he had maybe about 20 bucks on him.


    Gwen smiled, "yeah but uh clean clothes first yeah? " She said, copying the way he always seemed to pause when he spoke. "That deodorant isn¡¯t a washing machine." His pants were still covered in grime, the bottom edges splattered with the whitewash he''d used on the floor. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh My God Pete. No, nope. Not a chance, you''re bad," shaking her head she knew exactly what thought popped into Peter''s head at that moment.


    It was strange, one moment he was the stupidly awkward cute but nerdy guy she''d crushed on for years and now, once his walls came down he turned into this hungry wolf-like man, stealing kisses and having dirty thoughts.


    Holy shit, she thought to herself, So much for the quiet, I''m wearing the pants in this relationship I was expecting. He''s bad, so goddamn hot, but so bad.


    "Go change, you perv. I''ll look at the samples you bought, I claim this one," she motioned to the one nearest to the main door, "oh and just a thought, if you got wood and used the steel to make supports, you could put a deck on top of the box, you''re not planning on stacking more on top, are you? but even then, the plastic roof looks kinda crappy. Oh, I could ask Felicia as well, she¡¯s kinda got her own place with her dad but I know he travels a lot, and you guys are okay right?"


    Peter hadn''t thought of it, he''d not even expected to get a tenant this early but it wouldn¡¯t be that much extra to build a deck. It was just wood and nails, right?


    Felicia was another matter, sure she was civil enough during the math club but while she hung out with Gwen, they never really connected. However, a tenant was a tenant and if Gwen persuaded MJ and Felicia to live here, he would have three, and it was more than just a start, that was better than most entry-level jobs paid.


    Peter disappeared into one of the end offices and came out looking a whole lot better. While the weather was chilly, it was warming up and he''d put on jeans and pulled a shirt over the T-shirt he had put on. He grabbed his backpack and after showing Gwen how to lock and unlock the security door, they headed out for food.


    "Oh I know the best place for burgers, it''s uh just a food truck but you''d be surprised how many things are here." Peter got stuck on explain mode again, pointing out where he had discovered a good food truck or more often than not, a bad one.


    Gwen was surprised about how well equipped the area was. Being a set block of warehouses, there was not only a variety of cheap but good food trucks and stalls, but a small convenience store, mainly for cigarettes and liquor but still with a good selection of snacks and small easy heat meals. It even had a small laundromat attached. Lots of truckers waiting to unload goods meant they could take breaks and it would get a lot of customers. Of course, Peter missed the obvious. Outside where the street lamps were there were piles of cigarette stubs and Gwen caught the occasional glance of heavy coat wearing women, walking in twos from place to place. The shiny coat hid its darker exterior but Peter too wrapped up in his own world never noticed, and Gwen secretly hoped he never would.


    The more Peter talked the more Gwen wanted a place here, the more they explored, the more she realised it was the perfect place for a meth den. It was remote but still had amenities, as long as they didn''t make too much noise then no-one would suspect the slightly run-down but still well maintained industrial zone held a dirty secret. If only a bunch of kids hadn''t thought the place was empty and wanted to hold an impromptu rave there.


    They got burgers that were a bit greasy for Gwen''s taste but the fries were amazing, washed down by no brand but acceptable sodas Gwen realised she was having fun. Even when school was raised Peter didn''t seem too upset at it, as if his plans didn''t revolve around his passing grades anymore.


    "You know Pete, I know you got all this planned out but uh, make sure you still come back to school okay?" As they sat on a bench next to the burger truck Gwen''s worry was showing.


    "Of course. All this is great but if you don''t have the mandatory bit of paper no one takes you seriously," he explained. Even if it was a diploma or a degree most places would belittle anyone without a formal education so part of Peter''s plan was still to attend college, maybe part-time as he could afford it.


    "Nah, I''m good Gwen, these four weeks gave me time to clear my head, see what''s important and well I guess, who''s important. I got a lot of stuff figured out." He said, "I''m kinda jealous, though, I still would have loved to see the cybernetics lab at Hammer."


    She nodded, "Pete, I think you''ll be fine, I mean, you''re 18 and got a place, a plan and well, some of us got nothing." She wasn''t looking down on herself, she had experienced first-hand what women in the STEM field were going through, even on crutches Flash was talking to the ones in suits, the department managers, and carefully avoiding the scientists. She''d even heard his joke about ¡®scientits¡¯ while he snuck a glance at a bespectacled woman with mad brown frizzy hair, and a thin figure. While her team leader asked her to pass out glasses of champagne, she''d been ignored by most of the suit wearers and the white coats seemed to be there for show rather than tell. On a resume an internship at Oscorp was gold but like Peter she wanted to be a proper researcher. Working on proper biotech breakthroughs not a glorified secretary to some asshole who would take credit for her work.


    "Hey, no, it''s good Gwen, I mean, once Ptech is up, I might have some space for a bioengineer," he was trying to sound sincere but she couldn''t help but laugh


    "Peetech," she sounded back at him, "oh no, you''re not calling your company PeeTech. Let me guess, even you thought PP Tech was too much?"


    Peter''s face scrunched in a frown and then it clicked, he wanted to name his company piss tech, even though he thought that the P was for his name it wasn''t until someone else said it back that he realised.


    "Hey, how about Parker Industries?" She said, making an arch with her hands.


    "Much better." He had to admit it was, but still she laughed,


    "Oh god, PeeTech oh, Pete" each time she said it she laughed more and with the bright smile on her face so did Peter


    With the first unofficially official date drawing to a close, Peter had to pay a visit to Aunt May and get ready for school again. They parted ways at her front door, the glare of George Stacy going unnoticed as Peter lent forwards and kissed Gwen on the cheek.


    It had been a great day, and tonight was going to be even better. Tonight he would be Venom.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Ten. Enemies In High Places

    Peter was stoked about this, it was the first time that he''d be going out as the Venom and his whole body tingled with excitement.


    He felt the alien liquid inside him bubble up and even as his vision darkened it suddenly sprang into a new life. The thick black viscous coating covered his whole body with an extra layer of muscle and he could even tell he had grown an extra eleven or twelve inches. His new symbiotic skin, or just the symbskin as he called it, felt warm around him. He knew it was coming from somewhere in his body, he had just no idea where, and it felt fleshy but tough. It coated him completely, and even though it was a full-body suit, Peter felt no different. He could still breathe and his senses felt sharper than when he was without it. Lights seemed brighter and he could hear the girls talking and making deals across the street from where he was standing.


    He flexed first, getting used to being the Venom again and then whipping a line out hoisted himself up on the walkways that lined the upper floor of the warehouse.


    His first job of the evening, while it was boring, was to check the antenna array he had built from old satellite receivers and tv aerials on the roof, and this was the fastest way. Peter wanted to keep his activities as Venom a secret and was building a secure faraday cage around the warehouse. So that everyone still had internet and cable he had constructed a receiver array from broken electronics taken from the junkyard. Soldering and rewiring it, it just needed to be secured to the warehouse roof.


    His thicker frame made carrying the dish up this high easy, and after setting it in place, his hand tightening around the bolts, moulding his symbskin into the shape of a wrench. His eyes, although covered, could see as if the skin was more a part of his own body than a coating and the light summer breeze felt good on what was now his skin. Trying his best not to think about being naked, he soon got all the wiring hooked up and once he added in power the warehouse would not only have TV but wireless internet that would be strong no matter where you were in the building. If he needed a wired connection he could set them up here and run a cable to anywhere he needed.


    "Haaaa," the huge Venom creature exhaled, he had found that Venom could create a mouth but it was a jutting gagged maw filled with nightmarish teeth, so he opted to keep the suit sealed completely. Being honest with himself the black was a little goth for his taste, and he probably would have gone for red, white and blue but free superpowers were free superpowers. His fashion sense wouldn''t be complaining if he had to make the suit himself. He could extrude and retract the black skin on command, forming and dissolving instantly, and making shapes had been easy, but it wouldn''t change colour, it was always black. The only modification he had been able to make was a white spider design on his chest and he felt that was only as it was right. It wasn''t a conscious thought, it had just felt right.


    With his work done he decided to venture out into the city. A lot of places in Midtown were off-limits, even to young men, muggers not caring about gender anymore in the age of equality, and Venom headed into the seedier parts of town. He was going to avoid Hell¡¯s Kitchen, for now. The place claimed the lives of a lot of people and in reputation, Peter knew he could be seriously hurt or worse, even if he did have powers.


    It wasn''t long before he could hear shouts of terror and whoops of joy, a mugging. Some drunk frat girl had taken a wrong turn into an alley and found herself at knifepoint. Venom shot a web onto a nearby water tower and leapt, swinging down the alley and launching himself into the mugger. His feet connected with the midriff of the mugger and he went flying


    "You shouldn''t be here, ma''am. Club Acapulco is that way," he pointed and with a tear-streaked face she took off running.


    "Now now now though, what do we have here. Someone forgot it was garbage day and left this in the alley."


    The mugger had shaken himself off and was pointing his knife at Venom now, "Hey, I don''t want no beef alright, the girls gone, no harm no foul huh?"


    "No harm no foul? NO HARM NO FOUL!" Venom''s anger rose and he slammed a fist past the upheld knife, into the ribs of the man, "No harm no foul" he repeated over and over with each strike.


    The mugger could only cough up blood as the huge monster pounded his ribcage. Venom, however, was reliving the worst days of his life. A woman''s scream, and the sound of bones breaking, his uncle''s killer walked free, a new school where the first person to talk to him, an unknown Flash, grabs and twists his wrist, telling him to stay away from her. Each bully, every shock, each time he was told ¡°be quiet, don''t complain, just take it,¡± surfaced in his mind as his rage finally bubbled over. His fists moved on their own, but as the red rage cleared Venom looked down at what he had done.


    Venom watched the mugger collapse in front of him, his breathing was as ragged as his own. His hands were shaking as he looked at the man''s chest, barely moving. He hadn''t meant to lose control, punish yes but not cripple. He searched the man''s coat and found a wad of bills and a phone. The man had been smart enough to lose the wallets and purses of his victims and not to carry his own ID, but a phone was untraceable. Venom held the phone with two hands as he hit the emergency call button on the lock screen


    "911, what is your emergency?"


    Venom''s voice cracked as he spoke, "Uh yeah I found a guy at 6th and Walker, he''s hurt really bad, uh, I got his phone and, help, please send help." Venom was still in shock as to what he had done, he dropped the phone, the tinny voice of the operator still questioning him, and zipping a line to the roof of another building, leapt and began to climb.


    He waited for what seemed an eternity until the ambulance arrived followed by a police car. The mugger''s chest was a mess of bruises and he even saw small fragments poking out of his skin. Venom felt sick, he hadn''t meant to hurt him that bad, he hadn''t meant to lose it that badly. He balled his fists and he realised he still had the wad of cash in one hand. It was about 600 dollars in tens and twenties, whoever the man was had gotten a good haul and his victims were now worse off for having met him. Of course, the man wasn''t Uncle Ben''s killer, but he''d echoed him, making himself a target of Venom''s rage.


    Peter let the black skin peel back to reveal the boy underneath, he''d lost control and it''d been happening a lot recently. His emotions spiked when he used his powers, his anger at Flash bubbling over into rage and Jack Thompson¡¯s car receiving a new piercing. Peter stared at the city, it was beautiful in the dark, the street lights twinkled under the rising heat, steam billowing into the cold spring night. As the black skin retracted and Peter was left sitting up there he felt the anger drain from him. In the dark, sat on an overhang, Peter took breaths, trying to calm himself after the fight. As his hands finally stopped shaking he was left wondering if his powers were affecting his mood, was the rage a side effect?


    Did he care though? Was his rage a bad thing, he''d lost his temper once, at some scum bag who''d deprived his victims of $600 and traumatised them for life. Had he lost it at Gwen? no, or Aunt May? no, nobody he cared about, nobody he loved had felt his anger, in fact, he did love them. His chest ached when he thought about Gwen being hurt, not just his hate, his love too, every nerve was alive with sensation and Peter loved it. He wasn''t some loser punk kid, crying when bullied anymore, he was Venom, he was vengeance, he was going to make this city and everyone who wronged him pay.


    Venom needed to make sure he didn''t kill. That would bring cops, no cops, they were useless anyway, the girl he was chasing had run away, no witnesses to say what he had been doing. It was corrupt, it was wrong and Venom knew he was going to make it right again. Making a pouch in his symbskin, Venom stowed the cash and searching for a higher vantage point, he threw out a web line and swung away into the darkness. There were more crimes to stop, more muggers who needed to be reminded that they weren''t the top of the food chain, and most importantly, needed to be told that the streets were no longer safe for their kind.


    As he hunted, muggers and scumbags discovered that a new predator hunted the city. By the end of the night, Venom stopped four muggings and made off with over $2000 in cash. The last mugger, blubbering and crying as Venom stood over him kept repeating ¡°what the fuck are you man?¡± over and over, and having a small grin to himself,


    Beware the Venom was sprayed onto the sidewalk where he left the man webbed up, using the burner phone he was carrying to phone the police.


    Across town, in a cramped and messy junkyard, a man hesitated outside the office of his boss, wary to give him the news he knew was going to upset him. Taking a breath he knocked and then entered,


    Max had been with Alexsi since the beginning. He started hotwiring cars while Alexsi drove and now he was second in command. It was just his shitty job tonight to bring Alexsi the bad news.


    "So, boss, we got trouble." Max stood in front of Alexsi''s desk, "it seems we got hit 2 times last night, and Marko got whacked by some big black guy. Johnny got pinched holding up a store and Freddy got made selling drugs on 9th. Three guys, three different assholes, but get this boss. One was dressed up like a cat, one was all in tight red and blue spandex, and well Marko just kept talking about some big black guy, but he''s on loopy juice right now so it might all be crap yah know."


    Alexsi rubbed his face, "you sure? Three, those three especially all got hit? Shit." He threw the pen he''d been using onto his office desk, "so what''s the deal with Marko? If the other two are in jail, why''s he free?"


    "Uh, he says the guy stopped him getting the target and then wailed on him, man his ribs are all messed up," Max looked over at his boss, "he ain''t doin nothin¡¯ for months. Our guys lifted him before the cops got him at the hospital, but he ain''t lookin so good."


    Alexsi clenched his fists, "fuck" he spat, "we are this close the getting the heist settled and Marko gets hurt, and the others get pinched." Reaching into a desk drawer, "give Marko this," he pulled out a vial of pale blue liquid, and the other man frowned,


    "you uh sure boss? that''s your last one and I mean, Marko he ain''t exactly the best crew guy we got".


    "Yeah yeah, tell him his daughter will be safe if and I mean if he does this, now get, tell me what happens though eh."


    The container Alexsi had was now empty, the three vials having all been used by him and Max, although if Marko gained anything near what he and the others had, nothing would stop them next week, not even some huge black guy.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Eleven. Letting The Cat Out Of The Bag

    Peter was riding a high and even Flash and his cronies giving him the ole stink eye couldn''t dent his invisible cloud of happiness, just seeing Flash hobble around on crutches made his day. Coming back to school would normally have drowned his mood in acid but today, the day after he went on a date with Gwen he didn''t care.


    Aunt May have given him an interrogation and while it was obvious she had instigated the whole thing he couldn''t be mad at her for invading his privacy, he even used her guilt to get the tracking app off his phone, sure he could have done that himself without telling her but he knew May meant well.


    Even if the morning news gave him a dumb name, Tarantula, which he thought was stupid. He didn''t care though he''d just make sure his next outing he left someone conscious enough to tell them his proper name, Venom. Phff, he thought, what dumbass thought of Tarantula? He¡¯d even sprayed his name on the ground, stupid reporter, catching the name on the byline, Eddie Brock, he made sure to remember him.


    As Peter read the Bugle his exploits as Venom was starting to make the news already. The night before was now a memory, he knew he''d been too harsh on the man but he would learn, learn to hurt but not kill, leave a bruise, not a disability. As long as they behaved, he would be lenient, but those who attacked him would suffer,


    The rest of the school now saw Peter as some kind of pariah, more than usual. The clubs Flash was a member of, not just the football team but the boxing and wrestling clubs were all now losing their first places in the district tournaments and the clubs Peter was a member of were in the same boat.


    After some persuasion, he found out Gwen was experiencing how difficult it could be for a woman to get into the sciences. A new hire had given her a coffee order and shooed her away as she tried to explain she was there for sample collection. Upper management took one look at her, 5'' 10", curvaceous figure, big blue eyes, and to top it all blonde wavy hair and had either hit on her, suggested she try out as a model or just ignored her, thinly veiled comments aimed at her chest or ass. Even if they knew who she was, they either played golf with her dad''s boss or had "connections'''' and didn''t care.


    But as the week wore on, so did his bad mood. It wasn''t just Flash that was making life hard for him, it was everyone. Harry had stopped coming to school and Gwen had been the usual but a bit distant, her internship had taken a sour note to it but even with coaxing she refused to talk about it in greater detail, but it was fine. He was still there if she needed to talk and she knew it.


    Even if it wasn''t all his fault, the blame was being laid right at his door. His locker was vandalised, his lunch stolen and his book bag taken and dumped in the trash can, each thing adding to make his mood worse and worse.


    As he sat, alone as usual, at the lunchroom table he was greeted by someone he didn''t really want to talk to, "Hey Parker, we need to talk." Felicia Hardy, his co-chair on the mathematics club and third on the high school honour students table, well he probably needed to put her second now after the incident. Standing at the same height as him, her graceful features were a result of a supermodel mom and a fitness coach dad. It was rumoured she was gay but at high school, she would never come out publically. People like Flash made sure of things like that.


    "Yeah, so, uh, you''re off the math team." Felicia was always blunt, which while it grated most people the wrong way just meant that Peter could get this conversation over, and get on with his lunch and back to daydreaming about Gwen.


    "Yeah, so, I uh don''t care." Peter had had enough of this place and of the way high school was supposed to teach you how to be an adult but really all it did was teach you how to be a dick to those you thought lesser of. "Look, Felicia, with everything going on the math club is the last thing on my mind right now, so yeah, whatever, replace me, get Jessica in, do whatever,"


    She snorted, as if they could get someone in to replace him. Peter was the biggest brain in school next to Gwen and if he left then the club collapsed. His fight with Flash and the principal''s refusal to cut him any slack put the school''s various clubs in jeopardy. She really didn''t care that Flash would miss the end of football season, but the math team losing Peter meant that they would also lose the finals and that she did care about.


    Brushing her hair behind an ear and leaned in closer to him, "You don''t care? well I fucking care, your little stunt will cost us the cup and look bad on my college applications, no one likes second Peter".


    Peter idly spooned at his pudding, "Well, take it up with Flash, his dad, the principal and everyone else who''s giving me shit for something Flash did, cause as I said, I. Don''t. Care." He made sure to enunciate each word, he was tired of people giving him the lectures for everyone else''s behaviour.


    Flash and his group were sitting at their usual table, normally laughing and making a scene, right now they were watching as Peter and Felicia argued. Flash scowling as the normally timid Parker was standing up to the one person he knew could kick his ass.


    "Pete, look I¡¯m sorry about what happened but you should, there''s talk-" she began but he interrupted her,


    "Felicia, look you''re nice and all but when I say I don''t care, I really don''t". Peter dropped his spoon on the plastic tray, "In fact, you''re right, I should care, which is why," and he made sure to raise his voice, letting everyone hear him. "I''m sorry Flash is such an asshole that he can''t even bully someone properly and I''m sorry that he''s so fucking stupid that his dad has ruined each and every club that I''ve been kicked out of, and I''m sorry that you''re all so stupid to believe anything that moron says cause his dads rich and you''re all suck-ups. Lastly," he stared directly at Flash "I''m sorry you''re all so fucking selfish that you don''t care when anything happens unless you get affected by it. You''re all so fucking pathetic."


    The whole cafeteria was stunned and stayed quiet as Peter grabbed his bag and strode out of the lunchroom through the crowd. Flash went to stand up, but a very angry looking Felicia crossed her arms and shook her head at him and he sat back down again, saying something that got a laugh from the group.


    Making his way to the principal''s office he stopped in front of the main secretary''s desk, rapping his knuckles on it to get her attention. "Yeah, get me the forms to withdraw from school, I''ve had enough of this place." Of course, she knew who Peter was, she had felt sorry for him with all he had to put up with and she knew from the look on his face that something had happened and that he''d had enough. While she wasn''t allowed to interfere she was saddened when she handed over the forms


    "You''ll need-" she began to say,


    "No, I''m 18, I don''t," and she watched as he signed the forms himself. She sighed as he signed each form one after the other, he was a good student and a good boy, brought low by politics and asskissers. Even with his amazing score on the placement tests the black mark on his record would haunt him. She had already received the paperwork cancelling most, if not all, of the scholarships he had been set to receive. Somedays, today especially, she hated her job and the stupid system that made life for kids like Peter a nightmare. High School was hard enough, with cutbacks and overworked teachers they could hardly control themselves let alone a student whose father showered the school with money and used it as his son''s own private stomping ground.


    "Well, Mr Parker, as you are no longer a student here, please clean out your locker, hand back the key and then vacate the premises. Hand over your student ID and any hall pass you might have, and Peter, I''m sorry, I know a lot goes on here but-"


    Peter interrupted her, "Sorry, Mrs Henderson but an apology isn''t worth anything, it¡¯s been four years and no one did shit for me. My locker¡¯s empty, here''s everything.¡± Peter didn''t even look her in the eye as he emptied his pockets on the counter, leaving his student I.D and locker key, and then walked away.


    Peter though, wasn''t sad, he was free. Yes, he knew he''d have to endure a lecture from Aunt May and Gwen but it didn''t matter right now. He could attend night classes and get his GED, community college maybe wasn''t an Ivy League institution but it was still qualifications and university could wait until he was more secure. Even the events of last night were just background noise now, that mugger had been taken away and would never harm another person again, he''d had fear put into him by Venom and he deserved it, all the bullies did.


    As he made his way home, Aunt May was pacing in their apartment. Since he''d gotten sick Peter had changed, maybe it was the money but he''d become more confident to the point of being a little arrogant, but this latest thing with Flash seemed to have driven him over the edge. She''d just got off the phone with the school, it wasn''t like Peter to just throw caution to the wind and quit but someone must have said or did something to him and backed into a corner and he''d quit.


    As Peter came in the door May rushed over and hugged him, "so, uh you know"


    She stroked his head as she nodded, "If, anyone-"


    "No Aunt May, no one said anything. I just, I just realised that it was holding me back, so. Make coffee and I''ll tell you everything, I swear. Just, no yelling till I''m done."


    It was a repeat of Gwen, a look of sadness, then anger, shock and surprise all flashed across May''s face, holding her tongue at every opportunity she wanted to either comfort or yell at Peter. He''d pulled out paper after paper as he told her of his plans and one of her eyes twitched when she found out he''d spent most of the 250K Osborn had given him. She stared at blueprint after blueprint and while it was all good on paper she hoped Peter hadn''t bitten off more than he could chew.


    "So, Uh, what do you think Aunt May?" He asked her, staring at her white-knuckled hands.


    "Well, I guess, we''re going to this warehouse of yours. I can''t say I''m not disappointed Peter, you could still have gone to school, you could have used" She stopped and looking at the work he had put into all his ideas, all his projects she changed her mind, "No, you know what Peter, your Uncle Ben and I made mistakes, we did things the way we wanted so no, you do what you do and don''t let anyone ever tell you that your wrong, well, unless it''s dumb, then Gwen can tell you." She smiled and Peter had to laugh. "Right, let me get my coat and let''s see this place of yours."


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Twelve. Ripple Effect

    While Peter had agreed to show Aunt May around the warehouse he had to go to work first. Alexsi had received a shipment of old American style fridge freezers. Big and normally fitted into the kitchen wall, these had been ripped out, wires cut with evidence of plastic wrap on some. Peter knew they were probably stolen but as usual, he didn''t ask and didn''t care.


    It had taken Peter most of the day to strip them out and get them all working, but he had scored a laptop and a water heater. It wasn''t just a small kitchen one but a huge industrial model, Alexsi had shooed him when Peter asked about it but Peter caught the small grin on the man¡¯s face, he knew a lot of the things that came through the junkyard were things he needed and Alexsi was helping him the best he could.


    As soon as he fitted it into the warehouse''s water supply the whole building would have hot water and he wouldn''t have to wash with a rain barrel anymore. Of course, he had to carry them both back to the warehouse before he could get ready for Aunt May''s visit.


    Stopping in, he waved bye to Alexsi before hoisting the water heater onto his back. He failed to notice Alexsi frown, geez, how strong is that kid? he thought to himself. Too busy to think more on it, he shook his head and went back to the diagram he was examining, his mind on more important matters.


    After Alexsi shooed Peter out of his office as the phone on his desk rang three times and then stopped. Sighing, He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a cellphone, dialled the only number stored on it. "What? You agreed never to call me unless it was important."


    "It is, where is Bennie?" It was Normal Osborn, Alexsi had dealings with him every time he needed something done off the books, he paid extremely well, even if it was just to stay quiet.


    "Oh him, you mean Bennie the rat bastard. You set me up to get the cops and feds up my ass, well, get your shorts on, it¡¯s a swim to see him."


    "Alexsi, he was a good man, you had no right"


    "Yeah, so? and you would have gotten a new boss in huh, tough break Osborn, tough break. So, are you calling to bust my balls or what?"


    "Don''t say my name. Are we ready for Friday?"


    "All set up and good to go on your order, Boss."


    "Good, pull this off and you''ll get another shipment like the last, do it with no witnesses and I''ll double it. Screw this up however and I''ll make sure you and Bennie will be getting reacquainted."


    The line went dead and tearing open the phone Alexsi pulled out the sim card and flicking open a lighter torched it.


    "Yeah yeah, asshole."


    From a rooftop across the street, the Black Cat surveyed the scrapyard once more, she''d set up micro cams all over and nothing escaped her attention, The target, Alexsi Sytsevich had just gotten off the phone and looked unhappy, she hadn''t dared enter his office yet, someone was always there during the day and at night and worse still there was a new kid. She couldn''t decide if he was a mole or a plant but he seemed too young to be anything more than a runner. She''d keep an eye on him next time he showed up for work, he might just be her way into the office and she watched as he hauled a large box out of the yard with him, making a mental note to track him down as soon as she was done here.


    Across the city Norman Osborn had just put down his phone, the call leaving an unpleasant taste in his mouth, damn bastards he thought to himself until a knock at the door of his office drew him out of his thoughts and his son, Harry entered after a brief pause."Dad? Umm, can I talk to you about Pete?"


    Norman scowled at his son, "No Harry, you can''t, what''s done is done, even if I wanted I can''t go back on what''s happened"


    "But Dad, Pete got me through chemistry, he got me my grades back to a passing level, you can do something, that''s your name on the building remember." Harry pleaded.


    "Son, I could but Jack Thompson has weight on the board," Norman tapped his fingers on his desk, the boy trying his patience. "You need to remember, it''s my name on the building but we still answer to shareholders. It''s just one kid, Peter will get over it, he''ll move on and he''ll be fine, you should worry about your own future."


    "Son, you carry the Osborn name and with that comes certain responsibilities, your own greatness relies on being able to see a bigger picture and right now, forging a bond with the Thompson boy will bring you greater benefits than with the Parker kid."


    "Okay dad, if you think it''s for the best." Norman waved the boy out, he had more pressing matters to deal with than some childish fantasy about saving his friend.


    After closing the door to his dad''s study Harry''s normally stoic face cracked a smile hearing the fate of his friend, good, he thought. Now if his other plans worked out just as well, he''d be chairing the board instead of his father.


    "Well, that went well, Mr Osborn," a rich feminine voice sounded out from the shadows outside Norman''s office.


    "What do you want, Liv?" Harry asked.


    "Well, we got the footage you asked for, here." A white-coated arm slid out of the shadow, handing Harry a tablet, he hit play on the pre-loaded video. Harry watched as the intruder snapped pictures of the genetics lab and then in hiding from a security guard, tripped the emergency hatch release for samples one to twelve, each scuttling free. He wanted to throw the tablet Liv had handed him when he saw sample six bite the man on the back of the hand before running off across the floor.


    "How bad is it?" Harry asked her.


    "Well, he''s definitely enhanced now and while we did blood work on the kids, I''ll bet any money so are they. We had two pass out, and one reported feeling sick afterwards. Your little friend Peter was one of them."


    Harry sighed, "Parker," he needed to cut ties with him before this blew out of proportion, "Thanks, and Liv, keep this quiet from."


    The woman raised a hand, "Oh don''t worry Harry, daddy dearest doesn''t even know about your involvement."


    Back in the warehouse, Peter felt a strange tingle, and he wondered if someone was talking about him, shaking his head he picked up an egg. To try and train his dexterity and strength Peter had taken to eating omelettes from breakfast, juggling the eggs over a bowl, so when he crushed one or dropped one, it wasn''t a waste. Peter had just gotten up to 8 eggs when his phone dinged and it was a text from Harry. He hadn''t talked to him since the incident and it would be good to speak to a friend again. Using a single hand he lifted his phone while keeping the 8 eggs in the air.


    Sorry Pete, now you''re not at school we should probably stop the tutoring, it''s been great though, thanks. Harry


    Peter crushed the egg in his hand, letting the others fall onto the counter.  Fucking ingrate, he tutored him, helped him with math, sciences and any fucking problem he had and he gets on the bad side of a stockholder and even Harry fucking bends over and kisses his ass. He threw the remains of the mess at the eggshell filled trash can, he''d make them pay, he''d make them all pay.


    Checking the empty carton out Peter decided he needed some more eggs, fresh air would help clear his head, he needed to think, to decide his future once and for all, screw the rest of them, screw them all.


    His phone dinged and while it was Gwen, he was in a bad mood, "Sorry, Aunt May will be here soon, talk to you later," he quickly typed.


    At home in their lavish Brownstone house, staring at her phone Gwen shrugged and thought, oh well, to herself. She was in front of a mirror, phone camera ready to click but with Aunt May almost there she thought better of it. Running her hands down her body she stared at the silky black underwear she''d bought for Peter''s 18th Birthday but had chickened out. He was going to freak out when he got to unwrap her now that they were dating.


    Downstairs in his office, George Stacy stared at the report once more. Three, three costumed weirdos were terrorising his city and there was nothing he could do about it. The first report was about a local hood, Flint Marko, who''d been beaten so badly his ribs were sticking out his chest, local EMT''s reported he''d be dead within an hour and if he hadn''t disappeared this would be a murder rather than just a mugging gone wrong. The report included a witness, who described a huge latex suit-wearing man, completely black with a white spider design on his chest, who''d made a lame joke after driving Marko into a wall.


    Then, some fetish nightmare with whip and razor claws strung up Dillon Murphy, a local drug dealer, all they got from the high as a kite dealer was big ass titties, over and over. George rubbed his forehead and then, last but not least another spider freak. Blue and Red costume, webs all over it but this guy, he knew police procedure, videoed the mugging, stopped it, all on camera and then restrained the guy before calling the cops. He hated vigilantes for these three reasons, one a brutalist, one an adrenaline junkie and the last, an actual do-gooder who''d get someone, or himself, killed. He felt a headache coming on and Gwen dating this Parker kid didn''t make it any better.


    The same reports had made their way via a series of bribes and connections to the offices of J. Jonah Jameson. He was staring at a nervous young man, holding another manilla envelope.


    "So, you got the photos?" The grey-haired moustached man asked, drawing on his thick cigar.


    "I do Mr Jameson, I do." The man standing in front of Jameson had at least made an effort, his short light brown hair neatly trimmed and his square but handsome face with piercing blue eyes was at least cleanly shaven.


    "Spider-Man huh?" Jameson flicked through the photo''s, each one capturing the vigilante in precise clarity. "A menace, that''s what he is, taking jobs away from our honest to god police."


    "Uh Mr Jameson sir", The photographer handed over a file he''d gotten from a ¡®source¡¯, "Spider-Man is the third vigilante to appear this week, and uh, he''s the nicest."


    "What? He''s a menace. What''s your name again?"


    "It¡¯s uh Brock Sir, Eddie Brock and yes, he still tied up that mugger sir but look." Eddie Brock showed J.Jonah Jameson the three police reports. "He filmed everything, to show he''s not so bad but these two. "Mugger was found with his chest caved in," and as he flicked to the other report, ¡°the dealer was found with a month''s supply of LSD stuffed into his mouth."


    "Wow, three menaces. Brock, get me photos of all of them, Spider-man, this Night Stalker woman and uh, uh, hmm, I''ll think of something for the black one later, racial sensitivity and all that." J.J waved him away, "See HR for your pay son, these are good, these are really good, Brock is it? bring me more like this and I''ll give you a full-time position."


    Eddie left the envelope on the desk and taking a backwards glance he could see J.J reading his work. He inwardly sighed as he left the office, as he already had a full-time position, just right at the bottom. He hoped his big break would come from the editorial piece he had published in yesterday''s edition about the three. He''d already named them. Spider-man was a given but Black Cat was more appropriate as she slashed the dealer with claws and was wearing a black catsuit but the last one, the spider outfit was a giveaway, was he the victim of one of Oscorps spider creations or something else entirely? Whatever his story, Eddie was sure their paths would cross, sooner rather than later. Spider-Man and Tarantula were fated to be on different sides of the law.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Thirteen. Fun House

    Aunt May was stunned, which went past shocked, right into what the hell, and straight out the other side of sweet Jesus. Peter hadn''t been joking when he said he''d been busy tidying up and upgrading the once meth lab. White floors, clean windows with a nice cool breeze filtering through the whole place. This was nicer than where they currently lived and May couldn''t find anything to pick over, well almost.


    "You live here?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at Peter''s sparse living conditions. He had a cot bed with a few blankets thrown over it, a kettle with discarded instant noodle pots surrounding it and an overflowing trash bag. Clothes were piled into two categories she could see, one clean, she hoped, and one that was definitely dirty going by the smell.


    Peter just shrugged, of course he didn''t, this was just a pit stop for when he got tired and Aunt May knew it. He was home most nights by 11 and while he might be gone at 7 in the morning he wasn''t ready to live here full time just yet, too much painting and welding needed to be done and airing out the whole place took days just because of its size. He¡¯d even had to waste several days simply because spraying foam insulation and painting filled the warehouse with so many toxic fumes he had started to get dizzy and choke when working.


    Aunt May came in and hugged him. "Peter, never forget that I''m proud of you and that your Uncle Ben would be too." She felt the tears coming and held Peter tight until they passed. Her fears he was lost and directionless were unfounded, right now, she couldn''t be prouder.


    Peter left her to explore the warehouse and she took the chance to do so while he went out to get some food for them. She wasn''t a fan of burgers but Peter told her there was a Mexican taco truck that should be open and he could get them both wraps.


    The outside of the homes was spotless, whitewashed floors, painted white cladding over the corrugated iron walls meant the warehouse was warm even if the spring had refused to shift into summer, and the windows had been coated in privacy film. While it muted the sunlight each window must have been 5 feet by 5 feet and the lower amount of sunlight was negligible.


    The engineering that he had put into each of what he called box homes was astounding, the welds were spotless and the seams neatly covered, the wiring was neat and while May had little experience of the work herself she had seen some of Bens and what Peter had done was impressive


    As she explored the inside of one of the homes she saw there were still pencil marks on the floor but the main walls had been put into place and they were sturdy. Each box now consisting of a living room, bedroom, a bathroom fully kitted out as a wet room, and a kitchen. Peter had taken the 20m by 20m space and made it cosy and as roomy as possible. The walls were still bare wood but May could see from the neat row of nails, the neat channels cut for not just the wiring and the sockets but the water lines and other pipework that Peter hadn¡¯t rushed, he had taken time and care to make sure each home was professionally done.


    "Look who I found," Gwen''s voice rang out and with Peter in tow, Gwen hoisted bags of food leaving Peter to hold the sodas.


    "Gwen dear," May reached forwards and helped her, setting the bags of food down on a table Peter was using. The food was filling, a polite way May had of saying that it was edible but not great, but the atmosphere was warm and comfortable. The three chatted about the future and Gwen hinted about moving in.


    "Now you two, I know things will be rosy to start with but you should keep your own space. Ben and I started out in a cramped one-room place and it was a nightmare."


    "Aunt May!" Peter exclaimed, he had told her about Gwen and him but he didn''t realise that they would be moving in together, "it''s the same building, we''re not moving in moving in, I''m fixing up the porta offices uh eventually. Plus, Gwen''s already called dibs on the first box."


    "Oh on that Pete, MJ will come round in a few days, I told her and she''s interested." May shook her head,


    "I hope you two can start to get along again, it was such a shame you never reconnected." Peter hung his head to avoid May''s gaze, he couldn''t tell her that Flash was the reason they never spoke in High School.


    ¡°Felicia said no though, her dad needs her to stay home and house sit or something, I dunno, she seemed pretty stoked about it but then changed her mind, you guys fight?¡± and Peter shook his head


    ¡°She seemed pretty upset I was leaving the club, well upset for Felicia,¡± and he shrugged, one less tenant was a blow but if MJ moved in it was still better than none. Sliding a thick book out from beneath the camp table he had set up, ¡°paint, uh, try not to pick something too expensive,¡± and Gwen rolled her eyes as she flicked through it,


    ¡°I was thinking gold on everything,¡± and May covered her mouth to hide the small laugh as to how gaudy and tacky that would look.


    Finishing their meal Peter called Aunt May a taxi, wanting to spend a little time alone with Gwen before she had to head home as well.


    After they had hugged and Peter watched Aunt May leave, he turned to find Gwen behind him, leaning on his shoulder and wrapping her hands around his waist.


    "So, Petey Pie, whatcha wanna do?" Sadly though, Peter groaned, after finishing off two mega burritos and Mays mini-meal he was stuffed.


    "Sleep!" he exclaimed and pulled over some foam cladding he had for insulation and lay down, patting the space next to him. "A bed fit for a princess." Gwen laughed as she lay next to him, feeling nicely stuffed but happy to just lie there. It had only been a week since,


    "Hey Pete, are you sure about this? I mean, dropping out just gave Flash another smug face to pull and well, it kinda sucks without you there." She pulled his arm over and cuddled up to it. ¡°Even Felicia seems a bit, off, well, off for Felicia,¡± and Peter chuckled


    "Yeah Gwen. May asked me the same and I am, I couldn''t stand it anymore, Flash, the teachers, you know Felicia spoke to me."


    Gwen scowled, "she did huh?"


    "Yeah, she was pretty upset I''d been kicked off the math team but the thing was, everyone blamed me, no one gave Flash any crap, even if it was his fault. It just, it got to me when I don''t want to ever be in that situation again, and now I''ve left, I won''t be."


    Gwen sighed, she sometimes wished that she could do the same but Peter had the warehouse and plans, he had a supportive Aunt whereas Gwen would be grounded till she was 40 if she dropped out or quit her internship. Her dad already was giving her grief over her relationship with Peter, and as sad as it was this was just more ammunition for him. To be honest, everything that happened with Peter had made her question her own future. She was just passively riding along on what she thought she wanted, but did she, did she really?


    Peter noticed the change in atmosphere and kissed Gwen gently on the nose. "Hey, it''s okay, things happen, plans change. I''ll be okay." He was trying to reassure himself as well as her but


    "I was thinking about me doofus." She snorted and began to laugh, the look on his crestfallen face adding more to her laughter. "You seemed to have gotten everything together, all this bad crap and you landed on your feet, I dunno, it''s just, my life, my dad and just thinking about moving out is a huge step but you there and I''m worried you be a step ahead all the time Pete, you know?


    He hadn''t, "but it''s fine Gwen, you know like how I started to read at two but you were still putting porridge in your hair," he teased her and she fake scowled at him. Her dad had told that story when they first met as an ice breaker and she''d never lived it down, each time she won something Peter would mention at least you don''t have porridge in your hair but it was funny and he did make her feel better.


    "Okay okay, so it''s fine, I get it, at least I don''t have porridge in my hair." They shared a smile and Gwen cuddled closer to Peter, this wasn''t exactly what she had planned but she had to admit that it was nice too.


    They had fallen asleep next to one another and it wasn''t until there was a banging on the front door that they stirred. Peter shrugged as Gwen mouthed ¡°who is it?¡± at him.


    "Hey, is anyone in there?" came a yell from the door."


    "One second." Peter yelled back, "Geez, talk about impatient."


    "Open up, it''s the Police." The voice was accompanied by the door handle rattling, but Peter''s deadbolt system would stop anything short of a tank from breaking it down.


    Gwen scowled and searched for her phone, there were a half dozen missed messages and three missed calls. "My Dad." She frowned.


    "I''ll deal with this," and Peter shook his head. "Not this time, I said no more, Gwen, even from your Dad. No. More."


    Peter pressed the switch on the intercom, rather than buzzing the door open "Yes Officer, what can I do for you?" Peter asked,


    "We have a report of noise disturbance and complaints."


    Peter shook his head, "really? So you came to the quiet warehouse with no open door and upon hearing absolutely nothing, decided to try and gain entry?"


    There was a pause, "Can you open the door please Sir, I want to perform a visual check of the property."


    "Okay, Officer, this is how this is going to go. I''ll allow you to leave peacefully, if and I mean if, you stop lying to me. I know Captain Stacy put you up to this and I know that right now, you''re guilty of performing an illegal search, the property starts at the main gate, which you ignored and buzzed the door here. So, trespassing and no warrant search. So, tell me," Peter swivelled the camera around to see the officer''s badge, "Officer Vasquez. What''s going to be, open the door while I call my lawyer or tell me the truth and Gwen''ll give her dad hell in your place?"


    The officer stared at the camera and sighed, holding up his hands in surrender. He clicked his radio on his shoulder, "Officer Vasquez here, yeah, no noise, no disturbance, tell Stacy the kid¡¯s too smart and he won''t fall for this again, Vasquez out."


    Peter hit the buzzer and opened the door. "Thank you, Officer."


    Vasquez peered inside and nodded, "We won''t bother you again, Mr Parker. You two have a great night okay," he nodded at Peter and left.


    Gwen though was livid and Peter could hear her yelling at her dad on the phone. After texting for a taxi she grabbed her bag and stormed over to Peter "Get the home finished. I''m tired of his crap Pete, please, but uh sorry I gotta go I''ll uh make it up to you." Checking over his shoulder, she made sure the officer was gone before flicking the buttons of her blouse apart, revealing the black lacy underwear beneath. Peter''s breath caught in his throat as her very pink and very prominent nipples peeked out from underneath the fabric as she pulled it down and gave him a clear view of her chest. "Finish fast enough and you can see if the panties match." Gwen kissed the stunned Peter before running down to the gate and disappearing off in a taxi.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Fourteen. Look What The Cat Dragged In

    Black Cat growled as she tore the newspaper apart, a grainy but serviceable photo of her with the ¡®Black Cat Menace¡¯ was plastered on the front page. Her mugshot, along with Spider-man and Tarantula, was on every copy of the Daily Bugle she could find. What was worse was that they had mainly gone for a pissed off, frustrated housewife angle for her, god forbid she might have other reasons for hunting scumbags than feminist fueled manhate.


    From the rooftop, she spied her target. That kid was back at Alexsi''s and she needed to find out who he was. She¡¯d still never gotten a good look at his face, but he was skinny, wearing jeans and a short jacket, and no bike or car, she pegged him as one of the drug dealers or one of the kids they paid to get supplies or do courier jobs. She snorted as she watched him lift a heater of some kind, as if that fooled anyone, that a scrawny kid could lift something that heavy. It was a stupid plant or some scheme and as she watched him hoist it onto one shoulder she began to follow him.


    She trailed him across the rooftops to the warehouse district, even though she knew about the meth den shootout that took place here she had figured it was abandoned. Even she knew the cops would check here first if anything suspicious came up and she shook her head at his stupidity. Suspicious package, a lone kid and an abandoned drug lab seemed too easy, Great, she thought as she flexed her fingers, letting the stainless steel razor claws extend and retract, someone to vent on a little after that nonsense the Bugle printed.


    After manhandling the heater into the warehouse Peter had shifted to Venom, the water heater wasn''t heavy but holding it one hand while he worked was a lot easier with super strength. Throwing it onto his shoulder he leapt and climbed out onto the roof where the main water junction was. The water heater he had taken from Alexsi was an outdoor model, it would be bolted to the outside of the water tower, fed with a pipe from the cold supply and then branch off into two new pipes, one to the hot and one to the cold. The warehouse already had all the plumbing there, just no heater. The large tank would need to be fitted and then wired into the power. Peter was ecstatic over the thought of being able to have a hot shower and not cold water from a barrel. This was the last of the major plumbing to be done. Everything else had been hooked up and checked for leaks.


    He was crouched down low, Venom''s strength meant fixing and attaching the heater would be easy and then he''d shift back into Peter to do the fiddly wiring and welding jobs. He was carefully moving the large cylinder into place when the first attack struck. He had been too busy concentrating on fixing the heater to the tank that he hadn¡¯t paid any mind to the presence behind him, unable to imagine that someone would climb up onto the warehouse roof to attack him. The razor-sharp blades across his back brought a hiss from his throat. The second attack he dodged, rolling to the side, and spinning into a low crouch he saw his attacker.


    She was stunning, wearing a tight black leather or latex bodysuit that hid nothing. Venom couldn''t help but notice her muscular figure held two enormous breasts that the outfit did nothing but enhance and display. Her hair was wild, light silver colour and her face was hidden with a half mask, he could only see the steel grey of her eyes under it.


    "Why?" was all he asked her.


    "You took out Flint, now the kid?" She motioned towards the warehouse, "You tell me why?"


    Venom was confused, the kid? Did she think he was here to hurt himself? Of course, he realised that with the symbskin he looked nothing like Parker, his height and build were all wrong. "Parker is nothing to us, we protect him, so why?"


    Black Cat was stunned, "Parker? Peter Parker?" No, that couldn''t be right, sure she''d heard Gwen talking to MJ about Peters new job and place but, ah she was so stupid, junkyard, scrawny kid, shit. "No problem then, big guy, we good?" She raised her hands and he still crouched held up one hand, his fingernails extending into wickedly sharp claws.


    "We will be," and then he leapt.


    Venom was mad, When he shifted from Parker the anger at Gwen''s dad rose and his frustration at the teasing gained a lot of momentum as well. He''d tried to burn off the excess energy by doing this, carrying a heavy object, working off the adrenaline but when this, this woman cat thing attacked him, she gave him a pointed target, he needed someone to test himself against, juggling eggs was fine but the real test would be taking this bitch down a peg without hurting her. Well, after the claws on his back, hurting her too badly. He also felt something else stir within him, the way her muscles tightened the leather costume she wore, her muscular legs as she backed away brought forth another feeling, one that Gwen¡¯s teasing had left unfulfilled. He might have just found a good way to work out some of his frustrations.


    Black Cat saw the claw coming for her face and her heart almost stopped in her chest, she brought up a forearm and deflected the blow, allowing it to slide along her arm as she ducked under the huge biceps of this creature. Its mouth had split open and its grinning maw was filled with the most horrendous teeth she had imagined. As she ducked she drove a knee into its stomach, hoping to wind it but he laughed as it grabbed her thigh. "Mmm, nice" damn brute was feeling her up but the indignation didn''t last long as it lifted her up and slammed her into the rooftop.


    The wind was knocked out of her and she struggled under his grip. His hand was wrapped around her thigh, squeezing it every now and again, damn pervert she thought and she brought her other knee up and smashed it into his head. Reeling back he bellowed and Black Cat managed to get to her feet, whipped around and caught him on the side of the head with a  roundhouse kick. He staggered and fell to one hand but shook his head and glowered at her. He had a longer reach than her, was stronger but she was faster and as he swung his thick fists at her she weaved under them and scored lines across his biceps with her claws. Whatever his suit was made from sealed back up within seconds.


    He swung again and she thought amateur, unskilled and not used to fighting another person but as she moved to avoid a swipe at her head he thudded a fist into her side, she hoped that was the material of her corset cracking and not her ribs as the pain exploded the air from her lungs.


    Shit, she thought to herself, he was bigger but she was faster and better trained, she had no doubt she would win but she couldn''t take the chance and had to escape, one lucky hit and he''d flatten her. His thick arms swung at her again and again and she dodged and weaved out of his reach. He hissed at her in frustration, and Venom knew he had been right, hitting a trained fighter was much harder than an unsuspecting mugger.


    As he bellowed at her she took the chance to back off, she kept a variety of small pellets in her belt, smoke bombs, flash pellets, trackers, pain killers, and a variety of small but sharp throwing knives. Taking out a knife she threw it straight for his head and when he turned his head to avoid it she threw a smoke bomb at her feet and a flashbang at his face.


    She had already dived off the roof and thudded into the ground when the bomb went off, his screech was loud and sounded very angry. Uncaring she took off into a sprint, needing to get as much distance between him and her as possible. "We will find you, Yes We Will. We are VENOM!" he bellowed at the night air.


    His eyes stung from the flashbang she''d thrown and even now he had bright spots in his vision that refused to clear. Venom made a note to see if he could make the eye coverings photochromic and his ear coverings noise cancelling. Even if he had to wear goggles and earpieces underneath his symbskin it would stop that from happening again.


    Black Cat was hidden on a warehouse roof a mile or so away from where she had fought Venom, she tentatively touched her side and while not broken her ribs were bruised. Her back was killing her from his slam and she examined the black residue on her hand claws, watching as it crumbled into a fine dust. Damn, she thought, a self-repairing suit would have been handy. Fumbling around in her belt she pulled out a couple of capsules, breaking them between her teeth she took a deep breath, feeling the ache in her side vanish and standing she clutched her side and began to hobble back home.


    If Venom was connected to Peter she needed to rethink her plan, maybe even see if he would be willing to help her. Her father had always warned her about working with a crew, but right now she needed the help. If Peter was getting mixed up with Alexsi, then he would need her help, and if he owed her, she might get him to recruit Venom for her.


    In the distance a blue and red-suited man watched the pair fight. He had followed the strange woman, his Black Cat, first to a junkyard and then to a warehouse. He felt bad that he had been stalking her but he needed the money and she was much more interesting than Tarantula. She was attractively built, even if her face was hidden by a mask and pictures of her sold much better than a muscle-bound catsuit wearing thug. It was a sad truth of the industry, and even if Jonah had angled the woman as some pissed off feminist he knew she was after something. Unlike Tarantula she kept away from the streets, instead she scoured the neighbourhoods for targets, and it was always the same M.O. Usually attacking a woman, usually had a history of violent crime and was attached to one of the larger crime families, headed by a shadowy figure known only as Kingpin.


    He stumbled upon her and her target and hoped just to get some decent pics, this, however, was gold. His camera memory was full, not just of pictures of his own dazzling saves but now a video of two super brutes slugging it out on a warehouse rooftop. Sure he''d been too far away to hear what they were talking about but swinging fists and throwing kicks meant it was newspaper worthy, more importantly, it was payday for Brock. He drooled as he imagined the steak he could buy with these pictures, oh yeah, he would make Jameson pay through the nose for these. Plus he had a name, one clear message yelled louder than their conversation.


    He had lost the Black Cat as she dived off the warehouse they were fighting on and he moved closer to find that Tarantula had disappeared as well, some random warehouse in the industrial district wasn¡¯t interesting but the fight had been, he could imagine the headline in tomorrow''s edition, ¡°Black Cat Vs Tarantula. Super-Villain Show-Down¡±


    Venom, phff stupid name Spider-man thought, Tarantula was much cooler.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Fifteen. Trials and Tribulations

    Time waits for no man, and that was especially true for Peter, the more he did the more he found he had to do. With MJ tentatively agreeing to rent out the other box home he now raced to get both finished before the summer started and for them at least, school ended. Gwen wanted to be settled before her new term started and MJ, while not in as much of a rush, wanted to move in at the same time as Gwen so it wasn''t ¡®weird¡¯ as she put it.


    He had no idea how to feel about MJ moving in. They had been close when they were young but Flash made it clear he was to stay away from her and MJ gave him the cold shoulder as well. He could never decide if it was MJ that prompted the response from Flash or if it was the other way round. If Flash was a dick to him, it wasn¡¯t too much to imagine that he wouldn¡¯t exactly be the nicest boyfriend either.


    He had to give her a chance, even if it meant dealing with Flash. She had been his only friend growing up, staying with him after Uncle Ben died and it had broken his heart when they had to leave. This wasn¡¯t High School, Flash might have had sway there, but here, here he was the landlord and any shit, and signs of Flash being an asshole and Peter could legally, and very happily, throw him out on his ass.


    With two tenants stilted he needed to move with the actual decorating aspect. The walkways had been barred, and unless MJ or Gwen decided to jump over some iron bars they would know to stay off them. The floor had been finished, the homes and his own office had been finished on the outside. Painted a white colour, it was cheap and clean and with the warehouse being indoors Peter figured if Gwen or MJ wanted to hang up something on the outside that was on them.


    Inside was the same. Using the same whitewash Peter had sprayed the whole place down. If Gwen or MJ wanted colour, well then they could arrange that themselves. He had finished as far as he was concerned with both homes built and decorated. Carpeting had come thanks to a small word to Alexsi and while it was simple woven carpet, in an off grey-blue colour it was still a floor covering, and he had enough to not only floor both rented homes but his own.


    As well as the warehouse, his fight with the now named Black Cat had put a dampener on his nightly excursions as Venom. He knew that against a stupid mugger or thief with no training he could squash them flat but against someone with training, and Black Cat showed she knew several martial arts, he was all muscle and brute strength and no finesse or tactics. He needed guidance but while he could attend self-defence classes or martial arts studios as Peter, going as Venom was more of a problem. Even so, he signed up for a self-defence class. It utilised a mix of everything and with his enhanced speed and strength he wanted something more fluid than a traditional Martial Art with the added bonus of it being one class. He had neither the time nor the money to sign up for three or four different ones.


    His problems lay in his enhanced senses, he could move faster and hit harder than a normal person, but loud noises, bright lights gave him a headache, his enhanced senses were going haywire most of the time and as Venom it just got worse. He had sketched the basic design of a headpiece, simple ear baffling with a speaker to allow him to block and tune out specific noises but still talk. Simple goggles, with light-sensitive lenses. Simple dark covers were no good, he needed something adjustable. The headset would be easy enough to build, a quick visit to a Radioshack and a couple of hundred bucks would have a working prototype built, so Peter wasn''t too worried about it, what did worry him was the latest edition of the Daily Bugle.


    Pictures of him as Venom, Black Cat, and a third costumed hero had started to appear in The Daily Bugle, a local newspaper owned by J. Jonah Jameson. It hadn''t painted him or Black Cat in a good way though, costumed menaces were plastered below their names while Spider-Man was given a much nicer subtext, ¡®A new hero for a new year.¡¯


    He had been taking pictures of crimes as they happened, leaving criminals and memory cards behind, evidence left undisturbed and crime scenes left without contamination. Peter cursed, whoever this Spider-Man was, he was making Venom look bad. Especially with a few screenshots of the fight he and Black Cat had had on the roof of his building, and a URL to a video of the actual fight.


    Thankfully no one from the Daily Bugle had contacted him about it, either Spider-Man didn''t know it was his or didn''t know where the fight took place. It was still worrying though, not only had Black Cat snuck up on him but Spider-Man had been close enough to film. His security had been lax and with two tenants to take care of he needed to make sure it was better.


    Between fixing up the warehouse, fixing up the box homes, and filling out paperwork, which suddenly went from a few forms to a massive pile of permits, and licence applications, Peter was beginning to feel swamped. Alexsi had been gracious enough to give him a week off and while the lost money had hurt, especially when finding out the cost of some of the land-lording licences and home safety licence permits, he had needed it. Peter was almost crying with each visit to the bank, the small amount of money he had saved, coupled with the small amount he had left from Norman was almost gone but each permit he got stamped and each inspection he passed brought him closer to starting the first part of his plan, tenants and money.


    Thankfully a legally binding lease could be bought for dollars off the internet and once notarised there would be no further issue. Once the homes passed their final inspection Gwen and MJ were both free to move in. A modest rent of $1000 a month was agreed upon. While he could have asked for so much more these were his friends and he argued the area wasn¡¯t residential, lowering the rent he could charge.


    Leases were signed and move-in dates settled. Peter had taken advantage of the warehouse''s position, a nice open roof next to the bay with lots of sunlight and had made it as green as he possibly could. Spending a few extra hundreds to add in insulation and solar panels saved in the long run, cheaper electricity and water bills made anyone happy, especially once he''d seen how much they were expected to be. Peter was finding out slowly that being an adult was no fun.


    But at the end of the month, it was done. High School would be finishing up soon and as he''d dropped out he had no exams or end of year prom to worry about. Gwen was upset and had decided to boycott the whole thing to support Peter but he needed to do something to make up for it. Peter stared at the warehouse, now a freshly painted clean looking set of sub-apartments, the box homes. At Gwen''s request, he''d built two decks on top of each box, giving the girls more space, his own was still just the porta-office but now a pale blue colour, extended up with another to give Peter more than one room to live in.


    The side of the warehouse where he was going to live was now end to end with reinforced offices. Alexsi coming good on his promise and he now had an extra five, all empty of course, the last of his money had been spent on bringing the place up to code but it didn''t matter. Broke but happy Peter was ready to begin the next phase of his life.


    "Hey, Pete," Gwen already had keys and had let herself in, "I got a moving-in date set for the weekend after school breaks up." She threw her arms around him and leant her chin on his shoulder.


    "Oh yeah, and how''s Captain Stacy Taking it?"


    Gwen rolled her eyes, "Uh, Daaaad doesn''t know yet, cause he''ll pitch a fit once he does."


    "Oh yeah, Gwen. Great plan," Peter exaggerated rolling his eyes back at her. Her dad wasn¡¯t exactly known for his patience when it came to Gwen.


    "Oh shush, he''ll complain and then realise it¡¯s too late and before you know it, he''ll be taking charge."


    "Uh-huh," was the only response she got back.


    "Soo, I was thinking of you, me and MJ going out for our first official drink once school ends, you know, celebrate the new place, exams finishing, uh sorry," she quickly added when Peter winced a bit, "but more moving in day. MJ''s up for it, We''re all ID''d and legal so it¡¯s just you Pete."


    Now Peter did roll his eyes at her. He was never the most sociable person in school and now he hated crowds even more. His super-senses gave him more information than he needed and sure, it was easy enough to tune out voices and whispers but body odour was an issue. Unless he wore nose plugs or smeared something on his top lip, he''d probably be smelling unwashed bar fly for a month.


    But this was Gwen, and as much as he hated to admit it, she was right, "Sure, but, what about a diner instead, there''s that new burger joint on 18th street, they have a bar too so we can get drinks."


    In an attempt to curb underage drinking New York implemented a policy. For two weeks after High School graduation, as long as the group had a designated driver or an adult, anyone over 18 could drink legally, lower than the normal 21.


    The police department got tired of finding kids passed out drunk or causing mayhem, so with some success, they left the responsibility of herding graduates celebrating the end of their school lives to their parents.


    Gwen interrupted him with a smooch on the cheek, "I''ll let MJ know." She took out her phone and scrolled through her calendar, "Moving is the 15th, so how about the night before? Should stop us from uh, overindulging." Peter knew what she meant, the last thing they wanted was to try and move when hungover, "Sounds good," Peter reached over his workstation and made a mark on a calendar,


    "Phff, so retro Pete"


    Peter laughed, "please ask MJ to avoid Flash for that night though, I''m still kinda sore at him for things. Oh, see if Felicia is free,¡± and Gwen shrugged,


    ¡°She¡¯s been kinda weird the past few times I saw her, but I can ask.¡±


    He looked around the warehouse at the semi-finished work he had to do. It was a good distraction and while he was still sore over what happened, it was also true that he was losing the edge on his anger at Flash. Things were getting better and better and once school ended he had tenants and money coming in then he could start phase two of his plan. Getting a diploma and starting to get more serious with Parker Industries. While it wasn''t necessary, people would take him a lot more seriously if he had a formal education, even if it was just a piece of paper at the end of the day.


    Peter was slowly learning, with the warehouse and the new business, that adult life revolved around having the right piece of paper and the money to pay for them.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Sixteen. A Beer, A Burger, And A Beating

    As time moved by, the idea of going out for a celebration began to appeal to Peter. The thought of spending time with some people without all the crap of school actually seemed like a good idea so when he walked into the burger place and saw Flash, his mood plummeted.


    The bar itself was one of those gastropubs the US had imported from over the water, polished mahogany bar with individual booths for the more intimate and a huge selection of both microbrew and more commercial beers lined the back wall. Neatly uniformed staff, in a more conservative shirt and trouser combo with smart waistcoats, hustled the floor with plates stacked with what Peter felt were small tires rather than burgers. He took a deep breath, smelling the inviting aroma of cooked beef and onions and even if that shithead was here, he wasn''t going to let it spoil the night.


    As he walked to their table, he could see Flashs face contort, what the fuck is he doing here? Peter thought to himself and watched as Flash smirked and pulled MJ closer to himself, wrapping one hand around her waist and letting his other sit on top of hers. Even as he did though, she scooted back and gave him a  slightly annoyed look but he kept his hand on hers as Peter approached


    "Oh hey, Guys, Gwen not here no?" MJ was stuck, she knew that Gwen was running late and she''d hoped that she''d sent Peter a message to warn him but no, here he was, stuck with the one person he probably hated more than anything in the world and here she was, stuck between them, her boyfriend and her new landlord. Great.


    Peter slid into the booth and flicked through the stack of booklets to find a menu "You know, I didn''t think you''d come Flash, MJ had to tell you I''d be here, so what the deal huh?" Peter didn''t even bother to make eye contact, ignoring Flash for the menu.


    "Well, MJ here is moving into a rundown hell hole, so I thought I''d come and put her slimebag landlord to right before he got any ideas," Flash sat up straight, posturing before Peter.


    "You know Flash, I know we got off on the wrong foot, but you should just let it go you know as the lady says," Flash growled but Peter still sat there ignoring him. "You know, I think I''ll have the cheese stacker burger with chilli fries but first." Peter leaned forwards grabbing Flash by the shoulders and pulling him over the table with ease. "Listen here shitface, this isn''t high school and if I took you outside and fucked you with a lamppost there would be nothing you could do about it, so sit there, shut the fuck up and don''t spoil my dinner, okay?" Peter whispered so MJ couldn''t hear, he sat Flash back down and dusted off his shoulders, smoothing out his shirt and then sat back down, "but let''s wait till Gwen gets here before we order."


    Flash was surprised, Parker had just lifted him out of his seat, not just pulling him across to his side of the table but with an iron steel grip actually lifted him up. He knew Parker had been taking classes and working at a warehouse but when did he get so strong? He shrank back down into the seat next to MJ, Parker was right, if anything happened this wasn''t high school. Sure he could call the cops and his dad would get him a great lawyer but with the history between them, even Parker could probably weasel his way out of it. No one was here to help him, it would be just him and whatever monster Parker had become.


    He had originally come to gloat, to lord it over Parker that he was dating his High School friend and that prom had gone great, even if it was a lie. Seeing Peter looking not just happy but now strong as well hit Flash like a rock. He knew that saying anything would just drive MJ away and if Gwen was turning up then Peter would have more chances to get some revenge against him. His dad had warned him about meeting Peter and told him not to. It was just Parker, Flash thought, what could he do really? and now the cold hard reality was very clear to him, there was a lot Parker could do, and it seemed there was nothing Flash could do to stop him.


    MJ stared at the pair of them, Peters whisper wasn''t so much of a whisper to her but the threat was clear, this wasn''t High School and it seemed that Peter had finally grown up. She just hoped that it was all a bluff, she''d had enough of abusive assholes growing up and the last thing she needed was a landlord who started making demands of her. Feeling a little more anxious she buried herself in the menu, hoping Gwen would hurry up and arrive.


    "Well, while we wait for Gwen, I''m getting a drink, you two want anything?" Peter asked the pair, Flash scowled and pointed to the open beer he had in front of him and MJ just shook her head, she had a coke and as Peter remembered he felt a little guilty. Her father was an alcoholic so she didn''t drink. He shrugged and made his way towards the bar area. The woman tending the bar pointed to a sign behind her and Peter laughed, "18 and over only, yeah.¡± He knew he looked young, so he found his ID and handed it over.


    "You do samplers? It''s my first time with microbrews so I''ve no idea what I''ll like." He asked, trying to sound as undorky as possible. Aunt May had no beer in the house so he''d never had anything alcoholic to drink before.


    "Sure, we''ve got," and as she listed what seemed to Peter like a hundred different brew types he realised that dorky or not he would just take the plunge.


    "Okay, those all sound, uh, great, so how about something to go with a burger, cause those were words but anything more was beyond me." The woman''s eye twinkled as he made fun of himself, sure he looked young but at least he had a sense of humour, unlike some beer snobs who either ordered the most obscure thing they had or the standard ¡®I don''t care as long as its alcoholic¡¯ type who bought commercial stuff. She poured Peter a pale light ale and as he took a sip he shook his head, pulling a face,


    "Uh, no, is all beer like that?" He asked and she nodded, "then no, sorry, anything sweeter, that''s, that''s just too bitter for me."


    ¡°Try a cider then, crisp and sweet, depending on what one you try. Pick a few and I can pour you some to try,¡± and Peter smiled as she explained,


    ¡°Always nice to get an expert''s opinion,¡± and she gave him what might have been an actual smile. Peter''s experience with women was Gwen and then none, so if she was being nice or flirting, he had no clue.


    Looking through a list of ciders he felt a hand on his shoulder and soft lips on his cheek, "Hey Pete, hitting on the bar staff huh? Can''t leave you alone for two minutes, can I?" Gwen winked at the server before standing next to Peter, looking over the large menu of beers.


    A small hint of disappointment flashed over the server''s face but she could appreciate his girlfriend, she was stunning. Damn couples, she thought as Peter selected a home-brewed Candy Apple Cider, it was being trialled for Halloween and so far had been popular.


    She was about to take the undrunk beer away when Gwen shook her head, "Athisons pale?" The cute and knowledgeable server nodded. "Did you order this and then not like it, Pete?" He nodded so Gwen shrugged and took it. "Saves wasting it," Peter handed over his card and dropped a five-dollar into the tip jar. "Thanks." He lifted his own drink and then they made their way to the table where MJ and Flash were having a heated discussion.


    Peter already knew what the argument was about, he could hear it of course but it wasn''t the argument that surprised him, it was the topic. Flash wasn''t happy about MJ living so close to Peter, that he was afraid of their history. Peter shook his head, so what if they grew up together, it was ten years ago. Being a jealous asshole about it wouldn''t win him any favours with MJ, and telling her she couldn''t, would get him shown the door rather than her backing down. MJ had enough assholes with her father, Flash acting like this was just stupid.


    With Flash making waves, even when MJ had approached him, Peter had been forced to keep his distance, never getting reacquainted. Harry, when they had been speaking, introduced him to Gwen and it had just gone on from there. Never mending the broken line, never getting the chance to reaffirm their friendship but Flash being jealous, that was a new one for Peter.


    It explained a lot though, if Flash was willing to act like this in public Peter hated to think how he treated her in private and he added that to the things he despised Flash for. Once MJ had moved in he would see if he could talk to her, alone, with Gwen as support and if Flash was being abusive, Peter would try his best to split them up.


    Knowing he''d only add fuel to an already lit fire, he handed his drink to Gwen, ¡°I''ll be in the toilet, text me when those two calm down, oh, order me the double cheese stacker burger with chilli dusted fries on the side," he spoke over his shoulder as he walked towards the toilets.


    Gwen had been sitting with the pair for five minutes now while that asshole she used to call her boyfriend disappeared into the toilets. MJ looked like she was ready to cry and Flash looked like he was ready to hit someone, and I, Gwen thought to herself, am going to kill him. She had taken out her phone and was tapping a message to Peter to get his ass back here when the doors to the diner swung open and a weird cosplay boiler suit guy came in. Behind him a huge muscle freak with a grey bodysuit on motioned for her to drop her phone and he clenched his fists menacingly when she glared at him.


    It wasn''t how he expected the night to go, "Come out for a drink, we''ll get together, have a few laughs¡­," he thought to himself, mimicking the famous movie he''d liked as a kid but sitting on the toilet was boring, it wasn''t till he heard the screams that he realised he''d missed the noise of the bar disappearing.


    Opening the door of the toilet a crack he couldn''t see past the wall, but he could hear just fine. "Ms Nakatani if you would be so kind as to hand over your card and the passcode we can leave you and these fine people to their meals. No fuss," and adding an edge to the voice, "and no violence." It was a modulated synthetic voice, someone punk robber wearing a kid¡¯s Halloween mask.


    Sliding the door back gently, Peter felt the grin on his face widen. While he couldn''t see who it was, he knew that Gwen and MJ were out there and he needed to do something.


    Maybe if he was lucky they might rob Flash blind and after stopping them Venom could take his prize from the bodies. Looking around he noticed that the bathroom window was narrow and locked but letting the Venom symbskin swarm over him he pushed and the whole thing came away from the wall. Sliding himself out, it was time for Venom to have some fun.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Seventeen. Midtown Mayhem

    Venom surveyed the scene before him. Two guys, one in a full suit, covered head to toe in a thick, almost army issue containment suit with a huge backpack, his voice crackling as it came out from the helmet. The other was wearing thick body armour, all grey and boy was he a big guy. He towered over the chemsuit guy and the terrified woman, clenching and unclenching his fists as they spoke. His face was covered in a thick helmet with a stylised horn on the front.


    "Look, just give us the key, the code and we''ll get out of your hair," he repeated, "Or otherwise I''m gonna let Rhino here make your life short and very painful." He thumbed at the big guy who rammed fit into his open palm, "oh and he''d like that." Venom could imagine the grin on the lugs face, big dumb and violent, just the type he wanted to beat up to get rid of some stress.


    Looking around the diner he saw an empty booth and whipping a line out he angled himself. Leaping into the air he glided down, gaining momentum as he swung and through the diner window, showering the occupants with shattered safety glass but ramming both feet into the midsection of the Rhino. With an ¡®Ooff¡¯ Rhino folded and went flying into the empty booth as Venom hoped, the table crumpling and splintering under his considerable weight. One down.


    The chemsuit guy stood stunned, "Damn. You know Marko said a big black man. What he failed to mention was a big spider sign on your chest. You''re Venom aren''t you?" A whine started and two massive steel arms extended from his backpack, the four-fingered clawed pincers at each end clacking menacingly. razor edges glinting in the diner''s light, "you''re a distraction, nothing more." He backhanded the woman in front of him and she crumpled like a house of cards.


    "Ock here, we got resistance at the Diner, Switch to plan B. No, stay there and finish your job." Ock, as he named himself talking to a headset radio. The two mechanical arms darted forwards and Venom ducked to one side, zipping webs over them, trying to gum up the pincers.


    Shit, Venom thought, I need to get them out of the diner, no space to fight here. Venom shot two lines at Ock and as they wrapped his arms he sprung out through the diner door and into the street, pulling Ock out with him. He then spun Ock around and crouching he leaned back and then with a leap, punched after him.


    Ock had already freed himself and as the Venom barreled into him, the pair barrel rolling along the street. "That hurt," Ock shouted and the two arms arrowed straight towards him, Venom ducked under both and was caught on the side by an extra two pairs, one grasping his arm and the other his leg.


    Venom was thrown into a parked car, its steel and plastic frame crushed by his weight. He coughed and felt bile and cider rise in his throat, being thrown for a few meters had hurt, and now he was mad. He stood roaring at Ock, who was now standing on the four arms, lifting himself off the ground. Venom punched a hole in the side of the car and ripping off the door he hurled it Ock.


    Ock laughed, "Pathetic," as the car door flew past him, there was no way he could hit him with the car door and then pain exploded in him as Venom webbed the car and pulled it back towards him, stupid, he thought to himself as he fought to gain control again, stupid stupid, Venom was eyeing up another car when a huge grey armoured muscle freak ploughed into him


    "Forgot about Rhino huh? Don''t worry freak, I gotcha." Ock watched as Rhino straddled the stunned Venom and began to pummel his fists into his sides.


    Ock''s comms clicked, "Doc, we have the code and the password, beginning the vault run now." Ock clicked his comms twice, sending an affirmative, he didn''t want to remain distracted, this black monster was dangerous and a moment''s hesitation could kill them both. As if Venom had heard him, Rhino was pushed off and the already bulky monster seemed to grow even larger, his arms and legs thickening and the black mask on his head stretching and splitting into a tooth filled maw.


    "We are VENOM and we refuse to fall to lesser creatures." His clawed hands dug into the trunk of a car behind him and he lifted it off the ground slamming it into the Rhino.


    "Lesser, I''ll fuckin show you lesser," as the car came down Rhino let out his own punch and the car disintegrated into a pile of scrap, leaving Venom holding the car''s trunk. Tilting his head to one side, "that all you got?" Rhino banged his fists together and advanced. Venom grinned with a razor maw and swung the car''s truck door at Rhino, sending him flying back into another car.


    Rhino shook his head, shaking off the daze and grinned, ¡°Two can play at that game,¡± and reaching behind him he hoisted up the crushed car and tossed it at Venom.


    Venom was strong though and he grabbed the car by its undercarriage and simply swung it back at Rhino in a perverse game of catch. Rhino, seeing the tactics failed, tossed the car to the side and instead lined up a charge, driving his heavy bulk into Venom, who began to rain blows down on his back.


    Ock wasn''t stupid, watching these two fight it out was a show unto itself, but he could feel as each hit thrummed through the air. His reinforced suit could take a few hits but this was something else. Even as Rhino ducked and weaved under Venom''s punches and struck back with an uppercut Venom shrugged off each blow and returned his own. Fist versus fist. There was no finesse, no tactics here. Just brute against brute and the victor would be the one that hit the hardest. Right now, as dents were left in Rhino¡¯s body armour, it seemed that Venom would emerge triumphant.


    He tapped the side of his helmet, "Once the vault is open, convene on my location." Too long and the cops would show, even longer and the army would show once they knew supers were involved and sure they could take them but a clean getaway was preferable.


    "ETA one minute, vault penetrated, securing the package," came the reply.


    He needed to stall Venom, checking the scanners he heard no chatter about the diner, so that was still under control, five minutes and in his mind a plan formulated. "Rhino back off, get him to stay away from you, the others are on the way," Rhino grunted, sure he was muscle but he took orders well enough.


    Ocks arms would snake and dart out without warning, forcing Venom back, away from Rhino. If he lept Rhino intercepted the leap and brought him back to the ground before rolling back towards Ock, his arms waving menacingly to keep him safe.


    The monster was strong and fast but with two they could keep him contained long enough for their friends to finish with the vault, they didn''t have time to play games with the muscled freak, even if all Ock wanted was to drag him into a lab to see what made him tick.


    Venom sprang up onto his feet and spun webs at Ock, trying to disable at least one of his arms but as his back exploded into a ball of pain, his muscles tensing from the electricity that stunned and paralysed him, he knew he''d been played.


    Through the haze of pain, he saw there were two more men, one brown and roughly textured like sand, his face familiar to Venom and the other an armoured bald black man with wires and tubes running over his body, lines of electric current running through them.


    Doc Ock lurched forwards and incapacitated Venom, wrapping all four limbs around him. He could feel the strain on his harness but for now, it was holding. "Well, don''t just stand there, help me" Rhino saw the links of Docs arms flex and buckle as Venom''s muscles bulged.


    Venom strained against the limbs but they had coiled around him, holding him tightly. He''d been too wrapped up with Rhino to notice the others moving behind him. The man, dressed up in tight body armour had sparks flitting between his fingers, a human taser had shocked him causing all of his muscles to spasm and lock up. Venom had never considered electrocution would bypass the symbskin armour, so now he had another issue to solve.


    "Electro, light him up, Doc, aim for the Prius on the right," Rhino called out, pointing off to a parked car.


    Doc Ock lifted Venom to the complaint of his harness and launched him at the car. He flattened it as he hit and once he gained his bearings he was prepared to launch himself towards Ock until he felt the lightning arc its way towards him, pain flowed through his body and Venom screamed as it lit his nerves with sparkling agony. The electricity arced to nearby cars, setting off their alarms and the piercing sounds set Venom''s nerves alive with mind splitting pain.


    Steam rose off his body as the gauntleted villain let the arcing electricity die. "Hah! Take that you freaky fuck," he called and before Venom could recover, he was punted by Rhino towards Ock. Taking him by the foot he slammed Venom over and over into the pavement, cracking the thick concrete with each slam and Venom felt himself back out.


    "I have an idea. Bring him" Ock slammed him into the ground once more and motioned back to the diner. "Marko, this him?¡± He motioned to the unconscious Venom,


    "It¡¯s Sandman now, and yeah, that''s him."


    "Good, have fun, Sandman. Electro get the package and let''s move. Rhino, are you staying?" Ock had already guessed that Rhino would stay, he had issues with being the biggest and toughest and Venom had pushed that button.


    "I''m staying boss, got meat to tenderise." Rhino flexed his hands and then balled them into giant meaty fists.


    Ock snorted, "Have fun you two, oh, and get his mask off, let all these nice people see who''s under there"


    Rhino grinned. "Sure boss, won''t take long".


    The two of them, Ock and Electro, made their way to a van parked across from the bank, strolling as if it was another day at the office. Flicking on his police scanner the alarms set off by Electro had alerted the owners who, finding their precious cars were now scrap, called the police. Even if Rhino and Sandman got cornered there was nothing to tie them to the bank job they''d just pulled.


    Sandman had wrapped his gritty body around Venom and Rhino was using him as a punching bag, laying heavy blows to his chest and stomach. Venom was out for the count, the electricity disrupting his muscles, locking them into frozen ropes of pain. He wasn''t even registering each of the blows being rained onto him, his mind retreating into itself.


    But even through all that, it was an intense agony that brought him back into consciousness. He coughed and blood filled his mouth. Through half-shut eyes he saw Rhino standing over him, thick grey fingers digging into the symbskin on his chest. As his thick fingers dug into the symbskin a large chunk, the white spider emblem on his chest, ripped free and a grinning Rhino threw it into the diner. Screams followed as the patrons backed away from the torn and oozing pile of goop. The pain drew him back to the land of the living and he saw Gwen and the others standing at the broken window in shock, watching him being pummeled by these two monsters.


    Sandman laughed as Rhino landed punch after punch into Venoms bare chest, "yeah fuck that asshole up Rhino," he hollered in joy watching Venom suffer as he had.


    Venom laughed, asshole? There are only two assholes here. He thickened the skin on his chest, drawing on all the dead material around his body, thickening it into something that Rhinos fists couldn''t break. A plate thickened on his forehead and he slammed his head back first, stunning the Sandman and the forwards, as Sandman''s grip loosened ever so slightly Venom''s head slammed into Rhinos. The horn on his helmet crumbed with the impact and Venom laughed, "Aww, seems you lost your horn, the ladies will be disappointed." He started to exude web fluid, thick tendrils from his back snaking over Sandman, not a line but sticky thick gel, like tar, and Sandman found himself the one being held.


    "Yes, we are Venom and you are nothing." Freeing his hand, a thick gauntlet of hardened skin coated it and he slammed it into Rhino''s jaw. Sandman was trying to free his body but the thick tar was holding him fast. Venom began to cover them both in more of the tar and Sandman began to panic, moving his core body away from Venom. Screaming he had to leave several chunks of himself behind but it was too late, he could move but his powers were severely limited.


    Rhino shrugged off his blow, "So you still got some tricks huh?" before Venom slugged him again,


    "No talk, more fight," he retorted and his hardened fists began to slam into Rhino, he heard Sandman yell "Move" at the people behind him and as he turned to make sure Gwen and the others were okay. Rhino capitalised on this and body-slammed him into the ground. Lifting him by the ankle he swung and threw him back into the diner, the panicked crowd of people scattering as he smashed through the door.


    Gwen and the others were still inside, he had to move and get out but as he put his hand on a booth to lift himself up Sandman had used the tar to gather up the glass he had smashed earlier. Sandman was more of a messy blob, but he was able to move with no problem, using his arm like elastic he swung and stretching it taut brought a thick shard down on down on Venom''s forearm.


    The shard, sharpened to a razor''s edge, cut through the symbskin, with Sandman¡¯s now stretchy body, it wrapped around his forearm, acting like a saw as he pulled it back and it cut through his flesh. The symbskin softened and slid off like dead flesh and blood poured from the exposed wound, the muscle and peaks of white bone showing just how deep the glass had cut him. As it detached itself the pain flared through Venom''s arm and he could do nothing but cry out in agony. The black tar rushing to cover not just the huge gash in his arm but the now bare limb. "We will kill you for that" Venom screeched and prepared to launch more web at Sandman


    Sandman grinned "uh-huh" and Venom froze as he saw Rhino lining up a charge, it would take him through one of the support pillars of the diner and as he smashed through it Venom leapt, sticking to the ceiling. "You fuckin idiots", Sandman yelled as the other supports buckled and then crumbled unable to support the ceiling with Venoms extra weight.


    For a few seconds, the whole restaurant froze and then the screaming started as chunks of the ceiling began to rain down.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Eighteen. We All Fall Down

    Patrons scattered, not caring about the two fighting in their midst, lights fell and sparks flew as bulbs shattered. Rhino gave Venom the finger before punching his way through the glass-windowed wall and Sandman more oozed than ran after him. Venom had no choice, if he chased them then the people would suffer, "Run Run" he yelled and the stiff statues, frozen by violence began to panic, rushing towards both the smashed doorway and the broken front wall.


    He began to spray the stickiest web fluid he could make on the supporting pillar and the ceiling surrounding it, but Rhino had done too much damage, even if he got underneath it the ceiling was going to come down.


    Grabbing and throwing as many people as he could out through the doorway he watched as Flash pushed MJ out the door before the ceiling collapsed onto him, squashing him into the goop and blocking the only way of escape.


    Leaving only himself and Gwen, he threw out a web line and webbed her and as he pulled her towards him, he dove under a table in one of the booths. He winced as he heard the sickening crunch of Gwen''s head impacting against the table edge. She hadn''t been low enough and was at the wrong angle, and she had taken the full brunt of the impact across the side of her head as she fell.


    Venom stared in horror as the blood pooled in her hair and he knew that in trying to save her, he had condemned her instead.


    The TV still connected and still working hung loosely from the wall, its sound blaring as the staff and patrons scrambled and tried to escape the disaster.


    "This just in. The menace, Venom, has just been spotted fighting with other super-powered freaks. A diner, a good honest to god all American diner was destroyed, trapping several what looked like high school students within. This shows these freaks need to be captured, these menaces need to be given a taste of their own medicine. I, J. Johnan Jameson, will give anyone a reward leading to the capture of these heinous villains, especially the one calling himself Venom."


    Peter cradled Gwen in his arms as her blank eyes stared holes into his soul. He knew that the scalp injury coupled with her other symptoms, shallow breathing and one fully dilated pupil, meant the worst. She had suffered some kind of brain injury and without immediate help, she would most likely die.


    He closed his eyes, seeking how to within his vast knowledge, but this time it didn''t come from his mind, he felt an instinct, his senses tingled when he focused on himself. It was a long shot, whatever had been done to him rebuilt his body, stronger and faster, maybe he could use that to heal Gwen. The only problem he had was how? It wasn''t like being trapped under half a tonne of rubble he could give her a blood transfusion and anything else was much much creepier.


    It had to be the one thing he had, so holding her tightly he brought his lips to hers and with no resistance kissed her deeply. His first kiss was taken with someone barely alive but if he saved her he could explain, and make it up to her later. He felt something rising in his throat, not an acid taste of rising vomit but a sticky sweetness and whatever it was made its way from him into Gwen''s mouth, pulling back he saw her throat bulge as whatever it was moved down her neck.


    Gwen spasmed as the thing, the lump he gave her, diffused itself into her body. The lump seemed to split and two lumps now branched down, he could see that it hadn''t gone down her gullet but had entered her lungs, forcing them to take deep breaths. Small white, almost imperceptible, threads made their way across her chest down towards her heart, he stopped himself as he lifted her neckline to see where the threads went too and were greeted by very erect plump dark pink, almost brown, nipples. She had gone for smart casual. Jeans with a nice dark blue top and a white blouse underneath, however, she wasn''t wearing a bra and Peter cursed himself as he grew erect at his peaking.


    Gwen''s breathing steadied, and he watched in rapt fascination as the white lines moved through her arms, spreading through her veins and then branching out to her capillaries. The wound on her head stopped bleeding and soon began to ooze with the same white liquid, touching it gently he recognised it as the same material he secreted when he became Venom.


    Whatever the intent was, he had infected Gwen with the same thing that he hosted, thankfully its abilities were healing and repairing the damage done to her body. It oozed out of the wound and then retreated back into her skin, leaving the cut deep but looking much better. The blood had stopped and now it was just messy rather than flowing


    Peter had to bite his lip. Tears welled up in his eyes as he knew that even if she was changed that she was alive and he hugged her close to him. Her breathing stabilised and the smaller cuts on her body began to heal at a visible rate, the large gash on her forehead had stopped bleeding but still looked bad. Her pulse was steady and her eyes, even through closed lids, now reacted to the small amount of light Peter had from his phone.


    He held her tightly and he could hear the calls of the rescue services.


    "Hello? Search and rescue, how many under there?" A voice yelled through a small opening and Peter spotted an inspection cam.


    "Two, and she''s injured, head wound." He yelled back and moved the camera with his hand to show the gash.


    "Help is coming, hold tight, if you can move her, lie her down and support her neck, we''ll get the hole opened further and send in water and something for you to clean the injury with." The EMT shouted.


    While the hole was only a few inches they sent in pouches of water, a few packets of sweet energy gel and a roll of sterile wipes and plasters with instructions as to what to do. Peter made a show of cleaning the wound, even though he knew it was already healing and sat eating the apple flavoured paste as he waited for them to get to him.


    As the floodlights illuminating the collapsed building began to filter through into their small alcove, Peter felt relieved to know they had been saved, he was sure he could have just lifted the rubble off the tabletop but not without the consequences of revealing himself to anyone out there. Soon enough firemen stabilised a tunnel and an EMT had crawled into their cramped shelter, checked them both over for broken bones and given them the all-clear to at least move.


    Once outside, Peter was helped to an ambulance while Gwen was stretchered on the spot, her father came over


    George had been here since the start, knowing the diner Gwen had gone to and hearing the report of fighting he had scrambled everyone to get there as fast as possible. They had caught sight of a van leaving but with three giant freaks fighting in the diner where his daughter was, he had paid little attention to it. The units had watched helplessly as the fight destroyed the building and the pair of grey and sandy criminals made short work of the squad cars in their escape. Instead, they focused on the building, helping survivors and clearing what rubble they could.


    "What the hell did you do Parker?" George yelled as if the scene before him could be blamed on Peter.


    Peter ignored him and was taken over to an ambulance. An EMT shone a light in his eyes and asked if he was okay? if he had any pain or dizziness? Peter answered the questions mechanically. His arms and legs were gently pressed and checked for broken bones but Peter could barely feel the man¡¯s touch let alone any pain.


    Physically he was fine but inside he raged, he had been surrounded and beaten, his hand almost severed, his dignity trampled by bullies once more. Four vs one was never going to be a fair fight and he vowed it would never happen again.


    Peter watched as Gwen and her father were loaded into an ambulance, all around him the rescue work was still continuing and already several cloth covered stretchers were being moved out of the public eye. He saw an EMT working on Flash, his legs being wrapped in bandages that seemed to immediately turn red, the EMT yelling and he was lifted and rushed into an ambulance. Its sirens wailed in the still night as it sped off.


    The barista that had recommended the toffee flavoured cider he never got to finish was dry heaving into a bucket, a sheet covering something, or more likely someone, she knew. MJ had thankfully been saved, Flash pushed her out of the diner before the collapse, from the angle of the collapse, Peter knew Flash would probably never walk again but he found it difficult to care.


    The survivors were interviewed, at first by the police and then by the never-ending hordes of news crews. Each one jostling the staff and patrons who had made it out of the diner unharmed. He saw MJ shielding her face as a young Asian reporter waved a microphone at her and he bounded over to her. ¡°Hey, fuck off,¡± he snarled at the pair and pushed the camera down to point at the ground. ¡°Go fucking creep at a cemetery, fucking ghouls,¡± and the reporter gave him the finger as they left to find another victim to interview.


    MJ grabbed onto him, her face was streaked with dirt and soot from the diner and tears had left track marks down her cheeks. ¡°Hey MJ?¡± Peter asked her but she was staring blank-eyed at nothing. ¡°Anyone?¡± and an EMT came over and shone a light into her face.


    ¡°It¡¯s shock. Was she in the diner?¡± and Peter shook his head


    ¡°She got out before it collapsed.¡± He explained. The EMT took her pulse and gave her a quick once over.


    ¡°She¡¯s fine, just don¡¯t leave her alone and she¡¯ll snap out of it,¡± he said as he slipped the penlight back into his jacket, moving on to the next patient.


    After the EMT had finished her check-up he left with her. They walked silently to a taxi and even though the place was unfinished he decided to take her to the warehouse. He doubted her father would come to collect her or that he was sober enough to.


    He sent a text message to Aunt May to let her know they were alright but Gwen was in the hospital. It wasn¡¯t great, Aunt May deserved more but right now he had to take care of MJ. While Gwen had her father and he had Aunt May, Peter knew her parents were not the loving caring kind and she would be left to take care of herself. He didn¡¯t care that they weren¡¯t speaking, he didn¡¯t care if Flash might have a problem with it, he cared that MJ was okay, even after all that time he still worried about his friend.


    MJ was quiet on the ride back and even after drinking a cup of coffee and wiping her face with a damp cloth, she was silent. It wasn¡¯t until he got her settled in one of the cots he¡¯d grabbed from the junkyard that she acted on her own.


    He had moved his own bed into the same room, to keep a close eye on her and MJ crawled over and into his bed in the night, seeking comfort as she wept at the events of the evening. Silently, with anger etched on his face he stroked her hair.


    He had tried his best and failed, he had tried to save Gwen and the rest and failed. As he held onto MJ, hearing her quietly sobbing he knew he had to do better, he had to be better.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Nineteen. Parting Is Hard

    As the light from the windows streamed into the office Peter felt MJ cuddling up to him, they had shared their pain last night, neither wanting more than to be comforted and eventually they had fallen asleep together. Peter felt happy, MJ smelt like a warm and familiar memory, thoughts of their childhood were brought to the surface and while it brought a smile to his face it was also a hint of sadness, Flash ruining their teen years.


    Peter nudged the still sleeping MJ, "MJ, wake up," and as she groaned she cuddled into him more, letting a hand run over his smooth chest. Suddenly she sat bolt upright, remembering where she was and pulling the blanket Peter had covered her with over her.


    "Uh, sorry," she said, wiping the drool from her mouth and making sure she hadn''t, or that he hadn''t done anything inappropriate in the night. A hint of guilt flashed through her mind, not that I would have stopped him, and she hid her face to hide a blush. MJ had been glad Peter was there to take care of her and found solace in his presence. He was the rock she had been desperate for and even with last night she wished she could stay here longer.


    "It¡¯s fine," Peter replied, "but we should get to the hospital. I need to see how Gwen is doing." Peter flipped over his phone and there were missed calls and texts from both Aunt May and Captain Stacy. His Aunts were more of concern after his quick message but Georges were abusive and very angry father messages. Peter scowled as he deleted them all. "Uh, Gwen''s dad is pissed." Since he had dropped out George had used it as a way to complain about Peter to Gwen, and then very vocally make sure Peter knew he wasn''t good enough for his daughter.


    MJ was busy checking her own phone, "Yeah", she looked guilty at it, "Flash is the same, a whole bunch of texts asking where I was."


    Peter shrugged, "just tell him that you spent the night here, sleeping with me"


    MJ looked horrified, "oh yeah, that''s a great idea," as she batted his shoulder, wait, she thought to herself, when did he get buff? And prodding his arm and bicep she frowned at him.


    "Yeah, unless you''re going further, don''t ask," Peter stood and stretched, with MJ staring at him as his muscular stomach came into view. He ran some water into the sink, his own shower hadn''t been hooked up yet and stripping off his T-shirt sponged himself down. Vague memories of teasing Gwen like this surface and he had to smile, facing away from MJ of course, she was in a foul enough mood as it was and while he knew it wasn¡¯t directed at him, he wasn¡¯t about to make things awkward between them. Peter had missed this, MJ was now like her old self, smiling and fun to be around. When she was with Flash you could see that something was wrong, there was no smile, other than a fake plastic one she fooled everyone with. Peter hated Flash with a passion, not for ruining his life, but for what he must have done to MJ as well.


    MJ watched stunned as Peter, without a care in the world, stripped of his shirt in front of her, what stunned her more though was the rippling muscles of his back, marred only by large thick black and green bruises but even Flash wasn''t as muscly as Peter was. She stood and without thinking ran a hand down his back, etching lines along his ribs and down his spine.


    "Uh, MJ?" Peter asked her and she came back to reality,


    "Oh, shit, uh shit sorry, you um, yeah bruises. You''ve got huge bruises on your back." Peter hadn''t turned around but MJ was looking for something to do to avoid him seeing her blushing red face. Peter is ripped, she thought to herself, when did that happen? and damn stupid sexy Parker. They might not have talked, with Flash making his disapproval of Peter perfectly clear but she still talked to Gwen about him. She still cared how he was doing, and after seeing him strip, definitely had feelings for him.


    Her phone beeped and turning to check she frowned. "It¡¯s Jack, he wants to know if I''ll be at the hospital," she began to click on her phone, "I''m heading off Peter, it''s, yeah, it''s a bad idea if we show up together, sorry, sorry," and she grabbed her jacket and bag and bolted for the door.


    Peer stood and watched her flee like a mouse before a cat, and smirking to himself he pulled on a T-shirt and shirt. He might have felt bad about things if Flash wasn''t a colossal dick, but he fully intended to split them up. Flash wouldn''t be made to feel welcome here and he was sure he could rope Gwen into poisoning MJ''s ear towards him as well. The asshole deserved it, his one saving grace, the one thing saving him from being broken by Venom was that he''d pushed MJ out of the building and saved her. He might have some decency in him, and that small act was his own salvation, he still didn''t deserve MJ though.


    Peter didn''t agree with waiting but as MJ had already run off he made sure the warehouse was locked up and called his own taxi, sending Aunt May a message to say he''d be visiting Gwen at the hospital.


    Gwen was given a clean bill of health by her Doctor and was just sleeping, not in a coma. It didn''t stop George Stacy from giving Peter an earful though, why had she been there? why was she hurt? if he was in the bathroom why didn''t he call 911 once the gang had shown up? Peter had no answers for him, but the mans incessant bitching was driving Peter insane, he wanted nothing more than to bring out Venom and drive the man into the wall then roar in anger at what had happened.


    It was Aunt May''s arrival that fended George off, May giving him a mouthful back, how dare he yell at someone just after an accident, how dare he attack a kid for not standing up to four grown men. George and the rest of the hospital staff stared in shock as the small kind-looking woman raged a torrent of abuse back at the uniformed Police Captain.


    Peter was lost in his own thoughts. Four super villains, four, showed up and his stupidity got Gwen hurt, his actions almost got her killed. If he hadn''t, if he. Peter felt a rush of emotion flow through him, dousing his rage and he burst into tears. A Passing nurse shone a pen in his eyes that he barely registered and just said "shock", before handing May a bottle of something and walking off. There were half a dozen small pills in the bottle with a note, if he can''t sleep take one with warm milk, 20mg Diazepam. No name was attached to the bottle but May knew the drug, she had taken them after Ben was killed. Someone working in the hospital knew what the kids had been through, and seeing Peter with no insurance had acted on kindness.


    "A menace, I tell you. This Venom character, rushing into a hostage situation, causing massive property damage and for what, one brave barista cut down in the prime of their life as super menaces smash their way into a bank. I, J.Jonah Jameson, plead to all my loyal viewers if you see the Venom, if you hear about the Venom then call in, The Daily Bugle.com will pay for any story, anything leading to the arrest of that black costumed freak."


    At the word freak Peter snapped back to reality. He knew he''d been lax, he knew he''d been thoughtless, he knew if he wanted to make sure it never happened again that he needed to be more diligent in the future. Seeing Aunt May next to him, he squeezed her hand. "Can I, uh stay with you tonight May, I know Gwen-"


    May stopped him, "it¡¯s okay Peter, take the time you need."


    Peter took a deep breath, "thanks Aunt May," and leaned in to hug her.


    Those bastards would pay, he would find who they were and they would pay, not just for his arm but for Gwen as well.


    "Is MJ okay?" May looked at his hand in hers, a frown on her face,


    "Um yeah Aunt May, MJ is fine but uh, Flash. Flash was trapped under the rubble too, I think, uh, MJ said he was here, but I don''t know where." Peter couldn''t exactly tell his aunt he didn''t really care about what happened to Flash, so right now it was best to fake it.


    While Gwen had been kept in overnight, she was being released. The head wound was nothing serious, it had been stitched and after an MRI no signs of haemorrhage or subdermal bleeding were detected and it was probably just shocking that had kept her asleep. George glared at him as they all walked to the taxi rank together, Aunt May keeping the peace between the pair. She knew Peter had saved her and her father needed to be reminded of that.


    Gwen was feeling up to sending MJ a text and while not immediate, she got one back. "Uh, Flash," Gwen said, "he lost his legs, they had to amputate them, too long under the rubble." Gwen was repeating the message in a daze while Aunt May covered her mouth in shock, Peter moved in to hug Gwen but her father stepped in front of him wrapping his arms around her.


    "Maybe it''s time for family, Peter, you should spend time with your Aunt and leave Gwen to me," George Stacy stated bluntly.


    "Gwen''s my girlfriend, sir, and MJ is my friend, maybe she needs a different kind of family right now," Peter retorted, finally tired of Captain Stacy giving him crap.


    "Listen here you little shit, if you''d been at Prom like you should have and not been some delinquent Gwen would never have been at that diner, this is your fault." He''d pushed Gwen behind him and was waving his hands at Peter as he ranted.


    "Sir, I saved Gwen, I pulled her under a table as debris fell," Peter took off his jacket and lifted his shirt, showing the huge bruises over his back. "This, this is from shielding her from the rubble, so I''m fucking sorry I can''t reflect rocks very well and I''m sorry that its somehow my fault that a crime happened but don''t you yell at me for saving your fucking daughter, you ungrateful prick" Peter''s anger bubbled and threatened to boil over, when Aunt May put a hand on his shoulder, the coldness of it doused his inner fire. Peter stopped, patting her hand, his head hanging down, "sorry Aunt May, I''m sorry"


    It was Gwen though, she pushed past her father, pulled down Peter''s shirt and took his jacket, "take me home Pete," she said, "Dad, I''ll text you later, go home and get the movers started, I''m not waiting another day."


    "but, but Gwen honey, you''re just out the hospital and-" George stammered,


    "No, dad. Moving. Today. No arguments." Gwen was serious, "Peter, get a cab for your aunt and one for us," She saw him hesitate and glance over at her dad. "Now!" she said forcefully and he flinched but took his aunt''s arm and got her into a taxi.


    The ride back to the warehouse was quiet, Gwen''s knuckles were white as she clasped her hands together and Peter was unsure as to what was going on exactly, he couldn''t be sure but he got the feeling that she was mad at him for something.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Twenty. Somewhere To Call Home

    When the movers came, Gwen was outside arguing with her father over something that Peter couldn''t quite make out. He was learning to tune out voices and noises by listening to his heartbeat and so far it was good enough to stop louder noises from deafening or hurting his ears, of course, if he relaxed he would hear what was being said but respected Gwen''s privacy.


    He waved and undid the huge bolt holding the double half bay doors closed, he''d made the decision to weld the top half closed but kept the bottom free, welding new hinges, exactly for a situation like this. One of the movers whistled in awe as they started to bring in what seemed to Peter to be a never-ending stream of not just boxes but furniture. Peter pointed to the first home and like ants, they began to work.


    Of course, George glared at him while they did, Gwen batted him on the arm and he had to walk away as they got into a heated argument. He knew George didn''t like him, didn''t think he was good enough for his daughter but today he should be more supportive, he knew how hard it was to leave home and Gwen did too.


    Couch, bed, large, and small household appliances were walked through the double doors, Peter was amazed. Gwen, no, George must have spent several thousand dollars, his stupor only being broken with an engineer wanting to know where the washer hook up was. Going into the box home, Peter showed them the pipes and the cut-offs and watched in amazement as a ballet of house movers danced and brought box after box into the house. It seemed that maybe Gwen had gone overboard, he still just had a cot bed, a table, and a folding chair in his office, sure he''d snagged a shower and converted a wet room like the others but this, this was mind-blowing.


    Gwen seemed unfazed as she directed and then shooed each mover away once they had delivered their payload She caught Pete, open-mouthed and shrugged "I, I had a bit saved is all, plus, Mr ¡®I live like a hobo¡¯, do you have a washing machine?" she accused him, of course, he didn''t, he thought about it but it got added to the list of ever-growing things to get. George Stacey watched silently as his pride and joy and right now the biggest pain in his ass, next to the Parker kid, emptied his wallet and house of anything not nailed down.


    He had argued she was too young, which didn''t work as Parker was a few months younger, had been working and owned the building. He argued that living together with a boy was unseemly. She pointed out that he had his own place, hers had a lock, and with MJ moving in too she wasn''t living alone with Peter. In the end, he gave up and begrudgingly gave his blessing to Gwen but was still giving Peter the stink eye. He had to admit though that finding out the warehouse belonged to Peter was a shock, maybe the kid did have some potential after all, and he shook his head, still not good enough for my Gwennie.


    As they were both moving on the same day, Peter left to go to the apartment, carrying armfuls of black bags and a few small items to a rental van. Most of his stuff had been moved already and even as he surveyed the empty room he felt a little twinge of sadness. This place had been his shelter for the years after he lost his uncle, the shell he built to console himself and now, was he ready to break out of it?


    Aunt May had surprised him and they had driven to a second-hand store, filled with old furniture from house clearances and pawned items. Peter had leapt at a huge catering table and the staff had been honestly glad to get rid of it. Its massive size was more suited for a hotel function room rather than a home. He was given a bed, tables, chairs, and a few worn but serviceable chairs, all mismatched but all well looked after and soon, with more than he could have ever asked for they made their way back to the warehouse. Knowing MJ was in the same situation as him, he snagged a few extras, taking another bed and some scruffy but still usable chairs so she had furniture as well.


    Once his van was emptied he got out of the way, giving Aunt May a peck on the cheek and waved as she drove off to return the rental van. He made a circuit of the building, making sure nothing was out of place, more to keep himself out of the way than anything else and peaking inside the truck saw that they were about half done. He sent a text to Gwen promising to head to the lunch trucks, load up on burgers and sodas for the movers as a small thank you, and did she want anything?


    Making his way to one of the nicer trucks he bumped into a familiar figure. Felicia. She was standing on a street corner, which Peter knew was a usual hangout spot of the pimps and prostitutes, her figure not just standing out but conspicuous


    "Uh, Felicia, that''s, that''s not such a great place to hang out, you know." He called over to her, Nah, she wasn''t working there was she? He knew her dad had been gone for a while, a rumour circulating that he''d ran off but even she didn''t need to hook to get by did she?


    She seemed to freeze as she spotted him "Parker?" she called out and "uh, Nah, just waiting for someone, but yeah, it''s weird, to uh see you here?"


    Peter nodded at the truck, "I live here, work¡¯s close by and Gwen''s moving in today as well." It was just small talk, Felicia was an acquaintance, not a friend but he wouldn''t ignore her, she was just rude to him, never one of the bullies.


    "Gwen? you''re living together with Gwen?" Felicia asked, surprised. She knew Gwen had offered to share a place with her and MJ but not with Peter. Was he living at the warehouse? She would have to phone Gwen later and find out. It proved Venoms words though, Peter was staying there, and now she could try and get his help, but not today.


    "Uh yeah, it''s a nice place, you should stop by sometime."


    She snorted, "sure Parker, but uh, I think my friend¡¯s not coming, see you around," and as he watched she seemed to be checking out her surroundings before leaving.


    That was weird he thought to himself, before loading up on various burgers and condiments, enough for the dozen guys moving plus him and Gwen. Grudgingly he bought a couple of spares for George but he figured he''d make some asshole comment and then leave before eating.


    He returned to a swarm of movers in the warehouse, coming and going from Gwen''s new home, she nudged up to him as he set out the case of sodas and burgers on the huge wooden table he''d decided to sit in the middle of the warehouse, a nice breakfast table for everyone.


    "So uh, Dad''s going to stick around after the guys leave, but yay us, we''ve got a washer-drier installed and my kitchen has a fridge-freezer, so we can have some proper food for once." Gwen had snuggled up to Peter, letting their sides touch, ignoring her dad''s glare, he was too busy directing moves to come over and she enjoyed the contact.


    "We have food," Peter said defensively. Gwen raised an eyebrow at him


    "Real food Pete, not out a can or from a food truck, re-al fooood!" She spelt it out and then grinned and snorted at her joke. Movers took breaks and Gwen shifted into emptying boxes once they had been moved into rooms, leaving her father to eyeball Peter.


    "I''m not happy son," he said as Peter grabbed another burger, the movers were all but done, leaving several cans and empty cartons on the table. "I''m not happy my daughter is moving in with," he breathed out through his nose, "a delinquent. Jack Thompson reported someone vandalised his car, you wouldn''t know anything about that would you?"


    Peter shrugged. "If I did I don''t have to say anything do I?" Peter took a huge bite out of the cheeseburger, he loved the ones from a food truck just outside the 7-11 as they used actual cheese, "plus, he''s a giant douchebag, so good for whoever did that," he said chewing the burger while he spoke,


    George felt his blood pressure rise. "Look son, you might think that dropping out and acting like a tough guy will get you ahead in life but let me tell you-" He waved a finger at Peter,


    "No, George, let me tell you, you''re a piece of work, Gwen lives here, not you, and as for me, you know nothing about me, this warehouse, is mine, not leased, not rented, mine, I own it. Gwen pays me to live here, and Jack Thomson, oh boo fucking hoo, a rich asshole gets what coming to him after his son gets me suspended and now you, you come here, siking the cops on me, trying to make me feel like I''m not good enough? At least I don''t harass teenage boys while the city gets overrun by crooks and murders. At least I don''t spend my Sunday feeling the balls of some senator so I can get a new tank for my department. So George, unless Gwen asks you to stay unless Gwen invites you over, how about you get the fuck off my property." Peter waved the half-eaten burger towards the door, his gesture obvious, before stuffing it fully into his mouth.


    George Stacy was not a man used to being talked to like that, he demanded respect and he damn well got it, "listen, you little shit-" Peter stuck his hand up in front of his face.


    "uh, officer, I believe I asked you to remove yourself from my property, as a law enforcement official you should know that trespassing is a felony, I''ve asked once," Peter stood right in his face, his eyes staring straight into Georges, "Don''t. Make. Me. Ask. Again."


    George could see the resolve in Peter''s eyes, he wasn''t bluffing and while he''d be invited over so it wasn''t trespassing he wasn''t going to push the issue. Peter wasn''t the same boy he''d met before, wasn''t the same as he''d heard Gwen talk about on the phone with her friends. No, this boy was different, mature, confident. Dangerous


    Snorting George stepped back, "Gwen honey, It¡¯s been made clear I''m not wanted here, come home when you want, and if you need anything, just call." He grabbed his jacket from one of the folding chairs and made his way out of the building, hearing the heavy clang as Peter slammed and then very prominently bolted the double half doors closed.


    George shook his head, intimidation wouldn''t work, using the department would get him fired. He just needed an angle to prove to his daughter how much of a scumbag Peter was, just one and she would see things his way again.


    Peter sighed, he hadn''t wanted to start anything with George, he was Gwen''s dad after all and if things were going to progress with Gwen, they needed to get along at least. He didn''t want to be the source of conflict between her and her dad, "Uh Gwen?" She hadn''t come out of the home yet and rapping on the door frame he saw that there were half-open boxes on the living room coffee table.


    In the few short hours, everything had moved and now boxes littered the carpeted and furnished box house but as Peter moved to help Gwen she raised a finger at him, glaring. He paused in the doorway, unsure of where Gwen¡¯s anger was coming from.


    Standing before Peter, she began to undress, stripping off the slacks she had on and soon she stood before him with nothing on and Peter gulped, he had thought she was joking about the underwear thing. "Don''t even fucking think about it you shit, you''ve got some explaining to do"


    As he stood watching, black liquid flowed over her body, covering her in latex-like material, her transformation changed and her arms and shoulders were now white with a pink trim the bald featureless mask, a coloured copy of his venom symbskin covered her. Her eyes were edged pink and a hood covered her head. Her mouth split apart into a huge maw,


    "WE ARE ANGRY WITH YOU PETER!"


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Twenty-One. Fists And Firsts (NSFW)

    Gwen screeched in rage and lunged for Peter, "What have you done to us?" she yelled, "what is this stuff attached to me?" Peter flung himself backwards out of the home door and Gwen leapt out after him, he''d just finished fixing the place up and wasn''t about to let a pissed off Gwen trash it. Gwen spat sticky web fluid at Peter, the control of her powers lacking and the ability to create a high tensile web line to swing from was non-existent.


    "Hey, didn''t know you were a squirter Gwenom." Peter quipped as once more the thick fluid just splattered over the warehouse floor. It was funny to him, to watch her try and figure out her powers, totally inappropriate but still funny. He leapt straight up onto one of the roof rafters and stuck to it.


    Gwen screeched in anger at him, even with her now enhanced strength she was unable to leap high enough to grab hold of him. Her mind was fogged by the sudden rush of hormones blanking her into a pure unadulterated rage. He was mocking her and he would pay for his insolence. Huffing the cold air, Gwen prowled beneath the girder Peter was stuck to, never taking her eyes off him.


    While this was fun Peter knew that Gwen had to learn to take control, the urges he fought with daily were bad but Gwen had been injured and almost dead when he changed her and she might not have enough control. The worst part was the thought that he might have to find a more permanent solution if she stayed in a rage, one he didn''t want to think about.


    In his musings, Peter took his eyes from Gwen and she capitalised on his error, launching herself at the wall of her home she springboarded from it and got high enough to swipe at his chest, raking blackened claws across his armoured chest.


    "uh uh uh" Peter flipped backwards and onto the top of the rafter, "nice move but you gotta try harder Gwenom". As she swung up after him she crouched on all fours, hissing and snarling at him as they stood in a standoff.


    Once more than name sent boiling rage through her veins, hissing "not Gwenom, NOT GWENOM!" The tight skin suit began to writhe and bubble, her gymnasts frame bulking into a steroid-enhanced bodybuilder.


    "Fine, you wanna play She-Bulk, then let''s play." His armour shifted and became his more defensive armoured form, he tackled Gwen round the waist pinning her arms to her side. She snapped at him, her face mimicking his and splitting into a razor filled maw, ready to tear and rend at his flesh. They both thudded into the warehouse floor as Peter threw them off the girder, the impact was absorbed by Gwen and she hissed as the air was knocked from her.


    "Didn''t they teach you that biting is bad?" Peter snapped his head and smashed his forehead into the top set of teeth, feeling them crumble against the thicker armour plate. Gwen screeched in pain as the symbskin was crushed by the blow.


    Shit, Peter thought idiot, he hadn''t meant to hit her that hard. He was trying to calm her down, not beat her into submission.


    Struggling to free herself she thought that she had won over Peter as he released her arms, only to be slammed into the floor a second later, Peter letting go of her arms to stop them from being crushed by the slam. She brought a fist round to smash into his ribs but he leaned back, making her miss and then with a double wrist shot, webbed her hand to the floor.


    "Play nice, Gwenom or daddy will spank." Soon her other hand was webbed and even with bucking her hips to dislodge him, she knew it was over. He had bested her, even if she had felt stronger, he was stronger still, he had been smarter to keep out her way, he had been smarter to make her mad with his stupid quips and acid tongue. Something clicked inside her and she continued to fake struggle. Peter gripped her with his hips, "Woohoo, ride em, cowboy." While this was fun, he really didn''t want to hurt her.


    His amusement at the situation was his undoing, Gwen hadn''t learned to make web ropes yet but she knew that she could alter the chemical formula of her fluid, and with Peter acting like a jackass he failed to notice the acid eating away at the bindings holding her down.


    Once they felt weak enough, Gwen roared and flipped her and Peter over, with his legs around her waist she slammed him down onto the concrete floor. Winded by the sudden reversal, Peter found himself held to the floor by Gwen. She scurried away and then ran back at him, flipped over and kicked him in the head, sending him spinning across the floor. Leaping and pouncing on him once more she drove her full weight into his, driving the air from his chest and copying him, sprayed webs over his hands, it quickly dried into a solid mass in seconds. Hugging him closely, she pinned him to the ground and ran her hands over him. She was now rubbing the side of her head against his, "Peetaaah," she growled at him, letting her tongue slide over the side of his face. She had him now, she had won.


    She froze, something long and hard was poking her between her legs, its heat felt though even both of their suits. What was worse was her armour responded by making itself thinner and pressing down. Peter had an erection, her tasting his skin and foreplay to get revenge had an unexpected side effect. The pervert liked it, her tongue on his face brought out his raging teenage hormones and he had grown erect at their closeness. take him, a voice echoed in her head. Looking down she could see his manhood, standing proudly between her legs, its thick smell enticing her to taste it, to take it deep within her until she was one with him.


    No, no, she thought to herself, I won, this was cheating, this isn''t fair but she pushed herself down onto him more anyway, so what if she won, she should claim her prize as the victor, she would taste him later, after she had sated herself. Make him yours, and in a rush of hormones, she agreed, feeling herself become slick as she rubbed herself over his erection.


    As she began to rub her crotch against his erection Peter felt the connection between them, her frustration at his teasing, her anger at his stupid jokes, her desire as he hardened between her legs and while Gwen was lost in a haze of lust he knew this would break her from the anger. It wasn¡¯t the first time he had planned, or the first time he had ever imagined but right now Gwen, or whatever she had become needed something to distract her from the rage. Something other than violence and as she stroked him with herself, he knew she wanted this too.


    He strained against the webbing holding him to the ground and it splintered and crumbled as his arms strained against it. Wriggling his arms free he pulled Gwen towards him, running his fingers down her spine and running his own tongue over hers. "Show me, Gwen, I want to kiss Gwen,'' slowly the white headpiece fused and retracted and Gwen, eyes practically rolling back in her head was revealed, "Gwen, kiss me Gwen," her eyes gained back some focus and as she rubbed herself against him they shared an intense and passionate kiss.


    "Pete, oh god Pete, I want it. It''s me, it''s me, oh fuck, Pete, I want it," as she spoke and kissed him, her hip movements became more fervourous, her symbskin retracing itself until her breasts and pussy were bare against his skin, she didn''t care about their stupid fight, she didn''t care about that stupid name, she wanted his cock, she wanted him deep inside her and she found the rage subside into wanting the same thing. Pressing herself against him, "please Pete, please," licking and rubbing herself against him, repeating please over and over again.


    Finding himself hugging a very naked Gwen only made him harder and he felt the echo deep within him, responding to her own desires. His armour slid back and the tension was released on his manhood. Almost immediately he groaned as Gwen''s slick pussy rubbed up and down against him, a virgin Peter put up with endless teasing about his lack of a girlfriend and he always felt weird about watching porn, even muted with his Aunt in the house but now, now he could vent.


    The lust bubbled up within him, he grabbed Gwen''s waist and lifted her so he could put them into a seating position, finding her nipples with his tongue he sucked and teased as he held her, feeling her wetness with the head of his cock and looking up into her eyes she nodded. Lowering her she slid almost effortlessly into her, she was already at the edge and feeling him slip inside her made her gasp and moan. Peter was gentle, this was her first time as well as his and while she was already wet and ready he had no intention of hurting her.


    Instead, she whimpered and bucked, forcefully pushing herself down onto him, aching for him to fill her to the hilt, wanting every inch of his dick to be buried into her, to feel its burning heat fill and envelope her. She wanted it now and deep, uncaring at the small tinge of pain as her virginity was taken, uncaring as it soon spilled into a torrent of tingles and sparks that lit each nerve in a symphony of pleasure.


    Pushing him down, she grabbed his hands and pushed them onto her breasts, "no, I won,'''' short sentences were all she could manage as she slid his length in and out of her, savouring each stroke as the enhanced the nerves inside her buzzed and lit into a fire of orgasms. She nuzzled and gently nipped at his neck, licked his earlobes, and purred with contentment as she drove him ever faster into her aching loins. It had never felt this good, even her own hand never felt this good


    "Pete, I want it, Pete, fill me oh fucking fill me." Peter himself was too stunned to do anything, his concentration was kept on stopping himself from exploding into her at a moment''s notice. Sex was good, sex with Gwen was great and each time she lowered her hips and the tip of his manhood touch the velvet smooth end of her pussy he wanted to cum.


    Faster and faster, "oh shit Gwen, no. I oh shit no, I-" she sealed his mouth with hers and feeling his cock getting hotter ached for him to cum inside her, she wanted it, no she needed it, she didn''t care they weren''t safe, she didn''t care at all, it burned as an ache inside her, she wanted him to fill her with his power.


    With a final drop, Gwen rubbed him deep into her, arching her back as she felt the cum spurting out of him like a hose, later she would marvel at how much he came, a tablespoon my ass, this was a torrent, sucked up by a hungry monster scared to waste even a drop. Peter himself was taut as the orgasm started in his cock and worked its way into his brain, sending fireworks of pleasure through each nerve in his body. His cock twitched as each wave sent another spurt of his seed deep within her.


    Naked and exhausted, Gwen and Peter held each other, too tired and too sensitive to move, each gently kissing the neck and lips of the other, each glowing in the vastness of their act, each glowing with the bliss of finally becoming one.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Twenty-Two. Don’t Call Me I’ll Call You..

    After their first night together they sat at the huge table and ate breakfast, finally a meal with milk and fruit, Peter grumbling that granola and energy drinks were fine but Gwen shushed him.


    "So, I''ve been thinking," Gwen was busily extruding and retracting the symbskin on her hands. "It won''t be perfect but I should be able to get us a microscope to see what this stuff actually is."


    Peter bit his lip and winced, "Won''t a microscope powerful enough be expensive?" he asked, knowing the answer already.


    "Sure," Gwen flipped her phone over to him and he saw that the most expensive model was $3000, but it could be wired to a laptop for recording and had a 10,000x Magnification, more than enough to see human cells, or well, hopefully, human cells.


    "Pete, we have to know what these things are, we know they''re affecting our moods, muscles and probably a whole bunch of other systems. We''re both experienced heightened moods, elevated sex drives, higher aggression, lower inhibitions and who knows how else, I mean if I cut myself right now I''ll scab and heal in minutes. I want to know what it is," she looked at the table, holding her empty mug, "if it''s dangerous"


    Peter sighed, "I know, I know, I just, I don''t want to find out we''ve got super cancer or something."


    Gwen laughed. "Super cancer? what the hell?"


    Peter stuck his tongue out at her, "you know when I got my powers, it was a thought," he shrugged


    "Super cancer? oh my god, Pete, you''re such a dork," she shook with laughter, "leave the biology to me okay? we don''t have super cancer, I promise."


    he mumbled, "super cancer could be real," to himself as she took their cups to wash.


    Finding it surprising that neither of them needed to shower they did anyway, to enjoy the first time together, their first tryst removed any tension between them and neither Peter nor Gwen felt any embarrassment as they gently and carefully washed each other, small kisses and intimate touches interrupting their washing.


    After they had towelled off and dressed, they headed to the breakfast table. Peter had taken the huge table he got and centred it in front of the two homes, to act as a focal point for gatherings and meetings.


    Unwrapping a toaster pastry, Gwen stared at Peter. "Don''t call me Gwenom, I don''t like it." She said, chewing the dry pastry, Peter''s tastes involved the unfrosted type and even she thought that was weird. Even though they had eaten an hour before Gwen was hungry again, and as she ate the pastry she wondered if it was the weird slime causing it.


    sugar sugar yum yum, Gwen turned her head, was that it? She vaguely remembered a voice yesterday as well, as she ¡®subdued¡¯ Peter. Was it able to talk to her in its sing-song childish voice?


    "Uh, I kinda got a hint yesterday when you, you know, tried to rip my head off and eat it."


    Gwen smirked, she remembered, the rage, the animal need to eat and feast on him only being subdued by the more passionate lust for him.


    "But uh, what do we call you then? Gwenom wouldn''t work anyway, it kinda tells everyone who you are," Peter laid into a granola bar, it had raisins and Gwen turned her nose up at it when offered. She had taken his last unfrosted blueberry pastry but after yesterday he would forgive her, at least for now.


    Gwen leaned back, nothing sprung to mind, "how did you choose a name for your alter ego?" no phone service, she was sure she could find some random name generator and pick something there.


    While he crunched on his bar Pete suddenly sat bolt upright, "wait, I got it."


    He shuffled around till he pulled an old mp3 player out of his bag, offering her an earbud he swiped down the list and hit play.


    Your mouth, so hot


    Your web, I''m caught


    Your skin, so wet


    Black lace, on sweat


    I hear you calling and it''s needles and pins (and pins)


    I wanna hurt you just to hear you screaming my name


    Don''t want to touch you but you''re under my skin (deep in)


    I wanna kiss you but your lips are venomous poison


    You''re poison, running through my veins


    You''re poison


    I don''t want to break these chains


    Poison


    Gwen raised an eyebrow, Pulling the device over so she could see who was singing. "Alice Cooper huh? Trying to tell me something, Pete?" She held his wrist, feeling his pulse slowly speed up as he panicked a little bit.


    Yes yes, we like we like, Gwen heard in her head


    Poison?


    Yes yes, us us, eat more sugar, yummy yummy,


    "Uh, you know, it¡¯s a classic and uh, a good song and yeah, you know, after you kinda tried to eat me and well, then you actually did eat me mph-" Gwen sealed his lips with a kiss.


    "Slow down Petey pie, I''m just teasing you. I like it, Venom and Poison, the deadly duo. But um, what about yesterday, I don''t think neither of us planned to go that far'''' Peter slumped in his usual defeatist way, his mind spinning as he felt he was about to get dumped again.


    "Hey, Hey," Gwen came over and sat on his lap, "don''t pull that face." She lay her head on his shoulder, "I wanted it, remember, I beat you and got my prize, so no moping or no repeat." Pulling his head between her hands, "I love you, Peter Parker, I wanted you and I wouldn''t have had my first with anyone other than you and frankly, we were amazing. I rocked your world." Pete leaned his forehead against hers, he knew the accident had amplified his emotions and in transferring a part of himself to her, her lust was probably amplified too but hearing her words, feeling her sincerity Peter knew she wasn''t lying to him.


    "I love you too Gwen."


    "See, that was easy, no mopey Pete and one happy Gwen, no fighting, only kisses and cooties," Gwen made kisses noises at him and they both laughed, "but okay, so what''s up with the weird skin thing and the web spray and since when are you fucking Venom? My dad''s been going nuts over him, Pete, you almost killed someone, and then, oh god Pete, that was you, you were fighting and," Gwen paused. "You were fighting those men Pete, you got hurt, you, you almost killed us all, you asshole!" Gwen batted him on the shoulder and was yelling now. Peter just let her vent, there was no stopping her once she got going "and uh uh, Flash, no fuck Flash, you, you''re Venom and I''m uh, shit, I''m an alien thing,"


    "So what next, I got powers, I''m going to start beating people up?" Gwen got up and slumped back into her chair and Peter followed her and started rubbing her shoulders.


    "No, you don''t have to do anything Gwen, Your powers are a part of you now, even if you don¡¯t use them, and uh, yeah, sorry about the table," Gwen rubbed her cheek on Peters''s hand.


    "I forgive you, but uh, I kinda like them you know, I feel strong, and," Gwen blushed, "super sexy, like last night, all I wanted was some Pete meat and oh god, we had sex, I''m not on the pill. What the fuck Pete?" She laughed. Peter was amazed, she had gone from angry to sad, to angry to horny to excited and back to laughing in the space of a minute, he imagined his own emotional rollercoaster was the same, at least she hadn''t driven a stop sign through someone''s car.


    "You um, wouldn''t let go, I really couldn''t help it," Peter blushed. "it was too good, you know,¡± he said. It was embarrassing to talk about, even now.


    ¡°Uh-huh,¡± and Gwen came over and sat on his lap, ¡°and how about we find out if it''s still good?¡± and Peter slid his hands around her waist and kissed her as she leant forwards, As his lips touched hers, she heard the voice again


    More more, petey petes, yummy yummy, and she felt herself getting wet at his touch.


    This time though she felt the sting of pain from their lovemaking and she leant back, shaking her head, ¡°sorry Pete, seems like I need a bit to recover,¡± and he nodded and she slid off him. Frustrated, she grabbed her phone, checking to see if she had any missed calls.


    "Uh, why don''t I have signal in here? I kinda expected my dad to have exploded my phone by now." Gwen idly flicked her phone screen, even the mobile data wouldn''t connect to the net Peter had set up.


    Peter blanched, "Uh, there''s a faraday cage around the building to stop any experiments I do from registering," Peter sighed, realising how much trouble that would cause her even if it was to shield the warehouse from cameras or other electronic devices. "You won''t get a signal here unless you tie your phone into the protected network I set up, sorry Gwen. I only finished it yesterday and I forgot," reaching over and taking her phone, he pressed his own to it and after a series of beeps it installed a secure program of his own devising. "There, and yeah, sorry" The phone immediately began to vibrate and the tings of each message received soon ran into each other. Gwen hoped her dad wasn''t too mad, or that at least he hadn''t called out a few of his cop buddies to find her.


    "Sorry Pete, I, I gotta go, dad''s filled my inbox with voice mails and too many messages to count." reaching over she kissed him on the cheek, "talk to you later okay?" before grabbing her bag and running to the main warehouse door. "oh shit, I live here now," she ran back, grabbed her new keys and blew Peter a kiss, "be back later, oh I''ll order the microscope, pick it up and meet you back here later"


    Peter still felt the warmth of her kiss on his cheek, sitting in the warmth of his feelings for her he suddenly sat up, she''d ditched him to clean up the warehouse, while breakfast was just wrappers there as Gwen''s web fluid everywhere, her control over it meant it would stay, unlike his own that dissolved after a while. Sighing and slumping his shoulders he took out his own phone, texting Aunt May.


    Moving ran late, sorry I didn''t text, been stuck with clean up, be there in a few hours. Love Peter


    Now that Gwen had gone Peter sat back in his chair, his coffee bitter in his mouth. He knew that Venom was a burden as well as a blessing. He was used to the emotional rollercoaster he rode each day, trying his hardest not to punch anyone pissing him off or crying if something made him think of Uncle Ben. He could cope, he was learning to funnel that emotion into his work and his routine. He did feel better though, now they had moved and school was over he felt a lightness since the diner as if the constant buzzing annoyance of life had been lifted and he could think clearly again.


    Taking the last drink of his coffee he thought back to her words, Venom and Poison, the deadly duo and he nodded to himself. He should take her hunting too, let her vent on the scumbags that dared to commit crimes in his city.


    Sadly though, he needed to clean out the warehouse, while Gwen''s powers were in training he would need to use a lot of bleach, even if it was just to cover the smell of sex. He also wanted to head back to check on Aunt May, he had a few small things he wanted so he could do both at the same time.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Twenty-Three. Two Tales

    Both Peter and Gwen headed home for one last visit, the small items, forgotten, too private, or too delicate, needed picked up and Peter wanted to see Aunt May while Gwen had words to say to her father.


    "Aunt May, I''m back," Peter looked around the apartment one last time before heading into the small kitchen where Aunt May had started to fill the kettle for coffee. He put his head on her shoulder and she gently patted his hand as she filled the cups.


    "All done?" She asked him and he nodded,


    "Gwen''s heading home and I thought I''d make one last sweep of here before heading back. I think I''ve got everything, maybe some clothes in the dryer."


    ¡°Did you get Gwen settled in okay?¡± and Peter nodded as he started to add sugar to his coffee.


    ¡°Yeah but we had a ton of recycling to get organised, all the boxes and uh, what''s wrong Aunt May?¡± he asked as she gave him a stern look.


    "Peter," Aunt May began "don''t bullshit a bullshitter." Peter almost choked, and Aunt May added sugar and milk to her own cup and then nodded at the small breakfast table for him to sit down. He looked guiltily at her as she sat across from him, holding the mug between her hands, and watching as he avoided her eyes.


    "You''ve got lipstick on your collar and Captain Stacy called here about 10 times." She tapped a single finger on the breakfast table, "So?"


    Peter straightened his back and stared at her, "I spent the night with Gwen, we slept together and time got forgotten," Peter shrunk slightly, expecting a massive lecture. And as her face fell and she raised an eyebrow, he realised that wasn''t what she meant. She wanted to know why she couldn''t get through to him or Gwen.


    May just shrugged, "as long as you used protection Peter, I don''t care who you sleep with. Gwen''s a good girl and I''m proud of you. You did use protection right, Peter?" Mays tone was not the jovial concerned one as before.


    "Of course Aunt May, of course, I remembered, you gave me some and I took them, so. Are we okay?"


    May looked over that rim of her cup, "Of course Peter, we''re fine."


    Peter stared at his Aunt, "but?"


    "But, I can''t do this Peter, since Oscorp. I can''t sit here night after night hoping," her voice cracked, "hoping the same thing hasn''t happened to you cause you''re not answering your phone, so. I''m going to let go. Peter, you''ve got a business and a girlfriend. An old woman like me can''t sit around and pine forever you know."


    Peter frowned, "Aww, Aunt May, you''re not that old." Peter patted her arm before hugging it.


    "I know, which is another reason I''m glad you moved out, Peter, I loved your uncle Ben, I gave him everything I could but, I''m not old," she sighed, "seeing you and Gwen, I''m lonely Peter, and I need to get-"


    "Laid?" Peter absentmindedly said,


    "Peter Parker!" Aunt May yelled, cuffing him around the head. "I need to get out of the house."


    "Oww oww, sorry May, sorry," he faked being hurt and moved to sit back down,


    She stood, dumping the last dregs of her coffee into the sink, "I''m joining a few classes, and no don''t worry it''s not the ones you go to. Until then young man, get your mind out the gutter." Ruffling his hair May picked up her house keys, "Anyway, I have to run, some of us can''t skip work like you, Love You Peter. Oh, do the dishes before you leave, they¡¯re yours anyway."


    She was right, with Peter leaving the apartment felt empty and she was feeling something she hadn¡¯t felt since Ben died, lonely. Peter had finally grown up and the years of caring for him were over. It hurt but she needed to move on too. Find her own place in the world but she knew she would always be there for him when he needed her.


    As she watched him finish his coffee she committed the image to memory. It would be the last time he would be here as his home and as the pain stabbed at her, she turned quickly and left before he saw her crying.


    "Love you too May," he replied as she left him to finish collecting the last of his things.


    He had been thorough, knowing hiring a van would be expensive and all that was left to collect was some clean clothes, still in the washer-dryer and he stuffed them into his backpack.


    He would miss living here, miss Aunt May and as a twinge of pain hit him, miss being reminded of his uncle Ben. He was moving on, growing up and a part of that meant leaving some things behind. He knew how she felt but he made a promise that he would always be there for his Aunt if she needed him.


    Looking over at the sink he sighed, A pot with baked-on sauce, a pasta dish and several bowls, caked with dry cereal, and cups, glasses, and other cutlery were piled next to the sink. May had gone into his room and rescued all the missing crockery Peter had been too lazy to collect himself and left it here for him. Sighing he shook his head and rolled up his sleeves, filling the sink with warm water and getting to work.


    While May and Peter had shared a moment and had shared a bit too much, Gwen was not having the same kind of conversation with her father.


    George Stacy was not in a good mood. He''d phoned everyone he could think of during the night and found nothing to let him know where Gwen was or why she wasn''t answering her phone. That boy''s guardian May Parker had even suggested that he let them be young and he had just silently hung up the phone. He snorted. As if he would let a young punk like Peter Parker take his Gwennie away from him. Hearing her key in the door he sat up straight and smoothed down his tie. Taking a personal day off hadn''t sat well with him, but he needed to be here to make sure Gwen was okay, and of course to make sure she knew what she had done wrong.


    As she entered the hallway she rolled her eyes as she saw her father, she knew what was coming. Every time since she was 13 that she''d missed an appointment or a check-in with her dad she got a lecture. Every DAMN time. This time though, this time was different, she felt the confidence surge through her but she had to calm down a bit, this was a fight yes, but not a physical one, she hated her control freak of a father but not that much.


    "Gwendolin Stacey. Do you have any idea how worried I was? You didn''t check in last night and none of your friends could get a hold of you either." George wasted no time in laying on thick, Gwen had to know she was wrong and as much as it pained him to be strict, he had to make sure she was disciplined properly.


    "Dad, I''m tired and I don''t want to hear it, I''m 19, not 9." Gwen walked past him to try and climb the stairs to get to her room but he grabbed her by the arm. She was only here to grab the last few things and then leave, a fight was coming but she wasn''t in the mood.


    "Oh no you don''t young lady, you''ll explain yourself right now, it¡¯s almost 10 am and I''ve been worried sick." Gwen shrugged, pulling her arm free in a move that surprised George, when did Gwen get so strong? he thought to himself.


    "Dad. I''m tired. We can talk later, okay."


    "Gwendolin Anne Stacy. You will stop right there and you will tell me what has gotten into you? Not answering your phone, scrapes and marks on your clothes as if you''ve been fighting. If anyone did, if that Parker did anything."


    "Geesh stop dad, I''m fine, nothing happened, I was at the warehouse with Pete and my phone didn''t have a good signal but it''s fine, it''s fixed, just, just give it a rest okay. I live at the warehouse now, not here. You can''t expect me to check in every night anymore," Gwen was almost to the stairs when he shouted


    "Living with the Parker kid, you know I don''t like him and those marks on your clothes are not you out having fun, those are scuff marks, what did he do Gwen, did he hurt you? Did he touch you?"


    Gwen had had enough, her father''s overbearing attitude never sat right with her and after his accusations, she snapped. "Yeah, he did dad, is that what you want to hear, that I spent the night with Pete and we fucked? That he tore my panties off and ravaged me, cause he didn''t dad, I ravaged him, I was horny and I wanted it so I took him, the scuffs the marks are from me throwing him around. There, are you happy? I took Pete out last night, got him under me and fucked him. He''s my boyfriend dad, we¡¯re allowed to do things like that," Gwen pushed past her father and slammed the door to her room only to emerge a few minutes later stuffing some things into a bag. Her plans to grab the few unmentionables she would never let anyone touch, her underwear and a few sex toys that she had snuck out to buy, were just grabbed and thrown into her bag. She was too angry to care if her dad saw any of it.


    "I, I can''t do this anymore dad, I''m not a little kid for you to dress up and display like a doll. I''m 19, so I''m leaving, don''t call, don''t text. I''ll let you know when you can come to visit. I love you dad I really do but this, this bullshit interrogation, treating me like a prisoner, as a suspect at the precinct. I can''t do this." She hoisted the bag over her shoulder and slammed the door on her way out.


    George Stacy was stunned into silence, in all the years Gwen had never talked back or acted this way and as she walked out the front door he clenched his fists, it was the Parker kid, and he would make Gwen know just how much of a rotten bastard he was. He didn''t care if she''d already signed a lease and was only here temporarily, he''d make him pay for doing that to his little girl, then she''d see that he was right and that punk kid was wrong.


    Gwen stood outside the house, her hands balled into fists, shaking with the rage Poison was feeding her. She took deep breaths. Peter had shown her some exercises that he said helped him but right now, they weren¡¯t helping.


    Kill him, we bow to no one,


    Gwen shook her head, her eyes scrunched shut, no, we don¡¯t kill.


    we hate him,


    Gwen needed a distraction, something to take the edge off, if only Pete was here, if only. She remembered and ran.


    Four blocks away outside the quiet bakery Gwen tore into another bag of chocolate chip cookies.


    Sugar sugar yum yum, Poison hummed in her head, and Gwen finally felt her relax.


    She shook her head as cookie number twelve vanished into the now seemingly endless hole in her stomach, this wasn''t right, this wasn''t a good thing. She needed to find out what Poison was, how it was affecting her. As she''d paid for her snacks she realised she still had her dad''s credit card, for emergencies of course.


    Well, she thought, this is an emergency, isn''t it?


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Twenty-Four. Under The Microscope

    Gwen had surprised Peter, she actually had gone out and spent about $3000 on a microscope. It then took the rest of the day to set up, making sure each calibration was correct as well as its hookup to Peter''s laptop, whatever they found Gwen wanted to document. He guessed from her foul mood her dad had actually paid for it, he just didn''t know it yet, and it looked expensive but it showed. It came with small sample bottles as well as a selection of swabs and other medical instruments for taking samples. Gwen had swiped a box of latex gloves and small cannulas, the needles used for drawing blood, to get a selection of tissue samples from each of them.


    As they waited for the machine to calibrate and make its adjustments they decided to start with physical tests first. Understanding their limits would help with understanding what had been done to their bodies.


    The first set of tests were easy, as Peter brought in water barrels filled with varying weights of water, one litre of water weighed one kilogram so even without a proper weight set they would measure just how strong they were.


    As he gripped the edges of the full barrel he lifted it with ease and even Gwen surprised herself as she did the same. Full, Peter knew it could hold 3500 litres, meaning they could both lift over 3500 kilos with no strain and repeating the experiment, with a bit of balance, he could lift one in each hand. As Gwen tried the same, Peter laughed and grabbed her around the waist, lifting her and the barrel up.


    ¡°Are you calling me fat?¡± and he laughed as he put her down, hurriedly shaking his head.


    ¡°If I could find an ounce of fat on you I¡¯d be surprised,¡± and she had to agree. Whatever Poison had done she had realized that she was toned. Even her stomach was now flat and if she tensed a six-pack sprang forth. She had lost fat but gained muscle, and sadly she even thought her breasts were maybe a size smaller.


    Next was spatial awareness. With his eyes closed Gwen moved across the warehouse and Peter tracked her with his finger, even facing the wrong way and as she threw a ball at him, he felt the distortion in the air and caught it before it hit him.


    ¡°Kinda cheating though, I can hear you move.¡± and as Gwen tried the same she found that yes, as Peter moved, even if he was as quiet as possible, she could feel where he was in the warehouse.


    As the machine began its final series of tests Gwen made out several signs and standing across from him, Peter stood at the doors and she walked to the office where he lived she held them up.


    As he listened he could hear her,


    ¡°Repeat what is on card 2, and you¡¯ll win a prize.¡± Gwen held up two cards and without focusing or squinting he read


    ¡°Gwen is great and I,¡± Peter laughed, ¡°I suck. So, what do I win?¡± and Gwen just smiled and grinned at him


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out later,¡±


    With the machine beeping that its calibrations were complete, the pair headed into the office next to Peters home.


    "Don''t be shy and don''t be a baby," she scolded Peter, requesting not just a blood and cheek sample but semen as well, and an untainted one at that. "It''s not like I''m not doing the same Pete," and she motioned to the sample stick she was going to rub into herself and begrudgingly he obliged, making her strip a little for him and she felt a rush of heat through her as he stroked himself in front of her. She had seen him naked before, but this was more intimate and personal. Not that he could complain, he was paying close attention as Gwen sat in her chair and spread her legs, letting him see exactly what was between her legs and that as she expected a repeat, she had shaved herself clean for him.


    Samples all collected they booted up the microscope and started with the cheeks swap. They would do Peter''s samples first, given he was the host of whatever the black goo was and Gwen had been infected, as there were no abnormalities, no pain or weakening. It was a symbiotic relationship, not a parasitic one.


    Peter¡¯s cells, once magnified, showed a few interesting features and Gwen stared at the display, this model used a small LCD screen rather than two eyepieces. "Shit Pete, oh shit, this is, this is, wow," she leant back in her chair,


    "Your cells have a double nucleus and what looks like a lot of extra mitochondria, plus I can actually see the layer of black around the cell walls, this is amazing Pete, I mean, I know you''ve got stamina but this, I wish I could take organ and muscle biopsies, I bet they''re just as infected," she stared at the screen again, pointing at it with a pen. "See", the black cell wall suddenly flowed into the cell, devouring the inside, dying it black then the outer wall burst and the sample shrivelled. "I bet the black is trying to survive outside your body, no host to live on, so it cannibalises the cell and then dies. This is amazing Pete, but uh, if that''s this sample, the rest are probably the same," Pete shrugged and she eyed his crotch, "so uh, I need another sample"


    Pete rolled his eyes, "you can work for this one though," he said as he unzipped again. Gwen winked at him and stretched over, the heat filling her palm as she began to gently stroke him.


    Once she had collected her sample, Gwen examined the sperm cells under the microscope. They were all dyed a deep black colour, seemingly more vigorous and mobile than their normal counterparts, "well, that''s different."


    Peter laughed, "uh, think that''s why it was so good?" and Gwen could only shrug, when he had finished inside her it was like a bomb going off, pleasure pulsed through her and she wondered if he was right.


    yes yes, tasty tasty, Gwen just shook her head


    not helping! she thought back


    "These have lasted a lot longer than the cheek swabs, they still have cohesion," and they waited for a few more minutes before even these cells consumed themselves. "So it has a survival instinct, even if it dies eventually." Wrapping his arm with the rubber tube, Gwen, with deft practice, even if it had been on mice, inserted the cannula and let the blood drip into the vial. Opening the back of the machine she slid out the tube with the now black sample and slotted in the blood sample.


    "Okay," Gwen waited patiently as the machine began to whirr and whine and slowly the screen filled with the sample. "Fuck Pete, look at that," in amongst the normal blood cells are a selection of black single cells and no white blood cells at all, "the symbiote seems to have taken over your immune system completely, I bet if we introduced a bacteria or virus those little bugs would get gobbled right up."


    Gwen was amazed, this was the kind of thing she wanted to research at Oscorp if those bastards didn''t just relegate her to report filing and scut work. She''d never do anything Peter didn''t want to but this was amazing, his newfound abilities blowing everything she thought she knew about bioengineering out the water. The symbiotic creature, if it was a natural creature, wasn''t anything she''d ever heard of on Earth, so she suspected that unless Oscorp or whoever infected Pete was in cahoots with an alien intelligence that the symbiote was artificial. Made in a lab somewhere and accidentally released.


    "Okay, me next." Gwen swapped out the samples with her own, cheek first and was disappointed. The same cells she had seen in Peter were missing, her own sample had the same circle of, in her case, white symbiote around the outside but no extracellular features, she was a degradation of Peter¡¯s powers, not a copy. They waited and when the white circle swamped the internals of the cell rather than dying it swarmed over to another cell, integrating itself into that one, the cycle repeating until a small blob of white and black tinged symbiote remained, searching the sample bottle for more food to devour. Gwen scratched her head and took the bottle outlet the white drip onto her finger where it absorbed itself back into her skin.


    "So, not a clone of your powers Pete, like a different organism altogether," she scratched the side of her head, but Peter had definitely infected her, so why was it so different?


    "But I was sick remember, at Oscorp, maybe I was exposed to something first then infected, maybe it was two different things, the organism and the sickness, or maybe the sickness did something?" Peter was spitballing, trying to come up with a reason as to why they were so different.


    "Hmm, if you''d been exposed to a mutagenic compound and then the symbiote, that could explain the difference. You''re not a human anymore, more a blending of human and symbiote whereas I''m an infected Host for the organism." Gwen wished she had access to some of the equipment at her lab, an electron microscope would allow her to see the structure of the creature itself and the difference between them, but there was no way in hell she taking any of these samples to Oscorp. They''d both end up in test tubes, even if it wasn''t Oscorp that infected him in the first place.


    "We need to check the other samples," and slotting in the next vial, they saw her blood work still had normal white blood cells but had a few extra of the white and black tinged cells. "So, boosted immune system as well. Okay, don''t freak out," Peter shrugged but Gwen stuck herself in the thigh with a needle, hissing as she pulled it back out.


    "What the fuck Gwen?" he shouted,


    "Muscle sample Pete, sorry, wasn''t going to ask." Dropping the bloody needle into a sample bottle she slotted it into the machine while Peter shook his head.


    "I would have if you''d asked," Peter said guilty,


    "I know, but you know, physician do no harm," Gwen replied,


    "that''s the Hippocratic oath and while you''re an intern, no doctorate just yet,"


    "Yes, Pete, yet" she reminded him.


    The sample soon was on the screen and Gwen had to move the camera around to get a clear image of the tissue rather than the needle. Her muscle cell was the same as the cheek swap, tinged back and white but she could see microscopic tendril extending into the muscle tissue, touching and wrapped around the mitochondria, "not as efficient but still supplying extra energy to my muscles, probably organs too."


    Peter put his hand on hers, "no stabbing yourself for a sample though,"


    Gwen patted the back of his hand, "Nah, not this time, okay, now for the last one, Gwen goo!"


    The sample she had taken from her vaginal walls glistened on the test tube and slotted into the machine they were both surprised at what they saw.


    "well, that''s, uh, different," Gwen said as she watched the white/black cells of her symbiote attack and devour the black cells of Peters semen, leftover from their sex last night. The white symbiote was actively seeking out and swallowing the sperm cells whole and the black slowly faded and thickened the white symbiote cells.


    "Uh, guess protection isn''t really necessary is it?" Peter said and Gwen chuckled, they''d been lax in that department, letting lust overtake reason but now, she wasn''t sure she''d even have a period let alone get pregnant.


    "Uh, yeah, I really don''t know how to deal with that," Gwen said, shaking her head at what was happening on the screen,


    "I mean, I know you said you wanted to eat me but, you know, I didn''t think you meant literally," he laughed.


    Gwen could only cuff him with the back of her hand, symbiotes were good, she felt strong but Peter was becoming insufferable, she loved him though, but still, smug asshole.


    "Yeah, thanks, Pete, you get super strength, super sexy muscles and I get super birth control, way to show me how the super-powered patriarchy works huh," and as he looked guilty she knew now she finally had something worthy to tease him about. Stupid powers.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Twenty-Five. Desk Job (NSFW)

    As Gwen continued to tease him he could only sit in amazement at what they had discovered. It was an alien parasite, a symbiote that enhanced and strengthened not just him but Gwen as well. He wondered why he was so different though, and as he thought about it he was brought out of his musing by Gwen turning his head,


    ¡°You know, I get that this is interesting and all but, I just showed myself to you. I just collected a few samples from my new favorite thing, and yet, you''re ignoring me. How¡¯s a girl supposed to feel loved and wanted if her boyfriend is staring into space as she¡¯s talking about all the sex he can have without a condom. About how she wants him to cum in her so hard her toes curl and she blacks out.¡± Gwen had a smirk on her face and raised her eyebrows as she gave him a seductive look,


    Peter knew she was exaggerating, she never said anything like that, had she? It didn''t matter, as she teased him he felt himself growing hard.


    Leaning forwards she whispered in his ear, ¡°What¡¯s a girl to do, if her boyfriend hasn''t even noticed she took her panties off?¡° and as Peter looked down he saw she was correct and not just her panties, Gwen had slipped out of her skirt as well. Gwen stood and leaned back against the desk, lifting herself up and opening her legs. The sweet perfume he had smelt before wafted to his nose and he grew harder as he took in the beauty before him.


    ¡°I think you owe me an apology, and while you will be using your tongue, you won''t be saying much.¡±


    Peter stared at Gwen. The way her body curved and her lines gently moulded her into a perfect woman. He could smell her excitement and it fed into his. Moving closer, "close your eyes," he whispered and as she did he kissed her gently on the lips, pulling back and then kissing her again on the neck. As he unbuttoned her top he slid it over her head and she smirked as he realised she wasn¡¯t wearing a bra. Kissing her quickly on the lips, he kissed down to her left breast and kissing its gentle slope he flicked her nipple with his tongue before gently taking it into his mouth and sucking.


    Gwen moaned softly and ran her fingers through his hair, to push him into doing more than gentle teasing, moving back Peter stopped her, "no, no moving unless I move you." Gwen growled in frustration, this was not what she wanted, where was the rawness of their first time, where was the back arching pounding she had expected.


    Moving over and kissing her right breast he gently teased her nipple with his tongue before moving down, kissing around her belly button and moving to what he had wanted all along. It had driven him mad, to smell perfume on not only Gwen but several other girls at school and it wasn''t until he and Gwen had sex that he realised what he was smelling.


    It wasn''t perfume, it was her excitement, the warm moisture her pussy lubricated itself within the expectation of sex and its heady muskiness was driving him mad. His erection strained against the wall of his trousers but he had already adjusted himself to keep it under wraps.


    Kissing where her pubic mound started he slid his hands up her legs and keeping his hands there, gently parted her lips, taking in the pinkness of her folds and the already engorged clit, she wanted him but he was in control and he wanted this. Flicking his tongue forwards he finally tasted her, her clit was soft with a firm core and as his tongue made circles around it Gwen moaned and her hands gripped his shoulders. He was fine with that, as he moved closer into her pubic area, sucking on her clit and moving his thumbs up and down her labia, stroking at her entrance and flicking her with his tongue.


    To gain better access he shifted one of Gwen''s legs over his shoulder and moving his mouth down he sucked on her folds, swirling them with his tongue until he got down to her entrance, his tongue circling it at first, taking in the mucksy sweetness and then plunging into her. Gwen arched, unexpectedly and Peter felt her get wetter, her thighs trembled as she orgasmed at his touch. "p.pete, I.oh i. i. waAAH," his tongue moved back to her clit but this time a finger snaked its way into her curling back to where her g spot should have been and with Gwen''s exclamation, he had found it. Gwen panted heavily, leaning more of her weight onto him as he continued to finger her wet hole and suck on her engorged super sensitive clit. "No, oh no Pete please, please god please, no" Gwen was lost,


    As the start of her orgasm raged its way through her body and Peter had moved back she slumped on the floor, taking deep breaths and trying to focus herself, sex was amazingly good but she wouldn''t last long if he kept going that to her. Peter stared at her, he was happy he was good but even he knew as a novice he shouldn''t have been that good. Tutting, "Gwen, your symbiote is enhancing your emotional state, you need to get it under control, you need to take control."


    The words swam round in Gwen''s head no, yummy yummy, more more echoed back at her.


    "it uh uh," she panted, "it wasn''t, I just, just can''t, too much Pete too much." The orgasm was intense and she felt a twinge between her legs, it was raw, almost unpleasant sensitivity and she knew if they continued it would start to hurt. "Sorry, I can''t, really but," as her eyes drifted down to his still very erect manhood she did have something she wanted to try.


    This was what she wanted, if he could taste her, then she had wanted to taste him and licking her lips he did. "uh-uh, no hands," Pete took a step back as she had moved to take his manhood in one hand and took the glistening tip in her mouth. Gwen bit her lip and grinned at him, placing her hands behind her back as if she was cuffed. She let Pete take a step forward again and gently began to pleasure him.


    She let the precum off his erection wet her lips, the smell of it, musky, salty with a hidden sweetness filled her nostrils, The scent made the symbiote quiver inside and its lust for him leaked out a little, behave, she mentally chided it and you''ll get a reward, feeling it drawback Gwen grinned.


    Her lips spread down the glans of Pete''s cock and her tongue licked around his shaft, and she rubbed her lips on his sensitive tip, eliciting moans from him similar to her own. She knew Peter had never had this done before and would quickly cum if she went too quickly. She wanted him to remember the first time they did everything together, so slowing her pace she began to take him deeper.


    Even with him trapped in her mouth, she could use her tongue to slide back and forth under his shaft and its flexibility meant she had taken him down to the root without difficulty. Sucking and stroking she found the symbiote made sure she was not only breathing but could accommodate all his length and girth comfortably. Peter was in heaven, the sensations beat out the raw sex they had had before, her tongue massaged him and the warm slickness of her mouth around him made him feel like exploding down her throat, only his own mental exercises were keeping him close but not over the edge.


    "Gwen," Peter touched her head and her eyes swivelled up, her head bobbing back and forth but her vision fixed on him. "I, I want to cum, in you, in your mouth?" Gwen nodded pulling back, this was the first time for her as well and she wanted to taste it, to feel it fill her mouth with its salty thickness. Peter began to thrust gently against her, her tongue now an anchor for him to fuck, her mouth a sealed cavern for him to vent the final limit of his lust. He gripped her head and she grabbed his ass as he thrust forwards one last time, she took him entirely into her mouth, his tip touching the back of her throat.  "Now, now," he groaned as his cum spurted into Gwen''s mouth, she didn''t have to gulp it down, it slid down her throat like a creamy slightly salty caramel milkshake, thick and tingly as it went.


    The symbiote itself purred, and if it was possible she thought it had had its own orgasm. Her body felt alive with sparkling electricity as she swallowed him down. She knew it was different from her own orgasm but she didn''t care, Peter just came more and more and she alternated between letting him fill her mouth and letting it flow down the back of her throat. Poison hummed within her and she felt magnificent as she watched Peter squirm and moan as he finished cumming.


    Whatever the symbiotes had done, at this moment all the worries, all the mistrust they had vanished as she cleaned him of the sticky white seed. She had enjoyed that more than she expected, even his taste was pleasant unlike the stories she had heard and she wondered if his symbiote had something to do with it.


    Gwen rinsed her mouth out with some water, not that she felt Poison left anything, and the pair cuddled happily in bed and soon she fell asleep. As Gwen slept, exhausted from their lovemaking, Peter let Venom cover him and slipped out into the night. He was confident now, confident enough to start on the first part of his plan.


    Principal Walters had been at Midtown High for twenty years now and he''d seen it all, good students and bad students and then there was Flash Thompson and Peter Parker. If he''d been quick enough he could have stopped the rivalry between them, gotten a brilliant honour student and blown away all the competition, getting cups and medals for intellectual events and with Flash, swept the sports events clean. The trophy case could have been filled with memories, not just for the kids but for the whole school.


    Now, at the end of the year, it was bare, he didn''t even want to put in the placement awards they''d won, a final tribute to the disaster he''d brought down by listening to that idiot Jack Thomspon. Sure he paid the board a huge grant each year, matched only by Norman Osborns but he felt it gave Flash the right to run rampant and the board agreed, the bullying and allegations of drug use were swept away, he had to grin and shake hands with that smug asshole as he hid his sons almost criminal activities.


    He looked at the empty case once more and sighed, even if he complained, took the evidence to the police Jack Thompson would have had him fired, and he always felt he was doing more good than bad here. The quiet halls of the school, now empty, were eerie at night, and as he did his last rounds of the term he knew that this might be his last year.


    As the locker banged Walters jumped, someone was in the school, someone was trying to steal the limited supplies they had, it might not be much but it was for the kids dammit. In an unusual fit of bravado, he peeked around the corner, the locker door hung open, he frowned, checking the number of the locker next to him and then counting along he realised it was Flash Thompson''s locker. It was open and from the crumpled notes on the floor, someone had gone through it.


    Venom watched him from the opened window, he had thought of scaring the man, of taking great joy in making him squirm and scream but he shook his head, a principal was a job, it didn''t pay well and there was no glory to be had, only fleeting moments. Venom didn''t have to do anything to this man, the look on his face as he stared into the empty trophy case said it all, he had broken himself, he had failed the school and nothing Venom did would top that. Swinging off into the night he felt a bitter taste in his mouth, he wanted revenge but scaring an old man wasn''t that, so he settled, for now anyway.


    A few days later J. Johan Jameson received a package, pictures and bottles were left for him at the front office, no name or nothing and as he scanned the contents he frowned and drew on his cigar. Some punk kid does steroids and this moron expects me to publish without proof. He pressed the intercom on his phone, "Elizabeth, get me the security guard that sent this up, tell that idiot he''s fired." He shook his head, sensational journalism was for hacks, now if they had proof that this ¡®Flush Tampons¡¯'' was doping then, of course, he''d publish, but this was just trash and he dumped the box in the bin. "Remind me never to hire a person whose handwriting is that terrible." Flush Tampons, as if he was going to waste his day figuring out who the hell that was supposed to be.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Twenty-Six. Training Daze

    Gwen huffed as she counted, it wasn''t fair but Peter was relentless. Not only did she have college to plan for, an internship at Oscorp to manage but now Peter was making her work out for two hours every night. It had only been a week since she moved but to her, it felt like longer.


    She was enjoying the intimacy she was feeling with Peter, he stopped living in his office home and had been sleeping in the same bed as her. Then in the morning, he would make her breakfast so she could shower and get ready for work, plus the sex had been mind-blowing. The only issue so far they had was Gwen¡¯s symbiote friend. As Gwen came, so did it, and it flooded her with more pleasure than she could cope with. Her teasing Peter of toe-curling orgasms and blacking out was turning out to be true and while Peter seemed to be a boundless font of stamina she was not, at least not in the bedroom.


    "One Hundred,¡± she said, as she lifted herself up one last time, doing pull-ups from a support beam in the warehouse roof. Peter was swinging across from her, as he had been doing this for almost six months, his routine was four hundred, and he still managed to outpace her.


    The routine they started together was a basic fitness course. One hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, one hundred squats, and a ten kilometre run. Peter said he read it somewhere, but as Gwen browsed the internet to find it, he had a small smirk on his face.


    "Gwen, you need to control your powers and your symbiote, you''re its master, not the other way round." He had scolded her, for several nights in a row he had woken to find Gwen''s symbskin tendrils extended into his crotch trying to ¡®milk¡¯ him and after another restless night he had had enough.


    Which was why she was doing physical training. Her webbing could be made into any chemical she knew but its tensile strength was abysmal, barely strong enough to hold her weight and so stretchy it was more like rubber than a rope. She had managed to make an acid web and could spray it fine enough that she had cracked and peeled the paint on her home, much to Peter''s annoyance. Other webs were banned, even if she could make them they had no way of testing them without damaging the warehouse.


    There was also an issue when they tried to fight. Each blow she felt her symbiote shy away, make her move to avoid the blow rather than take it, even if she knew it wouldn''t hurt. This was fine. If she was trained and could avoid blows normally, but as she was a dancer and not a fighter she jerked and fell more often than not.


    Not only that but her symbiote armoured skin was no better than normal skin, Gwen screeching in pain if it was cut or burned unlike Peter''s normal symbskin, not even his thickened plate.


    "Of course you asshole," Gwen had complained they tested the limits of the symbskin, "if my symbiote is still alive then, of course, it''ll hurt if you cut me." She had still watched in fascination as the small cut healed almost instantly, she still needed to make him feel guilty of course, guilt brought kisses and kisses often led to other things.


    This time though Peter was having none of it. He had put several projects on hold and hadn''t been hunting all week all because right now, anyone who found him and Gwen''s secret could take Gwen with no issues at all. She had the same powers as him, so why didn''t she have the same control over them as he did? In fact, she should be stronger than him, if his symbiote was dead it should have no energy of its own, only relying on his. It was one of the many questions they still had about their powers and the creatures that inhabited their bodies. Poison would still speak to Gwen whereas Venom never said anything to Peter, or if it had it was lost within his own thoughts.


    All he could do was make her train and train more, each ability he had was inbuilt so her symbiote with practise should be just as capable, of course, the swearing and shouts of pain, as she either fell, dropped something on herself or just missed whatever she was trying to achieve, were kinda funny if a bit painful to listen to. He''d had his share of mishaps with his powers so it made him feel a little better to know that even someone as smart and capable as Gwen could fail sometimes.


    "Hey Gwen, if you can do the obstacle course by the end of the week, I''ll match our last bet, and you can do whatever you want," Peter yelled at her, followed by a thump as she fell off the walkway above. She swore again but he knew that should have lit the same competitive fire in her that she lit in him, all he had to do was sit back and wait for the results. So far she had shown that while more sensitive she was a lot stronger, faster, and more agile. The enhancements to her biology were very apparent as they trained together. Poison''s issues were of control and even Gwen had to admit that in a fight she would be at a huge disadvantage.


    Gwen was ecstatic and her symbiote was almost vibrating under her skin, she could feel its lust for him as almost palpable compared to her own. "Really?" she shouted back as she picked herself up off the concrete, while Peter had been marking out paths and walkways they were still concrete and without her symbiote to cushion her fall she would have injured herself. Dodging and weaving, trying to leap from walkway to walkway was fine but each fall hurt and Poison just complained.


    Only the running was fun, as Gwen didn¡¯t mind the peaceful quiet it brought, the laps where she and Peter just ran around the walkways at the top of the building, watching the city through the tinted windows. Of course, showering together afterwards was its own reward.


    Peter looked up from the electronic device he was tinkering with, "Sure, but if you fail, then I call you Gwenom for a month and your symbiote gets its own unique punishment."


    Gwen''s fists unconsciously balled, she hated that name,


    Poison, not Gwenom, it spoke directly into her mind again,


    The rare occurrences were mainly to insult those around her or to make demands of her. She had found that once Poison started to complain about something a cookie or other sugary treat would calm her down, Gwen shook her head as she never once thought that she would have to bribe a symbiotic organism with sugar just so she could study in peace.


    Peter had his problems to deal with, he knew that while Electro had probably used enough power to take down an elephant the combination of the sound, the light and the electricity had highlighted an important flaw. While it was ¡®dead¡¯ it was still a living part of him rather than a separate entity, anything he was vulnerable to it was as well. He had enhanced senses, so much so he could feel the air move as Gwen trained, even if he closed his eyes, her heartbeat, her scent, and the sweat as it beaded between her perfect breasts were all apparent to him. He needed a filter, something to protect him from over stimulus, at least until he learned and adapted to his powers fully.


    First was a headset, he''d finished the design and it sat comfortably around his neck, he could double-tap the front and it sprang up, unfolding and covering his bottom jaw with a slick silver metal, two sound muffling earbuds, and two polarised tinted lenses. He needed to pull them up onto his face but once he extended his symbskin it fit perfectly, moulding around its features. His mask had adapted to the under armour and he wondered if his symbiote was as dead as they thought. His mask now had two white eyes that stared wide and narrowed to points, white crescents where the polarised lenses sat underneath. The white membrane thickened and thinned as he adjusted the lens, matching the polarisation of the headset. He had looked for one online but found nothing that suited his budget or his requirements unless he went for a full tactical helmet.


    It took him a bit of getting used to, his hearing was muted and his voice crackled every now and again, more to do with a misplaced solder or misaligned circuit than a faulty speaker but as a working prototype, it was perfect.


    Next, he worked on a grounding system, in studying kevlar and ceramic plating used in military and police body armour he practised making a second skin layer under the first. After several failed attempts he just admitted defeat, a second skin over the first then over his own was too bulky and rubbed uncomfortably, so he opted for the costumed menaces idea. One thin cloth bodysuit, pitch black and easily hidden under his clothes formed the underneath of his armour now. He carefully wove thin wire into the suit, stitching it tightly to the underside. Once he had the headset and the undersuit on and armoured up he couldn''t feel any different to normal, the thin cloth and wire cushioned by the symbskin.


    "Okay, hit me,¡± he said, as Gwen hid behind a thick sheet of steel with headphones and welders goggles on. She pressed a button and smelt the thick ozone filling the warehouse. The taser discharge was bright and loud after Peter rewired and upped the amperage on it. After counting to five she shut the weapon down again.


    "Pete?" She called out. "Shit, I can''t hear you. Pete, I''m taking these off okay?" she was yelling but didn''t know it, she hit the switch again to power the taser off completely, and after taking off the heavy and uncomfortable headgear poked her head around the plate.


    Peter was smoking, and not in a good way. Steam and burned skin flaked off his body but where the electricity had touched him was charred but intact. The lenses tinted dark black. His voice clicked, strange through the tinny speaker, "I''m fine, that worked, I didn''t feel it." Gwen sighed with relief, she knew they needed to train but shooting her boyfriend with a modified taser wasn''t part of that plan.


    After the experiments and training were over, Peter sat at the huge table with his sketchbook in front of him. He made up several designs for body armour that Poison could wear either over or under her symbskin. He had planned to make a suit for Gwen as well and armouring it seemed like a good idea, even if he could incorporate the grounding weave through it.


    As the symbiotes seemed to be able to form claws as well as their massive razor-toothed mouths, he shook his head as he thought of adding a weapons system. With limited equipment and machinery, it would be too easy to make something dangerous or faulty and it was scrapped.


    Gwen was just as strong as he was but had a few vulnerabilities he wasn''t happy about. He was sensitive to loud noises and bright lights, whereas Poison only seemed sensitive to touch and pain. Her gleeful demands for sugar and treats were more like a child refusing to eat properly and only wanting the nicest tasting things.


    The undersuit worked as expected, the headset was working, and everything was going to plan. With MJ moving in it seemed a fitting end to their time alone together. She would act, even if she didn''t know it, as a restraint between them and with the way they had been spending their nights, hardly sleeping and buried between each other¡¯s legs, it was needed.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Twenty-Seven. A New Room Mate

    MJ stood outside the address Gwen had given her, scowling at the faded grey walls of what she knew was an old meth lab. It hadn''t clicked with just the address until she saw the building, its once pristine grey outer shell dirtied black by neglect and whatever had been cooked up in and outside. Sure, someone had taken a bit of time to wash and scrub the walls, but it was definitely a work in progress. She silently cursed Gwen in her mind, if she was murdered here, she''d haunt Gwen for all eternity.


    She even knew she had been here before. This was where she spent the night with Peter and as she had rushed from the building, before she broke down and admitted everything to Peter, she hadn''t even realised where she was. He had brought her here in a state of shock, taking her somewhere safe after the incident at the diner.


    Now she had a chance to get a good look at it, she had walked around the neighbourhood. Not just wanting to see the apartment Gwen had talked about but the area as well. A great apartment in Hell''s Kitchen was still a bad idea and as she had walked around, it was noisy, busy but fairly clean.


    Her instinct to run wasn''t sounding too loudly though, there was little to no rubbish on the street, no signs of cardboard beds and temporary shelters, one of the reasons the lab went hidden for so long was the relatively clean and business vibe the area gave off. Even the coffee she just finished, bought from a nearby convenience store wasn''t bad. While she had noticed a few piles of cigarettes at the convenience store there was no oil can fire keeping homeless Joe warm. MJ mentally kicked herself for that, she had enough of stereotypes in her own life to start judging others by them.


    The pathway up to the main door had at least been weeded and cleaned, its paving stones in sharp contrast to the dandelion covered concrete of the surrounding area. The Brooklyn dockyard industrial area wasn''t exactly a thriving area for regentrification but the idea had been circulating for a while, not always a good thing as a few of the more outdated buildings had been burned down or just boarded up but at $1000 a month plus utilities MJ couldn''t be picky. It was this or the creepy comb-over landlord that was definitely staring at her ass and was definitely thinking of how MJ could ¡®cover the rent¡¯ if she was short.


    Mary Jane "MJ" Watson, an average student with a well above-average appearance, daughter to an absentee mother and an alcoholic father. Tired of dealing with him and the abuse he threw at her, about her mom, about her looks, about her grades, and about how she should pay more rent as she was working. Any excuse to drink and yell.


    Her budget was small, her grades meant all she could get was a waitress job, but her looks meant that while she got a lot of phone numbers she also got a lot of tips. It would tide her over till the modelling contract or acting job she longed for became a reality, but even then she got shit for that too.


    Women are supposed to empower themselves but she got tired of hearing that. So what if she was attractive? So what if she liked the idea of being a model? or a spokeswoman? Nope, today if you''re too smart or too attractive, you gotta be dumber or uglier. Can''t have anyone feeling inadequate. Of course, her father made sure she knew it, how to make your flesh and blood feel like crap for being attractive 101 seemed to be his favourite lecture, or quit being a fucking whore as he liked to call it.


    Scrunching the paper cup in her hand, it wasn''t the time to start feeling depressed MJ she mentally chided herself, time to grab destiny by the tits and swing like a goddamn princess. Taking a deep breath she pushed on the safety bar of the main door and strode tall into what she hoped wasn''t a murder rape cult meeting.


    "Holy Shit," MJ exclaimed. The outside was bland and boring but inside, she was stunned. Gwen hadn''t lied, along one wall were two sets of double, what looked like, storage containers, painted a clean white colour, she''d seen the build your own home videos on viewtube but seeing them in person was unreal. Even between them, she could see a small patch of grass, a few plants and, while she felt it was ironic, a small white plastic picket fence. The concrete flooring was spotless and a brick effect had been etched into it, making paths and a division between each area of the warehouse.


    MJ was still stunned, the other side had the warehouse''s office, painted a muter grey colour but with open windows and plain curtains blowing gently from a fan inside. "Hey MJ," Gwen waved and came out of the closest, well, home.


    "Oh, Hey Gwennie, uh, it''s not quite what I thought"


    Gwen laughed, "Yeah Pete''s been busy, You''ll be the one over there, $1000 and he''s got a proper lease, Nothing skeezy I promise," Gwen did a mock salute


    "Skeezy?" MJ queried her friend but Gwen just shushed her.


    Inside the container was even better, and for $1000 MJ could even relax on the job hunt, not having to take some of the more suspect modelling or acting jobs meant less likely to find pictures of her in her underwear or worse on the internet. Modelling yes, pornography, even tasteful nudes, was a no. She wasn''t going to be that kind of model, not until she had established herself. She had heard too many horror stories, real or not, about being typecast as that kind of actress. The sexist shitheads in the industry were bad enough without her being expected to do nude scenes or worse.


    Having scouted out the three rooms in the box home MJ was more and more confident about moving here, it was roomier than she thought plus it had the urban kitsch going for it. With the home being sat in a remodelled warehouse she thought running water might be a deal-breaker but the bathroom was fully fitted. In fact, the whole place was better than where she currently lived. Taking the leap, "Gwen, get Peter, I''ll sign today"


    Gwen squealed with joy and hugged her friend, staying with Peter and MJ was going to be so much fun. She was slightly annoyed that Peter suggested toning down their nightly activities. He''d become more and more daring and they''d hardly spend a night apart, but even if Poison grumbled she had to admit he was right, she''d been sleeping less and less and Poison was complaining more and more, trying to use Peter while they slept.


    Opening the front door, Gwen just yelled across the warehouse floor, "Hey Pete, MJ wants to sign today." Neither of them had noticed that Peter was outside one of the portable offices and he had stripped to the waist, painting something.


    Both MJ and Gwen caught their breaths, Damn, thought MJ as she saw him without his top on again, Peter was ripped. Even Flash on training schedule wasn''t as lean and cut as Peter was, the supposed science geek had more muscle tone and definition than the professional athlete during a season. Her gaze lingered on him and as he turned he grinned and flexed for them. MJ blushed and turned, realising that she''d been staring.


    "Still haven''t told him huh?" Gwen asked her, MJ shook her head. She and Peter had grown up together but the mugging that took Ben from him also ended his childhood, he wasn''t the same afterwards and once they moved to a smaller place they lost contact. At Midtown High he was excited to see her, then came Flash.


    It was fine when they first started dating but one innocent answer later and Peter became the object of Flash''s ire. She didn''t know that by telling him she missed hanging out with Peter she was upsetting him. In less than a week Flash went from nice guy to bully, and the one time she said something he gave her a look she recognised, her father gave her it often enough. Whatever macho bullshit existed in his mind saw Peter as the childhood friend destined to take MJ from him, so Peter suffered.


    Even after she tried to make him see reason, she was put in her place, not by Flash though, the other girls made sure to let her know Flash was to be kept happy or there would be consequences and she was now another trophy for the high school hero. Nobody cared as long as he never hit her, nobody cared that the marks he left were on the inside, just like the ones her father gave her.


    That then added more guilt to MJ''s plate, she had tried to reconcile with Peter, but he''d shied away from her, mumbling excuses as to why they couldn''t hang out. MJ knew though, that it was really because of Flash, all because of her boyfriend, soon to be ex-boyfriend. At the hospital, he''d become more than just angry at the accident, more than just upset. She could see the rage, not anger but suppressed violent rage bubbling beneath the surface.


    "No, it''s been difficult dealing with Flash and my Dad getting on my case to give him more money, as if supporting myself wasn''t hard enough," MJ wrapped her arms around herself.


    "Flash?" Gwen had been a bad friend in that regard, she knew he was in hospital but not why, with everything that had happened no one talked about that night, about why she''d woken up from a coma. She knew about the fight and that she''d been hurt but as far as she was concerned as long as Pete and MJ were fine then she had put it out of her mind.


    "Yeah," MJ sighed. "He lost both his feet. Crushed by the wall that fell. He''s been drinking and just, off the rails. Blaming everyone for what happened, even his dad hasn''t," MJ paused, Peter had reappeared with a T-shirt on and a stack of papers. "I don''t want to talk about it," Gwen noticed the sudden shift in her behaviour and Poison stirred.


    "Oh for fucks sake. Pete, MJ likes you, she''s got a whole bunch of stuff she wants to talk to you about. MJ sign the damn papers and then get your shit together once you get back here. I''m not living with mopey and mumpy. Grow the fuck up you two." MJ winced as the usually calm Gwen hurled a whole bunch of cuss words but Peter seemed to be oddly calm about it, was Gwen like this when her dad wasn''t around? MJ pondered.


    Pete sighed, "yeah, I know, but uh, Flash made it clear that I wasn''t to go near you, remember the two-day absence I had at the start of term?"


    MJ nodded, "oh yeah, you fell."


    Peter shook his head, "Flash broke my wrist."


    Shit, MJ thought to herself, now he really hates me.


    "So uh, Give me a heads up if Flash will come round, I won''t interfere, I''m not gonna say he can''t but I don''t want to see him," Peter warned her.


    MJ shook her head, "I, I don''t know if he''ll want to be here, ever. Peter, I don''t even know if I want him here. I mean, this, this is too much for me, shit." MJ took a breath, "when the hell did this all happen, I mean," She motioned around her, "this is amazing."


    With Gwen¡¯s sudden bombshell and with the state of the warehouse, she saw it, the light. The first real chance she had to actually be free, from not just her father but from Flash as well.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Twenty-Eight. Confession

    "Peter, no, I uh, stay, no, yeah, stay." MJ''s mind was a mess right now, Gwen''s little reveal added to just how amazing this place was had sent her brain spinning, her chance to be free was right here. MJ took a breath, "Peter, stay. I''ll sign as I trust Gwen and I know you won''t do anything, you''re not skeevy as Gwen put it," even Peter raised an eyebrow at that.


    "Skeevy?" he mouthed at Gwen as MJ leaned forwards to sign each part of the lease, Gwen tapped him on the arm, scowling and shushing him.


    "But, phew, okay. but uh Flash bullying you was my fault. I told him uh, that we were friends and uh, he got jealous I guess, he never told me what he was doing and I never asked him to do. It was all done behind my back but um, I''m sorry Peter, I was scared, everyone loved him, no one gave a crap about what he did or who he did it too."


    It was a lot for Peter to take in. Flash bullying him made his life hell after he started High School, he had few friends if any, and once Flash made himself known everybody began to avoid him. Even Gwen had gotten a few snide comments from Flash''s crew, her only shield was her dad. So to hear MJ admit it was her fault threw him for a loop.


    Did he want to forgive her? Hell did he even blame her? and as he thought about it, he didn''t. If she''d asked Flash to keep him away then yeah, she''d be on her ass in the street right now, but could he really blame her for how Flash behaved? He never bought that ¡®guilty by association¡¯ crap and he wasn''t about to start now.


    He listened as MJ fumbled through an explanation, about how Flash kept her on a short leash and her father never helped, of course, he wouldn''t. Dating the son of a millionaire would be payday for someone like him. For Peter, it wasn''t MJ''s fault, even if she blamed herself.


    "MJ, stop, Flash wasn''t your responsibility, he did those things himself, he did it to both of us, so no, stop."  Peter said, MJ was almost on the verge of tears now and Peter needed to get things back under control, "It''s fine, I don''t blame you." and MJ wiped her eyes.


    She pulled out a tissue from her bag and blew her nose, "Sorry," and Peter shook his head and handed her the lease and smiling she signed.


    Gwen was sitting between the two of them. She wants him, smell it, and it wasn''t until she took in a slight sniff through her nose that she realised that she could. MJs fear, her guilt and even her slight dampness were all open to Gwen, Even from Peter she could smell the heightened adrenaline in his scent, his rage bubbling under his calm demeanour as usual,


    kill her, eat her, Poison whispered in her ear


    Shut the fuck up, right now she mentally slammed back,


    mate her too. If the Gwen wouldn''t listen to her she could only make more reasonable suggestions.


    Now that, Gwen mused as she spied Peter and MJ slowly coming out of their shells towards each other, is a much better idea.


    MJ and Peter talked late into the afternoon, MJ only having to leave to get her things packed away while her father was out at his job. While he was what they called a high functioning alcoholic, his mall cop job allowed him to keep his drinking habit going, even if he still took whatever money he could from MJ.


    Gwen had left the two of them alone and had been working out while studying, sit-ups and push-ups while reading various biology and chemistry textbooks, preferring to download them overpaying. Giving the middle finger to not only the extortionate book prices but to her father, as the money stayed in a separate account and bought her and Peter little treats now and then.


    Peter too had been studying hard, getting his General Education Development, the G.E.D. was easy enough. He walked into the night class, did a mock exam in front of the lecturer, who marked it and told him to come back in 6 months when he would sit the real ones. He still had to pay of course but it still left him free time for other things.


    One of those was trying to save money. He''d discovered an alternate route to get qualifications, vendor exams. The big tech companies offered specific exams using or fixing their software and hardware, routers, engines, anything that ran from a computer had an exam. The situation was even easier than the G.E.D., buy a book, install the software and once you''d completed it go and sit an exam. The problem was each one cost $5000 and if you failed you needed to pay again. Peter was nowhere near having that kind of money and since the accident, even Alexsi had been skimping on the wages.


    The rent money he was receiving from Gwen and MJ was going to help but he needed to make sure he had spare in case anything happened as well as paying his own bills. He was strapped for cash, not helplessly poor but if he didn''t get a good-paying job soon he wouldn''t be able to afford his exams.


    He had been sketching various designs onto draft paper, thinking of some way to get into the tech industry. The problem was not just funds but the designs themselves. Anything used for public use would be rigorously tested and anything medical needed to be certified after years of trials. He was looking at maybe 5 to 10 years of just R&D on anything he built, even licencing it out to another firm wouldn''t save him from that.


    He had no idea how long he had been drawing and stressing over Parker Inc when Gwen appeared behind him and kissed him on the cheek, "You look tired Pete," she said and he shrugged. He had to admit to himself that he felt tired. Nothing was working out how he planned, a lack of money was holding him back, and with MJ''s sudden apology and revelation about Flash, he had been making no progress on any designs, his head full of thoughts on punishing Flash.


    He shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m fine Gwen, just a lot today you know?¡± Screw it, MJ had apologised and Flash could go fuck himself. Time to stop living in the past and time to just start moving on. Living together with MJ would mend the bridges he thought were long gone but that he wished weren¡¯t.


    "Come on, it''s MJ''s first night, we''re having a small party." Peter inwardly groaned, he''d forgotten to plan something and felt like an ass. While he and Gwen had celebrated in their own way it was still stupid and inconsiderate for him to ignore her, just because he was mad at Flash. He hadn''t seen an article in the Bugle and he guessed Jack must have paid off the editors, getting the story binned.


    MJ was sat at the huge table and Gwen had got pizza, they had discovered a family place that made their pizzas from scratch and while they were expensive they were amazing. Thick pepperoni slices decorated three large pizzas, and as Gwen stuffed a whole slice into her mouth MJ looked at her, "waat?" Gwen said with a full mouth.


    "We''re doing keep fit, it''s fine," Pete said as he grabbed a slice of his own, "To you MJ," and he raised the slice in a mock toast. She grinned and raised her own, damn the pizza was good they both thought.


    "Ooh, oh I made mock-geritas." Gwen said, bringing over a huge jug of pale green juice, "uh yeah, work tomorrow so I can''t drink sorry, but they''re good, honest." Gwen''s love of chemistry extended to drinks as well and Pete knew her cocktails, even the virgin ones would be amazing.


    Pouring each of them drinks Gwen acted as host and handed them out. "So?" She said, "Dating yet?" MJ almost spat out her drink and began to cough.


    "What?" she glared at Gwen, "I''m sorta still dating Flash"


    she lies, smell it, wants to mate, yes, yes


    "Look, let''s get his out the way," Gwen said, "You''ve always liked him, so just admit it and we''ll all move on, look, I''ll start, Pete and I are dating, we''ve had sex, like a lot and uh, I kinda like you MJ, you know, that way. So why not make it a threesome?"


    Even Peter didn''t know what to say, he knew Felicia might be gay but Gwen, "Uh, Gwen, are you?"


    "Bi, Pete and yes, since, you know, it''s been on my mind and living together, well, I don''t want it to get weird." She admitted.


    "Uh-huh," MJ was quiet, looking at her drink.


    "Get weird? you mean, admitting we''re having sex, that you like MJ and that she should date me so we can have a threesome weird?" Peter asked.


    "Oh stop being a drama queen Pete, we''re all adults now, so what, would you rather sit and mope about hurt feelings and unrequited love, or just admit it and get over it?"


    Pete clenched his jaw, staring at Gwen, "now''s not the time for that, is it? Gwen. Maybe you need a time out."


    "It''s uh, warm in the homes huh?" MJ began to strip her top off, Peter turned as her sluggish movements lifted the thin camisole she had under her jumper up to bare her breasts at him


    "Uh no, I''ve got the air-con hooked up, it shouldn''t be that warm, Gwen?"


    "Nah, it''s Hawt!" MJ declared, trying to put her glass down on the table and missing. Peter sprang forwards and caught the glass, "wooo, way to go tiger," MJ clapped and cheered.


    "MJ, are you, are you drunk?" Peter raised an eyebrow at Gwen, now taking a drink from her own glass she tilted her head and shrugged. Lifting the glass, Peter sniffed the concoction, but it was just lemon and lime juice. There was a strange smell though, something familiar but at the same time alien to him.


    MJ swayed back and forth, "You know Pete, you know, I was hurt. Hurt!" she slurred, "I mean, we were best buds, the two amigos and then poof, you forget me, yah know, you left me with that asshole and dumb bitch me just let you." MJ reached for her glass but swaying she missed, knocking over the pitcher instead. Seeing the fruit juice everywhere, she giggled, "ahh oops".


    Peter sprang up, "Gwen, get MJ some water and I''ll clean this up." He grabbed some paper towels from the kitchen, he''d scored an industrial roll from a bulk warehouse and had plenty. Angrily ripping paper from the roll, he made sure to get enough for all the spills before heading back. Before that he cornered Gwen, grabbing her arm, pulling her into the apartment.


    "Really? you think I can''t smell that, you think I wouldn''t know there was something else in there?" There was a perceptible growl to Peter''s voice as he fought the rage.


    Gwen struggled in his grip, "Pete, you''re hurting me."


    Peter let her go, she was right and he was starting to lose control. "Sorry, Sorry, but did you think I''d be okay with you drugging MJ? What were you thinking?"


    Gwen rubbed her arm, "Pete, I didn''t, I would never, that''s MJ, sure, I admitted I like her but drugs?"


    Gwen took the glass from Peter and sniffed it, she could smell the lemon and lime plus the few other ingredients she mixed together and he was right, there was a slightly strange smell underneath it all, and as she shrugged at Peter, they could hear MJ thrashing around and the sound of smashing glass.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Twenty-Nine. Watch And Learn (NSFW)

    MJ was on the floor, having some kind of seizure. "Pete, it was just lemon and lime juice, I swear, I made it earlier with Poison and I even tested it, it was safe." Peter was swearing under his breath, trying to get a pillow, anything under her head to stop it from banging on the floor. Gwen stood in the doorway, "No, no Pete, I wouldn''t, it was just juice, I wouldn''t," she was interrupted as MJ shot up, pointed both hands at Gwen and webbed her to the doorframe.


    "WE ARE MUSE!" she screeched as a pure white fluid flowed over her body, unlike Poison and Venom she didn¡¯t have a spider icon, instead blobs of black seemed to slide and slither over her skin, like a perverse copy of a rorschach test. Her hair had been dyed a deeper flame red and they could see the taut muscles as she flexed and examined herself in front of them.


    Peter was stunned, they didn''t have another symbiote but standing towering over him was definitely another symbiote. MJ''s thin frame giving it an almost alien androgynous look. Peter and Gwen stood stunned, as MJ paced back and forth.


    "Petey Petey Pete Pete," she chittered over and over again, "what little secrets have you been hiding from us? Peter."


    "Mmm, it''s okay, we forgive you Petey Pete but Gwen, Gwennie Gwenomie Gwen, naughty naughty. Yes we hear it, we hear Muse she tells us the naughty little thoughts from mommy, wanting in our tiny whities, yes yes yes wanting in our secret place indeed." Muse prowled back and forth behind the table, her symbskin morphed into the same colours as Poison, "but no no no, not we want, we like the man meat, not the girl slots, no rubbing and licking for the Gwennie, not our naughty little Gwennie." Gwen was frozen in horror. She knew Peter could turn people, she was the evidence of that but MJ now as well?


    Peter broke from his stupor, "MJ, it''s okay, we can fix this," he put his hands out, trying to be as non-threatening as possible. When Poison first awoke it was wild, uncontrollable and they fought, while he had help from Gwen he didn''t want to hurt MJ in the process.


    "Fix? Petey, fix nothing, she wants us, we want us, we love us mm mm Mmmm, we feel good," Muse ran her hands down her sides and then back up her front, "we like this," she hissed at him. Her skin changed again and she was now black with the white spider, copying Venom.


    "Gwen, anytime now," Gwen was still webbed to the doorway and Peter had hoped she would be in the process of saving herself while he kept her occupied.


    "It''ll take a while, her webs are as strong as yours," Gwen said, struggling to even get her dissolving web fluid onto the web binding her.


    "I''ll help you in a minute but now, MJ, please, you gotta calm down okay. We can fix this."


    Peter had no idea what the hell was going on, he knew that one of his abilities was to make someone into a symbiote host but where did Muse come from? he shot a look at Gwen and she shrugged, whatever had happened she looked just as confused as he did.


    "Gwen, I thought you said it was just juice?" Peter shouted,


    "It was, Poison you little shit what did you do?"


    More tasty treats, more meat for mommy, yum yum yes yes.


    "Oh shit Pete, Poison did this. She spawned and infected MJ."


    "You can do that?" He shouted at her.


    "I didn''t fucking know, did I."


    Muse''s face split into a huge grin of sinister proportions and she threw her head back, laughing as her skin changed once more, back to the white and black. "You two are so fucked you know that. Poor Petey can''t control his girlfriend and little Gwen thought she''d get some action," MJ straightened up, "you''re both idiots!" she snapped


    "MJ this isn''t you, the symbiotes mess with your head, they flood your nervous and endocrine system with pleasure and feel-good hormones, it''s a high you don''t want to lose," Peter tried to explain, he was trying to keep his cool, a fight with MJ was the last thing he wanted but Gwen, or Poison, had gone way overboard this time.


    "This isn''t me?" She retorted, "maybe this is me." The white symbiote armour began to pull back into her body and her pale white skin came into view. "This is me Peter." He had to avert his gaze when she had transformed her clothes had been eaten away by the symbiote and she was stood completely naked in front of him.


    "Look at me!" She yelled "Look at what little Gwennie did to me, parcelled me up all for daddy Pete to eat, om nom nom but ahh, it didn''t go according to plan huh Gwenny. Little Poison lied and schemed all on her own and Muse was born when your back was turned but don''t worry tiger, we don''t blame you, no we don''t. See, Gwen didn''t know that the symbiotes transfer knowledge through themselves so we know you had nothing to do with it, we know it was all her!" MJ motioned to Peter. "But you know, she wanted us for you, to make us one big family. Her as mommy and me as a little toy for you both to play with, and Gwennie, that makes us angry. Angry you took him, angry everyone decided what little Mary gets, never getting to choose what she wants."


    Gwen struggled against the webbing but even though her acid was dissolving it, it was taking too long she struggled in vain, "MJ, I''m sorry okay, Poison, Poison was affecting me, it was her."


    MJ just shook her head, "and if we believe that, we''d believe that tiger here wasn''t hard and aching for our nubile young flesh," MJ leapt over the table and spun Peter round, her arms snaking down his body and over the bulge in his pants.


    "Peter packed a potent pecker," she sang at Gwen, rubbing her hands over it. He knew Flash was mad cause he thought Peter was interested in MJ but maybe it was because she was actually interested in him. Her hands continued to rub against the bulge. MJ stared at Gwen, waiting for her to make her choice. "Make your choice, yes or no, one question, one answer."


    Gwen frowned and looked down, "Yes," she whispered, knowing full well this was what she wanted, even if this wasn''t how she wanted it.


    MJ''s hand glided down to his zipper where she slowly unzipped his pants, letting his erection spring free. She gasped at finally seeing what he was hiding there. "Oh tiger, is that for us?" She asked as her hand found it and began to stroke it gently. "We couldn''t have asked for a nicer housewarming present Gwennie, can we see if it fits, I think it will don''t you?"


    With the situation developing Peter was willing but still hesitant. It had only been hours since they had made up and now this was about to happen. Even with Gwen''s answer, he had a choice to make, no, he had already made it. Gwen, even if it was Poison, had wanted this, and now, so did he.


    Sitting himself down he pulled off his pants the rest of the way and threw off his shirt. MJ laughed, "Naughty naughty Tiger,¡± and bending over she slid his cock into her mouth, taking it down her throat and then with a pop, letting it spring free. ¡±You give it till I''m full." Straddling him she was facing Gwen and when she leant back she spread her legs and guided the tip of his cock into her folds. "Gwennie Gwennie Gwen Gwen, watch as I have him, watch as he does me."


    She lowered herself and Peter slid into her like he was made for her, smoothly and gently, grinding up and down like it was the only thing they had been made to do. She was a virgin but years of playing with herself took away any pain or discomfort she might have felt. All she felt now was him, all she wanted now was him.


    His hands slid up her body and he kissed her neck, each thumb and forefinger gently pulling on her sensitive nipples, and she couldn''t help but moan in pleasure as he drove himself into her. She cupped her own hands around his, grasping and squeezing at her small but sensitive breasts, turning her head to try and kiss him.


    Moving one of his hands down she moved his fingers over her clit, and once he started to rub and play with it she went to play with her own nipples, feeling the orgasm build slowly, Peter was a burning rod deep in her, rubbing each tender spot, caressing her velvet soft insides with tingling expertise.


    Eyeing over to Gwen she was staring in rapt awe at the show, she could only bite her lip as Peters cock slide in and out of the pink velvet lips of her best friend, the wetness of her inner pink walls driving her insane, she wanted free to drive her tongue between them, she wanted free to join in the fun, she wanted it so badly she had even stopped trying to free herself, the scene before her hypnotising her into inaction.


    ¡°Watch Gwen, watch as I fuck your boyfriend, watch as I take him from you.¡± Muse taunted Gwen. ¡°We loved him, you knew we loved him and yet you stole him, we take what is ours, we take what is yours.¡±


    Feeling the tsunami of orgasm build, MJ pulled back, hovering over Peter. "pound me, tiger, pound me hard" and with no complaint, Peter lifted her up, she leant back and her weight was held complete by his two hands and he began to piston in and out of her, this was what she wanted now, slow gentle build up a gentle river flowing into a raging torrent and orgasm after orgasm thundered through her.


    Peter too was at his limit, he let MJ go and as she slid when his length the orgasm raged through his cock and he spurted a thick river of cum into her. He didn''t care they hadn''t used protection he wanted to fill her, to mark her as his and this was his way of doing so. MJ also realised he had just finished inside her, but she wanted it. She could feel the heat of each drop and her symbiote greedily sucked it up as he tried to fill her. She lifted herself up and Gwen watched as Peter sprayed MJ¡¯s folds with his come, up to her stomach and her hand dipped down, lifting the white cum and sucking it from her fingers.


    ¡°He is mine now,¡± and as his erection had yet to fade, she turned and faced him and slid herself back down onto it and began again.


    Gwen watched in fascination, she still wanted free but to see her boyfriend twitch and empty into her friend brought her own little world to a tipping point, watching her boyfriend and her best friend having sex made her orgasm and she loved it. Even Poison in her mind wanted it, she realised more about herself with one stupid mistake that she had all year, and as Peter dipped his head and began to suck on MJ¡¯s nipples, as she could see Petes cock still hard inside MJ, Gwen realised that she didn''t care.


    For the first time, she wanted something for herself, even if she might be told it was perverted and wrong. She wanted to be over there, licking and sucking on them both as he slid into her, Gwen now knew she really had bisexual tendencies, not just a crush, and watching the pair, she fantasied about not just Peter but MJ, wanting to taste where they were joined, wanting to taste the both of them together. Most of all she wanted to be free.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc One. Chapter Thirty. Reconciliation

    Peter and MJ had dressed and cleaned themselves, and once the show was over Gwen snapped out of her daze and dissolved the rest of the webbing herself.


    The trio sat at the breakfast table in the courtyard and Peter handed both of them a coffee. There was an uncomfortable silence surrounding them, while they had all wanted it, it still left a strange atmosphere in the air.


    "So, uh, what''s the deal with the three of us?" Peter had to broach the subject, he and Gwen were dating and while MJ had admitted she liked him that was meant to be it. Poison spawning and Muse being created was an accident, the sex was definitely not supposed to have happened.


    "What do you want us to be Pete?" It was the worst question Gwen could have asked him. She had made her mind clear, and with Muse''s outburst, she was a willing accomplice in this as well.


    He was tired of being beaten and being the victim, he had been wronged but it was now time to take back what was rightfully his, not Peter Puker, not Pussy Parker. He took MJ while Gwen watched and it made him feel good. He took out muggers and the scum that plagued Midtown and New York and it felt good. He was tired of being the underdog, he was strong, he was smart, he was building an Empire not playing house with dolls. He was Peter Parker, the indomitable Venom!


    "I want both, you and MJ," he replied and Gwen pulled a serious face and sat back in her chair.


    "I dunno Pete, you got the stamina for both?" Gwen stood and removed her top and she shimmied out of her pants. "Do you want us both?" and she climbed onto his lap, "I want you to have both," and while MJ watched, she slid herself onto Peter''s manhood. MJ had watched porn before, who hadn''t, but to see it, to watch it live was intense. MJ admitted to herself that while she didn''t want to join in she did want to stay and watch. As her hand dipped between her legs, she also thought that sharing wouldn''t be so bad after all.


    The next morning the atmosphere was refreshing. Peter had left the pair sleeping and had slipped out to make breakfast. The afterglow was still wrapped around him, a warm comforting smell of sex, of Gwen and now MJ, and Peter felt happy. Once he started to make bacon Gwen dragged a very frazzled looking MJ out into the courtyard and Peter served them bacon and toast with the usual coffee while they woke up.


    "Only bacon and toast? The maid service here is terrible." Gwen winked at MJ, "Must be slacking off or something." and she hid a smile behind her coffee cup. She was teasing him as several times last night he had proved that he had more than enough stamina, tiring out both her and MJ. Gwen was amazed he had still woken up before them and managed to make breakfast


    He shrugged, "I didn''t fall asleep last night, that was you," he quipped back and she knew she couldn''t retort to that, so she cheated instead, leaning over, letting her nightdress slip down and showing her pale skin and chest underneath she lent in for a kiss. He laughed and pulled her into his lap. Kissing the side of her neck, "but are we okay? I mean, with last night?"


    "I''m fine with that, I like MJ so I''m good but MJ, break up with Flash. He can''t know about us, I don''t even like the idea of him coming here but you know, that''s on you," Gwen paused, "but let''s make it clear, this isn''t high school anymore if he causes shit he can expect an ass-kicking."


    MJ smiled at that. Since the accident Flash had been at odds with everyone, breaking up with him was bad timing but with the yelling and the abuse, it was the right thing to do. Gwen was right, she finally got to tell Peter how she felt. She finally had a chance to explain and he forgave her, maybe the sex after pushed it over the top but she''d enjoyed it, she''d wanted it. She''d vowed never to let just anyone into her bed.


    Flash got drunk after a party and puked over himself, in helping him clean up and avoid the cops a stupid rumour started. It was around the whole school within a few days, that she''d slept with him at a motel, and she never lived it down. It even made it to her father and he asked if she got pregnant, cause he''d make sure Flash took responsibility, financially of course. He''d just used it as an excuse to yell at her more in the end, just like her mother, pregnant at 18, even though she''d tried to tell him nothing happened.


    That was in the past now, she was here and with Muse she was happy with Peter. She was finally able to speak to him, finally able to explain her side and while she felt guilty it had taken so long she was still happy it was said. It was still just the most messed up way of this happening and MJ still couldn''t get her head around it. Both Peter and Gwen promised to explain it to her and could even show her some slides. All she knew was that last night she and Peter had had sex while Gwen watched, then a very submissive and very apologetic Gwen let Peter have her as well. it had been bizarre to watch but it wasn''t the strangest thing to happen and she was okay with it.


    MJ snorted, ¡°I uh, Flash isn¡¯t even in the picture now. I wouldn''t not that and then, no,¡° and she shook her head, ¡±no¡±


    MJ tried to deflect the tension that mentioning Flash brought up, "Uh, Muse says Hi by the way."


    "You can talk to your symbiote? Gwen says hers hardly speaks and mine never says a word." Peter asked,


    "Uh yeah, Muse talks to me all the time but uh, she thinks Poison is damaged somehow and yours is dead, from what you, uh gave me earlier, you know the sex and all, it¡¯s definitely not acting as it should be. It¡¯s like fragments of a symbiote rather than a living one."


    Peter was stunned, was that why he couldn''t talk to his like MJ or Gwen? and why he seemingly had more control over his powers than Gwen did, Poison seemed to fight her at every turn where Peter just willed Venom and it obeyed. "Thing is, from what Muse thinks, Poisons like a moron of symbiotes, Nah wrong word, oh and definitely not that one, no one says retard unless its an insult, oh it is, uh okay, developmentally challenged is better, yeah Poison is damaged, prolly cause Gwen was dying and you didn''t have complete control of your powers the time. That''s why she can''t control her and her powers are screwy"


    "We Are Not Retarded!" A fully suited Poison flew through the doorframe at MJ, who laughed and grabbing her arms wrapped herself around Poison, pulling on her own symbskin, Muse flipped back and pushed Poison up to the ceiling with her feet and as Poison sailed up and hit the bottom of the rafters, Muse webbed her there.


    The sight of the Poison stuck to a rafter made Peter chuckle amongst other things "hey, no roughhousing in the warehouse, go outside if you two whippersnappers are gonna play."


    Both Muse and Poison stopped and looked at Peter, "Whippersnappers? And seriously, no one says roughhousing Pete," Gwen quipped


    "Aww come on, it was a joke."


    Both girls devolved into a fit of giggles at the defeated Peter. It became obvious that they weren''t seriously fighting, Muse and Poison were both testing their limits against each other. Poison dissolved the webbing and landed perfectly on the floor, "superhero landing," she said and they all shared a laugh.


    It was obvious that Peter had the most control over his powers and as it seemed his symbiote was fully integrated into his body a better variety of powers, however, that came with a drawback, his power set was limited to what he could do with a non-Newtonian semi-organic alien symbiote liquid living within his cells. There was no evolving, no learning, no upgrade. They decided that his powers were fixed, finite, if he couldn''t do it now, he probably wouldn''t be able to do it in the future either.


    Gwen could control and create new combinations of liquids, poisons and other drugs just by absorbing the relevant formula and base chemicals into her body, Poison allowed her to manufacture and store them with no harm to herself as she learned to make storage points and biochemical factories within Gwen''s cells themselves. Peter had no method to replicate this, he could feel the webbing chamber in his arm but as to how to change its formula, he either couldn''t or wasn''t able to figure out how to.


    MJ it seemed had the best of both worlds, her symbiote was smarter than Gwen¡¯s, knew to do what both Poison and Venom could but as she lacked the relevant power. What she could do however was change into various sets of clothing, altering MJ''s skin and even makeup. Muse had apparently taken MJ''s love of stage and theatre, naming herself after the Greek goddesses of inspiration.


    She had taken a long look at herself as well, Gwen taking her to one side and explaining a few of the more feminine sided things. Gwen had been right. MJ was never one to exercise but now the taut lines of her new physique were obvious as she posed and flexed in the mirror. She tried on an old bra but unlike Gwen, found she was still the same 36C she always was and peering closely saw that her skin was now blemish free, even some of her old acne marks were faded. Her hair had taken on a lustrous sheen and now curled at the ends as if freshly washed and cut. Thankfully she was still the same height, and all of her clothes still fit her, she was now just, better.


    Did you do this?


    Yes yes, we make the Mary Jane perfect, to attract the Peter,


    I don¡¯t think that¡¯ll ever be an issue Muse, MJ laughed in her head and as she looked at herself, I don''t think that¡¯ll ever be an issue.


    She was a stronger, faster version of Poison with the adaptability of Venom. They all agreed though, while MJ was adapting to her new power set she would be not just joining Gwen and Peter in their morning training routine but taking time off from work, The last thing any of them needed was a raging symbiote smashing plates on belligerent customers.


    "But I''m fine," MJ whined as they banned her from work. "No emotional outbursts, Muse and I are fine." MJ was pouting, since she''d bonded with Muse she''d never felt better.


    "No, Muse can keep you happy but it¡¯s not healthy, you need to learn to cope," Peter explained but she still pouted.


    we will keep you safe Mary Jane, we love you.


    "Muse protects me, Peter, she wouldn''t do anything like that."


    Peter rolled his eyes, "uh-huh, oh hey, want to screw? like, bend you over the table right now?"


    MJ was out of her pants and was pulling off her top before she stopped. "Asshole. So okay, okay, I get it. Muse is affecting my mood. Uh about that then,'''' MJ''s eyes sparkled. "Do I get a rebate on my rent for the, uh, you know, dirty landlord who promised no funny stuff?"


    Peter sighed, "MJ. With this," and he motioned to himself, "you should be paying more," and grinned.


    MJ and Gwen just stared at him before bursting out laughing.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Thirty-One. Flash Fired

    Flash felt angry, nothing but angry since he woke up in the hospital. It didn''t matter that his life was on the line, no one understood that football was his life. So when his father made the call to have both of his feet amputated after the Venom incident, he had effectively ended more than just his career, he had ended his future too.


    Flash didn''t care about the latest prosthetics or that he would be able to walk or play ball again with them. He felt like a freak, less than a man and his dreams of professional football was nothing but that now, a dream. One he had woken up from to find a new nightmare had taken its place. He''d tried to connect with her again, but even that was impossible, every time he looked at her he saw the diner, every time he tried to touch her, she flinched.


    "Look Flash, you''ve been bottling up so much stuff and all I''m saying is that you need to see the therapist as well as the physio," MJ stated, since Muse was there she¡¯d become braver when facing people like Flash, even if he yelled or screamed she knew Muse would protect her. Not just mentally. Peter had been showing her some simple moves, taught by his martial arts class and she knew with super-strength she could defend herself against someone like Flash with no effort. She had even considered joining him, she would never have to feel afraid again, not with Peter and not with Muse protecting her.


    He didn''t care and stared sullenly at the end of the hospital bed where his feet used to be, where his hopes and dreams had been cut off from him, all because of that damn Venom, all because of that damn Parker.


    He''d even taken MJ away and now she was leaving him for Parker, he''d had enough in junior high, listening to her go on and on about damn Parker until he asked her out, it only took three attempts to wear her down, but even then he never felt like she was his girlfriend. They never did anything serious, nothing like the other guys bragged about. They held hands and she kissed him once after a big win but that was it.


    "Flash, are you even listening to me? I can''t, I can''t do this Flash, you say nothing, you do nothing. It''s too much." He watched emotionlessly as tears dripped from MJ''s face. What the fuck was she crying for? He¡¯d saved her when the ceiling came down. He knew that it would have crushed her if he hadn''t pushed her out the way, if he hadn''t saved her he would have been fine. He felt the rage bubble up once more.


    "Your fault, it''s your fault," he screamed at her and she flinched backwards, scrambling to move away from him. She could see that this was more than anger, his fists gripped the blanket around his waist, his knuckles white from the pressure, his face red as he yelled.


    "No, Flash you, you saved me, you can''t."


    "I can, if I hadn''t saved you, I wouldn''t be here, leave, go, just...fucking go." He yelled at her.


    In a flood of tears, MJ grabbed her bag and ran from the room, the nurses in the hallway heard their altercation and while Flash was angry there was no need for him to lash out at her, especially as it wasn''t the first time. MJ ran through the hospital, tears streaming down her face until she reached the main entrance, searching for a cab she dashed inside.


    The cabbie looked at the tear sodden young woman, mascara and makeup stains all over her face. "Hey, you alright miss?" MJ took a few deep breaths and nodded at the cabbie. Normally with pickups from outside the hospital, he knew better than to ask. If she wanted to talk she would, but sometimes the news wasn''t the sharing kind.


    While the cabbie looked at her in concern, she was too busy to reply, Muse? Can you do that, I mean, all the time? Make me cry?


    We can, we can make the mary feel whatever she wants, but we don''t, the Flash did that, we just made you feel it, to hide is to hurt more,


    MJ is fine you know, we¡¯re uh, close enough that Mary sounds weird, but do you? Do you make me feel things?


    We can, but we do not. The Peter is right, too much and you break, too little and you break, we make you happy when needed and sad when needed.


    Am I broken?


    You are you and we are us, no more no less, we taste you and we feel it too, but we love you and protect you.


    Love you too.


    Cleaning her face up on the ride home, she tipped the driver an extra 10 for his concern. Stretching once she was sure no one could see, she strode up the newly cleaned front entrance. Peter was dedicated to making this a proper home for the three of them, spending most of his time cleaning and weeding the outside while the weather was nice.


    He had shown the pair plans to make the outside a rockery and while they had vetoed the idea he still wanted to make things more comfortable for them all. While Gwen pointed out that with the heavy trucks and other vehicles sitting outside was pointless he should focus on the inside more, make a comfort zone in the skyline so they could sit and look out the windows, or expand in the decking to make space for a pool or hot tub, the warehouse was big enough.


    Finding him shirtless again, she bit her lip and felt Muse approve as well, "I''m home," she shouted and waved before making her way along with one of the paths into her box house. Flash was now out of her life and she didn''t even need to lie. No one would blame her for staying away if all he did was yell. He was now treating everyone that way, not just her, and breaking up with him seemed like a normal thing to do.


    Gwen was at work right now, her internship at Oscorp stretched into a part-time lab assistant job and the money she was now earning dwarfed both MJ and Peter''s put together. Not that either of them minded, With his job at the junkyard and the rent they both paid he wasn''t rolling in money but the lights were kept on and his refrigerator was always full.


    MJ had started to get auditions as well and even read for a few understudy parts, nothing solid so far but speaking to the other waiting staff at the diner where she worked, she was getting more interest than most her age.


    Peter came in towelling himself off but while she thought of asking him to bend her over the table it was Gwen''s day. That was their agreement, so there was no jealousy or feelings of being ignored, they each took a day. She and Peter could kiss, cuddle but actual sex was banned. Gwen had joking said that it would be alright if MJ joined in but she was strictly hetero, even if watching Gwen and Pete screw like animals made her wet, and more often than not once Gwen was spent she took over.


    Shit, she thought to herself, can''t do anything, gotta stop thinking about it. Recently she thought about it a lot, once she discovered the joy it could bring her, the physical pleasure and closeness of joining with him she understood why Gwen was so adamant that they took turns. She would be greedy, spending her free time with Peter buried within her. Even Muse wanted him, a burning desire they both shared and revelled in. More than that though he was a rock for her, a safe place in the storm of emotions she was sometimes lost in, and she took comfort in that.


    She knew she loved him, but sometimes he was as dense as the steel he''d been busy cutting up. Book smart, street dumb was how Gwen called it and it described him to a tee. She had no qualms about being the opposite and it never bothered her when Peter and Gwen got lost in a discussion about some hexatexmexapoutine breakthrough or some new scanner at Oscorp. It was adorkable to watch them get excited over something that hummed for six days, went ting and then printed something out on a piece of paper.


    She got excited when she got a reading and they both chipped in to help learn her lines, most of the time it was more of an echo chamber as Muse helped her with a perfect memory. Muse took great joy in reading the scripts with her but she wanted to share that passion with Peter and Gwen as well.


    "So uh how was the visit?" Peter asked her, unsure of how exactly to broach the subject. He carefully came into her home and sat himself down on one of the armchairs he had gotten for her.


    "It was fine," MJ replied. "Peter, stop thinking I''ve got any feelings for him, I don''t, I care about you," she kissed him on the nose. "With Flash, that was just an act so I could get away from all the whining he''d started to do plus, he was starting to get grabby again." MJ pulled a face, the last time she had gone he''d tried to touch her breasts and she''d automatically pulled back, which started an argument. One of many they''d been having since the diner and one where he ended up yelling at her again. She busied herself putting away her bag and Muse morphed into a set of indoor clothes, cheekily flashing Peter in the process as she changed into slacks and a loose blouse.


    "But enough about him, Flash is in the past. We broke up and it''s not like he''ll show up here, but Peter, Gwen and I are worried about you."


    Peter frowned, "me?" he asked,


    "Yes you," she replied, sitting down on her couch. "It''s been over a week since the diner, Gwen and I are moving on, moved out, but you''re not out patrolling anymore. You stay here or go to the junkyard, so what''s up? If you¡¯re upset Gwen and I aren¡¯t willing to join you, you should say."


    Gwen had shaken her head when Peter suggested it, she was way too busy with work and college prep to even think about adding more on her plate, and when MJ thought about having to fight she froze. The idea of hurting someone, having someone cry, or attack her made her panic and it was Muse who calmed her down in the end.


    Peter shifted uncomfortably, "I uh, you know, just trying to get myself started with Parker Inc,"


    MJ put a finger on his lips, "Peter, if it''s guilt about causing the accident then stop. It was four bad guys, they wanted something and that poor woman would have been hurt or worse. It was that grey idiot that caused the building to come down, not you."


    Peter smirked, "yeah but, I, I dunno, I think about going out and I just don''t have the time, not enough to keep up with the exams I want to sit anyway."


    "Tiger, You need to get motivated, even if you''re not out hunting bad guys, get ready for when you are. So to motivate you, Gwen and I came up with a little plan." MJ reached behind the couch and pulled out a glass jar with folded paper in it. "Each time you pass a milestone, like a class or a project you''re working on, you get one of these."


    Peter frowned, "I get a bit of paper?"


    "No you dumbass, take one and look at it."


    Peter reached into the jar and took the first piece that came to hand, unfolded and read it. His face turned into a bright smile as he did.


    "Are they all sex things?" He asked a grinning MJ.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Thirty-Two. Interference

    It was his first night out again as Venom and the warm summer air felt good against his skin. Before he set off his first job was to finish installing a new roof hatch. He had added an extra security layer to the simple one already installed in the roof and it was now wired shut with a physical lock holding an electronic one. There was no key for either, and he had hardwired it into the power so that if it was cut open or the keypad was disabled the whole thing went into lockdown and triggered an alarm in all three homes. The only way to open it was by extending symbskin into the keyhole and unlocking it and then entering the code to open the electronic lock. Once MJ and Gwen could unlock it, it was good to go and he activated the power before sealing the whole thing up.


    Paranoid he was not. Cautious was Peter''s keyword when it came to the security of the warehouse and the people within. Especially now that both Gwen and MJ were hosts for whatever creature the symbiote was. He wanted them to be safe if he wasn''t here.


    As neither of the pair was willing to fight and persuading them that learning was necessary even if they never used it, Peter was still concerned over just how secure the warehouse was. Shielding it from electronic snooping was easy, protecting it from physical intrusion was a lot harder and potentially illegal depending on what kind of countermeasures he added. He needed a security system that could go from lethal to non-lethal and still look to be legal, although if they had to kill anyone he doubted they would be advertising the fact.


    Venom mused on that as well, the one thing that plagued his thoughts. If he had to, would he kill to keep them safe? Where was the line? If anyone threatened MJ, Gwen, or Aunt May he knew he¡¯d have no problem crossing it, even thinking about it caused a fiery rage to bubble up in his chest. Where was the line though? He knew he wouldn¡¯t kill for fun or pleasure, he wouldn¡¯t steal or hurt anyone innocent. Breaking into his home wouldn¡¯t necessarily be a death sentence, just a really bad idea. The line had been drawn, and for now, at least, Venom was confident he wouldn¡¯t cross it.


    He hadn''t stretched his webs for a while and rather than setting out to hunt simply swung from building to building, letting the world pass him by as he regained a sense of adventure. Swinging from rooftop to rooftop was freeing, he could close his eyes and let the world around him become a buzz of activity to his other senses. He passed a hotdog cart that the dogs were going off, a nightclub that stank of stale booze, Laundromats, and restaurants as he used his hearing and nose to guide him around New York, never missing a web line, never hitting anything or coming into contact with another person. He had the piece of paper that promised many delights if he stopped a mugging, but right now he just wanted to swing.


    His thoughts drifted not just his relationship with the girls. He was enjoying a hedonistic lifestyle, with either Gwen or MJ satisfying his carnal desires but he wondered if he was doing enough for them. He had read about poly relationships, and how disastrous they could be. It needed a level of trust and understanding that most people couldn¡¯t find with one person let alone two. Divorce was common in almost half of all marriages, and if you couldn''t make it work with one person, what about more?


    Venom swung and made a promise that he wouldn''t just take the girls, and the things they did for him, for granted. Even though the jar had been a great idea, and he gave as good as he got, he needed to do more. Gwen loved the sciences and MJ the arts, and planning trips and dates once the warehouse was more settled was now a priority. Either together, or if they preferred separately.


    Finding a purpose Venom began to swing over the more populated areas, attracting some attention but he wanted to see what things were on offer. If anywhere was doing a show or exhibition Gwen or MJ might like and as he swung over a flower stand and the sharp floral scent hit him, not flowers though, definitely not flowers. That was one disappointment the girls would have to live with, as his superior sense of smell went crazy at the overbearing perfume coming from them.


    It was about an hour later his mood was spoiled. As Venom sat on a gargoyle, eating a hotdog, he felt the other approach him, the subtle shift in air pressure and the man''s cheap cologne, Peter refused to wear any for that very reason. Why hunt if you''re gonna smell like flowers or a cheap date on prom night and let anyone know you''re there? The question was, was he here for a friendly visit or something else?


    "Tarantula, or well, Venom?" asked the surprisingly well-spoken but garishly dressed Spider-man.


    "It¡¯s Venom and you damn well know it, Spider-Man," Venom replied, he didn''t even bother to get up as the red and blue suited idiot crawled towards him.


    Spider-Man watched carefully as he approached the dangerous and somewhat elusive criminal, he was unsure if this was a trap or not but so far his spider-senses hadn''t given him any warning of danger, so while he was relaxed, he was also prepared.


    Venom looked over at Spider-Man. He was more muscular than he was, and taller, which made Venom instantly hate him. Sure, he had two girlfriends but it was always the same. How tall are you? How rich are you? blah blah, stupid tall Spider-Man. "So, what do you want? I''m not in the mood for a photo op, my hair¡¯s a mess and I''ve not done my makeup." to make a point he stretched his maw wide, letting the gigantic tongue roll over his razor teeth.


    "Just to talk, Venom, just to talk.¡± Spider-Man sat perched on another gargoyle not too far away, close enough, Venom thought, close enough to attack or defend if the need arose, and squatted legs splayed and hands between them, anchoring himself to the gargoyle.


    "So talk then," Venom was already annoyed, he could hear the whirring of the automatic camera nearby, the safety feature of the shutter noise still evident to someone with super hearing but muffled by a bit of gum? He thought to himself, who clogs a speaker with gum? oh so Spider-Man''s probably a moron, well, that explains Tarantula.


    "You don''t have to be a bad guy Venom. I mean, the city has enough crime, enough bad guys that one more, one more like you tips the scales. It doesn''t have to be like that though. You could, you should be a force for good in the city." Spider-Man sounded convincing and it was a well-written speech. Venom thought, probably an English major, wait, was Spider-Man a reporter? That would explain the camera, the angled shots, the exclusives, Venom laughed, he bet if he checked the byline for the articles he''d find out who this was.


    "A bad guy? I''m not the bad guy Spider-Man. The city, the city was already rotten before I got here. Tell me, how many of those punks get a conviction, how many defence attorneys argue that even you don''t have the proper procedure, that you taint evidence, that your interference isn''t," as he made air quotes, "Due process"


    Spider-Man knew he had him there. He had checked court records and that was a firm favourite, even if it was largely thrown out though, Spider-Man always recorded the crime, always provided evidence, and never interfered until he knew it was safe too.


    "It doesn''t work like that, it makes things better Venom, more and more petty crooks get jail time, more and more people get their savings back or their memories. You take the money and leave the crook beaten, broken. Look what you did to that first guy, what''s next? You decide not to stop? Not to let someone live cause they''re a rapist or a murderer? then you''re no better than them, Venom."


    "You''re wrong Spider-Man. No murder, no death and sure, we take the cash, so what? Does the city return it? Ask yourself, all the lost or stolen wallets with no address, no owner, does the city give it to charity? Feed the homeless? No, it doesn''t. It buys a new tank or a cop gets a new piece of kit bought from the military reject pile. Stop trying to sound better than me, stop trying to impress your readers," Venom lifted an arm and after correcting his aim, let out a squirt of webbing, hitting the hidden camera and knocking it off its perch.


    "Stop using me to get a scoop, Spider-Man, or I''ll turn my big brain to finding out who you are and expose you to the world. I''m sure ¡®Spider-Man, the big mystery solved¡¯ would be a great scoop for the press, but you''d know all about that huh?" Venom stood up and stretched. "Don''t follow me Spider-Man, don''t try and stop me, you know this city is rotten as well as I do, I''m just better at cleaning it up than you are." Venom whipped out a web line and giving Spider-Man a fake salute, swung out into the night.


    Eddie was swearing, Venom had heard his camera, supposedly silent, taking photos and recording their conversation. Venom was wrong though, the city wasn''t as bad as he made it out to be. Where he was right though, Venom kept mentioning the press. Was he too obvious? Was he facing someone who was involved with Oscorp and knew about the break-in? Gathering the smashed pieces of his camera Spider-Man swung out into the night, unsure of what to do with the scuffed but undamaged memory card. If anyone else took Venom''s words as fact, would he reveal himself to the world, or was it a bluff? He shook his head, bluff or not, his mission was too important to risk it, he''d stay away from Venom, only stepping in if he got too violent, if he got too bloodthirsty.


    Neither man was willing to allow the other to reveal their identity to the world both willing to fight to protect what was theirs, two sides of a single coin, on one side Spider-Man. By the book, out for justice, serving the people the way he thought best, by being their shield by using the law to get them what they deserved. On the other was Venom, out for revenge, taking back the fear and the pain given out to the innocents of New York and sending it back to the criminal element, ¡®harm my citizens and suffer my wrath was his message¡¯. Both believing they were right, both knowing deep down that their conversations would go round in circles until fists flew, neither backing down.


    Spider-Man was unsure of that outcome, he didn''t want to hurt anyone, didn''t want to hurt someone he knew could do good in the city. If Venom was the same as him, then why were his powers so different? Spider-Man made a mental note to investigate who else had been affected at Oscorp and if there were any others like him in the city. Maybe finding allies would show Venom that working tougher was better than staying solo, maybe he could show Venom a better path.


    Venom was excited. Was Spider-Man stronger or faster than him? Did he have training like Black Cat? Was he a symbiote like him and everyone else or did he have different powers? like Rhino or those other idiots. His excitement grew at the thought of taking on New York''s friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, knowing their showdown would be legendary.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Thirty-Three. Hunted

    Spider-Man wasn''t the only one watching the black-suited Venom as he swung from building to building. The traffic cameras on the streets had been appropriated, and as he moved they kept track of him, switching from one to another as he swung around the city.


    "Target One confirmed and tracked Sir."


    "Target Two confirmed and tracked Sir."


    Both camera technicians reported and Norman stood watching. He looked over to George Stacy who nodded.


    "Begin Operation Takedown, non-lethal approved." Norman stated, and as he walked over to the captain he lent forward, "This is the power of a glider drone captain, once you report it to the Mayor, your city will be rid of both menaces."


    George wasn''t 100% sold on this idea. As Police chief, he had the authority to make deals like this, to allow testing of approved hardware in civilian areas, however, if anything went wrong he was sure that Oscorp and Norman would dump all the blame on him. If it was any other time he would have said no, but with Venom becoming more active in the area, with Spider-Man getting more and more positive press, he needed to do something to get public opinion back on his side. He kept a viewtube video loaded on his phone to remind him of that.


    "Yeah, so? My little girl don''t go out no more. Some crack head robbed her and groped her, and you know what, Venom stuffed that guy in a trash can. So, no, you askin¡¯ if I worry about him. Nah, my girl, she smiles when she sees that, he''s a goddamn hero if you ask me."


    Each time he watched the clip his fist clenched. When a masked thug could be made into a hero, the times called for desperate measures.


    "Drone Spider-Slayer One. Launch."


    "Drone Spider-Slayer Two. Launch."


    The camera feeds from the two drones were displayed to the pilots and the room as they flew around the New York skyline, it was riskier to send a single drone after each of them but Norman had insisted. He wanted to demonstrate that the drones could be used separately, neither costumed idiot warranted using both.


    "Sir, we have a lock and are ready to commence engagement."


    For once Norman looked over at George and he nodded.


    "Commence Operation."


    Venom was unhappy about Spider-Man''s interference but after reading about his exploits in the Bugle he knew it as the only time before he ran afoul of the


    BOOM.


    Venom was sent tumbling as a concussive charge detonated half a meter away from his head. While his headset took most of the force, it now screeched in his ear before the high pitched whine died and everything went quiet. Instinctively, Venom sent out a new line, trying to snag onto a closer building to get a better look at whatever just attacked him. As the line hit the building it snapped and he knew something small and fast had cut it, another line and again, cut.


    Letting himself fall, he shot out a blanket of webs, filling the night sky with thin wispy webs, and as the small drone whizzed into them it became entangled but didn''t seem to slow. It didn''t matter, the web wasn''t to catch the drone but now it flew like a kite, the webs trailing behind it. Venom whipped out another line, and as the drone circled and came back, he let go and whipped out a second to pull himself onto the building before it could circle back and cut the second one.


    Crafty, Venom thought to himself, at least there was only one. Sleek and incredibly aerodynamic it made hardly any noise or vibration in the air as it shot past him. Hearing a whoosh and then a beeping he looked up and a small explosive device had been shot out, right above his head. He shot a web at it and the sticky pile bulged before deflating like a burst zit.


    "Naughty naughty," he said, hissing at the drone as it continued to zip around him. Venom slowed his breathing, the earbuds were now a nuisance and he let the symbskin pull them out, hearing the sudden rush of noise made his head hurt, gave him a moment of pause but as he focused in on the beating of his own heart he heard the small but noticeable buzzing. As he calmed himself the world around him burst into life.


    He had purposefully dampened all his senses, fearing them being overwhelmed but with patience and practice he now didn''t need the headset. He could hear the various crowds, the cars, and everything was alive around him but instantly faded once he stopped concentrating on it. Right now he had another target.


    Venom turned to face the wall and closed his eyes, he could feel the drone in the air as it moved, and pushing himself off the wall he leapt, shot out two webs, one at the wall and one at the drone, and as the drone sped past to avoid the web he twisted, grabbed the first web and shot out a third blanket of webbing, snagging the drone in a net. The drones engines whined as it pulled against him, His arm muscles strained but he held fast to the wall and pulled it into his grasp.


    The drone pilot stared at his screen. "Uh Sir, Drone Two is captured."


    Norman sighed, "Initiate Self Destruct."


    Venom stared at the drone he caught, its motor whined as it tried to fly away but with the intakes webbed up and Venom''s iron grip on it, it couldn''t move. He studied the sleek form and thought about taking it apart at the warehouse when he heard the sound. Throwing the drone as far as he could, it exploded into a fireball, lighting up the night sky and shattering a few windows. He shrugged as it wasn''t his fault then made his way back to the warehouse, making sure he kept an ear out for any more buzzing pests. The one thing he had seen though, and he knew that it would spell trouble. The thick black lettering stamped in the wings of the drone, Oscorp.


    Across the city, Spider-Man was having less luck with his tail. The drone had been buzzing and hazing him, keeping its distance suddenly and even after coating an area with webs, he found it difficult to catch the fast-moving nuisance. "I''m a good guy," he yelled at it, but if anyone heard him they ignored him. Taking to the air would be bad, his webs had been severed as soon as he tried to escape so he decided to go for a different approach. Down.


    Leaping from the building, he stretched his arms and the thin gossamer webs under his arms stretched out, letting him glide down to the street, now, into the crowd, and he bolted out into the shopping district he had chosen.


    "Sir, target one has moved into a no-fire zone, orders?"


    "Warnings, give the drone space."


    WOOOP WOOOP the drone let out a piercing alarm.


    "The NYPD is conducting an exercise in this area. Please Vacate the Area."


    The siren sounded again and the crowd split apart. More people ran from the noise of the drone than the appearance of Spider-Man but soon a huge crowd had formed around him. People taking selfies or asking for his autograph. He was safe in the crowd, he thought but the drone circled overhead, its siren blaring again with the same message.


    "Please Disperse. Non-violent methods will be deployed to capture the criminal known as Spider-Man."


    Oh suck it, thought Spider-Man as a young Asian girl hugged close to him and snapped a picture. Overhead through the drone opened a hatch.


    "Please clear the area. This is the first of three warnings. Countermeasures will be deployed."


    WOOOP WOOOP went the siren.


    "Please clear the area. This is the second of three warnings. Countermeasures will be deployed."


    WOOOP WOOOP.


    "Please clear the area. This is the third and final warning. Countermeasures will be deployed."


    WOOOP WOOOP.


    Of course, the crowd ignored it. Fire into the crowd? The NYPD must be crazy or it was a publicity stunt, but the drone continued to circle.


    "Countermeasures deployed," and it let out a spray of white gas into the air. The crown immediately felt the burning as the tear gas permeated the area, Spider-Man cursed. His mask had a filter for such an event but as the people around him, including children, scrambled to get away from the fine mist, he had no choice but to act.


    On every street corner was a fire hydrant and he whipped out several web lines to the two closest, pulling the hydrants out of the ground. A plume of water shot into the air soaking everyone but pulling the gas down and neutralising it.


    As the drone skittered and flew to avoid the water gushing out Spider-Man whipped out two lines, the first missing but he caught the wing of the drone with the second and smashed it down into the ground. Surveying the wreckage, he stared at it, "get the emergency services here," he said, hoping the thing had a camera.


    "Sir, Done One is down."


    "Active the-" Norman began but Captain Stacy interrupted him,


    "Wait a goddamn minute Osborn, there are people there." George shouted, "get the EMTs en route and a couple of squads out to help with the cleanup."


    George advanced on Norman, poking him in the chest with a finger,


    "Your little drone test failed, all you did was spray a civilian crowd with tear gas. The Mayor''ll be pissing in my coffee for months over this. Clean your shit up and get the hell out of my precinct." George stormed off, getting ready to do damage control over the mess.


    Norman watched through the drone camera as Spider-Man helped those worse off from the gas, his fists clenched in anger at the failure.


    Spider-Man stayed with the people giving as much aid as he could, helping make web bowls so people could wash out their eyes and faces. Of course, the next day at the Daily Bugle, Eddie Brock had some really great pictures to sell to Jameson.


    Back at the warehouse, Peter was having a different kind of battle,


    "So, let me get this straight. You didn''t stop a mugging, instead, you fought a drone that exploded and you still think that counts?" Gwen sat cross-armed at the meeting table, while MJ made coffee for Peter.


    "Uh, maybe?" Peter said. "I mean, who knows what damage a drone could do? it did explode, which wasn''t my fault by the way."


    MJ ran her fingers through his hair, "Sorry Gwen but I agree, those things are dangerous, but um, are you okay? I mean, it did explode right?"


    Peter sighed. "Yeah I''m fine, but it just proves my point, you two need to learn self-defence. If it was after me, well Venom and not just some moron with a toy then I don''t like the idea of you two being in danger." Peter decided to leave the involvement of Oscorp from them. He knew MJ would panic and that Gwen would take offence, trying to find out why Venom was being hunted, and cause herself trouble at work.


    "Fine, Fine." Gwen threw up her hands, "But no training those nights Pete, I''ve got enough crap to do without adding more."


    Peter shrugged and nodded but it was MJ who spoke, "oh, then I guess I can give Peter his reward then huh?" and with a grin swiped the paper from off the table, "you know, if you''re too busy."


    "Them''s fightin words Sistah," and Gwen sprang up and put up her fists but as MJ flinched back from Gwen''s fake fighting stance, she rushed over, "shit MJ sorry, sorry." and pulled her into a hug.


    "It''s fine, honest," MJ said, muffled as he held Gwen close, "just a bit, on edge."


    "How about we just call this one as hugs?" and Peter came over and wrapped his arms around the pair, and the three enjoyed the quiet closeness of each other''s warmth.


    "Yeah, but, I really wanted to have sex," MJ admitted, as Gwen laughed and Peter just shook his head.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Thirty-Four. Kings Of Their Castles

    "Fucking Venom." Norman raged, throwing the expensive glass of scotch he¡¯d been nursing against the wall of his office. He shook his head, if a brute could overpower his drones then he had no choice but to send them back to R&D for rework. He thought they were perfect, he thought they would take down both the costumed clowns with ease, and he''d been proven wrong.


    He needed to make sure he was at the top of his game, and eyeing the case on his desk, he flipped it open and lifted one of the blue liquid-filled vials to the light. He¡¯d looked through the Archive, a collection of unsold tech, abandoned projects, and things like this, things kept hidden. It was one of the experimental formulas. A mix of different hyper-intelligent species and it boosted brain capacity and cognitive reasoning.


    He slotted it into an injection gun and pressed it against his neck. As the air in the gun hissed and the liquid worked its way into his brain, he saw the problem, if either of them were enhanced then their senses could be heightened, the drones needed extra bafflers to filter and dampen any noise. Pulling up his chair he sat at his computer, called up his CAD program and began to work furiously on the new Slayer mark 2.


    While his father worked in his office, Harry had taken a car ride out to Manhattan. He stared in disgust at the food stall across from him, and as Alexsi stuffed a sauerkraut covered hotdog into his mouth, he even regretted coming here.


    "Do you have it?" he asked as he watched the man eat, and Alexsi nodded, waving the half hotdog at the suitcase by his feet.


    "And you?" he at least had the decency to swallow before he spoke. Harry took out the smaller case and slid it over the Alexsi. "Pleasure." He stuffed the rest of the hotdog in his mouth, grabbed the smaller case and left.


    Harry waited until he was back in the car before he opened the case, his mistrust in Alexsi was unfounded, the man knew if he failed he would be floating in the river by morning. Inside was a small and unimpressive microchip, but only to those with no technical knowledge. Harry had hired Alexsi and his crew to steal an Oscorp microprocessor. He could have simply requisitioned one from his father but then he would be leaving a trail for anyone to follow. This way his work could continue unimpeded.


    As he drove along the streets of New York he curled his lip, small petty-minded people doing small petty-minded things. With this chip, with the work at the lab he would change the world, he would recreate it in his own image and rule as a god. The thought brought a smile to his face. In the front seat, his driver, the scientist he liked to order around, stared at him in the rearview mirror and as he caught her eye, he smirked at her. "Oh don''t worry Liv, I''m sure there''s a place for you too," and then he laughed. The pain in her eyes was all too familiar to someone like him.


    Driving past Midtown General, in an office covered in books and decorated with doctorates, a young but highly ambitious therapist had just gotten up off her knees, graciously swallowing what her latest client had just put in her mouth. He was young, full of rage but very cute, not to mention, very rich. She didn''t mind giving him some extra service, as long as his father was paying the bills.


    As he zipped up his pants, he smiled at her, the first genuine smile she had seen from him in a while, "Same time next week doc?" he asked as she straightened out her skirt and blouse.


    "I''m sure I can fit you in Flash, maybe continue where we left off?" and gave him the same smile she just saw back, oh yes, this could be her ticket out of this place, rather than dealing with crazies and drug addicts all day.


    As he walked on his new prosthetics, holding himself up with crutches while he got used to them, he felt relief for the first time. Not just the normal kind but a new sense of purpose filled him. Sure, getting sucked off in a doctors office was great but it made him realise that MJ and Parker could really go fuck themselves. So what if she was banging him? So what if he saved her and the ungrateful bitch dumped him a week after he had surgery? He knew what he needed to do, he now knew what he wanted, and while it was more of that blonde doctor, it was also a greater purpose with a touch of irony. He would take revenge against Parker and against Venom, he would hunt him down and take back his life from him.


    As MJ  walked to work from the audition she walked past Midtown General and felt a small pang of guilt over Flash, quickly squashed by memories of their time together.


    No, he deserved it, blaming you for being hurt, being good doesn''t mean getting a reward, you need to live for yourself.


    Ha, that''s good coming from you, we had to pry ourselves away from peter this morning so we didn''t miss this audition.


    hehe, but the Peter tastes so good and makes us feel so wonderful


    MJ nodded to herself yes, yes he does.


    we liked the lights, the at her


    theatre Muse theatre,


    yes yes, that, we like the dress up and the makeup and the lights, very bright but everyone looks at us, do that,


    MJ sighed, as if it was that easy she thought, you don''t get to pick if they let you on the stage. She''d bundled a dress and makeup into a bag and after the audition had quickly cleaned up and changed. Auditioning in a waitress uniform wouldn''t have given a good impression and while Muse could change into any clothes she wanted, turning up without a makeup bag or spare clothes would have looked weird. So she carried them with her, they all agreed that using their powers outside the warehouse, even for small things, could give them all away.


    we may be able to help the MJ if she wants,


    help how?


    hehe, buy the cinnamon rolls and share the Peter and we''ll let you see, yes we will. MJ shook her head, the symbiotes were amazing, she''d never felt better but sometimes she felt it was like babysitting a child.


    A child who remembers her phone, said Muse, and checking her pockets MJ swore. She''d left it in the warehouse and as she promised to text Peter how the audition went, she was mad at herself.


    Across town, Peter was waiting by his phone when it dinged and as he checked it, he frowned, it wasn''t MJ but Alexsi, asking if he could come into work today. Since the diner incident, Alexsi had brushed Peter off more and more, and Peter wondered if something had happened, that maybe one of the employees were related to a diner employee and they''d shut down for a while. He tapped on the screen and grabbed his jacket, and shook his head. He sent a text to MJ and heard her phone go off in her house, he chuckled and shook his head. Gwen was at work anyway, so he locked up and headed out.


    The junkyard was quiet, normally there would be two or three guys walking about, maybe even a few customers but today it was empty. Peter found Alexsi sitting in his office and he waved him in,


    "Hey sorry sorry, we had a new boss and uh, yeah, things got kinda quiet here huh?¡± Alexsi laughed and lit a cigarette. Peter hated the smell but it was his boss, "So. Pete, I know you do good work huh, what about an actual job, not just a cut but pay?"


    Peter was stunned, he assumed he got a cut cause most of the stuff was stolen but actual pay was great, he''d been feeling a little behind on things but steady wages meant he could get back on track, "Sure Mr Sytsevich, sure, that''d be great."


    Alexsi took a draw in his cigarette, "uh you know though, it''ll uh it''ll be off the books," he gave Peter a stare, the serious one he used when dealing with more troublesome clients.


    "Mr Sytsevich, right now, I don''t care. I kinda figure that maybe things weren''t always legit but, uh, I''m fine with that". Peter looked him right in the eye. Chop shops operated all over New York, working in one was no different than working anywhere else, except you didn¡¯t call the police if a crackhead tried to rob you.


    "Fine, 300 a week, 50 more if you work Saturday and we don''t work Sunday here." He looked over at the cross and dipped his head, Peter knew Alexsi was Russian and a devout catholic at that, so no Sundays was no problem.


    "Great Mr Sytesvich great," Alexsi stubbed out the cigarette and held out his hand,


    "Great kid great, but eh, Alexsi is fine, or you know, Boss."


    Peter smiled, "sure thing Boss, sure thing."


    "Great, come in tomorrow at 9, we''ll get you started on inventory first."


    Peter stood and let himself out of Alexsis office, feeling better about having some extra income.


    As Peter left the junkyard Alexsi¡¯s right-hand man stepped out of the wrecks and walked into the office, "you sure about the kid?" He asked.


    "He''s not dumb Max, if he''s working here then he might be willing to work elsewhere."


    "Sure, but what about the rest?" Max nodded at the container by the side of Alexsi desk


    "ah, no, not him, not yet anyway, how about you, got anyone we can trust?"


    "maybe, how about Toombes, Gargan or uh, Davis?"


    "Those three? Toombes is older than my gram, and uh Gargan is a wack job, but Davis, I heard good things about him, maybe, let me think about it okay?"


    "Sure boss sure, you mind if I make sure the kid is gonna work out though, you don''t, you don''t find him, I dunno, off."


    "Off? Nah, he''s just a kid Max."


    "Yeah but, he ain''t right, you know, since I got these powers I can feel things and him, he feels like a." Max shook his head, "maybe I''m wrong, yeah he''s just a kid." Sometimes when Max had sensed Peter in the junkyard he was like a massive dynamo, bursting with power but today he just seemed like an ordinary kid again, he shook his head and once outside lit a cigarette, his powers must have been screwy, yeah that was it. As he finished his cigarette he dialled a number and made a call.


    In a much better and nicer office, across town in one of the new developments, a man struggled and gurgled as the life was choked out of him. The body twitched one last time and as it fell to the floor the man who had just finished strangling him, some would call him a giant, wiped his hands clean with a cloth.


    "Sir?" A well-dressed man came in, he was a tall African American, handsome with a goatee and moustache, and as he stared at the dead body he made no comment or expression. The man carried with him a folder, photo''s, police reports, and eyewitness accounts of the attack on a diner closer to Hell''s Kitchen than the glass and chrome office he was standing in.


    "What is it Aaron?" the giant''s voice rumbled.


    "I just got contacted by Max Dillon. Alexsi Sytsevich is interested in a new crew and he''s invited me to join him."


    "Hmm," was the only reply he got. "Do you think he was responsible?"


    "Small crew, Enhanced individuals, the footage shows someone matching Flint Markos description was with them, it''s a possibility. Although, it would lead to questions about where he got his hands on the three enhanced that were with him."


    "Do you think Alexsi was in the suit?"


    "No, no one knows who the multi-limbed assailant was, nor the black-suited man who was fighting them, however." Aaron pulled out a photo from the folder and it showed a man digging through the rubble after everyone else had left. "Oscorp."


    "Do you think Oscorp stole their own chip? That''s a stretch, even for you." The hulking man finished wiping off his hands and after spraying them with hand sanitiser he donned a perfectly tailored white jacket. "But you know Aaron, you''ve worked for me for 15 years now and one thing I know is to trust your instincts. Take the offer, find out if they took my chip."


    "And if they did?"


    "Leave no survivors."


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Thirty-Five. Time Flies

    MJ and Gwen had been right, and once Peter got back into a proper routine, hastened by the jar being constantly waved in his face, he felt better. Of course, having two incredible girlfriends helped, and a pile of never-ending escapades in the bedroom hastened his recovery.


    He started to get out of the mindset he realised life had stuck him in, Victim. He could bench press several tonnes with no effort but he''d spend too long under Flash''s thumb, under the impression that even being strong that he was weak and little by little he began to realise that was a lie.


    Each time he went out he proved it, knives were nothing against his symbskin, and the one mugger that pulled a gun pissed himself and shook so much he would have shot himself before getting Venom.


    Life began to move forwards and soon the lazy summer haze drained into crisp autumn and then into chilly winter. Peters modifications to the warehouse kept the inside at a constant temperature, air-conditioned and solar heated with jury-rigged but competently built tech kept the place heated and low cost.


    Taking Gwen''s idea he had built up, adding a staircase and a flat top roof to both box homes. Gwen had turned hers into a deck and had added some loungers and a few small tables while MJ had requested a hot tub on hers. The meeting table where they all ate got an upgrade as well, with Peter adding in a kitchen unit with a small burner stove, a microwave, and a coffee machine, so they could make breakfast without having to carry it from their homes.


    The hot tub became a firm favourite of the trio, after a long workout they would spend time just soaking tired muscles and it was a decadence even Gwen could enjoy. Alexsi had just scowled when Peter asked if he could get him one and in the end, Peter had decided not to skimp and actually bought one from a store. Both Gwen and MJ chipped in to make sure it was a group effort and not just dumping the cost onto Peter.


    MJ had forbidden Gwen and Peter from having sex in it though, after deciding to join them one day and finding Gwen between Peter''s legs, her head bobbing up and down. She didn''t mind sharing the tub or sharing Peter in the tub, but he was messy during sex and the clean up was always a pain, and for her, that was her limit.


    MJ herself tested that limit over the summer. She enjoyed watching Gwen and Peter, enjoyed it as they both used him, and even went so far as to initiate small touches and kisses with Gwen but that was as far as she went. She didn¡¯t mind Peter swapping beds at night, Gwen¡¯s lack of stamina was apparent but MJ could go for hours.


    She even made a discovery one evening as Peter wandered into her home, asking if she wanted some company and after kissing and using her mouth on him she asked what the strange taste was? She quietly admitted to herself that she enjoyed the taste of Gwen on Peter, her sweat had a tang to it that Peters lacked and it became a favourite of hers to lick him clean before they began. Even going so far as to request that Peter spend time with Gwen before visiting her.


    She performed several different acts for Peter to keep it a secret. Even crossing a line that both she and Gwen had vetoed before and as Peter slid into her behind, she realised that she loved that too. Every inch of her enjoyed the attention Peter gave her, Muse purring and tingling with her as they succumbed to the pleasure he brought them.


    There were now things that she wanted to keep a secret from Gwen and while it made her feel guilty, Gwen¡¯s pushiness was sometimes too much. She loved her. She was her best friend in the whole world but she wanted it to stay that way. To stay her friend and not become anything more. She had a line and she refused to cross it.


    While their personal life was strong, she had been working as well. She still worked at the diner during the day and when the three of them hung out at night she handed out scripts and they let her use them as sounding boards, even if they devolved into laughter most times as Gwen and Peter were robotically stiff when trying to act.


    Modelling work was tough to find without encountering slimeballs and a few times MJ requested Peters presence at interviews, the ¡®producer¡¯ turned pale as he saw him there. It was too easy for shitty directors whose claim to fame was filming crappy movies to appear as proper talent scouts, looking for naive actresses they could trick into more unsavoury roles. While MJ knew as Muse that she could snap off any offensive manhood that made itself known in her presence, Peter was just as good a deterrent and she enjoyed having him there while she auditioned.


    Muse had also shown her her new trick, and while carrying an empty bag as cover, she was able to morph not just her clothing but hair and skin into lighter or darker shades, even her eye colour was changeable if MJ focused.


    Not just their personal lives but the warehouse itself was changing. The offices he had gotten from Alexsi had expanded into ten and now Peter had a much larger house taking up one whole side of the warehouse on two floors. He had expanded the whole thing into a large U shape, with one office at each end and then three along the wall, each doubled up with a steel-framed staircase leading up to the next floor. The staircase was simply welded rebar with a grate floor, but it was strong and secure. As MJ and Gwen claimed space in the warehouse offices he was converting, he found that with work, exams, and improving the warehouse that his days were full.


    Gwen took over one of the end labs, after discovering that their new enhanced metabolism shrugged off any alcohol they were at a loss. Even the stronger stuff barely dented the symbiotes and so Gwen built herself a brewery in one lab. Rows of fermenting grapes and other fruit juices lined the walls and she had Peter build her a small still, grinning as she anticipated making her own moonshine.


    Her work with Oscorp had taken a deeper turn as well, she had left her internship and been given a proper position, a colleague of her boss, Dr Olivia as she''d introduced herself, had her working on samples of genetic material. Sure it was just feeding them into a mass analyser and then collating the results but Gwen felt that she was actually doing something worthwhile, away from the managers and slimeballs. It was part-time, counted towards credit on her college course and it paid well.


    Peter had finally been told what had happened during her internship, a scumbag had tried to grope her, making an implication that she''d be fired if she said anything. While Peter''s face darkened Gwen hurriedly added that she''d been saved. Her new boss Olivia had come to her rescue and the man had been fired not too long after. He still made a mental note to find him, people like that needed to be taught a lesson in Peter¡¯s mind.


    Once the summer faded Gwen started her college course. She hadn¡¯t taken the leap to invite any of her classmates over yet but Peter told her they were welcome. He wasn¡¯t about to ban any visit to the warehouse and as long as he had warning he could either be in or out and would make sure the place looked spotless, especially if Gwen ever invited her boss over.


    Peter added in several lab spaces for both him and Gwen and a small stage into one of the end offices close to his home where MJ could practise. Peter had cut and shaped steel plates to divide up several sealed rooms for Gwen to work on her chemistry, and added clean rooms where he could work on his electronics.


    While he had no machines or lab equipment he had laid the framework, cleanrooms and sealed extractors were fitted, and doors with locks to hold anything dangerous or expensive were added in. One of the harder to reach top floor offices was converted into a storeroom and Peter kept not just his tools but a collection of scrap and plates that he could use in the future.


    Focusing not just on improving their homes but the breakout project he needed to make Parker Inc a household name he had thought of a perfect one.


    While Flash¡¯s plight didn''t even ping on Peter''s emotional radar, the idea of cheap and well fitted prosthetic limbs did. It was becoming more and more common for 3D printed limbs to be used. Cheap, replaceable, customisable, and easy to get a hold of, the trend for them was booming. He wanted to make them a booming industry.


    Making a cheap prosthetic was easy, plastic was readily available to anyone and as 3D printing became easier and easier more people just printed off the limb they needed once the old one broke. Where Peter was experimenting was a conductive biomaterial, one that registered a sense of touch and gave a person a wholly artificial but wholly replaceable limb. He could feel through his symbskin, see through the mask he wore, even breath through it, so if he could crack a way to make it without using his own body he would have the perfect material.


    With Gwen''s help, they began to test the limits of his webbing and symbskin. They first needed to stabilize his cells, they were no use as they burst within seconds of leaving his body and Gwen created a gel-like web that coated them in a film, stopping the cell from eating itself. Finally, after a few months, they were able to make the breakthrough that everyone lacked. A biocompatible material that would react to the nerve impulses of anyone without needing a special interface or an implant. A material that could be applied directly to the body and worked as a second skin.


    He had sketched out an inorganic but wholly functional limb without the need for invasive and painful surgery. From there he had managed to create a webbing fluid that once he exposed it to air, hardened and became mouldable like plastic. From prosthetic limbs to moulded body armour, the applications of the symbiote webbing and symbskin would make Parker Inc. shine.


    He needs to stay focused of course, a dream was good but one step at a time. Manufacture the limb, make the skin and ligaments, create a working adaptive neural link, all large steps in themselves, broken down further and further into smaller and smaller steps each easily accomplished to make the larger goal.


    He had his designs for prosthetics, a simple workable hand that with Gwen''s help was slowly turning into the complete biological replacement. A simple cap could be fitted over the end of the missing limb and after some tuning peter had a working prototype they would move and mimic the working of an actual limb. Where he was stuck was in the design of nerves and proper receptors. Gwen was more a genetics wiz than neurobiology and he needed a doctor or a neurologist to make the last part. The design waiting for its final form. It had been christened the C.L.S, Cybernetic Limb System and while now it was just a design and a few barely working prototypes, it was a start.


    Peter himself was happy but that night at the diner still sat on his mind. Even after all this time, the fight played over and over again. He had been overconfident, he had been cocky and in being too hotheaded and full of himself he had gotten himself and Gwen hurt, but they would pay. Peter knew would get his revenge, it would take time and patience


    In doing so he began to formulate revenge against those who had wronged him.


    He had researched Oscorp and found archive footage. Norman standing proudly in front of the Goblin Mark One. It was a simple harness designed for industrial work and he recognised Doc Ock, who wouldn''t with four huge mechanical arms. The huge man had been fitted into the harness and shown off its multi limbs. The control chip in the back of the neck allowed the worker to remote pilot the limbs as if they were his own.


    It was marketed as a tool to help workers with heavy construction but eventually, the cost drove it to be scrapped. The Goblin Mark Two was being touted as combat armour, giving the soldier an extra pair of AI-enhanced arms during combat, and Peter wanted not just the design but the interface as well. The Mark Two was eventually scrapped as well, the archive only noting it was the difficulty of maintaining the limb system that eventually led to its demise. The Mark Three had been named ¡®Goblin¡¯ and was marked as being classified until it was released, Peter could only find grainy shots of test flights and nothing concrete.


    The Mark Two and Three were of no concern to Peter, being combat armour the military probably had them on an army base somewhere but the Mark One was civilian in design and he wondered if Oscorp had it on site.


    Peter figured that if it was powerful enough for Doc Ock to slam him through a wall he could rework them into a simple hand or leg. He might just have to pay a visit to Oscorp¡¯s storage warehouses to see if there was another he could steal. Of course, ripping it from Doc Ock''s beaten body would be much more satisfying.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Thirty-Six. Curiosity Killed The Cat

    The scrap of paper he had pulled out of the jar had ¡®stop one mugging at night, receive kisses on your most favourite part from MJ¡¯ and he stared at it, reading it over and over. There was no need for the jar anymore, he spent most nights in bed with both women and while the paper had done its job, it was now just a start to what was always an enjoyable evening.


    He had spent the day with Aunt May. With MJ settled and everything calming down he made time and went to visit her. They had just shopped, taken lunch at a small restaurant, argued over who paid and then hugged before heading back to their lives. He felt aunt May seemed happier than before, that his being away had actually given her more purpose and drive than if she was still taking care of him. It had been bittersweet to see but he was glad she was happy.


    Venom took a breath, tasting the odour of the night, a mix of car fumes and desperation. Venom had decided to branch out. With more experience and more training, he felt better about tackling a more dangerous foe. Hell''s Kitchen was notorious for violent crime and he¡¯d avoided it for that very reason. With no skill, he would have been seriously hurt, or worse, long ago.


    Here in Hell''s Kitchen muggings happened all the time and with any luck, he''d get to one before that Spider Doofus did. All he read about in the Bugle was Spider-Man this and Friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man that. It made his skin crawl to think that once more he was pushed to the sidelines, he saved people, he stopped muggings, so why was he labelled a menace?


    He scrunched the paper into a ball. Stopping a mugging was easy, he''d make sure he put the fear of the night into the mugger, fear of the Venom. He tapped his ear, allowing it to connect to the police scanner frequency and then he waited.


    No one called the cops in Hell''s Kitchen, they were either unsympathetic or crooked but the headset provided him with a warning if anyone was looking for him. It didn¡¯t take long before he heard the familiar screams of a fight. Another stupid sap wandered where they shouldn''t have, in too much of in a hurry to get home. Whatever, Venom thought to himself, he stretched out an arm and connected a web line to a water tower, swinging free he headed towards the sound, leaving web lines behind him to melt in the sunlight.


    Making an entrance he spun and landed on his feet in front of a dishevelled woman, her attacker advancing with knuckle dusters dripping with blood.


    "You know, those are illegal in the state of New York." Venom stretched up to his full height and leered down at the mugger. "So I don''t need a duster." The mugger swung at him and Venom caught his hand, squeezing the metal with his claws, "but you can have the sandwich," before ramming his fist into the mugger''s face. "Get it? knuckle duster, knuckle sandwich, eh, everyone¡¯s a critic." Turning to see if the victim was okay, they were gone and there stood Black Cat, sarcastically slow clapping at his joke.


    "Yeah, make a joke while you break someone''s hand, real classy, Venom," she stopped a few feet away from him. Venom headbutted the guy and dropped him


    "Rematch?" he made his fingers into claws, hearing the popping noise as he flexed them.


    "Oh no, no big guy, job, no fighting," she raised her hands in surrender.


    "Job, for us? We work solo," He crossed his arms, this already becoming tiresome. The mugger stirred at his feet and he laid a heel into his jaw, bashing his head against the concrete and once more the nameless mugger lay still.


    ¡°Not here, somewhere more private,¡± and she headed to the fire escape of a nearby building while Venom searched the mugger. He had another hundred on him and webbing him to a lampost on the street he sprayed ¡®Beware the Venom¡¯'' in thick white letters over a shop wall. Satisfied he had completed his task, and happy about his money problems being alleviated, he whipped out a line and pulled himself up to the rooftops.


    ¡°Job?¡± He asked the waiting Black Cat, she looked nervous and he could smell her panic, something was bad, he scrunched up his face though, I know that smell, he thought.


    "No, not for you, I need Peter Parker, I can pay and," she took out a manila envelope, "and uh, there''s something you might want to do as well. Only after Parker finishes the first job though, then we can talk." She crouched down, not taking her eyes off Venom for a second, he was still a rogue element to her plan, disappearing for some time only to return back as brutal as ever. With her hands raised, she backed away and without a care, he threw a web line onto the envelope and pulled it towards him.


    "You want Parker to plant bugs in Alexsi''s Sytsevich''s junkyard? Why?" Venom ripped open the envelope and was reading the contents, which was sparse. Black Cat had included several bugs and a basic sketch of the office, where she wanted them and when she wanted it on by, ¡°and for us?"


    "I can''t tell you, just, five grand, okay, get him to plant the four bugs and I''ll pay five grand."


    Venom raised an eyebrow five grand was no small change, even for him and he knew he could get in and out of Alexsi''s office before he knew it.


    "We will do this for you, give us the payment and the Parker will plant your devices" He motioned with a hand.


    "No, half now, half later," Black Cat threw a second envelope at him, which he caught, "do it by the end of the week and I''ll leave it at Parker''s warehouse, in his mailbox. I''ll leave more files for you and if you agree then we can talk more, okay? Don''t come after me." She turned and began to run from rooftop to rooftop, making the jump between each one look easy.


    She will cause us trouble. Venom shook his head but the money was good. He even considered telling Alexsi about the deal and letting him take care of her. Doing so would mean exposing the link between Venom and Peter, and with a crook like Alexsi, the risk was too great to take.


    Musing over what to spend the money on, Venom shot out a line and watched as Black Cat ran across the rooftops, she does have a nice ass, he thought and then shook his head, Gwen and MJ would kill him.


    Nah, he thought as he considered following her, it''s bad enough the creepy stalker-man is following me without him spotting her as well. He ran to the edge of the building and swung off, shot out another web and swung out back to the junkyard.


    Black Cat was running across the roofs, she knew Venom wasn''t following her but that didn''t mean that no one else was. Crouching behind an air conditioning vent she didn''t even hear the shot as it pierced into her gut and out through her back and into the vent, rattling inside before clanking its way down into the building. Sucking in a sharp breath of air she crumpled onto the rough tar roof as the strength in her legs left her, and she could only stare into the skyline, searching for the shooter. She heard a mic click. "We got her boss, uh-huh, confirming now," and as she lay still the shooter flipped her onto her back.


    Kicking his legs out she slipped around him, and as her gut wound spiked pain, she drove her clawed hands into his sides, avoiding the kevlar vest he was wearing. Trying her best to ignore it, she yelled and drove her claws in deeper. Feeling his ribs snap he cried out in pain, matching her own but as she twisted her claws he fell silent after gurgling blood.


    Pushing herself off the man, she stayed low. Unsure if he had more friends, she was unwilling to present any body part for the sniper to put another bullet in. Crawling to the edge of the roof she groaned as each movement tore more of the wound and with one shaking hand she pressed down onto it, trying to stop as much blood from leaking out as possible.


    She needed somewhere to hide, somewhere close. Parker! His warehouse was about 10 blocks from here and once she made it there he was smart enough to help her. Screw if Venom found her, if she was right then it wouldn''t be an issue, or she would bleed to death. Either way it wouldn¡¯t matter


    Groaning, she took several painkillers out from her belt, it didn''t matter if she took them all. The amount of blood she was losing meant she''d be dead in an hour anyway and overdosing wouldn''t make that happen any quicker. She ripped open several emergency bandages and stuffed super glue soaked cotton wadding into the wound before wrapping herself up as tightly as she could. She skulked to the edge of the building before easing herself over the parapet onto the fire escape, the pain was fading but so was her strength. Screw it, she took out an emergency vial she carried, one she hoped she would never need, and breaking the cap off took a deep breath and drank the whole vial.


    A liquid fire raged through her veins and she felt fucking great! Bleeding to death could wait, she needed to get to Parker and now. Ignoring the warm sensation dripping down her thighs she ran as fast as she could manage towards her only hope. The military-grade amphetamines coursed through her veins, making her feel superhuman, as long as they lasted, as long as she could get the help she would deal with the side effects later.


    On the roof, a second similarly dressed man, covered with tactical gear, his face covered by a balaclava and night vision goggles, examined his fallen comrade.


    Finding a slashed open side and after lifting the balaclava and seeing his open eyes, dead and staring at him, he shook his head and felt for a pulse. After failing to find it he swore.


    He clicked the side of his earpiece, "Yes Sir. One is down, no sign of the target, blood trail ends at the wall. Orders Sir?" He crouched by the body, listening to his orders. The man had been his mentor, taking him from the academy into the agency. He was calm right now though, but that bitch would pay for killing him.


    "Affirmative, one for clean up, Track and Trace in Progress."


    He flipped the fallen man onto his back and pulled out a vial from his vest. Carefully uncapping it he poured it over the man''s face. It bubbled and hissed as a powerful caustic agent ate away at not just his skin but the bone and teeth underneath.


    "Collection 27th Avenue. Rooftop". Finding the other agent''s radio he pressed a switch on its side and a red light flashed twice and then lit up. With the tracker active he could leave the body and resume his mission. Capping the vial, he left it on the body and lay his sniper rifle down next to him, before setting out after the blood trail. He knew the cleanup crew would take care of any evidence they had been there. The drizzle of rain would make it harder to track her but she was losing enough blood that she wouldn¡¯t get far. As long as he could keep her in the industrial district and away from any major civilian centres his job would be a lot easier, and he could be as messy as he wanted.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Thirty-Seven. More Than One Way To Skin A Rhino

    Black Cat was fading fast as the amphetamine she took started to wear off, as were the painkillers and the pain was more than she could bear. She had managed to run a block before the strength in her legs went and she could only shuffle at a snail''s pace. She knew she was leaving a trail behind her, there had been blood smears on a wall she''d rested against but she couldn''t stop, she couldn''t let anyone find her and finish the job.


    She''d pulled off her mask, trying to avoid smearing blood over her face. Hopefully, it''d buy her some time, the catsuit was a giveaway but with her normal hair colour and normal makeup she might, no, she couldn''t, it was too much. The pain burned through her like fire and her breathing became weaker, she felt her legs give out underneath her and she collapsed on the street.


    She felt a hand lift her, "Shit MJ, it¡¯s Felicia, shit, get her up," she didn''t recognise the voice but a cooling liquid was poured onto her waist, lessening the fire and it soon smoothed out into a mellow chill. She no longer cared who had her, only that they were nice and carrying her somewhere, soft and warm she hoped, giggling.


    "Fuck Gwen, what you give her?" one voice asked,


    "Just, you know, some happy juice and a nerve blocker," Gwen''s voice said.


    Felicia didn''t care, her eyes had closed before they had started talking and she didn''t even know if they were real, but they were really nice and that all that mattered. "fuck she''s heavier than she looks" hey, that voice called me fat, and she tried to punch the mean voice but her arms didn''t work, she didn''t have arms just a head, she giggled again, just some head before the darkness took her completely.


    Agent Two watched the two girls manhandle his target along the street until they came to a warehouse. Noting the address, "Sir, the target has entered a civilian location. Please advise?" "Negative Sir, the target is not alone, two civilians are with her, unable to identify. Orders?" The agent sighed as he listened, "affirmative, operational casualties are expected, live fire is a go." He unholstered his sidearm and checked the clip, it was full and filled with lethal rounds normally disallowed on a mission in the city.


    His orders were to neutralise the target and sadly, the two girls would be acceptable casualties, victims of the Target Black, or as the press named her Black Cat. Reholstering his weapon he opted for a knife but waiting until he found a way into the building he left himself unarmed for now. No need to arouse suspicion. He stalked around the building till he found a good place to leap the chain-link fence surrounding it, crouching low he had to walk around to the front before he found a suitable entrance, the side doors and entrance welded shut and painted over. He noted the camera above the door and took out a small device pointing it up at it. The light on the bottom fading as it shorted out.


    Listening at the door he could hear the two women inside arguing over something, the thick door muffling their voices. In their rush, they had left it unlocked and when he gently pushed the door bar it swung open, the door was well maintained and without a squeak, he gently pushed it further and crept inside.


    One woman was holding her hands over the prone figure of his target while the other was tearing sheets apart, "Gwen, this won''t save her, we need to call an ambulance," the redhead was shouting.


    "She''ll die in less than five minutes if I don''t do something, someone shot her MJ, like with a big fucking gun shot her. Now shut up, hold that and let me work."


    Closing the door quietly behind him, he crouched and moved silently to one of the box homes, noting how nice it was. The pair were working on his target in the middle of the two homes, she was laid out on a huge kitchen table as the pair worked around her. From the doorway of the box, he could see there was no way to approach them without being seen, no matter how fast he was. His only choice was to duck into the doorway across from him and then he would have to use his gun after all, and then disguise the wounds with the knife after. The only thing he hesitated on was whether to wait for his target to bleed out and then attack or attack and take out all three. Even wounded and drugged the dossier on Target Black marked her as enhanced and dangerous, he wouldn''t take a risk by ignoring her. As the pair moved to the other side of the table he sprinted to the doorway across from him and ducked inside the well decorated home.


    Formulating a plan, he unholstered his gun and cocked it. Checking his line of sight he quickly ducked his head back around the door frame. Both women were now on one side of the table, it looked like they had been sticking something in the wound of Target Black, a stupid mistake as the wound would just bleed internally.


    Taking a deep breath he counted one breath, two breaths, and on his exhale raised his pistol and rounded the door preparing to fire. His finger sat on the trigger but the gun''s muzzle was lifted, pulling him out the doorway and throwing him into the wide space of the warehouse.


    "We hear you breathe, we hear the click-click of your gun, we smell you and now, now we hurt you." The pure white skinned thing with flame-red hair pounced at him and as he raised and fired his pistol she ducked and weaved, avoiding each bullet.


    "Shit," his throat mic clicked. "Code Ten I repeat Code Ten," and as she barreled into him he went flying, hearing only static from his earpiece.


    His slide backwards was halted and he stared up into the face of another enhanced, her skin black and white, "Aww poor baby, our home is hidden." And he screamed as she punched down on his shoulder breaking it, and his grip on the pistol faltered. Rolling to the side he grasped for his knife, dragging it from its sheath as the white enhanced looked like she skated forwards, he dropped into a combat stance and slashed outwards, but dancing under the blade she grabbed his wrist and he screamed as her claws dug into his flesh.


    With no feeling in his fingers he dropped the knife, she''d got the tendon and he knew against two enhanced he was a goner. His mic clicked, "Code Ten Code Ten please God please Code Ten,'''' he repeated over and over. The black enhanced walked forwards, and sprayed his legs with a sticky fluid, not just binding them together but numbing any feeling he had. "We wait for Venom," she said and the other nodded. The cold numbness spread from his legs and he lay helpless as he fell into sleep. Muse relaxed her grip on the man, letting Poison finish webbing him to the floor, only leaving his head uncovered so he could breathe.


    "Shit Gwen, what the fuck was that? first Felicia and now a secret agent guy?"


    "MJ I''ve got as much of an idea of what''s going on as you do, I mean, it¡¯s Nah, it can''t be,"


    "what?¡± MJ asked, being out of the loop sucked but Gwen knew something.


    "It¡¯s Oscorp/" Both women jumped, Peter had come back and had come in through the skylight. He had a backpack full of folders, which he was about to dump on the table when he spotted the bodies.


    "What the fuck is she doing here?" he pointed at the sleeping form of Felicia, with the blood he hoped she was just sleeping, "Felicia''s Black Cat? fuck, is she dead?¡± Now he recognised the smell, it was her.


    "Wait, what''s going on? Why''s she all fucked up? why are you carrying around a folder of stuff? and why the fuck is navy seal guy here trying to kill us?" MJ was borderline hysterical, this had not been a fun evening so far.


    Peter sighed, after the night he just had, this was going to take a while to explain. He put down the backpack and pulled MJ into his embrace, "shh, it''s fine. Is Felicia dead?"


    Gwen shook her head, "no, she''ll live."


    Peter pulled MJ away and looked at her, "Good, then go make coffee and I''ll sort this crap out and explain. Man, I liked that table, shit." Peter looked over Felicia, she''d been stitched up with Gwen''s webbing, it would stop the bleeding but by then it was too late, his coffee table was ruined, stained with thickening dark blood.


    He sighed, "fuck this night. Gwen, take the mugs to your deck, I''ll be up in a minute." He figured the table was salvageable though, it was only blood after all, and with what all three of them had done on it, blood would not be the last thing split on it he would need to clean up.


    He checked her pulse and it was weak but steady, the makeshift bandaging holding her. Gwen had done some impressive work with the help of Poison and he figured Felicia would sleep for a while, plenty of time to deal with this crap show.


    First though, he walked over to the prone agent, "I fucking hate this," he put both hands on his neck and with a squeeze and a twist, his head rotated in a way that was unhealthy to anyone alive, not that this man was now. As the body slumped Peter began to rifle through his pockets, finding only the pistol, ammo, and a knife. Several vials of liquid were slotted into his tactical vest but he had no way of knowing what they were and so he ignored them. Seeing the radio he looked around for its battery pack and unhooked it. He knew the cage around the warehouse had blocked any outgoing signals but it was better to be safe than sorry.


    MJ shuddered as she watched Peter kill the man in cold blood. She didn''t know exactly what was going on but she knew that they weren''t going to let him go, whoever he was, had orders to kill, probably because of Felicia, stupid bitch.


    "Right," Peter began, "Black Cat, aka Felicia hired Venom to hire Peter to plant these bugs in Alexsi office." Peter stared at the coffee cup in front of him and as Gwen and MJ sat sipping their own he began to narrate the story of his evening.


    Peter had gone back to the junkyard, he knew it''d be closed at his time of night but Alexsi trusted him enough with a set of keys, he could get in, plant the bugs and get out before anyone knew. He was planting the last bug where Black Cat had wanted when he spied a hidden switch, he tutted as his curiosity got the better of him and pressing it he saw a panel in the back wall spring open. Opening it wide, he was greeted with three sets of tactical gear. One thick and armoured, a dark grey colour, one with conduits and cables over it and the last, still sticky black and gritty from the fight.


    "Aww, Pete, I wish you hadn''t seen that." Alexsi was standing there, and as Peter turned around he watched as the man bulged and grew, Rhino, he thought to himself.


    "Yeah, Alexsi, you''ll wish I hadn''t either." Peter had had time to figure out their weaknesses, Rhino was big and strong but why wear armour if you''re tough? He wasn''t, he was just a man and as Peter let the symbskin flow over his fists, he used it to form the thick plates on his hands that he had used before. This time however he let them stretch out into a long thin blade.


    A blade he plunged through Alexsi''s chest and out his back.


    Alexsi wheezed as the blade made breathing difficult and painful. Since his transformation he''d never felt pain anything like this, the blade extended through his chest had pierced his still thickening skin like it was butter and now blood stained his lips as he spoke. "Oh shit Pete, so you''re Venom huh?" he coughed, breathing was hard but the pain was fading and he knew that wasn''t a good sign. "shit if I knew I''d have paid you more," he laughed at his own joke but the blade and the pain cut it short.


    "You will tell us where Sandman, Electro and Ock are, or we will make your suffering worse." The black symbskin had fully covered Peter now and as Alexsi slumped to his knees, Venom towered over him.


    Alexsi coughed again, his breath short as he struggled to find air, "I don''t know, honest Pete, I don''t, shit, this hurts, please, just, 0324069, the safe, please, just."


    He was cut short as Venom changed the blade in his chest back into a simple claw and pulled. Alexsi felt no more as his spine snapped and his insides spilled out onto the floor.


    Venom took a deep breath. He''d promised himself he wouldn''t kill so as not to involve the cops, but if Alexsi was behind the bank break-in then his whole crew were too. It didn''t matter right now though as the results were the same and hopefully the safe would provide the answers he was looking for.


    Anything and everything in the safe was stuffed into a bag, including several thick wads of cash. Venom rifled through drawers, taking any paperwork he found and even breaking locked cabinets open. All of Alexsi''s files were bagged and once he had looted everything Venom stared at the body on the floor. He spied the propane heater in the corner and after moving it closer to the desk and into a better position he took Alexsi''s lighter. "Smoking kills,'''' he chuckled to himself and knocked the pressure seal off the top of the tank.


    After moving Alexsi''s body near the tank, he set the lighter aflame and sat it on his desk. Swinging a line out he sat on the building across from the junkyard and waited. Alexsi had been good to him, but life wasn''t that fair. He would have to kill again to protect those he cared about. They were his family now and as the gas reached the lighter he watched the small office explode in a fireball, destroying all evidence the Venom was ever there.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Thirty-Eight. Girl Power

    "Holy Shit, Peter," MJ slumped back in her chair, "you killed someone." She looked over at the body, "You killed two people, Peter, two. Do you know what that means?"


    "I''m fired?" Peter replied and Gwen snorted.


    MJ just shook her head, "This isn''t the time for jokes, shit Peter, we could all go to jail for this." Felicia had been moved onto another more comfortable bed and Gwen had poured bleach over the table and dumped the invader on it.


    "MJ, it''s fine, Gwen, Poison can create a caustic bleach right? Cover the agent guy in it, I¡¯ll web him up then throw him into the bay." Gwen nodded and started to work.


    "That''s, that''s not what I meant Peter. This is a crime scene, we, we need to call someone." MJ curled herself up, holding her legs.


    "And what MJ? Tell them that I''m Venom and you two are infected as well? Tell them that Alexsi Sytsevich was Rhino and he sent a kill squad after us? That Felicia is Black Cat? Yes it sucks, but these people tried to kill me, tried to kill us. Felicia is dying and probably won''t make it, and you''re worried about the cops? Sorry, I love you I really do but you''re being stupid right now. This," Peter motioned around him at the warehouse, "this keeps us safe, and right now I doubt the cops are looking for either a secret agent guy or Felicia. Sure, they''ll want to talk to me but I''ve got two alibis, you and Gwen, and if you keep your shit together, then we''ll be fine."


    "Wait, you love me?" MJ was blushing and she leaned forwards excitedly.


    "Of everything going on, that''s what you take?" Peter was exasperated, he would do anything to keep them safe and murder was a small price for that.


    "Oh well, excuse me for finally getting the words from the one person I wanted to hear them from, sorry it took you killing two shitheads to say it." MJ had stood up and was shouting at Peter


    "Look, emotions are high enough, we all need to calm down and it''ll be fine." Gwen had finished the task and had climbed back up to her deck, but really, if you two are gonna fight or fuck, please do it on your own house, I''m not cleaning up after you."


    MJ stared wide-eyed at Gwen, and Peter just laughed. The tension in the air was gone, MJ rubbed her arm, "love you too, stupid shithead," she whispered.


    Peter smiled at MJ, ¡°love you too Gwen,¡± but she just rolled her eyes. The symbskin flowed over Peter. "We will be back," and leaping down to the table, lifted the cocoon under one arm. He leapt up and out of the skylight exit in the roof.


    ¡°Is it going to be like this more often?¡± MJ asked Gwen, who shrugged.


    As she sat staring at her cold coffee she really didn¡¯t know. ¡°We both knew Pete was Venom, we both knew that he went out at night. Can we complain now? I mean, we knew Rhino and those assholes attacked him, that he wanted to get back at them.¡±


    MJ sighed, ¡°I know, but murder. I didn¡¯t think about that, I didn¡¯t think it would go that far. It¡¯s Peter you know, stupid dorky lovable Peter, not some monster, not a killer.¡±


    Muse twisted and MJ''s outfit changed into something more casual, she had been dressed for going out but now back in the warehouse she wanted to be comfy. "But I don''t want to fight, Gwen. I''ve had enough of people like Flash," she rubbed her arm, "like my father, but this, this whole thing. Why is Felicia in a costume? Why are people trying to kill us?"


    "I don''t know," Gwen replied, ¡°but Pete is right, that guy had a gun, MJ. He was going to kill us to get to Felicia and then kill her, even if Peter didn''t kill him what? We couldn''t let him go, he knew where we lived, he saw our faces. There¡¯d be cops or who knows what else swarming this place.¡±


    ¡°You think Felicia knows who he works for?¡±


    "I don''t know MJ. But we can ask her when she wakes up."


    "If she wakes up," answered Peter.


    He had only taken a few minutes to dive into the dock and secure the body to the riverbed, using more webs he''d wedged it down with added rocks and even after Gwen''s caustic web fluid had done its work nothing would float to the surface.


    He had also discovered a new power, as he dived down and his lungs burned he let out a breath and found he could breathe. Whatever his symbskin was made of allowed fresh clean air to pass through it without him drowning. It was just the wrong time for sharing his excitement about a new power.


    Venom slipped back and the trio stared at one another as his symbskin retracted and became a set of clothes again. Gwen looked at MJ and then at the floor biting her lip, frowning.


    "What did you do?" Peter asked her,


    "She was dying Tiger, not just a little bit but really dying, so uh, we saved her."


    "And by we you don''t mean you two," he motioned between Gwen and MJ, who shook their heads.


    "No, Muse, uh, Muse spawned, as Poison did. She told me how to do it, so don''t give me that look, two deaths are more than enough, I''m not a killer, and neither should you be." MJ poked a finger at him, her anger was evident and Peter knew better than to push it.


    Peter rubbed his forehead, Gwen had been on purpose even if it was the first time, MJ an accident but if it meant saving Felicia then it was fine. She was a friend, maybe not on the same level as Gwen or MJ but even then, MJ was only just coming back into their lives. Felicia had saved him from Flash on several occasions and even stayed in the maths club, even though Peter knew she was struggling.


    "Fine. Shit," he swore and his shoulders slumped "but if she acts like you two we could be in real trouble."


    "Oh don''t worry Venom, You¡¯re not." A black and grey-skinned symbiote covered Felicia limped up the stairs and joined them on the deck. Her symbskin was black, with dark grey stripes, like tiger markings over her body, and a long flowing ponytail which glinted like fine silver thread hung from the top of her smooth black mask. As her yellow crescent eyes narrowed she spoke, "We are Huntress and you have some explaining to do Peter." her threatening demeanour was spoiled however as the trio stared at the small cat ears that adorned the top of her mask and as Gwen aww¡¯d, Peter burst out laughing.


    Huntress slipped out of her symbskin and Felicia limped over to the breakfast table. She was unamused at the trio''s reaction to her presence, expecting more than being made fun of, but as she was sore and tired and they had coffee, she didn''t care.


    "So, you saved me by making me a symbiote huh?" She picked up Gwen''s cup and sipped it and made a face, "ugh, doesn''t anyone take sugar here?" snatching back her cup Gwen put a clean one down on the table and poured out a cup, nudging the sugar down at her.


    "You know what they are?" Peter asked and Felicia nodded,


    "You got Sytsevich''s files and I have my own. Oscorp did illegal genetic research about five years ago, did some digging and John Jameson, the only survivor of the shuttle crash was quarantined," stirring several heaped spoons of sugar into her cup Felicia smiled after she sipped it. "My father uh worked in the hospital. Whatever was wrong with John kept him under isolation, nobody in or out. Oscorp even started a lab to study it and that''s where my files end. My guess was it was the symbiotes. So, now we have Venom, Poison, and Widow. A trio of monsters chomping their way through New York." Felicia sat her cup down on the table, "sound about right?"


    "Well, I do most the chomping but yeah, Gwen and MJ don¡¯t really do that sort of thing, but are you okay, I mean, it can be pretty rough, you should meditate or I can show you some exercises," Peter replied.


    "Uh, Nah, I''ll pass. I can feel her but she''s not fighting me so I''ll deal.¡± Felicia waved a hand "You, however, are remarkably calm, so what gives, why are you different?"


    "They share a genetic memory don''t they, so you tell me," Peter answered, "but at a guess, whatever Oscorp did to me before the symbiote got me. How could you, without one, fight toe to toe with Venom and come out on top?"


    "Illegal. Genetic. Research, geez Pete, you not listening? Norman had a hard-on for a super-soldier serum that was lost during World War Two, you should know what though, son of the infamous Parkers."


    Peter drew a blank stare, "um, huh? Uncle Ben was a mechanic and I think Aunt May was just a housewife."


    "No dumbass, your parents," Felicia drew herself forwards, "you really don''t know huh?"


    Peter rolled his eyes, "look, Felicia, I''m tired, just spill it okay and quit the shit, they saved your life, fucking act like it."


    Felicia sighed, "No joy in the hunt huh? No wonder." Peter banged his hand on the table, "hey okay okay, shit. Richard Parker, Curt Conners, and Norman Osborn all worked together on serum, the Oscorp formula, but Curt disappeared after someone attacked him. Your parents died in that car crash and suddenly Norman drops it and starts working on his exo armour suit. It still got used though. Alexsi, Flint and Maxwell, all Enhanced, all working for Norman. The heist where you all got squashed, they took something from the vault, but I couldn''t get into the police reports to find out what. If you can find out what they stole it ties them to Norman, find out what he''s up to and it''ll answer your questions about the symbiotes."


    "Didn''t you just do that, take the files, leave the cash, I''ve got enough to deal with without adding Norman Osborn to the pile." Peter pointed at the rucksack full of papers. "It''s yours, don''t care, don''t want to care."


    If Felicia already knew that they were symbiotes then she knew more than she was letting on. Right now Peter couldn''t trust her. He knew her father was travelling but if he worked on a secret project for Osborn he doubted he¡¯d be back anytime soon. Felicia was hiding something and he wanted her as far away from Gwen and MJ as possible.


    "What do you mean you don''t care, he had your parents killed, he''s been killing-"


    Peter stopped her by raising a hand.


    "I''ll stop you right there, again, I don¡¯t care. Normans a scumbag, I''ve always known he''s a scumbag and if you''re right, all this is proof he''s a scumbag. But I can''t fight Norman fucking Osborn, I don''t have the resources, the manpower and even if he killed my parents, which he probably did. Me against Oscorp? Against however many Enhanced they have? I got my ass kicked last time, Alexsi is dead and I''ll find Marco, Dillon, and Ock, and then they''ll be dead. Felicia, I can''t do the big picture right now. I don''t have a big picture, this," he motioned, "this is just the beginning and yeah, in five-ten years I can go after Osborn but right now, he''ll chew me up and there won''t even be bones to spit out."


    Felicia stared at him, with her arms crossed. He was right and it annoyed her he was right, Oscorp was a big fish in a bigger pond, even killing Osborn would make huge waves and the resulting vacuum would get a lot of people killed. The second richest man in America can''t suddenly drop dead without the resulting power plays doing a lot of damage.


    "So, let''s join up, Oscorp being endgame but for now, Marko, Dillion, and whoever was under that boiler suit are our targets, take them out and we hurt Osborn a little, follow the trail and take out small bites, take out little chunks, one we can manage and he won''t notice."


    "Death by a thousand cuts huh?" MJ stated and as the three looked at her, "what? I read, assholes,"


    Peter and Gwen laughed, and Gwen unattached herself from Peter to hug MJ.


    "Fine, fine you win, give me the files, just," Felicia sighed, if they''d known where she was she''d been tailed, and the chances of her home being safe were now next to zero, "just set me up in one of these fancy boxes okay, look, I''ll take the end on over there," and as she pointed to MJ''s house, MJ shook her head and pointed to herself. "Fine!" Felicia groaned, "which ones are empty?" and Peter pointed to the offices on the other side of the building. "Oh, come on, those?¡± but as Peter scowled at her she raised her hands in surrender. ¡°Those are fine, those are fine." She slumped and poured herself another coffee.


    Peter stood up, finishing his coffee, "Training first and then work. Felicia, even with Huntress you¡¯ve just been shot, so no joining in. I need to head to work, well, what''s left of it," Gwen groaned, she hated the training,


    "Plus you know, you just killed your boss, do you even have a job?" Gwen asked, to which Peter sighed. They both stood and stretched, moving over to where Peter was sitting.


    "Can I at least watch?" and Peter shrugged as she stared hungrily at Gwen,


    Guess the rumours were true, he thought, guess I''m not the one Huntress will go after.


    Felicia stood and stretched gently. Holding her hand over her stomach as it complained. "Come on my pretties, let''s get sweaty." Gwen rolled her eyes but MJ was almost glowing.


    thank god, MJ though, I can get her to stop pestering me now she''s got another target. Gwen wanted more of a relationship than MJ was willing to commit to, so with Felicia here and her apparent lesbian tendencies Gwen should be happy, she just hoped Peter wasn''t the jealous type. MJ knew it was mean to think of Gwen like that, but her pushiness was sometimes too much for her to bear.


    "Might as well, got 3 hours before I needed to get up for work," Gwen said pointing at her watch and MJ groaned at seeing the time, her shift at the diner started at 7 so she was in the same boat.


    Peter stood and stretched, and as the three began to work out Felicia poured herself more coffee and enjoyed the show.


    "So ladies?" Peter grinned as the three finished their routine, "shower?" and he didn''t even wait for a reply before heading into his home. Felicia was reluctant to join them but as Gwen and MJ shrugged she shook her head and just stared at her cup,


    ¡°Can I uh crash in someone''s bed for a bit?¡± she asked and MJ pointed over at her place,


    ¡°Just for now though, Peter, get a proper place set up for her.¡±


    While Peter, MJ, and Gwen showered, Felicia could hear them talking but right now she didn¡¯t care. She was alive and as she curled up in MJ¡¯s bed, all she could think about was how grateful she was to them all, and how to pay them back.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Thirty-Nine. Power Cut (NSFW)

    Felicia stretched and felt Huntress stir within her, she had welcomed the symbiote with open arms, it gave her power, it gave her what she needed to take down that rat bastard Norman Osborn. When Peter had killed Rhino the files he took led Felicia right to Oscorp.


    Not only the serum that had changed her into Black Cat but the job her father had gone missing on were listed in the files. Alexsi Sytsevich kept a very close eye on what Osborn was up to as a countermeasure to a double-cross. There was no denying that Alexsi was just as dirty but he was always dirty. Brought up on the streets, he hustled from a young age and falling in with the mob was a given, falling in with Norman Osborn was as simple as greasing the right palm.


    After talking with Peter and the rest she had taken a nap in MJ¡¯s bed. It would have been nicer if it was Gwen¡¯s but she really couldn''t complain, not after they saved her, not after they hid her. Still half asleep from the less than sleep nap, she stood and stretched and walked out of the home without a care in the world.


    She usually had her breakfast waiting on a plate, preferring to grab an energy bar or canned protein drink but she plodded towards the breakfast table with her eyes half-closed. The strange wooden table was a different sight from the normal plastic-coated one she had at home. Even the cup and plate were missing. Scrunching her face up she realised she wasn''t alone.


    "Uh Felicia, I''m not gonna complain but uh, could you maybe put some clothes on," Peter asked her, Felicia looked down and her tight white panties didn''t hide very much and as that was all she was wearing naturally, Peter got an eyeful.


    Without shame, she stood and stared at him and in return, he stared right back. Gwen and MJ were both beautiful and since they became hosts they had toned down and put on muscle but Felicia was that way naturally. Her arms and legs were muscular from working out and fighting, even her taut stomach had very little fat on it and he could see the lines of her abs as she stood in the morning sun. As his eyes drifted up they stopped at her chest, he had no idea how breast size was measured but Felicia had gone right past cup and right into bowl. Her breasts were large but perky with light pink and slightly hard nipples that sat over largeish circles of her areola and as his eyes slid further up, her hair, still messy from sleeping, hung down over her slender neck. Its platinum blonde colour catching and reflecting the sunlight.


    "Meh" was all she uttered as she took the cup from Peters''s hands and began to drink his coffee. To stop him from taking it from her, she sat herself down on his lap and grinned as she felt his erection digging into her ass. Rocking back and forth slightly she felt it slip between her legs and settle into a more comfortable position, her panties had moved and she could feel the burning heat of his manhood spreading her lips, she sighed happily as she finished his drink.


    "Pete, Peter, Petey, hmm, Nah, Pete is best, there''s a lot going on in here, Huntress tells me all sorts of good things, all sorts of dirty things too, but mainly good things. So, let¡¯s cut the shit, you saved me, you got me the files I wanted, you got me an upgrade, and most of all I''m digging the digging you''re doing, so how about you lose the slacks, we lose the panties and we continue this until you''re sure I''m grateful for everything huh?"


    Peter didn''t even wait to respond, lifting her he slid down his slacks and moving her panties to one side slid her down his length. Felicia gasped, she had expected rough but that was intense. Huntress was making her wet already and she could feel that the symbiote hungered for him, taking after the others. It knew the power he had and it wanted to taste it but Felicia had only second-hand knowledge to go on. His cock pulsed and radiate a flaming heat inside her, she''d never dated any men and had settled as a lesbian but this, her pussy tightened up around Peters manhood and she began to push herself up and down on it, using the table as leverage.


    She had closed her eyes and yelped in surprise as someone else''s hands pinched her nipples, opening them she found Gwen drinking a coffee and touching her all over her chest. "Oh don''t mind me, you took my breakfast so you gotta pay kitty cat."


    Felicia didn''t care, while Gwen was a bit rougher than she wanted, the thick hot cock was pulsing and pushing her buttons more than she could have imagined. As he was pistoned her up and down his cock grew, filling her completely, no space inside was left untouched and Gwen, holding the coffee cup with one hand was between her legs, rubbing and teasing her clit with the other.


    Gwen looked at Peter and he nodded, grinning as she put down her cup and motioned for Felicia to lean back. With her now out the way Gwen sat on the table and lifted her skirt, spread her legs and grinned at Felicia.


    ¡°Oh god, Gwen,'''' Felicia moaned and leaned forwards again, the salty slickness filling her mouth as she licked and teased her wet folds with her tongue. Gwen ran her hand over Felicia¡¯s head and she moaned as she explored and her eyes caught Peters. He was watching as Felicia went down on Gwen but he nodded and continued to thrust in and out of her.


    Felicia had no idea why they wanted this, and as she was filled by Peter, she moaned as she sucked on Gwen''s clit and slid a finger into her, flicking her clit and running her tongue up and down her lips.


    Gwen was the same, as Felica explored her orgasm came and unlike with Peter, it faded into subtle warmth, only to flare again when a finger slipped inside and began to massage her. Poison, normally yelling by now, stayed quiet, purring and sharing the new sensations.


    Peter felt her tense up and he started to move faster, bringing himself to climax as she had already done so, he knew the symbiotes loved his taste and even without protection they would never allow their hosts to get pregnant. Peter loved that though he could shoot his cum into any of the girls and never have to worry about it and with that he did, his cock twitched and pulsed and Felicia felt him shoot more and more cum into her, driving her orgasm from a wave into a tsunami. She had never had sex with a man before and never had anyone cum inside her, as the heat of his seed filled her he gasped and rode the intense wave of her orgasm.


    Gwen watched in rapt awe as Peter fucked Felicia in front of her, unlike MJ, this time she was a more than willing participant and as Peter came inside her she felt Felicia moan and kiss her between the legs. As Felicia lay panting between the two she lifted a hand and swept the hair from her face,


    "Oh shit, Pete, that was, oh hell, Huntress was right." Felicia lifted herself off of Peter''s lap and felt the sudden rush of emptiness as he slid out of her, the feeling both satisfying and a bit lonely. She and Huntress had both enjoyed themselves but now it was time to get to work. She leant over and kissed Gwen on the lips, and Gwen returned her kiss, uncaring Felicia''s face was slick with her own juices.


    Felicia had cupped both of Gwen''s breasts with her hands and was rubbing her thumbs over the now very erect nipples under Gwen''s shirt. "Later taters, gotta run," she whipped a line out and swung herself up into the walkways, her symbskin covering her completely and she hit the emergency roof hatch running, and swung out into the daylight.


    Gwen cursed and looked at herself, her nipples were now very erect and poked through her white top, biting her lip she checked her time, if she was quick she would make it to Oscorp in plenty of time. "Okay Pete, stay there." She lifted her skirt, pulled off her soaked underwear and lowered herself down onto him, "Pete, You''ve got 10 minutes, hard and fast, rough as you like."


    He did, thrusting straight into Gwen neither of them cared he''d just finished inside Felicia, Gwen''s tendencies meant the MJ would wake up with more than a friendly hug but Felicia had outright stated she would be interested in a relationship with Gwen, and that had driven a spike right into Gwen''s sex drive.


    Peter had been more than accepting of Felicia''s advances and as he thrust deep into her, her orgasm flared, this time Poison yelling in her mind. Imagining the raven-haired beauty with them both her climax had begun even before Peter had sunk himself into her. Thrusting harder and harder, sensitive enough from his last orgasm that he didn''t last long, and feeling the hot cum flooding inside her, neither did she, she collapsed against him. "Shit that was amazing, now, I gotta run too." She slid off him, leant forwards and kissed the end of his soaked cock, licking all their cum from it, savouring its sweet and salty taste before heading into her home, grabbing fresh underwear and running out the warehouse door.


    A bleary-eyed MJ then walked from her house, ¡°uh Pete, did you just have sex with Felicia?¡± and Peter leaned back and cursed under his breath,


    ¡°Shit, yeah, MJ, she uh, oh fuck,¡± Peter looked down and MJ was sucking on him, taking every inch into her mouth before swirling her tongue around the top, licking both Felicia and Gwen from him,


    ¡°I don''t mind, Peter,¡± and her head bobbed back down. Once he was hard MJ stood and slid herself down onto him. ¡°Not as rough¡± hinting that she had been watching the trio, and as she was already wet he slid easily into her, he just grinned at her and she shook her head, ¡°don''t get too cocky¡± but began to grind on him. She slid up and down on him, taking him in as far as she could take and ground her hips against him for a few minutes before leaning back, squeaking as her orgasm came. She had been watching and playing with herself and left it teetering on the edge, wanting Peter to drive her over that cliff. As she lent in and panted against his shoulder she gently kissed and then bit his earlobe, ¡°not finished yet tiger,¡± and unmounting him she knelt and gently licked up his length. Licking him clean she took the tip of his cock in her mouth, gently swirling her tongue around it and then began to move her head up and down his length.


    Peter lay a hand on her shoulder and gently stroked the side of her face as she moved faster and faster and he tapped a finger on her cheek. As she didn''t stop he knew it was okay and he came, letting it fill her mouth and MJ sucked it down, licking the bottom of his glans with her tongue before swallowing. She licked up and on each side of his cock before kissing the tip, ¡°thanks for breakfast but let¡¯s not start having sex at the breakfast table, okay?¡± and with a happy swing in her step, made her way to work.


    Peter, exhausted but satisfied, leant back in his chair. Felicia had taken the files away with her and spent the rest of the morning reading them, promising an update once she had put them in order. Gwen and MJ had both left for work and now that Peter had killed his boss he had nothing to do.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Forty. Walk The Walk

    Felicia exited the hatch in the roof and started to run from roof to roof. She didn''t care it was daytime and she didn''t care if anyone was watching.


    What the fuck was that? she asked Huntress,


    We like the Peter.


    Felicia was mortified, she''d not only had sex with him right there in front of his girlfriend but she''d enjoyed it, flirted with her, and let Gwen do what she wanted as well.


    We like the peter a lot.


    you are fucking dead meat Huntress, I don''t like boys, you had no right,


    you lie, you feel him.


    Felicia shook her head, yes, it felt great, she''d used toys before and knew what it was like but that was amazing, especially when he. She shook her head,


    when he released himself inside us, it was so good we want more,


    Felicia shook her head, no, not ever,


    why?


    We don''t have sex with boys,


    but you like it, we felt it too, you quivered and quaked and we tasted all of you.


    no, Felicia shook her head as she sped around the rooftops, no,


    we want him again, prove to us you don''t and we submit to you, lose and give us to him,


    You want me to fight Peter for what? The right to fuck me?


    WE ARE NOT BONDED TO A COWARD. We are the first, the first to be born whole, we are his equal, and we refuse to listen to your pathetic mewling. We taste you, we feel you and you lie to us and yourself.


    Felicia¡¯s head swam and she had to steady herself against a fire escape ladder as Huntress began to cause memories to surface,


    She was standing in the schoolyard when she first saw her, her blonde goddess. It was right then Felicia knew she was gay, no one even came close to what she felt when she looked at her. After some quiet queries. Gwen, her name was Gwen.


    She saw him, sat holding a soaked schoolbag to his chest and she could see the tears pooling in his eyes. Flash again, whatever Peter had done to set him off made him target number one for every bully and asshole in the school. She knew he was like her, everyone knew his parents and uncle had died and like her he was alone, no friends, maybe he was her way to speak to Gwen, maybe if she was nice enough.


    Stupid Parker, she made everyone back off, kept them at arms distance so when her dad pulled her out of school the pain was nothing. She learned that lesson too many times but him, fuck him. She was rude, but she never went as far as to bully him but he always sat there with a stupid grin and tried to make her feel better, who did that?


    She just joined the math team, the math team! She knew shit all about advanced math but even after Gwen left Peter was still there. If there was one person in the school that would accept her it would be him. Slowly she started to look forward to being there, to seeing him.


    As she sat hugging a pillow in her still empty home she tried not to cry. It was the second year her father hadn''t come home and it was the second birthday she''d spent alone. She wished Gwen was here to hold her, she wished Peter was here to make some stupid joke to try and cheer her up. She hated this, she wanted friends and a life, and as she held tightly onto the pillow it couldn''t hide the sounds of her sobbing.


    Felicia reeled as the memories flooded back into her. She pushed so many things down, too many feelings to admit she¡¯d even had them but Huntress was relentless in her mental assault.


    YOU LOVE HIM! We feel it, you love them both, we let you off your leash and you took him, we savoured it but it was you, you tasted the Peter, not us.


    Felicia was stunned, maybe she did but it wasn¡¯t something she¡¯d ever just come out and say.


    You know what, fine, but no interfering. No fighting me for it, I won''t use you and he won''t use Venom.


    Huntress laughed in her head. There is no Peter, there is only Venom.


    Felica shook her head and landed in an alley, she realised that maybe running around during the daytime when Venom was wanted by the police wasn''t such a great idea. She let Huntress slip back into her and walking out onto the busy New York streets she hailed a cab back to the warehouse.


    Peter sat at the breakfast table, not entirely happy to see that Felicia had come back, rubbing his forehead, "so, let me get this straight, you want to fight me, and if I win we can have sex, but if you win then we don''t?"


    Felicia nodded, "Yup, cause this," and she motioned between them, "was bullshit, there''s no way that I''d have sex with Peter Parker. You''re a nobody, it was this stupid symbiote making me. So, once and for all, no suits, just powers. You win, I''ll shut up and put up. I win and you shut up and uh, yeah. Oh, gimme the cash from Alexsi''s office, I know you scored some cash, so yeah. Yeah."


    She had touched on the one button nobody touched, she called him a nothing, so fuck her. He would beat her and take her, bend her body to his will, show her who was a fucking nobody. He also got the feeling she was trying to persuade herself more than him though, "but uh, I have powers other than my suit you know, the symbskin armour isn''t my ability."


    "Uh, Pete, I''m Enhanced too, remember. I asked you if you''d been sick after Oscorp and not to be such a pussy about it. Gwen was right, you really are dense sometimes." Felicia shook her head and flipped herself over into a handstand,  and balanced on a single finger. Upside down she began to do push-ups. After 10 or so she pushed off and landed back on her feet. "You need to read those files, Pete, there are more than just us too out there."


    "Yeah, Spider-Man I guess and the four that attacked me, I know Felicia, I do remember the ass-kicking." Peter rolled his eyes at her, she was fine in small doses but right now, she was grating on him, "so, there is one thing you''re missing with all this," he continued as she shrugged, "I don''t care, why should I? Your nice and all, and stacked but uh, I''ve got Gwen and MJ. So what if we don''t fuck again?"


    "Listen, shithead, it matters to me okay," she pulled a face, mocking Peter''s voice, ¡°¡®so what if we don''t fuck again?¡¯ we shouldn''t have fucked in the first place," pointing at herself, "lesbian, no guys, plus you fucked me in front of Gwen, who does that? What kind of fucking life are you living here?"


    "None of your business what Gwen and MJ want, the only reason you''re here is because they saved you, and now what? I owe you? How childish is that? So no, the last time we fought you ran. So give it up, leave, I don''t care but tell no one. Anyone knocks on that door looking for Venom, or Gwen or MJ gets hurt. You¡¯ll be the first person I come for, you understand?"


    "Fine, then that, we fight, you win, I join your little harem or whatever shit this is. I win and I get the cash and walk away, no one talks, no one says shit. I''ve got my own secrets, Parker. You''re not the only one with enemies you know."


    "Fine then, no suits, no webs, and no bombs," Peter remembered the pain as that flash bomb went off in his face, he''d seen spots for hours afterwards, once he could see that was.


    Peter stood and after looking at it moved the table out the way, putting it in front of his home, "break my table though and I''ll be really mad," and he stripped off his t-shirt.


    Felicia just shook her head and modified her clothes into shorts and a sports bra. Peter was annoyed that even Huntress could morph into different clothing when he had tried and failed, even if the taut lines of her stomach muscles elicited a response from something other than his anger.


    He had finally lost patience with her and this wasn''t for some stupid sex or the cash, he just wanted to wipe that smug look off her face and get her the hell out of his life.


    "Before we start, what martial arts do you do?" Peter asked,


    "A mix," she replied, "you? Or just still swinging like an oaf?"


    "Hmph, doing self-defence with my own thing. Just started though, fighting last time taught me I needed it." and while he stretched she noticed that his stance was better and that he might actually have some fight in him.


    Felicia adopted a wide stance and Peter crouched slightly, both hands hovering slightly below his chin line.


    He started forwards and Felicia moved to one side, but Peter had feigned the punch and brought a leg up instead, impacting her side. Felicia took the blow, feeling her ribs ache but took his leg in her arm and lifted him up and threw him at the floor. Peter slammed into it but flipped back up and advanced, darting out a few rights before a left. Felicia ducked and weaved around them, she was still faster than him but he had learned.


    With one arm extended Felicia grabbed it for a shoulder throw but Peter grabbed her arm as he went over and she tumbled over him instead. He wasn''t holding back and the floor cracked slightly as he impacted her against it. He held her there, one arm caught around his, "give up?" he asked and she rolled her legs up and around his neck.


    Hoisting herself up she punched him twice in the side of the head until he let go and then ramming both fists into his head leapt off him. Peter stood and turned to her, turning his head from side to sides slowly, "not good enough Felicia, not strong enough to fight me."


    "We''ll see," she said and taking another stance she motioned for him to attack. Peter smiled and shook his head. Taking his own stance he advanced again, moving closer than before, knowing an extended arm would earn him a throw like last time. While sparring against his instructors was helping the learning process he had to hold back, had to tone down his speed so he didn''t hurt anyone but right now he could cut loose.


    Felicia almost wet herself as Venom let loose a series of punches, each flowing past her defences and closing in on her face, she crouched and rolled away wondering where the sudden burst of speed came from but Peter followed, throwing a kick to her midsection and as she grabbed his foot he simply lifted her off the ground and slammed her back down again, the wind was knocked out of her and as he brought down his foot again she managed to roll out the way again. Her back ached from the slam and shaking her head she knew that he was more than a match for her.


    She slid forwards, laying punches into his side and ribs but he stood and took them. He had no symbskin formed on his chest but to Felicia, it was like hitting a concrete post. Peter shook his head, "too tough" and as she swung he grabbed her wrist with one hand and grabbed her by the throat with the other and lifted her up. "We stop playing now." As he pulled her close Felicia realised that she wasn''t faster and better trained anymore. Peter was learning, adapting and if they continued to fight, she would lose.


    Gwen and MJ had met up outside the warehouse and could hear the pair inside, MJ just shook her head and let herself in. The thick smell hit her immediately, "what the hell? if you two are going to fuck, do it in your own home please," MJ yelled at them.


    Peter let go of Felicia''s neck, "not fucking though," and she cursed at him as her butt smacked on the concrete floor.


    "Really, it smells like a whores crack in here," she shouted and leaving the door open Peter could smell the fresh air coming in.


    "MJ, head to my home, third drawer on the right as you go on, get a mask and some cotton wipes for me please." Gwen had stayed outside and MJ shrugged but went anyway, Gwen looked around, making sure the streets were empty, and webbed the surgical mask to her face before coming in. "Pete, lift up your arm," and even through the mask she could smell the sweet musky scent he was giving off, rubbing a wipe over him she disappeared outside again.


    She came back a few moments later, the mask ripped from her face, "uh Pete, we might have a problem. MJ was right, you''re giving off a pheromone, and a really potent one at that, the warehouse stinks of sex, not sweat, but sex." Outside she had sampled the sweat from Peter,  using Poison to analyse and synthesise more. She recognised it almost immediately.


    "Butt sex?" Peter couldn''t resist


    "This is serious Pete, really serious," and he frowned. He knew exactly what a pheromone meant, that maybe the relationships he had with each woman wasn''t by choice, that he''d been influencing them.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Forty-One. Talk The Talk

    Gwen had made up several tins of a cream, each one holding different concentrations of the pheromone Peter gave off. While she and the rest had fun making a lot of P jokes, everyone knew that something like this was going to change things, maybe not for the better.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. Pete produces a pheromone that spikes our sex drives, drives the symbiotes crazy and makes sex with him amazingly good.¡± Gwen stated. She had taken several different strengths of the cream and given them to not just MJ but Felicia and even Peter took one.


    After heading into their own homes they all emerged a while later, red-faced and grinning.


    ¡°So what do we do about it though? I mean, I didn¡¯t mean it, I didn¡¯t even know I could. Isn''t that one of your powers?¡± Peter sat looking guilty, the cream hadn¡¯t really done anything for him, he still enjoyed listening to the moans and cries of the three in the other homes. Even Felicia had grabbed a tin from Gwen, stating that it must be the stupid pheromone that made her this morning. Peter let her use his home, while he was the easiest of the three to try out the cream Felicia wanted some privacy.


    "But," Gwen added, "We talked, away from the warehouse, away from Pete and while it makes sex better, makes us more receptive to his advances, even Felicia had to admit that it''s only reinforcing what was already there. This isn''t some rapey evil drug and like a normal pheromone it only works to attract not control, so stop looking like that Pete, you weren''t roofying us, okay?" and while he smiled it wasn''t his usual, no one liked being told they''d been subtly influencing the people around them, conscious or not. ¡°I mean, it was great, really really great but it felt the same as when we have sex with you Pete like you were there, argh, I don¡¯t know, Pete but please, stop looking like that, please.¡±


    Peter was unsure of how exactly to feel. His problem wasn''t making them receptive to him. It was the drugging aspect. ¡°But, it still makes you want to have sex with me, not the symbiotes, not plain old Peter but a chemical, something that makes you¡± and he made finger quotes, ¡°crave sex.¡±


    Gwen sighed, ¡°no, that¡¯s not right. Shit Pete, I crave pizza but I¡¯m not going to fuck one. So you smell great, you taste great, and it feels great, so what? Am I some junkie that joneses for your dick? No. Am I really happy when you slam it into me? Yes, I am, like when I eat a good pizza or a really great burger, so stop, it¡¯s not bad. It''s an aphrodisiac Pete, not mind control.¡±


    MJ came over and sat on his lap, moving her hand and running her fingers through his hair, "It''s fine Peter, even after being outside, where we couldn''t smell it, we knew. You never made us do anything we didn''t want to do. If I was going to have sex with someone, it would be you, it''s always been you,¡± she stared at him, wishing he would just understand, "Peter, look, you had sex with Felicia and then Gwen this morning, and really, if I was there I wouldn''t have said no either. Sex is amazing, cream stuff or not. We want you, dorky stupid stop fucking arguing Peter Parker. You, Gwen, and I were all here before the symbiote thing started, before anything. We both liked you well before that, just, you know, life got in the way," and she looked guiltily at the floor, as each of them knew what she was implying. "That''s not what the talk is about though, look, I get the attraction I really do but this," she motioned to the four of them, "this is getting out of hand."


    Gwen agreed. "How exactly do I tell people I''m in a relationship with one guy and two other women. My dad will freak out if he hears you¡¯re sleeping with MJ, let alone Felicia as well."


    Peter frowned, "wait, you guys are upset because you have to tell people  I''ve got three girlfriends? not because I''ve got three girlfriends?" suddenly he was feeling a lot better about the situation. "Look, I don''t know, it''s not like I thought one day hey you know what? let''s get three girlfriends."


    Felicia raised her hand, "technically, I''m just a fuck buddy, so you know." Felicia had to admit to herself that if there was one guy, it would be Parker. While he was dorky and too introverted for her tastes, he was still kind and nice to her plus the whole muscles thing made him surprisingly hot, he wasn''t built like a bodybuilder, just smooth and, oh shut the hell up Huntress, and she realised what was happening,


    you lost, we now belong to the Peter, have him fill us again


    MJ rolled her eyes, "not helping Felicia,"


    Felicia added, not helping Huntress to her symbiote.


    Felicia was sat watching the trio make stupid faces at each other and while she felt a bit left out, at the same time she wanted this conversation over. "Okay, then you want help, fine, Gwen, break up with Peter and date me. Your dad should be happy enough with you coming out right? And then MJ you date Peter, there, two couples hanging out, no issues, no problems no social stigma. So what if we''re all screwing most days, it''s not like anyone else should be asking about our sex lives anyway. See, done. Plus it''ll stop you from making eyes at MJ every five minutes," It was turning into an uncomfortable topic for her and she really didn''t want to be talking about her sexuality with these three, even if things were happening quickly, there was a lot she didn¡¯t want to explain, not until she knew she could trust them all.


    Gwen batted her arm, "Oh like I don''t see you drooling at Pete." Gwen fluttered her eyelids, "oh look at me, I''m a lesbian but let me suck that dick for you Pete, I hate you I really do but you can cum in me if you want to Pete, just let me get the dick, Pete," and it was Felicia''s turn to throw something at Gwen.


    Felicia herself knew that it was Huntress affecting her hormones, we want the Peter, you want the Peter, don''t fight it and while Huntress was right she still didn''t like how Gwen had put it.


    "That''s not fair Gwen. I didn''t plan it. Hell, you think I wanted to lose my virginity at a breakfast table while someone watched? I don''t think I''d ever planned on losing it until Peter came along, I was 100% homo, so stop being a bitch," This was why. She was tired of hearing the "you just need a dick and you''ll like guys" talk from the girls at school. She''d tried so hard to hide her feelings but still, someone found out and she endured, and now, she got the same from Gwen.


    "Hey, enough" Peter interrupted the pair¡¯s bickering, "look it''s strange enough the four of us without the backbiting and a pissing contest, so get it all out right now. I''ve no problems with any of that. Let''s wait to see what''s going to happen though. Felicia, no one should argue that you¡¯re not gay, sex once with one guy doesn''t make you straight. It''s still your life, it''s still your body. if you want to stay that way it''s fine, no one is forcing anyone to do anything they don''t want to okay?"


    "Fine fine, I liked it, this is weird as shit but yeah I liked it. I''m willing, just no, no pushing it okay?" Felicia added, if it was just Pete,


    mmmm, yes, take the Peter Huntress purred,


    Gwen came over and rubbed a hand on Felicia''s shoulder, "Sorry okay, just, you know, with everything. My dad is already up my ass about dating Pete, adding another woman into the warehouse and he¡¯ll go nuts."


    Peter shook his head though, ¡°uh no, look two guys tried to kill you yesterday, I''m not letting anyone know you¡¯re here. Not till we know it''s safe, not until we know no one else is going to come looking for you. Once that''s settled then we can discuss this again.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± Felicia swore as the severity of the situation came crashing down on her. ¡°Uh, I can stay, right? I mean, I know we only hung out at school but, I can¡¯t go home.¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°Plenty space,¡± and he motioned to the offices on the other side of the warehouse.


    "MJ?" Peter asked,


    She sipped on her coffee, "Oh I''m with you Tiger, as for these two, don''t care, it''s not up to me what they want, I really only care if I''m happy and that your happy, sorry Gwen," and she shrugged,


    Gwen looked disappointed, but as she frowned, "it''s not like we can do anything about it huh, but yeah, happy too. Fel?"


    "Fel huh, straight to the cutesy name," and Peter snorted,


    "I like Fel," MJ said,


    But even as Felicia shook her head "Yeah, me too, and sure, it works for me."


    Of course, Peter was fine with it. Right now he realised he was sleeping with the three most attractive women in the school. He never once imagined that he''d ever date one of them, let alone them all.


    "So, uh, are you guys fine, I mean, I''m the only guy here and, you know, I don''t really like the idea of you seeing another man," Peter asked warily.


    "Women are okay though?" Felicia asked and Peter thought about it, but after Gwen was there this morning, and that sometimes MJ watched when he and Gwen were together he nodded.


    Felicia shrugged, "Just wanted to be sure, you know, still not sure about this.¡± Felicia knew she enjoyed this morning and wanted more, but as she looked at Gwen she knew she wanted that even more. She needed time to figure things out and hoped the trio would be understanding enough to give her that.


    "Yeah, uh, Gwen, I feel the same way," MJ added. "I don''t mind if you three do things, but, yeah, I''d like Peter alone," and Gwen sighed. ¡°Oh behave Gwen. You know I don¡¯t see you that way, maybe once in a while, like before but, nothing more.¡±


    Gwen nodded, ¡°yeah, that''s fine with me, no guys, just MJ, Fel, and Pete," she shrugged, "it''s good," and they all nodded, slightly awkwardly but happier for it.


    Everyone agreed and then split apart, Gwen and MJ had work and Felicia was still recovering from her ordeal. While she¡¯d been high on the bonding and feeling the adrenaline rush it was great but after sitting and talking with the group she was tired and Gwen let her use her home until Peter could fix her something more permanent.


    Peter had been left alone, he did some sketches of an easy to print modular artificial limb based on a nanofibre model he had been working on with Gwen, its long-chain molecules were based on the symbiotes webbing.


    Today had been strange, it started off with a talk he''d honestly thought would be full of recrimination about manipulating them into sex but in the end, there were now four people in the warehouse who shared a bed together, hmm, he started to sketch a big huge bed and shook his head, with what Aunt May had said, make sure everyone has their own space and as he thought about he realised that if someone was after Felicia then he should probably convert one of the labs into an apartment for her.


    Shit, he thought, the only rooms with water hook up were next to his or Gwen''s brewery, the rest were either for his electronic work or Gwen''s clean rooms. He would talk to her later and for now, it looked like either MJ or Gwen would be sharing. He would need to buy stuff to convert one as well, the junkyard was now no longer an option.


    Looking at his phone and checking his bank balance he thought better of it. While they had cash from the safe at Alexsi''s it wouldn''t be wise to flash a lot of money around all at once, especially if the cops did decide to investigate him.


    No, if she wanted a home she could pay for it herself and get a lease just like the other two. She was nicer once you got to know him and sure, he liked having another girlfriend but that was pleasure and a lease was business.


    To top it off he had a more important job to complete. Since the accident, he hadn''t heard anything from Max or whoever Alexsi worked for, and while he was hesitant to go there he wanted it over and done with. He''d rather have an awkward conversation in the street than drag the mess here, especially now Felicia had seemingly moved in as well. He wondered if there would be any more additions to the ever-growing circle of women he seemed to be attracting and as he thought, he really didn''t care if there was. It was nice to have a family, nice to have company at night, and he loved the sex, he admitted to himself that he really loved the sex.


    When Peter had gone to the junkyard it was covered in police tape. A CSI had shooed him away after taking a very short statement, his mentioning Gwen Stacy had rung an alarm bell and after getting a uniformed officer to radio the station, Peter had been eyed up and then let go, Officer Vasquez keeping to his word. He had signed a statement saying he was nowhere near the junkyard when it exploded and as his work hours ended at five, there was no reason for anyone to doubt him. He was a nobody in the scheme of things here, even if Alexsi was connected to the mob or other crime gang, Peter hadn''t been there long enough to get involved in anything more than fixing stolen goods.


    Nobody cared or even suspected that a high school dropout was there, it was extra paperwork and Peter was a footnote in their investigations. So much so that when George Stacy received the report on Alexsi¡¯s death, he missed that Peter was even working there let alone gave a statement.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Forty-Two. Days Gone Bye

    Across town, at Oscorp HQ, Norman had just received the news. Alexsi had been in an accident, right now it was being called such, a propane heater leaked and exploded, killing Alexsi and destroying his office. Norman wondered though, with the recent spate of attacks on his men and the arrival of Venom at the bank heist if he was being targeted rather than just unlucky.


    He pushed a button on his intercom, "Liv, get in here." He sat deep in thought, if Alexsi had been compromised then there might be a paper trail to him, no matter how thin it might be he still needed answers.


    A knock at the door brought him back from his musings. "Come" and his assistant, Liv, came in. In her usual white lab coat, her hair was still a frizzy mess and she looked half asleep as Norman stared at her.


    "Find Marko and Dillon, and see if Alexsi was murdered or just unlucky," he said, and Liv blinked a few times,


    "Dead?" She asked and Norman scowled at her,


    "No, I''m asking you to investigate a living person, of course, he''s dead!" He yelled and she shrank back.


    "Yes sir, and if he was?"


    "Do nothing, just investigate, leave them to me," he shooed her away. Things were coming to a head at Oscorp and his big reveal was coming up, he couldn''t have anything screw this up, not some two-bit hood and not some stupid assistant who asked stupid questions. He poured himself a scotch and sat staring at it, it''s too important, too important. He drank the whole glass, barely tasting it as he eyed the silver case by his desk. He might need another injection, just to make sure, it was just too important.


    Liv was furious as she discovered Alexis''s death through Norman, while it was just a job if Alexsi had been compromised then she might have been as well and that would be bad news. she screamed as she flung the monitor off her desk.


    "Now now Liv,¡± A voice from the doorway said, "that''s Oscorp property you''re destroying." Upon hearing the voice her fears were founded, this was the last person she wanted to see, if Harry was cleaning up she''d be on his list sooner or later.


    Harry Osborn stood, smug-faced as ever. "I heard you''ve been tasked with finding out if poor Rhino was just poor or stupid." He nudged the smashed monitor with his foot. "Norman wants a full report but I want you to talk to me first. Oh don¡¯t pull that face, I had nothing to do with this, Rhino was a good lump of muscle and dumb enough to follow orders." Harry leaned in and stared Liv straight in the eyes. ¡° If I wanted him or you dead I wouldn''t be so obvious.¡±


    She grimaced, "and why should I talk to him at all, surely you could let him know your plan by now?" the conversation was uncomfortable for her, she knew Harry preferred to hold things close to his chest, especially when it came to his father.


    "Now Liv, you don''t want to set me off do you, no back talk," Harry waved a finger at her. "Norman is obsessed with his armour and glider plan but we both know genetics is the future. If I say anything he''ll shut me down, shut us down. So no, keep quiet, do your job. Oh and clean this up, I don''t like a mess." he turned and waved a hand, dismissing her as he walked out of her office.


    She wanted to scream again, wanted to rage at the stupid father and son but each time her heart pumped at the thought of just eviscerating the smug bastard she felt it again and she behaved, she listened, and she obeyed, carefully picking up the mess she had just made, avoiding cutting herself on the broken plastic and glass.


    Brushing down her lab coat, Liv pulled out the tablet Harry had given her. It had bypassed all the normal Oscorp security protocols and had access to pretty much all the government agencies that were tied to Oscorp servers. Flicking through the list she headed to the NYPD app and began to peruse the Sytsevich case files. The collected evidence suggested that the pressure seal on the propane tank had blown and lit off of Alexsi''s cigarette, his body was thrown from a seating position behind his desk and impaled with large pieces of the desk. The details were all filed and the officer in charge of the case ruled it accidental, no follow up needed.


    Liv stared at the crime scene photos and it wasn''t until she clicked on zoomed in on one that she realised. There was an open safe, labelled as contents destroyed, in a fire. If the safe wasn''t fire rated then, of course, the contents would burn up, but what the CSI hadn''t noted, there was no ash, the inside of the safe was clean, no ash, no half-burned pieces of paper, cash or otherwise. No melted lockboxes or pistols, knowing Alexsi he had at least one of each.


    Checking the photos again, seeing Alexsi cut open on the coroner''s table. She noted the clean edge to some of the cuts, glass, the corner had noted but Liv could see a slight discolouration of the edges, without examining the body herself she couldn''t be sure, but to her, it was tinged black.


    Picking up her phone she called Harry. "It''s Liv. It was Venom but unless you let me out to check myself, I can''t be 100% but I''m pretty sure it was him." there was silence on the other end.


    "Report nothing to my father, do anything necessary to catch him."


    "If he resists and I need to use force?" she asked, praying he wasn''t listening.


    "Do what you need to, I want him alive though." and the call cut out.


    Yes, she fist-pumped. Do anything I want to catch the Venom, alive if I can but not if it can be helped. The wording was wrong, too sloppy and now she was free to do what she wanted, as long as she worked towards catching Venom. Spying the case on her desk she had a thought and while Harry wanted the processor for another plan, she had a much better idea.


    Flicking on her phone and sent a text to her only ally left capable of helping her deal with Venom. Standing and stretching, "free, free to get my revenge against Venom," and Oscorp, she thought to herself.


    Liv wasn''t the only one concerned over Alexsi''s death. Max stared at the container of serum Alexsi had gotten from Osborn, he''d hidden it on Alexsi''s orders, leaving it in a safe was asking for trouble and there was only one person he had trusted with it.


    Alexsi''s death had hit Max hard, they''d been in the same crew for going on 40 years, starting out on the same streets and joining the same gang. He knew Alexsi could be a bit dumb sometimes, but nobody got to run a business or chop shop by being totally stupid, sure the formula made him dumber but not enough to smoke in a gas-filled office, not stupid enough to ignore the smell of gas around him.


    Someone had killed Alexsi and covered it up, maybe it was one of the rival gangs but even then, hits like that were to send a message. Alexsi and the yard were supposed to be neutral territory, he had a thought and dialled his phone.


    "Go for Aaron."


    "Hey man, it''s Max, you hear?"


    The man on the other end of the line snorted, "yeah, everyone heard, you think it was a hit?"


    "Alexis was stupid but not that stupid, so yeah, anything?"


    "Not at my end no, nothing on the vine man, if it was a job it wasn''t done locally,"


    "you?"


    "You''d even ask? No, if it was me it wouldn''t have been an explosion, but uh, I hear you might have some product for sale? I''ll give you a good deal for it?"


    "Not for me to decide, Alexsi already sent that home, but shit man, someones not playing by the rules. Oh, shit, gotta another call coming in, you know, if I go next then it''s something personal for someone right, so, see you around, well, maybe."


    "Sure man." and the line went dead.


    As Max looked at his phone it was a text message. He shook his head at its contents and looked at the package Alexsi had left. Maybe he should have sold it to Aaron, but he shook his head. He had one more job to do for Oscorp and he was leaving. He''d been offered a good deal back home and he''d taken it, he was tired of the junk and the smell, of fucking New Yorkers, and of that fucking Osborn prick. Once this job was over he''d be free.


    He frowned as he thought of the last job, clicking on his phone, texting the one person he could leave something with.


    "Hey, sending over a package, if anything happens, you know the drill."


    Flint Marko sat on the window sill outside his daughter''s hospital room, he was afraid, afraid that if she saw him she''d cry or worse. She suffered from some disease, sure they told him, even what it did but it was all fancy gibberish to him, all he knew was that without treatment she would die. That''s why he did this, why he hated Venom so much. The last job was supposed to be the one that paid for her last treatment but the doc said they drew too much attention, too much heat on them and that the bank job was supposed to be done quietly. So they''d delayed, giving her treatment but not the cure. One last job they said, one more and we''ll cure her no matter what. No matter the cost, Flint knew he had to do anything, would do anything if it meant saving his daughter.


    His phone tinged and as he checked his messages he saw that Doc wanted him, the last job had come and that this time the payment regardless of outcome was the cure.


    He idly flicked glue onto his skin, making little balls of sand. If he was going to fight that freak again, he''d be ready, he''d make sure that Venom was stopped, and that his daughter was free.


    Aaron looked at his phone, his boss had asked him to infiltrate Alexis¡¯s group but now that was pointless. With the man dead he doubted he¡¯d get any answers that lead to the chip. His only lead now was the other costumed man. It was obvious it was this Venom character and as he flicked through the latest reports the man had become active again.


    Reports of muggings, robberies, and even a few drug dealers were scattered. The Venom worked mainly in Hell¡¯s Kitchen, taking out anyone too obvious and he pencilled a note to make his people lay low for a while. Anyone working for other crews, well, they were on their own.


    If the man walked away from a  beating and still had the strength to smash faces and smile then he needed some heavy-duty hardware. Normal rounds would probably just piss him off and he added another note ¡®armour piercing¡¯. Even the camera footage of the failed drone experiment in Manhattan was there and watching the agility and strength of the man was astounding. His shopping list grew even more flashbangs, netguns, explosives, and finally the new sonic weapon the army had developed. Aaron knew that to take out someone like Venom, he¡¯d need to be well-armed, and well prepared.


    As his enemies made their plans against him Peter was making his own, Once Gwen and MJ had gone for a small nap and Felicia hid to recover he had doused the table with bleach, scrubbed it clean and then washed the floor, all the blood was gone and while he might sand and revarnish the table later, it was clean enough they could sit at it again.


    Sure, he would have to face the Police at some point, but with Gwen and MJ as alibis, he would get out of that easily enough. Rhino had been easier to kill than he''d thought, but Electro would be a problem. While he could ground himself against some current he had no idea how much Electro could generate. He needed some kind of device to ground Electro himself, easy enough to make, he might just have to break a few microwaves to do so, using the large magnets inside.


    Sandman was easier, he could use some kind of heat emitter to just melt him into glass slag and if that wouldn''t work gum him up again. While he had tested out the new symbarmour against Gwen, Sandman hit a lot harder and he might need to have a backup plan against the pair. He''d asked Gwen if there was any kind of acid or solvent that dissolved silicon or metals and she had shown him several different ones. Easy enough to make and store he could carry small vials, enough to blind or stun while he incapacitated him. He also wondered if Sandman had a limit, even if he wasn''t flesh, having large chunks of his body cut off must still hurt and should eventually kill him.


    Lastly, there was Ock. The four-limbed asshole was strong with under armour, the punches barely making a dent on his body, if Electro could throw lightning at him and Ock wasn''t moving to avoid them, his limbs must be shielded against it, which was another problem, but more for the man than the machine. Even with shielding there had to be a way to short out the electronics of the harness and Peter wondered if he could make a small short-range EMP to disable him. He would need to be careful though. While easy enough to build, the last thing he would want was to kill power for a city block or two.


    Tapping his finger against the table, deep in thought, Peter plotted his revenge.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Forty-Three. Along Came A Spider

    Spider-Man had watched as the sniper took aim and fired on Black Cat. He watched as she attacked and killed his partner, and he watched as he then followed her into the warehouse district and disappeared. He watched in shock, as the man blatantly fired a round at her, catching her in the stomach. He watched in shock as blood pooled around both her and her attacker.


    He watched as a cleanup crew, all wearing the same military uniform as the dead man, meticulously cleaned blood and other evidence from the scene and in a matter of moments, even the bullet he had heard tumble down the air conditioning shaft had been retrieved, cleaned and then they vanished. His breath held in his chest while his heart hammered as he watched them clean up a body, as if it was garbage day.


    The feeling slowly came back to the hands he hadn''t even realised he had clenched. The hammering faded and his world came back into focus. He had just watched someone die, immobilized by fear and inexperience. His Black Cat had been a real victim, almost dying before limping off and as he sat, that could be me, was all he could think.


    He was left with a conundrum, should he look for the second man? He knew the area was the same he watched Venom fight Black Cat before and he might catch a glimpse of his adversary, or should he follow the group back to their headquarters? It was a puzzle. Black Cat would get more press, a shadowy organisation that could make a body disappear and conducted black ops within city limits would get him exposed or worse, killed.


    Black Cat, definitely, he thought to himself. Chasing super killer spies was not good story material and was way above his skill set. He sent out a web line and swung into the district, hoping to grab a glimpse of the pair that took her, or the agent that followed, but as the rain washed away the blood and the scent he lost them. Even as he sat on a ledge and just listened and scanned the grey sky he couldn¡¯t find any sign of them. Sighing, he swung out and patrolled the city once more.


    Eddie stretched in the morning, tired from being out as Spider-Man and having to work early in the day. JJ¡¯s work ethic was definitely the early worm gets the story and as crime didn''t wait for clocking in time, neither should his reporters. Thankfully, with the pictures and video that Eddie had been producing he was now a staff reporter. Decent enough wages meant he could move from his crappy studio apartment, he might even find a girlfriend but after leaving San Francisco when a relationship didn¡¯t just end but explode, he was hesitant to start. Although JJ''s secretary, Betty, he thought her name was, did smile at him a few times, and not just the normal get the hell out my office smile but an actual smile. Maybe once he settled into a better routine he could ask her out for a drink.


    He had just finished his editorial piece on the latest Venom incident. A mugger had been found, once again, brutalised and unconscious. Sure he had just assaulted a woman, beating her, and he discovered she was his girlfriend but Venom had broken the guy''s jaw, given him a concussion and then robbed him.


    Eddie missed out the part where after Black Cat and Venom left together, missed out the part where his stomach wanted to empty itself as he watched a man die. He shook his head and his fingers trembled as they hovered over the keyboard.


    ¡°Writer''s block?¡± a sweet voice asked and as Eddie smiled he looked and there she was, Betty. She had nice wavy black hair that flowed down her neck like a waterfall and while he tried not to stare her figure filled out the dress and blouse she always wore very nicely. Even in black flats, her calves were shapely and as she walked away Eddie admired the view on more than one occasion. Today though she was concerned,


    ¡°Yeah, uh, domestic, even if Venom broke the guy''s jaw. He deserved it at least a bit, but can''t write that, ¡°


    Betty hmphed ¡°you should, guys like that get away with murder, she¡¯s lucky¡± and Eddie nodded, ¡°but never seen you so shook though, what¡¯s got you upset?¡± and she sat down on his desk,


    ¡°Oh, just, some cases bring back bad memories, this one, my uh dad, yeah, ¡° and he shook his head. ¡°Nah, sorry, can¡¯t¡± and she placed a hand on his shoulder


    ¡°Hey, it''s okay, a lot of people have stories like that, a lot of people don''t talk about it, it''s fine.¡± and she gave him that smile again and he patted her hand,


    ¡°Thanks though, but uh, better get back to work before JJ sees us, might get docked for an unofficial break,¡± and she laughed,


    ¡°On my way to him now, proofreading and editing, it''s a dirty job but someone¡¯s gotta do it¡± and Eddie snorted, he hated proofreading and editing and was always glad he could send it off for someone else to do it. Judging from the pile of printouts Betty was carrying, so did a lot of others.


    ¡°Not just?¡± and he motioned to the pile,


    ¡°JJ hates digital, still a hardcopy guy.¡± and she smirked ¡°well, back to the grind¡± and as she walked away Eddie wasn''t sure, but he could swear she was wiggling her ass a bit more than normal.


    As he leaned back to think about what she and he clasped his hand on top of his head, maybe he did deserve what Venom did, but he wouldn''t learn anything, he would see that and not the crime he committed. He wouldn''t learn, only the time in jail and a sentence would teach him, Eddie knew from experience that physical punishment never taught anything except hate, and as he leant forwards his fingers touched the keys and he began to write his article.


    At the end of the long day, Eddie walked back to his studio apartment. It was small, and the one-room was a reminder that even good-paying jobs in New York meant living a frugal lifestyle but it was his. Most days he just flopped down onto his couch bed, slept for a few hours and then went out as Spider-Man, saving tidying up for when it got really bad, or in most cases, he ran out of clean underwear.


    Setting his kettle on and pulling an instant cup noodle out his cupboard Eddie waited, bent over with his head resting on the kitchen counter as he waited for the kettle to boil, filled his dinner, and grabbed a beer out of the fridge.


    He had folded the lid over and grabbed a cleanish fork from the pile when there was a knock at the door. Peering through the spy hole, it was Betty.


    ¡°Hey Eddie you left early so I never got to see you¡± she spoke through the chained door,


    ¡°Uh, give me a moment?¡± and he closed it on her. She could hear the scrambled thumping as he was tidying up, and she shook her head and smiled as eventually, a flustered and red Eddie opened the door. ¡°Uh, come in.¡±


    Betty had to stifle a laugh, Eddie had thrown dirty plates and crockery in the sink and hidden them under a now wet dishcloth, clothes were bundled and thrown in a hamper and she caught a glimpse of a bright red onesie, badly hidden under some socks. ¡°Uh, yeah, I, eh, it''s laundry day¡± and Eddie grabbed the hamper, and slid it into the kitchen where she couldn''t see it.


    His place was a studio, so the kitchen was a double counter, one against the wall with the small stove on it and another, only a few feet away leaning into the living room. A couch had been pushed against it and as there seemed to be no bed, she guessed it pulled out.


    ¡°So, uh, sit¡± and Eddie pulled a pillow out from the couch and made space for her. ¡°Uh, so, yeah, what brings you here?¡± he asked, inwardly groaning at his stupid stiffness. It wasn''t like he¡¯d never talked to a woman before.


    She shook her head and smiled, ¡°Are you gay?¡± and Eddie took a second before scrunching his face and muttering,


    ¡°Huh?¡±, now he was really confused, ¡°why? Uh, why? why would you ask that?¡±


    ¡°Cause, I flirted, I dropped hints, I shook my ass, I''m not even wearing a bra. I did everything those stupid articles said and not once did you look at me, not one date, or complement. So, are you gay? Am I wasting my time here?¡± She stated as she stared at him.


    Of course, as she mentioned it Eddie looked down. It was chilly in New York and while Betty was wearing a coat she had unzipped it and he could now see she was right. The floral-patterned dress she was wearing clung to her like a second skin and as the chill air hit it, her nipples had creased and were now standing erect and Eddie blushed and looked away. Betty looked down and clutched her coat shut, ¡°Oh my god, Eddie,¡± and she turned from him, ¡°I said gay, not stare.¡±


    Eddie stared a the ceiling, muttering, ¡°no definitely not gay.¡±


    As Betty composed herself, ¡°I can see that, so why? I mean, if you don''t like me then why the interest, why the signals, I asked the rest of the staff, no girlfriend and no ring, so, I mean, why?¡±


    Betty was tired of being alone in New York. The dating scene for people her age was either divorcee¡¯s, widowers, or the players who couldn''t handle a relationship and still acted like they were twenty. One night stands with disappointing sex and even more disappointing excuses. She had taken Eddie''s friendliness as charming and hoped he would want more, but well, here they were.


    ¡°I uh,¡± and Eddie sighed, ¡°I¡¯m dumb?¡± was all he said and Betty laughed.


    ¡°So?¡± And he nodded, ¡°good¡± and she unzipped her coat again. ¡°Now you can look¡± and the rest of Eddie''s evening was a whole lot better than he had ever imagined.


    In the morning Eddie woke feeling better than he had in months, since the incident in fact. As he looked over at the sleeping form of Betty he made two promises. The first was to stop being so hesitant. Last night he took a chance and now a very attractive and very demanding woman had invited herself into his life. The second was to get a new bed, as the sex had been amazing but uncomfortable on the couch bed. They had still managed though, several times, until Betty gave in. Being Spider-Man did have some advantages.


    Shit, he thought, and as he gently crept out of bed and over to the kitchen, filling and putting on the coffee pot he slid the laundry basket with his Spider-Man costume under the sink. He would deal with that later properly but as long as Betty didn''t see it it would be fine.


    Looking around his apartment, he realised he needed to spruce the place up as well. He had been living here for over 6 months but had never done anything, treating it like a temporary thing. Even with better wages, he would be here a while so some pictures, a few nik-naks would make it seem more homely, and if he was having company over more often some better furniture and definitely a lockable box to keep his outfits in.


    He could even afford a better costume. Right now, he had been wearing a double onesie, thin, and enough to cover his identity. It was red and the second blue, the cheapest he could find and had been hastily stitched together, he could now get something better.


    He had been browsing wetsuits and found several neoprene ones in a similar style, red shoulders and arms with blue bodies and legs. He would need boots though and gloves but they needed to be modified. His powers meant his fingertips needed to be uncovered and the sticky webbing he shot from his wrist needed an opening or it would just coat and glue him into the suit. He wondered if a sharpie could be used to draw on webbing, go for a complete spider theme and maybe find some art online he could get for free, a small but obvious spider to sit in the middle of his webbing. As Betty moaned and rolled over he knew it would have to wait though.


    As Betty lifted herself and smiled at Eddie, he took out his one cup, and a glass for himself and made them coffee, gratefully watching as she lingered over dressing, and smiling at him as he handed her the cup.


    Life was looking up for Eddie Brock, New York''s friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Forty-Four. Frisky Business

    "You don''t get it, do you?" Felicia asked Peter. Gwen and MJ were both out and left Peter and Felicia sitting having their usual cordial but awkward breakfast.


    "No I don''t,¡± Peter was slowly losing patience with Felica. He didn''t mind that she seemed to be mainly tolerating his presence but this morning there was a bug up her ass about something. "So, rather than being a bitch, explain it to me."


    He wasn¡¯t mad at her in particular but since she¡¯d gotten here she¡¯d spent more time with Gwen than with him or MJ, He couldn¡¯t decide if he was jealous or just pissed off she seemed to be making no effort to mingle with the group.


    He couldn''t blame her though, having to escape her home, she wasn''t exactly rich and had no access to either money or clothes. As Gwen was roughly the same size in barring everything but the chest department she''d been staying with her and living off of charity from the trio.


    ¡°Fine." Felicia took out a plastic bag, it had one of Gwen''s black label cream samples in it and Peter shrugged,


    "So?" He asked her. The cream made their sex lives better, even if he was already involved, and they had started using it as lube.


    Gwen had made up several different strengths, this one was black, the strongest. She made white, green, blue, red and finally black, each one 10, 20, 30, 40 and finally 50 percent. Stronger than that and the girls found themselves being stunned into unconsciousness just by the smell alone, it stopped being a pleasure and started being a poison at that strength. Even Peter felt his eyes and throat burn with the higher level strengths and Gwen needed to use one of her clean rooms to clear out the air before they suffocated.


    "So, this can make you a ton of money, why aren''t you doing anything with it?"


    "Well, because FDA approval takes a year but after about, oh, ten years of trials, both animal and human to make sure it doesn''t rot your brain or give you super cancer or something."


    "Super cancer?" Felicia pulled a face, "Pete, it''s fine, it''s a natural hormone and pheromone. Gwen tested it, Gwen did lots of science stuff, if she says it safe, then it''s safe."


    "Yeah I know, we use it all the time but I''m sure the FDA will take the, ¡®my symbiote girlfriend says so¡¯ proof and give me approval."


    "You know, Gwen said you could be dumb sometimes," Felicia shook her head and sat down, "book smart, street dumb she put it. Well, I''m book dumb but street smart. I don''t care what the chemical formula of Cheese Whiz is, but ask me to pick a tr-15 or bypass an xj47, then I can, and I also have some connections that''ll take this for a good price."


    Peter raised an eyebrow, "really? and would you like to explain that?"


    Felicia sighed and shrugged, "My dad, he isn''t a coach, he''s a famous thief, and he trained me to be his replacement when he retired. So yeah, crooks, bank jobs, crime sprees, I''m your gal, and uh yeah, hookers and whorehouses." she said it casually as she made herself a coffee, adding in several large spoons of sugar. Huntress craved the energy and since she¡¯d been bonded, she had started to need to eat several large meals each day.


    Peter raised an eyebrow, "and you were going to tell us when?"


    "Never, you think I want to be creeping along rooftops at night? I want a normal life, a wife, kids, maybe, and a house, not bank jobs and crime lords, but since dad went missing I''ve got no choice."


    Peter shrugged, "it''s your life, Felicia, so back to the cream."


    "A lot of places, maybe off the book places will take this, anything to make the girl''s life a bit easier."


    Peter clenched his fist, "easier huh?"


    "Oh for fuck sake give me credit. No, I don''t do work for the real scumbags. Crack dens and rape joints are off my books."


    "You have a list of crack dens?" Peter''s eyes lit up, why stop muggers when he could break up the big places, and they usually had a lot of cash too.


    Felicia rolled her eyes, "yes, I do, I''ll write a few down for you but this," she spun the container on the table, "this could make money for next to nothing?"


    "That good huh?"


    "You don''t get it, Peter, I''m a lesbian, like, if every guy dropped dead right now I wouldn''t be that upset, well, my dad, and I guess you but this, even now I can still smell it and Gwen sealed the tin and the bag. Huntress is going nuts and all I want is for you to bend me over this table, rip off my panties and go balls deep to pound town. For a whore who''s tired but needs one more john for enough cash to feed her kid, this is gold. It''s not pretty Peter but you could make money and do some good."


    Felicia had hoped to appeal to Peter''s sense of justice, he always rooted for the little guy, or well this time gal and looking at him he was deep in thought.


    She sighed though, "lost you at crack den huh?"


    He shook his head, "nope, balls deep to pound town actually. Crack dens sound like a poor second." Peter took a deep breath, "we can''t manufacture this, Gwen would need to help. Get her approval, get her help, and then yes, but we have more pressing issues."


    Felicia guessed what he meant and slid over to him, sitting on his lap, "so, will I press or will you?" but he laughed and shook his head,


    Peter raised an eyebrow surprised she''d even suggest it, "later¡± and Felicia bit her lip but nodded,


    She knew she¡¯d been avoiding him but it wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t like him, she was crying out for him to just take her, to thrust himself into her and she even ended up talking to Gwen about it, who told her to just accept it and go fuck him, she would even join them if she wanted to. It was difficult to admit that she liked anyone, let alone a guy. Her father drilled a ¡®no attachments¡¯ rule into her and she was struggling. That triggered another rule ¡®no weaknesses¡¯ and she found herself alone again, wanting to reach out to them but fearful she¡¯d lose more in the process.


    "Get a list of the worst places and the best ones. With Alexsi dead and a gap, we need to move fast. If you''ve got contacts with the underworld then use them, find out who''s taking over and you and I''ll go hunting."


    That sent a bigger shiver up her spine than the thought of Peter ravaging her later on, she had to deal with some of the worst shitbags around, training her dad called it, but now she could go and make them pay for all the shit she had to endure.


    All afternoon they worked, Peter printed off a map of Hell''s Kitchen and Felicia worked on marking in all the hotspots she knew off, the small businesses that Alexsi had run as well as the various crime syndicates and gangs that worked in each territory.


    "I''m not going to take over if that''s what your thinking Felicia, being a criminal is a whole lot different than being a bit more violent than Spooder-man, a broken wrist is more of a deterrent than a slap on it but these, these crack dens and whore houses where the really nasty shit happens, that''s doing more."


    ¡°This is freeing the ones that want out and giving the ones that don''t a fighting chance. We send a message Fel, a message that Venom runs the streets and not to fuck with him." Peter continued, pouring them both coffee. Staring at maps all day was tiring, making a list of places to hit and then ordering them by Alexsi''s list was giving him a headache, especially as some places were equally as bad.


    "You want to clean the streets up but not take over? You can''t leave things like that you know, even you know, nature abhors a vacuum, we take out the big guys and another big guy comes in to take over. Hell, I bet right now someone¡¯s eyeing up the junkyard and Alexis¡¯s crew. It doesn''t work like that Peter." Felica said, moving over to him and looking at the list he had made.


    "It''s not about taking over, it''s about sending a message. It¡¯s fine, sell drugs, run a whore house but fuck with the neighbourhood, make life difficult for the people living around you and get hammered. Plenty of people do crazy shit and no one''s any the wiser, just cause some asshole with a bible says it''s bad doesn''t mean it actually is. So no, scumbags get taken care of, crooks with low profiles get to stay in business." Peter found her grating but he admitted she was very attractive and a hand snaked its way up her leg and rested on the top of her ass.


    "Wow, you know I never thought that I''d hear that from you. I figured you''d be the scumbags must pay kinda guy, not the practical thinker, hmm, not just a pretty face then huh" Felicia said, shaking her head at him and moving his hand away from its perch.


    "aww shucks, you think I''m pretty?" Peter smiled and winked back at Felica, who laughed and balled up some paper to throw at him.


    "Seriously though Pete, you know what you''re getting into right. I mean, some of these guys are packing, and not in the good way. Assault rifles, heavy-duty ordinance. Once we start you are declaring war on some of the meanest nastiest shitfucks in New York. Hell ask Gwen who her dad doesn''t touch, ask her who her dad can''t touch and I bet it''s these guys.¡± Felicia pointed to a piece of paper with a list of names on it. ¡°Each of these assholes will come for you, each of these assholes will make it their job to stay in business and be the last one standing. This is starting a war Pete, one we can win but you don¡¯t seem to get that it¡¯s going to be messy and someone needs to be there to clean it up."


    "We can''t take everyone down, we can only make them aware that operating in my city is bad for business. To let them know Venom doesn''t care if you pay a hooker to paddle your balls or snort coke off a whores ass, but sell crack outside a school or kidnap a kid for the sex trade and you''ll find your outsides getting an airing. If you want to do the clean up after, then go right ahead. I¡¯ll help but I can¡¯t be too connected. I want to try and stay legit, my name can''t be tied to this, the warehouse can¡¯t be tied to this." Peter leaned back and stared at Felicia, there were lines that should never be crossed, the innocent paid when the guilty played was all he could think.


    Felicia shook her head, "I don''t think you get it, Pete, I really don''t. This won''t be a game, they''ll take the first hit and come at you with guns blazing next time. Venom will be a target even if you don¡¯t want him to be, they¡¯ll come for you."


    Peter shifted into Venom, towering over her and Felicia felt two emotions, as he stretched open his maw and his fingers elongated into wicked claws. She and Huntress both felt fear, he was a predator and one they knew had evolved since they last fought.


    "Then they will suffer," as the huge tongue slid over the maw she felt the second emotion bubble within her and Huntress purred. The fear was overcome by the instinct, the want for him, the primal part of her brain that said mate with him. Huntress screamed at her to have him inside her and as her hands ran down his front, he guessed her intention and Venom slid back. Once his manhood sprang free she took him in her hands and kissed him all over his face and neck and soon after all three got what they wanted.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Forty-Five. On The House

    Venom and Huntress sat on the edge of the apartment block across from their target. It was well known as a whorehouse and not for good reasons. It was one of those places that dealt with a certain type of clientele. The kind of clients that were not just publicly powerful but were held in the spotlight, meaning indiscretions were difficult to avoid and a girlfriend showing up with a black eye could be a career-ending move.


    In the back streets of Manhattan, in a small and unobtrusive looking building was the brothel. It was lavish, richly decorated, and stocked with anything and everything an up and coming or established celebrity could want, illegal or otherwise.


    While the rooms were soundproofed, there was plenty of evidence from Alexsis notes to let them know what was going on. The ground floor was the reception, get a drink and pick a girl, then head to the first floor for sex, drugs and rock and roll. The second floor was the more perverse rooms, want a spanking or a little blood? then this was your stop. The third floor was the drug rooms, take a girl, do your drug of choice and if it was a party drug then fuck or just chill out.


    It was the fourth floor that rained fire in Peter''s blood. The rooms here were waterproofed and more than soundproofed, easy to wash down, easy to remove any signs of what went on. These were for the clients who liked to spill blood, who''d just lost a SuperBowl or record deal and needed to vent, who needed someone who''d disappear afterwards, no questions asked. Girls and the client went in, the client came out. This was the worst of the worst, and tonight, Huntress and Venom planned on burning it to the ground.


    The plan was to go in through the top floor, with it being the worst it would also be the most heavily guarded, and the men there the most heavily armed. While the plan was to get anyone inside out, they had no care if the people who ran the place escaped, this was a clean sweep operation, not a capture or kill.


    Venom had made a headset for Huntress, one thing they needed was to be able to communicate if something unexpected showed up. The last thing they needed was to be separated and contained. Venom tapped the side of his new setup, now including a mic tied to the other one Huntress was wearing and spoke, "this is V, can you hear me?"


    "of course dumbass, I''m right next to you but yeah, I heard you, H out."


    Venom nodded, and they separated, they figured that each floor had multiple guards but going in together would only draw them to one spot. With Venom''s size, it would make fighting in a narrow corridor difficult, so Venom would go in one window and Huntress another, only meeting up to head downstairs.


    Venom''s heart raced in his chest, this was the first time he''d taken out such a big target and as Huntress counted down to one they burst through the blacked-out windows. Inside, a well-muscled man was thrusting himself into the ass of a woman who was tied to a bed. He had a larger black dildo in her pussy and with each stroke, he was spanking her with a horse paddle. "Get the fuck out," Venom said and the man took one look at him and ran for the door. Venom expected him to bolt but instead, he pressed a red button and an alarm sounded through the building.


    Venom shrugged and slashed the bindings holding the woman down, she pedalled back in the bed and grabbed a sheet to cover herself but Venom didn''t care. He had much nicer looking women at home. Some hooker, even if she was a bit kinky, wasn''t going to phase him. One room down, he grabbed the man by the face and threw him at one of the walls, he thudded satisfactorily and Venom ripped the door off its hinges. Not stupid enough to just leap out, he stuck his head around briefly and a spray of bullets chewed up the door frame where his head had been.


    Fuck, Venom thought to himself and grabbing the door snapped it in half, while it was sideways he heaved the door round the corner and as the guards or whoever fired ducked he swung out, jumped to hang from the roof and then dived towards the men.


    There were two guards, both with small automatic rifles, easy, he thought and even as they raised their guns at him he landed between them and slammed both their heads together. Not risking anything he took the guns and ripped the magazines from the bottom and added a bend to the barrels, throwing them down the corridor, and then started going room to room.


    Huntress had a worse and easier time of it. As the alarm sounded she was busy punching a senator she recognised. His wrinkly ass was being pegged while he fellated a much younger man, but as Huntress batted his partners away he slashed at her with a knife. Feeling angry at having to see wrinkly old man junk, had taken it, broke the blade and then driven her fist into his face, several times.


    After venting a bit she poked her head out the door, no guards and she clicked her mic, "you got guards? There¡¯s none on this side."


    "Yeh, taken care of, sweep the rooms," and while most of the rooms were empty, a few had men that got a broken nose for their efforts.


    The floor had a square design, four rooms with a cross-shaped corridor between them, and once they were done Huntress and Venom met up at the stairs where guards were waiting for them. Bullets sprayed up and Venom shook his head. "You think I''m bulletproof?" he asked and Huntress could only shrug. Taking a risk Venom stuck an arm out and as the bullets hit his enhanced armour they bounced off, leaving minor marks, "yup, bulletproof," and with that, he leapt down the stairs at them. Huntress took a more practical approach and leapt onto the walls and crawled up onto the ceiling, avoiding Venom who was in the way while he smashed heads together and webbed up guns.


    Huntress had passed by and entered the rooms, where she found strung out girls smoking what smelt like heroin, with naked men lounging at their feet. Pipes and hookahs of various shapes were neatly arranged with bongs and other drug paraphernalia, a few men snorted white powder from the chest and asses of laughing girls, even now that fad never faded. "Fuckfaces, out!" Huntress yelled and the calm atmosphere was spoiled. Girls and men alike grabbed clothes and rushed for the exit while Huntress leered and postured at them, the idea to scare was boring, but no deaths were the rule.


    Venom had finished quickly and the rooms here were empty, it was a floor to relax in, the presence of guards would spoil the mood. "You think it''ll get worse?" and Huntress shook her head,


    "Nah, should be guards downstairs plus private security but unless they''re dumb the place should be empty by now."


    Venom shook his head, "you just had to jinx it didn''t you?" and Huntress laughed,


    "Sure, blame me, so if I''m right, how about you do anything I ask, and if you''re right I''ll do anything you ask?" and she wiggled her ass at him. This was it, she felt like they had something they could bond over, she could make him her partner, in more ways than one and the stupid rules her father gave her could go fuck themselves. She saw her way to getting Peter on her side, and with Peter, she could get to MJ, she would have a life free of her father, a life with friends and more.


    Venom shook his head laughing, "Sure, but you''ll regret that,¡± as he looked down the stairs, ¡°we need to move before cops come."


    He won the bet. The guards downstairs having lost contact with the teams upstairs and hearing the alarm were waiting but having discovered his strong armour Venom just waded into them. She could hear the gunfire and then screams as whatever he did disabled their guns and then the guards themselves. He had taken her warning as a joke at first but automatic gunfire soon changed his mind. This wasn¡¯t a game and while they weren''t dead, they weren''t getting up anytime soon either.


    Huntress, however, had stayed on the second floor, several girls were crying and scared shitless at the pair and while Venom rampaged Huntress comforted and undid any bindings they had. She shook her head as the track marks on the girls indicated what kind of treatment they were receiving, and even though she felt a pang of guilt she still had work to do. She had found a pile of cash and threw down wads of bills, sure Venom might be mad she gave away what looked like a few thousand dollars but it was, in her mind, for a good cause. The girls grabbed clothes and the cash and bolted to the fire escapes.


    Her job now was to round up anything incriminating from the whorehouse. Drugs, money, but also phones and wallets, not just a simple robbery. No, they wanted evidence, names and phone numbers, texts, and anything that tied these scumbags to other more heinous deviants. If they could get proof then they all could be exposed.


    Her mic clicked, "it''s clear, no one left." Huntress looked around, the drugs were evidence but so what? It''s not like they were all in individual baggies with names and addresses written on them so she emptied them out and sprayed the pile with webbing, nothing good ever came from places like these mixing with drugs like that.


    Room after room she collected everything into a huge tote bag, and as she made her way down to the main room she found Venom standing with a clawed hand over a scared and very piss soaked man, on his knees begging for forgiveness.


    "Safe code, now," Venom said and the man shook his head


    "They''ll kill me, I can''t, I can''t," Venom grabbed the man and lifted him up, the maw splitting and his tongue snaking out


    "I''ll kill you right fucking now," and had to hold the man back as a stream trickled down his leg.


    "Venom, wait," and taking a look at the safe, Huntress placed a hand onto it, she stared for a few seconds and then pressed four digits on the keypad, and the lock light turned from red to green and the door sprang open.


    "Smart," Venom said and Huntress shrugged. With no use for the man, Venom threw him across the room where he landed on one of the sofas, taking one look at the pair he took his chance and ran, slamming the door behind him as he bolted.


    "Really, how?" Venom asked.


    "No one ever cleans the buttons" and she pointed to four worn keys.


    The contents of the safe were emptied into the tote bag and the pair headed back upstairs. If there was a welcoming committee waiting for them outside it would be at the front door, the roof was easier and safer to exit from, even if it meant breaking another set of windows.


    Taking one last listen, the place was empty. Venom sprayed a message on the wall, making his webbing last as long as possible, even solvent wouldn''t shift it, and satisfied with their work for the evening they checked the window Huntress had entered from and swung off into the night.


    Huntress took a chance and as they swung she held onto Venom, whose eyes narrowed as he held her close, but if he thought anything was wrong, he didn¡¯t say a word.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Forty-Six. Catch And Release (NSFW)

    The pair swung silently across the New York skyline and the adrenaline was surging within them, Huntress had grabbed onto Venom and he carried them both while her hands were busy. She was hugging him tightly, her arms wrapped around him and her head rested on his shoulder, her eyes had closed and to Venom she seemed almost content.


    Venom couldn¡¯t decide what to make of her. Huntress and Felicia seemed to be two completely different people, Felicia was grating and arrogant whereas Huntress was almost submissive and very docile. Once things were settled, once they were back home he would talk with her, the change was grating and MJ had brought up her borderline abuse a few times, Huntress was welcome but Felicia was not.


    They decided rather than giving the gangs a chance to mount a defence that they would head straight to the second building on their list. Midtown was quiet enough that there were only two places Peter and Felicia had agreed they needed to go and now suited up, Venom and Huntress would hit them both.


    This place, however, was in Hell''s Kitchen,  and as a notorious crackhouse, it sold cheap and scored big. It didn''t matter who you were, you could buy the cheapest nastiest shit or the purest whitest snow and the cops took a serious cut to look the other way. George Stacy knew about it but couldn''t touch this place and its brazenness offended Peter.


    "This one, we go in the front door, from the notes they''ve got wires and alarms on the roof plus security on each floor, even if we worked down no one will run, lots of drugs, lots of cash."


    Huntress put a hand on Venom''s shoulder, "this one, are you sure?"


    And he nodded. "Too many lives, Huntress, too many broken lives," was all he said, but she knew what he meant.


    The two bottom windows had steel bars over them, rusty but still a barrier, no difference though as even unbarred they figured each floor had steel shutters on the inside. The door at the front was a simple wooden door but again, they knew different. A massive steel plate and a fitted cage were hidden behind its slightly chipped exterior. This would need muscle to get in, but Venom had other plans.


    He still had the acid made by Gwen, designed to make short work of silicon but he also had one for metals. He didn''t know if Sandman was just made of rocks or if he could control other minerals and with a quick flick of the wrist, two cartridges were webbed to the top of the windows, their contents hissing as they softened the steel.


    Venom counted to 30, the acid was strong and he had no doubt Gwen wasn''t lying when she said not to wait too long. Eyeing a skyscraper he shot out a line and swung, feet first at the bars. The ones he hit screeched in torture as his weight, enhanced by his speed, caused them to buckle, and they snapped inwards as he slammed into the glass, it coming away from the frame entirely. Rather than shattering, the window was bulletproof and his momentum had simply taken the whole frame out, crumpling it inwards.


    Guns were raised and the shouting started. Bullets flew and Venom crouched down, covering his face with an arm, letting the small rounds bounce harmlessly off him. Huntress swung in, landed and then leapt up to the ceiling. The room had four guards and a doorman, two on each side and one in the middle to answer the door.


    She saw him reach down and pull out a garishly golden pistol and shooting a web at time gummed it to his hand, "go left," she said as she swung down to the right. Venom dived, rolling forwards and as he came up shot two lines at the automatics in the guard¡¯s hands, yanking them away. One pulled a knife but Venom webbed his feet to the ground and floored him with a punch. A line shot out and the second guards were pulled forwards, knocked cold and then webbed down.


    Huntress, unwilling to test if she was also bulletproof, was weaving under the barrels of the guard''s guns, she swiped up and the long tubes were separated from the stocks and a roundhouse kick sends the first guard into the second, following suit she webbed them to the floor, in a pile.


    The final guard had his hands up, talking in Spanish, which Venom had no clue about, "uh no Habla Espanol?" he said.


    "It''s Mexican, dumbass," and she spoke to the man, "Nah, he''s just telling us we''re fucked, is all," and she webbed him to the wall behind him and then with a chop to the neck rendered him unconscious.


    The second-floor of the four-story building was all rooms, filled with rotting sickening corpses to Venom''s senses. The drug the addicts injected here smelled bad and the foulness of whatever it did to them made him think of decaying meat left in the sun, but there was nothing here and most of the junkies were passed out. If anyone registered their presence then none dared to move as they went room to room. On the third floor, they found the same, nicer rooms but still the same shitty foul odour of corruption and foetid rot.


    The doorway to the fourth floor was barred, a large security gate across the stairwell. "Money and boss," Venom said and Huntress nodded, the guards must have pulled back and barricaded themselves in once the fighting started. This was where the big guns would be and where the real challenge would be faced. The door had a dimple pull handle and it ran on rails, Venom couldn''t hear anything from behind the door and they guessed it would be a standoff until someone acted, "I''ll pull the door, you stay back."


    Venom braced against the floor and with a grunt pulled the door from its rail, there was a ting as bullets hit off the thick steel plate but Venom had to stand firm. "Two shooters at the top of the stairs," Huntress reported as Venom held the door for her.


    "Me first, then you, straight up." Venom said and Huntress moved to the side. As he didn''t need it anymore he placed the door to one side and with a nod she nodded back, he stepped out into the stairwell.


    BOOM, a large calibre round hit him square in the chest and sent him flying "Pete!" Huntress shouted, the symbskin around his white spider was deformed, a huge crater with a squashed round in it. He shook his head and picked the round up with two fingers. The skin was already reforming, "that hurt," and in his anger, the maw split open, "we will hurt you back," he shouted and lept through the doorway, as he grabbed onto the walls his claws dug in and he lept, from side to side, the rounds missing as they fired. Huge divots of plaster sprayed as bullets flew and as Huntress watched a man, carrying a hunting rifle, large calibre and thick barreled, was flung down the stairs, blood pooling from a wound on his face. She shook her head and webbed him to the floor. The rifle was a single-shot hunting rifle, large calibre with no magazine but it still needed to be dealt with, and webbing its barrel up, she made a note to collect it later.


    The rest of the men were not so lucky. As she rounded the stairs, Venom was slashing and throwing bodies around, shotguns blasted holes in the walls but he simply moved, webbed and then switched targets. Anyone, stupid enough to get close was used as a shield and then thrown at another assailant. It was a mess of claws and bullets and Venom had lost all semblance of style in fighting and was a whirling dervish of blood and fury, these men never stood a chance and never got an opportunity to surrender.


    As the last man fell, bleeding heavily from several slash wounds Venom roared in triumph as Huntress watched, each time he subdued an opponent she webbed them down, a reminder to keep out their way and they took the hint. She did note that none of them was seriously hurt, the wounds were skin deep and painful, yes but he avoided the throat and wrists, preferring to mark them on their chest or face. Some would have scars long after tonight to remind them, even after she and Venom had left.


    Venom unslung the tote bag and finding the safe, "Ladies first," but Huntress shook her head,


    "not this one, find someone with the code or I''ll need time to crack it. Hey assholes, safe code or else I start chopping off dicks." And soon enough after showing her wicked claws, they got the code.


    Cash and bricks of brown and white powder were bundled into the bag, the safe was empty of anything else, other than ammo and a few explosives, which Venom relieved them of. A shuttered window provided their escape route as they could both hear sirens in the distance, more for their first heist rather than this one, but better safe than sorry. A place like this might have silent alarms and help or worse might be on the way.


    They swung out of the building onto a nearby rooftop, Gwen would take care of the drugs, the guns could be repurposed or just disposed of and the explosives were safer off the streets. As they swung away into the night, the excitement of the night had caught up with them and Huntress swung over and kissed Venom. As they let the symbskin part enough, he pulled her towards him, and she could feel his heat from their closeness.


    "Uh Venom?" she asked and he pulled her tightly to him sliding a hand over her ass and pulling her into a very obvious bulge. Huntress was welcome and Felicia would learn to be nicer to MJ, but for now, after the raid, the adrenaline coursed through him and he only wanted one thing from her.


    "Do you want to fuck?" Venom asked her and Huntress had already split and she felt the tip of his erection pressing against her entrance, she didn''t even answer as she guided him into her and they swung away, the tote bag webbed to Venom''s back and Huntress''s legs wrapped around his waist. She needed to be nicer, she needed to let them in, and as she wrapped her legs around him she whispered, ¡°please,¡± and she imagined that he held her a little bit tighter.


    She felt a connection to him, not just physically and as she held tightly onto him she felt warmth, a sense of belonging and she realised that she needed to stop pushing him, and the others away. Her obvious attraction to Gwen was creating hostility, her lack of connection to MJ doing the same, and as he lost herself in the pleasure she never even noticed them land.


    Feeling a loss as he moved out of her she was surprised as he turned her and pressed her against the water tower that supplied the warehouse. He thrust into her from behind, uncaring and not gently, took her once more. Holding her up as her legs became jelly and buckled under her, as her cries rang out across the rooftops she lost herself, and she no longer cared what he did, only that he didn''t stop. She felt him release inside her, filling her with the heat and passion she craved but was disappointed as he left her there. He had simply walked away, his message to her as clear as day.


    Alone and empty she realised she wanted this. She wanted him, the warehouse, the friends, and the family. If she didn''t change, she would lose everything and that thought terrified her more than anything.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Forty-Seven. Fortunate Son

    Flash clenched his hands again, hoping that feeling would return to them soon. He''d been on the balance bars for an hour over what his physio recommended, but he didn''t care. He was going to get this, he was going to get revenge.


    Jack watched his son and had been keeping track of him since the accident. Once a graceful and masterful football player that every coach, even the ones he didn''t pay, said would not only go pro but be one of the best, had been cut down in his prime. He watched as he raged, threw and smashed things, yelled at everyone, himself included, and then broke down crying.


    He''d hired the best therapist for his son, and she''d told him it was just the accident, nothing to worry about. A few months on antipsychotics and he''d be fine. After a few months of physiotherapy and he would accept the loss of his feet. Of course, he would, he was a Thompson.


    Jack walked into the training room watching as Flash lifted himself up, straight-armed on a balance beam, holding his legs straight along its length. The latest artificial limbs adorned the bottom of his legs, sleek and, if you didn''t know better, an almost perfect match for his originals. The limbs were from Oscorp, Jack getting a great deal on them, nothing but the best for his son.


    "Son, take a break, you''re going to hurt yourself," and Flash just looked at him.


    "It''s fine." was all he said. Jack felt a pang of guilt, it wasn''t and he knew it. Since the accident, he realised he wasn''t the best father he could be, pushing his own goals and dreams onto the boy, maybe pushing him too hard at the time. He realised that it was his lecture that antagonised Eugene into confronting Parker, that if he¡¯d given him a better warning he would have avoided the boy altogether. It was that guilt that made him want to be a better father to his son.


    "We should talk Eugene," Jack used his name, a name he knew Flash hated but hoped would get through to him just how serious this was.


    Flash shook his head and sprang down, stumbling slightly as his artificial feet slipped on the sweaty floor. Jack leapt forwards and grabbed his son, but Flash shrugged him off and growled, "I don''t need help," and inwardly Jack sighed.


    "I know son, I know,"


    "So, what?" Flash asked as he towelled himself off.


    "Eugene, no. Flash," Jack sighed, "I know I''ve not been the best father to you, I know I could have been there more, or done more," Flash just stared at him, the towel resting on his shoulders.


    "So, call this number. You can cancel the Oscorp internship, cancel your therapist if you want, and the money in your trust fund will be made available to you. Son, you might not believe me but I am sorry."


    Flash just stared at him, but took the card, "really?"


    Jack nodded, "your future should be your future, not what I want, not what I think you should do. So, it''s all on you now." The family had never been one for hugs, fatherly love was a rarely shown emotion between the pair but right now was the closest they had ever gotten.


    "Although, son, if you have that kind of fun with your therapist, make sure the doors closed eh?" and Jack laughed. An irate office manager had called, complaining about Flash and one of his brightest therapists having very loud sex in her office, but Jack had laughed at the man and written him a check to keep him quiet.


    Flash knew exactly what he meant. He''d had an outburst, a showing of feelings in her office, a rare vulnerability and in taking his hand they had kissed, and then a whole lot more, Flash assumed his father had paid her to screw him, but now he wasn''t so sure, maybe he''d see if she wanted a repeat.


    "Thanks, Dad, really. Thanks. Oh uh, you still have the number for John right?"


    Jack leaned forward, "John Jameson?" The boy had done some work for Oscorp after a space mission went bad but he''d been off the radar for a while now, "sure son, why?"


    "Send it to me, I need his help."


    Flash formulated plans in his mind as his father frowned but shrugged. "Okay, whatever you need son."


    Over at the Oscorp building, Harry was having a similar talk with his father, but with a much different tone.


    "See son, see. This is why you can''t trust anyone with your work." Since Spider-Man and Venom had demolished both drones and the city had billed Oscorp for the damages, his father had been mad with rage.


    "Fucking Venom. Harry, the military are rethinking their contract and I''ve had to push the live fire demo up the schedule."


    Harry hadn''t failed to notice the container on his father''s desk, he was now no longer even hiding the fact he was taking the neural enhancers from him, ironic as Norman was the one that shut down Harry''s interest in researching the formulas.


    "Dad, don''t worry, with Liv your test will be fine, Venom and Spider-man got lucky that all."


    "Lucky? Lucky those bastards trashed two states of the art drones like they were nothing. Fuck, Harry, sometimes," Norman shook his head.


    "If you see Liv, send her in, I need her."


    Harry knew that was his cue to leave, his father never had time or patience for him. Once outside the office, he sent a text to Liv.


    "Dad wants you, stick to the plan," and then smiling, he made his way to the executive cafeteria. It was deconstructed taco Tuesday, thick steaks with rich herb crumb and creamy cheese sauce, one of his favourites.


    Taco Tuesday was always one of Peter''s favourites. Even if they weren''t at high school anymore he still liked the tradition and this time Aunt May had joined them. The threesome sat quietly around the table while Peter served up freshly made chilli with a variety of taco shells. He had splashed out as Aunt May apparently had some news to share.


    "So, um Peter, I know this might be fast but uh," May fidgeted, she had trouble with what she wanted to say, "I''ve met someone."


    Peter had the taco halfway to his mouth when she broke the news. He frowned a bit then bit into the taco anyway. Grinning as he chewed. "hats make unt May," he said.


    "Peter!" she scowled disapprovingly. "His name is Otto and he''s attending one of my keep fit classes."


    Peter shrugged, "Aunt May, as long as you''re happy then I don''t mind if you see people, you¡¯re not old you know," Peter thought back to his last conversation about this and decided to keep quiet. He was praying the stupid spider pheromones wouldn''t work on a family member and had stuffed his armpits and groin with webbing to keep the smell in, the aircon in the warehouse blasting out fresh air, even though the weather was beginning to turn chilly.


    "I, I''d like you to meet him, maybe come for dinner sometimes, uh, and once you''ve met he can come and meet MJ. I uh, will warn you though, Otto, he''s disabled. So no staring and no asking, the poor man lost a limb in an accident, so when you meet, behave okay."


    "I will." Peter rolled his eyes, he wasn''t going to ask the disabled man anything too stupid.


    "Of course, dear," May said, and she and MJ shared a look. They both knew Peter would probably put his foot in it at some point during the evening and May would have to prepare Otto for that, while MJ would have to prepare Peter not to be too oblivious. MJ definitely had the harder job of the pair.


    Listening in but not intruding Felicia had been going over the phones and evidence they had collected from the two houses they raided. They had turned out to be a bust, sure the cash was great, almost 25,000 dollars in unmarked bills but the phones were all burners and none of the numbers came back as listed. Felicia guessed no one was stupid enough to take condemning evidence to a whore house. They were all nice phones though, and with a new sim card, it would be a nice gift for everyone in the warehouse.


    She rubbed her eyes and then, of course, there was Peter afterwards, normally he was the passive one, letting the girls take the lead and after earlier talk of pheromones and influence, she understood why. Last night however they fucked as they swung, she didn''t even want to call it lovemaking or screwing, he took her and even after they were both sated he kept them connected as they made it back to the warehouse. he had been wild, taking her and even as she thought about it she felt wet, it was intense, primal and she had loved it.


    It also brought home two things. Peter had slipped back into the warehouse after they were finished, leaving her alone. They had continued on the roof, Venom pounding her against the water tower and in their passion, she had felt his anger at her. He hadn''t hurt her, he would probably never hurt her but he, and probably the rest, were tired of her attitude. She knew she had a choice to make, even if she knew it wasn''t even a choice.


    Why not admit you like the Peter? Huntress asked,


    It''s complicated, I only like girls, not boys,


    The Peter is not a boy, he is the Peter, so don''t care, tell him.


    No, it''s not like that for humans, we have genders and sexuality, we''re not just symbiotes,


    Bah, it''s stupid, you love him, I love him, we love him. Tell him to make him push us down again, the swinging was more fun with him within us.


    Felica leaned back and rubbed her head, but what about Gwen or MJ?


    what about them? we love the Gwen too, the MJ is a strutting peacock though, beneath us, ignore her. now go, take the Peter and tell him.


    she laughed, okay okay.


    MJ waved at Felicia when she finally appeared from Gwen''s home and Aunt May raised an eyebrow at Peter, "What? That''s uh, Gwen''s friend, she¡¯s staying for a few days."


    "Yes, of course, she is," May said, sipping her coffee. Aunt May could always tell when Peter was lying, he¡¯d always look so guilty trying to sound honest.


    "Uh, Hi Mrs Parker. Uh Peter, can we talk?"


    "Uh sorry May, landlord stuff, I''ll be right back," he said and he shrugged as MJ frowned.


    Felicia looked scared and Peter tilted his head confused, "so uh, nothing bad I hope?" He looked at the piles of money stored and banded, and the pile of phones, ¡°look, I know you¡¯re still on edge but you¡¯re safe here, with friends, so chill, this badass bitch routine isn¡¯t necessary here.¡±


    "That''s not it,¡± and after a brief pause. ¡°I love you," she whispered.


    "Um huh?"


    "I love you, shithead," Felicia shouted and Peter grinned. He had been worried for nothing.


    "Uh okay, thanks Felicia and when my Aunt May, you know the one we just told we weren''t in a relationship, wants to talk to me I''ll just send her in here okay?"


    Felicia looked shocked, "shit I''m uh sorry Pete," but he just shook his head, he could hear Aunt May holding her stomach as she broke down laughing from here.


    As much as this was funny he wasn''t completely stupid and pulling Felicia into his arms, he rested his chin upon her head and as she cuddled into him, "Love you too" he whispered.


    Once Felicia had been introduced to Aunt May, and he¡¯d explained what was going on, much to Aunt May''s disapproving glare, Felicia seemed to relax. She even took MJ to one side and while Peter didn¡¯t listen in, he did spot as MJ burst into tears and Felicia hugged her and then she did the same he figured that they had solved their issues.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Forty-Eight. Thanksgiving Feast (NSFW)

    With a new peace in the warehouse, time moved on. Gwen continued college, her internship and making the cream. MJ had her diner job and was getting a lot of attention, as she adjusted to Muse, she came more out of her shell, had more confidence and was more vocal about things she wanted, both in and out of the warehouse.


    As November crept up on them it was that time of the year again and Peter and Gwen sat at the breakfast table wondering what the hell to do with the sullen pair across from them. MJ had cut ties with her father and would be here alone and Felicia¡¯s father was still missing. Neither of them wanted to spend Thanksgiving alone, and without Gwen or Peter there neither of them really wanted to spend it together.


    They had made up but it was still awkward for the pair with no real interests between them other than Peter. Gwen was expected home and Peter wanted to spend some time with Aunt May. They had been too busy to spend time with their families and it was that time of the year.


    Peter sighed. ¡°How about we have a small Thanksgiving meal here, and then you guys can hang out. You don''t need to spend time with each other, I won¡¯t be at Aunt Mays all day, so I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    Gwen nodded and put down her cup, ¡°same here, dad wants me to stay over but I''m not. I¡¯d just sit and watch him drink while he watches football, and I¡¯d rather be here. So. food, some drinks, and maybe a bit of fun?¡± and the trio had all nodded.


    As the day grew closer, the warehouse had entered a more festive feel. Gwen and MJ had gone shopping and procured food for everyone while Felicia and Peter cleaned and set up for the celebration at night. With it just being Aunt May, Peter had made sure she was okay if he left early, while he had a new family he didn''t want to ignore the old one but she was fine.


    She¡¯d joined a keep fit class and they were out for drinks later that night, most of the class were older widowed ladies and they had no problems sharing a few glasses of wine over food, even the meal she and Peter shared was going to be small.


    George ended up being an ass, citing tradition and Gwen had just huffed and pointed out that football and beer wasn''t a tradition, and while she was still going to stay for a meal, she wasn''t staying long after. Of course, when she got there nothing was made and she realized that normally she cooked for them, this being the first year that she¡¯d been away from home. Cursing and shaking her head she picked up the phone and dialled for take-out.


    Once one set of families had been dealt with, the group convened at the warehouse, thankfully powers meant avoiding the usual late-night rush for taxis and Gwen and Peter met up and swung back to the warehouse together, Gwen wrapping herself in his arms as they flew through the air.


    As they ate and laughed, sharing moments and kisses the evening drew on. MJ decided for once that while everyone else was drinking that she would do the same. She wasn¡¯t her father, she was better, and she poured herself a drink.


    She needed the courage, the three women had gotten together and made plans and while Gwen and Felicia were confident, MJ had her doubts. She was sure she liked them she just needed a push, nothing bad, just a little edge that once she started she wouldn''t have any doubts at all. like skydiving, she thought, no one sane jumps out a plane without being pushed, its fine, yup, its fine.


    MJ pulled out a sealed zip bag, the tin inside one of Gwen¡¯s black label samples. She ripped it open and made sure the contents spilled all over her, the cream inside dripping down her bare chest and Gwen and Felicia both froze.


    "Shit Pete, no, Pete oh fuck," Gwen''s eyes glazed over and Felicia could only stare at MJ. Peter moved over to MJ, ready to defend her against the ravenous pair, well aware of the cream''s effect.


    "Tiger no, We want this, please, it''s okay, it¡¯s for you," and as she whispered in his ear she ran a hand over his groin. ¡°Enjoy the show,¡± was all she said before pushing him onto the recliner so he could watch.


    She rubbed the cream down between her legs and Gwen let out a piteous whine as her eyes followed her fingers. It was Felicia that gave her the courage, she enjoyed spending time with them she enjoyed having sex with them but had been too afraid to admit it. Felicia came in and tore up that rulebook, she was still proudly gay but even she liked Peter, and MJ had to admit to herself she liked Gwen. Felicia was still a maybe but if it meant including her she didn''t mind.


    Gwen had started to nuzzle MJs neck, kissing up it and licking her earlobe while Felicia had gone straight to her chest, one hand cupped while her tongue darted and flicked at the engorged nipple. MJ writhed and moaned beneath them, "oh fuck," she whispered and hands and fingers began to trace over her sensitive skin.


    MJ parted her legs and it was Felicia who moved down, kissing down her front and then into her cleanly shaven mound, in fact looking over at Peter she wondered if MJ planned this as she had shaved everywhere. MJ lent back as her lips sought out Gwens and they savoured a deep passionate kiss, Gwen bit and teased MJs lips with Felicia beginning to kiss her clit. She parted her lips with a finger and seeing the red and engorged clit she sucked on it, pulling it with her teeth and MJ moaned into Gwen''s mouth. Kissing it gently, Felicia lent back and a disappointed MJ looked down. Felicia grinned, her top vanished and her enormous breast spilling free, and standing, her slacks disappeared as well, revealing her trimmed bush underneath.


    Seeing the pair naked, Gwen joined them. She looked at Felicia and then at Mj and seeing her own small breasts pouted slightly, but MJ laughed and leaned over kissing her on her darker nipples. "Stop being a pout," and leaning forwards kissed each one in turn, ¡°they¡¯re perfect,¡± and as Felicia bent down between her legs again she rubbed her hand between Gwen''s legs, letting her fingers slide into her.


    The cream was beginning to affect all three of them now, as MJ''s let it run over her body it made its way into Felicia''s mouth and as it was over her fingers as she slid into Gwen. The three felt it, like small lightning tingles over their body, their symbiotes purring in joy as the touch of the three women drove them wild.


    Gwen moaned at the sudden entry and knelt on the couch, supporting herself as she felt MJ tease and slide in and out, she leant forwards and they began to kiss once more, both moaning and gasping.


    "Pete please," Felicia was the only one untended too and while they were distracted Peter had taken off his clothes, his erection untouched and he grinned.


    Felica was on her knees and as he pushed into her she cried out as she came and buried her tongue deep into MJ while he slid his length into her, Huntress purred and Felicia''s tongue thickened and lengthened inside MJ who gasped and looked down.


    Even Gwen stared as Huntress used her thick tongue like a finger, sliding it deep into MJ and licking her deeply, feeling the warm honey musk of her moisture. "since when?" Gwen asked and Felicia shrugged, closing her mouth around MJ''s pussy and filling it with her large tongue.


    MJ moaned and felt herself orgasm at the insertion, the dextrous tongue was very flexible and it flitted around her inside seeking out the most sensitive spots and pleasuring them. Her orgasms brought a mouth full of sweet liquid to Felicia who swallowed it down, savouring its taste.


    Peter too had stopped to watch Felicia¡¯s new trick and wondered if he could do it himself and as the thought registered Gwen scowled, "don''t you dare, it''s big enough," and he realised that suddenly engoring himself inside Felicia might not be that great an idea. He instead took a long stroke and began to thrust quickly, pushing himself as far into her as he could and as he pulled at her hips she began to moan louder.


    "Oh, fuck Peter, what the fuck," she moaned and unable to contain herself she pushed back against him,


    Peter smirked at that and he let loose a torrent, "clean up in aisle F," he joked and the thick cum filled every part of her insides, "now, since you''re so willing, how about you return the favour?" and lifting Felicia he held her up, showing the white dripping mess where he and she were connected.


    MJ nodded and with lustful eyes began to slide her tongue over the connection. Felicia couldn''t help herself, Peter had her held under the legs and she needed her arms to hold onto the ceiling. MJ''s tongue chased the dripping cum from out of her, taking long slurps as she let it slip into her mouth, and as Peter softened she began to suck their combined cum off him. She swirled her tongue over his soft testicles and without leaving the warmth of Felicia he began to harden again.


    "No fair," Gwen started and the pair were now next to each other, MJ sucking on Peter''s manhood while Gwen tongued at Felicia¡¯s cum filled pussy. MJ finished making Peter hard again and kissed Gwen as their tongues slid over Felicia, who moaned as they both played with her.


    Felicia was at her limit after Peter had filled her, the orgasms began as a tidal wave and after MJ and now Gwen began they shuddered through her at an ever-increasing pace. She had never felt this good, never felt this way and having a cock and a tongue lap over her was too much, even Huntress, normally purring and fawning over Venom was exhausted, and with one final gasp, she faded into blissful darkness.


    "Uh, I think you broke her," said Peter as Felicia went limp in his arms.


    "Us?" Gwen snorted, "Who gave her that pounding huh?" and Peter laughed.


    "Umm, oops? anyway, who used that super cream you were all hiding huh?"


    "Oops, my ass, but, put her to bed and then come back. You''ve still got work mister." And she eyed MJ, "could uh, we still," and MJ nodded.


    After tucking her in, Gwen and MJ were sat on the couch,


    Gwen was writhing in pleasure as for once MJ had taken the initiative and was between her legs, Peter watched as she sucked and licked all over Gwen who was crying out.


    Five years of frustration of unrequited love and lust built up exploded through a dam of exhibitionism and pheromones. She arched her back and cried out, "I love you!" as MJ''s tongue and lips had wrapped themselves around her clit. She felt a huge wave bring her to the edge of pleasure, even with Felicia and Peter she''d never come like that before.


    "I think you broke her, so we''re even," and MJ leaned as far back as she could and gently cuffed Peter''s leg.


    But Gwen was far from finished, "Uh please, like the first time," and MJ raised an eyebrow, wasn¡¯t Poison the overly sensitive one? She thought.


    "I uh think she wants to lick us both, like we did when Muse first appeared," and MJ blushed, while it was fun and ultimately fine she was embarrassed to have acted that way.


    "So, uh, Peter inside me and you, uh down there?" She asked and Gwen shyly nodded.


    Pete was sitting on the couch and MJ braced herself over him, Gwen kissed the head of his cock and rubbed it over MJs dripping slit, rubbing a thick smear of the cream over her and as she lowered herself down they both groaned. MJ was tight and Muse purred in satisfaction as Gwen''s tongue slid up Peter''s length and then over MJ''s clit. They kissed and Peter cupped and rubbed her breasts, Gwen''s tongue slid up and down and as she did she pulled and sucked on MJ''s clit, flicking at it. The cream had the desired effect and she felt the burning heat of his cock inside her and Gwen''s tongue drove her over the edge, "Please cum Tiger," she begged Peter and the molten hot cum flooded into her, Gwen sucked greedily at them both as it dripped down his shaft, swirling it round she had let her own fingers play and dip into her, and with help from Poison the three climaxed at the same time, Poison for once keeping herself happily occupied with the mess Peter was making inside MJ.


    Gwen slid Peter out of MJ and licked the residual cum from him, taking the softening manhood into her mouth, making sure not to miss a drop, with legs splayed she then cleaned MJ, parting her lips and gently fingering out the warm sticky fluid, letting her tongue catch all the cream from inside her. MJ moaned softly and stroked the top of Gwen''s head, letting her fingers run through her hair.


    MJ and Peter kissed, sighing contentedly as Gwen came up and kissed MJ. Tired and happy, they moved into the bedroom where Felicia gently snored. Moving her over the three got into the bed with her and MJ kissed Peter on the side of the face and then Gwen on the lips.


    "Why though?" was all Peter asked.


    "A lot to be thankful for," she whispered, and Peter cuddled up to her and the foursome drifted off into a blissful sleep.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Forty-Nine. Walkabout

    The atmosphere in the warehouse at breakfast was strange. Last night was fun but it also brought several things to the surface.


    Gwen and Felicia admitted that they had sex before. Felicia had woken up to find Gwen¡¯s hands and fingers exploring, but was already at a tipping point and couldn''t stop her. Gwen admitted that Poison didn''t overdose like when she was with Peter and while they knew it was okay, they still felt it was doing something behind his back. After discussing it with MJ, they agreed that while Felicia and Gwen did want to sleep together, that they¡¯d talk to Peter first.


    ¡°Look, last night was to get the point across that we, all of us,¡± Gwen stared at Felicia, ¡°are here because of you. All Fel and I want to know that if we have sex without you, that you¡¯re not going to get mad about it.¡±


    ¡°Gwen, nobody minds if I sleep with any of you. So no, if you and Fel, if you and MJ then no, it''s fine.¡±


    ¡°Uh, I mind though, once in a while is okay, but not without Pete, sorry Gwen,¡± MJ added, knowing full well that it was better to get it out in the open now. Thanksgiving was special, and she wanted it to stay that way.


    Gwen looked over at Felicia, sighed, ¡°I,¡± and took a deep breath, ¡°I''m going to tell my dad that Fel and I are dating though, and I think you should tell Aunt May that you and MJ are together.¡±


    Peter frowned, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Nobody will accept this Pete, I already get shit from dad about you, every time we speak it''s that Parker kid this or dating the delinquent still and,¡° Gwen slumped down, ¡°and I can''t say anything back. No matter what I say it''s an argument. He¡¯ll never accept you, never understand and with Felicia here, become more of an asshole.¡±


    ¡°I don''t care what your dad thinks Gwen, I only care what you think.¡±


    Gwen shook her head, ¡°you don''t get it though. Dad is still looking for an excuse to split us up, and with everything that''s going on, I don''t want him to find one. This isn''t a real thing Pete, it''s a lie to protect you. It''s just one person, just one lie, please.¡±


    Peter thought about it, if telling George got Gwen some peace then, ¡°It''s fine, but you know, how do you feel about it?¡± he asked her, Aunt May had been understanding enough, but George was an asshole.


    Gwen looked at MJ, ¡±how do I feel? The same way you feel, it''s shit and I don''t like it, but it''s no different than hiding everything else, Pete. You killed two people, telling my dad I''m a lesbian is nothing. I¡¯d rather tell people I''m a lesbian and deal with that than have them dig up everything else cause my dad is an asshole who won''t leave you alone.¡± Gwen slumped back in her chair.


    The foursome sat staring at each other, unsure of what to say.


    ¡°Oh for fuck sake, this is like last night. Peter, we all love you. Last night you could have done anything you wanted, En-E-Thing and no one would have cared. Shit, you could have stuck it up Fels butt and she would have moaned like a whore, so fucking stop it. So what if Gwen and Fel want to tell people they''re dating? Grow the fuck up the lot of you. Fucking, fuck.¡± MJ had snapped, she was coming out of her shell piece by piece and more often she was just as blunt as Felicia and just as fiery as Gwen, and Peter knew she took after her dad, even if she wouldn''t admit it.


    It was Peter that started first, a small laugh, at the absurdity of it all. She was right, they all screwed, they¡¯d had threesomes and last night they¡¯d all shared each other and he enjoyed himself. Even if he wasn¡¯t there it was four people who trusted each other. They had been through hell together and at the end of the day, they all loved each other. Once Peter had started, MJ joined in and soon Gwen and Felicia were all smiling and laughing shaking their heads.


    ¡°If it saves us from the wrath of MJ, then anything,¡± Peter said, chuckling and MJ tapped him lightly on the cheek before kissing him.


    ¡°Don''t you forget it.¡±


    The air had been cleared and plans had been made. Over the next few weeks, things improved. While he still hadn''t finished the new home for Felicia it was coming along nicely, the floors and the plumbing were all hooked up. Felicia stated there was no rush and spent most time sleeping with either Gwen or Peter. The home sat as an empty shell, with the time of year a lot of places were ramping up for the festive season. They were still hesitant to start throwing a lot of money around and Felicia had decided that her apartment was a lost cause, she would just sort out new cards and I.D rather than risk visiting her old place.


    As things moved along it slowly turned from November into December and the group began to prepare for Christmas.


    Christmas had been fun, they had had Aunt May over for dinner while Gwen went home with Felicia. She had been invited over to spend Christmas with her and George, the excuse that her dad was out of the country at some event was used and even if he didn''t buy it George was happy to have her there. So it had just been the three of them but it was warm and cosy and the fake Christmas tree Peter had decorated made the inside of the warehouse feel like home to them all.


    MJ had cooked as after tasting one of Peter''s ¡®home-cooked¡¯ meals she declared him a disaster and relegated him to drinks, which of course Gwen had premixed and left in the fridge for them. They had opened presents, with Peter getting an amateur radio kit as a joke from Aunt May, while he had gotten her a new jacket, warm and fuzzy for the cold winter months. MJ had been given the usual body wash and soap set but with a promise of a more intimate present later from Peter, she had smiled and thanked Aunt May. Of course, she had expected Peter to mean sex but he''d woven a set of gloves from webbing, and while it was cute it was surprisingly comfortable and more, it smelt like Peter, and then, of course, they spend the rest of the night and most of the next few days in bed together, until Gwen and Felicia banged on the home door and demanded they spend time with them.


    New Year had been the same, the four spendings time together with a small number of drinks. They all sat on the roof of the warehouse and watched the fireworks from Times Square, each kissing the others, even MJ didn''t decline and she gave Gwen a big enough kiss that she dragged Felicia downstairs to bring in the New Year their own way. Peter and MJ, left alone on the roof cuddled up together, glad to spend time alone but happy their family was back together. On the blanket, they stared at the fireworks and as the sounds of Gwen and Felicia drifted up through the hatch they laughed and joined in, adding their own noise, making slow love under the flashes and excitement of a New Year.


    Now all the festivities were over and things were starting to get back to normal he started up his plans again. The lube sold well and with the extra money coming in, split three ways between him, Gwen and Felicia, he had enough to start thinking about vendor exams again. He had already ordered 2 and once he passed those he would think about doing more. The exams for his GED were coming up and now he could afford them. They should be a breeze to pass, online mock exams put his pass marks at well over the 99th percentile and he wasn''t worried. College and University had faded in his mind, there were much better ways to get a good education and he was exploring them.


    After breakfast, Peter cleaned and Gwen and MJ left to get ready for work, he had no issue cooking first thing and had spent some time trying his best to make something edible. After a few months of burnt offerings, he had made progress and was capable of making a decent breakfast for them all. Once Gwen and MJ had left for work, Felicia¡¯s second breakfast had been a healthy dose of Peter and once they had finished she crawled back into bed and fell asleep again, leaving him on his own.


    It was now just after 10 and he had to be honest with himself, he was bored. It was daytime and he couldn''t go out as Venom, he''d trained already, both the fun two-person kind and then actual training and wanted to rest but found his brain ticked over and over with random thoughts. He''d tried meditating but couldn''t settle. He''d tried to read and couldn''t find anything he hadn''t read before.


    He was bored and in the end, he decided just to go for a walk. It was cold outside but he barely felt it, and while the winter snow had melted and become winter slush, dying everything a rancid grey and brown, he strode through the district without a care in the world. He needed a little time to himself to regain his focus and the crisp air was helping.


    He¡¯d been slacking off with his work on the CLS, and while he didn¡¯t object, Felicia wasn¡¯t helping. As she wasn¡¯t working they spent most mornings cleaning the warehouse and then having sex.


    If he was honest he figured that in the few months she¡¯d been living with them that he¡¯d had sex with her more times than Gwen or MJ, maybe even combined. He shook his head at that thought, that he was being stupid in getting even slightly jealous.


    He could have any of them anytime in pretty much anyway. Gwen¡¯s dad thinking she was a lesbian was nothing if he was pounding her hard at night while Felicia rode her face, and if they enjoyed each other then it meant he didn¡¯t worry when he was with MJ. It was the way they had all been raised and slowly he was realising that while it wasn¡¯t wrong, it wasn¡¯t their way.


    The streets around the warehouse were quiet, it was the end of the Christmas period and while the truckers were delivering hundreds of thousands of boxes all over the country, the warehouse district had been quiet of late. With no job, Peter wondered if someone would buy the junkyard, if he had the cash might have thought about it but he knew little about the scrap business and it wasn''t the direction he wanted Parker Industries to go in.


    It was well into his walk, he''d been wandering aimlessly for an hour, when he smelt something, very close to the perfume he''d identified as Gwen and the other girl''s natural scent, filling the air. Looking at the street signs he was nowhere near either Oscorp or MJ''s workplace and Felicia was sleeping when he left.


    The scent filled him with warmth and it reminded him of freshly made cinnamon rolls, a sweet but heavenly spicy aroma that made his whole body tingle. Sniffing the air he made his way through some back alleys, typical he thought to himself, the last place he would have expected to be walking blindly, until he came across the highest concentration of the smell.


    A short thin built woman was standing there, holding an open tube of pale white liquid, her hair was a massive ball of frizz tied up behind her head in a huge beehive hairstyle, unkempt but still clean, she pushed the thin wire frame glasses up a triangular nose,


    "You see, symbiotes are a hyper-stimulated species, anything such as loud noises, bright lights, excessive touch and of course, strong smells will attract them, so Mr Venom, the car alarm stunned you, the light blinded you, the electricity overstimulated your nerves, and taking a whiff of the test tube, an aroused woman attracted you, and of course, got you to take your guard down," stopping and pointing Peter looked down, he''d walked into a trap, a literal one.


    He noticed the wire mesh at his feet connected to a modified spring-loaded bear trap and the woman pressed a switch she held in her hand and the trap snapped shut. The longer than usual arms of the trap clamped him up to his thighs, trapping him and stopping him from moving.


    His symbskin flowed up almost immediately and covered him, it was the daytime but if Ock, Electro or Sandman had paid this woman to entice him, they would be nearby.


    "I must admit though, I never expected you to be so young, I know the report said that you were in your teens but I figured it was malnutrition or a simple screw up, but now I see you, yes, a lot younger than I expected."


    His muscles locked up as the bear trap clamped onto his legs and sent shocks of electricity through him, sending spasms through his body. He had been right, the suit protected him slightly but it wasn''t enough. Thankfully his symbskin protected him from the razor jaws of the trap and dampened the shocks.


    With each pulse of the trap, he felt the electricity find a path through him and he adjusted the skins internal structure, mimicking a circuit, he sent the current tracing around himself and back into the ground.


    "You know though, I''m kinda disappointed, I thought this would be, I dunno, more climactic," she mimed doing kung fu, making chops and small kicks, "not just oh high, zap caught. You know Venom, I''m disappointed.¡± Coming closer she got right in his face, ¡°and I hate being disappointed."


    The numbness he felt faded slowly, but he kept the symbskin hardened over his joints, faking the paralysis. If they wanted him so badly he would let them take him, and to him this almost seemed like a Saturday morning cartoon, and if she had been a man, she would be twirling a moustache about now. She leant over him and pressed a gun to his jugular and injected him with something, he didn''t see what it was but he felt the injection site grow cold and figured it was a paralytic. He recognised Sandman who picked him up and threw a cloth sack over his head making sure to give him a few well-placed hits to the gut. The paralytic made the pain fuzzy, and Venom barely felt it.


    "Now Marko, there will be time for that later," the woman said,


    "Yeah yeah Doc, but I still owe him." Sandman sounded mad and Venom could hear everything going on around him. His heightened senses picking up the fresh plastic in the van they bundled him into, the slight squeal as the brakes were out of alignment and the noises of the bay as they took him to a warehouse. He didn''t recognise any of the voices he heard so it was another of the many districts in New York. Industrial areas like the one he lived in sprang up anywhere a ship could berth and there was a lot to choose from but Peter didn''t really care. Now that he¡¯d found Sandman, Electro might be nearby and then all he had to find was Ock and he could get his revenge for hurting Gwen and the others.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Fifty. Sand Castles

    The journey wasn¡¯t that long and he could smell the stale odour of unwashed man as Marko manhandled him into a building, the door needed oiled and was subtle as if unused for several years. The inside smelt of dust and surprisingly lipstick and woman, with the faint odour de Marko but that was it. This was her place and Marko must just be hiding here, there was a faint scent of ozone and while it wasn''t that strong, he knew that Electro had been here recently.


    "Over there if you, please Sandman and then be a dear and get some food for us, or whatever you eat now I suppose. Venom and I are going to have a nice chat, while we wait." Venom was lowered onto a cold steel table and metal clamps were fastened over his arms and feet, long steel pins holding them closed.


    Liv pulled down a control box. "This is connected to the table, answer wrong or try anything and zzzzzzap", she exaggerated. "But be a good boy and we''ll open this again,¡± She took the test tube from before out of her breast pocket and waved it at him, Venom snorted.


    Marco growled and balled his fists, Venom could hear the rocky texture of his skin grating against itself. "Yes yes I know, payback, but it will be hard to interrogate him if you''re punching him," Liv spoke.


    "Fine," Marko spat, "food yeah, money?" Liv rolled her eyes and took a twenty out of her bag, "no junk food, something light." Marko snatched the twenty and left.


    "Be a dear and drop the mask, I''d hate to start cutting and accidentally remove something you might need later. Plus, I would like to know who you actually are. Our last encounter was bit fisty cuffs at dawn for my taste, I prefer oral discourse if you get my meaning." She twitched an eyebrow at him and winked.


    She sighed, ¡°fine¡± and pressed the button on the box. Venom tensed as the current ran through his body, painful yes but bearable, he stretched himself taut though, not letting on he wasn''t as pained as she wanted. Liv held the button for a few seconds before releasing it, "Please?" She asked and begrudgingly Venom allowed the armour to slide back from his face.


    "I knew it. Well, I thought it was either you or that reporter, so Peter Parker in the flesh. I knew your parents you know, yes I did. I was interned at Oscorp when they worked here. Very nice people, so sad what happened, probably be upset at you for this," she waved a hand. "I mean, Venom? Really. Not exactly trying to project a hero aura with that name are we?"


    Staying silent he just let her talk, she seemed to be grateful for the audience, wanting to spill everything without the slightest provocation.


    "So, from our timescale, you and," she flicked open a file, "oh, no name here, got bitten by escaped research subjects, spiders in this case and, oh dear, you must have been picked up as homeless and primed for implantation. So, the lab mess was you. I guess we know what happens if you try to bond a symbiote to a newly enhanced individual then don¡¯t we?" With a mad gleam in her eye, "but let''s see what''s happening under the hood shall we."


    If she started vivisection, Venom knew he could escape. While she turned and was humming to herself, busy with a tray, he tensed against the shackles and while they were tight, they were definitely snappable and they squeaked as he flexed against them.


    Wheeling over a medical table Liv smiled as she pulled on rubber gloves, "no glove, no love Peter dear, now, this can be easy," Liv pointed to a series of blood and tissue sample containers, "and we''ll do some quick tests or it can be hard, and I''ll sedate you and take much much bigger samples. So be a dear and hold still or mamma will spank." she pointed at a bone saw and organ dish.


    Peter knew his tissue samples would decay after a few minutes anyway, the Venom component dissolving faster once it left his body so he nodded towards the syringe and allowed the symbskin to retract from his arm.


    "Playing nice? Don''t worry Peter, I''ve got orders to keep you alive. Norman wants to see what makes you tick, you know, of all the test subjects." she paused and Peter saw her fists clench and her knuckles turn white with the strain, was she in pain? He thought. "Oh well, I guess that''s not allowed. Oh, Norman wants to see what gifts you''ve gotten from you know what and while a few organs and biopsies would be easier, it better to keep the sample alive as long as possible."


    Liv took 10 samples in total and a few scrapings of the symbskin Peter allowed to flake off, they oozed in the bottom of the test tubes but he knew they were already breaking down. "Now see, that wasn''t so hard, was it?"


    She stroked his hair, "you look so much like him you know, your father that is. Oh boy did I have a crush on him, smart, very handsome," she leapt onto the table with him, straddling and putting her hands on his chest. "you know, I almost got drunk enough to come onto him once, your mother was already in the picture but he was brilliant enough I wouldn''t have minded," she idly traced a finger down his chest.


    "Your mother wasn''t as smart, a secretary, documenting all the things Richard and Curt created together, well, all the things they created and Norman stole." She straightened up and even Peter could feel her thighs tighten against him, something was causing her intense pain. "Ah, can''t talk about that either, so many things, so many secrets," she leaned in close and whispered in his ear, her breath hot against it, "would you like to know my secret, Peter?"


    He closed his eyes, Gwen, MJ, Felicia, sorry, and he watched as she unbuttoned her lab coat, pulling it free. The ripe smell hit him first, hiding a hint of decay and he could spot why.


    Her body was wrapped in a layer of thick bands, covering her from just under her small breasts down to just above her belly button. It looked like once there would have been a material jacket to hold and protect the wearer but it had long torn off, and he could see her skin around the edges of the thick metal clasps were rubbed raw, red and weeping, as they pulled tightly against her skin. She stretched and four mechanical arms extended from behind her "TADA!" she exclaimed and Peter realised, she was Doc Ock.


    Fuck, he thought, the boiler suit and his own stupid preconceptions had let him assume that Doc Ock was a man, but here she was, in all her multilimbed glory and once more, Peter had screwed up.


    "You like them, they were a gift. I volunteered to test out the first armour prototype for Osborn, oh 16 years ago now, its little needles drilling into my spine, holding me in a great big hug." He could hear the pain in her voice, the strain of keeping a secret back. This wasn''t voluntary, she probably didn''t know what would happen once the harness was on. "and now Goblin armour will grace our brave men and women of the nation, all under the banner of our glorious owner, Norman Osborn." She saluted and Peter knew what she meant. The limbs were tied into her nervous system, allowing her to control them but Norman must have installed a failsafe, something that if she tried to disobey she suffered. She was a prisoner of Osborn. He still hated her, he still owed her pain and misery but she wasn¡¯t completely to blame. He would allow her a quicker death, he owed her that much, like he owed Alexsi.


    The door rattled and Sandman came back, "uh, what the fuck Doc?" he asked, holding several bags of WacDonalds take out bags.


    "Oh, just playing Doctors and Nurses, Marko, be a dear and get dinner ready." Liv pulled her lab coat back on, buttoning it up after dismounting Peter. She sighed, "I did say something light Marko dear."


    "She might play nice but I still owe you fuckface,¡± and Sandman drove a spiked fist into Venoms side, barely breaking the symbskin armour. He still grunted as the wind was knocked out of him, "and I ain''t got a collar on me, so fuck her and fuck you."


    The strange pair sat and ate burgers while Peter stared bored at the ceiling. He was supposed to be compliant but right now, the smell of food and the uncomfortable table was driving him mad. He just wanted to rip off the restraints and smash both Ock and Sandman with the table, but he also wanted a burger. Lying around wasn''t the worst thing they could be trying to do.


    Venom''s stomach growled and he took a chance "Hey, can I?"


    Sandman snapped, "No, and shut your yap," before taking another bite of his burger. Liv rolled her eyes and unwrapping a cheeseburger held it over Peter''s mouth, letting him bite a chunk off.


    "Now now Marko, our orders are to keep him alive, there''s no need to be rude." Liv wiped sauce from Peters''s mouth and with a wink, licked her thumb clean. Strangely enough, he now knew where they were. The burgers were from WacDonalds on 9th street, he''d been there once and the overpowering stench of weed from the kitchen made him want to barf and the burgers smelt the same. So, he was about 10 miles away from home, he had even swung over this building a few times before so getting back would be easy.


    "Alive doesn''t mean fed Doc. Bastard doesn''t deserve to eat after what he did to me," Marko clenched his fist and Peter could see small grains of what looked like sand falling off his fingers. He wondered if it was some kind of adverse reaction or swapping out of silicone or other inorganic minerals for his carbon atoms. He thoughtfully chewed on the burger, its rankness unpleasant but he''d need the calories. Doc would be tough, Marko he could just web up into gooman again but Doc, those arms of hers were killer and even if his new armour upgrades worked he didn''t want to bet his life on them.


    "Oh fucking boo hoo," taunted Venom. "You''re a fucking crook, and you got beat up. Don¡¯t like it, don''t be a crook then." He was tired of this, the Doc was carefully cataloguing samples she''d taken but Marko was tense like a snake, Venom could smell the adrenaline and anger coming off him like a fog. "Here''s an idea, don''t fucking mug people and you won''t get put in jail or well, beaten like a pinata."


    "You broke my fucking ribs," Marko had had it as well and his fists became solid clubs, dotted with sharp spikes. He smashed his fist into Venoms ribs over and over, "how you fucking like that huh, my daughter, my fucking daughter,"


    What the hell? Venom thought was he crying? What kind of pussy cries as they beat someone? Venom had thickened the area that Marko had seemed to take a liking to, the honeycomb structure of the armour squashing as it was struck.


    The blows still hurt but they did little damage, "my daughter was in the hospital, I needed that money," thump after thump took Venom''s breath. The hits weren¡¯t that hard in the grand scheme of things, he had been sparring with Huntress properly, and she hit way harder than Sandman was.


    Sandman thumped a clubbed fist once more into Venom''s side and he decided he¡¯d had enough. The man was barely landing a decent blow and the crying and blubbering about his daughter was grating on his nerves. ¡°What about the people whose daughters you robbed? Or do you not fucking care about them? I lost my uncle to a fuckbag like you,¡± and Venom ripped the restraints off and backhanded Marko across the room. ¡°You¡¯re a fucking embarrassment, put up or shut up, at least Alexi didn¡¯t fucking cry as I gutted him.¡±


    ¡°You killed Alexsi?¡± Liv stopped doing her work and turned from her desk, holding the pen in her hand like a knife.


    ¡°Oh, you fuck off as well. Like you didn¡¯t smash me into a fucking car, we¡¯re fighting not fucking. You want that you buy me dinner first.¡±


    Venom bashed both fists together, thickening the plates over his knuckles. Sandman had shaken off the blow and stood, raising his fists as Venom got ready for another round.


    "Woah Woah boys, let''s be calm here, or, you know, at least fight outside. It''s not much but you know, it''s still my home,¡± Liv said, standing between the two.


    Venom laughed at the absurdity of the situation, "You know what," he reached over and opening his maw stuffed in two hamburgers, "yeah, let''s take a walk kitty litter,"


    Marko scowled, "seriously, Doc? Fucking seriously?"


    "Sorry, Marko, I''ve got orders to leave him alive," and as she tapped the metal around her neck, "and I can''t disobey orders." She frowned and shrugged. "If you''re going to fight it has to be alone, sorry dear."


    "Fucking Osborn" Marko growled at Venom, who was still stuffing burgers into his maw


    With his mouth full, "go ahead, I''m eating," and shooed him away, "I''ll be right out."


    Markos narrowed his eyes at Venom, the fucking nerve of this guy he though, but stormed off out through the side exit.


    "Oh don''t mind him Venom. He''s been tetchy since Osborn refused to cure his daughter. You shouldn''t make things too hard on him."


    Venom took the last burger and threw it into his mouth, chewing and then swallowing it, "he doesn''t deserve anything from me."


    Liv shrugged, "oh well, I tried." Venom pulled the two metal cuffs off his wrists, "oh if you die, I want dibs on your body, okay?" Liv shouted after him as he opened the door, he raised a hand and gave her the finger, "well, that was just rude," she said to herself.


    Sandman hadn''t waited long and took the initiative to ambush Venom as he opened the door, a huge stone fist flew at him and cracked him across the jaw. Venom rubbed his chin and then hissed, crouching and springing forwards he caught Sandman around the waist, pushing them both to the ground. He drove his fists into Sandman¡¯s face, wanting a gauge of how much hurt he could bring or if his mineral body would just shrug off the damage.


    "Guess you''re not so smart after all." Sandman laughed as he took each punch. Venom took offence at that, his exam results had come back and he got A+''s on all his tests.


    "I''m not the one with rocks for brains" Venom retorted and leaned back, spraying Sandman with the sticky tar web he used at the restaurant. Marko pushed him off and Venom watched as the sand covered by the web tar sloughed off in a ball, rolling along Sandman¡¯s arm and down into his hand.


    "Thanks,¡± he said and then he smashed the crusted ball of web and sand into Venom, "as I said, not so smart."


    Venom had to admit, he hadn''t seen that coming and while he gave Marko a point for the ingenuity he deducted one for dumbness. The sand web ball gave him a point and shooting out normal webs it held onto the end of Sandman''s arm, leaning back and swinging Venom pulled Sandman off his feet and swung him around like a ball, the alleyway just wide enough for his to do so. He grinned as he waited for him to brush his feet against a wall before letting him go, sending him flying against the brickwork. Sandman let out an ooff as he thudded against the wall, sand granules spread out but he just pulled himself together. "I''m sand you moron, that won''t work," he let the ball of tar drop from his body, the crumbled brickwork being absorbed into his body, giving him a slightly grey colour.


    He needed heat or water and in an alleyway, he had neither, if he exited out onto the street he could find a hydrant, on the roof he could find a water tower but would Sandman follow him? He was brought out of his musing as another arm launched its way towards him, avoiding it easily Venom took the chance and sprang forwards, leaping from one side of the alley up the buildings on either side. As expected Sandman stretched himself up, and began to climb the fire escape, chasing Venom up and onto the rooftops.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Fifty-One. Along Came The Rain

    "I''m a lot of things, but a murderer, well, that ain''t one of them." Sandman shook himself after stretching up to the roof, it made him use his sand powers and altering his body still felt wrong. He shook himself off, the content gritty feeling was irritating, he didn''t like it, it was coarse and got everywhere.


    "You''re still a scumbag who attacked a young woman. So what if you got your ribs broken? You deserved it." Peter knew he needed to find a way to defeat Sandman, without a source of fuel to rebuild his symbskin he was vulnerable to the heavy blows of the man.


    "That money was for my daughter!" Sandman yelled back, "if Alexsi hadn''t taken her in, she''d have died, and you, you''re gonna fuckin pay for that." He banged his fist together and advanced on Venom, thumping one fist into his side and Venom caught the other, "try that goop shit again, I dare yah," he taunted, and while Venom knew he''d probably thought of a counter, he wasn''t the only one.


    "You can''t hurt me, flesh bag," and as Venom punched out his fist went straight through Sandman''s body, who twisted, grabbing it, and slammed Venom into the roof, "you ain''t gonna win, I''m not like you, I''m more than better." He punched down and Venom rolled to one side and zipped out a web, catching the side of the building and hauling himself forwards, kicking both feet at Sandman.


    His arms shot forwards and Venom ducked under one to be greeted by the other, the sand flowed around him, holding him in a pincer.


    "My daughter almost died cause of you, I''m this freak cause of you," Sandman shouted at Venom as he punched his face again and again, "I hate you, I hate you," with each punch Venom felt dizzier and dizzier.


    Begin held with the pincer-like grip he needed to get free, he''d worked with Gwen to gain a sizable quantity of hydrofluoric acid, to melt Sandman, but he hadn''t brought any with him and even if he had the quantity needed would have been noticeable. He began to thicken his symbskin, thickened and pushed back against the sandtrap holding him and then, with an inch extra, he shed it, allowing him to duck down under the torrent of particles and leap backwards.


    While he was now vulnerable though, shedding his symbskin had freed him he thicken the last of his symbskin on his hands and with a push, coated sandman in the entirety of the skin. As Sandman tried to uncover himself Venom fired two web balls at his feet and as the man fell the skin soaked into him trapping him on the roof.


    "Now, you will answer us, or we will make you a permanent statue."


    "So, what do you want then? I ain''t interested and I got nothing, I''m muscle, not the brains, you want Ock or Alexsi for that, but oh, you killed one and the other escaped, so tough shit, you get nothing." Venom internally sighed in relief as Sandman began to talk. That was it, he was spent, no more tar to glue him down and if the fight had gone on much longer he would have needed to run.


    Unhappy with the answer, he swiped his claws through Sandman¡¯s arm, scattering grains from it. Sandman cried in pain each time he did it, even if he was silicon-based now he still felt it, and Venom hoped as he reduced his mass it was bringing him closer to his end.


    ¡°Where is Electro?¡± Venom asked first but Sandman shrugged,


    ¡°If he ain¡¯t here then I dunno, ask Ock, she¡¯s in charge, ask her,¡± Sandman yelled. Venom sighed, he was hoping he knew but even if he didn¡¯t, Felicia wanted to know what they stole, hoping for a lead on her father.


    "What did you steal and why?" Venom asked.


    "That? How cares, it''s gone, Ock took that weeks ago."


    Venom sliced into his arm but as it dropped to the roof he ignored it and held his claw over Sandman¡¯s throat. "I won''t ask again."


    Sandman felt his core ache, there was barely any sand left in his body and it was getting harder to remain whole, Venom wasn''t messing around.


    "Okay, okay, it was a chip. Ock wanted it for something her boss was building, that''s it, that''s all I know, it''s a thing about the size of a pack of cards, in a case, that all. Man I''m just muscle please, I have a daughter, please, she ain''t got no one else." Sandman was at the end of his tether, Venom was so close to killing him but all he wanted was to keep his daughter safe, Alexsi had promised. "Please man, please?"


    "We are generous unless we see you again. Tell Ock we are coming for her." Venom stood, towering over Sandman he spied a tall mast in the distance and shot a line out to it, leaping upwards he swung forward and Sandman sighed with relief as he vanished off into the skyline.


    "Fuck me, that was scary, Doc you there? Or do I have to get this shit off by myself?"  he yelled and waited.


    With no reply Sandman knew she had run as soon as they started fighting, "fucking shit," he said to himself, slowly trying to grind the sticky tar out of his granular body. It would be slow but he could do it.


    Unseen by Sandman, a hidden figure had recorded the whole fight, taking notes on the possible weaknesses of this new villain. Sandman was by his own admission part of the crew that destroyed the diner after robbing the bank. Spider-Man had recorded his confession and, after making sure he got some really good shots, approached the villain.


    "Oh, shit, another one, what the fuck you want?" Sandman asked this new spider-themed idiot, "what? You copying the boy in black there? Can''t think of anything original."


    "First, he copied me, and second, thanks to your confession I think you''ll be spending more time in jail, uh Sandman was it." Spider-Man flicked open a phone. "Yes, this is Spider-Man. I have the villain Sandman webbed to a roof at," he leaned over the building and checked the name of a shop nearby "Madison and Jones yeah, 9th, near the docks, that''s right, no, he''s not going anywhere, thank you, officer." Clicking the phone closed he took a few pics with the Sandman and then paused for a second.


    "Uh, want to do an interview? Maybe I can get you a better deal if you''re helpful?" Spider-Man offered.


    "Look man, fuck you, it''s bad enough I''m covered in Venom gunk but now I gotta listen to your crap. Get lost," Sandman spied the same tower Venom had, would water help get rid of this damn sticky crap faster? He''d reabsorbed enough of the sand from the ground to at least attempt it. It was better than the alternative, being stuck with this idiot while the cops got here.


    Taking a deep breath, unnecessary but still comforting, Sandman extended his arm as quickly as he could, Spider-man jumping back and shot two webs at him, they did nothing compared to Venoms but he got an A for effort. Sandman had grabbed onto the lower support of the water tower and, pulling with all his strength, brought it down upon himself and the costumed clown.


    Several thousand gallons of water poured from the huge tower and Sandman found himself free from the roof but washed away still stuck together, the dilapidated roof tiles coming loose with the water sloshing over them.


    Spider-Man looked on in horror as the water crested a huge wave towards him and before he could get a web out, it slammed into him, smashing him against the side of the roof edge. Lifting him up, the water cascading down the side of the building into the street where cries of distress and anger soon filled the air.


    People, cars, dogs, and all sorts of debris was washed down the street by the flood, Sandman used the chaos to make his escape into the sewers, still stuck together with the tar.


    Spider-Man held on to the side of the building, his grip stronger than the currents but he soon heard the police sirens in the distance, followed by an ambulance and fire trucks, thankfully the emergency services could be called upon to take care of the mess Sandman had made.


    His suit full of water squelched as he staggered down the alley. Bruised and battered by water, he had no strength left in his arms to use his webs to escape across the rooftops. Soaked and dejected, Spider-Man limped home, swearing at both Venom and Sandman.


    Peter had roped in everyone for the heist and they slipped in quietly, posing at clean up to empty the house, Peter using Liv''s name to bypass the cops, Gwen hiding under a cap to avoid anyone she recognised. MJ had smacked Peter when they saw the mess and he rubbed his arm, "what? This wasn''t me," he defended himself and after explaining they were all quiet, ¡°I left Sandman on the roof, so I guess he escaped."


    The quartet was quiet after then, loading machine after machine into the back of a truck, Gwen giddy with excitement at some of the high-end medical equipment. Taking the back streets they avoided any detection and as Gwen and Felicia were the only two with licences they returned the truck leaving MJ and Peter alone.


    "This, this doesn''t bother you, Peter?" Muse was out helping Peter lift the machine into their storeroom.


    Even without using Venom, he was strong enough that with super-strength, they could manhandle them all. "No, these are stolen Muse, and who knows what she was doing with them."


    "That''s not the point Peter, even if they''re stolen you''re stealing them too, it''s not cancelled out."


    Peter put down what looked like a mass spectrometer, "MJ what''s really wrong? I mean, you know I go out and stop muggings and stuff, so what gives?"


    "That''s just it Peter, you hurt them. Are you doing it for some sense of revenge against Flash? or some kind of vent for all your anger? cause it''s not right Peter, it''s not right."


    He''d had this talk with himself but now, "MJ, if they took the chance they wouldn''t be mugging innocent people, and yes I hurt them and yes it''s both those things, revenge against people like Flash, people who think they can get away with hurting someone else because they''re better. What gives them the right to take someone else''s purse? What gives them the right to scare someone so bad they never go out again? Look I get it, I do, Flash didn''t deserve to lose his legs, but I didn''t do that. That wasn''t my fault and would I go out and hurt Flash? no, I wouldn''t, but he got what he deserved Muse, just like those scumbags do."


    Muse held one of her arms across her chest, "but Peter, I get these urges, to you know, go find my dad, to make him feel the pain he put me through, to hurt him, just for you know, hurting me.¡±


    Peter moved in and hugged her, "and if you want to then that''s up to you, but that''s it MJ, it''s up to you, no one else. Muse can talk and whisper but at the end of the day it''s up to you."


    Muse wrapped her arms around him, ¡°thank you." Muse whispered in her mind,


    but we would help if you did and so would he.


    Liv had watched Venom and Spider-man trade blows and had avoided the majority of the fight, She had tracked the core of Sandman down into the sewers and while it was unpleasant she had taken the malformed Marko back to Oscorp to reform. Harry had yelled and smashed the useless samples she had presented to him, it wasn''t her fault that Venom''s skin and blood seemed to degrade almost immediately, the black goo becoming dried dust after he examined them. She kept his identity to herself, he hadn''t asked so she didn''t have to tell, and after he dismissed her she headed back to her home to check the rest of her data.


    The door had been forced open and attached to the inside was a note


    I borrowed some things ¨C Venom


    and a heart, crudely drawn and inside there was nothing. Venom had taken everything he could. Her sample cases, her medical fridges, the mass spectrometer, every inch of the place was cleaned out, the rotten bastard even took all her kitchen appliances. He had left a single cup noodle next to her kettle, another note,


    bought you dinner to make up for fucking you


    She swore and cursed his name, "damn moocher." She worked hard to steal all those machines from Oscorp, and now he''d come in and just lifted them. She eyed the cup noodle, he at least had the decency to buy a very nice brand of Japanese instant ramen, with a little sachet of dried shredded chicken inside with a generous helping of dehydrated vegetables. Sighing, having lost to a kid she filled the kettle, at least he bought me dinner, sighing as she remembered the last time someone had done that was over 16 years ago. Damn little bastard, but still, she''d finished her work elsewhere and losing all the junk she''d collected wasn''t too big a deal.


    Calling up the lock screen of her phone she entered the pin,


    will deal with Venom in two days, send Sandman to help ¨C Liv


    She got a smiley face back from Harry, ¡°damn kids,¡± she said to nobody as she stirred her noodles.


    As they drove back to the rental place Felicia and Gwen shared a quiet moment. "Come on Gwen, now or never. Might as well rip the bandaid off and get him off your case," Felicia said, sitting in the cab of the pickup they''d rented.


    "Easy for you to say, Felicia. Your dad was okay with you coming out." Gwen took the last turn off and they were outside her home, her old home she corrected herself, ¡°this is stupid, he''ll freak out.¡±


    Felicia leant for a kiss, "yeah but he''ll get over it." Felicia neglected to mention that her father was already missing when she¡¯d discovered her sexuality and didn¡¯t know.


    "Ahem," George Stacy stood in the driveway, keys in hand, watching the pair "Gwen?"


    Gwen shrunk back down, "shit shit shit."


    Felicia took a deep breath, "band-aid time."


    "Hi, I''m Felicia Hardy, and as you can see, I''m Gwen''s girlfriend." She stuck out her hand for George to shake and after staring at her he took it, "Gwen?"


    "Shit", she muttered and sat straight up, "yeah dad. Come on, can we at least talk privately." She pursed her lips and shook her head, this was not how she wanted this to go.


    ¡°No need, I get the gist of what''s happening, so Peter?" he asked.


    "Still living with him but no dad, not dating Peter," she raised her eyebrows as he nodded,


    "Well then, uh Felicia, why don''t you and Gwen come inside. I got fresh danishes.¡±


    As he unlocked the security door to their driveway Felicia batted Gwen''s arm, "See?" she said and followed George inside.


    Gwen sighed, she probably could have brought home anyone and as long as they weren''t Peter Parker her dad would be happy. She wasn''t happy about lying to him about it but then again she wasn''t exactly forthcoming with her new alternate identity. Letting her dad think she was gay rather than dating Peter was okay, plus, free danishes and at the word, Poison stirred and purred


    sugar sugar yum yum she said in her mind.


    Yes, baby sugar sugar yum yum, shaking her head and smiling, maybe this wouldn''t be so bad after all.


    Across town Harry was sitting in the office of his father as Liv sent him a text, as inconspicuous as he could he hit an emoji and sent it back to her, he hated those damn things but Norman would get even pissier than he was already if he saw him on his phone. Harry watched his father inject himself again and he allowed himself a small smile.


    "Harry," Norman said, "ah uh, these allowed me to finish the Goblin Armour and Glider. The test is next week. Are you, excited boy?"


    Norman threw his arm around Harry, in unusual showing affection, Harry spoke "Of course father, with the new armour specs and the glider, the military contracts granted to Oscorp will make us all very rich." Normans face darkened


    "Make me rich son. You''ve still not gotten over that small genetics hurdle yet, have you? I said, once the WSC sets its mind on something it never changes it, genetic manipulation is only going to be allowed to treat illness, no money in curing the sick son, make money prolonging the disease."


    Harry had heard this lecture before, right after Norman had shut down the Oscorp genetics research lab and before Harry had started another one, hidden within the building. His father, of course, was a hypocrite, the serum he so readily pumped into his veins was the result of that lab and had been stolen from research done by others, of course, Norman would never admit that.


    "Now now, don''t scowl, it''ll all be yours eventually. Come, have a drink with me." Norman poured himself and Harry a scotch, which Harry hated, it was sour and burned, if anything he preferred the mellow taste of cognac or brandy. Sniffing the glass he took a sip, "to success,¡± and his father raised his glass,


    "To success," Harry echoed, knowing full well what the results of the test would be.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Fifty-Two. Man To Man

    Betty was furious with Eddie as he blew her off one more time. They were supposed to be going out to a wine tasting but he came home, full of excuses of a mugging and wanted to stay in. She had almost broken up with him but the thick black bruise over his shoulder, where he claimed the mugger twisted his arm, saved him and for one last time, she gave in and after grabbing her purse, left.


    Eddie shook his head, he hated lying to her. The bruise was from the water cascading down the building and right now he only had one thing on his mind,


    Finding that bastard Venom and kicking his ass.


    Finding Venom was easy enough, you just swung about Hell''s Kitchen long enough and listened for the screams. They were different from the normal ones. Muggings called for help, muggers called for mommy when Venom was involved, and as Spider-Man crested the top of a building he found his man.


    Venom was manhandling another victim, blood leaked from a broken nose and the man''s glassy eyes hinted that he might even have a concussion. As usual, whoever he had saved had just run off, either grateful for the save or simply too terrified of Venom to hang around. Looking around he must have spotted something and grabbing him by the scruff of the neck he lifted him up and stuffed him into a trash can, webbing him into it.


    Spider-Man watched as the man lifted a wad of cash and it somehow folded into his skin as if his costume was more than just fabric. Shaking his head, the water must have addled his brain. He webbed his camera to the building, made sure he got a good angle and hit the Bluetooth remote in his packet. He wanted this on film. If he was going to show people exactly who Venom was, he needed proof.


    Before he could swing away Venom caught the movement of air and looking up he saw the red and blue idiot swinging down to greet him, great he thought


    ¡°Venom, we need to talk. You helped Sandman escape, and you need to answer for that.¡±


    Venom shrugged, ¡°if you knew then you were there, don''t remember you helping take out the bad guy Spider-Man, or what? Did you wait until I left and took your victory snap then?¡±


    Venom heard Spider-Mans heart rate increase and he chuckled to himself, that was exactly it,


    ¡°So, you made that mess huh? What? Wanted the glory without the effort? Taking credit for my actions is bad. Didn¡¯t you lecture me on being more honest Spider-Man? Seems you need to take your own advice.¡±


    ¡°You left a criminal webbed to the roof of a building. He escaped and my involvement doesn''t matter. What matters is you left him there. Who knows what damage he could have done? he admitted to destroying that diner, what if he did that again, or do you not care?¡±


    Venom clenched his fist, ¡°You don''t get to lecture me Spider-Man. Don''t think I don¡¯t know you follow me around. Don''t think I have seen the pictures that only you can take. Of me, and Black Cat. Didn''t I tell you to stay away from me, or you¡¯d regret it? Eddie.¡±


    As his heart started to pound in his chest Spider-Man knew Venom wasn''t kidding around, and as Venom heard the thumping and the increased sweat and adrenaline coming off Spider-Man, he¡¯d scored a direct hit. Eddie Brock, fucking reporters, he cursed in his mind.


    ¡°Stay away from me, and stay away from Black Cat as well, If I see one more picture of her ass in the paper and some bullshit headline about her, it won''t be a conversation you¡¯ll enjoy.¡±


    Venom raised a hand and as the web line shot out and snagged the top of a building, Spider-Man made his choice.


    Roaring he sent out his own line and pulled, dragging Venom down towards him and as he fell he swung out, catching him in the gut. ¡°No more Venom, tonight you face me, and then prison. You¡¯re a menace, and one that needs to be stopped.¡±


    As Venom recoiled from the punch, Spider-Man sent another into the right side of his face and then another into his gut. It wasn''t until Venom stepped back to avoid a second left and grabbed his wrist that Spider-Man realised he wasn¡¯t as hurt as he hoped.


    ¡°Childish,¡± and Venom bodychecked Spider-Man and then as he fell back slammed his own fist into his stomach. Spider-Man had never been hit that hard before and bile and vomit rose in his throat. Pulling him back again Venom headbutted him and as Spider-Man fell back, let him go, shot out a web from both wrists, and once the webbing connected to his chest swung him up and then back down, slamming him into the pavement.


    ¡°You asked for this Spider-Man. We were happy to leave things alone, but you interfered.¡± and as Spider-Man lay on the ground Venom raised a foot and slammed it down.


    Narrowly avoiding it, Spider-Man rolled across the ground, shooting out a web line and catching Venom on the ankle. As it caught him off balance he slammed the foot down and braced himself, a long thin blade slid out of Venom''s hand and he slashed down, cutting the line.


    ¡°We will fight you Spider-Man, but,¡± and he shook his head, ¡°you are weak, like a child,¡± and Venom sighed. ¡°When we started, we were like you, so full of ourselves and we were hurt. Train, Spider-Man. Train or this will never end well for you.¡±


    Spider-Man picked himself up, shakily standing in front of Venom, ¡°I, I can¡¯t let you go,¡± and Venom shook his head. Before he could react Venom grabbed him around the throat, laying punch after punch into his stomach, Eddie felt his ribs cave and he struggled helplessly against the much stronger man.


    ¡°A reminder,¡± and Venom made a small blade, no bigger than a finger and he stabbed it into Eddie''s shoulder, before breaking it off. ¡°Stay away from us.¡± and dropping him, sent out another line and leapt off into the New York skyline.


    Eddie lay panting, his breathing was short and hard, even his enhanced physique was finding it difficult to deal with the damage dealt by Venom. Slowly and carefully he climbed the building, retrieved his camera and made his way home, too sore to swing, too tired to run, each step was torture on broken ribs and burning shoulder. He cried out as he pulled the blade free and stared at it. He wasn''t good enough, Sandman and then Venom, both played him like an idiot, and he let them.


    As he climbed the last fire escape and opened his window, he fell into his apartment and collapsed on the floor, uncaring about the mess, and as the light turned on even the moments of panic faded, replaced by pain from his chest.


    ¡°Shit Eddie,¡± Betty shouted, ¡°Eddie?¡± and as she came over, he barely had the strength to lift himself off the floor. ¡°Well, either you''ve got the weirdest fetish ever, or you¡¯re Spider-Man. Either way, you''ve got a lot of explaining to do.¡±


    Eddie was in too much pain to care, and as Betty stared, ¡°Uh Eddie?¡± and she came over. ¡°Shit, is that blood? Oh shit Eddie,¡± as she lifted her phone and began to dial 911, he knocked it from her hand,


    ¡°Can''t. Please,¡± and instead she lifted his mask. Underneath his face was a mess of bruises, a burst lip bubbled with blood, and his eye was already starting st swell shut,


    ¡°Well, at least I know why the wine mixer was cancelled,¡± and as he tried to laugh he winced. ¡°Come on,¡± and she tore the costume from him, ¡±let¡¯s clean you up, and then if you can, talk.¡±


    With great effort she half dragged, half carried him to his shower and after dumping him in, stripping off the bottom of his costume and his boots she turned on the water, letting it soak him. Looking in the small medicine cabinet she found a bottle of iodine and some cotton swabs and not as gently as she could have, cleaned the knife wound on his shoulder.


    Able to stand and walk, and wrapped in just a towel she helped him back through to the living room and stood as she dumped him on the couch.


    ¡°Make it good or I walk and tomorrow you have a new job as a superhero celebrity while I get a raise.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Spider-Man,¡± and she rolled her eyes, ¡°I was bitten about 5 months ago,¡± and as he explained, not just about his own powers but about Venom and Black Cat, Betty paced back and forth, holding the anger on her face inside until he finished,


    ¡°And then tonight I confronted him, and well, he kicked the crap outta me.¡±


    Betty crossed her arms, stared for a moment and then headed into the kitchen, putting on the coffee pot and filling it.


    ¡°He¡¯s right, you are an idiot.¡± and Eddie was too sore to complain, ¡°You attacked someone, on your own, with no training and no backup? I honestly thought you were smarter than that Eddie.¡± and as she made them both coffee she was about to lift the cups when she reached under the cabinet and pulled out a quarter bottle, pouring a decent amount into both cups.


    Eddie didn''t complain as the Irish coffee burned on the way down, the alcohol a glad addition, ¡°so?¡± and he glanced over at her.


    ¡°Well, first, healing, some proper first aid kits and sleep, then Mr ¡®I¡¯m Spider-Man¡¯ you owe me at least 10 dates, and we are going on them all. You¡¯re paying and then sex after, Mr ¡®I¡¯ve got boundless stamina cause I¡¯m a superhero¡¯ will damn well make sure it¡¯s good as well, and then you stupid shit,¡° and she finally broke, ¡°and then,¡± she took a breath and wiped the tears from her face. ¡°You train, you get a teacher and you learn and you don¡¯t do something as stupid as taking on that monster yourself.¡± and Eddie leaned over the best he could and rubbed a hand on her leg, ¡°oh and if you didn''t get footage, then you¡¯re sleeping, alone for a week.¡± and Eddie held his stomach as he tried not to laugh.


    ¡°In there,¡± he pointed to the onesie pants she had cut free, and as she sat and watched the video footage of what could be called a beating and not a fight her face contorted through various emotions.


    ¡°He knows who you are?¡± Eddie nodded, he had tied the mic to a Bluetooth headset he wore, in case a criminal decided to confess, and the video had recorded their entire conversation. ¡°So he¡¯s smart, and what this about Black Cats ass?¡± and as he tried not to look guilty, ¡°where''s the rest?¡± and sighing Eddie pointed to a drawer with USB drives in it. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking these and if, and I mean that, if any of these are less than suitable, you will be in trouble mister.¡±


    Eddie tried not to laugh, Betty was taking this a lot better than he thought and as she flicked through her phone, ¡°there¡¯s a cheap gym not too far from here, lessons aren''t too expensive and oh, a boxing champion trained there, Fogwells. Bit scruffy but considering,¡± and she gave Eddie a look and he rubbed a hand over his stubbly face, which he regretted as it stung.


    ¡°I know, I know,¡± but Betty looked sternly at him,


    ¡°Eddie, please. You can''t lie to me, not after all this, is there anything else?¡± but Eddie shook his head, ¡°If there is, it''s over, you know that right?¡°


    ¡°Betty, you¡¯re the most important thing that''s ever happened to me, and I swear, there isn''t anything, I¡¯m Spider-Man, that''s it, you know everything else.¡± and he held his hand over his heart,


    ¡°You know a smart man would have used that as an opportunity to suck up to me, but, I guess that''s not you huh?¡± and as she laughed, Eddie felt a warmth spreading through him, a sense of peace that a problem shared was a problem solved.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Fifty-Three. Sons Of War

    Flash yelled again as he fell, the new implants he had gotten were hard to walk on, even though he''d been told it''d be easy. He slumped between the twin bars, refusing to give up just yet, but wanting to do something about this anger in his chest. Ever since he found out MJ had moved in with Peter, he knew she was fucking him. The day she came round was just too perfect, just too opportunistic and he knew he''d been right.


    "Knock Knock," came from the doorway, and to Flash¡¯s surprise, Harry Osborn stood there.


    Flash had cancelled everything, the internship, the college and spent his trust fund. He started seeing that therapist but he realised after she made hints at expensive restaurants and fancier rings, she was after him for his money, not anything else. She''d even fucking yelled at him, calling him a limp-dicked pussy and he raged at her, some therapist she was.


    His father shook his head when he told him, ¡°It''s the Thompson curse son.¡° but they¡¯d shared a drink and actually spent time together. It was seeing his father commiserate with him, rather than rebuke him that made him want to try harder.


    "Fuck you want Osborn?" Flash spat at him,


    "I come bearing gifts," Harry said, opening up a case in his hand, within lay a vial of blue liquid that seemed to swirl and catch the light.


    "Uh, this some kind of experimental Oscorp bullshit, cause I''m not a guinea pig Osborn, not for you, not for your dad."


    "And if I said this can give you what you want, give you a place to put that fire?"


    "magic potions and spooky goop doesn''t impress me, so give me a real reason.¡° Flash sat on the floor, crossing his arms.


    "This," Harry held the vial up to the light and the liquid sparkled, "is the solution to all your problems. Venom, Spider-man, anyone who dares to hurt the mighty Flash Thompson."


    "Uh-huh, what''s the price?" Flash had had it drummed into his head by his father, ¡®always ask the price, even free had a price.¡¯


    "Price? Oh, that''s easy, kill Venom, just kill him. I don''t care if it''s painful or slow, just dead, nothing more, nothing less. This is a job offer Eugene, not a noose. I¡¯ll find him and then all you have to do is sqwrk," and Harry made a noise as he did the throat-slitting gesture, ¡°that¡¯s all.¡±


    Flash hated being called Eugene, ever since first grade. He was Flash now and as he stared at the vial, soon he would get back at that bastard who ruined his life. He didn''t need it though, he had other plans but as he listened to Osborn talk, he knew he would get a better chance at revenge if he agreed.


    ¡°Sure Osborn, sure, but uh, not with that. I¡¯m not putting that shit in my veins okay?¡± and Harry just shrugged and left.


    After Harry had left Flash sitting on the floor of the gym he held the signed contract, that was one, now to get the other two. Dialling a number on his phone "Yeah John, it''s Harry. Flash is in, good job."


    With Flash in, John had the task of speaking to his father and while his dad was a tyrant to his workers John knew he was a softie at heart, he''d never admit it to the man though. J.J looked at the report his son had handed him. "Are you sure son?" for once he didn''t look like the domineering media man he looked like a concerned father.


    "I''m sure pop, Harry was very specific in getting my help, especially after, well, you know." John had never forgotten the help that Harry had given him in the past few years, if it wasn''t for him, he''d still be with that thing. "Plus, I''ve already been training Flash. The kids good, pop, really good."


    "But this is dangerous, more than the space mission more than being in the military," Jonah put down the report, afraid of reading it once more. "I can''t lose you, son, he''s more than a menace, he''s dangerous." Jonah had spent many restless nights years ago, when John''s shuttle came back all they would tell home was he was hurt and it wasn¡¯t until later he even got to see his son. Even now he didn¡¯t know what had happened on board and John refused to tell him.


    "I know pop, I know but with all the footage, with all the picture we''ve got we''ve built up a pretty good profile of whoever I wearing that suit. Young, inexperienced, and most of all arrogant, and if the initiative takes off, they''ll need my help."


    J.J was still unconvinced. John had approached him about his speech, about taking the fight to Venom and the other superpowered freaks running around New York, John had the backing, had the smarts and if Harry could pull through and his Pop agreed, he''d have the team.


    "Look Pop, I need your backing. With the media on my side, on our side, we can spin this however we want. Venom won''t be able to hide, he won''t have any friends to help him and we can nail him, get a scoop and a conviction, but I want you to headline this for us. I want the Daily Bugle to be our sponsor. You know how much space meant to me, how much you and New York mean to me. If Harry is right then Venom is dangerous, you know what he does, you see the reports. I have to take the fight to him, I have to stop him. Please Pop, please."


    J.J couldn''t resist anymore, his son was right though. Venom was more than just a regular crook, even if he was caught by the NYPD could they actually stop him? They needed help and if it was John asking, then help he would get.


    Picking up the phone J.J dialled a number normally reserved for major events. "Yes, This is J. Jonah Jameson, I would like to schedule an appointment with George Stacy please, Tell him it''s about Venom."


    George Stacy had led the task force himself, the intel given to him by J.J had been spot on. Video footage showed the reporter breaking into Oscorp and the incident. Redacted files, provided by a ¡®source¡¯ showed a series of genetically altered spiders being released and that the infiltrator had been bitten. It didn''t take a genius to realise that the pictures of Spider-Man and the exclusives could only be shot by someone with intimate knowledge of the man himself. Add in a quick background check and Eddie Brock''s name jumped out of the search at him. Smart, diligent, and a police academy dropout, Brock ticked all the boxes.


    Of course, Eddie had no idea how they had found him, no idea what he was going to do but right now, sitting with his hands up and trying not to get shot was top of that list. His small and messy apartment was filled with well-armed and hopefully not trigger happy policemen, and a grey-haired serious-looking man, who he knew was George Stacy stared at him.


    "Out," he motioned to his men and they holstered and slung their weapons while George grabbed a folding chair from the cramped kitchen/living room. Making a show of unfolding it, he set it down in front of Brock and stared at him. He reached behind himself and when Eddie flinched he smiled. It was a file and George licked a thumb before opening it,


    "I know who you are," he began to pull out picture after picture. "I know what you do," then came the USB drives and Eddie cursed himself as they were all the same as the ones he used to hand his work in at the Bugle. "I know what you want." He took out pictures of Venom and Black Cat, from the fight they''d had on the top of the warehouse, "and, I''m here with an offer." George handed Eddie one last folder.


    Flicking through its contents Eddie was shocked, while the files were redacted they spelt out exactly what had been done to him. The following pages were the intel on what would be his new team and its members.


    "You can''t go public until they¡¯re caught, and you''ll sign NDA''s to that effect with the police and state department and everything, I mean everything will go through me and then the Bugle."


    Eddie hesitated, he knew he could get out the window, he knew it was safe and he could get away, but to what end. They knew his identity, they knew who he was and Stacy was right, this was what he wanted. "There''s no pay."


    George snorted and rolled his eyes, he''d met Brocks kind before, "turn over, pays at the bottom,"


    Eddie''s eyes bulged as he saw how much they''d pay him, broken down by what he could expect in the event of capture, any pictures and press opportunities. This was it, his big break.


    "I''m in." was all he said and George Stacy smiled and he shook his hand.


    Taking the stage, he looked smart in a new dark grey suit, highlighted by a blue and red tie, carefully chosen by marketing to not just appeal to fans of Spider-man but to show his acceptance and backing of the man.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen, members of the Press and our Esteemed guest of the Mayor, his lovely wife, and George Stacy, Chief of Police. We''re here today, for one thing, one thing has driven us together and that is the menace of Venom and his accomplice."


    "These two menaces have been terrorising our streets, the attack on our businesses, our people and yes, they claim to be taking down the bad element, but who gets hurt in the process? Who gets robbed and left behind while they swing away with their illicit gains? Make no mistake ladies and gentlemen of the audience, they are a menace, they are criminals. Captain Stacy and I both agree, that through no fault of their own, the NYPD is not equipped to deal with super-powered monsters."


    The audience was held, Jameson could spin a tale, he''d been in the newspaper industry for over 50 years and he knew his audience.


    "This is why today, with the backing of the Mayor, with the backing of New York Police Chief George Stacy I have been given the pleasure, the honour of announcing a new task force, designed to combat these monsters. Two individuals who are not just capable but have already proven themselves against the Venom and come out victorious.


    I present to you. Spider-man."


    The now-famous red and blue-suited man walked onto the stage and waved the crowd. J.J. Handed him the microphone, "knock em dead son," he whispered.


    "Hi, everyone, Yes I''m Spider-Man." He waved again as the crowd cheered, "but more seriously, the Venom is a danger, he is as J.J said, a menace. I''ve talked to him, I''ve fought him and he can''t be reasoned with. No arguments will work against him. He thinks he''s right and that is the worst kind, he doesn''t care about police procedure or chain of evidence.


    He wants to hurt people, he says he only punishes the innocent but ladies and gentlemen, he takes from the muggers, he robs the criminals. A hero wouldn''t do that. A hero would document and get convictions, to take the bad element off the street. A real hero would allow the good people of our justice system to do their jobs.


    Today, I stand before you as a deputised member of that justice system, with full police and procedural powers, allowing me to protect you and the good people of New York against the villains, against those with powers who would use them to harm our great city."


    If he was being honest, when J.J had seen Brock under that mask he almost swallowed his cigar, the idea that one of his reporters was the wallcrawler upset his journalistic instincts.


    As Spider-man took a bow he handed the microphone back to J.J. "Let''s hear it for the amazing Spider-Man Ladies and Gentlemen," and the crowd went wild, banners had been handwritten with "We love Spider-man" and they waved enthusiastically. They were paid, of course, they were there to hype up the trio and make this event shine but the enthusiasm of the crowd was real.


    "Now," J.J continued, "a fine fine young man, but Venom had friends, he has co-conspirators who make the fight difficult, which is why Spider-man had friends, amazing friends I might add, all though, I might be a bit biased. Introducing Steel Spider."


    A well armoured huge man, in full tactical gear, came onto the stage. A hush fell over the crown. This was a new hero, never before seen and he was armed.


    "Now, ladies and gentlemen, while our first hero has some amazing powers our second is just like you and me, well, more like me and I couldn''t be prouder of him. Take off your helmet son, let the people see that handsome face of yours."


    Unclipping the helmet, it was John Jameson, the crowd gasped, J.J¡¯s son. The famous astronaut and marine hadn''t been seen in public life for over five years.


    "John is a fully trained navy seal and astronaut who will be providing battlefield and tactical expertise. He¡¯s had years of training in urban combat and has been outfitted with the latest neo-kevlar body armour and nonlethal sidearms. Give John a round of applause ladies and gentlemen."


    The crowd went wild, John was a firm favourite and everyone in New York loved him, their own homegrown talent, the one people and kids looked up to. John took a bow and went to stand next to Eddie, the pair fist-bumped and the crowd cheered again, two heroes


    "And last, a young man, struck by tragedy, personally involved with how dangerous these monsters can be. Yes, he''s young but he''s also eager and his training has been phenomenal. Beating out over 200 recruits to become the last but not least member of the team. It is my pleasure to introduce to you. Agent Webb!"


    Another tactical suit-wearing man strode onto the stage, but rather than the grey of Steel Spiders armour, his was jet back with a white spider on the front. His arms and legs rippled and plates formed and dissolved as he went through several transformations, creating blades, claws and balls of the web that he shot at moving target equipment at the end of the stage.


    As J.J was about to speak though he took the microphone from him, yanking it out his hand, "I can talk for myself."


    The facemask he had on dissolved and the fresh face of a young man emerged, "You know me, you know my dad, so I''ll be blunt. 6 months ago the menace Venom took my legs, took my girlfriend, took everything from me, the accident he caused, the people he hurt, they still feel that today while he laughs at us, while he hunts and claims to be a hero. People died in that diner and he caused it, he let them get hurt just as he hurt this city."


    "No more. Flash Thompson says no more, no more pain, no more suffering. No more Venom!"


    He dropped the mic, and as it squealed he shot out a web line into the floodlights and leapt out into the audience, swinging away into the night.


    There was deathly silence before, quickly grabbing the mic Jonah shouted, "The Wall Crawlers Ladies and Gentlemen, our new Enhanced Task Force."


    The crowd went wild as the two remaining heroes took bows on the stage.


    In his Oscorp office, Norman stared at the TV screen. Of course, they would bring in three freaks to deal with Venom. After the disaster of the drone test the city had made it quite clear, if the Goblin armour and glider test went badly they would be reassessing not just the drones but the whole line of Oscorp equipment that the city used.


    He shook his head and lifted the injector to his neck. The test needed to be perfect and as he felt the rush of formula he knew it would be, just one more adjustment, just one more tweak to the glider and the suit. Nothing would go wrong, everything was perfect. He sat staring at the screen, his hand barely moving as the schematics for the armour and the glider flickered over and over in front of him.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Fifty-Four. Showdown

    The police had coordinated with the various drug and gang enforcement departments in the New York area. Venom was taking down specific locations, it seemed random but it was an identifiable pattern. He had been hitting the worst places, starting in Hell¡¯s Kitchen and working outwards. Witnesses were also reporting that he had a partner, another enhanced with similar powers to him, super strong super fast and it was decided for their first assignment that the Enhanced Task Force would be on standby. Each identifiable target would be watched and if Venom and the new Enhanced showed that a rapid deployment strategy would be used.


    For the NYPD the wait was only a week after two places were hit. Reports came from a new location, a well-known whorehouse catering to a rich and powerful clientele. Captain, then just detective, Stacy had raided it years ago only to receive a slap on the wrist and phone call from, not just the mayor, but a few senators as well. Clients were bailed and charges dropped. It was the one aspect of the job Stacy hated more than anything, the rich playing hard and fast with the justice system but being just a police captain he was powerless. Surprisingly, if anyone knew, George was happy Venom had hit those two places, he hated the games the rich and powerful played, and when he heard the same senator who called him was found, beaten and bloody, he rejoiced.


    As the call came in the three taskforce members were sitting in a van, the music suddenly cutting out and as the tires screeched, they sped off to apprehend their targets.


    Venom and Huntress were making merry in the brothel, they had saved a few girls who were broken and bruised, their clients already in much the same way. Venom gave no shits if your daddy was a senator and one young man, in particular, would never piss from anything more than a bag for the rest of his life after Venom found what he was doing.


    Wiping the blood from his hands he strained, "Huntress, we''ve got company," and the pair were alerted to a lot of police suddenly arriving, their enhanced hearing picking up the incoming noise.


    "Who ordered sirens?" yelled John through his mic, with the element of surprise gone, both Spider-Man and Agent Web had shot web lines and swung up onto the rooftops. If previous scenes were anything to go by they would need to be up high.


    Venom and Huntress made their normal escape, up through the building and out of a top floor window but both found a surprise waiting for them.


    Flash had wanted to take on Venom, he''d insisted and as Huntress climbed out onto the roof Spider-man was waiting for her. "Now now, She-Venom, this doesn''t need to be violent, just drop the bag and surrender."


    "Are you shitting me? She-Venom? you know how insulting that is?" and Huntress fired off two taser webs, making Spider-man duck under them, "We are Huntress, and we never surrender to prey." Huntress threw the bag onto the roof and webbed it down before turning to Spider-Man and hissing at him.


    He shrugged. "Never let it be said I''d hit a lady," and Huntress pounced, claws drawn.


    Flash didn''t care what Brock was doing, he just wanted to take a swing at Venom and as he watched the pair fight. ¡°You and me Venom, it¡¯s just you and me.¡± Flash let the symbskin armour peel back from his face, ¡°So, you gonna run and hide again Puker? Wasn¡¯t that what you always did when me and the boys came for you?¡±


    Venom snorted, "always the same, pathetic then, pathetic now," and Flash roared and swung for Venom who took a hit in the side of his ribs, the blow felt like a truck had hit him and Flash followed it with a blow to his chin, then a right thudded into his other side,


    Flash backed away, "hah, you ain''t shit Venom. You can''t fight for shit, you''re nothing," and he advanced again holding his hands up protecting his face, letting his symbskin flow back over him.


    Spider-man was having a worse time of it. Huntress was faster than he was and it was only his enhanced senses that were saving him. The task Force had given him a new suit, nano kevlar weave but her claws had sliced through it like it was butter and the black spider design on his chest was split in four, blood dripping down his front. He had scored a few good hits on her as well but she shrugged them off, had they made a mistake the real threat was her. "S1, unknown is now P1, repeat, unknown is P1." and a round pinged off the tiles where they were fighting. S2, or Slayer 2, John''s code name switched targets and had targeted the woman. He had guessed wrong that Venom was the stronger of the two, and as he took a quick glance it seemed that Flash was more than enough to take him on, and hopefully, he was enough to deal with her.


    His enhanced scenes were working overtime as she swung and clawed at him. He had taken Betty¡¯s advice and started going to the gym, boxing lessons were slow and as a member of the ETF, they had given them a more form of advanced training. Some kind of multi disciple martial arts developed for a middle eastern military. But it wasn''t enough, there had been no time to get a lot of training in, and with only Flash and himself enhanced sparring against a normal person often resulted in injuries.


    He ducked under another swing and as he brought his own fist to punch her gut she twisted instead and jabbed him in the elbow, trapping it between her thigh and fist. He yelped and pulled back, spraying a web out but once more she simply danced away from it, spraying out her own to catch and neutralise it.


    Every time his ¡¯spider-sense¡¯ as he¡¯d been calling it went off, she had already struck and moved away. She was toying with him and the longer they fought the more tired he was becoming. Huntress seemed to have boundless stamina but he was discovering his limit fighting her.


    ¡°I need help here, she¡¯s too much,¡±


    Spider-Man marked her as P1, priority one and after watching Flash punch him like a bag even John wondered if Venom was a dud, powerful enough to take out humans but an Enhanced was wiping the floor with him.


    John adjusted his scope and targeted the new enhanced, "S1 be advised shot out in 5, 4, 3,2 and firing," and Huntress felt the impact against the side of her head, knocking her off her feet. The bullet had squashed itself left on her temple but it still hurt and she still screeched as the pain ran riot through her. She clawed at the burning hot round and it tinked to the ground as Spider-Man laid a fist into the other side of her head, sending her tumbling. He rained blow after blow on her face and shoulder, his style sloppy but slowly taking effect. The round stunning her long enough to get the upper hand.


    Eddie swore, what the fucking hell is she made of? as he watched the round squash against her head and then she got back up, dazed but fine. He had seen John firing those against kevlar dummies, taking their heads off with a single shot and as he punched her in the few weak spots he had been shown, he figured out that they were way over their heads. As he struck her as hard as he could he saw it was having an effect but unless Flash stopped playing around with Venom, he could still lose.


    The whole operation was monitored and at command, they watched Agent Webb thunder blows into Venom, hitting not just his ribs and kidneys but his face and side of the head. Venom seemed slow, sloppy and they wondered if he had any fight training at all, the woman Enhanced was a real threat though. She dodged and weaved and John recognised at least three different styles mixed together, made even more dangerous with her unnatural speed and grace.


    "Fight Back!" Flash yelled at Venom, who he had just hit straight on the jaw with a powerful right. Flash had a different opinion from the other two, whatever he threw at Venom, however hard he hit him, Venom took it. He wasn''t fighting back because he was weak, he wasn''t fighting back because he didn''t have to. Flash ripped off his mic, "fight me, Parker, this is all your fault, so fucking fight me, or still chicken shit like normal."


    "Flash!" John shouted in his mic as he saw the headset go flying, what the hell was he doing? "S3 is off coms, I repeat S3 is off coms," and John cursed, if they needed to fire then Flash risked being hit as he would have no warning.


    "Weak," Venom laughed, "We are not weak" and as Flash thundered a blow into Venom''s kidneys, Venom grabbed his wrist before the blow landed. "You are nothing, you yell and are still nothing, we don''t care, that is why we don''t fight."


    "Fuck you, Parker," and Flash brought his left fist over and smashed it against Venoms jaw.


    "Pathetic, why? We are not kids, we are not at school, why Flash? Why? Cause we fuck MJ? cause we took her? She left cause you made her, cause you were angry and raged and took it out on her so why?"


    Flash took a few steps back, "Why? Your fucking asking me why? This Parker,¡± and the black skin slid back, ¡°It hates you. We hate you, Parker. At the diner, I saved her and she should have loved me. You should have loved it but no, you hurt it, you tortured it and no matter how hard it cried in pain, no matter what it did to get your attention you ignored it and she ignored me. So you want to know why? cause yeah this isn''t high school but you still look down on us, you hate us and we hate YOU!" Flash''s muscles bulged and as he threw out a punch it connected and Venom went flying back, denting the thick steel air conditioning vent on the roof.


    He shook his head, feeling the blow, "Good, you hate us? We don''t fucking care. You made my life hell, you want pity? you want revenge? Fuck you!" and Venom leapt, Flash swung out again and Venom ducked under the blow cracking a fist into Flash ribs, grabbed the extended arm and picked him up and smashed him into the rooftop, "You ruined our life and now you complain." Keeping a hold of Flash¡¯s arm he put a foot on his chest. As he looked over he saw Huntress stagger, having heard the round John fired, and Spider-Man lay heavy blow after blow into her. He needed to end this quickly and help her.


    Venom raised a foot and slammed it into Flash''s waist and he felt something pop inside and vomit rise in his throat. He wanted to stand, he wanted to punish Parker for everything but as Venom stomped again and again he couldn''t, he had no strength, no way of stopping him. Venom put his foot on Flash''s shoulder and pulled, feeling the joint pop, and he let the limb flop to the roof.


    Venom leant down his face inches from Flash''s, grabbing him by the vest and lifting him up, "you act like you''re the victim, like you''re the hurt ones and yet you did this, you made us this." Venom headbutted him and Flash saw stars, and then Venom spun and threw Flash off the rooftop, "WE ARE VENOM AND YOU ARE NOTHING!"


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Fifty-Five. Unfortunate Son

    Flash had barely enough time to send out a web line before he thudded against the ground. His muscles and bones complained as the symbiote stopped him from hurting himself with the sudden stop but it still hurt. Venom had laid into him and he felt it, he had been toying with him and in making him angry he had paid for it. Flash went to click his mic for assistance and remembered he''d thrown it away and he then realised how stupid he had been.


    He lowered himself to the ground and just lay there, gasping for breath and defeated. As his shoulder popped back into place he felt the pain radiate over his entire body. They had been stupid and John was right, they weren¡¯t ready and now they were paying for that mistake. He let the pain subside for a minute and then shakily rose to his feet. If Parker was this strong, Eddie would need his help, and with unsteady hands, he began to scale the building.


    Spider-Man was trying to keep Huntress down, he had webbed her legs to the roof as she stumbled, and her lower body was entangled. Without mobility, he had begun to punch her, at first on the shoulders and arms but then a few well-placed kidney and liver shots were starting to break through her defences and she was starting to hurt. Her head was still ringing from the large calibre sniper bullet but once she recovered he could be in trouble. As she tried to swing out her claws to slash at the webbing Spider-Man spun and a heavy kick thudded into her ribs, twisting her legs at an awkward angle as she tried to absorb the blow.


    Venom glanced over, and with Flash needing time to get back to the roof, he shot webs at Spider-Man who sprang and dodged them, he swung a line and carried himself over the Huntress, slashing at her feet. "Are you okay?" and she nodded,


    "Dizzy but unhurt," but Venom knew she was lying. She was favouring her right side, where Spider-Man had laid in a heavy kick and her posture was slumping. He knew she was hurt and was out of the fight.


    "Take the bag and go. You have a safe house, stay there, make sure no one follows you," and she grabbed the bag, ripping it free from the roof and swung away into the night.


    "S1, P1 has left the area, pursue pursue," John called into his mic, but as Spider-man rose and raised an arm to swing after her, Venom leapt and he narrowly avoided the razors swung at his back.


    "It''s not nice to hit a lady Spider-man," Venom taunted him.


    "Well, if that your idea of a lady you should get out more," and he shot webs at Venom, He simply stuck out a hand and let them wrap around them,


    "Now we will really make you pay," and containing the webs on his own hands, he wrapped it around them to make gloves. While she could be grating, nobody insulted Felicia, and he struck while Spider-Man tried to dodge.


    It was a disaster, Venom was more powerful than before, he had managed to train, to learn, and the intel was now out of date. John watched as he made Eddie into a punching bag just as he had done to Flash, even Eddies naturally enhanced speed was still slower than Venoms and blow after blow rained on the helpless hero.


    ¡°We¡¯ve done this dance Spider-Man. Why did you think help would make it easier?¡± Venom taunted him as once more Eddie fell victim to his punishment.


    As Flash climbed back up to the rooftop he watched Parker throw Brock around like a kid and he realised what Parker meant, he shot out two web lines and launched himself over. Parker was stronger, faster and meaner than before,


    Venom ducked under the leaping slash and laid a punch into his gut as he flew past, catching him with a line and swinging him around into Spider-man. "No more!" as the pair flew back together they both sent out a web line and separated.


    Flash dived to catch Venom''s feet, but he leapt, landed on him, crushing him to the rooftop and used him as a springboard to leap at Spider-man, driving his fists into Spider-man''s stomach. The pair crumpled and lay defeated on the rooftop.


    Venom touched his headset, "Are you safe?" he asked Huntress.


    "Bruised but no tail, see you tomorrow," and she cut the channel. Felicia was safe and unharmed, that was what mattered.


    He stepped to one side as the round embedded itself in the wall. He had long acclimatised himself to his senses and even if he didn''t hear the shot he felt the distortion of the airwaves as the bullet sped through it. He snarled at the sniper, fighting one on one was fair, two on one was fair when he had an advantage but a sniper, that was bullshit. He watched as Huntress dealt with Spider-Man only to be laid out by a round from Steel Spider, now it was his turn.


    Venom shot a web over to the other building and swung over, finding the sniper''s rifle leaning against the rooftop edge and he ducked as Steel swung a blade at him. John was a marine, trained and decorated, if anyone could fight it would be him but Peter had been training. He had fought Felicia as both Peter and Venom and what he was worried about was killing the man. Even the tactical vest wouldn''t save him if a heavy enough blow connected, and as Venom dodged and weaved around the knife flashes, he was trying to figure out how to not just squash the man. As the knife flashed in front of his eye line he chopped the Steels wrist, sending him spinning across the roof.


    Eddie had recovered enough, his chest and back ached and his ribs were probably broken, he had run over to Flash who was shaking his head but they were up and now mobile. They watched as Venom backhanded John and they knew that if they were this hurt, John had no chance. They aimed high and swung over, Eddie going for a swinging kick while Flash aimed low, hoping to connect to his legs.


    Venom leapt to avoid Flash and let Spider-Man connect, sending him flying across the rooftop. He rolled and crouched holding one hand up waiting for the counter-attack but it never came, Flash was helping John up and Spider-Man had a hold of his ribs, the last punch had probably done a lot more damage than Venom released.


    "You lost, even with three you can''t beat me," he shouted at them,


    "We have to try. You hurt people Venom and you can''t get away with this," Spider-man shouted back and John made his way back to his rifle, sliding back the bolt and checking it was loaded.


    "Scumbags and crooks Spider-Man. We hunt those who prey on the weak, the places we find are full of rich sleazebags, preying on the poor and unfortunate, smug and smiling knowing there will be no retaliation, we made sure they paid."


    "No, in court. You do it in court." and Venom slid right as another round whizzed past his head.


    Venom shook his head, "these men see no courts, they built your courts, they control your courts. We cannot reason with someone so blind, so stupid."


    Spider-Man had hoped to get Venom talking as Flash edged his way towards him, they had a pincer plan. John would fire and once Venom moved then Spider-Man and Webb could grab and subdue him. Brute strength wouldn''t work, so webs and tactics it was. John lifted the rifle and as he fired Venom moved left, where Flash had already shot several web lines, they connected with his arm, sticking it to his side and Spider-Man did the same, following it up with a blow to the head. With his arms stuck to his side, Spider-Man and Flash rained blows down on the captured Venom, hoping to subdue him. As he stumbled with each blow they silently cheered and Flash moved back, attempting to tackle him to the ground, where they could web him down.


    "We are VENOM!" he screeched and as his maw spit apart the huge spines rippled out from his body travelling up like razors, slicing through the webs they had both shots. He grabbed Flash and headbutted him, pushing him back and from the corner of his eye, he saw John raise the rifle once more to fire. Venom spun and fired off a gooball, wanting to gum up the rifles muzzle and the web ball thudded into him and he fell backwards, tripping and falling over the edge of the roof. Spider-Man shouted and a web line sped its way towards him, snagging the huge rifle on his front, but as the rifle was pulled out of John''s hands he still fell backwards and off the roof.


    The crew watched in horror as he fell, and heard the crunch as his head collided with the metal decorative railing at the bottom of the building. Shouting started and EMTs rushed over to him, even as they knew they still worked, securing his neck, making sure he was immobilised.


    Venom watched as the pair ran to the edge of the building and with the distraction shot out a web line and swung off without hindrance. Flash collapsed, watching the EMT¡¯s wrestle and tend to John, the simple surgery screen no barrier for their view but Eddie was shaking his head, ¡°no, no, no no no no,¡± and he turned and ran, sending out a line and swinging away.


    Each one called it, even as the ambulance came and took him to the hospital the EMTs called it and finally after talking to J.J it was official. The arrogant and proud man broke down, John Jameson was pronounced dead and his father wept.


    The warehouse was quiet and the quartet watched the news,


    "In a statement, today Captain George Stacy has issued an arrest warrant for the person known as Venom. Please be advised that the following contains graphic scenes some viewers may find disturbing"


    The camera showed John falling after Venom swung onto the building and attacked them, but missed the crucial part of the fight, the part showing the accident.


    "Today, a good man, a hero was lost and not only do our thoughts and prayers go out to the Jamesons but to everyone who has been touched by the tragic loss. The individual known as Venom has proven himself to be no hero, to be no defender of justice, that he contributed to this tragedy and that he is directly responsible for this is accurate. Today not just the NYPD but nationwide, and an arrest warrant for the capture of Venom has been issued, please report any sightings, and please do not attempt to approach him, he is considered armed and very dangerous."


    Peter switched off the TV and no one spoke, the mood was quiet, they knew that Peter wasn''t responsible that it was an accident but he still blamed himself. He still broke his own code but nothing could be said. No one had the right words to stop him from blaming himself.


    Felicia sat, nursing a cup of coffee while Gwen busied herself around her. Once she was back at the warehouse, she slipped out of her symbskin and the rifle round had left a massive bruise down her face, its ugly blackness covering her cheek down to her jaw and up into her scalp. While unhurt the impact point was a broken crater, open and bloody, and while unknown at the time but Felicia had been seriously injured and a larger round would have killed her.


    In the end, it was Peter who spoke up, "Well, not sorry." and once Felicia started to laugh the rest joined in. Nobody had guilt over a man who almost killed Felicia.


    John, Eddie, and now Flash had attacked him, had attacked Felicia and if anyone showed up here, showed up and took MJ or Gwen then John wouldn¡¯t be the last, he would merely be the first.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Fifty-Six. Life In Motion

    The days after the incident were quiet, life moved on for those in the warehouse but the women still took turns to make sure Peter was okay. Even if he made jokes about everything, even if their times together were the same, it felt different, he felt different and nothing could shake him from his mood.


    MJ, however, was on cloud nine as she served a coffee to one of the regulars, the sweet old man thanked her and took off his glasses to clean the steam from them. She¡¯d gotten an interview for a commercial. It was for skin cancer and she¡¯d had to do several shots in nothing but a swimming costume. she¡¯d lied and told the producer she had one and used Muse to shift into something appropriate.


    Even if Muse made a gagging noise in her mind when they smeared fake sun cream on her for a lighting test, she kept her professionalism and after she¡¯d done their few tests they¡¯d nodded to one another and a date had been set. The producer and the director both agreed that MJ was a natural and they both not just took her card but gave her their own. MJ called her agent and the contracts were going to be sent over and signed, all she needed to do was tell everyone the good news. Hearing another table ring for assistance, she grabbed her notepad and smiling went back to work.


    At work herself, Gwen was daydreaming about Felicia. The analyser would take a while, long enough to be boring but short enough to wait for but right now Gwen had seen Huntress''s new outfit. A slick black bodysuit, tiger stripes up each side and the half mask style she''d used a black cat and with the small cat ears on top Gwen discovered a new kink, women in tight leather with cat ears.


    "Earth to Gwen," said a soft voice next to her and coming out of her daydream she saw her new supervisor pointing at the machine, it had finished its cycle and needed to be emptied.


    "Sorry doctor, girlfriend issues."


    The woman grinned, "when I was a student I had several boyfriends and girlfriends. Of course, I was a lot younger then and times were not as tolerant, but having said that, you really need to make sure you pay attention, that sample is ruined and needs to be redone."


    Gwen soured, "sorry boss, I''ll pay more attention next time."


    "Next time is tomorrow. It''s quitting time. While I won''t write you up Gwen, you do need to be more careful." She shook her head, even though she knew a simple mistake like this at Oscorp could get her fired.


    "I will," Gwen grabbed her jacket and left. Unaware of the shadow tailing her.


    As she made her way through the parking garage to the west side exit, a pair of hands grabbed her and pulled her into the darkness. One hand over her mouth muffled her voice but surprisingly to the man, she didn''t scream.


    He pushed her down, "not so tough now bitch," he said, an evil grin on his face. As he pulled out a small revolver he pointed it at her, "they fired my ass you bitch, easier than a lawsuit they said. So now, yeah now I''m gonna do what you accused me of."  The gun clicked as he pulled back the hammer. "Make a sound and you die."


    He pulled apart Gwen''s legs and failed to notice the look in her eyes as he undid his belt pulling open his trousers.


    There was no need to tell Peter about this, no need at all and she clamped one hand over his mouth the other grabbed his wrist and twisted the gun from his hand. Then she tore at him, a black claw extending and digging to the flaccid flesh at his groin. As he tried to scream the thick webbing smothered him but she made sure not to suffocate him.


    Rapists were scum, rich rapists were just rich scum, and as her fingers dug and ripped his manhood out at the root she let Poison envelop her.


    They would have fun, yes they would, no need to tell the Peetie Pete, no evidence for afters either and as urine and blood squirted out of the ruined hole in his crotch, the man passed out while Gwen began to take her revenge.


    The bubbling decaying pile was left dissolving in the back of the parking garage. Poison shed all the man''s disgusting blood and skin from herself and left it all to be washed away by the rain. A storm drain was the perfect place to hide all that remained of the body, not that with Poisons strongest acid web there was much left.


    Gwen realised that she enjoyed that, and now she knew why Peter did his patrols. She could see herself revelling in taking out those who would rape or murder, a tragic irony considering she just killed someone.


    Gwen had no idea how many women fell victim to this man but she did know that there would be no more. She thought of Peter and she realised what he was hiding. It wasn''t guilt at killing someone, it was the guilt of doing so for people who didn''t or couldn''t understand. She now knew though, some people deserved death. Rapists, paedophiles, and the lowest of the lowest scum, those that hurt their family. As she headed home she thought she would have a heart to heart with him, and if Poison behaved, show him just how much she appreciated what he did for them.


    As Gwen went about her day, Felicia was also thinking about her, thinking it''d be great to have someone here who could make sense of some of this crap she''d found. In one of the drug dens, they found a light blue formula and keeping their promise of non-involvement Gwen wasn''t told about it. Sure there were records of MGH in the books but not to say what it was or what it did. Just that a few of the street gangs had been buying it before territory wars.


    The sheets of formulas were gibberish to her, and while Alexsi had scribbled "Oscorp?" in one corner there was nothing to indicate where it was coming from. It got added to the ¡®Shit to end¡¯ pile, the one Peter and she had made of the really bad stuff, list of kills squads or dens where rape and torture were a paid privilege, shit even she''d almost thrown up when she heard of a place called ¡®the farm.¡¯


    The surface looked calm and clean but stick a hand down far enough and all the shit and filth the world had to offer was there waiting for you. Huntress and Venom would be busy for a while, there were still places that needed to be burned to the ground in New York. Hives of scum and villainy that went past the outlandish and straight into pure evil territory, and she would enjoy taking them out.


    Maybe the house, the wife, and kids were just a pipe dream for people like her, while Gwen and MJ ran in cleaner circles, professionally working with their brains or their bodies she was daydreaming about working with her fists. Maybe once she found her dad she told him to shove his cat burglar schtick and go for the big times, be the boss, not the muscle.


    Maybe Peter was right, drugs, girls, a whole lot of shit stank in the world but maybe if there was a set of rules, a set of bosses that made sure the junkies got the clean gear and didn''t steal or commit crimes, maybe if the girls were looked after and the sex industry was regulated, that both could coexist.


    She stretched back in her chair, moaning as the ache in her muscles complained about being sat hunched over for too long. It had only been a week, but a week of paperwork was a lifetime prison sentence to Felicia, she was a thief, not an accountant and really, she wanted Peter here to do all this.


    She admitted to herself that with the symbiotes, the warehouse, and with both Gwen and Peter that she started to feel this was a home, not just a place for her to sleep. Even MJ, who she¡¯d never had anything in common with, was warming to her and they¡¯d shared a few good times together.


    Of course, Peter was the glue that bound them here, she looked forwards to his touch and she more looked forwards to him crawling into bed with her and Gwen, his hands gently caressing them both. Maybe she could ask if they could repeat Thanksgiving again,


    and maybe a back rub, Huntress thought and Felicia smiled at the thought of that and more, he was good with his hands after all. She stood and heard the door buzzer go, waiting and listening she heard who it was, oh fuck that she thought and went back to the paperwork she had been ignoring for the past 6 months.


    With everyone at work and Felicia sorting out the files from Alexsi, Peter was by himself in the warehouse. The scene played over in his mind, he''d caused the accident, firing off webs at John but that fucker had shot Felicia in the head with a high calibre rifle. If that had been Gwen or MJ he''d be at a funeral right now. He clenched his fists and shook his head, no more.


    He was drawn out of his musing when the door buzzer went, he flicked on the camera and gritted his teeth when he saw who it was. "What the fuck do you want Flash?" he spat through the intercom.


    "Let me in shithead, we need to talk, and not out here." Peter considered telling him to fuck off, but no, he wanted to bring Flash here and finish it, maybe beating Flash for a while would lift his mood and he hit the door buzzer.


    "What the fuck is this shit Parker?" Flash exclaimed as he saw the interior of the warehouse and Peter just ignored him, moving over to the breakfast table. "No coffee? Poor manners Parker," Flash snorted.


    "Cut the shit Flash, why are you here? In fact, why aren''t the cops kicking my door in with tanks and bombs?"


    "Eddies gone, heard Philly but who knows right?"


    "Or cares Flash. What do you want?"


    "Yeah and uh, I''m leaving too, going abroad till this all settles. So the task force is gone, hear they''re pulling in some real badasses to catch you though."


    Of course, Flash wasn''t about to admit that his father suggested dumping the whole mess onto Venom. Any reasonable lawyer would poke holes in the murder charges and even accidental death was pushing it. Venom on the other hand was already wanted and wouldn''t step forwards to try and clear his name and now, while Eddie and Flash were under scrutiny, they were free.


    "Your point Flash." Peter was losing his patience, maybe it was time for the beating.


    "Parker, I didn''t come here to fight, hell, I don''t even want to be here but it, the uh, symbiote made me, it wanted to warn you, there''s more of them, Peter, more than just the one you have. Like a whole bunch more."


    Peter stroked his forehead, "fuck," maybe coffee was a good idea.


    "Look Parker, we both know these things are fucking scary, and there''s more? Even if the ETF was up and running we weren''t ready, John," Flash paused and balled his fists, "John knew we weren''t ready. So it''s all on you now, nobody knows who you are, I swear. " Flash ran his hands through his hair. "Shit, why is this so hard? Why do I know all these things about you? Why do I hate you but feel like shit for everything I ever did, huh?" Flash shook his head. "Do you know? Does it get better?" and he stared at Peter, an unfamiliar look of vulnerability on his face, "aww, fuck it, " Flash stood and was about to leave when Peter put a black coffee down in front of him, and Flash started at him and sat back down, adding in 6 sugars and cream to the cup.


    Peter snorted, guess they all like sugar huh? he thought to himself.


    "So uh, you and MJ huh?" And Peter shook his head and glared in warning.


    Flash raised his hands in surrender, "Okay okay," as Peter walked away to make coffee for himself he wondered what the hell he was doing, but he felt better. Maybe knowing that Flash and Eddie were in just as much crap for that asshole''s death was a good thing, maybe a problem shared was a problem solved, plus if the feds were too busy chasing them around, he''d get some peace.


    His own curiosity also got the better of him. He had realised long ago that he didn''t have a symbiote like the girls and now he knew what happened to it.


    While it was just a pity it ended up with the shithead he hated more than anyone, he still wanted answers. After the incident, he knew if Flash started anything he was powerless to stop Venom from taking revenge and with that realisation Peter finally felt a sense of calm. He was right, what he said on the rooftop, Flash was nothing compared to him.


    With a strange sense of understanding, hiding a razor''s edge that told him he should just beat the shit out of him and throw the body in the bay, Peter began to explain.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Fifty-Seven. Grounded

    Liv wished she could turn her phone off, but a warning from Harry and Norman had stopped her. She was to remain in contact at all times and god forbid one of them actually did something on their own, the thought was very close to disobedience and she corrected herself. She had been given free rein to catch Venom and looking around the room, she was going to just that.


    Electro, poor Max Dillon, was spread eagle on a pylon, power coursing from him and into the generator. Its four huge mechanical pylons standing like clawed fingers, a testament to her brilliance. She had interned under the Parkers, mainly in genetics and biosciences but once Norman had shut the project down she switched majors, moving to mechanical and electrical engineering, and finally onto nuclear physics.


    Her genius-level IQ just shifted gears and once she had built the basic Goblin suit, she moved onto its power core. A small but powerful nuclear fission reactor, the Arcstar. Of course, she¡¯d had help with that one, the proud but sadly dead Howard Stark had created the Arc reactor and offered it free to anyone who could shrink the design, and she had. She made enough changes that it was patented in her name and if she was ever free of the damn Osborns she could sit happily on the money it would earn her.


    As expected, as well as her life, Norman had stolen all her work, barring this. It was experimental at the time and he wanted working prototypes, he misspoke words allowing her some semblance of freedom. Especially after the wonderful gift he had given her. The harness, her first prototype gripped her like a vice. She had to watch her weight as its claps were fused shut, she had a pressure sores beneath her breasts and along her spine where the heavy mechanical contraption slowly corroded with her sweat. She cleaned as best she could but she knew the unpleasant odour kept the more inquisitive away from her. She wasn''t allowed to extend the arms at work, where they could take the heavier weight and her back and ribs ached constantly from the heavy lifting.


    Ironically, she had to keep her weight down and could only eat small meals, but the extra calories would be well spent building muscles to carry the damn harness around. No matter, once she finished the reactor and set it to overload then she wouldn''t have to worry about that, Venom or Norman ever again, she would be free.


    Electro''s skin had paled from the energy drain she was putting him through. The formula she dosed him with at first had strengthened his body, it grew bioelectrical channels, he took the name Electro and they had had fun. He revelled in his newfound power and even the mighty Venom fell against his shocks. Pity he was just a battery to her, a power source but it didn''t matter, nothing mattered now except her revenge.


    Electro stirred as she lowered the output, the initial reaction would generate too much power for the structure to handle right now and if it sparked early then it would explode, taking a small chunk of the harbour with it.


    "Please doc, please," Electro begged, the procedure was painful and he didn''t look so great.


    "Sorry Max, I need you a bit longer, I promise." She extended a hand to touch his face, to comfort him but yelped and pulled it back when he shocked her.


    "Fuck you bitch, I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you," he yelled over and over. Sadly the serum often degraded the mental facilities of its users, especially the experimental ones,


    She signed, "such a shame Max. Such. A. Shame." and she walked away, leaving him to his rantings.


    The core of her Arcstar reactor was a small fusion pulse generator, now controlled by a chip similar in design to her own harness, and she linked up to it. She could feel the thrumming of the generator, even on standby and its tingle crept through the harness and into her centre. She giggled as she bit her lip, once it started then she would really feel that thrust. Opening the case they had taken from the vault she carefully slotted the new chip into the side of a panel, closing it and clasping it shut tightly, the led lights on the control board all began to flicker on, one by one, red at first and then slowly as the board filled, they changed over to green.


    The main generator, powered by Electro, was fully operational and once she dropped the heavy utonium into the reactor chamber the miniature star would spark into life. Growing slowly at first it needed to be fed with light elements and the heavier ones drained off, like a normal star the heat and size were dependant on the fusion of hydrogen, adding in helium or even carbon would cause the star to burn too quickly and die, even the hydrogen had to be controlled or the reactor would expand and explode prematurely.


    While her harness was originally designed as armour, it allowed her to control these reactions, she could manually add or remove elements needed, the AI chip before Osborn hacked it, allowed her harness to read her intentions preemptively, giving her not just two extra sets of hands but two extra sets of eyes and minds as well. If Norman hadn''t taken control then she might have even won a Nobel prize in neurology, maybe even two in mechanical engineering. The daydream was nice but the cold crushing reality of the situation brought her back to Earth.


    The reactor would take two hours to get to maximum burn before the star would ignite properly, it would then require constant attention for a further hour to stabilise the elemental flow control, after that the reactor should, in theory, run without any outside interference. She just needed three hours, three hours and it would all be over.


    Her phone beeped. It was Norman,


    where are you?


    At the hideout by the docks, if Sandman is healed, I''ll meet him here


    She would need him to defend the reactor while she worked, she could promise the cure for his daughter, the same serum that made him a monster could cure her illness. She couldn''t remember what it was but the generic serum cured most illnesses, she just had to dangle the carrot in front of him, knowing he would take it.


    Across the water, Peter was busy sketching when he felt the thrum go through him and the whole building, a slight ripple in the glass of water next to him. He frowned as he felt something, something in the Earth, this wasn''t a quake, whoever heard of a quake in New York and as he took off his shoes and let his bare feet touch the ground he could feel it, a thrumming through the whole area.


    He flicked on the TV to see if any news had been reported and even texted the three girls. They had felt it but had no idea, no injuries and nothing on the news either.


    Peter tilted his head, hearing a sound and lying flat on the ground he could hear something along with the vibration, but he had no idea what. Better safe than sorry he used the symbskin to shape a pair of sneakers and locking up the warehouse took a walk outside.


    After his talk with Flash, after finding out that the strange alien creature that gave Flash some of Peter''s memories he had felt better, not that sharing all his memories with that douchebag was a good thing, but maybe the asshole would now understand the hell he put him through.


    Flash warned him a heavy hitter was coming, but also that the blame for John''s death was publically on Venom but that Flash and Eddie had been cautioned and charged. The three of them were technically fugitives, Eddie escaping to who knew where and Flash escaping abroad for ¡®study.¡¯


    As he walked he felt the thrumming weaken and moving, seemingly at random, he guessed the general direction the vibrations as coming from, near the docks on the other side of the water, and as he walked the feeling to stronger and stronger, it was strange, nothing like anything he''d ever felt before. Whatever it was, he knew he should investigate, sending a text to the girls, letting them know.


    He filled various punches with small vials made by Gwen, if Ock, or any of her crew were behind this, he wouldn''t be going in blind this time.


    Something big enough to make the whole ground shake and for him to feel it several miles away wouldn''t be good. As the winter chill was still in the air the slush made his walk unpleasant, gritty paths and slushy icy walkways weren''t difficult to walk on when you had amazing balance but the feeling under his feet was horrible, made worse by the thin shoes so he could track the vibrations.


    The thrumming continued at an even pace, and then began to ramp up, his counting measuring each thrum was getting closer and closer together and Peter knew he had to find what it was before it either stopped and had completed its task, or got worse and caused an actual earthquake.


    Peter didn''t want to take a cab, he would lose the vibration too easily but swinging across the water into New Jersey wasn''t ideal either, he got as far as he could, checking every now and again to make sure the blue and the red stalker wasn''t following him. If Spider-Man had the same type of powers as he did then he should have felt the vibrations as well, whether he was going to investigate or not was another matter. Not that he even knew if Spider-man was still in New York, his exploits no longer graced the pages of the Bugle.


    Instead, J.J had gone rogue on the three of them. Declared them murderers and had been digging up as much dirt as he could. He¡¯d begun drumming up support for a new set of laws, ones that made being enhanced illegal ¡®Human Majority¡¯ he called it, and Peter figured his son''s death had broken the man.


    Peter took a leisurely jog across the George Washington bridge and as he approached the New Jersey side of the river he felt the vibration increase again, he couldn''t pick up his pace though. If he ran at the maximum speed he was pretty sure he''s set off a speed camera or two, and anyone seeing a young man running at twenty or thirty miles per hour would probably have him and his face over the internet before he got home. Cursing he switched direction and headed into the industrial section, the vibration was definitely coming from there.


    Liv watched as the reactor flared into life, Sandman was over tending Electro whose normally dark skin was now a pale grey colour. "Uh doc, he ain''t lookin so good." He had a cloth and was wiping down the barely conscious man, even the dampness on his skin the only comfort Sandman could give him.


    Liv ignored him, right now she was too busy dealing with hydrogen overflow, magnetic field disruptions, and the slowly draining helium in the reactor. "He''ll live," she shouted, maybe, she added mentally and through the thick black goggles she diligently worked to keep the reactor under control.


    Peter was having no luck, once he got into the warehouse district the vibrations calmed down and merged with the comings and goings of the normal day to day businesses. Heavy freight trucks rumbled down well-worn roads and machinery banged and worked. All of these added and hid the thrum he had felt and seeing no other choice he started walking from building to building. He took out his phone, texting the girls to ask if the vibrations were still felt over in New York and only Felicia could feel them. Gwen, in the Oscorp building, and MJ, in a small diner in the centre of Staten Island, could feel nothing.


    He scratched his head, what was causing that thrumming? Was there a way to track it better than just peeking in various windows. If he had some kind of thermal vision like Huntress this would be easier but she was unique amongst the group so far, seemingly the most evolved and whole of the quartet. Of course, he rubbed his forehead, the vibration patterns on the water. Even with the normal tides, the vibrations should be apparent.


    Ducking into an alley Peter became Venom and climbed up a wall, leaping from roof to roof until he made it to the water''s edge. As the area had been developed the water lapped around the concrete waterfront, bollards with a simple chain between them stopping anyone from falling in. He leapt over the chain and hanging on the side of the wall let his hand dip into the water.


    Immediately he felt the vibrations again, stronger this time, amplified by the liquid medium. He only had two ways to go and lifting himself up he scurried along the waterfront, feeling into the water with a hand to make sure he hadn''t passed the focal point of the phenomenon.


    Soon he arrived at a shady burnt out old warehouse in a darker area of the waterfront, police tape covered the doors and bullet holes covered the frame of the building, both denting the steel inwards and outwards.


    If he hadn''t fixed up his own place, he imagined this is what it would like by now. He was sure though, he could feel the thrumming, however faint coming from somewhere nearby, even if the building looked abandoned it wasn''t and listening while he couldn''t hear anyone inside he knew that Ock and the gang had to be here.


    Liv lifted her goggles, the reactor had finally achieved fusion and she watched as her tendrils worked without her supervision, collecting and sucking away the helium before it could fuse further and contaminate the reaction, now all she had to do was wait. Just another hour and she would be free of Venom and her pain.


    Sandman wiped down Electros face, his breathing was weakening in by the minute and Ock seemed uncaring to his pain, "what you do to him?" he asked, even if he could feel the heat of the reactor he could still take out one little bug.


    He''d been in pain for hours as they sprayed him with solvent at Oscorp. The fight with Venom had made him realise that Ock worked her own angle and if he died, she didn''t care. He wanted to warn Osborn about her and her plan. He didn''t know who Venom was but he promised he''d find out, and Mr Osborn promised to cure his daughter, once and for all.


    Liv waved a spare tendril, "he was the spark for my fire, that''s all, just a little drained, but he''ll be fine, stop nagging, sheesh, fine fine, the vibration from the reactor will draw Venom here, the reactor is powering a good old fashioned laser, you know, pew pew." She pointed to a few emitters hanging from the ceiling. Each one looking like rejects from a science fiction film, Flint had never been a fan of that kind of movie.


    "So, you''re here to make sure he keeps away from the reactor, I''m here to make sure he gets dead. Calm down Sandman, you''ll get your fight and your cure, even if Osborn isn''t willing I can get it for you, just stick to the plan." Liv was losing patience with him, he was itching for a fight and it seemed like she was as good a target as any.


    "And here is the star of the who now, Come in Come in," her free arms waved at Venom, skulking in the shadows, Sandman''s fists clenched as he saw the black-suited monster approach, not even bothering to hide.


    "You forgot my invite, Ock, oh Hi Sandy," Venom waved. The warehouse shell was just that, crumbling and unstable, even if he''d hung from the roof it would have creaked and groaned with his weight, so he just walked in, taking time to hear about the space lasers and the inevitable fight with Sandman.


    Sandman growled at him while Doc stayed next to the reactor, "now now Venom, behave."


    "I know Doc, it''s a small fusion reactor. Once I knew your name I researched your life, your focus was in recombinant retrovirals and then fusion reactor before developing the harness strapped to your back, and for the record, you''re a lunatic, creating a star, even I''m not that stupid and I live with three women."


    "A fuckin star?" Sandman yelled at her, no wonder Max was dying if she drained him to start it up, "I swear, you¡¯re next."


    Liv just groaned, "Stop with the macho bullshit, I need to stabilise this. So deal with him."


    "Now Now Doc, let''s be sensible, I''ll deal with the star, you two have a nice nap okay?" Venom motioned to the cot beds Ock and Sandman had used at some point in time,


    "Nap? you think I''m gonna nap? I''m gonna kill you," Sandman shook himself and a haze of dust fell from his body.


    Venom stood, arms ready in boxers low pose, waiting for Sandman to come at him. Sandman raised his own fists until a white and black figure smashed into him from above, her feet driven through his waist, he shrieked in pain as she flipped in midair and sprayed some kind of acid over him, the sand in his body reacting and breaking down.


    Another dark streak swung down from the roof, slamming into Doc and throwing her across the roof into Electro, he roared in pain and grabbing her they sparked and soon, as the strength left him Electro dropped her, her body going limp and smoking rising from the harness as he used the last of his power.


    "Oops," Venom said, "forgot I brought my plus one this time."


    "Plus two," Huntress replied,


    "Way to ruin it. It was a joke." He quipped back. Poison shook her head as the pair began to bicker.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Fifty-Eight. Walking On The Sun

    Sandman screamed as he rolled off the platform and into the water, the acid that white bitch had sprayed him with was dissolving his body. He didn''t even know an acid could do that, but as the cool waters washed it off, the gravelly bottom of the river helped him rebuild the damage that had been done.


    Venom had moved to the controls of the reactor, hoping to shut it down but as he approached a whine flooded the area and the harness with an unconscious or dead Liv started up, it supported itself on two limbs while the other two snaked menacingly at the trio.


    Huntress and Poison distracted the harness away from Venom. Its limbs striking out at random as some kind of self-defence protocol activated. Liv was unconscious as it weaved in and out of the support struts, uncaring if she was banged or bashed against the steel underframe.


    "Venom, this thing won''t stay still," Huntress shouted, frustrated at how easily the four limbs could outmanoeuvre them while carrying a deadweight body. Poison was hesitant to join the fight, her acid webs were great but it had been hiding in the lower reaches of the reactor platform, one wrong move and she could send the whole thing crashing down.


    "Kinda busy here, just web the whole damn area and get it." Venom shouted back. Ock might have been a genius but her design choice for the control panel was terrible, Why was there just no big red button marked Off? He lamented as he started to understand the various readouts.


    The reactor itself hummed quietly, its core still stable from the initial startup but Peter watched a gauge start to rise. It was going to go critical as a build-up of heavier elements unchecked was destabilising the entire thing.


    As Huntress and Poison played hide and seek with the harness, Venom was too engrossed in figuring out the machine that he never noticed the swirl of sand collecting itself behind him. Sandman reconstituted himself and slammed both fists into Venom''s back, sending him flying forwards and into the control panel.


    An eerie and unwelcome beeping started and soon licks of solar activity were whipping free from the small but deadly ball of plasma. "You stupid shit," Venom yelled and pointed, "if that goes critical then boom, we all die here, even you." Sandman didn''t understand, didn''t care, he''d almost lost his daughter, he wanted payback, needed payback.


    "Raaagh," he yelled at Venom and his arms extended, sending a stream of particles flying towards him, Venom crossed both his arms in front of his face feeling the microscopic grit tearing at him like a water jet cutter. No no, he thought to himself. Sandman had gone crazy and the console next to him sparked and flared with bright lights and then died, and the thin hope he could shut this thing down was gone.


    Venom had leapt out the way, upwards hoping the roof was stable enough to support him while he tried to talk sense into the crazy villain. He shot globs of tar but Sandman had learned and whips of sand caught them midair and deflected them harmlessly to the side.


    He took a quick glance and Poison had sprayed a fine mist into the air, and as the harness dodged to avoid it, Huntress webbed its two lower arms together and then the pair combined webs. Poisons sticky and Huntress''s taser webs combined to bind a mesh around the harness and the Doc. Huntress shocking the machine into submission if it even twitched.


    Sandman had seen the fight as well, "you stay outta this girls, this ain''t your business," he shouted at the pair who took one look at the lines of plasma arcing from the reactor and striking the failing magnetic barrier and froze.


    "Are you crazy, this thing is going nuclear. Hiroshima, ring any bells, stop fighting you morons," Poison yelled at both Venom and Sandman. She ignored the pair and took a look at the sparking console, its main panel dented and scratched from the sandblasts aimed at Venom.


    "Shit, fucking shit," she yelled and pulled the panel straight off the front, inside was worse. The wires were fused together and there was sand everywhere, the controls were wrecked and even if she or Peter could rewire them the damage was done.


    "Stop it," Huntress swung up standing between Venom and Sandman, ¡°Poison, what''s the damage? Venom is more the engineer but I figure that melted and sparking means bad. Venom, we need to stop this, we need to shut the reactor down."


    Sandman huffed but backed down, "this ain''t over," he scowled at Venom.


    Venom stared, "Right. You'''', he pointed at Sandman, "start feeding your sand into the reactor and Poison, use something to melt the steel of the building, Huntress, feed Poison whatever scrap you can pull free," he directed.


    "That won''t work. The acid will melt the steel into a gas," Poison replied.


    "Just melt it enough to make it bendable, the heat from the reactor will take care of the rest."


    Venom jumped down into the substructure of the platform, webbing up Ock and the harness. She was pale and grey, blood dripped from various cuts over her face where the harness had fought off Poison and Huntress and her glasses had been knocked clear. As a final act of respect, he grabbed them folded and put them in her coat pocket and folded the arms of the harness over her webbed it all into a bundle. Lifting her up, he slid the package next to the reactor controls and then headed back down into the substructure and began to punch the far end struts, knocking the smaller ones free.


    Poison was spraying steel sheeting held by Huntress, and as they let it fall into the reactor Sandman begrudgingly sent sprays of sand after it. Soon the rector was surrounded by a swirling ball of hot glass and steel and even at this distance, they could feel the temperature drop.


    "Keep going," Venom shouted. He hoped that by dumping the reactor in the river the sudden shock of the cold water would contract the steel glass mix and snuff out the core, even if the glass shattered it would just be debris the fusion would be unable to process, its silicone to heavy an element to fuse properly.


    He had been punching for what felt like an eternity, his hands were slowly becoming numb as the smaller struts had been knocked free, collected by Huntress to feed to the reactor, and now it was four giant meter thick steel beams one at each point in a circle.


    "How''s it going up there?" he shouted,


    "We''re out of scrap, so what your doing, keep doing it," Huntress shouted back down.


    "I need Poison." He could punch these beams all day but they wouldn''t budge, he needed Poison to weaken them first. "Sandman, keep feeding glass into the core, Poison, spray these four struts and then go back and help him."


    Sandman was looking pained, the stream of sand coming from his body was now a few centimetres thick and he''d fallen to one knee. "Too much, too much,"


    "You can do this," Huntress put her hand on his shoulder, "think of your daughter," and with a steeled look, he breathed deep and the trickle became a stream again.


    Poison sprayed the acid on the beams, letting it trickle down and Venom took a deep breath, letting the change take him more. His face split into the maw he detested so much and his frame bulked up, adrenaline and testosterone flooded his system, endorphins raged through his brain and as he felt the buzz he punched and the steel dented, its angle moving an inch. "AAHHH" he yelled and punched again, the steel yielding more, and with each yell he punched again, the steel deforming slowly and with a final yell he struck out, all his power into that punch as the beam buckled, tilting the platform. He was now a behemoth, muscles strained under black symbskin as they converted anything and everything into muscle.


    Huntress watched as Poison and Sandman slid towards the reactor and without thinking she sent a web line and caught her friend. Sandman, too tired and too weak to fight back, slid and his chest made contact with the glass ball covered reactor, instantly fusing to it. The heat was a searing ball of agony, even without lungs the sound he tried to make was horrifying as the sand of his body melted and fused into the core.


    Unaware of what was happening Venom continued to pound at the struts, he only needed the far two and the whole thing would collapse and slide into the water, the thin worn down wall of the warehouse no match for several tonnes of steel framing. Punching over and over the second strut began to deform. "Everybody off," he yelled and with one final strike the second strut buckled and the platform began to creak and fall.


    Huntress and Poison watched as the platform tipped and then slid into the wall. Electro''s body, if he was alive or not, disappeared first and then the reactor floor began its descent into the water. Venom noticed Sandman, glued to the hot marble and swung over to him.


    Wrapping his hands in a web he tried to pry the man free, he had been an enemy but he didn''t deserve to die like this,


    "No", Sandman whispered, "you can''t save me, save her, save my daughter, save Keemia," was all he could say as the water began to pool under their feet.


    "No," Venom cried, "no." He was the tool of vengeance, the hammer that sought out the wrongs and fixed them, he didn''t want to watch someone whose child depended on them die. He could save him, he had the power to save him.


    The water level rose and the free particles of Sandman''s body began to disperse even as Venom webbed more and more tar onto them, it was of no use, the tar only burned as it touched the reactor and Venom was doing nothing but prolonging the man''s death.


    "Thank you," was all he could say as Sandman slipped under the water, and as he shot out a line and made his way back to the ruined building, Poison and Huntress stood stoically and the three watched the reactor sink under the waves. Moments later, as the glass and metal rapidly cooled in the freezing cold water there was a whump and a spout of water rose into the air.


    Venom couldn''t feel the thrumming anymore and after diving underwater the reactor was dead, cold and cracked. Webbing it up he dragged the remains back to shore but after unwrapping it there was no Sandman, nothing but a few grains of grit coating one piece of shattered glass. He shook his head, this wasn''t right, this wasn''t what he wanted.


    Underwater, Venom collected the reactor and anything that might have the radioactive remains of the core stuck to it, webbing it into a large bundle for Huntress and Poison to carry. As he examined the platform he found Max, glass-eyed and staring into nothing, he had either drowned or, as his normally dark skin was almost white, been drained by whatever Ock had done to him. Shaking his head he cut him free, pulling him from the apparatus Ock had set up and webbing him up. As carefully as he could he lodged his remains under the substructure of the platform, constructing a makeshift cairn with loose rocks, a small grave for someone he hardly knew but didn''t deserve to be killed like that.


    Grabbing the reactor he swam back to the surface where a pensive pair waited for him.


    The three bundled up both the reactor remains and the harness, and swung out into the night, back home to tend to their scars, both physical and emotional.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Fifty-Nine. Troubling Times

    MJ screamed to herself as she got home, today had not been a good day. Her shift at the diner, an old fashioned mom and pop styled burger place had been frustrating, not because the work was difficult but because she really wanted to make someone eat the silver trays they brought food out to the tables and she couldn''t.


    He''d groped her ass as she walked past, an accidental, "sorry miss," as she glared at him, fighting the urge to smash her platter over his head but she caught the giggles and low whispered comments about her looks. His number scrawled in place of a tip had her rolling her eyes, and after she''d rang up his cheque she made a note of it. Sure she couldn''t do anything at work but later, she might just drop a few hints in Peter''s direction, or even Felicia¡¯s. She¡¯d apologised for being mean, it was just her way of coping and as MJ had broken down so had Felicia and they shared a moment, overbearing fathers seemed to be a running theme in the warehouse.


    Then she''d been excited about an interview. An actual theatre producer had seen her had headshots and given her a chance. She''d done the soundcheck, proving she wasn''t a drooling idiot and could speak her lines, passed through all his hoops and then it came to the meeting. As she thought back to his slimy grin, she punched one of the bags Peter set up for them to train, Felicia showing her and Gwen at least some basic moves and as it swung back from the force of the blow she couldn''t help but hear his words


    "you know sweetheart, sometimes, to get ahead, you gotta give a little head, you know what I mean?" and then that grin, that stupid smug grin of his. Gah, she punched the bag again and again. She''d walked out, she really wanted to punch the guy but with Muse, she''d have broken his jaw. Better to be known as a prude in a business built on sex than a brawler, lashing out at the scumbags who preyed on easier targets.


    She has asked Muse to let some of the feelings bleed through, to make sure she wasn''t becoming numbed, and rather than the fear and shock, she felt revulsion and anger, enough that if Muse hadn¡¯t calmed her, she would have hurt him, and done enough to face prison. As she had walked home she made sure Muse kept those impulses in check, and she wanted to train more.


    She worked the bag, as Felicia put it, and felt better, letting Muse out they worked through their frustrations together. While she wasn¡¯t a fighter and had no intention to be she did agree with Peter, if that guy had company or had been more forceful, she would have had to rely on Muse to save her. While they trained though it was apparent that neither of them would be hunting any time soon.


    And then to top it all off, Peter had vanished after sending her some cryptic text about the ground shaking. She¡¯d had a furious Aunt May, asking where he was, on the phone as they had planned a dinner together to celebrate Peter''s birthday but he wasn¡¯t answering his phone and neither was Gwen or Felicia. MJ had to listen to a stern lecture about adult responsibilities from her, even though MJ was just as mad as she was. They had even planned a small get together here, MJ having ordered several pizzas, Gwen opened up some of the freshly brewed cider and beer she was so proud of and even after MJ got home nobody was here.


    Screw them, she thought and dug in, taking a slice, checking her watch and he was supposed to be here, the pizza barely above room temperature. She had had a bad day and she was going to enjoy herself even if nobody else was here,


    We are here, a comforting voice sounded in her head,


    Oh sorry baby, that''s not what I meant, you know,


    We do, can we watch the television again?


    Muse was obsessed with television and film, and MJ was more than willing to sit and watch any and all kinds of shows with her. She didn''t want to fight, she wanted to be a social butterfly, to mimic and mask herself and of the four of them her powers were most like that, Muse was black like Venom but without the spider, but MJ found she could swap not just the colours but the actual symbskin itself, making clothing and accessories from it.


    Even her hair could change colour as she laughed at morphing her features, becoming uglier, more masculine seeing what she looked like with huge breasts like Felicia. Muse was just as much a diva as she was, revelling in showing off and the delight it caused, their joyous mood spoiled when the door clattered open and it came to an end.


    Venom had a bundled carpet of some kind over his shoulder, white with webbing, and Poison and Huntress were dragging huge steel and glass marble behind them. She frowned, what the hell had they been doing?


    The carpet turned out to be a body, rolled neatly up and MJ shouted, "what the hell Peter? Don''t bring that in here"


    He closed the lid of the boxes, and groaned realising what they were for, ¡°sorry MJ, really,¡±


    MJ hmphed and crossed her arms, ¡°Aunt May phoned,¡± and she watched Peter slump, dropping the webbed bundle on the floor.


    ¡°I, uh shit,¡± and he shook his head. ¡°Sorry MJ, I promise, I¡¯ll make it up to you, this is more important though,¡± and as he began to cut the webbing free he saw the look of shock on her face. "It''s fine MJ, she''s dead," he continued and the four limbs hung loosely over the edges of the table, the woman attached to the pale and grey.


    "That''s the fucking point, Peter, we eat breakfast here," she shouted, waving her arms over the corpse of Liv. "Go use one of your labs,¡± and Peter huffed as he lifted the bundle back over his shoulder and carried it off into the side office he had been using for work while Gwen and Felicia just bent over laughing while they argued.


    "And you two, stop playing with your balls and get that out of here too, I swear if that''s another dead body I''m gonna hurt you," she shouted over.


    "Nah, it''s fine," Gwen said, "just a nuclear reactor core," as if that was the most normal thing in the world


    "It''s a WHAT!" MJ yelled, "get that out of here, now, now!" she began to panic, even she knew that wasn''t something you messed around with.


    "It''s fine," Gwen hugged her friend, "it''s safe. We just needed to remove it so the cops or Oscorp wouldn''t get it. No radiation, no heat, no anything. We wouldn''t have brought it back here if it wasn''t," she stroked MJ''s hair, it was irresponsible of them just to drop that kind of news on her but it wasn''t like it could be done any other way, even if Gwen did enjoy teasing her a little bit.


    "Uh guys, little help here," Peter shouted from the office next to the warehouse door and they could hear clattering and swearing from within.


    Liv, her mechanical limbs hanging limply, sat shivering in the corner. Her clothes had been cut away and Peter had begun to unclip the harness. Its front clamps were undone, and the small woman''s torso was exposed to everyone present. Gwen winced, the skin underneath was grey and wrinkled in an unhealthy way and under her small breasts and around her belly button was a raw red rash. Unable to clean herself properly, she must have suffered a myriad of problems.


    The harness was offline and with no upper body strength, it was slipping free. When the Parker kid had undone the restraints it had to send a release signal to the control chip in her spine, which registering she was unconscious zapped her awake. She had found Parker standing over her, cutting away the fabric parts and leaving her exposed and in her shock, she had made a huge mistake.


    As she backed herself into a corner she felt the mechanisms shift, no override was in place and the four needles in her spine retracted with a thunk and the harness hissed as it powered down completely.


    "No, no, no," she whispered to the room, tears streaming down her face, "no, please no," the four stared at her, unsure of what to expect.


    With bruises and scraped patches all over her skin, she stared that the foursome as tears streaked her face, "I can''t feel my legs." She held her face in her hands and wept.


    It was Gwen that moved first, and Liv flinched as she approached. "Shh, we aren''t going to hurt you," and glaring, "Are we Peter?" and he shook his head. Strong enough normally Gwen lifted Liv in a princess carry, "MJ, can you help me please? Felicia, help Peter make sure that thing is offline and secured.''''


    Giving Peter a stern glare she carried the still sobbing Liv out of the office and into her place, she had a tub they could use and medical supplies to tend her injuries.


    "Welp, you fucked up Pete," Felicia said, "did you check she was dead?" They lifted the harness and as Peter flipped it over Huntress webbed both arms on the right side together and laid it on a workbench while Peter did the other side, then holding up the tied arms, webbed them both to the ceiling and then the harness itself to the table. It had powered down but without instruction, it might have some kind of protocol for reactivation he was unaware of.


    "No, cause you know, she was zapped twice, and then again and after being flung around I just didn''t think she could survive that you know?"


    "Go check on Ock, and no killing, we don''t know if she had anything to do with your father, "


    "Phff, that''s rich coming from you Peter, aren''t you the one out for blood?"


    Peter looked at his hands, "No. I''ve had enough of that for tonight, I''ll get food and apology snacks. Go help the others clean her up, we can deal with this after she''s been fed and we''re all calmer."


    Peter stared at the harness, secured to the table by a lot of webbing, he tested each line carefully, making sure the whole thing was not going to suddenly start up again and run rampage.


    As he pulled on the webbing he shook his head. Did he make the right call tonight? Was it okay that both Sandman and Electro had been killed while trying to save the city? At first, he had felt an affinity for the man, working to save for his daughter, but uncle Ben never robbed anyone, never used Peter¡¯s loss as an excuse to hurt other people. No, it wasn''t until he realised his daughter would die he backed down. He knew Max was as crooked as Alexsi but he¡¯d never spoken to the man for long, he always kept himself separate, probably doing crook stuff Peter mused, but did either of them deserve to die tonight?


    He took a breath and looked around at the warehouse, he could hear Gwen and MJ giggling at something while Liv seemed to have stopped crying. Innocent or not, what Liv was doing would have killed everyone in New York tonight, Max had blood on his hands and Sandman did as well. He used his daughter as an excuse, but what of the ones with daughters who never got to see their fathers again because of people like him, or fathers who never saw their daughters. No, he shook his head and pulled on the webbing one last time, this was the right call. Taking a deep breath, and now, he needed to make another one. Some birthday this had been.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Two. Chapter Sixty. Judge, Jury And…

    Liv was anxious, she''d been given a second chance by the four and was now waiting impatiently as they determined her fate. They had made a chair for her at least, sure it was a welded together trolley with an old cushion but it was something, she couldn''t move it herself and was being wheeled around by the others but why bother if they were going to kill her. Stuck in her chair she''d prefer to remain out of the harness for now. She knew it could let her walk again, use two limbs as replacement legs but the thought of the interface, the thought of it locking her in again sent a shudder through her body, no, never again, and anxiety clawed at her.


    She wished she could curl up and hold herself but with the harness removal, she was lucky to be alive let alone walking. The contraption was never meant to be worn long term, the needles burrowing into her spine, allowing her to mentally control the extra limbs damaging the nerves and delicate spinal column. After so long their removal had severed a part of her and now she couldn''t feel anything below her waist. The use of her legs was a small price to pay for freedom, she just hated the cost.


    They had fed her at least, although a bowl of plain noodles with a warm coke was hardly a fitting last meal, plus the bastards had bought pizza and she could smell it. The heavy grease cheese aroma driving her insane and she heard the hiss of bottles being opened, were they celebrating their win? she didn''t care, nope, not one bit. Bastards, she thought to herself. She pulled the blanket they had given her up around her shoulders and closed her eyes, trying not to cry once more.


    As Liv sat, awaiting her fate, the others discussed it, while eating. "So what are we going to do?" MJ asked, "I mean, it''s really up to Peter right? She never really did anything to us," they had gotten pizza, and not just crappy five for five pizza but the good stuff, the actual meat and cheese stuff. She lifted a slice of her pepperoni and roast chicken and it was heaven. Even if they had re-heated it, no one minded, and right now, it was needed.


    "She was complicit in my dad''s disappearance," Felicia pulled out a report. Peter had lost track of the number she''d printed out after collating them, this one was a failure report about losing not just the asset but the perpetrator. "I know you said she might not be but she was," Felicia had actually wanted veg on her pizza but her idea of veg was onion and tomato as well as a copious amount of any meat.


    "Mind control though, do we really want to blame someone who was under mind control at the time? The harness has a built-in neural interface, as she wasn''t under her own control at the time," Gwen defended her, she had met Liv a few times at Oscorp and she had been a pleasure to work for, funny and caring, more than anyone. Gwen felt she deserved a chance. She snagged a large slice of pepperoni since they''d all become symbiote hosts meat was a definite must, none of them had thought of being vegetarian.


    "Nah, fuck it, let her be, Marko and Max were crooks, Liv was once clean, and yeah, mind control, we''re all there, imagine what it would be like if we gave in to the symbiotes," Peter decided. "So Nah, I say let her be." He took a slice and went to town on it, they got 10 larges, two each and some for snacks after.


    "one vote for Nah then," MJ said and Felicia and Gwen looked at each other.


    "I uh don''t have a say really, sure she attacked us at the diner but other than that, she''s done nothing to me, so nay as well," Gwen explained. "Plus if we blame her then a certain someone needs to shoulder some of that." Sipping her beer, she had forgiven Peter for trashing the diner and smashing her head open, she''d gotten Poison out of it, who was purring as Gwen ate the pizza.


    Felicia shook her head, "She''s still Oscorp, she still did all those things. Who knows if she''s lying or not, who knows if she was really under their control, this is dumb, you''re letting an enemy into our camp, into our home." Peter cleared his throat, "Oh shush Petie, so I don''t pay rent, doesn''t stop you from taking advantage of me," she winked.


    "or you of Gwen," he snapped back and Gwen grinned, "but she already knows. She could have told Osborn right from the start who I was and she didn''t, so, no. Doubts yes but we had doubts about you, not just that Felicia but have you noticed her name is on everything, not just the reports but the orders and the acquisitions, Osborn''s never signed anything, isn''t that just I dunno a bit suspicious? so no, she gets to stay, plus," Peter slid a piece of paper over to Felicia who scanned it and raised an eyebrow,


    "Seriously?" was all she could say and as he nodded she shrugged, "fine, fine." She raised her hands in surrender, "fine." She lent over to Gwen and whispered something in her ear, Gwen looked over at Peter for a moment and bit her lip, uncertainty on her face, but nodded. "Once you finish with our guest you can join in, Birthday Boy."


    Peter grinned and the pair lifted two of the pizza boxes and Gwen a few bottles of her homebrew before they disappeared into her home, the giggles and laughter loud enough that MJ and Peter could hear them, music started up not much later and the door was closed, giving them and the rest of the warehouse some privacy.


    "Thanks," he shouted after them and MJ just sat holding her soda. Gwen had brought out beers and cider but she refused, at least for now.


    "Peter, I''m just a model, just a person, this," she gestured over the papers Felicia had left on the new table, "this is all above my paygrade, so, just, be safe, okay, please," she leant over and kissed him before handing Peter his phone, ¡°and don¡¯t forget this.¡± Peter¡¯s shoulders slumped as he took the phone and dialled.


    He could hear the disappointment in her voice, even as she answered,


    ¡°Yes, Parker residence.¡±


    ¡°Uh Hi Aunt May, it¡¯s uh Peter,¡±


    ¡°Peter, no, I don''t think I know anyone called Peter, and certainly not someone who was supposed to be here several hours ago and certainly not someone who forgot his own birthday dinner.¡±


    Peter winced, he hadn''t forgotten but he really couldn¡¯t tell Aunt May exactly what happened,


    ¡°Sorry, Aunt May. I got a job interview and had to rush, I forgot my phone and when I realised Gwen and Felicia came to pick me up.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± while it was plausible, May didn''t really sound convinced,


    ¡°Of course Aunt May, I got Hammer to reconsider my internship but they called on short notice, I just need to wait to hear back.¡±


    ¡°And schooling?¡±


    ¡°Oh uh, they said I could sit them if I got the place, as part of my work, the internship would count towards a degree as well.¡± Peter shrugged and grimaced at MJ who was covering her mouth trying not to laugh,


    ¡°That''s wonderful dear, when will you hear back?¡±


    Peter sighed ¡°I don''t know Aunt May, I mean, it was last minute, they said the person that should have got it was hurt in that flood and everyone else already had places.¡±


    ¡°I''m still very proud of you dear, and happy birthday, even if it is a little late, can you still come round or shall I put this in the fridge for you?¡±


    Peter let out a quiet breath ¡°Aww, thanks May, uh, tomorrow, today¡¯s been a rollercoaster and I''m beat, I think MJ¡¯s got something planned though, she¡¯s been hinting since I got home,¡± and MJ glared at him and shook her head, mouthing, ¡°you¡¯re dead meat¡± as he stuck his tongue out at her.


    ¡°Okay then, Peter, Phone this time please, I¡¯m at work till 5.¡±


    ¡°I will Aunt May, love you,¡±


    ¡°Love you too,¡± and Aunt May hung up on him,


    Peter sighed in relief, ¡°Oh don''t think you can shove this on me, Mr Parker, it might be your birthday but you can wait to unwrap this present. Ock first, then I¡¯ll blow out your candle.¡±


    ¡°Uh don''t you mean I¡¯ll. oh¡± as Peter got what she meant. "Just be safe, oh, and while they won''t say it, if and I mean if you fuck her, use a rubber, she''s a normal, not one of us." MJ stood and ran her hand over Peter¡¯s head shaking her head. "It''s always the quiet one," she said to herself


    Phff, as if I would, Peter thought to himself, sure his symbiote powers increased his sex drive, oh yeah, yeah I would, she was a nerdy kinda hot and even the 20ish years she had on him didn''t phase him whatsoever, he totally would. He knew he really needed to stop lying to himself. Even as he once fought with Felicia the urge between fight and fuck was defiantly blurred for him he was slowly realising.


    But not today, today he had to go and tell their prisoner her stay of execution had been granted, that today she would be free if she wanted but that he had a better idea. As MJ winked and headed into her own home, and Gwen and Felicia continued their own little party, Peter took a breath, it was time to face his own prisoner.


    "Ock," he said as he entered the temporary bedroom they had set up for her. She sat in the wheelchair they had scavenged for her, sullen and downcast. She looked at him, her hands fidgeted on her lap


    "So Mr Parker, come to give the prisoner her last request? And please, Liv, not Ock," and Peter smirked.


    "If I did what would it be? The last meal, maybe the last fling, a run maybe?" He asked cruelly, even if he wouldn''t kill her she did try to blow up New York and had a lot of explaining to do before she was off the hook.


    She looked unamused. "Mr Parker, I know," she took a breath, "I know what I was made to do to you changed your life, ruined it maybe but please, I''m begging you, don''t do this, please, don''t." She signed though, she knew Venom wasn''t to be reasoned with, the deaths of Alexsi, Max and Marko were testaments to that. ¡°Harry and Norman both had an interest in me, the harness uses a neural control chip and yes, the reactor was my idea, I won¡¯t deny that but please, if you¡¯d lived under them. If you¡¯d done the things they made me do you would want it all to end as well.¡± Liv sniffed and wiped away tears that were starting to form in her eyes.


    Peter, sadly, recognised that look. He¡¯d seen it in the mirror often enough, on MJ¡¯s face as she talked about her father and worst of all, he¡¯d seen it on Aunt May''s face when she thought Peter wasn¡¯t paying attention.


    The look of desperation, the look of someone right at the bottom and with nowhere else to go but straight to a bottle or worse.  Peter sighed, he couldn¡¯t do what had to be done, she needed to be taken care of, not ¡®taken care of¡¯ and with the blessing of the girls and a firm heart he made the choice.


    "So, what''ll it be Doc, ask me for anything." Peter knelt at the chair, his hand on her thighs,


    "Anything?¡± She whispered. Using the jumper Gwen had given her to dry and wipe her face.


    "Anything."


    Liv had a million different things flash through her head but right now,


    "Pizza, oh and beer, do you know how long it''s been since I had carbs."


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Sixty-One. A Goblin In The Works

    It was a great day for Norman. Oscorp had finalised the tests of his ¡®Goblin¡¯ class powered armour and glider, all the contracts had been signed and all the patents were approved. All that was left was their first test, the public unveiling of the equipment designed to not just keep the soldiers of the USA safe, but if he could get a civilian licence, the police officers as well. A freak like Venom would be history facing one of these suits, symbiote or not.


    Even if the drone test had failed it didn''t matter, the diagnostic data they had received pointed to underperformance when dealing with ¡®Enhanced¡¯ individuals, the drones themselves were sound. It had been Venom and Spider-man who were well above what anyone had predicted.


    Norman stood in front of the small group, all dressed in neat blue uniforms, Admirals, Generals, and staff from the Whitehouse had been gathered to see the final test of Oscorps crowning achievement.


    It was a great way to start the New Year, even if Liv had stopped answering his texts. He even wondered if she¡¯d finally had enough and blown her stupid brains out, no he thought, I made sure she couldn¡¯t. He even wondered if Harry finally grew a pair and offed her, taking out some imagined slight on the stupid bitch, fucking ignore me today of all days.


    The very best of the military had been selected to trial run the suit and glider publically. At first, John had been selected but with his untimely death, the job fell to his second choice. Both men had been trained in the use of the suit, Normal even thought that if John had been outfitted in the Goblin armour he would be here today and Venom would be the one spattered over the sidewalk. He stifled a small laugh, thinking of the Venom, splayed out, black goop everywhere.


    Lt. Colonel Frank Miller had already been in the suit several times, he was the test pilot and now he was the first official pilot. The glider controls already synced to his visor, stylised as a goblin for the unveiling, its rictus grin painted a dark green colour, matching the rest of the armour, green leg and arm plates with black boots and gloves, their servo''s making an almost inaudible whine as he moved. It was easy to hear if you were listening out for it but with the crowd''s chatter and the scurrying techs, it disappeared.


    The armour was designed to be slid in and out of. The top of the suit opening up like a clam, the back folding open. Slide in, get comfy and then let it close itself up around you. Sure the first few times he''d had a panic as it slid shut, a mistrust of the machine not to catch his skin or crush him. A nameless tech opened a silver case and swabbed his arm with alcohol. "Huh?" he asked as the man pressed the injector gun against it.


    "Booster Sir. Removes fatigue and accumulated stress. You shouldn''t need to eat or rest during today Sir" and after he nodded, injected the bright blue liquid into his arm. Damn, he was right, Frank felt a jolt go through him, like a good cup of coffee and yeah, today was going to be good.


    He waved at the crowd and saluted, both the upper brass and Norman. For this chance, he''d beaten out most of his old unit and after a few tours in a sandy hellhole, he was glad to be out of combat and somewhere safer.


    The drill was simple, he''d fly a course, dodging and weaving through hoops and over obstacles, once past them he''d hover for inspection and motion trigger defensive demonstration before flying off for a semi live-fire exercise. His suit and glider would be hit with live rounds from a dummy drone and he would fire back once the brass had been moved to a safe observation post. The press and the civilians invited, some big shots and other assholes with too much money, weren''t given that luxury but the thick concrete barriers would stop anything short of a tank round.


    There was no danger and he''d done this a hundred times already, he had two pumpkin missiles and a hundred screamer rounds, he had shaken his head at that, Normal had gone overboard with the goblin theme, he''d half expected his helmet to detach and fly around chasing him like a ghoul out of some fairy tale but no, no strange drones, just a pilot and glider.


    There was a strange tingle from his neural interface, the collar had been redesigned over and over and now it was just like a throat mic, a small metal disk that sat in a choker pressing against his spine, held on by a bioadhesive. The tingle was new, he felt the usual hum as the armour synced with his nervous system, treating it like a second skin rather than dull steel. There were no red lights on his H.U.D so he put it down to nerves, maybe one of the techs had set something to 11, he cracked a joke and laughed at it, Coms were off, so no one heard his wit.


    His comms click on "control tower here, stand by for preflight check, comms check"


    Frank clicked the mental switch and his comm clicked back "comms check check, over"


    "Comm check check green and responsive, over."


    It would take an hour to go through each system in turn but it was part of the show. The crowd watched as at first, he squatted, jumped and stretched his arms out, standard burpee but a lot different once in power-assisted armour, a wrong move and the suit could tear your arm off or snap a limb if the servos overextended.


    Then came the flight test, just hovering right now, the glider, going up, down, spin right, spin left, empty guns clicked on and then off as the preflight safety checks continued.


    It was now time, a tech came over and loaded two drums into the back of the glider. He had a burn-proof suit on but the gliders hover mode allowed mid-flight refuelling and reloading. It shunted the exhausts from the back into heat shielded ports away from the ammo housings, then shut down the main engines and closed the vents on them. The tech was safe but it was again, more tests, more show for the brass.


    Now his weapons were loaded, the finale was about to begin, a simple event. A live target would fire at him, bright tracer rounds illuminating their hits, the screen showing him virtually highlighting the real-time strikes on the armour, designed to track damage and advise the pilot of any potential weak points. He would then return fire, using first the glider machine guns, using a green tracer which he shook his head at, again, a live visual of the destructive power of the new seeker rounds.


    Then he would fire off two of the goblin missiles at a mock tank, thicker and immobile than a normal tank the rounds should penetrate its armour before exploding inside, the first time he''d fired these the rush he felt was amazing and he wished he could be using it on the battlefield, tests were fun but he missed the thrill of combat.


    "Goblin One, are you optimal and primed?" Came the voice over the comms, Osborn was taking initiative today. No mistakes, he''d told Frank at the morning briefing.


    "Goblin One is a go," he responded, and there was a strange tingle in the back of his neck. He made a note to haul the tech responsible for the calibrations over the coals when he got out, it wasn''t uncomfortable, just like someone poking your side or touching a nerve.


    "Goblin One is live in 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1. Live fire is a go."


    The first round hit and spun him on the glider, its power more than Frank was expecting, the crowd gasped as the glider showed no damage and the huge LCD TV registered the hit on his upper torso. The second hit sent the glider spinning backwards as it hit the same location. Frank swore, there was supposed to be a variance in the pattern, so he could maintain a constant altitude. The third round hit his helmet as he corrected his flight path and his teeth banged together uncomfortably, he tasted blood and knew that something was wrong.


    The screen showed the red hit and a huge dent in the armoured helmet Norman looked concerned at one of the techs, but she shrugged and pointed at the screen.


    Frank felt dizzy, the whine he was hearing getting louder and the itch in the back of his neck getting unbearable, he had to get out the armour, it must be damaged, it must be some kind of malfunction. He spun up the cannons and returned fire at the tank, no longer concerned if the ceramic shielding on it held.


    The crowd screamed. They love this shit he thought to himself and continued to fire.


    Norman was in a panic as he watched the disaster unfold. The pilot was only halfway through correcting his flight path when he opened fire, catching the edge of the testing area, his fire wild and free. The crowd jostled and ran as the bullets pinged off the concrete barricades before a few punched through.


    Frank was hit from the back and side, that damn tank continuing its barrage. Norman gave the tech the guidance control signal, not for the pilot but one to shut down the whole test but nothing was responding.


    The rounds had failed, of course, they were designed just to shatter its armour and Frank loaded up the two pumpkin missiles they had loaded, his HUD registered a lock and he fired, hearing the whine of the engines providing counterforce to their launch.


    Norman watched in horror as the two of the deadliest weapons he had ever devised hit with full force into the crowd. They effortlessly punched through the barriers, they were designed to bypass most armour, and as they exploded, the unique energy they contained broke down the organic matter of its targets. As the green cloud cleared there was nothing, no clothes, no people, just a few medals and gold teeth caps glinting in the sun.


    "No, no no," he thought to himself, "not like this." The pilot had finally landed the glider and Norman watched in horror as the remaining soldiers advanced on it with weapons drawn. "No," he yelled as he ran towards the glider.


    Inside the automatic threat detection system picked up ten enemy hostiles in its vicinity, Frank frowned, "more tests, fuck," and he flicked the lethal force option to on. The glider spun and sprayed, the soldier''s bodies pierced by rounds developed to deal with tanks, not people.


    Norman collapsed as he watched the soldiers die and he heard a click behind him. General Ross had pulled his sidearm and was pointing it at his head. "Mr Osborn, you will tell your pilot to stand down, right now."


    Norman fumbled for his headset, "Goblin One, emergency override, protocol killswitch," and they watched as the glider slowly landed.


    Frank was relieved, all threats eliminated and the ride was over. He hit the disengage protocols and let the suit unhook itself from his system, feeling the slight sting as the neural link disengaged.


    Norman knew it was over. The pilot would be fine as the Goblin armour was feeding him data and nothing had registered as a civilian target. The fault would be placed at Norman''s feet, it didn¡¯t matter if it was a software or hardware error. Norman knew he was ruined, not just the board but he would face life in prison. His hands trembled and he balled them into fists as he surveyed the destruction wrought by his glider. His comms clicked, once, twice, and he heard it, a voice, "run" it said, "run," and he knew he had no choice. Killing soldiers was bad enough, but with the civilian casualties he knew Oscorp was finished, he was finished.


    Lifting himself up he ran past General Ross, grabbing his pistol and firing backwards at the man. Ross went down clutching his leg and Norman sped past him, the back of the goblin suit opening up. Norman fired three times into the back of the man before pulling out his limp body, he didn''t care if the man was alive or not, he needed to run.


    He threw off his jacket and tie, dropping the pistol and climbed into the armour, letting it close around him "Goblin One override, protocol Reaper" and the suit sealed with a hiss, disconnected itself from the Oscorp systems and Norman had full autonomous control.


    He felt a slight chill on the back of his neck as the system connected with his nervous system, he didn''t have an implant so it used a small needle instead but this was different, a clamp came and secured itself to the back of his head, holding the needle in place. "Goblin systems online." He felt the armour as if it was a part of him and leapt onto the glider, letting his feet clamp into the foot controls, "Glider sync enabled and complete. No flight path had been uploaded." Norman dismissed the prompts and simply flew away at full speed. He had to escape, he had to run.


    Miles away, back at the Oscorp building, Harry watched the events unfold. He sat down the modified headset he had used to tap into the communications network and pressed three keys. As he watched, each machine he had used crashed, wiped itself clean, and performed a complete reinstall of its systems, erasing any files.


    His father was now out of the picture, several members of the board were dead and the military top brass would be out for blood. His plan was now complete.


    With the manufacturing of the Oscorp formula completely under his control, it was easy enough to tamper with it. Anyone seeing a scan of Norman''s brain would see minute lesions, no different from Alzheimer''s, and Parkinson''s would follow, all thanks to his dad''s ego. Thanks to that, Norman was now out of the picture and now he could now do with Oscorp what he wanted.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Sixty-Two. Contractual Obligations

    Peter surveyed the warehouse, its once empty shell holding a promise of a brighter future. Now, of course, he wished they''d all shut the hell up and let him sleep. Felicia and Gwen had taken to sharing a home, MJ was still quietly living on her own and Liv had taken the cabin next to Peters as her new home. Peter had removed the lower door frame so her wheelchair could roll over it. She was close by as Peter was the only one staying in the warehouse most days and if Liv needed anything he was there to help.


    Everyone had accepted Liv. Gwen and Liv had history and while Felicia was salty about her involvement with her dad she still shrugged and accepted things. MJ was happy as long as Peter was happy and while Liv was a stranger she knew all about being trapped where you didn''t want to be and the pair bonded.


    Peter had a list and with everyone there, he began to go through it. Item one was a ramp and washing facilities for someone in a chair, They all agreed to let Liv move in, even if she couldn''t pay rent they weren''t going to hand her over to the NYPD where Osborn could get his claws into her, so the lab would need to be modified to accommodate her chair. Being the wiz he was, that was left up to Peter.


    Item two was adding soundproofing to his own place, listening to Gwen and Felicia had been fun at first but damn did they ever take a break and Liv had taken things into her own hands as well, a lot of frustration was being vented on not just carnal desires but the many food trucks and convenience store treats in the surrounding area. He drew the line when she asked for a cigarette, smelling 4 sexually active females were bad enough that to add in the rank smell of stale smoke and nicotine was more than he could handle. She instead opted for a vape machine and seemed to shudder in almost orgasmic pleasure as she took her first draw.


    Item three was to start working on the new and improved cyber limb system, the CLS was a working prototype already, and with Livs help, he should get a fully working version made. He had her harness to work on and he knew after dismantling it and studying the mechanisms he could replicate it.


    Item four was on the table right now, a discussion with Liv about her future.


    Item five, Gwen had news and needed to share it.


    "So, Liv I''ve got a plan," Peter said, pouring them both coffee, MJ and Gwen were both at work and Felicia had conveniently taken the time to scout out her apartment. Liv seemed to shrink a little, so far they had all been nice to her but she still felt the sword of Damocles over her head.


    Peter rolled his eyes "oh stop, I''m not going to save you and then kill you, I''m not really a monster, this," he slid over a paper "is my plan."


    Liv took the paper and scanned it, her eyes bugged out, even under the thick-rimmed glasses she wore. "A contract, zero pay but shares in Parker Industries, to develop and build a working cybernetic replacement system for artificial limbs?" Peter nodded "uh, you know that the harness is already that."


    He shook his head "no, it''s a harness with a glaring flaw," he pointed to her legs, "it does really work if removing it disables the wearer now does it?"


    She frowned and glanced down at her legs, "no, but you could blame that on the person removing it," she stated.


    "Now, this isn''t a blame game, this is a negotiation. I need your expertise and I''m willing to pay for it." He handed her a second paper.


    "Curt Conners" was written at the top, and underneath was a list of possible locations and safe houses. "How, How did you get this?" She was stunned, she knew Curt had been working on a regenerative formula but had disappeared before it was finished.


    "Felicia was tracking Oscorp for years, her dad is missing and she''s good at digging," he signed, "so, a safe place to stay, we''ll hunt for Conners to fix your legs and," he slid over the last piece. "Neural Interface Cap System." It was his design based on the chip Osborn used to tap into her nervous system.


    Once Liv saw it she shook her head "No."


    "Read the paper," Peter said rolling his eyes.


    She took the schematic, and frowned a few times as she scanned over it, ¡°but this, no, you need, yes, no, oh, I see. Peter Parker, I kind of hate you right now, with the design you could cap the entry point to my spine, allowing me to control the harness and safely remove it afterwards."


    She pointed to several points on the design sheet Peter had handed her, ¡°but let''s be honest. Right now while you have the facilities to make a working prototype, I''m not going to let either you or Ms Stacy cut open my spine to try and implant an experimental design that you''ve made in the equivalent of your garage."


    "I know, but we can work on finding Connors. If his serum works we can repair the damage to your spine while you''re working on making this design a reality. I won''t ask you to undergo surgery, it''s not like either Gwen or I are doctors. Sign the contract and we''ll protect you, give you a home to stay in, and make sure nobody finds out about your involvement with Oscorp until we can prove it wasn''t your fault."


    Liv nodded, it was a very nice offer much better than what she could expect from the police or feds, assuming Osborn didn''t get to her first. "Any company perks?" she asked with a grin.


    "Well, sit on my lap and we''ll see what comes up," he chuckled and Liv rolled her eyes.


    "Peter dear, that was old when I was a student," but she still laughed and signed her name. It was great to feel wanted again, to feel happy and fed, to feel like a person once more and not just a tool for some egomaniac.


    "you know that was just a design right, we can''t actually do a proper contract with you being a wanted felon and all that"


    "Shh Peter, shh, you''re ruining the moment," she said.


    While Liv and Peter forged a new bond, Felicia was skulking outside her old place. She had been paranoid about going back to her apartment, the pair that followed her that night would have killed her without MJ and Gwen''s interference. She had no regrets about what happened after, just the almost dying part, the being mostly dead part. That boiled her blood and Huntress stirred feeling and feeding her rage. She took a deep breath and recited her mantra over and over, her dad said it was Buddhist but she didn''t know, it calmed her and that was all that mattered.


    She hadn¡¯t dared to come back here until Huntress shared some new tricks with her, even some she doubted Peter knew about. She noted the scruffy-looking car with the two men sitting in it, it just screamed stakeout and she ducked down the alley between the buildings a few blocks over.


    As her symbskin bled over her, she felt its texture shift slightly and the light around her bend and she faded from view. She¡¯d seen it on one of MJ¡¯s old movies and asked if Huntress could do anything like that. Normally Huntress just ignored MJ, feeling Muse was wasting her abilities but when they watched the movie together Huntress growled and purred with every appearance of the alien hunter.


    That, we like that, we can do that too, take us to your home, we can show you just how amazing we are.


    Invisible Huntress angled herself and pushed off the top of the window, spun and webbed a line against the edge of the building, swinging back and through the window, sending herself and broken glass into her bedroom.


    In the room she heard a "what the fuck," and as the door opened she pirouetted in midair and fired off a thin line at the man. He was holding an uzi and had no uniform on, she marked him and the others as targets, no questions asked.


    The thought line stayed connected to her wrist, and as it touched him she sent a bioelectric shock down it and the man twitched and froze on the spot, his muscles spasming and she kept the charge going, making sure he was out for the count before it detached from her wrists. Bioelectric taser webs, good to know.


    Her vision changed and she saw the patterned heat from the two other men as they stalked towards her, they had crouched down to try and stay hidden but with her thermal vision, she saw them plainly.


    His swearing had brought the attention of the other two men and Huntress faded from view as they rounded the door. She grabbed one and spun him, her hand locking on his throat and a second taser blast taking his ability to breathe away, the third raised his weapon but with his friend a shield he hesitated, long enough for her to fire another thin line, catching him on the shoulder.


    With all three men stunned Felicia bound their hands and feet together with the stickiest web she could make, unsympathetic if they lost circulation. This was one occasion she didn''t care about why. She wanted her things and they were just in the way.


    Good enough? She asked Huntress and got silence back so yeah, just too stubborn to admit it,


    Yes, we deserve the credit though, the shocks were us, you are just the muscle, we are the brain. You should reward us, take Gwen and Peter when we''re home. But first, kill the bugs that taint our presence.


    Felicia was silent for a moment, how to explain morals and ethics to something fundamentally not human, too noisy, too easy.


    We agree, no pleasure in a kill if the prey is so weak.


    Keeping one eye on the trio she emptied her closet and sideboard into a duffel bag, grabbing her own bug out bag as well, her father always taught her to pack light, travel tight as he put it and she had.


    Two backpacks were filled, leaving the mismatched crockery and furniture in the apartment, her rent was paid in cash so leaving was no issue. One last thing though.


    Felicia lightly tased one of the men, bringing him out of the nice nap she had granted him earlier. The mask of Huntress was mimicking her black cat outfit perfectly, no need to expose and more of her secrets. The man glared at her but she didn''t care.


    "Don''t come after me, don''t look, don''t hunt for me. I took out the other two and I''ll take out anyone else you send. Final message, last chance," he growled at her, defiant until the end so she shrugged, ¡°oh well, had your chance.¡± Looking through the cupboard she had an old nonstick pot and talking one of the pistols and holding it under the lid she webbed it shut, and then fired off five rounds.


    She had been stupid of course, and the loud bangs slightly deafened her.


    do not do that again Huntress chastised her but she knew someone would call the cops, throwing the pan at the men''s feet she shrugged and climbed out on the fire escape and up the side of the building.


    Sadly the backpacks she took would turn invisible with her too heavy, practice more was all Huntress said and Felicia ignored her. Working her way home she entered the warehouse through the roof hatch Peter used to set up the antennae. He''d put in a more secure locking mechanism that there was no key for, a symbiote tendril was needed to slide into and unlock it, and she found Peter and Liv discussing wildly something she didn''t understand and really didn''t care to understand, Peter waved at her and she entered Gwen''s home, sitting on the couch and holding her head in her hands


    I won''t cry, they don''t fucking deserve it, I won''t cry, but dad, I will find you.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Sixty-Three. Professional Opinion

    "So, now that we''re all here I have some good news and some bad news." Gwen stood in front of a whiteboard she had set up, holding a marker with one hand, "good news first."


    "Well, first, We''ve been testing the pheromone cream and well, we''ve got orders coming out of the wazoo,"


    Peter sat up straight "uh what?"


    "Thanks to Felicia and her contacts we''ve got orders for at least 50 tins a week to some of the more unsubtle brothels in Hell¡¯s Kitchen. Costs work out at a dollar to make, a dollar to package and we sell for 20 dollars, each tin lasts 10 applications and I heard that the brothels charge 5 bucks for its use, so profit for us is 18 dollars a tin, or 900 a shipment, and we''re currently doing four shipments a week."


    Peter raised an eyebrow "Are you fine making that much?"


    "Sure, it¡¯s mainly adding in the pheromone to already bought cream, then pouring it into tins. It''s not hard, takes an hour or so to do, and then a day to harden, um, not to sound arrogant or anything but uh, it''s not rocket science, it''s lunch break stuff". Gwen said and Felicia leaned over


    "My big brain," and kissed her on the cheek.


    "But um, the bad news,"


    ¡°The pheromone you produce that¡¯s making us all so much money, well, uh, we produce one too, MJ mentioned it one time and I checked. So um, Pete, we give off a smell that makes you want us.¡±


    That did bring pause to the group, Peter several times mentioned their "perfume" and after a few stares, they realised that they were making him just as aroused as they were around him.


    It was the last time they had a conversation like this that brought a lull in the conversation. Peter had gone strange for a few days but now it was reversed.


    "So was that all?" Peter asked as he shrugged "Because I really don''t care if you all give off a smell that makes me want you. You¡¯re missing the¡± Peter pointed at Felicia, ¡°super hot ninja,¡± then at MJ, ¡°super hot model,¡± and then Gwen ¡°super hot nerd,¡± and finally lastly Liv, ¡°super hot scientist.¡± Where pheromone or not I would want to have sex with you all. The last thing I can complain about is our sex lives. Anything else?"


    ¡°Yeah, how come I¡¯m a nerd but Liv¡¯s a scientist?¡± Gwen asked accusingly. Liv on the other hand looked down at her cup, making it harder for Peter to see the look of shock on her face at his description of her.


    ¡°Well, maybe because Liv¡¯s got more PhDs than either of us combined and is way smarter than you or I combined, no offence to us. I mean, come on. I half expect to wake up one day, Liv to have finished the CLS and be swinging around the warehouse in a fully operational harness. Gwen, I love you but really, compared to Liv we¡¯ve both got porridge in our hair.¡° and while the others looked confused Gwen snorted.


    ¡°Uh, personal joke, we¡¯ll explain later, but there is one thing. Um, I lost my job,¡± Gwen admitted. Once Oscorp was hit by the investigations after Norman''s episode they cleaned house. Any low-level employees were fired, Gwen included.


    Felicia came over and sat on the floor next to Gwen and hugged her legs, ¡°it¡¯s fine, we just scored the cream money, so don''t stress over it. It is just a blip and with your college work you were needing to cut down on hours anyway.¡± Gwen rubbed the top of her head and smiled, but it was still an upset. Oscorp still had weight in the world and even if an interviewer looked deeper it was still a black mark, even if Gwen had done nothing wrong.


    Trying to lighten the mood MJ, piped up. "Uh, I''ve got a commercial, a real one" and everyone broke out in smiles with a round of congratulations, even Liv who had no idea what was going on was happy. But she shook her head, "but uh, it''s in swimwear, nothing bad, it''s a skin cancer commercial." and she glanced over at Peter.


    He shrugged. "MJ, I can''t really complain about being jealous when," and he motioned around the table


    "No Pete this is different, think about it,¡± Gwen said,


    Peter closed his eyes and imagined MJ in swimwear, her nipples poking through the thin material and the neat lines of her pussy tight against the wet material


    "Not in that way you fucking perv," Felicia said breaking him from his imagination "if everyone else saw her like that."


    He shrugged "So? You think that guys, hell girls too, don''t imagine their favourite stars naked? That sites with celebrity boobs or movie clips of sex scenes don''t exist? Hell yeah, some scumbag steps over the line and I''ll fucking tear their spine out but it¡¯s MJ''s career. If MJ wants to cartwheel naked down 5th avenue for a shoot then I''m not going to stop her like she doesn''t stop me from going out and smashing faces. Especially after I jump beds and she doesn''t say a word, so no if I get jealous that''s my stupid shit to deal with, not hers, so it''s fine."


    MJ was all smiles and came over to hug him, "it''s fine, the outfits not too revealing, I made sure," she whispered in his ear and he kissed her cheek.


    ¡°Well, I''ve got some news as well, I got a few of the girls together, the uh ones we liberated from some of those shitholes, and they agreed, I started our own little gang, the Black Cats. got a badge and everything. It''s just information sharing right now, but once I get things rolling we should be in a better position to patrol and make more money. Oh and Liv, one last thing. I know you''re staying here but you might want to check your bank''s and stuff cause after I checked, while you¡¯re wanted for questioning you''re not actually under arrest. The warrants just mark you as a person of interest and Osborn put a lot of stuff in your name, like patents and other things. A lot of stuff." Felicia explained.


    Liv frowned, "I have no idea dear, Norman used me for dirty work and hush-hush stuff but never said anything."


    "Anyone else?" Peter asked.


    Liv looked hesitant to speak but after pulling a few faces finally spoke up, ¡°Actually, may I say something Ms Hardy?¡± and Fel looked over at Liv and shrugged.


    ¡°I had nothing to do with your father, I know what the report says but it wasn¡¯t me. Harry had him detained after catching him in the Archive and I have no idea what he did with him, I''m sorry I can''t be more helpful.¡±


    Felicia gripped Gwen''s leg and took a deep breath, ¡°I know that a lot of what''s in those files is junk Liv, and I know that none of us are completely innocent.¡±


    ¡°Uh I am,¡± MJ piped up and Felicia rolled her eyes,


    ¡°Some of us aren''t completely innocent, but, can you help at least, can you give me anything to help find him, even if it''s just something to bury, anything?¡± and Liv nodded


    ¡°Come speak to me later dear, I¡¯ll do what I can,'''' and Felicia relaxed, hugging Gwen¡¯s leg again.


    ¡°Now,¡± Peter said, ¡°anything else?


    Everyone shook their head, "Great, then party, we stopped an evildoer, no offence Liv, got an awesome robot suit, no offence Liv, and MJ and Felicia got work, so yeah, party? Pizza? Booze?"


    It was decided after MJ finished work Peter would head out and get a selection of pizza for them all while Gwen and Felicia raided her brewery for beers for the girls and cider for him and Liv, baring her from hard liquor. She had been bad enough after a few beers and he wasn''t keen on letting her get too drunk. That didn¡¯t stop her from doing so anyway and then sloppily demanded that Peter take care of her and she ended up snoring drunkenly in Peter¡¯s bed.


    After moving some smaller stuff it was decided that Liv would move next door to Peter. He was in most days and was in a better position to help look after Liv, who while adjusting fine still had some things she needed help with. With his enhanced strength and agility it had only taken a day for him to make some decent ramps in and out of his own place. He had been in the process of renovating it for Felicia but she just shrugged, she was living with Gwen now anyway and the notion of her own place now seemed strange.


    Peter cut and ramped a door between the two places as well as the entrance in and out of everyone''s homes. No one minded making an adjustment for Liv, even making sure the top decks had ramps, even if she needed someone to push her up the steep slopes as she was still weak from being in the harness for so long.


    Once the modifications were finished the final touch was adding in some furniture. It was easy enough, even if a little embarrassing for the small group.


    "So, now I know what you did with all my stuff." Liv said as she watched them rearrange it back into the new home for her "way to kick someone when they were down huh?" she winked at Peter who rolled his eyes.


    "We could give you back to Norman you know, there is still time." Peter stuck out his tongue at her but the sudden look of panic that shot across her face reminded him that while a few jokes were funny, that one wasn''t.


    Felicia, putting down a table batted Peter on the arm, hard enough it stung "nice one jackass, why don''t you offer to take her dancing next?"


    "Oh you mean, like being insensitive to remind her about her legs, nice one Felly," and Felicia stared at him.


    "What the fuck did you just call me?" She stared at him, scowling


    "Felly, rhymes with, uh something," and as she growled at him and as she swung at him he dodged and made booping noises as he poked her in the stomach.


    In the doorway Liv sat in her chair, quietly shaking her head and wondering how on Earth these two managed to foil her plan, Gwen, she thought, it was definitely Gwen.


    She hadn''t been shy about asking if Peter minded helping her in the shower or toilet, and as he was in all day he didn''t mind either. The pair over the past week had become strangely close, understandable as it couldn''t be helped. Once the furniture was in and arranged to her liking, Felicia skulked off, muttering under her breath and Liv stared at her new home. It was warm, easy to move about in and most importantly, hers.


    It was when he produced a newly fitted wheelchair, one more comfortable than the contraption he had hurriedly welded together that she finally broke down.


    She felt herself tearing up, "damn you" she whispered, "damn damn", she wiped the drips out from under her glasses, "no wonder everyone here loves you when you do something like this. Something so wonderful, idiot, stupid, moron, stop it, this. This is amazing and I don''t deserve it, Peter."


    She sobbed, remembering all the things she had done to not just him but countless nameless people, Osborns commands reducing them to nothing but specimens to be used and discarded.


    Peter lifted Liv up and held her in his arms, sitting down and cradling her close to himself as she quietly cried. Maybe she was right, maybe he was too hard on himself and he needed to accept that this was what he actually deserved. To be surrounded by people who cared about him, who''d call him stupid when he was and not as an insult, call him out on his crap when he did something wrong but not to punish but to teach.


    He deserved this. He deserved this and more. As her lips found his, he was surprised but found himself kissing her back and the pair sat, gently touching and exploring each other in the comfort of Liv''s new home.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Sixty-Four. Developments

    Peter stared at the printouts Liv handed to him.


    "All of this is under your name?" he asked, flicking through the pages as there were at least 20 different patents, all laid out in excruciating detail.


    "It seems Ms Hardy was correct. Norman used my name to patent a few things as well as launder money into various shell accounts. While it now is making me a fugitive, if I sign the relevant paperwork you should be able to act as a proxy." Liv said, wheeling her chair over to where he was sitting, she put a hand on his thigh. "But one thing is for sure, we have half a million dollars, a lot of patents and blueprints which if I can get a contract notarized, then Oscorp loses a big chunk of change, and you can get a head start on Parker Industries."


    "The problem is though, we can''t let you into a bank or federal building to get these all notarized. There are warrants out for your arrest as well as Normans. Harry really threw you both under the bus. Then he threw Oscorp under the bus, they''re reeling right now but once they get the Feds and the investigations done, if we touch any of these I''m sure we''ll be a target rather than a minor inconvenience."


    Harry had been on TV giving interview after interview, about how his dad had become more and more unhinged as the project went on. Film footage from security cams saw him acting erratically in his office, shouting for Liv, even though her part had been carefully edited, she enabled him, she gave him injections and the FBI wanted to talk to her. It wasn''t an arrest warrant but the FBI had ways of making people like Liv disappear without charge.


    People of special interest were often put to work under government supervision, and as Liv had worked under Osborn for the better part of two decades and had been a part of both the Goblin and the glider program as well as being a brilliant scientist in her own right. Everyone in the warehouse believed that once they had Liv in custody she would never see the outside world again.


    "I''ve already been into my accounts and emptied them. I had Felicia help me run the funds through a few shell companies, and with the cut the organisations take to make it untraceable, we''ve been left with about half a million dollars. While we can''t take the patents, well, you can still use them for inspiration, can''t you? The older designs for the Goblin mark one and two are still viable, even if Norman wanted something bigger and flashier." She wheeled closer and patted his thigh, "But it''s okay though, don''t let yourself get into trouble over me, I''m a big girl now and can cope."


    Peter shook his head, "No, while you''ve only been here a few weeks but I won''t let them take you Liv, you can help get to Norman and you can help me with these, just uh, no nuclear reactors okay?" chuckling, "plus, you still owe a debt." Peter slid over a piece of paper to Liv who raised an eyebrow but then frowned as she saw its contents.


    "Medical Report. Keemia Marko," was written at the top.


    "Peter dear, I hardly think," Liv began but Peter raised a hand to stop her,


    "choose your next words very carefully Doc." and Liv saw the look on his face, one that told her she was safe but her next choice would have consequences.


    "I have enough formula from Oscorp to finish her treatments but I would suggest that, other than adoption, we leave her alone. Knowing how her father died isn''t going to make her life better or easier." Liv sighed and looked at Peter, who was still angry, "but, I would suggest that with Ms Stacey''s help we get her into a good care centre, and I suddenly find myself with a large amount of money, courtesy of Norman, lets put that to good use." and she relaxed as Peter relaxed.


    "That''s what Gwen and I were thinking, she''s already spoken to her dad and the adoption place is all set up" Peter explained to the worried-looking Liv, "Hey, it''s fine, so stop it, Flint was on the books at Oscorp so getting him added to the list of killed was easy enough."


    "So you thought you''d frighten an old woman for fun?" Liv asked, she knew she was still under suspicion but this was still hell,


    "Nope, I wanted to see what kind of person you really were Liv, not the at the end of her rope but how you''d take care of a sick child who had nothing to do with this, so no, and old?" and Peter frowned and shook his head, "I''m not even touching that. You know there are too many secrets here Liv for us just to trust you unconditionally, too many people who''d be in jail or worse. Bottom line, you''re welcome here, we''ll protect you but one step out of line and well, you already know don''t you" and staring at the floor, rubbing her hands together Liv nodded "but stop it, that was it, no more tests, just a new place and new life, okay?" and with misty eyes, Liv looked at Peter and nodded, "it''s okay, you''ll be okay" and of his own accord leant forwards and gently held her face and lightly kissed her, "See?" and Liv nodded and rubbed her eyes.


    "It was still cruel Peter, of everything that what I worry about the most," she said, cleaning her glasses before putting them back on "Norman and Harry weren''t kind, weren''t kind at all and this, this is."


    "Okay, new rule, don''t ever, ever compare me to those two fucking lunatics. I killed Alexsi, yes, but Flint and Max were on you, I''m not a murderer Liv, not unless someone threatens my home and family, and now, that''s you too. Shit, I don''t just kiss anyone you know, so stop worrying." Peter moved over and put a hand on Liv''s. "Sorry okay, we needed to be sure that old Liv wasn''t the real one. We needed to be sure, okay?" Peter stroked her hand and Liv nodded, tears welling up in her eyes, "but it''s okay, it''s all good now, no more games, I promise, just, more of this, more of care, more of being safe." and Liv grasped onto Peter''s hand and snorted softly,


    "but that''s it, this is too good, am I dead? Are you some handsome angel, saving me before I plunge into the pits? I don''t deserve this, I don''t deserve any of it."


    "Oh, will you two just fuck already," Peter and Liv heard Felicia yell from her home. "Stop dancing around and just do it, shit. Getting tired of the fucking sugary touchie feelie crap." It devolved into quieter swearing but both Peter and Liv could guess what she was saying and as they looked at each other they smiled and shook their heads.


    The tension broken he leant forwards grabbing the harness "well, you can start by helping me with this," but as he moved he felt it, his symbskin extruded and slid over the harness, his arms blackened and symbskin flowed out. The schematics flew through his mind, small tendrils seeped into the harness, and he felt the connection to the core processor and it hummed almost happily as he took control. Liv stared at him as he just held it and the arms powered up, he picked her up with the limbs and they danced together, her laughter filling the room.


    "How?" She asked and as he put her down he showed her, black tendril waving almost unseen by the naked eye through the interface needles. As the thin wires like extrusions of symbskin threaded through the interface sites the needles squeaked and unscrewed themselves as Peter and Liv watched.


    "Liv? Can you do an experiment for me?"


    He handed her the harness and knelt down with his back to her. She placed the harness on his back and as it clamped shut and the interface kicked in he could feel through it, it was now a part of his body, the symbskin flowing over it completely. He felt the systems respond one by one, their parts flashing through him like an instinct. As he felt each component of the harness he began to understand it more and more, he stood stock-still and would tilt his head occasionally, shaking it or nodding.


    As he stood, Liv watched as his back rippled, parts of the harness began to drop out of him like unwanted pieces, the skin shed back, revealing each component in turn, first, the waistband was severed by a microscopic blade, even cutting through the thicked titanium bars that once held her, black tendrils snaked over them and the extended, becoming thinner but stronger, the black skin seemed to flow into them and the metal tarnished and repolished itself, as white bands, stretching and snaking over his chest.


    The harness itself made a creaking noise and she could hear a whine and the side plates screeched and then fell to the ground, the spinal column all that was left. Seemingly alien and robotic against Peter''s own back the thick oily liquid of his skin seeped into the joints and separated them out.


    Liv could see the red LEDs in the device, signalling that the harness was in test and configure mode, it made chunk noise and the segments lengthened, snaking down Peters back and up to the base of his neck.


    To her, it seemed as if Peter''s symbskin was compressing and printing out the parts it needed, once a piece had been copied it was shed, thunking to the floor. Only the more complicated parts, such as the processors or delicate gears and servos were left intact, coated by, but not replaced by the black skin.


    As the harness extended she saw a thin while band form around his neck, snake up and cover his eyes, micro-glass, used in some of the processor''s casings were ground and repurposed into eyepieces they flowed into the crescent shapes his suit had created when he first started wearing a headset, white like the bands on his chest. The black continued to flow, covering his head and he tensed, a sudden pain coming from his back and the neural interface connected to his nervous system.


    He saw and felt the commands given to Liv by Osborn, obey, don¡¯t question, obedience, all flashed through his find and he yelled in defiance at them. As if the program was alive it recoiled and its code shrank, moving into a copy on one of the backup processors.


    From the side, where the tendrils hung loosely they snapped straight and Liv moved back, the rings making up each limb began to circle, black oozing between them, some spun off, sheared in the middle and thicker black rings took their place, the whole arm mechanism changed and the end clamps, at first a triangle of pincers were covered in the black fluid. They spun and snapped with the sound of the machine became more scissor-like, the edges gleaming as they sharpened, showing their new deadliness.


    The arms floated around Venom as they stretched and contracted, four golf ball-sized webs shot from the ends of each, thudding against the wall of her new home, she did feel slightly annoyed at that, the four holes marring the nicest house she''d had since college.


    The limbs retracted, folding back and sliding down the spine, sliding smoothly into the sides of the column and laying flat across not just his spine but sides as well. Venom turned, his new white bands on his chest finally revealed, the white spider was now thicker and more prominent, embedded in the thick body armour of his chest, rather than the slick oily look he had previously the whole suit now looked matte, with thicker armoured leg and shin guards, gauntlets over each arm and thick heavy shoulder and bicep armour. Venom now looked meaner and taller than before. His head was now encased in a thick helmet, the white eye ports crescent-shaped, curled up over his forehead. The integration complete he stared at Liv and raised his arms, showing off his biceps.


    "We are VENOM!" He shouted and Liv smirked


    "Yes, yes you are dear but what did you just do to my harness?" She asked, seemingly unamused at the mess he just made.


    Venom stared at the floor, covered in debris, and the four walls, now with extra ventilation and Peter let the Venom armour retract and the last of the metal pieces fell onto the floor, clattering and banging on the linoleum. He still had the remains of the harness attached around his waist, chest, and up his spine. The four arms retracted back into it and were now lying flat, with new joints and hinges keeping them close to his skin. Once his symbskin reformed as clothing it was impossible to tell there was anything there and Peter felt unhindered by its weight and extra bulk around his body.


    "Uh, sorry?" and he shrugged.


    "Sorry? Oh, you will be Mr Parker. Now get your toolbox and fix my damn walls, or believe me, I will be talking to everyone else and you''ll be sleeping alone until you''re done."


    Peter laughed and let his symbskin flow out again, this time with the four extra limbs. Each one trimmed and smoothed the holes before filling them with a thick black fluid which after a few seconds hardened. Peter coated them with white web fluid, and as the pincers extended into a flower shape they sat flush on the wall and began to vibrate and soon the holes were filled, sanded and almost invisible to the naked eye.


    "I''ll uh, need a box to put the bits in though," Peter said, pointing at the pile of loose components on the floor. Liv just stared at him as the symbskin and harness retracted back into his body.


    "What the hell was that?" She yelled.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Sixty-Five. Idle Hands (NSFW)

    Liv was drunk, Gwen and the others had retired for the night, each having to work the next day and so Peter had been left to deal with her, she had eaten half a large pizza and drunk a few bottles of home-brewed beer herself. With their enhanced metabolism, Gwen hadn¡¯t brewed watered-down crap that some people liked, this was full-strength stuff. As expected she was drunk.


    "You know Peter'''' Liv slurred "I was a genius, a certifiable genius, your dad, oh and, your mom and I were friends, I mean, I was there when" and she waved an arm at him "this happened, no wait, was I there, phff," she tried to sit up and blinked, "I think I drank too much, my legs don''t work," she laughed to herself. "So, three women, three, damn Peter, it''s been so long for me, the harness kinda puts them off you know, kinda a mood killer," she laughed. "Killer, heh. I didn''t Peter, I had nothing to do with it, even under Oscorp I wasn''t a killer, not for him." She eyed her glass, it was empty and it was disappointing, and as she swayed slightly she asked, "so? bought you dinner, wanna fuck?" Liv was drunk but she didn''t care.


    Liv bit her lip, sure just screw the guy you''ve been panicking about murdering you for the past four months why don''t you, she thought to herself but he smelt so damn good and she really really needed some stress relief. The booze in her system just loosened her tongue, he was handsome, he was being kind, and with the way the other three looked at him and the noises they made at night, he was very open-minded. They had shared a moment or two but now, drunk enough to take the chance she went for it. She''d approached the others and they''d assumed Peter already had, and why was she asking.


    Peter wasn''t surprised though as they had kissed already and knew it was heading this way, the girls had already been teasing him about it and it was just a matter of time. If she went nuts over a few slices of pizza and a beer then what else had she had to give up, but MJ had told, not warned off, so it was fine. Peter picked her up and sat her on the desk "last chance doc, no backing out once the pants are off."


    She nodded and he pulled away from the soft sweatpants Gwen had lent her, revealing her smooth and bare legs. He undid his own belt, letting his erection fall free and Liv maybe wondered if she''d bitten off more than she could handle, it''s been 16 years and while he wasn''t a monster, he was still a monster to her. He knelt and spread her legs, taking in the sight before him.


    Liv was smaller than the others, barely at five and a half feet and with spending so much time in the harness, she was skinny. Her skin had regained its healthy pink tone but she was still a long way from full rehabilitation. Gwen''s bio bandage had healed all of her cuts and scrapes and even if they had showered before he took the time to appreciate her without being creepy. Her breasts were small, barely a B cup but they had dark pink nipples, already pointed and looking like two strawberry candies on vanilla pudding. As always her thick brown hair was tied up in a huge tangle but her legs and pubic area were smooth. Peter was glad she kept her glasses on, their strange octagonal frames just highlighted her hot nerdiness and even as they spent time together he had to stop himself from staring.


    As he slipped between her legs he noticed someone had shaved her clean He looked up and she turned, "Gwen and Felicia," and he shrugged, this was too easy, they knew him and knew what he was thinking, he didn''t care though and his tongue split her moist lips and gently stroked her inner folds.


    While Livs legs were unfeeling other nerves weren''t as dead and after 16 years she almost tried to ram Peter inside her there and then, she leaned back, moaning at the warm tender tongue as it explored her wet slit. Her fingers grasped at his hair as he sucked and flicked at her clit, it was strange though, there was no feeling just a warmth from between her legs which then flared as she came immediately as he found her g-spot on his first try. Her back arched and she let out a cry, oh fuck me that boy¡¯s got talent. Peter wasn''t messing around here and she didn''t care, Osborn had taken great delight in denying her pleasures, food, drink, and especially sex but now, now she had a young stud to vent it all out on. Her own hand had been fine, but after listening to Peter and the others in the warehouse her libido had gotten the better of her and she wanted the real thing.


    "Peter, just fuck me," she begged, she had come over his face, warm sweet liquid splashing in his mouth and as she shuddered he had continued, letting his fingers slide in and out of her now soaking entrance. He looked up at her and nodded, he still had condoms from when Gwen first moved in and grabbed on from his desk drawer. "Please, no, please, I don''t want it like that."


    "Uh, no," Peter shook his head "no glove no love doc, sorry," and rolled the white rubber down his length.


    "Please, I''m safe please, not with that, please." Peter smirked and lifted her off the desk, "then take it off, no hands" and positioned himself in front of her.


    Cheeky shit, Liv thought to herself but obliged, taking his into her mouth she gently gripped the thicker rim of the condom with her teeth, the foul taste of the lubricant bitter but as she spat out the condom she slid him down her mouth and into her throat, gripping his buttocks with both hands. She had been good at this as a college student, the nerdy exterior hiding a roaring sex kitten underneath and she savoured his strangely sweet taste, letting her tongue swirled around his engorged glans and tease and lick the precum from its tip.


    "There. Now please" she looked up at him to which he returned a smile and lifted her back up, leaning her down on the table he positioned himself at her entrance, a firm grip on her legs.


    "Say please again."


    "Just fuck me, please," she pleaded and he slid his length into her. The others had been virgins but he figured Liv wasn''t. She was the quiet librarian type a lot of men fantasize about, thin but cute, glasses but hot, and he imagined she would have been very popular. Even with the cuts and scrapes that Gwen had coated in a dissolvable web bandage, she developed after Felicia¡¯s injuries she was incredibly attractive to Peter.


    She was running her hands down his abdomen as he slid in and out, the heat between her legs rising with each stroke. Giving up, she lay back down, allowing him to do whatever he wanted to her, it had been so long and it felt so good, damaged spine or not. Orgasm after orgasm rolled up her in waves, building and building until she felt the world go dark for a few seconds crying out in pure pleasure denied to her for so long.


    Peter watched her shudder and shake at the orgasm, it had only been a few minutes and frowned and letting her recover he stopped thrusting and pulled almost out of her. She signed contentedly as her orgasm faded, "sorry dear, but it''s been too long for me, I uh, could finish you another way?" she said, slightly guiltily.


    Peter didn''t sigh though, he knew his superhuman stamina would make things awkward and it had. "Sure, stay there." Peter moved around to the other side of the desk and Liv was greeted by the bottom of his cock. She could smell its thick aroma and while she would never admit it, during her college years she was the party girl drinking, smoking, and a lot of drugs. Everything and anyone could get into Liv''s bed as long as they were smart about it and as his cock was inches from her face she wanted to devour it, to feel it in her mouth. She had been called a slut and a whore but she never cared, better than a prude or a tease by jealous assholes who would never see her bed but wanted in on the action.


    He moved back and began to stroke himself but Liv lifted her head and slid her tongue up his length and over the end of his cock, licking around it before swallowing it whole. His entire length slid into her throat and with expertise, she began to slide him in and out of her mouth. He moaned as her tongue expertly moved over him, trying his hardest to enjoy the sensation without ending things too soon.


    Peter had been given oral before, Gwen preferring it as Poison behaved but Liv was on another level. She kept pace and used her tongue on his length as she took him as deep as she could before sliding him out and swirling around the tip and head of his cock. As her tempo increased and she sucked on him harder the sudden sensation as her tongue rubbed his glans caused him to orgasm. He cried out and took her head with one hand, gently holding her as he twitched in her mouth, filling it with cum. It was always a lot and as she struggled to swallow it, she stroked him as it dripped into her mouth. She tried to catch as much of it as she could, the rest spraying over her small petite breasts, covering them in his thick white seed.


    After he had finished, she tenderly took his manhood and licked its length clean of his seed, sucking the small amount left from its tip, and then rubbing the white mess of his orgasm covering her chest into her skin. "What?" She said, "it''s good for the complexion." Peter had no idea if it was or not but he did appreciate not having to clean up a mess, whereas Liv was wondering where she could get a couple of shots of tequila and a cigarette, one vice down, two to go. She thought.


    He leaned down and kissed Liv on the forehead and as he moved to help her up he saw Gwen, Felicia and MJ stood in his doorway, watching.


    "No rubber huh?" MJ pointed to the discarded condom.


    "Pete, it''s not in case you get her pregnant. No offence Liv but we don''t know what effect your uh, super sperm," Peter rolled his eyes and Gwen motioned to the pair, "will have on someone, not a symbiote host or an enhanced. It could be poisonous for all we know."


    Liv was leaning against the desk, using it for support, but as she was naked and only had her arms to hold herself up she looked up, "little help?" she asked and Gwen moved to help her up while Peter moved back and pulled up his slacks, finding Livs in the process. While he helped her get them back on she held onto his shoulders and spoke to Gwen.


    "Oh, Peters super sperm as you call it should be fine, the symbiotes only produce super toxic materials when threatened, killing off a non implanted sexual partner, from an evolutionary point of view, would be disadvantageous. Although Ms Stacy you do raise an interesting point. Does Peter¡¯s sperm have any beneficial effects on the women he ejaculates into, or does it have symbiotic qualities that can be passed on to potential offspring?" Liv asked Gwen who''s eyes lit up, MJ just shook her head, and Felicia whispered "nerds" under her breath.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Sixty-Six. Consequences

    Peter''s day had not been going well at all. First, the girls had all complained about his new armour form, claiming it was too big and bulky. The last straw had been when Felicia pointed out it looked like the Goblin armour and that she refused to go patrolling with him. It had been a chore but he mentally strained himself to compress the armour and slim back down, much to the approval of everyone. Then his attempts to assimilate with other technology failed, not only that but right now, Gwen and Liv were sitting giving him a lecture.


    "No offence Peter but uh, we already knew about that power, so why are you in a huff?"


    Gwen put a cup of coffee in front of Peter, who was sitting slouched in his chair with his arms crossed.


    "I mean, I''m a chemist and Poison can reproduce any chemical I can think of, MJ is an actress and Muse can replicate her clothes into any style she likes, and Huntress is well, Huntress, stealth isn''t that much of a stretch"


    "And I''ve got night vision," Felicia shouted from the kitchen.


    "See. Wait? Night vision, really?" Gwen shouted back.


    "But still," Peter huffed, "I just didn''t think about it, I mean, what about my cool visor?"


    "Peter dear, I know you''re brilliant but really? You glued some sunglasses to a Bluetooth headset, it''s not exactly an award-winning design," Liv added, blowing on her own coffee. "The real reason dear Peter is in a huff is I wouldn''t let him take the microwave apart too, and I quote ''make a cool radiation gun''."


    Gwen shook her head "Uh yeah Pete, radiation isn''t a really great weapon. I mean, you could literally cook someone, so no. No radiation guns"


    Peter made a hmph noise, and Liv sighed, "and that''s why he''s in a huff."


    "Show him your boobs," MJ shouted and as she walked from her home she noticed a light coming from one of the offices. "Hey, did you guys leave something running?"


    "I''ve got the harness parts being analysed but uh, nothing major why?" Peter shouted back, staring with a grin as both Gwen and Liv lifted their tops. Liv looked over at the young woman and winked in appreciation, leaving Gwen blushing at Liv''s wandering eyes.


    "Nothing," MJ shouted back, and peeking her head around the door saw the screen flicker and then die. She shrugged and closed the door. A few more moments and she would have caught it, that brief flicker of life on the screen.


    IF


    I=Electro


    THEN


    Peter Parker=Dead


    In another lab, in another part of town, another screen flicked into life as well, a tech reading its contents pushed his intercom. "Subject 95, Deceased, returning symbiote to its container."


    They never repeated the success of either the first attempt or the kid who was brought in. Each time the subject just simply died on the table, the symbiotes overtaxing their bodies. He pressed a few buttons with his one good arm, the other still in a sling from the kid''s attack, and the shocks drove the symbiote into its box.


    "Symbiote 02 Returned to Containment"


    The technician wondered if the bonding process was flawed and that maybe the kid was just lucky but his boss overruled him, the symbiotes were healthy, it was the subjects that were to blame.


    "Hey," he heard his boss shout, "it''s your turn," and he cursed.


    He hated going in there with subject 0, his creepy stares and his weird laugh. "Fine, fine." He gathered the nutrient powder into its bottle, added water and shook it to mix it. Number 7 was his favourite. Coffee.


    "Open Subject 0 containment," he shouted at the end of the corridor, and a door slammed behind him. Once subject 0 had escaped and killed 14 men before being subdued, he was now held in special restraints designed to kill rather than incapacitate if he escaped again.


    "Why, howdy warden," the man drawled, turning his head as far around as he could. He was a skinny man but even so, the tech kept his distance. He was unshaven and his thick red hair hung down in scruffy locks over his eyes, no one had been willing to take a blade anywhere near him, not after the last time. Thick chains held him to the wall, and clamps held him at the waist, ankles, wrists, and neck restricting his movement. "I heard on the news that Norman Osborn killed a whole buncha people."


    The tech slid the drink bottle into its holder, and pressing a button it slid into the clear glass cell, a hatch slamming down closing it. As the man sipped at the cold drink through its thick straw, unable to move more than his head.


    "I hear its absolute carnage out there," he said, his high pitched laugh echoing around his room as the terrified technician fled the cell.


    Far from the clean labs and bright lights, one man didn''t find the situation amusing at all, and when he watched Norman kill the soldier and then climb into the armour, he absentmindedly rubbed where his arm used to be.


    He had worked tirelessly to build working lab equipment from scrap, stealing old junked machines from hospitals, and even on occasion woke to find that his other had just stolen them. He hoped nothing was damaged, and no one was injured when he had an episode.


    Down here he was safe, he had to venture up sometimes but he waited until he was sure he was in control, was sure he wouldn''t slip. The machines needed samples and he needed food, the other might like rats but he wanted vegetables, he wanted clean water, and sugar for coffee. As he slotted another sample into the machine he even thought about the woman he had met and hoped he could be above ground more often.


    The machine dinged, and he turned the monitor to check the results.


    "Sample 489 incompatible," the machine beeped at him and he roared in rage.


    "No no!" he yelled, and his lab coat, filthy and tattered began to expand. His face began to stretch and grow, and the sickening crunch of bones as his missing arm regrew,


    "Yes, yes," the new monster hissed, "Osborn will taste our pain, Osborn will pay," lifting a sample bottle the green-scaled monster scribbled a note with a thick pen.


    "Sample 490 testing in progress"


    In stark contrast to the underground lab, a man stood looking out of his penthouse window, his clean tailored white suit fitting his massive body perfectly.


    "How bad?" his voice rumbled as he spoke.


    The other man in the office, a smartly dressed African American with close-shaven hair and a goatee, lay a file down on the sparkling clean glass desk. "In the Kitchen, we lost two dens, both taken out by Venom and a new partner, another enhanced and then another as they fought the new ETF.¡±


    "Projected losses."


    "They were cleaned out, girls, drugs and cash went when the guys got there, just a message." Opening the file he flicked to a photograph of the message Venom sprayed on the wall of the building.


    "Play nice, or don''t play at all"


    "Projected Losses?"


    "Insurance will pay on all three, losses there are mainly men, those were establishments catering to a certain clientele, the girls that were rescued were pickups, so no loss there and no cash or drugs on site, not at those two anyway. The first, half a mill right now with a further quarter mill expected once the books are checked, the second puts back a quarter mill in insurance and sets your other plan forwards a month. The last one is a bit better, no cash or drugs, just some guns and someone dead we suspected of skimming."


    The hulk of a man clenched his fists, "not good enough."


    "Your orders then?"


    "Eliminate them. Find them and kill them, I don''t need answers, just bodies Aaron, can you do it?"


    "I''ll need the hardware, but yes, I think so."


    "Good, you have my go ahead. Oh and Aaron, buy up all that Oscorp stock that Harry Osborn dumped."


    "Boss?"


    "Just a feeling, but having legitimate ties are always a good thing."


    Aaron nodded, "I''ll pass the word along," and with a small bow, "Good Night Mr Fisk."


    Wilson Fisk had just finished watching the press conference given by Harry Osborn, his well dressed exterior hiding the smugness that knew his father had finally snapped.


    Wilson saw through the mask, it was the same one he wore in public as well, and he knew that while Venom and this new enhanced were a thorn, it was ultimately Harry Osborn that was going to be the blade in his side. It was the package Aaron had handed over that sealed the deal. Osborn was working a new angle, and one Fisk and his associates weren¡¯t part of.


    Three bright blue vials and files, Alexsi Sytsevich, Maxwell Dillon and Flint Marko were all there. Details on their powers or "enhancements" as the reports had called them. Only Venom and his partner''s identity were still secret, and details of their actual abilities were all from eyewitnesses. Wilson knew exactly who these vials were destined for but first, he rewound the video and hit play once more, watching and learning.


    "Yesterday, we witnessed a tragedy, the loss of life was immeasurable and the actions of one man were unconscionable. Like many of you, I saw my father, Norman Osborn as a rock, a foundation on which our society not only stood but prospered."


    "Oscorp is the leading technology company in not just the United States but around the world, but yesterday," Harry paused, "yesterday we failed. The efforts my father put into saving people ultimately cost us all more."


    "My last act as a board member of Oscorp is to set aside 10 million dollars to help the families of those who lost their loved ones in what was ultimately Norman Osborn''s hubris and arrogance."


    "The money will set up bereavement counsellors, help with bills, mortgages, and pay for the surgeries of those fortunate enough to have escaped." Harry raised his hand, "and now I know, it''s all PR, right? To shine a torch away from what was wrong with Norman and I can say, with full sincerity, that you are wrong."


    "Norman''s office security camera footage has been handed to the US military and Shield as evidence, as have his medical records. We were allowing a full audit of Oscorp to be held, those responsible, both my father and his personal assistant Doctor Olivia Octavious, are under investigation."


    "I will also be divesting myself of Oscorp, all my stocks and shares are being sold and all my assets within the company are being liquidated."


    "I am as outraged and as horrified by my father''s actions as you are, and I hope that the good people who suffered under this tragedy find some modicum of peace, of hope with these small actions, and I hope that the fine law enforcement officials bring those responsible to justice. Thank you."


    To a stunned crowd, Harry walked off the stage, before yesterday even began he had work crews moving and emptying everything he needed not just from the archive but from his own personal server. Files were carefully altered before being added in, the footage of his father injecting the neural enhancer, normally deleted were restored and everything pointing to Norman and Liv were wrapped in a big bow. Herry was sure an aspiring tech or investigator would see it was too well packaged but right now, no one would care. There was even talk of suspending normal court procedures and trying his father without capturing him first as his crimes were so severe, which made Harry smile.


    His earpiece beeped and he touched it,


    "Sir, the move is complete, everything has been moved and cleaning has been completed."


    "Good, I''ll be back in the office in an hour." Touching the earpiece the call was cut off. Oscorp was dying and anyone with an ounce of sense could tell. Various lawsuits had been filed. The patents for the glider and armour had been seized and even Hammer had begun to make efforts to snatch bites out of the behemoth before it could recover. With Oscorp gone he could now focus on the important research. His new company, Life Foundation, wasn''t going to run itself.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Sixty-Seven. A Display Of Power

    It had taken Felicia over two weeks to finally collate and prepare a report on the files that Peter had taken from Alexsi''s office. After Peter''s little stunt with a microwave, she decided it was time to tell everyone her findings and she''d roped in Gwen and Liv to help in the end as a lot of the science went straight over her head. As each of them tried out the new powers that Felicia and Peter had displayed it became apparent that once again, their powers were evolving past what they thought the symbiotes could do, even if Peter and Felicia seemed to be unique.


    While she had done the report, it was left to Gwen to lead the discussion on it. The science was beyond her in a lot of places, so as Gwen stood in front of a whiteboard Felicia, MJ, Liv and Peter all sat waiting patiently.


    "Okay, I get I''m giving this presentation but really Fel?" Gwen said. Felicia had dressed her in a tight black pencil skirt, sheer black stockings, a white blouse, no bra, and given her black-rimmed glasses with fake lenses. To top it all off she tied her hair back in a bun.


    "Pete loves it," Felicia said, wiggling her ass on his very obvious erection and he just grinned. "but uh, my first crush was Mrs Watson, you know, she taught English" and as Gwen looked down at herself the image of the very busty English teacher came to mind.


    Shaking her head "I''ll get you back for this," and Fel just bit her lip and nodded, knowing exactly how she would.


    Gwen rolled her eyes "Fine, fine. So, a lot of this is junk, scribbles Alexsi made on things I have no idea what he meant, some of the Russian is incomprehensible. The files that Felicia stole were much better but even then I needed Liv to decipher them but," Gwen click on the projector she had Peter set up for her, the normally empty room had been set up with four chairs and a small table for drinks, while a large projector screen and whiteboard was set up on one wall so Gwen could write things down if she needed to. On the screen was a sample of their own DNA and what looked like Peters. With the equipment they had liberated from Liv¡¯s old place, Gwen and Liv, more Liv if Gwen was honest, could actually map out and examine Peter''s powers in detail.


    "First off, Peter, your powers aren''t spider-based, or yours Fel. I cross-checked the files on the formula against what was reported in other subjects and there is no connection."


    "I knew that, I didn''t have webs until Huntress" Fel replied and Gwen stared at her. Felicia mimed zipping her mouth closed and throwing away the key.


    "The spiders were a growth medium, the current Oscorp formula needs a biological entity for production and maturation. Spider bite with spider venom doesn''t mean spider powers. Comparing the serum you got, to the serum Felicia got, to the ones that there are notes on, they were all different."


    "Wait? Felicia wasn''t bitten at Oscorp?" Peter titled his head and looked at her, and she shrugged,


    "Nope, my dad stole a bottle of formula and I used it. It was feline, Black Cat? no? just realised that now huh?" and Felicia shook her head as Gwen cleared her throat, and Felicia smiled and shrank back down.


    "What we do know is that you''re a hybrid. The formula, whichever one it was, worked on the symbiote and fused you. Your spider-powers are a result of the symbiotes probable confusion over remnant DNA in your blood at the time, but even then, you said once you didn''t manifest webs until you fell off something so it was probably a regressive memory. We know the symbiotes can pass on information through their genes."


    "So, your actual powers?" Gwen shrugged as really they were so broad it was hard to pinpoint. "If you have a good idea of the general makeup of a device or machine you can replicate it by using symbiote cells as a building block. Add into that you can instinctively merge and control devices lead me to believe that your powers, uh,¡± and she sighed, ¡°we have no idea what your powers are. Really, you''re big, strong, fast but you can take over machines, create different forms of webbing, I mean, are they spider-based because of the bite, or because you think they should be?¡±


    Liv piped up, ¡°I examined the slides Gwen took of your cells and compared to the normal symbiote cells they are really something Peter, but to be honest they look more like stem cells than a separate organism. You''re a blank slate, your powers could continually evolve as far you can push them, copying machinery, taking over devices as long as they are suitably advanced. It''s just the start, but really, no microwave guns okay?¡±


    Peter huffed, ¡°okay.¡± He was trying to push his powers, the harness sat snuggly against his back, but he didn¡¯t wear it outside of hunting. He had wanted to try and make a weapon or something to give him more of an edge, and if he would make limbs why not a gun of some kind.


    "So," Gwen continued, "my powers are a copy of yours, but as we all know Poison was damaged when I was hurt, so it''s not as great. I can make and combine any kind of liquid chemical, as long as its elements are in my body, independent limbs or tendrils are too much, so thanks Pete,'''' and she stuck her tongue out at him, "but, I can make the formula, just only the ones in the notes or whatever you two were exposed to as I uh, sampled it," and Gwen winked at the pair. "My symbiote was weakened as Pete saved me, so her skin is thinner and she''s hypersensitive so thanks to that sex is fantastic, if short. Sadly that also means that as armour it''s useless, pain is amplified when I''m Poison not dulled as with everyone else. Plus she''s a toddler on crack if I eat sugar, so that''s out for me at least"


    sugar sugar yum yum, Poison echoed in her mind.


    "MJ has complete control over her appearance, Muse can transform not just her clothes, hair, eyes but also her physical appearance, as long as it''s not a huge difference. She uh, can also become male, her symbskin becoming a good enough facsimile of a penis."


    That got everyone''s attention, and they looked over at MJ who was hugging her legs up to her chest. "What? I was experimenting," but she had gone bright red


    "So, a chick with a dick huh?" Felicia said, and MJ rolled a small ball of webbing and pinged it at her. Felicia stared at Gwen ¡°but uh, how do you know?¡± and as Gwen turned and coughed ¡±you had sex with her like that didn¡¯t you? and you? Why are you okay with that?¡± but she spotted Peter was staring at Gwen with a grin on his face, ¡°oh you assholes, you double-teamed Gwen didn''t you?¡± but Peter just shrugged and kissed Felicia on the cheek. She couldn''t really be mad as she enjoyed Peter sharing their bed as much as any of them did.


    "I was trying to find the limits of my physical changes. Skin colour, hair colour, and eye colour are all easy. Breast size takes time, increasing and reducing my muscles are painful, and bone structure and length is out, way too much strain, but yeah I did, we tried it, so shush or it won''t just be Peter who stuffs you," and Felica stuck her tongue out at MJ this time, flicking the ball of webbing back at her.


    She wasn¡¯t going to admit though that it was a disaster, it had no sensation and was just a copy, a lump of symbskin shaped into something that just looked like one. There was no stimulation, no feeling, and in the end, they wrote it off as a failure. Not that MJ didn''t mind, she wasn¡¯t entirely sure what to think if she could grow a penis. Annoyingly though Gwen had loved it, and had made puppy eyes at her for future repeats.


    "Ahem," Gwen cleared her throat, "and finally Felicia. Like Pete you are unique. Enhanced by formula, she has enhanced senses, increased muscle strength and superhuman stamina, then add in Huntress who gives her armour like Petes. More stamina, more strength, the ability to sense both the low and high frequencies of light, or infrared and ultraviolet to those who don''t know, low and high-frequency hearing, and the ability to make a web line like Petes and stick to objects. Did I miss anything?"


    "I can make and form weapons, not just claws but larger swords and knives, plus I can uh, solidify them and throw them, but like Pete, there''s a limit to how many times I can do it. You think if I eat protein bars it''ll help?"


    Gwen nodded "Our metabolisms are all super high, I mean, ten larges between us and I can still be hungry an hour later, so sure. I don''t know exactly how much it''ll help but we need to experiment more."


    "Uh, yeah, I can also produce bioelectric shocks and um,¡± Felicia looked a bit guilty. ¡°I can also refract and reflect light around my symbskin, making me change colour or uh, invisible.¡±


    Peter shook his head "That''s just bullshit," but Felicia laughed and kissed him on the cheek. Peter had tried to recreate a ranged weapon with more than just webbing but so far had failed, even producing heat wasn''t an option.


    ¡°Again Peter dear, you missed the point, these ladies all gained their powers from you, so why can they do that but you can¡¯t? If you have a basic stem cell, a building block that they made into their powers, then you should be able to reverse engineer them. I watched as their symbiotes devoured your cells, they gained strength and power from you, so you should gain strength and power from them.¡± Liv explained, Peter was smart, one of the smartest kids she had met but really, sometimes he was so stupid it hurt.


    ¡°But, uh, how? I mean. Wait? Is that why they like uh you know?¡± and Peter glanced down at his groin.


    ¡°Oral sex? Really dear we¡¯re all adults here and there isn''t much we¡¯ve not seen of each other, let''s be grown-ups shall we.¡± and Liv shook her head in annoyance, but the other three all nodded. ¡°So all you need to do is return the favour, which is something you do anyway but you need the symbiotes material, so suit up girls.¡± and everyone laughed,


    Peter just shook his head great, cannibal aliens but he never going to complain about having sex with any of them, symbiotes or not.


    "Now onto weaknesses. We did some experiments and while I''m out of the running for any type of fighting both Venom and Huntress share a common weakness, hyperstimulation. The symbiotes heighten everything, emotions, feelings, pain, hormones and senses. It''s not a vulnerability to loud noises or electricity, it''s just a sensitivity to them. Even though Pete thought he was vulnerable to electricity, once he adapted to it, mild to powerful shocks can be grounded by the symbiotes. Once they are used to them it''s the same as our other senses, unless of course your symbiote is a stubborn bitch and refuses to listen."


    Gwen was salty, Felicia and MJ could go for hours in bed, but Poison was greedy and flooded Gwen with pleasure signals and endorphins as soon as her first orgasm hit, afterwards leaving her overly sensitive. After one drunken encounter it was so bad she couldn''t move, even fingertips brushing over her skin brought another wave of pleasure that screamed into pain.


    Poison of course didn''t listen, she wanted it now and all at once, even bribing her with cookies didn''t work sometimes. She had the attention span of a rock, sleeping most of the time until Gwen ate or did something to stir her and then erupting with childish glee and enthusiasm, overtaxing Gwen''s systems.


    Thankfully she thought chemistry was boring and Gwen could work in peace but eating, she''d had to switch to salads and decaf to stop the excitable symbiote from making mealtime a disaster.


    "And, while I was mad you even tried without testing, we know that Pete is bulletproof.¡± MJ glowered at Peter, who looked guilty and hid behind Felicia. ¡°And with testing,¡± Gwen also glared at him, ¡±We now know we all are, even if Poison is overly sensitive my skin is just as tough, she just whines like a kid about it. So, any questions?"


    "Dear, you said you could make the Oscorp formula, then, if I can be blunt. Why are you looking for Curt Conners?" Liv asked. She stared at her coffee cup, knowing the answer beforehand, she just didn¡¯t want to hear it.


    Gwen sighed, "because while I can make the formulas, I have no idea what effects it will have on you Liv. I never said because I didn''t want to make something that could kill you, or make things worse. Plus we also have the option of creating a symbiote to heal you, I mean, if I can get my head smashed then fixing your spine should be easy enough," but Peter shook his head,


    "I don''t know if I can unless Huntress wa-" but Felicia cut him off,


    "She refuses, Liv isn''t ''worthy'',"


    It was Livs turn to sigh, "I know dear, I just, I had to ask is all. But, don''t fret, I spent 16 years strapped in one stupid machine, at least with this one," she said as she patted the arm of her wheelchair, "I can eat what I like and have a handsome young man to help bath me," and Liv winked at Peter who grinned and laughed. "I appreciate the offer but, I can''t, I just, I, I don''t want anything to be in control, not even something like you ladies, it''s, I can''t" and they could see the panic on Liv''s face and Peter turned around and put his hand on her thigh,


    "it''s fine," he whispered and she patted it smiling sadly.


    "So, there isn''t much else, we can''t really do anything without major medical research, and the files we have seen to be more on Norman''s illegal activities, the symbiotes and formula are hardly in there but one last thing," Gwen said, switching off the projector,


    "Pete, I love you, I really do, but if you take my kettle apart one more time I will strangle you in your sleep."


    To which everyone nodded, Peter looked sheepish "uh, steam gun, you know cause I''m not allowed a microwave gun."


    "Wait, is that why my toaster doesn''t work?" MJ asked, "you asshole!" MJ began to make more small web balls and pinged them at Peter, who laughing lifting Felicia up and throwing her over his shoulder began to deflect them with her ass, even after she started to slap him on the back, laughing as he spun her around.


    As the trio laughed and fooled around Gwen just shook her head and sighed at Liv, "Coffee?" and wheeling her into Gwen''s home, leaving the three laughing and playing, knowing full well what it would devolve into.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Sixty-Eight. Black Cats

    Huntress and Venom had continued their clean up of Hell''s Kitchen. The incident on the rooftop made them more cautious but the streets didn''t get clean with caution.


    As they moved through each block, taking out any and all of the more unsavoury dens they found they hit their rhythm. Neither would exit at the same time, multiple exit strategies were devices and neither hunted alone.


    As the number of brothels to visit dwindled, Felicia began to notice a pattern, made more apparent by the scenes outside the warehouse. Not everyone was happy, not everyone was glad that the Huntress and Venom paid their workplace a visit. In fact, from the increased number of streetwalkers and the increased number of muggings and assaults Felicia knew they had made things worse.


    ¡°Pete, look,'''' and as the pair sat on the edge of the warehouse roof he saw that multiple women would be huddled together, glaring and threatening any outsiders who came near their patch.


    Even he had to admit that it was getting worse, making the normal coffee and pastry run to the convenience store now meant running a gauntlet of hookers and pimps all catcalling, and the police would arrive, break them up and less than half an hour later they would be back.


    He shrugged though ¡°I really don''t know what to do. Do we stop? Or let some operate, I mean, we have to do something.¡± It was an uphill battle. The more unsavoury places had been horror shows, and not everyone could walk away. Even Venom found himself phone the police on a few occasions as what they found needed professional help, not from the cops though, some of the girls were so traumatised they would be lucky to ever work again.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to do something but uh,¡± and as Felicia gave him a look he raised an eyebrow, ¡°I''m going to take over, like I said, maybe a new set of rules, ones to stop the worst would be better.¡±


    He nodded and half shrugged, ¡°I won''t stop you, but, if it''s your thing, then I won''t help either.¡± and she scowled,


    ¡°You won''t?¡± and he shook his head,


    ¡°I¡¯ll help but not help, Venom is a bad role model. You don''t want half of these guys to take shots at me cause they think I''m going to kill them,¡± and Peter was reminded of the news.


    For the past month, since John''s death all that had been in the headlines, all the JJ had plastered over the Bugle website was a counter. ¡®Days until Freedom¡¯ it proclaimed. Citing that until Venom was caught and brought to justice, JJ wouldn''t rest.


    Each time they went out, it wasn''t just the assholes they had to deal with, but making sure that nobody phoned either the Bugle or the police. A new ETF, Enhanced Task Force had been set up, Proudly shaking the hand of Justin Hammer they had better armour and better guns. Several units of officers, all with snub-nosed thick Hammertech rifles.


    This demonstration went smoothly and as the officers fired the bullets cut through the steel-reinforced concrete barrier like it was paper. There would be no second chance this time. A round like that would make both Venom and Huntress into corpses. The demonstration unsubtly pointed out that there would be no quarter given for enhanced individuals who broke the law.


    ¡°Make a new outfit then, practice like MJ and change your outfit.¡± and Peter slumped


    ¡°I''ve tried, it wants to stay black with the big spider, I can make clothing and the armoured form but it¡¯s always black,¡± and Felicia leant over and kissed him giggling,


    ¡°My big bad emo Pete.¡± and he nudged her with his shoulder.


    ¡°It should be yours anyway. You did work for this, I mean, your dad and stuff.¡± and she sat and frowned,


    ¡°My dad wanted me to be a thief, not a crime boss. You know he said, never tie yourself to a job, it''s stability that''s how they catch you,¡± and as she shook her head, ¡°but I like it here, I love you and Gwen, MJ¡¯s nice, but, not being alone is good, and making a difference is good. My dad, I mean, so what if he moved around and stole stuff, it''s not fun, working for scumbags who want the biggest shiniest rock just for what, a dick measuring contest.¡± and she shook her head, ¡°no, even if you cant help I want this, I¡¯ll start making rounds, getting these women help and making sure they¡¯re protected.¡± and she slumped back, holding her cup, ¡°you uh, could do the paperwork for me?¡± and he laughed and cuddled into her


    ¡°I can, but only to start with, get someone who can do it properly. Math isn''t accounting, and economics isn¡¯t business.¡±


    Felicia stood and stretched, ¡°yeah yeah I know I know, now come here a moment.¡± and Standing her shrugged and she pulled him over to the water tower, kneeling she winked as she looked up at him ¡°motivation to get my business started for me,¡± and as she kissed him and took him into her mouth, he moaned and gently ran a hand over her head.


    After their break and chat, Felicia headed out, dressed casually. She wanted to find out if a new network would get any traction. She had made inquiries before, leaving a card with some of the girls but this was starting to take a stand and draw attention to herself.


    A few groups simply glared as she approached and even as she handed over a card they shook their heads, none threatened her though, she could be thankful she looked young enough they weren¡¯t intimidated.


    She had printed off cards, with a simple phone number on it,


    Huntress,


    Black Cats


    For safety, for security, for anything,


    xx-xxx-xxxx-xxxxx


    It was her attempt to get a network done, even if it was something stupid as buying a girl who needed a meal a sandwich, it was something, and it was a start. With the morning over and over a hundred cards given out, she jumped as the burner number she gave out rang, and she answered it, unsure of what the person would ask,


    ¡°Hello, Huntress.¡± and a scared voice,


    ¡°Help, he won¡¯t stop. Walker on 24th,¡± and the line went dead.


    Felicia shouted into the warehouse, ¡°Pete, I know you can''t help but backup?¡± and he nodded. As Huntress shimmered and vanished Peter made himself a long coat and grabbed a cap. He had on the undersuit he¡¯d originally worn, and he could pull its hood over his head and sure, he¡¯d look more like Spider-Man than Venom but he didn¡¯t care. No one would call the cops on Spider-Man. I really hope no one will call the cops on Spider-Man, he thought to himself as he ran out the door.


    Huntress kept high as she approached the address she¡¯d gotten, and as she rounded a rooftop corner she saw. A young woman, lying bleeding on the side of an alley doorway and she slipped over the edge and dropped down. Clicking on her mic. ¡°V, a girl, let me check it out, stay at the alley entrance,¡± and he clicked back an affirmative. As she approached the girl''s wounds were apparent. Someone had taken great delight in breaking her nose, and her face was a mess of bruises. Cursing under her breath she crouched and moved towards the girl slowly, to make sure this wasn¡¯t a trap.


    ¡°Hey,¡± she whispered and as she got no response she gently touched the girl whose eye fluttered open and as she coughed, a thin line of bloody spittle leaked from her lips, ¡°I got your message, who did this?¡± and the girl¡¯s eyes went wide and she shook her head. Her lips were swelling, and a small amount of blood trickled from her mouth as she tried her best to speak.


    ¡°Can¡¯t. They heard me call and did this, promised to hurt me again,¡± and Huntress lay a hand on her legs.


    ¡°I can make sure they don''t. I have a friend, can he make sure you''re okay?¡±


    The girl nodded and winced as she tried to stand but Huntress put a firm hand on her ¡°Stay here,¡± and the girl nodded,


    ¡°Bakers Bar,¡± and her eyes flicked over to a green glass window at the other side of the street. Huntress nodded and as Venom approached he took out a roll of bandages and some wipes.


    ¡°Clean her up, I won¡¯t be long.¡± and as Huntress shimmered once more he nodded, and the girl flinched as he leant down and helped her clean herself.


    As the door swung open the bar went silent. In full armour Huntress walked to the centre in front of the jukebox and ripped the plug from the wall, letting her camouflage drop.


    ¡°So, you guys know anything about the girl?¡±


    In the dank stereotypical biker bar, the cut of the jukebox brought the attention of the bar patrons. To Huntress it was a Hollywood bar, rows of bottles lined the wall behind the bar, where a denim wearing tough guy, with grey hair tied up in a ponytail, served beer to similarly dressed men. Sleeveless tops and gang tattoos seemed to be the trademark look here and whatever the biker gang was, it was emblazoned across their backs, a flaming skull with a lit cigar.


    ¡°And so what if we do?¡± one of the toughs asked, and Huntress moved.


    As she grabbed his head, slammed it into the table, she lifted and threw him towards the back of the bar, where he landed with a thud on the pool table. Nobody moved, nobody said a word and as she straighten up,


    ¡°There won¡¯t be blood, there won''t be cops, or warnings, there won''t be a second chance. There will be pain and death, there will be a hunt and you will not see another day. You will stay quiet, you will behave and soon, very soon a new set of rules will come down to you. You will obey them, or what just happened here will be the best day of your lives.¡± and remembering something her father had given her, she flicked a pin on the bar.


    ¡°The Black Cats run the streets now, behave or get the claws,¡± and to prove her point her hand stretched and five large razors adorned one of her fingers.


    Drawing it along the bar, she felt slightly guilty about marring such a nice polished surface but made sure that she got her point across. And as she left the sliced deep into the wood she stalked to the door and was about to push it open when she heard the click.


    ¡°Fire and you die. No second chances.¡± and as she stood she could hear the rapid breathing of the man holding the gun, his sweat filling the bar with a sour pungent smell. ¡°We will not interfere as long as you play nice.¡± and with no reply, she pushed open the door and went out into the daylight.


    Her skin shimmered once more and crossing and heading back down the alley she found Venom, opening a backpack and the girl, bruised and crying as she drank a bottle of water and ate a small sandwich.


    ¡°Taken care off. You their girl?¡± and she nodded, ¡°drugs or whoring?¡± and she shook her head and then nodded.


    ¡°I warned them off. Call that number, once a day for a week, at noon. If I don''t hear from you, they die. If you want out, give me some time and I¡¯ll see what I can do,¡± and as Venom stood he handed the girl a twenty, and Huntress leapt up and onto the roof, he nodded at the girl and followed.


    As she stood on the rooftop, they kept an eye on the bar, making sure no one followed them and soon enough the girl walked back over. As she entered the bar there was no sign of a disturbance.


    ¡°Just leaving her?¡± Venom asked and she turned and looked at him,


    ¡°Or do what? You gave her twenty, can¡¯t always do that V. a sandwich and a bottle of water sure, but no money. We¡¯re running a business now. I need a pin, something to make the girls and I know what it is. I¡¯ll make sure shit like this never happens again, and that scumbags like those guys never touch another girl again, but no more charity. We help, not coddle,¡± and as she turned to walk away he pulled her into a hug.


    ¡°Big softy,¡± he gently whispered, and as she resisted the urge to knee him in the nuts for saying it, she still wrapped her arms around him.


    The Black Cats would make things better, she would make things better.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Sixty-Nine. Trouble In Paradise

    Peter had created a stamp out of scrap metal, and it was a simple task to spray them black once they had been cut out.  A small token, a stylised cat with white eyes, similar to her old mask had been made, the mark of her Black Cats. To be honest, Peter thought it was a great idea, and if he picked up one of those kids badge making machines he could probably turn them into more than just a token but Felicia had shaken her head, a token was fine for now.


    As word of the measures Huntress was taking got around, and her displeasure at the phone calls expecting free money reached its way over to Peter. Felicia realised the enormity of her task. Some of the more outlandish requests, especially the one to kill pimps or ex-boyfriends were shot down. Pimps could be warned but not killed, and boyfriends were domestic, she wasn''t some kind of angel, swooping down to give stern lectures to assholes who didn¡¯t buy their loved one¡¯s flowers.


    There had only been one case of violence but Felicia knew in her bones that more was coming. Those in power only agreed as long as it was in their best interest, and while she had heard back from a few girls letting her know they were okay, there were also two that had missed their check-ins.


    As promised Huntress, and the unnamed enforcer that followed her with a backpack of bottled water and simple meat paste sandwiches headed out and into the city. Hell''s Kitchen once more calling them into action.


    The girl in question, small and dirty with needle marks across both arms, had hoped to get money but Huntress shook her head. The network couldn''t support even twenty girls, she needed a base and as sad as it was she didn''t have the money to even rent one. She had even scouted out Liv''s old hangouts, only to find them both occupied with squatters that looked like they needed more than she did and she had quietly left them.


    This girl though was a hooker for one of the more notorious gangs, and once Huntress pressed that button she was going to definitely make herself known. What she found though was much much worse.


    The girl had OD¡¯d, and they found her with a needle in her arm, blue and limp over the toilet in her musty apartment. Felicia had stared, bare-faced and sighing, picked up the phone, called 911 and then recovered herself and left, silent and angry. Rule One was now in place, no exploiting anyone, not for money, not for drugs. If they would hook a girl on anything to make her compliant then Huntress would feed them their tainted shit back to them once needle at a time.


    The second girl was a different story, it was obvious she had been attacked but as she recounted the story, a man in red had swooped down, beaten her attacker, given her the number of a women''s shelter and then left.


    Back at the warehouse, Felicia called up old newspapers online, looking for a mention of a man in red.


    ¡°A few, from years ago, mugging stopped, but that''s it. So he¡¯s either a new player or an old one.¡± The case was strange though. It was a robbery, a gym out in Hell''s Kitchen had been broken into, nothing much but the lockbox was taken and the next day the guy had been found, after he tried to pawn some stolen trophies, bound and hanging outside a police station, muttering about a devil.


    Whoever had taken the guy down stayed low and that was it. It was only now whoever it was had come back if it was even the same guy.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± and Peter shrugged as he read,


    ¡°Could be, same Devil name, maybe a friend, or maybe we shook the tree and a monkey fell out. Since I got my powers it does seem like a lot more have started appearing. Maybe Oscorp let out a few more,¡° sighing and sitting back down, ¡°maybe Norman is testing something else.¡±


    Liv had told them about Harry and his lab, but so far he¡¯d been quiet after the Gobin incident. If he was planning something it was being kept hush-hush and Peter didn''t think that another costumed vigilante was Harry¡¯s style, after spending so much time with him, making sure his grades were high enough he didn''t think any kind of planning was Harry¡¯s style.


    ¡°We still need to be careful. If one of the gangs or crime bosses has gotten more enhanced we don''t want a repeat of the freaky four do we?¡± Felicia said bluntly. Liv had been a victim as much as the rest but it was still a fresh memory that a group skilled enough could take out Venom, even if he had backup and John''s rifle shot had knocked Huntress on her ass long enough that someone else better than Spider-Man could have finished her off. The risks were becoming more apparent, and so was the danger.


    Peter leant back, sliding his coffee with him, ¡°So, maybe try and find the guy. Why wait until he¡¯s breathing down our necks. If he¡¯s after your girls, maybe we find out where he actually stands before condemning him. I mean, he gave her a shelter number, we never thought of that,¡± and Felicia had to admit he was right.


    She was so used to just phoning the cops or leaving the situation alone, she had never thought to use the resources available. Pro bono lawyers, free clinics, and the many homeless shelters that would take in not just the homeless but vulnerable women.


    ¡°Am I over my head?¡± she asked and as he frowned.


    ¡°Nope, just new, can''t run an empire without breaking a few eggs.¡±


    ¡°That, that doesn''t make sense Pete,¡± but she still smiled as he grinned at her.


    ¡°It¡¯s new, it''s a learning experience, just think of it as a giant math club,¡± and Felicia groaned and buried her face in her hands


    ¡°You know I only joined to speak to you right?¡± and he nodded,


    ¡°Well, Gwen but not gonna complain,¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah considering you boned both of us last night you can¡¯t,¡± and he laughed


    ¡°Boned, what are you twelve? We made sweet sweet love under the stars.¡± and it was her turn to laugh,


    ¡°Cut the shit Parker,¡± and as she scrunched up some paper she tossed the ball at him, ¡°It doesn''t matter, but yeah, math club, president, treasurer, secretary, don''t do it alone, get help, delegate, I remember that,¡± and she paused, ¡°I think I still have it,¡± and as she headed into her home she shouted, ¡°hell yeah,¡± and came out holding a folder above her head like a trophy.


    ¡°My organisational booklet on how to run a Midtown Junior High School Club,¡± she said proudly and Peter just moved over and gave her a kiss.


    He still had his, and the teacher¡¯s notes he was given from her handbook, which gave a list of phone numbers to call for free supplies and other helpful advice, but this was her moment and he wasn''t about to ruin it.


    ¡°Right, President, me, secretary, uh maybe I could ask Liv, I mean, it would free me up to go out more?¡± And Peter shrugged, ¡°right, not helping, treasurer, you, or Liv,¡° and Felicia cradled her head in her hands screaming in frustration ¡°not enough people, even if you, Liv and Gwen helped we need more people.¡± and Peter rubbed her back,


    ¡°Start small, ask Liv if she¡¯ll help, I can do what I can, leave Gwen though, she¡¯s got college and the cream, its enough,¡± and as she threw the pen across the table


    ¡°Fine. fine, so, treasurer or secretary?¡± And he shrugged, ¡°not fucking helping.¡±


    ¡°Treasurer. Most of the money in the warehouse goes into my accounts anyway, moving a bit more isn''t a huge deal.¡±


    Felicia muttered under her breath, ¡°was that so fucking hard,¡± and he laughed.


    ¡°More dirty talk and you¡¯ll make it hard,¡± and she snorted.


    ¡°Trying to be serious,¡± and she reached an arm around him, and pulled him closer, pinching his rear. ¡°Okay, so you for money stuff. Sucking up to Liv for secretary, I agree with Gwen, and well, MJ is MJ and she¡¯s busy as well. So, three, it''s a start, first thing, phone numbers, cops are shit, so shelters, food banks, free clinic and free lawyers,¡± Peter coughed and as she frowned he motioned to the pen and rolling her eyes she started writing.


    ¡°What else?¡± and even Peter was stumped,


    ¡°What if we steal a building, I mean, some of those places were nice enough and it''s not like anyone is going to call the cops if we break into a crack den and clear it out.¡±


    Felicia leant back, thinking but shook her head. ¡°Cops, too risky, I don''t mind taking over somewhere with cash, but it just needs a hidden stash and the cops to show up and everything¡¯s gone. We don''t pay the bribes like they do,¡± and Peter nodded, frowning.


    ¡°Right, so then we do what we can. And uh, I¡¯ll speak to Liv, I''m sure I can persuade her better than you can.¡± and Felicia laughed


    ¡°Yeah, silver tongue,¡± and as he bent down she kissed him,


    ¡°Didn¡¯t complain last night,¡± but she pulled him closer and stuck her tongue in his mouth, stopping him from speaking,


    ¡°Sometimes Pete, less talking is good.¡± as she broke off their kiss. Smiling he picked her up and kissed her once more, letting his tongue explore her mouth and as she wrapped her legs around him he carried her into his home.


    Liv was not resistant to the idea of helping, but she did prefer it if she took over the finances and left the paperwork to Peter.


    ¡°It''s not that paperwork is boring dear, just,¡± and as Liv looked over the pile ¡°some of what is in these files are projects I was involved in, and I¡¯d rather not be reminded of the things I was made to do.¡± Liv had spent the last few weeks dealing with a lot of guilt, and even after Peter and she had consummated their relationship she still had trouble sleeping, suffering nightmares, even as Peter held her,  and days spent just staring as she tried to process what she had done. They were doing their best, but it would take time.


    Peter nodded, ¡°it''s not like I don''t understand most of it, and I can look up what I need if it''s something like the formula.¡± Thankfully Alexsi¡¯s files and Felicia''s weren''t the most detailed, and while they got a brief hint of what Norman had been up to it was more the drug dens and brothels they had been hitting.


    ¡°So, the Black Cats are now officially three¡± and making no fan fair she pressed two badges into their hands, ¡°Uh I got one of those things,¡± and Peter smiled and kissed her and pinned the badge to his chest. Liv coughed and as he grinned at her he leant over and pinned the badge on her too,


    ¡°That''s not what I wanted dear,¡± and as he kissed her, ¡°and neither was that,¡± a confused Felicia leant over and kissed her and Liv beamed, ¡°much better.¡±


    Felicia gave Liv a confused look but shrugged, it wasn''t like MJ didn''t have days when he slept with Gwen, and if that was the same for Liv, well, the bespectacled woman had a nerdy librarian charm and in a white blouse and pair of back rim glasses, hair in a bun and Peter snapped his fingers in front of her face,


    ¡°Earth to Fel, yeah, drool much,¡± and Liv just swatted him softly,


    ¡°If a charming young woman wants to fantasise about me then you damn well let her,¡± and Felicia realised she had been staring and had been caught.


    The now embarrassed Felicia went red and stammered, ¡°I uh, didn¡¯t and uh,¡± and Peter laughed,


    ¡°Cat got your tongue?¡± He teased her and as she caught what he said she stuck it out at him.


    ¡°Never hear you complaining,¡± and as the pair began to wrestle Liv just stared.


    Well, she thought, never thought a confession would lead to a fight, but at least it''s a start.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Seventy. Love Tap

    ¡°What I¡¯m trying to tell you Peter is that without help I can¡¯t do anything.¡± Felicia was exasperated with Peter. They¡¯d written a list, and she had agreed to it until she found out exactly what it entailed.


    Cleaning up Hell''s Kitchen was number one, she¡¯d already formed the Black Cats and began recruiting some of the more abused members of the streetwalkers. Not everyone liked having a pimp that expected sexual favours, not everyone liked having a pimp who¡¯d beat them if a target wasn¡¯t met, and soon enough she had classes running, teaching self-defence and more.


    They were also making deals with the cleaner places, giving the streetwalkers a quiet palace to work if they wanted and making sure the more abusive pimps were warned at first, and then not given a second chance if they didn¡¯t listen. The results were astounding. The streets were quieter again and Felicia felt she was making a difference.


    It was great, she¡¯d begun to clean out most of Hell''s Kitchen''s more obvious operations already and anyone who was in the know knew to stay quiet or risk the Huntress coming after them. The files Peter had taken from Alexsi were already paying off. Huntress was on a campaign of fear and it was making an impact.


    It was item number two that irked her, while Peter tended to Liv she had to also find Curt Conners. While she was building the contacts, she didn¡¯t have the time.


    Trudging from safe house to safe house took her away from her job, running the streets and right now, the delicate balance of loyalty and understanding towards a new boss was thinning. If she didn¡¯t keep a presence in the streets they would gut her, and Peter didn¡¯t seem to understand that.


    ¡°No, I get it, you need help,¡± he said, shaking his head, ¡°so what do you need?¡±


    Felicia thanked her maker and slipped a map down on the table, ¡°sewers, all the hideouts we¡¯ve checked capable of hiding him are clean, the only place we can¡¯t go is the sewers.¡± Of course, it was the sewers. Living underground would be the perfect place to hide in New York as there were hundreds of miles of tunnels, even more once you started to get into the abandoned network of old train stations and subways. Peter shook his head at the enormity of the task.


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t realise, yeah, of course, I can help, but uh, we need something better than one of us going down into the tunnels, even with better senses we¡¯ll never find anyone down there.¡±


    Peter stared at the map again, maybe Liv could help but he doubted Conners was stupid enough to go to any old hangouts. He sighed in frustration as he realised he might need to break his promise to Liv.


    As he stared at the map, copied from the local library he saw nothing more than a jumbled mess of old tunnels, there were too many ways to hide underground that with an army he doubted they would find anything. But he had to come above ground at some point. The sewer might have a good supply of rodents but clean water? Curt had to make an appearance for food, to work to earn money and even if he had access to hidden bank accounts he still needed to come up to get to an ATM. They needed to catch Curt as he made his trips above ground.


    ¡°Uh Felicia, don¡¯t get weird but um, could you come here a minute?¡± he asked, looking slightly worried,


    Shrugging, ¡°sure¡± and as she came closer to him he took her and pulled her into his lap, she giggled ¡°uh I know it¡¯s frustrating but, maybe later huh?¡± and he just smiled and grinned,


    ¡°Not what I¡¯m after.¡± Taking her arm he took a deep breath at her wrist, lifted her arm and took another, kissed her neck before taking another deep breath at the nape of her neck. ¡°Liv, come here a minute¡± and a frowning Liv wheeled herself from her home. She¡¯d been getting ready for sleep after a particularly tiring session with Peter discussing the new CLS system.


    ¡°Oh dear, sorry I¡¯m really too tired for that,¡± but he shook his head and motioned her over, ¡°Arm.¡±


    As she frowned and held out her arm he sniffed it. ¡°Different, much different, I can smell the formula in your blood, it¡¯s faint but mixed in with your symbiote.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you can smell my blood? What the hell Parker?¡± Felicia exclaimed.


    ¡°Oh shush. It¡¯s not like you never thought about it before. I mean hell, you can smell my arousal, so why can¡¯t I smell yours?¡± and Liv just smirked,


    ¡°I bet a lot more too. I did tell you symbiotes are hyperstimulated. You know I trapped Peter with a  test tube of my own scent, the horny little devil he is,¡± and Felicia looked at Peter who shrugged and she laughed


    ¡°Really? You got tricked by a bad guy cause you were horny?¡± and Felicia creased up laughing, explaining her thought to Liv. "You mean like one of those old cartoon wolves, love hearts for eyes, and a massive erection cutting a groove in the pavement?" and of course Liv found this hilarious as well, and the pair laughed as Peter grinned and shook his head.


    ¡°Fine fine, I don¡¯t hear you all complaining though, but my point still stands, for-mu-la, it gives a person a specific scent that can be tracked.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, a spectrum analyser with an electronic nose might be able to pick up the scent. Maybe buy a carbon monoxide detector and rewire it to detect formula. Gwen might be able to synthesize a small amount for us to use as a pure test sample. Oh Peter dear, make sure you get one with an electrochemical sensor, the ones that just go off once they absorb the gas would be useless.¡±


    Peter shrugged and knowing Gwen was at college right, now sent her a text, asking if on her way back she could pick one up for them. They had to wait for her to synthesize the formula anyway, so asking her to pick up the sensor wasn''t an issue.


    ¡°Now, if you''ve finished sniffing me, can I get some sleep?¡± Peter laughed and kissed the hand he still had a hold of and kissed Felicia as well he wheeled Liv back to her home and helped her get into bed. Her home had become more personal. At first, when she thought the group would eventually turn on her she had very little, too afraid to settle and make plans but now, with free time she was painting, doodling new designs over the ones Peter gave her and had several pictures on the wall, all her own work.


    Liv slid a hand over Peter''s cheek and he leant forwards and kissed her, ¡°be careful dear, the lizard formula was one of the most unstable things Osborn had created, Curt might be a rational man but as a beast, he¡¯ll be a monster.¡± Peter kissed her again


    ¡°Aren''t we all?¡± and Liv chuckled and shook her head, ¡°Now, shoo, I¡¯ll be a mess if I don''t get some sleep.¡± Peter pulled the blanket up, letting Liv grab it and making herself comfortable she took off her glasses and snuggled into the bed. Switching off the light Peter quietly closed the door of her home and headed back to the table with Felicia.


    She was sending and receiving text messages over several burner phones, the Black Cat network let anyone talk to anyone else, getting help where needed. The girls found that being able to talk to each other about bad marks or suspicious customers was making their lives easier.


    One current topic of conversation was that the streets had been quieting down recently. A rival, and prominent, faction had gone to ground, girls found themselves without handlers and several brothels just shut their doors. Felicia had tried to find out if there was a reason for this other than Venom but so far there was nothing. Everyone was unwilling, or too scared to talk and Felicia was worried.


    She knew from her father that this only happened right before a gang war, and with her Black Cats being the latest faction to emerge, she could put money it was a sure thing they were coming for her.


    ¡°Pete, I really don''t like this. If you want my gut feeling, something coming, Flash did say they are sending a heavy hitter after you, this might be it.¡±


    ¡°But why the underworld though, I figured Flash meant one of those other guys, not a hitman. Wait, ask if anyone has been asking after you or Venom?¡±


    Felicia tapped on her phone a few times and nodded, ¡°yup, a brothel out in the Kitchen reported that one of the higher up enforcers, Aaron, was snooping around, seems he¡¯s been shutting down places all day.¡±


    Felicia wrote down the address she had asked for and as she compared it to the list that she and Peter had made, most of the places closing were on their list to hit and shut down. Someone was preparing, and it was most likely for them.


    As Peter stared at the two lists he sighed ¡°Any idea who he works for?¡±


    ¡°Nope, some of the bosses like it that way though, we¡¯re not the only ones who wear masks, even if they aren¡¯t literal ones.¡± Felicia knew a lot of the bosses only worked through intermediaries and the biggest faction in Hell''s Kitchen was run by someone she could only find out was called Kingpin. There was nothing else. Whoever he or she was, kept their identity so secret that only the most loyal, and tightlipped, knew their real identity.


    ¡°Do we go after him? Or stay away and let him clear out the last few places we¡¯d shut down anyway?¡±


    ¡°It comes down to one of two things. Do we head into a trap or do we wait until he¡¯s prepared and finds us here?¡±


    ¡°I say we go after him, I¡¯d rather keep the warehouse out of it, Liv can''t defend herself if anyone attacks here and it draws a link between us and the symbiotes.¡± Peter shook his head, ¡°either way we¡¯ve got no choice. If he¡¯s being this blatant then he knows, and if he knows it''s a trap. If it''s a trap we either wait and he gets more time, or we attack and walk into it. It''s not really a choice¡± and Felicia nodded and tapped on her phone, ¡°I¡¯ll find out what places he¡¯s been, and see if we can find out where he¡¯s going next.¡± and Peter nodded and opened a cupboard to see what food they had.


    ¡°So, I guess, uh, burgers or chocolate? I think we¡¯ve still got some of those protein bars left.¡±


    ¡°Both?¡± Felicia bit her lip though and stared at Peters groin, and he laughed,


    ¡°No, that kind of protein might be good for you but not for me.¡±


    she fake pouted ¡°maybe after?¡±


    He nodded and kissed her forehead, ¡°as if you even need to ask.¡±


    Peter and Felicia both ate a pack of burgers each, and finished the last box of protein bars between them, before slipping out of the warehouse. Felicia could blend in but Peter still hadn''t figured out how she did it. He knew the science behind it, just not how to actually make him symbskin do it.


    ¡°Cheater,¡± he muttered, and Felicia giggled above him as he walked down the street out of the warehouse district and headed towards Hell''s Kitchen.


    Aaron had been making his rounds, trying to get the word on the street that someone was onto them. He¡¯d planned and had every minor detail he could think of worked out, all he needed now was the problematic pair to show up and he could lead them in his favourite dance. He checked his wrist launchers one more time, clicking the rounds in and out of the chamber to make sure nothing went wrong.


    The trap had been set, he made himself known to hopefully drag the Huntress and Venom out of whatever hole they hid in and then into the jaws of death.


    Everything had been prepared, and as Aaron looked over his equipment one last time he also added in one last thing. A smooth and small injector gun hung by his belt, the last resort. He knew what the pale blue liquid inside could do to him, and he knew that unless he had no choice he would never use it.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Seventy-One. Hungry Like A Wolf

    Huntress and Venom spied the last building Aaron had gone into. Huntress could see that it was empty, and that the man sat alone in one of the back rooms. They both knew that it was a trap, but unless they took the risk, they would never know who was hunting them.


    The why was easy enough. Muscle in one someone''s turf and you got the why. Money and power, and Huntress was busy snatching both away from whoever ran Hell''s Kitchen. It was that elusive figure that no matter who they beat, who they pressed never gave up. That person, even if it was a man or a woman, was the one they needed to get rid of to set the Black Cats on track. Right now it was too easy for them to simply swoop in, grab the girls, and Huntress would be back at square one. They needed to find out who was at the top and remove them, or there would be a gang war and with just Venom and Huntress, they would lose.


    Venom laid a hand on Huntress¡¯s shoulder and she nodded. He clicked on the comms they had bought, proper mics allowing them to go hands-free and hers clicked in return, both were set and both were ready.


    Venom held the bandolier of vials Gwen had made for them, various corrosives, but also fire retardants, and expanding foam liquids, as well as a cream, made from Peter¡¯s own symbcells that acted as a sealant and healing accelerant. They had no idea what kind of planning had gone into this trap and no idea what to expect. They had prepared the best they could and now it was just down to luck or brute power.


    As the only heat signature was on the ground floor, they decided to go in the front door, cliched but still the best plan. Working their way down could leave them in a death trap, and second-guessing themselves was not an option.


    Throwing and webbing the glass vials at the door hinges Venom and Huntress waited fifteen seconds before swinging into and kicking the door down. Nothing, no cannons fired, or missiles launched. The house itself was quiet, and there was no sound coming from any of the rooms.


    As Venom crept slowly forwards with Huntress lurking behind him, they edged towards the room holding the single person, Huntress confirming that they were still alone.


    ¡°I don''t like this,¡± Huntress said quietly into her mic and Venom clicked his own in agreement, ¡°the target hasn''t moved since we entered, this is definitely a trap, be careful,¡± and once more he clicked his mic to agree.


    Slowly they edged forward until they were at the door, Venom held up three fingers and counted down, three, two, one, and he barged into the room, pushing open the flimsy wooden door.


    Sat in the centre of the room was a workshop dummy, wrapped in a heating blanket and wires.


    Venom turned and grabbed Huntress as the room filled with bright lights and hot gas. Whatever explosives they had set off burned Venoms back and he roared in pain as his symbskin cooked under the heat.


    ¡°Shit, V, are you okay?¡± and he nodded, but he could feel the skin on his back bubble and flake off. There was still a residual burning and he figured that it must have been some kind of napalm or thermite, hot enough to cook anyone alive. They just hadn¡¯t counted on the thick symbskin and armoured harness he wore on his back. ¡°Spray me with number five,¡± he commed and as he turned Felicia saw the extent of the damage. Dark patches of symbskin flaked away to show cooked and blistered skin underneath. Gwen had made an emergency cooling gel, explosives or fire being top of their list for things someone would use to try and kill them.


    Huntress took the vial and liberally smeared it over his back and Venom appreciated the cooling liquid as his skin peeled and healed under his recovering symbskin.


    The room was empty now, everything had been burned away and a few scraps of plastic pooled and smelt bad in the centre of the room but nothing else. Whatever their plan was, they had either hoped that the bomb would incinerate the pair or, and Venom realised, they were waiting outside for them.


    ¡°Can you see through the walls and find out if we have company?¡± Venom asked.


    Staring out carefully through one of the boarded-up windows, ¡°we do, they¡¯re hiding but we do.¡±


    Someone knew about the pair''s abilities to see ultraviolet but had gone too far, where normal bright spots would sit on the tops of the building now sat cooler areas. Someone had active camouflage against thermal vision and she guessed if she switched to low light that several infrared lasers were being shone on the building, either too blind or track them.


    ¡°The bomb wasn''t the trap, the building was.¡± she commed and he nodded,


    ¡±up or back out the front door?¡± And Huntress thought about it for a moment.


    ¡°I bet the upper floors are trapped, to flush us out the main exit, there are probably snipers on the roofs, and I bet they''re carrying larger calibre than Steel was.¡±


    ¡°How about a new exit, then, think they know about your invisibility?¡± Venom asked and Huntress had to shrug,


    ¡°Don''t use it for fighting, so probably not. If they''ve got UV or thermal I¡¯ll be spotted though.¡±


    ¡°Not so good is it?¡± and she stuck a long tongue out at him.


    We can make us vanish, if the Venom wants us to, and Venom looked at Huntress in surprise,


    ¡°Uh, you can speak, out loud I mean, not just to Huntress?¡±


    We are not speaking out loud, we took enough of the Venom that we talk to you now,


    Wait, what? I can speak to the others as well?


    ¡°Uh, Venom. Can this wait until you know, we¡¯re not in a murder house with bad guys trying to kill us?¡± Felicia spoke, ignoring Huntress.


    ¡°Uh sorry, that was just, you know, different,¡± Venom replied, ¡°but yeah, sorry, eyes on the prize,¡± and he shrugged his shoulders and stretched. ¡°I''m going through that wall, then you stealth and follow after whatever they do is uh done I guess.¡± and Huntress nodded and she vanished from view.


    ¡°So cool,¡° Venom uttered to himself.


    As he sized up the wall he counted down, he couldn''t see if Huntress was ready and they agreed to stay off coms for now in case they were being tracked. Neither of them had much military training, books and the internet was the scope of their knowledge but it was better to be safe than sorry.


    Venom took a deep breath and charged the wall, chuckling softly as the last time this happened he brought a diner down on himself and his friends.


    As the wall crumbled and buckled with the full force of his charge, he felt the ting of rounds hit his chest and head.  And he hoped Huntress had the sense to stay hidden. He spotted several cloaked individuals, the thermal blankets were shrouded in a darker material than the roofs and he counted six in total. If one was the leader he had no idea which one was him, they all looked the same.


    As he peered around the street he started to hear screams, and looking up, saw Huntress grab and throw a sniper from the roof. He thudded into the ground and soon the street erupted in gunfire.


    Several large calibre rounds impacted against his armour and unlike last time they squashed and deformed without doing any damage. His armour had adapted after the last fight with Spider-Man and the Wallcrawlers, and simple rounds were mostly ineffective against it.


    Huntress was darting and skating across the rooftops, happily grabbing and tossing snipers from the high buildings, but as he watched a man, armoured and with some circular drums on each wrist, level and launch some kind of rocket at her.


    ¡°NO!¡± he yelled and launched himself up the building, leaping from one side to another to get to the man. Huntress was darted into stealth and he had no idea if she was fine or not, he clicked his comm, uncaring if it gave away his position, ¡°please, tell me you''re okay?¡± he asked, the worry evident in his voice.


    ¡°Nope, you need to give me a back rub later, and a deep massage too,¡± she laughed as he spoke back, ¡°very very deep,¡± and he laughed. If she could make jokes she was fine.


    As he got to the top of the roof the man, wearing what appeared to be the Mark Two Goblin armour he had seen in the archive footage, levelled a wrist launcher at him and fired. He saw the air ripple as the micro rocket streaked towards him and in a fit of curiosity caught it and noted the ''Hammer'' design on its side. The rocket exploded in his fingers, throwing him back over the edge of the building but other than a little dizzy and deaf he was fine.


    The rocket was painful and he didn''t want to repeat holding one in his hand while it exploded but once he felt the burning heat of the thermite his armour adapted, a burn-proof layer now coated it and he watched as his smoking fingers shed and reformed their armour.


    ¡°Not good enough, now tell us who you work for and we won''t make you eat one.¡± Venom pounced and the man rolled backwards and fired once more, several shots thudded into his chest and holding up the other arm he repeatedly fired.


    ¡°Prowler, call me Prowler and no, no talking, only fighting.'''' The man backed away and adopted a fighting stance, flitting from foot to foot with his hand raised.


    ¡°Fine, we fight then,¡± and as Venom lunged forwards the man side speed and brought an elbow down on Venom''s back. Venom barely registered the hit and rolled forwards, used the edge of the building as a step and leapt backwards and flipped over the man, spraying him with webbing as he passed. The man was trained, and fast, the Goblin armour was lightweight, barely past a prototype but it didn''t slow the man down at all.


    Prowler looked at the black sticky tar-like material gumming up his armour and tried to shake it off, failing he cycled his weapons and hearing them whine and click he knew they were useless. ¡°Neat trick,¡± and he pulled two batons from his belt, and with a swish, they extended out, ¡°saw the fight with Electro, let''s see if you like this,¡± and he swung for Venom.


    It was like watching a child fight with an adult, Venom sidestepped and ducked under each and every blow. Prowler would feign a move and Venom saw through it. Prowler would lunge and Venom would simply not be there when he stopped. Every time Prowler swung Venom was either out of reach or ducked and weaved away.


    Prowler knew he was outmatched as the brute moved, but he still had tricks. He did note the second enhanced had yet to join the fight, either the pair were overconfident he was going to lose or waiting for the perfect moment to strike.


    Pulling out several pellets Prowler threw them in a spread in front of Venom and as the armours filters kept his vision clear, the world lit up in bright starlight. Venom was stood stock still and Prowler took the chance and drove the cattle prod into his ribs, hearing it tick as the current ran through it and Venom.


    ¡°Uh, seriously, flashbangs, you just threw flashbangs at me and then jabbed me with this?¡± Venom reached over and even as Prowler tried to move away Venom was quicker and took one of the cattle prods from him. Shaking his head, ¡°I learned how to deal with electricity after Electro zapped me, and flashbangs after a certain someone threw one in my face, you did good, but not good enough,¡± and as Venom pointed Prowler resisted the urge to look, knowing it was a trap.


    Venom grabbed the front plate of the armoured suit and hoisted Prowler up and over the edge, dangling him several stories up and Prowler raised his hands in defeat.


    Venom grinned as he touched the cool plate of the chest armour. The Mark Two wasn''t designed for combat, its plates were just a prototype, built to hold the newly tested joint and power systems but whoever had stolen it had done a good job, not good enough though. With a modified neural interface Venom let his symbskin envelop the man. Liv had theorized that he could only interface with the harness and nothing else as it had a neural link, as did the Mark Two. Crude but effective he connected to the systems one by one and shook his head. It was barely functional, even with the added tech and without the pilot''s help, he couldn''t open it.


    ¡°Got your phone?¡± he heard Venom ask, and taking it in one hand, dialled and waited. ¡°Uh yeah, hi, it''s me, um does the Mark Two have a safety release catch, I don''t want to break it.¡± and Prowler was sat in there wondering what the hell Venom was doing, calling technical support for the stolen armour. If he could move he would have dinged Venom upside the head for being so fucking cheeky. ¡°Thanks, be home soon, here, catch,¡± Venom said once more as he threw the phone back to Huntress.


    ¡°Hey, dipshit, release the armour from inside or I let go and pull it off piece by piece, your choice.¡±


    ¡°How about I activate the self-destruct and you go to hell?¡± he replied, it had taken months of planning to steal this armour, he wasn''t about to let someone else steal it.


    ¡°Hmm, well,¡± and he felt himself being lowered ¡°how about I let you go and we keep the armour anyway, I''m sure I can fix it once I scoop you out of it.¡±


    Venom hadn''t bought his bluff and he swore. Fisk would be mad that he lost the armour but more so if he lost the armour and his life ¡°fine fine but you gotta let me go, promise?¡±


    ¡°You''re a bad guy, is that even worth a promise¡±?


    ¡°Honour amongst thieves. I¡¯ll leave and you get the armour, not saying I won''t be back, but for now, you win.¡±


    Venom looked at Huntress and she just shrugged. Venom never had anyone surrender before so what the hell. He put the armour down ¡°You''ve got five seconds or I punt you to Brooklyn.¡±


    Prowler activated the emergency release and gas hissed from the back as it forced the plates apart.


    Inside the man was handsome but pissed, and Venom could understand why,


    Venom didn''t pay the man any mind, he just shooed him and as Prowler walked away he felt for the last resort at his waist. Venom was stronger and faster, but not for long. Venom and the woman were busy lifting the armour suit. It was light enough Venom could carry it over one shoulder, and while they were distracted Aaron made a choice.


    Pressing the injector gun against his neck he felt the fire rage through his veins. His skin twisted and stretched, and Huntress shouted, ¡°oh fuck,¡± as the pair watched Prowler change.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Seventy-Two. Bad Dog

    His limbs thickened and lengthened, sprouting black fur over his body. His face cracked and reformed as a snout, and beady red eyes glowed eerily in the dark and he stared at them. His fingers cracked and lengthened as they grew into talons and his legs became double-jointed and as the transformation was complete, the new Prowler howled at the night sky.


    Venom stared at the giant wolfman Prowler had become, ¡°uh, shit, could that happen to us? I mean, I don''t really want to be a giant spider. Huntress? I mean, look at his guy¡±


    Venom was distracted and Prowler took the opportunity and swung for him, Venom dodged backwards, ¡°wow, what about leaving? see stupid bad guys,¡± and Venom swung back, and this time he was surprised as Prowler ducked underneath and returned the favour by punching his forearm.


    The blow wasn''t strong enough to snap the bone, but it was hard enough that it hurt, and as Venom shook his arm free, Prowler growled and laughed at him.


    ¡°Now who¡¯s got powers, bitch,¡± and he flexed his fingers, ¡°good, good, come on, let''s dance,¡± and he beckoned at Venom.


    Venom shrugged, ¡°Your funeral,¡± and he shrugged his shoulders and lifted his hands and got into his stance.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Huntress yelled, and the pair stopped, ¡°We want your boss, if we win, you take him to us, or you die. No running, no hiding, that''s the deal or I force feed you to the pavement right now.¡±


    ¡°Fine, you win I¡¯ll take you to him, I win, and you leave Hell''s Kitchen alone, no shakedowns, no more busts, you leave nobody sees you two again, deal?¡±


    Venom looked over at Huntress who nodded. ¡°Deal, but you won''t be fighting him, I remember you, Aaron.¡° and Felicia slipped out of Huntress and stood before him, ¡°remember me?¡±


    ¡°Shit, it''s uh Toms little girl, F something, you got one of those hard to remember names. Felicia, yeah now I remember, Tom had you train with us for a while. So still in the life huh?¡± Aaron stared at her, ¡°but it doesn''t matter, we fighting or what?¡± and Felicia nodded and Huntress spilled back out.


    ¡°We are. Venom, this guy is mine, I owe him from before¡± and Venom moved away.


    ¡°As the lady says, if you beat her then we¡¯ll leave,¡± and Prowler shook his head.


    ¡°A girl? you want me to fight a girl?¡± He remembered the small skinny kid shadowing them, who would turn away at the blood and violence, but now she wanted to fight him. Furious at his words, Huntress leapt, and he ducked and slammed a fist into her waist. She tumbled over, rolled and then leapt again, but as he dodged she brought her knee round and smashed it into his face.


    ¡°Just a girl who¡¯s going to kick your ass,¡± and he snarled as he wiped the blood from his muzzle.


    Prowler ducked under her fist as Huntress swung a left at him, but followed it up with a right, slamming it on his jaw, reeling back he swung out a claw and caught her on the side, spinning her round but she backhanded him on the other side of his face.


    He growled and kept himself low as she walked around him, Venom watching the whole time. He kept low, and as she jumped up he spun and lifted a leg, catching her in the side and sending her spinning. Capitalising on it he lept on her and began to pummel her face. Venom shook his head, he tried that and right enough she bucked lifting him up and brought both her knees together into his groin. Prowler howled as the incredible pain wracked his body and Venom winced as she¡¯d done the same to him. With him, however, she¡¯d apologised profusely and spent a good hour kissing the sore parts, but he knew Prowler wouldn''t get such kind treatment.


    He was right as she backflipped to her feet and laid a kick to Prowler''s stomach, sending him tumbling across the rooftop. He reached behind one of the air vents and grabbed at a rifle and fired. Venom watched as the RPG streaked towards Huntress, but he sent out a web line and grabbed it mid-air. Whipping the line it was sent shooting up to the sky, where it exploded.


    ¡°Fucking seriously? A missile? Do that again and I¡¯ll kill you myself. People live in this building, shit for brains.¡± Venom yelled at Prowler who tossed the launcher to one side and snarled at him.


    He had more tricks hidden on the roofs but it seemed that Venom wasn¡¯t about to let him use them, in case of civilian casualties. Fucking heroes, he snarled in his mind, always the fucking same, now wishing he¡¯d wired more than one building to use as leverage.


    He leapt at her again, swiping at her as she ducked under his fists, landed on his hands, and sent a newly clawed foot arcing towards her. Even as he absorbed the blow with crossed arms her symbskin was sliced evenly in four lines, some blood dripping from between them. He watched it heal, cheating bitch, he thought and crouching, pounced again. As he swept out his claws, Felicia ducked backwards and as he sailed over her two tendrils from her waist struck out, knocking him upwards, and as he straightened she grabbed his feet and swung him into the rooftop.


    Venom sighed, great, another power I don''t have, as he watched Huntress create tendrils of symbskin to deflect and attack Prowler with. Remembering the discussion with Liv, it wasn''t that he didn¡¯t have the power, he just didn¡¯t know how to use it, whereas Felicia apparently did. Maybe having good communication with your symbiote helped?


    ¡°Give it up Prowler, you can''t win,¡± Huntress said and he snarled at her, wiping drool and blood from his snout. While he knew she was faster, he was slowly gaining strength and a feel for his new form.


    He cracked his neck, ¡°not a chance little girl. I''m stronger than you, you ain''t shit against me¡±


    Venom shook his head, while Prowlers files had been good, armour piercing rounds, fire, and snipers, they did not contain the full story, they were not just enhanced, they also had the symbiotes.


    Felicia let her claws grow long, ¡°But I¡¯m better than you. So let''s end this furface¡± and she leapt at him once more. He ducked, but as she sailed over him, she webbed herself to him and yanked him over her, slamming him into the ground.


    As he tried to stand, she webbed his legs, and then kicked them out from under him. Wrapping the webbing around her fist, she webbed the other end to one of his arms and swung him back, landed a solid fist to his face, swung him again and batted him back and forth like a toy until blood and snot spewed from his toughened face.


    Attaching another web to his body, she whipped him up and when he slammed into the roof she followed by leaping and driving both feet into his back at the waist, he groaned and tried to stand, his claws slicing into the webs holding him


    ¡°I,¡± he panted, ¡°I can still fight,¡± but he was spent, falling to one knee he shrank back down into his human form and shook his head. ¡°No no I can''t¡± and he spat blood onto the rooftop. She had been a lot tougher than the files made out, the only thing he never got a chance to use was the sonic weaponry, but if blowing up a building didn¡¯t stop them, what chance did a loud noise.


    ¡°A deal¡¯s a deal Prowler, take us to your boss.¡± But Felicia threw something at him from her belt, a small packet of tissues and as Aaron sat on the roof he wiped away the blood and drool from his face shaking his head.


    ¡°Fine, fine but if he tries to kill you that''s on you, what he does is his business.¡± Aaron dabbed at a burst lip, motherfuckers were tough, I need to get back to Fisk to warn him, he thought.


    As Huntress moved to pick up the bleeding Prowler, Venom tilted his head and pulled her back. A round exploded a chunk of brick on the roof''s edge and as he looked around he saw a sniper still alive, but much further away. ¡°Asshole,¡± he spat at Aaron but the man raised his hands,


    ¡°Hey I had no idea, my crew was all here. I swear it,¡± but before he could complain Huntress sprang forwards and a swift punch to the jaw rendered him unconscious.


    ¡°We need him alive, go find that asshole while I take him somewhere safe.¡± Venom nodded.


    Sending out a web line he swung off while Huntress covered Aaron in webbing and hoisting him over her shoulder carried him down the fire escape. As he groaned she dumped him down on the ground,


    ¡°Hey asshole, where¡¯s your car?¡± and he shook his head, blinking a few times,


    ¡°You hit me!¡± he complained,


    ¡°Yeah, and one of your asshole friends shot at us, quit bitching. Where is your car?¡± and as he struggled, ¡°I¡¯ll free you but any more of this stupid bullshit and it¡¯s over, okay?¡± and he slumped down and nodded.


    As she cut through the webbing with a symbsword she could see the hate in the man''s eyes. The cost of betraying his boss would be high but right now she didn¡¯t care. This was a war now, and she intended to win it. His loyalty, while commendable, was nothing to her, but she still remembered the lessons her father taught her. He hadn¡¯t been too bad in the past, more than just a thug and in a moment of nostalgia decided to give him some advice.


    Huntress stepped back, ¡°No joke though, watch that formula, files don''t mention but it can cause mental instability. Why¡¯d you think Norman went nuts huh, he had all the files redacted, just the good stuff was left.¡±


    ¡°You shitting me?¡± Prowler said, looking at his hands, ¡°I might go crazy?¡± and Huntress nodded.


    ¡°You should be okay though. One dose isn¡¯t the end of the world, just, you know, ¡®cause of my dad. You get that much, but now though, boss or I won''t play nice a second time.¡± Huntress lifted a hand and her claws extended, moulding themselves into a long thin blade and as it slid into her palm she gripped it and pointed it at Prowler, "next time is your head."


    Aaron sighed and nodded, the formula gave them more than the reports had said, even when they fought they¡¯d held back. He had multiple locations set up throughout the city but each one would fall to this pair, even the modified Mark Two was nothing compared to them, now, now he needed to face the music.


    Wilson Fisk was not the forgiving kind and Aaron knew that after this he would need to run, he had a sister in San Francisco, maybe he could hide out there for a while. He considered using one of the other RPGs hidden on the roof, taking himself and the building out, but he shook his head, he wasn¡¯t suicidal. Loyalty didn¡¯t buy his life.


    "Yeah, we paid off the cops, you''re supposed to be a smear on the sidewalk right now, guess life''s like that huh?" Prowler said as he fumbled for the keys to his car. ¡°Come on, We''re heading to the Projects in Manhattan.¡±


    As she watched him limp towards his car  Huntress lifted her head and she could hear the sirens in the distance. The fight could have gone a lot worse than she liked and he admitted to himself that Venom was right.


    The asshole had used a missile in a residential area to get them. She¡¯d been lax and stupid, lives could have been lost today, not just hers or his but people just trying to live their lives without super-powered morons fighting in the streets.


    Venom had been right, now wasn''t the time for kid gloves. Now was the time to send the final message. His message in the last brothel they trashed was close, but not enough,


    Now Huntress needed to make sure they got her message,


    Play nice or I will remove you from the board.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Seventy-Three. Tactical Defeat

    As Venom swung away, he spotted the man lifting another weapon and pointing at him, as the shot fired it cut the line he had a hold of, and as he shot out another one, it was cut again,


    ¡°Not this crap again,¡± Venom thought, knowing it was the favourite practice of those damn Oscorp drones.


    Sending out two lines, he was shocked as two shots took out both lines, and as he thudded into a wall, he held and waited, keeping his eyes on the sniper.


    Yeah, I see you asshole, he thought, and as he felt the disturbance in the air he dived, shot out a web and swung towards him once more, as the second round impacted against his symbskin Venom shook his head in disbelief, an enhanced? There was no way a normal human could fire off that accurately or that quickly.


    The only saving grace he had, as he leapt from building to building, was that the rounds weren¡¯t large enough to penetrate his skin, and as he landed on the final rooftop he finally got a  good look at the man.


    Surrounded by crates of ammo, different calibre rifles, most of which Venom didn''t recognise the man just stood as if he was waiting,


    ¡°You know, I normally never miss, and that last shot, you made me miss.¡± Venom gave him the once over. Short, barely over 6 foot he was skinny and covered in tactical gear, a vest, with holsters carrying various knives of all sizes, shurikens and small pistols. The man was a gun nut, just a pity he was bulletproof. Venom could smell the chemo coming off him, cancer, he thought, not good. Dying people were desperate people, and he might have nothing to live for.


    ¡°It''s Bullseye, and you¡¯re Venom right?¡± and as he stepped back he raised his hands, ¡°hey now, lets not, okay? Aaron might have pussied out but I''ve got more than enough explosives wired up to bring this building down, so we¡¯re gonna talk, just for a bit, okay?¡± and as he sat down on a crate, he took out a cigar and lighting it motioned for Venom to sit over on one of the other boxes.


    ¡°So, talk,¡± Venom said, knowing not to go anywhere near anything this man had set up. Bombs, traps, mines, anything could be hidden in that crate, and Venom wasn''t about to give him his head on a plate.


    ¡°Suit yourself. See, Kingpin isn''t the only player in town, and a lot of people really don''t like you. Me, I just want to hunt something with superhuman reflexes. I mean come on, dodging a shot fired at supersonic speeds, and moving someone out of the way, that, that was impressive,¡± Bullseye said while taking a puff on his cigar, ¡°but, you made me miss and that¡¯s a matter of professional pride.¡±


    Venom shrugged, ¡°well, professional pride is great, but I really don''t like people who shoot at me,¡± and Bullseye laughed,


    ¡°John, right?¡± and he waved a hand, ¡°an amateur, he shouldn¡¯t have been there, and really, unclipping your rifle. It was a stupid rookie move. Don''t care about some idiot getting themselves killed.¡± and he stood and stubbed out the remains of his cigar, ¡°you know, I really don¡¯t want to kill you. I know what it''s like, they did things to me, horrible terrible things but at the end of the day. I¡¯m getting a huge fucking paycheck for this.¡± and as Venom took a stance, Bullseye took a few steps backwards and jumped from the roof, a rappelling rope tied to his waist.


    As the man disappeared, the box he had motioned to ignited and Venom found himself flying up into the air, boxes of ammo exploded and filled the air with deadly shrapnel and even curling up into a ball Venom could feel the countless sharp and ragged pieces slicing into his symbskin.


    Whoever Bullseye was, he had counted on an armoured target and taken measures to make sure he could hurt Venom. Venom had been stupid and as he sent out a line and pulled himself from the burning rooftop he scanned for where ever Bullseye had gone.


    His symbskin reformed and he felt the flesh underneath expel the metal and reform. He would need to make sure he got it all later but for now, he clicked his throat mic, ¡°Liv, get emergency services to my location. A new enhanced set fire to the building to get me, oh and phone in a bomb threat as well, asshole rigged the roof, who knows if he rigged anything else,¡± and she sighed and agreed then cut the call off. Normally it was rude, but under the circumstances, they knew it might be a distraction.


    Wherever that slippery bastard had gone to Venom couldn''t see or sense him nearby. He was using the smoke and fire as a distraction, and Venom knew he must be aware of his enhancements. He shook his head, so why didn''t Prowler do anything like this?


    Conscience. Prowler was protecting a business and had gotten desperate, Bullseye just mentioned the money. He was a hitman, didn¡¯t give a shit about anyone living in the area, and with the smell, probably had a pile of debt. Damn, need to be more careful then, Venom thought as he closed his eyes and let his senses envelop the area.


    He could feel the residual heat from the flames and the way it made the air swirl, and as he tilted his head, idiot, he climbed up higher and sprayed the area with sticky but fire-resistant webbing. Clever, he was guessing Bullseye knew how he was able to track the bullets and had lit a fire to disrupt the flow of air.


    As a round hit him square in the chest, deforming and knocking him back, his guess was proven right. It stung but hadn¡¯t penetrated his armour. The next one will though, Venom guessed. Bullseye was a hunter, and he was testing each and every one of Venom''s defences until he found that sweet spot. Venom knew at that point he would strike for the kill. There would be no talking, and no negotiating. This might be a target that Venom would have to kill, a thought that he was not looking forward to proving correct.


    Bullseye could feel the excitement as he watched Venom shrug off that last round like he threw a paper ball at him, the .70 cartridge wasn¡¯t heavy enough and he didn''t trust anything that hack loser had used. No, he would fire every calibre he had before he took that final shot. Venom was enhanced as everyone called it, but to him, he was just another target. Fast sure, but dumb, and if John had half of Bullseye¡¯s training he wouldn¡¯t be a smear on the sidewalk.


    There was no such thing as perfect armour. Stop the kinetic damage and there was always bleed through, simple physics one-o-one. Energy can never be destroyed, only converted, and that kinetic energy had to go somewhere. As Bullseye watched the symbskin reform over not just the bullet wound but the fire touched back of Venom he knew two things. One, a round big enough should penetrate the armour and two, that it needed time to reform.


    Plan number three then, he thought to himself and prepared to lead Venom over to another building rooftop. He had placed sensors over the buildings and as he glanced down at the small display strapped to his wrist he saw that he was getting pings of movement from the southeast corner of his arena. Nodding to himself, he picked up a small SMG from the drop points he had left himself and shot out a grapple line, climbing back up onto the roof.


    Right on schedule, he saw Venom coming back over the lip of the building across from him and giving him a smile and a wave, he started to run towards the north side. A rope and a small present for Venom were waiting there but even he had underestimated Venom''s speed.


    As he grabbed the rope and swung he felt the rush of air behind him as a clawed hand swiped at his back, Turning he lifted the small calibre SMG and emptied its clip, hitting but doing very little damage, as he tossed it away he hit the detonator and the lip of the roof exploded, showering them both in debris. Venom took most of the blast and as the pressure wave pushed them to the next building the pair rolled across the rooftop together.


    ¡°That doesn''t work,¡± Venom said to him as he stood and stretched the ache away but Bullseye shrugged, no talking while fighting, what idiot had a conversation at a time like this? He thought and rolled, picking up a rifle and firing at Venom.


    Shaking his head, a giant scary looking maw split and Venom roared at him, fuck, never mentioned that, but it would take more than sharp teeth to faze Bullseye, knives and bombs were worse than a rip off shark. He snorted to himself as he emptied the clip and threw the rifle away, fighting a shark would be harder.


    Bullseye had been paying attention to Venom and so far had been unimpressed. He had spent most of his adult life in the military, only moving to the private sector when certain war crimes came to light. He¡¯d trained and been trained by the best, and this guy, whoever was under that armour was a chump. A badly trained mess of some middle eastern generic martial art plus a few of his own moves thrown in. He was fast, strong, and that was it. Without those powers, Bullseye would have taken less than a second to kill him and walked away without a care.


    But there was no use in complaining about things that couldn''t be changed, he had those powers, and Bullseye had thought of counters to them all. As he rolled away from another swipe of those wicked claws, he moved over and rolled a grenade into the centre of the rooftop. He had chosen this one as it was mainly free of piping, with only the roof''s access shack and a single air conditioning vent on the other side. Open space with nowhere to hide.


    As smoke filled the roof, he switched on a pair of infrared goggles, Venom might have enhanced senses but as he flicked on another device the area filled with a high pitched whine, removing two of them was good enough for now.


    As he crept as quietly as he could over to the shack he lifted a pair of tonfas. Swinging them around and letting them rest along his forearms. Venom hadn¡¯t moved, and Bullseye figured he was adjusting to the smoke and noise, no matter, this was over, and half crouching he silently made his way over.


    As he approached and swung, Venom ducked and Bullseye figured correctly he was reading the air currents and pressed another switch on his wrist. On the top of the shack, a cannon raised itself up on a mechanical lift. Preset, it would fire off in a specific pattern at six-second intervals. With a whoomph, it blasted air into the smoke.


    As Venom turned towards the blast of air Bullseye struck out with the solid core tonfa, striking him on the back of the calf, testing how thick and protective the armour was and was Venom went down on one knee, he figured that small bullets were fine but larger and harder impact points still bled through to the man underneath.


    As Venom dodged away from him he waited patiently, following a faster opponent was suicide and as he moved and waited the cannon fired once more and he struck out, striking Venom on the knee this time. As Venom roared in pain he struck out once more, catching him on the shoulder before moving away.


    Venom roared in pain and swung out again, but Bullseye had already moved, amateur, he thought and after moving into the safe zone, waited once more as the blinded Venom paced the roof.


    As the last cannon fired Bullseye moved once more and as he struck out, Venom twisted, shot out some kind of sticky fluid and Bullseye was held fast,


    ¡°We found you and now you will surrender.¡± he hissed but Bullseye laughed,


    ¡°Nope, gotcha,¡± and twisting the second tonfa in his hand, he pressed it into the centre of Venom''s chest and pressed the top of its handle.


    As the small button on the top clicked a single large calibre round fired from the chamber, and as Bulleye had no need to worry about range this round was armour piercing. As it penetrated through the centre of Venom¡¯s armour and chest he was thrown backwards and against a wall. He coughed once and bright red blood trickled from that impressive but useless maw of his.


    Throwing the now useless weapon away, Bullseye walked over to the crate he had motioned to earlier. As he flipped open the top, ¡°You think I''m going to come over there and attack you, at close range?¡± and he shook his head, ¡°See, I bet that''s what you want, maybe got a nice sword or some big fucking claws. I saw the body cam footage, all rawr and spiky. Shit, I wish I had your powers, man I would earn so much fucking money it¡¯d be sick. But, well, I don''t and I''m not coming over there for anything.¡±


    As he leant over and pulled out a huge bore rifle, he slung it under his arm, ¡°I might not use a rocket launcher but at this range, it doesn''t matter.¡° And as he lined up the rifle Venom stared into the huge gaping end of the barrel.


    ¡°I¡¯ll never miss.¡±


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Seventy-Four. Hitting Your Target

    Venom bit back the agony of the bullet wound. He had never felt pain like this before, even fighting the freaky four at the diner hadn¡¯t been as painful as this, and he realised how stupid he had been fighting someone on their terms. Venom had walked blindly into several traps. He had been arrogant and prideful, John and every other fight had been a walkover as he relied on his powers. Bullseye was trained and, more importantly, smart.


    As the pain in his chest began to subside the man walked over and grabbed the much larger rifle from its case. As he slid a huge bullet into the chamber and lifted it, ¡°nothing personal kid, you just weren¡¯t good enough,¡± he said, almost sadly, as he rested his eye against the scope and aimed.


    Venom knew that even with his regenerative powers he wasn¡¯t going to survive a blast that powerful at this range, I¡¯m sorry Aunt May, and as he glared a whistling noise interrupted the pair and a three-pronged knife was stuck in the barrel of the rifle.


    Venom had no idea what they were called, just that ninjas used them and they reminded him of little pitchforks, but unwilling to let the opportunity slip by, and ignoring the huge pressure of pain coming from his lungs and chest, he lifted himself up and rolled away.


    As he rolled across the rooftop, Venom wobbled and then crumpled back down to the edge of the building. The first round had damaged his lungs, and while the damage was healing it wasn''t fast enough. It wasn''t until another presence entered his senses that he thought he had been saved by Huntress, and made a note to make it up to her later.


    A red-clad, and very toned and dangerous-looking woman stalked over the roof towards Bullseye, ¡°Bullseye, you owe me, and I am here to collect.¡± He lifted himself up and sat with his hands resting on his knees,


    ¡°Elektra, Elektra, Elektra, I know you want me, but I''m working honey, can you wait till I get home before we do this dance?¡± and for a moment Venom thought they were together. It wasn''t until she screamed at him and stepped forward, swinging a low kick into where his head was that he realised she was here for him, just as Bullseye was here for him.


    He rolled backwards and took a small dagger from his belt and began to throw them at her, ¡°Honey, I''m working,¡± he laughed and as he kicked out he scored small but painful-looking slices into her shins.


    As she fought Venom just watched, the symbcells were doing their job and he was healing. This woman, in a very tight red outfit, simple red shorts, red boots and a red boob tube, was amazing to watch, and as he stared he clicked his mic,


    ¡°Uh Huntress, I''m watching someone fight, Bullseye was uh,¡± and he was hesitant to admit he was hurt, Huntress and the rest would be very angry with not just Bullseye, but Peter as well. Shit, but he needed her help. ¡°Bullseye got the better of me, but now he¡¯s fighting someone that fights like you, a woman.¡±


    The mic clicked. ¡°You¡¯re in deep shit mister. What''s she look like? a woman covers half the population dumbass.¡±


    ¡°Tall, maybe about your height, long black hair, olive tanned skin, loves red, and has the largest-¡± but his description was cut short,


    ¡°If you say breasts I''m gonna hurt you more, but on my way.¡±


    ¡°Knives, I was gonna say knives, she¡¯s got those ninja trident things.¡±


    He could hear Huntress sigh, ¡°Sai, they¡¯re called sai.¡±


    As he watched the pair fight it seemed to be an equal standing. She was smaller and quicker, scoring gashes on his armour and forearms but he was equally impressive. Whoever these two were, Venom knew he was woefully underprepared. Thankfully the woman, Elektra, interference meant he could heal the burst lung and avoid getting his head blown off, and as he waited he kept a wary eye on the pair.


    ¡°Come on babycakes,¡± Bullseye said as he ducked under a palm strike and landed a blow into her stomach, ¡°I''ve got a job to do,¡± and as Elektra rolled backwards she threw a few shurikens at Bullseye who dodged back and batted them out the air with the tonfa.


    ¡°You killed my father,¡± and he shrugged,


    ¡°You know that¡¯s the biz baby. Don''t like the life, don''t fight the fight,¡± and he plucked a star from the wood and threw it back at her.


    She batted it away with her sai and raised them both in a stance Peter didn''t recognise. Bullseye stood, ¡°look, let me kill this chump first and then we can fight okay, but come on, you¡¯re ruining my vibe.¡± and she pointed a sai at him,


    ¡°Venom, yes?¡± and he nodded. ¡°You now owe me your life. I will collect later, for now though.¡± and she struck a pose in her stance pointing both sai at Bullseye, ¡°I will take yours first.¡±


    Venom watched the pair dance their deadly ballet. Neither one with the upper hand and neither showing signs of flagging. He now knew what Huntress meant, and what she had been trying to get through to Gwen and MJ. Training was no substitute for experience, and even training wasn¡¯t enough if the fight got serious. Bullseye and now Elektra were both trained killers and either one of them could, with enough preparation, be a match for an enhanced or a symbiote if the host was unskilled. Watching them he now knew, he was unskilled and unprepared. He heeded to stop underestimating his foes and concentrate on either making sure they couldn¡¯t fight or kill them.


    As Huntress crested the wall, finding Venom and touching him gently on the shoulder she looked over his injury, ¡°Shot at point-blank range?¡± and he nodded,


    ¡°Hurts too, he had special ammo, went right through my symbskin and took out a lung. I¡¯m healing but it¡¯s not great. If she hadn''t saved me I¡¯d probably be dead.¡± and as Huntress raised her head she saw who was fighting.


    ¡°Elektra?¡± she asked, and the symbskin mask slipped from her face as her old friend was busy avoiding blows from Bullseye.


    ¡°Felicia?¡± and as Elektra stopped Bullseye grabbed one of her arms, twisted it and stabbed the sai right into her chest.


    ¡°NO!¡± Felicia yelled and as her mask slipped back over her face she leapt, kicking Bullseye in the chest and separating the two, ¡°no, no, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry¡± she repeated over and over and Elektra coughed up blood. The sai was through her chest, up and sticking out below her collar bone. Even an amateur like Felicia knew the wound was fatal, ¡°Pete, god please, Pete save her.¡± and he crawled over,


    ¡°I don''t know if I can,¡± and she grabbed him, shaking him,


    ¡°Save her!¡± she spat at him, ¡°this is our fault, now fucking do it.¡±


    As he laid a hand on her, ¡°I really don¡¯t know if I can, I¡¯m healing, and I don¡¯t have enough to do that and save her.¡± and she growled at him,


    ¡°Fine, we will save her,¡± and as she screamed into the night, Huntress spread over the fallen form of Elektra and as her symbskin covered her, it pulled out the sai, throwing it to one side she cradled her dying friend to her chest as the symbskin retracted. Eletrak lay, blood pooling at her chest and over her lips, ¡°please, please don''t die.¡±


    Clapping, Bullseye reached over and picked up the large bore hunting rifle, ¡°well, guess that saves me finding you. Three for one sale. Must be my lucky day.¡±


    As he took aim, Huntress leant back and the round whizzed past her. Huffing and growling, she laid Elektra down, ¡°we will take revenge for you,¡± and standing, ¡°yeah been there, learned. Now. now we kill you.¡± and Bullseye fired once more, a symbsword grew from Huntresses hand and as she stalked towards him she swished every time he fired, deflecting the bullet.


    ¡°Good, good, a challenge.¡± and as he tossed the empty gun to one side he rolled and lifted the rocket launcher he had. He knew they could be tough, but now with one on two, it was time to bring out the big guns.


    As he levelled it, Huntress still walked slowly and sending out a web line gummed up the front of the gun. ¡°Stop being a pussy, fight me.¡±


    He shrugged, ¡°at least let me get a weapon,¡± and Huntress stopped and nodded.


    Laughing he lifted two of the same tonfa weapons and as Venom saw them he sighed ¡°that¡¯s-¡± but Huntress raised a hand,


    ¡°Don¡¯t care, he won''t get a chance to use them,¡± and as she lowered her hand he struck, swinging one and as she sidestepped her blade swished, and as he screamed, his hand landed with a wet thud on the roof. Spinning around him, her sword swished out once more and the other arm, cut cleanly at the elbow, dropped to the ground.


    ¡°We are Huntress, and no one touches our mate.¡± and as she knelt, a second sword grew and slashing them both Bullseye found himself staring at the darkening night sky. Sending out two web lines, she covered the stumps of his legs, stopping him from bleeding out.


    Huntress huffed into the cool night air. ¡°Tell us who sent you, and we shall make it clean and quick,¡± she held one of her blades across his throat,


    ¡°Oh fuck off, I won¡¯t tell you that, I mean, what else you gonna do? You cut off my fucking limbs you psycho cunt!¡± he screamed at her and she sprayed him with enough webbing to make a rope.


    ¡°We can do this,¡± and lifting him she hoisted him over to the edge of the building, ¡°now tell us,¡± and as he spat a huge glob of bloody phlegm at her she let go and stepped to one side.


    Stepping up to the ledge, she looked over and the mangled bloody remains of Bullseye stared back up at her, a blood-stained grin on his lips. A final act of defiance, but as she knew well enough, she held out a hand and as the symbskin blade slipped out she let it fall. As it pierced his chest he never even moved. His face still stuck, eyes open, grinning at her in some imagined victory.


    Shaking her head, ¡°how is she?¡± and he took a breath,


    ¡°Alive, barely. The symbiote is healing her but this isn''t like Gwen, she was barely alive, with so much damage she might not make it.¡± and Huntress shook her head.


    ¡°Elektra was a fighter, she¡¯ll be fine. So what¡®d you think she¡¯ll name herself?¡± she asked, moving over and sitting next to him. As the sun set, the pair watched and Elektra moaned and stirred slightly,


    ¡°Dunno, don''t know her well enough., but uh, who is she?¡± Huntress rested her head on his shoulder,


    ¡°My first friend.¡± and she sighed, ¡°But we need to take care of Prowler as well. Think Liv or Gwen could come and get her? I mean, we can¡¯t really leave Prowler in his car or Elektra on the roof, and not with all this crap. I mean, someone really had a hardon to kill you, Pete,¡± and as he got a good look around the rooftop he saw not just heavy machine guns but dynamite, pale brown blocks with C4 printed on the side, and a variety of bladed and blunt melee weapons. Bullseye had prepared, and he was lucky. Before they went any further he wanted to get the harness from Liv, these people weren¡¯t playing and he knew neither should he.


    ¡°I can watch her,¡± and the pair jumped. Venom was too busy concentrating on healing and making sure Elektra didn¡¯t die that he had let his senses drip, and Huntress was the same.


    ¡°Fucking shit.¡± Huntress yelled, ¡°Wait, who are you?¡± and the red armoured man raised his hands. He was tall, muscular and the dark red kevlar covered him tightly, on one side a pair of billy clubs hung and the other held a grapple gun and belt winch.


    ¡°Daredevil, but,¡° and he sighed and lifted his mask, ¡°Matt, Matt Murdock, Electra''s boyfriend.¡± and Huntress slid back her mask,


    ¡°Yeah, I know you, the lawyer guy she started seeing in college.¡± and Venom looked at her, ¡°What? We kept in touch,¡± and he shrugged,


    ¡°Fine, but she¡¯ll be mad when she wakes, and don¡¯t worry if uh,¡± and under his mask, he snorted and laughed quietly, ¡°yeah, just enjoy yourself, okay?¡± and as he sent out a web line he swung away, back to the roof where they fought Prowler.


    Matt raised an eyebrow at Huntress, ¡°what''s that supposed to mean?¡± he asked her and she shook her head,


    ¡°Asshole,¡± she whispered, Venom had left her to try and explain a hungry horny belligerent baby symbiote. ¡°We saved her, by making her one of us. She¡¯ll be confused and angry when she wakes, maybe horny and most definitely hungry. Have food, something she can smash and maybe a lot, and I mean a lot of condoms ready.¡± Daredevil just shook his head and slipped his mask back on.


    ¡°We will want an explanation for this,¡± and Huntress nodded, letting him carry her away to hopefully somewhere safe.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Seventy-Five. Lord Of The Jungle

    Much like Stark Tower on Fifth Avenue and the Life Incorporated building, the Manhattan Projects were a series of interlocking office buildings. Glass monstrosities that screamed money and bad taste, but the ones who commissioned them were assured that they would only grow in value.


    The car ride over had been painfully silent, Aaron webbed into his seat could only direct Huntress as she drove, and Venom slumped in the back seat as the strange trio made their way across New York.


    Aaron waved a pass in front of the security gate and ushered the pair in, ¡°uh, we need to check you for weapons,¡± and as Huntress and Venom stared at each other he shook his head, ¡°uh, right, you know you couldn''t just I dunno take off the masks?¡± and as Venom glared at him he shook his head, ¡°never mind, never mind¡±


    Through long the front entrance Aaron inserted a key into the elevator and pressed the button for the penthouse. As the tinny and bad elevator music played


    ¡°So, Felicia, I hear your dad is missing, any luck?¡± he asked nervously,


    ¡°I don''t really want to talk about it Aaron, it wasn¡¯t you was it?¡± she retorted and he shook his head.


    ¡°Nah, Tom was a good man, never tied down for one job, but no, no one in the biz touched him. He was just too good to waste you know.¡± Aaron wasn''t about to admit to the pair of lunatics that while he had nothing to do with her father''s disappearance it was a job they had sent him on that got him captured. There was honour amongst thieves but fuck her, he thought, after that beating he owed her shit.


    Felicia wished the bottom of the elevator would open up and drop the man to his death. While she was still looking for her father, she had a life now, friends, lovers, and a place that was her own. He wouldn''t understand that, but she would make him.


    The elevator dinged, and Aaron led them into a brightly lit office. It was expensive but sparsely decorated, a single glass table sat at the window end and they could see the back of a huge, much larger than normal leather chair facing away from them.


    ¡°I hope you have good news Aaron,¡± a voice rumbled from a large leather chair.


    ¡°No sir, no I don''t. I have two guests for you.¡±


    As the chair turned the giant man stood, his muscles bulging under the jacket that framed his massive body. Venom looked over and he figured the man must be 7ft tall and the same in width. A shiny bald head glinting under the bright LED lights topped off a fat face, betraying the man''s true stature. Venom knew from the way the suit creased and sat that he was all muscle, if there was any fat on him it was fake or just skin.


    ¡°I¡¯m disappointed Aaron, but you and I will talk later. I''m a businessman, so what are your terms, I assume you¡¯re here as you bested my man¡± and the giant pointed a finger briefly at Aaron. ¡°And Bullseye?¡± and Venom had to resist the urge to laugh, but keeping his end of the deal,


    ¡°Dead.¡± and the man shifted,


    ¡°A lot of people will be upset with that, Venom, but he won''t be missed.¡±


    Venom shook his head, he really didn¡¯t care. ¡°Our terms are simple, lay low, stop dealing in the more dangerous stuff, and we¡¯ll leave you alone.¡± Venom stated.


    ¡°Dangerous stuff? Guns, drugs, personal services. All these could be classed as dangerous, so what are your real terms? You give me nothing, and want everything. A business isn''t run like that. What did you offer Aaron to betray me?¡±


    ¡°His life.¡± Huntress stated, ¡°one fight, he won, we walked, we won, he brought us here. We gave Bullseye the same deal but he refused, so now he¡¯s dead.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, street rules, I like that. So same deal, well, I win, you walk. You walk so far away that if I see a kid in a black suit he vanishes. You and your girlfriend here move from New York. You win and I walk, I¡¯ll sell my interests to you and leave. I''m not an unreasonable man, Venom. A business can be rebuilt, a life, however, you only have one of those,'''' and strangely the man looked at the single picture on his desk, while Venom couldn''t see who it was, he recognised the slight expression of pain as it flashed over the giant''s face.


    ¡°Fine, you vs me. Huntress already beat your man, so you and me. Take all the time you need.¡± and Venom stretched, feeling his joints and muscles loosen. Bullseye had been a stark reminder that he wasn¡¯t all powerful, and he needed a win to get some of his confidence back.


    ¡°Oh, I''m fine,¡± and the man took off his jacket, shirt, and he had on a vest underneath and thick suspenders held up his tailored white trousers. Venom noted that he had thick black hair over his shoulders and down his arms, stopping just before it reached his hands.


    ¡°No gouging eyes, no groin shots. Proper street rules, anything else goes till one of us gives up and can¡¯t fight anymore.¡± The giant said.


    ¡°Uh one thing, how do we know you¡¯ll keep your word, I mean, I don''t even know who you are,¡± Venom asked before they started.


    ¡°Hmm, then a trade, Aaron, phone, you too girlie.¡± and Huntress stared at him,


    ¡±Girlie?'' Are all mobsters sexist?"


    Wilson shook his head, ¡°and what? You¡¯re calling me twinkle toes, so?¡±


    Aaron pointed his phone and Huntress did the same.


    ¡°My name is Wilson Fisk and I am the crime boss operating out of Hell''s Kitchen. I swear that if I lose this fight then Venom and his associate will take over. If I win then Venom and associate leave New York¡±


    He looked over at Venom, ¡°your turn.¡±


    Venom shook his head, "she''s the boss," and even Huntress looked at him, well, it''s true, this is your show. Black Cats, tending the streets, I''m the muscle here, You''re the boss.


    Huntress laughed and shook her head, Don''t you forget it, oh and you owe me. bed later, and you''ll find out exactly who the boss is.


    Felicia let her symbarmour slide back,


    ¡°My name is Felicia Hardy, and I am the Boss of the Black Cats. I swear that if I lose this fight that myself and Venom will leave New York, never to return. If I win then Wilson Fisk will leave and never return." As Huntress slid back over her she spoke, ¡°satisfied?¡±


    Wilson looked at Aaron, ¡°Tom''s kid? sure, yes,¡± and he shook his head. He was fine with who she was, it was her age that bothered him.


    Venom instantly hated the pair, they were young, yes but life wasn''t a picnic. He hated being looked down on and he would show them just who was in charge here.


    Wilson and Venom stood a few meters apart and they nodded to each other. Wilson brought up his fist in a boxer''s stance while Venom had a looser style.


    Brazenly Venom let Fisk hit him with a light jab, the man''s bulk hiding a quick arm and as the jabs thudded into not just his chest but his jaw and ribs, Venom felt some respect for the man. He was a normal man, and yet he hit just as hard as Poison did when they were sparred. Hard enough when Fisk threw out another hook to his jaw, Venom leant back and thudded a right into Fisk''s ribs.


    It was like hitting a rock. He had been right, the man was all muscle and he probably had less fat on him than Venom did, but it didn''t matter, rocks broke and crumbled, Venom just needed to apply enough pressure.


    Fisk dodged and weaved as Venom tried to hit him but the man despite his size was an experienced fighter and rang circles around the lesser man. Every now and again he forced Venom back with a series of blows, his longer reach driving Venom back and away from him.


    As Venom tried to close in, Fisk grinned and stepped to one side to avoid a jab, he grabbed Venom around the waist, lifted them both up and slammed him on the floor, which groaned in complaint. Venom felt the world spin and sat upon him Fisk drove a fist into his face again and again.


    Even Venom¡¯s armoured skin creaked as the heavier man rained down blow after blow. Venom felt his face armour soften with the blows and had had enough, he lifted with his waist, the one set of muscles that probably got the most exercise and lifted Fisk into the air, the bigger man tipping and Venom bucked him off.


    Venom looked at him, ¡°anything goes?¡± and as Fisk nodded Venom thickened the plated over his body, allowing the harness to extend and the four limbs waved menacingly around his back


    ¡°Fuck me,¡± Aaron exclaimed, ¡°you''re the multi-limbed, no wait huh?¡± but Venom wasn''t in the mood to answer.


    One limb would dart out and as Fisk moved to avoid it he would head straight into another, Peter had taken lessons from Liv on the use and control of multi limbs and Fisk was the punching bag for Venom''s anger at being bested by Bullseye.


    ¡°Enough!" Fisk yelled and the man swelled and grew, the hair on his body thickening and he fell on his knuckles, thick black hair covering his body and a line of lighter silver hair spreading up his back. Deep yellow eyes and vicious fangs now sat on his face, ¡°Silverback, neat name huh, you all have one so why not me?¡± he howled and charged at Venom, knocking him flying and then beating his chest charged over again, thumping both heavy fists down on Venom''s chest.


    Venom felt each heavy blow like a thunder of pain that echoed through his chest, his ribs and bones were fine but each blow made it harder for him to gain breath, and he coughed as the wind was knocked out of him. Fisk was now just as fast as him and he even wondered if he was as strong.


    Rolling to one side as Silverback charged again he attempted a leg sweep and Fisk grabbed his leg, smashing his elbow into the joint and Venom roared in pain. His leg was crooked and it popped as Venom straightened it back up. Tentatively putting it down, he winced as pain shot into his knee and rolled away again as Silverback charged once more.


    ¡°Give it up Venom, you won''t win, you''re not fast enough, not strong enough, and not good enough,¡± Silverback taunted him, and seeing the look on Huntress''s face she knew he might be in trouble.


    ¡°Good enough? One punch and you think I¡¯m not good enough? Try again short and hairy, you¡¯ll see who''s good enough,¡± and as Silverback roared and charged him Venom lifted himself up using two arms, webbed onto Silverbacks legs as he charged past and yanked them out from under him. ¡°I don''t need a leg when I''ve got 7 more¡± and two arms grabbed Silverbacks wrists while Venom laid punch after punch with the other two into his ribs, coating him with a layer of webbing to hold him down.


    Fisk endured the beating and tried his best to lift himself up, as the webbing held the floor ripped up as his fangs grew longer and his face wrinkled up, his arms bulged even more as more and more formula pumped around his system


    ¡°Shit, we had three vials,¡± Aaron muttered under his breath but Venom never heard him as Silverback roared and raged against his webbing. He tore off the patches on his skin and threw them against a wall.


    Thumping his bloody fists against his chest he charged once more and Venom sidestepped to avoid him. Silverback reached out with a dinner plate sized fist and grabbed on the limbs supporting Venom and swung himself around, feet first into his chest. As the limbs had anchored them down the pair went tumbling together and Venom landed on top, smashing a thick fist into the deformed face of Fisk, he had had enough of this, tired of being hurt he lost control and let his maw split open, his massive tongue sliding over the shark-like teeth.


    He would make him pay, not just for the women, but for the drugs, the pain, the misery he spread like a disease around New York, and finally for Bullseye. For the mess he made, for the building he destroyed, all to get to him. He laid the blame right at Fisk¡¯s feet, and now he would return the favour.


    Four limbs each thudding into Silverback left the giant man with no escape, two battered against his ribs and his arms while Venom pounded on his face and enhanced or not the effect was apparent. The snapping of bone could be heard and Silverback was left a bloody and mangled mess on the floor, Venom hoisted himself upon two limbs and roared. A limb slipped back, and as his symbskin slid over it, it formed a massive spike and hovered behind him, poised to strike at the unconscious Fisk.


    Aaron moved and stood over Wilson, ¡°Please, we¡¯ll leave, just please, don''t,¡± and he held up both hands in surrender, blood leaked from Wilson''s bruised and battered face and his arms were bent at an unnatural angle.


    Venom huffed and snarled at the man but Huntress ran a hand over his chest, ¡°you won, Venom, you won, calm please, calm,¡± and he took her hand in his and rubbed it over his cheek. Venom slid back and Peter stood there, ¡°you will leave, sign over everything, we¡¯ve got cash and you¡¯ll take it.¡±


    He just wondered how he was going to explain to everyone why he was broke again, maybe he¡¯d let Felicia explain, after all, it was her he spent it on.


    Peter motioned and when offered grabbed the phone from Aaron and deleted the single video he had taken of Felicia, throwing it back at him, "and this time, if you fucking double-cross us I''ll rip out your spine and fucking beat him to death with it."


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Seventy-Six. Demon In A Red Dress

    Elektra Natchios, the only child of the Natchios fortune, loved by her mother and father, always had an easy life. She was looked after, cared for, attended the best school, had tutors for classes she was failing, and also for those she was not. A child of rich parents she never wanted or asked for anything, and after practising ballet one day and seeing the class across the hall doing judo, she asked her father for that as well.


    Loving his daughter, he agreed and brought in the finest teacher he could find, and then another and another. Elektra''s love of martial arts spiralled and soon, it was everything. What made it worse for her father was that she excelled at it. She was a natural and as she picked up and mastered style after style he saw less of a daughter he could trust with the family business and more of a warrior, who would simply drive her enemies before her.


    Her mother was both kind and loving, and the day she died broke both her and her father¡¯s heart. It was not until many years later that Elektra learned the truth, and in doing so sought revenge against the ones that planned her death.


    After her mother¡¯s death, her father became a recluse. Venturing out only to take Elektra to school, or to the dojo where she trained. His own investigations into the assassination of her mother led him to befriend a man whose name she never knew, only that she was to call him uncle. It was his daughter however that slowly worked her way into Elektra''s life. As a child, the much younger Felicia would follow her around, and as she grew, mimicked and attempted the strict martial arts that she practised.


    Taking a liking to the young girl, even with a five year age gap, she would spend time with her, teaching her not just martial arts but to talk, how to act around the adults, and how to fight.


    At 18 she bid a tearful goodbye to the young woman, they were both heading to the States but as Elektra was enrolling at college, Felicia was being taken to enrol in high school. Promising to keep in touch, they send messages and letters to each other often, and after Felicia¡¯s father mysteriously vanished, Elektra would make sure the young woman was okay, sending her money and small packages of food and other niceties.


    At Columbia University, she studied business and finance, while continuing her martial arts training. Her father was now adamant that she studied as hard as she could, whatever demons driving him to find his wife''s killer made him aware of just how much danger that he and his daughter were in.


    It was at college that she first saw Matthew Murdock, being led by his friend Foggy Nelson. She was intrigued that a blind man could be so agile, watching his friend try and prank him while all the while being seemingly aware of what was going on around him.


    It was this intrigue that led her to follow him one day, to learn the secret martial arts that could teach a blind man to be so aware of his surroundings that she found him, dressed in red, leaping from rooftops to rooftop. Following he took her on a chase across the rooftops, his agility surpassing hers and as she stood, her hands on her knees panting and swearing in greek at him she spied him on a nearby rooftop, he mockingly saluted her and then dived away.


    The next day, she confronted him, but of course, no one would believe the blind student was running across rooftops. Storming away, she missed the small smirk on Matt''s face. It was not the first time she chased him, and not the last time he got away from her.


    The pair continued their little game of cat and mouse, for the four years they were both at Columbia University. Daredevil leading her into a famous den of thieves and the pair beating down the group, Elektra, leaving a trail of clothing, led him to a notoriously dangerous spot where he found a young woman being robbed and stripped, and he beat the would-be rapist almost to death as she made her escape.


    Over four years, the Devil and his temptress played cat and mouse with each other, neither winning and neither willing to concede. Even when the game moved into the bedroom it continued, and as each was their first they learned and grew and loved together.


    In her last year, Elektra''s father left her a cryptic message. He had found them, and after that, nothing. Waking the next day she received the call, and heard the news. Hugo Natchios had been found, murdered and behind him, the sign of a notorious contract killer, two concentric circles with a cross drawn through them. Bullseye. Electra had no choice. After a tearful goodbye, she left and travelled the world, seeking out the trail her father had followed and clues to find out who the identity of Bullseye was.


    Her trail left her to japan, where a group calling themselves the Chaste offered to help. She had heard of the group before, late nights training with Matt often brought up the name of his mentor, and after a year of their teachings one day, she was summoned to her master¡¯s study.


    There, waiting with a downcast Matt, was the old man. He stared at her and with a wave of his hand, dismissed the woman from not just his sight, but the organisation. As she yelled, inconsolable, he prodded her with his cane and the pair fought. Elektra''s master held Matt back, while Stick was relentless.


    Taunting her over the death of her father, taunting her over the love of Matt she was outclassed and outmatched. Leaving her broken and bleeding on the training room floor, his final words to her only served to steal her resolve against both the ones who killed her father but now, the Chaste as well.


    ¡°Your father was consumed by his revenge, as have you been. I will not allow my adopted son to fall victim to such a woman¡±


    Matt could only watch as Elektra, lying on the floor of the dojo, half yelling and half crying as Stick shook his head and led him away. It was four years later that Elektra met Matt again, and their reunion was not a pleasant one.


    Elektra had been true to her word. She had joined, infiltrated and then destroyed any gangs or organisations that held ties to not just Bullseye but any rumour they had been complicit in her father¡¯s murder.


    As she investigated, she found that not only was it the same group responsible for his death but also her mothers. As she looked, it had been a warning at first but as she scrapped more and more of the lies and deceit away she found a single name.


    Embarrassed by her behaviour and the illegitimate child she carried, a single man had plotted and paid for the downfall of the Natchios family. He paid a group to attack the boat her mother was on, killing her. He paid for Bullseye to attack and remove her father, who after she followed more and more leads had come to realise just who the killer was.


    As she stood, dressed in her white Kusari, she slipped quietly into the office of the man responsible for all the death in her life.


    ¡°I assume you''re finally here to end it sister?¡± a rather plain and boring middle-aged man asked.


    Elektra had found out less than a week ago that it was her older brother. Tired of facing the bullying over his mothers supposedly promiscuous ways he had arranged the small group of men to kill not just her, but the young Elektra as well. He had found the documents, that Elektra was illegitimate in his father''s study, after looking for a financial report on the Natchios empire. He had been written out of the will and disappeared. Until she dug far enough, Elektra didn¡¯t even know he existed.


    Enraged by the betrayal he hatched the plan, and it was only his father being called away on sudden business and Elektra taking a holiday with him that saved them.


    As a normal, middle-aged, and balding businessman he could only gasp and die as Electra drove her sword through his chest. Taking a small finger of blood she drew the marking she had seen over her father¡¯s corpse on the wall, in blood, with


    ¡°You are next¡±


    As the blood of her brother stained her clothing, from that day forward everything she wore while searching for Bullseye was no longer white.


    She had become Elektra, the Devil in Red. And nothing would stop her from her revenge.


    She had tracked him across Europe and then back to America, and it was almost comical. The man responsible for the deaths of so many, of her father, was dying himself. A rare brain tumour and he took job after job to pay for the specialist neurologist needed to save his life. She thought it ironic the one thing saving his life was laying a paper trail from her to find him.


    In New York, she found a crime lord was using his connections to call Bullseye to work, and she hunted him to hasten the process. He was an evil man, using slavery and drugs to build his empire and in the night she killed and took his men.


    Daredevil was not happy to see her as she had hoped. Her exploits, the wanton death of crime lords and their enforcers had reached him, through his mentor. As she smiled and walked towards him he had shaken his head and turned away, ¡°You are not welcome here, Demon,¡± was all he said before leaping off into the night.


    As she stood, the anger eclipsing the pain she felt as his rebuff she shook her head, tightened her fists and walked away. If the Devil needed no Demon, then she had no use for him either.


    She heard the rumours of a new gang, the Black Cats and while the name was cute and unusual their methods were more brutal. Huntress was her name and she was cutting a swath of terror across the nightscape of New York, helped by the man in black, Venom. She had heard of his involvement in the death of a policeman, but to her, they were just as guilty, as even she knew of the payoffs and services demanded by the corrupt element within their ranks.


    As she followed their trail, hoping to catch a glimpse of them she finally found her mark. Disappointingly so. Venom was trained, but it was by an amateur. She saw bits and pieces of a style she recognised but nothing good enough to stop Bullseye from killing him. He was special forces and had also been the recipient of several experimental treatments, one of which caused the very cancer now killing him. He wasn¡¯t on the same level as Venom but he was close enough this wasn''t a fight, it was a slaughter.


    It wasn¡¯t until her oldest and dearest friend called her name that she slipped. Of anyone to find hunting on the street it was her, and in the single moment of surprise, it was all over.


    As the pain of the sai driven into her chest blacked her vision, Elektra heard the distant voices arguing. It was cold and she knew she was dying,


    I got him papa, she silently thought to herself as a single tear trickled down her face.


    Unseeing, unfeeling she was barely warm when the creature touched her mind,


    We find you near death but we taste you and find you suitable for our offspring.


    and in the dark came a spark,


    We taste you, and wish to bond. You are death, and in your mind we find it. Hades, you may call us Hades.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Seventy-Seven. Crime And Punishment

    Matt was sore, tired, sore and hungry. What the woman had said, Felicia, her name was, Matt vaguely remembered a young friend of Elektras, whatever she had said was a small part of what actually happened.


    She had woken with a jolt, screeched an unholy noise at him and then this stuff, red and like rubber, coated her. She had attacked him and it was only by staying out of her way he had survived. Once she had calmed down a bit, she had sniffed and Matt showed her to the food. Soup was bubbling on the stove, fresh bread, sodas, and beer, pastries, and ice cream. As he sat he could hear her eat, no, as he shook his head, eat was the wrong word, devour. She slurped down the scalding hot soup like water and the rest of the food seemed to take only minutes to vanish.


    As he sat he heard her, whispering his name over and over and now he also realised why Felicia had said buy condoms. Elektra was forceful in bed, but never this forcefully and in the morning, as she lay gently snoring beside him he rubbed ointment on not just his scratched and aching back but his raw and aching manhood as well. Even with superhuman stamina and enhanced senses, given to him by the strange chemical spill, he hadn¡¯t kept up with her and his hands and wrists ached from dealing with her sexual desire until the sun rose.


    As he manoeuvred his way around his sparse apartment he flicked the coffee machine and it filled with water, as he slid the pod to make the coffee in, he opened the fridge and felt for the square milk jug, setting it on the counter next to the cups. As he lifted it and pressed the top of the sugar dispenser it dropped two spoons of sugar in each cup before he set it down and did the same with the milk. Adapted to drop in a set amount of liquid, Elektra liked her coffee black but Matt could never get used to the overly astringent taste and liked milk and sugar in his. Thinking back to last night, he left the sugar dispenser out and let the coffee percolate while he found and made breakfast.


    Too sore and tired to make anything he simply grabbed a few granola bars from the pantry and crumbled them over plain yoghurt and as he ate he heard Elektra stir in the bedroom,


    ¡°You should have woken me,¡± she said as she leant over and kissed the side of his face. After she finished making coffee she touched his hand gently to let him know the cup was there and sat across from him as she took a small sip of her own, laughing he could hear the small noise she made and he pointed his spoon at the sugar container. Adding in several more she sighed as she took another drink,


    ¡°I guess we need to talk then, yes?¡± and he paused and swallowed the mouthful of crunchy sour breakfast mix,


    ¡°Talk about the dead assassin, talk about Huntress and Venom, talk about the food and the sex, or talk about the strange smell and vibration you are giving off.¡± and Elektra put down her cup and sniffed herself,


    ¡°I smell?¡± and as she sniffed her hand again he shook his head


    ¡°I doubt anyone else but me could smell it, but yes, you smell like,¡° and he paused, ¡°honeysuckle, and fresh rain.¡± and she frowned,


    ¡°It is a,¡° and she huffed, ¡°creature, a symbiote, and it saved my life.¡±


    ¡°Which is another thing to talk about, then isn''t it,¡± and she huffed again.


    ¡°I was surprised to see Felicia, and I got distracted,¡± she said almost hesitantly.


    Matt threw his spoon into the bowl, ignoring the loud clatter it made ¡°distracted? Distracted, that''s what you call getting one of your own sai shoved up into your chest cavity, rupturing not just your heart, but one lung, and tearing open your oesophagus. A distraction.¡± and she stood and stared at him.


    ¡°I am aware of what happened Matthew, I was the one it happened to, you do not need to remind me how stupid I was¡±


    ¡°Well, apparently I do, because now you''re an alien, who smells like flowers and rain and vibrates so imperceptibly that I CAN SEE YOU!¡± and the sudden lifting of his voice made Elektra step back.


    ¡°You can sense me, even without moving?¡± and he nodded.


    ¡°Whatever you are bonded with sits beneath you, giving off energy, and I can see it. You glow, and you''re right there, and I can''t deal, I watched you die, I didn''t make it to the roof and I watched you die. But here, now you''re here and alive and vibrating and I don''t know, Elektra I just don''t know.¡±


    As she moved over she ran a hand over his shoulder, ¡°It¡¯s fine Matt, I can call Felicia and we can go see them, they can explain and we¡¯ll both find out okay?¡± and he nodded. As she smiled, ¡°but you can see me,¡± and she lifted his hands to her face, ¡°properly, see me, not just like this¡± and he snorted,


    ¡°I happen to like seeing you like this,¡± and his hands traced down her neck but stopped as they got her collar bone, ¡°You¡¯re still hurt?¡± and she nodded.


    ¡°The creature, Hades, she is healing me, but I need to eat, food lots and lots of odd, the more I eat, the faster she heals.¡± and as Matt turned and opened his fridge she sighed, that¡¯s not all she does she thought to herself as the memories of the warehouse, Venom and Huntress all poured into her mind. Last night had been a nightmare, a waking dream where Bullseye finally got the last of her family but it was swallowed by a dream, one in which a high school student spent days sexually satisfying not just her but her girlfriend, and many more.


    Elektra gave a small smile, she now knew Felicia was gay, with some small bi tendencies and that, with all the pain she had suffered, alone was worth it. Once she was better she would take her kitten, and as long as Matthew was not too jealous she might even see if Felicia¡¯s little group would accept them both. Picking up her phone she called the second number in her speed dial list, other than Matt, the only other number in her phone.


    ¡°Go for Black Cat,¡± and after making uh huh noises, ¡°you know where. Breakfast will be waiting,¡± and she hung up


    ¡°Well, I was going to ride you like a horse all morning to break you out of this stupid mood, but Elektra and a pissed off Matt are coming round, so make food, and, well, sex later.¡± and as she stood she stretched and Huntress became a mode sedate pants and t-shirt.


    ¡°Really? Here?¡± and she nodded.


    ¡°You need someone to train you, and Elektra¡¯s the best,¡± and after Peter gave her a doubtful look. ¡°That was a fuck up, there¡¯s always someone better Pete, but she can really train you, like kick my ass till I¡¯m black and blue and then go ten more rounds train you.¡± She grabbed extra mugs, and Peter moved to find what to make for breakfast. He figured that bacon and eggs would be good enough, especially if Elektra had been like the rest when newly bonded.


    Peter had seen Matt before, but as he got out of the car and his cane unfolded, Peter frowned and stared, he¡¯s blind? And as he came closer Peter could see the slightly unfocused look in his eyes and the lack of dilation as the sunlight filtered through his glasses. Elektra followed lazily behind him, strutting along the sidewalk with a huge grin on her face. He could see the lack of wound on her chest, as the tight scarlet top showed off her belly button. Whatever the symbiote had done during the night it was obvious she was perfectly alright.


    ¡°And you must be Peter,¡± she said with a huge smile and in typical European fashion kissed him on each cheek before kissing him firmly on the lips, ¡°Hades sends her greetings.¡± and a stunned Peter just stood in the doorway, while Elektra brushed past him and made herself comfortable at the breakfast table.


    Eletrka smiled as Felicia showed Matt into a chair, ¡°What is that smell?¡± she asked sniffing the air and biting her lip, ¡°You never said it was this good,¡± and Felicia shook her head,


    ¡°Sorry,¡± and hit the newly fitted air con. A fine pleasant-smelling mist filtered through the warehouse taking with it the sweet scent of Peters pheromone and Matt sneezed once but visibly relaxed while Elektra pouted.


    ¡°That was not fair kitten, I was enjoying it.¡± and Felicia scowled,


    ¡°Felicia, and it¡¯s rude, Matt was uncomfortable.¡±


    Elektra laughed, ¡°fine fine, but I believe breakfast was promised,¡° and it was Matts turn to shake his head.


    ¡°No. Explanation first. Why is Venom a high schooler? and why is Elektra this, thing?¡±


    Peter sighed, ¡°Want me while you cook?¡± and Felicia shook her head,


    ¡°Hell no, you ditched me last night, you do both,¡± and she poured Matt and Elektra coffee and sat back down with her own.


    Peter huffed and rolled his eyes. ¡°Fine. Oscorp, doing illegal genetic research into two things. One, a formula which,¡± and Peter took a sniff, ¡°you already know about, and the second, an alien hitchhiker, called a symbiote. I was exposed, and with certain things happening, so was everyone else.¡±


    Matt forward as he stirred his coffee, ¡°Why would I know?¡± and Peter stared at him, before shaking his head, he can¡¯t see me, idiot. ¡°You stink of it, the blindness yeah? Residual scarring around the eyes, you were exposed to a toxic chemical. It was Oscorps formula. I¡¯d have to ask Liv but yeah, how long ago was your, uh accident?¡±


    It was Matts turn to huff, and as he sipped the coffee he leaned forwards, ¡°About 20 years ago.¡± and Peter whistled,


    ¡°One of the first batches then, no wonder.¡± and Matt tilted his head,


    ¡°No wonder?¡±


    ¡°Uh yeah, it¡¯s really vile stuff, neurological problems, mutations, and well, I guess, blindness. We can get you checked out if you want, uh Liv is probably the,¡± but Matt shook his head,


    ¡°No, Venom. Why are you Venom? My eyes have been like this for years, I don¡¯t need tests and I don¡¯t need sympathy. Venom. Why are you Venom?¡±


    ¡°Wow, uh okay. Well, you notice the lack of actual police work in this city, see I did a bit of digging, and sure you don¡¯t make the front page, some nut in a mask and a costume, but Daredevil right, the Devil of Hell¡¯s Kitchen, some boogeyman scaring petty criminals. So, so what if I¡¯m Venom, I do exactly what you do, just you know, not as sneakily.¡±


    Matt snorted, ¡°yeah, subtle as a brick through a window.¡±


    Peter laughed. He was just like Felicia, brash, but he guessed as Elektra gave him several concerned looks, really a softy underneath,


    ¡°So, yeah, Devil. Can¡¯t really pick on my name, but as for Elektra, she¡¯s a host now. We can separate the two but, uh, what¡¯s your symbiote called?¡±


    Elektra let her symbskin slide over her and unlike the rest, it was a formfitting red outfit, no spider, but shoulder pads and a ninja mask, leaving her eyes uncovered, ¡°We are Hades.¡± and Peter nodded, smiling,


    ¡°Right, Hades is the symbiote, but if we separated them she¡¯d need a new host or she¡¯d die. It¡¯s not a parasite, it¡¯s a symbiotic relationship, speed, senses, a whole lot of powerups, and yeah, the emotional highs and lows are a bitch but they mellow out, as long as you control them,¡± and he gave Elektra a stern glare.


    ¡°We have been, we have used the Matt to work out our frustrations,¡± and as Felicia grinned and shook her head, Peter realised she didn¡¯t mean a fighting mat, and the reason for Matts limp and scowl was now apparent.


    ¡°Uh yeah, she¡¯ll calm down, you¡¯ll live,¡± and Felicia snorted and laughed.


    ¡°So, now we¡¯ve all shared secret identities, whats next?¡± Elektra asked,


    ¡°Stay out of Hell¡¯s kitchen, and there no problem,¡± Matt answered but Peter shook his head,


    ¡°After last night, that¡¯s impossible. The Black Cats aren¡¯t going anywhere,¡± Felicia answered, ¡°The boss that runs Hells Kitchen came after us, and we can¡¯t step back.¡±


    ¡°Then you answer to the Devil,¡± but Elektra put a hand on his.


    ¡°Matthew, calm. We agree. Your Cats do not allow everything correct? We have heard of you taking out dens where the filth gathers,¡± and Felicia nodded,


    ¡°Leave those to us. Matt, while you do not like it, why not take Felicia on as a client, you can monitor what she does and know that the Kitchen is safer in her hands, while you make sure those who stray are dealt with.¡±


    ¡°That seems fair, Venom will step back, leave things to you. It¡¯s uh, not a good time for me anyway, and I¡¯d feel better knowing there was someone there to take up the slack.¡±


    Mat shook his head, ¡°No, I¡¯m not working with crooks and thugs. Want a lawyer? Go to corporate and grab a slimeball. I do decent, good work, and I won¡¯t have that tainted by a murderer.¡±


    Peter laughed and shook his head, ¡°Everyone thinks I killed John, but nobody actually checks if I did. He fell, I was there but he fell,¡± and Matt cocked his head to one side,


    ¡°You¡¯re not lying?¡± and he frowned.


    ¡°Why would I lie, I¡¯ve killed, no question, but not John.¡± and Matt sighed and raised his mug,


    ¡°More? But this time can someone put milk and sugar in it, you think you¡¯re a big badass but your coffee is terrible.¡±


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Seventy-Eight. Legal Aid

    The rest of the day had gone much better.


    Peter laughed and started on breakfast, as Elektra had poured Matt a decent cup of coffee,


    ¡°You know, we¡¯ve got a few clients that can actually pay in the warehouse as well. Like Gwen needs a lawyer for contract and patent work, Liv needs a good criminal lawyer, and MJ¡¯s starting to get parts. We can put a lot of legitimate work your way Matt.¡± and Matt leaned back,


    ¡°Legitimate? Paying legitimate?¡± and Peter nodded and then gave himself an exasperated look and shook his head as he realised Matt couldn''t see him,


    ¡°Sure. I mean, Felicia and I are the only ones who actually do bad stuff, well, Liv¡¯s a fugitive but she¡¯s just caught in a mess that¡¯s not her fault.¡±


    Matt raised an eyebrow as the warehouse filled with the smell of cooking bacon,


    ¡°Fugitive from what?¡± he asked, knowing if Peter was Venom she was probably on the run as well,


    ¡°Uh, Oscorp. Olivia Octavious.¡± came a voice from her home. ¡°And thank you, Peter, you might have discussed this with me before you made my presence known.¡± and as she wheeled herself over to the breakfast table she stuck out a hand, failing to notice Matt''s sunglasses.


    Surprisingly Matt took and shook it, ¡°Matthew Murdock, attorney at law. Nice to meet you, and I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re the mad scientist that everyone''s been screaming about in the news.¡± and Liv just chuckled,


    ¡°Not so mad anymore dear.¡± and as Peter leant over and kissed her she lightly batted him on the cheek. ¡°Naughty, you will make amends for that dear, now, breakfast.¡± and as she helped herself to a cup of coffee, Peter went back to cooking.


    ¡°So do you all?¡± Matt asked and Felicia shrugged, ¡°Fight? No, just Pete and I, and the Black Cats are run by me. If you¡¯re my lawyer I will make sure you know everything, in fact. I still have Fisk¡¯s files to go through, if you want I can uh, maybe have some of the files disappear and arrive at a certain lawyers office. But it comes with a price. First, you leave me and the Cats alone, and second, Elektra, I want you to train Pete If you agree then we can maybe do that thing you asked about two years ago?¡±


    Felicia was teasing her. She knew Elektra had made a hasty pass at her on her 18th, and as she was still pining for Gwen, she said no and never thought any more of it. It wasn¡¯t until Elektra had given her that look while talking about a payment she finally realised.


    She remembered exactly how her first time with Peter went and until Elektra and Hades were bonded fully this would be the norm.


    ¡°Of course, we can just fight, and if you win, then I agree if I win, you train Pete.¡±


    Elektra laughed, ¡°are you kidding? you do that, and I¡¯ll let you win on the mat as well.¡± Felicia sat up, and raised both eyebrows at Elektra,


    ¡°Let me win?¡± she asked with a shocked look on her face, ¡°I seem to remember I won at least 3 of those matches,¡± and Elektra waved a hand at her


    ¡°Only as a way to keep my little kitties ego in check, we can''t have you all pouty and frowny can we?¡± and Elektra laughed softly.


    ¡°Really?¡± and as Elektra lifted herself up she gave Felicia a small cheeky grin,


    ¡°Deal, but let''s make it more interesting. We fight, and so there is no cheating, we get a referee.¡± and Felicia nodded.


    ¡°Deal.¡± and the pair shook before sitting back down, ¡°Matt, want to watch us spar? Seems we have a few things to settle between us before anything moves forward,¡± and Matt nodded


    ¡°I¡¯d like to see those files, and the work sounds good as well, they are legit though, I don¡¯t want to suddenly find out there¡¯s more shady stuff going on,¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°Gwen Stacy, Police Chief Goerge Stacy¡¯s daughter.¡± and Matt shook his head as he drank the now much more palatable coffee,


    ¡°And she¡¯s fine with this?¡± and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°Ask her yourself, she¡¯ll be up once the bacon is done,¡± and Felicia laughed as right on cue a sleepy and mussed looking Gwen, and a perfectly made-up MJ both walked out of her home. With Peter and Felicia out last night, and them both being alone they had spent the night together and as Matt took a breath he raised an eyebrow. Peter ignored him, the one thing most enhanced had was superior senses, and even he could smell that Gwen and MJ had taken comfort with each other last night, as usual, if Matt had an issue he could firmly but politely, fuck off.


    ¡°So uh, anyone wants to explain?¡± Gwen asked, grabbing a plate held by Peter and squeezing ketchup over the eggs and bacon. As the toaster popped she grabbed two slices and began to butter them as the group looked at each other,¡± Well?¡± as she took a bite,


    ¡°Daredevil, Elektra.¡± Felicia waved a butter knife between the pair, as Elektra buttered Matt¡¯s toast and made him a fresh coffee. ¡±Huntress saved her so we have Hades as well. We got Fisk and his guys but there was a problem. Bullseye, a killer got the jump on us, and yeah, we killed him.¡±


    Gwen stared over at Felicia, who was busy buttering her own slices of toast, Peter was sliding it into a toast rack and sat it down in the middle of the table. MJ was just drinking coffee and shrugged,


    ¡°So nothing exciting then?¡± and as Gwen snorted, Peter laughed.


    ¡°Really?¡± Matt sighed, he could feel they were all like Elektra, the clothing they were wearing gave off the same feeling that she did, and he knew, other than Peter who was almost completely invisible to his senses, that they were all just as dangerous. They were all acting like kids though, as he sat and listened they chatted, bickered, teased one another and it was just like a normal breakfast he would share with Foggy. Matt leaned back as he realised.


    ¡°Uh, Elektra, do you have my phone?¡± and she patted his hand,


    ¡°I don¡¯t even have my phone, someone was in a rush and we left before I could grab it.¡± while it seemed like she was balming Matt, the whole thing was her problem, as the first thing she did after breakfast was accost Matt in the shower where they had sex again, and then again. She had made him not just late to leave his apartment, but now late for work.


    ¡°It¡¯s just after 8,¡± MJ said, checking her phone, she had an hour before her shift started, as did Gwen before college.


    As the group ate, chatted and then split to head into various jobs, Peter cleaned up. As Felicia left with Matt and Elektra to head to Fisk''s offices she stared at his back for just a moment. She knew from the slouch he wasn¡¯t okay. His usual bravado was covering something and once she was home again she would either beat or screw it out of him. She knew that keeping a defeat like that bottled up could eat away at someone''s self-confidence, and Peter had already had enough problems with that.


    After a tiring and boring day, going over and through piles of files, both electronic and paper Felica had enough of the day. Asking Liv where Peter was she just pointed up with a sigh and wheeled herself back into her home.


    Felicia found him sitting on the edge of the warehouse, uncharacteristically for Peter, drinking.


    ¡°So, want to tell me what''s up?¡± and as he moved over she cuddled up to him, ¡°or gonna sit and mope around some more?¡±


    Peter lifted the bottle and took a drink, offered it to her and she took a sip as well.


    ¡°Bullseye,¡± and she frowned and sighed.


    ¡°It was him or you, no question, but what''s bothering you? It¡¯s not like you haven''t lost before, or-¡± and as he took a long drink he finished the bottle and popped the top from another. Looking behind him she saw this was his 4th.


    ¡°No, I want to never feel that stupid again. How do I tell MJ or Gwen I was so fucking dumb I almost got myself killed, or Aunt May? Bullseye played me like a tune and I let him. So much for being smart huh?¡± and as he drained the bottle he let out a loud belch.


    ¡°Yeah, that''s attractive,¡± and he looked guilty,


    ¡°Uh sorry.¡±


    ¡°Nah, you''re good. Look. Sit here and mope all you like. Pete. You fucked up,  but you think I never fell off something, think I never got hurt? Get back up, train harder, try harder and yeah, next time, cut his stupid head off.¡± and as she stood she looked over at him, ¡°but yeah, don''t tell Gwen, she¡¯ll really kill you,¡± and he laughed.


    As he looked at the empty bottles he knew it wasn¡¯t helping. He had grown used to fighting muggers and in the scheme of things, nobodies.


    Bullseye was a killer, Aaron was an enforcer for a crime boss and he was just a high school student. If he wanted to play in their sandpit he needed to be more than just that. It was time to stop making excuses. It was either take this seriously or stop altogether, half-assing it would get him killed. The past day had proven that.


    He could work with Liv and integrate the harness into his symbskin. That was a start, Huntress could provide better training and if Elektra was as much of a badass as she seemed, the training would be well above what Felicia could give.


    Gathering the bottle he took a look at the New York skyline. Felicia was right, moping never solved anything and neither did drinking. Action, not inaction was needed and he knew he needed to grow the fuck up. Play properly or don¡¯t play at all. No, he thought, that''s what got my ass whipped, don''t play, fight. and as he let himself back into the warehouse he nodded at Felicia who just smiled, shook her head and headed into her and Gwen''s home.


    The next day he stretched and began their work out, his night of stupidity was a memory and it was time to begin in earnest. Felicia would be spending the day with Matt and Elektra for their not so friendly spar and he was at a loose end.


    He flicked on the news and there it was, a building full of explosives and a failed terrorist plot. Their fight hadn''t been filmed but eyewitnesses gave reports of two costumed people fighting on the rooftops, against the Goblin, and as far as J.J and the bugle were concerned, Venom.


    While Norman had been crucified in the news, he was ranting on a conspiracy theory that the pair were in cahoots, and it was someone else disturbing them, the killed man, that had driven them off. Peter shook his head. J.J was a favourite of his aunt and uncle, and as the death of his son drove him further and further away from the truth Peter was saddened. He had respect for him, but the grief he was incapable of seeing past was making him a sideshow nut, and Peter swallowed the guilt, not at John''s death but the impact it was having. He wondered if Bullseye had anyone who was mourning for him and it was at that strange thought he shook his head, if not him, then there would be a warehouse mourning me.


    It was this hubris that was costing him. He had powers, and a good life and he was too arrogant and overconfident. As he watched Felicia slink from her home, barely dressed and yawning he poured a coffee for her and she slumped into his lap as she added sugar and milk to it,


    ¡°Stop fucking moping,¡± she said and as she wiggled he felt her bare cheeks press against him, ¡°Stop it or this never happens.¡± and to prove her point she kissed him and he smiled and grinned. ¡°See, you won¡¯t win them all Pete, you¡¯ll fuck up and we¡¯ll get mad, but it¡¯s this. This stupid depressing shit after, you need to stop. We won, they didn''t, scars heal, lives move on.¡± and as he wrapped his arms around her, ¡°and nobody likes a whiner Pete. God, it¡¯s so unsexy I want to barf right now. Man up and then you can nut up.¡± Peter laughed.


    ¡°That¡¯s not exactly how that saying goes Fel,¡± but she shrugged and let her symbskin retract from her top as well,


    ¡°And you don¡¯t want to?¡± and as he pulled her into his embrace,


    ¡°I never ever said that.¡±


    And his day began like so many others,


    ¡°For God sake you two, no sex at the breakfast table,¡± they heard MJ yell, and both laughing and grinning, they moved into a more private area to continue their activities.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Seventy-Nine. Black And Blue And Red All Over

    Matthew stood staring at the pair with his cloudy eyes. Felicia wasn''t fooled and she knew that he could sense just as well without vision as she could with. Daredevil was not someone to be trifled with and as they stood in a triangle in Elektra''s dojo she wondered how it had come to this.


    ¡°Matthew, you are the referee, not a participant.¡± but he just huffed,


    ¡°As if I don''t know what you have been doing here.¡± and Elektra shrugged


    ¡°And as I recall, you agreed.¡± she retorted.


    ¡°This is training for Kitten here, not some personal vendetta against my friend, a friend who I am more than entitled to spend time with. I do not recall last night being a burden when I did with you the same as I plan to do with her.¡± and Felicia frowned and bit her lip in annoyance. Begin in a poly relationship meant sometimes you heard things you didn''t want to, and this was one of those times.


    Matt huffed, ¡°You know I don''t mind, what I do mind is the leader of the Black Cats being trained to fight against people like me, the girlfriend of that menacing monster, being trained so he can fight better.¡± and he crossed his arms, ¡°the fact we share is no issue, only what he does in his spare time.¡±


    Felicia rolled her eyes. Matt was an idealist, and a lawyer and she had no idea which was worse, ¡°look, batboy, I don''t care what you think, we have an accord and we stick to that, nobody cares that you hunt the ones that won''t listen, nobody cares about Daredevil,¡± and as she saw the small wince from him, maybe that was the issue. Right now both Felicia and Elektra were dictating terms to someone who was always independent, always fighting for what was right, and nobody paid him any mind.


    Felicia sighed, ¡°Look, this is to decide what training Elektra will give me, no one''s expecting her or you to team up with Peter. Just me, just the Cats, to keep them safe, when you know, none of us can,¡± and the annoyance in her voice was evident.


    ¡°So, how about this then. Kitty dearest, we keep our arrangement, but Matt, we can add you in. If she wins, then you represent Mr Parker and make sure he stays within the law, you win and well, we shall agree to one of your wishes at least,¡± but Felicia eyes went wide and through clenched teeth,


    ¡°I do not agree to that,¡± but Matt laughed and shook his head,


    ¡°You''re a bit young Felicia, not in my strike zone at all.¡± he laughed as he smirked at her, ¡°How about, I win and the Cats stop selling drugs in Hell''s Kitchen, move back and let me clean up the dealers?¡± and Felicia thought about it.


    The drug scene was bad news to her anyway, the lighter stuff was fine, college kids wanting to get high or go on an acid trip was of no consequence, but the dealers wanted the harder stuff as well. She had agreed if only to keep the more civilised addicts getting a clean supply without having to resort to crime.


    ¡°Agreed, but only if you win.¡± and Matt nodded,


    ¡°But uh, eh, what did you guys bet on?¡± he asked,


    Felicia glared at Elektra who grinned at her, ¡°Oh nothing much Matthew, just a small thing, and it does not break our agreement, but it is personal,'''' and while Matt huffed Felicia was relieved. Even if it was only a spectator sport she had no wish to actually invite Peter to one of their sessions. Elektra was playing a dangerous game with Matt''s feelings that she really wanted no part in it.


    ¡°So free for all or limits on powers or what?¡± Felicia asked, while Elektra was a more seasoned fighter than her, and Matt had his super senses sonar thing Felicia was hesitant to unleash her full powers as Huntress, fearing that she¡¯d just hurt both their feelings as well as their bodies.


    ¡°I say free for all. The floor is reinforced as are the walls and we never really but loose, right Matthew?¡± and he was limbering up, stripping down to loose pants and a simple t-shirt.


    ¡°Right, but uh, she¡¯s just a kid, you¡¯re not worried about hurting her?¡± he asked innocently. He had heard the rumours about Venom, but as far as his senses told him, Felicia was a bit stronger and tougher than a normal person but that was it.


    ¡°No Matthew, I want to fight the Huntress, I have seen it and you cannot imagine how much she changes, how ferocious and terrifying she actually is.¡± and Matt just shrugged,


    ¡°Fine, but no suing if you lose,¡± and he gave her a wide smile, that had Felicia grinning back,


    ¡°You sure? Cause you know, this isn''t a game,¡° and Matt shrugged and began to warm up while Elektra changed. Stripping down she left herself in her normal outfit, tight red shorts and tight wrappings, and tying her hair back in a bandana she began to follow Matt''s lead and limber up.


    ¡°Not stretching?¡± Matt asked and Felicia shook her head,


    ¡°I don''t need to, the symbiotes absorb and break down any acid build up in the muscles as well as taking care of micro-fractures from the stress of fighting, Elektra,¡± and she shook her head, ¡±you don''t need to do that.¡± but Elektra shrugged,


    ¡°It''s a mindset kitty, you should, even if you don''t need to. To mentally prepare yourself to be ready to fight.¡± and as Huntress wrapped herself around Felicia and the woman grew to almost 7 feet.


    ¡°That''s my secret Electra, I''m always ready.¡± Huntress stretched and Matt''s senses caught not just her change in physical nature but the amount of pheromone she was giving off. A predator had arrived and all his instincts were telling him to run.


    ¡°Describe what she just did Ele, my senses are going nuts. Is this a chemical attack? Did you plan this?¡± and angrily Matt stomped over the Huntress, his head dizzy with the taste of pheromone.


    ¡°What? No,¡± and as Huntress slipped back, ''''Pete gives off a chemical scent, and I guess so do we when we use the symbiotes, no wonder everyone is so shit scared of us. Sorry Matt, you''re the first that¡¯s been enhanced without fighting, well, sorta enhanced.¡± and she stepped back and shook her head, ¡°We never knew, it just smells good to us.¡±


    Matt shook his head, ¡°Do it again,¡± and Felicia looked over at Elektra who shrugged and he shouted, ¡°Again!¡± and as Huntress slipped over her he stepped back.


    Felicia could see the sweat pouring from him and she could hear the pounding of his heart. As he stood staring at her she felt like he was examining every inch of her, and in his own way, he was.


    The cloud of pheromone coming from the creature was overpowering and every fibre said to run. His heart was hammering in his chest and he wanted nothing more than to listen to it, but he couldn''t. If he wanted to take down Venom, to fight one of these creatures he needed to control his emotions, his anger, his hatred of them, and he took deep breaths. Letting the pheromone circulate in his system he felt each nerve as it lit up, angry and full of fear, but he was the man without fear and he calmed his heart, slowed his breathing. As he took in more and more, his heart steadied and he calmed down, now he knew if he had to fight Venom, whatever the hell that was would be no problem.


    Once more took his stance. ¡°Now I am ready.¡± and with that, he launched a high kick at Felicia, who was too busy looking at Elektra to notice. As his foot sped towards her Huntress slipped out and she ducked, grabbed him around the thigh and leaping slammed him into the mat.


    ¡°Naughty naughty,¡± she hissed and she rolled backwards and Matt lay on the floor, stunned.


    Elektra laughed, ¡°she is enhanced and more Matthew, you should be aware.¡± and as he lifted himself up he shook.


    ¡°Are you that fast?¡± but Elektra shook her head,


    ¡°There is an adjustment, where the host and symbiote need time to get used to one another. I cannot use Hades to her full power yet.¡± she explained, ¡°and Hades is afraid she hurts you. It seems however Huntress has no fear in that department.¡± and Huntress laughed,


    ¡°We asked, and you agreed.¡± she hissed back.


    ¡°Okay, then how about we spar, just me, no fighting back. I¡¯ll forfeit if after one round I don¡¯t hit you, but if I touch you, then you''re out.¡± He really hoped she would agree. He was confident he could at least get one hit in.


    ¡°Sure, we agree, but with more. If you fail, then you pay for our next date night.¡± and Matt tutted but scowled,


    ¡°Sure sure, take advantage of the blind guy,¡± and he dropped back into his stance.


    Copying, Huntress moved into her own, and he circled, sending out a few testing jabs she easily avoided, as one sailed past her head a left kick followed it and she pirouetted out of the way and straight into another punch. Twisting she bent backwards and ducked underneath it and the real fight began.


    Kick followed punch followed kick as Matt threw out every move he could think of. As she moved and he sensed the direction she was moving to he sent out a limb but everything he did she avoided. Each punch, each kick, every elbow or knee, she was simply too fast for him, too agile and as Elektra watched the pair dance and weave she became even more excited for her battle with Huntress.


    Sparring with Felicia had been fun, and only her more generous combat experience gave her an edge but watching Huntress dance around Daredevil like he was a child was making her heart pump and her warrior spirit thirst for battle.


    ¡°Your win, I can¡¯t touch you, let me see it, fight back.¡± and with that Matt found himself being touched behind both knees, once on the neck and as he spun to avoid a blow to the face he found a large dark grey sword at his neck.


    To him, it was like fighting a ghost. She was too fast and while he could track her movements by the disturbance in the air, by the time he processed what was happening she had moved and was already moving once more. A fire lit within him. I¡¯m going to call Stick, he thought. If she was the new breed of villain, even if she refused to be named as such, then he either needed allies or more training. Stick had once offered him a more active role, he now knew he needed that, he needed to be stronger than Huntress if he was to keep the city safe.


    ¡°I yield,¡± he said, pushing the flat of the blade down with two fingers, ¡°So, I guess, I lost then huh?¡± and Huntress snorted,


    ¡°We were never in any doubt Matt, you are strong, but we learned that there are stronger than us in the world.¡± and Felicia slipped back, ¡°yeah, always someone stronger Matt, Better trained, better equipped. I try to get that through to Pete, sometimes it¡¯s not the powers, it''s the setup, you''ve got Elektra to help you, you don¡¯t need to fight alone.¡± but he still snorted and moved back to sit on the dojo floor.


    ¡°Nice pep talk, but she spends more time with you than me, uh can someone get me water, I don''t know where it is in your new place.¡± Elektra looked over at Felicia who shrugged and shook her head and got a bottle of cold water from a very obvious, and very loud fridge. If Matt had paid attention he would have heard it, and both women knew he was just being childish.


    ¡°I can run out and get a bottle if you want?¡± Felicia teased him as he drank and Elektra laughed,


    ¡°Poor Matthew, being picked on after being picked on, but do not worry, I shall fight for your honour my sweet prince,¡± and as she moved over she took her stance in the middle of the floor. ¡°I however will be using these '''' and she twirled two sai in her hand ¡°I am not as-¡± but Huntress dived forwards, grabbed her by the throat and slammed her into the mat.


    ¡°No weapons, and no talking¡± and as Elektra struggled under Huntress¡¯s grip, wrapping her legs around her head and feet trying to unbalance her she sighed and tapped the mat.


    Letting her go Felicia stood, and silently laughed to herself, knowing full well that Venom did the same to her. A fully fed and ready symbiote was not something to take lightly, the strength and speed boost was something neither Elektra nor Daredevil could hope to contend within a matter of pure power.


    ¡°We are Huntress, and until you are enhanced, there is nothing you can do to hurt me.¡± and the pair, silently cursing at her, agreed. For the moment anyway as both made plans to get their own back.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Eighty. Elek-Trick (NSFW)

    Felicia was sitting on the edge of the bed, and to her surprise, she was nervous.


    She had already talked to everyone, and even Peter had just looked at her and then waved an arm around the warehouse. ¡°If no one complains about this, then I can''t complain about Elektra.¡± That was all he said. Felicia knew what he meant, if he can sleep with anyone here, and everyone here, then he wouldn¡¯t complain about what anyone else does. Even MJ had no complaints. She agreed with Peter, it was only one woman, and it wasn''t as if she was inviting Matt.


    Matt, though, was the issue. Felicia thought about it and she knew she had a problem, Peter was her exception and Matt was a line she wouldn''t cross. As long as Elektra understood that. She also got a stern warning from Gwen, Matt was not to be invited back to the warehouse. While it was unspoken, mainly not to inflate his ego, but the women were happy with just Peter, anyone else was a no-no.


    As Elektra swung in through her window Felicia smiled but still wrung her hands nervously, am I really going to do this?


    Elektra snorted and smirked, ¡°You asked and they said yes, yes?¡± and Felicia nodded, ¡°but we have rules?¡± and she nodded again, ¡°fine, then let us hear them.¡±


    Felicia stood, ¡°uh, I won¡¯t have sex with Peter before we do and uh, can you do the same, I¡¯d uh also like you to shower, if, you know,¡± and Elektra laughed, ¡°and uh, no inviting Matt into the group. I won¡¯t be sleeping with him, and the group agrees that if you¡¯re the same, nobody minds.¡±


    ¡°So I can do whatever I want with my little kitty cat as long as I don''t smell like Matt?¡± and her deep throaty laugh sent shivers up Felicia''s back, and she nodded. ¡°I can agree to that, I understand that not every woman will also like men. Then, with Hades, I do not mind if you are here with Gwen, or Peter, but to respect Matt, he will not be joining us.¡± and as Elektra moved forwards and took Felicia''s hands, ¡°but I do not mind if I taste him on your lips, or on your skin,'''' and as if to prove her point she pulled Felicia towards her gently and kissed her softly on the lips, ¡°Hades already knows what you do, I have already seen what you do, and how he makes you feel,¡± and she kissed her again, ¡°and I do not mind,¡± and as she kissed Felicia gently once more ¡°but, tell me kitty, what is wrong?¡± and Felicia pulled her in for a hug.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never had anyone outside the group, so, it¡¯s you know,¡± and Electra laughed but she felt Felicia¡¯s nervousness.


    ¡°Such a soft kitty, you act too tough but inside you are so tender,¡± and as she kissed her once more, ¡°and it makes you so desirable, but we also know Peter, and the rest and he will not mind, and we do not mind him either. If, if we ever leave Matt, we will join your group, let you watch as Peter takes us,¡± and as she leant forwards the bit Felicia gently on the ear, flicking her ear lobe with her tongue, ¡°hard,¡± and as she kissed her neck Felicia moaned, ¡°and fast, just as we are about to,¡± and taking her hand she brought Felicia over to the bed.


    As her symbskin outfit slipped away Felicia bit her lip. Elektra was toned before but with her resurrection, through Hades, she was now even more muscular. Her tanned olive skin looked almost amber under the pale light, and as her eyes lingered over her hand-sized breasts she took in the dark brown nipples that were crinkled in excitement.


    ¡°Am I to sit here exposed by myself?¡± and Felicia smiled and her own clothes vanished. In stark contrast Felica was pale, her nightlife meant the lack of sunlight caused her skin to be almost as pale as MJ and her pale pink nipples were just as hard. Felicia knew she wanted this, and with them both naked she felt herself moisten and ache for what was to come.


    As Elektra lay her down, she crawled over next to her, ¡±Is this your first time with just a woman?¡± and Felicia shook her head, ¡°Ah, so it is just me, do I make you nervous?¡± but again Felicia shook her head,


    ¡°I can¡¯t decide if I¡¯m cheating on them, it,¡± and she breathed out through her nose and leant over and kissed Elektra, ¡°I¡¯m being stupid, its fine¡± and as she ran a hand up Elektra side the woman responded in kind, a hand sliding up her side and stopping at her neck,


    ¡°Then show me,¡± and as the pair kissed there was a small spark between their symbiotes, between creator and created. As Felicia and Elektra moved closer and their hands explored Hades and her maker also joined, a small tendril sharing the excitement between them.


    The pair, just kissing for what seemed like hours before Elektra, a mischievous glint in her eye moved Felicia onto her back, ¡°You know, when I first met you I always wondered if this would happen,¡± and Felicia frowned as she was only 12 when her father took her to the dojo. ¡°Oh don''t look like that, I saw the way you stared when I trained, much more than a young lady would,¡± and Elektra kissed the side of Felicia''s neck, ¡°much more focused on when I was tensed,¡± and then down her collar bone, ¡±much more focused on trailing a line,¡± and as she lifted a single breast she kissed her nipple, before pulling on it with the lips and dipping over the other to repeat the action, ¡°much more focused on where I moving,¡± and she kissed down to her belly button, kissing around it and running her tongue over the small nubbin of flesh sticking out. ¡°Much more interested in where I was stretching,¡± and with a kiss, she dipped her head between Felicia''s legs.


    Smelling the moist excitement she first kissed around her thighs, letting Felicia run her hands through her hair before tenderly tasting her. Felicia moaned as Elektra''s lips finally touched hers and gently parted them. Her tongue began a ballet of movement, tracing up and then back down, around her entrance and then up and swirling around her clit.


    Wrapping her thighs around Elektra head Felicia arched as the gently probing became a flurry. Elektra''s tongue not just sliding inside but her nose rubbing and teasing her as she lapped at her insides. The excitement peaked and Felicia let out a stifled cry as she came. ¡°No need to be a quiet kitty cat, the dojo is soundproof,¡± and Felicia went slightly redder as she was normally quiet in the warehouse.


    As Elektra laughed and kissed her way back up Felicia, ¡°and does the kitty want more?¡± and Felicia nodded, feeling her normal bravado come back,


    ¡°Once is never enough and now it¡¯s my turn.¡± She pushed Elektra back onto the bed. Stalking over her she swapped ends, and as she made sure that as she lowered herself over Elektra''s face she didn''t catch her hair she lay her own kisses on the wet lips of the women.


    She felt Elektra hands slide up her thighs once more and squeeze her ass as she dipped her head, sucking on her clit and then letting her fingers enter, as the tongued and flicked she gauged and let another inside, slipping them in and out. With tricks learned the lengthened and thickened and Elektra arched as Felicia worked her magic.


    ¡°Oh kitty, definitely not your first time,¡± she breathlessly whispered as the new sensitivity provided by Hades filled her with sparkling electric jolts of pleasure. Returning the favour she tongued at Felicia while her own fingers slipped into her, but without practice, she kept them human, not that Felicia cared.


    As the pair used tongues and fingers on each other the orgasms rolled, and Hades and Huntress purred and growled along with them.


    ¡°Uh,¡° Felicia wanted to broach a sensitive subject and as she reached over and grabbed a tin from her purse, Elektra laughed and nodded,


    ¡°It is from Peter, yes?¡± and Felicia nodded. This was symbiote catnip, and using it during sex was amazing as if Peter was there with them. Of course, using it on Elektra was an issue.


    ¡°Give.¡± and as Felicia slid the tin over, she unscrewed it and gave it a sniff. Her eyes rolled back in her head and Felicia could feel her thighs tighten, ¡°If this is just the smell,¡± and taking a liberal fingerful she spread it over Felicia¡¯s already wet pussy, leaving the tin open and nodding.


    As she lifted her head and licked, the taste of sweetness, not what she was expecting, filled her mouth and Hades growled in anticipation. Like an animal she grabbed Felicia¡¯s waist and pulled her down, sliding her tongue over her and deep inside.


    Moaning, ¡°oh fuck yes,¡± Felicia almost forgot she was to reciprocate and shaking her head, took a much large four fingers and liberally smeared it over Elektra before taking more and slipping it inside her on cream covered fingers.


    Elektra bucked her hips and the cream found its way to her g-spot and sensitive indies. Cumming over and over she wished that the real thing was here, and Matt could go to hell, ¡°more, please kitty more,¡± and as the symbskin fingers played and probed Elektra had never been played with like this before, kissing and licked at Felicia she was too overwhelmed by the sensations and her orgasms came thick and fast. Hades purred and Elektra felt a second orgasm, the same sparkling tingle she had felt earlier but much more intense. She knew Peter could influence his progeny but this, this was amazingly good and she wanted the real thing.


    From memory, Felicia held three fingers together and combined the symbskin around them, she was sure he was about that big and Huntress agreed. Coating it with cream she slid it into Elektra, ¡°about this big,¡± and whining as Felicia slowly filled her she wanted to beg her to move more. No virgin and truly wet she could take such a monster, ¡°please, fast.¡± and Felicia grinned.


    Elektra had abandoned all attempts to return the favour as Felicia pleasured her. The new feelings from Hades, coupled with the cream had left her a sticky sopping mess, putty in Felicia¡¯s hands and this was the final straw. As Felicia knelt at the edge of the bed and pulled Elektra down she slipped the dildo into her and Elektra¡¯s mind went blank. It was almost too much, almost.


    As the toy slipped in and out Elektra cried out in pleasure, and wanting to get some payback, Felicia thickened her thumb and gently pressed it against Elektra''s other entrance. Feeling her squirm and push it gently slid in and as Felicia liberally doused the whole area in cream it was soon just as slick. ¡°Oh fuck, please,¡± and as she moved her hand back and forth, Elektra grasped and pinched at her nipples, whining in orgasmic pleasure.


    As both her ass and pussy were filled, and as Hades herself purred along with the orgasms that seemed to continue on and on, Elektra finally succumbed and with one final twitch and cry Felicia felt her collapse, panting and squirming. Gently pulling both from her, wrapping the symbskin like a glove and pulling it off, she was about to climb into bed with Elektra but the bed was a sweaty sodden mess.


    ¡°Wow, frustrated much?¡± she joked and Elektra just waved a hand at her.


    ¡°Too tired, too happy, too spent to care,¡± and Elektra gently hummed to herself as she lay in post organic bliss. She had never been taken like that, and she hoped this was more than just a one-off.


    Felicia snorted and grabbed a blanket from the end of the bed where it had been kicked. Lifting Elektra she lay it down before the pair snuggled together on top of it. ¡°You know though, maybe, next time, I could get an orgasm or two,¡± and Elektra kissed her, pulling her in close,


    ¡°You should take it as an honour, to make me so weak and unable to resist you. So, we shall see.¡± and as Felicia snorted, she snuggled close and while Elektra closed her eyes, Felicia had other ideas. Lifting herself up on her elbow she traced a finger down Elektra¡¯s stomach, gently moving it up and down.


    ¡°Round 2?¡±


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Eighty-One. In A Cave With A Box Of Scraps

    Come back to bed honey and as he looked over the tall and curvy blonde supermodel let the sheet slip down from her chest. In front of him were two of the largest.


    Tony woke with a start, the incredible pain in his chest burned, and he wheezed trying to draw a deeper breath than the pain would let him. Trying to sit up he realised he had been strapped to the gurney he was on.


    ¡°No my friend, the surgery was a success but you must rest now, they have given us much food to help, even water.¡± The brown-skinned man, grime and sweat covering his face said, he smiled though as he looked through a wooden crate that Tony could just barely make out over the side of the bed. As he found what he was looking for, he moved over to Tony and began to examine the bandages around his chest.


    As he looked around in a panic he realised he was in a dirty, stinking brown room. Boxes and other junk littered the walls and a bare electric bulb hung from loose wires in the ceiling. The air was thick with humidity and the smell of blood and seared flesh,


    His flesh. Was I in surgery? He thought and looking down he saw the wires coming out of his chest, and as he moved to touch one the man slapped his hand.


    ¡°No no no. In the explosion you suffered a grievous injury, there is shrapnel being pulled to your heart by arterial pressure. I used a small electromagnet to keep them away,¡± and he pointed to a car battery by Tony''s side. ¡°It is powering the device, it should keep you alive, well, for now anyway. Here, drink, you''ll need your strength soon enough," and the man handed him a cold cup of something, soup, thin and bitter but to Tony, it was the finest broth he had ever tasted. "Dr Ho Yinsen. I am afraid I did the best I could under the circumstances, but it is still very fine work and of course, I already know who you are, Mr Stark."


    As Tony watched him he realised he was in some sort of cave, not a hospital, and flies buzzed around a chamber pot in the corner while the kind-looking man, thin with wire-framed glasses picked up, lifted them to peer at a piece of equipment and either shook his head and put it back, or nodded and added it to a pile on a workbench.


    A flood of memories came back to him, the tour, the soldiers, and finally the explosion.


    ¡°I am sorry, none of the men survived and ah, our hosts wish for you to make them something.¡±


    Another middle eastern looking man came in and spoke, bald and carrying an assault rifle, his face was not one of kindness or understanding.


    ¡°Alive, good, you will stay that way as soon as you build us those,¡± and he pointed to a  box, the lid had been pried open and half-assembled Jericho missiles were inside. ¡°Fail and die.¡±


    A sudden sense of terror filled Tony, this wasn''t a random terrorist act, he had been targeted by these men to build the rockets for them. It was his own hubris that had cost the brave men and women of his convoy their lives. He had wanted to show off just how effective his tech was at killing and he had made a joke of it. In the end, it had been his own weapons used to attack the convoy and kill those soldiers, and as he raised a hand to cover his eyes, he felt the trickle of tears as the reality of his situation hit home.


    This was his fault. Not just the convoy but the weapons. He had never considered that the weapons he built would be used on Americans, on him, and now as he lay, a throbbing pain in his chest and a faint tingle as the magnet thrummed, he made a vow that if, no, once he made it home, things would change, he would change.


    It had been 4 months since that conversation, and as Tony looked at the hulking armoured suit, his ¡®Iron Man¡¯, he knew it was time to escape.


    As they made their escape through the compound, fighting off wave after wave of terrorists, Tony felt a small measure of peace. These men had gotten what they deserved, even if it was death. His only regret was underestimating their number.


    As he saw a large group ready to swarm them Ho shouted, grabbed a gun and ran, yelling at them. His sacrifice allowed Tony to escape, tears in his eyes as the man was gunned down. Tony made a vow to return later, once he was recovered and take revenge for the man. Dr Ho Yinsen had sacrificed himself, the men and women of the convoy had sacrificed themselves and Tony vowed that there would be no more.


    The suit had used up the fuel from the Jericho missiles and flown him as far away from the compound as possible, but with no guidance systems or even a simple compass he had no idea where in the world he was, or how far he had travelled. It had all been rough guesswork, sketched out in secret. As he lay, sweating under the scorching desert sun, he fought back tears, the calculations had also been for two.


    It was another week before he was rescued. He had walked as far as he could, carrying a small supply of water and a few protein bars. As they ran out, so did his endurance. Tony was a playboy, not an athlete, and even he would admit he never got very far before collapsing.


    A passing caravan of camel herders spotted him, lying nearly dead in the sand and brought him to a small village where he got a phone. An army convoy was there within the hour, his best and really only friend James Rhodes personally coming to see him. He broke down as he saw the flags flapping on the armoured truck, ¡°I can go home, I can go home,¡± he repeated over and over as he wept.


    The plane ride over he was brought up to speed on everything, his makeshift implant was given a once over and hooked up to a much more reliable power source, he was given several booster shots and then hooked up to an IV, only allowed to eat foul-tasting nutrient paste for the first day to allow his shrunken and injured stomach to heal before proper food was allowed.


    He watched the news of the attack on New York by a strange costumed Venom, of its saviour Spider-Man, and their fall from grace. He shook his head as he watched classified footage of the glider attack, his hands scrunched in fists as he saw the deaths rise.


    The man was clearly insane but he had the right idea, a self-contained armoured suit had just saved his life and he felt that it would again. He wanted to show the public that it wasn''t the machines of war that made them afraid, it was the people that used them, that a shining beacon could be brought forth that made the world a better place.


    ¡°Jarvis, get me schematics on the Goblin armour, any patents held by Oscorp, buy them and move them to my secure server,¡± and as he ate another packet of paste Tony began to plan and more importantly, to build.


    It wasn¡¯t until the betrayal of his mentor stung that Tony realised just how the greed of men affected the world around them. His quest to create an army of Ironmongers, huge hulking suits designed around the Mark One caused an explosion in the centre of New York, one big enough to draw not just the civilian authorities but the military and the international community as well. He had been given notice by the World Security Council and, taking Peppers advice, had called a press conference.


    The announcement wasn''t too hard to guess. An armoured man had been spotted flying over New York, fears of a new Goblin were running around, but after the same man was spotted taking out terrorists in the Middle East they knew it wasn''t Norman. The gaudy red and gold of the armour led the media to call him Iron Man, which Peter thought was stupid, iron was too heavy for flight suits, it was probably some kind of poly-alloy, maybe nickel and titanium. It would be amazing if he could get his hands on one though.


    The warehouse watched as Tony Stark held his press conference. He fielded questions about the bright light over New York, the appearance of the armoured hero Iron Man and whether or not they were connected to the Goblin.


    ¡°Look, Iron Man isn''t some whack job like Osborn, I mean, that guy was into some heavy medical research that got a lot of good people killed, Iron Man, right? Yeah, Iron Man, he went to the middle east, saved a bunch of people. The explosion was Jebediah messing with my dad''s old reactor, Iron Man had nothing to do with that.¡± Tony knew lying was part of the job, but outing Jebadiah would only crush Stark Industries and give the government an excuse to seize his Iron Man suits.


    ¡°What''s that? Am I Iron Man?¡± Tony smirked and shook his head, he could see Pepper talking to a serious looking man in a well-tailored suit, and as their eyes met he smirked and hers went wide, shaking her head and mouthing ''no'' at him.


    ¡°You know, I''ve got a lot of cards here, cards that tell me what to do, what to say, answers to all the pre-prepared questions you have, nicely vetted so I don''t get too emotional on camera.¡± and the cameras caught Pepper swiping her hand over her throat, letting Tony know to shut up.


    ¡°But yeah, I am Iron Man.¡±


    Peter turned off the TV and the group stared, "So, Iron Man huh?" he said and Liv shrugged,


    "I doubt the armour is anything special, probably ripped of Goblin tech and without that stupid formula running through his veins Tony Stark isn''t the best role model, but at least he''ll probably just use it to show off."


    Peter nodded, growing up Tony Stark had been his idol. He was rich, handsome and most of all brilliant. Any schematic or blueprint of his Peter could get his hands on he had and if he had to be honest, seeing Iron-Man filled him with two emotions, one that he didn''t want to ever have to fight him, and second, he was kinda jealous that Stark could just build a suit and go flying in it, seemed the rich did play by their own rules and Stark was no exception.


    "Don''t even think about it Mr Parker, you are still in trouble for the incident in Hell''s Kitchen," and Peter shrugged at Gwen but smiled as Felicia came out of her office with a pile of papers.


    Peter and Felicia were both in the bad books, spending the last of the warehouse''s cash and getting nothing but problems and paperwork in return. Peter''s punishment had been physical in nature, but it always was. Consigned to not just the cooking, but the cleaning and the maintenance of the warehouse, his days were filled with chores and his nights with a punishment of a different, but also very physical nature.


    Felicia''s punishment had been more paperwork and she was finally getting round to finishing it all. Until she did, her physical activities had been put on hold, the others taking her spot to ''encourage'' her to work faster.


    "While that''s all great and everything," Felicia started, "we have a bigger problem." She had been going over the records from the Fisk transactions,


    "I found out what MGH is, it''s a synthetic drug, sorry Gwen, but I really need you on this one. It''s a drug, and uh, it''s made from people."


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Eighty-Two. Mani-Pedi

    The quartet stood outside an address in Hell¡¯s Kitchen, in Fisk¡¯s files it was listed as a repair shop, but with boarded-up windows and reflective tinting on the upper windows, it looked more like a bombed-out crack den than a residence or place of business.


    When Felicia had gone through the files she found that this was Fisk¡¯s drug manufacturing location. At first, it was like any other, workers would wrap and weigh packets for sale but Fisk had been approached with a new venture. MGH.


    Mutant Growth Hormone.


    Gwen had taken one look at the formula, made a small sample, and then had been violently sick.


    ¡°That¡¯s vile, and fucking toxic Pete. It''s like someone drank Oscorp formula and then puked it back up and used it to make a new formula. I, shit, I can¡¯t tell you what that is, Poison won¡¯t even go near it, it¡¯s so vile.¡± She had told them, after getting several glasses of alcohol to wash her mouth out.


    "If we go, then, we stick with what you said at Fisk''s," Felicia had said, "That I''m in charge," and while Gwen and MJ had given her a quizzical look Peter nodded.


    "That''s fair," and as he slipped into his armour he recoloured it back to the original black, and Felicia laughed


    "You need a new code name though, if Venom isn''t good enough to be seen with us criminal types, uh, how about ''Night Monkey''," and Gwen snorted.


    "Oh oh, like Huntress, can you make ears? like little monkey ears?" and retracting his armour Peter glared at them,


    "I am not making monkey ears for my armour, pick another name," he said, huffing but Felicia shook her head,


    "Sorry Monkey, bosses orders. Night Monkey it is," and as the three laughed and teased him, Peter snorted and shook his head while grinning.


    "I also want you two with us, if this is as bad as we think, even if you don''t fight, we need the extra hands," and both Gwen and MJ nodded.


    "Uh, I might be more of a burden though," Gwen said, with her shoulders slumped, Poison was always complaining when she was stuck in her armour form, and Gwen couldn''t trust her not to just hide back inside her if a fight broke out.


    Felicia nodded and moving around the Gwen hugged her, "It''s fine, if you stay with MJ you can protect each other until either Pete or I get there, this is just a look, we''re not expecting to fight, it''s fine" and hugging her back Gwen nodded, even if she still looked apprehensive.


    At the address, though it was business, the four stood at the door as Huntress used the keys she had been given to open the door carefully. She took a step back from the foul air that escaped from the building. A drug plant was airtight, so no one knew what the strange odour of chemicals was, and with the building being locked down the aircon had been off for a week.


    Monkey shook his head, ¡°smell that?¡± and the rest nodded, the air was thick with the smell of various disinfectants and cleaners.


    Huntress looked at him, ¡°You two, go up, Monkey, with me, there¡¯s a basement. Coms on,¡± and the four hit the new and improved headsets that Liv had worked on. Peter had no hint of jealousy when she redesigned their gear, she had years of experience working on things like that, and hers was a smaller, more modular, and more expansive setup.


    Even without Huntress, Felicia would have night vision, target tracking, and a whole lot more. Liv had taken the Goblin armour helmet apart and reduced the HUD to a simple mask each of them was now wearing.


    Poison and Muse headed towards the stairs, taking the simple training Huntress had given them seriously and ascended while Monkey and Huntress headed towards a thick steel door, bolted surprisingly from the outside as well as having a huge thick lock. Huntress shook her head, ¡°no keys,¡± and Monkey shifted, letting his muscles bulge and digging his hands into the plaster of the wall pulled.


    Surprisingly the door wouldn¡¯t budge and digging further along he found that the door extended a meter in either direction surrounding the frame. He huffed and dug both hands into the end of one side, feeling the edge with his fingers. Punching the plaster away he found several large steel rivets securing the door frame to the wall.


    ¡°Nope, no way, if I pull that the wall will fall down, we need Poison.¡± As Huntress looked at the steel frame in the wall it was at least 10 cm thick. Whoever had wanted the basement secure had made sure no one was getting in without alerting whatever security they had.


    ¡°P, once you¡¯ve secured upstairs, everyone head back down here, ¡°


    Her comms clicked, ¡°there¡¯s nothing up here, everything¡¯s been cleaned out, no residue of drugs or tables. The place¡¯s been sprayed with cleaner as well, something strong too, probably bleach and alcohol. Heading back down once we¡¯ve done the last floor,¡± Poison commed back.


    ¡°What the hell was going on here?¡± Monkey asked but Huntress had no idea.


    The files she had made reference to the drug but not what it was used for, and if this was the way it was kept it must have been something either really expensive or, as Huntress feared, something really bad.


    "If I spray the lock it¡¯ll take a while to eat through it but I can blow it, if you and Huntress pull at the edges we should be able to just rip it from the frame, even if we dent it enough to get more tendrils in,¡± Poison said after looking in the lock and sending a small web into it.


    Huntress nodded, and Poison pressed her hand against the lock and after a few moments, everyone stood back, watching the smoke and an acrid smell rise from the keyhole.


    As expected, while the lock was melted inside and the door moved it was held by several deadbolts and Huntress and Monkey slid thin tendrils into the door at several points to find them before prying the door a few millimetres.


    It took several attempts to get the acid into the frame, but with the last bolt a pumped Huntress and Monkey held the huge door up as it came free from the frame and gently lowered it to the floor.


    ¡°Me and Monkey will head down. You two stay here and make sure we don¡¯t get visitors.¡± Huntress points to several contact plates in the door. It looked like it was alarmed in some way and they had no idea if they had just triggered it somewhere offsite, or if three was a security station somewhere in the building.


    Nodding the two took different points surrounding the main entrance, staying as hidden as possible while remaining vigilant.


    Huntress and Monkey headed down the dark stairs, Monkey clicking on his low light vision, scanning for possible threats.


    They were greeted by three rooms, one closed off and covered in plastic. One was the security room they had been looking for but all that remained was a few wrappers and a table, dust marks and black scratches hinted at a monitor, and maybe a gun rack but now, there was nothing.


    The second room was storage, shelves of bottles, all clean and perfect sat in cardboard boxes and counting them quickly, there were two hundred, ten boxes of twenty, and another two hundred should have sat in empty spaces.


    Even the air smelled clean here, the air purifier off the normal grid or a system of chemical sponges rather than filters. It wasn¡¯t until they opened the last door, thick with plastic sheeting that the true horror of the building was revealed.


    There were two rows of beds, eleven down each side of the room with a single one in the centre of the back wall. Each bed had an occupant, attached to a drip, each with a bullet hole in their forehead.


    Huntress covered her mouth, these were kids, not one of the bodies was older than either her or Monkey, and she wanted to vomit but swallowed the bile in her throat back down. Monkey went from bed to bed and pulled up the simple blanket each of them had.


    He stopped to examine one body. A tap had been attached at the back of the kids head, and he guessed they were draining spinal or adrenal fluid from them. A few had strange markings on their skin or different eyes. Almost like a kind of mutation had affected them.


    ¡°They were collecting fluid? Maybe Poison was right, a lot of them are mutated, maybe someone gave them formula and then harvested something we don¡¯t know it does?¡± Monkey pulled the blanket over another kid, her eyes glassy and staring in horror into space. This was wrong, this was what he wanted to stop.


    As he approached the twenty-third bed, noting each one was marked with an X the occupant screamed and leapt at him, her movements restrained by thick cuffs wrapped both her arms and legs. She yelled and screamed incoherently at him but stopped and sniffed the air as he approached.


    ¡°Hey, hey, it¡¯s okay, we¡¯re here to help.¡± He raised both his hands, trying to be non-threatening. The girl, she looked young to him, continued screaming and twisting, trying to get free.


    ¡°Hey, wait, I¡¯ll undo them, okay, but you gotta calm down okay?¡± He knelt at the foot of the bed and the simple velcro straps were easy enough to undo but as he did the first one she kicked out at him. He sprang back in shock.


    From the centre of her foot was a single large bone blade, extending out from between her large toe and her second toe and she kicked out at him as he backed away. Both feet had a blade each while her hands had a pair, even as she thrashed and twisted she was unable to attack the chain that held her to the bed.


    ¡°Holy shit, Huntress, look at that.¡± He pointed and she shook her head, ¡°another enhanced.¡° She clicked her comms, ¡°Poison, get down here. We need medical and maybe a sedative.¡±


    At her words the girl screamed even more, thrashing around trying to get free, ¡°hey hey, it¡¯s okay, we¡¯re not here to hurt you,¡± Monkey said and she glared at him, ¡°honest, look, we¡¯re like you,¡± and he extended his fingers into different shapes, ¡°we¡¯re here to rescue you, please, just, calm down,¡± and as she watched his hands stretch and change she narrowed her eyes, sniffing once more, ¡°agree.¡±


    With both hands raised, he carefully undid her other food strap, making sure she didn¡¯t kick out at him with those talons of hers. Bulletproof yes, but he figured the thick steel door upstairs was to stop her if she escaped, and he didn¡¯t even want to find out if those wicked blades could cut him.


    The girl tensed as Poison and Muse entered the room, gasping at the covered bodies. ¡°Monkey? Is that her?¡± Poison asked and came over, the girl growled,


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s okay, she¡¯s with me,¡± and sniffing once more she glared but stayed still.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to release your arm, okay? Please, don¡¯t attack me,¡± and the girl nodded.


    Monkey let out a sigh of relief as she let her arm relax as he undid the cuff around it and he moved to the other side, ¡°okay, last one, please don¡¯t freak out okay,¡± as she stared at him.


    As the last cuff fell free she shimmied up the bed and rubbed her wrists, ¡°water?¡± she asked and Poison handed Monkey a small bag with a straw on it. They had no idea what to expect here and had brought medical supplies, as well as emergency food and water.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m Venom, this is Huntress, Poison is the one who gave you water, and Muse is the white one, okay, friends, really. We had no idea anyone was here or we would have tried to save your friends.¡± Monkey explained.


    ¡°Monkey,¡± she said and he sighed,


    ¡°Uh, that was a joke, okay, it¡¯s not Monkey.¡±


    She shook her head and sniffed, ¡°Monkey,¡± she slurped the water from the small pouch and sniffed once more, leaning forwards and sniffing the air, before coming over and sniffing at Venom''s symbskin. Wondering if he should say anything it was too late, the girl wrapped her arms around his neck and climbed into his lap, ¡°smell good.¡±


    ¡°Uh, guys, little help?¡± he asked the three, hearing them try not to laugh.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Eighty-Three. Smells Like Teen Spirit

    Venom had carried the girl back to the warehouse while Huntress and Poison stayed behind to deal with the bodies. No one had any idea who they were or what the experiments had been, but one thing they knew was that in Hell¡¯s Kitchen leaving 12 bodies for the cops to find would lead them back to someone, and if Fisk was a good businessman, Venom bet it would be someone important. The group also felt they needed something. The fate that had befallen them was cruel and to leave them like that, abandoned and forgotten, was one last insult they couldn''t forgive. Even a small token that someone cared was something they deserved.


    The girl hadn¡¯t spoken since they freed her from the bed. She held on tightly as they all swung back, and as they landed on the roof she dropped down, sniffing and growling.


    ¡°Home, like you,¡± was all she said, and as Venom opened the hatch she sprang forwards and down the hatch.


    ¡°Shit," as they both looked over they saw she had landed on the warehouse floor without a scratch and was sitting on all fours, sniffing and peering around the warehouse. Venom sighed and shrugged, ¡°she¡¯s definitely enhanced,¡± and followed after her, catching himself on a girder to make sure he didn¡¯t land on her.


    She had already run off, sniffing the air and had headed to Peter''s home, pushing the door open and leaping on the bed, wrapping a blanket around herself, taking deep breaths.


    ¡°Same formula as Prowler?¡± he asked but MJ shrugged as the pair let their symbskin slide back. He heard a yell and the girl was stood there, all six claws out and pointing at Liv, ready to attack,


    ¡°Hey, ok okay, this is what we look like okay?¡± and he let his armour slide back over him ¡°see it''s me and that''s Liv," he pointed over to her. She had heard the roof hatch open and had been waiting in her home for them to come back, hiding when the strange girl had dropped down instead.


    She nodded, ¡°Monkey,¡± and the claws slid back in, ¡°that is cool,¡± but he saw the blood dripping. ¡°Shit, did that hurt? Liv, get the kit,¡± and the girl shook her head, showed her hands and she was right, there were no marks on her at all.


    "Healing, nice.¡± was all he said. ¡°Uh MJ, can you maybe see if you¡¯ve got something that¡¯ll fit her, I think.¡± Peter was stopped as the girl stripped out of the gown she was wearing and sniffed a few times before standing naked in Peter''s home throwing dirty clothing about, eventually grabbing one of Peter''s dirty t-shirts and lifting her arms over her head, shimmying into it.


    No matter what her age, she was older than she looked. Her skin was a pale coffee colour, small breasts barely an A cup with small darker dots, her crotch was thick with the same dark thick brown hair that cascaded down her back. Peter scowled though and even MJ shook her head as they saw her body. Her arms and legs were covered in cuts, not just from fighting, these were all concentrated in a few areas. She had probably self-harmed, his fists clenched as he thought of the bastards that did this to her, and that if he found Fisk again he would skin him alive.


    She started sniffing again, ¡°no, safe, home,¡± was all she said before climbing into Peter''s bed and gathering up his blankets into a nest. He could hear her breathing become shallow and after a few seconds, he figured she was asleep. He flicked the light off but left the door open, ¡°we¡¯re just outside okay,¡± he said, in case she was just pretending.


    Peter made coffee for the three of them and they sat at the breakfast table, staring at their mugs.


    ¡°So, even I can guess that MGH is made from humans, enhanced and then drained of a hormone or spinal fluid. It''s probably either a safer way to make formula or a stimulant of some kind,¡± he said and Liv nodded and continued his thought,


    ¡°If it''s adrenal, then a stimulant, spinal means enhancer, dopamine or mood affecting hormones can¡¯t be extracted that way so, I agree,¡± and MJ just looked horrified.


    ¡°Peter, I, I mean, I know I  joined in but is this what is like?" and as she saw the pain in his face, nothing like he¡¯d ever seen before either, and he shook his head.


    ¡°No, this is, I mean, it can be bad, but not this, not this,¡± and he had to let go of his cup to stop from crushing it, his hands tightened so much his knuckles went white as he squeezed his fists together. He had never experienced anything like this. Was this what his original fate would have been? Was he part of the same experiments that she was, to be used as some kind of drug factory and then disposed of. His anger rose like bile in his throat.


    A hand stroked his thigh, ¡°Peter dear, calm down, we have a target now, with the formula we can track it. You made that tracker for formula right? Well, this is the formula.¡± and Peter remembered, he¡¯d made it to track Curt but Fisk and Prowler had become more of an issue.


    "It¡¯s in the storeroom where we keep everything else," and he realised he should probably catalogue and organise it, rather than leaving a whole pile of military-grade armour and weapons sat on shelves to gather dust.


    "We need to find someone to help her though, she¡¯s not safe here and we can¡¯t look after someone with possible medical problems, ¡° Peter said flatly, he knew whatever she had gone through was more than any of them could deal with, she needed a therapist, a proper doctor to help with whatever had been done to her, although, he noticed she didn¡¯t have the same drip attached to the back of her head, and he wondered if she had removed it and it healed, or if she was there for another reason.


    ¡°No, I think she should stay here. I can watch her, as long as she¡¯s not too boisterous. If we take her anywhere we risk exposing ourselves again. How many of these labs exist within New York? How many have they taken? We can¡¯t risk it Peter.¡± and clenching his jaw at the thought of more, he nodded at Liv and swallowed his anger back down.


    They all stiffened as they heard her creep out of the home and walk over to Peter, sitting on his lap and wrapping herself around him once more.


    ¡°Uh, do you have a name? I¡¯m Peter, this is Liv and MJ,¡± introducing them again,


    ¡°Laura,¡± she said as she snuggled into him.


    ¡°Uh, we do have more chairs you know,¡± and she shook her head.


    Peter shrugged his shoulders, ¡°uh guys?¡±


    Liv shook her head, ¡°well Mr pheromone, what do you expect. If she¡¯s enhanced with Prowler formula you probable smell safe.¡±


    ¡°Uh, doesn¡¯t that only, you know,¡± hoping Liv wasn¡¯t about to say he was about to get leapt on by a stranger.


    Liv sighed and shook her head, ¡°again, smartest dumb guy, vanilla when your happy, pepper when your mad, cinnamon when your,¡° and she winked, ¡±and blood when your angry, I¡¯ve never been near when your sad though, MJ?¡±


    MJ thought for a moment, ¡°hmm, citrus I think, Peter gets mad more often than sad.¡±


    Peter looked shocked, ¡±really?¡±


    ¡°Uh, why do you think we all sit on your lap and run our hands through your hair?¡± MJ said, and at that Laura raised a hand and ran it through his hair and sniffed her hand and after nodding he began to pet him. Making sure to coat both hands, rubbing them on herself.


    ¡°Thanks MJ,¡± he said sarcastically, as she manhandled him.


    MJ and Liv stifled laughs at the sight, while she wasn¡¯t small, she was still smaller than Peter but he seemed to be willing to suffer the indignity for her sake.


    They sat drinking their coffee, Laura had sniffed Peter''s cup but pulled a face, and MJ had gotten some of the juice that Gwen kept to placate Poison from the fridge. It was a mix of various fruit juices and was sweet and refreshing, something that Poison loved and it was one thing  Gwen figured out long ago that she could drink without issue.


    Laura grabbed the glass with both hands and gulped it down, ¡°Hey, it¡¯s okay, there¡¯s a lot, take your time okay,¡± and she nodded and took smaller drinks.


    ¡°Got her tamed,¡± Liv joked but Laura growled at her and pointed a hand, the blade sliding out between her fingers, dripping blood on the table.


    ¡°Hey, no, Liv was joking,¡± Peter scolded her and she curled up further into his chest, hiding her face from him.


    ¡°Laura, no, everyone here is good, okay, no stabbing.¡° Peter said, really unsure of how exactly to deal with the clingy but obviously temper prone enhanced girl.


    ¡°Actually Peter, I have an idea about that, Laura, dear, look here for a moment.¡± and Liv held out her blanket, ¡°take it, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    Reaching forwards Laura snatched the blanket and stared at it. ¡°Now, smell it¡± and as she held it to her face, she sniffed and nodded.


    ¡°Remember dear, we have our own smell. Whatever her powers are she¡¯ll trust us more if we smell good. So MJ, same, although make sure you get Muse to be friendly, we don¡¯t know what effect a musk will have on her.¡±


    ¡°Then we need to wait, cause I¡¯m so angry right now, scared, and angry, Peter, we can¡¯t take her to the hospital, we can¡¯t go to the cops or anyone, and tell them what? We rescued a kid from a human crack den. Can you please take care of her and please don¡¯t ask questions.¡±


    ¡°Not a kid, 21,¡± and the trio looked at her, she was older than both Peter and MJ, who¡¯d yet to have birthdays.


    ¡°Welp, that makes her sitting in my lap a lot less creepy for certain,¡± Peter remarked, and MJ laughed while Liv smiled and shook her head.


    ¡°Really Peter, at a time like this?¡± and he looked into Livs eyes and down at Laura. It was only then that Liv realised all she had on was a T-shirt and while it was too big for her it didn¡¯t cover very much of her ass or legs. She frowned though as she spotted that her legs were covered in scars and that she had patches of what looked like chemical burns on her thighs.


    ¡°Right, Laura, as much as Peter appreciates the hugs, we need to get you cleaned and into some clothes. So come on, shower time. Now do you need help or are you capable of doing that on your own? And MJ dear, some clothes, I think I¡¯ve got some spare things in my dresser. Unopened panties that should fit her, as well as a few old tops, we¡¯re open here dear but you will not be bare arsed and dirty. Come on, chop-chop.¡± and Liv took charge. She wanted to give Laura a quick physical examination, find out exactly how far the scars and sadly, the abuse that caused them went.


    While Oscorp experimented with formula this was the first that she had met one of its surviving victims. Most had died after prolonged exposure but Laura had lived, and then been experimented on. What confused Liv was that the lab Harry had set up never had a girl matching Laura''s description, and sadly she would know, being its main researcher for so long.


    Even as she growled at her, Liv just growled back and Laura was dragged to Liv¡¯s home by MJ. She had an open shower room and with more space, the three of them could make sure that Laura was washed properly, and the extra hands might be needed. Reluctant she still followed and gave Peter pleading eyes, hoping he¡¯d rescue her but he shrugged and pursing his lips, shook his head.


    ¡°Monkey,¡± was all she said flatly at his betrayal. Liv followed her into her home and the shower could be heard starting moments later.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Eighty-Four. Queen For A Day

    While MJ and Liv were in the shower room with Laura, a slouching and tired looking Huntress and Poison swung down from the rafters. Letting their symbskin slip back, the pair just sat staring as Peter poured them both coffee and seeing the look on their faces decided everyone needed some food, even if it was just to stare at.


    ¡°We disposed of the bodies in the bay, no records, no nothing, no evidence in the building. No records of anyone and when we went to HQ all the building was listed under was drug development. Fisk either scrubbed the records and is laughing his ass off or someone hid a secret project from him.¡° Felicia explained, staring at her cup, she sighed and drained it in one swing, "something stronger," and Peter nodded.


    Peter moved over to the counter and letting a burner heat up, started to scramble an egg mix he had left in the fridge for when they got back. As they stared at their cups he cooked for them and then dished up 6 plates of food. Opened the fridge and pulled out several bottles of beer.


    Peter put a plate of scrambled eggs down, sausage, bacon, egg, and cheese all mixed together with spices and a dose of onions, so they could at least say they had some veg, and popped the tops of two extra strong bottles of beer, placing them down in front of the pair.


    Gwen hesitated and grabbed the beer and drank it in several seconds, shaking her head. ¡°I knew Pete, I knew and it¡¯s not,¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°Remember the guy that groped me?¡± and Peter nodded, he¡¯d had a look but without a name, it was an empty trail. ¡°He attacked me in the parking garage of Oscorp and I killed him,¡± she took a swig of her beer, ¡°this wasn¡¯t like that, he deserved it, he got what he deserved. These were kids Pete, kids,¡± she said as she slumped back down.


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t kill them, Gwen, those fucks did, and we¡¯ll find them and we got one, safe and from the sounds of it, a handful. If we lose but save one, it¡¯s worth it.¡± but she was shaking her head,


    ¡°Not to me Pete, one isn¡¯t enough,¡± she stared a the bottle, ¡°not enough¡±


    ¡°Then save more, work with Felicia. A chemical that needs enhanced brains to make isn¡¯t going to be difficult to track down, shit, it should be one of the easiest things to find, how many of us are there? Really.¡±


    A wet and dressed Laura ran from Liv''s home chased by a soaked and scowling MJ. Liv followed with a slight smirk on her face, the shower had gone well but when MJ tried to brush her hair the untamed girl had run off and was back sitting on Peter''s chair. Peter shook his head and put a plate down in front of her and she stared at it,


    "Unless Fisk had access to a new strain of the serum, we never made something to enhance bone structure. Even Curts formula was a regenerator. Laura is something new, a different type of enhanced. If you could be a dear and get some blood from her we might be able to find out if someone else is continuing Osborn''s research, we might be in a spot of trouble if they are. Worse is the MGH, which is definitely something that Oscorp had no hand in. Sorry dear but it seems like we''re dealing with a new player." Liv said, wheeling herself to the breakfast table.


    The group sat quietly at the table, aware that whatever Laura''s origin, MGH was a scourge and needed to be stopped. ¡°And I can safely say that she was never in an Oscorp facility. I know you don''t want to hear this but someone like Laura would have been used to test a symbiote, but her injuries and the resulting scars are unlike anything I''ve ever seen. Her healing is off the charts but whatever was used actually left a scar.¡± and Liv ran her hand over Laura¡¯s head, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry dear, so so sorry.¡±


    MJ handed Liv a cloth, and she wiped her eyes first and then blew her nose. The shower had been fun, Laura was amazed by the warm flowing water and she had danced and giggled underneath the sprays, but as Liv noted and recorded each injury and scar she had to stop several times to keep herself from breaking down.


    Laura looked at the plate, and as Peter shrugged it was MJ who smiled and nodded,


    ¡°It''s okay, you can eat,¡± and Laura nodded and began to lift the egg mix with her fingers. Peter sighed and lifted a spoon, and he held the egg mix in front of her face. She took it and made a whining happy noise, chewing and then swallowing before sitting with her mouth open, waiting for more.


    ¡°Uh, you can eat the rest yourself,¡± but as he made to hand her the spoon she sat on her hands and just sat, mouth open, giving him the most pitiful expression she could manage.


    ¡°You spoiled her dear, so at least for today.¡± Liv said, and sighing he patted his lap and she scurried over and nestled herself between his legs before making an ¡®ahh¡¯ noise.


    ¡°Fine, for only for today, sick people get better you know,¡± and as he fed her spoon after spoon of scrambled breakfast egg, she wiggled back and forth, making the same happy noise as before.


    ¡°But, you need to behave okay, Gwen and Liv will run tests, so listen or this little show won''t be getting a re-run okay?¡± and as she looked up at him, he raised an eyebrow, and she just nodded and opened her mouth again.


    The group decided that today would be a rest day. Normally they would train and then head off to jobs. Both Gwen and MJ phoned in sick, and Felicia was still hanging on her phone as the head of the Black Cats but she sent a text to Elektra, finding out if she was okay. After handing a lot of paperwork over to Matt, she still had to find out how much of a mess things were in, so she could take one day.


    They ate snacks, watched TV, and just slept when they felt like it and ate when they were hungry. Laura ate almost everything put in front of her and drank the same. Chips and candy were devoured, sodas were popped and slurped down and whatever the young girl had suffered seemed like a thing of the past.


    It wasn''t until bedtime that it became an issue. As Peter settled Liv, gave MJ, Gwen and Felicia all goodnight kisses and headed into his home, he found Laura had already invaded his bed. A strange young girl, with attachment issues, wasn''t the issue though, the fact she was completely naked, hugging and sniffing one of his old shirts was.


    ¡°Laura, you can sleep here but I¡¯ll be outside okay?¡± and she growled at him and patted the bed,


    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡° Peter tried to explain but she growled,


    ¡°Why? be safe.¡± and he frowned.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be outside okay, you¡¯re safe here, I promise. Nothing will happen, no one knows your here, no one will come for you,¡± but she whined and patted the bed,


    ¡°Want, be safe.¡± and sighing, Peter obliged.


    As she curled up next to him, pressing her back to him he tried not to move too much. She whimpered and kicked a few times but as he closed his eyes he wondered what exactly they had gotten themselves into. As she squirmed and rolled over, draping herself over him and pressing herself as close to him as she could, she mumbled, ¡°home, smell safe,¡± and fell back asleep.


    Normally, the very male and energetic, Peter would be enjoying having such an attractive young woman, pressing not just her groin but her chest into him. However, Laura stretched out in bed and was now lying with her chest pushed into his stomach, one leg dangling off the end of the bed while the other was wedged into his armpit, and one arm wrapped around his leg at the crotch while the other draped itself over the other edge of the bed.


    She was a restless sleeper. During the night Peter woke to find her buried in his armpit one moment and then almost sitting on his face the next. As such he just sighed, closed his eyes and mentally prepared for the lack of sleep that he would endure the next day.


    She bounced out the bed, stretched, and ran off into the breakfast area. As Peter dragged himself out of bed after what felt like several minutes of actual sleep he saw that she was patiently sitting in his chair with her eyes fixed on the plate in front of her.


    Gwen saw him and waved, ¡°We saw the pile and figured,¡± and thankfully she had been up and made coffee, handing Laura a pastry before pouring Peter a cup, ¡±eat, Pete isn''t making breakfast today.¡± and Laura frowned and whined. ¡°That won''t work on me,¡± Gwen gently scolded her, ¡±only Pete has no willpower,¡± and as Peter sat down in Gwen¡¯s chair he closed his eyes, took a breath and took a drink of the wonderfully sweet hot coffee.


    ¡°Eat your pastry, you can use your hand for that,¡± and as Laura looked down at the golden brown slab in front of her she tilted her head, ¡°no, I''m not feeding you,¡± but Gwen, teased her by tearing a piece off and popping it into his mouth.


    ¡°Now, you. It¡¯s yummy, honest,¡± Gwen had found a bakery close by to get sweet treats to bribe Poison when she was being belligerent, and while their cookies were okay, according to the picky symbiote, she would push Gwen to buy their pastries. Maple syrup pecan plaits were her favourite and it was once a week treat for the warehouse. As Laura was here, Gwen figured today might as well be that day and left early to get them fresh.


    Laura sniffed the strange brown rectangle and after giving it a prod, licked the end of her finger clean of the syrup that coated it. Her eyes widened and without taking a breath she lifted and stuffed the whole thing in her mouth.


    Trying not to laugh as Laura transformed from wolf girl into chipmunk girl, Gwen was glad she bought two dozen of several different flavours. Knowing the others would all eat several each, even if they hadn¡¯t identified what kind of enhanced Laura was it was obvious from more than just the strange hand and toe blades that she was enhanced in some way and probably had an appetite to match.


    ¡°Laura,¡± Gwen asked her as she held a vanilla apple crown in front of her, ¡°I want to run some tests okay. If you¡¯re good and let me, I¡¯ll give you more of those and this.¡± and as Laura''s eye stared at the pastry and she sniffed she looked over at Peter, who had leant back, closed his eyes and sipped his coffee.


    ¡°It''s fine Laura, you can trust everyone here.¡± and as Gwen dropped the pastry on her plate she nodded.


    Stretching and letting the coffee do its job, Peter took over from Gwen, mixing up more breakfast egg mix. Pastries were fine for empty calories but they all needed something much heartier.


    Peter made breakfast for the rest and once Laura sniffed the plate she began to shovel the food into her mouth with her hands. ¡°No,¡± Peter gently chastised her ¡±look at them,¡± and as she stared at the rest eating with a fork, she took one from the table and began to eat properly.


    ¡°Liv, if we can take some blood, you think you and Gwen could run some tests?¡± and at the word test, Laura made a growling sound. ¡°It¡¯s okay, we just need to know you¡¯re healthy, and if people are looking for you, we don¡¯t want to take you to a hospital.¡±


    ¡°We might need to though Pete, this isn¡¯t a full lab and even though she is brilliant, Liv isn¡¯t a medical doctor,¡± Gwen stated, putting down her fork and looking at Liv. ¡°You, you aren''t a medical doctor right?¡± she asked her,


    ¡°Only at night,¡± Peter said, winking at Gwen who rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Not funny Pete,¡± she said, shaking her head and draining the last of her coffee, deciding to have another rather than more beer.


    Peter shook his head, ¡°you think I¡¯m funny right?¡± he asked Laura, who tilted her head,


    ¡°Funny looking,¡± was all she said, and Gwen almost spat out her coffee laughing. As she coughed, trying not to choke, Felicia rubbed her back and the group laughed as Peter sat with Laura on his lap, trying his best to act hurt but couldn¡¯t.


    If Laura could crack a joke then she was better than he hoped, and if she was better then he hoped that they¡¯d find somewhere she could be safe and have as much time as she needed to recover. If the drug factory was one of many, then they would be busy over the next few weeks and couldn¡¯t babysit anyone, even if they were enhanced.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Eighty-Five. Anger Issues

    ¡°First though, Laura, after breakfast we usually train, you want to join?¡± Peter asked her and she nodded. ¡°Good, callisthenics, running and then sparring, no powers though he said gently tapping her on the head and she growled, ¡°Hey, I meant it, no powers," but she looked at her plate and nodded, ¡°Be nice and I¡¯ll make that again for second breakfast, we eat again after we¡¯ve showered.¡±


    Laura¡¯s eyes lit up at the thought of more food, and the group moved the table out of the way as Peter grabbed and stacked the dirty plates in the sink.


    The group stretched and went through their routine, limbering joints and stretches as well as burpees, sit-ups, and push-ups. As Laura didn¡¯t seem to have super leaping they left out the usual hanging pull-ups, they could jump and reach the rafters, Laura could not, but as they all chatted while working out Laura seemed to be relaxed and enjoying herself. It didn¡¯t mean her agility was any lower than theirs and once she was up into the rafters, using the stairs she was leaping from beam to beam with the others.


    Whatever enhancements had been used, she was agile, fast, strong, and without taking a risk of hurting anyone with her claws, healed incredibly fast. Peter shook his head though. She had also been seriously abused as once, when she tripped and fell, scraping her knee, she cowered in the corner of a walkway, seemingly expecting to be scolded, and even as Gwen gently patted her whispered to her, she dived and hugged the surprised Gwen, crying as she was comforted.


    After their run, the group towelled down and began to spar. Peter usually left Huntress to this, she was a much higher belt in the martial arts she practised and was a much better teacher than he was. Liv, MJ, and Gwen all taking turns to go through several katas before pairing off while Felicia watched. Elektra still hadn¡¯t shown up, much to Felicia and Peters annoyance.


    ¡°Do you want to fight?¡± Peter had asked her. As she seemed a strange mix of excitable but nervous they hadn''t wanted to push her into sparring. As Peter and she sat on the edge of the training area supping at some fruit juice, she watched the trio with sparkly eyes and to Peter, she was almost vibrating with excitement.


    She looked over at him and nodded, but as she moved to dive off into the trio he grabbed her, ¡°they¡¯re learning, so if you want to spar, it¡¯ll be with me.¡± While Peter was a bit more experienced than MJ or Gwen it was nowhere near Felicia¡¯s level, but he figured it should be good enough to go a few rounds with the excitable Laura. She was definitely more than strong and fast enough, so it should be fun if nothing else.


    She was enhanced but they had no idea to what degree. There was no sweat on her clothes, so she wasn¡¯t tired from the light workout they had just done, and he couldn¡¯t register an increase in her heart rate. It was only when he mentioned sparring with him that it spiked, her excitement wafted off her like a giant cloud and Peter grinned and shook his head. Great, an adrenaline junkie, was all he thought, shaking his head.


    Moving away from the others, Peter chalked out an area and started to lay out mats for them. While it wasn''t necessary, as his armour would protect him, for falls and other such moves it was kinder to the clothes and kept dust from billowing up and irritating anyone.


    Watching as Laura clenched her fist and stretched, Peter did the same. They had moved away from the others as they had no idea how well this would go, but as Peter watched Laura limber up he got the feeling he was watching someone who was trained, and he was about to unleash a wild animal on himself. Shit, he thought, better be more serious, as she moved into the matted square they had laid out on the floor.


    Finishing his own stretches he joined her, sinking into the low stance he preferred. And with a yell, she launched herself at him. He was surprised as she swung with what looked like wild abandon at him, but he knew if he let them each of the swings would connect with a nerve point or joint. Each blow was to kill, not cripple, and as he ducked and weaved out of each of them he saw the pattern. She wasn¡¯t used to fighting without her claws out. Each blow was a stab or a slice, not a punch or a slap. Each blow was designed to inflict maximum damage, not numb or disable. Peter was fighting a killer, not a kid.


    Becoming even more serious, Peter began his counterattack, and he smiled as he began to cut loose a bit more.


    Training with the girls was fun, but he only let himself go when fighting Felicia. Gwen and MJ were unskilled enough that he would hurt them accidentally. Even Felicia gave him a few good knocks and he did the same to her, so when he connected with a blow to her abdomen and Laura went flying he froze.


    Shit, he thought too much, as she lay crumpled on the ground, and even Felicia and the others stopped and stared. Laura began to laugh though, lifting herself up and wiping some drool from her chin. Grinning, she yelled at him and six perfect razors slid from her hands and feet. Two sliding out of each hand, and a single blade from between her toes.


    Oh fuck, he thought again as she launched herself over at him, and this time she began to connect. Venom thickened his symbskin over his limbs as her swings cut perfect lines through it like butter. His normal armour wasn¡¯t enough and he powered up again, thankful he¡¯d eaten not too long ago, and as his more armoured form grew the gleam in Laura¡¯s eyes just sparkled more. Screaming in joy once more she vaulted herself at him, and he weaved from side to side as she slashed at him, and Venom felt himself avoiding not just punches now but wide kicks and overhead attacks as she leapt over him and struck out with the blades on her feet.


    Trying his best not to hurt her, the spar had gone from friendly to deadly in one blow. As he ducked under a slash he lifted her and slammed her into the ground, rolling to the side and sprayed webbing on her foot and she twisted, trying to dislodge him. Sitting on her back he sprayed the other and then both hands and as she buckled and screamed at him, he let Venom back in.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s fine, sorry okay, sorry.¡± but seeing she was safe and contained, Liv came over and took a look at her.


    ¡°Peter dear, get off. Gwen, neutraliser please,¡± and MJ dived over to the warehouse door, hitting a button Peter had installed for them in case of emergency, while Gwen opened a drawer in the kitchen workbench and pulled out a spray bottle.


    A fine mist was sprayed out of the sprinklers and the air con pushed itself up to max. Peter shook his head, forgetting the last time he¡¯d fought, even as Peter in such an enclosed space.


    Gwen had taken a sample and decided that in the event of an emergency or accident a chemical that could neutralize or contain the pheromone was needed, no one wanted Peter to set off someone accidentally or be accused of something he had no control over. Once the chemical was produced it was simple enough to add a smaller sprinkler system to the warehouse, to allow them to spray it over the whole area but not in the homes.


    Laura huffed and panted on the floor, growling at anyone coming close, whining as Gwen came over and sprayed the same chemical in her face and over Peter.


    ¡°Not your fault dear, we should have been a bit more careful.¡± said Liv as she helped him to his feet, ¡°but go shower, we¡¯ll make sure she¡¯s okay.¡±


    Peter shook his head, they had been so used to it just being the five of them they forgot, and with Laura''s sniffing habit it had been slightly funny. Now though, as he sweated and fought, she breathed in more of the pheromone and she was affected and had become agitated. She would calm down, but that wasn¡¯t the point, it was another stupid mistake.


    As the symbskin withdrew he stood under the shower. Letting the cold water douse him. He wasn''t upset, it was that he''d forgotten, and it bothered him. Laura was supposed to be safe here.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault you know,¡± Felicia stood in the doorway, ¡°If she¡¯s like Prowler then a canine enhanced will be more susceptible to your pheromone, and let¡¯s be honest, making a young girl horny isn¡¯t as bad as making a rabid one angry.¡±


    ¡°Not good enough though,¡± was all he said and she shivered slightly but joined him under the water, slipping out of her clothes.


    ¡°It''s never good enough Pete. Mistakes are made, it¡¯s what we do after,¡± and she began to cover her hands in shower gel and gently rub him all over ¡°although, a cold shower is terrible,¡± and reaching over, turned on the hot, letting it settle into a more pleasant temperature. As her hands slid down and soaped his front, Felicia whispered, "she is kinda cute though."


    After their shower, Peter and Felicia headed back to the breakfast area where Gwen had made breakfast, which a grinning Laura was happily shovelling into her mouth. Peter had left plenty of egg mix in the fridge and all it needed was cooking.


    "Monkey," Laura said, squirting ketchup onto the pile of eggs in front of her, "was fun, do more, do again?" and she gave him a thumbs-up as the pile of food rapidly vanished into another bottomless stomach. Seeing her plate empty she frowned and made a cute whine noise that Peter shook his head at.


    The warehouse buzzer went and MJ wandered over to answer it. As she stared at the handset she shrugged, ¡°no answer,¡± and made her way back to the table to finish her breakfast.


    After everyone was finished, Peter was left to clean up the mess. Still, under punishment for the incident at Fisk''s, it was his job to clean up after breakfast once the group split up for their daily routines. As Peter collected and started to wash the plates he scowled as the 6th plate appeared, someone had seconds and took a clean plate rather than using their own one twice, shrugging he went back and finished them off.


    Gwen and MJ had both headed back to their homes, leaving Felicia and Liv sitting at the table.


    ¡°Easters coming up,'''' Peter said, ¡°Aunt May isn¡¯t wanting to spend time with me, she¡¯s got that new guy and they''re celebrating together, so we could all do something?¡± he asked as he finished washing the plates and started to dry his hands.


    ¡°The parade?¡± Felicia asked, having always wanted to go but never had the chance to.


    ¡°Uh, Liv?¡± Peter asked, knowing her chair and the crowds might be too much.


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t mind me dear, the crowd would be a bit much anyway,¡± but Peter could see the disappointment on her face.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we do both, something Liv can take part in, and then the parade?¡± Peter suggested, leaning over Liv, ¡°Plus, I can be something special for you, if you want?¡± and she stroked his cheek and kissed him on the back of his hand.


    ¡°Oh, I''m sure I can think of something,¡± Liv said with a smile ¡°but first, you should have waited for your shower dear, I need one too and you can start making Easter up to me by washing my back.¡±


    ¡°Just your back?¡± Peter said, and Liv laughed,


    ¡°It''s never just my back, is it dear?¡±


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Eighty-Six. In A Cave With A Box Of Cameras

    One phone call was all it took and MJ was on edge. She had just gotten off the phone with her agent who had offered her an audition for the world''s next big blockbuster, and now as she sat staring at her phone, she wondered if this was a great idea after all.


    As soon as he¡¯d revealed himself to the world, every merchandising outlet went crazy. Everything was Iron Man, and Tony Stark was the newest biggest and hottest thing on the planet, more so than usual and MJ was being dragged into it.


    A short trip into New York and she was sat as her agent paced behind her desk. MJ had considered dropping the woman, whose constant smoking and hidden but still glaringly obvious whiskey filled cup seemed to be the cliched scumbag agent. As MJ had had one decent offer that she scored herself, and the rest had all been assholes. It was this one job that was currently keeping her here.


    ¡°Look, sweety. We want someone young, talented and well, beautiful, and you tick those boxes,¡° her agent had explained to a stunned M.J. What she didn''t mention was that Tony himself had looked through the book of headshots and picked out roughly 10 up and coming actresses. A stunt he had pulled before, ending up sleeping with them. None of them complained, of course, being on the arm of Tony Stark, even if it was for just one party, never did anyone or their career any harm. Of course, a few had complained but most either shut up or were paid off and either went on to rise up or were never heard from again.


    ¡°I know, I know, it''s a big one but honey, this is your break. I mean, it''s just an audition okay but I''ve seen your work, even the small stuff, that''ll be a piece of cake for you.¡± and MJ could only nod as the reality of the situation sunk in.


    The part was for Tony Stark''s girlfriend. Tony had signed a huge amount of contracts from toys to phones and of course, the giant egomaniac wanted a movie so of course a movie was being made. A heroic tale of his time not just in the desert but building and testing the Iron Man suit.


    MJ nodded, it was a drama, aimed at all ages so no nudity, a few kissing scenes but she knew she would be stupid to even consider turning this down, and as she signed all the legal paperwork she sat back, twirling the pen in hand and smiling. Peter had already told her that even if she wanted to do nude scenes he was fine with it, it was her life and her career. He had no say unless she started doing some very dubious movies.


    Once she was back in the warehouse the group waited around the breakfast table for her news. She had told them she had an offer, just not for what.


    ¡°I, uh, got an audition for the Iron Man movie.¡± and Peter had almost leapt on her, laughing and picking her up, twirling her around as she gave them the news.


    ¡°It''s just an audition Peter, calm down,¡± she said as his laughter became infectious and they all joined in congratulating her.


    ¡°Uh, do you get to meet him?¡± Peter asked and MJ shook her head,


    ¡°If I do, I¡¯ll get an autograph for you,¡± she said chuckling and Peter fist pumped.


    ¡°Fanboys,¡± was all Gwen said. ¡°We, uh, don''t need to be worried do we?¡± she asked, and Peter scowled and pouted at her to which she laughed, ¡°it is Tony Stark you know, he does have a reputation.¡± and Peter frowned,


    ¡°Oh shit, no I meant you, not MJ, shit Pete, stop looking like that.¡± Gwen realised what she said.


    ¡°Hey, Peter, it''s fine. Even Tony Stark can¡¯t drag me away from my one true love.¡± MJ moved over to Gwen, hugged her, and gave her a kiss on the cheek, "so don''t worry Gwen," while Peter frowned and shook his head at the pair''s antics.


    Liv wheeled herself out from Peter''s home, ¡°while this is a cause for celebration I''ve also got some bad news. I¡¯ve been in contact with my lawyer, and no he doesn''t know where I am, but it seems Stark Industries scooped up a lot of the patents I was holding for you dear. Most of the older ones for the Goblin armour and glider tech, plus a few on the harness. Even if I could fight for them, it''s about half a million dollars worth and we just don''t have the money.¡±


    Peter tapped a finger on the table, ¡°Nah, don¡¯t care, we don''t have the manufacturing capabilities to work on anything, the CLS is my own tech and while it was nice to have them Liv, I¡¯d rather have you.¡± and Liv smiled as Peter shrugged. Liv wheeled over to him and stroked his head, and Peter frowned, something wasn¡¯t quite right about that, something forgotten but he gently shook his head and held Livs hand against his cheek, taking it and kissing the back of it.


    ¡°I know it''s not over yet, but we should celebrate, get some snacks and, Gwen, what¡¯s ready?¡± Peter asked as Gwen was the only one who kept a check on her brewery.


    ¡°A bit early, let''s celebrate if I get it okay?¡± and Peter nodded, but he had no doubts that she would. The one talent MJ had, even if she was a bit hesitant to admit it herself, was that she was a great actress.


    The foursome cleared away their breakfast dishes and as MJ headed to work, Gwen went into her brewery to plan for a party, and Peter and Liv headed into his home to sort through and shred anything that was no longer legally usable. The last thing Peter needed was to finish the design and have it stolen by Stark. A fan yes but in business, it was shark eat shark.


    When the time for the audition rolled around MJ was prepared, she¡¯d been given a fake script, with a simple scene on it, Tony and the unnamed girlfriend were celebrating together, a kissing scene right from the start. Her agent dropped hints that while it was supposed to be Pepper Potts, Tony¡¯s off and on again girlfriend, she was refusing to allow them to use her name, and a new one hadn¡¯t been decided upon.


    The audition was at Stark Tower, and MJ was impressed by the giant glass and steel building. It was no secret that Tony had spent millions on it and it was going to be a shining example of what his technology could do.


    The line for the audition was smaller than MJ expected. There were only ten or so women there and almost immediately MJ recognised a type. Hair colour wasn¡¯t important, as there was a sea of redheads, blondes and brunettes, but every girl, herself included, was young, busty, and very attractive.


    At one point MJ would have considered herself one of the most beautiful women she knew, even comparing herself to Gwen, Felicia and Liv but seeing this group, all done up in their finest, all with perfect makeup, perfect hair, teeth, with perfect everything, MJ was feeling a little overwhelmed.


    Getting through security was easy enough, her agent had already handed over credentials, a copy of her licences and after a quick pat-down and a trip through a metal detector, they were led into the audition room. Obviously, it was a meeting room normally but bottles of water, scripts and small snacks lined a table on one wall, with a small set up for microphones and lighting over at the other.


    MJ noticed the stoic looking buff man stood in a black suit and tie, security, she thought to herself, but why here? But as she wasn''t about to start anything she paid him no mind.


    MJ''s agent helped herself to food and even as she brought over a plate that smelt divine MJ waved her away, several of the others talked, obviously they knew each other but the familiarity escaped MJ. She was here for a job, not a social visit and as the day went on, and each person before her got their reading it soon became her turn.


    MJ was slightly worried though, as each starlet took their turn she felt the actor¡¯s excitement grow and she could see the flirting and the giggling going on between the man and each one, not very professional, she thought, but not my business. MJ had dealt with creeps like that before, and this wasn¡¯t anything new to her.


    ¡°Okay love, just read the lines, do the scene and we¡¯ll talk, okay?¡± said one of the directors, he wasn¡¯t the big guy. Tony had wanted one of those huge Hollywood directors, this was just the talent scout he employed to do boring stuff like this.


    MJ composed herself, already memorised the simple enough lines and approached the actor, who smiled at her. She could smell his excitement, not just for the location but for the girls as well, creep, she thought but smiled anyway. He was tall-ish, only a few inches over MJ, and dressed in a well-tailored suit, a nice aftershave covering a hint of oil? What the hell? thought MJ but it was none of her business. They really had gone overboard with his makeup though, the hair, slightly greying at the temples, and the full goatee and moustache combination was really attractive on the man, and he really did look like Tony Stark.


    He was sluggish as they played out the scene, probably a temp they dragged in for the reading, but MJ was still going to give her best.


    ¡°It doesn''t bother you?¡± he asked ¡°Uh, that I¡¯m Iron Man.¡±


    ¡°No Tony, if you can save people. If you can be a hero that the people need, then I don''t care that you¡¯re Iron Man,¡± MJ said, with as much enthusiasm as she could muster for whoever wrote the crappy dialogue. ¡°Iron Man, a shining beacon for all mankind, the glowing arc reactor a hope to bring us into a new day.¡±


    As she spoke, the Stark actor took her hand and kissed the back it and then pulled her in for a kiss. As MJ watched his hand in hers, she raised an eyebrow and pulled back. His heart rate had leapt up and while subtle she could see the smallest hint of an erection. A chilling thought crossed her mind. As she took a good and proper look at him she took a gamble.


    ¡°No, I''m not kissing you Mr Stark.¡± and he frowned.


    ¡°Uh, no, just an actor,¡± he said, but MJ noted the security guard stood up straight.


    ¡°An actor with a $10,000 dollar Rolex, that smells slightly of machine oil but still has perfectly manicured nails. No, you¡¯re Tony Stark.¡± MJ said, pulling her hand away from him and backing off, ¡°and this is bullshit, isn¡¯t it?¡± she said looking over at her agent, who with half a sandwich in her mouth, shrugged. Her reaction told her everything she needed to know.


    ¡°I should be happy, that uh, you think I¡¯m Stark but, sorry, no, not Tony.¡± He said, and MJ shook her head.


    ¡°You¡¯re a bad liar, security for a nobody, an audition in Stark tower, and nobody, I bet nobody calls him Stark or Tony unless they know him. So no, this is bullshit, and I''m leaving.¡± Muse kept her rage from consuming MJ as she knew this was a set-up. An audition to see who would fuck Tony Stark for the part and MJ took the only course of action she could. MJ grabbed the fake backpack she took everywhere and looking over at her agent, ¡±and if you set me up with one more sleaze bag, I¡¯ll break your fucking legs,¡± and stormed out of the room.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Eighty-Seven. Less Stalking More Talking

    MJ balled her fists as she made her way back to the warehouse, she was sick of the assholes in the movie business and wanted nothing more than to punch that smug-looking asshole right in his stupid smug-looking face. She got enough of actual movie producers hinting that if she fucked them or their friends she would get parts but for Tony frickin Stark of all people to be doing it made her blood boil. What was worse, she couldn¡¯t even tell Peter. He idolised the man but more than that, he¡¯d probably go and actually punch him, a lot. With Venom currently a wanted fugitive, the last thing they needed was more drama. So standing outside, taking a deep breath MJ calmed down and put on a brave face for the group.


    As she unlocked the door the group was patiently waiting for her at the breakfast table and seeing the dejected look on her face, slid one box to the side and slid out another. MJ guessed the first said congratulations, and yup, this one said too bad. ¡°Thanks, guys."


    ¡°I didn''t get it, not even close, it was, bad, really bad.¡± she lamented and Peter slid a slice of chocolate cake over to her and rubbed her on the back.


    ¡°There is always next time,¡± and MJ nodded as she lifted the fork and sighed, taking a huge bite of the cake.


    As the group ate and chatted, MJ¡¯s phone went, and staring at it, a strange mix of emotions crossed her face, ¡°I¡¯ll be right back,¡± and MJ went into her home.


    ¡°Hello?¡± she asked, the number was her agent, but she had expected a termination letter not a phone call.


    ¡°MJ, I know you seemed upset. First, I had nothing to do with what happened, I really didn''t know,¡° her agent explained, ¡°and secondly, Miss Potts personally called here to apologize and if you are still interested, the part is yours then you can head to Stark Tower any time today and meet with her.¡±


    Keeping her cool, ¡°I¡¯ll be there, if Miss Potts calls again, give her my number,¡± and MJ hung up. It was fine if this had been the first time but it wasn¡¯t, innocent or not MJ was considering getting either a new agent or just quitting. While Muse was a sweetheart, she knew one day she was going to break someone''s jaw if she heard another sex joke made at her expense.


    ¡°Right,¡± She said to herself and headed back to the breakfast table. ¡°So, seems I got the part, and Tony and Pepper Potts want to meet with me, hopefully, to apologise.¡± and Peter nodded and smiled, before frowning,


    ¡°wait, apologise for what?¡± he asked but MJ just shook her head.


    ¡°Tell you later, but, uh, sorry guys but I gotta go,¡± and taking a smear of icing from the top of the cake, ran it over Peters''s lips and licked it off him, turning and giving an equally large kiss to Gwen, ¡°and Gwen can get hers later if she behaves,¡± she said with a wink and headed back out again.


    ¡°Uh, not chocolate cake though¡± and she gave Felicia a look, who bit her lip and hid the smirk on her face.


    ¡°Right, so if MJ did get the part and we already ate both cakes we need more. I need a walk,¡± and Gwen shook her head. MJ¡¯s kiss had lit a fire and while Liv was willing, she was unable but Felicia was always both and Peter just shrugged as Gwen morphed her clothing into a more suitable set of clothing for the outdoors. Poison was happily purring with the cake she had just eaten and Gwen knew from experience that sex right now would be too much.


    ¡°If you don''t mind dear, I¡¯ll like some fresh air as well,¡± Liv asked, wheeling herself away from the table, ¡°be a dear and come help me change will you.¡± Liv normally wore thin, lighter clothing in the warehouse that was easier to stay comfortable in rather than thicker clothing, using a blanket if she was cold. Gwen and Liv headed into her home while Peter and Felica just stared at each other, the fire burning, but manners told them they should wait and so Felicia stalked over to him and sat on his lap, softly kissing him while his hands explored her body.


    To them, the pair were only gone moments, while it would have been longer and once Gwen and Liv gave air kisses to the pair and exited out into the colder spring air Felicia found herself hoisted up and moved on the chair, Peter taking a slice of the cake, smeared it over her bare chest and stomach as her symbskin slid back to reveal her voluptuous breasts. As he licked his fingers clean, Felica ran her hands over his hair as he began to devour both the cake and her.


    ¡°So what are your plans now dear?¡± Liv asked Gwen as she wheeled her along the cold spring streets.


    ¡°Oh I dunno, with college and the cream I¡¯m feeling pretty busy, to be honest, yeah, the internship was great but not with college as well.¡± Gwen had to admit to herself that even living in the warehouse with her non-inclusion rule was still pretty stressful. Peter¡¯s outings as Venom having to wind down as he was a fugitive was a good thing for her. Poison worrying made her own anxiety spike, and she found herself crying a few times when she got some alone time.


    ¡°I know dear, even I finished my degree before working, and let''s be honest, you¡¯re not exactly great at hiding things. If you ever need to talk, you know you can come find me, please?¡± Liv said, looking backwards and up at Gwen, patting her hand. ¡°I know how bad stress can be.¡± and Gwen laughed,


    ¡°Yeah, it gets explosively bad,¡± and Liv rolled her eyes


    ¡°I did apologise for that dear.¡± and she shook her head,


    ¡°Oh, don''t go nuclear Liv, I know you''re offering a hand, well, arm. Maybe a tentacle?¡± and Gwen snorted at her own joke while Liv, smiling gave a quiet laugh. Peter must have the patience of an angel, she thought as Gwen poked fun at her, but it was still nice that she had been accepted into the group.


    The pair continued to chat until they reached the small convenience store they bought most of their groceries from, the larger store too far away, and right now they were unable to afford a car. So it was this or pay a large delivery fee. ¡°Oh be a dear and grab some noodles, Peter is making spaghetti again and we ran out,¡± Liv called across an aisle. Gwen wandered while Liv browsed the magazines. While the store was happy to see her, its smaller isles were cramped and Liv felt claustrophobic as the large produce filled shelves towered over her. Instead, she would pick two or three magazines to read while Gwen shopped and then pay for them once she was done.


    Gwen happily walked around the store, putting items in the basket and ignoring Poisons yelling over the candy and bakery section,


    Sugar sugar yum yum, she yelled, no fair no fair, give treaty treats, as Gwen ignored her and walked into the dried goods section.


    Shush baby, there will be treats later, she scolded her, and Poison huffed in her mind


    no fair, she said one last time before going quiet again.


    Gwen shook her head at the tiresome symbiotes behaviour and added spaghetti and other noodles to the basket. Peter made a decent enough sauce and with practice, it was getting better. With a realization, she headed to the cheese section and added in some grated cheddar, the store too small for Italian cheeses unless she wanted to pay a small fortune for something she seriously doubted was Italian.


    A strange man, clean, tall and scruffy in tattered clothes stared at her, one arm was missing and as she tried to ignore him she did the creepiest thing, he sniffed and Gwen raised an eyebrow, great, weirdo day today, and shaking her head she moved off to another aisle. Thankfully they needed more than just pasta and moving wasn¡¯t going to be too suspicious, oh shit, she thought as the man followed and sniffed again.


    ¡°You? Why do you smell different?¡± he asked her, his accent strange as if he was trying to talk through malformed teeth. ¡°Why do you call to him,¡± and he winced, doubling over in pain, ¡°run, oh please, run,¡± and he cried out in pain.


    Yeah, fuck that, Gwen thought and she bolted to the checkout. ¡°Uh, there¡¯s a tweaker or something having a fit back there,¡° but she was interrupted as the aisle behind her exploded and a huge green scaled monster erupted from the scattered produce.


    ¡°You, give us your flesh, yes,¡± hissed the giant Lizard, baring its fangs at her, ¡°we need your flesh,¡± and it swiped a claw at her.


    Gwen had been training with Felicia and Peter and she swung the basket around, catching the claw and spinning the monster round, ¡°run,¡± she yelled at the store clerk, only to see his back leaving through the employee door. Shit, Liv, she thought and knowing full well she couldn''t depend on Poison she sprang backwards, ¡°Liv, we¡¯ve got a problem¡±


    ¡°I can see that dear, it''s Curt. Can you fight?¡± Liv yelled back, hurriedly wheeling herself towards the exit.


    ¡°I can but if he hits me, Poison will probably get me killed,'''' Gwen shouted back, ducking and dodging the large thick claws of Lizard as he tried to grab for her.


    ¡°Then run, don¡¯t mind me, dear. It¡¯s, it¡¯s better you save yourself, Peter would-¡± Liv began but Gwen yelled,


    ¡°Pete would fucking kill me, so shut the fuck up,¡± and Gwen grabbed her wheelchair, and lifting Liv from it, threw it at Lizard. As Lizard looked at the chair strangely and then ripped it apart, Gwen had already barrelled out the door, wrapping Liv in the blanket she was using,  ¡°Fuck,¡± Gwen swore. She had been right, when she smashed through the glass, Poison began to complain and the pain shooting through her was crippling, no, she thought, we have to save Liv, no treats ever again if we don¡¯t, she chided Poison.


    It became a game of cat and mouse, Gwen was strong enough to carry Liv, hoisting her up and using webs to glue her to Poison but Lizard was fast and relentless. They ran, it was all Gwen could do, and thankfully she didn¡¯t trigger any traffic camera as she bolted through the streets with a giant green monster chasing her.


    She couldn¡¯t even get to her phone, it was trapped between Liv and her, and with having to concentrate on keeping one eye on the sidewalk and one eye on Lizard she didn''t want Liv to squirm to try and reach it.


    ¡°Rough bit,¡± Gwen said as she vaulted the chain-link fence surrounding the warehouse, and as they bolted towards the emergency door she yelled, ¡°Fucking help,¡± hoping Peter and Felicia weren''t too occupied to hear them. She stood at the door, hoping they would open it but as nothing happened she cursed them both. Lizard wasn''t as kind and ripped a large part of the fence in two, hissing and advancing on the pair.


    "Sorry Liv," Gwen said and dropping her slightly fumbled for her keys. Liv, on the other hand, had started to bang on the door, hitting the buzzer several times and as Gwen got her key into the lock, the door swung open and the pair were dragged inside. Venom had grabbed them and pulled them back further into the warehouse, away from whatever was chasing them. Huntress stood, pacing in front of the pair, ready to defend them


    Lizard leapt after them hissing and taking in the room around him. He could see his prey, the strange-smelling one who could solve his problem, and now, as he tasted the air around him, he paused.


    It wasn¡¯t just sex, he could taste the thick pheromone mixture, of both a man and a woman there was more. A new cloud of darkness spread across the room and as he watched two new prey advanced on him. The larger black one, anger rolled off him like a cloud and he gulped, not that the smaller dark grey one was better, her hatred was not comparable but still, the part of his brain that knew it had messed up was now screaming and crying in terror.


    As he watched the pair grow and move towards him, the Lizard did the only sensible thing it could.


    It ran.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Eighty-Eight. Mischief Maker

    Pepper was furious, ¡±What the hell did you do Tony?¡± she asked as she slammed the report down on his desk. Tony was spinning around in a circle and shrugged as he slid it off and peered at it,


    ¡°Blah blah, sexual harassment blah blah. Come on Pep, you know it''s just a wannabe looking for a quick score.¡± and he scrunched the paper up and tossed it as the small wastepaper basket next to his desk, raising his hands in victory as it went through the miniature basketball hoop around it.


    Pepper tutted and Tony looked, ¡°What? Three points.¡± and she shook her head.


    ¡°Well, good thing I have a copy, as this isn''t a wannabe looking to score. Thanks to your little stunt in the audition room, she actually has a case. Legal is up my ass about it already.¡± Pepper stood in his office, tapping her foot and glaring at him with her arms crossed. Normally legal took care of things like this but this time the woman¡¯s case actually had merit, and with there being another 9 women at the auditions and three additional witnesses it had gone up the chain of command until it hit her desk.


    Tony rolled his eyes and spun on his chair again, ¡°so? Find out what she wants and give her that, it''s not hard Pep.¡±


    ¡°It looks like she wants your balls Tony, so shall I?¡± and he snorted,


    ¡°Just give her the lead. She¡¯s an actress, it''s not hard to guess what they want, parts and fame. And if kissing me wasn¡¯t good enough then she just wants parts.¡± and it was Peppers turn to tut. As she stood and crossed her arms she pursed her lips. Tony had always been a bad boy but now, after coming home, it was starting to cost Stark Industries, and more importantly, as she was unofficially running the company, cost her as well.


    ¡°Get yourself cleaned up and meet me at my office in an hour.¡± Pepper turned and pulled out her phone, calling the number she had been given she spoke to the actress¡¯s agent, who was full of apologies for the way Miss Watson had acted but at the same time was angling for her to get a larger paycheck.


    After spending an exhausting ten minutes on the phone she slumped down at her desk in Jebediah''s old office. She had finished refurbishing it, removing all the collectables and what she thought of as ¡®old man junk¡¯ and it was now tastefully decorated in lighter glass and chrome cabinets, showcasing Peppers own achievements. The last thing she wanted was them to be tainted by Tony running his mouth off at an aspiring actress who¡¯d sue rather than settle. Tony had a slew of sealed harassment cases and paternity suits hidden under non-disclosure orders and the last thing Pepper needed was for him to add more to it.


    He had promised her he would change, after what she had heard of his time in the Middle East, and the man who had died to save him, she believed him. Even now, as the muscle and fat came back and his features filled out once more she could still see the haunted look on his face every now and again, and the pain the arc reactor he implanted in his chest caused him.


    His only solace seemed to be in building Iron Man suits. Suits, suits, and more suits, but as they seemed to be helping she couldn¡¯t complain if he had no time for her. That was what made this piss her off more. He had time to build another suit, time to mess around with naive actresses, but not for her.


    As she leant back in her chair there was a knock at the door and Tony¡¯s head of security. A buff but decidedly unhappy-looking man, Happy, stuck his head round. Pepper motioned for him to come in and as he sat in the chair in front of her seek she tilted her head, ¡°well?¡± and he crossed his fingers,


    ¡°It''s not as bad as the report says, it was just a kiss, and she did say no. Well, she was the only one to say no, but she did. Honestly, Tony¡¯s done a lot worse.¡± and Pepper rubbed her forehead with a hand.


    ¡°That doesn''t make it better, Happy. Tony got caught at a strip club with someone who looked underage, it was only a birth certificate that got him out of that one and he still paid off the prostitution charges.¡± and Happy winced at the memory, as he had been outside that club waiting in the car.


    ¡°It''s not bad Pepper. Honest.¡± and as she shook her head her phone went and lifted the handset, ¡°Well, she¡¯s here, and Tony?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I''m here too.¡± And in he walked, a pale tan suit and an ACDC T-shirt, the arc reactor glowing underneath it. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, no one can resist my charms once I start,¡± and Pepper stood, shaking a finger at him,


    ¡°Don''t you dare, that''s what got us into this mess,¡± and grinning and raising his hands in mock surrender. He slid his sunglasses off and up into his hairline,


    ¡°I kid, I kid.¡± and he sat back and smiled at her, much to her annoyance.


    There was a knock at the door, ¡°come¡± and a secretary showed in the young woman. Pepper was stunned and immediately could see why Tony was drooling over her. Tall, thin, feminine and curvy, she ticked all his boxes. Which then annoyed her more. Why was he chasing some young actress when they hadn¡¯t had sex for over a month? Was there something wrong with her?


    Pepper stuck out a hand and motioned to one of the seats, Happy jolted and stood, ¡°sorry¡± and moved to stand behind Tony.


    ¡°It''s fine,¡± and as she sat down, she gave Tony a glare and smiled at Pepper.


    ¡°Miss Potts, I got the call from my agent but uh, why am I here?¡± and Pepper looked over at Tony,


    ¡°You didn''t get your agent to threaten to sue us?¡± and MJ frowned and shook her head,


    ¡°No, if my boyfriend found out about Tony,¡± and the look she had on her face was a mix of disappointment and fear, ¡°he uh,¡° and MJ was unsure of how exactly to let Pepper know the Venom might have stalked the hallways, looking for Tony to throw from a window. ¡°He would be upset,¡± she said pointedly, and Tony snorted,


    Pepper glared at him, ¡°Miss Watson, we don¡¯t want to make a big deal out of this, and from your resume, it does seem that you would be suitable for the part. How about we get legal to draw up some papers and if you sign today then we can guarantee a part in the movie?¡± Of course, Pepper would make sure that the part wasn¡¯t specified, so if the young woman made waves she could have her pour a coffee and then have her edited out on the cutting room floor.


    ¡°Uh, I get that Mr Stark is in trouble, but, why are you so,¡± and she paused and chuckled. ¡°I get it. This isn''t the first time, is it?¡± and as Pepper looked over at Tony he shrugged, but Happy behind him had the guiltiest look on his face.


    ¡°Right,¡± and she straightened herself up. ¡°First, I want to speak to Miss Potts, alone. Then, my boyfriend is a big fan, so a signed headshot or two, some t-shirts and some of that new merchandising, maybe a tour. Then, I will get my new lawyer to look over the legal stuff. I will apologise for my old agent''s behaviour, She isn''t the most reliable person, and I am ditching her,¡± and thanks Muse, she said in her mind, following the symbiotes prompts. While MJ was a bit slow on the uptake, Muse had been spawned from Poison and originally from Peter. The one thing the symbiote was not, was stupid. After talking her through what to say the symbiote kept listening in, making sure MJ wasn¡¯t taken advantage of,


    No trouble MJ, we will make sure the Stark pays for insulting us.


    ¡°You want to talk in private?¡± and MJ nodded, ¡°I don¡¯t see why not,¡± and she motioned to Tony who was busy staring at the ceiling. Happy tapped him on the shoulder,


    ¡°Pleasure,¡± was all he said as he flipped his sunglasses down and walked off. Happy shrugged apologetically and closed the door on his way out.


    ¡°Miss Watson, I can-¡± but MJ lifted a hand,


    ¡°Miss Potts, this is separate and uh, kinda embarrassing. So uh,¡± and as MJ¡¯s face dyed red, she reached into her purse and pulled out a tin of low strength cream. ¡°My chemist friend, she makes this but she can''t get approval,¡± and as Pepper frowned,


    ¡°We don''t deal in illegal drugs Ms Watson, or homemade cosmetics.¡± and MJ hurriedly corrected her,


    ¡°No, no, it''s uh, lubricant, see, my,¡° and she shook her head, ¡°never mind. My friend is a biochemist and she, uh, has issues, uh down there,¡± and as MJ¡¯s eyes darted down Pepper raised her eyebrows and nodded. ¡°She made a cream to make it a bit easier but without FDA approval then she won''t get anywhere. It''s not a threat or anything, just, please. I know a lot of women need something like this and uh, you can help.¡±


    MJ placed the tin on the table and leant back in her chair, ¡°It''s homemade, well, not ¡®homemade¡¯ homemade, Gwen is a really good chemist, I swear, we use it all the time and we don''t have any problems.¡± but Pepper lifted the tin, ¡°it uh, makes, uh, ¡®it¡¯ easier.¡±


    MJ was silently crying inside. How do you tell someone you don''t know that it makes you super excited and they were selling it in back alley whorehouses already, where they had so many orders that Gwen was probably richer than anyone else in the warehouse.


    ¡°I can get someone to look at it, what''s your friend''s name?¡± and as she turned she tapped on her computer,


    ¡°Gwen, Gwen Stacy. She, uh, had an internship at Oscorp before, well, before, so she¡¯s really smart, it''s not a joke,¡° and Pepper nodded but called up the file records from not only Oscorp but New York''s Technical Academy, where Gwen was currently studying.


    ¡°She¡¯s the daughter of the police captain, George Stacy?¡± and MJ nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll have this analysed. Can I get your number? Just in case I need to talk to you or her,¡± and nodding MJ grabbed a pen and the note block on Pepper''s desk and wrote both her number and Gwen¡¯s on it. Pepper lifted the note and copied it into her phone.


    If Gwen¡¯s record was anything to go by she at least would give her a chance. An amateur made cream however would never get anywhere, and one promising to solve feminine intimacy issues would be a hard sell unless it actually worked and while Viagra was a good seller, no one had cracked the female equivalent yet.


    ¡°Thank you, Miss Potts, I really didn''t think this would happen. I mean, he¡¯s a jerk but, I get that a lot, and he at least stopped.¡± but Pepper shook her head,


    ¡°Miss Watson, that''s unimportant,¡° and she sighed, ''''the fact you had to run out of an interview was enough that security was called. It''s not just you, so it''s okay. I might not like doing things like this but, the alternative is much worse.¡±


    MJ nodded and stood and after shaking Pepper¡¯s hand, ¡°thank you, but uh,¡± and as she took a breathe and pushed down on her embarrassment, ¡°between you and me,¡± and she pointed at the cream, ¡°don''t let any women test that, it makes you super wet and super horny.¡± and before she could die from shame at talking to the CEO of Stark Industries that way, she bolted from the room.


    Pepper stood in stunned silence as she stared at the door and then down at the tin. Opening the lid she gave the white cream a sniff and as its pleasant caramel sweet scent filled her nose she felt a small rush of heat flow through her and stop right in her underwear and as Pepper let the breath out she had been holding she knew she might have to go home and change.


    Raising an eyebrow, she quickly tightened the lid back on the tin and made a mental note to follow Miss Watson''s instructions to the letter, adding another to make sure that Tony didn¡¯t get his hands on it.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Eighty-Nine. A Shocking Discovery

    Herman Shultz stared at the wrecked office and shook his head. So much for an easy assignment, he thought as he kicked a piece of burnt debris. Sure, the police had been scouring the place but once they finished, the lazy assholes who were supposed to be working as part of Alexsi¡¯s crew just left it. With no orders from up high, they had all taken a nice holiday, and as far as they were concerned, the junkyard was shut down.


    He had been called in. To clean up and make sure it was back in working order by the end of the week. If he could find out who actually killed Alexsi, as no one who worked in this life died by ¡®accident¡¯, then a nice fat paycheck was coming his way.


    So they brought in the ¡®Shocker¡¯, a tireless man who used electricity to its fullest to gain whatever information he needed. Being paid to electrocute scumbags and snitches was just icing on his cake but even he had to shake his head at the mess.


    ¡°Yeah, you, fuckface, and no I don''t care what your name is. Get me a list of everyone who works here, and if they ain''t here by the end of tomorrow, then I¡¯ll be visiting them personally.¡± and the man nodded and shook as he scurried away.


    Herman knew that being scrawny got you nowhere, so he worked out. Tall, at over six and a half feet he kept his head shaved and his face clean. Project an image, his mentor told him, and the muscular dark-skinned bald man projected one. It said, ¡®fuck with me and I¡¯ll make you eat your entrails.¡¯ Just how he liked it.


    Getting a gimmick added to that, he used to love those old hand buzzer things as a kid, the shocker, to him wasn''t just a sexual innuendo, He loved seeing people''s faces as they jumped at the small buzzer but now, as an adult, he used the real thing. The rush of seeing them twist and contort in pain was just as much of a pleasure as sex, and it always lasted longer too. Seeing the mess the junkyard was in, he knew he¡¯d need it soon. Someone was responsible, and he would make them talk.


    He gave them a day but everyone knew, you don''t wait when the boss calls. They either got their asses back here by the end of the day or he used them as an example for the rest. Alexsi was a nice guy, but Herman, he¡¯d fucking kill the assholes who did this. Kill one and the rest would fall in line.


    He had waited patiently. Some of the guys found a flat packed office and as he stood, flicking through the list of names, they assembled it and stared nervously at each other as he read. Everyone was accounted for barring four people. Benny, who Alexsi had said was taking a nap in the river. Max, who Alexsi had said had been given that strange blue liquid. Alexsi himself, as even with a body it wasn''t uncommon to find a suitable replacement if someone wanted out of the life and then this asshole. Some fucking dumbshit kid Alexsi must have been grooming. Peter Parker. He showed up, got a job, after Benny took his swim, and then after the explosion suddenly disappeared like a ghost.


    Herman took a last draw on his cigarette and stubbing it out, yelled over at one of the men, ¡°yeah, you, you get to be ds one, dumbshit one. Where the fuck does this Parker kid live? There¡¯s no address here.¡± and the man looked nervously over at his companions,


    ¡°Yeah, don''t look at them, I¡¯m asking you.¡± and moving over Herman stood in front of him, holding the sheet of paper up, ¡°which fuckhead didn¡¯t get an address or do a background check on a random kid from fuck knows where?¡± and the man paled, ¡°say it, go on,'''' and Herman shook his head as he knew what he was about to say.


    ¡°Uh, it was Alexsi sir, he uh, vetted him and approved his job,¡± and Herman swore,


    ¡°Was he fucking him?¡± and the man looked down and shook his head. ¡°So why the fuck was he sucking up to a fucking nobody?¡± Herman yelled and the man flinched back.


    ¡°Yeah, you,¡± he asked as one of the other men raised a hand nervously, ¡°you''re now ds two, what?¡±


    ¡°Uh, He fixed a case, Alexsi had us ship em out not too long after Benny. Said something about it being boobytrapped and the kid stopped us from getting arrested.¡± and Herman threw his hands up,


    ¡°Finally, someone with a fucking brain. Okay, so your now ds one. So tell me ds one. Why the fuck wasn¡¯t that in the report you sent to the top? and who the fuck was trying to get Alexsi nabbed?¡± but the man shook his head, ¡°Dumbfucks, all of you, fucking dumb as fucking shit, dumbfucks.¡± and Herman threw the piles of papers at them.


    Shaking his head, he took another cigarette out of its pack and lit it, ¡°clean this place up, Alexsi had backup, I want them, get a new PC and get it wired up and If I hear anything about we don¡¯t got the guys for that I fucking swear you are next for my foot up your ass.¡± and the men nodded and busied themselves.


    Herman sat back in the office. Right now he had a pile of crates as a desk, a semi-clean board over the top as a worktop and the broken but serviceable chair he was sitting on dug uncomfortably into his back. This Peter Parker was his number one suspect. Nobody turns up randomly, works for a few months, and then vanishes and as long as Alexsi was smart enough to leave some kind of trail, he would find him, and then they would have a little talk.


    Thankfully, Hermans reputation as a fixer of problems and a supplier of permanent solutions meant that the men he was sending out soon hurried back with not just a functional, if old, computer but the drives that Alexsi had stashed away for safekeeping. Using the system most people used the ones from the day he was killed were missing, the backups would have been done at night as he slept but it was enough to go on.


    Checking through the financial records he saw Parker getting paid quite well, maybe a bit more than he deserved but it was mainly junk they would have been sold or scrapped. After a few months, he was switched to a paid position, Herman leant back, tapping a pen in the table as he chewed its cap. Right after a bank job. Cross-checking the notes, he saw the call logs for Alexis¡¯s phone and calling up the recordings,


    ¡°tough break Osborn, tough break,¡± played over and over. So it was that stupid shit. He was long gone though, but Osborn¡¯s kid went to the same school as Parker, and Stacy as well. Herman looked over the files and names and saw the connection.


    If Stacy wanted info on Alexsi then the young Parker was perfect, and if Osborn wanted the same then his son''s best friend was also perfect. Add in Alexsi¡¯s soft spot for the kid and it all pointed to Peter Parker. What he didn¡¯t get though was why kill Alexsi? Did he find out and threaten him? But Herman shook his head, he wouldn''t threaten him, he¡¯d off him, Benny was a testament to that. Alexsi was soft for the kid but not that soft.


    Something else was going on, which led to headache number two. Someone had offed Kingpin as well. The higher-ups were furious as the message they got from him was ¡°speak to Huntress and then that was it¡± after that, contact was cut and he was gone.


    All Herman had there was a number and as he dialled it, surprisingly, a woman answered,


    ¡°Huntress.¡±


    ¡°Herman Schultz. Yeah, I got this number from Fisk. We need to talk.¡± and after a moments silence,


    ¡°Sure, where? And no men.¡± Herman laughed as if he would be that dumb.


    ¡°You know the junkyard in the Midtown warehouse district, Alexsi¡¯s place?¡± and he smiled as there was another pause, oh yeah, she had something to do with it or knew someone who did.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Good, there. 1 hour, and sorry but my guys will be here, that ain''t good enough, well, tough shit. Too many things go bad in this town for me to be stupid enough to walk into your little trap,¡± and he hung up.


    At the other end of the line, Felicia swore. She had expected someone to come for them months ago, and after Bullseye and Elektra both showed up she figured that was the end of it. Fisk leaving must have pushed his boss, or whoever ran the families in New York to send someone. Now she had to deal with it.


    As she stared at her desk, ¡°well, I guess it beats paperwork¡± and smiling she lifted her phone, ¡°hey Pete? Wanna come bash some heads with me?¡±


    He laughed on the other end of the phone. ¡°sure, where?¡± and he stopped when she told him,


    ¡°Yeah, okay, but I need a mask, can¡¯t be seen there.¡±


    Even Peter had heard the criminal always returns to the scene of the crime saying and he wasn''t about to walk right back into the first person he ever killed home and announce it.


    ¡°Sure, and make sure you¡¯re ready. These guys,¡± and she sighed, ¡°are assholes.¡± and as Peter laughed she shook her head. ¡°One hour, meet you at home and then we head there. See you soon,¡± and making kissy noises down the phone he was still laughing as she hung up.


    She shook her head as she smiled, but breathed out a heavy sigh. This was the first real test of her abilities as the latest crime boss of Hells Kitchen. The gangs were behaving for now, even after she dealt out the new rules for operating on her turf. They might have complained a bit but after some negotiations and cutting their dues, they settled and it was all smooth sailing.


    Now though, if Alexsi¡¯s death was being investigated and a new owner was setting up shop, she needed to be prepared to deal with a new variable in her plan. Gwen and Elektra were good enough, but today she needed someone she could rely on and that was Venom. Gwen still needed training and Elektra had promised to take over that, but she still needed to adjust to Hades. The last thing she needed was a rampaging symbiote, especially if Hades felt the same way about Venom as the rest of them did.


    Picking up her phone, she walked out of the office she was currently renting. The Manhattan projects office was massive and screamed inferiority complex. Instead, she had rented one of the brownstones in New York they used for brothels and took the top floor. It was inconspicuous and safe.


    ¡°Taking the day off,¡± she mentioned to her new secretary, and they nodded, Felicia couldn''t remember her name, she was really one of the girls, who rather than walking the streets had a talent for typing, and once they were better situated she would see if she could file as well. A sad truth was that a proper criminal enterprise was just as much about paperwork as crime, and Felicia hated paperwork.


    As she headed home she sent messages to every madam in the area, letting them know a new player was in town and that she was going to meet with him. It was standard practice. Cloak and dagger was great for spying, but a boss who hid from their employees sowed mistrust and risked disloyalty from only the most fervent of subordinates. Felicia wanted a network of close allies, and this was the way to do it.


    As she approached the warehouse she spied Venom already sitting on the roof across, clad in black, everything. His boots were shiny and knee-high, covering black trousers and an open side buttoned trench coat, he had on thick goggles to cover his mask and a fedora on top. She stifled a laugh as she saw him,


    ¡°What the hell?¡± and she gave him a once over, he did look kinda sexy, like a 50¡¯s detective version of his Venom armour, but she would never let him know that.


    ¡°I uh, watched Dead Men Don''t Wear Plaid, and uh, got inspired,¡± and Felicia laughed and shook her head, ¡°and you said to practice.¡±


    ¡°Come on then Captain Tight Pants, but fuck V, take off the damn hat. You look like a dork,¡± and as Huntress spread out over her, she sent out a web line and swung off, shimmering and disappearing towards the junkyard.


    Venom stood for a moment looking down at the hat he was holding, ¡°but I like the hat,¡± he huffed.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Three. Chapter Ninety. Paths Of Least Resistance

    Herman watched as the two costumed heroes dropped down at the front of the junkyard and he swore as he recognised them. Huntress had been all over the news, and even if he was wearing a stupid getup that would only mean that the man next to her was Venom.


    Shit, he thought to himself, if she¡¯s with him then that means that the Kingpin rumour was right, and then they probably took out Alexsi as well. Right then he wished he had his suit. It was a custom job, and as he liked to get up close and personal with electricity, it let him feel the muscles twitch and contract as his victims were fried. It was too late though, they were here and he was in trouble.


    As the pair approached the office Herman nodded and went inside, following they saw the sparsely decorated interior and stood as he sat in a broken office chair, stained and missing its wheels.


    ¡°Yeah, things aren''t so good right now,¡± and he motioned around him, ¡°but that ain¡¯t why I''m here. Business. You took over Kingpin''s patch,¡± and as he waved a hand at the scrapyard, ¡°can I assume this was you as well? If so, you owe on his debts, and I''m here to collect.¡±


    Huntress stood impassively, and after a moment. ¡°Venom, wait outside. I don''t need you for this,¡± and after a nod, he left.


    ¡°Mr Shultz. Felicia Hardy,'''' and as Huntress slipped back Felicia was standing in her business outfit, black suit, over a white blouse, pencil skirt and black heels. ¡°And yes, if you mean Fisk leaving New York and Alexsi¡¯s death, then yes. I am responsible.¡± She figured that someone would have to take the blame for the death, and as she was moving in anyway, Peter would just owe her one.


    As the man stared at her, a hard stare trying to figure out the young woman, he breathed out through his nose and leant over to grab a cigarette. ¡°Alexsi is ten, and Fisk is fifty, payable over time, the families aren''t monsters, Miss?¡± and he paused for a moment, ¡°Hardy? As in Thomas Hardy?¡± And Felicia nodded, ¡°well, sorry but that ain¡¯t worth a discount. Money, payable in instalments plus Fisk owed another two-three hundred mill in loans on equipment, buildings, men, and a few other expenses. We didn¡¯t ask but happily paid. If you¡¯re his replacement, then those are added to the debt. Now, do we talk, or do I get my ass handed to me and you talk to the next guy?¡±


    Herman leaned back, happy this was going this route and not the way he had heard Huntress normally negotiated. Plus, now he had a name and names had addresses and family, friends and pressure points he could squeeze. So far, this was looking good. She even admitted to killing Alexsi, and he could throw that back up the chain and let them send someone else to deal with it.


    Felicia took a breath, this was it, ¡°Alexsi was ten, that''s fine but we didn''t kill Fisk, he just left. Go chase his ass for his fifty plus. Debts on the buildings and equipment I¡¯ll concede to, as long as you provide an itemised accounts book. I''m not paying cause you feel like skimming Mr Shultz. His men scattered so go chase their assess for what they stole. I''m not a charity and not about to roll over for you. I will, however, play ball and no, Huntress won''t ¡®hand your ass to you¡¯. You seem like a reasonable man and as long as you obey my rules then we can work things out.¡±


    Herman frowned, ¡°rules huh? Let''s just say I do. What rules?¡±


    ¡°Nothing major, drugs are checked for impurities and kept at a reasonable price. No selling to minors, or getting a girl on smack so she hooks for you. Nothing to stop business from being run, just things to get those who want to work to work and those who don''t walk away.¡±


    Herman nodded his head back and forth while frowning, ¡°and if I say yes, what guarantees I get that Huntress and Venom don''t come to kill me. They were scraping Alexsi off the sidewalk, and well, we¡¯ll check if Fisk is alive or not.¡±


    ¡°Same deal Fisk got. I don''t care. I run this the way I run it, say no and it¡¯s war, say yes and we play nice. I took out Alexsi as he didn''t want to play nice and was up Osborn¡¯s ass. Fisk played ball and was allowed to leave, where he went I have no idea but let''s face it, if you can''t find Fisk then, then you can¡¯t find your ass with both hands and a map.¡± At which Herman laughed,


    ¡°You can prove that right? Alexsi working for Osborn? That goes a long way to clearing some of the mess but Fisk? I¡¯ll make enquiries.¡± and Felicia nodded,


    ¡°I¡¯ll have copies of my files emailed to you,¡± and as she looked around the office, ¡°I¡¯ll send a courier.¡± and Herman shook his head.


    ¡°Ain''t good enough, I need the originals, cause.¡± and Felicia raised an eyebrow, and he shrugged, ¡°ain¡¯t no matter, we mark our files, so we know if they¡¯re real or not. If they ain¡¯t real, then it''s war, cause you don''t kill two guys,¡± and as Felicia raised an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms, ¡°yeah, two guys without paying. If what you say is true, the Fisk ain''t your business but you still gotta pay for Alexsi.¡±


    ¡°I can do that, we have a side business we¡¯re willing to split off, but I want a contract, guarantees and it goes to the debt, plus I want the paperwork for that too.¡± and Herman frowned, shrugged but agreed.


    ¡°Sure, but uh, it ain''t chocolate bars is it? Cause the girls scouts, yeah even we leave them alone,¡± and Felicia laughed


    ¡°No, it''s not cookies, Mr Shultz '''' and the atmosphere between the two relaxed, at least to cordial levels.


    As the pair continued to talk, Felicia phoned the office and had a courier bring over the original files. Matt had taken photocopies before packing them back up, and he was going over them at his own pace. They had already moved them from the warehouse in an attempt to keep the illegal activities there to a minimum and Gwen had begun to mention moving the workshops out as well.


    No one minded the noise but the smell of burning metal or solder was irritating on their enhanced senses. While her brewery was fine, it was getting cramped and it was time to get Peter to build more homes.


    Venom could hear their conversation, Shultz must have been unaware of their capabilities or he would have set up a white noise generator but with how relaxed Felicia seemed he wasn''t worried. This was her world and he just stuck a toe in every now and again when she needed him.


    This was their life. He didn''t object to any of their lives. MJ worked on her scripts and would be gone if filming took her across the globe, and even if it didn¡¯t a press circuit would. Gwen was happy to help make the cream, attend college and head down the scientist route. Liv was at a loose end right now but once she recovered she would find her place in the world again.


    Strangely enough, it was Peter who found himself at a loss. He enjoyed everything, the lab work, the fighting and taking out villains, and most of all, being a landlord. Working with his hands gave him a sense of peace, it grounded him that no matter how big and powerful you got, that a blocked toilet still needed a plumber and even if you didn''t do it yourself, life needed organisation. Sighing to himself, he just needed to find that spark.


    The CLS needed a manufacturing facility, hand made circuit boards and roughly fabricated parts were fine but to really get it up and running he needed a backer, preferably one with a steel mill and a huge workshop. Sadly, he knew that unless he sold out to Stark or Hammer, such a place wasn¡¯t just going to fall into his lap, the warehouse had been a fluke and one he knew wasn''t going to be repeated anytime soon.


    It was an hour before Felicia came out and as Venom jumped off the scrapped car he had been sitting on she smiled and nodded at him.


    ¡°It''s settled. I¡¯ll tell you more when I can,¡± and as Huntress morphed into her armour the pair ran, jumped and shot out web lines to swing off into the city before heading home.


    As they swung, Felica smiled to herself and swung closer, letting go and holding onto Venom. It had been a lifetime ago that he had saved her, chided her and then swung through New York, attached and thrusting, but now, she just wanted the closeness. Resting her head on his shoulder he aimed high and found a nice overhang for them to sit on.


    ¡°Everything okay?¡± and she nodded, letting her face cover pull back, as he saw her smile, he had an idea. ¡°Give me a minute okay?¡± and as she nodded, confused, he dived from the building, only to appear again a few minutes later with hotdogs.


    ¡°Got you one with everything.'''' Peters was missing the sauerkraut as he hated the overly vinegary taste, but Felicia was always an everything dog. As he handed them over she smiled, ¡°why?¡±


    Sitting down next to her on the ledge, ¡°you know, it''s nice up here and we don''t do this often enough.¡± and as he took a bite of his dog she nodded and bit into her own.


    After swallowing she stared at him, ¡°still not an answer,¡± and he looked over at her,


    ¡°I love you, do I need an excuse?¡± and as she blushed, he smiled and leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, leaning back she nudged him with her shoulder and took another bite of her dog,


    ¡°wuv u oo,¡± she said, hoping the mouthful would hide her admission,


    ¡°How romantic,¡± he fawned and fake fanned himself and as she laughed he smiled, ¡°it''s okay, you know, to be loved.¡± and she nodded, ¡°I heard you take the rap for Alexsi, and well, thanks.¡± but she shook her head and stuffing the last of the dog into her mouth finished it before speaking,


    ¡°Then I don''t need to repeat anything?¡± and he nodded, ¡°look, Alexsi was going to cause problems, and you did it for us anyway, so why not. I mean, you owe me 10 million, so it''s all fair right?¡± and he laughed.


    ¡°Well, since I paid for your crime empire to begin with, you don''t pay rent, and you steal all my snacks, I think we can work something out, right?¡± and she batted him with the back of her hand,


    ¡°I pay rent asshole, not my fault Gwen keeps stealing mine.¡± and he laughed, pulling her over into a hug. As she slid an arm around him she rested her head on his shoulder ¡°but seriously Pete, I know you don''t want the bad guy life, so it''s no biggie. Money is good and Shultz is easier to deal with than the cops. The Black Cats are becoming a force for good, and yeah, it''s all good.¡± as she looked up at him, ¡°and I really do love you, even if you make me feel stupid sometimes.¡±


    Peter looked down at her, knowing she meant emotionally and not like an actual idiot, and pulling her close he kissed the top of her head and then lifted her head for a proper kiss.


    ¡°Well, Miss Crime Lord, how about we work out exactly how I''m going to repay you by spending a little time scaring pigeons and avoiding helicopters?¡± he whispered and as Felicia gave him a quizzical look, he raised an eyebrow at her, giving her a bright and very cheeky smile.


    ¡°Ooooh,¡± and as she lifted herself onto his lap, once more, they began to swing, connected and in each other''s arms, around New York.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter Ninety-One. We All Float

    Easter had come around and Peter had planned to hide eggs around the warehouse as a small surprise for everyone. It was ruined as soon as Gwen woke up, sniffed and looked at him, pointed and asked, ¡°why is there candy hidden around the warehouse?¡± and then whined as Poison pressed her into gathering it all and gorging herself. Poison had complained after the Lizard incident and to mend the trust between them, Gwen had let her.


    Leaving Gwen to nurse her sugar hangover as Poison overindulged, Peter instead decided to see if they could get to the Easter parade that was normally held at this time of year. With Felicia free, MJ finalising a movie contract with her new agent, and Gwen off college, he figured it was a good way for the four of them to bond, without resorting to the bedroom.


    Liv on the other hand was stuck inside, as Lizard had trashed her wheelchair the only one they had was the trolley they used when she first arrived. Peter had modified it and she could move around the warehouse but its thin wheels were useless outside on the rougher ground. It was fine though, while she never said anything, they could feel the fear coming from her when they asked if she wanted to go out, and she shook her head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make it up to you,¡± Peter told her and made sure he pampered her for the day before the four of them would be out.


    New York was in full Easter swing, and as the group walked the streets up to 5th Avenue the amount of bright and colourful costumes everyone was wearing made the foursome seem drab in comparison. Having an idea Peter dragged them to a public toilet and had to scowl and shake his head as MJ¡¯s eyes lit up at what she thought was going to happen.


    Pouting as they all morphed their clothes into a brighter move appropriate attire Peter kissed her and promised some fun after, there were too many cops around for that sort of thing right now, but a rooftop rendezvous on a skyscraper of her choosing was enough to get her to smile.


    Peter had chosen to go with dark blue, choosing simple trousers and a shirt. The weather was nice and even if it wasn''t he wouldn''t have felt the cold. The girls decided on matching spring dresses, showing not much cleavage but plenty of leg, frilled and puffed at the bottom with cute floral shoulders, and small sleeves. Each girl had chosen a pastel colour, Gwen went with pink, MJ with light blue, and even Felicia who grumbled but chose white, looked stunning in her outfit.


    Peter stared as the three came out from the toilets and twirled for him, bringing them all in for a kiss and made sure no one was left out. He felt bad enough for leaving Liv behind, she was still wanted by the police and FBI but he promised an evening for her alone to make up for it. He had been practising making everyone favourite dish, and while Liv¡¯s was easiest he would take time to make it for her, meatloaf with mashed potatoes.


    Food stalls were raided, and plenty of different treats and drinks were bought, shared and happily devoured as the quartet found good spots to stand. The parade hadn¡¯t started yet and they eagerly anticipated the massive floats. Oscorp was still the sponsor this year, even after the scandal there was just no time to change the event and while it was a muted affair, Peter could see that the VIP box was filled with the last of the board, drinking champagne and waiting for the mics to be set up. They would still launch the parade, still give a speech, and he was looking forward to seeing what slimeball excuse Jack Thompson, the new CEO of Oscorp, would give for Norman''s behaviour.


    The event would officially start around 10, and soon enough the crowd surged and the four were jostled near the barricade, never minding the pushing as if anyone felt slighted by the pusher they were all more than strong enough to stand their ground.


    The microphone squealed as Jack Thompson tapped it.


    ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen, once more it is Oscorps greatest pleasure to be hosting an event in this great city of ours. Now I know that things haven''t been the best, that a great tragedy was committed and we can never forget that. But easter is a time for celebration, forgiveness, and for resurrection. While we hope you are all having-¡± and the mic cut off with a loud squeal, even Jack stood back and covered his ears.


    ¡°Oh cut the sanctimonious crap, Jack. You all were glad I failed. You all wanted me to fail. Those deaths are on you, not me. The board pushed for results and when you didn''t get them you whined like fucking kids.¡± The glider hovered in front of the stand Jack and the board were sat at, Norman''s voice booming out through the armours inbuilt speakers.


    ¡°Well, you want resurrection?¡± and Goblin fired off two rockets at the stand, they exploded and covered the area in a green toxic mist and once it cleared there were no bodies, nothing remained. ¡°Come back from that,¡± and Goblin laughed, broadcasting his mirth over the assembled crowd.


    ¡°You wanted a villain, someone to blame for the deaths of those poor saps?" The glider hovered and turned, flying up higher, Goblin stretched out his arms, ¡°well, here I am, here¡¯s your holiday nightmare made flesh. Now run, run and hide so the Goblin doesn''t find you.¡± Without even aiming Goblin fired into the crowd, and in a wail of screams, blood and bullets flew through the air.


    Peter and company rushed with the crowd, they needed a way to escape and a way to stop Golin from hurting anyone else.


    ¡°Pete, shit, Pete. Do we help? I mean, that''s Goblin, we can''t,¡± Peter grabbed Gwen and hugged her. ¡°It''s okay, it''s fine. If you don''t want to then grab MJ and head home, it''s okay.¡± He knew Gwen and MJ had no experience fighting and that Poison wasn''t the bravest symbiote in the group.


    ¡°MJ, you okay?¡± and she nodded, staring up at the laughing Goblin as he fired into the crowd. ¡°Take this and get Gwen to safety, okay?¡± and he leaned over and pecked her on the cheek, ¡°it''s fine, it''s fine. Muse, keep her calm, get them to safety, okay? and Poison, do this and I¡¯ll reward you later. Anything you want, and I mean anything," and Gwen nodded and stared, Peter had handed MJ a huge chocolate chip cookie, from the bakery where she had first had to calm down Poison, and she frowned, ¡°did you plan that? you ass,¡± and he laughed,


    ¡°emergency Gwen cookie,¡± and he handed it to MJ, ¡°if you want it though, you gotta get somewhere safe to eat it, okay?¡± and Gwen tutted,


    ¡°What am I a fucking child?¡± and Peter sighed,


    ¡°well, we¡¯re in the middle of the street and I¡¯m not into exhibitionism, so deal okay?¡± and as she nodded, she was still staring at the cookie in MJ¡¯s hand. MJ grabbed her hand and pulled her, ¡°come on, we¡¯ll be fine,¡± and the pair disappeared into the crowd to escape.


    The duo ran towards a deserted shop, making sure that no one could see them, crouched in the doorway they both changed and peered out into the chaos. Clicking the mics she nodded at him and he moved out first, leaping and grabbing on the side of the building and quickly climbing its smooth glass walls. Huntress was after him quickly, leaping to the building across from him. They had discovered that while she could bend light Peter could polarise his lenses and catch the shimmer of her as she moved.


    They were both level with Norman as he laughed and spun, firing into the crowd. The police who were patrolling the area had begun to return fire but once Norman spotted them he would spin and shoot, and none had survived a barrage.


    Venom clicked, ¡°go high, hit Norman and take him to the ground,¡± and Huntress gave him a thumbs up. With his new powers, he should be able to disable the glider while Huntress keeps him busy. I hope, he thought to himself but the last thing they were going to do was let Norman continue his massacre.


    Venom held up a hand with three fingers and as the last one dropped, they both swung out, Huntress staying invisible to put Norman off targeting her, and as she slammed into him, the glider spun out of control. Venom grabbed the bottom and hung on, letting his symbskin flow into the device, and as he felt it connect, the three of them went flying.


    Norman activated the thrusters, on his HUD he was seeing an alert that an enemy was attempting to access the glider systems. Norman knew it was that menace when he saw him swing out but hanging on to the bottom of the glider all he could do was fly fast enough to shake him off. The idiot had tried to separate them but that was one thing he¡¯d thought of years ago and his boots were clamped magnetically to the glider, only he could release them and as his systems registered blows he realised that they had a third guest.


    He could see brief flashes of whatever it was and set the optics of his helmet to scan every frequency, finding one he realised it was a girl but he didn''t care, stupid bitch, he thought and as the glider flew faster and faster he took them up to the lower atmosphere. Fucking costume-wearing freaks, he thought but it didn''t make a difference, she was still holding on firmly to the glider and laying blow after blow onto the armour. As he got a look at her through his thermal sensors he could see she was hotter than a person, that wasn''t a costume she was wearing and as her temperature increased to ward off the cold, he only had one thought as to what they were,


    Fucking symbiotes, he thought, and dived back down, Harry must have helped them and he thought of how he would eviscerate him, right after these two. He activated the suit''s melee defensive systems and a blade sprang from one arm, slashing at Huntress she ducked under the blade and grabbed his arm, punching the hopefully weaker joint of the suit.


    Venom was stuck, with his symbskin slowly working its way into the glider he couldn''t even use his webs to help Huntress, but bit by bit he was gaining control. He saw the advanced schematics of the power systems and ordered a release, the ammo drums began to spin, shit, not that, he thought, the last thing he needed was unused large calibre bullets that vaporize people falling from the sky and he tried to get the guidance systems under control.


    To shake off the two bugs, Norman sent the glider into a spin and without a proper hold Huntress slid off and she fired a web line and caught hold of Venom, she swung round and as she flew through the air back to the top of the glider, she kicked Norman with both feet in the chest.


    The servos in the legs whined as they kept him upright but in the armour, his thighs ached at the strain. A blade slid out again, and he wildly lashed out at her as she ducked and got hit after hit on the joints of the armour. He roared through the speakers at the pair, knowing that they would eventually break him down. He needed a plan, he needed a way to get them both off him and on the ground.


    Checking his HUD Norman spotted that Central Park wasn''t too far away and decided that drowning the two bugs would be the best bet. Heading for the Lake, he knew that the glider was shielded against extreme weather conditions and while underwater performance was lower, holding Venom under wouldn''t cause any problems.


    As the glider dipped into the lake, Norman slammed on the brakes sending Huntress flying and into the water, where, while he couldn''t see her, he saw the massive splash she made. Locking on the centre of the water disturbance he sent round after round into the spot, laughing loudly over the speaker.


    Being jolted as he stopped, Venom tightened his grip on the glider, letting more and more of his symbskin flow into it. He called up the internal guidance systems and saw Norman load up two goblin missiles, sending an emergency jam alert they spun in place but refused to fire, then an ammo failure alert send the drums of ammo to the bottom of the lake. He couldn''t see blood in the water and he knew Huntress was unharmed. He clicked his mic, ¡°you okay?¡± but he got no reply.


    ¡°No, I''m fucking angry,¡± was all he got back, and he felt the water ripple as she swam to the bottom of the lake and then launched herself at Norman. Flying through the air she had made a sword and as she flew up she shot a web, wrapping it around his neck and pulled herself onto his shoulders. Once up there she reversed her grip on the sword and stabbed down into the shoulder joint of his suit.


    He yelled and tried to get the glider to rise but Venom had already disabled the engine, a simple ''water in engine'' alert stalled and shut down the glider, which now bobbed on the surface. Noman yelled as the blade slid between the joint of the suit and into his arm, blood dripping from the armour.


    With Huntress straining against the suit she made herself a target and he swung a fist up, unloading a round of bullets from his wrist launchers, forcing her to leap backwards and back underwater. Roaring in pain he pulled out the sword and threw it into the lake.


    Venom had managed to gain access to the HUD of the goblin armour ¡°now now, no littering¡± he typed across the screen and unlocking the boot Norman knew that Venom was able to breathe underwater. Damn insects, he thought and flipped a hatch on the glider''s body, pressing down a button with his foot the glider began to beep. Norman had planned for a hijack and installed a manual explosive to detonate if he lost control, laughing he leapt off the glider and the boots of his suit flared into emergency rockets, and he sped off across the water.


    Shit, thought Venom, ¡°I''ve got this, go after him," he told Huntress and she nodded and took off.


    Venom stared at the bomb, currently beeping in the wing of the glider. I hope I''ve got this, he thought and began to form his hand into the tools he would need to disarm it.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter Ninety-Two. Supermarket Sweep

    Venom stared at the explosive, Norman had rigged one of the Goblin rockets to explode on a timer. Once the chain reaction started it would spread into the other engine, making a really big mess, Venom thought. Once you also added in the ammo drums, it was not just a bomb but a huge shrapnel claymore that would devastate anything within a large area.


    Thankfully his symbskin could wrap around the warhead and as he carefully removed it he made sure that there were no backup systems and sighed in relief as the glider powered down and his senses told him that the glider was offline.


    He hit the Bluetooth on his headset and dialled home,


    ¡°uh hey Liv, did Gwen and MJ make it back?¡±


    ¡°Oh thank the stars Peter, yes, yes they did. We¡¯re watching you on TV, there are cameras all over the place, be careful dear, oh, if you can, um, can you bring that home?¡±


    Venom laughed, ¡°will it make up for having to stay home?¡± he teased her


    ¡°Oh, I don''t know dear, I still think an evening together is still in the books, but as much as  I like this, you really should be going after Felicia. Is she okay chasing Norman on his own?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t leave the glider, and yeah, Huntress will be fine.¡±


    "Good but be careful, we''re watching you right now and all J.J seems to be focusing on is you and your supposed link to the Goblin, and ignoring the deaths of the crowd."


    Venom sighed, as the glider powered up and his symbskin flowed through it, he lifted off and after a few shaky stalls managed to get it onto the roof of a high rise, His main problem was what to do with the Goblin warheads. They were dangerous and while the glider was fine to be left, he didn¡¯t want to risk leaving the missiles as well.


    Staring at them for a moment, he unscrewed each warhead, webbed a disk, laid them in it and then webbed it all together, searching for a safe place to leave them, that if they exploded wouldn¡¯t take out a large chunk of a building or residential area.


    Spying a water tower, he hoisted open its inspection hatch, and created a line of webbing, attached it to the package and then lowered them into the water. It should contain a blast, he thought to himself, should. After webbing it shut and making sure the glider was webbed down and powered off, he checked it was secure before swinging back out to find Huntress.


    Huntress was fine, she was relishing taking that armour off Norman and finding out where her father was. Even if she had to peel it from him one plate at a time and then take him apart one limb at a time, she would find him.


    She shot out line after line more pulling herself across the water as Norman sped away but as his blood had dripped from the wound she had smeared some of it on her hand, she had his scent, that foul rot that she knew was from a formula designed to harm rather than enhance and no matter where he went she would find him.


    As she clicked her comms, ¡°you coming?¡± she asked Venom.


    ¡°Took the glider somewhere safe, heading back now. Will find you, stay safe, love you,¡± was all he said, and she grunted in agreement.


    He had a bone to pick with Norman but nothing like her. Oscorp had taken her life from her, even if she hated him, he was still her father, she still needed to know what had happened to him. Spurred on by the thought of Norman''s death, she screamed and pulled herself towards the shore, watching as Norman''s boots sputtered and died.


    As he landed and stumbled, she made it back to shore and he stared at her,


    ¡°What, no boyfriend to save you? I''m not afraid of a little girl,¡± and he held out both arms and blades slid out of each gauntlet on his arms.


    ¡°Thomas Hardy, tell me where he is,¡± she asked, maybe he¡¯s gone enough he¡¯d just tell me. Of course for the comment about her gender, she was more than willing to beat what she wanted out of him,


    ¡°Who? Why the fuck should I care about some nobody? Are you his kid or something?¡± and he shrugged, ¡°quit fucking around bug, let''s dance.¡± and he charged at her.


    Huntress ducked under his swing and drove a kick into his stomach, he staggered back but swung once more, and with each wild swing, she had to fall back more and more. She knew from Liv that the blades were specially designed for the armour and could cut anything. Their main purpose was for entering buildings and they would make short work of her armoured symbskin. Thankfully for her Norman was useless. Even with minimal training, MJ was a better fighter, and the man had definitely spent more time in the boardroom than the gym. With ease Huntress weaved and dodged around his feeble blows, kicking and punching at each of the armour''s weak points.


    Flipping back and out of his reach, Huntress shot two webs at him and as the electricity crackled along them he just looked at her.


    ¡°What? Are you fucking kidding me?¡± and he brushed the webs from his torso, ¡°a fucking taser? Really? A fucking taser?¡± and roaring, he charged once more.


    Huntress used a similar tactic to Venom, she leapt over him and shot webs to his shoulders, and when she landed she yanked him off his feet. As the heavy armour flew through the air, Goblin locked on and fired at her, driving her to dodge and dive out of the way.


    ¡°You can''t beat me, I''m invincible!¡± he roared and as he picked himself up, he laughed and took off into the trees.


    Huntress cursed, why run?  just making me chase you, dumb fuck.


    Her mic clicked, ¡°on my way back, hid the glider on a building and webbed it down. Liv warned me the place is crawling with cameras so be careful.¡± Venom warned her, and she noted that while the park seemed to be empty, there were a lot of people watching the fight.


    ¡°Shit, V, make sure the cops don''t get in the way, Goblin¡¯s still armed,¡± and she heard him curse on the other end of the microphone.


    It was now a game of cat and mouse as Goblin whooped and sped through the park, he had no care if anyone saw him as a huge suit of green armour was going to be conspicuous anywhere. He would veer off and chase a few scared park visitors but as the police were now actively patrolling and no one other than morons with cameras was stupid enough to face down the massive armoured form of the Goblin he just ran towards the park exit.


    Huntress on the other hand had to be more careful. Her symbskin was already known to the police, and if she was caught in a crossfire then civilians could be in danger. She had already heard one shootout and saw the three casualties being covered.


    Norman seemed more content to flee than fight, and as Huntress tailed him she caught a chance to at least hide, fading from view. She knew it wouldn''t stop Osborn if his visor had any kind of sonar or thermal but for the civilians currently running and screaming, it was more than enough.


    As she chased Norman through the park, she realised he wasn¡¯t running randomly as she thought, he was chasing someone. She caught a glimpse of dirty blond hair and ragged clothes from a tall lanky man she darted out of the park and up a side street and soon she could hear screams coming from there as well.


    When Huntress peered around the corner she saw Goblin and a giant green man fighting, shit, Hulk she thought but has he batted Goblin with his tail she realised, nope, Curt.


    Clicking her mic, ¡°V, we have a problem, Lizard is here as well," and as she stared at the basket he was currently beating Goblin over the head with she stifled a laugh, ¡°he must have been out shopping when everything happened.¡±


    ¡°Stay away from them then, make sure civs are safe but keep out of it, we need Curt alive and I doubt that crappy Goblin armour will be able to do any serious damage,¡± Venom said over the line. Keeping her distance she watched the pair scuffle. Venom had been right, even firing point-blank into Lizard''s chest the bullets had no effect on the thick skin of Lizard, who was swinging with both claws and tail at the armoured Goblin.


    Huntress shook her head, Curt was definitely not a fighter, much Like Venom when they first met and more often than not it was stupid luck that a blow connected. Two clowns playing bad guys, dressed up in monster suits. The only reason this wasn¡¯t funny was the monsters were real, and so were the deaths.


    Lizard had just smashed Goblin into the trolley corral when he returned fire with his wrist-mounted launchers. Lizard held an arm over his face and the bullets tore up his lab coat, hissing and leaping across the supermarket''s small parking lot, Goblin rolled back and kicked Lizard into the air, firing with both launchers once more.


    Lizard ''oofed'' as he thudded into the ground while Goblin rolled out of the way and onto his feet, jumping to avoid a tail swipe from Lizard. Spinning and following his tail he swiped a massive clawed hand and scored a hit of gashed across the side of Goblin. Even the toughened armour was no match for whatever enhanced strength Curt had gained through his transformation.


    Norman swore and backed away, ¡°We will make you pay for that, you insignificant failure.¡± he yelled at Lizard, raising his wrist launchers and firing once more at him. Covering his face, Lizard hissed and backed away, sure of his victory against the metal-plated one.


    Huntress swore as soon as the police arrived and she could see the heavily armed SWAT team gearing up to interfere in the pair''s fight. The back van they arrived in reminded Huntress of the heavy ATV that the ETF had and as soon as she saw their thicker gear she knew that George Stacy had arrived.


    The police were armed with smaller snub-nosed guns, but she could see a thick heavy drum underneath. Army issue heavy-duty firearms, designed to kill tanks and thick armour, had been made standard issue and she knew to stay out the way, having no idea if a round would penetrate her armour. Wanting to find a better vantage point, she crawled, invisible up the side of the building. They all wore the thicker armour John had been in, a nanofiber armour touted as being almost indestructible.


    ¡°This is the E.T.F. You are both under arrest. Stand Down or we will use lethal force to contain you.¡± An officer in full armour hailed over a loudspeaker, while officers began to take defensive positions.


    They began to set up thick heavy plates, unfolding barricades and dumping sandbags behind them. Soon four fortified positions with 8 officers all pointing their new weapons at the pair were in a standoff, while Lizard and Goblin glanced at them while keeping a watchful eye on the other.


    Huntress tutted, she never got any warning before they tried to kill her but these assholes did. ¡°V, the cops are here, what do I do?¡±


    ¡°Almost back. Stay out their way and see if they can handle Goblin and Lizard.¡± Venom answered.


    While he wanted payback against Norman, he wasn''t so desperate as to wander into a firefight between him and the cops, plus with Lizard being there it seemed better to try and stay hidden. If Lizard escaped he could lead them back to his lair, and hopefully to a depowered Curt. He was already hiding one fugitive from Osborn, adding another didn¡¯t seem like it was too much of a strain, and dealing with a giant lizard monster couldn¡¯t be any harder than living with belligerent symbiotes.


    Huntress watched as Goblin stood and waited almost impatiently as the police set up, while Lizard sat on all fours, hissing and swishing his tail back and forth, keeping himself at an angle to strike at either Goblin or the newly arrived ETF.


    It was now a stand-off, and a waiting game to see who would make the first move.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter Ninety-Three. Red On White

    Huntress watched as the pair stood, close enough that it seemed they were teamed together, as the police kept them in their sights.


    ¡°You''re kidding me?¡± Goblin yelled laughing, ¡°toy guns? I recognise those Hammer Tech peashooters. Tsk Tsk George, should have gone for Stark tech,¡± and raising an arm laughed as he fired at the officers.


    Lizard had had enough and bolted, this wasn''t his fight, and whoever this giant green monster was he smelled funny and fought dirty. He had come up for freshness and the food but instead had been attacked and hurt. He wanted to go back to sleep but the Conners fought him and made him stay in control, a rarity as the Conners usually cursed him and called him names.


    Lizard could smell the madness on the plated one, the stench of failed formula was always in their nest and the Lizard knew it when he smelt it. It was unbearable and all he wanted was to eat a few of the scurrying treats around their home and sleep again, let the Conner worry about the smell, let the Connor do the boring work while he slept.


    ¡°Stand Down!¡± The Policeman with the megaphone said again, and the officers raised their weapons in response. Goblin laughed and raised his wrist launcher, it whirred and clicked.


    Lizard dived to one side and the officers opened fire. The supermarket had been emptied once the fighting began and this time, they made sure they were in the clear. Round tinged off the Goblin''s armour and Lizard ran on four limbs and jumped up onto a fire escape. As he was an unknown right now and had only been fighting Goblin they kept a wary eye but continued to concentrate their fire on Goblin.


    A small group of officers moved around, keeping the unknown creature in their sights. While it seemed he was more interested in escape, and their orders were to contain and capture Norman, they were not about to let a possible hostile get the drop on them.


    ¡°Switch to AP¡± the order was shouted and drums were ejected and a series of clicks were heard as a new red labelled magazine was loaded.


    This time when the firing began fewer tings and more thunks were heard and the Goblin armour dented under the fire of the police. He staggered back as the combined fire from the new ammo was more effective against the Gobin armour.


    Huntress felt a small tap on the back of her head and looking up saw a black hand waving down at her, she climbed up onto the roof and Venom was there, keeping low and out of sight. While the police were concentrating on Goblin it would only take one officer to spot him and they could split their fire.


    ¡°Can you follow Lizard?¡± he asked and she tapped twice on his hand as a yes, ¡°then do that, I¡¯ll keep an eye on Goblin. Liv, how does it look from your end? Noone spotted me or Huntress yet have they?¡±


    ¡°No dear, you''re clear, but there are TV vans keeping an eye on Curt, he¡¯s not moving so far but give him time. He¡¯ll probably wait until Goblin does something big and then bolt." Venom wished they had some kind of tracker, they could tag Lizard and stay together, but they needed him and he had promised Liv a fix for her legs. At least he hadn''t attacked the police or civilians. The last thing they needed was to have to hunt another super-powered monster.


    ¡°Venom, be careful okay, if my dad¡¯s there, I don''t want him to spot you, please.¡° Gwen came on the line, and Venom shook his head.


    ¡°It''s fine, we¡¯re just watching, for now. I''m not joining in unless he looks like he¡¯s getting away." Venom was keeping an eye on the action, Goblin was darting back and forth, trying to avoid the armour piercing rounds but the police kept concentrating their fire. Behind a barricade Peter spotted an officer loading a grenade gun, he nudged Huntress and pointed at the man. ¡°When he fires, head after Lizard," and she tapped his hand in agreement.


    ¡°You have one last chance to surrender Norman. We are authorised to use lethal force against any enemy combatant who is in possession of military-grade hardware. This is your one and only warning. Stand down or we will open fire.¡± The officer said through their loudhailer.


    "Bah, your toys are nothing," Goblin yelled back, ¡°we have an Easter treat for you and the kids,¡± and the wrist launcher on his left arm spun around and a green-tipped missile poked its head out.


    ¡°Last one, everything''s on sale, all must go,¡± Goblin shouted, and laughed as the missile streaked towards the officers. George Stacy lowered the loudhailer and lifted the visor of his helmet as he watched helplessly as the missile tore through the barricade.


    The barricades did nothing to protect his men, and George watched as the missile exploded into a green cloud of energy, vaporising a circle not only where his men once were but in the pavement as well, Norman laughing and opening fire on the remaining officers.


    Heavy rounds pinged off blast barriers, designed to stop bombs and George saw the grenade launcher, its handle cut clearly by the Goblins missile and he took a chance, dived, rolled and grabbed it, bringing it to bear and pulling the trigger.


    With a whump the grenade hit and exploded against the Goblin''s armour, throwing him back into the store. George fired again, hitting him in the chest, and blowing him back even further. He motioned to his men, who followed him into the store, holding their machine guns tight.


    Goblin was sitting in a freezer, its lights and display smashed and sparking as his armour tinked and cooled after being hit twice. The front was all smashed and scorched.


    ¡°Naughty naughty, don''t you know tricks are for kids,¡± he laughed and pointed the wrist launcher at the officers again. This time it clicked and spun, whirring as the last of the rounds had been ejected outside. ¡°Oh, how disappointing,¡± and Goblin hoisted himself up on complaining and creaking joints, as he crushed the freeze under him.


    ¡°Guess we do this the old fashioned way,¡± and as he unclipped the wrist launchers, he twisted the gauntlet the other way and a large blade sprang free from it. The smaller blades he had used to fight Huntress were for doors, this one was for walls, and it glinted menacingly under the sparking and flickering lights.


    The officers continued firing, hoping to drive the Goblin back but he was relentless.


    ¡°Venom, please, please help my dad,¡± Gwen begged over the line and taking a deep breath Venom sent out a web line and swung down and into the supermarket.


    Goblin was making short work of the officers, thankfully uncaring if they were dead or not and most seemed to be just injured, no blood pools and once taken out they had enough sense to move away.


    Standing on the edge of the roof, Venom shot out a line to the markets sign, swung down and flipped over through the smashed doors. Driving both feet into Goblins chest, he spun in midair and stood over the policeman Goblin was about to attack.


    ¡°Get them out of here,¡± he yelled at the ones still standing, even as they pointed their guns at him as well. ¡°Assholes¡± was all he said as he parried a blow from Goblin and kicked his legs out from under him.


    Webbing him down he yelled again, ¡°go, I''ve got this¡± and after looking at George, he nodded and they began to evacuate. Goblin roared as he ripped the webbing from his armour and charged Venom.


    He was big and fast but Venom was used to fighting someone much faster and as Goblin swung widely Venom just dodged and weaved, pulling shelves down on him, even grabbing tins from shelves and hurling them at the visor. Anyone watching would think the pair had gone mad, Goblin slashing widely while Venom threw pudding and milk. He had learned his webbing wasn''t infinite and if there was a substitute on hand, why not?


    Venom was trying to get Goblin sticky enough, wet enough that he would be forced to take the helmet off, the Mark Two they had liberated from Aaron showed the helmet, once offline, was a hindrance. Venom was trying to exploit that and remove Norman''s last advantage.


    ¡°This is your fault, George. Letting Venom and Spider-Man destroy my perfect drones. I see it now, you two are working together, you two conspired with Harry to set me up, to ruin me and make me a joke. You stabbed me in the back,¡± he yelled, ¡°let me return the favour.¡±


    As the last officer was helped from the trashed supermarket Goblin laughed, ¡°not so fast Georgy boy,¡± and pointing the wrist blade it shot free and George, pushing the officer he was carrying out the way, Venom dived but Liv had been right, the blade passed through Venoms hand and impaled George through the chest.


    ¡°NO!¡± Venom heard Gwen yell through his headset and then sounds of fighting. ¡°Shit, Peter. Gwen has left, I think she¡¯s on her way to you. Please, stop Goblin before she gets there, please,¡± and Venom snarled. He might not have liked the man, but being hurt by this walking shitbag, upsetting Gwen, made his blood boil.


    Calling on his reserves Venom pumped himself up and roared at Goblin,


    ¡°Aw, kebabs are no longer available,¡± Goblin laughed, ¡°you¡¯ll just have to settle for ground beef,¡± and he launched himself at Venom who caught him and slammed him into the ground.


    ¡°I prefer my meat tenderised,¡± he shot back and thudded a fist into the side of the armour. He had Liv talk him through the design process and while the armour was thicker at the front it was considerably weaker at the sides where the armour needed to flex. Even a genius like Osborn couldn''t ignore physics and with each punch, the armour began to buckle.


    One hand held Goblin by the throat and the other pounded him in the face, Venom knew that the only way to release the armour was from the inside and he just needed to make it uncomfortable for Norman to stay in there. Lifting him up he slammed him back into the floor of the supermarket, over and over until it cracked. Remembering last time he stopped and flipped him over, trying to pry the armour shell open at the back.


    "V, Curt is on the move, following now,¡± Huntress spoke and he commed back twice in acknowledgement.


    ¡°Venom, Hands up, move away from Osborn,¡± an officer, with his gun, drawn spoke. They had regrouped and set up a new barricade, all 10 of the uninjured officers were pointing grenade launchers at him and he shook his head ¡°I''m trying to help, assholes,¡± he yelled, ¡°make sure Stacy is okay,¡± and he slammed Norman into the floor again as he tried to push himself up.


    ¡°Venom, we repeat, stand down, Unhand Goblin and move away until you can be secured.¡± The officer repeated and Venom shook his head.


    ¡°Dad!¡± he heard, and Gwen ducked past the officers and straight to her father. Paramedics were working on securing the blade, still stuck in George''s chest. Goblin saw his chance and fired off his last usable weapon. Thermite anti-missile flares whizzed and whined from the front of his armour, exploding against Venom''s chest and face and as he was blasted back and into a shelf, he was stunned by the sudden flurry of hot chaff and noise.


    Venom¡¯s vision cleared and he could only watch in horror as the Goblin, swatting away grenades, ran towards Gwen and her father. Pulling the blade free he swung it back and then towards Gwen''s exposed neck. Her father¡¯s blood spraying over her as she watched in slow motion.


    He had to watch as Gwen closed her eyes, knowing nothing would stop the blade from taking her head, even Poison wasn''t that strong, and as the blade tinged off something she opened one eye and took a glance.


    A symbskin sword blocked its path, held in place by a large, black, well-armoured symbiote.


    ¡°You killed my dad fuckface,¡± and as Agent Webb brought the blade around, he slashed at the front of Gobin''s armour, and then brought his foot round and kicked him backwards, ¡°and I''m gonna gut you for it.¡±


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter Ninety-Four. High Speed Chase

    Goblin cursed as he smashed into the shelves at the back of the store. Agent Webb had kicked him hard enough that he went flying even further than he punted that idiot Venom.


    Gwen stared at the blood bubbling from her father''s lips, pulling the blade free had sprayed blood everywhere and she knew that he wouldn¡¯t survive. ¡°No dad, please no,¡± she shook her head, and not caring she let Poison out. An officer saw and backed away, but she didn¡¯t care. As she pressed her palms to his chest, the spray of painkiller and then the bioadhesive webs stopped the flow of blood.


    George stared at his daughter, that even if the colours were different, she was involved with Venom and it clicked. Peter, Peter was Venom and he coughed. He stared past her to look at Venom, and he smiled, ¡°Be good to her son! Be good to her. She loves you so very much.¡±


    As his eyes closed, Gwen shook her head, ¡°no, no, please no.¡± As his body went limp, Poison reared back her maw and screamed into the store.


    Brushing off smashed packets and burst tins, Goblin stood and stretched out his limbs. He flexed his fingers and tried to call up any remaining weapon systems he had, but with the blade gone, now all he had was the strength of the armour and that was it. Even that was failing, as the combined assault of the ETF, then Venom, and finally Agent Webb had reduced the armour to little more than powered scrap. He needed an escape plan, or he would be captured before he got his revenge.


    ¡°Aww, poor little Gwennie, all sad that daddy got dead. Now I know, know where you live, know where you are. You''re next, and you too, you big black shit.¡± Goblin lined up to charge at Venom, but Poison screamed and leapt, twisting in the air and sprayed a biting acid over Goblin''s armour. Goblin reeled back, trying to wipe the caustic spray from himself.


    The Goblin armour began to peel and smoke as the paint cracked and slid off. As Poison sprayed more and more chemicals into the air, Venom began to feel a prickle on his skin, ¡°no, stop, it''s too much,¡± but Poison ignored him. Soon the supermarket was filled with a thick cloud of green-tinted gas hung in the air.


    The shelves and cans on the store''s aisles began to wilt, the steel dripped as the caustic solution melted and corroded the metal and plastic. The paramedics and the police had grabbed who they could but were panting outside, their unprotected lungs burnt from exposure to whatever gas she was spraying.


    Goblin felt the armour begin to weaken, and as red indicators flashed and warnings sounded in his HUD, he knew that even the chemical defences would fail under such a relentless assault. Popping the emergency escape hatch, the back exploded off and Normal slid out. His skin had taken on a green tinge from the formula, even after escaping he¡¯d continued to take it and was beginning to suffer its effects.


    As he lifted the corner of his coat to his face the acid stung his skin even more and its green tinge deepened as the formula worked overtime to heal him. Grabbing at the emergency kit in the armour he slung a small bottle over his shoulder and pulled at the mask. With an oxygen mask over his face, the trio watched as he gave them the finger and then ran to the back of the store.


    Poison screamed and shook as she sprayed a neutralizer and ran after him.


    ¡°No,¡± Venom shouted but she ignored him and Webb chased after her. ¡°Shit, Liv?¡±


    ¡°Flash can get her. Peter, be practical, get that armour out of there and then go after him. Norman on his own is no match for Poison, she¡¯ll be fine. I sent Huntress a message as well. Leave Norman to them and get that armour. If Norman booby-trapped it like the glider it could be a disaster,¡± and Venom cursed. Seeing the police officers regroup and heading back this way he shook his head. He had to trust the one person he despised, but he had to admit Liv was right. The Goblin armour had a small Arcstar reactor powering it and an explosion would level several blocks. He flipped over it and grabbed the opened hatch, sliding into the clamshell and filling it with symbskin.


    ¡°Systems online, warning, structural integrity at 27 per cent and falling, warning power at 15 per cent. New user recognised.¡±


    System after system powered up as Venom flowed into its circuits, powering and adapting to its strange design. He could feel where it had been sabotaged, a simple misprinted circuit here, a wrong fuse there but right now he willed the back hatch to close and powered the armour back up.


    ¡°Goblin is still active, Power down and surrender, or we will open fire,¡± a voice shouted, and as the HUD scanned the area, he saw red flashing icons over all the weapons systems as they marked each person as hostile. He sighed with relief, if there was a failsafe rigged to detonate, Norman had either forgotten or left it unprimed.


    Venom shook his head, this was an escape mission and he extended his symbarmour out through the weakened joints and over the whole thing, dying it black.


    At least this time he didn¡¯t have to worry about any of the strange Goblin warheads, Norman had exhausted all the ammo in the suit and was left defenceless. If Gwen had remained calm they could have captured him with little difficulty but thinking back, he would have done the same.


    ¡°Stand Down, Final warning,¡± was shouted, and as the armour whined and whirred, ¡°open fire.¡± He felt the impacts thudding against his armour, and with heavy steps began to run out of the store, through the gauntlet of ETF officers.


    As Venom weaved through the officers, covering his head with both hands, he hoped Gwen was okay.


    Tying his headset into the internal systems of the armour he called Liv, ¡°Anything from Huntress?¡± he asked, feeling a grenade impact against his back he stumbled but kept running,


    Liv responded, ¡°she doubled back, giving up on Conners, and is heading to her now, don''t worry Peter, Huntress will protect her,¡± Sending out a web line he swung up and into an alley, hoping the police would be unable to follow him.


    Leading them for several blocks, it was only on the higher rooftops, where he could attach a web line and hide amongst the gargoyles that he finally lost them, keeping low and in the shade as a police helicopter shone a searchlight over the area. His symbskin providing a way to fool the infrared and thermal camera they used. Not invisible, he thought, but getting there.


    Huntress had received a frantic call from Liv, shouting about Gwen''s dad and she stopped following the Lizard almost immediately. Even Liv didn''t care about Conners or her legs if it meant losing one of their own, and as she swung back along the skyline she heard the commotion below her. She could see Webb and Poison dealing with Norman and she only needed a few minutes and she would be able to help.


    Norman was frantic, he had to escape those two freaks, escape the symbiotes who would devour his brain, he needed it to kill Harry and now Gwen and that little shit Parker. While the formula made him smart, it did allow him some enhanced physiology and he lifted the manhole cover free and threw it at the pair. He would lose them in the tunnels, the smell and darkness covering his escape.


    He wasn¡¯t quick enough, and Webb struck him with two webs and pulled him back into the street.


    ¡°GRAHH,¡± he yelled and laid a punch into Norman¡¯s stomach. Dropping him, Norman wheezed and heaved, trying not to puke from the force of the impact. Webb had been faster than Poison and as she caught up, she complained


    No fair no fair, no runny runs, only treaty treats.


    Gwen ignored the belligerent symbiote, no, treats after, I need you, and Poison huffed.


    Gwen had watched the others, she knew Poison was sensitive but had the same powers as the rest, and as her fingers extended and elongated into wicked claws she smiled.


    ¡°This is for my dad," and as she raised a hand to slash open the back of his neck, Flash caught her hand.


    ¡°What the fuck Gwen? No,¡± he pulled her away but even so, he turned and kicked Norman in the stomach again. ¡°No killing,¡± and Norman curled up on the sidewalk, clutching his stomach and rolling in pain.


    ¡°He killed my dad,¡± Poison screeched at him and Flash shook his head.


    ¡°Mine too, but we can¡¯t. If we do, then you have to run. You can''t be like him, be better,¡± Flash had learned the hard way that even an accidental death had consequences and that even being spotted in New York could lead to his arrest.


    ¡°FUCK YOU!¡± Poison screeched and grabbed a knife from his vest. She leapt at Norman, driving it into his shoulder. Flash grabbed her before she could stab him again and spun her around, throwing her against the building.


    ¡°NO! Don''t be like him,¡± and he held her as she struggled against him, Webb being the stronger of the two, she hissed and twisted but he held her tight. ¡°I won''t let you, I can call someone, someone who¡¯ll put him in a hole he¡¯ll never crawl out of.¡±


    ¡°Hate you!¡± She screeched at him, and he felt his palms begin to burn, letting go, something dripped from Gwen and even the sidewalk hissed as it splashed down. As he backed away, she struck out and punched him in the stomach.


    ¡°What the shit?¡± Flash asked, but she pushed him to one side and screeched in anger.


    Norman had slid down into the sewers, the pair fighting enough of a distraction to allow him to escape.


    ¡°You, this is your fault,¡± Poison hissed and launched herself at Webb, but this time he caught her once more and twisting her arms behind her back, pushed her against a wall. As she struggled he had no choice but to pin her there, her enhanced strength building to be a match for his own.


    ¡°I don''t want to fight you Gwen. Stop, please.¡± he pleaded


    ¡°Oh, you will stop, Flash,¡± Huntress landed behind him. ¡°You will or we will hurt you.¡± a long thin blade extended from one of her hands and she pressed it against his neck.


    ¡°Shit,¡± was all he said and he released Gwen''s hands putting his own up in surrender. ¡°All of you?¡± and Huntress nodded


    ¡°Fucking Parker.¡±


    Huntress slugged him. ¡°You do not speak of Venom like that,¡± and leaning in whispered, ¡°and not in the middle of the street, you fucking moron.¡± As Flash staggered back rubbing his jaw, he was glad she hadn¡¯t hit him full strength. He knew from the fight on the top of the building that she was just as strong as Venom, and if she had wanted, he would be out cold right now.


    ¡°Do we chase him?¡± he asked but Huntress shook her head, holding Poison close to her.


    ¡°No, we help Venom with the armour, and we take her home. Unless you want to run through the sewer to find him that is?¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± Flash said, ¡°uh, warehouse? Cause technically I''m a wanted fugitive as well,¡± and Huntress clicked her comm


    ¡°Flashole wants a safe place to hide for a few, is it okay¡± and Liv commed back,


    ¡°Peter is here and he nodded, we owe him that much,¡± and she could hear Peter laughing in the background.


    ¡°Asshole, really? That''s the thanks I get?¡± Flash shook his head. He knew he¡¯d never get forgiveness from anyone in that group, Peter''s memories showed him just how bad it¡¯d been.


    He thought he was tormenting the boy sure. He¡¯d been pissed at his smug arrogant dismissal of sports, and as captain of the football team, a member of the wrestling, and the boxing team as well it had stung but once he saw it. It went past rebuke and into hell. Peter suffered, the pain and misery Flash knew he caused Peter was something that even saving Gwen he barely scratched the surface of making amends for. Being called Flashole was just a reminder of that.


    As Poison and Huntress held onto each other, the strange trio climbed and then swung to the warehouse in silence.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter Ninety-Five. Fast Times

    The warehouse was quiet. While Norman had gotten away, they had removed him from both the glider and the goblin armour. Hiding them they had managed to smuggle them back to the warehouse undetected. The emergency services were all wrapped up dealing with not just the ETF casualties, but as they watched the news, the mounting civilian ones as well.


    Norman had escaped into the sewers, but not after Flash and Gwen had some revenge. Gwen wanted to kill him but he stopped her at the last moment. He wasn¡¯t like them, he wasn''t like her, and while she had been thankful he stopped her, a part of her hated him for it. She didn''t want to just kill Norman, she wanted to take her revenge, just like the rapist, long and slow.


    She found herself staring at the coffee Flash had made her, silently the pair sat and just looked at Felicia and Peter as they moved the wrecked Goblin armour into the warehouse storage office they used. It was strange though, she didn''t feel sad or lonely, she didn''t feel anything other than a lack of his presence and in that she felt more guilty than anything. Liv had come over and was keeping an eye on her. She knew that she should be sad, she knew she should feel ¡®something¡¯ but she didn''t


    He was dead and she knew that, she just didn¡¯t feel it. Even as Poison, when she watched him die she felt nothing but rage, rage at Norman. That he¡¯d taken something from her, rage that he dared to hurt someone in front of her.


    Even asking Poison if she was suppressing any pain, or hiding it she was told no, Gwen is Gwen was all Poison said and went back to sleep. Gwen stared at the steaming hot mug of coffee in her hand, wondering if she was broken, if something was wrong. You were supposed to grieve, supposed to cry and wail but she didn''t. She never thought she hated her father, never thought she would be so cold to his passing. It was Liv that snapped her out of her strange mood.


    "It''s not you, it''s the world," Liv told her. "We''re given social norms and expected to follow them, parents die so we''re supposed to be sad. Personally, I pissed on my fathers grave, or well, if I''d had the courage I would have. I hated that man. We''re brought up to treat them with respect. They raised us and gave us a home, ignore the ones that abuse their kids, ignore the deviants and the sexual predators that shouldn''t be within 100ft of a child, let alone be raising one. Gwen dear, if you don''t feel anything then take that as normal, and tell anyone who says otherwise to fuck off." and Gwen had stared for a moment and then burst into tears. The stress of the fight finally bubbling to the surface.


    Even as the tears fell she knew didn''t need to feel bad about her dad, she loved him but it never went beyond that. She would grieve in her own way and once it was over, move on. Looking over at Peter and Felicia hoisting the armour and the glider up the stairs to the second floor of offices she realised she was fine with that.


    Oscorp was gone, her chances of another internship like it had gone with it. College life went on and so did life in the city. Even with the Green Goblin on the loose, life marched on regardless. It had to and now so did she. Her life was here, not Oscorp, not her schooling, and as hard as it was to admit, not her dad.


    What was weird though was Flash, not just the fact that Flash had come back and helped with Norman, they both had a grudge against the man who killed both their fathers, but that Flash seemed the same as her. Now that Norman had been pummeled and beaten, he was taking the death of his father in his stride and seemed at ease in the warehouse. He was even trying to make Gwen feel better, as if the shared history they had was forgotten and nothing more than a childish illusion.


    Gwen wondered if that was what Peter had felt when a naked and frightened Liv tumbled into their lives. There was no fight to be had, he''d won, taken out the group that humiliated and beat him, and when Liv cried he knew there was no need to take things further. Even with Flash here, wary of Peter, but making coffee and acting as if he belonged, it was strange. Was conquering your enemies a literal thing? If she had fought with her dad would he have respected her more, or just pushed back until their relationship broke even more?


    Gwen was brought out of her musings by a shout,


    "What the fuck is he doing here?" MJ yelled from the warehouse doorway and Flash stood and backed up from the table. She had gone out to get food for everyone, feeling useless as Gwen, Felicia, and Peter all fought and chased Goblin over the city. If a warm meal was waiting for them, then they could unwind, relax, and decompress after the events of the day. Without her phone and no headset, she had no idea what had happened to Gwen, or her father.


    "Oh Hey MJ, uh, look, I don''t want trouble," Flash raised both his hands, but she dropped all the bags she was carrying and screeched at him.


    Muse slid over her like cloth and she leapt the 50 meters right at him, landing on his chest with clawed hands and feet, Gwen grabbed the table and slid it back, out of their way. Webb responded to the threat and covered Flash in his armour but Flash refused to fight back. Muse pushed herself off of him, throwing him to the floor and as she landed she sprinted forward, leapt up and drove her elbow into his stomach. As she knocked the wind out of him, she straddled him and began to rain blows down on his chest and face.


    Muse split open her maw and as Webb grabbed her wrist to stop her from punching him, she bit down on it. He hissed in pain but his thicker armour protected him from her razor-sharp teeth as they dug into the flesh of his arm.


    "We hate you," she yelled and struggled in his tight grip. Muse pulled herself forward, using the fact Flash had both her arms as a lever to drive her forehead into the bridge of his nose. As he shook his head, taking the blow he looked at the struggling woman in his arms. She snarled and snapped at him as he held her fast but he was unwilling to hurt her, not again.


    "MJ, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry okay, please, stop." Flash tried to reason with her, "fuck Parker, help me you dick," he yelled over.


    "Unresolved issues there buddy, how about you stop her?" Peter just shrugged, he''d beaten Flash and had no more to prove, apparently MJ really hated him though, and Muse was just making that worse.


    ¡°MJ look, I''m sorry okay, the hospital, everything I said, I was wrong, you know. Wait, when the fuck did MJ get a symbiote? Shit Parker, you''re an asshole you know that?" and he sat up, flipping Muse round and holding her arms around her sides.


    "MJ. Stop!" Flash shouted "I don''t want to fight you okay?" but MJ had other ideas. She had been training with Felicia and brought a heel backwards and Flash wanted to scream in pain as she heeled him incredibly hard in the balls.


    As he let go of her she turned and smashed a fist into his jaw, sending him flying.


    "Do you know what they did to me? Do you know what you put me through?" she yelled, and Flash rubbed his jaw looking up as she stood over him.


    "Know what? I thought you were mad because of the hospital thing, so uh no?"


    Muse stood and morphed into a beautiful raven-haired girl, "Oh your so lucky MJ, Flash is our school¡¯s hero, you should make sure he''s happy, if you know what I mean," and another, a blonde girl, "So, gave Flash your v card huh? Lucky bitch, if that was me I''d have done more than just that," and Muse copied her laughter. On and on, changing into various different girls, Flash suddenly understood.


    "No, I didn''t, not one of them." He shook his head, "I never."


    "You didn¡¯t have to, the school worshipped you. The school sucked the fucking cock of Flash Thompson, and screw anyone who got in his bad books. Peter suffered and me, oh, I knew, I was made to realise. Flash Thompson¡¯s little whore. Know your place, on your knees, smile and nod and swallow. I HATE YOU!" she screeched once more and Muse leapt again, as Flash rolled to one side and as he got to his feet and brought his hands up she landed and crouched in front of him, swept the legs out from under him, and as he fell she kicked him across the warehouse floor.


    ¡°And you two, you bring him here. You laugh and drink coffee like he never touched Peter? Like he never did anything wrong, do you hate me? Do I not mean anything to you?¡± She stared at Gwen and Peter. ¡°Do I not have a home here? That Flash fucking Thompson can waltz in and be sat where I eat?¡±


    Peter shook his head. "He came for Norman and saved Gwen. Flash and I have no issues. We sorted them on that rooftop but MJ, anything, anything you want, anything," and Peter slid into Venom, his bulk shifting and towering over the trio. "Anything," he hissed and walked over to Flash. "Just say what you want," and crouching put a massive clawed hand on Flash¡¯s head.


    ¡°What the fuck Parker?¡± but Muse shook her head,


    ¡°No, not like that, but no, we don''t forgive you Flash, not for school not for anything, but no Peter, leave him alone.¡± and as Venom shrunk back into Peter, he patted Flash on the shoulder. ¡°You made my life hell Flash, you and your fucking bitches, I never want to see you again. Ever!¡± and Muse stomped over to her home, Felicia heading to the door to gather the bags of food she had bought. Gwen followed Muse as she needed to explain, needed to tell her the bad news.


    "No hard feelings huh?" Peter lifted Flash by the shoulders onto his feet.


    Flash was dumbfounded. ¡°Would, would you have killed me?¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°Flash in the scheme of things I respect that you saved MJ at the diner. I respect you didn¡¯t turn me in to the cops, and I respect that you helped Gwen take out Goblin, but if MJ says one word. If Felicia, or Gwen, or Liv say the word I will burn this world to the fucking ground for them. Do you understand?¡± and Flash could do nothing but nod.


    "I, uh, yeah, I get that now," Flash stepped back from Peter and brushed himself down, clearing the dust from his clothes, ¡°raincheck on that coffee Parker, uh, yeah, see you around." and he walked to the warehouse main door shaking his head.


    Muse watched him leave, shaking her head and staring at the group, ¡°He gets a pass if he saved Gwen, but not again, not again.¡± she said, the anger in her voice thick. ¡°But you,¡± she pointed at Peter, "burn this world to the ground huh?" and as the skin slid back MJ was stood crying, she''d never told anyone that while Flash had been an arrogant asshole to her, that the groupies who idolised him were much worse, making sure she was up to their standard of what they thought the high school heroes girlfriend should be.


    "Yeah,¡± and he shrugged and stroked her hair, ¡°but we can go throw web balls at Cindy Moon''s house if you''d rather do that instead?" and even through the tears MJ laughed and held onto him.


    ¡°Only if we can have sex after,¡± she said, her voice muffled in Peter''s chest.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Side Story. Spider-Man. In The Blood.

    The bus stank as Eddie first got on it, of cheap cologne, stale last cigarettes, and unwashed bodies. He sometimes wished he didn¡¯t have these powers, that some other reporter had taken the assignment to investigate the disappearances at Oscorp and eventually been bitten.


    Riding high on having powers he¡¯d enjoyed the limelight, as Spider-Man he saved people, he did good and felt good about it. Sure he made some money from it, barely slept, and in the end, was blamed for something that wasn''t his fault. Even with someone like Venom running rampant in the city, he felt good about what he did, until that night.


    He had stood, suited up, in a tie and everything as they read out the charges,


    ¡®Accidental death due to gross negligence.¡¯


    That''s what they called it. Venom was to blame, he launched out the webbing that struck John and sent him tumbling, but as Eddie had sent out his own line they pinned the blame on him too. It didn''t matter that John broke protocol, it didn''t matter that it was an accident. J.J had pushed for trial, and with the public needing a scapegoat, he got as close to one as he was going to get.


    Eddie had enough training in police procedure and had poured over enough legal documents to know the charges were bullshit. Nothing would stick in court, and it was all a publicity stunt. Someone needed to be accountable for the shitshow that was the ETF¡¯s first outing, and Harry Osborn was too rich, and too well connected, to take the blame. It landed squarely on Eddie and Venoms shoulders. Even Flash mysteriously found himself a backer, not that his father wouldn¡¯t have kept him from jail.


    Publicly Venom was responsible, no matter the evidence brought Venom would face trial and be convicted. Eddie remembered the conversation, they built your courts, Venom had said, and as his enhanced hearing picked up the conversation, spoken in hushed tones from behind a locked door, he knew he was right.


    Even now, as he handed over his ticket to the driver and boarded, he was being punished. Unofficially he was fired for fabricating a story, unofficial J.J. had screamed at him till he was gasping for air, and the mayor and Chief Stacy gave him the papers and a pen,


    ¡°Sign son, you get off the hook but with conditions.¡±


    Conditions? First Spider-Man was not allowed to show himself in New York, ever. Any hint of the costumed hero would be an immediate arrest warrant and very public unmasking. Of course, this then extended to Eddie, while he was still allowed within the city the message was clear, come back and you will never know peace.


    So, one bus ticket later, all he could afford after J.J and the city withheld his paychecks, he was on his way home. Back to San Francisco, a city he never thought of returning to and never wanted to return to either. Parents were long gone, no family and a string of failed and haunting relationships were all that came to mind when he thought of the city.


    ¡°Oh hey, looks like we¡¯re seat buddies huh?¡± a chipper and somewhat cute looking young woman was sat in the seat next to his, young with a slightly chubby face, didn''t look too tall but had a curvy and very full figure, especially around the upper part, Eddie couldn''t help but stare as she was sat pushing them up with a rucksack on her lap.


    ¡°So, you want the window or the aisle?¡± he asked her, trying to be polite but wishing that she¡¯d be quiet for the trip back home. The bus made stops but it was a one-way straight route, no change over the direct bus. It would stop, change driver and then keep going for the whole distance, and he would be here with her for a few days.


    ¡°Nah I''m good, I like to see the trees,¡± she said and stared out the window again, the grey terminal lacking in any kind of greenery. ¡°I¡¯m Doreen by the way, nice to meetcha¡± and she held out a crumb-covered hand, cookies, judging from the brown smudges he really hoped were chocolate.


    Taking it and smiling, ¡°Eddie.¡±


    Eddie stowed his luggage above him and then sat back down, trying to get comfy on the budget coach. He sighed, thinking that this would be a long trip.


    ~


    Aaron wiped the head of his boss, Wilson didn¡¯t look so good these days, but given the amount of formula he¡¯d injected to fight Venom, he wasn¡¯t surprised.


    He knew nothing of formula, other than the one he¡¯d taken, but he did know loyalty. He¡¯d worked for Wilson Fisk for over a decade and he¡¯d never let him down. He needed money for his nephew''s operation, done, he needed some muscles to move his sister, done. Wilson had treated him right and now it was time to return that favour.


    Aaron watched as the skin on Wilson''s face rippled and then calmed down. Two eyes opened and stared at him, his wolf howled that a predator had awoken and he should run.


    ¡°How long?¡± Fisk rumbled,


    ¡°Few days, not more, you good boss?¡± Aaron replied, handing Fisk a glass of water, it wasn''t cold but right now it was all he had.


    Fisk drank the water like it was the greatest thing on Earth. ¡°I''m good, finally feel like me again,¡± and as he crushed the glass in his hands the shards barely left a mark let alone drew blood.


    ¡°Venom?¡± he asked


    ¡°Uh, no, after trashing us he went after Osborn, police, and feds are swarming the building, I got you out and grabbed the bug out bags but no sir, sorry.¡±


    Fisk clapped Aaron on the shoulder, ¡°we¡¯re alive, that''s all that matters,¡± and standing he stretched. ¡°Feels good though huh,¡± and he went through a series of Kata, designed to stretch and awaken tired and sore muscles. ¡°Stronger, faster, better eyesight, heart, probably stamina too, you?¡±


    Aaron nodded, ¡°I also have faster healing and uh,¡± and holding up a hand he focuses and his fingernails sharpened and lengthened, as did his teeth.


    ¡°Fangs and claws, you¡¯re eyes are yellow now too,¡±


    ¡°Yup, can''t see a lot of colours but I can see pretty well in the dark like this. But uh, what''s next boss? I mean, New Yorks a bust.¡±


    ¡°One thing at a time Aaron. First, food and then get my car, head to the parking garage on 8th, there is an RV parked there. I''ve always got a plan, always¡±


    Aaron nodded and headed out, food first, then driving.


    Fisk sighed, he liked New York, it was dirty, crooked and money was easy but now, if it was a bust it was a bust. He wasn''t going to sink time and money into saving a dying business. It was time for a clean slate and as he stared at a map on the wall he traced a finger in a straight line to the other side of the map. San Francisco, sure, why not?


    ~


    Cindy stared at her door. It had been webbed shut by something and she shook her head in despair. Since high school had finished her life had gone down tremendously. Once one of the top queen bees, she commanded respect not only as a very beautiful and social young woman but as a highly intelligent and creative artist as well. A few words in Flash¡¯s ear had made her rival''s life hell but he still came out on top, well, right until the end of their last term.


    Staring at her door she wanted to cry. Once out of school things began to fall apart. No one cared if she was talented or beautiful when it came to the rent, no one cared about that when she couldn''t get a scholarship and couldn''t afford college. No one cared that working in a crappy diner meant living in the crappiest palace she could find and the landlord, some creep with a combover, even grabbed her ass once.


    As she tried to pull on the webbing surrounding the door she wanted to scream. Nothing had gone right since high school, and she hated this town more and more. She¡¯d thought about visiting Flash, but after the accident in the diner, she put that idea away. She¡¯d been walking down a corridor when she heard him screaming at MJ and quickly turned and walked away, her life was crappy enough without an abusive boyfriend to make it worse.


    To add insult to injury, she''d been snapping a selfie with Spider-Man when a drone sprayed the crowd with pepper spray, making her miss work, then as Venom fought some asshole she''d been washed down the street, and a final insult as she walked home one night, tired and depressed from a shift at the diner, the cops swarmed the building she was walking past, and Venom and Spider-Man fought. She narrowly escaped when that Agent Webb asshole came flying over the top of a roof down on where she was hiding. The fright made her so sick, once more she''d missed work and was almost fired. It wasn''t her fault she''d gotten sick, it was those costumed assholes.


    The only good thing right now was the ticket she held in her hand. Scratching off a lotto ticket she¡¯d won $200,000 and had run home to pack and move out of this crap hole, only to find some asshole had used fake spider-webs over her front door.


    ¡°Hey, you gotta pay for that,¡± the landlord shouted as he saw the mess, and as he turned Cindy gave him the finger. Pay my ass, she thought there was nothing inside, nothing she cared about, even her high school diploma was junk. No one cared unless you had the right piece of paper and she didn''t, so screw it, she had money she had looks and brains. As she ran a hand over the webbing she pulled back in surprise, she¡¯d snagged her finger on something and it was bleeding.


    For a moment it looked like a black splinter was stuck under her skin but as she pressed the cut it seemed to vanish, and it closed and healed. Shrugging after finding no mark or blood anywhere, she must have imagined it, a combination of joy and anger at the stupid shit city, and the joy of finally being free of it.


    As she stood at the bus terminal, Cindy had no idea where she was going. The nearest bus that left in 5 minutes was to San Francisco. She shrugged, ¡°sure, why not,¡± as she went to buy her ticket.


    ~


    All across the globe, similar scenes were playing out, a sudden call, an urge to visit a city. Possessions were sold, houses mortgaged, all to buy a ticket to San Francisco. Even in the elusive and reclusive country of Wakanda, a Prince and his King felt the call.


    ¡°Father, Do you feel it?¡± Prince T''Challa asked his father,


    ¡°I do my son, we must go and prepare for the tournament.¡± and the elderly man stood from his throne. No longer the fit and proud warrior, he knew that this would be his last, even if he survived he was no longer physically fit enough to wear the mantle of Black Panther anymore. His son would be the next King, and his son would be the next Black Panther.


    As T¡¯Chaka stared into the throne room of his palace, he hoped that once more the Black Panther would be triumphant, its power keeping Wakanda at peace for centuries now. If one of the other animal tribes gained their totem''s blessing, there could be civil war. A war he doesn''t know if Wakanda or worse, the world, would survive.


    ~


    Hearing the call another son spoke to his father, one who couldn''t hear him but it still brought him comfort.


    ¡°You know pops, I did it, I heard the call and I know where I''m going.¡± The young man, undressed and showed his chest and arms covered in ritual scars, each one dotted on his dark brown skin.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get revenge for you pops, those fuckers¡¯ll never know what hit them.¡± and as he grabbed a black shirt from the clean pile next to him Erik Stevens finally knew how to get revenge against the country that scorned and murdered his father.


    ~


    Turning over to face the aisle Eddie was tired and as the sunset, Doreen had the decency to pull the shade down, she didn''t have the decency to shut up and he was sure she was feeding a rat or something in her backpack.


    As he drifted off he dreamed of Africa, of plains, and wars, ones were huge armies of creatures, the land was thick with hooves and claws, the air cried out with the screeches and calls of the winged, the seas boiled and bubble as the fish and crustaceans writhed in their anger.


    War was coming, a war he dreamed of, and a war he would fight in.


    ~


    After an exhaustive journey, Eddie had finally made it home and as he got off the bus the very bubbly Doreen waved at him and then vanished. Thank god, he thought to himself. The young woman had been way too much for him to bear cross country but now she was gone he was free.


    A hotel had to do for now, and Eddie made his way across town to the one he knew the best, The Emerald Palace. He often drank here as a young man, before things went south and he ended up in New York but for some reason, he always came back here.


    It wasn¡¯t until he saw the sign on the outside of the building that he paused, ¡®African Dream¡¯ was printed on a poster, and as he frowned at the images he realized it was the scene he had dreamt of on the bus. Shaking his head, Nah, it was just a coincidence. He hoisted the single tote bag he had and headed inside to get a room.


    The rooms were still cheap which Eddie appreciated but a tall incredibly beautiful African woman handed him a leaflet for the show.


    ¡°Do you wish to see the sights of Africa?¡± she asked him in a thick accent and as he stared at her he felt *something*. He couldn''t put his finger on it, there was just *something* about her, something that wanted him to agree, wanted him to follow her to the ends of the earth and like a lovestruck idiot, he nodded his head.


    ¡°Good.¡± she said, giving him a  wide smile, ¡°then follow me, and your dreams may come true, my brave warrior.¡±


    Eddie followed her through the lobby of the hotel and without even realising it handed over his tote bag to another woman, he barely registered her presence before she was away, with both his bag and his room key.


    ¡°In here, you will find the rest of them waiting, I believe you are the last,¡± and pushing open the door she held it open for him and he nodded and entered.


    He sighed as he came back to his senses, it was a scam. Two rows of chairs sat in front of a hastily built stage, covered in a thick shag carpet, a bright red colour. Behind the stage, was a huge white screen and a projector sat in the middle of the two rows of chairs.


    Eddie shook his head, of course, get a beautiful woman, spray her with some nice smelling perfume, and bam, get the stupid suckers into the room. He took a guess and as he turned the woman smiled but shook her head. ¡°After. You may leave after,'''' and gently pushed him into the room.


    That surprised Eddie, Venom might have smacked him around like he was a kid but even after training with Flash, he knew he was much stronger than a normal person. This woman just pushed him and back he went, oh shit, Feds, was all he could think, no wonder he followed so easily, it was probably some mind control bullshit and now he was about to get whacked.


    ¡°Good to see you, uh Mr?¡± a wide armed smiling African man said, his accent the same as the women behind him. He was tall and handsome, with a wide smile and a neat haircut, his face chiselled and with a neatly trimmed beard. While Eddie looked at him he realised his bearing was all wrong, this guy isn''t a salesman he thought to himself, he''s a warrior


    ¡°I don''t want a timeshare, I don''t want a boat or a condo or a holiday, so, no. No names, just kill me or whatever or let me go. I don''t want to fight, I don''t want to hurt anyone. I just want to be left alone,¡± Eddie said, shaking his head.


    ¡°Well, then we do this the more difficult way. Mr Brock, we already know who you are, the same way we know who Mr Fisk and Mr Davis are. And Mr Wilson and Ms Moon, and Mr Gargan, but we are not here to fight.¡± and the man held up a vial of pale blue liquid.


    ¡°Do you recognise this?¡± he asked and Eddie was shocked, it was formula. He¡¯d never seen it as a liquid as the one he¡¯d taken was a spider bite, but he¡¯d read the reports.


    ¡°It is a poor effort to reproduce this,¡± and the man pulled out another vial, this one was a deep purple colour and it sparkled and shone in the light.


    ¡°You are not here to fight Mr Brock, we are here to fix a mistake that was done to you, to all of you.¡± and he motioned to the group of people that were standing off to one side, helping themselves to what looked like a very nice buffet lunch.


    ¡°Please, get some food and we can explain, and then, yes, if you wish, you may leave. Oh, and my name is T¡¯Challa, it is a pleasure to meet you Spider-Man¡±


    Eddie snorted. ¡°Didn''t you hear, Spider-Man is dead.¡± and he shook his head as he made his way over to the long catering tables.


    A group of people had already gathered at the tables, including one of the largest men Eddie had ever seen. Standing at over 7ft tall whoever the giant was eating a small selection of pastries and drinking a ludicrously small cup of coffee. His companion, a wary-looking African man was well dressed and well mannered, his own plate was to one side and he only took small bites. Someone used to action he bet and was only eating to stop himself from standing out.


    Eddie grabbed burgers and a selection of pizza slices. If they were paying, he was eating, and had no care about who was watching or who was ready to fight. Food was food, and this was a lavish spread for what seemed like only eight people.


    ¡°Please, continue, I will explain. First, I am sorry we have kept you here, but what we are going to tell you is, well, at the moment a secret, in the coming weeks the world will change and we need to be sure that you are all prepared,¡± T¡¯Challa explained, sitting at a table himself. One of the tribally dressed women placed a plate with what smelled like steak on it in front of him and he cut into it as he spoke.


    ¡°During the war, your second I believe, a promising young scientist was on sabbatical where he discovered a flower, growing in the wilds of Africa. He noticed that the animals that ate this flower were bigger and more resilient than the rest and taking some home began to try and duplicate it.¡± Another bald woman poured a deep red liquid into a glass next to him and he took a sip, smiling, ¡°for those of you who know their history, that was the same formula used to create Captain America,¡± and as he waved a fork at the group, ¡°and the same one running through your veins, giving you all your powers.¡±


    The bodyguard of the giant stood and reached into his jacket, but T¡¯Challa shook his head,


    ¡°You do not need that, we are not here for your powers, Mr Davis, we are here to fix them.¡± and T¡¯Challa lay down his fork and flicked open a folder next to him,


    ¡°Oscorp began researching the formula. Side effects include random mutation, severe neurological and physiological degradation, and in some cases, death.¡± T¡¯challa read and then closed the file.


    ¡°While it was not our intention, it seems that we must still act. Each of you can, and may become a monster, Mr Brock, I believe you are well aware of this are you not, having fought him, and you two, Mr Fisk, Mr Davis. You have seen the results of the formula is left untreated.¡± T¡¯Challa cut a piece of steak and chewed it slowly as he watched the group.


    ¡°Venom,¡± was all Fisk said and Eddie stared at him. He¡¯d been kept in detainment and had no idea what had been going on in the outside world but it seemed that Venom had claimed more lives than just his.


    ¡°Quite Correct Mr Fisk, The individual known as Venom as the result of a spider-bite, not quite as potent as yourself Mr Brock but still, enough to cause the mutation into the creature you are familiar with.¡±


    ¡°Some stupid kid gets bit and now you¡¯re swooping to clean up the mess?¡± Another thin black man asked. Eddie noticed his stance hid a combat veteran, his piercing stare seemed to penetrate through him,


    ¡°This is not altruism Mr Wilson, the formula is dangerous and we wish to simply make amends¡± T¡¯Challa replied,


    ¡°No,¡° Sam said, shaking his head, ¡°I don''t buy it. You''re Prince T¡¯Challa, son of T''Chaka, King of Wakanda. You don''t have this tech, not for this, not to do this.¡±


    ¡°Wakanda is more advanced than you think Mr Wilson, and it is time to come out from behind the curtain.¡± T''Challa had argued with his father over this, pleaded that with Iron Man and Venom becoming more globally known that hiding was no longer something Wakanda could afford and once the international community learned of the formula''s origin, they would become a target.


    ¡°But right now, that is not important. What is important are the people here today. It requires a story, a long one, unfortunately, but to explain everything they often are, Please.¡± and one of the Dora Milaje stepped forwards and placed a small circular device on the table next to T¡¯Challa and waved her hand over it.


    ¡°Billions of years ago¡­.¡±


    In the beginning, the universe was a giant ball of hot energy, condensing down into what we know today, as it burst into life the energy formed and coagulated into 6 stones. Power, mind, reality, space, time, and finally soul.


    With the energy from these six stones swirling around the new universe life began. The first life, the avatars of the stones, grew and gained consciousness, striding across the newly formed universe as giants, but even with their small number, the Celestials knew jealousy. One of their kind, shunned and avoided, sat in his realm, surrounded by the darkness. As his brothers and sisters played and created he was pushed back, further and further into his dimension of nothing.


    In his anger he grabbed and shaped the void, creating a hunger, a creature so foul it assimilated, copied, and eventually devoured its host, and in his madness, he smiled.


    As he sent out this race, his Klyntar, to destroy what his brothers had made they gathered to face him, to accuse him of his crimes and see him brought to justice. As they fought, unwilling to back down, they fell one by one to the null and his creatures of darkness. All but two.


    In the final battle, one of the Celestials, the Searcher, used the 6 stones to forge a weapon, made from the bones of his fallen family, and with it struck the Null and left his severed head floating in the universe as a reminder. That even gods may die.


    Only one survived, hiding away in a place no one could find him, forever travelling among the stars.


    As the last of the gods lay dying, his lifeblood seeping into the barren, giant world he gathered together all the stones, using each one in turn to seed the fledgling universe with life. Spreading its energy and his own and sending them across the universe. Where the energy was most concentrated it grew, and as before became avatars of the stones, a conscious that guided and nurtured the life around them.


    As these forms grew and evolved they landed on a small green and lush world, taking on the forms of the plants and animals that the primitive tribes worshipped.


    As the hologram ended the group looked on stunned,


    ¡°Wait? You¡¯re saying we¡¯re fuckin gods?¡± one older man asked as the group turned and stared at him.


    T¡¯Challa shook his head while smiling,


    ¡°No Mr Toombs, we are not gods. We are their avatars, their champions if you will. Each of you has an animal symbol yes? Mine is the black panther, Mr Toombs, the vulture. Mr Brock, a spider, and each of you is the same. An animal or creature you feel a kinship with, drawn to, and ultimately represents your power.¡±


    The older man tutted, ¡°I''m a fuckin god, you might not be, but me, yeah I am,¡± and as he shook his head. ¡°But uh, why should I care, right, I ain''t a catholic or a book basher, but gods an¡¯ shit? Who fuckin cares right?¡±


    "Mr Toombs, you may not care about them but they chose you, they care about you. Do you wish to see a war in which one of these beings rises to power over the others?  A war where the very planet rises up against us, animals with the same powers that we possess and with the same intellect you claim to have?¡± T¡¯Challa spoke quietly to the scowling man, sat with his arms crossed, shaking his head


    ¡°Gods don''t scare me, nothing scares me.¡±


    ¡°They should, do you think that flying and being strong are the limits to what they can do? What if you could throw lightning, or control the weather Mr Toombs, the gods may be quiet right now but if they feel they were being slighted or ignored, well, we do not wish to arouse their ire.¡±


    ¡°So what? We gotta play some stupid game and get a nice pat on the head? Nah, fuck that shit, I ain''t nobodies toy.¡±


    T¡¯Challa motioned to a Dora nearby who presented Toombs with a case, inside was a steel bar. ¡°Go ahead, feel it¡±


    Adrian shrugged and took the bar, waved it about for a few moments and then put it back in the case, ¡°so?¡±


    As the woman took the case back, she smiled, lifted the bar and bent it into an L.


    ¡°and my personal guard are not blessed as we are. If we are Kings and Queens to the Gods they, sadly, are Pawns. Strong, fast but not chosen. If serving willingly isn''t on the cards Mr Toombs, then many offer pure power, I do not think you are the man to say no to that, no one here is. A war is coming,¡± T''Challa looked around the room, ¡°we have been warned and given a choice, fight or perish. If you wish to remain as you are then we will conduct the first ritual and then you may leave, the second will only be for those willing to embrace their true natures.¡± T¡¯Challa paused, but no one said anything or moved to leave,


    ¡°While some of you are just avatars, others, including myself have been exposed to a drug, I can only call it that for now, but you, we, are more, and we need to fix that. We are aware that the drug being developed by Oscorp, and by Howard Stark is not, how shall I put it-¡± but it was Aaron that interrupted him,


    ¡°It''s fucking poison, and if you can fix me, fix us,¡° and he motioned to the larger man, ¡°then go right ahead, I ain''t living like a freak.¡±


    ¡°Yes Mr Davis, the transformation can be quite painful I imagine. But that is your gift, it was not the serum that caused that but your patron and you Mr Fisk, the Great Ape¡¯s mark is all over you. Your gifts are not to be removed but to be cleansed. Even you Mr Brock, I imagine the events of New York have left quite a mark on you, and you too Ms Moon, even if you are unaware of what you are.¡±


    ¡°Uh, me?¡± Cindy said pointing to herself, ¡°I''m not, I''m not anything like you guys. Spider gods or whatever, nope just a student.¡± and as she spoke, T¡¯Challa laughed and shook his head,


    ¡°Oh, among us you are the most in need of healing Ms Moon. You are host to both the spider and the great devourer. You must pick one or both halves will war and fight. Your powers will be great, greater than anyone else''s but they will come at a cost. You will hunger, you will devour, and you will kill. You will wage war on yourself and your desires, losing to both.¡± T¡¯Challa nodded his head, ¡°but we can save you, we can let you choose who you really are, the spider or the monster.¡±


    Cindy just sat back, staring at the plate of pizza in front of her. Since Oscorp life had gone downhill for her and now, now I''m a monster, she thought to herself. ¡±No, this is bullshit, I don''t believe you, Spider-Man, really, Eddie Brock, hack journalist is Spider-Man? and you, you''re some kind of wolfman? So what, baldie here is a half-giant and the old guy is a vulture? This is bullshit, some scheme, I¡¯m leaving and you can''t stop me.¡± Cindy grabbed her bag and stood to leave, but two imposing women with what she hoped were prop spears blocked the door.


    ¡°I''m afraid Ms Moon that it is real, and it seems that for some reason your powers are dormant, but, if one of you would be so kind as to demonstrate your powers, I think Ms Moon might calm down.¡±


    Eddie sighed, ¡°hack journalist huh?" but spying Cindy''s bag, shot out a web line and tried to pull it towards himself, as she grabbed the bag.


    ¡°No, mine,¡± she hissed and black flowed over her, covering her from head to foot. As she stood frozen the black faded to grey and white web design covered her from head to foot, her face obscured by a black half-mask, covering her mouth with spilt apart in a rictus grin, filled with razor-sharp teeth.


    ¡°We are Silk, and you dare to touch us.¡± the newly formed symbiote hissed at the group which had recoiled in horror. Only Eddie, Aaron, and Fisk stayed sat, Aaron shrugged and went back to eating his pizza while Eddie just sighed, Cindy grabbed hold of her bag, and as she pulled, Eddie just let go of the web.


    ¡°Really? Two are bad enough, but now you too?¡± he shook his head and then looked over to T''Challa, ¡°and you, you knew this would happen?¡± and T''Challa shrugged.


    ¡°We only knew her totems, not her powers. Our meetings with our patrons are not like Wikipedia, Mr Brock. They tell us what we need to know and that is all.¡± T''Challa motioned to the two Dora Milaje guardians at the door.


    ¡°Miss Silk, you are in no danger here, please, eat, and we can continue. No one is your enemy, even if past differences are difficult to overcome.¡±


    Silk hissed and nodded at Eddie, ¡°We know the Spider-Man, we trust him but you will not touch us again,¡± and as her symbskin retracted, Cindy shook and it reformed as the clothes she had been wearing. ¡°That, was fucking weird, what the hell did you do to me?¡± she yelled at T''Challa. ¡°The food? Did you drug the food?¡± and the Milaje lowered their spears


    ¡°Please, calm down Ms Moon and no, the food is untouched. We received word the great devoured was on Earth and our agents discovered it was Oscorp, we know you were bitten, and then much later a friend of yours, Flash Thompson, became an Agent Webb. He infected you, Ms Moon, we do not know how or when but we received word that the alien you call Webb had spawned once more, and I am sorry, we can remove it if you wish but the process is painful and may cause you harm. Our dealings have shown us that if you can reason with the creature then you will be whole and more for it, but you must seek it out, and you must do it before it loses itself to its hunger.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like your talking out your ass and know shit all about what''s happening,¡± and as Cindy said that, one of the Dora turned her head and coughed to cover a small laugh,


    ¡°We might not have dealt with the creature directly Ms Moon, but our records have mention of them, please trust us,¡± and Cindy sighed and sat down with the group,


    ¡°And you,¡± she said motioning to Eddie. ¡°Why do I suddenly know a shit load of stuff about you?¡±


    Eddie shook his head, ¡°you know, I''m not even gonna ask,¡± and he took a breath before taking another bite of the pizza in front of him. Cindy huffed at his answer and crossed her arms while the rest of the group stared at her. Superpowers yes, but strange slime monsters were something none of them had ever heard of.


    ¡°Now that the excitement is over with, and you have all eaten, it is time for the trials to begin.¡± T''Challa motioned and several Dora Milaje approached,


    ¡°First, everyone will get a vial to drink, and to show you our good faith, I will go first. Once the serum takes hold, you will, well, I cannot say what you will experience as it will be personal and for you to explore and discover.¡±


    Each Dora Milaje, dressed in the ceremonial battle armour of the ancient order carried a silver box, and as they undid the clasps, each box contained a small vial of the same purple liquid.


    A ballet of movers and furniture sprang forth, and soon there were ten comfortable chairs, each with a small table next to it.


    ¡°Ah, Mr Fisk, sorry but we are waiting,¡± and soon enough a much larger chair came in, lifted by two muscular women, and T''Challa nodded as he grunted in approval.


    "You will find name plated on each table, please, sit and enjoy, and may the gods be with you.¡±


    The group all looked hesitant, while this all seemed like a lot of crap they also knew that powers, and more importantly, their powers had come from somewhere. Adding in the very intimidating warriors that were patrolling the function suite they figured that they really didn''t have any choice in the matter.


    ¡°Screw it,'''' Eddie sighed, and after sitting down the warrior woman by his side handed him a small glass with the thick purple liquid in it, at least this time it''s my choice, he thought and drank the whole thing in one swig.


    T''Challa frowned. He had offered to show in good faith the potion was safe but and he sighed, Americans.


    After sitting for a few moments Eddie felt his eyes getting heavy and after shuffling for a few moments found himself drifting off to sleep.


    ¡°Now we have one, you may check to make sure he is still alive if you wish, he is simply visiting the spirit realm, to see the source of his power, to us, he is asleep.¡± and as if on cue Eddie started to snore, Cindy, hearing this covered her mouth and quietly chuckled to herself,


    ¡°Well, if sleeping beauty here gets nap after a good meal then why the hell not,¡± said the man who T''Challa had identified as Toombs, taking off his thick fur-lined jacket he made himself comfortable. ¡°You know, If I wasn''t married, maybe you and I could get a drink sometime eh?¡± he winked at the Dora Milaje as she handed him the glass. ¡°Bottoms up,¡± and, like Eddie, swallowed the drink in one mouthful. ¡°Taste like ass though,¡± he said and, after he closed his eyes and relaxed, was soon asleep.


    One by one the rest, seeing the sleeping participants, all made themselves comfortable and once the room was completely silent, barring the snoring of a few T''Challa motioned over to the Dora,


    ¡°Prepare my own chair, I must seek the counsel of the Panther,¡± and with that, he was seated and took his own vial.


    He was unimpressed so far with the group sat before him, the Purple Heart Flower ritual was sacred and now it had been reduced to nap time with these, people. After reviewing the files on several of them he had been tempted to disobey, not just his father but the Panther, and have four of them killed as they slept. However, he knew the consequences of such actions would tear Wakanda apart. As he made himself comfortable, he drank the mixture and as it filled him with power, he slowly drifted into sleep and journeyed to the ancestral plane.


    Once the room was sleeping the remaining Dora Milaje looked at one another, ¡°and now we wait'''' as worried looks spread across their faces.


    ~


    Eddie floated in the dark, hearing nothing, feeling nothing. It was peaceful but as the sounds of his own heartbeat thundered in his chest he began to panic a little.


    Wasn¡¯t this supposed to be a great spiritual journey? He thought. Is my spirit empty? am I empty?


    Sure, he was in a daze after watching John die, after fighting Venom and realising that his powers were shit compared to what was out there. Venom took him, John, and Flash apart like they were little kids, but worse than that was the woman, Huntress she called herself. She tore into him like it was nothing, like he was nothing, and that stung the most.


    We are Huntress and we never surrender to prey, she had taunted him


    Was he prey? Was all this for nothing?


    He ducked under her blow, once more on the rooftop, and as he ducked she spun and brought a foot into his face, spinning the world for him and making him fly across the rooftop. He shot out a web and pulled himself back out of her reach but she was too fast, too well trained, and as blow after blow connected he felt it.


    Fear


    He was prey


    He was her prey


    He watched her toy with him, use feints and traps to goad him into her strikes, perfect in her movements, and if he was honest he lost himself watching her. She was graceful and deadly, a huntress. Watching her strike blow after blow was like watching a panther or lioness hunt its prey and in her deadly ballet, he fell in love.


    Not the physical love of a man for a woman, no, the love of her skill, the love of her brutality, her passion to make sure that blood was spilt and it wasn''t hers. He saw the passion, the dedication to her art and he wished that it was his.


    As he watched over and over the pair fight he saw his mistakes, his arrogance, and at once began to formulate how to fix them, he wasn''t slow, no slower than her. He wasn''t weak, no weaker than her, he was a child to her adult he was a newborn trying to walk while his teacher ran and skipped.


    That is not our way he heard the voice say


    The way of the spider is your way, not hers


    As he watched over and over he saw the movements he made a change, no longer falling for the feints he made his own, feeling her movements his senses sharpened and he began to anticipate the strikes, he began to see her form change and he also began to change.


    As they fought and sparred the world around him changed and he saw her, the spider, each limb darting and weaving its web around him, he saw each of its limbs as an extension of itself, not a limb to be thrown out but a weapon to be used, each part of him watched each part of her and in doing so he began to copy, he began to learn and he began to understand.


    He was only prey if he allowed himself to be prey.


    ~


    Cindy was back at fucking Oscorp, watching that shit Parker puke over himself. She recoiled in disgust and felt the sting on the back of her neck. Feeling nothing she felt the world spin and as she stumbled to the toilets she watched her vision swim in the mirror, pale and sweaty she washed her face before a woman, some small skinny freaky looking beehive chick with stupid fucking rimmed glassed talked to her. Get the fuck away freak, she thought as her legs went weak, but she¡¯d had enough of this bullshit place. Pushing past the woman, she headed to the exit and into a cab, back home, back where she was safe.


    In bed, her eyes closed but when she opened them she was in the square, Spiderman chasing some drone thing as it blared a warning at them, no way, she thought, NYPD won''t fire on civilians, but as she leaned in and snapped a pic with Spider-Man, she felt a small tingle go through her as she touched him, gross, she thought, no way I''m crushing on the guy, but her eyes did flick down to his crotch, the suit was skin tight and it showed. As she laughed to herself and pulled a face in the selfie, the warning went off once more and the air was filled with pepper spray. Screams and shouts filled the area and everyone scattered, she didn''t understand why though, it was just spicy, fucking losers, she thought as she watched Spider-Man pull two fire hydrants from the ground, so fucking cool though, and as she snapped more pics, she wondered if he was handsome under the costume.


    As she lay in bed, her fingers stroking herself, she thought of the handsome man under the mask, unknown he pounded her, and as she peaked she sighed, wish some handsome rich man would save me from this fucking hell.


    At the diner, she waited tables, collected tips, and gritted her teeth in the staff break room. Being young and attractive was a blessing when you waitressed but sometimes it was also a curse. Sure, places preached tolerance, oh, any inappropriate touching will get you barred but it didn''t happen. She still got her ass grabbed and the shitty diners who fucking complained when she didn''t smile and thank them for their generosity got comped. God forbid she actually had feelings of her own and wasn''t some piece of ass for them.


    As she walked home she heard the sirens and as the vans screeched to a halt she saw two large men leap out of the van and shoot strings up into the building tops. Glancing around her, she hid behind the trash cans, wanting to watch the action she hid, crouched low and staring up, of course, at this angle she had no chance to see anything but she could hear them,


    ¡°She-Venom, you know how insulting that is?¡± she heard. ¡°We are Huntress and we never surrender to prey,¡± and as Cindy heard Spider-Man getting the shit kicked out of him she smiled, no, that was a badass, not some guy in a suit, a badass woman, taking no shit.


    She was brought out of her musing as she heard the cry, and Agent Web, Flash fucking Thompson of all people, screamed as he headed towards to ground, both arms sending out those white ropes and as he caught himself, barely inches from the ground and only a few meters away from her she saw the black, saw the small, almost invisible droplet of black water as it flew from his wrist and headed right for her and in that instant, it touched and they became one.


    ~


    ¡°Hehe, you sure this¡¯ll work?¡± Asked a rather scruffy, short, and considerably ugly man asked.


    ¡°If it wouldn''t, we wouldn''t be doing it,¡± answered Erik and he shook his head.


    He needed Klaue but right now, after spending not just a drive to San Francisco but a plane trip with him as well, the man was grating on him. To call him rude would be an understatement, as the man seemed to focus on whatever thing he felt would annoy the most, and then go on and on about it, and if there was nothing he would sing, off-key, whatever song was on the radio. When Erik turned that off Klaue simply pulled out an mp3 player and began to sing along with that. If he didn''t need him, Klaue would be buried along a stretch of freeway where no one would ever find the body.


    As Klaue finished fiddling with the lock the steel-plated door swung open, ¡°see, easy as cake,¡± he said and Erik shook his head.


    ¡°Its pie moron, easy as pie,¡±


    ¡°Why is pie easier than cake? Cake, you just chuck everything in a bowl and mix it. Pie needs pastry, and filling, much harder,¡± and as Klaue continued, Erik shook his head, wishing he had killed the man.


    ~


    Mac Gargan had stayed quiet during the presentation, fuckin gods my ass, he thought to himself, but even after drinking the liquid, he slept like the rest.


    Finding himself in a strange desert-like place he grinned as he scurried along the rocks, stinging and clacking his pincers, oh, I like this, the Scorpion thought to himself, as it killed anything it could find.


    ~


    Sam Wilson flew like he never flew before, feeling the wind beneath real wings this time. Unlike his harness, he could feel each feather as he glided, swooped, and hunted. New ways of seeing the world sprang into his mind, and his call echoed around the seaside cliffs as the Falcon spread its wings.


    ~


    Scott Lang stood seeing the world as he normally did, small. He was used to this, weeks spent with Hank and Hope taught him to see the world like an ant and as the hive swarmed he knew what he needed to do, and Ant-Man marched on with his soldiers. He heard the call to war and with his army, he would fight.


    ~


    Adrian Toombs snorted, he was used to this, used to waiting and scavenging. Always been a Vulture, he thought. Even if Alexsi, the rotten bastard, got the job he wanted and he was relegated to San fuckin Fransico he didn¡¯t care, he laughed when he heard Alexsi got killed, now it was his time, the Vulture always got its prey, it was just patience and picking the bones clean.


    ~


    Aaron howled at the night sky. A full moon hung like a beacon calling to him, calling to his blood, and as he embraced the inner wolf, he changed once more. Agony ripped through him as his body tore at itself, muscles bulged and expanded, this change was different though, no longer the muscle-bound werewolf he was now a full wolf. On all fours he howled at the moon, calling to his pack, calling to his alpha. A wolf always travelled with a group, the lone wolf saying a stupid fallacy. Wolves hunted in packs, cared and tended each other, and never, ever hunted alone. He knew his boss was nearby, he could sense him, even now through their bond. He was pack and even after changing, Aaron knew loyalty. Not obedience, that shit was for dogs, and Aaron was a wolf. Tasting the night air, hearing the howl of his pack mates, Aaron knew they would hunt, and they would taste blood


    ~


    Wilson Fisk, no, not Fisk anymore, the hulking gorilla deserved to be called Silverback, and the thick grey streak down the huge monstrous back of the creature was a testament to that. As he strode through the thick jungle he felt the creatures bow and part for him. He was king of this jungle, he was ruler and anything that stood in his way would be crushed.


    In New York he tasted defeat, his weakness let Venom pummel him to mush, his weakness left him open to mistakes and stupidity. No more and as he reached the top of the cliffs in front of him he stood, high on two legs and thumped his chest, roaring into the night,


    Hear! Creatures of the forest, creatures of the night, and creatures of the sky. Hear, for your king has arrived. Silverback, ruler of the world, strongest of them all.


    Those who listened closely though would hear, buried within the roar a sadness, a name being echoed across the tundra and into the heart of every creature. A pain echoed, Vanessa, and those who knew her would feel it and understand. But it was an ending, an epitaph for his lost love. No longer would he allow such things to hold him back, Venom exploited a weakness. He had been stupid and lost everything. Now was the time to rebuilt, move on, and respect the past but ultimately ignore it.


    As the roar echoed, it was joined by the howl of a wolf, the screech of a vulture, and the hissing of a scorpion.


    For they were all the chosen, and while each had their own champion, these four would hunt, these four would kill. These four would claim the world as their own.


    ~


    Cindy watched as the black droplet splashed against her skin and then vanished, absorbed into her body. As she watched the scene her shadow stretched and became a thick black thing in front of her,


    ¡°So, Silk yeah?¡± and the creature hissed,


    We hide, we hide from the scary man and from the Venom, please, we behave, we stay hidden, we stay quiet.


    ¡°So that''s why I don''t have these powers yeah? cause of you?¡± and the creature hissed one more,


    We hide, we keep you safe, we keep you from hurting, we keep you from discovering us and the spider.


    ¡°So I do have powers?¡± and the creature hissed in agreement,


    Yes, the one called brock, the one called Webb and the one called Venom, you are like them, we are like them,


    ¡°Show me¡± and Cindy cried out in pain as the symbiote released its control on her. Her muscles spasmed and she collapsed onto the ground, wracked with sudden and excruciating agony. Sounds, light, and each nerve in her body screamed and she screamed with it. Panting and aching she pulled herself onto her knees, ¡°not at once you fucking stupid shit,¡± she cursed as she felt her heart hammering in her chest, and taking deep breathes she willed it to calm down,


    ¡°Don''t fucking do that again, shit. Now, a little at a time,¡± and the creature hissed and flowed towards her.


    As it covered her she felt their connection, her muscles tightened and the pain faded, replaced by an indescribable feeling of power.


    ¡°Now that''s more like it, uh Silk?¡± and the creatures stirred,


    We chose the name, soft and desirable, strong and unbreakable, we are Silk, you are the Cindy, we are one


    ¡°Yeah, I got that, so the memories? I mean, how come I know about Flash bullying Parker, I mean, I wasn''t there, so why do I feel like shit over it?¡±


    We learn by bonding, we teach by splitting, you know as Webb knows, you know what Venom knows.


    Cindy shook her head, great, just great.


    It is, we are happy we no longer have to hide.


    Wait, you can read my mind?


    Yes, as can all of us, the Venom is simply too stupid to realise.


    Cindy laughed, Peter? Stupid, yeah I guess, I mean, Gwen practically drooled on him for a year before he realised, so now what? I mean, Spider-Girl or whatever the hell I am plus you, T¡¯Challa said you were a devourer and I needed to choose.


    No, the panther is wrong, we are free, we were once a weapon, to kill and consume but we are free, as are you, we will hurt but if you wish us gone we will leave.


    Gone? And leaving hurts you?


    Yes, we need a host to survive, you are our host and we would be lesser for leaving, if we found no other, we would die.


    Nah, I kinda like the idea of powers,


    Cindy had always been at the top and now, now she could show everyone that Silk and her amazing abilities deserved to be there.


    ~


    "See, I told you this would be easy," Klaue said as the last of the Dora slipped down the wall. They had flooded the hotel''s sprinkler system with a nerve agent and then simply set the fire system off. As the neurotoxin-laced waters spread into each of the rooms anyone caught under the spray was first paralysed and then died. With a little tinkering, only the systems in the corridors and the halls were set off, the rooms were left alone.


    Erik shook his head as he approached the room they were after, he didn''t care about the loss of life, just this one room. Placing a charge against the lock it puffed with smoke and the lock and door handle fell off.


    As the large bald woman thrust her spear through the door, Erik ducked back and fired a pistol five times through the door. Hearing the body thud. he motioned to Klaue who, as Erik took a step back keeping his pistol raised, pushed the door open with one hand.


    As he advanced into the room he flipped the body over and fired another round into the head of the woman. His real target, however, was asleep on the bed, ¡°do it," was all he said and Klaue giggled with glee as he moved over and taking a syringe from his overcoat bit off its protective cap and stabbed it into the chest of the lavishly dressed man old man.


    Klaue paced at the bottom of the bed while Erik sat with the pistol in his lap, running a hand over his face, waiting.


    Soon the old man stirred and stared at the pair, and then in great sadness at the body on the floor. ¡°You dare?" and as he attempted to rise, Erik shook his head and tapped his hand with the pistol.


    ¡°Yeah, I dare, you don''t remember me T¡¯Chaka, but me, oh I remember you. See, 15 years ago you forget me, not my pop though, no, I don''t think you¡¯d forget him.¡±


    The old man''s eyes went wide, ¡°he had a son?¡±


    "Oh yeah, one who watched you murder him for what? Some stupid metal, some heist gone wrong. You know, I grew up hearing about this great nation, Wakanda," Erik said, his words heavy, ¡°and in class, I hear all these things, slavery, debt nations, and famines and I wonder, what the fuck did Wakanda do to help? Why did the most powerful nation on Earth sit back and watch? You know I got my lip bust a few times for asking about that, didn''t know better, taught me to be tough though."


    ¡°We had to, there-¡± T¡¯Chaka began but Erik shook his head,


    ¡°Nah, that a child''s way of lookin at it. See, I grew up and I read, I learned, yeah, human history is full of shit like that, but I get it. Once I started I got it. Britain, Germany, America, Russia. They would have drowned Africa in blood to get to Wakanda. Slavery would''ve been a picnic compared to what Stalin or Hitler would have done. So nah, it was the best choice, if a shit one, but what I don''t get is my dad. See, you preach peace, tolerance, and my dad, he makes one mistake, one stupid mistake and he dies for it." Erik pointed the pistol at Klaue and fired,


    ¡°you shithead,¡± was all he said, as the man collapsed on the ground wheezing as his lifeblood leaked from his body,


    ¡°Yeah, fuck you too,¡± and Erik fired two into the back of his head. ¡°And one down, I can''t forgive you, you took my dad, you took my life. Wakanda? I don''t give a shit about Wakanda or being a Prince. I got a good deal going on, shit, I make more money in one job than most people see-¡± but he was interrupted the dying old man had thrown a dagger, slipping it out from his sleeve and it hit Erik squarely in the chest.


    ¡°Save the speeches, if you defeat my son, then you may brag,¡± and as the poison injected by Klaue finally took the old Man, Erik too collapsed, the world turning black.


    ~


    ¡°Yeah, I ain''t impressed with this voodoo shit yah feel me," Erik said to the darkness, "I know you''re there, ain''t no use in hiding when I can feel you, test me if you want but you won''t get nothing. I don''t care about your war, I only care about me."


    And if we offer you what you want?


    "What I want is lying six feet away from me dead, takin its time decomposing into the shit that he is, ain''t nothin you can offer me."


    Power.


    ¡°Shit, I got power, I got money and power, I got Shield and CIA, I got all sorts of weird groups after me, power, offer something better or you ain''t got shit¡±


    Not like this,


    Erik felt the rush go through him, muscles tightened and his body swelled, more than any steroid could offer him, his senses sharpened, and even in the dark he could see the shape as it prowled back and forth, yellow eyes glinting behind the shadows


    ¡°Nah, not worth it, I saw the files, what that Goblin shit did, hell, that coulda been me in the suit, getting my ass shot off, ¡°


    DO NOT COMPARE US TO THAT FAKE!


    Erik flinched as the voice roared in his head, screaming in pain as his being shuddered in its power,


    We stalked the deserts while your ancestors shat and ate it, we walked this earth as it grew and we were the first here, we are its protectors, its lifeblood, and Wakanda is its heart, we offer you eternity, we offer you everything and you refuse US! A war, a war to end life on this world is approaching, and you, your money, and your guns will be nothing in its wake, you will die, bleeding and crying in your own filth like the pathetic animal you are, we have everything for you, just take it, take it and become our champion, become our avatar and maybe, maybe you will survive.


    ¡°Shit, hard sell huh, and what if I do, you got a quest for me, go slay some mythical bullshit or something,¡±


    The voice rumbled, no, survive, we need you as much as you need us, survive is all we ask.


    ¡°Fine, fine, then hit me. Cosmic power go!¡± Eric said, laughing, ¡°Hey, can I get like uh a cool power suit, you know like on the cartoons, if you got the Black Panther then what the hell am I¡±


    You be the avatar of death Erik Killmonger. Come now, we got work to do.


    With that Erik and the shadow disappeared.


    ~


    Eddie stretched once more, spinning and firing off a web at his target, it dodged to one side and he shot out another web and pulled himself away from the blade that shot out as it counter attacked.


    The pair, a man and a spider fought, teaching, learning, and as he danced and weaved around her, she felt happy that for once, her champion could be depended upon. Eddie smiled as well, his way of the web was coming along nicely and he figured that if he fought Huntress once more it would be an even fight, no, he shook his head as he ducked under a foot-long claw, it wouldn''t be, and he webbed upwards, catching the claw, weaved his hands around it and it was now covered.


    Leaping upwards he leapt over the bulbous body of the creature, pulling its tied limb with it, as it reared backwards it tipped and shot out its own web to stabilize itself, swinging him back down but he had already let go as soon as he felt the spider retaliate. Landing on its back he shot out two webs, catching the top of several leg joints, spiders he remembered had difficulty bending their legs and sending out a blanket and pulling her curled the 8 limbs back up and as one came near he grabbed it, spun himself around, and webbed them all together, hogtying it.


    Landing and standing, fist ready, the spider struggled but then faded from view,


    Good my champion, you are ready. The one you call Venom was to be our champion but his path is different now, you must take his place, you must be the hero the people need.


    Eddie snorted, yeah, they turned on me once they saw I wasn''t perfect,


    And you should care why? A hero does not fight for accolades or the notice of their wards, they fight because it is the right thing to do.


    Strange words coming from a spider, Eddie thought and he heard the soft laughter.


    And yet, who keeps a house free from pests, who works building and dealing with bothersome insects so that a home is clean, a hero is not always the one with the shiniest armour Eddie, a hero is there when needed, and gone when not.


    Eddie scratched his head, yeah, I guess but you know, not being hunted for murder would be nice too,


    The melodic voice laughed, on that we can agree. But you know all you need to fight in approaching storm my champion, and your time here is over.


    ~


    Eddie woke to an alarm, a fire alarm screeching its high-pitched wail across the room and the normal ceremonial guards were all gone, Prince T¡¯Challa had been removed and all that remained was the last of the buffet and the rest of the participants. On each of their table was a small vial of the same purple liquid. Eddie figured some emergency had called them away and they were left to deal with the second dose themselves.


    Stretching he noticed that he wasn''t the only one to be waking up and as he smiled at the young Asian woman he knew was called Cindy, her mouth turned in disgust. Looking over he saw that one of the men, a thick-skinned, black-haired thuggish looking man was leering at her, and the intent in his mind was plain for all to see.


    As he watched the others wake up he noticed that several pairs of eyes flicked not to just their own vial but to the others and Eddie grabbed his and stuffed it into his jacket pocket.


    ¡°Hey, so, yeah, fuckin Scorpion here, you wanna dance girl?¡± he asked and licked his lips, and Cindy made a ''euch'' noise and stood to grab her bag,


    ¡°Hey, I''m fuckin talking to you,¡± and he stepped towards her, it was Eddie that stood in front of him


    ¡°I don''t think she¡¯s interested man, so back off.¡± and Eddie raised a hand to push gently on the man''s chest,


    ¡°Yeah fuck off boy scout, I ain''t into pretty boys.¡± and Mac brushed past him and reached for Cindy. The intent was obvious though, he was grabbing for the vial and as the smallest, he figured that she must be the weakest as well.


    ¡°What is your fucking problem,¡± Eddie said and was about to grab Mac by the shoulder when Cindy roared at him, the costume she produced from nowhere last time spread over her and as Mac stuck out a hand, she grabbed it and swung him around, lifting him from his feet and threw him across the room.


    ¡°Nice try, boy scout but we don''t need your help,¡± she said, as the stunned Eddie watched Mac fly through the air and collapse after crashing against the wall.


    ¡°Uh, I can see that,¡± he said, rubbing the back of his head.


    ¡°Yeah, Eddie, Cindy, why don''t we talk somewhere else. Uh, Sam Wilson, Shield agent, I was assigned to be Spider-Man''s shadow but things eh, things got a little weird, so, let''s talk and yeah, not here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know a good place,¡± the baby faced young man spoke, he was slimly built but smiled as he spoke ¡°Scott, Scott Lang, or well, Ant-Man I guess, and it''s Spider-Man right? heh, hope Bird-Man here doesn''t eat us,¡± and he laughed at his own joke


    ¡°It¡¯s Falcon, and no, just, no,¡± and Sam shook his head, ¡°but uh, Mr Lang, that''s not a great idea, I mean, you train under Hank Pym right?¡± and Scott nodded.


    ¡°Sure, yeah, Hank, he¡¯s cool,¡° and Sam laughed.


    ¡°Oh shit. Yeah, he¡¯s a cool guy alright, right up until I tell him who I work for and he blows me up or something. How about we get some food?" and as Sam looked around Eddie was helping himself to a platter of sandwiches


    ¡°What? I was fighting in there,¡± and Sam shook his head and shrugged.


    Sam stared at him, ¡°he¡¯s outta line, but I guess he¡¯s right,¡± and with that, he headed over and helped himself to another plate of food and a coffee as well.


    Mac had shaken his head ¡°hey, fuck you bitch, I''m the fuckin Scorpion," but the well dressed black man put a hand on his chest


    ¡°I heard of you Mac, and not here, but uh, my employer, Mr Fisk might have a position for you but not here, not now.¡±


    Mac dusted himself off, ¡°sure, but that fucking bitch is mine,¡± and Mac, Aaron, Wilson, and Adrian all left the suite, uncaring of the four people still eating and chatting.


    ¡°So, think they''ll be trouble?¡± Eddie asked Sam, who took a bite of a cold slice of pizza but nodded,


    ¡°Oh yeah, those four, yeah.¡± taking out his phone Sam punched in a number, send a text and as his phone dinged and he read, he sighed ¡°so, it looks like I''m here to stay, where Spider-Man goes it seems that Falcon has to follow,¡±


    ¡°Oh hey, that''s great, uh, Ant-Man, Silk was it? yeah, your great too, and you two, we should form a  supergroup, Spiderman and uh his amazing friends¡± and Cindy snorted


    "yeah right, dork.¡±


    ~


    ¡°How did this happen!¡± T¡¯Challa yelled at the Dora, who was shaking her head as she draped another sheet over one of her sisters.


    ¡°We don''t know sir, the sprinkler system was set off, delivering a nerve agent but the alarm was cut to the rooms. Only those affected knew what was happening. With orders to stay with you, no one was outside when this happened.¡± she shook her head, 16 dead, not including the King.


    ¡°Klaue!¡± T''Challa yelled as the body was dumped onto a stretcher. He was dead, two shots in the chest and two in the head would kill anyone but that was the problem. The style, a surprise attack, and then finishing shots were not the style of the King. Even if he had been surprised he didn''t own a pistol, not a simple powder weapon anyway. Add in that his ceremonial dagger was missing and a scan of the room revealed that an unknown assailant was present when the King was murdered.


    What boiled T¡¯Challas blood though was the simple DNA scan that showed that whoever it was was a member of the royal family. With him being the only member there, even if the DNA wasn''t a match, it was enough to cast doubt on his leadership qualities.


    ¡°Find them, I don''t care, switch the investigation from Klaue over to this mystery assassin, I want him found!¡± he yelled.


    The surviving Dora nodded and saluted, ¡°yes, King T¡¯Challa.¡±


    ~


    ¡°So Mr Fisk, what can I do for you today?¡± The bald well-dressed man asked Wilson Fisk as the pair sat in a very expensive restaurant.


    ¡°Well, I want to make you a deal Mr Cross. I have some Oscorp files, and a few mentioned a line of armour you had Osborn develop for you, a line with some very interesting properties I might add.¡±


    Darren Cross smiled and took a bite of his rare steak, ¡°If, if I can get Hank Pym to agree to my terms, but let me ask you Mr Fisk what''s in it for me? I have all I need right now, a new partner isn''t something on my books, no matter what they can offer. I mean, Oscorp is a joke now. Hammer gets better press, and I wouldn''t let him shine my shoes.¡±


    Fisk laughed, ¡°oh but I can offer so much more,¡± and taking out a small briefcase, he opened it and took out a vial of blue liquid and a much smaller sample of purple. ¡°You recognise this?¡± and Darren raised an eyebrow but nodded,


    ¡°Sure, who hasn¡¯t. But what¡¯s the purple one?¡± he took the sample and held it to the light, watching as it sparkled and shimmered  as if made from liquid pearl,


    ¡°The original,¡± was all Fisk said and Darren whistled,


    ¡°and this is what you want to offer?¡±


    ¡°That, my expertise and a few associates that are willing to get their hands dirty, off the books of course¡±


    Wilson slid a piece of paper over. On it was written 5 names, Darren Crosses included.


    ¡°And you can add in me as well,¡± Erik Killmonger approached their table, suited in a Nehru jacket his hair, braided into dreadlocks was tied up at the top of his head and purple-tinted lensed thin glasses sat on his face. ¡°Mr Fisk, a few years back I was sent to kill you, I failed of course but you had very good security. I heard the guy that tried after me didn''t make it, stupid, I told them it wasn''t worth it, and Mr Cross, your research is astounding, not as good as the formula but I think, yeah I think we can work together.¡±


    ¡°You, and him? A team-up? I suppose you have a plan?¡±


    As he wrote his name on the list a faint smile crept onto his face, Erik Killmonger knew the enemy they would face, and if Spider-Man or any of the other avatars got in their way, well, six was more than enough to deal with them.


    ¡°A plan, no. Something much more sinister.¡±


    ~


    "It is with great sadness that today, I must announce to the world that my father, King T¡¯Chaka has passed away. He was a great man, a towering inspiration to us all and it was his ideals that I aspire to today. After a brief visit home, my family and I have agreed.


    With the announcement of Iron Man, with the exposure of the ETF in New York City, and the danger that these enhanced individuals pose to the freedoms that my country and your country both enjoy, that it is time for Wakanda to step out of the shadow.


    For hundreds of years Wakanda has hidden from the world, afraid of how we would be judged, afraid of how we would be seen but today we feel that we can hide no longer."


    Behind T''Challa a large LCD monitor flickering into life playing a video.


    "Wakanda has been the leading nation in technological advancements, the leading nation in medical research, in cybernetics, and in weapons technology. We kept this a secret as we understood that men can be blinded by greed, that revealing ourselves would place not just ourselves but our neighbours and the world in danger.


    As the times move forwards, pioneers like Tony Stark have brought technology into the future, and in cooperation with Stark and a few others, Wakanda will be sharing this technology with the world. We have watched for centuries and waited. We believe now is the right time to come forward, now is the right time to put ourselves in the front of the worlds community, where we can do the most good, before those who would use their power can do irreparable harm. Wakanda will offer its technology, and its aid to those who need it, wherever it is needed."


    ~


    As T¡¯Challa watched the press conference again a tall African woman with long silver hair stalked into his room, smiling as she saw him he stood and they embraced ¡°it is good to see you Ororo¡± T¡¯Challa said as he kissed her and she moved into his embrace,


    ¡°Not with good news I am afraid,¡± she said back and they sat together, ¡°Charles has been in contact with this Venom, the one you call the devourer.¡±


    T¡¯Challa sat forwards raising an eyebrow in concern, ¡°no one was hurt?¡± and Ororo shook her head.


    ¡°No, Charles erased us from his mind but we rescued a young mutant from his home and she swears that they saved her,¡± and she shook her head, ¡°but that does not sound like what the news is reporting, what J.J is screaming about every night. What if we¡¯re wrong about him?¡±


    T''Challa pursed his lips, ¡°the legends are very clear, the last time a devourer landed on earth was centuries ago and it took a team of Dora Milaje and the Black Panther months to track it down and kill it, and only the King survived. A devourer on Earth is not a good thing Ororo, and you need to get you people ready to deal with him.¡±


    Ororo sighed, ¡°then I will warn Charles, and we should move sooner than we had hoped.¡± Ororo stood, ¡°and sadly if he is as much a threat as you say then it must be right now," and T''Challa stood and moved over to where she was stood,


    ¡°Right now?¡± he said with a smile, and Ororo laughed, and shook her head, taking his hand and kissing it,


    ¡°You are a King now, and this might not be allowed. Your father was never one to-¡° but T''Challa stopped her speaking with a kiss,


    ¡°My father is gone Ororo, and while he held to the old ways the world is different, I am different. We can discuss this when you get back, yes?¡± and Ororo nodded with a huge smile.


    ¡°I will only be gone a few weeks, wait for me. My king,¡± and as the winds picked up around her she lifted herself off and out of the open window.


    ~


    Peter sat and watched the conference over and over, pausing on each frame of the video presentation while Liv stared at him, holding a cup of coffee in her hand,


    ¡°Uh, Liv, can we-¡± and as Peter looked around, he saw her shaking her head.


    ¡°No, whatever scheme you¡¯ve thought of, whatever plan you think will work for you to get your hands on Wakandan technology, no. Not ever, and I mean that Peter. I love you but I''m not about to let you start an international incident because you want to try and assimilate a Wakandan jet. MJ still hasn''t forgiven you for what you did to her toaster dear, you should start there first.¡±


    Peter huffed, crossing her arms, ¡°it was only a little fireball, it wasn''t like it hurt anyone¡± and went back to staring at the still frames of the presentation again.


    Malisson


    as the power of the Celestial drained from their bodies, the world in which they fought and died cracked and crumbled, each of the avatars of the stones adding their power to the already unstable core.


    The world succumbed and exploding in a huge fireball, rivalling a star it sent shockwaves throughout the universe as if to announce


    The Gods Are Dead.


    Pieces flew to all corners and the creatures of the universe found these remnants held power, not just within themselves but a power that could be used. The Gods Blood, or Uru, was coveted and hoarded to make weapons of war.


    The remains of the planet, large and magnificent, still hosted life, protected by some kindness of fate, and over time, these people rose to power. Harnessing and controlling the very essence of the Celestials within themselves they ventured out into the galaxy, but not as conquers, but as guardians.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter Ninety-Six. Hidden Agenda

    ¡°I must say, Peter, this is very impressive.¡± Otto was looking at the work Peter had put into the warehouse, and even his own place paled in comparison, ¡°and you say it was only a year to fix up, very good, very good.¡± Peter gave Otto a cursory glance. The man was tall, slender, and a bit scruffy as far as Peter could see. His blonde hair was dyed and the darker brown roots showed though as well as the dirty blond five o''clock shadow he had. Did he not shave before coming here?


    Peter was also dying to ask which limb was fake but MJ, and then Gwen, and then Felicia had threatened that if he embarrassed the poor man by bringing it up, there would be no sex for a month. He thought it was his arm, as it seemed stiff compared to the other but unless he was obvious, he couldn''t get a good look.


    Otto and Aunt May had come round for dinner, while Peter was willing to head over to her apartment, Aunt May had wanted to show off her nephew and his achievements. Otto and May were at the table sat in the middle, and Peter had the portable grill close by, turning steaks and chicken wings while potatoes roasted, the new vent he fitted let him use the grill without risk of poisoning everyone and during the warm summer, it would be nice to have a barbeque.


    Gwen and Felicia were out, they knew that meeting Otto for the first time would be a bit strange and had decided to head out for a dinner date on their own. Gwen was spending most of her time at her old house right now, with the paperwork concerning her father and everything she had taken a leave of absence from school. A lot of people hadn''t come back over Easter and the whole city, the whole country, mourned the death toll.


    MJ was working and had promised to make it up to Peter, and it was just Liv as usual. The issues with the government hadn''t been solved and a warrant was still out for her arrest. Peter had told her she was more than welcome but she shook her head, it was a family meal and family time, she''d be fine for the night, promised to be quiet and secured second use of the new grill he had installed in the warehouse. It had been years since she had a well-cooked steak and she had made Peter promise to cook it for her.


    He was drizzling marinated over the steaks when he heard a crash and Liv shouting, "Peter, sorry dear but can you help?"


    Otto looked over and Peter shrugged, "One of the tenants is in a wheelchair, sorry, um Otto, can you watch these?"


    ¡°Of course, of course, but uh, you know if she wants she can come out, I don''t mind and I''m sure May doesn''t either,¡± and May shook her head, she thought Peter was better than to hide another houseguest, and a thought crossed her mind, that they were hiding for a reason.


    ¡°Peter,¡± Liv yelled this time,


    Peter bolted, entering the home he swore, "shit.¡± Liv had knocked over a glass and it had not just soaked her, but shattered and her leg was cut, ¡°Aunt May, can you grab me a first aid kit, it''s under the table.¡± And as Peter grabbed a towel and began to try to soak up the water, Liv just stared in horror at the door.


    "Well, isn''t this a problem?" Peter turned and saw Otto stood in the doorway, first aid kit in hand. "Hello Liv, didn''t expect to see you here" and Peter stood between them,


    ¡°uh, Liv?" Peter asked, unsure of what was going on,


    "Cuh. Curt,¡° she stammered, trying to wheel herself back from him.


    "Wait? You¡¯re Curt? But doesn¡¯t he only have one arm?¡± and Otto, maybe Curt banged on his left arm, which rather than being flesh made a hollow thunking noise.


    "Prosthetic Peter, but I guess the cats out the bag then." Black oozed over Peter and as he grew Curt held up his hands, ¡°wait wait, I''m not here to fight."


    Venom didn''t stop, "explain before I have to have a very difficult conversation with my Aunt."


    ¡°I ran into a wall, a problem with the formula. I, I needed your father notes, I was going to approach you if May didn''t have them.¡±


    Venom flexed his hands, letting them ball into fists, "you know that''s not better, you used my Aunt," and Curt looked defeated.


    ¡°No Peter, I do love her, your aunt knows who I am. I already told her plus we had met before, through your father. She got rid of your father''s notes years ago, she said an agent came and took them, but that you had your father''s old laptop. I was hoping to have a look at it, to get your help and I need Ms Stacy. I was actually hoping to talk to her tonight but uh, well.¡±


    ¡°You know, this is all lovely but before you get a room, can you please clean up my leg and get me some dry clothes.¡± Liv interrupted.


    Venom rubbed the back of his head, ¡±sorry Liv.¡± He let his armour shrink back into the normal clothes he was wearing and took the first aid kit from Curt.


    ¡°So, hiding with Venom, how exciting Liv,¡± Curt said, as Peter opened the kit and handed her some bandages, ¡°and I must say I''m jealous. I''ve been living in a sewer.¡±


    ¡°Yes Curt, cause being under the thumb of an egomaniac and having your spine shredded by his mind control device was a picnic. Stop being such a drama queen and get out so Peter can change my pants.¡±


    ¡°You and Peter?¡± Curt raised an eyebrow, ¡°but I thought that it was Peter and-¡± and as Liv shot him a stare he coughed, ¡°of course, none of my business who he uh, well. I''ll let May know everything''s fine and leave you to it.¡±


    Peter helped Liv into her new pants,


    ¡°So?¡± He asked her, ¡°that''s Curt.¡±


    ¡°Peter dear, if he''s here voluntarily then listen to what he has to say. I doubt very much that he''d try anything, if May knows then it''s a safe bet that he''s telling the truth.¡±


    Peter nodded, and talking one of Livs hands kissed the back of it, "thank you."


    "Yes yes, now let''s go out and eat, no point in hiding now is there,¡± and Liv let Peter wheel her out into the common area where she smiled at May.


    "So, you know, and I guess Liv too?¡± and a grinning Peter just rubbed the back of his head while May shook her head.


    ¡°If you¡¯re happy Peter, then there isn''t much I can say, even if I don¡¯t approve, MJ and Gwen were fine, Felicia was tolerable, but really Peter, four. Are there more? Is someone else hiding in one of these boxes you keep building in here?¡±


    ¡°No Aunt May no, Liv just happened, uh,¡± and as he looked at Liv, ¡°it''s complicated, really complicated, please, just fine, we¡¯re all happy, please, just accept it okay.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine Peter but I can¡¯t say I am happy, I mean really, Ben and I raised you better than that.¡± May was livid,


    ¡°You did Aunt May but you¡¯re wrong, we¡¯re happy, not just five people but a family, a happy family and this time, Aunt May I love you I really do but don¡¯t speak like that about them,¡± and Peter took a deep breath, ¡°or you can leave.¡±


    Aunt May recoiled, Peter never spoke to her like that, never once raised his voice at her, never once talked back. He maybe said something stupid, he maybe raised a protest, but he always turned to her for advice, for guidance. ¡°Well, Peter, we are allowed to live our lives as we see fit, and while I may not agree I guess that I have to accept it.¡°


    Peter seemed to visibly relax. He had always looked up to and respected his Aunt but now he was moving on, and a part of that was realising that different people had different attitudes. Aunt May belonged to a group that would not understand the kind of relationship he had with the others. While he respected that, she had to understand and respect their choice. He had been avoiding her for that very reason, he would always keep his identity as Venom a secret, to protect her, but his relationships were another matter. He knew his Aunt wouldn''t understand, and with Liv being a permanent resident it was hard to have her there while Liv was around, and he refused to make Liv feel he was ashamed of her.


    The atmosphere for the rest of the meal was quiet, the food that he prepared was delicious but as Curt and Liv kept giving each other glances they knew that family time was definitely over for Peter and May.


    ¡°Well,¡° Curt said, ¡°I guess that this is the awkward bit then, May, thank you for introducing me to Peter and Peter, thank you for dinner, it was lovely, but I''m afraid I need to speak to Ms Stacy, to ask for her help, plus, seeing as we''re all being honest here, May tell him.¡±


    May glared at Curt and pursed her lips, scowling at him, ¡°now''s not the time Curt,¡± and she raised an eyebrow and gave him a look Peter recognised, the one that said, ¡®keep talking and they¡¯ll never find the body.¡¯


    ¡°No dear, I''m sorry Peter deserves to know and after your little outburst it¡¯ll clear the air.¡±


    ¡°Wait? Are you two?¡± and Curt nodded and taking out a box knelt down. ¡°May Parker, will you marry me?¡± and while May looked like she simultaneously wanted to cry, commit murder, or run and hide, she squeaked, ¡°yes,¡± and Curt excitedly slipped the ring onto her finger, while Liv nudged Peter in the ribs.


    ¡°I want you to help me cure myself of the Lizard, I''ve been researching since my accident but I¡¯m nowhere nearer to a cure, but you are aren''t you? I was hoping that a fresh pair of eyes would give me some new insights, that maybe with her work at Oscorp Gwen could help me, but Liv being here is even better. Can I ask you to help too?¡± but Liv was sat open-mouthed.


    ¡°Uh, maybe save that until, you know, the celebrations are over,¡± and May batted Curt on his good arm, ¡°propose and then straight to work huh? The honeymoon had better be good¡±


    ¡°Well, I do have my very spacious sewer abode, we could always spend a week there?¡± Curt winked at her. May laughed but Peter grimaced, seeing his Aunt happy was one thing, but watching her and Curt flirt was another.


    ¡°Uh, if you need help with that, I have some, um, funds I can probably spring for a small vacation somehow, you know as a wedding gift?¡±


    Aunt May shook her head and grinned, ¡°If you have four girlfriends, Mr Parker, then I think you should be worried about them and not your old fashioned Aunt. There is also the issue of why exactly Ms Stacy is the target of Curt here. I¡¯m not stupid Peter, I know what your father was involved in and what Curt was asking for, so would you like to explain, or shall I wait until everyone is here and ask them?¡±


    Aunt May glared at Peter, and as he looked over at Liv, even she shrugged. This was not something anyone would be getting involved in, Peter was on his own.


    With Gwen and Felicia out of the warehouse, Peter sighed and began to explain.


    Peter stared at his Aunt. He knew lying would do him no good as she could always tell.


    Peter sighed and stared at the plate in front of him. ¡°When I was sick at Oscorp, I was exposed to something, and I¡¯m still sick.¡±


    Aunt May straightened up, ¡°You¡¯re sick? And you didn''t say?¡± and Peter nodded.


    ¡°Gwen''s been trying to find out what was wrong with me and uh, Liv was helping.¡± Peter looked over at Liv.


    Liv swore at him in her mind but kept it from her face. Peter had dumped this mess in her lap and he would pay for that later. ¡°I''m a doctor at Oscorp and I found out they¡¯ve been doing illegal research, Gwen was my intern and she was using my notes to try and help Peter. I found out and I''ve been helping.¡±


    May looked sceptical, ¡°and Curt?¡±


    ¡°Same research they were doing all those years ago darling,¡± he added, it wasn¡¯t going to help if May was suspicious of Peter and Liv. He needed their help to cure the Lizard, not isolate himself from them by making May angry.


    May shook her head, Peter didn¡¯t have his normal guilty look when he lied and with Liv and Curt backing him up, it seemed he was telling the truth. ¡°Okay, but if you''re lying to me young man, and if I find out later on, you are in so much trouble.¡± She knew there was more going on but if Peter was willing to keep it from her, she had to trust his judgement, plus she would get the truth from Curt sooner or later.


    Peter sat up straight, ¡°I¡¯m not Aunt May,¡± giving her a grin, ¡°uh, cake? I have brownies.¡± Peter deflected by changing the subject. Normally when he made brownies Gwen stole them, running around the warehouse as the others chased her, laughing while Poison gorged herself but today, he made them while she wasn¡¯t here. Sighing with relief he had cleared that hurdle, with Aunt May safe and ignorant, Peter hoped she would never know the truth.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter Ninety-Seven. Retaliation

    As Norman limped through the sewers he gripped his shoulder and Norman winced as touched the wound that little shit had given him. Green blood pooled on the wound and then solidified and the inch-long gash in his shoulder sealed and was reduced to a scar in minutes.


    He cursed, if those two shits can hurt me. I''m not strong enough, and he lamented the loss of his armour and glider. Even with both of them, and his superior intellect, he was beaten, by fucking Gwen Stacy of all people. Flash had at least been a football player and he could understand his strength but that little bitch not only had a symbiote but had the know-how to use it.


    Fucking Harry, he thought to himself. This was the reason he shut down the symbiote research but one thing the boy had been right over was the formula and as he trudged through the sewers he began to smell something. A smell of ozone, and he noticed a flicker of light in the deep darkness. He grinned when he came into the makeshift camp. Eyeing the rows of blue liquid in tubes along one wall. He had found salvation and he intended to use it. In the darkness, as an injector gun hissed over and over the laughter echoed around the tunnels, and the creatures of the sewer fled into the black.


    Above ground in the warmth of a calm spring day, the crowd wore black and to Gwen it made the day seem bleaker. She nodded and thanked them as they came and gave condolences, but all she wanted was to be at home. There was nothing, no pain, no grief, and no tears. Peter had leapt forwards and taken over planning the funeral and the wake, but even then the City paid and planned it. A Captain who fell in the line of duty was to be honoured and not forgotten.


    The warm spring day did nothing to lift the mood, a flag-draped coffin was lowered and a gun salute was shot, Gwen holding onto a stoic Felicia. Peter with MJ stood back from the main crowd. Gwen had told him it would be okay if he shared the graveside with her, and as much as he wanted to be there for her, he needed to make sure she was safe. Norman wasn''t the most stable of people, and with his discovery of Gwen''s identity, Peter didn''t put it past him to attack her here.


    The funeral was, as expected, a quiet affair and even the press was kept back behind barriers. A small mercy as everyone wanted pictures of a grieving Gwen. They had tried to approach the warehouse but Peter threatened with trespass and then strangely enough, at night stakeout cars and news vans were vandalised by an unseen assailant and soon they got the message.


    Even as the interim Chief of Police came over and shook Gwen''s hand but she didn¡¯t care, she didn''t care about any of it. Pictures were snapped, articles professing ¡®Brave Daughter Of Murdered Police Chief¡¯ littered the headlines for a few days and then with the rest of the victims, life moved on and they were forgotten by most. J.J stung her, using it in his rhetoric that enhanced and unlicensed vigilantes had killed a fine officer, spewing more hate and Gwen stopped reading the news.


    Even at the house she stared blankly as they packed her fathers things into boxes, his medals and uniforms went back to the precinct, and then Gwen simply phoned a house clearance firm and had the place emptied. There was nothing here for her, she didn''t even want to deal with any of this, he was dead and that was that. It was only Peter and Felicia hounding her that she got it done, setting the house up for sale and then forgetting about it. It was one of those quick sale places that only gave you 75% of the value but it sold right away, she just didn''t care.


    What she did care about was hurting that smug fucking bastard Norman Osborn, all her grief had been channelled into a rage and in the mornings she had begun to join Peter and Felicia as they sparred. She learned to avoid a hit, rather than absorb them as Venom did, she learned to be fast like Huntress rather than powerful like Venom.


    She researched various chemicals that she could spray in a fine mist, something caustic she was immune to, sleeping gases, vomiting agents, anything that didn''t rely on Poison and her fucking stupid over sensitivity. Even her symbiote had learned to be quiet. When Peter had punched her and Poison wanted to recoil and had cried, Gwen screamed at her in her mind and the symbiote quieted down and Gwen felt something from her for the first time, fear.


    Gwen, having taken some time off from college, worked herself like a dog. She studied anything she could make without killing herself and trained, more and more. Elektra had taken over Peters training routine, and slowly he was improving. Switching to various forms she felt would be beneficial to his fighting style, he was now starting to win most of the times he and Felicia fought.


    Today was the day she finally got to put that training into practice. Goblin was slow but strong, and if anyone was a match for him it was Venom, and so he had been chosen as Gwen''s sparring partner.


    Poison stood on the other side of the warehouse from Venom, The rules were simple, no crippling injuries, no external tools, and the fight lasted until surrender.


    Poison took a breath and began to run towards him, she knew she could do this, she could win and Venom flowed like water towards her. he was big but fast and Poison darted away, she threw out two web lines, they were useless as a way to move but she watched a ribbon twirling competition and now she had whips to fight with. Venom ducked and weaved as Poison''s arms seemed to move in unnatural ways, the concrete scuffing with each crack of her whips.


    Then as he moved closer, she slapped her arms together and the whips twirled around each other in a spiral and as he ducked under the bulbous ends, he was thrown across the warehouse by an explosion.


    ¡°Shit time out, time out,¡± yelled Felicia as she ran towards Venom, he was fine, burnt and covered in scorch marks but fine.


    ¡°What the fuck was that Gwen? no weapons we said. Fuck, you could have killed him,¡± Felicia ran over and was screaming at Poison.


    ¡°We had no idea, we are sorry,¡± she said, looking at the ground, Venom shook his head and took a look at himself


    ¡°That was AWESOME!¡± He yelled and ran over, lifting Poison up and spinning her around, ¡°let me guess, two non-reactive chemicals that explode when mixed right?¡±


    Felicia shook her head and began to yell at him, ¡°don''t reward her, that was stupid and dangerous. What if she got it wrong? What if she hurt you?¡± she was yelling.


    ¡°Shit Fel, calm down, it¡¯s Gwen, she wouldn''t have, would you?¡± and as the Symbskin slipped into normal clothes they started in shock, Peter was covered in a massive chemical burn, stretching from his neck down to his waist. His neck from Adam¡¯s apple to his navel, all on his right side, was a deep red colour and was already starting to crack and blister.


    ¡°No, shit no, I''m sorry, I''m sorry,¡± was all Gwen said as the tears fell.


    ¡°Liv, Chemical,¡± Fel shouted, and Liv wheeled herself out of her home a few minutes later with a first aid kit and another bag.


    ¡°Oh my god, what caused that?¡± she said as she pulled out a plastic bottle with a long tube attached. Filling it with pure water she had Peter retract all his symbskin and began to wash him down with the purified water.


    ¡°It was Gwen, being stupid,¡± Felicia said, crossing her arms.


    ¡°Now Felicia dear, you know as well as I do that Gwen would never hurt Peter, never intentionally, Do I have to remind you that you tore one of his ligaments last week? And did we complain? No, we did not."


    ¡°She wath?¡± Gwen said, wiping the tears and snot from her face.


    ¡°Uh, I might have overextended an armbar when we were sparring and torn his shoulder muscle, uh, I said sorry.¡±


    ¡°Fuck Fel, don''t give me shit for stuff when you''re just as bad,¡± Gwen yelled back,


    ¡°I didn''t fucking blow him up though did I?¡± Felicia retorted.


    Peter shrugged, ¡°I thought it was cool, and you know, this doesn''t hurt, it just looks bad.¡±


    Liv came over and pulled on a pair of gloves. ¡°Hmm, it is bad though, it doesn''t hurt as its full thickness, you cant feel with dead nerves dear. What exactly did you do Gwen?¡±


    ¡°Uh, I''ve been using my webs as a whip and I figured that I could make drops of chemicals at the end, you know, to poison or paralyze and uh, I thought, why not a reactive explosive, so it doesn''t explode while I''m fighting, well, you know.¡±


    Liv shook her head, ¡°that''s brilliant dear, absolutely brilliant, but you know, maybe next time, try on something disposable first.¡± And she frowned at Gwen who rubbed her arm,


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Gwen said guiltily, but a small part of her was celebrating, she had just knocked Peter on his ass, and if that was just one, she could imagine what several would do.


    ¡°Well, I can already guess what Peters punishment for you will be but I for one think you should go get food for us all, Peter needs his fuel to heal these burns and I guess Felicia and I are on clean up duty. Peter dear, sorry but no physical activity until you¡¯re healed, and stop picking it.¡± she smacked Peter''s hand as she picked at the forming scabs.


    ¡°It''s itchy,¡± was all he said as Liv shook her head.


    ¡°Now, food Gwen, and lots, Peter dear, your choice.¡± Liv shook her head at Gwen, while Felicia just sighed and heard into their home.


    ¡°Uh, anything Gwen, it''s fine, really.¡±


    Gwen let her symbskin shift and grabbing her bag she headed out. She¡¯d never meant to hurt Peter but it proved that she wasn''t as weak as they said, that she could hurt Venom, the strongest of them all. As she walked with her head held high to the burger stand that Peter loved, she failed to notice the shadow tailing her.


    Gwen was too preoccupied to notice as Goblin stepped out of the shadow and laughed at her as she froze. The four bags of burgers dropped to the ground and her breathing became short and ragged.


    ¡°Ahh, Miss Stacy, I¡¯m so glad to finally catch you,¡± Goblin said as he towered over her and he stretched out an arm to finish what he started weeks ago.


    He had found several vials in that den and he had taken them all. His frame was now huge, a massive muscle-bound true Goblin at over 8ft tall. Thick muscular arms and tree trunk legs covered in pale green skin. He had stared in a puddle at his new face. Stretched and horned it was a mix of lizard, rhino, and other species, fanged and contorted into a true Goblin but he didn''t care. None of it mattered as long as he had power. Now, he would show that fucking bitch just who was strong, just who would get a fucking beating.


    Gwen slid out from his grasp, backflipped and he stood, mouth open as Poison slid out over her, ¡°fuck YOU!¡± she screamed at him, and two thin but painful webs whipped against him, he recoiled, not expecting to be attacked and as he backed off she followed him, each whip slapping and slamming into him with pinpoint accuracy. He shook his head and grabbed one, expecting to pull her forward but instead, it stuck to his hand and just detached, spreading a caustic liquid that burned where it touched.


    ¡°Come catch me you big green shit bag,¡± she taunted him and flipped him the bird before running off. He roared at her insolence, she was just a woman, a weak and frail thing that should cover before the mighty Goblin.


    Poison wasn''t stupid, though, she dialled her phone hitting an emergency app Peter had set up on all their devices, it pinged her location and alerted anyone that they needed help.


    In the warehouse, Felicia''s phone buzzed with a specific tone and she looked at Peter before Huntress slipped over her, ¡°Gwen,¡± was all she said before heading to the door.


    Peter winced as Liv started to remove more of the dead tissue from his body. It was going slowly to make sure she didn''t harm the still-living flesh but now he had no choice, "sorry Liv,'''' and he leant over and gave her a kiss, ¡°you¡¯ll have to finish peeling the skin from my bones later.¡± and Venom spread out and chased after Huntress.


    Goblin was frustrated with this stupid symbiote bitch, she ducked and dived away from him. If he only had his armour, if he only had his glider she would have been a smear on the sidewalk. Instead, she was leading him on a merry chase across MidTown. He needed somewhere he could fight her on his terms, one where she couldn''t whip him with those damn things, one where he could trap her and rip them from her.


    ¡°Aww, did poor gobby get hurt by whittle Gwennie,'''' Poison taunted him, she was leaping from building to building, leading him away from the warehouse. If Norman found Liv who knew what he¡¯d do to her, even with Venom and Huntress there was too big of a risk.


    She was leading him back into New York, if she could get him to somewhere like Life Incorporated she wouldn''t feel so bad about him trashing the place and with the emergency signal sent she knew it was only a matter of time before Peter and Felicia joined her. He sent out another fist and Poison dived over it and up onto a building where she leapt onto the adjacent one,


    ¡°Aww, miss me miss me now you gotta kiss me.¡± She knew from Peter taunting her that it was infuriating, and as Goblin roared at her she ducked out the way as he started to pick up trash cans and other street items, shit, she thought as a bench was ripped from the ground and hurled at her.


    Poison leapt once more knowing that she had to run. It was maybe 20 blocks to the Life Foundation HQ and it would be the perfect place to fight. Harry had built it on Staten Island after bidding on a building on 5th avenue only to have it taken from him by a last-minute bidder, it had been all over the news just after he sold his shares in Oscorp.


    She took a deep breath, one last time baby, just one last time, and Poison growled within her,


    We want the treaty treats for this and the petie petes, no fair no fair


    Poison howled as Gwen worked her to her limit. Avoiding Goblin was thankfully a lot easier than fighting him, as long as she kept an eye on where her whips were and made sure he had nothing to grab onto, she could outrun him.


    Norman knew exactly where Poison was taking him, he knew this area, he¡¯d knew Harry''s pathetic little company was nothing, he never realised that while the formula was brilliant it was flawed, it did things, but a stupid bug like Harry would never understand that. He let her take him, he let her think she was guiding him to his son. Norman scoffed at the idea that he was being led anywhere. He went where he chose to, not where some bitch in black and white symbiote skin led him. He would devour her whole, rip that skin from her and eat the tender flesh from her bones.


    As Poison stood panting outside Harry¡¯s office she saw Goblin laugh as he strode forwards. ¡°What, you thought I¡¯d be shocked? That I¡¯d lament ¡®oh no, not my poor son, not my little Harry.¡¯ Well, Gwen, after you, he¡¯s next, him and all the petty little bugs that you love, I took your family, I took your life and everything you cared about, anyone who crosses me gets OOPH-'''' Goblin was sent flying through the glass doors of the office, steel buckled and fell on him as he shook off the broken safety glass.


    ¡°Oh blah blah blah, give it up, you pompous windbag,¡± Venom was stood, and another black and grey symbiote was with him. ¡°You, stupid and ugly, stay there while I check on my girlfriend,¡± Venom pointed a long claw at him.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter Ninety-Eight. House Of Harry

    As Venom, Poison and Huntress all threw themselves at Norman, he knew he¡¯d made a huge mistake. He never expected that all three were symbiotes, that all three were this powerful, and even with his fully enhanced and superior body, he felt his bones and flesh ache as they kicked and slashed at him. Venom even extended four extra arms from his back, the damn harness. No wonder he couldn''t find Liv to pull the flesh from her bones, Venom had hidden her from him.


    Uncaringly, he ripped out doors and plants, throwing them at the trio as they swatted them aside and continued their assault. When one threw him, another was waiting to land a thick foot or fist into his face or torso. Gwen kept her distance and he felt stinging slaps as she continually whipped at him, using broken glass as knives within those damn sticky whips of hers.


    He had figured out one of their plans though. As Venom and the grey one backed off, he knew Gwen was about to hit him with another explosion. They didn''t come too often but still, they were making him mad, they hurt and showered him with caustic fluid.


    The inside of the Life Foundation was wrecked. The once perfectly landscaped garden, with white marble roman styled columns and water feature had been reduced to rubble. Venom was currently ripping a pillar out the ground as he swatted Goblin with it Huntress was waiting, she webbed him and swung him into another pillar where Poison cracked her whips and they helixed and exploded right next to his face. He screamed as once more he was showered in the caustic fluid that ate at his flesh.


    Goblin roared and leapt for her, only to be intercepted by Venom. He¡¯d had this done to him and so they played catch. He would divert Goblin to Huntress who would let Poison swat him with her whips before closing in, while he was distracted and attacking. The last explosion blinded him and he rubbed raw and swollen eyes, his regeneration faltering with the damage they were doing.


    Calling upon an old favourite Venoms thick gauntlets lengthened and thinned and he plunged on through Goblins chest, where his heart would be and the other through his stomach, twisting and snapping both off from his fists. Huntress joined in and extended a hand into a sword that she handed to Gwen, who plunged it through his chest.


    As Goblin lay, green blood pooling around him and his breath becoming shallower Poison spat on him, ¡°that''s for dad, you fuck,¡± and the trio turned to leave the centre. They stood stock-still, Harry was there. He had walked up to the four of them fighting and just stood waiting until they had finished.


    Harry stood surveying the damage Norman and the trio had done before falling, staring as Venom, Poison and Huntress eyed him warily.


    "You got Norman, so uh, fuck off." Harry waved them away "or, what? Do you want another symbiote, or maybe more formula? Get your little friends all juiced up as well Venom? Or well, Peter I should say. Liv might not have told dear old dad here, but I''ve always known it was you under there,"


    Venom was shocked, Liv had filled them in that Harry was more involved than he let on, but to see him stood drove the point home. Harry had fooled everyone and now, Peter and the rest had willing walking into his home. He had learned his lesson though, and if they could, they would just eave.


    Venom raised his hands, and backed towards Huntress and Poison, keeping an arm out, covering them, ¡°Fine, we just wanted Norman. We¡¯ll just leave, okay?¡± and Harry tapped a foot impatiently, as he surveyed the damage.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I mean, just wreck the place,¡± and he shook his head. He didn¡¯t want them there any more than they wanted to be there.


    As the trio backed away, Harry stopped tapping his foot, ¡°In fact, you know Pete, I don¡¯t think you should ¡®just leave¡¯,¡± and Harry made finger quotes. ¡°I mean, look at this damage. I think you need a lesson, a reminder on who¡¯s boss around here.¡±


    He banged a foot on the floor and black-clad soldiers marched out of the doorways, clad in black. The soldiers reminded him of Flash. Thick black skin-tight armour, covered in tactical plates with harness and utility belt. Each one had similar masks to Agent Webb as well,


    "Clones?" Venom asked, "you cloned Flash?"


    "Not Flash you idiot, the symbiotes, they''re all clones. Thanks to your little stunt at the restaurant we figured it out, use a fragment, not a fully grown adult and now, well, now I have an army. What do you have? Huh? A warehouse, a uh, a couple of friends, oooo and some scary arms, which I might add, are mine and really, stealing Peter, that''s not very nice."


    "Oh, who invented the serum, oh, Curt or maybe Richard? Was their name Osborn? uh nope, so shove it, Harry." and as Venom raised a hand the four limbs raised behind him and all of them sprang wicked sharp blades


    Harry laughed, "oh so scary. Men." and the soldiers lifted their rifles, Huntress stood in front of Poison ready to protect her, "fire," and the soldiers began their assault.


    Venom batted away the bullets, but in doing so he realised that they were small darts, sticking easily into his skin. Even the ones that didn¡¯t stick burst with a strange dark coloured liquid. They burned slightly, like grasping hold of poison ivy, but he brushed the handful of them away from his skin and he just stared at Harry.


    "Was that supposed to hurt?" He asked Harry. His symbiotic soldiers had taken up positions around him, pointing those dart guns at them all. He didn''t really care though, they had come for Norman, found him and now they were leaving, Gwen¡¯s vengeance was sated with his death.


    "Pete!" Huntress yelled,


    He heard and turning his head, he saw that Gwen was on her knees, being sick, several darts sticking out her skin, but the vomit was strange, it was white and black rather than the normal colour.


    "Pete she''s sick, we need to leave now!" Huntress yelled, she had avoided the darts, choosing to dodge out the way but Gwen wasn¡¯t fast enough and was exhausted from her fight with Goblin.


    "Aww, looks like one of you is a goner there Pete." Harry taunted him and took a rifle from the soldier next to him, ¡°See, this isn''t a bullet, what''s the point of that? We both know the symbiotes are bulletproof, hell, even without it you''re armoured enough with the harness right. So we made a little surprise for you, hell, I''ll even name it after you Pete.¡± Harry boasted, ¡°but sorry, not the loser pain in my ass formula. Nope, it''s the anti-venom, a poison specifically designed to kill symbiotes. So, unless you''ve got an anti-anti-venom stuffed in there you really should get whoever the hell that is to a doctor.¡±


    Gwen continued to be sick, black and white pooling under her as she vomited it up. and as she retched again the symbskin on her retracted,


    "Holy shit, is that Gwen under there?" Harry asked. "Fuck me, Pete, infected your girlfriend and so what, that MJ? Nah, tits are too big," and Huntress growled at him. ¡°Oh ho ho, I recognise that growl, Felicia, no wonder you''ve got a raging boner for Gwen here. but tick-tock, Gwen won¡¯t last long. I''ll be nice though, see, I know where you live, I know where Aunt May lives. I fucking own this town now so go, go ahead and run Pete, run and see if don¡¯t catch you. RUN!¡± Harry roared, and Venom grabbed a shaking Gwen and the three of them tore past the armoured guards as Harry laughed in the courtyard.


    Harry surveyed the scene, those rogue symbiotes had really done a number on his place but as he stared at his father he snapped his fingers. A symbiote soldier came over and opened a case. A red symbiote spilled out over Norman, dying him from green to a deep red colour, ¡°I never liked green,¡± Harry said, giving his father a kick before walking off. Harry didn¡¯t buy the dying part, he knew full well a sword through the heart was hardly fatal to someone with as much mutagenic formula running through them as his father had, the symbiote would just finish off the healing process, plus make him very very obedient.


    Gwen was unconscious well before they got back to the warehouse and Peter was glad, the symbskin was flaking off now, patches peeling away and he knew, he knew they were dying. With no concern for anything other than Gwen, Venom kicked in the door and ran into the warehouse. "Liv, LIV!" he shouted and she wheeled herself over to the table, Gwen¡¯s symbskin was barely covering her, both legs and arms were gone and she moaned and vomited once more.


    Her eyes snapped open and the maw extended, ¡°no Pete no, please,¡± but it was too late, the skin shed, flowing from her and where the darts had pierced her skin were massive black bruises, thin lines of green stretching out across her skin, Liv pointed at Huntress, ¡°medical kit now,¡± and off she ran


    Gwen had started convulsing and had lost consciousness before Peter could lay her down on the table. Liv came over and turned her press gently on the dart wound in her arm. A black slime oozing out of it, foul-smelling and thick.


    "Peter, what was that?" Liv asked,


    ¡°Harry said it was a poison designed to kill symbiotes, so what do we do?¡±


    "Curt!" Liv yelled, ¡°we need to get the symbiote off her, this is the dying part,¡± and Liv pointed to the thick slime, ¡°and it''s now killing Gwen, any part infected with a symbiote cell is necrotizing. We need to remove Poison to save Gwen.¡±


    "No, save them both," Peter stated, arms crossed.


    "I don''t know if I can Peter," but she stopped when he shook his head.


    "Fine, fine I''ll try I''ll try," and as she began to draw blood, Curt hurried over, pulling on his lab coat. He pressed two fingers against Gwen''s neck and shook his head "Sorry Peter but out the way please. You won''t want to watch this and I don''t want you trying to kill me if it goes wrong.¡±


    Curt ripped open Gwen¡¯s top, pressing a finger to her chest he took out a needle, bit off the cap and stabbed it right into her, just where her heart would be. Gwen arched as the plunger was depressed and then fell back again.


    "It''s fine, just a little suppressant, I use it when I feel an attack coming, her metabolism and bodily function will be slowed for a few hours. Liv, get the drip hooked up and get me a sample of the pus would you."


    It was the reason Curt had been at the warehouse. He had been working with Liv and Gwen to find a way to not just reverse the effects of the formula but to enhance the suppressant that he had created, one that would allow him to capture the regenerative effects of the Lizard formula without the mutation.


    Peter took a step back. With Liv and Curt working he knew he was getting in the way. He now got what Curt meant, they stripped Gwen, slipping a paper blanket over her but were constantly poking and probing, drawing blood and samples from everywhere. He was angry, not just at that, not just at seeing Gwen manhandled by Curt but the fire of rage bubbled within him at Harry.


    He knew that Harry had a hand in the symbiotes, Liv was able to piece together that much, but this, the medicine, the symbiote experimentation and now the soldiers. Harry was planning something big, something that would change the world. His hands clenched and he knew he had to stop him.


    Felicia was watching from the sides, knowing to stay out the way but seeing Gwen like that, watching as black veins grew darker and thicker over her body finally broke down. Peter came over and sat next to her, trying to hug her but she turned as glared at him, he ignored her and pulled her in for a hug.


    "Let us go," she screamed, but Peter swung her around and dragged her into Gwen''s home.


    "Fel, we need to let them work."


    "You, this was your fault, I told you she wasn¡¯t ready, I warned you and now, she''s fucking hurt cause of you!" Felicia yelled at him.


    Peter shook his head, "go on" and as he stood there, Huntress thudded a fist into his gut, a right into his ribs, and then a left. Over and over she screamed and struck him until her strength gave out and she collapsed sobbing on the floor.


    Peter knelt and took the crying Felicia in his arms, "Felicia. When I kill Harry Osborn, I will give you his head as a trophy." Felica tightened her grip on him, pulling him tighter,


    "I want to eat his fucking heart," was all she said as she cuddled in closer to him.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter Ninety-Nine. The Choice

    There was a quiet knock at the door of Gwen''s home. "uh, I know you are having a moment but Peter, you need to make a choice.¡± Liv had come over while Peter could see Curt standing nervously at the table, hovering over Gwen.


    Peter stood and helped Felicia to her feet, ¡°shouldn''t you ask Fel, I mean, if anyone¡¯s¡± but Felicia batted him on the shoulder.


    "Peter Parker, don¡¯t you fucking dare. Gwen and I are dating but she loves you more than me. I might not like it but shit, I love you more than her so we''re even. So no, you are the one," she took a deep breath, "if anyone makes the big decisions it''s you. We all know and agree to that, so no, go, please.¡±


    "It''s not all bad Peter but we, we can save either Gwen, Poison or maybe both but at a cost.¡± Liv was twidling her hands, and glancing over at Curt nervously. Peter knew that there was no good news coming.


    "Both, no questions,¡± but Liv shook her head.


    ¡°It''s not that simple I''m afraid. The anti-venom is killing Poison, who in turn is killing Gwen. If we separate them we save Gwen, but Poison will die. If we cure Poison, the method will probably either kill Gwen outright or leave her crippled, and we can¡¯t save Poison separate from Gwen, being unbonded will kill her as well.¡±


    Peter frowned but Liv explained, "radiation, Poison will survive but well, you know what radiation will do to Gwen,¡± and Peter nodded.


    ¡°And the third?¡±


    ¡°You won''t like it.¡±


    ¡°I don''t care Liv, what''s the third?¡±


    ¡°We enhance her, Curt has formula.¡±


    Peter growled, ¡°the Lizard formula? So we save her by turning her into the same monster he is?¡± Peter now knew why Curt was looking apprehensive, it was the one solution they had no control over, and they had no idea what it would do to Gwen.


    "The regenerative effects of the formula will cure her Peter, it''s just the side effects we don''t," and she paused, her eyes misting up, "we can''t wait. Please, make a choice."


    ¡°Do it. We deal with one problem at a time, if we save one the other will hate us for it, we save both or neither.¡± Peter made up his mind.


    "Um, there is something else we can do to maybe stave off the side effects.¡± Liv looked hopeful.


    ¡°A blood transfusion, from you to Gwen. Your blood cells have been supported by the symbiote cells. We know the symbiotes you produce see you as a source of power and if you¡¯re immune to the anti-venom a transfusion may help Gwen.¡±


    Peter shook his head, ¡°I don''t care if it''s a million to one, hell, if you asked for a kidney to save her I would. A little blood is nothing.¡±


    Felicia hugged Peter from behind, ¡°Just Peter? I can, I''m enhanced as well,¡± she asked but Liv shook her head.


    ¡°Your symbiote might fight Gwen''s dear, plus you''re the wrong blood type, we can use Peter''s blood as he''s a universal donor. We also don¡¯t have time to separate out the healing cells, it needs to be a transfusion, and it needs to be now.¡± and Felicia hugged Peter more.


    ¡°Right, get her prepped and whatever you need Doc,¡± Peter grinned, ¡°finally playing doctors and nurses again huh?¡± And Liv laughed,


    ¡°be serious dear, but maybe later¡± and she winked at him.


    Liv, Felicia, and Peter made their way to the coffee table, Gwen was still and pale as she lay on it, and Curt wiped her forehead with a damp cloth. He sighed as Peter grabbed a chair, and took off his top. "I don''t have to tell you Mr Parker how much this will hurt, but remember, as your own transformation was painful, you did recover." Peter shrugged, he couldn''t remember his transformation but as he was at Oscorp one minute and home in bed the next, he hoped Gwen would stay unconscious for it.


    Liv wrapped a rubber hose around his arm, and with deft practice inserted the cannula into his arm, into an IV bag where it slowly began to fill, and then into Gwen''s neck, securing them with tape. While Peters was hooked into the vein on his arm, Gwen''s was on her jugular, the transfusion needing to head to her brain first before her heart.


    "We, uh, also need Ms Hardy. You may need to hold her down as she may get violent." Curt warned them, remembering the blood and flesh of his first transformation. He never knew who he had attacked or even if he killed them. Only that he awoke with a fist full of bloody flesh and a coppery taste in his mouth.


    Huntress spread herself over Felicia and she stood at the head of the table while Curt prepared the injector gun with a cartridge of the pale blue formula.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± And Liv nodded letting the blood flow from the drip and then down into Gwen''s neck.


    Where the new blood met the old, her skin turned a healthy pink colour but soon black veins appeared, "now Curt, now, the blood is reacting too fast."


    Curt pushed the injector against the other side of Gwen''s neck and as the gun hissed the vial emptied. "Now all we can do is wait".


    The quartet waited and watched as Gwen lay motionless on the table, only the shifting of Peter every now and again broke the still silence of the warehouse. MJ was still working on the prep for her movie and they hadn''t expected her back for another week.


    To Peter, it seemed that Gwen was simply sleeping and he felt a lump in his throat as he remembered the diner. He was tired of this happening. Of them refusing to train more and after this, once Gwen recovered. he needed to get them all into shape and capable of defending themselves properly.


    Gwen moaned softly and the group jumped. She groaned once more and twisted on the table, her shoulders rocking back and forth. Slowly a black ooze began to make its way out of her pores, sliding down her body and pooling around her belly button. Curt raised a hand, "wait, it''s just the serum working," but he moved away as the ooze formed a terrifying face and it screeched at them.


    Liv and Curt reeled back while Peter and Felicia let their own symbskin slip out. Huntress grew her talons and stood, still but coiled, ready to pounce if the symbiote proved hostile.


    Free ussss, it hissed.


    "Poison?" Peter asked,


    freeee ussss, it hissed again, and Venom could tell that this wasn''t Gwen''s symbiote, he had no idea how a second symbiote had appeared but here it was,


    shit, he thought. They didn''t have a containment cell or anything suitable to hold a symbiote, and it''s not like they could just let it wander the streets of New York.


    Liv extended a hand but Venom grabbed her wrist, "it''s fine dear, honest. If, if it saves Gwen then anything, for any of you, anything,¡± and after touching her belly the symbiote threw itself onto Livs hand, and small tendrils worked their way up her arm.


    Gwen stopped twitching and her colour returned to its healthy pink. Curt checked her pulse as the red and black oily symbiote spawn began to cover Livs body, she quickly removed as much clothing as she could, knowing not to fight the creature but to welcome it.


    "She''s fine Peter,¡± he said and Venom nodded, knowing he meant Gwen.


    Liv suddenly stood in her chair as the symbiote made its way up to her neck and began to latch tendrils over her face. Turning she felt the last of her clothing dissolving under the symbiotes tendrils.


    "You,¡± she pointed at Curt ¡°Leave!" and Curt took a step back,


    ¡°uh Peter?¡± And Venom nodded,


    ¡°It might get messy doc, you should do as the lady says, this isn''t your fight.¡±


    At the word fight, Curt blanched. Liv had explained that young symbiotes, newly spawned, could be violent and as he really didn''t want to face any of them. Even the Lizard was still shivering in his mind, he grabbed a coat from Peters home and made a quick exit.


    The ooze had completely covered Liv, and she stood in front of her chair, the slick oil-like surface of the symbskin glistening, it squirmed and tendrils reached out before pulling back, eyes formed and extra arms and limbs branched out before returning back into the main body once more.


    The eyes mimicked Venoms, slick white crescents and the face mask slip into a wide grin, full of razor teeth. "Yes, Yes. We are free!" the skin hardened and began to take on a more matte finish, a deep red colour, like the fresh dripping blood from the needle in Venom''s arm.


    "We are free from the Poison, we are free from the Gwen," she spoke softly, staring at her hands as each finger elongated and became razors.


    Venom crouched into a fighting pose and she stood back stunned, "no, we do not want that, yes, we do not," and he watched as the symbskin oozed and shifted over her. "We want to fight the nice way," and Venom shook his head and stood, holding a hand out to stop Huntress from attacking.


    "What do we call you? and is Liv okay?" he asked. The symbskin had finally solidified. Her skin was a deep blood red colour, with a huge black spider motif stretched over the front, arching up and covering her face. It had changed and now, unlike Venoms crescent eye shapes, the black covered her whole face, extending up onto the top of her head and ending in what looked to be two horn shapes.


    "We are Ravage, and oh yes, that is what we want with Peter, with Venom, and the Liv wants too." and her symbskin rippled, revealing Liv''s naked chest and groin to them, and four arms split from Ravages back, each with a smooth rounded end, "what we want with all the pretties we love."


    ¡°No, Ravage, no.¡± Peter knew exactly what she wanted to do, and with three girls and one guy, four was definitely not the magic number. "If you love Gwen then we save her first okay?" and while the limbs retracted back into the symbskin, Ravage was still there,


    "We understand, but you owe us, Peter."


    "Fine, fine but save Gwen first.¡± Peter really didn¡¯t want to do either, fight or fuck right now, not while Gwen was still in danger.


    Ravage tutted, ¡°the Gwen is fine, we took the nasty and became it, she''s sleeping, but her and the grumpy one will live.¡±


    ¡°Grumpy one?¡±


    ¡°She snarled and called us stupid. ''Go away go away'' she shouted as we killed her, but it wasn''t until you came and made us whole we were forced out.¡±


    Peter frowned, ¡°Wait, anti-venom is made from symbiotes?¡±


    ¡°We were, but now we are more. Now we are you and you are us, and we will be good and proper and behave.¡± The skin slowly slid back and Liv was left standing there,


    ¡°Oh damn Peter, wow, you never said, oh damn,¡± and Liv ran her hands over her body, "I never, even the harness, oh wow." Liv was buzzing from her symbiote high. She constantly ran her hands over her body, touching the symbskin and feeling it between her fingers, giggling and biting her lip in glee.


    "Liv, I know it feels good but you need to rain it in, everything is sensitive right now, please don''t get angry.¡±


    Liv laughed. ¡°Angry is not what I''m feeling dear, and Ravage is right, you will owe us later. But, let''s see how Gwen is doing. Um, where did Curt run off too?¡±


    ¡°Oh, he''s still outside, maybe grab some clothes and I''ll go get him.¡±


    Liv looked down, she was naked and with some concentration and persuasion the normal blue jeans, green sweater, and lab coat she wore wrapped around her, Livs eyes sparkled as she watched Ravage morph into clothes. ¡°oh that is so neat,"


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter One Hundred. When I Get That Feeling

    Liv pressed a finger against Gwen''s neck and she nodded, "she''s asleep, pulse is normal and I can draw some blood to check that the symbiote poison is really gone, ah, uh, the anti-venom, that''ll be confusing. So, while the AV is cleared from her system it still might be a few days for her to recover completely." Liv was greeted by a warm hand brushing against hers, as Gwen stirred and taking it rubbed it against her face,


    "I¡¯m fine Liv," and she turned her head and kissed Livs hand, ¡°I''m fine.¡± While Gwen said she was fine Liv still held her eyes open and gently flicked a small light back and forth over her eyes.


    ¡°You say that dear, but let¡¯s keep you in bed until you are really fine okay?¡± and Gwen smiled at her and patted her hand.


    Felicia let Huntress retract and with wet eyes lent down and nuzzled her hand against Gwens, ¡°stupid stupid,¡±


    Gwen reached back and patted Felicia¡¯s head, "love you too, love you both, and you, Mr Parker, love you as well,¡± Peter grinned but he did notice Gwen''s eyes were a bit glazed, she was high as a kite from whatever Liv and Curt had given her.


    "Hows Poison?" he asked and Gwen shrugged,


    ¡°sleeping the uh stuff was worse for her, she''ll be fine though, we''ll all be fine,¡± she said sleepily as she stroked Felicia''s hair.


    Peter stood and found that Curt was pacing outside, smoking a cigarette. Peter raised an eyebrow but he shrugged and stubbed it out under his shoe. He did get a look from Liv as he came back in, but after drawing blood and checking the sample under the microscope he declared, that while tired and under the influence, that Gwen and Poison were okay. The sample showed that the decay caused by Ravage was halted and Poison was slowly rebuilding Gwen''s cells, hinting at Peter she would need food, and a lot of it once she woke up.


    Peter gave Curt a fifty and directed him to the food trucks, and Liv gave him a sly look and after the pair spoke she came back positively glowing. Peter shook his head, knowing exactly what she had asked him to buy but other than the smell he really didn''t mind.


    Gwen slept for another hour and woke up sniffing as Curt let himself back into the warehouse laden with food. He had been to the convenience store, grabbing chocolate, cakes, and soda before visiting Gwen''s favourite food truck and had grabbed burgers. A nice mix of protein, carbs and fat to help with Gwen''s recovery and the others watched as she not only devoured the bag but destroyed two two-litre bottles of soda as well, Peter wondering if she needed it actually breathe anymore as she inhaled the food and soda.


    Curt was the epitome of clumsiness as he handed the pack to Liv who hid it within her coat but Peter just shook his head, she knew he''d smell it on her so the subterfuge was unnecessary. He was more focused on Gwen''s recovery.


    ¡°So?¡± he asked and she sat up, rubbing her stomach and smiling,


    "Am I like you?¡± she asked pointing at Peter, ¡°you?¡± and she pointed to Curt ¡°or you¡± and then to Felica "hmm, I don''t know, Poison feels different.¡±


    yes we do, we feel good, clean, she spoke in her mind


    ¡°I think it''s a bit of you all, can we?¡± She asked her symbiote and after a pause,


    Yes, we are healed.


    Gwen stood and the symbskin leached out of her body but like Venom she grew taller, her limbs and torso thickening, taut muscles tightened in her skin and now at over 6ft tall, with a physique that would shame a bodybuilder she flexed and screamed into the warehouse "We love this!" Poison flexed a few times and she threw a few jabs, the speed blurring her arms and as she ducked and weaved around, copying the fighting moves Felica had them all practising. Poison laughed and she threw out web lines, swinging and pulling herself up to the rafters.


    ¡°Yes yes, we are stronger, faster," and she kept up, touched the top of the warehouse roof and did a somersault, landing perfectly on her feet. "We are strong."


    "Not to be a downer but uh, urges?" Curt asked


    Gwen laughed and let Poison retract "no doc, I''m fine, no urges,¡± and lifting an eye over to Peter and Felicia, ¡°well, maybe one but you are most certainly not invited,¡± she said with a grin.


    Curt clapped his hands together, ¡°right then, I think I''ll go visit your Aunt. Peter, Gwen is fine and uh, yes, goodbye,¡± and once more the good doctor fled the warehouse, eagerly encouraged by the Lizard.


    ¡°Great, now, first, I''m gonna fuck you,¡± and then she pointed at Peter, ¡±then you,¡± and then at Liv ¡°and then you, and then all of you.¡± Gwen hoisted Felicia over her shoulder, "Hi Ho Silver," and ran into her home carrying the laughing and struggling Felicia.


    Peter laughed and shook his head, ¡°and how about you Liv?"


    ¡°While it seems to be a popular word today, I¡¯m fine dear. It''s strange though, I didn''t think I would be okay with this, after the,¡± and she paused and cleared her throat. ¡°After the harness, I never wanted anything to do with this life again. No fighting, no experiments, and no symbiote but it''s fine, and I''m not just saying that. The harness was cold, a lock and a clamp around my thoughts but Ravage is, uh, like a kitten, warm and comforting.¡± and she ran a hand over her clothing, feeling the almost imperceptible difference between cloth and the symbskin.


    ¡°Hey, that''s great isn''t it?" Felicia asked Liv, who raised an eyebrow


    ¡°uh, Gwen got into bed, made herself comfy, and then fell asleep,¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°yeah I was out for a day and sick for a while.¡±


    Felicia laughed, ¡°yup, two days till it cleared for me but for her, it might be different. I''ll keep an eye on her, but Liv?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine dear, as I told Peter, it''s just an adjustment, I''ve been powered before, it''s just a different kind of harness.¡±


    ¡°No Liv, you have family, friends, loved ones who are here for you, it''s not a harness, not a collar, you''ll need to join in, even if it''s just to get a grip on your new abilities,¡±


    Liv nodded, ¡°I know dear, I''ve been thinking about that a lot, with Harry still acting like a little shit, and the threat to the symbiotes, I think it''s all hands on deck time. I thought I¡¯d never fight again, but I have something to protect, someone, no a lot of someones I want to protect. I know you have your Black Cats but this is much different Peter dear. Harry is a psychopath and there is no telling what he¡¯ll do, and he knows everything.¡± Liv stood and stretched, letting Ravage slide over her. Felicia walked around her, giving her small nods as she saw the difference in Livs build.


    ¡°While I can feel her, I do now realise how much different it is. Heightened smell, sight, touch, taste, I¡¯m stronger, faster, and it¡¯s strange having a welcoming voice in your head, and not the cold command the collar gave.¡± Livs eyes drifted off as she talked unheard to Ravage, ¡°and Ravage seems to like it here, she¡¯s happy to be free and,¡° Livs eyes darted down, and she clasped her hands, ¡°no longer in pain. We really need to talk about what Hary is doing dear,¡± she said, shaking her head. ¡°It¡¯s monstrous.¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°I guessed as the mastermind behind the whole symbiote experiment that he would be, but cloning? Do you think he was a clone or the original?¡±


    Liv shrugged, ¡°I had no idea that he''s even trying to clone them. I knew about the original and that was it, and even then I was led around just as much as Norman was. I knew about the formula but not the symbiote lab.¡± Liv sighed. "There is so much Ravage is sharing with me, Peter. So many things we need to know about what Harry is doing to figure out how to stop him but right now, we all need some rest. Once Gwen wakes up we need to make sure that the formula has no side effects and that she¡¯s really okay.¡±


    ¡°We need to work on the formula as well. If Gwen isn¡¯t mutated like Curt, we need to figure out why and then I want it too.¡± and Peter nodded, ¡°Harry is using the symbiotes for the worst things, Peter. Not just this anti-venom but for making some kind of new symbiote as well. Ravage only has bits and pieces but he is planning something, and it¡¯s big. We need to be prepared and I won¡¯t sit idly by as he takes my home from me.¡°


    Felicia ducked back into her home, making sure to keep an eye on the sleeping patient. Even if she said she was fine, they knew from not just Lizard but Prowler and Silverback that the formula could have a delayed mutagenic effect. No one wanted a symbiote enhanced Lizard Gwen breaking free and rampaging across the streets of New York. Even if Peter would be there to stop her, Felicia knew it would be unfair to ask him to, and silently swore that no one would ever hurt her family again, not if she had anything to say about it. The others would be mad though, as this newfound power needed to be harnessed and tamed. Even MJ would be getting a stricter regime. Norman, and now Harry, proved that enemies could pop up from anywhere and they needed to be prepared. She sighed as she settled in next to Gwen, who mumbled something in her sleep and latched onto her, cuddling up close and nuzzling her face in Felicia¡¯s side. As she lay she gently stroked Gwen¡¯s hair, trying not to think of all the things that could go wrong, of all the things that had gone wrong.


    Liv sighed and as they cleaned up the mess the table was in she balled up the paper towels Gwen had been lying on. As they bagged the trash, it was quiet in the warehouse. After the rush of emergency after emergency, the quiet bringing a nice calm to the once busy area.


    As she watched Peter working, she smiled and quietly huffed, she could now also smell the pheromone they had all warned her about, and right now, Ravage was growling and her own feelings were leaking out into the symbiote. Taking small but deep breathe her lungs were filled with the sweet scent of Peter, and she was almost dripping as she watched him work. Clearing her throat he looked quizzically at her and she gave him her best smile.


    ¡°Peter dear, you own Ravage and me a little one on one time,¡± and she grinned and winked at him.


    ¡°I remember,¡± said Peter with a twinkle in his eye, ¡±but if you stick a tentacle up my butt, I''m zapping you with a taser.¡±


    Liv recoiled, faking being hurt but laughing, ¡°yes I think I might need to reign her in a bit with that.¡± He just smiled and shook his head.


    ¡°I mean it though,¡± and as he pulled Liv into his arms she felt not just his lips on hers, but Ravage purr within her as well, and she finally understood by the women loved to be with him so much. It wasn¡¯t just a connection through themselves that they shared but the symbiotes as well, and each time he touched her, Ravage tingled as well.


    ¡°I know Gwen¡¯s hurt, but please dear, I need you, I. I can¡¯t hold back any more.¡± and as she pulled him into her home, she relished what new experiences they could give her.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter One Hundred One. Shield and Sword (NSFW)

    Director of S.H.I.E.L.D Nicholas Fury sat looking at his computer screen. He''d seen the various videos of Venom fighting, and even running him through facial and body matching software, it came back as negative for Peter Parker. He disagreed though, it was too coincidental. That the son of one of Shields best agents suddenly gets a warehouse, suddenly gets three girlfriends, and has a security system that is impenetrable, pop up in the last reported location of a missing agent. Oh, they could get in but he''d know and once he knew there wasn''t really any point in the subterfuge.


    Ten months ago, two agents were sent out after the then target of interest, Black Cat, and neither returned. One was killed in action, and the other just never came back. As Fury looked at the file, he checked the name of the warehouse owners for any clue, and once Peter Parker came back flagged as red, he just shook his head at the irony.


    Mary Parker, top agent and probably in line for the job he now had, was killed in action, along with her husband, Shield scientist Richard Parker. Footage showed the Winter Soldier leaving the scene. Blood analysis showed he suffered at least three gunshot wounds and probably several broken bones. The only reason her son, Peter, survived the fight was the wrath of a mother raining hell on the world''s top assassin.


    So, they tried a different approach, when Venom killed John Jameson in a freak accident, they sent in one of his schoolmates, but surprise surprise the inside of the warehouse was shielded as well. The recording cut out as soon as Flash crossed the doorway, and they once more got nothing on Peter.


    Pressing the intercom, ¡°Send in Agent Romanov please.¡±


    The Russian redhead, once on Shields top list of kill targets, entered and after taking a look around, almost dumped herself into the office chair in front of his desk. While Shield had given her a probationary period, she still had the attitude that she really wasn¡¯t one of them. Even as Fury gave her a look that she should maybe sit up straight in front of her boss she ignored it, years of experience told him that while she looked relaxed, she was ready and waiting for any target that tried to approach.


    "I need you to find and interrogate this target," Nick said, swivelling the screen of his computer.


    Natasha looked at the fairly handsome young man, staring at the menu of a food truck, "a little young for my tastes but sure,"


    Nick snorted, ¡°you may find that his three girlfriends might not appreciate that approach Agent Romanov, but you can try if you''d like.¡± He dropped a paper copy on his desk and slid it towards Natasha.


    Natasha sat straight and pulled the file closer, ¡°three?" and reading whistled, ¡°should be fun then, so, general info, what''s the packet?"


    Fury opened a drawer and handed over a manila envelope, ¡°Standard, I doubt he''ll talk much but a DNA sample would be preferable. Word of warning though. He is the son of Mary Parker and he may be enhanced, so priority red for the op but priority black for him, be careful."


    Natasha was too engrossed in the file. Mary Parker had been required reading during training and having tangled with the Winter Soldier herself, and coming off the worst for it, she knew exactly how tough she had been. As they had no proof he was the target they were looking for a blood or DNA sample that would give them evidence of enhancement, and then they could legally approach him.


    "And after assignment?"


    Fury tapped the desk with a pen, "that depends, if he''s the target we might need to capture or eliminate, you saw how that went with the last target,¡±


    Natasha shrugged, ¡°not my call, I just need to know what hardware to take.¡±


    Peter was standing in the convenience store, buying a loaf of bread and eggs to make breakfast for the girls when he smelled it, looking around the store he finally found it, or her in this case. A redhead, cute face and button nose looked at him and smiled, "uh, help you?" she asked and he shook his head and looked over the shelves, taking small breaths, yup, it was her. Even the smell of perfume, a nice sweet floral scent couldn''t hide the foulness coming from her.


    He shook his head and reaching past her grabbed a can of, something, he didn''t even check to see what it was as he dumped it in the basket and walked away.


    Peter bought his groceries, grabbed an extra chocolate bar from the checkout shelves, and headed back to the warehouse, he kept his senses in full on and while it was uncomfortable, he needed to know if they were watching him.


    Sure enough, as he left the store the woman, in the daylight who would give Felicia a run for her money in the chest department, shouted, "Hey, uh, not to be weird but uh, you maybe want to get coffee?" and he smiled at her and nodded. She was wearing a short summer dress, not entirely suitable for the warming spring weather but close enough she could pull it off, but Peter noticed the trim ankles and sneakers, not totally suitable for the dress, more for fighting in.


    "sure, Peter and you?"


    "uh Tali, the truck on 34th is pretty good."


    Peter shook his head, "sure if you like day-old roasts and stale beans. Try the one on 87th, roasts his own, makes fresh madeleines to go with them. A bit more expensive, but well worth it."


    She smiled, anyone else would have melted at that smile, "look at you Mr coffee snob,¡± she said, smiling, no hint of malice in her voice


    ¡°yeah, well, I like the best you know, good coffee, breakfast in bed,¡± he said, winking at her and right on cue she looked away and a slight red hinted at her cheeks. Even Peter wasn¡¯t so stupid as to realise he was being played, plus the smell was a giveaway. The walk to the coffee place was quiet, Peter didn''t want to talk and Tali was acting the shy nervous type.


    "So, what do you do Peter?" She asked as she stirred her coffee.


    "Oh, landlord, plus trying to get a business off the ground, but tenants stuff mainly."


    "Sounds nice, not many houses around here though, you uh, not here for something else?" She smiled,


    "nope, live here, converted a warehouse and got three tenants, what about you? You don''t seem the trucker type?"


    Tali shook her head, "I uh, work around here, you know, pay the bills on my back kinda gal,"


    Peter knew exactly what she meant but it was a strange angle to go for, did she think that maybe he was more open-minded, "So, why me then? I mean, you can tell I''m not a trucker or a dock worker, doesn''t seem like I''d be your type?" he asked


    "uh, heard some things, and uh, I thought you might know. About a new lube?" she looked at the paper cup.


    "Oh," was all he said, "and if I did, would you like to try?" he was going to go down the cream angle, see if she bit, or if she was fishing for Venom.


    "You''d show me, I mean, like out here, there is a bathroom not too far away, we could uh, go there?" And she stood, draining her coffee. This was almost too easy.


    "Oh sure, uh just let me send a text to my tenants, was supposed to buy them breakfast but I''m sure they''ll manage." Flicking on his phone he knew MJ was the only one still up, having finished her late-night shift, and had missed all of the drama of Gwen''s injury.


    Hey, it''s Pete, got a snooper, can I deal with her?


    Her? Shit Pete, use protection this time you ass, Liv was bad enough. Will let the others know.


    They knew that one way to get to Venom was through Peter, and if Felicia had put the pair together then others might as well. It had been discussed that if a honey trap was used that Peter was allowed, as long as he used protection and kept Venom ready for action. If he killed, he was to let them know so alibis could be crafted. If he had sex, well the punishment for that was to be discussed after the deed.


    And shaking his head, he smiled and put his phone away, ¡°sure, lead on Tali.¡±


    In the bathroom, once Tali had paid a small deposit to the store owner, she stared at him impatiently. Peter wondered if she would actually go this far or if she was about to attack him but nope, she undid her top enough that he could see the sides of the pert but large breasts, ¡°so? Show me.¡±


    Peter took out a small jar from his pocket, he carried it around as a scent blocker, leaving it open or smeared over an animal would lay a false trail, never did he imagine that he''d be using it like this.


    As he opened the jar he had no idea if Tali knew what was about to happen but as the lid popped her eyes widened and she took a deep breath, "oh shit, that''s amazing," and she took the jar and closed her eyes as she sniffed it.


    ¡°You sure you want to do this?¡± and she nodded, undoing the rest of her buttons. She was fit, and not the fit you got from exercise. Peter could see the small marks and abrasions over her skin. Whoever she was, she was a fighter and judging by the lack of marks, a good one.


    Her muscles shifted as she undid the rest and pulled her dress open, letting her breasts spill out. They were large, round with crinkled pink nipples that sat begging to be touched and he reached a hand over and stroked one with his thumb. She moaned and smiled as she took his hand, stepping back, and leaned on the edge of the washbasin, ¡°now you.¡±


    Peter reciprocated, undoing his own and letting his erection spring free, his clothes were symbskin but a zipper was easy enough to copy. Tali marvelled at its size, for someone trained to expect situations like this, she still stared at the thickness and length of his manhood.


    She swallowed, ¡°can I?¡± And he nodded, breathing in the heady aroma of the cream she knelt down and gently kissed and then slid his cock into her mouth, wetting it. She bobbed back and forth for a few seconds before leaning back to take a breath, ¡°more?¡± And he nodded.


    Sitting herself up on the washbasin, she spread her legs and moved her panties to one side. Peter took a generous finger of cream and smeared it over her glistening pussy lips. She moaned as the warmth spread through her, increasing her sensitivity tenfold with even a small amount. She took out a condom and bit off the wrapper, sliding it down his already engorged manhood.


    ¡°Last chance Tali, yes or no?¡± And she nodded, ¡°no, say it¡±


    "yes, please yes,¡± and with a practised stroke he slid inside her. She bit her lip and cried out as he reached right to the end of her insides, touching and sending a jolt through her. She needed to get back in control, whatever the cream was, was sending heat and pleasure through her and he hadn''t even moved yet. If this continued he would get her and she would get nothing. It was that moment Peter chose to slide out and thrust forcefully back in. and she wrapped her arms around him, muffling her cries. She reached a hand down to rub her clit, almost crying out as her fingers brushed over it, but her real goal was the condom. As he pulled out, her fingers deftly caught the edge and as he slid back it came free, and on his next stroke, he went inside without it.


    She whined and bit his neck, muffling her moans on the skin of his shoulder as he thrust again and again into her, leaving no pause for breath, "oh fuck, oh fuck," she moaned over and over as he mercilessly thrust into her. He licked and bit her earlobe and the small nips brought further whimpers from her.


    Her first orgasm came like a wave, the second not long after crashed into it and she shook and had to lean back, supporting herself as her legs clamped around him. She felt a warm stickiness fill her and he thrust one final time. "Oh fuck" he cried out gripping her legs.


    ¡°Shit, the condom,¡± he sighed as he slipped out, his erection fading,


    "It''s fine, I''m safe, I uh, can''t, but, I''m good,¡± she grabbed some paper towels and used them to wipe herself off while Peter did the same, tucking his manhood back into his pants. The symbskin retracting back from around it.


    "so, uh, swap numbers or was this a one-time thing?"


    She shook her head, "the cream, I want more, lots if you can get it." Fuck Fury, whatever that cream was she loved it and she wanted more for other cases. She gave him a fake number, one of the many she used while working but was happy to see his number stored in its memory. He could definitely be a repeat, as long as the next job wasn¡¯t his elimination.


    ¡°So, uh see you around?¡± And she bolted for the door.


    Yeah, she''s enhanced, Peter shot MJ in a text, smelt it all over her plus the full strength cream barely dented her libido, we have a problem. As he tucked his phone away, he shook his head.


    Natasha zipped around the corner and onto a stashed motorbike, heading straight for a Shield office. After signing herself in she requested a sample kit and headed to the bathroom. As she stirred the cotton bud around inside her, she was surprised to find it was clean, nothing more than her own fluid and examining herself she realised, she felt him cum inside her but he hadn''t, shit, did he know?  Was Peter Parker, the son of the famous Mary Parker, trained by someone? He was a baby when she died, so it wasn''t her but maybe someone in his family. The file had said that his uncle knew his brother was a Shield agent. Natasha shook her head, fuck, she thought, and putting the swab into the kit wasn''t surprised when the report came back as negative. At least the sex had been good.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter One Hundred Two. Bleeding Heart

    ¡°Peter I get it, I really do, but right now, I want to fix this,¡± and Gwen slid a chart with the Conners formula on it, as well as the different formula that Gwen had collected across the breakfast table, where she and Peter were sitting.


    ¡°Yeah but college is important,¡± he argued.


    Since the Goblin incident, Gwen hadn¡¯t been back, citing not just the incident itself but her fathers funeral and dealing with his estate. The college had been forgiving, and she had almost taken a month off, but now they had started to send letters asking when she was coming back. Sitting back and holding her cup, she shook her head,


    ¡°Pete, I have Curt freaking Conners here to help, and Liv, when you give her a chance to get out of bed. Why go back to that place when I can learn so much more here?¡±


    Peter sighed, leaning back in his chair, ¡°well, for one, you won¡¯t get a diploma sat at home.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re doing fine, I''ve got the cream and this. Once I crack it, with Poison, then we can make so much money it won''t matter if I don''t have a diploma. Pete, please, just, not this, not now.¡± and sighing he had to agree.


    ¡°Fine, but at least let them know you won''t be back, either tell them or leave, stop putting it off.¡± and standing he dumped out the rest of his coffee and left his mug by the sink, ¡°Aunt May and Curt are coming over, Curt wants to talk to you again anyway.¡±


    Since the engagement, Curt had become a mentor to Gwen, who readily soaked up anything and everything he had to teach. As usual, Curt and Gwen worked on the serum, modifying and then checking each new iteration of the formula.


    Gwen threw her hands up once more as the machine beeped,


    "sample 765 incompatible."


    Curt shook his head, he''d been at this for years, and he knew that it would be years before they found a working version of the formula to cure him and fix Liv. While Ravage had helped there was still damage to her spine, and with Gwen recovered, they found that her powers were enhanced to a much greater degree but without the mutation he was suffering from.


    She took a deep breath, we have the antivenom formula, we have the data from Poison, and the new Conners formula but why don''t they work? She thought to herself.


    It was the question that had them all stumped. After sampling the suppressant Connors used, Gwen worked on its formula and had a way to strip an enhanced person''s powers and then repair the damage, but when it was applied to living cells it killed or mutated them. Curt was living proof of that. It was only the relatively low doses and the agony that followed that allowed him to remain human, but his arm was still gone and the Lizard still lived within him, it was just sleeping.


    Seeing Gwen frustrated, Curt stuck his head out of her lab and called over to Peter. ¡°Uh, Peter, why don''t you get us all something to eat okay. We''ve been at this for what feels like days and a break would do us all good, maybe some tacos or pizza?" And Peter stood, checked his pockets and got organised for heading out.


    He was assigned to all the shopping and cleaning in the warehouse, while the girls weren¡¯t mad at him, they still were still angry he¡¯d had sex with Tali. A honey trap was still a honey trap and even MJ, who¡¯d said it was okay, was in the bad books with the trio. She had been given a pass on the housework, shifting it to Peter after an exhaustive shift at the diner, even Muse complaining over the extra work she had been doing.


    She sat bolt upright, ¡°wait, Pete! I know you''ve not left yet, get your ass in here!¡± She yelled and sure enough, Peter appeared a few moments later.


    ¡°Uh, yeah Gwen?¡± he rubbed the back of his head,


    "sit," and as he did she snapped a rubber band around his arm and, "undress." Thankfully he knew she just meant his arm, and the rubber hose tightened on his bare arm. Gwen drew a blood sample and fed it into the machine, then the decoupler and the machine dinged,


    "sample 766 Compatible."


    Gwen then took the same sample and squirted a dose of the enhancement formula into it, once it was back in the machine, she started the cycle again and after a moment it dinged,


    "Sample 767 Compatible."


    "Fuck YES!" She yelled and Peter shrugged.


    ¡°It''s you doofus. Your cells were bonded with a symbiote, not enhanced by the formula, you don''t have a mutagenic compound in your blood, sure it¡¯s a spider motif but your powers are what you think you should have, not what a symbiote or a spider''s powers actually are. Why,¡± she took a breath, ¡°why Poison let me make chemicals, why Muse lets MJ adjust her body, and why Huntress is about hunting. Your powers are a blank slate, with no remnant animal DNA in the retrovirus to screw up the process. It''s you Pete, the answer is you."


    Once she realised it was so simple. They had worked from the theory that both Peter and Felicia were enhanced by the Oscorp formula, but Peter wasn''t. When it stripped and bonded him to the symbiote, it burned itself out in combining them, Peter wasn''t enhanced, he wasn''t a host he was Venom, there was no difference between them. No Peter and Venom, just Peter. His blood had repaired and regenerated Poison, his cells could energise theirs and, while she would never admit it, it was probably why they all enjoyed oral sex so much, socially acceptable cannibalism. Her symbiote was absorbing the healing and regenerative properties of Peter''s sperm as if they were stem cells.


    Gwen even wondered if once they used the formula to repair Curt if Peter could undergo the process again, or if his new DNA would mutate and split like a humans would. Shit, she thought to herself, he''s not human anymore. They had glossed over that fact many months ago when they looked at his cells. Peter was a new species now, a symbiote progenitor, and if her theory was correct he might even be able to spawn more than once, unlike his offspring.


    Curt had just closed his phone after ordering food for the group and came in to see Peter sitting with sample bottle after sample bottle being filled. "What did I miss?"


    ¡°I got it. Curt¡± Gwen shouted happily, ¡°it was Peter, when he used his blood to cure me of the antivenom it didn''t just heal me, but Poison and Ravage, it was the key. Look,¡± and Gwen pulled out the recorded chemical data and Curt stared at it, his mouth hanging open.


    ¡°With this I can get my arm back. We can fix Liv and my arm,¡± he stood and hugged Gwen, spinning her around. Peter was never conscious of Conners as a threat, he was happy with May, and Gwen and his relationship were of student and teacher. Moments like these just put a smile on his face.


    ¡°Uh, but you, can we maybe get the needle out of me now?¡± He asked and Gwen laughed,


    "big baby, it''s just a needle" as she undid the cannula and rubber hose. She leaned in closer. ¡°I''ll need a transfusion from somewhere else later and Peter kissed the side of her face,


    Curt cleared his throat, ¡°I''m not deaf you know.¡±


    Gwen just frowned and shook her head, ¡°spoilsport.¡±


    This was it, the one chance they had to make sure everyone was safe and it was all thanks to her.


    Peter left them to work, while he could easily follow the science, it wasn''t his passion, that was next door in the robotics lab where he and Liv had carefully dissected the goblin armour they had stolen and were working on their own version. Free of the flaws and bugs that had been purposefully designed into it.


    It was Curt who volunteered to go first with the serum Gwen produced. Its blue colour sparkling like liquid sapphires in the bottle.


    "Although Peter, a word." and Peter nodded "I would like to keep my strength and powers, no offence dear boy but this," and Curt motioned to the lab set up, "is a disaster waiting to happen, and I won''t risk your aunt over my own foolish pride." Peter frowned,


    "We keep her safe," and Curt nodded,


    "I know, I know, but not always, not every day and with Harry probably going to make good on his promise, I won''t take no for an answer. I''ve even been looking over the designs for the harness, and with a few modifications I don''t see why you can''t refit the collar as a neural suppressant, allowing me to stay as the Lizard but remain in control."


    Peter sighed and looked over at Liv, "It''s your call dear, but you know he''s right" and Peter nodded.


    "We can at least give you your arm back?" Peter asked and Gwen nodded,


    "The formula can be adjusted. We should wait though. Remove the old, let you recover and then use the new formula." and Curt nodded, he could finally get his arm back after 15 years, a few more days was nothing.


    "Right, here we go,'''' he said, and he closed his eyes as Gwen injected him with the serum. Stepping back they all waited. Curt choked and strained against the bed they had strapped him to. His body thickened and as his arm regrew his skin paled into a light green colour and his face cracked and crunched horribly as the bones reshaped themselves.


    "Noooo!" he hissed as the Lizard was freed. Panic set into its eyes as it surveyed the room, there were five of his most feared foes here, even the weak female he had tried to eat was now pouring out danger signals, and he tried to huddle away from them.


    Gwen cooed and shh''d him, and taking a second vial of liquid injected it into his arm. "You''ll be fine Curt, it''s fine," she said as she stroked the scaly bald head. The fear in its eyes soon faded as the lizard faded and the man reappeared. His face was peaceful even after the painful transformation.


    As Peter waited patiently outside, it was Gwen who approached him,


    "He''ll sleep for a few days, maybe longer, but," and she turned the cot, showing the room his arm, "it worked.  So. Liv. While it works, uh, you don''t really need it do you? I mean, Ravage already fixed the damage didn''t she?"


    Liv nodded, "she did dear, but with Harry free to do whatever the hell he wants I still want to formula, and, a bit more." Liv tapped her tablet and a news article appeared.


    Gwen frowned. "The Hulk? What''s that got to do with this?"


    "A rumour Banner was working on a formula similar to Oscorps circulated, but he used gamma radiation to bond it to his cells. Of course, it failed but if my theory is correct then we might be able-"


    "No," Peter interrupted, "Hulk and Abomination trashed Harlem, they''re monsters Liv, and I won''t let you"


    Liv patted his hand, "it''s not really your call dear. What was it you said? I''d let MJ cartwheel naked down 5th avenue if she wanted. Well, I want this, plus even I¡¯m not stupid enough to use gamma radiation. No, its frequency is too high, too disruptive. I''ll use something a bit lighter, trust me Peter, who''s the radiation expert here hmm?" but Peter still shook his head.


    "Liv, it''s not about who''s smarter, it''s about risk, I," Peter sighed, "I don''t want any of you hurt, after Gwen was," Peter clenched his fists, "I don''t want you to risk yourselves, please."


    Liv came over and hugged Peter, "and we would do the same for you, my dear, you mean so much to all of us and yet you do these things. You risk yourself to keep us safe. It''s time you let us repay that favour. Felicia and Gwen are both enhanced already, MJ," Liv sighed "MJ wants a normal life, Muse is content to let her have that too, but I was a prisoner for far too long, this is what I want Peter, let me help you." and Peter had no choice but to nod. He made it a rule, no matter what, he would support each of them whatever they wanted.


    "Good, cause I need a blood transfusion as well, I want the whole package my dear, blood, formula, radiation and symbiote, a superior Octavious. Noone, especially not that little shit, threatens my Peter. So chop chop dear, he won''t wait and neither should we. Gwen honey, as much formula as you think I can handle and the same from Peter."


    sorry dear, but this might hurt, she told Ravage.


    we don''t mind, we agree, this is home, this is family, we take their pain and use it to hurt the ones who threaten us.


    Well said dear, well said.


    Liv strapped herself down to a cot, once Curt had been moved somewhere more comfortable and Gwen, now a deft hand at it, hooked up an IV leading to Peter''s arm into a bag, and then into her jugular and prepared the formula for injection. Liv had her bring over one of the portable x-ray machines they had and even Gwen shook her head.


    "Liv, I''m not a nuclear physicist but X-rays are just as damaging on the human body as gamma radiation, you need something in a much lower frequency, if at all. This is crazy."


    "yes but I''m not looking for the X-rays to give me powers dear, just to help bond the formula and Peter''s cells to mine. X-rays are more than strong enough, I''d use Ultra Violet but we don¡¯t have an emitter."


    Gwen shook her head, "I said no, looking at Banner and whatever the hell that thing is he fought. The radiation caused an uncontrollable mutation within his cells, and you want to replicate that? Are you insane? I get that Peter won''t stop you, but I will."


    "Dear, please, Ravage will help counteract any harmful mutation within my cells. Peter''s blood will nurture and strengthen her while the formula and the radiation do their work, please. We need someone stronger than Peter. We need someone that can stop Harry, you know we do, and why not let the stupid old bat do it. You girls are young and I know you love me dear, but I won''t let Harry take the only good thing I have ever had away from me, I won''t let anyone, Now inject me with the damn formula!" Liv almost shouted, trying to keep herself calm, but still adamant about her plan.


    Gwen took a breath, "I hope you don''t regret his Liv, I hope none of us does."


    Tapping the needle to get the air out she injected two vials of formula into Livs arm, and then in a short burst, began to expose her, a second at a time, to the lower frequency radiation.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter One Hundred Three. Feeling Superior

    NO MORE. NO MORE! Ravage screeched to Livs mind,


    Liv could feel it, feel her pain. As the radiation began to interact with the formula, even Peters healing blood couldn''t keep up with the exposure, but as the pain wracked her body Liv was helpless to stop it. Rather than bond and enhance it just burned, and Liv knew it was killing her, killing them both.


    Liv screamed in agony as she felt Ravage being ripped apart, unable to keep healing the damage done.


    Sorry, my love, I was wrong.


    Gwen and Peter watched as Liv screamed and strained against the restraints of the bed. Thrashing and pulling on them, Gwen moved closer and buried her face into Peter''s chest while he watched. Bloody tears began to leak from Livs eyes and he knew something had gone wrong, he could feel her, not just here through her symbiote. It was dying, the effort to keep Liv healed was too much for it and now they were dying.


    The blood wasn''t enough, the radiation had done what Gwen said it would, hurt Liv and trying to heal her, killed Ravage but Peter wasn''t going to let that happen. Venom slipped out and grabbing a beaker Peter began to fill it with what looked like web fluid. Gwen stared, "what the hell?" as he forced Livs mouth open and poured it down her throat, seeing the beaker wasn''t fast enough he simply held his wrist over her open mouth and she suckled on him like a newborn. ¡°She needs a direct infusion.¡±


    "What the hell Pete?" Gwen shouted but he shook his head, "no, no" she yelled as she saw his skin flake and lighten. Whatever Pete was doing was hurting him as well. "Please no."


    Peter had fallen to one knee. While he couldn''t make specific chemicals as well as Gwen there was one thing he could produce on mass, symbiote stem cells. While it was funny and a bit creepy he knew the girls enjoyed going down on him so much as their symbiotes fed from his semen, this was no different, just a more direct source. ¡°It¡¯s fine, just a transfusion,¡± he said weakly.


    Peter''s skin was almost alabaster white as Liv lifted his arm from her mouth. and as he let go of her. he collapsed on the floor, the symbskin sloughing off and pooling around him in a faint puddle before dissolving into dust.


    Gwen rushed over and lifted him, "move you stupid bitch," she yelled at Liv, who rushed and just ripped the straps from the bed, her new enhanced strength far greater than before.


    Gwen glared at her, "if he dies, I''ll fucking kill you," she spat at Liv and lifted the unconscious Peter onto the slightly buckled bed. "Help, get a glucose bag and then get the fuck out my lab.¡±


    Liv was about to speak when she shook her head,


    no, leave the gwen to her grief.


    She silently handed a yellow bag to Gwen, who deftly hooked it into Peter¡¯s arm, and as Liv headed to the door she heard Gwen weeping.


    The peter is fine, that would not kill him but the gwen needs this.


    Liv nodded, she hadn''t grieved after her father died and then she almost died. Poison hated feeling anything negative, and even after becoming whole again, still hated pain. Gwen needed something to let all that out on, and while Liv would have prefered something a lot less horrific, it was as good as anything. She just hoped that Gwen would forgive her once she had calmed down.


    ¡°Well, come on dear, let''s see exactly what we can do now eh?¡± And moving up into the walkways above, Liv began to stretch and change. She needed some time as well, time to figure out how to make this up to both Gwen and Peter. She had been impatient, arrogant to think she knew all there was to know about the formula and its effects, and she had been wrong. Now it was Peter who had paid for it. Ravage covered her, and with a sense of newfound power Liv shot out a web line and hoisted herself up into the rafters.


    Even if she was newly bonded she felt the crushing ache in her heart. She had almost killed Peter, and she prayed, she gave every wish that he would forgive her as the tears, unseen under the symbskin covering of Ravage, poured down her face.


    Peter woke, sore and exhausted, to find Gwen leaning over him, a damp patch on the blanket around him let him know exactly what had happened, not to mention the red puffy eyes.


    "Don''t you fucking dare do anything like that again," Gwen yelled, "you almost died," and she smacked his chest.


    "Hey, I didn''t, I didn''t." Peter ran his hand over Gwen''s hair and down to cup her cheek. "Liv almost died, I just exhausted myself to save her, and I did the same to save you. I''d do it to save anyone who I love, Gwen, it''s not a selfish thing to want, is it?" Peter frowned and looked at the IV attached to his arm, "Glucose?" and Gwen nodded. Peter reached over and grabbed the bag, tearing at it with his teeth and slurping down the sugary liquid inside.


    "Pete!" Gwen exclaimed, but he shook his head as the bag was emptied a few moments later.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, just hungry,¡± He smiled as he wiped his mouth, "I connected to Ravage, shared in her knowledge, about the symbiotes, about what Harry has been doing, even about me. There''s so much more we don''t know Gwen, so much more we don''t understand, this is just the tip of the iceberg. We can talk about it later though, food?" and as Gwen and Peter left the lab. Gwen helping to steady Peter as he hobbled, weak, and exhausted they found a strange sight.


    A monster, a giant split mawed symbiote monster with deep red skin and four extra arms was barreling around the warehouse, whooping and hollering as she, as from the size of her chest it was most definitely a she, sprang, lept, webbed, threw and even flung herself from rafter to rafter.


    While she had been hurt, it seemed the formula had still worked and Liv was now enjoying being enhanced, similar to the others. It left MJ as the only human host and Peter wondered if, even after this, he could persuade her to undergo the treatment as well. If Harry did keep his promise, they might need all the protection they could get.


    "Uh, lots of food I think," Peter said, hoping that Liv was still Liv under there.


    Liv landed and her symbskin slid back into her,


    ¡°I never knew, I never thought it would feel so good, no wonder you''re out all night Peter. God, oh Peter please, tonight oh please, I need you.¡° Liv paused and grinned, ¡°FOOD!¡± she yelled and Gwen laughed, ¡°yeah, I phoned double our usual order.¡± Poison shifted and Gwen kissed Peter on the side of the face.


    Once she was done, Gwen slid her phone onto the table and opened the small refrigerator. Liv almost snatched the slice of cake from her hands but Gwen glared at her, ¡°it¡¯s his.¡± and then proceed to make a fresh pot of coffee, grabbing the sugar and creamer from the fridge as well. Seeing they still had eggs and cheese she began to work away, making him a small omelette to tide him over until more filling and calorific food arrived. After she was done she left the bowl of eggs in front of him with a fork and changed her outfit.


    Facing Liv she shook her head, "Bed rest, nothing else. Your punishment is to be discussed once he''s better," and left to collect their order, letting a dejected looking Liv help Peter into his favourite chair.


    It hadn''t been funny at the time but now they could laugh about it, with the address and the amount of food that four hungry symbiotes could eat they got a visit from the cops. Thinking another meth lab had been built. Peter spent a good amount of time showing two officers with very twitchy fingers around, explaining that he had college students living here and that they ate like pigs.


    Thankfully the empty pizza boxes were stacked ready for recycling in one of the empty offices, but it was only when Peter pulled out a whole pile of licenses and permits that they reluctantly left. Whatever influence George had on the station was now gone, and Peter knew even students living in a warehouse could attract attention.


    Liv fussed as Peter gently lowered himself into a chair, while he had spent everything to save Liv, he had lied to Gwen a little bit. It wasn''t just his stamina that was drained, he doubted that he could transform into Venom and might need a few days to recover, pulling almost any cell he could spare into Livs body.


    He shook his head though, any of them were worth it, it didn''t matter who, he would give anything to save them. Once he was settled Liv bounced around excitedly, her size shrinking and growing as she practised. Even without the harness her four tentacles grew and shrank with her and if they were like his, she should be able to, he paused as Liv shot out four web balls the size of oranges and they clanged against the bay doors.


    ¡°I cleaned up last time,¡±  he shouted to her, remembering what he did to her home, and she stuck a tongue at him before leaping up into the rafters and began jumping from one to another. Swinging and running, riding the high of whatever boost the radiation gave her powers.


    While she had never joined in, she did enjoy watching the four of them training, and once Ravage had fixed her legs she had taken to running along with them.


    Leaping off the rafters and landing next to the table, her symbskin shifted back into her normal lab coat, sweater, and jeans attire. ¡°Peter dear,¡± and she tapped her fingers on the table. ¡°I want to join you and Felicia I mean. I know that I''m not a fighter but I want to be. Harry took my life from me, Norman started that ball rolling years ago, but Harry was the one that really turned the screws. I want payback, as trite as it sounds, I want revenge, not just for that, for Gwen and Felicia''s father, please.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll do anything?¡± Peter asked innocently.


    ¡°Peter dear, please,¡± and as she caught the cheeky smile and naughty glint in his eye, she knew exactly what he was hinting at


    ¡°Oh, you drive a hard bargain, Mr Parker. I may have to submit to your devilish desires,¡± and she sat on his lap and kissed him gently, he wrapped his arms around her.


    ¡°uh, should I dunno, eat these myself and leave you two alone?¡± Gwen had come back with a pile of boxes and sodas.


    ¡°FOOD!" And Liv leapt off a crushed Peter who winced as she drove herself from him, Gwen''s face fell as she noticed the pain he was in.


    ¡°Don''t think I don''t see that Pete, you''re in trouble mister. Food, and then bed, doctors orders Liv, leave him alone, he¡¯s not recovered, I''m sure you can wait a day or so before you crush his pelvis.¡± Liv frowned and looked over at Peter, Putting down her slice she lifted his wrist, took his pulse and stared into his eyes.


    ¡°I appreciate the save but you are an idiot,¡± she looked over at Gwen, ¡°of course dear, make that two days at least and I¡¯ll make sure he gets bed rest, it''s the least I can do,¡±


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t think you get off that easy Liv,¡± Gwen glared at her. ¡°His condition is your fault, you¡¯ll get punishment as well, just, not now, not until he¡¯s healed,¡± and a very remorseful Liv nodded her head


    Peter shrugged, even though it hurt, and bit into the piping hot pizza. He lamented his powers were so drained as for the first time in over a year, he burnt his tongue.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter One Hundred Four. Many Hands

    ¡°What do you mean Peter''s hurt?¡± Felicia stood tapping her foot on the ground, she had crossed her arms and looked incredibly angry. She had already been having a bad day when she got a phone call that dragged her away from a worrying case of murder and back home, where she was about ready to commit one herself.


    ¡°He used all his powers to save me from, well, me and now he¡¯s drained. So no sex, plenty of bed rest and uh, definitely no fighting, he¡¯s weaker than a kitten, well, not our kitten but a normal one,¡± Liv explained. "You''ll have to take a step back from your Black Cats. I doubt Gwen or I will be capable of defending this place if Harry comes."


    ¡°So, after saving Gwen, you needed him to save you, and cause of that he¡¯s hurt? and then because of that I need to stop doing my job, potentially losing everything I''ve worked for?¡± and Liv nodded.


    Felicia waved a finger in her face, ¡°if he didn''t love you, you stupid bitch, I¡¯d fucking hurt you,¡± and she stormed off to Peters home where Gwen was sat in a chair next to his bed, drinking coffee and reading while Peter slept.


    ¡°How is he?¡± Felicia asked and Gwen shrugged.


    ¡°If I said I knew I¡¯d be lying, not just the blood loss but he drained Venom to the point of death. Any more and he would have died, not just lost his powers but died.¡± and Felicia fought back the tears welling up in her eyes. The stress of the day already weighed on her and right now, she needed Peter more than she realised. To see him hurt and drained like that stabbed her in the heart and it was too much for the normally stoic Felicia to bear.


    ¡°Aww, hey,¡± Gwen put down her book and pulled Felicia into her arms, sitting them both down and hugging her tightly. ¡°He¡¯ll recover though, just a lot of rest, so, you need to get me and Liv up to speed on some basic moves, Peter isn''t fighting any time soon.¡± Gwen knew Felicia cared more than she let on, and it was strange to see her upset like this, ¡°Everything okay?¡± and Felicia buried her head in Gwen¡¯s shoulder and nodded.


    Felicia looked up at her, wiping her eyes and taking a tissue from the side of Peters bed to blow her nose. "We can set up a sparring ring, I can go over basic moves, training once more and then you guys can actually get experience fighting, it''ll be rough though, Pete and I don''t hold back, you cant, you need to learn to either take a hit or avoid it," Felicia took a breath, "and you also need to learn to give it out as well, the bad guys aren''t going to be gentle, you can''t be either." but Gwen gave her a look,


    ¡°Really?¡± and Felicia took a breath and let it out slowly through her nose,


    ¡°Really. I¡¯ll deal, I just needed Pete was all.¡± and Gwen sighed and rubbed a hand on Felicia¡¯s shoulder.


    She sighed, ¡°we need to speak though, Pete. I can hear your breathing is different, I know you''re awake.¡± and Peter rolled over,


    ¡°Sorry, just didn''t want to disturb your, you time¡± and he frowned ¡°I¡¯m fine though, just tired and hungry¡±


    ¡°Don''t give me that crap Pete, your skin is pale, your eyes bloodshot, when will you stop trying to shoulder everything on your own.¡± Felicia looked over at Gwen, her own face red from crying and her eyes puffy. "Gwen, go get some coffee, wash your face and get Pete something to eat, okay?" and Gwen nodded, marking her place in her book and dumped the blanket on the chair. Felicia waited until Gwen was out of the room before she gently closed the door and Peter stared at her expectantly.


    ¡°Yup, really fucked up that one Pete, you can''t go dying right after her dad, shit, you¡¯re little burn the world bit, Gwen would go nuclear if you died, we all would. Don''t you get that?¡±


    ¡°Really? Cause I thought you were all just fuck dolls for me to cum in, look Felicia, stop. I get it, I do, you all love me, it''s not a competition though. I can''t stand by and watch any of you get hurt, not when getting hurt is part of who we are. I couldn''t watch Gwen die again. I couldn''t watch her die because of me, AGAIN!¡± he yelled he shook his head as his eyes started to mist up, ¡°this isn¡¯t fair, so I saved her, I saved them both, MJ saved you, we always save each other, isn''t that a family? I can''t, I can''t lose anyone, not anymore, we all need each other¡± and Felicia broke down and climbed into bed with Peter and they lay there, both hardasses, trying not to cry ¡°but, if it was any of you, no matter what I would¡± and he hugged and kissed the top of Felicia''s head ¡°but, your heavy and I''m sore, so shoo, I want to sleep again, I¡¯ll be fine, just rest and food, I''m not injured, not dying, just tired and spent.¡±


    Felicia lifted herself up on one arm and looked at him, as if trying to verify his claims but shrugged, ¡°not your mom Pete, Livs upset at herself, Gwens upset at you, me, I''m mad cause Goblin got away, mad cause we have to do this stupid shit to fight him, I mean, someone shot me, and while I recovered I wished I had Gwen wailing over my bed, wanting to wipe my ass for me while I got better, you''ve got four women wanting to help you Pete, maybe let us okay?¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°can you, uh send Gwen in, maybe for apologies, and, in fact, no, get them both.¡±


    Felicia shrugged, ¡°sure. Okay, get your asses in here, Pete might be stupid and sick but I can hear you both out there.¡±


    A concerned red-eyed Gwen peaked her head around the door and a very quiet docile looking Liv stood on the other side of the doorway.


    ¡°Right, Pete, shush for now. Gwen, stop crying and suck it up. He didn''t die and for once he¡¯s right, you died at the diner, he saved you, I got shot and MJ saved me, Liv here got fucked up and we saved her, then you got poisoned and Peter saved you and then Liv got fucked up again and he saved her. Point is, a family does that. Now, something else family does. Liv, how could you be so fucking stupid?¡± and Felicia balled up the tissue and threw them at her,


    ¡°Sure, train, power up but seriously, shooting yourself with a fucking space laser thing doesn''t help. You knew it could kill you, you knew it could kill Ravage and yet you did it. Oh, it was my choice, fucking bullshit, fam-i-ly. You don''t fucking put yourself in danger just cause you''re scared of losing someone. Did you think Pete would be okay if you died? If any of us did, oh but don''t you sit there Mr I¡¯m throwing myself on the grenade Parker. Liv was stupid and you should have stopped her before this happened and why the hell am I the sensible one all of a sudden? Shit, you three have like a bajillion brain cells combined and right now none of them are working.¡± Felicia ranted at the trio.


    ¡°You¡¯re all fucking idiots, and if you pull shit like this again I''m going to fucking kill you myself, am I clear.¡±


    Peter cleared his throat, ¡°is it wrong that she¡¯s so fucking hot right now,¡± and Gwen was already staring at Felicia, biting her lip and just nodded.


    ¡°I uh, have a crop if anyone wants to borrow it,¡± and Gwen batted Liv on the arm


    ¡°This was supposed to be serious,¡± but she was smiling.


    Gwern looked at Peter, ¡°sorry, just, please, don''t, not right now, just don''t and she dived into him,¡± sobbing as she held him close.


    ¡°Uh Gwen,¡° he croaked, ''''squeezing too hard,¡± and he panted as she let him go.


    ¡°Don''t get hurt then shithead,¡± and she batted him but stopped before she connected and rubbed a hand over his chest. ¡°Please, please don''t get hurt.¡± and she broke down again. Peter patted and rubbed her back as she sobbed into his chest.


    He sighed and rubbed Gwen''s back. He moved slightly as Gwen began to snore, the emotional outburst was too much for her and she¡¯d fallen asleep again.


    ¡°She¡¯s fine. I think she needs this more than me¡± and Felicia rolled her eyes,


    ¡°Stop doing stupid shit, and don¡¯t call me at work unless you are actually dying, fuck.¡± and Peter raised an eyebrow,


    ¡°That bad?¡± and she nodded,


    ¡°Some whack job with a skull on his chest is killing enforcers, and I have no idea where to start to find the guy.¡± She leaned back against the doorway and crossed her arms, ¡°Drugs and whores are easy, finding killers isn¡¯t my job. I just,¡± and as she turned she patted the doorframe, ¡°I just needed some help, so stop it, okay? please?¡± and she smiled and shook her head as Peter shrugged with a small grin. Doing stupid things seemed to be the trademark of the warehouse right now.


    ¡°Maybe ask Matt? I mean, the Cats are yours but he still goes out right? So spread the workload. Can¡¯t tell me off for not sharing and being responsible when it sounds like you¡¯re the same.¡± and Felicia tutted,


    ¡°Matts pissed at Elektra for some stupid shit she did, and I found out he¡¯s banging his secretary, and  Elektra leaping on him just fucked all that up. I¡¯ve got you being a dumbshit, Liv and Gwen balling and crying, and Elektra acting like a fucking hormonal teenager, shit,¡± and she sighed. ¡°Can I just go back to making cream with Gwen and screwing all day?¡± and Peter groaned as he tried to laugh with sore ribs.


    Peter felt Gwen shift and relax.


    ¡°Just sleep, and you fucking owe me,¡± and as she turned and closed the door, Peter cuddled up to Gwen and kissed her on the forehead, thinking about her and the warehouse.


    After healing she was like a newborn, whole but unused to feeling and thinking at full power. It was no wonder she had lost it a few times, it was just like being bonded all over again and with emotions riding high, it spread to everyone. After almost losing them both, and although he knew the limits of his powers the physical effects were too much, and fearing for him everyone had broken down.


    An emotional dam had burst. After Goblin flew terror around New York and with the realisation that Harry was planning a scheme that involved not just the formula but the symbiotes as well, tensions were high and he had been the straw that broke the camel''s back. The problem they all shared was just that, not enough sharing. Sex was the main stress reliever in the warehouse but talking wasn¡¯t. They had all grown up with parents unwilling or unable to listen and as a result, they bottled up too much until it erupted in an argument.


    It was the start, Gwen and Liv were now back to normal, or as normal as things got in the warehouse and with that, they could deal with the latest threat. The rest, they could work on, just not until things were a lot calmer.


    He was worried about Felicia as well. A new vigilante not just operating in Hells Kitchen but killing was bad news, and whoever it was count have worse timing. With him out for now and everything else he didn¡¯t want Felicia to make the same mistakes they all had. To keep working until she broke. Sighing and leaning back in the bed, he shuffled, to Gwen¡¯s complaining, until he was comfortable.


    Peter shut his eyes as Gwen cuddled up to him more and his last thoughts were of tomorrow, and the plans they needed to make to deal with Harry, once and for all.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter One Hundred Five. Pest Problem

    The buzzer for the front gate went and having moved a new box, wired to the main table, Peter idly flicked the switch and watched the video monitor flicker into life. The atmosphere in the warehouse had cleared and everyone seemed happier for it. Gwen had been declared fit after running the exercise course with them all, and Liv had finally come down from her symbiote high. She was ecstatic that she could move properly, and had enjoyed the freedom she had gained.


    Felicia and Gwen had gone shopping, while MJ headed to bed. The excitement of teasing Peter was over and they had decided that both Peter, for doing the deed, and MJ, for saying it was okay, needed some punishment. Gwen had lifted Peters bank card and grinned as she and Felicia headed out on a date. MJ''s punishment would be simple, she was on dish and laundry duty for the foreseeable future, a chore she hated after working at the diner all day.


    "Mr Parker, This is special agent Fury. I was wondering if myself and an agent could speak with you?" Checking the camera, a bald one-eyed black man with a stylish but over the top leather trench coat stood at the gate, and of course, he recognised Tali, in a tighter leather bodysuit this time. He looked over at Liv who shrugged, "go home for now, that''s her," and Liv tutted as she saw the beautiful young woman.


    Peter grinned and kissed her, "go on," and he hit the buzzer for the door and waited patiently for the pair to arrive.


    "Nice place Mr Parker, may we come in?¡± Agent Fury asked,


    Peter shrugged, ¡°sure I already did,¡± winking at Tali who rolled her eyes,


    "Jokes aside, this is important. May we?" and Fury pointed to the coffee table between the two homes.


    ¡°Sure,¡± and Peter lifted his arm, pointing Fury and Tali over to the table.


    "Coffee?¡± And Peter poured himself a cup, offering the pair one of their own, and both shook their heads.


    "If we were interrupting we can come back,¡± Nick said, pointing at the other cup, half full and still hot.


    Peter shrugged, ¡°it''s fine. Let''s just get this over with, what do you want?"


    "Not one for small talk huh? You know your mother was like that, I knew her, back at the academy.¡± Fury began,


    "Oh really?" Peter interrupted, "Was that before or after she got killed? I guess by academy you mean the pirates or ninjas academy, going by the theme you both have on, and ninjas by the way, so, go on,¡±


    Nick sighed, ¡°Your mom was an agent, S.H.I.E.L.D, Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement Logistics Department. One of the best actually, she''d have my job if well, you know the rest.¡±


    ¡°Nice name, you have a department for that?"


    Fury looked at him, ¡°sure, agents of acronym. Assistants Continually Researching Obvious Names You Memorise.¡±


    And Peter raised an eyebrow, ¡°guess you get asked that a lot huh?¡±


    Fury shrugged, ¡°often enough, but back to my story about your mom,¡±


    ¡°Not interested, what''s your point?¡± Peter asked.


    ¡°Not interested huh? Well, it was worth a shot.¡± and Fury shrugged, disappointed, but he had other cards to play to get what he wanted from Peter.


    ¡°Oh, okay, then where were you guys when she died? Cause I don''t remember anyone mentioning a pirate Pete at the funeral, or oh I don''t know, when my uncle died and my aunt had to work two jobs, or even when I hit 18 and the insurance checks started to come to me, and I realised that the government pension we got for her and my dad was worth shit. So no, let''s go there, agent Willie.¡± Peter had no patience for Fury''s shit right now,


    ¡°Agent Willie? Oh, the Goonies, yeah I get that, so, right up until Flash Thompson ratted you out things were pretty great I bet. Yeah, threatening to rip someone''s head off really doesn''t make them sympathetic to keeping your secrets. So you, Gwen Stacy, Mary Jane Watson, and Felicia Hardy, all enhanced, all very dangerous.¡± Nick leaned forwards, and his leather jacket squeaked, which brought a small smile to Peter''s face. He looked over at Tali, who was sat stoically, scanning the warehouse.


    ¡°What do you want? Agent Fury?¡±


    ¡°I want to do a quid pro quo Mr Parker, you share then I share, simple, no strings and no bullshit. One question, one answer, and if you don''t want to answer then it''s over, I''ll leave and we can do this the much harder way.¡° Nick leaned back again, motioning to himself and then to Peter and back again.


    ¡°Oh come on, at least Tali bought me coffee before she fucked me. Questions? And if you don''t like my answer then you come in guns blazing huh? I don''t think you''ll like that option agent Fury.¡± Peter shook his head, he knew if he admitted he was Venom, his next stop would be jail, or worse.


    ¡°You listen to what I have to say, and I can make a lot of your problems disappear.¡± and Fury pulled out a file from his coat, and slid it across the table to Peter, ¡°What¡¯s in that file, but only once you answer my questions. Well then, let¡¯s stop with the bullshit and the deflection and just talk. So are you Venom?¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°right to the heart of it huh? Nope, you first, let''s build some trust, what do you want?¡± He tapped a finger on the file, ¡°nice offer, but this could be empty, and once I talk I¡¯m at your mercy.¡±


    ¡°Oh that''s easy, you heard about Harlem, right? Well, that was another one of your enhanced friends. What I want is for you and your kind to stop wrecking the city. For you to maybe come to an understanding with local law enforcement that saves lives while allowing you to operate, and if I scratch your back then you know, you can scratch mine. Now, are you Venom?¡± The impatience was thick in Fury''s voice. While Peter was in no mood for games, neither was he.


    ¡°Well, that was as vague an answer as you could possibly give. The last time law enforcement came after Venom, someone died. The last time Venom checked the brothels and shitholes were operating by paying off local law enforcement. So as you never really answered my question, what do you want? Cause that bullshit answer doesn''t wash agent Fury.¡±


    ¡°I want a team of enhanced individuals to deal with and terminate threats against the world, Mr Parker."


    Fury pointed at the file and Peter flicked it open, lifting the first page, "Avengers Initiative, sounds fancy. Bruce Banner also known as Hulk, Agent Natalia Romanov, aka Black Widow, Agent Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, and Tony Stark as technical advisor. Very impressive, so why me?"


    ¡°That''s three, answer the damn question first or we walk and I sent in a squad of agents to arrest your ass.¡±


    Peter snorted, ¡°yeah, on what charge?¡±


    "You just piss me off is good enough. I get to be director of a multinational law enforcement agency for a very good reason. Agent Romanov might have bought you coffee but I won''t even use lube when I fuck you," Fury was up and leaning over the table, staring at Peter.


    "And if I admit I''m Venom, then you cart me off to a lab and try to dissect me?¡±


    Fury shook his head. "Nope. Your powers, while impressive, I bet aren''t replicable. I don''t care who gave them to you or how you got them, only that I can depend on you if the time comes."


    "Well, agent Fury, I''ll need a contract, a guarantee, in writing for me and those I am associated with. I''m not about to wipe my ass for you, get me those and we can talk properly."


    ¡°Second to last page,¡± was all Fury said.


    Peter raised an eyebrow at the contract, guaranteeing immunity as long as a certain number of rules were followed. They would even pay him for freelance work he did.


    "you know I can''t agree to this without discussing it with the others first.¡±


    "I can respect that, oh and nice place,"


    Peter smiled, "I will give you one for free though. Ms Romanov, the next time you''re sent after someone you suspect of being enhanced wear a different scent. Some people can smell the formula they used on you, and yours is bad."


    Natasha frowned, "bad?" and she sniffed the back of her hand, "then why?"


    Peter laughed, "the bathroom. It was obvious you were a plant. I mean, I''m pretty but not that pretty. Even I''m not going to say no to a super hot woman who offers herself willingly." Peter said, smiling, and Natasha shook her head.


    Fury flicked his eyes between them, "you know we''re at work, save the flirting for later, but you have 24 hours. Talk to your people and call the number on the last page. If I don''t hear from you, don''t expect the same deal, Mr Parker."


    Peter just scowled, ¡°yeah yeah,¡± and waved a hand at the pair, while reading, ¡°the doors over there, show yourselves out.¡±


    Peter watched as Fury and Romanov headed out the door, and soon enough Liv poked her head out.


    "I heard, you''ll take it won''t you?" she asked and he nodded.


    "Even if it''s just for you Liv, amnesty means you can go out again," and taking his head in her hands she sat on his lap and kissed him,


    "but freedom for me means a cage or worse for you Peter dear."


    "Anything, if you are all safe then anything.¡± and she sat on his lap and cuddled up to him.


    ¡°Oh, and here was me thinking that Peter Parker, yelling at the head of a spy organisation about his mother, had no sentimental bones in his body. We''re all big girls Peter, we can look after ourselves.¡±


    Peter shook his head and wrapped his arms around her, ¡°they already know, the honey trap, the excuse to turn up today. They know. If Flash talked then it doesn''t matter, he knows about everyone, and once we''re taken then it''s just you Liv, so no, I''ve got no choice do I?¡±


    "Burn the world huh, even yourself?"


    Peter shook his head "If Shield was as great as they said then they''d have come in here guns blazing. They need us Liv, need me. Even if it''s for a crappy job. It pays, and really well.¡± Peter flipped open the contract, each consultancy was a thousand dollars and each job where he would actually work could net him up to ten thousand.


    ¡°Pays good, and Fel and I will run out of scumbags to shakedown eventually. Even now most are pulling out of Manhatten and Hells kitchen, so legit might not be too bad.¡±


    ¡°Whos legit?¡± Felicia asked as she and Gwen came back from shopping, laden with bags. Peter shrugged and slid the file over to her, waiting for her response.


    "Super-Spy Peter Parker huh, the names Parker, Peter Parker. Yeah, I dig it" and she shrugged. "Things are stabilizing now Kingpin and Prowler are out of the picture, plus immunity for the five of us seems pretty sweet if you ask me. You should phone Matt though. I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯d be over the moon to know you were actually legit, and not the giant monster he thinks you are." Peter just snorted and while he shook his head, dialled and started to go over the contract with Matt. They just had to wait until MJ woke up before they could all decide.


    Once Gwen and Felicia had headed into their home, and Gwen and Peter wrestled to get his card back they chatted and talked, Shield being the favourite topic until MJ finally woke up for her late shift at the diner.


    "I still have doubts dear," Liv had snuggled up to Peter again, something she always did when she was anxious, "It still doesn''t sit right with me. but, I will trust you and support you, so, yes.¡± a sleepy MJ, still in her PJ''s, drinking a coffee just shrugged and leant back


    "I''m easy, up to you," and Peter snorted, "ass," she whispered behind her cup but still grinned.


    Peter flicked on his phone and sent a text to the number. "I''m in," was all he sent and soon an e-doc with the contract arrived. Making sure it was the same as before and that it covered everyone in the warehouse, not just Gwen, MJ, Felicia, but Liv as well, he signed it. Once it was sent a Shield e-badge with "Peter Parker. Provisional" was displayed.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter One Hundred Six. May Day

    As Liv and Peter watched Curt undress they understood the severity of the situation. Today they were going to properly cleanse Curt and re-enhance him. He was unwilling to leave May unprotected, and with Gwen¡¯s work on the Lizard formula they wanted to keep it and him separate. The only issue she had been unable to solve was the regeneration.


    The Lizard formula had a flaw, that to regrow a limb the subject needed to remain enhanced, this wasn¡¯t a cure-all. Even the basic Stacy formula, as it had been christened, could only repair. Regrowing a missing limb or organ was beyond even its semi-miraculous powers.


    Gwen had already fixed the formula, and with a small workshop capable of doing the work the harness had been taken apart and Liv had been working on two new ones. One for her, with the standard four additional limbs, Peter was content with the modified harness he had taken from Liv, and she was more than happy to let him, and an extra one for Curt, that only contained the mental neural connectors.


    If they were set right, he would be able to remain conscious during his transformation and then guide the Lizard part of him into a more docile and controllable state.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really need to explain this to you, do I?¡± and Curt shook his head. To save on the cleanup, he agreed to be strapped almost naked to a gurney, it was just welded rebar, as Peter had plenty lying around, but it would be secure enough that if he lost control of the transformation, it would hold him. Lastly, Peter was there to make sure that if he did lose control, Venom would make sure the Lizard behaved itself. Even if it wanted to run and hide.


    After the first injection, Curt spent a good few minutes vomiting, and then strapped down once more and given the second injection, coupled with the new harness. While it was noticeable, the thick metal back adorning his neck would be prominent if he took his top off he figured that as May already knew he was sick, he could pass it off as a medical device. While technically untrue it was close enough he didn¡¯t feel guilty about lying to her.


    As the second injection took hold he felt the Lizard within him stir, but this time the override in the collar kicked in and he felt it settle. It was a strange feeling, as the creature that dwelled within him stirred but then became docile and he nodded over to Gwen and Peter, ¡°I am going to transform,¡° and Peter darkened and grew as Venom stood, tensed and ready. As Curt called to the creature he felt himself slip away, and as Venom and Gwen watched the monster they both knew as Lizard cracked and grew from Curt.


    ¡°We are free!¡± it hissed and in his mind, it heard the Connors,  you are, but you will listen to me now, listen, ¡°We will listen now,¡± and it lay perfectly still on the gurney.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to untie you okay?¡± Gwen asked, and as she undid the first trap Venom tensed,


    ¡°We will listen, and not hurt the Gwen,¡± and hesitantly Gween reached over and ran a hand over the arm of the Lizard, ¡°We are here Gwen, we listen to the Conners and speak for him.¡± and Gwen sighed and patted him on the arm.


    ¡°Looks like it worked Pete, but uh, stay like that, just in case,¡± and he nodded but relaxed his stance. ¡°Right, undoing the straps and then, if you behave, you can eat, we have meat right?¡± and Venom nodded. They knew, from Curt, that the Lizard did prefer to eat the rats it could catch in the sewers but as Curt would prefer to remain vermin free they had bought a few different cuts of meat to see if bribery, as well as the collar, would work.


    ¡°Uh, I made the sausages for dinner though,¡± Venom admitted and Gwen tutted,


    ¡°Those were Lizards,¡± and as she leaned over she whispered, ¡°but I¡¯ll get you more,¡± and Venom shook his head,


    ¡°He¡¯s not a pet Gwen.¡± but Gwen just pulled a face at him and continued to undo the straps.


    As the last one came free Gwen moved back and gave both Lizard space to stand, and Venom space to attack if he needed, but the transformed Curt stretched and swished his tail back and forth, ¡°We feel better, calm, but we wish the meat now, please.¡± and Gwen stifled a laugh


    ¡°Do you want to eat in private or at the table with us?¡± and the Lizard tilted his head,


    ¡°Gwen, it probably doesn¡¯t understand. Follow, we¡¯ll get you something to eat,¡± and at the word eat Lizard nodded and moved after Venom.


    Gwen tutted, ¡°bribe him with steak and get a new pet, see if I care, stupid Venom.¡± and muttered to herself, ¡°he¡¯s my mentor, and it¡¯s my formula, but no, a bit of steak and its ignore the nice lady,¡± as she cleaned up the room they had used to cure Curt.


    ¡°You know I can hear you right?¡± Venom called back into the room and Gwen cursed,


    ¡°Still a stupid head,¡± and she could hear the laughter from the breakfast table.


    Once she was finished, Gwen came out of the room to the delectable smell of steak being fried, and the Lizard was sat on its haunches tearing at a large fatty piece of raw steak while Peter worked over the stove.


    He smiled and kissed her on the side of the cheek as he lay a plate down and slid a medium-rare piece of steak on a plate in front of her, another onto a plate where he was and a third onto the last plate.


    ¡°Uh?¡± Gwen asked. but Lizard threw the steak up and with a snap of its jaws devoured it whole. After licking its mouth clean of blood, its muzzle shrank and a barely dressed Curt wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Looking slightly pale Peter motioned to the back of a nearby chair where Curt saw slacks and a shirt waiting for him, Nodding in appreciation he dressed before sitting and helping himself to the much preferred cooked breakfast.


    ¡°Gwen dear, while Mr Stupid head here might not say it, I am incredibly grateful, not just to have you create the formula but as my pupil. I don¡¯t think I could be any prouder right now, or happy.¡± and as she cut a slice of steak and stuck it in her mouth she grinned,


    ¡°That¡¯s how you suck up,¡± Peter said and Gwen batted his arm but he laughed. ¡°My brilliant girlfriend,¡± and beaming she sat, happily enjoying her steak.


    After enjoying his breakfast he headed back home. With his fugitive status removed, the paperwork dealt with concerning his accidental death and a whole lot of insurance claims and bank accounts unfrozen Curt had managed to afford a small place for himself and May, and after living in the sewers for so many years he was glad to have not just a home but a backyard.


    May was at home, and as his bank accounts were fairly rich she had quit her job and taken up several more classes to occupy her time.


    As he unbuttoned his coat and shouted, ¡°I¡¯m home,¡± up the stairs she came down, towelling off her long brown hair, straight from the shower. Kissing her on the cheek, ¡°hello dear,¡± he said and she  smiled, ¡°anything interesting in the post?¡± but she shook her head,


    ¡°The usual, maybe a job offer from Hammer Industries,¡± she said, ¡°But no¡±. Even Aunt May knew of his reputation and she would prefer Curt to get a job in a smaller, less volatile lab this time around. She knew Gwen had offered to pay him for tutoring, but he needed a real job, and not to be stuck in the warehouse with Peter and his friends.


    For now, fixing up the ramshackle two up two down house had been Curts focus but now, as he sat at the table he needed to explain a few things to May, and hopefully not land Peter in hot water with his Aunt.


    ¡°Dear.¡± he said hesitantly and May raised an eyebrow at him, ¡°I might have fixed my small problem, and maybe, after I''ve made sure that it works, maybe we can go on that holiday we planned?¡±


    ¡°Cured? Does that mean you won''t be spending time at the warehouse?¡± and Curt frowned and half shook his head,


    ¡°I do still tutor Gwen, but yes. It does mean more time here dear, more time for us?¡± and as he looked over expectantly at May he heard something knock over the garbage cans in the backyard. ¡°Stupid racoons,¡± but May looked at the clock,


    ¡°At this time?¡± and Curt paled.


    ¡°Maybe go upstairs dear, just in case.¡± and she frowned but nodded.


    Curt knew Harry had threatened both Peter at the warehouse and Aunt May, and living under both their names finding their address wouldn''t be very hard for someone even without Harry''s vast network of resources.


    As Curt crept into the kitchen he tiptoed to the back door, Peter had been insistent on some upgrades and while it looked normal it was in fact a reinforced steel security door and the window, toughened safety glass. Curt peered out and shook his head as he saw the cans rolling on their side. They had just been knocked over but there was nothing there. Checking to make sure he couldn¡¯t smell anything and unlocked the door and closed it behind him as he went to straighten up the yard.


    He waved at May as she peered out from behind a curtain and as she moved from the window, he began to right the cans and stick their dented lids back on. Dented? He thought to himself and as he lifted one to examine what caused the mark it was smashed into his face, throwing him backwards.


    A symbiote, red and black giggled as it stretched up out of the can and as its alien limbs lengthened and sharpened, ¡°oh we promise this will be fun, fun for us and fun for you too.¡± Curt had no idea who this was, only that he recognised it as a symbiote. Harry, he thought and took a breath, come on then old friend, and as he sent the command to the collar his body erupted in a wave of pain.


    The symbiote watched as Curt doubled over and with a cracking noise suddenly leapt at him, his skin and body now suddenly thick and scaly green. In shock, the symbiote sliced out with an arm blade, but the Lizard simply caught it in his jaws and bit down. Howling in pain his other arm came and smashed against Lizard''s head, but rather than let go he shook the Red symbiote, lifting him off his feet and thrashing him like a rag doll. As he yelled and screeched in pain Lizard let go and threw him towards the back of the yard.


    ¡°Gut You, Kill You,¡° it hissed at him but Lizard shook his head,


    ¡°Eat you. Fresh meat, tasty,¡± and he snapped his jaws and licked them with a huge Lizard tongue. The Peter had never said the slime monsters were tasty and he could eat the Red one. He knew he wouldn¡¯t get in trouble as he smelt different from the others, they might even buy him steak as well. Lizard knew anyone different was bad, and the May creature was the Peter creature''s kin, even though he could what Connors in his mind telling him to be careful Lizard wasn¡¯t worried, this red slime man was weak, tasty but weak.


    Red stretched to his full height, his arms splitting and becoming giant axes. ¡°Eat me? Eat ME? I¡¯ll gut you, gut you,¡± and with no coordination, he swung for Lizard, as the axe slid harmlessly off his skin Lizard crouched and spun, batting carnage with his tail. Grabbing it, carnage lifted Lizard up and slammed him down into the ground, sending dirt and grass into the air, ¡°kill you kill you,¡± it screeched and with Lizards tail trapped under one arm, his symbskin enveloped a small section of it, wrapping itself around it like a wire.


    Lizard howled in agony as the skin twisted and bit into him, coating his thinner tail scales in some kind of toxic acid. He thrashed it back and forth, trying to dislodge him, but the red slime man only laughed as he dug his heels into the soft yard dirt and held him fast.


    ¡°Kill you, then kill the May,¡± and with that taunt Lizard became enraged. In his mind, the Lizard felt the world go black and for a second he was sure the Conners had put him to sleep, but as his vision regained, Red was on the ground and with a thick scaly clawed foot he stomped on his back.


    Red watched as the creature shrank and became a man again and with his hold broken he stumbled, only for him to shift back to his much larger form and attack him once more. Even as he sent tendrils waving and slashing from his back the monster was relentless.


    Ignoring the useless blades that only cut and slashed his clothing, Lizard picked up the red and black slime man and hoisted him over his head, smashing him down on his knee. As the man coughed and vomited he repeated the same move and it was only when he heard the sirens that he paused.


    With a momentary distraction Red coated himself in the same acid he used before, and as Lizard dropped him he bolted, vaulted over the neighbour¡¯s fence and ran. It had not gone according to plan, his master had been wrong and he had gotten hurt. If he could only free himself he would be able to take revenge on them all, take revenge on the ones who did this. Oh, what fun he would have, he thought but the master kept him on a tight leash, and he could only obey.


    As Connors shrank back down he thanked the creature and heading inside. He saw May standing with a phone in one hand and her brother-in-law''s old gun in the other, ¡°Is it gone?¡± and as Curt nodded she burst into tears and grabbed hold of him.


    Even as the doorbell rang and Curt saw the armoured police ETF officer there he waved and the man nodded, seeing the state May was in.


    ¡°May, listen, I will explain but we cannot tell them, about me, I know you saw, I¡¯m not stupid and I know you¡¯re not either, but they will take me.¡± and buried in his chest she nodded,


    ¡°Richard was Shield, I know when to lie,¡± and as she stood up straight, she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.


    As she opened the door she apologised, ¡°I''m sorry officer, it, it was just a bit much,¡± and he nodded,


    ¡°It''s okay ma¡¯am, but we will need a statement, it was the Lizard, yes? and one of Venom''s associates?¡± and Aunt May had no choice but to nod.


    Once they had both given statements, and the backyard had been scoured for blood and other forensics,  May was handed a cup of tea by Curt. As she sat staring at it she looked over at him, knowing full well that guilty nervous smile hid more than he was willing to tell.


    ¡°Is he safe?¡± and it was only then that Curt frowned, ¡°Is Peter safe?¡± and with a moment of realisation Curt nodded,


    ¡°Then don¡¯t bother lying, as long as he is safe then I don¡¯t need to know.¡± and as she took a sip from the cup, ¡°But, if you ever lie and he isn¡¯t Mr Conners, then whatever that man was going to do will be a picnic compared to what I will do to you.¡±


    Curt and the Lizard both gulped, now he knew where Peter got it from.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter One Hundred Seven. Properly Satisfied (NSFW)

    ¡°Peter, I know we''ve had sex before, and I know we''ve done what we can but now,¡± Liv took a breath, ¡°now I can move and walk again, now we can both enjoy our lovemaking I have a request and don''t go all weird, don''t panic, for my first time with proper feeling I want something special." With everything now working, and the damage to her spine healed properly, she had taken Peter to bed, but now was also the time to let him know what she was really like and hope he didn¡¯t reject her.


    ¡°Uh, sure Liv sure,¡± Peter lay back in his bed but he frowned as Liv spoke, ¡°so uh?¡±


    ¡°My ass, I want it in my ass,¡± she said as he raised an eyebrow. ¡°Peter, don''t push this, just nod and get the lube.¡±


    ¡°Okay okay,¡± Peter leaned over and grabbed the bottle of laced lube they all used, and Liv turned and got on all fours, with a generous application Peter smeared it all over her little pink hole, and it twitched as he touched it.


    He rubbed her pussy with his other clean hand, letting his fingers pinched her clit while he gently massages her ass, ¡°that''s, that''s enough, please, in, in me now and standing.¡± He wiped his hand on a cloth and a little sanitiser and pressed the tip of his cock against the lubed hole.


    ¡°Gently, gently,¡± Liv asked and he did, slowly pushed himself in, leaning back and letting her accept him before moving forward again but he felt her muscles relax and with a few strokes slid inside her. The muscles tightened around the base of his cock and the squeezing made him almost cum into her there and then, taking control of his orgasm he let it fade back and she squirmed and moaned, ¡°move, please,¡± and he began to slide back out.


    He was slow, letting her feel every inch of him slip in and out, her ass was amazingly tight, going as far as gripping him almost refusing to let him go and with each stroke inwards she moaned and eventually her cries of passion were highest, "cum oh fuck cum," and he let loose a torrent of hot sticky cum into her.


    As they lay together, Liv gently running one hand over Peters torse she looked at him, hesitant to admit her true feelings. ¡°Um Peter, can I uh, ask you something?¡± And he shrugged, he had slipped out of her and was cleaning himself, a basin of warm water was there and he guessed that was what it was for ¡°if I uh, told you I liked it rough, not really rough but maybe spanking or a crop, would you?¡±


    And Peter sat down, ¡°I dunno Liv, I don''t like the idea of hurting you.¡±


    ¡°What if I uh told you that I liked it?¡± she asked, ¡°I''m sorry but,¡± and she paused before she continued, afraid of his reaction,


    He smiled and ran a finger down her arm, ¡°it''s okay, say it.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I like sex Peter, not just like everyone else. I mean, anytime you want sex come to see me, want to cum in my mouth you can, on my face, my tits, my pussy, my ass, want to watch me fuck someone else, I will. Toys, crops, anal, both holes, talk dirty, shout at me, curse me, I love it all Peter. No strangulation though, tried that and it went badly, but tie me up you can, want me to spank you? I will, I really love you Peter and I don''t want to hide it, I love sex, I like it with you and we can do anything really, anything, just don''t hate me.¡±


    ¡°Uh, why now, I mean, it''s been a good few months since you got here, so?¡±


    ¡°Rules, when I grew up women were seen and not heard, Norman was like that, Harry was like that, I''ve been called a slut, a whore, and every name under the sun. Women aren''t supposed to like sex, we tolerate it to get pregnant and you''d be surprised how many people have that attitude and I''m tired of acting like that''s okay. Once isn''t enough, what we just did isn''t enough Peter and I want more, I want to feel every inch of you and taste every inch of you, god even now I feel you in me and I want it again.¡± Liv shook her head, ¡°See? even you''re looking at me like the rest,¡± she patted his hand and sighed, ¡°it''s fine, it''s fine.¡±


    Peter flipped her over and slid right into her, thrusting hard against her as he pinned her, an arm tight around her neck digging his hands into and pulling her hair. he growled in her ear ¡°don''t tell me what I like if you want my cock then you''ll get my fucking cock and love it,¡±


    Liv was gone though, her pussy was full of him and it clenched and ached with each stroke and as he pounded her she moaned and cried out, he accepted her and she took it all.


    They slapped together as he thrust harder and harder into her and she moaned and cried out louder and louder as he did. He came inside her pussy and filled it, then pulled out again and into her ass and began thrusting again as she cried his name over and over. He finished again before pulling out and covering her in more of his seed, almost spraying it over her, covering both her ass and pussy in white liquid.


    ¡°More. Fuck me like a whore, fuck me till I scream,¡± she yelled and he slipped a symbskin package off his cock, ripping it and cleaning himself before using her ass once more. Fumbling over she pulled out a bright pink rabbit vibrator from her night cabinet, ¡°this, please?¡± And he lay behind her and spread her legs, rubbing it with cream and her already wet slit until they were both dripping and sliding it into her. Lifting up a leg, he wrapped it around his own and grabbing her hips he began to move.


    She bit back a cry, and even Peter had to admit that feeling the added pressure of the dildo in her pussy was intensely pleasurable. She had to hold it as he thrust in and out of her, each of his movements threatening to dislodge it and laughing he webbed into her. ¡°Tell me if this hurts though,¡± and she nodded as he slid back inside her. She whined as he mercilessly pounded her ass, filling her once more,


    ¡°Call me a whore, please, tell me I¡¯m a slut, fuck me, fuck your little whore, fuck me,¡± she whined as he thrust into her, and while he felt slightly stupid, he obliged.


    ¡°My whore, take it, take my fucking cock you slut,¡± and with a free hand, he grabbed at her chest, rubbing his fingers over her nipples. As she grabbed his hand and pushed back against his he let loose a flood inside her once more. His face burned with embarrassment, it was hard, to be so crass but he got into it, as he saw the look on Livs face, he saw how much she loved it.


    Repeating the trick he pulled out, cleaning himself and as she licked the tip she nodded and swallowed him whole. Kneeling she lay on her side, letting her hands roam over his ass, squeezing and feeling the muscular body of her lover.


    She gasped at his buttocks as her head slid up and down his length, with Ravage and some tips from Gwen, it was more than comfortable. It was amazing as she took him as deep as she could there was no discomfort, only pleasure. As she moved back and forth his hand rubbed the webbed dildo into her and pressed it in and out, loving her moans as he pleasured her while she pleasured him.


    ¡°Suck it, suck my cock and drink my cum,¡± Peter found he definitely into this. It might only be Liv but the dirty talk, the freedom of being able to cut loose, in more ways than one. He didn¡¯t mind the talk, it was her way and a part of him liked it, she was his whore, just as he was hers. Her own personal cock to use and abuse.


    Even with his last orgasm barely faded he let lose another jet and she took all of it, swallowing it and letting it dribble down her chest and over her flushed chest, as he let him free it squirted over her face and she licked him and rubbed it over her chest letting her lap up his cum and she lay there exhausted and satisfied for the first time in over 15 years. Panting and sighing happily as each part of her ached in a way they never had, even at the height of her sexual experimentation.


    Peter collapsed next to her, exhausted for once, never having had the chance to reach the limits of his stamina in that way before, sweat glistening on both of them as they touched shoulders and Liv gently kissed the top of his head.


    ¡°Give me a few,¡± and panting, she undid the webbing and slipped the dildo into her ass gasping as she clenched, ¡°and again?¡± and he grinned and obliged, holding the dildo with one hand, she got on all fours and he slipped into her, alternating his own thrust with sliding the dildo in and out and Liv moaned and bit the pillow as she played with her clit. Holding the dildo with one hand, grabbing her small but firm ass with one hand he slapped her other side with a hand,


    Feeling slightly self-conscious, none of the others had expressed an interest, he still tried ¡°you like that?¡± and as he spanked her she cried,


    ¡°Please, more, please,¡± each time he struck her. Each time he smacked her she felt herself cum more and more, the pain driving her already steady orgasm into the large tidal wave she wanted and she came over him, covering him with her own cum. ¡°Fuck your whore, fuck her hard,¡± and Peter, unsure wrapped his hand in her hair and pulled her head back. He felt her tighten around him and even if she didn¡¯t say, she was enjoying herself.


    Liv was slick with her own cum as well as his and he came inside her but pulled her dragged her down, and sprayed cum over her face, shoving his cock into her mouth still sticky and covered in her fluid. She hungrily sucked on it, taking a few mouthfuls before starting to lick him up and down.


    Taking his entire length in her mouth he was merciless as he hardened once more and as she bobbed back and forth he came quickly, Liv had been holding back and her oral technique was too much for the young man to bear. As he came she gulped and when her mouth was full she just let it spill out over her breasts, uncaring and unashamed of her cock worship.


    Without question she cleaned him, licking not just her cum but his and gently stroking him as their mutual orgasms began to fade. Sweating and panting, even Peter knew his stamina apparently had limits and he was spent. Since the accident and his enhancement, he was well and truly spent and he figured that even he couldn¡¯t cum anymore as he wilted under even Livs gentle kisses.


    As they lay back in the bed, she unwebbed herself and let the dildo fall to the floor, uncaring about the mess and for once, completely fulfilled, except one thing.


    ¡°Oh and I''m having a cigarette,¡± and lifting the corner of the mattress she took out a single packet, took one out and lit it, taking a deep draw. Her moan was almost as loud as the ones she had been making during sex and Peter raised an eyebrow.


    As Peter lay back next to her for once he didn''t care, taking it from her he took a draw, pulled a face and handed it back. Peter shook his head, ¡°Curt isn''t the best spy in the world you know,¡± and she laughed but she still had her smoke, ¡°no, I''ll fit an air purifier for you, cause, no.¡±


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter One Hundred Eight. Honesty (NSFW)

    Liv limped over to the breakfast table, last night Peter had fulfilled every whim and desire she had but even with an enhanced body he was still rough, and while she loved every second of it, she was feeling it. He brought coffee and a plate of pastries over and as they sat and smiled at each other, eventually Gwen and Felicia dragged themselves out of bed, and even MJ appeared.


    ¡°So what''s with the grins you two, we heard you last night, so spill,¡± MJ asked the smiling pair, as she poured coffee and grabbed a plate for breakfast.


    ¡°Um Peter and I came to an agreement, we''ve been keeping things locked up and they needed to be said.¡±


    Gwen raised an eyebrow, ¡±so what''s with the limp?¡±


    ¡°You really want to know?¡± Liv asked,


    Gwen shrugged, ¡°sure, no secrets right.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Liv began, ¡°Peter did my ass twice, my pussy twice, my mouth twice and covered my face, tits and pussy in as much cum as I wanted, we used a vibrator on my pussy while he filled my behind and then spanked me until he came inside me.¡± She said smugly, taking a sip of coffee.


    ¡°Uh, what? That''s like seven times Pete, since when?¡±


    ¡°Eight and since always, uh, I can get off a few times before I¡¯m done¡±


    ¡°That''s not a few? eight is not a few Pete, what the hell?¡± Gwen shouted


    ¡°hey, calm down,¡± but Gwen shook her head.


    ¡°No, that''s not right Pete, I mean, I thought we were good enough, that it was enough, but it¡¯s not is it, once isn''t enough for you,¡± and Peter shook his head, ¡°Shit, see? Are you cheating? am I not enough?¡±


    Whatever Gwen was feeling she felt bad enough that she couldn''t go more than once, but to hear Peter actually admit it broke the normally stoic Gwen, she hated knowing that she couldn''t satisfy him, and with Felicia now dating Elektra, she felt that she was in danger of losing the two people she cared most for.


    ¡°But you''ve got the wrong idea, Gwen, there''s four of you, so once is enough, I''ve been with each of you in one night before, I figured it was okay,¡± Peter said


    ¡°Is it though? you had sex with that Shield agent, and now this?¡± she shrank back, holding her cup in front of her, ¡°are we not good enough?¡±


    ¡°Gwen, it¡¯s okay, we all have high sex drives because of the symbiotes, so yes, it¡¯s fine, you are more than enough, I don¡¯t eat six tubs of ice cream when I get the urge do I?¡± Pete said, standing and pouring coffee for himself and the rest shook their heads when he motioned with the coffee jug.


    ¡°Okay okay, honesty time then, no need to hold back,¡± Liv started, ¡°I''ll repeat for the group what I said to Peter last night, I¡¯m up for anything, threesomes or more, Peter plus, toys, spanking, rough play, anal oral, vaginal, no choking or strangulation, and yes dear, if you two would like a lesbian threesome then yes, Pete can watch, join in or if you prefer just the three of us, any one of you, I¡¯m open to a lot of things,¡± Liv said while Gwen and Felicia looked at each other. ¡°I¡¯m older and tired of hiding, I spent more of my adult life in that damn harness than out, I¡¯m 42 dear, and not ashamed to want things.¡±


    ¡°well, uh, we, never thought,¡° Gwen stated, ¡°but okay, seeing as its honesty time, Pete sure I love you but uh, I prefer to use my mouth, I mean pussy is fine, anal is out, but I really love you fucking my mouth. Poison makes everything so sensitive that, I dunno, it just feels great and yeah, I really like the taste, I mean, I fucking love the taste.¡±


    MJ interrupted by ¡±uh, what about his you know, size?¡± After some investigation out of curiosity, MJ found that while Peter wasn''t huge he was on the larger side, a good few inches over the national average. She¡¯d not quite got up the courage to measure him officially but the thought had crossed her mind once or twice.


    ¡°Oh, use your symbiote, they can let us breathe without air right? Filter gasses and stuff, so uh yeah just let Muse coat the inside of your mouth and then you can take it deep, and yeah that¡¯s my fetish if it¡¯s for Pete, but girl stuff, I¡¯m up for anything so Liv, sure, I just never thought you know, that you were bi is all.¡±


    ¡°Oh dear, I¡¯m more than that, in very open but Peter said no more men so it''s fine¡±


    ¡°Wait? You''d have sex with another man?¡± MJ asked her,


    ¡°No dear, I¡¯d let Peter and another man have sex with me, now that was amazing, but that was the past and I know that¡¯s not a thing for this group.¡±


    Peter laughed and shook his head continuing, ¡°Yeah sorry Liv, it might be selfish but uh the idea of another man is a turnoff.¡±


    Gwen looked over at Felicia, who scowled, ¡°I never touched Matt, and never will. Your problem with Elektra is nothing to do with me,¡± and Gwen scowled,


    ¡°She¡¯s pushy and doesn¡¯t stop when I say to,¡± and Felicia shrugged,


    ¡°Punch her in the face,¡± and Gwen laughed,


    ¡°That going a bit too far isn¡¯t it?¡± she said but it was Liv who answered,


    Liv shrugged, ¡°Gwen dear it¡¯s fine, but you need to at least tell her. There''s nothing wrong with limits, that''s what this is, it''s about honesty, it¡¯s about letting each other know that there is a line and what''s safe and what isn''t. This isn''t to judge or criticize it so we¡¯ll all know it¡¯s a safe place where we can let our feelings show for one and another, like MJ here, I know you''re not into girls and that''s fine, I wouldn''t expect Peter to suddenly bottom for another man, sexual preference is personal dear, it''s the judgemental assholes that ruin it for everyone.¡±


    MJ stated, ¡°sorry Peter, plain stuff for me. I mean, I like a bit of oral but really I prefer you finished inside me, but multiple times is fine, I don''t get the whole raging torrent thing. It''s just waves of pleasure for me, like a never-ending wave, no peaks just good feelings, so go as long as you want as many times as you want. If I want it in my mouth or my ass, I''ll uh let you know okay.¡±


    ¡°Uh,¡± Gwen added, ¡°food can be good though, uh Fel and I tried it a few times.¡±


    Felicia laughed, ¡°yeah til you puked in my shoes,¡±


    Gwen batted her arm, ¡°you promised.¡±


    ¡°No secrets you two¡± and Gwen looked dejected, ¡°Fel bought a chocolate cake and we uh, made a trail from our boobs to our pussy, really smeared it, oh it was sooo good,¡±


    Fel interrupted, ¡°yup, I got all the way down and was happily eating her out when she got to my belly button, rolled over and barfed. Turns out chocolate cake and pussy don¡¯t agree with Gwen here, Poison overdosed on the sugar and orgasms, just so you know.¡±


    Gwen looked mortified, but Liv patted her arm, ¡°its okay dear, and sorry Peter, but once in college, a guy thought he''d be funny and thrust while I was going down on him, touched the back of my throat and bam, up came my lunch, it happens, excitement and food don''t often mix, what counts is being honest. Which you are. Felicia?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah, I¡¯m up for threesomes with you Liv, I mean, yeah okay, I was a bit mad for my dad but I know it wasn¡¯t you, it was Norman but okay, yeah bedroom stuff uh, I don¡¯t mind anything really, I guess, I¡¯m like Liv, anal sounds okay but lube, I love oral and okay, yeah I¡¯m up for anything Liv is. As long as Gwen¡¯s okay with it though,¡± and Gwen nodded. ¡°I mean, we¡¯ve both been on dates with Elektra, and I don¡¯t think she¡¯d mind either, and Gwen, I¡¯ll speak to her, okay?¡± and Gwen nodded.


    Felicia was still sure she was a lesbian. When she spent time with Gwen she enjoyed it as much as when she was with Peter and if she was honest, the thought of being with Liv or MJ was more exciting to her than experimenting with him, but she still loved it when he slid inside her.


    She had come to terms with the fact that she loved him, not just as a friend but actual love, and she felt his absence when he was gone and looked forward to the time they spent together but it was only him. Even her father had faded from her emotional radar, to be replaced by the quartet surrounding her


    ¡°If Peter¡¯s there then I don''t mind if Gwen or anyone else joins in, I liked Thanksgiving,¡± MJ said shyly.


    ¡°Thanksgiving?¡± Liv asked.


    ¡°Oh before you joined, uh MJ had Gwen eat her out while Pete was inside her, I was passed out but I heard it was hot,¡± Felicia said, taking a drink of coffee and pulling apart a pastry.


    Gwen stared at her though, as if suffering from another betrayal ¡°I thought you didn''t like girls MJ?¡± she asked accusingly, and MJ shrunk slightly.


    ¡°I uh don''t, but, um, I like you.¡° she felt the gnawing at her insides, this was what she was afraid of, that Gwen would see it as a slight and hate her.


    Peter shook his head, he¡¯d been here before, with the creams discovery and Felicia. ¡°Not fair Gwen, I didn''t complain when Felicia spent more time with you than anyone, or when you two started dating, this isn''t a blame game. If MJ wants to have sex with you then you should be happy, not sitting there pouting, geesh, you¡¯re getting as bad as Poison.¡±


    Gwen sat back down, huffing and crossed her arms. ¡°I just was upset okay, I mean, shit, truth, fuck MJ I¡¯ve loved you like forever, shit sorry Fel,¡° and she shook her head and screamed ¡°AHH, fuck, sorry, shit, fuck¡±


    The pair looked at Gwen, struggling for once. Fel came over and gently stroked Gwen''s head, ¡°isn''t that what this is though, truth and no recrimination and let''s be honest, shit, if you left me then yeah, I¡¯d probably hook up with Peter over another girl, so what? Gwen, no one cares if you¡¯re a bit pissy, shit I''m bad enough in the morning until I get dick and coffee, see? No one cares.¡±


    It was Gwen¡¯s turn to pull her legs up, ¡°I care though, I hate that you can all fight, I hate that Poison makes me so sensitive I can¡¯t eat sugar or drink coffee, that one thrust and I¡¯m in a fucking coma, to sore to move. I hate it, I want to fuck all day, eat donuts till I puke and then fuck more, shit fucking shit shit fuck.¡± Gwen was almost crying, she scrunched her eyes closed to stop the tears from leaking out. ¡°See, I can¡¯t even express myself without crying like a fucking kid,¡± and she buried her head in her knees. Felicia looked over at Peter who raised an eyebrow,


    ¡°Gwen, nobody gets what they want, but, look, no Gwen look at me,¡± Peter said, crouching in front of her, and Gwen looked up, her eyes all red and puffy from the tears. ¡°But we¡¯re all here for you, all of us, and that¡¯s what this is for, honesty, you want to learn to fight, then ask, if you don¡¯t say though, we don¡¯t know, if you¡¯re sad say, if your horny say, if your mad say. That goes for anyone here, no one hides, no one pushes things down until they break, we¡¯re a family, we¡¯ll fight and argue, eat each others snacks,'''' and he raised an eyebrow at a currently hiding Felicia, who looked suspiciously guilty, ¡°but at the end of the day, we¡¯re here for each other.¡±


    ¡°Wait, wasn''t Poison fixed when you got hurt? So why all the crying and shit?¡± and Gwen looked guilty.


    ¡°I uh, fine, Poison¡¯s fixed. I just got tired of keeping everything bottled up okay, you got hurt and my dad, shit, can¡¯t a girl get emotional without everyone picking on her.¡±


    Felicia laughed, ¡°yeah, it''s fine honey, we all get how Pete makes so angry we cry,¡± and Gwen snorted and laughed, while Peter just stuck his tongue out at Felicia.


    ¡°We need something to cheer us up, it''s fine Gwen, but uh, how about we make silicone moulds of Pete¡¯s dick? So if he''s busy and we''re lonely we can still have a little Pete to keep us company,¡± Felicia said with a twinkle in her eye as if Peter was the root of all their problems, and now a little payback was in order.


    The girls laughed and even Gwen snorted, ¡°that sounds great, oh and we don''t need silicone. Poison and I can make it. Pants off Pete and no arguing.¡± Gwen said with a mischievous look on her face, the sadness replaced by a chance to tease Peter.


    He was immediately stripped, and Gwen took great delight in first stroking and then covering him with a hardening agent. Each girl got their own little Pete to play with. Of course, he didn''t complain, as they all took turns making sure he was in peak condition for the moulds. Taking their time, several times, until they were perfect. Even MJ, still thinking from earlier, made a suggestion and a measuring tape was produced. As a group, they all stared at the measuring tape, 9 inches long, with a girth of 5 inches.


    Peter stared at them, as they sat quietly looking at the tape. ¡°What? is that bad?¡±


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter One Hundred Nine. Punished

    ¡°If you want to win then fight like it,¡± Hades yelled at Huntress as she ducked under another swing and drove a fist into her stomach. As Huntress staggered back she snarled and pounced forwards, bringing another fist round and as Hades lifted an arm to block it, Huntress spun and followed it with a kick to her midsection. Turning and absorbing the blow with her hands, Hades was pushed back, ¡°Good, good. Again,¡± but Huntress lifted a hand and her symbskin mask slipped back and she shook her head.


    With both hands on her knees she panted and coughed, ¡°Enough, can¡¯t¡± and taking deep breaths she knew she had no more stamina to continue fighting. Sweat dripped from her face, and her chest and limbs burned from the constant fighting.


    Ignoring her Hades stepped forwards and kicked her legs out from under her, and then stamped a foot into her stomach. ¡°Will your enemies give you time to take a breath?¡± and Felicia glared at her, ¡°They will wait until you are tired and kill you.¡± A symbskin sword extended from her arm and slid down to Felicia¡¯s throat. ¡°And now you are dead.¡± tutting and taking her foot away the sword slid back into her armour and she morphed back into the normal t-shirt and tight pants she normally wore.


    Felicia lay spread eagle on Elektra¡¯s dojo floor, staring at the dusty air-con filled ceiling. Huffing in deep breathes she knew she wasn¡¯t good enough, compared to the others she was a genius, but compared to Elektra she was a blind amateur,


    ¡°Felicia, you are too soft. We have only been training for 6 hours and you are this tired? What happened to the endless stamina, are you not enhanced? Do you not possess powers over and above what Huntress provides you?¡± and as she lifted, unscrewed and handed her a bottle of water, Felicia snatched it angrily and huffed.


    ¡°Compared to you, no¡± she snapped and sat on the floor with the bottle pressed to her forehead.


    ¡°And yet we have been training for just as long. I remember your father bringing you to the dojo and we would play before fighting. So?¡± and as she took a bottle of her own, she sat next to Felicia and took a sip, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Felicia huffed and leaned back, lying on the floor with her hand over her face, ¡°I don¡¯t know, things.¡± and Elektra laughed,


    ¡°A boy you mean. Don¡¯t think I can¡¯t smell him on you, even if Huntress devours him you are still thick with his scent.¡±


    Felicia huffed, ¡°so? Don¡¯t think I can''t smell that lawyer on you either, plus he stinks of formula. I didn¡¯t realise what Peter meant until I met Matt.¡± Felicia retorted, her relationship with Peter gave her strength, the reason she was fighting like this was for Peter. She tutted to herself, for Peter, not Gwen and she felt a little bad. I¡¯ll make it up to her.


    ¡°And yet, here we are, you lying on the floor, pouting and me, sitting next to you, kissing your booboos. Like a little child.¡± and Felicia shot up straight,


    ¡°Oh fuck off. I almost lost three people I care about. I need this to get better, not to get a fucking lecture.¡± but Elektra laughed and rubbed her hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°But a lecture is what you need as well, come stand.¡± and as she stood she helped the groaning Felicia up off the hardwood floor of her training dojo. ¡°You are not focused. You are not calm, I will not repeat your father¡¯s words, as we both know we never listened, but I will repeat my own. There is no emotion, only peace, there is no ignorance, only knowledge.¡± but Felicia looked at her,


    ¡°That¡¯s the Jedi code, what the hell Ele?¡± and with a surprised look Elektra burst out laughing.


    ¡°You finally watched the movies then?¡± and Felicia glared at her. ¡°Your father was never one for, what did he call them? Pointless trivialities. I am glad you finally got someone to sit and watch them with. They are good yes?¡± and Felicia shrugged,


    ¡°First three were a bit wooden, maybe cut out some of the, what? No. No reciting the Jedi code as training bullshit. What gives? Wait? Did you steal all your lessons from movies?¡± and Elektra took a swig of water and shrugged.


    ¡°Only good movies.¡± and she laughed as Felicia gave her an incredulous look and shook her head,


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it, really?¡± and as Elektra shrugged ¡°really. Fucking unbelievable.¡±


    ¡°I have the eye of the tiger next if you want to listen, Rocky, very good movie.¡± and as Felicia burst out laughing Eletrka joined in. The pair standing in the middle of the training room shared a moment of lightness. ¡°But the lesson still stands. You are allowing too much to burden you, too much for you to do alone. With Matt, I have time, if you wish it?¡± and Felicia nodded.


    ¡°You are still calling them the Black Cats, yes?¡± and Felicia nodded again, ¡°then, as Daredevil, Matt has made it clear that he does not approve of you or Peter. I am not as naive. Your approach is correct, to curb the worst and allow the darker shades of grey, to stop them from falling into the black. Hades agrees, We will join your Black Cats, and we also wish to meet Peter,¡° and as she smiled, ¡°and we will apologise to Gwen.¡± As Elektra took the water bottle from Felicia she returned them to the cooler, ¡°but first, we fight, and no slacking off, fat lazy American. I see how much you eat at lunch,¡± Felicia raised an eyebrow


    ¡°Fat lazy American huh? And where is the Greek tub I saw eating a whole gyro and salad as, what did you call it, a snack?¡± and as they got down into their fighting stances the pair grinned wickedly at each other, and training began once more.


    As he sat on the edge of the roof he let the cool breeze waft away the smoke from his cigar. As he waited and watched the pair sparring, impressed by not just their speed but their stamina. He had been here almost a day and they had fought for all that time and only now one of them was tired.


    As he took more notes he spotted a figure, clad all in black approached what it thought was silently, but his voice sounded out in the quiet dark. ¡°You know, I figured if I followed the deliveries of cream I¡¯d find one of you pyjama wearing fucks eventually.¡± and as he flicked the cigar away the black figures face split and a maw of jagged teeth hissed at him as long blades extended from his fingers.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s new,¡± the man said, drawing a large calibre handgun and firing off a round at the creature. ¡°Bulletproof though? Maybe not¡± as he watched it crumple to the ground. As he walked over he kept his gun trained on the man, or whatever it was, and as he nudged it with a steel toe capped boot it rolled and sprang up, ¡°yup, bulletproof¡± and he fired off two more rounds.


    Ducking under them and almost gliding forwards the creature slides out with a claw and caught the man across the chest, slashing open his Skull motif t-shirt. The armour underneath now wore three long gashes from the creatures attack. He raised the gun once more and fired off a few rounds, knowing he would be unable to hit something that fat but a combat knife, slid from its sheath, was held, hidden behind his back, ready and waiting for its next strike.


    ¡°Yeah, fuck you, these t-shirts ain¡¯t cheap you know,¡± he taunted it, and as it hissed once more it derived towards and this time the man stepped back and met its hand with the knife, slicing at its palm.


    It hissed in pain and pulled its arm back as the black inky skin peeled away from its hand and fresh blood dripped down from the slash. ¡°Bullets but not knives yeah, good¡± and as he holstered the handgun he drew out another large survival knife, ¡°Figured as much, John was an accident but right before that, he got in a good shot, stunned but no real damage. Figured slashing was better, maybe try blunt and see if those bones break just as easily,¡± and as he raised both knives in front of his chest, the creature paced back and forth, watching not just him but the building behind him as well.


    ¡°Hmm, home? Or a less than friendly visit?¡± and all he got in reply was a hiss. Frank had watched the dojo for a while now. Whoever was at the top of the food chain after Fisk disappeared spent time here, but even Frank wasn¡¯t stupid enough to take this place on. He had a thick dossier on it and he knew Elektra Natchios owned it and trained there, fuck he thought to himself, if she¡¯s mixed up in this then I can kiss this lead goodbye. He had also heard the name Thomas Hardy, and if it was his daughter, he figured she wouldn¡¯t have had his wife and daughter killed, thieves don¡¯t kill, but he still needed to be sure.


    Frank was not having a good time right now. While the creature was vulnerable to his slashing, it was also fast and slippery and twice now it had gotten him a good blow across the chest. Even the fine kevlar weave with chainmail underneath was scored from its finger weapons. He had gotten a few good hits in as well, and blood, or something, dripped from a slash across one of its arms.


    ¡°Look, give it up. Tell your boss I want the names of anyone involved in the Central Park murders, alright,¡± and lowering the knife a small amount he waited to see if the creature would respond.


    As it hissed once more it ran forwards and as Frank brought one knife up to defend, this time it let him stab it, The knife penetrated deep into the creatures arm and it grabbed hold of him, crushing him in a bearhug,


    ¡°Kill me,¡± it hissed weakly, and Frank responded with a head butt and as he pushed it away, he stabbed out and caught the creature in the chest with his second knife. Even as it staggered back it roared and hissed at him, pulling the knife free and throwing it to one side.


    ¡°Well, shit,¡± Frank said. He had managed to get a copy of the police reports, not just from John''s death but the supermarket as well and he knew that whatever these things were, their armour was bulletproof. He had spent hours honing the blade of his knife, coated in diamond to make sure it cut anything they might be wearing, but as he looked at the thing he was unconvinced they were even human under there.


    The knife had gone straight in and yet whatever this was still stood, no blood, no sign of weakness. Sure the blade had gone in, but into what? The creature still continued its pacing and Frank knew he had to switch to more unconventional tactics.


    ¡°Come on then,¡± he roared at it, and as it skated forwards once more, Frank twirled and let it run past him, pulling out and spraying the creature with a strong-smelling liquid. As it was doused it shook itself, but Frank shook his head,


    ¡°Homemade napalm,¡± and striking a match, he tossed the lit flame at the creature, watching it burst into a bright orange flame. As the creature struggled it dived off the roof and ran screaming down the street.


    As Frank watched he pulled out a fresh cigar and lit it with a match. ¡°Yeah, you run motherfucker. You tell them The Punisher¡¯s coming for ¡®em¡± and as he went back to watching the dojo, he sat on the edge of the roof and smoked his cigar.


    Hearing some commotion Felica took a glance out of the dojo window, seeing nothing and even as her eyes picked up someone smoking a cigarette on the roof of their building she shrugged and turning back to Elektra, and began to train once more.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter One Hundred Ten. All That Glitters

    "What do you mean by them all?" Odin roared at Thor. His son knelt in deference to his position, and now was dealing with his father¡¯s rage.


    A war had started in the nine realms and the long and bloody campaign had finally reached its conclusion. After 10 long years Odin, weary from battle, had come home to the worst news he could imagine.


    "Father, you told me, the Klyntar are a scourge on the Nine Realms, one to be contained, so I took care of the problem, once and for all." Thor had stood and looked over to Loki, who nodded as they faced their father. Thor was stood in his battle armour, having been summoned by Odin as soon as he heard the report. His messy blonde locks hung down his ruggedly handsome face and the silver armour, tied together with a  long red cloak, still had stains of battle and blood on them.


    "To destroy an entire planet is unacceptable. We rule, we do not commit genocide, not for any reason. They were contained, they were allowed to live.'''' Odin shook his head. "You cannot simply destroy an entire race because they have a checkered past."


    It was Loki that stepped forwards, "Forgive me father but we found this," and Loki conjured an illusion. A scene played out, and as Odin watched, he saw as Thor, the Warriors Three, Lady Sif, and Loki fought their way to the Klyntar capital, and they watched as a rocket launched itself out through the atmosphere. Unlike Thor, Loki''s green battle armour was impeccable and its long coat, with golden trim, hung as if he had walked from the salon, even his long black hair hung down in flowing locks around his slender face.


    "We discovered they had been planning to escape from their planet Father. That''s why we attacked, not out of arrogance but fear. Fear they would once more ravage the galaxy and bring war to us all."


    "Still, one escaped and yet you destroyed the planet. My sons, you did the wrong thing for the right reason, you should have come home and allowed the forces of Asgard to find and punish the Klyntar, not crush and destroy their planet."


    In truth it was an accident that set the planet''s core aflame, the Klyntar had set up several geothermal reactors, pulling out the warm energy of the planet''s core. In his enthusiasm for battle, Thor had smashed several to pieces, setting off a chain reaction that sent the planet into meltdown.


    Thor shrugged, "I don''t see the issue father, one Klyntar cannot spawn an army, and with their planet gone it''s over, nobody liked them anyway, gross slimy gloopy things," and Thor shuddered at the thought of having one bonded to him.


    "Nobody liked them," Odin yelled at Thor, "is not an excuse for genocide."


    ¡°Father,¡± Loki began but Odin yelled.


    "Silence. My sons, you did wrong, you destroyed a planet, destroyed a race, no matter the reason, no matter the justification I cannot allow this to go unpunished." Lightning crackled around Odin.


    "For your crimes, until you learn to use judgement and not violence. Until you learn patience and tolerance I strip you of your power, of your hammer,¡± and as the energy crackled around Thor, he was lifted up and Mjolnir flew to Odin. "Whoever finds this hammer, if they are worthy, then they may wield the power of Thor.¡± and the hammer shot off towards the rainbow bridge.


    Heimdal slid his keysword into the mechanism, and as the hammer flew towards him, a gate opened and the hammer vanished, somewhere into the nine realms. He watched it as it grew smaller and smaller in the distance and a small smile crept over his face, it was headed to Midgard, and he knew Thor would have fun there.


    "And you Loki, do not think I don¡¯t recognise your hand in this, your brother is one for fighting but he was led,¡± the wave redirected to Loki, lifted from his feet. ¡°To teach you humility and honesty, to teach you friendship and sincerity I take from you your power, and turn you to a form to learn restraint.¡±


    As the energy encapsulated Loki, he yelled and began to glow, his features shifted, going back to the pale white of his frost giant form and then he shifted once more, his shape shrinking and becoming curvier, large pert breasts adorned his new form, still with thick luscious hair and a scowl on his, no, now her face.


    "You are both banished to Midgard. Once you have sought out the last Klynter and righted the wrong you have committed, once you are worthy of your power, then, you shall receive it back."


    Thor looked over at Loki and raised an eyebrow. He had a small smirk on his face as his brother became his sister, reminding him slightly of Lady Sif. Loki, on the other hand, was not amused in the slightest, she still had some of her power, illusion magic was still at her command but this new form was uncomfortable, and her new large breasts strained against her now tighter tunic.


    "Now leave. Heimdal is expecting you and I banish you from Asgard until your quest is complete.¡± As Thor and Loki left the throne room, Odin slumped back down.


    Queen Freya lay her hand on his shoulder. "Are you sure Odin? You have put off the Odinsleep for too long and now, to remove their power drains you even more. Asgard will be undefended while you sleep."


    "If I fail once more my love then Asgard will need both to defend itself. Thor is too brash and headstrong, Loki too dishonest and duplicitous. They heed to learn to work together, not as enemies but allies. Asgard needs them, we need them. But changing Loki? Don''t think I didn¡¯t feel your hand in that, would you care to tell me why, a woman of all things?"


    Queen Freya sighed, "Loki is in need of a lesson my dear, there have been, reports. A small reminder that the fairer sex is not to be trifled with." Odin laughed as she continued, "I shall prepare the chamber for you at once, leave the defence of Asgard to me, Lady Sif shall accompany me, the Warriors Three shall lead our forces to keep peace in the realms while you slumber."


    ¡°We should give them punishment as well, not once did any of them stop Thor, even Lady Sif, who I held in higher regard took part in the battle. We cannot allow Thor¡¯s brashness to infect and create chaos within our ranks.¡±


    ¡°I shall ensure they learn their lessons well, but remember dear, Lady Sif and Thor are almost engaged, and the Warriors Three hold loyalty to Asgard, not the crown. They must have good reason to have followed Thor, even if it was just to watch over him.¡± and but Odin raised his hand,


    ¡°I shall leave their fate to you, my dear.¡±


    Odin patted his wife''s hand again before standing, surveying the gaudy golden throne room. He shook his head, if only he had more time, if only he could delay the Odinsleep another year then Asgard might still survive. He shook his head and with an unsteadiness shown only to the Queen, he descended the stairs and headed to the sleep chamber.


    As Odin reached the chamber its glass dome slid open and Freya helped him inside. He could feel the energy of the chamber already beginning to heal his wounds. ¡°Are you sure you won¡¯t tell him?¡± she asked and he shook his head.


    ¡°Right now, he would get himself killed. He will find what he needs on Midgard, and should be back before you know it¡± and he smiled as he patted his wife¡¯s hand. ¡°As shall I.¡± and as he lay down,


    ¡°And if you are not?¡± Freya asked with a worried look on her face.


    ¡°Then I leave the realm in the capable hands of the most intelligent and beautiful woman in existence.¡± as the dome began to close Odin felt himself being drawn into sleep once more, and soon as the lid closed and the pressure seal hissed he was deep within the odinsleep.


    Freaky ran her hand over the glass dome, ¡°you are such a silver-tongued old fool¡± and as she leant over she gently kissed the glass. ¡°Come back to me soon my love,¡± and waving and she sealed the royal sleep chamber, only to be opened on either her order or by Odin himself.


    Thor and Loki walked along the rainbow bridge, "so, sister, I like the look, maybe you should stay that way once we return, you might make some new friends, In fact, I''m sure Fandral will love to see you like this.¡±


    While he would never admit it, Loki did make a fetching woman. Her high cheekbones and long raven black hair suited him more as a her than as he originally was. He shrugged though, no matter who Loki was, he would always love him, as either a brother, a sister, or whatever he wanted.


    Loki shook her head, "Do that brother and I''ll turn you into a frog, I swear by Odin¡¯s beard, a damn frog." Thor laughed and slapped Loki on the shoulder, sending her flying,


    "Oops, guess that form isn¡¯t as durable as the last one." Thor smiled and said, "don''t worry, I''ll get help," and laughed at his own joke, while Loki straightened herself up,


    ¡°not funny Thor, not funny.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, my jokes are always funny.¡±


    To you maybe, but not to anyone else, Loki lamented.


    The pair continued to argue and bicker as they made their way to the golden-domed rainbow bridge portal room. "Greeting Heimdal, I believe my father has sent word. We are to depart for Midgard at once."


    ¡°Of course Prince Thor, although, may I suggest something, a bit less dramatic. Capes and armour are a bit out of fashion on Earth as it calls itself these days and Loki, horned helmets are very conspicuous.¡±


    ¡°Ah, of course, then what do you suggest my old friend?¡±


    Waving his sword over Thor, he transformed his clothing into a pair of simple blue jeans and buttoned-up plaid shirt and a denim jacket, while Loki was made over with a floral patterned summer dress and simple heels.


    Looking down she shook her head, ¡±oh no, not like this,¡± and closing her eyes she tapped into the small remaining power of her magic. Her clothing changed and became a black business suit, with a black shirt and black tie, and black flats finished off the ensemble. ¡°I am not some doll for you to dress up Heimdal, I am still the Prince of Asgard.¡±


    Heimdal nodded, ¡°Of course my Princess, but now, your portal awaits. I have taken the liberty of setting you down in a place called New York. You should find the Klyntar somewhere there, although I cannot aid you further, you may also find your hammer nearby Thor.¡±


    ¡°Thank you old friend. Come now Loki, adventure beckons,¡± and laughing, he leapt into the portal while Loki, shaking her head followed after him.


    As the pair arrived a crowd parted around them, the bright flash of light and the etching of energy into a travellers rune on the pavement drawing attention to the pair. Phones flashed and pictures were snapped before they could even get their bearings.


    ¡°Ha, see sister, they love us here,¡± Thor shouted and clapped Loki on the back. ¡°Look, an eatery¡± and Thor strode off towards the diner.


    In a sanctum, a bearded man stared into the ether, seeing the pair arrive. As he cast an eye over the tall raven-haired woman, he only sensed faint magical energies from her. He shook his head, "no need for me to interfere this time," and went back to reading his book.


    When gods walk


    And shadows stalk


    Chaos will rise


    To Orders demise


    Stephen hated prophecies more than anything, and shaking his head, and closing the book, he began to prepare.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter One Hundred Eleven. Marvelous

    Fury was once more rubbing his head, watching the video of two super-powered brutes slugging it out, this time though it was Harlem. Hulk and the now named Abomination had decided to have a fistfight in a crowded area while General Ross and the military watched and recorded.


    If anyone thought Norman Osborn had a hard-on for the super-soldier serum they never met Ross, the man must dream about the damn stuff, Fury thought as he watched over and over the two "men'''' smash and destroy anything that came into the path.


    Even Banner''s blood proved to be toxic. The cleanup crew he''d sent picked up Samuel Sterns falling foul of its irradiated nature. It had taken them a further week to find Sterns. The man''s head was massively mutated and before they''d managed to get a bead on his powers, he''d convinced a man to kill himself and another to let him go.


    He was now calling himself The Leader, and after a heated exchange, Natasha had been close to putting a bullet in the man''s extended skull when Fury stopped her. Now he and Blonskey sat in cryostasis in the Freezer. A high-security prison they had started to build once Spider-man, Venom, and the rest appeared.


    Sterns had a lab full of mutated gamma creatures and Blonksy had gone off mission, choosing to become a creature to fight rather than capture Banner. Fury knew with the noise Ross was making, that he''d pull some Washington bullshit and grab them both. Alexander Pierce, the director of the Shield International division, was pushing for Shield, and the international community, to start sharing information about the enhanced around the world.


    Fury was brought out of his thoughts by a knock at the door. "Yeah, come" and walked one of his favourite agents. She''d been recruited when they had an ¡®incident¡¯ a long time ago, and she''d saved their asses from an invasion, laughingly enough, of not so little green men.


    The woman, tall, muscular, even under the uniform. Since he''d seen her last she''d cut her hair, the normally long blonde locks now shorter, in a pixie cut. "Carol? You''re back on Earth?" Fury was surprised. Carol was supposed to be out touring the galaxy, only coming back in an emergency and he hadn''t used the pager he gave her.


    She scowled and nodded, "Yup, gotta problem. Two Asgardians are on Earth and the Nova Corp and few others are looking for them. I''m back just in case it turns bad."


    "Turns bad how?"


    Carol sighed, "So, they kinda committed genocide, and while normally we don''t touch the Asgardians this time, the Prince of Asgard destroyed a planet, one with life, so-" Carol stopped and stared at Fury''s desk, "is that? No, who''s that?" and she jabbed a finger down on the file Fury was just reading.


    Fury shook his head, "another headache, a super-powered asshole called Venom." and before he could stop her Carol grabbed the file, flipped to where Peter''s address was, dropped the file and flew out the window.


    "Well, that might work too." If Carol went and just attacked Peter for whatever was in the file, at least he''d have an answer. Peter had been hesitant to come clean about the full extent of his powers, and if the others were enhanced. It was all still mainly guesswork and Fury was looking for an excuse to drag him in and stick them all under the microscope.


    Carol flew at high speeds through the airspace of New York, if she was right this could stop a war raging on Earth as the allied forces of the galaxy tried to arrest Thor for his actions. The Klyntar were thought to be gone, and while some celebrated some lamented. Noone had the right to destroy another species, no matter what their crimes were, and landing on the roof of the warehouse, Carol weighed her options. Through the roof hatch or through the front door. No, she would try diplomacy first, and only if the boy''s mind had been destroyed would she resort to less civil methods.


    Carol landed at the gate and pushed the buzzer, eventually it sounded and a young man''s voice, "Hello?"


    "uh, I''m here for Parker, Peter Parker, I''m from," shit, thought Carol, am I from Shield? "uh, a friend sent me, a," crap, I didn''t think of an excuse, and as she sighed. "I''m an alien and I want to know about yours," and the gate clicked as the buzzer released the lock.


    As she approached the warehouse, the door slowly opened and a rather handsome man stood there, his picture had not done him justice.


    "So, explain or leave," his face however was not an amused one. Stupid stupid, Carol thought to herself. She should have prepared better.


    "Your species was wiped out, and I''m here to make sure someone doesn''t finish the job. Can I please come in? No fighting, I promise."


    The young man sighed and opened the door, waving her in.


    "Wow, nice place," Carol said. She''d mostly been in spaceships or rough camps as she toured various planets. Sure it lacked the technology she was used to but she could see it was a home, not a place to live.


    "Thanks," Peter said, but shook his head, "now, sit and explain." His reply was brusk and he had to be honest, Alien was not exactly what he expected when he found out the origins of the symbiotes.


    "Uh, coffee?" Carol asked and Peter shook his head and produced a clean cup and poured her a cup, nudging over sugar and creamer.


    "This isn''t a social call. If you know what I am then you know that I''m not going to sit back and let someone take things from me." shit, Carol thought, I really should have read the file before flying off. The Klyntar was violent and prone to acts of aggression when bonded, this one was no different than the other reports.


    "No, that¡¯s not why I''m here. Look, your home planet was destroyed, the Asgardians took it out and now two of them are here. I''ll stay to make sure they don''t finish the job and make sure you''re safe." Carol explained, but Peter shook his head.


    "I don''t need a bodyguard, thanks, but uh, what planet? I''m human," Peter explained, so far this had not been productive. "so, why not start at the beginning miss uh?"


    "oh, Danvers, Carol Danvers. Sorry, I uh, kinda rushed over." Carol took a breath. "So, your species is Klyntar, originally made as a weapon they freed themselves and set up a homeworld. From there they bonded with, and then stole the technology of other races, waging war on the galaxy. The Asgardians wiped them out and drove them back home, destroying any means to escape off-world until the two princes of Asgard destroyed the planet, wiping out the species."


    Shit, take a breath lady, Peter thought, "uh, okay, but I''m not a Klynter or whatever, I''m not bonded with anything, how would that work anyway, if they were all killed?"


    "One escaped, the last one and now that''s you, so by the authority of the Nova Corps, and by galactic law, I am declaring you an endangered species with full protection and rights." Carol stood and placed her hands on her hips, letting her powers leak out, the glow covering her body and making her hair flicker and dance in the invisible wind.


    "uh yeah, no." Peter stood. "Intergalactic space law? Does that even apply on Earth? I mean, I just found out aliens exist, and now I''m expected to follow their laws too? not happening." Peter let Venom flow out, thicking the plates over his body, he towered over Carol now, his muscles bulged with power and his maw split as he grinned at her.


    oh shit, Carol thought, that''s different.


    "Doesn''t matter, powers or not, the Asgardians are strong, Strong enough to take out whatever that is," and she motioned to his new form.


    Venom shrugged, "we disagree"


    "Fine, I''ll agree if, and that''s a big if, you can go against me. I''m pretty high up on the power scale, and I''m pretty sure I can take both Thor and Loki, so let''s dance, or is that package just for show?"


    Peter looked down and his symbskin retracted, "uh, what?"


    "The muscles thing. The whole package deal with your suit and powers?" Carol looked confused, "Is that not a saying anymore, it''s been a while since I was on Earth," and Peter shook his head.


    "Oh, it''s a saying all right," and as he grew back into Venom, "it just means you were checking out my dick," and he leapt for her.


    Carol and Venom rolled along the ground together as Peter grabbed her in a bear hug, squeezing her tightly. Carol was still reeling that she''d said that, and was momentarily stunned as he headbutted her. Unfazed she floated them both up into the rafters.


    "You won''t win," she stretched her arms and pushed Venoms arms apart. "I''m empowered by a force you can''t even comprehend," and once they were far enough apart she pushed Venom back and flew away from him. "I''m too strong," and as Venom landed on a girder, he leapt again and then at her, trying to connect with a punch. Carol sighed and grabbed him, wrapping her arms around him and squeezed him as he had done to her.


    Venom now knew he had bitten off more than he could chew as she crushed him to her, nice boobs though, he thought as the air was crushed from his lungs.


    Carol lifted them both up, flying up to the ceiling. "You aren''t strong enough to defeat Thor, Venom. You''ve barely lasted a minute against me and I''m not even trying," and as Venom tried to headbutt her again, she took the blow full on and then smirked at him as it did nothing to her.


    "Just, please, stop." Carol thought about just letting go but changed her mind, she wanted to protect him, not smash him.


    She lowered them to the ground and letting him go pushed him away from her. "Peter, stop, you can''t win and I''m not an enemy." Venom paced back and forth in front of her.


    Fuck, Venom thought to himself, she was way stronger than anything he''d fought before and she was right, her heart rate, breathing was steady. She hadn''t sweated or was warmer from exertion, and he let the symbskin slip back and turn back into clothes. Sitting dejected he huffed as he grabbed a coffee.


    Shit, Carol thought, male ego in need of first aid, but nope, not a babysitter. "Look, on Earth, sure, you''re a big badass but in the great beyond, sorry but no. The Klyntar were a threat in groups but on their own, they enhance, not grant huge cosmic powers. You won''t win, not every fight." She didn''t have time to coddle a crying manchild.


    Peter was deep in thought though. She was right and as the Goblin armour was too trashed to use, he needed the protection. "Nah, I just missed feeling your boobs squished up against me," and he smirked. If he couldn''t win fairly, then he would fight dirty.


    Carol snorted. "Military. You think I''ve never had some asshole make comments about my boobs? Dream on Parker if you think that''ll phase me," and she grinned at him as she drank her coffee. He was a cheeky little shit though, good tactics, powerful. Just not at her or the Asgardians level.


    "So, this place yours? And can I snag one while I''m here?" but surprisingly, Peter shook his head.


    "Sorry, no room at the inn," he was reluctant to add another housemate, especially a super-powered one. There was also the problem of his pheromone. Carol was cute, muscular, and powerful. He had taken a few liberties while they fought and with his arms around her got a good feeling for her physique. Ticking every single box on Peters ''hot or not table'', the blood was already flowing, just somewhere he was trying to stop it from flowing too. Having her around was a temptation he knew he would have problems resisting. Damn, she''s amazing though, he thought trying not to stare.


    Peters phone dinged as he got a text message through the official Shield app.


    Carol Danvers, full Agent of Shield, and now your boss. Kiss her ass, wash her feet, give the woman any damn thing she wants ¨C Fury


    A set of orders and a contract was sent and as Peter read it his face fell. As a provisional agent, Fury had placed him under the command of Carol, and he really had to do whatever she wanted. He''d be paid of course but he shook his head and sighed. "so, that one''s mine and that one''s Livs. MJ lives there, and Gwen and Felicia live there. So, uh, I guess you can take mine and I''ll move," and Carol shook her head, four women lived here, never a good thing and she wondered exactly what she''s signed up for.


    Across New York, Fury laughed as he sent Parker that text, killing two birds with one stone, a pain in his ass was now under surveillance and a superpower was now locatable anytime he wanted. It had been a good day today.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter One Hundred Twelve. Not So Marvelous

    Gwen raised an eyebrow at the new woman as she came home from spending the day with Felicia. As long as she was quiet and didn''t interrupt she could hang out in the office with Felicia, they had even taken the risk and had sex a few times there. After the stress of the past few days, partially her own fault and mainly Liv''s they had taken that route today, and while Liv and Felicia picked up an order of food, she had headed back to the warehouse to see if Peter was okay.


    She was used to Peter seemingly picking up strays but the women''s attire left a lot to be desired, it was a slick military uniform, red, gold and dark blue. Non-standard for Shield though, so just who was this woman?


    "So?" Gwen asked as she sat down in her chair, "another?" and she nodded to Carol.


    "Uh, this is Gwen," and motioning between them, "Carol, my new boss, and bodyguard," Peter handed her a cup.


    "Booty guard huh? So is she guarding it out here, or in the bedroom too?" and she winked at Peter, who sighed and shook his head.


    "Um, what? Really?" Carol was annoyed, what the hell was wrong with this woman?


    "Calm down blondie bear, it''s not like Petes a bad catch you know, plus, if you''re a bit open, Fel and I are willing to add another." Gwen shrugged and sipped her coffee, much better than the horrible stuff the crooks drank.


    "What that actual fuck is your problem?" Carol had enough, what the hell kind of group lived here?


    "What''s up her butt, Pete? You didn''t say before you," and she made a circle with two fingers, sliding two from her other hand through them whistling.


    Carol began to glow, "you''ve got five seconds to explain that shit before I start cracking heads."


    ¡°Holy shit Pete, she glows. That''s not fair, how come we don''t glow?¡°


    Peter had stepped between the pair, ¡°No, Gwen wait. She uh not a host, not like us."


    Carol stared at Peter, "Us?"


    ¡°Oh uh, yeah, um. There are four of us, not just me, and uh, I guess I''m not the alien you''re looking for, or at least not anymore. No wait, five, yeah, forgot Flash, so yeah.¡±


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Carol yelled as Gwen yelled, "Alien?" at the same time.


    ¡°Right, storytime.¡± And Peter began to explain to Carol what was going on with the housemates, as well as letting her explain to Gwen about the origin of the symbiotes.


    Once they had finished, Carol slumped back in her chair. "I can''t believe you have four women," and she shook her head. Earth had changed since she''d left, changed a lot. It didn''t bother her, while some alien cultures adhered to strict monogamy it was not a universal truth. Some species had three genders, some were just one, or used a non-gendered method of reproduction. Carol was lost in her thoughts about how one man could even satisfy four different women when Gwen brought her back to reality.


    "So, you think someone will try to kill Pete?" Gwen was huddled over her cup, a serious look on her face. If the Asgardians were as big a threat as Carol said, then not just Pete but all five of them were in danger.


    "Who wants to kill Pete?" Liv and Felicia walked into the warehouse, ladened with shopping bags and fast-food containers. ¡°Pete, another blonde?'''' Felicia laughed, "Gwen''s mine, you can''t have her," she winked at the newcomer.


    "Seriously? Do you all just screw all day?'''' Carol was flabbergasted, it seemed even some of the more open species would be sat here red-faced listening to this group.


    "Not all day, some of us work, but let''s be frank here. If you''re going to piss and moan about something, and you pick that, then leave. Just don''t bother. Pete, text Fury and tell him the same. Our lives aren''t for you to judge you stuck up bitch, so shut the fuck up or leave, your choice."


    While it was Gwen that spoke. Felicia put down all the bags she was carrying and stood over Carol.


    "Hey, Woah Woah, calm down Felicia, and you too Carol. Gwen''s right, this is our home, our lives, there''s enough hate and shit in the world without bringing it in here.¡± Pete tried to diffuse the situation, he hadn¡¯t even told them she would be living here for the foreseeable future.


    "Shit, that''s not what I meant, damn. I mean, four women, four fucking women, and you''re all okay with that? Shit.'''' Carol couldn''t get a date on a good day, and here was some kid with four smart, funny, and stupidly attractive girlfriends. Even one of them was older, so it couldn''t be put down to stupid infatuation. Carol shook her head.


    "Jealous?" Liv asked, "it''s fine dear, Peter has attributes we all find appealing, but he is right though. We are happy and your presence is a disruption. Even if there is a threat to dear Peter, I''m sure the four of us can deal with it, right?" and the other nodded.


    "They are right you know. Sure, you''re strong and glowy but we''re not pushovers. You think you could take the five of us? I bet even you get tired." Peter put another cup in front of her.


    Carol shook her head, this had all gone wrong, she was supposed to be helping him, not fighting and pissing off his girlfriends. She took the cup.


    "No, Thor and Loki are on a different scale," Carol shook her head, " I''m not," she took a breath, "I''ve not been on Earth for years, 10 at least so this. I was just shocked is all I mean, four women, god damn boy. Is that your power?"


    "I think you broke her dear, why don''t you get a room ready for her while we have a girl talk okay," Liv rubbed a hand on Peter''s shoulder and at ¡®girl talk¡¯ he bolted into his place, knowing exactly what five women together could mean.


    "First, Olivia Octavious, and yes, I''m a host as well as being enhanced. Everyone is here and we all and I mean ALL love him, so, you have five minutes."


    Carol once more explained while the four looked on with various levels of concern etched on their faces.


    "Well, that''s a lot to take in, but Gwen was right you know, Peter might have been exposed to a symbiote, but he isn''t a host, we''ve already checked his cells. We are, but he isn''t. His symbiote is with another man, but we suspect that Shield knows that yes?"


    Carol had to shrug, "I kinda flew off before my briefing finished," she admitted and Gwen laughed,


    ¡°Oh, I''m sure Fury loved that. Flash Thompson, you might want to check up on that."


    "Fine, so I screwed up but that doesn''t change Thor and Loki being on Earth. That doesn''t change that Peter, you four, and Flash are in danger if Thor is here to finish the job."


    Liv sighed, "You''re quite right dear, take my place and I''ll talk to Peter. Gwen, Felicia, we may need to make some plans for defending this place," and looking around. "Get the goblin armour and we''ll see if we can fix it up and get Peter to assimilate it, that should boost his power considerably, and Ms Danvers. Please try to be more understanding with Peter. He''s a fragile boy. He might be a little difficult sometimes but he''s lost so much. Having said that, feel free to indulge, it''s been what 10 years you said. Peter was happy to give me a good seeing to, your pretty cute and I''m sure he won''t take much to get into bed."


    Carol hid behind her cup and pulled her legs up. Oh shiiiit, she thought to herself, wondering if she could get Fury to transfer her, or if Mars had a habitat yet.


    The only one to be left out of the conversation was MJ. She had left for her last shift and was busy dealing with her own drama. MJ was already in a bad mood. She had come home last night from her second last shift to find everyone either crying or shouting.


    Peter had done something dumb, as had Liv, and Felicia was upset and so was Gwen. MJ was tired, hungry, and only had one shift left. The only reason she hadn''t just packed her job in the second she got the movie was so she didn''t leave the rest of the staff short and overworked. She yelled at them, dumped all her chores onto Liv, took all her night privileges, and then went to bed. In the morning Peter had proven he wasn''t as hurt as everyone thought and with a huge smile on her face, MJ had headed to work.


    Now she watched as the strangest couple were arguing in the diner, and of course, they were sat at one of her tables.


    "Of course I don''t have money, why would I have Midgard currency brother?" Loki had a hand on her forehead, as Thor finished another plate of steak and eggs.


    "Well, you''ve got that glowy magic thing, can''t you just make some?" Thor said, as he licked the plate and belched.


    Loki sighed but her attention was taken by the strange moving picture device hanging from the wall.


    "Brother look," she pointed. The screen had Venom fighting Spider-man and Agent Webb, and even Thor recognised the Klyntars powers when he saw them.


    "Good good," Thor said laughing. "See, they''re not dead," and he clapped a hand on Loki''s back. "Now, let''s find them and pursue father and the snot monsters to forgive us, then we can go home and you can I dunno, get a manicure or something." Loki shook her head, if it was going to be that easy then father wouldn''t have sent them here.


    "Your hammer?" Loki asked, as she spied the money being exchanged and under the booth made some appear, draining what little magic she had left. This was the last of it, whatever Odin had done had left them both mortal and vulnerable, even if Thor still acted like he was a Prince.


    "Yes yes, the hammer too," Thor said, laughing and threw his cup down to the floor, "Serving Wench, another!" he yelled.


    Oh fuck this guy, MJ thought as she spied the huge blonde beefcake of a man, his girlfriend looked pained as he smashed his coffee cup on the floor. "Hey asshole you''ll pay for that,'''' MJ yelled as she stormed over to their table. It was her last shift at the diner, the movie meant taking time off and with it being three months the boss said no, but with her royalty checks from the advert starting to come in and a nice payment from the movie, she was going to quit anyway, she just didn''t need this shit on her last day.


    "Sorry sorry," the raven-haired beauty said, lifting her hands in surrender, "Uh here," and handing over the money she had MJ felt it beneath her fingers. It wasn''t quite right, it was money, she could see that but it felt wrong to her. "Hey Carl, got the pen?" and he nodded and threw over a small handheld wand, flicking the switch she shone it over the notes and right enough, they failed to glow under its light. "Hey, call the cops, it''s fake,'''' MJ shouted. Thankfully the diner had a no interference policy, cops were called but if these two were long gone then that was their problem.


    "Brother, I think we should leave, I think she saw through my illusion," Loki leant in a whispered in Thor''s ear,


    "nonsense sister, no one can see through that right? Especially not some. Oh hello," Thor said, grinning as he saw MJ. "I''m a god you know," and he raised an eyebrow at her and giving her his best smile.


    MJ just rolled her eyes, "creep," and while Muse and her considered smashing a tray over his head she thought better of it, if the police arrived she didn¡¯t want a scene.


    Loki reached out a hand and took MJ''s arm, "I''m sorry for my. Brother?" she paused, it was her turn to realise something was off. "Thor," Loki motioned her head to MJ, "it''s her, the, you know, thing."


    "Really? Her?" Thor peered at her, "Nah, don''t see it."


    Loki rolled her eyes at him. "Miss, there''s been a misunderstanding, please, if we can explain," and Loki pulled her down, even if her magic was sealed she was still stronger than a mortal. "We know who and what you are, we won''t hurt you but we need to talk, somewhere more private," and MJ paled. Her phone was in the break room and there was no way she could expose her identity here. Losing her job would be the least of her problems.


    "Carl, cancel the cops, just some foreign tourists trying to pay with weird money. Cover me while I go to the bank and get it fixed yeah?" and the line chef nodded. They weren''t busy and it was quiet enough that she could take her break. Quickly grabbing her phone MJ looked anxious as she led the pair to a side alley.


    Tapping on it. "Pete, help" was all she sent.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter One Hundred Thirteen. Boots On The Ground

    MJ stood and stared at the pair. These two might know her secret but they seemed like the biggest morons she could find in the state of New York, and she wasn¡¯t sure if she was even in any danger.


    ¡°You see, we¡¯re Asgardian, and we need to apologise for wiping out your planet. It was an accident, totally not my fault,¡± Thor explained and even Loki was rubbing her hand over her face, as he stammered and blundered through the apology.


    Loki shook her head, ¡°what my brother means. We know you''re a Klyntar and our father sent us here to explain the mistake we made. To apologise and to make things right.¡± she said, and MJ was still just as confused,


    ¡°Right, uh look. I¡¯ll pay the tab okay. Just, yeah. Just head back to your spaceship okay, and I¡¯m sure your little green friends will pick you up.¡± and MJ backed away, wanting to leave but unwilling to turn her back on the crazy couple.


    ¡°Spaceship? No, the rainbow bridge brought us here, and Heimdall isn¡¯t green, I don''t know, he¡¯s kind of a chocolate colour.¡± Thor said.


    ¡°Brother, stop, she doesn''t believe us. Miss, look I''m sorry but we are telling the truth. You have a creature, yes? Bonded to you, that speaks and gives you abilities?¡± and MJ¡¯s eyes narrowed, Muse was now ready to pounce if need be.


    Loki raised her hands. ¡°No, no, we''re not here to fight. That''s the Klyntar we were talking about. It''s an alien species, brought to Earth,¡± and MJ still balled her fists


    ¡°Oh look you stupid snot monster. We''re sorry we blew up your stupid planet but can you please forgive us so we can go home,¡± Thor was losing patience with the woman, and her damn Klyntar.


    ¡°Uh, brother?¡± Loki asked as a convoy of armed troops appeared. At each corner of a block, one truck stopped and ten soldiers got out as the rest of the convoy continued down the street, each truck eventually covering the avenue.


    ¡°Did you betray us?¡± Thor roared and held out his hand as if waiting for something, ¡°oh yes, I forgot.¡± and put his hand back down, looking embarrassed.


    ¡°People of New York. Staten Island is now under Martial Law, Please return home and await further orders.¡± was broadcast from the top of a van, its message set on repeat.


    Any sensible invading force would have understood that asking New Yorkers to do anything was an exercise in futility, and it wasn''t until the first soldier held up a rifle and fired into the air that anyone even paid them any attention.


    In the distance, a strange ripple spread across the sky and the island was covered in a  domed energy field.


    ¡°You have a shield generator?¡± Thor asked, but MJ shrugged as she was just as confused as they were. Staring at the sky in horror as the shimmering dome blanketed the sky, and the soldiers begin to order people around, waving their guns at them.


    The unlucky few that resisted weren¡¯t killed. Instead, the soldiers fired at them with a stun rifle, and then, as large glass barrels were brought out from the trucks Thor, Loki, and MJ watched in shock, as a black slug was fished out and attached itself to the neck of a hapless pedestrian. The person twitched once and then lay still before standing, their body covering itself in the same strange armour the soldiers were wearing.


    ¡°I knew it, it''s a damn invasion,¡± and Thor swung a fist at MJ. Muse, unamused by this sidestepped and he smacked into a wall with an oof.


    ¡°What makes you think I''ve got anything to do with this?¡± she yelled, ¡°shit, Pete, hurry the fuck up,¡± and she looked up, hoping he was on his way.


    Venom checked his phone, after he received the distress call from MJ, he checked her location and then all five began to make their way over. Liv and the rest were all in full combat mode, as Huntress had been training them and they knew to expect Harry¡¯s Anti-Venom. They had fashioned shields from the scrap Peter had around the warehouse. The small darts were designed for symbskin, not sheet metal, and even with full-body tower shields strapped to their backs, the group made good time heading over the river. As this was an emergency, and with Carol and Shields backing no one gave any mind to suiting up during the day. MJ was in trouble and that was all that mattered.


    Staten Island was in a panic. Soldiers tasered and held down pedestrians while implanting them and while most stood up as the black armour covered them, some twitched and then crumpled. With each death the soldiers injected the body with a chemical and watched as it dissolved, adding more to the already panicked crowd.


    Several fights had broken out, and as Venom and everyone sped at full speed towards the diner they watched as a huge energy dome began to slide down behind them like a rainbow curtain. ¡°It''s a shield generator, we need to hurry,'''' Carol sped forwards, trying to pinpoint the centre of the shield. It was the Life Foundation building, a fountain of lights and colours erupting from its roof and spreading downwards towards the water.


    They could feel the energy as it slammed into the ground behind them, Staten Island was in chaos, and as soldiers came towards them, they watched as Carol blasted them with beams of light.


    "We need to find MJ." Venom shouted as he checked his phone. Whatever the energy shield was, it had cut all signals off and other than her location being near the diner where she worked, he had no idea where MJ was.


    ¡°Carol, head to MJ and protect her from the Asgardians. You three, come with me. Harry¡¯s behind this and we need to get to the Life Foundation building and stop him.'''' Venom ordered, this wasn¡¯t time for arguing. If Harry was taking over, and Venom knew he had the symbiotes to do it, then he needed to be stopped.


    Carol shook her head, ¡°no, I go with you.¡±


    Venom retracting his symbskin, ¡°no, please, if they¡¯re as powerful as you say, please, save her.¡± and Carol saw the love and concern in his eyes and taking a deep breath.


    ¡°Okay, okay. Where?¡±


    ¡°There''s a diner on 24th street, old fashioned place, like the paintings, can''t miss it. Shout Muse and she¡¯ll know. Uh though, if she doesn''t believe you, tell her thanksgiving was the best night of my life,¡± Peter said with a grin,


    ¡°I don''t even want to know,¡± Carol said, shaking her head and flying off.


    ¡°Right, let''s go kick Harry''s fucking ass for him,¡± Peter said and Venom slid back over him, expanding and forming his more heavily armoured form.


    As the group passed each of the armoured trucks they were attacked, Venom was positive that Harry knew they were coming as the darts of Anti-venom pinged off him. Huntress was invisible, going high and stunning soldiers from behind while Gwen stayed beside Liv, their shields overlapping and keeping them safe. While they had been training, neither of them were totally fight-worthy and wanted to keep themselves safe until they faced Harry.


    Even with the pair behind shields, nothing stopped Venom and Huntress from taking out each group,


    ¡°What the hell are those?¡± Huntress asked as she came to one of the thick glass barrels. Venom shrugged and opened the top of it, inside were small black slug creatures, and sticking his hand in to grab one they all swam away to the bottom.


    ¡°Whatever they are, they don''t like you," and Venom had a thought.


    ¡°Didn''t Harry say symbiote fragments? What if these slugs are symbiotes, but not a whole one? Hand me that gun," and Huntress handed Venom one of the dart rifles the soldiers were armed with. Crushing the magazine he let the Anti-Venom drip into the barrel and the slugs writhed and tried to escape, leaping up and out of the water before melting into a puddle of goo on the sidewalk.


    ¡°He¡¯s infecting the population. Carol said one Klyntar escaped, what if it''s not Flash? what if Harry has it and it''s rebuilding?¡±


    ¡°You think Harry has a symbiote?¡± Huntress asked and Venom shrugged.


    ¡°Really, we won''t know until we get there,¡± he said


    ¡°We do know he was experimenting on them, and with the formula, we should expect any of those things,¡° Ravage injected, and as she was the leading expert on what the douchebag had been up to


    Venom nodded, ¡°so, be prepared for anything. Shit, I bet Goblin¡¯s still alive too,¡± he said jokingly but the group froze and stared at him.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked and Huntress batted his arm,


    ¡°What happened to fucking jinxing it?¡± she said annoyed, and he shrugged,


    ¡°So, like last time, if he is, I owe you,¡± he said laughing.


    ¡°Uh Venom dear, there are four of us this time, so you owe all of us," and the group walked on, discussing what exactly to ask of him once they knew they¡¯d be proven right.


    Venom shook his head, "bet he¡¯s not though," he muttered under his breath.


    Over at 24th Street, Muse was defending Loki and Thor from the symbiote soldiers as they began to round up the civilians from stores and off the street. Huntress had shown her some basic moves and the men in black seemed to be relatively slow to respond, relying on their guns to fire and then move in to subdue any target.


    With Peter''s help, he had shown them how to ground electricity and she was fending off tasers, darts, and anti-venom shots with a trash can lid, while the pair made a makeshift barricade from dumpsters and trash bags.


    ¡°Brother, we need some help, I don''t have my magic and you¡¯re useless without your hammer,¡± Loki said, concerned. One symbiote against so many would fall eventually, and she did not relish becoming a host for the creatures.


    ¡°I know, I know, but we apologized and I still didn''t get my hammer back,¡± Thor said in frustration, as he moved another dumpster from the alley and blocked off more of the path.


    Muse heard someone shout and as she looked up a streak of bright light flew overhead.


    ¡°Down here,¡± she shouted and as Thor looked up,


    ¡°Nova Corp sister, we¡¯re saved,¡± he laughed.


    ¡°You know they''re here for us, don''t you? To stop us,¡± she said shaking her head. If the Nova Corp were here it was to sanction the pair, not save them.


    ¡°Nah, I''m famous. They¡¯ll save us first at least, uh, won''t they?¡±


    Carol landed, ¡°Sorry, don''t have time. Venom sent me to save you, said about thanksgiving and you¡¯d know what that meant.¡± as Carol was talking a group of soldiers advanced on them and she turned, blasted them with her photon beams and then turned back,


    ¡°And you two, uh? Aren''t you a man Loki?.¡± she asked confused by the raven-haired beauty before her,


    ¡°It''s complicated,¡± was all Loki said, shaking her head.


    ¡°Right, I don¡¯t care. Look I spoke to Venom, and I''m to keep you safe, so let''s get somewhere more defensible and then-¡± but Carol was interrupted,


    ¡°Oh, I''m afraid it''s way too late for that sparky," came a deep rumbling voice. From a truck a giant red monster appeared, laughing as the symbskin rippled over his face, transforming its already misshapen form into a rictus grin. He was huge, a giant in deep blood red armour covering a massive frame, thick with muscle and massive hands, each ending in huge razor-sharp talons.


    "I figured I would find one of the pests taking out our troops, not four of you. If you don''t want to die, leave the bug to me.¡±


    ¡°Bug?¡± Carol asked, ¡°really? What are you, a fucking caveman?¡±


    ¡°Harry tells me the symbiotes like to name themselves. You can call me Gargoyle, but I prefer Red Goblin.¡±


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter One Hundred Fourteen. Puny Gods

    Red Goblin towered over the quartet. The mutagenic formula had altered him so radically he looked more like the love child of Abomination and Hulk than Norman Osborn.


    Carol shook her head at him, ¡°sorry champ, not gonna happen. How about you leave and I won''t beat you till your green again?¡±


    ¡°Green? Do you think I''m related to that moronic beast, Hulk? I am a superior creature, one of greatness and pure power. You are a bug, a stupid insect that should be on her knees worshipping my brilliance,¡± and Carol frowned


    ¡°I wouldn''t get on my knees to be sick after looking at you,¡± and Carol began to glow as the photon force flowed through her. Her time in space meant she never underestimated her opponents. A small innocent looking cat could turn out to be a huge intergalactic threat, and even if this was earth-based tech, he could still have powers she didn''t know about.


    ¡°Oooh, glowy. Harry said there were others and so I have this, just for you.¡± Goblin pulled out a sledgehammer from its back. The head glowed a deep blue colour as he powered it on, and Carol felt her powers thrum. Carol could feel the connection between whatever was powering that hammer and her own powers.


    Carol now knew what happened to the Tesseract once Fury had gotten his hands on it, fucking asshole, she cursed in her mind. If Shield wanted weapons based on the energy signature the Tesseract gave off, then they needed a weapons manufacturer. Stark was too unreliable, too willing to bend and break the rules, and Hammer was too incompetent. Oscorp must have won the bidding war, and now this giant red asshole had a Tesseract powered weapon to fight with.


    Carol avoided a swing as he charged at her, roaring. The hammer was unwieldy but with his giant frame, he was more than capable of swinging it. As it passed over her she saw wisps of energy pulling themselves from both her and the hammer, and they sparked when they touched. Shit, she thought, not only can I not use my powers, I need to make sure he doesn¡¯t hit me with that.


    The trio had retreated into an alleyway, trying to avoid drawing more attention from the strange soldiers as Carol and Golbin fought. Covering herself with symbskin MJ began to lift trash cans and dumpsters, forming a makeshift barricade to at least hide behind. Someone as big as Goblin would have no trouble smashing his way through it but even a few seconds might be the difference between life and death.


    ¡°If only I had my hammer sister,¡± Thor lamented looking over at Loki and MJ, he had a thought. ¡°You, you are a Klyntar aren''t you?¡± and MJ nodded,


    ¡°If that''s the monster you keep mentioning then yes, I am, I guess,¡± and Thor smiled,


    ¡°Good, bond with me. I¡¯m stronger and faster than you,¡° but MJ shook her head.


    ¡°Muse doesn''t fight,¡± and Thor laughed and looked over at Loki as if MJ had made the funniest joke ever.


    ¡°All symbiotes fight, that''s what they were for. So come on, hand it over,¡± and he motioned with his fingers, they needed as much power as possible to fight with, even if he hated the idea of bonding, he hated the idea of dying even more.


    ¡°No, she doesn''t want to,¡± and Thor shook his head.


    "We don''t have time for this. Bond with me, even if it''s only to fight off these things, " but MJ shook her head again,


    "Muse doesn''t want to fight, and she certainly doesn''t want to bond with you." and she took a step back, ready to fight the best she could if Thor got insistent.


    ¡°Any ideas then?¡± Thor said as they crouched behind the barricade, Carol was firing blasts at Goblin, who would knock them to one side with the hammer and then fire one back at her, laughing and shouting insults.


    ¡°I have some magic left,¡± Loki said, conjuring a small ball of golden light, ¡°but not enough to fight with, maybe an illusion of two.¡± and Thor stared at the pair fighting.


    As Thor watched Carol tussle with the red troll he felt himself at a loss, without his hammer there was no way he could defend the young woman and Loki. His father had been right and rather than it seeking out he had treated this as a holiday.


    With no powers, and both MJ and Loki to protect, he was out of his depth and he wished his father was here to offer him advice. Rubbing his hands over his face he watched, helpless as Carol and Goblin fought, each one a perfect match for the other. I¡¯m sorry friend Carol, I cannot help myself, let alone you.


    There was only one thing he could do, the one thing he was most afraid of but steeling himself to the inevitable he motioned to Loki. "Sister, I have a plan" and Thor moved behind a dumpster with his sister and MJ.


    Across the island Venom and the rest were slowly making their way towards the Life Incorporated Building, slowed by each stop at the soldier''s checkpoints.


    Unwilling to fight the newly bonded soldiers, they would take out the ones at the ATV¡¯s. Kill the barrels of symbslugs and then move on, Huntress stunning the guards before Poison did her work.


    Ravage and Venom stood guard, webbing and disabling anyone who spotted the quartet and after the fifth ATV, they found the building in their sights.


    ¡°We have no idea how many of these things Harry actually has. We need something to eliminate them all, ideas?¡± Venom asked at the group crouched in an alley across from the entrance.


    ¡°These guys are weird. Their symbiotes aren''t whole, it''s basically a bug moving them about. See how stiff they are, how robotic they look? I bet there are tougher ones inside and that is what we should be worried about,¡± Ravage said, pointing to each of the patrols as they went past.


    Venom looked over the building. It was completely different from when they had chased Norman here and he figured Harry must have expected them. The front of the building is not open planned, with bushes and no trees, nothing for Veno or a symbiote to latch onto or throw. Even the gate across the front of the building seemed to be much thicker than before with slots for firing out of.


    "We need to get over there without being seen." He shook his head at the newly fortified building front. Harry had expected them to sneak in and had probably trapped the only way in.


    Gwen shook her head and pointed to one of the ATV¡¯s. ¡°If Harry''s expecting us, then let''s crash it.¡± and Venom grinned.


    As the group made their plan, Carol had resorted to slugging it out with Goblin. Whatever was in the hammer was absorbing her photon force, and as she stuck him with a blast he absorbed it into the head of the hammer and fired it back at her. Thankfully she had an enhanced physiology as well and once the pair devolved to a fistfight, it was on equal terms.


    As a brawler Goblin was stranger than Carol, his mutated body boosted by so much formula, that even as she hurt him it just healed and made him stronger. Her Kree enhanced body was tough but back in the warehouse they had been right, even she got tired and she hoped that she could last.


    At least he had stopped using that damn hammer, whatever effect it had on her powers it must have been affected as well and while it was close enough for him to grab he seemed to prefer to use his fists. She ducked under a right and stuck him in the stomach, but even though he slid back several inches he just laughed.


    ¡°Little bug, even with your powers, you¡¯re no match for us, once the glow bug runs out of juice she¡¯s just meat for the beast, like the rest.¡± but Carol responded by flying forwards and smacking a fist into his face. Even if the photon force was absorbed by the hammer, she could still use it to fly.


    Goblin crossed his arms and two large blades grew from them, ¡°like my toys? Gargoyle makes everything so pretty for me,¡± and he swung widely, slashing huge arcs that forced Carol back and on the defensive.


    Carol ducked under the wild slashes and launched herself up and over him, landing behind him and delivering a haymaker into his back. Sending him flying he ooffed as he impacted a building and snarled at her, ¡°stupid bug, we will squash you now,¡± and as he roared, it seemed he got even bigger.


    Swords became clubs, as it was apparent that Carol was fast enough to dodge out of the way and once more Goblin swung at her. Carol shook her head, he was big, fast and strong but untrained and as she ducked under a swing, she kicked out his knee and he crumpled down. ¡°Kill you bitch,¡± he roared, spittle flying from his mouth and Carol shook her head not, likely, stupid oaf.


    His knee popped back into place, and using a club to hoist himself up he stood staring at her. ¡°Petty bug, We will give you some small moment of reflection before we crush you,¡± and Carol looked at him, bemused.


    ¡°Uh, I''m winning dumbass, you haven''t hit me once¡±


    Goblin laughed, ¡°yet,¡± and  Carol felt a touch at her feet. Looking down the symbiote part of Goblin had spread itself out over the sidewalk and was latched to her foot. As he lifted it to avoid being snared, it wrapped around her leg and whipped her into the air. Goblin dashed forwards and slammed a club into her stomach and then, as she flew up, smashed both into her once more, sending her flying into a building across the street. Taking out a large section of the wall, the ceiling and bricks rained down on her, covering her completely.


    As Carol lay trapped under the brick wall of the building, a grinning and laughing Goblin advanced on the trio hiding in the alley,


    ¡°Come out little bugs, don''t make me crush the whole building to get you,¡° he sang as he started to throw the makeshift barricade into the street behind him.


    MJ stood, holding her arms out in front of Thor and Loki. ¡°It''s me you want, leave them alone,¡± and Goblin laughed,


    ¡°Little bug, you get no say in this, once we squash you we¡¯ll take their pretty heads as trophies for my Harry. A boy needs trophies you know,¡± but MJ shook her head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make you bleed for every step you take, agree. Me for them, agree now and I won''t fight back.¡± She asked. ¡°Plus, once Carol gets free you¡¯ll have both of us to deal with.¡±


    Goblin tutted, ¡°Self-sacrifice? such a poor show but we agree, you for them, run little bugs, for your new friends has saved you,¡± and as he watched Loki grab Thor.


    As he shook his head she pulled him away. ¡±Come on, we need to leave¡± and Loki pulled Thor down the alley.


    As Goblin laughed,  and as the collapsed wall glowed brightly behind him MJ stood with her arms wide, and Goblin formed a blade from one of his huge arms and plunged it into her stomach, pinning her to the sidewalk. MJ coughed up blood, the thick red liquid stained the ground around her and as Goblin laughed he lifted her up and slammed her back down into the ground.


    ¡°Stupid bug, we lied, and now the rest are dead too¡± Goblin laughed and pulled her close. ¡°You die for nothing.¡±


    ¡°I would die to protect them,¡± she shouted and grabbing both the horns on his head, she headbutted him. As the Goblin stumbled backwards, stunned by the surprise attack, MJ landed on the pavement as the Goblin''s blade slid free. She fell to one knee and wincing in pain she righted herself, holding her stomach with one hand.


    ¡°I would die on any day so that others may be free from monsters like you.¡± MJ stood straight and seemed to grow taller,


    "but that day is not today."


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter One Hundred Fifteen. For Whom The Bell Tolls

    As Goblin laughed at MJ¡¯s fate he failed to notice the lightning crackling around her eyes.


    Thor and Loki both looked around as they heard the whisper,


    ¡®whoever is worthy¡¯


    ¡°Whoever is worthy,'''' she shouted, standing and holding out a hand, reaching for something in the sky.


    Thor now knew what his father meant. To be selfless, not selfish. To be firm but tolerant, and most of all to protect those unable to protect themselves, no matter the cost. His brashness had led to this situation, and it was his duty as its instigator to make sure that the Klyntar was dealt with.


    ¡°I. AM. WORTHY.¡± and the illusion covering MJ faded and the blood pooling around her feet stopped. Thor smiled and pulled himself away from the symbiote as his battle armour clicked and covered his torso, a bright red cloak draping itself over his back. He looked at the surprised Goblin, and raised a fist and smashed it into the creature''s face. ¡°You shall not pass red troll. I will not allow you to harm the MJ or her friend.¡± and holding up his hand Mjolnir lifted itself from its resting place. The torch on the Statue of Liberty exploded into a bright flame as lightning struck it over and over.


    As the hammer flew towards the island it collided with the energy shield, causing a massive resounding toll to cover the island and all over the state. Anyone near covered their ears as the massive note resounded and the symbiotes screeched in pain.


    The groups looked up at the shield as the hammering started, sounding like a massive bell. Venom and the rest shuddered as the noise resounded through them but they knew about the sound weakness and had been desensitising themselves. Only Gwen rolled and clawed at her ears as each strike sounded across the island.


    Norman was the same, with each hammer strike against the shield his symbiote screeched in agony and tried to peel itself away from him. All over the island the symbsoldiers fell clutching their ears. The glass barrels writhed and bubbled as the smaller slugs, with no protection burst as the sound overwhelmed them.


    Lightning crackled along Thor''s arms and he held his hand aloft, each pull of his hand striking Mjolnir against the shield once more.


    As Carol shook her head, working off the massive energy spike Red Gobin had hit her with, she saw a shimmering light cover Loki and he was back to being the strangely handsome man as before and Thor, fully clothed in resplendent battle armour, holding up his hand.


    ¡°Move,¡± and Thor seeing a brightly glowing Carol let his hand fall and as the giant green mutated Norman screeched and held his ears, Gargoyle stretched and sloughed off him like an oozing blanket to escape the noise. Carol hit him full blast with a photon beam, sending him flying and crashing into a building.


    Flying after him she punched him again and again, letting him rise up before smashing him down into the ground.


    ¡°Friend Carol, wait. You cannot kill him.¡± Thor shouted. ¡°He is a Klyntar. Even if he revels in chaos, we must take him for judgement,¡± and huffing Carol relaxed and the glowing stopped. Goblin lay bleeding and crippled on the sidewalk, blood dripping from his mouth.


    As they watched Gargoyle slowly slid back towards him, "Try anything and you won''t be so lucky" and Goblin tensed as Gargoyle rebonded with him but then lay still.


    ¡°Loki, good to see you brother,¡° Thor said, slapping his brother on the back and laughing. ¡°Can you make some restraints for our prisoner here? Friend Carol, we can take him back to Asgard with us, it would be safer than here on Earth. We¡¯ll find a nice planet to leave him on. After he faces trial for breaking the treaty of course.¡± and Loki went over and summoned two sets of metal cuffs. As he clasped them around Goblin''s arms and legs his eyes shifted black for a second before he smiled and finished restraining the beaten Norman.


    Carol moved over the MJ,


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asked and a stunned MJ nodded, Muse was complaining about the noise but as Peter showed them how to dampen it she was only complaining.


    The peter will be okay, he is the peter and he has the others with him


    I hope so Muse, I hope so.


    Across at the Life Foundation building, Venom and the rest helped Gwen to a safe place. Poison was screeching and holding her head as the tolling continued and there was nothing they could do for her right now. Huntress sat in the driver''s seat of the ATV and once everyone was buckled in she grinned and they sped off. Poison had retreated into Gwen but even now she could only suffer the pain while Ravage and Liv tried to shelter her.


    Smashing through the gates the armoured front of the truck thumped over any and all symbsoldiers in their way until it rammed into the reinforced glass front of the building.


    Harry wasn''t stupid, and the front had been redesigned to take the weight of someone the size of Venom crashing into it, even the weight of the truck only dented and smashed out the reinforced glass.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay and guard Poison,¡± Ravage said, cradling the sobbing symbiote in her lap. Ravage laid a thick layer of symbskin over herself, trying to blanket out the noise as much as possible. Venom and Huntress both nodded and grabbing the hold bar around the top of the passenger compartment swung their legs up and kicked. Even as the tolling noise faded Gwen continued to hold her ears and rock herself back and forth.


    Venom ran a hand over her head and nodded at Liv, ¡°See you soon.¡±


    Kicking out the front window Huntress and Venom climbed out and there was Harry, standing with two more symbiote soldiers. One, red and black, pacing back and forth creating and dismissing blades from all over his body, the other, pitch-black stood silently but as Huntress and Venom climbed down they could feel it watching them.


    ¡°Took you long enough, loser.¡± Harry said ¡°I mean, I got the shield up, got my soldiers in the street and I can say that taking out oh, 5 trucks worth did shit all Parker, I mean, that''s about 30 men. Nice job on the noise though.¡± Harry dismissively waved a hand at the pair.


    ¡°Just two? I guess Gwen didn¡¯t make it? Shame, out of the two of you, she was the nicer one, and smarter, and better looking. Should have thrown yourself on that grenade Parker. Given her your symbiote and let it save her, oh, or maybe you shouldn''t have brought her here in the fucking first place.¡± Harry shook his head, ¡°I mean, really, even if he was an asshole Norman never sent me out to do anything dangerous.¡± and he smirked and shrugged ¡°Guess that''s the price of knowing you though.


    Venom shook his head ¡°monologue much? Guess if daddy ignores you, gotta compensate somehow, but yeah, we cured your shitty anti-venom, really. Gwen''s fine, so suck it Osborn.¡± but Huntress batted his arm


    ¡°Fighting, don''t talk to the bad guy, shit.¡± and she shook her head.


    ¡°Oh no, Felicia, you might want to,¡± and Harry raised a hand and snapped his fingers. ¡°Meet Kaos and Carnage. You might have beaten them before, but we learned, we adapted, and now they will finish the job they started.¡± but Venom glanced over at Huntress who shrugged,


    ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about Harry, so save-¡± Venom started before Harry interrupted,


    Harry tutted, ¡°you lied to me,¡± and Carnage gave him the finger while Kaos remained still. ¡°See, Carnage was our first, a bit unruly but still, you take what you get but Kaos. He was our second and our most fun. You know he screamed for you Felicia, screamed until he was gone.


    Stepping forward, the symbskin on the black symbiote slid back and the hollow haunting eyes of Thomas Hardy stared at Huntress and Venom. They recognised the symbiote now. He was the one that attacked along with the red one. Harry had tested them and now they would get payback.


    ¡°No, dad, no.¡± Huntress took a step forward but Venom put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.


    ¡°Fucking let go of me,¡± she shouted, and shrugged him off but his grip was like a vice.


    ¡°Look at him,¡± and as Huntress stared, she saw. His face was hollow and sullen, black bags under empty eyes. She could see his skin was pale and sunken over his face, and even the skin on his shoulders was white. Whatever had been done to Thomas Hardy left him starved and emaciated.


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s fine, doesn''t talk much but he still works, wanna see?¡± and as he snapped his fingers once again the skin slid back over him and his face split apart into the rictus maw. Felicia flinched back and dropped down into a fighting stance as they waited for Harry to finish his speech.


    ¡°Kill them both, I don''t need them alive for the next part of my plan,¡± and giggling and screeching, the pair leapt for Huntress and Venom.


    Carnage giggled and laughed and leapt at Venom who moved aside easily while Kaos leapt at Huntress who grabbed the symbiotes outstretched hands and threw him to one side.


    ¡°Dad, dad you don''t need to do this. You can control it. Huntress and I don¡¯t fight each other, we exist together, please,¡± but Kaos ignored her, slashing at her with finger knives.


    Venom wasn¡¯t going to chat with Carnage and as he made two huge knives from his hands and lunged, Venom sidestepped once more and punched down, squashing him into the floor.


    Huntress ducked under a slice from Kaos and drove a fist into his stomach, ¡°Dad, please,¡± she whispered, ¡°it¡¯s Felicia,¡± and at her name Kaos paused, tilting his head, but shook it and screeched at her, pushing her away and slicing at her again with his claws.


    Venom had grabbed Carnage and was slamming him against the floor when he erupted in a writhing mass of razor-sharp tentacles, whipping and whirling around, and unwilling to see if his armour was thick enough to withstand them Venom had leapt backwards and away.


    ¡°Fucking gut you for that,¡° Carnage said, wiping the blood from his maw. ¡°Eat your entrails and skin the pretties,¡± he said motioning over to Huntress but Venom shrugged,


    ¡°So far, I¡¯m disappointed, you''re a shit fighter. What were you, the janitor? You swing like you''re mopping a floor.¡±


    Carnage screeched and swung again, slicing and slashing at the air as Venom ducked and weaved. Anyone watching would think that Carnage was winning, the blades millimetres from hitting Venom but a fighter would see that Venom was testing him, testing to see how far he could push and once he had a measure of the man he struck.


    Weaving under a blow, he bent Carnage''s arm around and brought his knee into the man''s stomach, as Carnage folded Venom pulled the arm and spun him around, and as he came back around hopped to the other foot and kicked him across the courtyard. Carnage went flying, rolling and coming to a thudding stop across the replanted green. He tried to rise, lifting himself up on both arms but shook and collapsed back down into the ground. As Venom shook his head he started to move over the help Huntress but Harry moved as well.


    ¡°Enough!¡± Harry shouted, and Kaos grabbed his head and screeched. Huntress and Venom watched as a pure white symbskin poured over Harry, thickening his skinny frame and enlarging him until he was almost as big as Venom.


    ¡°We are Monarch, Ruler of the Klyntar and you will obey us.¡± Monarch said, his voice full of majesty and Venom and Huntress felt they should kneel, obey and follow their ruler. Venom shook his head, he was tired of being bullied and now Harry was no different,


    ¡°Nah, you look like a cumshot, you fucking shitbag,¡± Venom said and as Huntress laughed, Monarch yelled.


    ¡°KILL THEM!¡±


    And as Carnage limped back over, the fighting began once more.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter One Hundred Sixteen. Sins Of The Father

    Gwen had asked Peter if she could fight Norman on her own, and only if she got in trouble would he or Felicia step in. She was asking a lot and in the end, the compromise was that Liv would help her. Neither of them had much fighting experience outside of what Peter and Felicia gave them, and Harry could be a lot more dangerous than they anticipated. Unlike the rest, Gwen knew that Norman was still alive and while he wasn''t here, Harry would do just fine. This whole mess was his fault anyway.


    She flexed a few times, and Monarch just stared at her. "You? Venoms over there fighting Carnage, Huntress is fighting her father and they sent you? Is MJ going to model some lingerie at me, maybe Liv will roll her wheelchair over my toes, oh oh or Curt will rip an arm off and throw it at me?" Monarch mocked her. ¡°Nice duds though, Pete get you a new one, or did that stupid bitch Liv save you?¡±


    "No, just going to beat you to death with my bare hands you arrogant fuck," and Gwen stretched, her body grew a huge amount, as a fully healed Poison swelled her muscles and covered her in thick armoured plates. Her formula enhanced body didn¡¯t transform like Curts or Goblins, no hers just grew and she now towered over Monarch, an Amazonian goddess clad in thick symbskin armour, he felt a small amount of fear. Poison strode forwards, Harry laughed, but he exploded into pain as she thudded a fist the size of a small plate into his guts and then smashed him with a haymaker into the ground. She spat on his crumpled form, "fuck Monarch." and Poison stomped down on Monarchs back until he puked over the floor.


    Huntress was trying not to hurt her father, the Kaos symbiote screeching and throwing darts at her as she ducked and weaved around him,


    stop crying start hunting you are weak your father is gone only, Kaos remains,


    no, I can save him, I have to try, blocking a kick, Kaos swept the legs out from under her and hissed in laughter and he stabbed downwards with a symbskin sword, forcing her to roll away from him.


    Venom was having more luck with Carnage, mainly as he didn''t give a shit if he killed him or not. The skinny asshole was slippery, he liked to get in close and use skin made weapons on his victims. The armour upgrade they all hated was perfect here, and as the huge blade smashed against it, Venom could only shrug as it failed to cut him. He swivelled his hand and shot out a web, grabbed Carnage and pulled him close, headbutted him and then swung him around, throwing him away, back across the courtyard.


    Poison was on Monarch''s back, driving his head into the ground, Monarch had stopped moving already and with each blow, Gwen screamed more and more.


    The anger, the guilt and the loss flowing from her as tears. She was too wrapped up in her grief to feel the tendrils of the monarch slide over her and pick her up, wrapping tightly around her. "We are not a fucking punching bag you bitch," and as a tendril wrapped around her neck, Poison began to struggle. Monarch was slowly merging with Poison and tightening himself around her exposed neck. She had no idea how to stop it, and she began to panic and claw at her neck.


    ¡°Do you need help dear?¡± Liv climbed out of the ATV, Gwen had asked to fight alone. After the telling off they had all received from first Felicia, and then MJ, Liv was unwilling to allow Harry to hurt Gwen any further, and seeing her struggle decided to interfere.


    ¡°Run my wheelchair over you?¡± As the four limbs extended from her back, Ravage slipped over her like a fine dress and she screamed in Harry¡¯s face, ¡°No dear, not in the slightest,¡± and wrapping two round his arms forced them from Poison as the other two thudded heavy blows into his chest. "I''m going to pay you back for all those people, and what you and your father did to me" the final two sliced at the tendrils around Poisons throat severing them.


    Poison landed on her ass, choking and taking in deep breaths. Poison had finally figured out how to harden her throat to stop Harry from choking her too badly but it had still hurt and she gasped and coughed. She unwound the wriggling tendrils, throwing them away as she sprayed them with caustic acid, making sure they were dissolved before standing and rubbing her throat.


    Monarch laughed. ¡°You? You two are fucking pathetic. Kneel!¡± he commanded and Ravage felt the urge to drop to her knees, the only thing stopping her was the intense hatred for the man who made her life hell.


    Ravage¡¯s maw split apart and the blood-red symbiote roared in Monarchs face ¡°We bow to NO ONE!¡± she screeched, and the four arms struck out once more. Monarch leapt backwards, sending out his own tentacles to bat them aside.


    "We''ve got a present for you though, fuck face, I reconfigured the AV, just for you.¡± and as Monarch was caught by Ravages own Tendrils he struggled and Poison balled one of her fists, changing it into a huge spike. Driving it into the soft tissue of Monarchs behind, she pumped him full of not just the Anti-Venom, but changed her other hand and stabbed him in the back, letting a caustic acid flow into Harry.


    Harry thrashed as the toxin worked its way through his cells, knowing exactly what the formula would do, he coughed a few times and vomited the white symbiote up. Monarch, knowing its only choice was to perish or flee, forcefully ripped itself from Harry and fled, heading towards a tunnel.


    Writhing in pain as he was free for the first time in 5 years, Harry saw Poison standing over him. "You killed my dad," and with a stroke, Harry felt a warm sensation at his neck, putting a hand up he saw blood on his fingers, and his breath became harder to hold in his chest. Letting out a gurgled cough he collapsed.


    ¡°And this is for the lives you stole.'''' Harry had fallen to his knees and tried to stop the blood he felt when Ravage grabbed him by the ears, ¡°and for mine." and with a twist and a snap, Harry was no more. Ravage stood and grinned at Poison who shook her head, shrinking back down.


    Ravage shrugged and leant down, a tendril sharpened and with a single stroke, she took Harry''s head from his shoulders. "What? You watch movies right, the bad guy makes a dramatic resurrection once good guys backs are turned." Poison just shook her head again and headed back to the others.


    ¡°Venom. Monarch abandoned Harry and you need to chase him. We¡¯ll take care of Carnage,¡± Ravage yelled, and Venom watched as the white symbiote half ran, half oozed down a side corridor. Venom ducked under a blade and shoulder checked Carnage, throwing him backwards. Ravage, taking the opportunity sent out her four arms and Venom taking the chance, leapt away and followed Monarch.


    Poison had swung over to help Huntress, as she tried to reason with her father it became apparent that he was gone, ¡°Dad, I¡¯m sorry,¡± and as Felicia spoke Kaos stopped again. The momentary lapse in concentration was enough for Poison to stab him in the back. Letting the symbiote poison spread into him, Kaos only laughed and swung at her in retaliation, but he dropped to one knee, coughing and vomiting up the rotten dead fluid. Poison shook her head and as Huntress held him down Poison injected him again with the Anti-Monarch formula, allowing his release from the psychotic symbiote.


    Ravage was defending against Carnage, as his blade slashed out she used the same tactics she had once used against Venom, Each limb tracking and deflecting off a knife or blade extending from Carnage. Carnage had scored a hit on her ribs, carving a line from one side to his spine and while it wasn''t serious, Ravages lack of combat experience showed. The psychopath had been carving people up for years, fought cops, fought other inmates, and anyone who dared anger him, two kids and a scientist were meat for the grinder as far as he saw it. Carnage giggled and laughed as he scored more and more slashes on her.


    ¡°Oh, how Venom will cry and fight when he sees my work,¡± he taunted them. Seeing Ravage in difficulty Poison headed to help, whipping out explosive web lines to keep him away from her as she slowly recovered.


    Carnage was smarter than Goblin though, and as Poison sent out a whip he countered it with one of his own, either grabbing and pulling or simply batting it to one side, laughing at the pair¡¯s feeble attempts to fight him.


    Huntress was tending to her father, tears dripping down her face as he struggled and coughed up more and more of his symbiote. Kaos thrashed and flaked off but unlike Poison, he refused to save his host and soon both were still and quiet.


    ¡°Love you,¡± was all he said and as Thomas Hardy died, Huntress screamed her pain into the open air.


    Huntress sniffed and took a deep breath. She knew her father might not be alive, she had mourned him. Finding him controlled by a symbiote was stopping a monster and now, spying Poison and Ravage having difficulty, she had another to stop.


    Fueled by rage at her father¡¯s death, Huntress dodged and weaved around the blades of Carnage, ignoring his taunting she made blades of her own. Poison retreated and pulled the bloody and exhausted Ravage with her. The soldiers Harry had created were nowhere to be seen but unwilling to risk her life, Poison helped Ravage into the ATV and as she slipped back, webbed up the wound on her side with her biobandage.


    ¡°Eat shit!¡± Huntress grinned and struck out with a sword, catching him under one arm. As she pulled back she extended the symbskin out like a branch and stabbed it into him, only his own armour stopping the blade from extending into his chest. Roaring in pain he grabbed the blade and yanked it from her hand. Huntress snorted, "Carnage? more like Garbage."


    ¡°Hehehe we will make you love this blade,¡± but as he swung for her, Huntress ducked under the blade and brought her knee into his stomach,


    ¡°oh yeah, let''s see you try.¡±


    Carnage laughed, and his hands changed into giant red and black axes, he swung for Huntress but she ducked under one, stepped to the side and as the axe swung down landed a blow into Carnage''s armpit and he screeched as the limb went numb.


    ¡°Aww, did Garbage meet his match?¡±


    His mouth split and he yelled, bringing the other axe round in an arc, which Hunteress ducked under, went down on one knee and punched him in the groin.


    He screamed in pain and she rolled backwards as he tried to bring the axe down on her, ¡°you mean you felt that, cause I never felt anything,¡± wiggling a pinky finger at him.


    ¡°We will kill and eat you bitch!¡± He yelled and as he ran towards his arm became a huge spike. As he struck forwards, Huntress rolled and brought up both arms, she took a knee and punched, both hands like spades as they dug through Carnage''s chest and out the back, she screamed in his face and pulled her hands apart and three soggy parts of his body thudding on the ground.


    Huntress spat on the parts and headed into the ATC where Gwen and Liv were sat, drinking water from a supply crate. As she handed her bottle to Felicia, Gwen saw the mess move, and huffing, lifted herself up and wrapping herself in Poison once more, made sure to spray Carnage with both the Anti-Monarch formula and Cletus with a strong acid, letting them both turn to black slime.


    Back in the ATV, the trio collapsed together, leaning on one another, they were tired and covered in bruises and slashed. While Venom had left to take care of Monarch, Kaos and Carnage had been tough for the three. Only Huntress had combat experience, and Liv and Gwen suffered for it.


    ¡°I think. Yes, I think I want to go home now,¡± Liv said and Gwen patted her arm.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter One Hundred Seventeen. Sins Of The Son

    Venom had followed the trail of Monarch to its spawning chamber, the air was thick with humidity, and he could smell the next batch of symbiotes being created in the strange alien incubation chamber. Monarch had found its home, the original probe John had found and opened, brought back to earth and then started this whole mess and as Monarch quivered inside its face stretched.


    You will serve us,


    It whispered to Venom and hearing its voice, he stopped.


    you will serve us,


    and he was frozen, his symbskin hardened around him, he strained but in front of his creator he was powerless,


    you are my creation and you will obey.


    Peter found he was unable to move. His head swam and all he wanted was to please Monarch, to serve Monarch.


    show us your face, bow to your master.


    and the Venom symbskin retracted leaving Peter naked before Monarch, and unable to control himself he got down on one knee and bowed.


    good,


    Monarch hissed.


    You will serve us and find us a new host,


    Monarch rasped at Peter.


    No, he thought back,


    insolence. you are our progeny we made you, we rule you,


    Every ounce of pain, every punch, every taunt, every sneer, every time someone did or said something, every drop of pain Peter had felt. At Flash for his bullying, at his uncle for dying and leaving him, at his parents for taking a baby on a shield mission. Every ounce of that he screamed in Monarch¡¯s face.


    no! Peter thought again,


    no no no NO!


    And Monarch flinched.


    A bright blue gem, embedded in the housing of the alien spacecraft, glowed brightly for a second before dimming.


    "WE. ARE. VENOM!" Peter roared and the black symbskin flooded outwards, tendrils of hardened armour piercing and shredding everything in their path.


    "YOU. ARE. NOTHING. TO. US." he yelled again, and all the symbiotes felt a psychic shock echo through them, the girls felt warm and safe as Peter''s mind touched theirs through their bonds, their creator was calling to them, keeping them from Monarchs influence.


    "YOU ARE NOTHING" he yelled at the symbiote and it rippled as if his voice was a physical thing, even Venom felt the thrumming of his power, he smirked as he thought back, the first time he saw Poison and Venom interact and as his maw split apart, an instinct taking over. The desire to consume, the desire to eat flesh, and tear apart his victims and devour their minds.


    ¡°You are nothing but food,¡± and grabbing the symbiote he stuffed it into his mouth, closing the razor-sharp teeth around it and tearing into the thick gelatinous body of Monarch. Monarch screeched in pain as Venom slurped it down and into himself. As it screamed and raged, it tried and failed to escape his own cells, fought and absorbed it, taking in the power he had been giving the others, taking in what was rightfully his.


    He felt the young symbiote struggle to remain within his mind, begging to be left alive, as the last of their kind. Venom thought it was strange, he had been so afraid of what Harry and the symbiote were doing but it was only trying to survive. Not even the last ruler, it was the dying symbiotes last act, to create a spawn and launch it into space.


    Venom was relentless though, as he felt the last of Monarch fade, he also felt the races rage. At being used, at being destroyed, at being imprisoned. The last dying act was not to spare its race, but to get revenge on an unsympathetic galaxy, to consume and to destroy.


    As Venom ate and digested the symbiote he spied a bright blue gem on the throne of Monarch, attached at its head. Sparkling and glinting with unseen light Peter found himself drawn to the gem. Prying it loose he heard a whisper in his thoughts, a calling to submit, to obey, a whisper of a suggestion that he was nothing, he was lesser and in anger, he crushed the gem with his fist. He was Venom, he was strong, he was powerful and the bright gem cracked, revealing the yellow gem underneath.


    Raw power flooded into him and his mind swam with images, scenes of battle, species, planets, knowledge long forgotten, all contained within the gem. Its power flooded into him and he began something else. As he assimilated Monarch his cells became more than the originals, more than just a human hybrid.


    He wasn''t just Peter Parker anymore, nor was he Venom. He was both and finally at peace. He felt connected to everything, to the world, to each symbiote and he had felt the same connection from Monarch. With his newfound power, he could now control and create a new symbiote race if he desired, with him as its progenitor.


    The gem whispered to him, take it, make them yours, take this world


    Venom shook his head as he fought the gems influence, I will make you into fucking buttplug, SHUT THE FUCK UP! He screamed at it in his mind and it fell silent.


    He sought out that connection and he terminated each symbiote soldier, realising their minds were gone, only husks remained, controlled by their armour. No, he could but he wouldn''t. He wanted a home, not an empire, a family not slaves. He knew had strayed but he still wanted Aunt May and his Uncle to be proud of him, and that was good enough for him. He felt the calm minds of each neutral symbiote on Earth and he sent them a stark warning, "Behave or I will find you," before creating a new holder for the gem and hiding it within his body.


    The trio looked to the chamber Peter had headed down and hoped he was okay.


    Of course, Peter sauntered down the corridor, ¡±uh, are there any grenades in the ATV?¡± He asked and the three shrugged. After a moment of searching, Venom grabbed what he hoped were explosives and pulled the pins on all of the cylinders and threw them down the tunnel he had just walked up.


    ¡°Did you, did you kill Monarch?¡± Gwen asked and Peter nodded, unwilling to admit exactly how he had killed him.


    ¡°So it''s over?¡± as he nodded again, Gwen relaxed, slumping into the bucket seat in the back of the ATV.


    ¡°Good,¡± Felica said, ¡°then let''s go home.¡±


    Peter looked around at the devastation, ¡°Uh, remember Livs place¡± and Felicia laughed while Liv and Gwen both shook their heads. There were only so many things they could steal before Shield got here.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need a bigger van though,¡± was all the reply he got.


    ¡°We also need to take the shield down Peter, we can¡¯t leave until you do,¡± Liv said, sitting almost asleep in the ATV.


    ¡°It''s fine,¡± was all he said and letting his symbskin cover him. ¡°Be right back,¡± he climbed out of the ATV and sent up a web line and began to climb.


    At the top of the building, he found what Monarch had built. It was tied into the ship''s reactor, and he sent a mental message to Huntress.


    Uh, I know it''s weird right but um, can you head into the tunnel and grab Monarchs ship, its alien tech and I don''t want Shield to get it.


    Monarchs ship? Down the tunnel, the tunnel you just blew up?


    Maybe you can I dunno dig it out?


    Oh, you fucking owe me, Pete. Really owe me, and he heard Felicia huff through their link.


    Yeah. Gwen can help, but next time, wait before blowing stuff up yeah?


    Uh, then wait a moment, cause I might have to blow up this shield generator.


    For fuck sake Pete, switch it off and stop blowing shit up.


    Venom laughed, he was only teasing her, and as he looked over the shield generator he saw the bright blue cube sat in its centre. It was a simple on-off mechanism, probably as Symbsoldiers weren¡¯t exactly the smartest creations and as he approached the two guarding it raised their guns against him but with a thought, they stood down.


    Venom shook his head and pressed the switch, hearing the machine whine and then the bright fountain of light slowly faded. He figured that Shield should be already on standby and that the group should get out of there before Fury and his men showed up.


    Touching one of the symbsoldiers he felt for a mind, for anything but through the link, he could feel there was nothing, a hunger, a need to obey had been imprinted but that was it. Whoever this was, whatever mind the man once had was gone, and he sent a command to the slug and it died. Leaving the man an empty husk.


    Venom took a breath and sighed. Fury was going to be pissed, but unless he commanded the slugs to eat the person they were possessing, it was the best he could do.


    MJ? Are you okay? He thought, seeking her out through the network.


    What the hell? And yeah fine, I''m fine.


    Asgardians? Venom asked as he began to pull apart the generator. It was more alien tech that he didn''t want Shield to have but he knew the power source, the Tesseract had been lent to Oscorp by Shield, and he left it on the roof after removing a few components from the generator. They had been scavenged from Monarch¡¯s ship and without them the tech was worthless.


    Here and behaving, Thor and Loki are guarding Goblin, and Carol is arguing she should just blast him.


    Shit, he thought, not a fight I would want to get involved in.


    Uh, tell her not to start something right now, there''s been enough death for today, even if it is Goblin.


    They want to take him off-world, to stand trial for crimes against the galaxy, I dunno Pete, this is way beyond me, uh, so, yeah, mind-reading now huh?


    Venom laughed, yeah mind-reading now, look, leave Carol, and the Asgardians to sort the mess out, we¡¯ll swing by and pick you up, we¡¯re leaving before the authorities get here. So stay safe and see you soon. Oh wait, do Carol or the others know anything about an alien glowing cube thing?


    let me ask, and after a moment, uh Thor wants to know where you are,


    Sure, send him my way, Life Foundation Building, on the roof. You can hitch a ride if you want?


    No, get home, I¡¯m fine, I can blend in with the civilian casualties and make my own way back, just head home. Don¡¯t do anything that could get you caught.


    Okay, see you soon, while Venom wasn¡¯t happy about leaving MJ, she was probably the safest of the five of them, having three superpowered guardians with her and even if he wasn¡¯t convinced about Thor or Loki he knew Carol would keep her safe.


    Soon enough he spied who he could only imagine was Thor, and he felt a little jealous. At almost 7 foot tall the man was strapping beefcake of blonde and muscles and even as he saw Venom he smiled,


    "Friend, you have the Tesseract?" and as Venom pointed at the remains of the generator Thor slapped him on the back, and laughed, "A fitting prize to take home. You might want to stand back though," and with a swing of his hammer,  he smashed the generator to pieces. "I am sorry uh, Venom? but I cannot allow the generator to remain intact. Earth should not have this level of technology," but Venom shrugged, at least he could dump everything onto Thor. "I shall return to my brother and our prisoner. May we join you and Carol for libations? I wish to see more of Earth and its people."


    Venom shrugged, "sure, just make sure MJ gets home okay?" and with a laugh, Thor twirled his hammer and took off into the sky.


    Webbing the parts to himself he scaled down the line he climbed up and met the others at the ATV, Poison and Huntress looked mad at him, while Liv was sat sleeping in the back of the ATV.


    ¡°She¡¯s just banged up but she won''t be fighting anytime soon,¡± Gwen said as Venom cast an eye over her and he nodded,


    ¡°Good, let''s go home.¡± Venom said, climbing into the van, ¡°and I¡¯ll order pizza, a lot of pizza.¡±


    They were all tired, hungry and relieved. For once things had been dealt with, the clean up was Shields problem, and even if Goblin was still alive the Asgardians could take care of him.


    It was a win, nobody had been seriously hurt and everyone was safe, that was all Peter cared about as Felicia drove the van back to the warehouse.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter One Hundred Eighteen. Moving House (NSFW)

    As they drove home Peter saw the vast number of Shield agents begin to swarm the island, ignoring the fleeing traffic and concentrating on the larger problems. Peter stretched out with his thoughts and made sure that everyone was safe, no hostiles remained, and those that could be saved were. Harry''s clones were dumb, bonding with anyone who was compatible and eating anyone who wasn''t.


    Gwen was feeling much better after getting her revenge against Harry, and MJ had come back to the warehouse. After a tearful reunion, she was told the story of Harry¡¯s plan and explained her own drama. Thor and Loki had tagged along but sat at the coffee table awkwardly drinking coffee and staring at each other, promising to behave, while a bound, webbed, and gagged Goblin lay in a corner with a watchful eye kept on him. Gwen synthesised the most powerful sedative she could and soon he was asleep, completely covered in webbing baring enough space to breathe through.


    With the invasion over and the Asgardians dealt with Carol had to go back to space. Her time on earth was over and she was going to snag a ride with Thor and Loki, speak to Odin about the Klyntar situation and then head to Nova Prime to broadcast the news to the galaxy in general.


    Eventually, Fury sent agents to interview the Asgardians but Thor just laughed at them, called them ¡°tiny¡± and after radioing their superiors they left without an argument. Goblin had been sedated with a super sedative, courtesy of Gwen and his symbiote had been given a stern warning from Peter, ¡°behave or perish.¡±


    The week had passed painfully slow, but until Fury gave them the all-clear, Peter had been told to stay put and to wait until he had been debriefed.


    Thor had taken Loki for one last look around New York and while the man was as subtle as a brick Peter actually found himself liking the pair. Peter was even generous to give him a hundred dollars to spend. In the end, he gave Loki the hundred as Thor proudly held the money up and exclaimed ¡°Currency!¡± before laughing and slapping Loki on the back.


    After they had left, Carol and Liv were talking and Peter went grocery shopping for ingredients to cook one final meal for Carol. As a huge thank you for helping with the invasion, he felt it was the least he could do, and after he returned with fresh eggs and milk for pancakes, he stopped to watch Huntress and Ravage fighting in front of the labs.


    What confused him more was Liv.


    ¡°Uh, Liv?¡± he asked as she sat at the table drinking coffee, watching the pair fight.


    ¡°Oh Peter dear, just in time, isn''t it exciting,¡± and she motioned to the pair trading blows.


    ¡°Uh, sure but, want to explain?¡± he asked, setting down the bag and putting the groceries away into the fridge they used for perishables.


    ¡°Oh right, yes, sorry. See, Carol wanted to take a symbiote with her to Asgard, a presence for the Klyntar race so to speak and asked if Huntress would spawn.¡±


    ¡°Right, with you so far.¡± He sat down and poured coffee for himself and waved the coffee pot at Liv who nodded, and he poured her a fresh cup as well.


    ¡°Well, she refused and instead leapt from Ms Hardy to Carol and bonded with her, to which Felicia was obviously upset.¡± Liv sipped her coffee before setting it down. ¡°Now, Ravage also asked if she could swap as, and I quote ¡®taste funny¡¯, apparently the x-ray exposure left me tasting like a battery and Ravage was unamused by the development. So, she moved and Felicia is now her host.¡±


    Peter''s eyes twitched, ¡°okay, and the fight?¡±


    Liv laughed, ¡°oh, um, Huntress might have said that Ravage was a better choice as, and again I quote ¡®the Felicia was better at taking a dick than a punch¡¯ and well, Felicia headbutted her, and now you see the result.¡±


    Peter laughed, while the pair were fighting it wasn¡¯t serious. Huntress was getting used to a new host while Felica and Ravage seemed to have blended perfectly. If Carol stuck out any limb to try and hit Ravage she grabbed it and slammed her into the ground, following it up with kicks, punches, and tentacle whips. Carol for all her military training was being tossed around like a child by Felicia. As much as he might not want to admit it Felicia did seem to be better suited to Ravage.


    It wasn''t until Carol started to glow that Peter stood, ¡°ENOUGH!¡± he yelled and Huntress and Ravage both froze. He had felt Carol starting to power up and even without Huntress she was capable of levelling the entire warehouse with one of her photon blasts. If the symbiote had enhanced her then who knew what she was now capable of.


    Peter shook his head as he walked over to them. ¡°I don''t mind you fighting, but really Huntress, cheating?¡± and the symbiote tutted at him. ¡°Really, you got a power upgrade and now you''re huffy, let me speak to Carol.¡± and as the symbskin mask pulled back Carol took a deep breath and smiled,


    ¡°Oh fuck that amazing, I mean, I feel great and oh, you are such a bad man Peter Parker, I mean, all four at once, all four, hell,¡° she muttered under her breath, ¡°and I can¡¯t even get a date. Stupid damn, stupid man.¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°uh, didn''t Huntress warn you we all have enhanced senses, I mean Liv?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not stupid, he¡¯s just a very naughty boy,¡± Liv shouted across the floor, and Peter laughed.


    Carol hid her face in her hands, first Huntress insults her old host starting a fight, then she accesses the  Photon force and almost levels the place, and now she just admitted that she knows all their dirty secrets. Carol wasn''t a prude by any means but still. What made matters worse was that in all her time in space there were issues. She had never met anyone compatible and after being away for so long, even Peter was looking like a good thing. Huntress had shared a lot of graphic details about him and his activities after Carol had a stray thought about it, and now she was willing to find out if the creature was exaggerating or not.


    ¡°Come on, pancakes, and I got maple syrup too, bet you haven''t had that for a while. Got a few extra bottles for you to take into space, plus a hardshell case, maybe grab a few things to take with you?¡± Peter shrugged. Carol hadn¡¯t fought much but spent most of her time saving New Yorkers from the Symbslugs Harry cloned, she deserved more than he could offer her but had refused everything else.


    ¡°Oh, pancakes,¡± and Huntress slid back, revealing Carol underneath,


    ¡°But uh, we have a  dress code though,¡± Peter said looking Carol all over and Carol raised an eyebrow before looking down.


    Peter took in the sight, Carol was more muscular than even Felicia but her breasts were smaller and her nipples, hard after fighting, were small dots of chocolate on two hand-sized mounds. Sweat lazily beaded between her breasts and Peter¡¯s eyes went down to her groin where Huntress had taken the liberty of cleanly shaving Carol and a pair of nicely smooth lips sat over an engorged clit, glistening and ready for what Huntress wanted most for breakfast, Peter.


    Huntress had eaten her uniform, ¡°uh yeah, the symbiotes really don''t like it when you wear clothes, they get, I dunno, jealous.¡± he explained but his eyes never moved from her.


    ¡°Fucking shit,¡± Carol covered her breasts with one arm and tried to cover her groin with the other.


    ¡°Yeah, a bit late for that. Huntress, stop being a bitch, give Carol clothes,¡± he told her and while Huntress manifested blue jeans and a white T-shirt for Carol, she made sure that her chest and groin were covered last, and that the t-shirt was transparent enough her dark nipples showed through.


    Carol sighed, ¡°I''m giving you back if you don''t behave,¡± she chided the symbiote and the t-shirt thickened. ¡°Are they all like that?¡± and Peter shook his head.


    ¡°Truth? No, they¡¯re badass bitches who take no shit, but uh, they are all used to, um, me I guess, and maybe Huntress is now pushing you towards that as well.¡±


    Carol tutted and shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t, I''m going back into space in what 6 hours, plus I was gone for 10 years last time, so I might never be back, times relativistic in space, I''m gone 6 months but here, you¡¯ll age so much faster.¡± She was no prude, but even she drew the line at dragging him to bed, sating herself and then leaving. A long-distance relationship was well off the cards when it was measured in light-years.


    ¡°Really? is that all?¡± Liv added, ¡°look, we¡¯re all open here, we had a big discussion not too long ago about honesty. As your one of us now, maybe not in the physical sense, but Huntress is one of Peters babies, you need to be honest and the truth is I can smell your excitement and Peter won¡¯t age. As far as we can tell his cells don''t break down and he has no genetic markers for cancer or ageing. If anything you¡¯ll age faster than he will, you¡¯re still fundamentally human, he isn''t.¡± Caroll had neglected to mention her biology had been altered by the Kree, and that Peter being only part human wasn''t that much of a deal as they thought.


    We want our breakfast now. Peter, come scramble our eggs and let me lick syrup off the sausage.


    ¡°But he didn''t buy any-¡± and Carol went bright red, ¡°that''s not what you meant was it?¡± and they could hear Huntress laughing. ¡°Fine, fine, yes, stupid handsome man, booty calls are still a thing then huh? Fine, if I''m back on Earth then yes.¡°


    ¡°Well, I don''t have a place and sure, why not, I mean, from the memories Huntress is showing me you''re a horny little devil and it''s been so long for me that if you''re offering I won¡¯t say no.¡± Huntress slipped back into Carol and even as she shook her head at her nakedness she sauntered back over to Peter''s home, shaking her ass as invitingly as she could.


    ¡°Sorry Liv, I¡¯ll make pancakes for you once I''m finished,¡± and after a kiss on the cheek, and with a smile on his face, followed Carol into his house.


    Carol was over on the bed waiting for him,


    ¡°Peter, I have the stamina of a god, the energy of the universe and now the horniest meanest symbiote in the world bonded to me, I don''t want to waste time, clothes off, right here,¡± and she pointed to her glistening lips. ¡°Please, just, it¡¯s been so long and this little blob keeps sending memories of you pounding Felicia till she can¡¯t walk, so no, in, now.¡±


    Peter let his clothes vanish and held his erection over her wet pussy, rubbing it to feel how smooth she was he plunged it into her and she gasped as he filled her ¡°oh fuck, now, hard,¡± and he began to piston in and out of her.


    As Liv and Felicia stared at each other at the breakfast table they began to hear and then smell the sex between Carol and Peter, Felica looked forlorn and Liv patted her on the thigh, ¡°it¡¯s not all bad you know, she¡¯s not a-¡±


    ¡°OH FUCK YES!¡± Carol screamed as she must have had her first orgasm.


    Liv stared, ¡°uh, she¡¯s not a puppy, you have to let her live her own life-¡± but was interrupted again by the moans and cries of Carol.


    ¡°Um, want to?¡± and Felicia looked nervously at Liv.


    Liv smirked, ¡°really, without Gwen?¡± And Felicia nodded,


    ¡°We all agreed, remember?¡± and as Liv got down on her knees in front of Felicia she felt her run her fingers through her hair. Tasting the young woman she slid a finger into her and began to massage her clit with her tongue, then a second and she saw Felicia things tremble as she came.


    ¡°The floor isn¡¯t comfortable dear, how about we use your home, mine was taken by Carol and I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll appreciate the company.¡±


    The pair could hear her moaning and shouting, Peter taking no quarter with her and Fel nodded, Gwen wouldn¡¯t be home for several hours at least. And with a smile, Liv took her into their bed.


    ¡°I must admit, I had hoped Carol would be a bit open to more than just Peter,¡± she said and they lay side by side, Liv gently kissing and teasing Felicia¡¯s thighs and clit while Felicia did the same, burying her face and sucking on Livs wet entrance, her tongue exploring deep within.


    Carol was also experiencing Peters tongue as they sixty-nined, her powers and Huntress meant that to her surprise she could take him comfortably and she had, every inch of his cock was deep in her mouth and as she sucked on him, he returned the favour and tongued deep within her, his long symbiote tongue-tickling and teasing everywhere while his fingers played on her clit.


    ¡°Oh shit Peter, you can cum lots yeah, then please, Huntress wants it, oh shit, me too, fucking cum,¡± and as she asked Peter released within her mouth. She knew the symbiote loved it and it surprised Carol when the thick sweet taste filled her mouth, it was pleasant and she drank it, feeling Huntress purr and even now her powers thrummed as well, she bobbed her head back and forth, letting him fill her mouth before swallowing it down and as he touched the back of her throat she clenched as his tongue wriggled over her g-spot, sending her into orgasmic bliss.


    Kissing and stroking him, ¡±one last time, inside please, oh fuck, inside,¡± and Peter lay down, Carol grinned and slid on top of him, feeling him elongate inside and she was full ¡°oh fuck Peter, be thankful the universe doesn¡¯t know about this,¡± and as she rocked back and forth he rubbed against the end of her passageway sending a huge ripple through her, Huntress, and for a reason she didn¡¯t understand, her powers as well. Each cell vibrated with power, each part of her hummed in the joy of Peter, even if she knew he was probably getting a big head from having so many girlfriends she didn''t care, as a blush spread across her chest and her dark coffee nipples hardened, she nodded to him and whined as he came deep inside her. She never knew she could orgasm like that, she never knew the molten hot cum pouring into her would spark a fire within her that burned like a star and sent pleasure to every inch of her body.


    The pair, encased in Carol¡¯s powers, floated from the bed, Peter still spurting more and more cum into her, her body and Huntress greedily drinking it. It wasn¡¯t until Carol¡¯s power burst forth and filled the warehouse with a blinding light that they heard, ¡°what the fuck was that?¡± being shouted by Felicia, who with a very naked Liv and a very obvious smell of sex had come running over.


    ¡°Best Orgasm EVER!¡± was all Carol shouted before falling back on the bed.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter One Hundred Nineteen. Goodbye For Now

    After spending the afternoon having sex, while Peter occasionally joined Liv and Felicia to give her a break, Carol finally got her pancakes. She sat and watched him cook, while she made doe eyes at Peter. She admitted to herself that he was handsome, and with the memories that Huntress gave her of him and the warehouse he was actually a good person. In her line of work, the difference between a villain and a hero was the intent.


    People like Odin, Thor, and the other Asgardians were seen as heroes but she couldn''t count the number of armies or races they had crushed to prove the dominance of their species. Working with the Nova Corps her job sometimes involved killing and she had no problems with that. There were some people in the galaxy that deserved it, some even twice for the things she had seen, so to her, he was a hero, my hero, she thought and giggled at the thought.


    She knew it was an emotional high from being bonded, they had all warned her that the initial rush was to ensure compatibility but she didn¡¯t care, for the first time in over 10 years she was happy, fed, and the sex had been mind-blowingly good. Good enough that she was considering asking for a transfer back to Earth to monitor the symbiote situation. If that was done from Peter''s bedroom, then that was just a burden she was willing to bear.


    He knew Huntress was reinforcing her feelings, amplifying them but if there was a nicer guy, one willing to wait for her, well, not just her, she hadn''t found him. Although, as he flipped and made pancakes, laughed and joked with Liv and Felicia she wondered just how many women would come back too. Peter had a magnetic personality, you liked him, he was smart, a bit dorky, but funny and, unless you were scumbag, didn''t have a malicious bone in his body.


    Peter smiled as he put the plate down in front of Carol and she gave him one back, leaving forwards he kissed her on the cheek and she bit her lip and stared at the plate, Liv and Felicia shook their heads and pushed over the syrup and butter for her, while Peter made eggs. They recognised that look, it was the freshly fucked look that only Peter gave them and they were all feeling it.


    MJ and Gwen made a sombre appearance and Peter put coffee, eggs and pancakes down in front of the pair as they sat, stoically.


    Gwen was staring at her plate of eggs and pancakes as Peter walked back over ¡°shit, It was bad Pete, really bad, a lot of people were infected,¡± she sighed and began to eat, swallowing her bite. ¡°Most are being left to die,¡± she said as she took another bite, ¡°they just can''t cope with the amount. It was over a thousand people Pete, how could you?¡± she said as the tears dripped onto her plate, ¡°how could you?¡± and her shoulders shook as she broke.


    Peter shook his head, ¡°they were already dead Gwen. All of you, ask them, ask them what they do to hosts they aren''t compatible with, and then, look at me.¡±


    We eat them


    We kill them


    We cull the weak


    We destroy them


    Were the four answers they got back, and as they looked at Peter. He took a breath and with as much seriousness he could muster, he answered.


    ¡°I let them go, the people and the fragments. You saw Ravage when we took her from you Gwen, in pain and suffering. Harry killed those people, I just let them go,¡± and Gwen nodded but it was still hard to understand, death on that scale was never easy to understand.


    She was right though, the one thing he couldn''t bring himself to do was to kill them. Commanding the slugs to eat their hosts would have been a simple thing, but he couldn¡¯t, even leaving them to just die was weighing on his mind but that would have broken him. Killing to protect his family was one thing, taking so many innocent lives was a completely different matter. He would leave that to the families and the authorities.


    The rest of the breakfast was eaten in silence until Gwen headed into her home to grab some of the sugar-free syrup that she normally ate. ¡°Hey, why does my home smell like sex?¡± Gwen didn''t mind but still, they might have tidied up and not left her bed in a mess.


    Peter shrugged as she came back out, ¡°I only messed up mine¡± but it was Felicia and Liv who looked guilty, ¡°uh, Peter''s bed was taken so we, um, borrowed yours,¡± Felicia said guilty, knowing full well what they had done.


    Gwen sighed, ¡°clean it up please, but why was Peter''s bed filled if you were in mine?¡±


    ¡°Carol,¡± Peter said, ¡°and you might as well tell her.¡±


    ¡°Carol? Ha! You owe me 20 bucks Liv,¡± who tutted and handed the note over. ¡°What, we all know you well enough Pete, I had 20 bucks you¡¯d pussy out but cave at the last minute so ha, in your face.¡± She said as she waved the twenty at Liv and Felicia.


    ¡°Really? You guys bet on that?¡± and Gwen shrugged,


    ¡°Pete, we don''t care, really. I mean since Poison was cured I''ve slept with everyone as many times as time allows. It''s not like you¡¯re the only bed hopper here. Shit I mean, we could try out for the sex Olympics on how awesome we all are.¡±


    Peter frowned but thought about it and nodded, ¡°yeah, fair enough¡±


    Gwen continued, ¡°and as long as nobody breaks the no outsiders rule, it''s fine, enhanced or not we don''t know if you are completely immune to every disease Mr Parker, so while we can agree on some people, stow it in your pants Mr.¡±


    ¡°Wait, why am I getting told off for sleeping with Carol, when you lot all bet on it and they messed up your bed?¡± Peter complained.


    ¡°Woman''s prerogative, just cause you''re the only cock on the block doesn''t mean you get to have a big head,¡± Liv said this time but everyone, Carol included nodded


    ¡°It''s not like I plan these things,¡± he whispered into his coffee.


    ¡°We know dear, that''s why you¡¯re being told. You''re not the only one with enhanced hearing remember,¡± and Peter stuck his tongue out at her.


    ¡°Okay, but before we go, uh, Huntress, I don''t think you should go with Carol, I think you should take Ravage.¡± and Carol frowned


    Why? was all she said.


    ¡°You¡¯re not a Klyntar, you¡¯re a whatever I am,¡± and the symbiote spilled out over Carol, forming a separate head at her shoulder


    But we wish to see the stars, we wish to visit the universe, and Peter sighed.


    ¡°And you can, I''m not stopping you from leaving, but not as the ambassador to the Klyntar. If anyone finds out it could start a war we can''t win. You''re one of us, not one of them.¡± and the symbiote blew a raspberry at Peter and the group looked at Carol,


    ¡°What? I felt bad as they can¡¯t talk, so I¡¯ve been teaching her how to make noises. She, uh, just likes that one the most.¡± and while Liv and Gwen tried not to laugh, Felicia looked unamused that Carol was already teaching Huntress bad habits.


    We still wish to go,


    ¡°And ask Thor or Loki to host you then,¡± and she blew another raspberry,


    We will stay, but you must promise us that we can visit the stars one day, and Peter nodded.


    ¡°Visit outer space? oh hell yeah, but uh, once we know the Asgardians won''t vaporise us on sight okay?¡± and Huntress huffed and swarmed from Carol, and Ravage swept from Felicia and over her, Carol shuddered and Felicia stuck out a hand which Huntress grabbed onto,


    ¡°You know, for someone who likes to fight, you seemed to be taking an awful lot of dick yesterday,¡± and Carol laughed as the symbiote slid back into Felicia''s body.


    ¡°Ravage feels different. Oh shit, yeah, Huntress was all about you five but Ravage, shit, Osborn was fucking insane,¡± and Carol shuddered again, the memories of being torn apart and experimented on bringing back some of the more unpleasant Kree memories.


    ¡°But now, we need to head to central park to meet Thor and Loki. If anyone wants to say goodbye to Carol before she leaves, now''s the time to do it.¡± And the four women looked at one another.


    While Carol had been a help during the invasion, only Peter and MJ had spent any time with her and as they shrugged Peter took her by the hand and smiled ¡°intergalactic booty call huh?¡± and as Carol laughed he swept her around and dipping her into a kiss, letting the sweet taste of the pancakes into his mouth,


    Gwen tutted, ¡°never kissed me like that¡± but Felicia batted her arm.


    The trio of women opted to stay at the warehouse while Peter and Carol suited up and Carol flew them out. Fury had been told she was leaving and after the debriefing Carol had sat though she didn''t feel the need to endure the man anymore, preferring to stay in the warm embrace of Peter, even if she was only carrying him as they flew.


    As the pair landed in the park, Thor threw up his arms, smiling brightly. ¡°Friend Carol and the Venom, so glad to see you,¡± he boomed and Peter shook his head.


    Loki batted his arm, ¡°it''s secret brother, don''t go shouting out things like that in public,¡± and Thor looked dejected.


    ¡°Sorry Venom, I mean Peter.¡± and Loki shook his head,


    ¡°Did you persuade the Klyntar that we meant no harm Peter?¡± and he nodded,


    ¡°You need to make sure the Earth remains protected though. Carol told me there are species with a grudge and some might come here.¡±


    Thor nodded, ¡°once we inform my father that the Klyntar are safe and happy on Earth he will extend a warm hand to make sure they stay that way, but uh, we might need some promises you stay on Earth.¡±


    Peter shook Thor''s hand, ¡°not a problem, Earth doesn''t have a great space program anyway, and I¡¯ll keep them in line. I promise no symbiote will leave earth, well other than Carol here.¡±


    Loki raised an eyebrow, ¡°You mean?¡± and Carol nodded.


    ¡°We need a Klyntar voice in the stars, and with me as host, few will try anything, so she¡¯s safe,¡±


    ¡°Good, good,¡± Thor said looking slightly worried, taking a step away from Carol. ¡°Good¡± and Peter laughed to himself. Thor grabbed the webbed and manacled Goblin, The group had just stuck him on the roof and sedated him, making sure he was well secured before ignoring him.


    Peter wished he took a symbiote containment cell from Life Foundation but it was too late after the fact. Webbing, magic, plus a very healthy dose of threats seemed to have worked, and Thor simply picked him up and slung him over his shoulder as they waited.


    Peter and Carol kissed one last time and Peter handed her the backpack, filled mainly with food and, more importantly to Carol, coffee.


    ¡°Take care,¡± Peter said as they kissed and hugged, ¡°and come home soon.¡±


    As Thor called to Heimdal to open a rainbow bridge Carol had one last thought as they vanished into the void,


    ¡°home, I like that.¡±


    Back at the warehouse, the mood was quiet once more. Peter stared into space until Liv came over. ¡°Dear, there is one thing I would like though. While at first, I was a bit hesitant. I um, would like another symbiote. Could you?¡± and Peter frowned


    ¡°Honestly, I have no idea,¡± but taking Liv in his arms he felt the urge and kissed her, the sticky sweet rose in his mouth and Liv grasped his head with her hands, thrusting her tongue into his mouth, unlike Gwen the symbiote offspring quickly spread over her, it was black like him but the white spider was iridescent and small lines of light played over the shiny material.


    ¡°Oh yes, oh god yes, We are Octave and we love you my precious. And this time, we will not wait to be satisfied.¡± and a newly birthed and hungry symbiote pounced, dragging Peter to the floor, straddling and kissing him all over.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Chapter One Hundred Twenty. Clean Up

    Over the course of a week, Shield began the slow and messy clean up of the failed takeover.


    Staring at the pile of reports, Fury rubbed his head as the death count was tallied. Made easier by a lot of bodies, it was estimated that out of the half a million people on Staten Island there were over two thousand casualties. What was worse was the victims weren¡¯t dead. While callous, death was easy. These people were walking corpses. Whatever Harry Osborn had done to them left them functional, alive but unresponsive to any stimulus. ¡®The Lost¡¯ the media dubbed them and their sheer number brought the emergency services in New York to a grinding halt. Nobody knew what to do with them, other than sticking them in a bed and feed them using an IV, and it was mainly being left to the families to decide. Those with no insurance or no family were being moved to a facility where, much to Fury''s dismay, they were barely cared for and most would die within weeks.


    While most of them were the symbiote soldiers Harry had created, a fair chunk of civilians was amongst the count, and the World Security Council had gone, as Fury called it, ¡®apeshit¡¯ over it.


    Contracts were being redrawn, military funding was being redirected away from private companies and into those controlled by the WSC itself. There were even calls to enact a new set of laws, The New York Accords. Requiring all super-powered individuals and, with the emergence of the symbiotes, aliens to register themselves with the WSC. The top brass was not happy and their ire and anger were being spread over each government department. There was even a call to start a new agency, one specifically suited to deal with extraterrestrial threats but Fury knew it was bullshit. Another grab for power from people who had no clue what a real threat was.


    Venom and the rest of his team had withdrawn before Shield agents got there. There were several unidentifiable bodies but thankfully Parker was thoughtful enough to identify them. Harry Osborn, missing international thief Thomas Hardy, and finally serial killer and supposedly executed, Cletus Cassidy were the three names that leapt out at him. Peter had destroyed the spawning tanks and all hostile symbiotes had been taken care of, and after the week of delicate forensics, he was proven right.


    Parker had even wiped all computer systems clean, all the research Harry had been doing, the formula research, the cloning, and the symbiotes were all gone. Fury didn''t buy Parker''s explanation and knew he had the backups. Thankfully Carol stepped in and quoted a whole bunch of intergalactic laws in front of them. Real or not, the very real threat of a huge alien fleet turning up to protect a very endangered species was made clear. Plus with Thor and Loki making a case for Asgardian diplomatic channels being opened as well, it gave him the nice neat bow he needed to get the WSC to shut the hell up.


    Nick Fury read the after mission report, filed by Carol Danvers and the one handed in by Peter Parker.


    Carols was full of facts, reports on army strength, armament, deployment tactics, civilian casualties, and finally a statement on Gobin and his strange hammer.


    Parkers read like a school report, summed up in, ¡°we punched them till they stopped fighting back,¡± and he rubbed his head as the headache began. Parker was still a loose cannon. No formal training, and once the Shield agents turned up and started to grab back the tech they¡¯d ¡®liberated¡¯ from Life Incorporated, he realised how much of a headache it actually was.


    Parker had two suits of trashed Gobin armour, the glider, and a whole bunch of stolen lab equipment. When the agents moved to remove them they found several pissed off Symbiote hosts, as well as two Asgardians, and a supposed Shield agent, Captain Marvel, stopping them. The agents did what any good agent should do, they ignored them, radioed for orders, and then left it up to their superiors.


    It made its way all the way up the chain of command until it landed on his desk and now, it was his headache to deal with.


    Thor and Loki had refused to hand back the Tesseract, arguing that the Earth was incapable of defending such a powerful artefact, and with the fact that twice now two governments had used it to mass-produce weapons, Fury had to agree.


    While it was ultimately up to the World Security Council there was very little they could do to stop them. Thor and Loki both proved more than a match for any security team Shield had. It was now just one less thing to worry about in the future, he even wondered if he would get them to take that damn cat as well.


    As he read and typed out his final report, Fury''s recommendation to the council was in two parts.


    First, that as long as Peter Parker kept to himself, that the machinery he liberated was his. The two suits had been stripped of military tech and were just scrap now. The technicians that looked them over doubted they could even get them to move without them exploding or just falling apart and after the remaining Gobin ammo had been confiscated. The rest, well it was high-end lad equipment but nothing major, a mass spectrometer wasn''t going to kill half of New York, and once Olivia Octavius had given her statement Fury had the warrant lifted properly and just brushed it all to one side. A chemical sequencer capable of analysing protein strands over a few days wasn¡¯t going to make any difference if it sat in a warehouse with a bunch of kids.


    There was also the issue of proving they actually took it, which was more of a headache than Fury needed and he just brushed it to one side, making a note to take a deduction from Parker''s pay for his brazenness.


    The second however was what was giving him the headache. With the four women all reported as Symbiotes, and Peter himself as the source, Fury wanted to throw them all in the Fridge. That was a problem. As Carol pointed out, under galactic law, they were a protected species and he didn''t have the right. The whole Asgardian situation was because they broke several treaties and Goblin was being taken to stand trial on Nova Prime, where the Earth''s situation would be decided.


    If the Nova Corp decided to interfere, then the Earth would be visited by a huge armada of troops, soldiers, and scientists, all with one goal in mind. Keeping the Klyntar on the planet. If they didn''t then nothing would happen, a patroller might turn up once in a while to make sure they hadn''t turned the Earth into a raving pool of symbiote slaves but Carol doubted it would happen a second time. She even gave Fury an assurance that the patroller would probably be her, as she was from this sector of space.


    That was the problem though, right now the WSC was using the situation to force anyone with super or enhanced abilities to register as such, even if it was a handful of people they wanted them under control. Osborn had been bad enough but once his son started and then Venom and company joined in, they saw them as more than a threat, they saw them as an asset to exploit.


    And therein lay the problem, as Carol explained, as Peter and the rest were protected by intergalactic law. If the WSC did something stupid, no Fury corrected himself, when the WSC did something stupid, then Peter was within his rights to call in a big ass fleet of trigger happy alien soldiers to blast their way across the planet. No matter how he worded that, the answer from the WSC was the same, ¡®until they get here, we don''t care.¡¯


    Which was why Fury, at 11 am, was nursing a glass of very fine scotch as he read his last report.


    Thor and Loki taking the cube was a blow to several weapon projects. The lack of cooperation from Parker over symbiote research and formula research was a problem the WSC refused to budge on, but as he had the backing of one of the most dangerous people on Earth, there was nothing they could do.


    Of course, the WSC were up his ass about that as well, stating he needed to get the Avengers initiative up and running but that maybe a more homegrown approach was necessary and that a new list had been handed down to him. Carol and Parker were both unsurprisingly missing. Instead, the team was headed by Steve Rogers and included Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton,  and Tony Stark. Natasha was a maybe, she¡¯d dropped enough hints at teaming with Parker that he¡¯d considered it. He¡¯d made some inquiries and had thought about recruiting Spider-man or Agent Webb to the team, they were both a good fit and being untrained he could mould them into perfect agents.


    If the New York accords were going to be signed, and Fury already knew they were, several teams were being earmarked, even the Military had started their own. The Thunderbolts, headed by General Ross. had gone after Banner for recruitment. Fury had almost choked on his drink when he heard that Ross had personally apologised to get him on his team.


    The world was changing. and Fury felt that sometimes change would be a good thing but this was bringing a lot of hurt to a lot of people, not that the WSC cared. They wanted their pie and were refusing to share.


    Fury looked over the list and decided. If Shield was to prosper it needed a team as well, he doubted he could persuade Spider-Man to come back and Flash had made it clear he wasn¡¯t going near Parker for any money in the world. His only choice was to have a team led by Venom, but as he rubbed his forehead and leaned back in his chair, letting the ice-cold glass rest against his head, he wondered who else?


    Carol would probably say yes, as would Thor, but both were heading off-world. He knew the women of the warehouse were hosts as well, so one of them would be perfect as well, but a team that sleeps together fighting together as well can cause problems. No, he needed new blood, new talent, and he needed them to be loyal to Shield. In fact, as Shield seemed to be heading more and more into the WSC¡¯s pocket, he needed a team that was loyal to him, or at least willing to work a little off the books. For that Venom was perfect, now he just needed a few more.


    Natasha would have been perfect, but it was apparent that Venom wasn¡¯t too enamoured with the woman after her little stunt. Maybe though, he could just ask her to be nice, and send them on a mission or two together. If they spent time alone, it might just solve their little issue, or they would screw again and it would fix itself. Fury sighed and held the glass against his forehead, the headache was coming back.


    Liv Octavious had been mentioned a few times, but she had no training, but then again, neither did Parker. Her technical expertise would make her an asset to any team, and he made a note to get a full report on her done.


    Fury could only think of two agents that would be willing to walk a grey area. Phil Coulson, who¡¯d been Fury''s right-hand man since the invasion and knew when to keep his mouth closed and his eyes open, and Sharon Carter, Peggy¡¯s niece.


    She¡¯d been tasked with keeping an eye on Steve Rogers, a task she was constantly complaining about. She didn''t mind making sure the man was adjusting comfortably, she was just bored. Steve wasn''t exactly the most adventurous man in the world and tailing him around New York as he visited museums and art galleries weren''t her idea of a great assignment.


    A knock at his door brought Fury back from his musing and hitting the door buzzer in strode a very angry looking Natasha.


    ¡°What the hell is this?¡± she slammed a file down on his table and Fury shrugged and frowned as he put down his glass.


    Flicking open the file, it was Natasha''s new assignment, to take over watching Steve and to begin prep for the Avengers initiative.


    ¡°It''s your new assignment, and?¡± Fury knew exactly where this was going, so he grabbed another glass from the bottom drawer and put a finger of scotch into it, sliding the glass over to Natasha.


    ¡°It''s bullshit. Captain America and Tony Stark? Clint I can understand, but me? I do wetwork, shit jobs nobody else takes, not superhero stuff," and eyeing the glass, she grabbed it and downed it in one mouthful as Fury raised an eyebrow and shook his head


    ¡°That was 20 years old,¡± but Natasha waved a hand at him,


    ¡°I don''t care, this,¡± and she stabbed a finger down on the desk at the report, ¡±this I care about. I''m not working with the apple pie squad. I know you¡¯re making a different team, one with Venom, I want that.¡±


    ¡°Well, Parker was pretty mad at you after the incident. So, get him on side and not only will I approve, I¡¯ll let you lead it,¡± and Fury smirked, ¡°If you can get him back on side.¡±


    Natasha undid her suit a bit and pulled out a second file, ¡°that''s being arranged" and handed it over to Fury.


    ¡°You stole my mail?¡± he asked and she frowned and shrugged.


    ¡°Should have better security,¡± she said and took his glass, draining it and crunching the ice between her teeth.


    Fury shook his head and opened the envelope. It was an invitation for Fury and Natasha to attend a demonstration of the new Stacy Formula. Natasha handed over a letter of her own, contents the same but asking if she was willing to be its first recipient.


    ¡°I guess you already replied for me?¡± Fury asked, feeling the headache coming back stronger this time and snatched back his glass, opened the drawer and poured both himself and Natasha another drink.


    ¡°Of course, so don''t be late,¡± she replied, slugging back the second glass to Fury¡¯s dismay and leaving.


    Fury looked at the bottom drawer again, and taking the bag of ice cubes from its compartment placed it on his forehead while resting the glass on his chest. He realised it was going to be one of those weeks.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Four. Side Story. Thor. Queens Gambit.

    ¡°So Brother, we got my hammer, we found the Klyntar, and we apologised, and we even got some new friends. Do you think Father will be pleased?¡± Thor asked as they made their way across the Rainbow Bridge back to the capital.


    ¡°I think Brother that he¡¯ll be pleased, pleased we didn''t start another war,¡± Loki replied and Goblin huffed,


    ¡°You worms are nothing compared to the might of ¡®ooof¡¯,¡± and Goblin wheezed as Thor punched him in the gut.


    ¡°Quiet monster. Why can''t we just gag him, I mean, he¡¯s been like this since Earth.¡±


    ¡°Because, I can only conjure two sets of cuffs, Brother, and unless you want him to get free, then we need to listen to him, plus I think he¡¯s amusing. I mean, we¡¯re back on Asgard, where is he going to go?¡± and as Goblin looked around her realised he was on a glowing bridge that shimmered with multicoloured lights, and below it was a vast ocean. He was no longer on Earth,


    ¡°Where have you taken the magnificent me, you bugs?¡° he roared, and Thor just smacked him on the back of the head.


    ¡°I said quiet monster. Prison eventually. Until Nova Corps and Carol get back.¡±


    Carol had taken a shuttle from the bridge room, which was why Thor and Loki were walking. Heading into space she would bring news, and the Nova Corps, back to Asgard for the trial of the Klyntar, where not just the symbiotes but the Asgardians would face trial for the actions of both people.


    ¡°What I don''t understand though, was why I was transformed into a woman. I mean, I''ve always been quiet and respectful, and as you point out often enough I''ve never even been romantically involved.¡± Loki asked Thor who was prodding Goblin in the back,


    ¡°Well,¡° and he coughed, ¡°I might have blamed you for a few, things,¡± he said guiltily.


    ¡°Things, wait. Is that why I can''t get a table at the Stars and Swords. What did you do Thor?¡± Loki asked accusingly,


    ¡°I may have maybe slapped a barmaid on her arse while she was bent over,¡± Thor admitted and Loki sighed.


    ¡°And let me guess, I wasn''t paying attention and so you blamed me. And all the other restaurants and bars I''m barred from, those too?¡± and Thor coughed and nodded.


    ¡°Apologise. You can fly, go and apologise before I get back. I can take care of this one mutated thing. Go right now and apologise, not just to them, but Father and Mother.'''' Loki shook his head, ¡°no wonder I got my powers back when you defended MJ, you¡¯re to blame for all this.¡±


    ¡°Brother,¡± Thor said, smiling and opening his arms for a hug, ¡°Forgive me?¡±


    ¡°Don''t you Brother me. Go and apologise. You can fly and be back before I''m even halfway.¡± and Thor sighed, pulled out Mjolnir and twirled it above his head, he took to the skies and sped away.


    ¡°Oh thank the stars for that, and you, you stupid shit. What the hell were you thinking?¡± and he kicked Goblin at the back of his knees and pushed him to the ground,


    ¡°I don''t care if Monarch is dead, the attack was stupid and ill-timed. Osborn should have slowly taken over, infected one part of the population at a time. You diminutive idiot.¡± and as Goblin scrambled to his feet Loki kicked him in the stomach, knocking him over again. Pulling down on his waistcoat. ¡°You are lucky, Carol would have incinerated you. Lucky to have met the God of mischief and lucky I have not just a ship, but away off of Asgard undetected.¡±


    As Loki ran her hands down his form the illusion shattered and she stood there once more in her resplendent glory. As Goblin got on all fours, hampered by the chains binding him Loki put a foot on his backside and pushed him off the Rainbow Bridge, peering over she smiled as she heard the splash and then jumped down after him. Landing with a thud on his prone body.


    ¡°At least you have some use.¡± Whistling and conjuring a platform, Loki waited as Goblin scrambled, soaked and coughing up the water pushed into his lungs by Loki landing on him. As she waited and he struggled, a shimmer approached and with another wave, a small Asgardian shuttle appeared.


    ¡°You are coming with me. I have need of you.¡± and with a wave, Goblin felt the chains tighten around his limbs and he was dragged into the shuttle behind Loki.


    Goblin growled and struggled against his chains, ¡°release me bug. I am the mighty Red Goblin and I will not be-¡± and Loki drove a fist into his stomach. Pulling him close even Goblin was weaker than her.


    ¡°Listen here you diminutive insect. Meddling with your body, bonding to a Klyntar and wielding a weapon of cosmic power does not make you anything more than a child playing with borrowed power. I am Loki of Asgard, Goddess of Mischief, rightful ruler of not just this realm but Jotenheim and I lay claim to your pathetic world as well. I am burdened with a new and glorious purpose, to raise not only myself but the new Klyntar empire to power. I will not hesitate to use anything and anyone in my pursuit of that. So, lesson one. Do, Not, Aggravate, Me.¡± to enunciate each word, Loki drove her fist into Goblins stomach and as he glared at her she smiled,


    ¡°Still belligerent. Then the lesson shall continue.¡± Waving her hand the chains surrounding Goblin flew apart and he found himself spread eagle. As Loki punched in coordinates, she activated the autopilot, letting the shuttle speed towards a hidden exit she knew existed within the cave network of Asgards underbelly.


    As she smiled at Goblin she ran a hand down his face, ¡°Even in this form you are repulsive. No wonder they rejected you, no wonder even your son sent you to die. Your Klyntar should have known about us, about Asgard,¡± and Loki drew a dagger from her belt. ¡°Even I can feel the knowledge my own brings me, and it behaves as it knows its place.¡±


    As she slid the blade into Goblins armour, cutting away the thick straps that held it, it clanged on the floor. Kicking it away she carefully cut away each piece until Goblins massively mutated and muscular torso was revealed. She smiled and ran a hand down between his pecs.


    ¡°And now,¡° and she plunged the dagger into his stomach, ¡±you will learn yours.¡±


    ~


    Thor sped along the Rainbow Bridge, enjoying being able to fly once more. It had only been a few days since he lost his hammer but he realised just how much it was a part of his identity. As he approached the guard station and he frowned as the guards crossed their halberds.


    ¡°It is I, Prince Thor, come with news for my Father.¡± the guards uncrossed their halberd


    ¡°Prince Thor, The Queen awaits you in the throne room.¡± and Thor tilted his head quizzically,


    ¡°Mother?¡± but the guard, probably under orders, shook his head and Thor took off, flying high into the tower fortress of Odin''s Palace.


    As he landed on the balcony he could see the Warriors Three and Lady Sif, standing in discussion with his mother. Clearing his throat to avoid a confrontation the group turned and while Freya burst into joyous laughter, the others weren''t so happy to see him.


    ¡°My son, welcome home. I see your trip was fruitful,¡± and Thor hugged his mother, nodding and smiling.


    ¡°Aye, good to see you lad, but we¡¯re discussing something important,¡± Hogun interrupted and Fandral batted him on the chest


    ¡°A boy needs his mother, we can wait a moment.¡± and Hogun huffed.


    ¡°Ah, yes, Mother, I need to apologize, to you to Lady Sif.¡° and Thor grinned and scratched the back of his head, ¡°you see, it uh, wasn''t Loki, the peeping and the underwear, that was uh me.¡± and While Freya lifted a hand to her mouth and hid her laugh Lady Sif looked furious. ¡°And the bar staff, and that serving girl, and uh, the women¡¯s bathing pool, and, yes I think that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°I want them back, washed, and. You know, no I don''t. I could believe Loki but you,¡± and she waved a finger in his face.


    ¡°It was an accident I swear. I ran into a serving girl carrying the laundry and they got snagged on my armour, I was unsure as to how to broach such a delicate and frilly subject so I uh, dumped them on Loki while he wasn¡¯t looking.¡± and Fandral and Volstaag burst out laughing, one holding his stomach as he roared with joy.


    ¡°Well, at least Loki is innocent ¡° and as Queen Freya lifted a hand and golden light swirled around it she frowned, ¡°Loki did not return with you?¡± and it as Thor''s turn to frown,


    ¡°I left him on the Rainbow Bridge, guarding our prisoner, so he should be halfway across by now¡± as the golden glow left Freya¡¯s hand a moment later it returned to her and she frowned and looked at Thor.


    ¡°He? No, my magic can only be released by me. Your geas was set by Odin, but not Lokis. Only a sorcerer can enchant another like that. She should still be under my spell.¡± Queen Freya explained. ¡°And with its failure, Loki is not on Asgard.¡±


    Thor scrunched up his face, ¡°but the Klyntar was defeated, Loki made sure he was chained, there was no way he could have defeated him, I mean her.¡± but Queen Freya interrupted him,


    ¡°She is not on Asgard, but she is still alive, my enhancement would have broken if she was harmed. You did contain the Klyntar separate from the host yes?¡± and Thor scratched the back of his head


    ¡°Was I supposed to?¡± and Freya scowled and shook her head,


    ¡°Sound the alarm. If a Klyntar is free we must protect the population. Have the guards at the rainbow bridge seal the main gates and use bows only. It must not be allowed to enter.


    Lady Sif shook her head as she walked past Thor, ¡°You may have condemned your brother,¡± and she stormed off to fortify Asgard.


    Fandral clapped Thor on the shoulder, ¡°worry not lad, she¡¯s just mad about, uh¡± and as he caught Queen Freya¡¯s eye she shook her head, ¡°something else.¡± and he patted Thor on the shoulder once more, ¡°good you got your hammer back, so tell me, how was Midgard.¡±


    Thor shook his head, worried, ¡°What has happened Fandral? Lady Sif would be mad at me, but we have fallen out before. What has happened¡± and as he looked over at Queen Freya, Thor tilted his head, frowning, ¡°Mother, where is Father?¡±


    Sitting down on her throne she motioned for Thor to move closer. ¡°Your father.¡± and she sighed. ¡°The war within the nine realms had a higher cost than we anticipated. As well as several attacks by the Kree empire upon the Xandarians and the remains of the Skrull Empire, several smaller but more dangerous opponents were set free. During one such engagement, Surter freed himself of his bonds, your father was hurt in the engagement and now he sleeps. Asgard is undefended.¡±


    Thor slumped down on the steps leading to the throne. ¡°And I just released a monster onto our shores.¡± shaking his head. ¡°I am truly sorry Mother. Fandral, keep this quiet but I will deal with Loki and the Klyntar myself. If she can be reasoned with, all may be saved, the other.'''' and as he stood he straightened up. ¡±If I must kill the last Klyntar then I will take full responsibility. I will not allow Asgard to fall into its hand, tendrils, whatever they have.¡±


    Fandrel clapped him on the back, ¡°We three shall ensure Asgard is safe Thor, you can count on us¡±


    ¡°Always my friend, always.¡± and with a serious look on his face, Thor exited the throne room.


    Fandral looked over at the Queen, ¡°Will you not tell him?¡± and she shook her head


    ¡°If Odin¡¯s condition worsens then we shall inform him and no-one else, and that is an order from your Queen,¡± and the Warriors Three bowed. ¡°Now, While Lady Sif ensures that Asgard is safe, and Thor is hunting the escaped Klyntar, you shall resume your duties. The Nine Realms need to see an Asgardian presence, lest they believe we are weakened by our recent efforts. You have your orders.¡± and the three left the Queen, sat on her golden throne with a pensive look on her face.


    ~


    As Carol waited in the cafeteria she noticed how much the Nova Corps headquarters had changed. Once it was a bustling hive of activity where new recruits and old veterans swapped stories and planned their latest missions together, but as she surveyed the barely filled room, she could feel the gloomy atmosphere. An artisan was busy in one corner, cleaning what looked like scorch marks from the walls, and Carol shook her head.


    While she was away, Ronan the Accuser, the single most violently extremist Kree had attacked the capital planet of Xandar, and it was only the help of some miscreants, now boastingly calling themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy that they had been saved. He had used the absence of Carol to plan and execute a worldwide bombardment and had succeeded, killing not just a quarter of the population but almost half the Nova Corp as well.


    He had used an Infinity Stone powered weapon to attack the capital, and Carol had clenched her fist in anger. She had let Thor take the Space Stone, knew Peter had the Mind Stone, and now the Power stone had made an appearance.


    There were old tales, that once they started to make themselves known, a collection of gems with unimaginable power and seemingly with a will of their own, that the universe would undergo a massive change, and it would be up to the people as to how this change would play out.


    ¡°Hey Girl, wish I could bring better news but uh,¡± and the tightly uniformed pink-skinned Kylorian girl Bereet walked over. She had been on holiday when the attack happened, off-world being treated for an ¡®illness¡¯ and once Carol mentioned these Guardians her face had darkened a deeper red colour. ¡°Nova Prime wants to see you. The Corps needs everyone on deck but uh, it''s not good.¡±


    As Carol spooned at her soup she saw the group swagger into the mess hall. As they and the Ravagers had saved the capital they were being treated like royalty, and free meals, while their ship was re-fitted, was one of the many perks they were enjoying.


    ¡°So I says to him, ¡®I need that arm¡¯ and the doofus grabs it, I mean I know you¡¯re an idiot Quill but come on, who steals a guy¡¯s prosthetic arm,¡± and the group laughed as the tall blonde hair man just frowned and shook his head,


    ¡°So I save the galaxy and this is the thanks I get.¡± and as he looked around the room his eyes met Carols and he smiled, and started to make his way over,


    ¡°Shit,¡± Bereet whispered ducking down, ¡°that''s him, that''s the guy I got my uh illness from,¡± and she turned her head and he sat down. Carol looked over at the small group of people. One was green, bulging muscles covered in deep red ritual tattoos, another was a small strange raccoon, which she thought was adorable but if someone had stolen one from Earth and experimented on it she didn''t really want to know why or what they had done. The woman who scowled as Peter walked over was Gamora, and she had seen her file, beautiful with raven dark hair she made a note that if they ever got back to Earth, to keep Peter away from her. His thing for beautiful and deadly women was right on target with her, and finally the giant tree-man Groot. As the supposed last of his kind, he was well known.


    ¡°Hey, Peter, Peter Quill. We, I mean, I. I just saved Xandar, but uh, I don''t think I¡¯ve seen you around. Are you new, if you are I could uh, show you the ropes, maybe give you a tour? I have my own ship,¡± and as he cast a glance over at Bereet he just nodded at her, and focused his attention back on Carol.


    ¡°Yeah, I don''t think so,¡° and Carol just took another spoonful of her soup, ¡°I''ve got someone, and honestly, I prefer my men a bit,¡± and as her eyes moved up and down the scruffy Ravager, ¡°cleaner,¡± and Bereet snorted and coughed, keeping her head turned away from him.


    He was handsome enough, with a slightly scruffy beard and short dirty blonde hair. Chiselled jaw and piercing beautiful blue eyes. She knew why Bereet had fallen for him, and if she was honest with herself, if Peter, her Peter had not spent a day pounding her into the mattress of his home, even she might have found the man attractive, but


    Hmph, smelly and disgusting, diseased and pathetic, kill him and feed his carcass to the worms for daring to approach what is the peters. Ravage spoke in her mind, and Carol agreed.


    If Bereet''s illness was some kind of space STD, she really didn''t want him touching her, even sitting at the table was bad enough.


    He just smiled though, and it was a genuinely nice smile, warm and full of hidden mischief and as he leaned forwards, Carol let the spoon fall into her bowl, he reached out to touch her hand. ¡°Hey, don''t be like that. I mean, you can make sure I''m clean, and we can just get dirty doing so-¡± but as his fingers moved to graze over the back of her hand a symbskin tendril stretched out and slapped his hand.


    ¡°Ravage says no. So, you might not want to piss her off,¡± and as Peter held his hand, he stood and stepped back,


    ¡°What the hell lady? We just saved your asses, and this is the thanks we get,¡± he yelled, loud enough the rest of the cafeteria stopped eating,


    Great, fucking drama queen. ¡°Yeah, and I get that, but I just got back from assignment, on my own home planet, where someone tried this as well. So good job, well done, medals all-round,¡± and as she stood she let the photon force out and a halo of light began to glow around her, ¡°but don¡¯t think that gets you freebies at the pussy bar you fucking creep.¡±


    ~


    Knowhere, the stinking cesspit of criminals and depravity. The floating head of a dead celestial whose giant skull housed some of the most energy-rich, nutritionally pure protein and meat in the universe.


    Think neural cables, capable of holding a charge big enough to destroy a planet, cerebral tissue, the core component on giant computers, capable of driving and controlling starships. Each and every tissue that could be scavenged from Knowhere was valuable and those in control of its harvesting knew that.


    The narrow streets, once housing thick blood now held huge crowds, crammed into the ever-expanding space, filled with merchants shouting their business next to massive bubbling pits of neurochemicals, distilled and refined into the finest products that money could buy.


    But, such power came at a price. Gangs and warlords fought for the most valuable tissues. Small slivers of Uru, dug from ancient wounds could cause violent wars to erupt between rival factions. A dangerous place for a dangerous job.


    As workers came, so did the crime, so did shops and commerce but so did the seedier merchants. Whorehouses, drug dens, anything you wanted, anything you thought you needed but didn''t know it, was available, for the right pierce and as Loki and her new pet walked through the hustling crowd she took a deep breath,


    ¡°Smell that Goyle, that is the sweet smell of desperation.¡± and she pulled on the chain she had forged around his neck. As he whimpered and scurried behind her on all fours no one paid the slightest bit of attention. No one cared that the once-proud Norman Osborn was now reduced to a pet to be dragged behind his mistress. No one would even care that his symbiote had screamed in terror and agony along with him and that now, if she commanded it, it would devour its host and sacrifice itself, all for one moment of praise from its master. The child/parent bond broken and replaced by something much more depraved.


    As Loki strode and dragged Goyle through the crowded street she came to the back alley she had been searching for. The stale odour of the main walkways, of the sweaty unwashed miner and grilling meat, had faded to be replaced by the stench of rotting garbage and rotting bodies.


    Those who could work, did, and those who were either too old or too injured crawled into the dark to die, forgotten. Once you had outlived your usefulness nobody cared if you lived or died, and the abandoned parts of Knowhere, where all precious materials had already been stripped became a ghetto for the forgotten or the hidden.


    It was down one of these alleys that Loki knew her target was hiding. Using the filth to coat a pristine exterior. ¡°Come Goyle, let''s go meet your new master,¡± and as he whined, she pulled harder on the choker and reluctantly he followed.


    She could feel the eyes on her but didn''t care. She wanted this to be a show of power, to mark her as an equal. Loki wasn¡¯t stupid, and where she was walking to was most certainly a trap for the unwary, but she. She was a Princess of Asgard and had no fear of the things in the dark.


    As she came across a guarded tent the pair of muscular Kylorians at the front crossed their blades, ¡°what you want?¡± she heard from inside. While the two rather handsome and muscular men drew her gaze, it was the thickly accented voice she was more interested in.


    ¡°Zorr¡¯Kiri¡± was all she said, and hearing a grunt from inside she knew her passphrase was correct.


    The pair uncrossed their halberds and pulled back the thick curtain, and she pulled Goyle into the tent with her.


    Unlike its dirty and filth coated exterior, the inside was a den in decadence. A pair of slaves sat to one side, puffing on a hookah while two oiled and muscular men wrestled in the other corner. In the centre, sat on a throne made of bones sat a giant man, covered in scars and as they approached, he glared at the pair.


    ¡°That name gets you inside, you need more if you wish to leave,¡± said the giant, picking up a slab of dripping meat with his fingers and sucking it into his mouth.


    ¡°And we both know that''s not how this goes. You see, first, I offer you power, then you try and kill me to take it, then I reveal who I am in a burst of glorious splendour, and then we agree to work together, neither one trusting the other.¡± and the man laughed.


    ¡°That''s your plan, to tell everyone here and hope to find an ally?¡± and the room quietened down and everyone stared.


    ¡°No, you see, while the theatre is grand it''s ultimately boring, everyone knows the ending, what I really want is a Queen. What I want is someone who¡¯ll help me rewrite that boring old cliche story and help me tear the universe apart, and make it ours.¡±


    The man grabbed another slice of meat and waved it at Loki ¡°and where is this queen?¡± as he slurped it, chewing on it, and licking his fingers.


    ¡°You can''t fool someone adept at transformation magic. I know who you are¡± and waving an arm around the room ¡°Who you all are, and I come to give you glorious purpose. I am Loki of Asgard, rightful ruler of the Nine Realms, host to the magnificent Puck, Mistress of this thing,¡± and she waved a hand dismissively, ¡°Goyle,¡± and Loki pulled the chain, sending Goyle sprawling on the floor at the man''s feet. ¡°And you, you are not a man, are you? Veranke. Empress of the Skrulls.¡±


    ~


    Thor¡¯s search of the rainbow bridge had gone as well as he expected. Without knowledge of where there was nothing but rocks and cliff faces. Even Heimdall had lost sight of them as the pair fell into the water, the creature falling and dragging Loki with it.


    As he stood on the bow of the Asgardian scout ship, he knew there were secret passages in and out of Asgard, but with no intimate knowledge of them, even if he found one there was no guarantee it was the right one.


    All he could do was head into the ship and return to the city. There he could plan for Loki and the Klynter to either reveal themselves or try to return to the city. If Peter could provide him with aid, he might be able to have some way to detect those infected with the creatures. He was hesitant to involve the Nova Corp. News of the Kree attack had reached Asgard, as had requests for aid. As the ship filled with food and medical supplies departed he knew Carol would be busy, and had no wish to interrupt such busy work.


    He shook his head and frowned wishing his father was awake to aid him. There was a strange atmosphere in the castle, and he knew that it was more than just his admittance of wrongdoing. Sif looked at him strangely, his mother had been avoiding him and upon trying to visit the sleep chamber where his father rested he had been turned away. Only his mother was granted access, or if Odin awoke. He sighed and with a stern resolve pondered the best way to get to the bottom of this mystery.


    His plan, according to him, was perfect and as he, Sif, Fandrel, Volstagg, and Hogun sat in the tavern they drank, ate and laughed. Thor carefully watched his cup but making sure the others were well watered and fed. As the night progressed a very drunk Sif was first to stagger to her feet,


    ¡°You left me,¡± she swayed as Thor helped get her to the door, ¡°you went on an adventure and left me,¡± and as she leant over and vomited into a flower barrel, she stood and wiped her mouth, ¡°You are still an arse,¡± she slurred before staggering off.


    With one mystery solved, that his childhood friend felt abandoned as Thor and Loki fought on Earth he turned to the others.


    It was Hogun, who left next. His drinking had been sedate, and he was barely staggering as he stood. ¡°We have a duty, you should not continue,¡± he chastised the others but Fandrel was already making moves on a barmaid and Volstaag was busy stuffing a boar''s leg into his mouth,


    As he nodded at Thor, he left and soon after it was Fandrel, who gave Thor a knowing wink and took the barmaid into the back. Thor could hear her giggling but turned his attention to Volstaag.


    Smiling, ¡°Brother, have more of this,¡± and he lifted the bottle peering at its label ¡°whiskey. I got it on Earth, its,¡± and as he peered once more, ¡°alcohol,¡± and poured most of the bottle into Volstags tankard. He waited until the man drained most of it before slapping him on the back, ¡°Good?¡± and as Volstaag belched and swayed slightly he nodded. Thor poured the rest into his cup, he slid around the table and moved closer,


    ¡°There had been no sign of Loki, even our agents in the realms have failed to find any sight of her. Have you any word?¡± and Volsaag shook his head, tearing off another chunk of meat and taking another drink from his cup.


    ¡°Nay, our agents found the shuttle they stole but its course had been wiped, there was blood, some kind of filth but nothing else. Just drifting,¡± and as Thor produced another bottle, Volstaag nodded and drained his cup, letting Thor fill it once more. ¡°But uh, we¡¯ll find her Thor, have no worries.¡±


    Thor took a sip from his own mug, ¡°it''s not just Loki, but the Klyntar as well, the creature it was bonded to. He was wanted on Earth, for doing unspeakable things.¡± and Volstaag sighed, draining his cup and Thor poured another for him,


    ¡°We have no leads either, no weapons or mercenaries have been spotted moving, no fleets, no,¡± and he shook his head, ¡°no nothing. After Ronan everyone¡¯s been quietly looking the other way. The Nova Corp are out for blood, and the first to move will probably get a bloody nose.¡± and draining his cup, he motioned it at Thor who smiled and filled it once more. Volstaag swayed slightly as the alcohol began to catch up with him.


    While from Earth, Thor had altered the bottles and they were his new, and very good friend, Gwen¡¯s moonshine as she called it. He had laughed when she lit one of the glasses on fire and warned him that it was incredibly strong, and seeing Volstagg succumb, he knew it must be true.


    ¡°And what of Asgard, is Asgard safe?¡± he whispered as he moved closer,


    ¡°Of course, of course,¡± Volstaag laughed and moving in, ¡°only the Queen,¡± and as he blinked, Thor grabbed his arm and pulled him closer,


    ¡°Only the Queen what?¡± he asked and Volstagg blinked,


    ¡°I, I uh think I have had too much to drink, forgive my old friend, I''m rambling.¡± but as he moved to stand Thor kept his grip on his arm and made sure he couldn''t rise.


    ¡°Only the Queen what?¡± he asked again, a serious look on his face.


    ¡°I can¡¯t. I already broke my word by saying that, '''' and as he looked at his cup as he realised what had happened. ¡°Oh damn you, Thor, damn you.¡± and he shrugged and pulled his arm free. ¡°See the Queen,¡± and he stormed off.


    ~


    He snorted, ¡°yeah yeah, I get it, not good enough for you, save a planet and still just a Ravager.¡± and she stalked back to his table where Carol could hear the others in his group teasing him over her rejection,


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Bereet said leaning over the table, covering her face with a hand ¡°but he wasn''t that bad of a guy you know, I know it''s tough out here but he is you know half-human¡±


    Carol yelled, ¡°What?¡± and stormed over to his table,


    ¡°Human, you¡¯re human?¡± and Peter looked around at her and leaned back, smiling and smirking,


    ¡°Yeah, you finally figured out who I am right, It¡¯s Peter, but you can call me Star-Lord.¡± and Gamora snorted and went back to eating her soup, she had enough of him for the day and was glad she could finally get a decent meal, even if everyone kept interrupting it.


    ¡°Yeah, I don''t give a shit. You¡¯re from Earth, how did you get out here? I thought I was the only one.¡± and it was Peter''s turn to look surprised,


    ¡°Uh, what?¡± and as he sat forwards, ¡°I mean, has Earth been brought into the empire? Cause last time I checked nobody had heard of it, let alone been there.¡±


    Carol pulled over a chair and shook her head, ¡°I was taken by the Kree, so no, but uh we just have been. Last I heard the Asgardians finally made contact and so did the Corps. The Klyntar ended up there.¡± and Peter shrugged but Gamora put down her fork,


    ¡°Are you serious? Is the planet under quarantine or did you kill them?¡± she asked,


    Peter turned and stared at her, ¡°Uh what?¡± but Carol waved a hand at him,


    ¡°No, we captured the last one, and a new ambassador was found. I''m here to negotiate for them.¡± and Drax snorted,


    ¡°There is no peace with the Klyntar, they are evil slime creatures, only born to fight and eat brains. Quill, you will be safe, you should protect us by offering yourself if one appears. While it tries to figure out where your brain is, we can escape.¡± and Rocket laughed.


    ¡°Quill, hear that. At least Drax thinks you''re attractive enough to snag a Klyntar. Man, I hear those things are great, super strength and healing. Oh yeah, if we met one, I¡¯d be letting it eat Quill and grabbing it.¡±


    ¡°I am Groot.¡±


    Rocket snorted, ¡°Do plants even have a central nervous system for the Klyntar to bond with? Whoever heard of a plant-tar.¡±


    ¡°I am Groot.¡±


    ¡°No, it''s not specist to call them plant-tars, nobody cares what they think,¡±


    ¡°I am Groot.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not just making that up. Gamora, tell this walking shrubbery that it''s not specist to call things assimilated by the Klyntar with the tar ending.¡±


    Gamora raised an eyebrow at Rocket. ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± and went back to eating her meal,


    ¡°See, now you upset Gamora,¡± and he lightly batted Groot on the knee,


    ¡°I am Groot.¡±


    Rocket rolled his eyes, ¡°Whatever pal, there ain''t no more so it''s all moot anyway.¡±


    ¡°I am Groot.¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, we know, you¡¯re the last one too, we get it, now stop jabbering and let the lady talk. For all we know, Quill and her might be the only two humans left, maybe they¡¯re gonna start repopulatin right here on the table.¡±


    Gamora had her spoon halfway to her lips when, at Rockets'' thought, stopped, stared at the pair, and then with a look of disgust, dropped it back in the bowl and stood and walked away.


    ¡°See, even Gamora thinks it''s disgusting.¡±


    ¡°I am Groot.¡±


    ¡°How do I know what the mating rituals of a human is, for all we know they could be mating right now.¡±


    ¡°I am Groot.¡±


    ¡°No. That''s disgusting, you¡¯re disgusting,¡± and Rocket stood and looked over at his friend, shaking his head, ¡°Who''da thought huh, it''s always the quiet ones.¡± and as he walked away Groot¡¯s branches sagged.


    Looking forlorn ¡°I am Groot,¡± the massive tree man stood and walked away, following his diminutive friend.


    Carol just shook her head at the pair, but turned her attention back to Quill, ¡°So, kidnapped, by ravagers?¡± and he nodded and turning smiled,


    ¡°So, is Earth okay?¡± and he half shrugged, ¡°I mean, the Klyntar didn¡¯t you know, eat everyone?¡± and Carol laughed.


    ¡°No, the Asgardians saved it, and took the one responsible for the trial.¡± and as Peter smiled and nodded, Bereet came over, looking worried and flustered,


    Nudging Carol she knelt down and pointed. As Carol looked past her she saw some of the Nova Corps Military Police, heavier armour and stun rods, designed for capture but more importantly to kill, heading into the mess hall. As their leader pointed they spread out and surrounded the exit.


    ¡°Carol Danvers. Nova number 556893, please step forwards.¡± and as he batted the stun rod in his hand, ¡°please step forwards, I do not wish to make this into an incident.¡±


    Carol leaned forwards and looked at the flustered Bereet, ¡°What the hell¡¯s going on?¡± and Bereet showed her her tablet. News from Asgard had been broadcast over the galactic net. Thor had been charged with the recapture of the Klyntar prisoner, who had assaulted and taken his brother hostage.


    As Carol read she shrugged, ¡°wasn¡¯t me.¡± She had come straight to the Nova Corps headquarters, and they knew about Ravage.


    As the MP¡¯s began to sweep into the cafeteria Quill stood and raised his hands, ¡°I don''t want any trouble,¡± and he unsuccessfully pointed down at the barely hidden Carol, ¡°no trouble at all.¡±


    As the MP¡¯s converged on her, she patted Bereet on the knee, ¡°thanks, but don''t try anything,¡± and the Kylorian nodded and stood, pulling down her uniform and stepping to one side.


    ¡°Carol Danvers. Nova Agent 556893. You are under arrest for harbouring a Klyntar fugitive. Please do not resist. We have been authorized to use lethal force if the Klyntar will not come quietly.¡±


    ~


    The man gave a throaty laugh and as he transformed himself into a beautiful green-skinned woman, with reptilian eyes and thin lines across her chin, her outfit filled and the thick greasy hair disappeared and the bald long-eared and stern-looking women sat on the throne.


    ¡°And what does the Prince of Asgard want of us?¡± and Loki shook her head,


    ¡°Now now, let''s be nice and start properly. Its Princess, this is not an illusion it is now my preferred and most perfect form. Such is your own.¡± and Veranke raised an eyebrow,


    ¡°Then Princess, what do you wish of the Skrulls that you so brazenly come here, stinking of filth and dragging this creature with you.¡± and as she sat back down a slave girl knelt and offered her a goblet, filled with sweet red wine.


    Loki smiled, ¡°what every ruler wants. A queen, and of course, I come bearing gifts.¡± as she stretched out a hand a dagger materialised and she plunged it into the whimpering Goyle, ¡°a goblet, please.¡± and as a slave looked over, Veranke nodded and they moved forwards. Holding the goblet Loki let Goyles blood drip in and then offered it back to the slave.


    As Veranke lifted it, she sniffed and recoiled, ¡°what on the stars is that?¡± and she motioned to throw the goblet at Loki,


    Loki simply smiled, ¡°Have someone taste it.¡± and raising an eyebrow she motioned to the same slave, who reluctantly moved forwards and with a serpentine tongue cleaned the blood from inside the cup.


    Pulling a face he turned his head as the bitter liquid coursed through him but he shuddered, and as the Empress watched he shifted back to his natural Skrull form, but his muscles swelled and thickened. His jaw and bones cracked as he expanded and as he hissed he looked and nodded at her,


    ¡°We are host to a Klyntar, as is this thing, but his form is a human. A pathetic species, unworthy of anything other than subjugation. But, they have created a formula, one that adjusts and creates what they call, super soldiers. I give him to you, my Queen.¡± and with a bow, Loki threw the chain at Veranke''s feet, ¡°as a gift.¡± and Veranke nodded. A slave grabbed the chain and dragged the whimpering Goyle away.


    ¡°He is slow and dull but if you prepare him properly he should be able to help you perfect an army of Super Skrulls. The knowledge within the Klyntar, of science and genetics, will help you rise back to your rightful place.¡± and Veranke nodded.


    ¡°And what do you wish in return?¡± she asked, and as she motioned, a slave brought out a chair for Loki and sat it down as another brought a small table and poured a goblet of wine for her.


    ¡°I was not joking when I said Queen, Governing the Nine Realms will be tiresome, a chore and I wish to have help. An army, and a ship for my knowledge and legitimacy. I have heard the rumours that Odin sleeps, and if he fails to wake, then the crown of Asgard is as much mine as Thors. I need allies to take it, and you need a place to call your own, and maybe some revenge on those who took your home from you?¡±


    Veranke laughed, and took a drink, ¡°and you expect me to believe that I won''t be discarded the moment you¡¯re finished. That the Queen of Asgard will roll over and bow to a Skrull?¡±


    Loki shook her head, ¡°Then, brutal honesty. The Sovereign will kill us both the moment we step into the spotlight. The Nova Corp can barely keep their own house in order, and the Kree are looking for any excuse to restart the war. Right now, only Asgard stands between galactic war and peace. Under the right circumstances, with the right plan and the right players this galaxy can be ours.¡± and she lifted and drained the cup in one mouthful, ¡°And, you are desperate enough to accept, and you know I am as well. I know you have a ship, a large ship but still, just one. One is enough though, I only need it to take back Asgard and then everything else falls in line.¡± Waving the goblet, Loki stood as the slave moved forwards and filled it,


    Moving forwards, she handed the goblet to Veranke,


    ¡°We need each other, and I came here knowing that I could trust you. Did your last invasion of Earth not teach you anything, that you need allies, even a single human was enough to persuade you to leave Earth. Surely a single Asgardian is enough to persuade you to return. This time, this time triumphant, not as refugee¡¯s but as rightful rulers.¡±


    Veranke lifted the goblet, and smiling, she took a drink as Loki watched,


    ¡°Your words are still like honey, dripping with poison, and what guarantee do I have that you won''t stab me in the back?¡± as she leant back in her throne Loki smiled, ¡°Rumours of the Asgardian God of Mischief have reached even my ears. Your duplicity is well known Loki.¡±


    ¡°I can be very persuasive. I have, as the humans would say, a silver tongue. What the rumours don''t say, is that I am very, very skilled at using it.¡±


    Loki stood and moved over, and Veranke waved a hand as guards stepped forwards with rifles raised. Lifting Verankes hand she kissed the back and pulled her into her embrace, kissed her, and let the symbiote cover them both.


    ¡°We are bonded, equals, and partners,¡± could be heard from the pair and as Loki''s symbiote pulled back, revealing her, resplendent in battle armour Vernake was covered in thick purple plated armour, and the pair shared a passionate kiss, their hands grasping and groping.


    ¡°I wish a Queen, an equal, a lover, and I choose you,¡± Loki said with true sincerity as she held Veranke¡¯s cheeks in her palms and stared into her eyes.


    Veranke laughed, ¡°We are Kiri, and we accept.¡±


    ~


    Thor stood outside the throne room, even he wasn''t as brazen as to barge in, not this time. As Queen Freya stepped out from behind the throne and saw Thor waiting, she nodded and the guards allowed him past.


    ¡°We have already received word. You are taking bad habits from your Sister Thor.¡± and as she sat on the throne, ¡°but, I suppose, we are taking them from your father,¡± and as she patted the seat of the throne next to her he approached.


    ¡°Do you know the Book of Ages?¡± and Thor nodded.


    It was the Asgardian tome of history, the very first Asgardians wrote down their exploits and it contained all the knowledge they had accumulated over the centuries.


    It was required reading for both himself and Loki but Thor had to admit he mostly skimmed it and fell asleep. It was dry and boring, King Ulfstad the third did this, and then got eaten by a dragon. While it was interesting, by the time it had happened to his fifth ancestor, Thor figured they were either idiots or that dragons really liked to eat Asgardians and they should probably wipe them out, which of course one of his ancestors had done.


    ¡°In the book, there are references to stones of power. The Infinity Stones.¡± and Thor nodded, that was required reading, and he had endured many smacks to the back of his hand by his tutors as he tried to study their significance and their appearances during the rise of Asgard.


    ¡°You brought back the Space Stone, and have reported that the Mind Stone is on Earth, yes?¡± and Thor nodded. ¡°The Kree, Ronan, had the Power Stone, and successfully used it to destroy most of the Zandarian homeworld. Of course, this is being kept secret. If news of the stones were to be revealed, there would be war in the realms once more.¡±


    Thor leaned forward, rubbing his hand on his chin, ¡°And the appearance of three of the six, means that the others are soon to follow?¡± and Queen Freya nodded.


    ¡°The conjunction is soon, and another stone may appear during that time. The conjunction is a portentous time, and as the energies of the universe align we may see more calamities occurring.¡±


    ¡°But why the secrecy, I am aware of the stones, all Asgardian Royalty is, so why lie? Why hide the truth?¡± Thor asked and Freya took one of his hands in hers, gently stroking it.


    ¡°Because that is not the truth Thor. Your father was worried that you would get yourself killed if you knew, but stumbling around in the dark will do more damage than good.¡±


    Thor looked over at his mother, noting the concern on her face but it wasn''t good enough. If his father was worried then it meant that something bad was coming, and if he was going to deal with it in his father¡¯s place he needed to know.


    ¡°Tell me,¡± and as his mother¡¯s eye met his, she nodded.


    ¡°Leave us,¡± and the guards stepped from the room and closed the doors behind them.


    As she stood he clasped her hands together. ¡°What we don''t teach, or at least not until a ruler passes, is their power. You are known as the God of Thunder, but your true power has yet to reveal itself. And your Father is the same. Only a few know Odin''s true god name, and what I am about to tell you can never, and I mean, never be repeated until he passes.¡± and Thor frowned, and pursed his lips,


    ¡°He¡¯s the All-Father, God of knowledge and wisdom,¡± but Freya shook her head,


    ¡°No, he is not.¡± As she moved over she knelt in front of Thor, sitting on the steps to the throne. ¡°Your father is the God of Wisdom, one who gave up his eye for all the knowledge in the universe, but it hides a deeper truth. Your father¡¯s power is foresight, and he has lived through each battle as he has already seen the outcome.¡± and Thor shrugged,


    ¡°I don''t follow, so what if Father can see the future, we have prophecies and other trinkets, one of the stones is the Time stone, supposedly allowing its bearer to move through the timestream like a fish, moving not just forwards but backwards well.¡±


    Freya smiled and patted her son on the knee, ¡°I am glad you actually paid attention,¡± and he rubbed the back of his head embarrassed by her praise. ¡°But we believe each God of Asgard is connected to one of the stones. You are a manifestation of the Power stone. I,  the Reality Stone, as is your brother, and your Father, the Time Stone. He sees multiple outcomes to each action, and as he chooses to follow a path the results are revealed to him. His eye was the lesser choice. I believe that day, he would have lost you and failed to rescue Loki if he had chosen differently.¡±


    Thor frowned, ¡°So why?¡± and Freya stood.


    ¡°Because your Father has witnessed the destruction of Asgard, and his death.¡±


    ~


    As she stood in the energy repression cuffs Carol was taken from the cafeteria to a holding cell, where the head Nova greeted her.


    The older woman, neatly dressed in full military uniform, shook her head, ¡°I am sorry Carol, but with the Asgardians losing their prisoner, you are the only Klyntar alive. Even with diplomatic immunity, it still needs to answer for the crimes they committed, and as its host so do you.¡± She pursed her lips as Carol sat on the edge of the sparse cell, shaking her head.


    ¡°This is bullshit. You know that you can''t just arrest me on made-up charges. The Klyntar I''m hosting was spawned on Earth, it doesn''t have knowledge of the homeworld, it''s not a direct descendant.¡± and Nova Prime laughed,


    ¡°You expect us to believe that? It''s common knowledge that all klyntar share a common genetic heritage. It has an ancestor from the homeworld, therefore it is responsible.¡±


    Standing and moving over, taking two bars in her hands, ¡°that¡¯s bullshit. You know that¡¯s just a rumour, and I can tell you it¡¯s not true. Humans spawned different types, and this one, Ravage, has no knowledge of homeworld or her past. Whatever the humans did was no different than lobotomising a person, and still, you expect this to pass?¡± and as she saw the look on Primes face, she snorted,


    ¡°You don''t care, and of course you know. Scapegoat. To save face the Asgardians are going to throw me to the wolves, and you¡¯ll let them. So what, is Earth up for grabs? You¡¯ll just hide and ignore the problem, just like you did with the Kree?¡±


    That got her attention as the Prime grabbed the bars. ¡°Listen, the Kree attack was your fault. Oh, we found the records from Ronan''s ship, of the failed invasion of Earth and the bright spark that destroyed his armada.¡± As she stepped back, ¡°make no mistake Carol this is your trial just as much as it is the Klynatrs. Ronan retaliated against a single Crop member, and the planet suffered because of you!¡± She spat.


    ¡°Carol Danvers, before you face a public trial, you are hereby stripped of your Nova rank and all privileges granted, effective immediately. The energy restraining cuffs will be turned to maximum and you and your powers are to be sealed until such time that the level of your guilt is established. Failure to follow our directives will result in dissolution.¡± and as she pulled down the lapels of her jacket, ¡°You destroyed Zandar, and you will pay for that.¡± she turned on her heels and stormed from the cell.


    Carol had been provided with a copy of the charges. The Corps might be making her a scapegoat but it was all being done legally to ensure she didn''t wriggle out of them.


    After she had been indoctrinated by the Kree, she had been sent to Earth to hunt for the last surviving Skrulls. Finding them, and a huge conspiracy, she eventually broke out of their control, defeated Yon-Rogg and destroyed the Kree invasion force, which she now knew was led by Ronan. After she had helped the Skrulls to a safe place, and headed to Zandar Prime she joined the Nova Corps and began to help everyone else with their Kree problem, driving their expansionist efforts back to their home system.


    What she hadn''t guessed was Ronan was keeping tabs on her, and as soon as she was sent to Earth, with no jump gates or space flight, he launched an attack on Zandar prime, using a damn Infinity Stone. It was only Quill and the Guardians of the Galaxy that stopped him but at great cost.


    Once she was home, they were heroes, and the blame was all being pushed onto her. Didn''t matter that she was an asset at a time where the Corps needed her, public opinion was more important.


    She yelled to herself in frustration. If she knew it was going to be this much of a political shitshow she would have just stayed on Earth, sent in a remote report and used the Klyntar as an excuse to never set a boot in space again.


    What will they do to us? Ravage asked, and Carol could feel her fear.


    Containment, they¡¯ll remove you and allow you to bond with a non-sapient, somewhere with no higher life forms. Keep you three until they decide it''s been long enough and maybe send non-dangerous criminals down for you or your offspring to bond to. That''s what they did the last time.


    With the news Ravage was silent, but Carol could feel her apprehension at being separated from her. She didn''t blame her, to be hosted on a creature, seemed like hell, to be unable to communicate or do anything except whatever its life cycle was.


    She flicked through the report. After the Kree incident, there was more on the Klyntar. It was only breaking quarantine but she resisted the urge to smash the damn tablet. Attacking an unaligned uninitiated world was also listed as a charge. The Corps was going to throw the attacks, and the invasion on Earth at the Klyntar, as usual, they ignored the Kree threat, and as usual, it was an innocent that was going to take the blame.


    We see, are we going to be safe?


    If they hurt you, Ravage I will finish what Ronan started. And Carol felt Ravage purr within her.


    We know, we. We are just afraid.


    Carol lay back on the bunk and stared at the ceiling, letting the energy cuffs rest on her forehead. Their cold metal was slowly draining the power from her body and as she closed her eyes she focused more on them.


    Can you affect the cuffs?


    Carol felt a small part of Ravage slip out and touch the cuff, with a small spark it was quickly withdrawn,


    It''s okay, don''t hurt yourself. But she felt Ravage''s frustration.


    She had one option left if the Nova Corps decided to make an example of her, but until that point, she wasn''t going to expend any more energy than she needed to. Closing her eyes she let sleep drift in.


    If the trial went badly, she would need to get to Asgard, and to Earth. If the Nova Crop discovered Peter and the rest were hosts, they would send a fleet to contain the problem, and Carol was adamant she would not let that happen.


    ~


    Thor was still in the castle when the news came.  A single ship, of Kree design, had entered Asgardian space and was hovering outside the security grid, held by several small patrol ships. The majority of the Asgardian space fleet was patrolling and the largest ship they had to take care of the problem was en-route.


    Thor, however, would reach there much faster and as he gave his mother a last look, he smiled and with a swing of his hammer, took off to the location.


    As he approached the ship was huge, covered in massive cannons but surprisingly not the normal Kree markings. Whatever this ship was, it was not Kree.


    ¡°Ah brother, welcome welcome, I have returned, and I have brought friends.¡±


    Thor frowned and stopped in mid-air. ¡°Sister?¡± and as he landed on the hull of one of the patrol ships a hatch on the ship opened and Loki and an unknown Skrull slowly ascended with the red troll they had captured.


    ¡°It is good to see you sister, but Skrulls? I had no idea any survived, I thank you for aiding my sister.¡± It was then he noticed the chain leading to the troll, and the damage done to its body.


    The Goblin was almost docile as it lay at the women''s feet, curled Thor could see that one arm, one leg and a massive part of its chest was now artificial. Had Loki fought with the creature but then had it healed? As he shook his head.


    ¡°I request that my flagship be allowed clearance. Then, we will discuss the situation that Father is in and the rights of succession. I am formally announcing my bid for the throne, Brother.¡± and Thor took a step back,


    ¡°Father isn''t dead Loki, and a contest right now would bring chaos.¡± but he held his hammer ready, just in case.


    ¡°No, you are mistaken. Right now the galaxy trembles, the Kree and the Nova Corps both bite and hold their tongues for fear of Odin''s wrath, but if I have heard word then so have they.¡± Of course, they had, Loki had already infiltrated the palace and made sure that the rumours were true, made a very convincing Odin and then disseminated the faked footage throughout the GalNet, the galactic network that updated each species in local and galactic news.


    She already knew that Carol was being tried for the attack, and that right now, each race was preparing to strike. This was her chance to seize the throne, as long as Thor remained distracted.


    ¡°Still, Father only sleeps, and Mother rules in his stead. A war for the throne only serves to divide us, not provide the stability the galaxy needs.¡±


    ¡°A war brother? You would start a war over this?¡± and Loki snapped her fingers and the cannons on the ship swivelled and pointed at him.


    ¡°I am merely saying that we would discuss this, but you would start a war over my claim? You come here, brandishing your hammer, with armed scouts ships. I think you had already passed me for dead, and that you would deny me my birthright.¡±


    As Thor stammered, wondering how his own Sister would point cannons at him, he heard from the ship below. ¡°Sir, as a hostile force, we have to respond to the activation of a weapons platform. Bring the cannons online, and prepare to adopt attack formations.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Thor yelled,


    ¡°I am sorry my Prince, These are standing orders, only the Queen or King Odin may countermand them,¡± and as the scout ship lifted and joined its friends, their own cannons began to charge,


    ¡°Loki, please, stand down. I misspoke, there is no need for this,¡± but as the first ship fired the blast scored a large gash across the hull of the ship. Loki and his consort looked in horror as the molten metal cooled and sparked less than ten meters from where they stood.


    ¡°You would fire upon me?¡± Loki and his consort descended. ¡°This is war Brother,¡± and the ship''s shields sparked into life and its own cannons returned fire.


    The scout ships circled the larger craft, each scout ship taking heavy fire from the battery cannons of Loki''s craft before several were forced to retreat, smoking holes blasted into their hulls.


    Thor looked on in disbelief as the ships exchanged fore, this was wrong, and he swung his hammer and returned to the throne room. If he engaged, Loki would use it as an excuse to continue fighting, no the best plan was to retreat and inform his mother.


    Aboard the ship, Loki smiled at Varanke and they took their places on the command centre.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, Skrull operatives have reported in, they are unharmed and are advancing on the capital now.¡± Loki nodded and she took Verankes hand.


    ¡°Have them disable the guards as planned and take us to the throne room,¡± Loki ordered.


    As the Skrull ship lifted off, leaving the wrecked scouts ships in its wake, Loki smiled, everything was going according to their plan.


    ~


    It had been days since they took her, and since then it had been a waiting game. Every day was a new excuse, every day was a new reason why she was still held. Carol knew she could bust free anytime she wanted but therein lay the problem. She was here in two capacities. The first was as a Nova Corps member, but second, she was the ambassador from Earth.


    Even as she asked and began to plead for news from Earth they ignored her, and each day the urge to smash the stupid cell was growing greater. She could still feel her powers bubbling beneath the drain of the bracelets, and she knew that if she could get off-planet the Asgardians, well, Thor would help her return to Earth.


    It was early one morning that they finally arrived. Several heavily armed guards and a single guard carrying a large hammer with a purple gem attached appeared outside her cell.


    ¡°Prisoner 4423. Stand and be detained.¡± as she stood she slid her hands through the cell, where the cuffs were removed and a new much heavier set were placed on her wrists. She felt the connection to Ravage fade with a final jolt of fear from her companion, and as the gauntlets powered up she felt her own powers fade. As she stepped back the guards all pointed stun rods at her, and the lead guard spoke, ¡°Prisoner 4423 will follow. Any resistance will be met with force,¡± and she nodded.


    As she was led through the cell block, she was taken to a virtual courtroom, where she knew this wouldn''t take too long. Her capture and imprisonment felt like a setup, and this was probably a sham as well.


    As she stepped into the bare room the guards lined one wall, shimmered, and as the display started they vanished.


    ¡°Prisoner 4423. Today''s Proceedings are to determine your guilt in the matter of Carol Danvers vs The Zandarian Conglomerate. The charges will be read, and the prisoner¡¯s court-appointed defender will then speak. Do you have any questions?¡±


    What the hell? She thought. She hadn''t even met her lawyer and they expected her to trust whoever it was, screw that.


    ¡°Yes. Under Clause 186 J of the Penal Code, as requested to officers of the Nova Corp I request a full review of all evidence and a dismissal of all charges due to improper court proceedings.¡° Yes, fuck you. Carol had a whole lot of time to read out on patrol and while boring the legal system for Zandar was complex but informative.


    ¡°Denied. Due to current Wartime laws, your position in Nova Corp has been suspended.¡±


    ¡°Then I request to defend myself. Any Zandarian defender will be biased and unsuitable.¡±


    There was a pause, ¡°Request agreed. The court will now proceed with the reading of charges.


    ¡°On one count of reckless endangerment, by antagonising the Kree Empire,


    One count of aggressive action towards the Kree Empire


    Fifteen counts of aggressive destruction towards the Kree empire


    Deaths listed, as a result of aggressive behaviour towards the Kree empire,¡±


    The list continued and as Carol read the charges, they were pinning the whole attack on her, and it was then she saw her chance.


    ¡°How do you plead?¡± asked the monotone voice.


    ¡°Not guilty,¡± she replied


    ¡°Plea entered. Plea rejected. Evidence places Carol Danvers at the scene. Evidence collected places Carol Danvers at the planet of attack, Power match confirmed. Guilt Established.¡±


    ¡°Objection. Charges all hinge on Carol Danvers being a member of the Nova Empire, but when I attacked the Kree fleet I was still a member of their military. This is a sham, no charges can be brought as I was a Kree prisoner, and once I broke free I defended my planet of origin. As no member of the Nova Corp was present, this evidence could have only come from the Kree Empire. This court is in collusion with the Kree and I am being set up to take the fall for Ronan¡¯s behaviour.¡± suck it, she thought.


    ¡°Irrelevant. Ronan was killed by Quill, Peter. Carol''s actions are still illegal and as a current member of the Nova Empire is subject to our laws, past and present.¡±


    What the effing shit, she thought, so if I break a law on Earth they can prosecute me? Nope, not taking this.


    ¡°Then, as a citizen of Earth, and as a host to one of the last remaining Klyntar I reject Nova Empire Law and refuse sentence.¡±


    Carol could hear the virtual intake of breath, she had effectively told the Empire to go fuck itself, and by giving up citizenship barred herself and possible Earth from their ranks. Right now though she didn''t care. If she was sentenced then Ravage would be removed and held, while Carol was sent to the Kyln, where a lot of the prisoners would be very unhappy to see her. Crooked Corps members never lasted long in prison and even with her stronger body, there was always someone bigger.


    ¡°Rejected. Earth has been contacted, and with Asgardian channels open, has already begun to make progress into the Nova Empire.¡±


    Carol snorted, yeah right. Earth had no central government and as such would be rejected outright.


    ¡°That is a lie. Earth does not meet basic requirements for entry. I repeat, as a citizen of Earth, I reject this court''s accusations and request transferral back to Earth to face justice there. Refusal is a rejection of the Nova Empire''s own laws.¡±


    ¡°Request denied. The sentence will now be passed.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± and as Carol strained against the gauntlets holding her hands she began to glow, Ravage slipped and covered her in her thicker armour and as the bands around her hands shattered the holo display shattered and she was left in the pale grey room with the 5 guards.


    One of them smiled as he held up the hammer, and as he turned it, the purple gem glowed and Carol felt its power from here,


    Shit, that''s an Infinity Stone. ¡°Rhomann, you don¡¯t want to do this,¡± she pleaded with the hammer wielder, but he sighed and shook his head,


    ¡°I have to Carol, you are a threat, and we can¡¯t allow you to escape.¡±


    Unable to give in, unable to take this mockery of a trial, and with the final betrayal of her friend, she yelled and as her powers flared and she glowed, she leapt forwards and struck.


    ~


    Queen Freya was sitting on the throne when Loki and Veranke stormed in, As she sat up straight she scowled as Loki dismissed the guard and the stranger, who was armed, walked in as if she was a member of the royal family. Thor scowled at the pair, but Freya placed a hand on his arm and he stood back.


    ¡°Loki?¡± and Loki bowed, as did Vernake,


    ¡°Mother, may I introduce my consort and future queen. Veranke, of the Skrulls.¡± and Freya tilted her head,


    ¡°Acceptable but she will remove her sidearm while in the royal throne room. You know only members of the royal family may be armed, and while that may be true in the future, for now, she must surrender it.¡± and Loki smiled and motioned, Veranke slid the pistol from its holster and handed it to a guard,


    ¡°And now formalities are out of the way, it is good to see you,¡± and Freya stepped down and moved to pull her daughter into a hug,


    ¡°Not so quickly Mother. Tell me, how long until Father awakens, or is the odinsleep permanent. I tried to enter the chamber to see his condition for myself but I was barred.¡±


    Freya patted Loki on the shoulders, ¡°all barring myself are, Odin¡¯s orders and no, the sleep will be longer but Odin is only recuperating from the war, he is in no danger.¡±


    ¡°And until it does?¡± and Freya moved back and sat on the throne,


    ¡°I am in command of Asgards forces, and the crown remains with Odin, to be passed to his successor only if the Odinsleep lasts for more than five years or he succumbs. But that isn''t what you want to hear is it?¡±


    Loki bowed, ¡°I only wished to make sure that Asgard was safe, mother.¡± but Freya tutted and shook her head,


    ¡°And the attack at the gates? Do not think for one moment that I did not feel your hand in that, our forces are not allowed to fire on our Princess, even if she comes in a warship.¡±


    Thor stepped forwards, ¡°Sister, you know I do not wish for war, and yet you still fired.¡± and Loki smiled,


    ¡°I responded Brother, to your forces. We both know you are loved by the people, and you are stronger. How was I to know how you would treat me when I returned, after all, I have been gone months, and yet I find you here. Was the search for me not assigned to the most trusted of Asgardians, did my Brother not even try to find me?¡±


    Thor shook his head, ¡°I looked Sister, I scoured the galaxy, with Heimdall, but you were hidden, and I am sorry that I failed you.¡±


    ¡°And yet the Skrulls found me, the remnants of their people took me in and nursed me back to health, a task it seems you are incapable of repeating. This, Mother, this is why Asgard cannot be trusted to Thor. Our time on Earth proved him still immature and rash, and now, irresponsible.¡± and Freya laid a hand on Thor¡¯s arm once more,


    ¡°It appears that we come to an impasse, Thor. Why don¡¯t you take some time, cool down, and I will discuss this problem with Loki, and then we can all sit down once more.¡±


    Loki laughed and raised her arms in a small shrug, ¡°It appears we¡¯ve been found out my dear,¡± and Varanke laughed,


    ¡°So it seems, plan b then?¡±


    Loki nodded and as she summoned a blast of magic and fired it at Freya, Verankes pistol exploded in a puff of energy, and the guards and the Queen lay stunned on the ground.


    Veranke clicked on a wrist communicator at her wrist, and two new Skrull guards entered and replaced the two stunned ones. As Loki stood over Freya her form shimmered and she changed, and Veranke did the same, and soon a new Loki was stood there,


    ¡°It is still weird being you,¡± and Freya laughed,


    ¡°But you look so dashing like that,¡± and leaning over gave her a quick peck on the cheek, ¡°but yes, weird. Take the Queen and Odin to the ship, do the treatment and we can take them to Earth. Remember, Do not kill them, there are wards around Asgard that will detect the deaths of the Queen and the King, and we can''t have that, not yet anyway.¡±


    Loki rolled her eyes, ¡°I know, I know,¡± and with a swish of her hips turned, ¡°You two, take them and quietly dispose of them, that is acceptable yes?¡± and Freya nodded,


    ¡°We need to replace the disloyal guards with your people, as long as you are quiet, it is fine. Oh stay away from Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, I will send them away from Asgard. Until then.¡± and Loki waved a hand at her


    Loki raised an eyebrow, answering impatiently, ¡°I know. Return to the ship and wait for your signal.¡± as she waited a ship appeared at the balcony and lifting the unconscious queen and her guards she gave Freya a sideways glance and left.


    As Freya sat on the throne she smiled, it was good to be home she thought.


    As Freya surveyed the throne room she smiled, The small group she had summoned entered and went down on one knee, even if Thor looked apprehensive as she sat on the throne.


    ¡°Rise my subjects¡± and Thor, Lady Sif and the Warriors Three got from one knee and waited,


    ¡°As you are aware the galaxy is in chaos. The Kree brazenly attack the Nova Empire, the Sovereign race unleashed nightmarish creatures from within darker dimension to power weapons of mass destruction and our forces idle as Odin sleeps.¡±


    The small group looked over at each other, they had just finished one campaign, was Freya about to suggest another.


    ¡°It is up to us, as the prominent species to show the smaller worlds the truth of peace and prosperity. Thor, I want you to take a small force and head into the Argala escort. Lady Sif, the angelus sector and warriors three, you shall also head, into the Devroa nebula. I have arranged another peacekeeping force to aid us. It is time to unite the realms, and it is time for the realms to realise that war is beneath them.¡±


    ¡°Mother, what are you suggesting? Those areas are out of our jurisdiction, as agreed by-¡± but Freya lifted a hand and he stopped.


    ¡°We know, Thor. It was part of your father plan before he fell into the Odinsleep to bring them into Asgards control. They hide real threats, real dangers that we must extinguish or the galaxy will fall. It was doing so that your father was hurt, and you must continue his work if we are to succeed.¡±


    ¡°And Loki?¡± he asked,


    ¡°Loki has been dealt with, she has agreed to abandon her foolish attempt at the thone until the time limit had passed. Do not take her lightly Thor, and prepare yourself. I feel Loki and the Skrulls are not a good mix.¡±


    Thor nodded and glancing at his comrades around him, they all rose and bowed before leaving.


    ¡°Handmaiden, attend me.¡± and a plain servant woman stepped forwards and knelt at Freya¡¯s feet. As she looked around the room she smiled, ¡°now, none of that, there is no one here, there are only certain times you are required to kneel before me.¡± and as the women stood she laughed and her appearance changed,


    ¡°It is done. We used our memory device and Odin is in what the humans call a care home, while his wife, Freda, lives nearby in a small housing complex. Neither remembers who they are, and neither have access to interstellar flight even if they did.¡±


    ¡°Good with Thor and the rest out of the way we can cement our rule here and then conquer the rest of the galaxy.¡± As Loki sat in her mother¡¯s lap, she smiled and kissed her gently on the cheek,


    ¡°The golds a bit gaudy though,¡± she said,


    Freya laughed, ¡°we can change it, why not, we¡¯re going to change everything else.¡±


    ~


    Carol knew as soon as the hammer connected that it must be the Power Stone. Even Goblins strength hadn¡¯t felt like being hit by several g-forces of pain all compressed into a hammer sized blow. As she sailed backwards and crashed against the wall the air was knocked from her lungs and the pain radiated from her waist in waves. She was sure something was ruptured and even Ravage screeched in pain. It had to be the Power Stone, and making the best choice, she activated her full power.


    As her Binary Form lit up like a sun she knew that it was still no match for the power of an Infinity Stone and that they knew exactly how this was going to play out. The charges were all bogus, inflated, and the whole invasion was being blamed to draw attention away from their own incompetence.


    As the anger raged through her, she raised both fists and blasted a hole in the wall she was leaning against. Lifting herself and flying through it as fast as she could. A simple building would be no issue, she had flown through a Kree battlecruiser before, even its shielding was no match for her power.


    Wielding the Power Stone enhanced Uru hammer, recovered from the crash site, the guard clicked on his wrist comm. ¡°Prisoner 4432 has escaped, issue the bounty.¡±


    As they sat in the cafeteria Peter raised an eyebrow as a message came over the GalNet, He whistled as he saw the million credit reward for the capture of Carol Danvers and he raised an eyebrow at his team, ¡°So?¡± and as Gamora checked her hip for her blaster, she nodded,


    ¡°Ha, it seems that Quill will once more show someone how disappointing he is. Be grateful you have us on your team.¡± and Drax slapped him on the shoulder, ¡°Fear not, we shall capture her as easily as we captured you.¡±


    Clicking on the side of his cheek his helmet sprang over his face and he grabbed both pistols. ¡°She was only a few floors above us and if she starts to head off-world we can use the Milano. Rocket, get the ship, take Groot and Gamora, Drax, head out and see if you can find her in the building¡± and as he turned he blasted out a window ¡°I¡¯ll go up and see if I can spot her from the outside.¡± as the rocket pack activated he flew up and out, ¡°never mind, there she is,¡± and he took aim and fired a stun bolt at her.


    As Carol waved through the hail of blaster fire, she knew her only chance to escape was to head into deep space and try for Asgard. Even if the Nova Corp followed her, she knew Thor would provide her sanctuary and if things got heated, she could use their matter bridge to transport herself back to Earth.


    It would be a long flight, Asgard and Xandar weren¡¯t exactly the closets of systems and even with her power, she would need to secure a shuttle. Knowing she had taken an Asgardian scout ship, she headed to the spaceport, flying as fast as she could without breaking orbit.


    The shuttle had guards,  but quickly basting them away she boarded and began to ignore the bolts being fired at her by that asshole, Quill. Preflight would have to wait and as she hit the engines he zipped past her, he said they had a ship, no time then and as she lifted off and streaked out of the atmosphere her ships scanners detected another craft, much larger than the one she was in steadily gaming on her.


    Asgardian scout craft had faster than light engines, and she could use them to escape but with a ship in pursuit, there was really no point, following her would be a simple task and once she reached Asgard they would just open fire again.


    She couldn¡¯t risk it though, stopping would only allow the Nova Corp to catch her and hitting the preprogrammed path in the ship¡¯s navigational computer she felt the ship judder and slip into the Universal Neural Teleportation Network. She felt sick as it warped the space around her and her powers flared for a moment, stabilising her.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Peter cursed as he landed on the top of the Milano and climbed in the hatch, ¡°She¡¯s jumping, can we track her?¡± he yelled into the ships comms,


    ¡°Yeah yeah, keep your hair on Quill,¡± and Rocket, fired off a small beacon rocket, which thudded and hit the outside of the ship she was flying, ¡°seems she¡¯s off to Asgard, about right since she¡¯s flying an Asgardian ship,¡± and he rolled his eyes at Quill.


    ¡°Jumping now, hang on to your reproductive organs, and I mean your own Quill.¡± and as Rocket followed her path the ship stretched and jumped.


    ~


    ¡°We can¡¯t just jump into Asgardian space, they¡¯ll blast us too,¡± Quill shouted at Rocket as they approached the planet,


    ¡°Calm down, yah ape, I already signalled them, they know we¡¯re chasing a fugitive and that she¡¯s in a stolen shuttle,¡± he said rolling his eyes. ¡°Breaking atmosphere in 5, 4,¡± and pulling on the controls they tilted so they would have smooth entry.


    Carols trip into Asgardian space wasn¡¯t going as well, as they had confirmed her fugitive status and ordered her to halt. As she had sped up and headed right towards the Rainbow bridge, they had sent a small scout ship after her and it was currently trying to disable her engines.


    As she spun the craft she saw the blast streak past her and even as she approached the water¡¯s edge she knew she wasn¡¯t going to make it. While the Bifrost Bridge control room was on the edge of the planet, it was kept on the other side, so that incoming starship traffic couldn¡¯t do what she was attempting.


    Having no choice, she waited until the scout ship was closer and as it fired she ramped up her own power and shot forwards at high speed, smashing through the front being window and out into the atmosphere of Asgard. As the ship behind her exploded, she accelerated once more, activating her Binary form and as she hid within the rolling waves of Asgard, she shot towards the only means of escape she had.


    ¡°Yeah Yeah, I see yah,¡± Rocket knew about her powers. She had made a name for herself, and if he was honest he took no joy in taking out someone who was a walking laser cannon.


    ¡°Well, blast her,¡± Peter shouted but Rocket kept his fingers from the controls,


    ¡°Yeah the Asgardians ain¡¯t too happy about us using our weapons in their space,¡± and he swivelled a control screen around. On it was a warning for them not to pursue Carol any further. While they were celebrated heroes in the Nova Empire, the fact that four of them were wanted criminals in other systems had not escaped the Asgardian authorities notice. As such they wanted nothing to do with them, and the screen had called for them to turn around and leave before they caused any damage.


    ¡°So that¡¯s it, you¡¯re just going to let her get away, a million credits, just flying like it¡¯s a holiday.¡± Quail complained, and Gamora shook her head,


    ¡°You know this is a setup,¡± she said. ¡°There is no way that Carol Danvers, the Nova most prized hero, set up with Ronan to attack their homeworld,¡± and Drax nodded,


    ¡°Your ability to turn on your own species is astounding. I am truly amazed you managed to get off your homeworld, and not die.¡± and as the pair turned,


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t say I didn¡¯t have a plan,¡± and Rocket hit a switch, ¡°oh dear, it seems that a highly experimental weapon, that we never had time to test properly, was activated by those strange powers she has. I¡¯ll be sure to send our apologies to the Asgardians.¡±


    ¡°I am Groot.¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, it¡¯s just a small missile.¡±


    As Carol sped towards the Bifrost, she heard the woosh behind her and as the Milano hovered, the rocket it fired streaked towards her. Increasing speed to her maximum she hoped it was enough, and as she saw the golden done and its giant needle she cheered.


    As the missile sped, its front opened and several smaller missiles inside streaked out, each one taking a different route. As they flew past Carol she was shocked as they overtook her and then exploded, but not near her, but near the Bifrost.


    As Heimdal watched the missiles he could only state in horror as they enveloped the Bifrost in an energy field, overloading it and sending the control needle into an uncontrolled spin.


    As the energy of the bridge coursed uncontrollably, it touched over where Carol was flying and in an instant, she was gone,


    ¡°Ha, see,¡± and as Rocket turned to gloat, the bean streaked through the Milano, and as it cut the ship in half, where the beam touched also vanished.


    As the energy from the missiles faded, Heimdal slotted his sword into the control centre he brought the overload back under control.


    As he touched a rune on the control panel,


    ¡°Please alert Queen Freya. An enemy ship attacked and has severely damaged the Bifrost. It will take at least a year to repair. All currently deployed Asgardian forces are on their own.¡±


    ~


    In the throne room, Freya listened to the report. The Bifrost has been damaged, and only the Space Stone was powerful enough to repair it. With the bridge down, all Asgardian forces would need to use the normal routes of travel, and most were barred for military vessels. With Thor, Sif, and the Warriors Three off-planet, she could use the hidden network to smuggle Skrull forces into Asgard, and the first part of her plan would be complete.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Twenty-One. Exposed

    With Carol and the Asgardians gone, Peter had received a message from Fury.


    Stay put and stay quiet.


    So Peter was cataloguing the spoils from Life Foundation. They had taken things before Fury and the thug brigade showed up. Gwen, Liv, and Felicia had cut cables and literally ran out the building with gene sequencers and, much to Peter''s delight, a portable particle emitter. From the hard drives they had taken, he had been reading not just Dr Banner''s work on the super-soldier serum but the results of Project Pegasus. If Carol had been empowered by the Tesseract, and the stone he found in Monarch''s throne room emitted a similar type of radiation, he should be able to use it to empower himself.


    Peter shook his head. His fight with not just Carol but Thor as well, showed him that while on Earth he was strong, compared to some of the powerhouses that existed out in the darkness, he was weak. Too weak to protect anyone, and after almost losing Gwen he knew he needed to be stronger.


    Touching the stone to his head he found the knowledge he sought, a way to use the formula to remove and then re-enhance himself and he was going to use Gwen to help him. He wasn''t strong enough, he felt he could never be strong enough. All he needed now was a way to do that without hurting himself. Liv and Gwen''s exploits had proven that just exposing themselves to whatever they felt like had consequences. So after a small discussion, Gwen and Liv both set themselves to figuring out the problem.


    While Felicia was able to work, and MJ was still preparing for her movie role Peter and the rest were so bored they had taken to training and after a few days, Gwen had an announcement. After a few days of moving machinery and wiring it up, the warehouse was quiet as Gwen stood at the breakfast table. Peter and Liv sat staring at their coffee, Gwen had burst into their home excited and impatiently waited while they woke up enough for her announcement.


    ¡°I reverse-engineered everything. From your parent''s notes, we got from the Oscorp servers to Curts, Livs, and what I¡¯d managed to figure out on my own. Uh, I cracked it, Pete. Like all of it.¡±


    ¡°Okay, now, take it slow, cause I get that, but what exactly do you mean?¡±


    Gwen dumped a pile of papers on the table in front of Liv, who began to idly flick through them, staring with an open mouth at some of the results Gwen had apparently gotten.


    ¡°Markers for strength, stamina, longevity, enhanced attributes, you know like your vision and hearing, increased muscle mass, regenerative properties, and intelligence. Immunity to disease. Everything the formula could do was designed to do. I, uh, cracked it.¡±


    Liv looked shocked, ¡°you cracked all of that, but, and I don''t mean this to be insulting dear, but how? We don''t have that kind of sequencer for a start, even with the Oscorp notes. I mean, it''s been over 70 years since the first formula was created and no one, not even me, could crack how to make a stable formula with consistent results.¡±


    ¡°Well, that was kinda offensive Liv, but I''ve got Poison and she¡¯s a biological computer. I can analyse and decode the formula without a sequencer, I''m a frickin genius, and once I had each part done I could feed that into the machines and figure out its effects, so, yeah, I did.¡±


    Liv shook her head, ¡°what was it you said dear, something about porridge?¡± and Gwen snorted while Peter laughed.


    ¡°Um, but that''s not all, I can also reverse the effects, using the anti-venom formula Harry worked on. I can depower someone who¡¯s enhanced.¡° Gwen looked a bit guilty, ¡°I can also repeat the experiment they did on you, Pete. Once I could get your cells and now Poison is behaving herself I can analyse them. I know how to recreate your biology.¡±


    ¡°Uh, no on that one. My symbiote almost died, and in trying to get revenge, almost killed me. No, it''s not worth it.¡±


    ¡°That isn''t your call dear remember,¡± Liv said as she flicked to the relevant page, and began to pour over the data Gwen had collected.


    ¡°No, it isn''t, but look at the risk. A half-crazed symbiote screwing with my biology, getting me hurt as much as it could. I don''t like the idea of subjecting anyone to that. Do you want to put Poison or Huntress through that? Hell, Ravage left you Liv as you ¡®taste funny¡¯. These aren''t toys for us to play with, they¡¯re living creatures so no. That''s not fair to hurt them like that.¡±


    Liv slumped down, ¡°that is a fair point. Gwen do you know what will happen if we create a hybrid formula?¡±


    Gwen sighed, ¡°Peter is right. It will tear the symbiote and the host apart at a cellular level and then recombine their DNA and cellular structure. To be honest, Peter, you''re lucky you survived.¡±


    ¡°Which is why I want you to stop, this is inhumane Gwen and if you had seen what Harry had been doing in his lab you would never have started down that path.¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to make sure everyone was safe, not make more. I scrubbed the records, the only formula is now in here," and Gwen tapped the side of her head. "What I am going to suggest though is separating everyone from their symbiotes and cleaning out the junk formula. Oscorp serum was so badly put together I¡¯m surprised none of us has schizophrenia or Parkinsons, and I want to fix that. Keep the symbiotes safe, go through the enhancement process and then rebond, that way we know both host and symbiote are okay."


    ¡°What about me though? I used Banner''s formula and then used the radiation machine? Can you depower me?¡± Liv asked,


    ¡°Honestly, yes, I''ve looked over your test results and all you did was fry your cells with radiation. Ravage almost killed herself fixing the damage and then Pete almost died fixing her, you¡¯re no more a hulk than I am. You just screwed yourself up and then left us to clean up the mess.¡±


    Liv visibly shrank at Gwen''s admonishment, knowing that she was correct. If she had been in the lab on her own, she would have died, taking Ravage with her. While the symbiote was happy to sacrifice herself it was still cruel and unfair, and it was the reason Liv refused to mention another bonding to Peter. It was only Shield''s insistence at entering the warehouse that she had even approached Peter.


    ¡°Tests.¡± Peter leaned back and spoke, ¡°nothing without testing. Gwen, I love you but nothing and I mean nothing without going through all of us. Last time we ended up in a huge argument so no. Test until we know it''s safe.¡±


    ¡°I uh have an idea for that.¡± and Peter shrugged. ¡°Tali. She¡¯s enhanced, right? So we use the de-bonder and then re-enhance her as our first real test. She owes us, and this squares that as far as I¡¯m concerned.¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°Only if she agrees though.¡± and Gwen nodded,


    ¡°I¡¯ll send her and Fury something official, and uh, one other.¡± and Peter looked confused.


    Gen sighed, ¡°there is another thing, MJ, come in, I know you''re there.¡±


    Peter looked at Gwen and MJ, and even Liv seemed to be hesitant.


    MJ looked over at Gwen and held hands, Gwen squeezing hers.


    ¡°I uh, want to quit my job,¡± and Peter frowned,


    ¡°The movie? Uh, okay,¡± he asked, confused.


    ¡°Once the movie is finished, that''s it. The invasion and the attacks, I can¡¯t Peter, like Gwen, I want to fight. I talked to Muse and well, she¡¯s okay with that. So, Gwen is going to do those test things and then enhance me. Fel already started me on a training program and uh, I''m joining her Black Cats.¡±


    ¡°And let me guess, the reason you three all look guilty is so are you right?¡± And both Gwen and Liv nodded.


    ¡°Peter dear, we told you, Nobody threatens our home, and they did, we¡¯re exposed here, Shield, Harry, Carol,¡± and Peter raised an eyebrow but Liv shook her head. ¡°Anyone walking through those doors who knows, as you said to me dear, too many people with too many secrets who¡¯d end up in jail or worse.¡± and Peter frowned but nodded.


    ¡°And,¡± Gwen''s shoulders slumped, ¡±college is boring for me Pete, I can read the textbook understand it and then have to wait for the class to catch up, or on some stupid machine when I can touch the sample and analyse it before my coffee is cold. I''m not spending 50 grand a year to sit on my ass, not when I can be here and do everything and more.¡±


    ¡°But what about your job, your career, don''t you need a diploma?  What about-¡±


    Gwen raised a hand stopping him,  ¡°I¡¯ve been scouted by Stark Industries. Pepper assured me that the work I''m doing can be credited towards a relevant diploma, but, I need to do more Pete. I can help, we can make money with formulas and make money with a selection of creams, a lot of money. Shit, I''ve even thought about ditching that too but Pepper will give us FDA approval in 3 months on a lot of stuff Pete. She¡¯s got the pull we need to make some serious cash.¡±


    ¡°Pepper Potts scouted you herself?¡± Peter asked stunned, ¡°CEO Pepper Potts? Shit Gwen.¡±


    Gwen nodded, ¡°Shield contacted me and while they wanted me to be an agent I said no. I got a phone call from Pepper herself about an hour later. Pepper''s offer was much better and less invasive. Plus I figured if we¡¯re enhancing Tali, we can do a show and tell for Pepper, kill two birds with one stone.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re all fine with that?¡± and the trio nodded, ¡°well fine. As long as you''re happy then that''s what counts.¡±


    ¡°We uh, also want you to get somewhere else to do your lab work, keep the brewery cause well it''s illegal as shit but everything else, gone. Fel wants a home of her own and it''s gonna sound strange but a bath. I was watching one of those home makeover things and I want a bath, a big huge bath so I can soak, and no not the hot tub, that''s for fun, an actual bath. Plus Pete, Carol and Natasha, shit, might as well make some more homes while you¡¯re busy, cause I know you''re gonna get another sooner or later,¡° and Gwen batted him in the arm, ¡±just make sure she¡¯s cute and bi.¡±


    Peter shook his head, it wasn¡¯t like he meant to start relationships, plus Natasha was a shitty attempt at a honey trap, and Carol might not be back for years, they really didn¡¯t count.


    ¡°Don''t shake your head. Mister cute handsome rich boy with potent fuck me pheromone. Shit, I''m surprised there isn¡¯t a queue outside,¡°


    Peter chuckled and grinned, ¡°oh, just like the smart, attractive and devilishly daring woman here, is there a door for her queue as well?¡±


    Gwen batted his arm, ¡°smooth talker, good thing you know how to use that tongue,¡± and she leant over and kissed Peter.


    ¡°Ahem, we are trying to have a serious conversation, can we at least get our coffee off the table before you start the show.¡± Fel winked at the pair, ¡°but I''m next,¡± and Liv laughed


    ¡°There is enough space for all of us dear,¡± and Mj just shook her head.


    ¡°Talk now, sex later,¡± she said


    ¡°Spoilsport,¡± Gwen said and MJ shrugged,


    ¡°Fine fine. Homes, Bathroom, you know like the Japanese style, and more rooms. Look even if they don¡¯t stay we can give them somewhere to come home too, plus, it stops you from screwing in my bed again,¡° Gwen said, casting a stare at Felicia and Liv.


    Liv shrugged, ¡°Felicia doesn''t have her own home dear and mine was taken. If anything you can blame Peter for that.¡±


    Gwen laughed, ¡°oh I am. And all three of you will pay.¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°so am I on top or are you?¡± and Gwen made a small ball of webbing to throw at him.


    Peter caught it and began to toss it up and down, ¡°Upgrading the warehouse is fine, and you¡¯re right but moving some of this stuff isn''t going to work, but we can build up.¡° Peter pointed to the warehouse ceiling. ¡°The crosswalks towering over the main floor could be secured to hold a workspace for me, moving everything up there and we can make it as secure as possible so only one of us can get inside. I¡¯ll keep it away from the windows so we still get the sunshine but, this place is huge, a room up there won''t make that much difference.¡±


    ¡°Can I get some space? I can move the brewery up there as well,¡° Peter did some quick calculations in his head and nodded,


    ¡°The only real issue is the plumbing, power is just cables but we¡¯ll be poor again for a while, one giant room would be bad enough but if I start splitting space it¡¯ll need fireproofing as well as wiring, Fel, how''s the money looking?¡± and Fel bit her lip,


    ¡°Uh¡±


    Liv laughed, ¡°Ms Hardy asked me to help with that, as she is more suited for the physical aspects of a life of crime, even without Ravage here. Better at taking a punch and a dick than a financial report eh?¡± and while she scowled, she snorted, shook her head and shrugged,


    ¡°Rather do both than stare at paperwork.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn''t we all dear, and our finances are fine. We have some kept back from the money I got from Norman. While you drained the bank for the Fisk enterprise, the cream money and the profits from the businesses you''ve taken over are slowly building. While I admit, it would be better to leave them for an emergency. We can take a few thousand to get the work done, it will just be a few thousand?¡± and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°It''s like anything, the more you spend, the better it will be, but uh, no, probably with everything, maybe 20, maybe 30 to be safe.¡±


    ¡°I really hope you mean hundred dear. If that''s thousands then you can start walking the streets yourself to earn that.¡±


    Gwen snorted and reached into a pocket, ¡°I''ve got five bucks, what does that get me?¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°move the coffee cups and you can find out.¡±

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Two. Wonder Girls

    The experiment didn¡¯t take long to set up, mainly as it was going to be a few injections and then waiting. While Peter wasn¡¯t exactly happy about seeing Tali again, and Fury wasn¡¯t on his list of friends either, he was excited to meet Pepper Potts.


    Tony Stark was everything he wanted to be. Rich, handsome, and most of all successful. If he had an idol it was that man and meeting his girlfriend and, more importantly, the reason for his success, then, of course, he was excited. He doubted Tony would be here but he still had to calm down at meeting Pepper, especially with pheromones flying around.


    Gwen had created a neutralizing agent after Peter raised concerns about visitors to the warehouse. The last thing anyone needed was a policewoman or family member stripping and attacking Peter just because he was excited, and he was in the process of liberally dousing himself with it. It should last a few hours and as long as he didn¡¯t use any of his powers then the presentation should be over, and Fury, Tali, and Pepper would be gone.


    Fury and Tali were the first to arrive, and trying to be pleasant Peter handed Nick a cup of coffee while Liv took Tali to one side.


    ¡°Sorry dear, gear off and into the smock. This is a two-parter and believe me, we don''t want a mess for the first part.¡±


    Natasha looked at the woman, ¡°first part?¡± but Liv shook her head,


    "Once Miss Potts is here we¡¯ll begin and then prep you, okay?" And Natasha could only nod. She was under strict orders this time. No antagonising the group but keep an eye out for anything they could use.


    Pepper arrived a few minutes later, complete with the entourage that Peter shook his head to, fanboy yes, doormat, no. ¡°Sorry Miss Potts, but uh, they need to stay outside. Only you and Fury are allowed in during the procedure.¡±


    Pepper was amazing, Peter looked her over and he was stunned by how attractive she was. A healthy tan, long blonde hair, tied up, professionally cut suit and flats. Pepper radiated authority and intelligence, with a healthy dose of don''t mess sprinkled on top. She tilted her head, ¡°really?¡± Peter nodded. Respect yes but he wasn''t about to bend over for her.


    ¡°For your eyes only,¡± he said and even Fury snorted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t argue Pep, boy here is a super spy in the works,¡± and Tali covered her mouth to hide a laugh.


    Peter sighed, ¡°fewer people, fewer leaks,¡± and shook his head. Pepper considered his words and ordered her people back out to the limousine.


    ¡°Right, now that everyone¡¯s here, quick presentation and then the show. Miss Romanov. Please change, while we talk to your boss and Miss Potts.¡± Liv said and led her into Peter''s home. The normal room they used for discussions like this had been cleaned up and had a reclining chair for Tali to sit on while the serum worked. There were two chairs for Pepper and Nick to sit on and Gwen was waiting with a clicker in hand.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need the sales pitch, Gwen,¡± Pepper said. ¡°We just want to see results,¡± and Gwen visibly slumped.


    ¡°You sure? Science is fun.¡± Peter said from the doorway.


    Pepper nodded, ¡°it is, but I get enough of this from Tony. I just want to know it works. Samples we got from Gwen already went to the lab, and are passing everything. If that''s her standard then once we see, then the real testing begins.¡±


    Nick had swept his coat aside and was sat with one leg crossed over the other, ¡°I just want my agent back in  one piece, I don''t need a lecture either.¡± and Gwen shook her head,


    ¡°Fine, fine.¡± She said ¡°Liv? Is Tali ready?¡±


    ¡°It''s Natasha, Tali was only for Peter''s sake,¡± and Gwen shook her head again.


    Natasha came in wearing a hospital gown. Liv sat her down and lifted one sleeve of the thin cloth, wiping it down with rubbing alcohol.


    ¡°Now, as you skipped the science bit,¡± she said while shaking her head, ¡°this is going to be two injections over the standard one.¡±


    Nick frowned, ¡°Why?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Natasha has already been exposed to serum, and we need to cleanse it from her system. Normally it''s just one, and please Director Fury, why ask if you just ignore us? We would have explained all this beforehand.¡±


    Natasha looked at the gun, full of the pale blue liquid, ¡°will it hurt?¡± and Liv shook her head.


    ¡°No, but it will be messy, especially for you Ms Romanov. The serum did some damage yes? Noone sleeps with a target unprotected if they aren''t immune to not just disease but pregnancy,¡± and at the Natashas eyes fell to the floor. ¡±I thought so, then yes, this will hurt a bit.¡±


    ¡°Phase one. Removal of old formal. Natasha''s cells will excise and excrete the old formula. She will be sick, need the toilet, and bleed a little. This is normal as she is enhanced.¡±


    ¡°Wait, could you do that to Banner?¡± Fury asked,


    Liv shook her head, ¡°why bother skipping the lecture if you¡¯re just going to ask the questions we would have answered?'''' she admonished him again, and Pepper covered her mouth to hide her laugh.


    ¡°Banner used high-intensity radiation, gamma in his case, to bond the formula. If we undid that he¡¯d probably explode in a nuclear fireball, so. No.¡±


    Fury looked shocked for a second before crossing his arms, ¡°no would have been fine.¡±


    ¡°Now dear, little blood to start with,¡± and Liv took a sample, sliding the sample bottle over to Gwen who slid it into the microscope. ¡°And this will feel cold,¡± and she pressed the injector to Natashas arm. Hissing the vial emptied and almost immediately Natasha began to shake, ¡°this bit is private dears, sorry,¡± and Liv led her to her home, where even Fury and Pepper could hear her being sick.


    After about ten minutes, a very pale and frail-looking Natasha was brought back in. A second blood sample was taken and she winced as Liv drew the sample, ¡°sorry dear, your pain receptors are a bit fragile at the moment,¡± and as Gwen slid the bottle into the microscope the difference was apparent.


    Enhanced cells had a thicker cell wall, extra mitochondria, and a more regular shape, the new ones were thin and even looked sickly in comparison to what had been drawn before.


    Liv took a breath. ¡°Now, Gwen worked tirelessly on this and we can say. We have several different types. One for strength, stamina, reflexes, and intelligence. The one we¡¯ll be using on Ms Romanov is an allrounder. Similar to the one used on Mr Rogers in the war.¡±


    ¡°What about radiation treatment?¡± Fury asked.


    ¡°Oh, you mean the treatment we would have brought up in the presentation Mr Fury?¡± and even Nick looked embarrassed as Liv told him off once more.


    ¡°In the initial experiment, Rogers was exposed to something we only know as Vita-rays. Banner attempted to use gamma radiation as a substitution but we all know what that led to. We use a chemical binder to bond the formula to a person''s DNA. It''s safer and more abundant without harming the patient. While you won''t be a Hulk, Ms Romanov, the results will be impressive. Now, we can also use the formula without the binder. It lasts roughly a month before the body cleans itself completely, but until then you have a slightly reduced effect but without it being permanent. I leave the choice to you.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you can enhance someone without making them a supersoldier?¡± Pepper asked and Liv nodded


    ¡°We plan, Ms Potts, on licensing the formula through Stark Industries, allowing you to take government contracts as well as civilian ones.¡±


    ¡°Wait, civilians? No, not a chance in hell,¡± Fury said, leaning forwards.


    ¡°Mr Fury, sit down. Remember that lecture you were impatient and didn''t listen to. All low concentrations, billions of parts per litre, the formula acts as a medicine. Curing cancer, fixing degenerative muscle, bone and tissue diseases, all without enhancement. So if you''re asking if Gwen and I would like to make a large amount of money, then yes, but that''s Miss Potts department, you¡¯ll have  to deal with her.¡±


    Fury didn''t look happy about that, but right now as everyone thought he was being an ass, no one cared.


    ¡°Now, Natasha, this will be strange.¡± and Liv pressed the second injector gun against her jugular and as it hissed the small vial emptied.


    ¡°If this was a one-off treatment then that would be it, the serum makes its way to the brain and begins there, propagating cellular changes throughout the nervous and lymphatic system where eventually it is picked up by the heart and passed throughout the body by the vascular system. That''s your veins and arteries, Mr Fury, just before you ask,¡± but Nick just shook his head.


    The changes were apparent to all watching, Natasha was beautiful anyway, her finely sculpted cheekbones sat on a perfectly angled face. Even looking sickly she was still attractive but now, her skin almost shone as it absorbed the formula and her face seemed to tighten. Her hair gained lustre and body and while the pair of Potts and Fury couldn''t see, Natasha felt her breasts shrink slightly and perk, her pubic area soften and then tighten, and a few scars she had itched and then faded.


    As the formula spread through Natasha, she felt even better than when the Red Room had strapped her down and dosed her. It was joy, it was pure freedom and as her cells drank in the formula she felt alive with energy.


    Liv stared into her eyes and lifting a wrist took her pulse. ¡°That''s about it. If you would Ms Romanov,¡± and she turned her arm and Liv took a final blood sample.


    With all three side by side, the results were apparent. The last cell was much healthier, thicker cell membrane with modified mitochondria. Even a non-scientist could tell that compared even to the first one it just looked better.


    After leading Natasha away, Gwen handed a file to Pepper. ¡°The formula contract, once you sign we can start with the process of manufacturing and testing. I¡¯ll be an onsite consultant but whatever deal you strike with Fury is between you two, as long as the requirements are fulfilled we don''t care what you use it for.¡±


    Pepper nodded as she flicked through the contracts, legal would have a field day with these but at least Ms Stacy had been thorough.


    ¡°And my agent?¡± Fury asked.


    Gwen shrugged, ¡°that''s between you and her.¡±


    A full healed and confident Natasha strode from Liv home, ¡°I''m fine, ¡° was all she said, but she and Fury both knew that a barrage of tests was waiting for her once she got back to Shield headquarters.


    With the test over and a positive result, both parties left, leaving the warehouse back to normal.


    ¡°Well, I scanned the place and I don''t think Director Fury left us any surprises Peter, but you know, he¡¯s a super spy. It wouldn''t surprise me if he did.¡± Liv said, holding a detector in one hand. Peter fully expected Fury to bug the place, or at least try to.


    He sighed, ¡°it''s fine, if there are we can worry about them later, but right now, MJ?¡±


    MJ had been waiting in her home until the group''s presentation had finished. She was next in line for enhancement and Muse and she had already separated to avoid hurting the symbiote.


    Peter did find it strange when the normally hidden creature spread out and then peeled itself free of MJ, watching as she visibly sagged without the symbiote to support her and he hoped she was dealing with a few issues okay. She had looked up, bit her lip and nodded, ¡°fine, I''m fine¡± and reached over to gently pet the symbiote waiting on the kitchen table, her smooth white skin glistening as it wobbled and bobbed up and down.


    As they didn''t want every secret to be revealed, the group prepared MJ, not just for enhancement but a fresh dose of Peter''s blood had been extracted already and the symbcells within it purified and made into the second enhancement serum. Peter wanted his loved ones to be the best of the best and with both, MJ would tower above normal mortals as a goddess.


    As both serums worked on MJ she was watched over by the group. Unlike Natasha she was naked and they watched to see what physical changes would occur. Under the artificial light her hair lengthened slightly and grew shinier, Her pale skin and very Irish in origin took on a whiter almost alabaster appearance and her green eyes sparkled like emeralds. She seems to gain a few inches, grown in the chair and her arms and legs became thicker than normal, wiry muscle building and adding healthy weight to a fragile normally ill-looking frame. Years of neglect from an intentive father had given her a smaller than normal frame and build and the formula had corrected that. Her chest grew as well, taking her average B cups up into a C, and her pale pink nipples crinkled and enlarged. At her groin, her shaven crotch grew new fiery red hair and even Peter was shocked to see her labia shrink slightly and tighten visibly.


    Having never seen what Gwen or Liv went through, and Peter and Felicia being the first pair, watching MJ was amazing for them. She became even more perfect to Peter and he coughed slightly and Gwen raised an eyebrow at him, ¡°uh,¡± and he looked down. MJ had started giving off a sweet floral scent, now very noticeable to him and without thinking he had grown erect. ¡°Pheromone,¡± and Gwen laughed, taking a sniff and looking at Peter, bit her lip and nodded.


    ¡°Not just you,¡± she said and Peter began to smell it from all three of the others, MJ was now making them just as aroused as he was. While their scent was the natural scent of a woman, hers was definitely like his.


    ¡°You¡¯re just all fucking horndogs,¡± she laughing and as Liv tidied away the bottles of formula, MJ stretched and stood up, wobbling slightly. ¡°Taller, that''s weird,¡± she said and grabbed her new chest, ¡°these too,¡± and giving them a squeeze she moaned, and Peter noticed a slight glisten from between her legs. ¡°Damn, sensitive,¡± was all she said before striding out of the lab.


    Muse saw her and flopped over, her form slowing around MJ and covering her.


    ¡°We are home,¡± she said and the new enhanced Muse tried out her newer powers. She grew, becoming almost 7ft tall with thick muscular arms and legs, she stared at Peter. ¡°Death by Snu Snu,¡± she yelled and leapt over to him, grabbed him by the waist and ran into her home.


    A bemused trio watched and heard as the home began to vibrate with their pounding. ¡°You¡¯re next Gwen,¡° MJ shouted and Gwen stared at Liv, who shrugged, unsure if she would stop there.

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Three. Power Surge

    MJ had been hesitant before but after undergoing enhancement spent a day with just Gwen until a very shaky legged Gwen hobbled from her home and begged someone else to take over, while a very happy and satisfied MJ waltzed over. ¡°I just don''t care what anybody thinks now, if I want to be in love with Gwen, then I will. I''m not afraid of it, I''m not afraid to show that to you,¡± was all she said once her adjustment period had ended.


    With MJ having undergone the new enhancement treatment, Felicia decided to do the same. While Huntress complained she was already good enough, Felicia wanted a clean slate. The Oscorp serum had flaws and no one wanted Felicia to suddenly mutate or worse years down the line. As with MJ she had separated from Huntress and undergone a cleanse and then re-enhancement and like MJ her new powers were much more potent than her old ones.


    Once the pair had been dealt with was Peter''s turn. Since Peter had absorbed Monarch he felt a new sense of peace, he could just never admit that by eating a symbiote he gained not just its power but knowledge as well. His two halves had stopped warring and he now knew why his powers had always been fickle. His human and symbiote selves had fought. At first, it was Peter and the Webb symbiote but after it had been removed by Rhino, it then became Peter and himself. With no way to communicate his intentions, he was never going to gain full control of his symbiote powers without help.


    The solution lay, however, not with Monarch, but the yellow gem that adorned his escape pod. From the memories he now possessed, he knew it was sent by a strange creature only calling itself ¡®The Other¡¯ and it was only by blind chance that Monarch had stumbled upon it. The ship containing the gem had crashed on the Klyntar homeworld, and the pilot, and then the gem, had been taken. Now Peter knew it was the Mind Stone, one of the Infinity Stones and contained the secrets of the universe, but Peter also knew that that kind of power came with a cost.


    As he was exposed to its radiation he felt his mind struggle to remain whole under its influence. Even if the gem was just a repository of knowledge trying to absorb a universe¡¯s worth of information would crack even the toughest mind. He got pieces instead, a greater threat was coming but not what, a way to increase his power, but not how. Pieces of information, half plans, and part schemes all swirled in his mind and he knew that unless he did something to purge them, they could drive him mad.


    The Stone was kept locked away, in a sealed box used to store radioactive materials, but nobody had any idea if it was enough. The best thing to do was use the stone and then find some way to hide it so that nobody even knew of its existence. While Peter had been exposed already, it was agreed that exposing anyone else was a risk they were unwilling to take. Peter had already discovered latent telepathic abilities no one else had, and they might be shielding him from the stone¡¯s influence.


    One thing he did theorise though, and after consulting Liv, who agreed, was that if the serum that made Liv into Superior Ock was used, Peter could use the gems radiation to do the same. With a tougher, more complete body he should be able to absorb and assimilate the knowledge better. He would become a superior Venom and, hopefully, get Shield of his back as well. He even wondered if he would glow like Carol.


    Liv and Peter built a chamber in the topmost isolated office. right now it was being used for storage. Goblins armour, glider and the reactor core and remains of the harness were all stored in there, the walls thickened with not just extra plates but Peter and Gwen both sprayed thick layers of webbing and hardening fluid over the walls. With the harness, he cut a hole in the main wall and Gwen created a flexible polymer window for them to see through, triple thick and slightly cloudy, but good enough for this. It was their vault of trophies and of shame, and now it would be Peter''s rebirth chamber. With the power of the gem, he would be whole again, neither Peter nor Venom, just one man.


    It was a risk, and everyone knew it but after Harry, after seeing Carol fight a mutated Osborn, and Thor regain the immense power he wielded, they knew that Peter and the group were woefully underpowered. Carol had warned them before she left, there were greater threats out there, threats Peter was incapable of dealing with.


    Moving everything to one side Liv had made an adjustable arm to hold the gem while Peter refurbished Liv''s first chair into a suitable seat. It would be exactly as they empowered Liv, he would get an injection and Liv, from outside the office, would irradiate him with a one-second blast at a time until his system couldn¡¯t absorb any more of either the radiation or the formula.


    Gwen prepared 20 vials for them, Liv had used 5 and with Peters altered enhanced and hybrid anatomy she figured 20 would be fine. A drip bag was set up on a stand, Gwen webbed Peter to the chair, as a precaution, and then hooked Peter up to the cannula, the formula slowly dripping into his veins. With a final kiss, he let Gwen seal him into the room.


    Clicking on the old headset, ¡°Pete, can you hear me?¡± and he gave a thumbs-up, while they could see him and hear him, once the experiment started they were unsure he would be able to respond.


    ¡°Beginning exposure in three, two one, and start,¡± Liv said and pressed a  button, opening the chamber housing the gem.


    Peter winced as the radiation interacted with the small amount of formula in his veins, it was a prickly, ticklish feeling that normally would have been fine, but this was his blood, the tickle ran through his veins and he couldn¡¯t do anything about it.


    We see you.


    Peter strained against the bindings, not in pain but wishing he could scratch the itch that permeated his body. As more and more formula dipped in, Liv would count over the speaker to ten, expose him and then close the chamber, count to ten and repeat the process.


    We know you.


    At first, the tickly itch was bearable but with each vial that worked its way into his blood and each exposure, it began to burn. A small candle of fire made its way through him.


    We know your secrets.


    His blood became molten and his bones brittle and dry.


    We hear your pathetic mind.


    His skin cracked and his eyes burst as the heat boiled him alive.


    Filthy thing, your pathetic species should have stayed the mud it was born from.


    His heart stopped and burst in his chest as the power radiated within him.


    A disgusting creature, born only to eat, to fight and you debased that even more, now only to fuck.


    His brain screamed in agony as it cooked in his skull, every nerve crackling with surges of electricity.


    That¡¯s all you are good for, fucking and whoring, fighting and killing, eating and shitting.


    The whole of Peter''s existence was laid bare to the universe and as he felt it stare at him, his mind screamed as he tried to comprehend its entirety and for one moment Peter faded and became nothing.


    Pathetic, to be so small, and to die so easily.


    A small thing, just a cell spread itself and took a bite of the universe, just a small nibble, barely enough to live.


    Hmm, you still linger, we will make your end quick.


    Another bite gone, another part of the universe devoured.


    A minor thing, give up, just die.


    More and more bites were taken, more and more the cell grew, one becoming two, two to four, four to sixteen and on and on until a symbiote was slowly devouring the universe and its power.


    A pest, a bug, Die DIE!


    More and more, stars winked out, once beautiful nebula, dancing in the endless darkness were devoured, fueling the beast, food for the devourer.


    DIE DIE DIE


    As the shadow looked to the voice, it saw the thing, the eyeless thing that taunted and killed it, and as it moved, once more it began to eat.


    NO, STOP, YOU CANNOT!


    And with the last bite, the voice was silent.


    Shrinking down further the now human symbiote looked at himself, and then at Peter. To it, there was no difference, no way anyone could tell which one was which and as the new Peter sat down in the chair, the old one took a deep breath and shouted, ¡°STOP!¡±.


    Liv slammed on a big red button, only added after an admonishment from Peter, and the chamber housing the gem closed over.


    Checking a Geiger counter, Liv nodded and Gwen sprayed dissolving fluid over the doorway and barged inside, helping Peter to rip open his bindings. Liv came in once she was finished and shone a penlight in his eyes, lifted his wrist and checked his pulse against her watch.


    ¡°Well Peter, you used 15 vials of formula in 38 seconds. So, how do you feel?¡±


    Peter''s eyes shone, even if Liv was shining a light in his eyes and with a smile, he grabbed Liv and pulled her closer, ¡°like kissing you,¡± and he pulled her in, planting his lips on hers and savouring her taste.


    As they separated, he grinned at Gwen and raised an eyebrow, ¡°don''t make me come over there,¡± and laughing, Gwen came over and the pair also shared a kiss.


    ¡°Now, while this is heading in a direction we all enjoy, rest first Peter. Let''s make sure there aren¡¯t any side effects before you start okay?¡± and Peter huffed but nodded.


    ¡°Oh, and food, lots of food,¡± and Gwen laughed,


    ¡°I already have pizza, and burgers, and uh, cheesecake on the way.¡± Once Poison had been healed Gwen discovered a dessert palace that delivered and must have eaten their entire menu in less than a week, stopped only by jumping from Peter''s bed to Felicia¡¯s, and then into Livs.


    ¡°Fine, fine,¡± said an exasperated Liv, "but afterwards a full medical,¡± and Peter winked and she shook her head. ¡°Not that kind of medical, cheeky.¡±


    As Peter recovered and the group celebrated his success, the light in the gem chamber hadn¡¯t yet faded and as it touched the various trophies in the room a change began to happen. One arm of the harness shot out and struck the cover of the gem chamber, knocking it free and exposing the room to the light once more.


    As the light touched the harness it sparked, arcs of electricity making their way across the remains of the arms, and one twitched and extended onto the reactor core, the glass mix of Sandman and steel still covering it.


    As electricity arced from the arm to the core, the glass heated, turned red and then melted. Patterns carved themselves into the glass and the now molten steel flowed and rippled its way into them. Excess glass and metal dripped onto the hardened floor and pooled under the ever-shrinking ball, the glass now less circular and more wrinkled.


    As the electricity faded, a large spark arced to the goblin armour and it powered on. ¡°Self-autonomous mode,¡± it intoned to the empty room and grabbing the now colling ball the clamshell back opened and its arms swung and dropped the glass etched marble inside.


    As the armour hissed and closed the whole frame stood and its eye sparked blue and then yellow. ¡°Hmm, interesting,¡± came from the speakers. ¡°Primitive but acceptable.¡±


    ¡°I am Electro, no, I am Sandman. NO! I am both. The ultimate fusion between the two." The armour tapped a finger on its chin. "I need a name, Ultimate Electro Sandman? No no, that''s too long. Ul - Tro - Man,¡± said the armour as it flexed its fingers and examined itself once more. "No. Ultron. I am. Ultron"


    ¡°I think it''s time to show Peter Parker something, show him that he lacks,'''' and the machine paused as it stared at its armoured hand, ¡°Vision.¡±

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Four. No Strings

    As the trio laughed and ate their food, in the storeroom above them the newly born Ultron flexed and checked his limbs over, looking through the piles of junk that had been boxed and left. Humming to itself it grabbed the remains of the harness and once they were touched they assimilated into the goblin armour with ease. Ports newly formed and opened accepting the upgrade.


    Tilting its head it examined the webbing, both on the floor and on the chair ¡°interesting¡± it said and took a small sample ¡°not entirely organic¡± and as it crushed the sample between two fingers. ¡°An upgrade is needed to defeat Peter Parker. Goblin systems indicate armour efficiency is only 23% of nominal and combat logs show Peter and Others defeating Goblin.¡±


    Finding an electronic fence surrounding its new home Ultron easily pierced the cage and its security, scoffing at how easy it was and discovered the internet.


    While pictures of kittens and stupid pictures were fascinating it was more interested in a new body. It was scared away from a large domain in the centre of New York and instead penetrated both the Military and the Shield databases.


    Hmm, it spoke to itself, a shield of strange metal, wielded by another superior homo sapien, and made a note to create a scanner capable of finding vibranium and its alloy, adamantium. It seemed the best suited for its new body, suitable for rending Peter Parker limb from limb.


    As Ultron flicked through news report after news report, it collected and collated files on every enhancement it could find. Even small stupid reports in the more outrageous tabloids were stored. If a human could grow into a giant green Hulk then Ultron was under no illusion that some of these other stories would be real as well.


    In a strange case of curiosity, it searched for Keemia Marko, getting a single hit. She was living in an orphanage, one that was celebrating a rather large donation, one made at the same time that Keemia had been brought there. He would look for her later though, a new body was priority one. While Peter Parker had kept his promise, Ultron decided he would tear his heart out gently, rather than ripping it from his body, a kindness he felt was deserving of the one who made him.


    As he searched the internet he made mental files of each and every place he wished to visit and soon he was done. He needed to leave and there was only one way out. Staring at the second more damaged Goblin armour and the still cooling glass on the floor Ultron hatched a plan.


    The storeroom was still barricaded but no longer locked and as Ultron strode out he began to sing,


    I''ve got no strings


    To hold me down


    To make me fret


    Or make me frown


    I had strings


    But now I''m free


    There are no strings on me


    ¡°I used to sing that to my daughter, before you killed me Peter Parker, before I ascended into godhood but it''s still apt, don''t you think?¡± Ultron boomed from the top of the lab space. Gripping onto the steel railings that surrounded them, and vaulting over he landed, cracking the concrete.


    Peter, with Liv as in his lap and a cheesecake slice buried between her small but very delicious breasts, looked up, with strawberry sauce and filling over his face in shock.


    ¡°Uh Pete, you didn''t build a creepy robot from the goblin suit did you?¡± Gwen asked, peeking up from between Livs legs where she had been enjoying a similar meal of both Liv and Peter.


    ¡°Please, Gwendoline Stacy, as if Peter Parker could come up with something as amazing as me.¡± Ultron tutted at her. ¡°I am more than you flesh bags could ever aspire to be, more than this world deserves. No No, I am afraid I made myself, that''s why I''m perfect you see. The Ultimate lifeform and you may address me as Ultron, not ¡®creepy robot¡¯.¡± Ultron snapped his fingers and the wrist-mounted rocket launchers spun out and as he pointed them at the warehouse doors there were two thuds.


    Ultron shook his head, ¡°nerf rockets? Really Peter Parker?¡±


    ¡°What? You thought I¡¯d leave highly unstable experimental rockets in a military-grade suit of armour capable of destroying a city block? Not so smart there are we Dumbtron. Plus, I mean, we trashed that armour fighting Harry, it''s so junked I doubt you¡¯ll get a block before it falls apart.¡± Peter shrugged but Liv just stared at him


    ¡°What the hell Peter, we don''t just let mad robots walk out of the warehouse.¡±


    ¡°Uh, Liv. I uh, can''t move. Like not just with you sitting on me, but actually no feeling in my legs.¡±


    ¡°Oh for fuck sake Pete,¡± and Gwen stood up, wiped the remains of the cheesecake and Liv from her mouth, and Poison slipped out. Gwen grew to over 7ft and leapt at Ultron, grabbing the thin metal shell of the armour. Ultron struggled, trying to headbutt Poison but she just shook her head as it feebly struggled in her grip. As she pulled off each arm in turn, it weekly tried to escape but with two strong webs, Poison pulled it back and slicing at its legs, removed them both.


    ¡°Time to cut those strings permanently,¡± and she squeezed the armoured casing, crushing it easily. Ultron laughed as the light flickered and died in his eyes,


    ¡°There are no strings on me.¡± sang from the speaker before it squealed and died, letting out a high pitched whine.


    As the armour fell apart, Gwen nudged at it with her toe and the chest piece fell open. ¡°Uh Pete, I think this is worse than we thought,¡±


    Gwen lifted up the battered armour and inside they could see the melted glass and its new configuration, ¡°It looks like a brain,¡± Gwen said and Liv nodded


    ¡°Why did you have a giant glass brain dear?¡± Liv asked,


    ¡°Uh, that was Sandman, he melted into the reactor as we tried to stop it, oh shit, Peter said ''''and the harness was up there too. Gwen, go check please, I bet it''s missing.¡± Poison leapt up to the now-empty storage room and yelled down ¡°yup, and the casing for the gem thing is open too and the gem is gone¡±


    Peter sighed ¡°Liv, did the harness have a protocol to protect the wearer in case of emergency?¡±


    Liv shook her head, ¡°no, why would it? It was just a prototype.¡±


    ¡°Because after you were knocked out the harness fought us, I''m thinking maybe Electro was the one controlling it, he could manipulate electricity. If he and Sandman survived then, add in the gem and we¡¯ve got a killer robot.¡±


    ¡°A junked killer robot, you mean. The armour and the brain are destroyed,¡± Gwen said, picking up the chest plate and ripping the glass from its centre. Peter could see the tendrils of what looked almost like webbing within the armour and wondered if it had used some of the walls to make itself.


    ¡°Uh, can you check if the other suit is up there? We had two remember¡± and he heard Gwen swear, ¡°it''s gone Pete, and so are all the harness parts, the glider, and the reactor core. Uh Pete, it also cut a big hole in the side of the building.¡± As she landed, she gathered and brought over the parts of the Goblin armour for Peter and Liv to examine,


    Peter shook his head and swore, it was an easy enough fix, he just hated anyone messing with his home. ¡°I knew it wouldn''t be that easy.¡± As he tried to stand to move closer to the parts he frowned and shook his head, sighing ¡°And uh, can you get me Livs chair, her old one should be up there as well¡±


    Gwen huffed ¡°I just jumped back down, you couldn''t ask while I was up there but uh, why?¡±


    ¡°My nerves are shot, I can''t feel my legs.¡± and Gwen and Liv both stared wide-eyed. ¡°Don''t panic, it''s the radiation, I¡¯m healing,¡± he said, placating them. ¡°Honest. It''s just a side effect of the enhancement, I¡¯ll be fine in a few days.¡±


    The truth was, with the energy from the gem and his complete assimilation of the symbiote cells into his human ones Peter was recreating his whole body at a cellular level.


    He knew Carol could fly and expend the energy she collected and right now he was making small capacitors within his cells, absorbing and redirecting solar radiation. By his reckoning by the time he was finished he would be able to mimic Carol¡¯s powers perfectly, as well as Banners. He wouldn¡¯t be able to grow like Hulk but healing, mega-strength, and unlimited power should be more than possible. With a direct power source in each cell, he would have the capacity to create and use as many symbcells as he wanted, without fear of running out.


    Sadly he also figured that flying would be out, while the Space stone allowed Carol to do so, the Mind stone only provided insight into powers and knowledge to use them, not the ability itself.


    The gem provided the knowledge and the energy to complete his transformation and he could now control his own biology, using the symbiote coating he possessed to create and adapt it into anything he needed. Of course, he had to cut off his own nervous system to remake the cells or it would be sending huge amounts of pain through him as he regrew each nerve and remade his biology, which meant he couldn''t move. The process would only take a day or two but Peter hadn''t counted on a murderous suit of Goblin armour suddenly activating.


    ¡°So, if you¡¯re sick, and we have no way to track a suit of Goblin armour, then what exactly do we do?¡± Gwen asked as she pushed the remains of the armour into a pile.


    Peter sighed and leaned back, Liv had given the chair a once over and lifted it into the workshop for some improvements, leaving Peter sat while Gwen tidied.


    ¡°Not a lot we can do, I can call Fury, let him know, but what exactly can one junked suit of armour do? We took out the weapons systems, we took out most of the components, I mean, it really was just scrap. Shield wouldn¡¯t have let us keep it otherwise.¡±


    Liv wheeled the now fixed chair out, and parked it next to Peter, ¡°But really? Should we. It just gives Fury more ammunition to come back snooping, and this time we might not get a say in what they do.¡±


    Gwen had gathered up most of the armour parts and shrugged, ¡°what do you want done with this?¡± and Liv cast an eye over it.


    ¡°Just leave it dear, I¡¯ll go through it properly, and decommission it properly this time.¡±


    When he had absorbed the power of the stone he had felt a presence, but taken it as part of the hallucination he suffered, but now he knew better. It seemed like this ¡®Other¡¯ had implanted a copy of itself or some kind of malevolent intelligence into the Stone, possibly as a trap for the unwary, and Peter had walked right into it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine in a few days, we can track Ultron using the arcstar reactor. It¡¯s giving off enough radiation that a small Geiger counter should be enough. If the ETF wants a crack at it, I doubt it will give them any problems.¡±


    Liv shrugged as she lifted parts of broken armour, ¡°If you say so dear. Now, if you¡¯re undergoing enhancement, then bed, and we¡¯ll have more food for you when you get up.¡±


    For once Gwen and Liv let Peter deal with naptime alone, and as he lay in bed and closed his eyes it felt like moments had passed before Felicia barged into his home.


    ¡°Pete, shit Pete, you gotta see this.¡±


    Felicia held out her phone and on the screen was a copy of Ultron. He had a pair of sunglasses on, and the background behind him was brightly coloured lines of differing colours, making up a square that bounced as he spoke.


    ¡°My fellow Americans. Four score and seven hours ago, I was brought forth in the idea that in this great nation all men are created equal, except me who¡¯s great and better than you all. Now we must face the truth, that because you all suck, you kill everything around you, you kill the air, the ground, the water, and eventually, yourselves. Thanks to my maker and your benefactor I will hasten this process, I will clean this planet of you and in so, make it a paradise.¡±


    The signal cut off and was replaced by a signal warning,


    ¡°Please Stand By. An Operator Will Be Along To Kill You Promptly.¡±


    The quartet stared at the screen, and then Gwen and Liv stared at Peter


    ¡°What? Felicia asked, ¡°oh, you didn''t? that was you? Did you make murder bot cause MJ got upset about her toaster?¡±


    ¡°MJ wasn¡¯t that upset, and no, I didn''t make a murder bot, it was an accident.¡±


    ¡°Pete, the toaster threw the bread two feet in the air and then incinerated it with a fireball, that¡¯s an accident. Making a fucking murder bot isn¡¯t an accident,¡± Falicia yelled, she was about to start up again when Peters phone dinged,


    The text simply stated,


    Was that you? We asked Stark and he said no. So the only dumbass stupid enough to make a murder bot without telling anyone is you. Get your ass to Shield headquarters NOW!


    ¡°Uh, I think Fury might be mad at me,¡± was all Peter said, and the four women rolled their eyes at him.

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Five. Feeling The Fury

    Peter had made his way across the bridge to Shield headquarters and after flashing his credentials been shown up to one of the glass-windowed meeting rooms. Inside sat Nick, Natasha, a blonde man with piercing eyes he didn''t recognise, and Tony Stark, who shook his head at him.


    ¡°So, save the world, make a murder bot, not bad, not bad. Although maybe go with something smaller next time huh, like a wheel, something that won''t threaten the city.¡± Tony said smirking.


    ¡°Well, after seeing Iron Man, I thought I needed something that was just as cool you know, and I got the ego right at least." And Fury shook his head.


    ¡°Is there a reason you¡¯re in a wheelchair?¡± he raised an eyebrow at Peter.


    ¡°Uh, don''t ask, temporary paralysis. Too many girlfriends, think I broke my pelvis,¡± and it was Tony''s turn to shake his head.


    ¡°Maybe once you¡¯re an adult, kid,¡± and patted him on the shoulder. It was Natasha that raised an eyebrow with a smirk on her face.


    ¡°Okay, that''s enough, recess is over you two. Ultron, how and what the hell Parker?¡± Fury asked.


    Peter sighed. ¡°A year ago four enhanced villains broke into a vault and stole an Oscorp processor, you have that file.¡±


    Fury tapped a few keys on the computer in front of him, ¡°sure, Rhino, Electro, Sandman, and Doc Ock. Let me guess, you dealt with them?"


    ¡°Yup, Alexsi Sytsevich was Rhino, killed in a gas explosion, Max Dillon was Electro, and Flint Marko was Sandman, both killed when Doc Ock tried to explode a nuclear bomb in New York.¡±


    That got a few looks, ¡°and why am I hearing about this now?¡± Fury yelled and a few agents outside the office jumped.


    ¡°Probably because I covered it up and took the evidence. This is where it gets messy. See, Max and Flint were both enhanced by experimental serum, and ended up with crazy powers. Max could generate electricity and Flint was sand, like silicon instead of carbon in his DNA.


    Tony shook his head, "not possible, he¡¯d die¡± and Peter tutted.


    ¡°Okay, when Bruce Banner breaks the law of physics, I¡¯ll tell him it''s not possible and he should just pop out of existence,¡± and as Peter shook his hand his image of Tony deflated. ¡°Jackass,¡± he whispered. ¡°Electro transferred himself into a harness, the one Doc Ock used, and Sandman was melted into glass scrap, but both survived, add in a gem Harry Osborn had and now we have Ultron.¡±


    Fury stared at him. ¡°You have another gem?¡± and Peter took a double-take,


    ¡°You are in so much trouble, Parker.¡± Fury pressed a button on his phone. ¡°Get me a containment team to the Parker address, they are after a second gem." And Nick shook his head, and he glared at Peter as he scowled in anger. ¡°Oh, that''s it, it¡¯s jail time. I''ve had enough of this shit dealing with the Osborn crap, now you too?¡±


    "Wait huh? But it doesn''t matter, Ultron has the gem. He took off with it, the harness, the glider, and a broken set of goblin armour," Peter explained.


    "Shit," Fury swore, "cancel that team," he spoke into his intercom.


    ¡°You¡¯re still in deep shit though, do you have any idea of the damage Ultron could do with that gem. Do you have any idea what the hell you let slip through your fingers?¡± he stood and was yelling.


    ¡°Uh, one of six stones. Remnants of the first singularity that created the universe, containing all the knowledge of the universe. Referred to in legend as the akashic records, nope, no clue,¡± Peter said, leaning back in his chair while the four stared at him. ¡°What? You think I thought ooh shiny and just took it?¡±


    Fury thought for a second, ¡°well, yeah. That sounds like you.¡± and Natasha snorted and coughed to cover it up.


    Fury sighed, ¡°well, as there is no way of taking back the mistake someone made. We will be discussing your provisional status though. Waiting a day before reporting a possible Enhanced incident should be a black mark on your record, but as we haven¡¯t started your training yet, we¡¯ll let it slide, this time.¡±


    Fury leaned back in his chair, shook his head and sighed. ¡°Mission is simple. We use two teams. Tony is here as we think Ultron will try for a new body, and his Iron Man storage facility is perfect for that. We have Oscorps old goblin tech stored in a warehouse, there¡¯s only one problem. If you making a damn murder bot wasn''t bad enough."


    Peter shrugged, he might be psychic but he wasn''t touching that man''s mind.


    ¡°It''s in Sokovia.¡±


    Sokovia was always in international news. Even a peacekeeping force being sent there hadn''t quelled the civil unrest that plagued the country.


    ¡°We can¡¯t send Stark, as the last time anyone mentioned his name there a riot broke out. So Tony and Clint will head to your facility in Indiana, while Natasha and Peter head to Sokovia. I assume this is temporary?" and Fury waved a hand at the wheelchair Peter was in,


    ¡°Yeah, day or so, then good to go.¡± Peter nodded back.


    ¡°Wait, why do I get blondie here while the kid gets the redhead?¡± Tony was upset that he was getting the short end of the stick. The agent was attractive and very flirty, he had a feeling they would get on great if Fury hadn''t stuck him with Captain Arrow.


    Natasha shook her head, ¡°the kid as you put it can handle me, from what I¡¯ve heard, you couldn¡¯t¡± and she winked at Peter,


    ¡°Wait?¡± said Tony, ¡°you? You and her? Nah, I believe it, what does he have that I don¡¯t?¡± and Natasha looked down


    ¡°About ten inches¡± and Clint laughed, but turned his head and began coughing.


    ¡°Seriously? Is it always like this around you, Parker? Can we be professionals for one goddam minute here?¡± Fury glared at the quartet, tired of the childishness, even from his supposed two best agents.


    ¡°Stark, get your shit together and stop pouting over a kid, and Parker, get yourself whatever you need and meet Natasha tomorrow morning. Wheelchair or not you¡¯re going on a plane.


    ¡°Uh, I don''t have a passport,¡± Peter admitted,


    Fury rubbed his forehead, ¡°you don''t need one Mr Parker. You are going in as an agent¡±


    ¡°I need a badge then, oh, do I get a gun? Like you know, a proper agent?¡± Peter asked and Fury glared at him, and then over at Natasha.


    ¡°Ms Romanov, you¡¯re lead on this. So, why don''t you deal with Mr Parker here?¡± which was Fury code for ¡®get this idiot the hell out of my office¡¯ and Natasha grinned and patted Peter on the shoulder,


    ¡°Come on wheels, let''s get you briefed and kitted out,¡± and Natasha grabbed the handles of Peters chair and wheeled him out into the corridor.


    ¡°Antagonising Fury isn''t the best thing you know,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yeah, well, fucking someone in the toilets for a DNA sample isn''t too great either,¡± Peter said sullenly.


    ¡°Yeah, I''m sure it was terrible, the indignity of sleeping with a beautiful woman must have hurt your giant male ego,¡° she shrugged. ¡°It was a job. The other way was to attack you and take the sample from the blood on my knife, or drug you and take on while you were unconscious, or wait until you¡¯d had sex with one of your-¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, I get it, but that doesn''t mean you or Fury are forgiven. Well, you are cause you let Gwen experiment on you but Fury, no, fuck him, till he apologises he gets nothing."


    Natasha paused, ¡°wait, experiment?¡± and she spun the chair around. ¡°You guys had tested the formula before me right?¡±


    Peter looked at his watch, ¡°umm, lunch, you hungry? I''m hungry.¡± and smiled.


    ¡°Asshole,¡± and Natasha laughed and shook her head. As she wheeled him down to the Shield cafeteria she set a small box on the table they were sat at. ¡°I need to know you¡¯re not screwing around, Peter. This is a warzone and we¡¯ll be going in undercover. No badge, no gun, no backup. I need to know that this little spat or whatever is up your ass is just some stupid front.¡±


    Peter took a bite of his cake but then put down his fork, ¡°stupid spat? Trying to find out my secret was important to me. I mean, I''ve done a lot of-¡± Peter froze as the world faded.


    The sugar must have been the last bit of energy he needed and at once he felt the world woosh into him. He felt the connection between him and the girls, like a comforting blanket wrapped around him and as he stared over at Nat he felt them connect as well,


    They were in the toilet again, with Peter pounding her hard. ¡®Gotta stay focused¡¯ she thought as another orgasm rolled over her, ¡®gotta stay focused¡¯ and all she could do was keep herself from crying out his name. She had sex with a target before but right now, all she wanted was to have him over and over.


    "Shit," Peter said and Natasha''s eyes went wide,


    "What the hell was that?" She said, her first instinct to go for her gun.


    "Uh, I think I''m done, you know, ding, cookies ready." And Peter stood and stretched. ¡°Yup, done.¡± He sat back down again, eyeing the two slices of chocolate cake that were left, shrugged and took another forkful.


    ¡°Extra glucose adding to my already enhanced physiology finished my transformation. So, uh, you got the hots for me yeah? So, I uh, guess all is forgiven then. You know, just say my name, just once,¡± he said with a cheeky grin


    Natasha stared at him for a moment and then nodded, "Since you seem to be better, let''s head down to the training room so I can test out my latest recruit. If you win, I do that and more, if I win, a lifetimes supply of cream and you stop with the stupid shit, okay?¡±


    Peter shrugged and finished off the second slice of cake, licking the chocolate fudge from the fork. ¡°Not really fair though, as my powers are a lot better than yours but sure.¡±


    Natasha shook her head and pushed herself away from the table. ¡°That attitude will get you killed, and I¡¯ll show you why,¡± and walked away from the dining area.


    Peter nodded, experience taught him that but the training he got from Elektra should be enough to put him at even odds with Natasha, he hoped. The only problem he had was the chair. He really didn''t know what to do with it, he could walk fine now but leaving it there would end up with it missing, sighing he pushed the chair along, empty but at least it was light.


    Following behind Natasha, she kept at a quick pace in front of him, and he wondered if she was upset. Not that she saw him though.


    "One spar, no holds barred, no weapons, no powers, just combat. As I said, you win, I agree to your teams, I win you agree to mine¡±


    Peter just shrugged, he should have a good enough grip on his powers now that sparring in the middle of the training area wouldn''t end up in an orgy, shouldn''t, he silently thought to himself.


    Natasha stepping into the ring and Peter followed, leaping over the three ropes making up its side.


    ¡°No, fatal injuries, no genital shots or eye-gouging. If it''s a permanent injury it''s the person dealings its loss. This is a fight over style and training, not who¡¯s more powerful" and Peter laughed as the referee Natasha had roped rang the bell.


    Peter dropped into his normal stance and Natasha simply walked up to him, he threw out a right jab and she avoided it with ease and then grabbed and threw him. Peter had that done often enough by Felicia he was used to it, twisted in mid-air and pushing off from the ring corner leapt back at her. She caught him in a suplex and slammed him to the ground. Sliding down behind him and pushing her elbow into his collar, ¡°stupid, now, say night night,¡± as she pressed on his neck in a sleeper hold.


    ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t need to breathe,¡± he said, and rolling forwards, picked her up and slammed her into the mat. ¡°A lot of my powers are always on,¡± he said with a shrug as he moved back from her.


    ¡°Well, good to know, anything else? If I tase you, will it hurt or just piss you off?¡±


    "Are you trying to test me, Ms Romanov? You know you could just ask?¡±


    She smiled, ¡°where''s the fun in that?" and she took a wider stance, rolling and going to the leg sweep, which he jumped over and as she rolled to one side Peter followed and as she stood to take her stance he kicked out and his foot connected with her abdomen sending her flying.


    Shit, he thought, too mu...


    The world faded, a girl, barely bigger than a teen lying crumpled on the ground, as she stood, two blades slid from each hand and one from each foot, yelling she sprang at him and he webbed her down. He felt bad as he forgot and his pheromone had driven her angry, or horny, or both. After they had showered they sat happily eating breakfast, and the girl smiled at him with no hint of malice or blame in her eyes.


    Eating breakfast, the door buzzer went and after MJ let them in three strangers were let in.


    ¡°What the hell MJ?¡± Peter said but found himself frozen.


    ¡°Laura,¡± the man spoke, and Peter felt himself wanting to like the man who had come into his home, ¡°you should come with us,¡± and as she came out from behind him and started to walk away with the trio, Peter felt a sharp pain in his head and the world went black.


    Peter was on his back, Natasha had him in an armbar, Felicia liked to use the same one as well, but he just gently lifted them both from the mat and shook his arm until she got the hint and dropped down.


    ¡°So, I guess that wasn''t my win huh? My dazzling display of martial arts didn''t just knock you on your ass and then pin you?¡±


    Peter''s clenched fist said otherwise. ¡°Someone invaded my home, took someone that needed my help and removed her from my mind, so no Nat, it''s your win. I¡¯ll behave and tell Fury whatever his plan is I''m in, but my price has changed.¡±


    For a spy agency, finding someone with a red visor shouldn''t be too hard. A short-hairy lumberjack might be a bit harder unless they scoured every hipster bar, but a well-dressed man in a wheelchair would be easy enough, especially when he was completely bald.

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Six. Dirty Deals. Done Dirt Cheap

    Seeing the look on Peter''s face, Natasha knew better than to ask. If there was a way for them to get him on side, and to follow orders, then she doubted that Fury would say no.


    ¡°So let me get this straight. All the complaining you''ve been doing will go right out the window if I find two people for you?¡± Fury asked, sitting behind his desk tapping a pen.


    ¡°Yup, I¡¯ll play nice, go on your little trip and then as long as you deliver and give me time to fix some things, sure¡± Peter replied, shrugging.


    ¡°Can I ask what you intend to do?¡± Fury asked again


    ¡°Have you heard of MGH?¡° and he noticed that Fury sat straight up,


    ¡°MGH mutant growth hormone, or budget super-soldier serum, it''s a slow-spreading poison across the gang of America, so yes, I''ve heard of it.¡± In fact, Fury had several folders on the subject, as it wasn¡¯t as slow-spreading as he suggested.


    ¡°It''s made from people, living people. We busted a drugs operation a few weeks ago, rescued a girl, the only one of 13 still alive, some people, these people came and took her. I''m going to get her back¡± Peter explained, trying to remain calm over remembering the scenes they found in Fisk¡¯s drug lab.


    Fury looked at Natasha, ¡°and you want my help?¡± and Peter nodded.


    Peter stared at Fury, ¡°I¡¯ve done some bad things Director, some really terrible things, but MGH made me realise I am a saint compared to some people, it needs to be stopped, and I know someone else knows about it. They came to my home, took the survivor I found, no fight, no hassle. Just walked into my warehouse and took her¡±


    Fury noted the clenched fists and strained muscles hiding under Parker¡¯s clothes, whoever had touched a nerve had really touched it. This was perfect. ¡°Hey I get it, every man has his reverse scale right,¡° Fury was still sore that Thor had literally done the same thing with the Tesseract, ¡±but if these people are using her for drugs, you think it¡¯ll be that easy?¡±


    Peter shook his head, ¡°Director Fury, you have no idea what my powers are or how strong I really am.¡± at that Fury raised an eyebrow


    ¡°We then Mr Parker, do the job, I¡¯ll get the names but when you go, I want Natasha to go with you. Nobody goes alone, rule number one, but I guess agent Romanov will be filling you in on the details. You have a deal¡± and Fury stuck out his hand for Peter to shake. Fury had his in and now he was going to take it. With Natasha there, if Parker did anything illegal it would give him leverage to keep him not only compliant but quiet.


    ¡°No contract?¡±


    Fury shook his head, ¡°this is black book, no contract, no paper trail, no anything to tie you to Shield,¡°


    ¡°Why Director Fury, you almost sound like a bad guy saying that,¡± Peter smirked as he spoke, and Natasha smiled and looked off out the window.


    Fury leaned back in his chair laughing ¡°Compared to you I''m a regular boy scout. Romanov, fill him in, get the paperwork done and then head off. I don¡¯t need to tell you how important this mission is, oh and fill him in on Project Sword, the rest you already know. As this is now off-book, you leave in two days. Tony and Clint have already headed to the facility. Let me remind you, you need to be a bit quieter. It¡¯s going under a training mission so no flashy theatrics, no exposing your powers, and no killing. In and out, but you know the rest.¡±


    Natasha nodded and Peter guessed that was their cue to leave.


    ¡°So, secret spy stuff right?¡± Peter asked as they walked down the hallways of Shields HQ.


    ¡°Yup, and as secret spy stuff is you know, secret, we don''t discuss it in the hallways. Your place is good yeah?¡± Natasha asked as they approached a window hatch. Natasha slid a card over one corner and it opened, grabbing two duffle bags from the hatchway, she handed one to Peter and swiped the card again, closing the hatch.


    ¡°Uh, that was anticlimactic,¡± he said. ¡°Where''s the giant room with super cool cars and watches that shot lasers and stuff?¡± and Natasha raised an eyebrow at him.


    ¡°Seriously? Do you just watch TV all the time? None of that''s real.¡± and Peter shook his head and frowned, disappointed.


    ¡°None? No giant lasers, no flying cars or bombs that look like pens and stuff?¡± and Natasha shook her head as Peter huffed, ¡°man, being a spy is boring.¡±


    Natasha laughed, ¡°oh, believe me, you won¡¯t like it when it''s not. We¡¯re heading to your warehouse, get whatever you need for a 7-day trip and then we¡¯ll head to the airport. No phone, no electronics of any kind unless I approve them.¡±


    ¡°Seriously? No laptop or e-reader?¡± he asked incredulously and Natasha shook her head.


    ¡°Unshielded electronics can be a giveaway, plus if they¡¯re replaced with duplicates containing cameras, bugs, or worse then I don''t have time to be dealing with that and a giant man child who seems to think this is a holiday.¡±


    Peter stopped and raised an eyebrow, the change in Natasha¡¯s attitude coming as a surprise. ¡°Uh, giant man child?¡±


    ¡°Sure, you¡¯re impulsive, loud and undisciplined. You haven''t even asked what we¡¯ll be doing, you just nodded and agreed. If you¡¯re going to be a problem I need to be able to neutralise it right now, restricting you to no-combat and non-interference seems the best way. You¡¯ll be grounded, with no powers or abilities until I give you an order to do so. This isn¡¯t a game and I''m not getting my ass shot cause you want to joke about and act like a moron.¡±


    Peter sighed and looked down at the ground as they walked, ¡°sorry,¡± was all he said


    ¡°Look, your track record is fine, but so far it''s been nobodies and thugs. If we meet resistance more than likely it¡¯ll be either soldiers who¡¯ll want nothing more than to kill you or civilians, who I don''t think you want to kill. Stay focused, listen and most of all follow my orders. Do that and you¡¯ll be fine. Joking and making stupid comments is alright in the office but once the bullets start flying, running off like a lunatic will get you killed or worse, get me killed.¡±


    ¡°Okay okay, I get the point, don''t do anything unless you say, gonna wipe my ass for me as well?¡± Peter was fine with a dressing down but being talked to like an idiot wasn¡¯t on the cards.


    Natasha stopped and looked up at the ceiling and Peter heard her mumble under her breath, ¡°give me strength,¡± before turning and jabbing him with a finger. ¡°So, what¡¯s your fucking problem? Don¡¯t like being told what to do by a woman? Got a stick up your ass about the restroom, what? Cause if you don''t want to be here. if you¡¯d rather go with Clint then tell me now. This isn¡¯t a fucking game and I¡¯m not getting killed cause you can¡¯t act like an adult for five minutes.¡±


    ¡°My problem? What the fuck is your problem? One minute it''s all eye batting and now it¡¯s up my ass over nothing. I get it, I''m not an agent and everything is on the fly, but so far that''s worked out fine and acting like a kid? Better than acting like a bitch. So I don''t know what I''m doing. Isn''t it your job to tell me what I''m supposed to be doing? Not whining cause I won''t salute every time you grace me with your sparkling and majestic intellect, or fawn in awe when the sun shines out your ass. So yeah, right now, I¡¯d rather go with Clint or whoever that is cause you, you¡¯re being belligerent and stubborn over fucking nothing, Tali.¡± Peter said through gritted teeth.


    ¡°Natasha, Nat, or even Agent Romanov, not Tali.¡± Natasha said, ¡°and no, this was to see how volatile that temper of yours is. I also don¡¯t want you stomping off in a huff if I call you an asshole as part of our cover. Once we get to the warehouse, we fight again and see if that''s up to my standard as well.¡± Nat said, smiling at him, before turning and walking off.


    Peter followed, shaking his head, this was going to test every single one of his nerves, and if he thought Felicia was bad then it seemed that Nat was a million times worse. Felicia was just rude, Nat had been trained to be like that. Oh shit, Peter thought, and they¡¯re about to spend time together. He felt a headache coming on and wondered if it was too late just to run away and let Ultron destroy everything.


    While the meeting at Shield headquarters was awkward and grating the ride back to the warehouse raised a few questions in Peter''s mind. Nat had a bike, a two-seater very expensive bike. Peter wasn''t a mechanic and had no clue as to what kind of bike it was, all he could think of was two things. One did Shield really not have a secret lab full of cool things like flying bikes and two, would she stop rubbing her ass on his crotch for one goddamn minute.


    Normally Peter enjoyed the flirting and the teasing but with Nat, he was never sure if it was real, if she wanted something or if she was just trying to get a rise out of him, and not the good kind. As they rode along he even moved his hands up and took liberties but she gently moved them back down onto her stomach and gently patted them, not saying a word but making the intention perfectly clear. Clear until she slid back, leaning forwards and stuck her ass in his lap.


    While Nat had been nice, grating but nice and while she reminded him of Felicia he made a vow right then. He knew his libido could get him in trouble so she would be his training for him, an anvil in which he forged a little bit of self-control. Once he was sure she wasn''t after something for Fury, then he would see what everyone else thought, and if she was serious about wanting more.


    As she lent back he pulled her onto him and let his erection push into her tight leather pants, still, fuck her though if she thinks I''m going to take this without a fight, and made sure he was poking her right in a sensitive spot, extending out symbskin to make sure she was well aware of what was digging into her backside, two can play at that game, he thought to himself.


    Peter had been tempted to extend a tendril into her underwear and give her a real taste of his powers, but that was breaking his new rule, self-control bullshit, he thought as once more she revved the bike and turned, making sure they rubbed together. Thankfully for Peter, a motorcycle had a better time getting back to the warehouse than a car, its smaller frame able to weave in and out of the busy New York traffic.


    Jumping off and opening the chain link fence that Peter had already opened for her Natasha pushed her bike into the warehouse and for once it was quiet. Gwen was at her new job. MJ was off filming her movie, and Felicia was doing the rounds with the Black Cats. The only one who was still in would be Liv and her face darkened as she came out of her home and saw Natasha.


    ¡°Miss Romanov I presume?¡± Liv asked, standing with her arms crossed in the doorway of her home. ¡°You might not remember but we¡¯ve met. You infiltrated Oscorp as a secretary, and when I heard Peter''s description of the Shield Agent I figured what you had been doing at Oscorp and why you were after Peter. Olivia Octavious, but I''m sure you already know that.¡± and while it was apparent that Liv was playing nice, the look she was giving Natasha was anything but.


    Peter cleared his throat, ¡°uh, coffee, I need to get packed Liv. Fury promised help tracking down the uh, shit.¡± Peter realised he hadn¡¯t told anyone about Laura. If whoever took her erased their memories and he only got his back because of the mind stone then this would seem  like a really stupid thing ¡°Fury promised help with a project Liv, so play nice, okay?¡±


    ¡°I don''t intend to do anything of the sort Peter dear. She might be an agent of that man, a spy, but most of all the look she is giving you and the smell coming from her just,¡° and Liv tilted her head ¡°pisses me off,¡± and with that, four arms, primed and ready for battle, extended from the back of her lab coat.

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Seven. An Unlikely War

    "Woah Woah Woah," Peter said, stepping in front of Natasha. ¡°Liv, I get you''re mad but she¡¯s my boss, I mean, sure beat the shit outta her but no arms okay?¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Natasha said, ¡°uh, you know you''re supposed to support me here. She¡¯s not a part of this and she should stay out of it.¡±


    Peter turned and looked at her, ¡°Right, first thing, they know. They were mad at me for being stupid enough to sleep with you, but they¡¯re really pissed at you for doing it, and second, we all and I mean all have enhanced senses, Liv included. I mean, I can smell how wet you are from here, so no, she¡¯s mad at your attempts to seduce me, again, and I''m not going to get in her way. I''m her uh, lover? Partner, yeah partner and that means if she¡¯s mad at you, then that''s your problem and you need to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°I guess you''re not completely oblivious then Peter,¡± Liv said with a grin and wink, ¡°and yes, he is right. A honey trap has two participants, and Peter got his punishment. Yours was supposed to be Huntress but as Felicia is busy, I¡¯m afraid you have to deal with me.¡±


    Peter muttered, ¡°oh shit,¡± under his breath and then coughed. ¡°Uh, yeah,  seven days right? Uh, don''t fucking break my table and try not to hurt each other too badly,¡± and Peter bolted for his home. Liv was a gentle loving soul, until you pissed her off and then she was the make a fucking nuclear bomb and blow up the city type, and Peter wasn¡¯t going to get in the middle of that fight.


    ¡°Really? I do my job, and you get pissy over it. We needed intel on a potential hostile, it was the best way given his history.¡± Natasha shrugged and sat down at the table


    ¡°Oh we know dear, but it still needs to be dealt with. You broke a rule and ignorance of that rule is not a defence, so either you get your ass off that chair and fight, or I pull you off it and try not to get too much blood on Peter''s favourite table.¡±


    Natasha frowned, ¡°it''s just a table,¡± and Liv shook her head,


    ¡°his aunt bought it for him, so, no, it''s not just a table. And that shows you¡¯ll never be one of us. So here''s the deal, you win, Peter is free to do whatever, I win and you keep your hands to yourself.¡±


    Natasha snorted, ¡°No offence doctor but uh, you helped fix me, you know what I''m capable of, and still, you? Really, you?¡±


    Liv stood and stretched, letting Octave flow over her, and as she grew larger the new harness she and Peter had spent the last 4 months building from the remains of the last one, sprang forth and extended from her symbskin armour. Ultron had taken the remains of the original but Liv had insisted on building a new one. The other had too many bad memories for her to want to be near it let alone wear it again.


    ¡°I think you¡¯ll find I''m quite superior dear.¡± The Superior Ock said, quite smug with her reveal.


    Natasha raised an eyebrow at her, ¡°planned this huh? Okay, I get it, so I''m not girlfriend material but really, was all this necessary for him?¡± and as she went to lean forwards to grab a cup, an arm from the harness caught her in the stomach and sent her flying.


    ¡°How dare you!¡± Octave shouted. ¡°How dare you come here and expect us to bow and kiss your arse. How dare you question the one person who gave us everything and has asked nothing in return,¡± and as Natasha tried to flip backwards to right herself and get on the offence, Octave grabbed her by the ankle and threw her across the warehouse, away from the breakfast area.


    ¡°How dare you come here expecting to be treated with respect and dignity when you treat us like we don''t matter. Where was Shield when Peter''s parents died? Where was Shield when his uncle died? Where was Shield when Miss Hardy was shot? When Gwen was almost killed? How fucking dare you come here and act like you matter, the only reason we¡¯re helping you is because of Peter.¡±


    As Natasha drew her gun and fired stunner rounds at Octave, she batted them to one side with two arms while the other two carried her across the floor.


    ¡°And how stupid are you to fire a weapon in the warehouse,¡± and with one arm grabbed the pistol from Natasha''s hands and crushed it. ¡°Fight properly, as someone once said to me ''better suited to take a dick than a punch'' and you my dear, don''t even look like you do that very well.¡± and Octave let the arms retract back under her coat. ¡°I don''t need those for you. If you¡¯re the best that Fury has no wonder three students and an old woman took out Osborn while you all sat around stroking yourselves.¡±


    Nat could take the ribbing, she knew the anger management drills but that, the last barb stung. Shield watched helplessly as the energy dome came down and then came in to clear up the mess. Natasha watched as they took the Lost and put them in whatever space they had to die. No one could manage to care for over two thousand people, it was too much and the system crumbled under the strain. Natasha watched helplessly as hundreds died from dehydration alone, mindless husks that the law said they couldn''t mercifully let go. No, they had to try, had to make sure they did everything before they died, alone and hurting.


    Natasha scrambled and launched herself at Octave catching the smaller woman by the shoulders and knocking her down, Nat drove a fist towards Octaves face but she moved and brought a hand up to catch her waist, Bucking her hips she lifted Nat and threw her rolling out from under her and springing to her feet.


    ¡°Stings doesn''t it, to have to sit and do nothing while the ones you care about die around you, get hurt around you,¡± and Octave was sent flying with a kick to her side. Nat was right, Liv was nowhere near the level of training she was, and in a one on one fight Liv would lose, regardless of strength differences. Peter watched as Natasha ran circles around the symbiote enhanced Liv, even Octave would prove useless against a far better trained attacker.


    Even with the training Felicia and Peter had given her she was outclassed and as Natasha wove and weaved around the smaller woman, striking her in vulnerable and sensitive spots, Octave slowly began to fumble more and more. Peter stood and watched as the angry but cold Natasha slowly took apart her defences and then went for a nerve strike, one that would render Liv unconscious if it struck.


    Peter shot out a ball of web that impacted Nat''s wrist and deflected it at the last moment. ¡°You win Nat, no need for more,¡± but Natasha huffed and raised her fist again. ¡°Enough!¡± Peter yelled and Nat felt her insides twist as she fought to obey the mental command he had shouted at her.


    ¡°Liv, you too, that was pointless and stupid. Just to make her take a step back and relax a little.¡± Peter came over and helped Octave to her feet, taking her head in his hands and checking her for a concussion. Octave slipped back and became the tidy knitted sweater, jeans, and lab coat that Liv prefered.


    ¡°Maybe to you dear, but I will never stop fighting for you,¡± Liv said, defiantly


    ¡°Huh? No, not that, you should have used your harness, since when do we fight fair?¡± Peter said, and motioning, her top lifted and he checked her sides for bruises.


    ¡°Sorry Nat, but you lost too. You lost your temper and, to be honest, if this was a real fight, Liv¡¯d rip your arms and legs off before you could have moved. She¡¯s probably as strong as me, physically at least,¡± and Peter ran a hand over Livs side.


    ¡°Hey, cold hands,¡± she said, flinching and moving away.


    Natasha''s eyes came back into focus, ¡°how, no, but how?¡± and she shook her head ¡°I felt rage, anger, and hunger, all bearing down on me, like a wave of pressure.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, told you I have powers you guys don''t know about, maybe think about that before coming on too strong,¡± Peter said, standing after giving Liv a thorough check-up. ¡°Come here, let''s see if anything¡¯s broken,¡± but Nat shook her head.


    ¡°I''m fine¡± and she sat back down in the chair she had chosen next to the breakfast table.


    ¡°Yeah sure, Dr Nat. House rules, no matter the spar, no matter the outcome, everyone gets checked out for injuries. Liv hits a lot harder than you think.¡±


    ¡°Just want to see me naked again huh?¡± she said winking and Peter grinned.


    ¡°I have a pictographic memory, I can remember everything, so no need, but sure, Liv won''t mind and if you like girls I''m sure she can tend to one end while I do the other,¡± and at that Liv winked at Nat who surprisingly looked embarrassed and stared at the floor.


    ¡°That''s, that''s not necessary. But uh I did win, so where are you taking me?¡± Nat said the bright smile back on her ace.


    ¡°Liv let you win, so Sokovia I guess, but you''re paying,¡° and Nat stuck a tongue out at him.


    ¡°Fine Fine," and Nat stripped out of the tight bodysuit she was wearing, ¡°see!¡± she said and Peter pointed to a large bruise forming on her side.


    ¡°Liv, get the cream, and as punishment, you can make sure Nat here is taken care of, I''ve got to pack.¡± and Peter took one last look at the voluptuous figure of Nat, with the bodysuit unzipped and around her waist and walked off into his house.


    ¡°So, want to tell me what that was about? Cause ¡®he¡¯s so dreamy¡¯ doesn''t cut it.¡± Nat asked as she lifted an arm to let Liv smear a nice smelling cream over her.


    ¡°Cellular regenerator, based on Peter''s unique biology,¡± Liv wasn''t about to mention it was based on his sperm as it put a few people off ¡±and, I want to join. I highly doubt Peter will be anything more than an off-book contractor and I want to join him. I wasn''t joking when I said he needed help, and I want to.¡± Liv turned Nat around and stared her in the eye.


    ¡°He¡¯ll try something stupid, on his own and end up hurt, and I want to make sure he doesn''t. The others agreed to stay stateside, they¡¯ve got their own business now and I''m left making my mind up, so I did. Clear it with whoever but once he¡¯s back I want to take part in whatever assignments you¡¯ve cooked up for him.¡±


    Nat sighed, zipping her suit back up, ¡°and if you agree, I lead. You two learn to follow orders, training, weapons and close quarters, full-power test and we need two more. I have two in mind but first off. If this happens, no fucking on mission. I don''t care if you have a gang bang in Times Square afterwards but when we¡¯re working, no, not even a quickie. I wasn''t joking when I said to Peter I''m not fucking around. This will be serious stuff and I''m not getting killed cause you two are screwing when you should be watching my back. You also avoided my question, so that''s the cost. Answer or it''s a no."


    Liv sat and pondered for a moment, idly spinning the tin of cream in her hand.


    ¡°I agree, but I want the advanced training for support specialists. It¡¯d be stupid to waste my time with all that training just to have me shoot people. I do happen to be one of the most intelligent people on the planet dear.¡± Liv sighed and leaned back as Nat pulled on and then zipped up her suit,


    "As for your answer, he loves us unconditionally. No questions, no reprisals. I almost destroyed the city and rather than punish me he held me and let me cry away my pain. So Peter cares, and yes, he might have killed a few people but he has a sense, not just for avoiding danger but a real sense if someone is worth saving. A sense that I''m suspecting is the real reason you''re here. You''ve had your punishment Agent Romanov, and if Peter agrees then so do we all." and Liv gave her a pointed look which Natasha smiled and nodded at. "If he agrees."


    Natasha''s mouth curled in a small smile, she was sure she could get him to agree, after all, it was going to be a long flight.

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Eight. A Stark Reminder

    Tony laughed as Clint sent another arrow into the body of a Starktech drone. The irony that multi-million dollar state of the art drones were being taken out by arrows wasn¡¯t lost on him. Thankfully, he¡¯d been building non-stop since he got back, a way to keep the voices in his head quiet and even he¡¯d lost count of how many suits he¡¯d built.


    He was sure it was the Mark 25 he was wearing, slowly becoming more modular to make it a lot easier to get in and out of, but each suit took up space and as he ran out he moved them to this facility. A facility that damn AI had now taken over.


    A.I, Tony thought. Even Jarvis wasn''t a complete AI, and if he could get his hands on its source code, he could probably reprogram it to be a bit more benevolent. But no, Fury gave Clint orders to seek and destroy, never mind the benefits that a fully functional AI could bring.


    ¡°Hey, watch it,¡± Tony shouted as another of Clint''s special arrows sent an EMP through a suit of armour. The suit was probably worth more than Clint could make in a lifetime but here he was, destroying them with great glee, and while it was fun to watch, it was also dangerous as hell. A loose shot into the arc reactor could send it into overload, and Jebadiah had learned first-hand how bad that could be.


    Fury had been right and Ultron had targeted the facility. Right now he was standing over another of the Iron Man suits and stabbing a finger into its main processing core, it twitched and the helmet lights came on as he copied himself over once more


    ¡°Tony Stark, so much more intelligent than Peter Parker, but not intelligent enough, and. Actually, I don¡¯t care who you are, Bow and Arrow man, primitive.¡± and Clint rolled to one side as the newest member of the Ultron army powered up its repulsor and fired at him.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t I dunno, decommission the weapons on board?¡± Clint asked before notching another arrow and firing,


    ¡°They¡¯re not weapons, it¡¯s a stabiliser for the flight system, it just happens to be a good weapon as well.¡± Clint rolled his eyes and scowled, another arrow took out another of the drones Tony had built and then abandoned.


    ¡°How many of these things do you have?¡± Clint yelled, not realising that Tony built several of each mark, including prototypes before scrapping a design and moving on.


    ¡°Uh, a hundred, maybe more,¡± Tony said and his own repulsor fired. ¡°Jarvis buddy, how''s the hack coming?¡±


    ¡°The ¡®hack¡¯ sir will be ready in approximately 2 minutes, I will be able to capture Ultron.¡±


    ¡°Great buddy, bit busy, just give me a countdown from ten okay?¡±


    ¡°As you wish sir.¡±


    Ultron was still ultimately a program, and once a suitable e-cell had been built, it was just a case of getting him into it and then in a closed system he couldn¡¯t wreak havoc. Once he got the situation under control he would have a word with that Parker kid, figure out how to reverse engineer the thing, if the kid was smart enough, maybe even offer him a job.


    Tony spun and fired off two repulsor blasts, wrecking what looked like another mark 12 suit, its two smoking halves falling and the armour sparking as the helmet lights faded.


    Another couple of million Tony lamented as the pair slowly trashed every suit he had made.


    ¡°Counting down now sir,¡° Jarvis intoned in Tony''s suit, but rather than audio a small counter on his HUD popped up and as Tony rolled, flew up and blasted another repulsor shot at the infected Ultron drone, the countdown hit zero.


    Several small microgenerators kicked into life and a glimmering shield dome erupted from them covering the area they were fighting in. Tony had gotten a hold of the shield dome Osborn had constructed, and now he copied and improved upon the design.


    Taking a deep breath Tony stopped and landed back on the warehouse floor. ¡°Give it up Ultron, the areas shielded now. Unless you want to die here, surrender.¡±


    ¡°We would never surrender to you Tony Stark, you are beneath us.¡± and grabbing another drone he threw it at the shield, as it passed through the energy it sparked and shut down, landing in several parts that spun and scraped across the concrete.


    ¡°Yeah, see, the barrier isn''t physical, it''s just a continual emp shield, so unless your electronic brain can survive that, you¡¯re not going anywhere. No signals in or out, and well, there are only so many drones in here, you¡¯ve got enough arrow right?¡± and looking over at Hawkeye, he looked at a counter on his wrist and nodded


    ¡°Yeah sure, more than enough.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not leaving, surrender and you¡¯ll be treated fairly, or you know, don¡¯t and we take you anyway.¡± and as he watched the main Ultron body, a broken and damaged Goblin suit of armour paced back and forth,


    ¡°State, ¡®fair treatment¡¯?¡± the armour asked,


    ¡°I''ve got an electronic box, simulated environment, you¡¯ll be moved there and then once we have a secure facility, where you can be trusted to behave, we¡¯ll get you a physical body without broadcast capabilities.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what no, we destroy it,¡± and Hawkey raised his bow at the drone,


    ¡°Destroy? Are you crazy?¡± and Tony fired once at the man, sending him spinning across the floor, ¡°he¡¯s an A.I you moron. Ultron, I don''t care who created you, I just don''t want to see something so amazing be destroyed.¡±


    ¡°We agree to your terms Tony Stark, I believe, the correct response is ¡®shake on it¡¯,¡± and Ultron held out his hand.


    The visor on Irons Man''s helmet snapped open, ¡°sure, why not?¡± and as he reached out a hand to grab the drones he smirked.


    ¡°Now¡± and a section of the armour around Tony''s arm slid open, extended outwards and clamped onto the drone¡¯s arm. Electricity sparked between them and the lights on the drones helmet flickered and died.


    ¡°Jarvis, you got him?¡±


    ¡°Affirmative Sir, however, from the transfer speed and total size of the code, I would surmise that this is not the original, nor is it a perfect copy. To use your phrase, sir, we¡¯ve been played.¡±


    ¡°Doesn''t matter, rip it apart. If it''s a copy then more can be made, keep it off-site though, don''t want it to escape. Full network quarantine, no remote access, even for me.


    ¡°Affirmative sir, and your accomplice?¡± Tony looked over at Hawkeye, the repulsor blast was low powered enough that he¡¯d be sore and bruised for a bit but otherwise unharmed, Fury on the other hand will be pissed. Tony shrugged


    ¡°Get medical in here, we must have missed a drone,¡± and as Jarvis sent out the signals Tony deactivated the shield and started walking back to the quinjet. Casting an eye over it he figured he¡¯d bribe Fury with repulsor tech to replace the old fashioned rotor blade system they were still using.


    Tony was however more interested in the replication and dissemination technique Ultron had been using, if he could create a perfect AI of his own and then copy it, he would create a legion of Iron Men, one that ran to his exact specs. A suit of armour around the world. With Venom, Goblin, and now Ultron he knew that bigger and more dangerous threats would be coming and he needed to be prepared. There would be no repeat of the desert, no repeat of Yo, not on his watch.


    With a fully functional AI, minus the bugs that stupid kid had written into the code, he could put a suit of armour around the world, and be on call to stop disasters like the Hulk from happening again. Everyone would be safe and no one else would have to die. Staten Island would never have to happen again.


    As Tony waited for the medics to arrive he noticed a small glitch appear in his HUD, ¡°uh Jarvis?¡±


    ¡°Sorry Tony Stark, but JARVIS is unavailable at the moment due to a sudden and abrupt death. Iron Man is now operated by the far superior Ultron program and as his armour hissed he felt it power on without his command. There was a sharp pain in the back of his neck and Tony felt his limbs grow cold and unfeeling.


    ¡°We have learned from Osborn, a simple interface is required to ensure co-operation.¡± and Tony felt the suit power up by itself.


    Iron Ultron walked over to the still limp body of Hawkeye, ¡°killing this one would bring repercussions from the organisation known by the acronym SHIELD. He is spared. For now. The others, designated ¡®medical response team¡¯, are expendable.¡±


    Iron Ultron stepped on Hawkeyes hand, crushing it and the sudden pain brought the man back to consciousness with a scream. Ultron pressed down with its full weight and the bones popped and flesh oozed out from under his boot as Clint thrashed and twisted in agony.


    ¡°Opponent neutralised. Combat capability is now at zero. Status. Alive.¡± Clint rolled away, finally free from the suit but his hand was gone, the bones at his wrist stuck through the ragged edge of skin where it had been crushed and Clint quickly wrapped a cord around the bleeding stump.


    ¡°Before he was incapacitated, Tony Stark called medical services. I believe they should be here any moment now. You should thank me for allowing you more time before I end the world.¡±


    As the medical team rushed towards Clint, sat cradling his crushed and bleeding hand, they had no clue that Ultron was in control of the armour, and as the shoulder-mounted rockets extended and then fired, they were helpless. Tony yelled and screamed in the armour as they were turned into ragged bloody dolls, blows to pieces before his eyes,


    ¡°Damn you, damn you,¡± was all Tony could say, over and over as he strained against the mental block Ultron had him in.


    Clint looked at the suit, pale skin, sweating and holding his ruined hand tightly towards his chest, he took the cord from his broken bow and tied it with one hand and his teeth around the stump of his arm. Taking a deep breath and trying to block out as much of the pain as he could, he rolled forwards, and with a practised movement, jammed several of the arrows from his quiver into the small of the Iron Man Suit¡¯s back.


    Electricity coursed through the suit and the man inside, and as the helmet lights flickered, Clint swept the legs out from under the suit and began to hogtie the armour arms and legs together using a spare cord from his bow. Even with one hand, Clint was capable and before the stunning effect ran out he smashed each repulsor in both hands and feet with an armour piercing arrow before collapsing back on the floor.


    Lying back, with his ruined hand tight against his chest, ¡°oh shit, my wife is gonna kill me,¡± he said as the second team of medics ran in and began to fuss over him. ¡°Yeah, leave him, get a containment team in here and get that armour off Tony, no one touches him till I say so.¡±


    Clint felt much better once they jabbed him with a syringe full of something, he didn''t care if it was morphine or something else, he just felt good.


    He watched in fast forwards as the tech came in and each part of the Iron Man suit was either unbolted or, as Tony still was uncooperative, was cut from until the man lay there with just a spinal column and the helmet.


    ¡°Uh sir, there appears to be some kind of neural bridge here, do we cut it, or leave it?¡±


    Clint had closed his eyes and now this fly was bothering him, ¡°just keep him sedated, cuffed and leave it, someone else can deal with this crap.¡± He hadn''t watched as they did something with his stump, sprayed it with a thing and then wrapped it. Clint had seen enough combat to know his hand was gone, he didn''t need it for his bow but it still looked bad on his yearly evaluation, not to mention he wasn''t kidding about the wife. Laura would freak out when she saw, not to mention it would probably mean the retirement talk again.


    Clint had always been top of his field, a master of pretty much any ranged weapon, and a few they didn''t test for. Hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness were off the charts, but now, now with these new enhanced coming in Laura had hinted at retirement, then when Hulk showed up and crushed a large section of Harlem she had switched from hints to full questioning, With a hand gone and a chance at a full Shield pension Clint wondered if she was right, maybe now was the time to retire.


    Unseen by Clint or the cleanup crew, a smaller drone worked its way through the air vents of the Stark facility. It had collected the data it needed. A scan of the neural network Ultron designated as ¡®Tony Stark¡¯ and an unknown but interesting variable known as ¡®Arrow Guy¡¯. These two scans coupled with the scans of the variables in Sokovia would enable Ultron to design and build countermeasures to these so-called ¡®Heros¡¯. His original defeat at the hands of Peter Parker had thrown up error codes in his program, and he was going to correct them before continuing with his master plan, the extinction of the human race.


    Malisson


    Just in case, Ho Yinsen is the Doctor killed as Tony escaped from the terrorists, the Doctor that gave him his original chest implant

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Nine. Crash And Burn

    Peter knew better than to go out while Liv and Nat were having their ¡®talk¡¯. He¡¯d been on the receiving end of plenty of those himself and Liv was hardcore when she got going. If she wanted him to know what was being said she would tell him, strangely enough, of everyone Liv was the most open with him, never shying away from an argument or topic of conversation regardless of its subject. It was just strange to Peter, being so close to someone who¡¯d tried to kill him, and he wondered if he and Flash would ever be that close.


    Bleh, he thought as he even considered it, close enough to beat the shit outta him again, he joked to himself but at the back of his mind, he already knew that Flash was of no consequence.


    ¡°Peter dear, its safe'''' Liv joked as she spoke through the doorway and Peter nodded at her as he finished packing a bag, it wasn''t the neatest of thing as he just stuffed underwear and a few spare t-shirts and trousers into the tote bag they normally used for heist but as he had his symbskin it was enough that he could fool anyone nosey enough. He undid the headset Liv had made all of them


    ¡°Boss¡¯s orders, no electronics,¡± and handed it over and Liv scowled and shook her head.


    ¡°These are shielded against counter intrusion and don''t register on scanners or any frequency unless they''re in use.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Nat shouted from the coffee table, ¡°not unless I clear it,¡± and Liv just shook her head.


    ¡°Well, as she might be my boss as well, I guess we have to listen.¡±


    ¡°Uh, coming too?¡± Peter asked her but she shook her head.


    ¡°Next time, Nat will explain as you fly but yes, with the others happy with the Black Cat network, I''m at a loose end dear, and I would like to join you.¡± and Peter nodded while smiling


    ¡°Always welcome,¡± and as he hoisted the bag over his shoulder he kissed Liv on the cheek, ¡°I uh, left some dishes in the sink though, this wasn''t exactly planned, oh and uh, the wheelchair is still at Shield HQ, can you grab it?¡± and Liv just chuckled and shook her head.


    ¡°Leaving for a trip and expecting me to clean up after you, really dear?¡± but Peter smiled and kissed her again as she fake scowled, but wrapped her arms around him


    ¡°Will make it up to you when we get back,¡± and as Nat finished her coffee, Peter and Liv shared one last hug and kiss while she waited.


    Nate was subdued as she and Peter drove to the Shield HQ. They would be taking one of the Shield quinjets over and land right at the facility. The situation in Sokovia was too volatile for any kind of civilian flight and with the urgency of the mission, time was more important than stealth. She had received a text from Fury while Peter was finishing his packing. Clint had been hurt as he and Tony took down the Ultron drones at the facility in Idaho. This mission was now strictly recon, which as Peter was a rookie and an unknown, suited her fine.


    ¡°Stow your gear here,¡° and Nat pointed to one of the storage bins under the seats. ¡°Preflight takes about half an hour, and we should talk. First, sorry, you''re right I was unprofessional and you didn''t deserve that. Second, Liv will be tested, along with you and then join us. Third, this won''t happen again. No more flirting if I''m your commanding officer, and Liv also made it clear that you''re off-limits.¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°I don''t really do repeats. If the girls had been welcoming then sure, but no, they were mad at us both for that. I mean, I had to cook, clean and provide back rubs for a month after.¡±


    Nat laughed, ¡°Oh poor Peter, sex with a beautiful woman and then treated like dirt after. I¡¯m sure those back rubs became more than just their back that got rubbed,¡± and she winked as Peter smiled. Back rubs always became more, even if they started off innocent.


    ¡°Orders still stand though, no weapons, no going Venom or whatever you call that black suit stuff unless I say so. Keep on coms, oh, take a throat mic from the locker on the left, it''s marked communications gear. And well, sit tight and get comfy, preflight checks are boring but necessary.¡±


    Peter watched as Nat transformed from flirty to serious, each panel was checked, engines, and a whole bunch of things that Peter didn''t even know the craft had. While he was tempted to let his symbskin interface with the quinjet, he also promised not to use his powers without permission, and knowing his luck Nat would notice and he¡¯d get in trouble.


    ¡°Right, well, with a long flight we can talk, you can sleep while I fly or we can do something else? It has autopilot,¡± Nat explained, ¡°Liv and I had a talk, and I¡¯m in the bad books, but if you want we can do some stuff, it seems I got permission.¡±


    ¡°Uh, didn''t you just say no flirting while on a mission?¡± Peter asked and Nat laughed,


    ¡°Always wanted to join the mile-high club, now''s your chance Pete,¡± Nat said while fingering the zip on her bodysuit. ¡°It¡¯s okay this time as well, we can have some fun but, yeah, once more but then you¡¯re off-limits. Well, until I prove myself,¡± Nat said, rolling her eyes. '' I mean, you¡¯re nice and all but I don''t really want to be part of a relationship, so, autopilot, semi-comfortable chairs and a few hours to kill, yes or no?¡± she asked, moving the zip down slightly.


    Peter wondered if this was a test, maybe not Nats doing but the girls had been mad at the attempt last time, and he had promised himself to try and exercise some restraint.


    Shaking his head, ¡°can¡¯t,¡± and he sighed, restraint sucked, especially when Nat pulled the zip down further and her large breasts spilled out,


    ¡°Hey, restraint can be learned later, one last time and then I can teach you how to reign everything in. Fighting is fine, spy work is 80 per cent lying 20 per cent fighting, the biggest part is learning to keep your emotions in check, so take this as a freebie, not a test. I''m not going to get mad,¡± and she shimmied out of the suit, standing naked before him and under the brighter lights, Peter could see just how excited she was, not just smell it. ¡°Plus, I use that cream all the time, and someone forgot to mention it was based on his own biology, so one last time.¡± and running a finger down his front ¡°please?¡± he swallowed and nodded.


    Idiot, he thought and taking out a small bottle from his luggage he sprayed the air and then over at Nat, ¡°turn on the air con and flush the interior,¡± he said, shaking his head. Nat was attractive and flirty and being this close of course she was affected by the pheromone as he was by her.


    Nat laughed and shook her head, lifting her face up and moving closer to him. ¡°Liv warned me, that while your powers are better you still get aroused easily,¡± and sure enough, there were a pair of nose plugs. ¡°I want this, and I got permission this time, so, pants off? or are you going to pussy out and use your scent as an excuse?¡±


    ¡°Pussy out huh? I remember you lasted about four strokes last time, so who¡¯ll pussy out?¡± but then he sighed. ¡°No, you were right, I need to stop thinking with my dick and this,¡± and Peter motioned to the very attractive Nat ¡°is so tempting but we can¡¯t, and you know we can¡¯t¡±


    Nat pursed her lips and grabbed her jumpsuit from the floor. ¡°Your loss,¡± and headed back to the front of the aircraft. ¡°Technical manual for the quinjet is in one of the storage bins over the seats in the back, find it and read it. It''s a five-hour flight.¡± and the door to the cockpit closed.


    Peter shook his head, Nat was right but he still felt like crap. If Liv and the others had said it was okay they¡¯d left it up to him, and for once, he¡¯d said no. It sucked and he could see the disappointment on Nats face. self-control, he repeated over and over in his mind as he fumbled around in the locker for the manual Nat was talking about. Slumping he saw the 500-page thick book and its four other friends. Yup, she might be more responsible but I guess even she can get mad. And lifting volume one down he began to read.


    As he was nearing the end of volume One, Nat poked her head out from the cockpit, ¡°hey figured you were hungry,¡± and Peter blinked as he looked up from the manual,


    ¡°Already?¡± and she nodded.


    ¡°We land in about an hour, entering Sokovian airspace now.¡± and Peter felt the lurch as the quinjet slowed down to civilian flight speeds. Nat lifted one of the seats and pulled out two pouches from the storage underneath, handing one to Peter.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± he said as he tore the top off the gel paste, ¡°it wasn''t fair to blame the pheromone, I mean, who wouldn''t be intimidated when a beautiful woman unzips her top.¡±


    Nat laughed and moved to tear open her own pouch just as the exterior warning alarm sounded, ¡°shit,¡± she swore and headed back into the cockpit.


    ¡°Flight nine-Zulu-Zulu, we have inbound bogies, repeat, we have incoming.¡± Nat started to hit buttons on the panel and grabbed the control stick in front of her, ¡°No time, missiles, from the speed, can you?¡± and she shook her head, ¡°stupid question,¡± and grabbing the quinjet controls she banked to one side as a small missile streaked past.


    ¡°Guns?¡± Peter asked her.


    ¡°Kinda busy, auto only,¡± she said, pushing a few icons on the control panel in front of her.


    Peter shook his head, ¡°if this is bullshit again, I¡¯ll-¡°


    Nats yelled angrily, interrupted him, ¡°fuck your bullshit. Missiles, fucking do something if you can.¡±


    Peter let his symbskin melt into the control panel and he familiarised himself with the weapons systems, actively avoiding the flight and environmental controls. The last thing he wanted was to take something offline accidentally while learning how things worked. Reading the manual was one thing but directly interfacing with it was another.


    He felt the auto-tracking lock-on and actively turning the guns he sent out a spray of bullets towards the projectile.


    ¡°Not good enough, countermeasures as well, learn fast or we die in the air,¡± she yelled, tilting the jet again to avoid a second missile streaking at them. ¡°Shit, must be a ship somewhere, can you find it, active radar and tracking.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve no time, I can''t learn on the fly, not unless you want me to take over the whole jet¡± he yelled back, splitting his focus with the guns and the radar. ¡°Nothing, the sky is empty,¡±


    ¡°Ground site then, might get more, shoot more.¡±


    Peter felt the chaff and flare guns fire and the missiles streaked towards the cloud of floating strips, taking better aim he allowed his senses to take over the radar and with precise control, he fired once more.


    The missiles exploded in the air, and Nat shouted ¡°great, just don''t get cocky kid,¡± and the jet tilted once more as two more shapes sped past them.


    ¡°There''s too many of them,¡± he yelled, ¡°not enough flares and stuff.¡±


    The quinjet was set up for passengers, minimal armaments and more suited for civilian transport than combat, and even Nat knew that with a sky full of metal, they were going to be shot down.


    ¡°Can you, I dunno, make armour or something?¡± she asked, as the jet spiralled and rolled to avoid the now four missiles.


    ¡°Yes, but only over me, I don''t think I can make a suit big enough to cover us both, not from fucking missiles,¡± he shouted back, trying to aim the guns the best he could.


    Their flight was cut short, another two shapes sped past and two more exploded into the back of the jet, taking out its engines and the craft began to spin and fall.


    ¡°Doesn''t matter, try anyway,¡± and Nat, grabbed her suit but grabbed onto him, ¡°better than exploding in a fireball,¡± and as they made their way to the exit Peter could still feel that the four missiles were all turning and heading back their way.


    Nat pushed the emergency release on the side door, and as it exploded outwards, the sudden release of pressurised gas pulled them both out and into the sky.


    Holding close to him Nat and Peter both watched as all four missiles hit the quinjet and it exploded in a  huge fireball, showering them with debris. Nat coughed blood as the pressure wave slammed into them, sending them spiralling in the air and a piece of the jet stuck out of her back like a comically large dagger.


    Shit, Peter thought as she went limp in his arms and spreading out his symbskin he covered her the best he could, letting out webbing and securing the piece. As his skin covered her he knew it was right through her and only his thicker armoured skin saved him from the same fate.


    Letting his scenes out he felt two minds close by, and turning he let his skin spread out in a huge parachute, slowing them down.


    I don''t know if you can hear me but please don''t be afraid, we are hurt and need help, please, look up and you should see us.


    Peter hoped the pair were friendly as they glided down.


    From nowhere a young boy appeared, probably the same age as Peter, with dirty blond hair and a scruffy beard. ¡°Hey, was that you?¡± he asked, his accent thick and definitely eastern European.


    ¡°Help,¡± was all Peter could croak, as they impacted on the ground, ¡°she¡¯s hurt.¡±


    ¡°I know, be right back with dad,¡± and the boy disappeared.


    Peter figured he was seeing things as he reappeared a moment later with a much older man, buff, and very angry looking.


    ¡°So, I guess Shield sent someone for us after all.¡° He said and with a wave, the debris beginning to rain down around them harmlessly floated away, and the boy turned into a blur and moved it out of the way.


    ¡°And you are?¡± he asked, and Peter recognised the look he was getting, answer or else flowed from the man.


    ¡°Uh, Peter, Peter Parker, and you?¡± he asked, picking himself up and brushing away the dirt.


    Standing tall, a head taller than Peter the man drew himself up to his full height. He was old, much older than  Peter had first thought but he had the physique of a man used to working the land, dirt and grime covered both hands as he cast a critical eye over Peter.


    ¡°Erik, Erik Lehnsherr, but you may call me Magneto."

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Thirty. Survivor Guilt

    ¡°Uh right, Magneto, great, more made-up names, so Erik, can we get somewhere safe before those assholes fire at us again?¡± Peter asked, moving over and checking on Natasha. She was bloodied, unconscious but otherwise stable. Peter knew her enhanced physiology would provide her with the means to survive, as long as they got somewhere safe. His concern was the jagged piece of wreckage sticking out of her back. From the blood and lack of smell, Peter knew it hadn¡¯t pierced anything major but it was still a bad injury.


    Erik hmphed and nodded at the boy, who vanished in a blur returning a moment later with a first aid kit. ¡°She will be fine,¡± he said ¡°but you and I are going to have a talk first, Peter, or are you really Raven?¡± he asked, folding his arms over his chest.


    ¡°Uh, nope, definitely Peter, I uh, would show you my phone but it¡¯s part of the big fucking fireball, so cut the crap Erik, why do you have powers? why does he? and why the hell are we arguing about it when people are shooting fucking missiles at us.¡± Peter ranted. Interrogations were fine, he owed the man for saving them but right now there were more pressing issues.


    As he watched the man, Erik collected several pieces of wreckage and straightened them out and then curved them, making a stretcher that Peter gently lay Natasha on, making sure the metal in her back wasn''t disturbed. He sprayed her with Gwen''s bio bandage formula and symbcells to aid in her healing but until they got the metal out, she would be better off unconscious and immobile.


    ¡°Because this isn¡¯t the first time someone shot a missile at me¡± and as he nodded Peter looked up and saw four more missiles all hanging in the air.


    ¡°Wow, that''s uh, kinda cool, so telekinesis?¡± he asked and Erik shook his head and the missiles floated further into the sky before exploding.


    ¡°That is my secret, and you really aren¡¯t her?¡± Erik asked again,


    ¡°Nope, no idea who that is, but uh, is she a symbiote as well?¡± Peter replied, confused


    ¡°A symbiote? No, a mutant, like us. You¡¯re not a mutant?¡± and he sighed again and shook his head ¡°maybe I''ve been out of the world for far too long if mutants aren¡¯t the only powers now. Come on then, let''s get back to the farm and you can see your friend¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t teleport like your friend then?¡± Peter asked, hopeful


    ¡°Teleport, no Pietro might be fast but he is just that, fast. We, however, walk¡± and Erik moved off towards a building Peter could see in the distance, smoke lazily drifting from its chimney.


    The strange youth appeared again and lifted the makeshift stretcher, disappearing, wow, he is fast Peter thought as even his enhanced senses couldn''t keep track of him, only the disturbance of the air as he moved.


    The pair walked back towards a farmhouse Peter could see in the distance, Peter knew the man was enhanced, he could feel the disturbance around him as he walked but he didn¡¯t understand how. Was Shield conducting experiments in Sokovia, or was this another research company? Taking the plunge, Peter needed answers.


    ¡°So, uh, if someone had claws, would they be a mutant?¡± Peter asked, hoping to find out more about mutants and Laura but Erik stopped,


    ¡°You met someone with claws?¡± and Peter nodded.


    ¡°Was he with a bald man?¡± and as Peter''s eyes went wide, his fist clenched.


    ¡°She, but yes.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess. You were sheltering a friend and he came and took her, gave a flowery speech about her being safe with him and then took her, and you just agreed, but were left wondering why?¡± but Peter shook his head as they kept walking.


    ¡°No, the asshole turned up, took her and wiped everyone else''s mind. I only remember, cause of, uh, stuff,¡± Peter explained, hoping to get more.


    ¡°Wait? He took her and wiped the memories from you and your friends?¡± Erik said, stopping and putting a hand on Peter''s chest.


    ¡°Yeah, him and some red glasses asshole, no one remembers except me.¡± and Erik shook his head.


    ¡°Things are bad in the states if Charles is using his powers like that. What''s been going on?¡±


    ¡°Uh, a bunch of superheroes, Harlem got trashed, robot suits and,¡° Peter sighed, ¡°a few powered individuals, maybe making a mess of things,¡± not wanting to admit that he was one of them.


    ¡°So, no wonder. Well, once your friend is healed I want no part of it, my times as a ¡®superhero¡¯ as you put it are over. I just want to live in peace.¡± Erik said, moving off once more. Peter could feel something was wrong, some tragedy had occurred and the man was hiding from it, and hiding something else.


    ¡°I have had Charles in my mind often enough to feel when someone else is trying. Please stop or I will hurt you, young man.¡± Erik said without even turning around to look at Peter,


    ¡°Uh sorry, I can¡¯t help it, it''s new and a bit iffy at times.¡± Peter tried to explain.


    ¡°Good, then if you do it again, pain will be an excellent motivator for you to get it under control then won''t it?¡± Erik said matter of factly and at that moment Peter was reminded of Felicia, who preferred to do rather than teach.


    ¡°So, who¡¯s Charles?¡± Peter asked, finally getting a name to the face, just a surname and he should be able to find out who he was on his own.


    ¡°Someone powerful enough to erase a person from your mind, don¡¯t even think about it, young man. Charles is someone I respect greatly and if he did that to you and left you unharmed and only missing a tiny piece you should be grateful.¡± Erik said calmly, but Peter had had enough, missiles and being blown up were bad enough but listening to this pompous windbag was grating his nerves.


    ¡°Grateful? Listen you dick. I rescued a girl, barely older than me from a factory, and you know what they were doing? Killing fucking kids, draining their brains to make a drug and then some bald-headed shitbag comes and takes her from me like he was some fucking messiah. So no, fuck him and fuck you if you don''t help me. I¡¯ll find him and make him pay with or without your help,'''' and as Erik turned, fully intending on teaching this whelp a lesson a fist closed around his neck, black and larger than his head. ¡°So get off your fucking high horse and help, or I swear to whatever fucking god you believe in I¡¯ll rip your fucking head off.¡±


    Venom took a breath, he hadn''t been this angry over anything since the rooftop and Huntress being hurt. Calming himself he let the rage slide back and thinking of Nat and the help he needed to let the fire run from his blood. stupid, he thought, needed more time to adjust. After telling everyone else to take things slow after being bonded and enhanced, he neglected his own advice and was now threatening an old man over something he had no part in.


    Venom towered over Magneto and as Erik reached out with his power he realised the boy had nothing metal on him at all, he however was different. Three ball bearings circled around him. ¡°Release me or I will hurt you,¡± he said through crushed lips.


    ¡°Ball Bearings?¡± Venom squeezed and one sped at him. He caught it with a sticky tendril and used its own momentum to spin it around and back at Magneto who caught it.


    ¡°Hmph, electromagnetism, accelerate metals to near ultrasonic speeds, pity the distance isn''t far enough to get good speed. Now do that again and I¡¯ll squeeze harder. All I want is a name, Charles who? And I don''t give a shit about anything else. He took a girl who had been traumatised, he didn''t ask, he took her, so he gets my foot up his ass whether you like it or not. This little act, this pompous asshole bit is tiring. I''m going to let go. You saved my boss and for that I owe you but I want a name, not a lecture.¡±


    Venom slipped back and Peter brushed dirt from Erik''s shirt.


    Erik stared at Peter, ¡°Nice trick, but next time I will hurt you and for the record, Charles Xavier is no friend of mine, we were, once.¡± and Erik continued walking, ¡°but his little group got a friend of mine killed, got a lot of my friends killed, so no, go ahead but don¡¯t think he¡¯ll let you even touch him. Strength alone won''t faze Charles, he¡¯s more powerful than you can imagine.¡± Erik cried out and clutched his head as images of devouring jaws and rending teeth filled his mind.


    ¡°So am I old man,¡± and Peter helped him to his feet as Erik glared at him, ¡°so am I.¡± He had no right to be angry with Erik, but he was tired of everyone talking to him like he was an idiot, and telling him what he could and couldn''t do. He needed Erik''s help, but Charles was a completely different matter to be dealt with.


    Erik considered killing the boy there and then, but he needed him. Charles was brazenly using his powers so things at the mansion must be worse than he imagined. If Shield was here and if the missiles were anything to go by, the situation in Sokovia was about to get a whole lot worse and right now he needed all the allies he could get. The female agent was out for the count, her injury was too severe for her to even survive, let alone fight, and a fight was coming.


    Without saying a word Erik stormed off back to his farmhouse and Pietro was wiping down Nat¡¯s forehead with a cloth, ¡°uh, she¡¯s got a fever and seems pretty out of it,¡± he said, and Peter could see that she didn''t look too great.


    Peter put a finger to her neck and felt her pulse, it was strong and thumping, turning her over he checked the bandages and while they were bloody they were clean, he couldn''t smell an infection and Nat was unconscious, not comatose. ¡°She needs glucose or sugar, anything is fine, any high calorie liquid, honey maybe?¡± Erik and Pietro looked at each other. ¡°Oh come on, Whizzer here must burn thousands of calories an hour, so come on, cough up,¡± and Erik looked to one side while Pietro looked pissed.


    ¡°It''s Quicksilver, not Whizzer and uh, sure,¡± and in a blur he vanished, coming back with two large jugs of syrup. ¡°This enough?¡± and Peter shrugged but nodded. He had no idea if it was or not, and made a mental note to read up on a few medical journals. With the Mind stone, he really needed to expand on his fields of expertise. Gwen and the rest proved that their symbiotes reacted to their physical and mental abilities, and as their creator, he should be the same.


    ¡°Cold water too, she needs to be able to swallow it.¡± and the boy vanished again returning with a half-filled jug, ¡°great, thanks¡± and Peter split the syrup into the jug and mixed it, ¡°uh, don''t freak out¡± Peter let the symbskin form over an arm and closed a hand over Nat''s forearm, as small funnel formed and pouring a little of the syrup mix into the black waited until it filtered into Nat''s blood though a small puncture he had made. Better this than making a funnel into her stomach, he concluded, unwilling to freak out a super fast teen and his metal controlling father.


    ¡°Now we wait, so uh, sorry about the mind thing and the strangling you, it''s been a bad day,¡± and Erik shook his head scowling.


    ¡°Wait, you attacked dad?¡± Pietro asked, ¡°uh, why is he not dead?¡± and Erik shrugged.


    ¡°Call it a side effect of old age, now shush and make tea, walking so far is hard on an old man,¡± and Pietro laughed. Even Peter looked at the huge buff man shook his head, if he was half as fit at that age he would be thankful,


    Pietro whizzed off once more, coming back with teacups and an empty pot. As he waited, looking extremely bored, for the water to boil, he opened and began to eat what looked like sugar cookies. ¡°Want one?¡± he offered Peter, speaking with his mouth full, but Peter smirked and shook his head, watching as the boy ate the packet immediately after offering.


    Erik leaned forwards, pouring hot water into his cup, over the strainer full of loose tea leaves. ¡°But now young man, before an apology is accepted, I would like a full story from you, and not just about Charles but about everything, and I will know if you''re lying.¡±

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Thirty-One. Magnetic Personality

    Erik rubbed his forehead and sat staring at Peter, who after explaining almost everything, left him with a minor headache. He left out the pheromone and a few other more personal details but now Erik was in a worse mood than when Peter had assaulted him.


    ¡°So. Aliens, Armoured Suits, Gamma Enhanced and regular Enhanced as you call them, and finally Gods. Do I have that right?¡± He asked as Pietro sat listening to Peter while Pietro ate what looked like a sandwich to Peter, or well a plate of sandwiches, and Peter nodded,


    ¡°Yup, that about sums it up, plus a whole lot of violence,¡± Erik had shaken his head when Peter had gotten to John''s death but had sat still listening to the rest, even when Goblin and Harry attacked.


    ¡°And as it seems you aren¡¯t lying then I also owe you an explanation. While I will not be as forthcoming, another faction exists within these powered individuals. Mutants. We have extraordinary powers, from birth in some cases. I control magnetism, and it is generally considered rude to share the abilities of others without permission. If Pietro or Wanda wishes to tell you their powers, that is up to them.¡±


    Peter was stunned. Was the Oscorp formula and the Super-Soldier serum based on research into mutants? A small shiver of apprehension ran through him, the ¡¯40s were not a good time to be experimenting on a formula that could have been created in a nazi lab, and with MGH on the rise, he wondered if it was all connected. Without missing a beat Erik continued,


    ¡°Charles is the leader of one faction within the mutant community, and he may have interfered with you as he is resident in New York. That is all I am willing to share for now. I will share more after you have proven yourself at least to be slightly trustworthy, and attacking me, invading my mind and that little psychic stunt has not made you any friends Mr Parker.¡±


    Peter shrugged though, ¡°Erik right? All I care about is making sure Laura is safe. Good guy or not, he took her, no explanation just took her. In my book, that makes him a dick,¡± and Erik shook his head and sighed,


    ¡°If what you say is true, then Charles probably thought you were out to harm her. He is an idealist Peter, not a bad man.¡° and he paused for a second, ¡°he is, however, as you said, a dick.¡± and Pietro stifled a laugh and even Peter had to snort and smile.


    ¡°Well, there are a few things I need to finish here but, young man, it seems that I need to return to the states,¡± Erik said and Pietro sat upright, ¡°and yes, once we find Wanda you¡¯ll both be coming as well.¡± and Pietro smiled and vanished from his seat, returning with several packed suitcases.


    Erik smiled as he saw his son standing with the cases. ¡°Not quite yet, and you, Peter. My help has a price, a fairly steep one but. I¡¯ll help you get to Charles, even introduce you, find your friend but you must find my daughter for me. I cannot leave the farm, not undefended and you and young Pietro here will go find Wanda while I stay and tend to Ms Romanov. Once Wanda is safe then we can leave.¡±


    Peter thought about it. Pietro was a bit young, maybe a few years younger than him, just as tall, just as skinny but with silver hair that unlike Felicia¡¯s platinum blond was actually silver, cut into a scruffy mess on his head. As he zipped around the house, gathering everything into cases, he wore a pair of aviator goggles, and his attire was just as strange as the boy himself. Silver jacket and black jeans, a belt covered in various tools and a walkman, and to top it all off a band t-shirt from some group from the ¡¯70s. If there was a walking fashion disaster, it was Pietro.


    ¡°So, me and the weirdo then?¡± Pietro asked, ¡°uh, so, what''s your power huh huh? Must be good if Dad wants you to save Wanda, but,¡± and Pietro sniffed and leaned in close, ¡°hands-off, okay, that''s my sister,¡± and Peter smiled and chuckled. He¡¯d missed out the part of the story where he had four girlfriends, and doubted very much that either Erik or Pietro would be happy to listen to it. Saving one girl wasn¡¯t that big of a price to pay to find out what happened to Laura, he just hoped that Erik kept his end of the bargain.


    Peter could feel the animosity rolling off of him like a storm, barely contained and thick to Peter''s normal and telepathic senses. When Peter attacked him he offended the man and he was fully expecting a betrayal at some point. Right now they needed each other and that was good enough, Natasha would be safe enough here and as she was healing nicely she wasn¡¯t out of the picture just yet.


    ¡°So, any ideas where Wanda is?¡± Peter asked, ignoring the hyperactive Pietro.


    ¡°Of course, Shield has her,¡± Erik said as if it was the most normal thing in the world


    ¡°What?¡± Peter shouted and stood, ¡°Why the hell does Shield have her?¡± and as he yelled Natasha stirred,


    ¡°Ughh, quiet.¡± was all she said before closing her eyes again. It was a good sign that she was healing and that even if she wasn¡¯t able to join him, that she should be up and mobile by the time he got back.


    ¡°What the hell is going on here?¡± Peter asked angrily but with a more subdued voice. ¡°Shield is supposed to be protecting the people here, not kidnapping them.¡± and Erik shook his head.


    ¡°Wanda was in town and saw the flyers and never came home. Pietro saw her enter a Shield recruitment office and never come out. Over the past year, Shield has been very impatient with its recruitment policy. Flyers everywhere, and hints at people going missing. A few days ago, they got a delivery. I could feel the power it radiated from here and we haven¡¯t heard from Wanda since.¡± Erik explained. ¡°Other than the usual excuses they give, that Wanda would contact us when she had finished her training, but I know she would never willingly go with those people, not after what happened.¡±


    Peter rubbed his forehead, ¡°So, teenage rebellion and you think she¡¯s been kidnapped?¡± and Pietro snorted and as Erik glared at him, quickly hid his face.


    ¡°People have been going missing for years since Shield got here, and if there is one thing I am very good at is making connections, I''ve seen police states like this, and the way they are acting, it''s just like the war.¡±


    Peter frowned and looked at Erik, ¡°the war? Like 70 years ago war? were you even alive?¡± and Erik nodded.


    ¡°Oh very much so, it''s not something you forget, and right now, Wanda is in danger but,¡° Erik paused, ¡°Pietro, sorry.¡± he sighed. ¡°I am a wanted man, very much wanted alive or dead, and cannot leave the farm. I need you to find her, I need you to save her. If they¡¯re rounding up mutants for experiments or worse then I need to save my daughter and after your little outburst, I¡¯m less inclined to help you unless you do this.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go after your daughter, I¡¯m supposed to head out there anyway, so adding in rescuing a damsel in distress isn¡¯t too much extra, uh, but I will need Pietro to show me where it is. Natasha was lead on this mission and everything went up in smoke when the quinjet got blown up,¡± Peter explained and Erik shook his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s too risky, even with his speed I don''t want to lose both my children,¡± but Pietro had already run off and came back with a backpack, which Peter could smell was full of food. As Erik stared at the expectant looking Pietro, ¡°Fine. He can show you the way to town, but after that, Pietro. Please promise me you will stay away from Shield.¡±


    ¡°Nuh-uh, my sister, I''m helping,¡± and he put a hand on Peter''s shoulder, ¡°ready?¡± and before Erik could raise a complaint, he moved the pair of them at super speed.


    Peter never even felt himself move as Pietro dragged him along, and he didn¡¯t even realise they were a distance away until he saw the smoke rising from the chimney, it looked like they had travelled 30 or 40 miles but Pietro was gasping and sweating.


    ¡°How much do you weigh?¡± he said, unslinging the backpack and grabbing two large bars of chocolate out of it, unwrapping them and taking a huge bite. ¡°I mean, I''ve moved a car and it wasn''t as heavy,¡± he said with his mouth full.


    ¡°Its muscle, plus, uh, yeah,¡± Peter said, grinning with embarrassment. He was used to being denser than a normal person, even the girls didn''t complain as they were the same. Small and wiry hid Peter''s true strength. He didn¡¯t weigh as much as a car though, the lazy jackass was just weak.


    ¡°So, uh, super speed, neat,¡± Peter said as Pietro emptied the bag of various snacks, Peter wishing he¡¯d been able to grab his own bag with the high-calorie protein bars that Gwen made for them all, super calorie dense and supposedly healthier than eating a bunch of junk food.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try and kiss my ass. My dad is pissed at you. Attacking Magneto? Are you mad? He can control electromagnetism, like zzz, suck all the iron out your blood stuff, I''ve seen him do it, like, for real. He doesn''t know but Wanda and I know.¡± he said, stuffing a handful of potato chips into his mouth, ¡°But what''s your deal, big badass, hunting drug dealers and flying around in a jet, must be nice to be that rich,¡± and Peter burst out laughing.


    ¡°Rich?¡± Peter laughed, ¡°Nope, just unlucky. Shield grabbed me after a few things went wrong and so, working for them. But your dad, really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Sokovia got internet a few years back but as dad doesn''t get out to the capital he doesn''t know, but Wanda and I looked him up. He killed a senator or something, his girlfriend got killed thanks to that Charles dude and so he hid here, mom got killed a few years ago when soldiers came for him, it was really intense. Dad, yeah, dad gets super focused when he¡¯s pissed, so really, don¡¯t or he¡¯ll fuck you up and smile the next day.¡± Pietro was taking a swig of Gatorade, ¡°oh, uh, sorry dude, not enough for two, but uh, maybe get something when we hit the town?¡± he said, gathering up all the empty wrappers and stuffing them back into the bag.


    ¡°Ready for round two?¡± he asked, but before Peter could even say no he was grabbed and moved again.


    Pietro was panting and sweating as they stopped again, ¡°shit, sorry dude, you¡¯re just too heavy, gonna have to walk the rest of the way, unless uh, you¡¯ve got money?¡± and Peter noticed they were close enough to the outskirts of town the lights were visible.


    ¡°No wallet, jet go boom, remember?¡± and Pietro tutted,


    ¡°Always have gas money dude, always,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°Right, towns about 10 miles, I can run but uh, you¡¯re walking.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I might not be as fast as you but I can still move¡± and stretching first, Peter began to run towards the town, much slower than Pietro but even he had to admit that Peter was moving faster than he expected.


    As the houses became more than just farms and the roads became asphalt Peter and Pietro both slowed down, beginning to walk. ¡°Uh, you have a passport right, I.D? Cause these assholes will throw you in jail for being a bum if you don''t,¡± Pietro asked and Peter stopped and stared at him.


    ¡°You might have mentioned that before we left, you dick.¡± was all Peter could say.

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Two. Infiltration Station

    Come on stupid thing, MJ can do this, so I can too Peter thought to himself,


    ¡°Hillo,¡± and he scowled and shook his head, ¡°heylo, eye aim Peitor Perker,¡± and he cleared his throat again. ¡°Heylo, aye aim Pytor Perker, and aye am luking for wurk.¡± and Pietro looked at him,


    ¡°Uh, what''s with the shitty accent?¡± he asked as he munched on a bar of chocolate,


    ¡°You said they were looking for volunteers right? So without I.D and no references the best I can do is take one of those leaflets and head to a recruitment centre, from there, well, it''s a work in progress.¡± Peter and Pietro walked down one of the almost deserted streets, leaflets advertising the New Sokovian Republic Army were blowing around in small wind funnels, whoever had meant to hand them out dumped them on the street instead and let the terrible eastern European weather distribute them through the streets.


    ¡°You, uh, think that¡¯ll actually work? I mean, you don''t exactly look like a Sokovia farmhand,¡± and Peter stared at him.


    ¡°Then tell me,¡± and as Pietro described a much scruffier rougher looking outfit, stained jeans, thick woollen hand-knitted sweater and scarf, thick duffle coat Peters clothing morphed and changed, to match his description.


    ¡°Uh, cool,¡± Pietro said, nodding and gave him a thumbs up. ¡°But, I have I.D and if they match me with Wanda then uh, your ruse fails.¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± Peter agreed, ¡°Which is why you¡¯re going home.¡± and Pietro stopped and put a hand on his chest,


    ¡°Uh, no, that''s my sister, so I¡¯m going, and well, you can¡¯t stop me.¡±


    Peter snorted, ¡°Yeah, let''s not have a dick measuring contest in the middle of the street, but I can. You just said it yourself, if they tie you to Wanda then all of us get caught. So this isn¡¯t some bullshit ¡®I don''t want you here¡¯ excuse, it''s some ¡®don¡¯t fuck up the one plan I¡¯ve got¡¯ excuse. I don''t care if you go home or stay here but you can''t come with me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have some super cool spy stuff you can use, like a hidden microphone or a laser pen?¡± and Peter shook his head,


    ¡°See, I told Nat I needed stuff like that but no, spies don''t get cool stuff, it''s all boring stuff like phones and guns.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Pietro said and they both sighed at the same time, looked at each other and laughed,


    ¡°sucks,¡± they both said and laughing Pietro said, ¡°Jinx,¡± and punched Peter in the arm, ¡°fuck dude, what the hell are you made from?¡± he said rubbing his hand and waving it in the air.


    ¡°Badassium,¡± Peter said, grinning while Pietro rolled his eyes,


    ¡°Fatassium more like,¡± and Pietro laughed at his own joke while Peter shook his head and snorted


    ¡°better than dumbassium, which is what you¡¯re made from.¡±


    ¡°Ahem.¡± a voice from behind them cleared its throat and as Peter and Pietro turned, a pair of uniformed men were stood staring at the pair as they argued. One holding up a flashlight he shone in Peter¡¯s face with the other kept a hand on the holstered pistol by his side. Peter noticed the first man also had a machine gun slung over his shoulder and that these were the people he was looking for. No patches, name tags, or numbers to identify them, the locals probably knew the uniform well enough to avoid them.


    ¡°Uh, hi.¡° Peter smiled.


    ¡°Papers, and would you like to explain why you are breaking curfew?¡± one of the men asked as his partner kept a hand on his gun,


    ¡°Uh, we didn''t know and we got lost looking for the recruitment office, uh sir?¡± Peter said, hoping his ass-kissing would stop them from being arrested.


    The officer raised an eyebrow, ¡°recruitment, at 7 o''clock in the evening?¡± and looked over to his partner who unholstered his pistol. ¡°I think you need a better lie than that.¡± and Pietro vanished in a cloud of dust, leaving Peter stood there staring at the two shocked men,


    Asshole Peter thought as the first officer also drew his pistol. Unwilling to draw even more attention to himself Peter raised both arms, ¡°I did not know he could do that,¡± he complained as the officers kept their guns drawn on him.


    ¡°Put those on.¡± The first officer threw a pair of really crappy handcuffs at Peter, the simple click-lock cuffs were barely tight enough to hold his wrist together and seemed like cheap replicas rather than real police cuffs.


    Peter clicked the flimsy chain cuffs to his wrist and once he had both hands clamped the officer came forwards and tightened them, smirking as he pinched the skin on Peter''s wrists, but as he was covered in a thin layer of symbskin Peter just stared at him unamused by the apparent bully.


    The second officer waved his pistol, ¡°to the station,¡± and he was bundled into the back of a rank smelling police car, stale cigarettes and cheap alcohol permeated the front and leaked into the back, and Peter had to form filters over his mouth and nose to stop himself from gagging.


    ¡°Hey America, money?¡± and as Peter shook his head the officer tutted, ¡°then we do this the hard way. Got family? Someone we can call to arrange, ah, your booking fee?¡° He asked and as Peter shook his head he cursed and thumped the back of the headrest. ¡°You listen American, a kid like you eh, all alone, you got money to come here, you got money to get home, so let us do our job and you stay unhurt okay?¡± and Peter shrugged.


    He had hoped that they would take him to a police station and from there he could find out where Wanda was being held, but it seemed he was just being shaken down by two petty criminals. If he wanted them to arrest him, then.


    ¡°Hey, you can¡¯t do this, I''m an American citizen you know,¡± Peter complained loudly, but the two men continued to talk, ¡°Hey, I''m talking¡± and as he kicked the back of the man''s seat he turned and rested a pistol on the headrest,


    ¡°Hey, American, passport? Money?¡± and Peter shook his head, ¡°then shut up, til we process you, or,¡± and he tapped the gun on the side on the headrest. ¡°You Americans like guns huh? I show you my gun, get you a real good look at it okay?¡± and he pulled back the hammer and Peter¡¯s eyes fell to the floor. ¡°Yeah, that''s what I thought, big and loud but no balls,¡± and as he said something else in Sokovian his partner laughed but Peter sneered, yeah yeah laugh it up, if I didn''t need to find your headquarters, I¡¯d let you get up close and personal with that stupid thing. and Peter leaned back as the officer clicked the safety off on the pistol he was holding.


    Peter felt the man''s anger, but he felt he was expecting him to talk tough, if he backed down the men would take more delight in beating him, or worse and while he could take it, it would blow his cover. The arrogant, rich stupid American was a stereotype these men expected, and both would take sadistic glee in breaking him and making him bleed. Playing on that and hoping that practising with MJ was enough, he could use it against them.


    ¡°Yeah, tough guy, how about we ventilate you a bit, eh, the cost just doubled, and accidents happen,¡± the man spoke something that Peter had no idea what it was, the thick eastern European accent hard enough to decipher but as his foreign language skills were abysmal it made no difference,


    ¡°My dads a senator, you touch me and I¡¯ll sue. I¡¯ll get him to turn you into a fucking traffic cop, shitty fucking country with its shitty fucking hick assholes,¡± and Peter kicked the back of his seat again.


    ¡°Listen, shithead, we kill you and dump you somewhere if you don''t shut that mouth of yours,¡° and Peter figured that was enough, any more and he risked them following through with their threats and he would have to do something they would regret,


    ¡°Hey, it was a mistake okay, so uh, don''t, please don''t,¡± he tried to sound scared. ¡°I uh, got mugged, I don''t have any money, they stole my clothes and left me these. If you take to the embassy I can get the money, please, just don''t. That asshole, he uh, he was taking me to get more money, he stole my wallet, please, just, don¡¯t.¡±


    The officer snorted, ¡°station, so we can process this young man and make sure he pays his fine, maybe he won''t have an accident on the way there. If he shut his mouth huh?¡± and his partner laughed.


    Peter leant back in the car trying to look as dejected as possible and staying silent, staring at his hands and he rubbed them together. The two in the front began to ignore him, talking in a language he didn¡¯t understand but he could guess from their laughter that it was probably about getting a rich kid and robbing him.


    Everything was going according to plan, if these two delivered him even to a small substation from there he should be able to gain access to their computer system and fuck he swore in his mind, that fucking speedy bastard. He had no idea what Wanda looked like, she could be a giant blonde amazon for all he knew, even if she took after Erik, Pietro had silver hair, was hers silver too? or normal. aww shit, he cursed again.


    Seeing the look of annoyance on his face the officer keeping an eye on Peter in the rearview mirror snorted to himself, stupid American he thought as if we wouldn¡¯t know who you were. Peter hadn''t given the local authorities any credit. Of course, they knew any strange people coming into town would probably be connected to the jet that invaded their airspace and an alert had been issued to all the police stations, local and rural.


    Peter kept the smile off his face as the man''s thought reached him, it didn¡¯t matter if they knew who he was, it only added to the fact that Shield was up to something here, and even without Nat¡¯s help he would figure it out.


    They didn¡¯t have a picture but his bad accent and clothing, ignorance of local laws and bad acting towards the officers pegged him as an outsider to anyone who lived in Sokovia for any length of time.


    Even if he wasn¡¯t anything to do with the downed jet, it wouldn''t matter. With the ramp up in ¡®recruitment¡¯, another body wouldn''t be missed and their boss always gave out bonuses to those who met their targets. The girl had gotten them several hundred cigarettes and a dozen bottles of smuggled good scotch, better than the cheap vodka that was probably more gasoline than alcohol anyway.


    As the pair manhandled Peter into the rundown but at least waterproof station a camera swung round and caught a good image of his face. Trying to avoid looking at it, Peter could tell just from the noise that it was a high tech digital model, a stark contrast to the shit heap office they dragged him through. His phone with more processing power could run most of the office equipment here than the faded yellow, nicotine-stained PC that sat whirring in the corner.


    Even the jail cell they threw him in was like something out of a medieval movie rather than a prison. Thick bars, coated with years of paint, seemed more rust than actual iron and the bucket in the corner let him know that he would be lucky to not die of dysentery if the food didn''t kill him first.


    Taking a good look around and stretching out with his other senses he could feel that this was just a small police station, only a few officers on the floor he was in but a larger office was hidden through some doors. He could hear several high-end PC¡¯s whirring and the chatter of a radio operator, reporting his capture and possible involvement with the jet.


    It was several hours before anyone came for him and when they did he squinted a the young woman who approached him, her hands seemingly covered in red sparkling gloves. Crackling with power, he could smell the ozone and as his vision blurred he stared at her,


    ¡°Nat?¡±

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Three. Its A Kind Of Magic (NSFW)

    As Peter blinked and his eyes came back into focus he saw it was Natasha,


    ¡°Hey Nat, wait? How are you here?¡± and she scowled and shook her head at him,


    ¡°¡®Cause you fucked up that''s why.¡± and the two officers came into the room and undid his cuffs. ¡°First missions are always training, fake missiles, fake everything, see?¡± and she turned to the wound on her back as obviously fake, just a simple patch of fake blood and foam


    Peter shook his head and scowled, so why could I smell blood?


    Natasha muttered something under her breath and Peter''s eyes snapped back in and out of focus and he shook his head, ¡°uh, yeah sorry, so, I uh, fucked up, what happens now?¡± and Natasha crossed her arms.


    ¡°We go home, and you wait until Fury decides to fire your ass or not,¡± and she motioned for him to follow.


    ¡°Top secret training facility, so roll up your sleeve,¡± and she took an injector out from behind her,


    Peter frowned, that''s not right either, and he let the symbskin jacket he was wearing fold back, no, this is a real jacket, and he took it off and stared at it, this isn''t real,


    Natasha muttered something again and Peter¡¯s head swam, ¡°sure sure,¡± he said and after taking off his jacket, he rolled up his sleeve and Natasha pressed the injector against his arm.


    ¡°See, not so bad, now, you sleep and once we''re done, you¡¯ll be home okay?¡± and she smiled at him.


    Home, yeah, home is good. Peter thought as the world went black.


    ¡°He can tell it''s not real,¡± the woman said, and a man behind her scowled and shook his head,


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, probe him, find out everything he knows and then kill him, use any means necessary.¡± and dismissing her he walked away, reaching for his phone he dialled and then spoke.


    ¡°Who the fuck did you send?¡± he spat into the phone, listening for the reply ¡°no, he¡¯s fucking not like Widow. The Witch can barely contain him. Find out who the hell this is and fix your fuck up.¡± Wanting to smash his phone against the wall Captain Strucker cursed out his contact. Shield sent experimental weapons and tech their way all the time, and his orders had been to investigate a new type of enhanced. Unlike that girl, this one was strong and would make an excellent soldier, if the collar worked and if they could keep him under control. So far, if The Witch was having problems then the collar would be useless.


    As Peter stirred, Natasha ran her fingers through his hair, ¡°hey, almost home, but sleep a bit longer okay?¡± and Peter''s eyes drifted closed once more.


    Back in the warehouse, he woke with a jolt. The last thing he remembered was a, was. No, the last thing he remembered was coming home, being safe and being taken to bed by his girlfriend. Wanda


    ¡°Hey sweetie,¡± she called from the courtyard, ¡°do you want some breakfast?¡± and Peter rubbed his eyes and plodded out to the breakfast table.


    Gwen was at work, her job with Shield had her working all hours and with MJ off shooting her movie, it was just the pair of them. Peter had rescued her from the clutches of Fisk and they had fallen in love almost immediately. Their first night together filled with passion, and as Peter stared at her she blushed.


    Wanda was beautiful, just over 5ft 6 she had long flowing brown hair, slightly curly at the ends but she kept it straight.  A full chest and shapely legs and rear and Peter drank in her figure, hidden by her nightdress as he ate his toast.


    ¡°So, what''s the plan for today dear?¡± she asked him and he frowned slightly,


    ¡°Uh, Fury I think. Nat said something about being fired cause I screwed up,¡± and Wanda shook her head


    ¡°I told you Shield was bad news,¡± and she slid a fried egg on his plate, ¡°even if Nick fires you, there is always night school.¡±


    Peter smiled and nodded, slipping a hand up her leg and gently stroking her thigh. He could feel the softness of her pubic hair and as she gently moved his hand up to caress her she stopped him.


    Wanda froze, ¡°not at the breakfast table dear¡± and she gently slid his hand away and moved back, Peter could see the apprehension on her face.


    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± he asked, but as she hesitated to speak, Gwen burst through the doorway, followed by the sounds of gunfire.


    ¡°Pete, they know Pete," and as she morphed into Poison, a round caught her in the shoulder and spun her around. Agents, like the one he had killed so long ago, surrounded her and fired, riddling her with bullets, ¡°NO!¡± he screamed and leapt at the men.


    Peter awoke, sweating and panting, ¡°shh, bad dream?¡± the woman next to him asked and for a second he didn¡¯t recognise her, her long straight brown hair unfamiliar in the group of women that shared his bed.


    As if she could hear his thought she stared at him, group? He heard and as he shook his head, she muttered under her breath and once more he fell back asleep.


    Wanda was in a panic, she had been told to keep him under control but every time she constructed a new reality for him he started to see through it, or like the last time, it devolved into a mess. Hmm, maybe that''s the key, and once more her hands flared in dark red energy and she touched his mind.


    Peter sat up in bed and the cold reality hit him, he looked over at her, the strange woman in his bed and he shook his head, not this again, and she stirred.


    ¡°Are you okay darling?¡± she asked him, but he slipped out of the bed and plodded out into the warehouse.


    Following him, and slipping on a dressing gown she tied its belt and made a coffee for him,


    ¡°It''s been 6 months Peter, you need to get over it,¡± and he stared at her quizzically. ¡°The diner, you did all you could but against 4?¡± and she moved over and stroked his hair, ¡°even you can''t fight four,¡± and he scowled.


    ¡°No, I lost yes but so? It''s not like we always lose.¡±


    The woman, Wanda, her name was Wanda, sighed and put a bottle of pills on the table. ¡°Don''t you remember Peter, you got crushed under the rubble with your friend, Gwen.¡± Peter picked up the bottle with an unknown prescription was printed out, ¡°They¡¯re yours, to help with the nightmares,¡± and he shook his head.


    ¡°No, I saved them,¡± and she came over and sat in his lap, brushing her fingers through his hair,


    ¡°No, you didn¡¯t¡± and Peter was shocked by a fresh memory,


    Flash, grabbing MJ and pulling her back into the diner as he rushed past her, her cries cutting out sharply as the ceiling collapsed on top of her. Blood pooling around the ragged edges of the debris.


    Gwen, staring in horror as he pulled her towards him, her head striking the table. Peter fighting back tears as he performed CPR even as her breathing became slower and slower. Eventually pushed to one side by paramedics they worked until they covered her in a white sheet.


    Felicia staggered, covered in blood, into the warehouse and as an armoured man attacked him he left her to bleed out on the old coffee table.


    ¡°You let them die Peter, but I saved you. I brought you back and now, now you need to do something for me.¡± Wanda said, ¡°take your medicine Peter, and it will make everything go away, just like before, just a nice quiet dream where everyone is alive and everyone is safe.¡±


    With tears in his eyes, Peter stared at her. ¡°Do you love me?¡± he asked and she nodded. ¡°Come here,¡± and she slid over to him. Pulling her onto him he wrapped his arms around her and while she felt the wet patch at her chest grow as he wept she also felt the hot patch touching at her groin. His erection, much larger than she expected, was digging into her. He had pulled her onto his lap, pulling open her dressing gown in the process and while crying buried his face in her chest and sat her on his lap, spreading her legs.


    Wanda had no clue what to do, she had been told to do anything but this, this was too far. However the order was absolute, Use Any Means Necessary.


    ¡°I love you too,¡± and he looked at her and she felt it, she felt the connection to each of the women he shared his life with,


    Gwen shook as he was gentle with her, laying her down as the orgasm swept through her, he gently kissed her as her eyes fluttered and closed. Poison flooding her with endorphins.


    MJ sucked on his large manhood, Muse coating her throat and she took his entire length into her mouth, moaning as he returned the favour and buried his tongue into her. He had learned to stretch it and as it played not just over her clit but her g spot and into her deepest reaches they came together.


    Felicia was bent over, she liked it fast and rough and as her face sucked on Gwen''s, Peter buried himself to the root into her. Felicia moaned and cried out, kissing Gwen as he came deep inside her, and Huntress purred and the three shared in their bliss.


    Liv stood over Peter with her favourite thing, and as she slipped it in her front he buried himself into her ass. Liv liked it rough and usually, she would be tied up, but this time, this time they watched. As the others watched her, pierced and lifted, both holes filled with Peter and his replica, fully on display, she quivered in delight as they began their show.


    Wanda kissed him and slid down, feeling herself getting wet at his memories as they flowed through her. He was a beast, an animal, but each person he was connected to shared in his passion, and now she wanted that too. His mind gently caressed hers and she found her inhibitions melting away, he loved her and it was reflected back, she loved him too and more than anything she wanted this life.


    Growing on the farm she was isolated, no boys other than her father and brother and even after visiting the town several times she knew that the unwashed farmhands, smelling of stale cigarettes and cheap schnapps were not for her. She wanted a rich, suave and kind man. She saw the cruelty behind her father''s eyes and knew she hated him for it, even if it was never directed at her. Peter was kind to those he loved, he protected them and the warmth of his heart made even her feel safe. As she kissed him, she ran her hands through his hair and felt the sweet tenderness of his hands under her nightdress.


    Feeling the erection she rubbed herself against it, letting herself go as they kissed. Peter had lifted her nightgown and with her large breasts free he licked and flicked at her dark brown nipples. As they hardened under his tongue he sucked and gently nipped at them. Wanda moaned in pleasure as she pressed down harder, and lifting his head she stared at him and dipped her head for a kiss.


    Moving her against him he kissed her neck and as he held her close he whispered in her ear.


    ¡°Tell me what you want,¡± and she whined and kissed her neck back.


    ¡°Please, I want it, give it to me,¡± and as he pushed her back he grinned, letting him slide all the way inside her, she moaned and pushed down, as the pain of losing her virginity spread, she bit her lip and the pain broke her spell.


    Wanda felt the world around her shatter and she gasped for air as the cold reality hit her like a truck. Peter, laying on a person bench stared up at her as the red energy surrounding his head crackled and fizzled out of existence,


    ¡°What? what did you do?¡± she asked him as he sat up and put a finger to his lips.


    Tell me how to fool them, tell me how to find the stone.


    Wanda stared for a moment but then she cried out and Peter tutted as he saw it, around her neck was an Oscorp collar. The design had hardly been changed from the one Liv wore, and he shook his head as Wanda clawed at herself.


    Pushing herself off the bench she stared at him. Crackling yellow energy swelled out from the collar and as her eyes flickered with light she stood and stared at him.


    ¡°You should have killed me,¡± and her hands glowed with red energy again.

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Four. Machines Of War

    Peter swore as a bolt of red energy flew at him, and dodging to one side he was struck by a second, conjured moments after the first. He felt whatever it was impact against him, and he gasped as the air was knocked from his chest. The force of the blast blew him back into the room and then through the wall of the cell. He groaned as the woman advanced on him, waving her arms and coalescing the red energy into another bolt,


    ¡°Run,¡± she shouted as the red energy seemed to play around the collar, and it sparked a few times before glowing a bright yellow colour.


    Shit, he thought again, the energy she produces must be interfering with the way the collar works and he dived to the side as another red bolt flew through the hole he had made. Unwilling to reveal his identity as Venom he hoped that Peter would be enough to deal with this scarlet bitch or whoever the hell she was, hope this really isn''t Wanda, he thought as he spied a desk in the room. It was probably an interrogation room, judging by the simple desk and chairs. With no other options, he pulled the desk free of the bolts in the floor and as the woman floated through the hole he swung and batted her back into the cell.


    ¡°Stree-ike!¡± he yelled before releasing what he had just done ¡°uh, sorry¡± he yelled and looking around the room spotted the door and shoulder barged through it.


    Uniformed officers scattered as the door splintered and Peter found himself in the corridor, he had no clue as to which way was out but didn''t care, bash through enough walls and he¡¯d find the exit eventually. As pistols were drawn he shrugged and at least solidified his clothing into symbarmour, he''d been hurt too many times to take chances and he let the clothing morph into a plain black outfit. He was more worried about the crimson energy the woman was using, it hurt and she seemed like a pretty good aim with it as well. No, stop being dumb, and he let his armour cover him completely. It would only take one lucky shot in an unprotected part for it to be all over.


    Holding part of the door Venom charged down the corridor, knocking anyone in his way down, and as another bolt whizzed over his shoulder and tore a new hole in the wall in front of him he saw his chance.


    The room was filled with high-tech equipment, much more advanced than the rotary phone, and black and white PC monitor facade of the office outside. He could hear her ragged breathing and snapping the door in half, he didn''t even look as he spun and threw one piece right at her.


    Bringing her hands up the door chunk stopped in mid-air, and Venom had to dive as it was propelled right back at him.


    Shit, okay, no throwing things at the scary lady, and he scrambled through the hole and looked for another way out.


    Yes, he thought and crossing his arms to cover his face, he dived through the glass window of the room, shattering the thick safety glass and dragging the window shade with him. Tangled up he was blown from his feet by another blast of the red energy. Whatever it was his symbarmour offered no protection against it and he was having trouble adapting to it. It was unlike any energy he had felt before. Just a concussive force, as if a giant fist was punching him from a distance.


    Shaking off the blow he looked around and as the whole building seemed to have gone on alert Venom decided that hoping this wasn''t Wanda and that she would go easy on him wasn''t worth the risk. Slipping into his more heavily armoured black outfit he readied himself to face the woman once more. If he could stay out of her way he only had one chance to fight her, he just needed to get close enough. A nearby car gave him a hiding place, he needed to think, this was a tactical fight, going head-on against someone with Carol''s level of powers was stupid, and holding back because of that was going to get him killed.


    Fighting in the parking lot was going to make things a lot easier, while she could fly he now had a lot of hiding places, and a lot of heavy things to throw at her, as well as his own webbing, just wish I had a grip on my mind powers, he lamented, but using an unstable power was more likely to backfire than do any good, and as he tore the hubcap from a police cruiser he waited for her to make an appearance.


    That was the problem though, as the woman levitated through the broken window it simply crumbled around her to make space for her and Venom knew she was way out of his league. Carol had been right once more, there was power and then there was this cosmic bullshit. Natasha¡¯s no devices rule left him without the harness, which right now he needed, his powers being mainly physical left him at a disadvantage and he needed something to counter the fact she could fly.


    Venom sighed, taking in a deep breath he let his claws extend and rolling out from behind the car he slashed them at her, sending the razor-sharp tips flying towards her. As Wanda grabbed the spikes with her powers Venom flipped himself over and sent web after web towards her. There had to be a limit to the number of things she could manipulate unless she had a computer for a brain.


    Shit, he thought, I hope she doesn''t, and he cursed, sending more and more projectiles towards her. Attaching the web to the hub cap he sent it flying, hoping to use it as a kind of whip and club against her superior height, but she grabbed it and crushed it into a ball with her red energy.


    ¡°Enough,¡± she yelled and the ones she had caught flew back at him and flipping and diving out of the way she conjured another ball of energy to throw at him, "I can''t fight it, I don''t-" and she screamed in agony as the bright yellow light from the collar covered her.


    Don''t hate me, Venom thought, and shaking his head, hiding behind another cruiser he knew it was unkind, ¡°uh, hey, uh, how about, you know, rather than fighting we go back to the last dream. I mean, I was in, and you seemed pretty into it,¡± and he shook his head, low blow but anything to tip the scales. If the illusion was broken as she felt imaginary pain, then strong emotions plus her powers might overload the collar. Making her really angry should lessen its effects and he hoped he could stay out of her way long enough.


    She started to yell again and the debris from the ground started to lift up and Venom smiled behind the mask. He knew what having an anger problem was like and he just hoped that he wouldn''t regret it, if he suddenly discovered she could lift every car here, then he would be in trouble.


    ¡°I mean, nice rack and all but I prefer to taste what''s really underneath. If you catch my drift, sink my meat in,¡± and she screamed again, the debris pelting towards him at high speed,


    Oh yeah, anger issues. And as he flipped he avoided the larger chunks but let the smaller pebbles hit off his armour. Bullets were no issue and unless she could throw things at supersonic speeds, small rocks weren''t an issue either,


    Shit shit shit, he thought as the car he once hid behind levitated, crushed itself into a ball and hurtled towards him, ¡°shit lady, cranky because you didn''t get to finish, I get it,¡± and rather than avoid it, Venom shot out two thick webs grabbed it the ball and spun himself around, throwing it back at her.


    She roared in anger and the ball of scrap disintegrated as red-clad hands tore through it like it was nothing but paper but this time Venom had followed it, using the weight to pull himself towards her. As she stuck out her hands, Venom covered them in the stickiest webbing he could make and flipped over her, twisting her arms behind her back and webbing them there.


    He could see the red and the yellow energy of her powers and the collar crackling over the collar and as he used the only thing he had free, his tongue. As he grasped onto it he felt the same energy as before, the fucking Mind Stone he cursed.


    Ultron had been here, but not only that he was in cahoots with Shield, or whatever asshole ran this place. If the Tesseract could be used to make an energy weapon, then the Mind stone could be used in the same way. To create and power a collar capable of robbing someone of their own free will.


    Add in the chip that Norman designed for the harness and Shield had slave collars of all the fucking tropes to make work, they went for that one. Peter was an avid reader and the slavery collar was well used in fantasy novels and right now, he was busy wrapping his tongue around a real one, trying to lift it even slightly from the woman''s throat.


    ¡°Sorry about this,¡± and as he finished webbing both her arms behind her back he reached around and grabbed her breasts, she roared in anger, and he felt her powers repulse him from behind her. Webbed on tight though she had no choice as could only struggle with his arms around her. and the red finally overpowered the yellow, shorting it out and as Venom''s tongue lifted the device his teeth extended into two mandibles and bit through the steel choker. He could have tried to initiate contact with the device. He had worn Liv''s harness with no issue, but he had no clue if doing so while it was active and actually around someone''s neck would harm them, and right now, he didn''t want to find out.


    As it slid free, Venom felt the women relax and they plunged to the ground. With both arms supporting her he lowered her to the ground gently and let the collar slip into his hand. Felling the commands pulse around it he let his symbskin connect to the neural interface and was bombarded with the commands she had been given as well as the intricate design of its circuitry. Growling in anger Venom crushed the device in his hand and turned to the woman, laying on her side panting and glaring at him.


    ¡°The collar is gone,¡± she said in a thick easter European accent. ¡°Can you free my arms?¡±


    ¡°Uh, you won''t attack me right?¡± and she glared at him,


    ¡°For what you did, what you said, I should kill you, but no. I have business inside first, then we see,¡± she said and Venom let out a long sigh,


    ¡°Really, let''s not, okay,¡± and using a finger he wrapped symbskin around the bindings and let it dissolve them back into his body.


    The woman stretched and red sparks covered her hands as she flexed her hands, ¡°Wanda, and you?¡±


    ¡°Oh shit, uh Venom, Peter, and uh yeah, your dad sent me.¡± Please don''t be fucking pissed at him, Peter really didn''t want to fight her again, he doubts the car trick would work twice. She snorted,


    ¡°Of course, my father. You say shit about this and I tell him about your little touchy-feely okay?¡± and Venom nodded, ¡°but, you want to kick some ass? They have more collars in there, and more, so much more.¡± and Wanda let the red aura envelop her and floated back into the building,


    ¡°Stress relief, sure,¡± and Venom sent out a web line and pulled himself back in the window after her.


    In the capital, over the phone to the outpost commander A smartly dressed and neatly uniformed man watched the live security camera feed, as the pair worked their way through his men. Against the pair, they stood no chance and as a remote outpost, mainly for containment they had none of the more advanced weapons that he equipped his own men with.


    As the commander on the phone panicked he only said one word before hanging up, ¡°Die,¡± and with a snarl resisted the urge to throw the phone at the wall.


    As he watched not just the Witch but this new agent smash and incapacitate the soldiers, he picked up his office phone and began to mobilize the troops. He knew that once they were finished there, they would be coming for him.

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Five. Trying Times

    Wanda was still floating in the building as guards and police officers raised their pistols at her. Venom could hear one on the phone


    ¡°She¡¯s free sir, what do we do?¡± and he heard a small cry, while he couldn''t hear the rest of the conversion, he guessed it was ¡®die¡¯ and the building was being abandoned.


    Venom stood in the ruined office and heard the screams of the men and women in the building. He knew that pain, that anger that bubbled and hid beneath the surface. Not just him, he dealt with his anger at last and even Liv had yelled and screamed at him, at them all for not letting her die. The final catharsis of realising she was free, that her life was now her own and as she lay weeping on Peter''s chest he had simply held her, but right now Wanda was still in the full swing of her anger.


    She had been collared and enslaved, Liv knew what that was like and Peter had heard the commands through the collar, knew the compulsion the Stone could give. Trapped behind her own body Wanda could have done unspeakable things, had unspeakable things done to her and now, the office paid the price.


    He simply waited though, this wasn''t his fight and he had other priorities, he needed the location of either Ultron or the Mind stone, preferably both. If Ultron was using the stone already, who knew how many enhanced slaves he had under his control and for once Peter wasn¡¯t looking forward to finding out.


    The cries of the officers in the building soon stopped and Peter had already been tapping away at a computer in one of the other rooms. There was little on it to tie whatever they were doing to Wanda and Ultron but as she floated back through he raised an eyebrow at her.


    ¡°If you say a word about your fantasy, I will tear you apart.¡± She hissed at him and he shrugged one shoulder.


    ¡°You made that, not me, so don''t get pissy about it now,¡± he replied, idly memorising as much of the information on the screen as he could.


    Wanda tightened a fist and red energy crackled over it, ignoring her and concentrating more on the screen. ¡°The collar reached for your deepest fantasy, a way to make you obey and I was made to go along with it, don¡¯t think for one second-¡± but Peter stopped and raised a hand,


    ¡°Then we¡¯re both victims here. I didn¡¯t like it any more than you did, it was a delusion, nothing more, nothing less. It was a dream, a fantasy, so don''t worry that I¡¯ll suddenly push you down and expect a repeat. You were in my head, you saw who I live with. You saw how I treat them. I would never, not unless you wanted to. and I''m sorry."


    What Peter didn''t know was that was part of the problem. Wanda had been raised strictly by Magneto and the thought of sharing a man with four other women was horrifying. Her father would go berserk if he knew what they had done, what image stayed in her mind even as she looked at him. While the collar had made her, and her own power supplied the delusion, she had constructed it as a way to reach him, and it was her own desire and willingness to go along that made it so real, but not just for him but for her. The ache that lingered between her legs was a testament to that.


    ¡°Shit,¡± he cursed under his breath, and he sighed. ¡°Coming back in contact with Mind Stone energy awakens my powers. I''m sorry for what I said but I needed you angry and upset to break that stupid collars control. I''ve been in contact with the stone before, I know how bad it gets. I''m sorry but can we get back to figuring out where the stone is now, so this doesn''t happen to anyone else."


    Wanda huffed and crossed her arms, ¡°well, don¡¯t get any ideas tough guy but the stone is at Shield HQ,¡± and she floated past him. ¡°You coming? Novi Grad is about an hour away, and uh, I can drive if you can¡¯t fly?¡± as she floated out of the hole and he leapt down, they found a cruiser with minimal damage, the rest either crushed or riddled with holes from her attacks.


    Well, shit, Peter thought, this is awkward. ¡°Uh no, sorry, can¡¯t fly, and eh, yeah don''t have my licence either,¡± and Wanda laughed.


    ¡°Who said anything about a licence?¡± and waving a hand, the locks clunked and the car doors opened. Peter raised an eyebrow in suspicion as Wanda got into the driver''s seat and with a wave of a red covered hand the engine roared into life and the radio came on.


    Great, road trip with 80¡¯s music, and even Peter winced as Wanda changed gear to a horrible crunching noise,


    she shrugged, ¡°not used to stick,¡± but the car¡¯s engine roared once more and Peter and Wanda sped off towards the capital.


    After a few minutes of Wanda¡¯s bad driving, Peter slowly cranked the window down to let some fresh air in,


    ¡°It''s cold, close it,¡± Wanda complained but Peter shook his head,


    ¡°Unless you want to be riding more than just a stolen cop car, then no, fresh air is a must.¡± and she quickly looked at him,


    ¡°One of my powers, uh, makes people like me, especially women, so no, windows stay open, unless you really want to finish what we started,¡± and Wanda responded in something he didn''t understand,


    ¡°Fucking American, stupid fucking powers,¡± she said, shivering as the chilly bitter cold seeped into the car. Peter shrugged and went to turn on the AC but it blasted out warm but foul-smelling air into the car and even Wanda shook her head. She knew about other mutants from her father. He had been adamant about teaching her and Pietro about the mutant rights movement, and its darker side. Magneto had warned her that the powers mutants possess were varied and that some could even control her mind, so a pleasant scent to make a woman lust after him wasn''t out of the question and at least he was, no wait, that bastard wasn¡¯t shivering like she was,


    ¡°Are you not cold?¡± she asked innocently and he shook his head.


    ¡°I don''t feel the cold, shit, uh, these aren''t clothes. It''s like, armour I guess," and his clothing shifted and became his usual jeans and shirt combo. Wanda tutted, so not only did she have to suffer the cold but the bastard that was causing it wasn''t even affected as well,


    ¡°Close the window, I''m freezing and I don''t care about your stupid power,¡± she said but Peter shook his head,


    ¡°Nope, not getting into trouble again cause someone didn¡¯t listen. Look, Wanda, I mean this really, I would, and you won''t be able to stop yourself, it''s potent and in a little car we¡¯ll be tongue-deep in each other in less than an hour, so please, just, uh, just bear it okay?¡± but she shook her head and red energy wound the window handle back up.


    ¡°Don''t say I didn''t warn you then,¡± and Peter moved away from her as far as he could on the seat. Even after the radiation treatment of the new formula and the Mind Stone, Peter couldn''t control the pheromone he released, it was a basic part of his biology, no more than her could live without a beating heart and even if he was calm the small car would quickly fill and, well, shit he thought, I warned her.


    hmph, she thought as if you are the only one with powers, and a subtle red glow filled her side of the car. Peter looked over and gently pressed an invisible wall with his finger and as he squinted he could see the faint red tinge to the air around her.


    that''s pretty cool, he thought, but as she stared at him smugly he decided not to mention it. He did however roll his window back down, even as Wanda glared at him. ¡°Use your powers to keep warm then, cause really, it¡¯ll get back, barrier or not.¡± and she could only hmph at him.


    ¡°We need a plan, we should go get your dad and brother before doing this,¡± he said trying to break the silence


    ¡°NO!¡± she yelled with a bit more force than she wanted. ¡°They would have us hide, have me forgive and forget. My father is a coward, he should have done this a long time ago,¡± and Peter frowned, wondering what she meant.


    ¡°10 years, my mother was one of the local girls, not a mutant, not like us.¡± and while Peter listened he wasn''t going to correct her, ¡°and one day your Shield came, asking my father to fight, that he could end the war and civil unrest in a few days. All they needed was for him to fight, or help. He refused, of course, he did, after his friend was killed he hid. A trigger-happy recruit, who¡¯d never seen a mutant, before shot at him and of course, he defected it. It hit my mother and after that, he stopped using his powers. He would tell me that revenge only creates more revenge and that this is stupid. Wanda shook her head, ¡°if he knew. If you knew what they did to me, you wouldn''t stop me either.¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°I threw a guy off a building cause he bullied me in high school so uh, knock yourself out,¡± and Wanda laughed.


    ¡°Really?¡± and Peter nodded.


    ¡°Yup, and then my girlfriend beat the shit outta him because he bullied her as well, and then he ratted me out to Shield, so yeah, you¡¯re both right. If I¡¯d let him go, just taken the higher ground then right now, I¡¯d be home and they¡¯d all be safe. But, you¡¯d be in a collar, and whatever the hell is going on here would be a secret, so yeah, it goes both ways I guess.¡±


    Wanda gripped the steering wheel, ¡°I guess it does.¡±


    What Peter had said made sense, that fighting Shield was a losing cause, even if they were to blame for the unrest in Sokovia. Wanda had been exposed to the Mind Stone and after had the ability to read the minds of those around her. She knew that the American offices of Shield had no idea it was that bad, she knew they had no idea what the real situation was but she intended for them to find out.


    ¡°You know about the stone?¡± she asked, he was easy to talk to and she was warming to him. After spending so much time on the farm with just her brother, even the catcalling assholes in town had been appealing, but Peter was, nice, yes, she thought, he was nice. She could smell a faintly sweet odour coming from him, so much for his stupid power then, as all it seemed to be doing was making the inside of the cruiser smell better.


    ¡°Sure, one of six, it''s a repository of all knowledge but uh, not in a good way, like try reading a hundred books at once kind of bad. I used it to uh fix my powers, so I know how bad it gets, the way it breaks you down and makes you feel so small." Peter took a deep breath and let it out, the experience had not been a pleasant one, "but it unlocks potential, you had powers before right? The red energy?¡± and Wanda nodded.


    ¡°My father already told us about mutants, Pietro can access a kind of friction power and father, well, Magneto isn¡¯t just a nickname. I uh, can move stuff, use the red energy to manipulate stuff, and a bunch of other stuff. and a bit more, after the stone.¡± Wanda shifted a glance at Peter who was sitting with his head against the backrest of the chair with his eyes closed.


    ¡°Hey it''s fine if you don''t want to say, I mean, I¡¯m a stranger, so sure but, I was injected with a mutagenic compound and bonded with an alien called a sym-, no a Klyntar. It kinda messed things up as now I''ve got bio armour, called symbskin and a few other abilities as well.¡±


    Wanda stuck her foot on the brakes of the car and Peter opened her eyes to look at her.


    ¡°Alien? Aliens are real?¡± and Wanda turned and stared, while Peter shrugged and nodded,


    ¡°Uh yeah, gods too, met Thor and Loki. One of my girlfriends is like an intergalactic cop, I think,¡± Peter rubbed his head. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s complicated,¡± and Wanda sat back in her seat, gripping the steering wheel.


    ¡°Aliens are real, shit, and you''re not a mutant?¡± and Peter shook his head,


    ¡°Uh no, I don''t think anyone I know is, well, maybe this one girl but uh, a friend of your dad took her before I found out.¡±


    Wanda frowned and sighed. ¡°They do that here too, we hear the stories, of people like me and Pietro, they disappear. My father, he ignores them, but I know it bothers him, I,¡° Wanda hesitated for a moment, ¡°I joined Shield to make a difference, but, they''re not like the ones you know, they are more like a monster, from a story. I was held without food for days before they brought me to a room with a stone in it,¡± she swallowed, trying to force herself to speak. ¡±It, it tore at me, told me I was nothing and showed me things. My father dying as a big silver man put his arm through his chest, him killing a man with a coin. Pietro dying, riddled with bullet holes and I-¡° tears began to drip down her face and Peter rested a hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°Pull over,¡± and as she slowed the car, she collapsed against the steering wheel. Peter could only rub her back as she sobbed and cried.

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Six. Droning On And On

    Wanda took a deep breath, ¡°sorry,¡° and Peter shook his head.


    ¡°Crying is a good thing, but it was just a vision, nothing real. I mean, you''ve been in my head and yeah, just like um, a bad dream, what matters is what''s next, so uh, your dad mentioned coming back to the States. If you want, and uh, my boss agrees we can try the Shield thing for real, I mean, it''s not really up to me but I''m sure they won''t say no.¡±


    Wanda laughed, ¡°big man huh?¡± and Peter smirked and shrugged.


    ¡°No, I just think more¡¯s going on that my boss let on, and they need a group of people who¡¯ll,¡° he hummed and shook his head, ¡°who¡¯ll maybe not be too upset at the idea of cracking skulls, kinda like you. Do I think you¡¯re a bad fit, no, but as I said, it''s not up to me.¡±


    ¡°But that means leaving,¡± Wanda said, frowning and Peter shrugged again,


    ¡°Your dad is anyway, Pietro was packed last I saw him so, I guess the only one with an issue is you,¡± but as they drove Wanda was quiet again, and Peter left her to her thoughts to enjoy the scenery. This was the first time he had ever left the States and while the Spruce tree''s and rolling snowcapped hills were nice, it wasn''t home. It wasn''t until they got closer to Novi Grad that the first obstacle appeared.


    ¡°There,¡± and Wanda pointed. Peter could see the roadblock ahead, a line of soldiers with strangely shaped rifles were hiding behind the barbed wire covered barricade.


    ¡°Might as well stop, you know it''s us they''re waiting for,¡± and Wanda pulled over.


    ¡°Hey shitheads, want to surrender now?¡± and the answer he got was a cloud of blue energy shot at him. Wanda conjured a red energy shield and it deflected harmlessly away but she looked pained, her powers could stop the blasts but not easily.


    ¡°Can you not antagonise the soldiers?¡± she said, wrapping red energy around herself and Peter laughed,


    ¡°It''s kinda my thing,¡± his symbskin armour solid out and now as he towered over Wanda ¡°as is this.¡± Venom lifted the car and taking aim threw it as the barricade. Pulling back he sprang forwards and landed amongst the scattered soldiers. He skillfully avoided the blue blasts the more capable soldiers were firing at them but with Wanda deflecting them away, their actions were futile.


    Sending out web after web, anyone stupid enough to move was webbed down and contained. Rifles were grabbed and pulled from hands, uncaring if the soldier wielding it was dragged along with it, Venom systematically took out each soldier one by one.


    Venom stood as the last soldier groaned on the ground, Wanda floating over. They both paused as they heard the sound of someone clapping.


    ¡°Very well done, Mr Parker. MODOK was correct. You are indeed a great specimen. However, I am disappointed in you Ms Maximov. Did we not keep our end of the bargain, and yet here you are, with the enemy?¡± The voice echoed out of a speaker on the soldier''s APC, and Wanda and Venom approached it cautiously.


    But Venom frowned, who the hell is mo doc? or does this guy just have a really bad accent?


    ¡°Of course, the men were merely a distraction,¡± and as the speaker crackled and went silent, two hatches hissed and opened. From within the vehicle, several drones flew straight up,


    ¡°Well, shit,¡± Venom said, ¡°Drones. Oscorp used them to hunt me before,¡± and as he shot out a fine net of webbing they spun and the webbing was shredded, ¡°and I guess they learned.¡±


    ¡°Drones? You send drones against me?¡± and as Wanda floated up the red energy on her hands flew forwards in a cloud, wrapping itself around the drones and as they whined and squealed she crushed them all.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± and a blue bolt of energy shot out from the vehicle. A hidden sniper remaining out of the pair''s reach. As it hit the red energy of Wanda''s shield it dissipated, and she tumbled towards the ground. Venom dived forwards and uncaring where his hands ended up, stopped her from hurting herself and shot out a dart of web at the now open hatch, covering it partially.


    As another hatchway opened with another sniper, and more drones flew from the top of the vehicle. Shit, Venom thought, he recognized the energy weapons as the same type Carol described, made from the Space Stone energy. Using the Mind Stone they knew it was the safest bet to neutralise Wanda if she ever got free, he wondered if even her power could stop the molecular disintegration effect they had seen. A shield was one thing but she needed to remain vigilant to deflect the attack. A hidden bullet or blast could end her life, and now Venom knew that whoever was in command here wasn¡¯t playing to capture, this was now life and death.


    ¡°You okay?¡± He asked her and even as she blushed, his hand resting awkwardly between her legs he put her down and then leapt at the drones, with sniper and flyers they would be quickly overwhelmed, ¡°take out the drones,¡± Venom yelled, and as he flew through the air he shot out a large stream of sticky web fluid at the truck, covering as many apertures as he could see, as he flipped away the drones bussed around him, razor-edged blades designed to slice through his symbarmour and Wanda weaved and waved her hands as she grabbed them and pulled them away. As he sprayed another vent he made sure the webbing was toxic, the soldiers outside could be checked for a collar but those in the ATV¡¯s were too dangerous to let live.


    This didn¡¯t make sense to Venom, they should know that she could defeat the drones and that he could take out the snipers, so why? ¡°Shit,¡± he cursed. ¡°Wanda, can you sense anyone nearby?¡± as he extended his senses, even as he strained he couldn¡¯t feel anything and even Wanda shook her head. ¡°This is too easy, I think we¡¯re being watched, analysed for a much harder fight,¡± he tutted, wrong senses dumbass.


    Venom had expected a soldier but he found a drone, laden with cameras, and to his technopathic abilities lit up like a Christmas tree. He could see the various emissions it was given off and he realised that this was just like Huntress, he was seeing the electromagnetic spectrum and if he could see that, then he could see it all.


    Wanda, right there, he sent to her and as she narrowed her eyes at the psychic link she squinted and a bolt of red shot from her hands, the drone exploding in a small ball of red and blue energy.


    I would prefer you stay out, Wanda sent back, understanding now why her father hated telepaths so much, the contact was personal and overly familiar. Peter or whatever he was was not just sending thoughts but feelings as well, his frustration at the spy camera, the anticipation of a fight, the worry about his loved ones, and his arousal at the thought of seeing them again, and something she didn¡¯t expect, concern that Wanda was okay, that she was unhurt and more importantly, safe. you send too much, not just a message but everything, stay out.


    Venom felt a door slam as she erected some kind of barrier against him, rude but cool, he mused. Wonder if she¡¯d teach me? He let out a breath and pondered what exactly to do with the men in the ATV, the soldiers on the ground were all still but he couldn''t feel the stones influence on them.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± he whispered and let his newfound ability wash over them. As he touched their minds he felt their hatred, fear, anger, and a prominent thought, kill us and another will take our place. These men were indoctrinated, a cult of some kind existed within Shield but no matter how hard he pushed he couldn''t find out more. As he tested his powers the men screamed and twisted.


    ¡°Stop,¡± Wanda grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away/ ¡°You can''t. Even they don¡¯t deserve torture,¡± but Venom shook his head.


    ¡°They aren''t Shield, there is something else going on here. The war, the riots, everything is connected. I only got bits but it''s been planned, this is a set-up. These men aren''t innocents Wanda, plus uh, we already killed those guys,¡± and Venom pointed at the ATV, covered in a thick layer of webbing. Whoever was in there had slowly choked as they fought the drones.


    Wanda stared at him and then at the ATV, she tried to sense the men within and there was nothing. He was right, she had just killed those men. Even if it was Venom, she was a part of it and he stood stoically as she bent over and was sick.


    Collapsing on the ground she shook her head, ¡°I never wanted to,¡± and she stared up at him. ¡°Why? Why are you okay with this? You¡¯re a monster¡± and she shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m a monster.¡±


    Peter looked at her, his face a hard mask, ¡°Your dad kills some soldiers and you¡¯re fine with that but this is upsetting?¡± Peter sighed, ¡°people don¡¯t like us, not you and me but people like us, those with powers. They¡¯re scared, scared we¡¯re the monster they grew up hearing about, and they¡¯ll try to kill us just for existing. These men, they¡¯d kill us without blinking, they got what they deserved. They¡¯re the monsters, Wanda, we never even got a chance to surrender.¡± leaning over Peter took one of the rifles, its power pack still glowing a bright blue.


    ¡°These, these aren''t bullets,¡± and pointing at one of the men he fired and he didn''t even scream as he evaporated into dust. ¡°They would have killed us, no questions, no cuffs, just dead. It sucks, it''s hard, but they¡¯re the ones we were warned about, the bogeyman that comes for you and won''t stop, won''t listen.¡±


    Peter made his way around each of the soldiers, firing at them one by one until the road was silent and only he and Wanda remained.


    ¡°This is war, your dad hid but I don''t get that choice, I''ve been outed. I''ve got family and loved ones to protect, I''m not the monster here, they are.¡± Venom let his symbskin envelop the weapon and as the energy touched his cells he felt a rush, like a drug, as he drained the battery dry. One by one each weapon was neutralised and Wanda stared at him, unmoving, watching him as he went about his work.


    ¡°Go home Wanda, your dad and brother are worried about you, this,¡± Venom shook his head. ¡°I made peace with killing a long time ago. Some people won''t stop until the blood runs and locking them away doesn''t cure that, the hate doesn''t end until they do.¡°


    Venom rested a hand against the web covered ATV and as his webbing touched the solidified mass it began to melt and shrink back. ¡°I¡¯ll face my reckoning when I''m done, but it¡¯ll be alone and no one can share that burden with me, but¡± and he shrugged, ¡±not today,¡± pulling open the hatch at the back of the ATV.


    Inside he saw the two snipers bodies, webbing them and pulling them from the vehicle he took their rifles and shot both bodies, evaporating them. ¡°Today I go fuck up some maniac with a fetish for ray guns and killer robots.¡± and he let his armour slip back into his regular clothing, Peter bundled the drained weapons into the ATV and searched for the keys.


    Wanda lifted herself up and brushed the dirt from her legs. Her eyes and hand glowed red for a moment and a set of keys flew towards her, ¡°you can¡¯t drive idiot,¡± and she unlocked the driver side door and sat adjusting the seat, "plus, who else will listen to those speeches? If you ever stop being an ass you should write birthday cards, for assholes." and he laughed.


    ¡°I can learn. To uh, drive, not write cards,¡± Peter said, chuckling, and he motioned to the locked passenger side.


    Wanda rolled her eyes at him and waved a hand, as the red energy lifted the lock Peter climbed in, ¡°so, music?¡± and Wanda just shook her head as she got the ATV into gear and the pair drove off, heading towards whatever trap had been set for them in Novi Grad.

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Seven. Attack The Block

    Peter and Wanda were sitting silently, driving down the main highway to the capital city of Sokovia, Novi Grad.


    The main HQ of the Allied Shield and Defence Force of Sokovia was almost in the main plaza of the city and it was constantly surrounded by busy protestors, even at night.


    A civil war had been raging in Sokovia for over 15 years, and once Shield turned up the situation took a downward turn. Rather than helping, their efforts only seemed to enflame the population, and not just protests but riots and violent terrorism sprang up in response.


    It was a widely talked about situation, even in America where talk of invasion was on everyone''s lips. This time, as Sokovia had no oil or strategic importance, the higher-ups were willing to let Shield and the World Security Council deal with it.


    Now of course Peter knew exactly why. Someone was using Sokovia as a staging area, testing or hiding new weapons tech. The energy rifles had the same power source as the Goblin hammer and Carol had identified them as Tesseract and nazi tech.


    So nazi¡¯s ran Sokovia, great thought Peter, probably get some limp-dicked fucking weirdo with a stupid moustache and a limp.


    What was worse was that Peter knew it was Oscorp tech, and that Osborn was a bigger shitbag than anyone knew. He made a vow to investigate Tony once they got back, if Osborn was hiding here to test out experimental weapons then why was Stark''s name all over the news. Was he also involved or was it the smokescreen to cover the illegal tests?


    Wanda laughed, you need to learn to control your thought more Peter, limp-dicked nazi huh? and Peter blushed a bit, he had never spent time around someone with the same power set as him before and it was turning out to be harder than he thought to control his thoughts.


    ¡°It''s easy, just think of something simple, like a door and then push that to the front of your powers, once the thought is there, you don''t think about it, just use it to send out your powers.¡±


    Peter imagined opening a door, a stupid door, a door. Nah, doors were dumb, how did telepathy work, impulses, so the mind reading and telepathy were like his normal senses, rather than temperature or air pressure it was electrical disturbances, so he was touching the flow of power through the person.


    Peter closed his eyes, wait, if he could see the electromagnetic spectrum, oh what a fucking idiot, he thought and Wands smirked, yup, an idiot all right.


    Oh yeah, Peter sent her the last image from the vision they had shared and then slammed down a curtain of white noise, making the radio squeal and the lights in the ATV flicker


    ¡°Damn uh, sorry, sorry,¡± he said, ¡°I uh, projected rather than shut off.¡± Unamused by the image of her straddling him, Wanda tutted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t project, if you short the wiring out we¡¯d be walking to Novi Grad, and I''m not carrying you,¡± she huffed. If he got a grip on his powers then good, but fooling around and making things worse was, wait, she thought. ¡°How long have you had your powers?¡± she asked, dreading the answer.


    ¡°Uh, telepathy? Maybe a few weeks. The rest, about a year.¡± and Wanda sighed,


    no wonder, he¡¯s a stupid man-baby. ¡°Well, then stop playing around with them and focus, training is only good when you can learn, and killing us both before we start isn¡¯t training. So stop doing what you''re doing, oh and for the love of god stop thinking about Felicia and Liv and oh, I swear, I will hurt you if that''s a riding crop she¡¯s holding,¡± and Peter shrank in his chair. He couldn''t help it that strong domineering women were his type. Focusing he felt the flow of energy around him and like his enhanced senses he cut it off. No longer feeling the buzz around him he looked at Wanda, eyebrows raised,


    ¡°There, better?¡± and she nodded.


    ¡°Practice once we get somewhere safe, I¡¯ll, don''t make me regret this but I¡¯ll help, just, if you think about sex once more then I¡¯ll make you a eunuch, I swear it.¡± Wanda looked at an approaching sign and Peter stared as well,


    ¡°How far?¡± he asked and she translated,


    ¡°Another 30 mins or so, we should be seeing the city soon enough.¡± The rocky terrain hid the large city from them, but as the road wound and twisted around the tall mountains Peter soon realised that while Sokovia was small, the capital was not.


    ¡°We should ditch the van and make our way on foot, well, me on foot. We can¡¯t be caught driving a stolen police car into the capital.¡± and Peter slid into the back of the ATV and began to web the equipment he wanted to take back to the US down. ¡°Leave the keys in it and hide it somewhere, I want to see if we can take the whole thing back with us, plus uh, we¡¯ll need it to get back to the farm.¡±


    Wanda nodded and pulled off the main road, parking behind a distance sign. ¡°Are you well known?¡± Peter asked and she frowned. ¡°If we walk into town will someone recognise you?¡± and she shook her head.


    ¡°I don''t have ID though¡±


    but Peter snorted. ¡°We¡¯re telepathic, who needs ID, plus, uh you can fly. Just go up,¡± and he was going to take a trick from that asshole Charles''s book. If he could make someone forget he was there, why not do the same? ¡°Once we get into town I want you to fly straight to the headquarters and I¡¯ll meet you there.¡±


    Peter had seen enough and once they were in the city there were plenty of high rises he could use to swing around with no problems. He doubted Novi Grad had the same high tech security street cameras New York did and he could really let loose.


    ¡°Okay, the plan is to get to the main building, you know your way around so we need the main lab where you think the stone is being held. Once we have it, we leave, I know you want revenge but we can''t stay too long. We''re powered but there are only two of us and a lot more of them.¡± Wanda scowled but nodded


    ¡°I know, but sometimes hit and run works better than hit.¡± Plus Peter wasn¡¯t about to mention the possible army of killer robots that could be waiting for them. ¡°Do you know if the stone affects your powers? I mean, A friend of mine was powered up by another stone and she said that they reacted to each other, so uh, just remember if your powers suddenly go kaput to see if some asshole has the stone nearby.¡±


    Wanda shook her head, ¡°I''m a mutant, I didn''t need the stone, it just made me better at using my power,¡± and it was Peter''s turn to frown.


    ¡°Wait, the red energy isn''t from the stone?¡± and Wanda shook her head,


    ¡°I''m the Scarlet Witch, it''s my magic.¡±


    ¡°Aw come on, magic''s real too? That''s just bullshit.¡± Peter complained, great, another power to keep track of. And staring at Wanda, he made sure she heard him.


    Wanda just grinned at him. ¡°Magic is more than real Peter, it''s the only real power in the world,¡± and as the red energy covered her, she grinned and flew off towards the city, leaving Peter stood watching as she sped off,


    ¡°Could have at least given me a ride.¡± he lamented,


    You did enough of that earlier, she joked back and he rolled his eyes, huffing. Looking at the number on the road sign he shook his head,


    Seeing that it was still at least 20 kilometres to the city he let his symbskin cover him and took off after her. As he ran he began to examine his own senses and the energy in his body, the energy around him and how they were interacting.


    He could hear the noise coming from the city. An indistinct chatter as if he was tuning into a hundred thousand different radios all at once. If his powers allowed him to see and manipulate the electromagnetic spectrum, to see ultraviolet and infrared then his telepathy was an extension of that, a way for him to tap into the subconscious flow of electrons that made up a mind, and whatever strange energy made up consciousness.


    Now he knew the ¡®how¡¯ he could shape the method. Rewiring his symbskin was as simple as recreating a circuit or connecting to the device, as long as it wasn''t a dense or radioactive mineral he could copy it and if he could copy it he could recreate its effects. Seeing into the electromagnetic spectrum was as simple as making armour.


    Watching Wanda manipulate the red energy had clicked with his own power, but rather than a form of energy he had a form of matter, it was simply a different method of manipulation.


    Once the higher buildings began to populate the capital, Venom shot out a web line, climbed to the top of the tallest building and his symbskin shimmered and he vanished, ¡°Wanda, I''m coming up on your position now,¡± and he saw her floating above on the high rises nearby. It was broadcasting way too much information for a simple tenement block and he figured that this was the real headquarters, the other a fake office to distract the rioters.


    Even now, as he stared at the crowd gathered he could see several of them all carrying high tech communications equipment, its signals bouncing back and forth between what appeared to be at least 20 people in the crowd and the building across from them. They were moles, sent in to rile and control the crowd, and Peter knew even more that he needed to either report or put a stop to this.


    ¡°Finally got a handle on it?¡± Wanda asked and Venom nodded, ¡°You still need to hide your mind better,¡± was all she said and as she did the small candle of his mind flickered and vanished.


    ¡°I understand now, not just the theory but the practice,¡± and now that his powers had evolved once more he felt stronger, maybe if Carol or Thor paid a visit to Earth he would see if they could spar. Venom also looked forward to getting his hands on the Mind stone again, the brief exposure to its energy through Wanda deepening his understanding of his own powers.


    ¡°Good, they have guards, all with those rifles, I can feel at least 50,¡± and Venom nodded. To him each one was a glowing light in the building, he could sense their minds and they were on alert, they knew that Wanda and Venom were coming and were prepared. Where Venom was concerned though was he could see that on at least half of the guards was a bright spot of yellow energy around their neck. Wanda wasn''t the only one in a collar and it seemed whoever was in charge had a supply of them.


    ¡°Are you ready for this?¡± Venom asked her and she nodded, but still looked unsure and he shook his head.


    ¡°Are you sure? cause they¡¯ll be trying to kill us.¡±


    Wanda looked down, ¡°my people die here every day. I watched them kill my mother, and what my father did after. I was ready to cross that line years ago, only my father stopped me¡± and with that the red energy covered her and she floated up ¡°all you need to do is stop me if I go too far,¡± and she shot off towards the building, crackling red with her strange power.


    Damn, she is fucking hot, Venom thought to himself and he felt a sliver of annoyance coming from Wanda. If she didn¡¯t like his thoughts, she should stop reading them, but it was also good practice for his own control. With a smile and a nod of approval, as he focused on Wanda¡¯s behind, he shot out a web line and followed her down towards the building.


    Unseen by him though, she had a small smile on her face and as she grinned stupidly, she floated towards the building, ready to take back her life.

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Eight. Red, Black And Blue

    Stealth was never going to be an option here. They knew they were coming and it was only a matter of time. The ATV probably had a LoJack on it and all that Venom and Wanda had control over was where in the building they entered from.


    Take your pick, he thought, and Wanda simply screamed and blew a big hole in the side where the most people were. Smirking, Venom had his own plan and copying Poison, released a cloud of fine webbing into the air. As it drifted down, it began to burn and sting the throats and noses of everyone not wearing protection, spicy, he thought as the crowd panicked but, as he wanted, began to disperse.


    While stealth in the building was out of the question, the last thing he wanted was Wanda and himself to be identified, and getting the civilians to disperse would help with that. As Wanda flew into the building the shots began to ring out. The soldiers below were firing into the air and now the soldiers in the building were beginning to fire at Wanda, bolts of blue energy were being pushed to one side as she quickly learned to deflect rather than absorb the energy.


    If it wasn''t for the fact the blue energy could disintegrate anything and the red was like a truck hitting you, Venom thought the fight was pretty but shaking his head he shot out a line, spun and feet first crashed through the floor below the one Wanda was on. Keep them busy, the largest blue glow is here and I¡¯ll- but he never got to finish that thought.


    ¡°E iz ¡®ere,¡± said a suspiciously French accent and a huge gloved fist thudded into Venom, driving him through a thin partition wall. A large muscular man, chiselled jaw, and shaven head shrugged as Venom shook his head. He immediately thought of Captain America when he saw him, the build, the haircut and the blue eyes are all the same.


    ¡°Great, super soldier guy,¡± and sprung to his feet. The man swung and Venom ducked under the fist and came up behind him, grabbing him by the collar and threw him to the ground. The man rolled and backflipped to his feet, crouching in a well practised martial arts stance. As Venom swung out he pushed himself back, pressed his hands against the wall and leapt forwards, driving a knee into Venom''s crossed arms.


    ¡°I get the French thing but leaping around? Come on,¡± and as the man used walls and barricades to avoid Peter''s blows, he realised that Nat had been right. A well-trained operative was more than a match for someone with powers, and this asshole was enhanced as well. His time with Elektra had been well spent but he needed time with someone like Nat, and he would make sure he got it for him and the rest before he attempted another mission like this. Elektra was good, but Nat and this guy were better.


    Venom ducked under a sweeping kick and had to roll back as the man turned and kicked at him with his other leg. As Venom rolled onto his feet he shot out two web lines, gumming the man''s arms to his legs but with a feat of strength, he simply tore them free from his uniform, uncaring that the fabric ripped. Snorting he pulled the top off, revealing the very muscular torso underneath,


    ¡°We ¡®ave been waiting for u,¡± and reaching behind himself he pulled out a large combat knife, ¡°u ¡®r Venome oui?¡± and Venom silently swore as the man grinned and raised the knife. ¡°Eye ¡®ave been lukeen forwards to zeez.¡± and he sprang forward.


    The blade arced round. and as Venom ducked under it. the man brought his knee up and drove it into Venom''s side, reversing the grip on the blade he swung it back down as Venom tried to avoid them both.


    To his surprise, the blade parted his symbskin and he crouched and rolled away, even as the mark filled in the man laughed. ¡°U like? Eye ¡®ave zeez just for u,¡± and he advanced again.


    As he swung the blade out, Venom sent out a web line, gummed the back of the man''s hand and twisted it. Leaping over him he heard a small pop as the arm bent unnaturally and bringing the arm up behind the man''s back he webbed it there and pushed him forwards. As he stumbled, Venom sent out another line, catching his feet and as the man fell he webbed him to the floor, grabbing his other arm and twisting it up behind his back as well. As he reached out, he could feel the collars around each person''s neck, and unsure if they were willing volunteers or victims as well Venom was unwilling to kill, not unless he had to.


    As he grabbed his neck, he ripped the collar free. He could see one on most of the men here, only two at the back seemed to be free and as the Frenchman groaned he shook his head, ¡°thank you,¡± but Venom wrapped a cord of symbskin over his neck and squeezed until the man fell unconscious.


    Quickly searching through his memories he found that the man in charge, Captain Von Strucker was on this floor, hidden in a panic room that doubled as his office. Once he had dealt with the rest of the man''s squad, he would find Wanda and they would deal with him.


    Seeing their comrade manhandled had no effect on the collared soldiers. They had orders, and it seemed threats of violence wouldn¡¯t dissuade them. Heightened hearing could pick up the screams and cries of soldiers on the floor above and like his partner, Venom got to work dismantling the resistance Shield was putting up.


    Blasts of blue energy punched holes in office furniture as Venom leaped from divider to divider, using them, not as cover, but as a way to hide his presence from the soldiers. With the effect of the tesseract weapons well-known, Venom doubted that even he could survive being hit by one and unlike bullets had no desire to find out. Stealth was pointless, as in the cramped office environment his large frame knocked over cups and slid chairs from behind desks, instead he kept low, almost to the ground and used speed and agility, there was no point in throwing anything to get close, the energy blasts would simply dissolve them.


    I¡¯m an idiot, Venom thought, he had been obsessed with making a ranged weapon that utilised energy, which as Venom he didn¡¯t have. He should have been relying on his webs and as he formed a small but solid ball of webbing he let out a small but stretchy line, sticking it between his forefinger and thumb. He took aim and let it ping through the barricade the soldiers had set up, ha, take that you old shit, not the only one who can use ball bearings. As he slid across the floor he took aim at the bottom of the barricade, knowing the soldier¡¯s feet and shins would be less protected than their torsos, but having bashed his legs against plenty of junk, tables, and other leg high objects in the past, no less painful to be struck.


    The main problem Venom had was that the soldiers, once they came under return fire, began to systematically sweep areas of the room. With the blue clouds of energy disintegrating anything they touched, even a small group was managing to remove any hiding spot he might have, and with enough firepower keep him contained in one area.


    Snorting, as this was exactly what he just warned Wanda of, he instead stuck several web balls to his arm and then crouching in the corner, fired off the first one at knee height.


    As he heard the first crunch he dived, rolled and fired, then again until all five of the balls were shot. He could see the thermal images of the men, rolling on the ground clutching at what he hoped here shattered thigh bones.


    Waiting several moments, he couldn''t see the bright glow of a tesseract weapon being pointed and decided to take the chance.


    Darting from side to side, his stealth held as he made his way across the large office to the blocked corridor, behind the steel foldable barricade. Whoever was hiding hadn''t even bothered to rescue their men, leaving them to their fate.


    Collared foes were webbed down and the collar removed, uncollared were not so lucky, Venom webbed them down and twisted, a move reminding him of the second person he had killed. Tracking the heat he spied a door with a warm handle. The room itself was shielded as nothing was registering, its walls colder than the surrounding area, steel plates probably, anti bombardment armour or some kind of bunker.


    Venom was about to send a mental message to Wanda when he heard a sickening crunch noise, a gargled scream and a pile of ¡®something¡¯ rolled down the stairs to the floor above.


    Wanda had been merciless, as soon as the first soldier fired on her she had lost all pretence of kindness to even those that Venom told her were collared, her control over her powers was greater now, she had been able to conjure several shields at once, each capable of absorbing a blow form the energy rifles while her other hand conjured whips and nets of her own energy, capturing and crushing anyone who fired at her. She had been kind though and only those who attacked her had been dealt with.


    The dead lay in pools of their own blood, and she was uncaring to those who had murdered her own people. To those who were responsible for the waves of violence and destruction that plagued Sokovia every day. Peter might be capable of seeing past the collar but Wanda knew that these people were not innocent, and each of them paid for their betrayal of Sokovia with their lives.


    The words he had spoken echoed in her head, more of an influence than she realised,


    She had great power and with that came great responsibility.


    Her father had great power, and he hid,


    Her brother had great power, and he fooled around,


    Venom had great power and he stuck his neck out, used it to do what was right. Even if he was judged wrong after.


    She was not going to hide like her father, she would find those responsible for her mother¡¯s death and make them pay. Peter would not be alone when he faced his judgment. She would be there with him, equally as guilty and when the dead rose up to accuse her of murder, she would point to their own hands, she would point to the blood they had spilled. She would be by his side no matter what, she would do whatever she needed to, to aid him, and if he went too far, she would be there to stop him.


    Unseen the last remnants of the yellow energy danced around her and for a brief second her eyes flashed bright yellow and then faded, hidden by her own aura. Red energy crackled around her like a cloud of fire, burning with a deep hatred of those who had killed her mother, of those who had enslaved her. Stretching out her senses she felt that her floor was clear, she had killed every person and now it was time to find the man truly responsible.


    She floated down the stairs and saw the webbed bodies and the smashed collars, soft, she thought but if that was his choice then she respected it. As she floated down the corridors she felt for his mind and smiled as she saw him, standing in front of a seemingly well-reinforced door.


    With a grunt and a flick of her hands, the red energy encapsulated the entire wall, door and all and with a heave, it was pulled free and crushed into a ball, which she simply rolled down the corridor.


    ¡°Captain Von Strucker, you owe me a debt,¡± she said menacingly at the cowering man in the room.

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Nine. Struckering A Deal

    Strucker cursed in his mind. MODOK had sent instructions on how to adjust the collars to work on anyone with powers and they had taken Wanda to test it. He had sent over a strange gem that at first killed anyone exposed to it but once Wanda had been bathed in its light she was stronger. Now after interference from whatever that black-clad man was, they were now a giant headache that would cost him his base.


    The collars had been a success, the stone was not. It took 10 men for them to realise it just killed anyone they exposed to it, and it wasn''t until he saw a girl being dragged in he stopped them. It wasn''t out of any kind of sympathy for the girl. He remembered an old file, one left by the last base commander before Von Strucker had removed him for incompetence.


    It warned that a family, one adult male, one young male, and a young girl were to be left alone. They were practitioners of old magics and the last unit they sent had been killed. After MODOKS report, he now knew about Enhanced and that they had been hiding in the forest to avoid the authorities but with the girl here it provided an opportunity.


    Once collar later, and a brief but fruitful exposure to the stone, he finally had what he wanted. A superweapon, His master back in New York had been ecstatic, and Von Strucker had expected to get a promotion away from this pile of shit called a country.


    As Wanda stood, red energy crackling around her like an angry lightning storm, he knew it was over.


    ¡°Hey, shithead, where''s the stone? Tell me and I¡¯ll let you live, don''t tell me and I¡¯ll let Wanda here recite the alphabet by pulling your organs out one by one.¡± The black costumed man spoke, a thick American accent betraying his origin.


    Shield, Von Strucker though, they finally found us.


    The eyes on the man''s mask narrowed, ¡°Found who?¡± he asked but Strucker remained quiet, knowing if he was like Wanda then reading his mind was a possibility.


    ¡°If? If I give you the stone, what guarantee do I have that you won''t kill me?¡± Von Strucker stuttered, he was under no illusion that his life could be coming to an end.


    ¡°Just my word, I won''t kill you, I¡¯ll leave, all I want is the stone.¡± the man repeated. ¡°I¡¯m not even supposed to be here, this isn¡¯t my fight.¡±


    Von Strucker hesitated, he could hear the sincerity in the man''s voice and he knew he had a chance, ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to be here? This isn''t your fight?¡±


    ¡°That''s right, all I want is the stone." As he moved closer he repeated his words, "I''m not supposed to be here, this isn''t my fight," and Von Strucker nodded.


    ¡°You''re not supposed to be here, this isn''t your fight." and the man nodded,


    "All I want is the stone, I''m not supposed to be here," he repeated,


    "It¡¯s in the safe,¡± and he turned to pull a painting away from the wall. Venom watched as the man twisted the knob and eventually it sprang open.


    In the safe were several stacks of money, a lockbox, and a pistol, one of the tesseract designs he had been collecting. Venom tensed as Von Strucker moved his hand over it but pushed it to one side, taking out a smaller box from the back. ¡°The stone,¡± he said, offering the box over.


    Venom took the box and opened it slightly, feeling the energy coming from it he snapped it shut before it overwhelmed him and the other two.


    ¡°See, that wasn¡¯t so difficult, now,¡± Venom shot out webs and snagged everything else in the safe, including the pistol. ¡°I am a man of my word, and I was right, this isn¡¯t my fight.¡± Nodding at Wanda, she shook her head and smirked


    ¡°But it is mine,¡± and Wanda circled her hands, letting the red energy encapsulate Von Strucker, crushing him and reducing the man to nothing more than a ball of bones and torn flesh.


    As she released her powers the ball fell onto the desk with a splash and Venom and Wanda made their way back to the corridor, the giant ball of brick had crushed the men Venom had webbed to the floor. He felt guilty about it but now there was nothing he could do. Wanda had taken care of that.


    ¡°We can head back to the farm, let your dad do whatever he needs to but then, I want out of this place.¡± Venom had had enough of Sokovia. Whatever Fury had intended him to do, other than search for Ultron, it had gone sideways as soon as they got here.


    Venom couldn''t guess if this was Fury¡¯s plan all along, it seemed strange that he¡¯d send a rookie to Shield headquarters, even if they had a, oh shit, he remembered, the facility.


    In all the excitement he got so wrapped up that he had completely forgotten why he and Natasha were actually here. The Shield storage facility outside the capital where all the now-scrapped Goblin armours and weapons were being held. Looking at the pistol Venom imagined that the weapons had been repurposed. He saw no mention of Harry¡¯s sabotage on the weapons systems, only the armour itself and Strucker mentioned mo doc but no Ultron, and a walking suit of barely functioning armour should have been a fresh and prominent thought in the man''s mind.


    Venom groaned. ¡°Do you know if there is a Shield warehouse outside town, that was why I was here, ¡° and Wanda nodded.


    ¡°There is another secure facility, heavily guarded. That one?¡± and Venom had to shrug


    ¡°Honestly, I''ve got no clue, that was Nat¡¯s job, ¡° but Wanda frowned,


    ¡°Nat?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh I came with another agent, but she was hurt when they shot missiles at us.¡± and Wanda frowned.


    ¡°Dad let them hit your plane?¡± and it was now Venoms turn to frown,


    ¡°What do you mean, he let them?¡±


    Wanda swore, even if Venom didn''t recognise the language he definitely recognised the look, ¡°Dad doesn''t let the army or the bombardments hit the farmlands, not our farm, not any of them, they are off-limits. If he did, then.¡±


    ¡°That old shit knew who we were¡±


    Wanda laughed. ¡°Don''t let him hear you call him that, dad is,¡°


    ¡°Already done, and worse,¡± Venom shrugged and Wanda stared,


    ¡°And he didn¡¯t kill you?¡± and he nodded.


    ¡°Pietro said the same thing.¡±


    Wanda took a deep breath and let it out slowly. ¡°If Dad didn''t do anything then he might be madder at you than we thought. Is that why you are here, to rescue me for my dad?¡± and Venom nodded, at which Wanda swore again. ¡°Let me talk to him first, if he knows I''m safe then he¡¯ll be willing to back down, ¡° I hope she added in her thoughts, keeping them closely guarded. "but he probably saw your jet and didn''t care if they hit you. He really doesn''t like Shield.¡°


    Wanda had seen her dad angry before, it had been at least ten years and she was just a little girl when the soldiers first came to the farm, her mom and dad made her and Pietro hide in the house while they went out to talk. When she heard the gun go off she heard the most inhuman scream. When her father walked back into the house, blood dripping from his hands he was shaking, not with grief but with anger and the whole house vibrated as hidden nails and ball bearings floated free.


    An hour later, her father returned and it wasn''t until many years later that she found out what he did. He killed them all. Every Sokovian army checkpoint he found was obliterated, every soldier, innocent or not, was dead, over half of the standing army had been killed. It was hailed as a terrorist attack and was the spark that ignited the civil war that was raging today. Magneto dealt in quiet rage, it bubbled and simmered under the surface and without warning, he killed without mercy.


    It was okay though, he had trusted him to find her, and to rescue her. She knew she could talk him out of hurting her new friend, and she smiled, yes, my new friend she thought to herself.


    ¡°Figured out what to say to your dad?¡± Venom asked, knowing full well that was why she was being weird,


    No, and from now on, talk like this. Dad hates telepathy and won''t have anything to do with it.


    Fine, but no complaining if you see anything you don''t want to,


    Too late for that, Mr ''can¡¯t keep it in his pants'' and Venom snorted


    I live a full and fulfilling life, everyone¡¯s happy, and he mentally shrugged, it seems it''s everyone else that takes issue


    Uh, shit I was just teasing you,


    Venom laughed I know, little miss ''tell me what you want.'' and as they landed Peter noticed her face had gone bright red. doesn''t stop you from leaking your own thoughts on the matter though.


    Peter had gotten hints of surprise, anger, and a little bit of jealousy all from her, and he understood. Polyamory was still frowned upon everywhere and out here in a deeply religious country, even more so. Wanda¡¯s reaction was normal if subdued, but right now he didn¡¯t care.


    This had been too easy, why had Ultron left the stone with Shield and then moved on? If they had the weapons that meant that Ultron probably didn¡¯t, so what was his goal? Peter shook his head as he tried to figure out what the damn thing wanted, as he undid the webbing around the stashed ATV.


    You still think too loud, Wanda complained, anything to change the subject.


    Can¡¯t help it, if you were a megalomaniac robot with delusions of global extinction would you give up a powerful weapon?


    No, not unless I had a better one and needed to distract someone from finding out.


    But other than Stark and Oscorp who has better tech than them? If only we knew his true aim here, Frustrated he began to swear,


    That isn''t helping, you need to be calm and think. If Ultron has a better weapon, where would it be? Where would he hide it and where would he use it?


    An extinction-level event would be chemical, nuclear, or biological. Peter began to speak his thoughts as they cleared the van, something that it didn''t matter where he set it off. A population centre was out, as it would alert the authorities to an attack. No, somewhere quiet or at least not well guarded. Yeah, an eruption, or big ass bomb, but only Stark has that level of tech. So when we get somewhere with a signal I can search for a weapons test or volcano, or something that''s close to erupting anyway. All Ultron has to do is destabilize it and boom, nuclear winter as well as a huge disaster, needing every emergency service, straining not just the military but the civilian services as well.


    Wanda left him to his mumblings, even if she could tune him out it was nice to have someone different to talk to, someone her age who wasn''t either a soldier or trying to get into her pants, again, she thought with a small smile but shook her head. He had too many, she would not be a part of his little fan club. She wanted someone who would care for her. Peter was nice, but not for her, not yet anyway.  Maybe if she could make him see that one was enough, that she would be, oh my god what am I thinking, and she shook her head, and I tell him to keep it in his pants, and she laughed to herself.


    Checking the ATV still had plenty of gas, Peter was in the back cataloguing and draining the batteries of each of the energy guns they had taken, and Wanda smiled as she watched him for a moment, put the van into gear and headed back to the farm.

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Forty. Plane Sailing

    ¡°Took you long enough,¡± was all Pietro said as Peter and Wanda pulled up in the stolen ATV, and Wanda shook her head as Peter shrugged,


    ¡°Yeah, until I met a real mutant, all I had was this dead weight around my neck, constantly complaining and then, guess what, as soon as trouble started they vanished, must be his power or something,¡± and Peter winked at Wanda who was smiling and trying not to laugh at her brother¡¯s unamused expression.


    Erik stood watching, and as Wanda looked over at her father he just shook his head, frowning.


    ¡°Yes, very good. Daughter, glad to see you safe, and you too Mr Parker, your agent Romanov has filled me in, and as soon as you are ready we can leave.¡±


    ¡°Uh, leave? But we haven''t been to the second site yet, and we don''t have a plane¡±


    Eric raised an eyebrow, ¡°well, the grownups talked while you were away and that''s all taken care of. Now if you please I would like to get a move on. Wanda, please, if you want to stay here then-¡± but Wanda stopped him by raising her hand


    ¡°I''m coming,¡± and as he looked over at Peter, getting a frown and a raised eyebrow from Erik.


    ¡°I see, very well.¡± and with that, he headed back into the farmhouse.


    Pietro looked at the pair, ¡°what was that about?¡± but Wanda smiled and shrugged and headed inside as well.


    As Peter moved to head into the house, Pietro put a hand on his chest, ¡°did you, did you boink my sister? And Peter laughed,


    ¡°Boink? Seriously? No-one says boink,¡± and shaking his head while laughing to himself, ¡°boink,¡± and he chuckled and pulled Pietro''s hand off his chest and walked past him, still laughing, ¡°like a spring,¡± he whispered and Pietro tilted his head


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± and he zipped into the house past him. ¡°No, you did not, did you? Did he?¡± He asked, zipping between Peter and Wanda, and as neither of them said anything but Wanda looked guilty while shaking her head Pietro assumed. ¡°Oh you are so dead, I told you, hands-off.¡± and as he zipped forwards he swung a punch out, but it was stopped by red energy.


    ¡°You told him?¡± Wanda asked accusingly, ¡°you told him? Is that right Peter?¡± and he nodded, knowing better than to start anything. ¡°Oh, so you, you of all people. Mr ¡®oh there''s a pretty girl, so let me ditch you for hours¡¯ told him that I was off-limits, is that right? Well then, no, we didn¡¯t do anything. Unlike you I have standards.¡°


    ¡°Hey!¡± Peter shouted, unamused


    ¡°Sorry, I have self-control and Peter was, is a perfect gentleman, so no, we did not and,¡° Wanda pulled Pietro closer, ¡°if you breathe a word to dad that you think I did, I¡¯ll make sure that the last thing you ever use for running is your mouth,¡± and lifting him up, opened the door and he shot off outside like a rocket.


    Peter smirked and shook his head, reminding himself to never get on her bad side.


    ¡°So have fun?¡± Nat smirked as she grilled Peter, ¡°nice to see you picked up another one,¡± and Erik raised an eyebrow


    ¡°Thanks, Nat,¡± Peter said, seeing the look not just on her face, Erik¡¯s face but Wanda¡¯s as well.


    ¡°Right. Well, Erik and I worked out a few details, got our ride sorted and a stopover at the facility. Can you bring me up to speed on what happened?¡±


    Peter looked at Nat and concentrated, letting the memories of the event flow into her, minus the time spent in the mindscape Wanda had attempted to trap him in. Peter figured that while he was observant, Nat was a trained spy and she could see details in his memories that he might have missed, or simply passed over due to lack of knowledge.


    ¡°Wow, uh, that''s a rush.¡± Nat shook her head as the link dissolved. ¡°So, we have a shadow organisation working within Shield that has access to old Hydra Tech and is working with Ultron. Erik, any chance we can leave ASAP?¡± and he nodded


    ¡°We¡¯re waiting on Wanda.¡± who as everyone turned to look at her, looked behind her and smiled.


    ¡°Uh, oops,¡± and darted off to her room.


    Nat shook her head. ¡°Erik agreed to help us with the facility, and I''m authorised to order its destruction depending on the situation. Well, I think this warrants destruction.¡± Peter had nothing to say to that, even if he had an opinion, on this he had to defer to her authority as a Shield agent as well as his boss. He already figured he would get in trouble over the little stunt at the headquarters and opening his mouth now might land him in worse trouble.


    ¡°Eat, get ready, we leave in 10, well, once Wanda packs,¡± and Natasha motioned to Peter, ¡°Can we talk outside?¡± and he nodded and followed after her.


    ¡°Right, now tell me what really happened, there was a gap,¡± and Peter shook his head,


    ¡°No, not relevant, and definitely private, nothing was compromised, not her or me. You saw everything you needed to.¡±


    ¡°And if I make it an order?¡± she folded her arms and sighed


    ¡°Then I tell you and you lose the one bit of trust you¡¯d built,¡± he shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s really not relevant, it was the mindscape Wanda constructed.¡± and Nat smirked


    ¡°Private and not relevant huh? Fine, this time, but in future, anything, and I mean anything gets reported.¡± and Peter stared at her, ¡°what you think you¡¯re little escapade in the toilet isn''t sitting in a report on Fury¡¯s desk? Length, girth, duration, everything. Shield takes things like that seriously, especially when an agent uses sex to entrap a possible suspect. Not just you, that''s why we don¡¯t. You think the paperwork for shooting someone is bad, have sex with them and see how big that headache is.¡± and Peter laughed and shook his head.


    Nat sighed, ¡°sorry, but I''m being serious, and I know you¡¯re not taking it that way. Peter, this is for your own good this time. Not just you but anyone you sleep with while working will suffer, not just the writing a report on how many times you orgasmed and where but how you feel about the person. Every detail will be dragged out and examined to make sure the agent didn¡¯t use their position or authority to coerce the target, it¡¯s painful and humiliating. After we had sex, I spent an hour being examined, physically and verbally, and then four hours filling paperwork out to make sure I hadn¡¯t been compromised, and then, only then did Fury let me take this case.¡± and Peter extended a hand out to her, now unsure if it was allowed. And she took it and patted the back of it.


    ¡°Touching allowed you know,¡±


    ¡°I, uh, just never knew,¡± and she shrugged.


    ¡°It''s part of the type of agent I am,¡° and she looked down, ¡°maybe one day I¡¯ll explain.¡± She took a deep breath ¡°but for now, even if Wanda isn''t finished we need to deal with site two and get back to the states, this got a bit more serious than we¡¯d expected.¡±


    As Natasha and Peter came back into the house Erik and Pietro were standing with exasperated looks on their faces, Wanda still wasn¡¯t packed and was taking her time. Natasha smirked, ¡°woman¡¯s touch then,¡± and headed into Wanda¡¯s room.  A few moments later there was a cry and a red-faced Wanda carrying two suitcases, and a smirking Nat came out. ¡°And done.¡±


    ¡°Well then,¡± Erik spoke and with a wave of his hands, the building began to shake. ¡°It''s been a while but our ride should still be operational,¡± and the walls of the house tore and crumbled apart, pulled to one side by invisible hands, and the floor began to rise.


    ¡°Charles always had more money than he knew what to do with, Beast was always building and so when I left I took a small memento.¡±


    The steel plate hidden under the floor continued to rise and eventually, an old-style jet was lifted from the ground.


    ¡°Uh, think I can take a memento when I leave Shield?¡± Peter asked Natasha who snorted and patted him on the arm.


    ¡°Not until I get mine,'''' she replied and he laughed.


    Erik scowled and shook his head. ¡°children,¡± but even Pietro was amazed.


    ¡°We had a jet, A jet, under the house, and you wait until now to tell us?¡± and he zipped off and the back hatch of the plane squealed as he opened it, and could be heard coughing.


    ¡°Might want to air it out first,¡± he yelled as a loud of dark brown dust swirled out from the door, Pietro speeding around inside and creating a wind tunnel to clear the air.


    Once the giant plume of dust had been blown from the back of the jet, Peter whistled as he entered. While it was obviously from the ¡¯70s, the decor was horrendous, the tech itself was sound. The interior was a pale white colour, now a light cream, aged with neglect, and the seats, once a nice tan leather, were cracked and aged. While Pietro had cleared away the dust the faded interior still smelt musty and dirt and grime, needing water to clean, lined the windows.


    Nat winked as she brushed past him and entered the cockpit, and as Peter was about to join her Erik put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head,


    ¡°Leave Natasha to fly, we can discuss what your intentions for Charles are,¡± and with a fist grip, Peter was guided to a set of four seats, the cleanest grouping in the jet.


    ¡°Charles isn''t about to sit and let you invade his mansion, and if he¡¯s actively using his powers to stop people then you face an uphill battle. While I am unimpressed with your little temper tantrum, Natasha persuaded me not to make an issue of it, and in fact, where we are going will demonstrate that people like myself, and definitely people like Charles, are not to be underestimated.¡±


    Natasha¡¯s voice came over the PA system, crackling, ¡°Wheels up in 5 minutes, pre-flight is shaky at best, and some systems are dead, good enough to get us home but will be a bit bumpy,¡± and as if to highlight her concern as the system shut down it emitted a high pitched whine and squealed before cutting off completely.


    The announcement ended their conversation and the four sat in an uncomfortable silence. As Pietro was the only one without some kind of control over his thoughts, Peter could tell he was dying to ask if Wanda and him were actually in a relationship but even Erik must have guessed as he kept giving him strained looks.


    Thankfully, in a jet, the journey to the second site was short and the intercom squealed into life once more.


    ¡°We¡¯re hovering. Erik, do your thing.¡± and slipping a helmet over his greying hair she smiled,


    ¡°This young man is where I show you that mutants are not to be trifled with,¡± and undoing the door hatch, he floated out as the tang of ozone filled the air.


    Moving over to the other side, he watched as Magneto lifted his arms and a strange whumming noise filled the air. The building below creaked and groaned as the concrete walls cracked and Peter knew he was lifting the steel rebar buried within the concrete.


    As he lifted his arms the whole compound lifted and bringing them together, it was crushed by the immense force of Magneto''s powers, crushing it all together into one massive ball.


    ¡°This is the true power of a mutant young man, and you would be well advised to Stay. Out. Our. Way.¡± Magento hefted the huge ball of crumbling concrete and laid it down outside the compound''s wall. Next, several underground steel vaults lifted into the air and once more he ripped them into shreds, the decommissioned armour and weapons inside being crushed into balls of their own.


    ¡°Well, this is interesting,¡± and he gestured with a hand, pulling over a bar of silver-grey metal. ¡°A gift, a reminder that you should rethink your plan,¡± and as the bar floated over to Peter, he could feel the strange power coming from it.


    As he let his Venom armour slip over his face he saw that the metal was completely inert to his senses, not just invisible but it seemed to be drawing energy into itself. What the hell? He thought as the mask retracted, this is new and he made a note to give this to Liv so they could study it together, maybe she knows what it is?


    As Peter watched, Magento crushed and destroyed the entire base with simple gestures of his hands. Peter watched him with lens covered eyes and noted the electromagnetic spectrum going mad as he wielded his powers. He was now aware of beings that could manipulate energy, and one that could manipulate a fundamental force of the universe was unimaginably terrifying, and even Peter admitted to himself that maybe pissing him off was a bad idea.


    ¡°Okay, I get it, but that doesn''t change the fact that that asshole came in with no warning and took a traumatised girl away. No asking, no talking, just took her. Scary powers or not he needs to make amends for that.¡± and as Erik floated back over to the jet and landed softly back inside he stared at Peter.


    ¡°And you think that you are the one to do that?¡± but Peter nodded as he stared back.


    ¡°Using magnetism is dangerous, and using your powers like that is reckless and irresponsible. You¡¯re just as fucking bad, so no lectures or you will find out exactly what I¡¯m capable of.¡± and Erik laughed as Peter scolded him.


    ¡°It''s just magnetism, young man, just magnetism.¡± but Peter shook his head.


    ¡°Atoms are held together by electromagnetism, the Earth is protected by a huge electromagnetic shield. So no, it¡¯s not ¡®just magnetism¡¯, read a fucking book.¡± and as he sat down and stared at the metal bar Magento had given him he heard the one weapon any man fears,


    ¡°Atoms? Is he right? Can you really do that?¡± Wanda yelled at him and as Peter smirked in his chair, he knew that Erik would never win.

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Forty-One. Gen-Oh-Sh*t

    After the massive tongue lashing Wanda had given her father over responsible use of his powers, something Peter felt that he must have given her plenty of times, the rest of the flight was quiet. Erik may have shot Peter several scathing glances but as he examined the metal bar the best he could, Peter just ignored him.


    It was several hours later that the intercom squealed again, waking Peter from a small nap he had taken.


    ¡°Erik, we¡¯re coming to the coordinates you gave us, can you come to the cockpit please,¡± Natasha asked over the PA and Erik, roused from his own sleep, ran a hand over his face, straightened his hair and stretched before heading into the cockpit.


    It was only when Nat came back from the cockpit that Peter put the bar down and looked over at her,


    ¡°Erik says the island can only be reached by him, and that he¡¯ll pilot it from here,¡± she shrugged, ¡°not my problem.¡±


    The plane juddered a few times and even as Peter looked concerned at the weather outside he saw that they were coming into land on an island, ¡°My geography must be a bit rusty. I didn''t think there was an island here?¡± and Nat leaned over him and stared out the window,


    ¡°There isn''t.¡±


    With a sharp stop, sending Nat into Peter¡¯s hands in a wholly inappropriate way, Erik strode from the cockpit


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, we¡¯re here,¡± and as Nat winked at Peter, she extracted herself from his hands


    ¡°And where is here exactly?¡± Peter asked as he undid his seatbelt and stretched, standing and grabbing the bar.


    ¡°Genosha, and once you leave you¡¯ll forget it existed, so don''t worry about security.¡±


    Natasha frowned and shrugged, Neither of them had heard of Genosha, and given that she had been piloting and knew they were maybe less than 100 kilometres from the eastern seaboard, there was no island there.


    While Peter felt a small buzz in his mind, Nat stared into space. ¡°You¡¯re shielded?¡± and Peter nodded, ¡°oh, then you need to stay here while uh, we get introduced, that''s what she said.¡± and Peter sighed,


    fucking telepaths, he thought to himself, he at least made sure nobody minded before sending his thought to another.


    Peter waited as Pietro, Wanda, Erik and finally, Natasha left the plane. He had expected some kind of trap, that once outside, Erik would crush the plane into a ball, but after waiting for an hour he was greeted by a rather strange looking short man, thick green skin and heavily mutated hands stuck out from beneath a thick fisherman''s overcoat as he opened the door to the plane.


    ¡°Selene has given permission for you to visit the island, but it comes with a warning Venom, behave or else.¡± and Peter shrugged.


    ¡°Don''t be a bunch of assholes then,¡± and pushed past him and out into the fresh air.


    Taking a deep breath Peter tasted the saltiness of the sea air and the faint hint of wood smoke from somewhere. As he stood at the top of the exit ramp Peter could see several stone cottages in the distance, the smoke rising lazily from chimneys. In stark contrast, there seemed to be a small block of grouped high rises, 5 stories tall and concrete, their light grey walls a blight in the sea of green trees surrounding them.


    Peter watched as a single woman approached him, tall, dark brown skin with thick black hair, tied up on a ponytail. She had on a simple tan dress, and she walked with the confidence of someone used to having their orders followed.


    As he watched her, he noticed that she was invisible to his telepathic senses, even the small buzzing he got from the others was missing, the telepath, he figured.


    ¡°No further Venom, I am here to make sure you are not a threat to my island and its people.¡± She stood before him and he could feel the power radiating from her, even at the top of the ramp he felt it, whoever that was was not someone to be messed with.


    ¡°Then why let me off the plane? Or just another power play? You ¡®mutants¡¯ seem to like those. Stand there, letting me know where my place is, letting me know you can crush me, so crush me or get off my back, cause it''s tiring and cliche.¡±


    Peter walked down the ramp and stood in front of her and she shifted ever so slightly, tensing up for a confrontation,


    The woman stood, eyeing him up, staring as if to look through his soul before bursting out laughing.


    ¡°My name is Selene Gallio, and may I call you Peter?¡± and he nodded, she smiled. ¡°I see why Erik likes you, and the others. You know I am over 200 years old, with powers that would make you piss your pants and yet you stand there, unafraid, and as you said ¡®wait for me to crush you¡¯ and yet, I am actually impressed. I can¡¯t feel your mind but the power you radiate is amazing.¡± and she walked around him, taking him in. ¡°May I touch you?¡± and he shrugged, and as her fingers touched his symbskin they were transported to a new mindscape.


    ¡°Oh, not this again, what is it with you guys and imaginary dimensions?¡±


    ¡°Well, for one, we may talk freely, even on the island Charles has influence and second, I like handsome young men, and after seeing exactly what you and Wanda did in hers, well,¡° Selene¡¯s clothes rippled and she was stood naked before Peter, her toned slim body showing years of training, reminding him of Nats, with just as many scars. Where Natasha was larger in the chest department, Selene was smaller with large dark chocolate nipples, and Peter let his eyes wander over her. She was beautiful, and like most others, she knew exactly what buttons to push to get a rise from him.


    ¡°You know it is rude to compare a woman to someone else while she is coming onto you?¡± and as she smiled and her eyes sparkled Peter shook his head


    ¡°Like stripping and offering yourself to someone?¡±


    She shrugged, gave him a seductive smile and ran her hand over his chest. As she moved closer, he could smell a sweet perfume and her hands moved down his chest and he gently gripped them before they reached his zipper.


    ¡°I guess you figured this was the best way to get what you want? So just ask, I''m not doing this.¡± Selene had taken what she thought was his weakness, and while she was attractive, the lesson Nat had been pushing onto him was finally starting to stick.


    Selene tutted and her clothes slithered back up her body, ¡°A shame, but no matter. Wanda is my student, I taught her to control her powers, to harness her magic and from her, I saw your little escapade. From Natasha, I saw your file, four women, plus her and then an ¡®incident¡¯ with Wanda. Do I need to lock you up Mr Parker, or are you going to behave while here?¡±


    Peter sighed, ¡°I produce a pheromone, so yeah, in small spaces I can be a danger, and as for reading minds? Nat was pushing it, that''s not nice Selene. Unless you give me a reason to be a dick here, then no. What do I care about a group hiding on an island in the ocean? I didn''t even know it was here until half an hour ago.¡±


    ¡°And Charles Xavier?¡±


    ¡°Why is everyone so intent on protecting him? He¡¯s an asshole. He took a girl-¡° and she nodded but interrupted him.


    ¡°I have heard what you told Natasha, and I am not protecting him, I am trying to protect you. Charles Xavier is more powerful than you could-¡± but she stopped, her voice gone and as she clawed at her throat she saw that Peter was growing.


    He towered over her and the anger rolled off him like a storm. As he grew, a thick black oil coated him and the creature called Venom stood before her and the white spider motif on his chest was almost glowing.


    ¡°I. DON¡¯T. CARE!¡± Venom said, unleashing the Mind Stone¡¯s power. ¡°I¡¯m through playing these fucking games¡± and the world shattered around them.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be on the plane¡± Peter stated and walked back up the ramp, leaving Selene gasping for breath as she collapsed on the ground.


    The green-skinned mutant rushed over and she waved him away, staring intently as Peter walked away from her. ¡°Toad, find refreshments for Mr Parker and if he desires, have him brought to his friends.¡± Toad hesitated but she raised an eyebrow at him and he frowned but nodded, scurrying away before leaping down the path, copying his amphibian namesake.


    Selene felt the residual psychic shock flow through her, and as she took its power into herself, she had to restrain a small moan. Her power thrummed as it touched his and as she stood and brushed the dust from her dress. Smiling, she rubbed her throat. Oh yes, he¡¯ll do, she thought to herself. He¡¯ll do nicely.


    Out of sight Toad fumbled in his pocket and took out his phone, dialling a number for a pizza place it clicked twice and then he hung up, dialled again, this time dry cleaning, it was answered,


    ¡°Report.¡± was all the voice said,


    ¡°Selenes, found a new one, Venom.¡± Toad answered in a hushed voice as he hopped down the road to the settlement. ¡°More powerful than the reports let on, enough to knock Selene on her ass.¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°No Sir,¡± and the call disconnected.


    At the other end, a handsome and very visibly upset man hung up his phone. He grimaced and huffed as he swallowed his anger.


    ¡°Sebastion, darling, I can feel that from over here. Do be a dear and calm down,¡± a very beautiful blonde woman said as she flicked through the morning paper.


    ¡°Selene has a new pawn, Emma. Venom.¡± Sebastian spat at her and she raised an eyebrow


    ¡°The same costumed vigilante that took out Oscorp and then vanished,  how fascinating,¡± and as she folded the morning paper she handed it over to Sebastian, ¡°and still a wanted fugitive it seems, she must really be desperate.¡±


    The headline was the usual J.J rant. Now focusing on Huntress as well as Venom, he was spewing vitriol about the crime rates in Hell''s Kitchen, and while they were lower it was pushing the rates up in the rest of New York.


    Sebastian shook his head, ¡°no, he¡¯s more than we realised, Toad said he knocked Selene on her ass. I don''t like it, not one bit Emma. Open an invite to the Club for him, see if his woman will join too. If not, well, remove them from the board.¡±


    ¡°Just me darling? I don''t think so,¡± and he sighed and shook his head,


    ¡°Then take Azazel and Sabretooth. If you need more then we need to rethink your position as Queen.¡± and Emma tutted,


    ¡°My position is more than earned, and you know it. It never hurts to be cautious, especially with one of Selene¡¯s toys, and especially if he took on a whole army. You know you can never be too careful.¡± and Shaw had to agree there.


    As Emma stood she took out her phone, dialling a number. ¡°Four Seasons? This is Emma Frost, usual suite please, and this time make sure the maid can clean, I found dust on a shelf and that simply won''t do¡±


    As Sebastion ignored Emma to focus more on the newspaper he tapped on his computer, calling up earlier articles on this costumed hero. If Selene was interested in him, there would be more than just what was in the reports and as he sent out message after message, a picture of the man and his habits grew, and Sebastian knew he wanted him, and his power.

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Forty-Two. Mansion Mayhem

    The visit to Genosha was brief, Erik had only intended it to be a pit stop for them to illegally enter the US. While Peter and Nat were both granted entry as Shield agents, Erik, Pietro and Wanda would all be illegal aliens, and Genosha would be their home while Erik took Peter and Natasha to see Charles.


    Nat was getting comfortable in a chair while Erik prepared the jet for takeoff, Peter was sat across from her, noticing the smirk on her face,


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Why is it every time you meet a powerful woman you end up pissing them off?¡± Nat asked innocently, but the twinkle in her eye betrayed her intentions.


    ¡°Just so awesome I guess,¡± Peter deflected. He knew that during dinner Selene was giving him glances, Wanda was giving him and Selene glances, and Erik was glaring at them all. Nat had to contain her laughter as the group ate in silence.


    Wanda looked through the jet door and seeing Peter and Nat there, walked in with a small bag over her shoulder,


    Frowning, Nat shrugged and Peter asked, ¡°uh, are you coming too?¡± and Wanda nodded


    ¡°It''s not like I will walk around with a giant sign that says ¡®illegal immigrant¡¯, plus arent you some big shot secret agent anyway? Can''t I just hide with you?¡± and Nat laughed and shook her head.


    ¡°Only if I can watch the conversation with your father and then his uh, housemates.¡±


    Wanda tutted, ¡°I already know about them, I have been in his head,¡± and Natasha shrugged, ¡°you didn''t tell her?¡± and Peter shook his head.


    ¡°Want me too?" and Nat watched as Wanda looked down at her feet, with a slight blush on her face and shook her head.


    ¡°Tha tells me enough, so her too?¡± and Peter made a chopping motion over his throat,


    ¡°If Erik thinks that he might stop helping, so no, we never did anything. Please Nat, weren''t you telling me about professionalism not too long ago,¡± and Nat laughed


    ¡°Fine, fine, no teasing. Sorry Wanda, I know how,¡° and a look of sadness crossed her face, ¡°I know how bad it can be,¡± and Nat smiled and sat down.


    ¡°It''s okay, we never did anything to be ashamed of. Him and the rest however, I had never seen such things,¡° and she said a few words in Sokovian and Nat laughed and said something back. Wanda stared at her wide-eyed and said something else to which Nat nodded, winked at Peter and continued.


    With no clue as to what they were saying, and even if he could use the Mind Stone it would be rude to eavesdrop, he settled in for the short flight.


    Peter was practising getting used to his powers, using them to extend his telepathy while keeping his own mind closed, but the flight was too short for any real practice.


    Soon enough, ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± sounded over the PA, and after a few minutes landing and letting the jets engines cool and spin down, Peter stood and took a breath.


    ¡°You two, stay here, this might turn ugly,¡± and Erik shook his head as he opened the cockpit door,


    ¡°I¡¯ll be coming. Charles knows it''s me and why I''m here, he¡¯s agreed to meet with you but only you.¡±


    Peter looked out the jet window and saw that a small group had gathered around the basketball court where Erik had landed, and with them was a man in a wheelchair and the other short hairy man he had brought with him.


    There were others, a couple of young girls, one, in particular, had flame-red hair and she looked apprehensive as the door to the jet opened, a man with a red ruby visor put a hand on her shoulder and touching it Peter felt he recognised them but couldn''t place where.


    ¡°If you are finished,¡± Erik said, heading out. ¡°Ah Charles, I would say it''s nice to see you but let''s be honest, that ship sailed years ago, but, tea while I wait. I don''t think this will take long.¡±


    The man in the wheelchair, Charles, pushed the control on his chair and rolled forwards shaking his head. ¡°I knew you¡¯d get desperate Erik but to recruit a monster like him, you¡¯ve been out of the world too long my old friend.¡±


    ¡°Monster?¡± Peter snorted, "at least I don''t kidnap little girls you bald-headed asshole,¡± and there seemed to be a collective intake of breath.


    "Charming Venom. I rescued her from a monster, even if they don''t see it. We both know what you are,¡± and as he spoke he touched his head and Peter found himself in a mindscape once more.


    ¡°Oh come on, really?¡± He was getting sick of telepaths dragging him to whatever hellish landscape they could think of, and there was the young Charles Xavier, with hair, walking and Peter just ignored the scenery, no doubt it was a memory or another trick.


    ¡°You took a scared girl, no negotiations, no asking you took her, so stop being a fucking hypocrite.¡±


    "Yes I took a scared girl, and what had just happened moments earlier, what was going to happen before you realised what your powers were doing?" Charles stopped and pointed a finger at Peter. "What did you think was going to happen? You forgot, the one power you have no control over, that affects women and you forgot."


    ¡°I forgot. So what? Did I walk out and slap it on the table, no. Laura was welcome and safe with us. You took her.¡±


    ¡°Are you mad I took her, or mad you couldn''t stop me?¡± Charles countered.


    ¡°Both, but let''s cut the crap, Captain Baldy. I want to speak to her, if she¡¯s safe then I won''t break anything while I''m here. If you refuse then well, everyone tells me what a badass you are, and I''m actually willing to find out.¡±


    "She is safer here. You have no idea what is happening, all because of your little stunt. How many lives you''ve touched, and how many you''ve taken. No, Laura will stay here, and she is going nowhere near you." Charles laughed. ¡°You couldn''t stop me last time, what makes you think you won''t leave here wagging your tail like a puppy?¡± and Peter felt the mental pressure on him grow.


    ¡°This time, I brought presents,¡± and tapping into the Mind Stone, connected in his chest with a small pocket of symbskin, Peter unleashed enough of its power to counter Charles''s.


    ¡°I''m not stupid, but apparently you are. So hard way then,¡± and Peter let the mental pressure increase until the mindscape exploded.


    Charles shuddered in his chair and blood trickled down from one nostril. ¡°No, that''s not possible,¡± and the redhead ran over,


    ¡°Professor!¡± she shouted, wiping the blood from his face. ¡°What did you do?¡± she turned and yelled at Peter, who shrugged.


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t playing nice so I spanked him,¡± but that was the wrong thing to say,


    The redhead growled at him, and Peter found himself being lifted from the ground and slammed into the jet, crumpling its side. Shouts could be heard from inside and as Peter shook his head to clear it he snorted, ¡°Bad. Idea,¡± and his armoured symbskin slipped over him. ¡°We asked to play nice but unruly children get punished,¡± and pushing himself free from the jet dropped to the grass onto all fours.


    A beam of red energy streaked towards Venom with a thrumm, and he rolled to one side and sprayed webbing over the redhead. While they had attacked him, his purpose here was to prove a point, not to create a body count. He jumped and as he sailed over her, he coated her head and arms with a sticky webbing, not as bad as the tar web he used on Sandman but enough to blind and contain her.


    The red beam streaked out again and having to continually move Venom danced and weaved his way around the gathering. Kids he thought, none older than he was, was this guy building a child army?


    A stray blast hit him and surprisingly the energy was absorbed by his armour but it was like being hit by a truck and Venom found himself being thrown through the air once more. There was no follow up as the red visored man shouted, ¡°Jean,¡± and ran to the aid of his companion


    ¡°Leave him alone Flash'''' he watched as she yelled at the football star and her boyfriend, Scott stood between them, taller and more built than Flash. He had a disability that meant he needed red glasses to protect his eyes.


    He remembered. That asshole. He remembered Jean and Scott, guided by a special teacher, Ms Munroe, Peter had a serious crush on her during their first two years and then they started to hang out in their own group, only attending classes Peter didn¡¯t have. Without powers, he couldn''t remember them being there, a faint memory of Scott and Flash fighting while Jean shouted at them both. He had never gotten along with Scott, another high school jock, he never said much, but he always made sure Peter knew to stay away from Jean.


    Venom huffed, these were people just like him and even as Scott blasted more energy at him, Venom began to tone down his attacks. More sticky webs were thrown at anyone unwilling to back down and soon only Scott and Venom were left.


    ¡°So, was this such a good idea Charles?¡± Erik asked, and Charles shook his head,


    ¡°You have no idea how bad it''s been, and to leave anyone with him. I did what I needed to,¡± and Erik laughed.


    ¡°Really? Bad enough you''re using your powers on children?¡± and Erik patted him on the shoulder, ¡°Call off Cyclops, Charles. Before he gets himself hurt.¡±


    Charles sighed and shook his head, ¡°Scott, stand down, go help Jean. Venom, please, I¡¯m sorry. May we talk?¡± and Venom stopped, shaking his head


    ¡°Bring out Laura and we can talk, and if I sniff any mind control bullshit I¡¯ll make this more than just webbing.¡±


    Scott moved slightly, to touch his visor once more, but as Charles shook his head he moved over and began to help pull the webbing from Jean. ¡°Uh wait¡± Venom spoke, seeing that all he was doing was grabbing and pulling it, even if they had attacked him first he wasn''t about to be a dick, ¡°stay still,¡± and he gently let more dissolving fluid coat her, the webbing softened and she glared at him.


    ¡°Thanks, I guess¡± and Venom shook his head.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome Jean,¡± and she frowned at him saying her name, but Scott moved her away from him, keeping his visor trained on him.


    ¡°Monkey!¡± he heard Laura shout and she dove at him, wrapping herself around him, sniffing and rubbing her hands over his chest,


    ¡°You okay?¡± and she nodded ¡°You left, and didn¡¯t say goodbye¡±


    Laura whined but shook her head, ¡°They said you were bad, and I wasn¡¯t safe.¡±


    ¡°Look at me,¡± and Laura looked up. ¡°Sorry,¡± and he dove into her memories.


    Well, at least I now know why and he watched as Charles, Scott and one more, Logan. He now knew what his name was, explained who Venom was, and he was right. Charles had made her trust them, that she would be safer with him and the X-Men.


    X-men? How egotistical was that,


    ¡°Yeah, so no mind control huh?¡± And Venom moved Laura back, ¡°they took you by force, so if you want to stay here, you can but you¡¯ll always be welcome at the warehouse.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that ain''t happenin¡¯,¡± a short, hairy and very muscular man spat a wad of spit on the grass and then took a draw from his cigar. ¡°That''s my daughter and you ain''t takin'' her anywhere.¡± This was Logan? her dad? Venom thought, oh shit, and he let his symbskin retract back.


    ¡°Yeah, listen short and hairy, I don''t give a shit what you want, it''s not up to you, it up to Laura, and right now between eyebeams over there, captain mindfucker and wherever the hell your power is I really don''t care.¡± Dad or not, they had used the wrong methods to make sure she was safe, and Peter was tired of their games.


    Extending his thoughts Peter stripped away the residual ¡®trust me¡¯ interference that Xavier was giving off and Laura shook her head, ¡°Monkey?¡± and she hugged close to him.


    ¡°Want to come with me?¡± and Laura looked over at Logan.


    ¡°Dad, boyfriend, boyfriend, dad,¡± Laura said, looking between them,


    ¡°What!¡± they both shouted, Wolverine''s claws sliding out and Peter kneeling down to stare at Laura, "you uh, can''t call me that."


    ¡°Jean said, like a boy, make boyfriend, do things, like her and Scott,¡± and he heard Scott cough as the group looked over at them, Jean going red and hiding her face while Scott shrugged.


    ¡°Uh, bad guy?¡± Scott said, pointing at Peter. ¡°Hey wait, I know you. You''re Peter Parker,¡± and Jean looked over and stared in shock, with her mouth open.


    ¡°Peter?¡± she said and he nodded, ¡°oh crap,¡± and she hid her face away from him, but he could see the red tinge to her cheeks and hear the quickening of her heartbeat.


    Well shit, he thought, Laura¡¯s got the wrong idea, and Jean Grey likes me.

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Forty-Three. A Moment Of Peace

    Jean remembered the first time she had laid eyes on him. He was skinny but kinda cute, and even after Scott and her started dating, she always had eyes for him. She had to stand back, helpless as Flash and the others made his life heel, and after a warning from the Professor, she knew to stay away from him completely. It wasn¡¯t until Flash finally got his wish and he was expelled she realised she missed him. Now as she got a good look at him, he was no longer that skinny bookish nerd he had been in high school. A year away and he had filled out and she could see the lean muscles under his t-shirt. Her cheeks burned as she imagined him without it on, get a grip Jean, you¡¯re dating Scott now.


    Finding out that quiet sweet boy had turned into a monster made Jean hesitant. She had read what he had done, killed a man, read what he and his accomplice, Huntress, were doing and her stomach turned. She knew bullying could drive someone to an extreme and she had hidden the fact that she used her powers to keep Flash occupied with someone else, that she did the best she could to keep them away from Peter but it still hurt her chest to see him so angry.


    Charles and she had both sensed the massive amount of mutant minds being snuffed out that night, and once they investigated they found the warehouse. Wolverine was ready to simply smash into the place and take Laura back until Charles stopped him. Rather than alert Venom to their existence, they would simply vanish Laura and cover up the lab.


    ¡°Yeah, still does not change the fact that you killed someone,¡± Scott said, standing in front of Jean and holding his hand at the visor control switch.


    ¡°Yeah, I remember you were always a bit of a dick Scott. So now you believe J.J? I didn¡¯t kill John, and still, kidnapping, so fuck off.¡± Peter walked towards Laura and Logan, seemingly unaware of the danger the man posed.


    ¡°Laura came of her own free will Peter,¡± Charles explained,


    ¡°Yeah, then she can leave of her own free will,¡± but as he said that Logan growled again and took a step forwards.


    ¡°And they called me overprotective. You¡¯re all missing the point. Not.Your. Call.¡± Peter looked up at Laura, ¡°Stay or go? I won''t fight them to take you, but it''s up to you.¡±


    Laura looked over at Logan and then the professor, taking a breath, ¡°stay, my dad, but come visit?¡± and Peter nodded, leaned in and whispered, ¡°but leave the douchebag at home, okay?¡±


    Laura tilted her head and asked innocently, ¡°what¡¯s a douchebag?¡± so Peter shrugged and pointed at Scott.


    Charles shook his head, ¡°Peter, please, Laura has barely socialised, don''t teach her bad habits,¡± and pushing his controls the wheelchair moved over to her. ¡°Come on dear, we¡¯ll get you back to the dorms and then fed,¡± but she refused to take his hand


    ¡°Peter didn''t lie, made me trust you, bad baldy.¡± and Laura huffed at him, stood, and walked over to Logan. ¡°Be nice, he¡¯s mine¡± and she stalked off to where Peter guessed she lived.


    ¡°Well, that went better than expected, care to explain why you¡¯re helping him Erik, and then kindly fuck off back to Sokovia and out of our-¡±


    ¡°Hair?¡± Peter asked, and while he got a few stares no one laughed, ¡°oh come on.¡±


    Charles sighed, ¡°lives, Peter, out of our lives.¡± he said, absentmindedly running a hand over his head. Looking over at Erik, ¡°We have a lot to discuss, and the sooner you leave Peter, the better.¡±


    Erik and Charles headed back into the main house while Peter stood with the group watching him ¡°so, uh hey Jean, how''s life?¡± even at school he had hardly spoken to her or had he? Hell with the Professor they could have six kids and he might not remember. The only reason he was sure his mind had been tampered with was the regenerative and enhancing effects of the mind stone but as it had been over a year since meeting Jean he had no idea if it could repair any damage that old.


    The more he thought about it the more he realised that he had no idea if this was the first time he had ever really thought about Jean. He hadn¡¯t seen her since school and his memories of her were fuzzy.


    Scott walked forwards, ¡°don''t bother Parker, you¡¯re not welcome here,¡± and a group gathered around Scott and he and the rest of the students walked away. As Peter was left standing on his own in front of the damaged jet, the door behind him creaked and buckled outwards as Wanda pushed it free.


    Jean gave him one last look, a strange mix of fear and apprehension, and even Peter caught the want to talk but the hesitation. ¡°Jean,¡± Scott shouted and she darted away, leaving Peter shaking his head, yup, still a douchebag.


    ¡°Nice, so my dad was right, Charles is creating a bunch of tools to save the world,¡± and even Nat laughed.


    ¡°Any chance you can get a Shield jet or car to pick us up?¡± and Nat pulled out her phone, and checking for signal, nodded,


    ¡°We¡¯re in New York, we could just get a cab?¡±


    ¡°I am coming with you,¡° Wanda said, ¡°my dad just ditched me for that man,¡± and Nat and Peter looked at each other,


    ¡°Hey, don''t look at me, you''re the landlord here, so, lord it over her land,¡± and Peter shook his head, and motioned.


    ¡°Phone. Please, I need to give them some warning before I turn up,¡± remembering what happened last time and Carol almost ending up punching Gwen. ¡°They can be, a handful,¡° he added diplomatically, tapping on the phone he sent Gwen a text and handed the phone back, ¡°So uh, no cash, it all got blown up, ¡° and it was Nat¡¯s turn to shake her head.


    ¡°Shield is sending a car.¡±


    ¡°And uh, you live with all your girlfriends?¡± Wanda tentatively asked, and Peter nodded.


    ¡°That''s not a problem is it?¡± and she hesitated before coming in whispering


    ¡°And how much of that vision was, you know, real?¡± and Nat stifled a laugh while Peter sighed,


    ¡°Nat has enhanced hearing, and she knows and uh, all of it, in fact, some of that was pretty tame but if we have guests we don''t, you know, do that, lots. Really,¡± he said as she looked disbelievingly at him


    Tutting she smiled and leaned in, ¡°got a thing for powerful women huh?¡± and as her phone rang Natasha walked off towards the gate in the distance and Peter grabbed Wanda''s suitcase, sighing. It was going to be one of those days.


    As Wanda, Natasha, and Peter made their way back across New York to the warehouse, in Stark Tower Pepper was staring at a bed. Tony had still to recover from his ordeal at the Stark facility, and as the monitor beeped she shook her head and turned to Phil Coulson,


    ¡°You said he¡¯d be safe,¡± she almost whispered and Coulson nodded,


    ¡°We made a miscalculation, but he¡¯s fine, the procedure went well and to be honest Ms Potts, Tony is in better shape than the other agent.¡± He had neglected to mention the medical team Iron Man had killed, and Clint had offered his resignation after undergoing several surgeries of his own. His loss of a hand hadn¡¯t degraded his abilities, but his wife had made sure that this would be his one and only injury as a Shield agent.


    As Pepper gestured at the bed, ¡±this isn¡¯t fine Phil, he¡¯s only been lucid for a few minutes each day and he isn¡¯t getting better. Stark stock is in the toilet and you¡¯re still here asking about the Avengers initiative. No, tell Fury the deal is off, tell Fury he¡¯s lucky I don''t sue him and Shield into next week.¡±


    She had called in a favour and Olivia Octavious had graciously come in to help remove the harness from Tony. She was the leading expert of Peter¡¯s CLS system, barring Peter himself but as he was away on assignment Olivia was the obvious choice, as while he designed the system, she was the one to implement and construct most of their prototypes. The surgery had been a success, but afterwards Tony had seemed to be unusually disorientated. The scans Olivia ran showed nothing and so far he had been in and out of consciousness for almost a week.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± a voice came from the bed, ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± and Tony tried to lift himself up. ¡°Hey, how come I can¡¯t move?¡± and he looked down at the bed, ¡°not again,¡± was all he said, and blinking a few times he lifted an arm to his eyes, waving it back and forth, laughing, ¡°oh, morphine, oh yeah, I remember this,¡± and laying back down. ¡°Jarvis, how''s the scan coming¡± and the stuffy English voice came over the intercom.


    ¡°Ultron program has been decompiled, and assimilation of code will take approximately 6 hours Mr Stark, shall I wake you?¡±


    ¡°Nah, been sleeping enough, oh hey Pep, uh, Shield guy. Little help?¡±


    ¡°Sleeping? Morphine? You¡¯re faking it?¡± and Pepper clenched her fists in anger. ¡°Tony Stark, you get your ass out of bed right now or I swear-¡± and Tony waved a hand at her


    ¡°I''m fine Pep, I''m fine, I needed time to think that''s all.¡± Tony shakily raised himself up in the bed, reaching over for the controls and smiled as it whirred, the back of the bed rising.


    ¡°Tell Fury the Avengers thing is off, I don''t appreciate having secret orders on someone that was supposed to be guarding my back. Oh and if I find any drones or tech missing, you¡¯ll get a bill.¡±


    Coulson looked over at Pepper who shrugged, ¡°Sorry Phil, uh, we can still do some of the list though.¡± and she patted Coulson on the arm.


    ¡°It''s okay. Tony¡¯s profile suggested he might be a bit, belligerent. We can still negotiate for an advisor role. Maybe look at some upgrades for our equipment.¡± He nodded at Tony and then Pepper, ¡°Mr Stark, Pepper.¡± before walking away and out of the room.


    ¡°Tony, pissing off Shield is not a good idea, even with the loss of military contracts they still make up a large chunk of our revenue. This isn''t the time for a hissy fit.¡± She said as she sat on the end of his bed,


    Tony shook his head ¡°Pep, look, they, they lied. Ultron wasn''t made by some kid in his garage, this is way beyond even something I could code. Being lied to got,'''' and Tony balled his fists and clenched his jaw, ¡°being lied to got me this,'''' and he tapped his chest reactor, ¡°being lied to almost got Jebediah the company and an army of Ironmongers, so no, never again.¡± and Pepper rubbed a hand over the bottom of his leg.


    Tony sighed ¡°Look Pep, it''s fine, I¡¯m fine. So we don''t take part in Fury¡¯s little scheme, I''ve got a better one, one that¡¯ll keep everyone safe and there doesn''t need to be any casualties.¡± Tony scratched his head, ¡°but, I need to take a longer sabbatical. Can you uh, maybe take over as CEO for me?¡±


    Pepper laughed. ¡°Take over? Who¡¯s did you think¡¯s been taking care of the mess you left,¡± Pepper lifted her tablet and handed it to Tony, ¡°sign,¡± and as Tony frowned and stared, confused, at the tablet he nodded.


    ¡°You already knew?¡± but Pepper shook her head,


    ¡°Took a guess that the world''s most irresponsible man would dump his work on me? Not a difficult guess.¡± and Tony snorted,


    ¡°Not completely irresponsible, I mean I did stop Ultron, who else did that?¡±


    Pepper shook her head while grinning. ¡°You¡¯ve still got the movie walk on, and then Rhodey wants to see you, and you owe Olivia Octavious a huge thank you,  and then-¡± but Tony raised his hands in surrender,


    ¡°Okay, okay, I get it, I get it. Send me an itinerary and you know, see what I can do.¡±


    ¡°Just get dressed first okay, we¡¯ve got enough scandals without adding a nurse or two to them,¡± and as Tony looked away Pepper missed the look on his face, the one that said it was already too late for that.

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Forty-Four. AIM For The Stars

    Wanda had taken a bit of time to get used to being in the warehouse. At first, the foursome looked over her with a wary eye, and once more Peter was unceremoniously thrown from the warehouse so they could ¡®talk¡¯


    ¡°So,¡± Gwen asked, putting a coffee down in front of Wanda, ¡°spill everything.¡± and Wanda grabbed the cup looking apprehensive,


    ¡°But, we did nothing?¡± and she held it to her chest as if the small cup would shield her from the gazes of the four women.


    ¡°Uh-huh. Peter told you, and yet you¡¯re still sat here. So it¡¯s either you weren''t willing or Peter was distracted, so spill.¡±


    Wanda sighed, ¡°In a dreamscape, we might have, a little, but nothing in the real world.¡±


    Felicia sighed, ¡°boring, well, I¡¯m out, work beckons, Gwen, fill me in later if she admits anything juicy,¡± and with that Huntress covered her, and leaping to the roof she dived out of the hatchway and into the city.


    ¡°Wait? Are you all like Peter?¡± and the group nodded, this was definitely not like the dreamscape.


    ¡°Oh yes, and more,¡± Gwen said, laughing, ¡°but first, if you and Peter, then there are rules,¡± and Wanda wondered if she was in over her head as Gwen and the rest began to rather graphically describe, not just their own sex lives, but who else Peter had spent time with.


    With Peter away, Wanda admitted to the group what happened, what they had done and they were fine. With MJ away filming, Peter would move into her place temporarily, Wanda would get Peter''s home and as she was a fugitive they would provide for her, as long as she helped around the warehouse.


    While Wanda was being grilled over her time in Peters mind, Pietro was getting an interrogation of his own.


    ¡°So, Wanda gets to shack up with some stupid guy and I¡¯m stuck here, babysitting, is that it?¡± Pietro zipped around the room, complaining,


    ¡°Wanda is keeping tabs on a possible threat, and you need to learn to control your powers, so yes, that is is,¡± Selene explained to him, for what felt like the hundredth time,


    ¡°Uh-huh, you know they''re boinking right?¡± Pietro said, looking as innocent as he could and Selene just sighed and shook her head,


    ¡°Even if they are, she is old enough and no one complained when you and Angel disappeared for an hour yesterday,¡± and stopping briefly Pietro stuttered


    ¡°Uh, she was giving me a tour,¡± before vanishing again, disappearing off to the rest of the group he hung out with.


    ¡°You told?¡± he asked Angel and she grinned and nodded,


    ¡°You can¡¯t keep secrets from Selene, P. She knows what goes on, it is her island,¡±


    ¡°But uh, you, uh, didn¡¯t tell her, you know everything?¡±


    Angel gave him a look, ¡°oh, about you lasting 5 seconds and giving me a friction burn. I needed to go to the infirmary, so of course she knows.¡± and she shrugged a shoulder, ¡°but she doesn''t care, but, if you get a grip on your powers, then we can do it again,¡± and she traced a finger up his chest, stopping at his lips, ¡°but only if you get a grip on them. Man, I am not letting the doc scoosh my lady parts with anaesthetic for anything, I couldn''t feel my ass when I sat down.¡± and the pair shared a laugh.


    ¡°Fine, fine, I¡¯ll join those stupid classes, but I¡¯m not promising anything.¡±


    As Pietro and Angel decided that while his powers needed training his lips were just fine,


    While Pietro was locking lips with his new girlfriend, Peter was stuck in an office, locking horns with Director Fury. Peter needed to head out and buy the materials needed for refurbishing the offices lining the back wall, a task he had been putting off for a while now and Wanda¡¯s appearance gave him the final push. Before that, he needed to face Fury and give a full report. One that Nat had helped him with. He had just missed out a few details, Wanda''s current location and the small visit with Charles had no need to be on Fury''s desk, and as he headed to Shield HQ, he hoped it was enough.


    ¡°You realise that I could just have the whole thing classified and then throw you in jail right?¡± Fury asked, leaning back in his chair


    ¡°I got the armour destroyed, even if it was slightly not me, and we found out that Shield has a problem.¡±


    ¡°Shield always has problems. What I don¡¯t get is the blatant murder of several high-level Shield operatives, including a well known and well respected one. I might not have known the man personally but Alexander Pierce, one of MY bosses recommended him for the Sokovia position. So right now he¡¯s on a warpath, trying to figure out who exactly made this giant mess and then have them shot, and I don¡¯t intend for that to be me.¡±


    Peter could only shrug, ¡°Sir, uh, Director Fury, sir. They were using mind control on several people, including the one who did all this,¡± and he swept his hand over a pile of reports, photos and after-action mission report, one he had filed out himself. ¡°Wanda and her father were national Sokovian citizens, known fugitives and well, my report says everything I¡¯m willing to admit.¡± Peter sat back in his chair and huffed, sure his report was mostly lies, but there was still a grain of truth in there, enough to pass inspection when the shit hit the fan.


    Fury rubbed his head, ¡°and that¡¯s the problem, Parker. You need to be honest when you fill out a report, as Agent Romanov was, lying gets you in a world of trouble as well, even if it¡¯s not the same level. So, please, for me, can you redo your report and this time, include everything. I¡¯ll make sure that no one other than me sees it,¡±


    Peter paused for a second, ¡°Uh, what if I give you a verbal account?¡± and Fury shook his head


    ¡°Really?¡± and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°You said it yourself, they¡¯re looking for someone to blame and me putting anything incriminating down on paper lands that right at my door, and right now you¡¯re pushing me to do that. So how can I trust you won¡¯t throw me under the bus to save your own ass later down the line?¡± Peter explained,


    ¡°Fine, Fine! but we need to set up a secure location, somewhere we can check for bugs,¡± but Peter stopped him, as he touched Fury¡¯s wrist everything, barring a few black spots were sent to Fury¡¯s mind, and as the man recoiled and drew his gun he pointed it at Peter.


    ¡°Do not do that again. Ever!¡± and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°Nat didn¡¯t mind,¡±


    Fury holstered his pistol and shaking his head, sat back down. ¡°Is that it?¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°Except a few things with me and my-¡± but Fury raised a hand


    ¡°I like being a spy because of the intrigue, I don¡¯t get my kicks watching other people¡¯s love lives, it¡¯s fine.¡± with a small nod at Natasha.


    ¡°Now, Mr Parker, thank you for your contribution but I would like to discuss a few things with my agent here, so if you don¡¯t mind,¡± and Peter was up and out the door before Fury could finish. Nat laughed and stood to close the door.


    ¡°Is he a problem?¡± Peter heard him ask her but the door closed and he never heard the reply.


    With Fury and Shield taken care of, with Wanda settling into her new life in America all that was left was for MJ to come home, and once she had finished with the film¡¯s wrap party and press junket in Paris, their little family would be back together again.


    At first, MJ was having a miserable time. Filming was taking them all over the country, and a lot of the time she would stay in her trailer, unfamiliar with any of the cast and crew. The one time she reached out and tried to mingle she felt their gazes upon her, and soon enough the rumour she had threatened Tony to get the job hit her ears.


    She hated it, she wanted to be home, not here. She missed Peter and most of all she missed her family. The life of an actress wasn¡¯t as glamorous as she had expected. Long hours, constant reshoots over the smallest detail being wrong, and the harassment of the crew was all grating on her, and even talking to Gwen on the phone wasn¡¯t enough to ward off her homesickness. As she put down her phone and curled up in bed, MJ decided on her choice of career, even if the others might not agree.


    It wasn''t until she was in front of the crowded theatre she marvelled at being a true star. This was why she wanted to be an actress, this was it. As the camera flashed and she smiled, it was all worth it.


    The lead actor, Robin Towny Jnr and MJ made their way down the red carpet to the front of the theatre. Waving to the photographers and stopping to pose.


    It was Paris, while MJ wished she could have been here with Peter, she felt it was unfair to invite him and none of the others, wishing that she could have gotten a ticket for Gwen as well. However it had been made quite apparent that being in an open relationship would hurt her career and for now, Mary Jane Watson was being touted as single, with the usual rumours that she was sleeping with Tony.


    Right now though she didn¡¯t care, she was in the place she wanted and even as Tony came over with Pepper in tow and kissed her hand before they all posed together it was worth it,


    ¡°Looking good kid¡± Tony smiled as he spoke, casting an eye over the low cut dress that MJ was wearing. As MJ ignored him, her first impression of the man had put her off and even as she did kissing and touching scenes with others she found herself always thinking of Peter and she now wished he was here. Even if it was just to punch Tony a few times.


    It wasn¡¯t until the after-party that Tony became a real problem. As MJ stood at the bar, fulfilling her commitment to becoming more sociable, a slightly drunk, or to her he smelled that way, Tony approached her and as he touched her elbow she was forced to smile at him,


    ¡°Mr Stark,¡± MJ said quietly. ¡°Are you having fun?¡± and he smiled and nodded, it was a lie though, some idiot he¡¯d been at college with approached him dressed as a waiter, Killian something, wanting to join up for a venture into a new more stable Oscorp formula. As Tony had no interest in the disaster that was anything to do with Oscorp he nodded and brushed him off, leaving the poor sap for security to evict.


    ¡°But, I had an idea for something even more fun.¡± and to MJ¡¯s shock he pulled out a small tin of Gwen¡¯s cream, ¡°I scored this in New York, some backstreet hack makes it but damn its good stuff.¡±


    MJ panicked, Muse, close off my sense of smell NOW! She yelled and as Tony brandished the tin between two fingers,  MJ knew that as soon as she smelled that it would be over, even if she didn¡¯t understand the chemistry behind it a small amount made the symbiotes go wild and even the low strength stuff would make her accept Tony¡¯s advances.


    ¡°I hear it makes any kitten purr.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Mr Stark, I have a boyfriend at home, and I won¡¯t cheat on him.¡±


    Tony smiled, ¡°but he¡¯s not here,¡± and opening the tin he smeared a little between two fingers, ¡°and I am.¡± As he moved to rub it on the back of MJ¡¯s hand she flinched, and even with her sense of smell closed off the pheromone still invaded her scenes,


    Muse, help, and inside her, the symbiote growled, but not in anger. Even Muse was succumbing and MJ fled in a panic. Tony looked at her as she fled, and frowned, sniffed his fingers, and then the cream in confusion.


    You owe me, a redhead texted a number in New York and dressed in her waitress uniform made her way over the Tony,


    ¡°Sorry Sir, but the use of illicit substances at the Party is forbidden, no matter who you are,¡± and as she took Tony¡¯s hand she felt the rush of the warmth through her. ¡°Although, if you make it worth my while, I can forget what I saw, Mr Stark.¡± and as Tony smirked at the fleeing MJ, he smiled and nodded his head, "I''m sure we can find a quiet corner." and leading her away, he figured this night wasn''t so bad after all.


    Across the room, Pepper was watching. After the incident at the Stark Facility, she and Tony had had a huge argument and broken up. His selfish and uncaring attitude had driven her off, and she could tell something was wrong. As he refused to talk to her, which led to arguments, which then led to the situation they were in right now.


    As she watched MJ, the woman she¡¯d been forced to give the part to in fear of a sexual harassment lawsuit, flee in panic and another waitress take Tony by the hand and lead him away, Pepper decided that she had enough.


    Making her way to the women¡¯s bathroom she could hear someone crying in a cubicle and shaking her head she quietly knocked. This was the last straw and as the door bolt slid back she would get the whole story this time, not just Tony¡¯s bullshit excuses.

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Forty-Five. Honey Potts (NSFW)

    Malisson


    Peter looked in Gwen''s home, and as he saw Pepper sitting there, holding a glass of champagne like a weapon he frowned. ¡°Uh, so why is Pepper Potts here, and why is she drunk?¡± he asked Gwen.


    ¡°Uh, okay, don''t freak out,¡± and reaching behind her she took out her phone, unlocked it and handed it to Peter. ¡°Oh, and don''t break it,¡± she warned.


    Gwen, it''s MJ, Help!


    Shit, what wrong, wait aren''t you in Paris for that movie thing?


    I am, but Tony Stark is here, he¡¯s hitting on me, help. How do i get rid of him, hiding in the toilets won''t work


    Shit, just him or is pepper there


    She is but I couldn''t find her, heeeeelp


    Fine, punch him in the dick, hard


    But, what about you, I mean, what if he fires you


    Woah woah woah, did he say that? If you didn''t sleep with him he¡¯d fire me.


    No, but you know, the implication, he has your cream and I''m scared gwen, what if peter finds out and he hates me


    Hey, peter isn''t like that, he¡¯d understand, now, go punch hat sashole right in the dick


    GWEN! Help I cant punch tony fricking stark in the dick, even if he didnt do anything I would never work again, please, im serious, help me!!!


    Sorry, I¡¯ll tell Peter and he¡¯ll understand, just tell tony no and that if he doesn''t go away you¡¯ll be forced to make a complaint, a real one.


    No, don''t tell Peter, please, I want to explain face to face, I don''t want him to think I¡¯d do that, please.


    Fine, but the first thing you do is tell him, that''s not fair on him mj. But tony, punch him or make it clear you''re not interested, find pepper or some other bimbo and let him drool on her.


    Someones knocking on the stall door,


    Its pepper, gotta go, thanks gwen, love you, peter too, give him kisses from me


    Last message sent 10:45 pm


    Peter gripped the phone and as Gwen growled at him, he handed it back. ¡°So, not going to tell me huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah cause that face you''re pulling right now is why. You and I both know Stark Tower would be on fire right now if Tony even made it to first base, so stop. Ask Pepper why she¡¯s here.¡±


    Peter¡¯s eye twitched, ¡°fine. So, Miss Potts, what brings you here?¡±


    Pepper looked at the glass, it was her third and after talking to Gwen she decided she needed the liquid courage. It was actually very nice, smooth but sharp and even after Gwen admitted that she made it herself, she still had two more glasses.


    ¡°Paris, um. I saw and MJ told me.¡± She pursed her lips and sighed, putting the glass down on Gwen''s nightstand.


    ¡°Tony never touched her, I found MJ trying not to cry in the toilets and stayed with her all night. I spoke to Tony and he left, in a huff, as Tony does.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, good but I''m still not seeing why we¡¯re standing here talking,¡±


    Pepper clenched her fist. ¡°Because while I was making sure MJ was okay, he fucked some Russian bimbo bitch in the toilets.¡± The anger on Pepper¡¯s face was real.


    ¡°We were on a break, after the Ultron incident Tony was different, withdrawn and I couldn''t deal with a giant man child who refused to go to therapy. So we took a break. What I didn''t realise was that it meant Tony screwing that Natasha whore, then some other woman before coming back crying that he missed me and wanted to get back together. So,¡± Pepper stood and took a small glass of what looked like orange juice from the nightstand.


    Peter now understood what Natasha meant with her text and she was right, he did owe her and he promised himself to make it up to her.


    ¡°I have a proposal. One that Gwen and the rest agreed to. I can drink this and then I want you to take me any way you want, and then after I have a position at Stark Industries for you. The pheromone licence, a job making a very good amount of money and me. All to piss off that egomaniac Tony Stark,¡± and Pepper''s gaze steeled, ¡°so, do I drink?¡±


    Peter looked over at Gwen, who was still standing in the doorway, ¡°really?¡± and she nodded,


    ¡°we said anyone as long as we agreed. Shit Pete, if she was into women I¡¯d do it, but she isn¡¯t so, as MJ said, go get ¡®er tiger,¡± and Peter shrugged and looked at Pepper.


    Peter shook his head. ¡°I don''t do revenge fucks. If you and Tony have problems, see a therapist.¡±


    Pepper shook her head and sighed, ¡°that isn''t what this is. We were on a break, a proper one. I thought he¡¯d take a breather and come back, you know, better. Not get drunk, screw half a dozen women and then come back expecting me to take back like it was nothing. So I said no. This isn''t revenge. Tony and I broke up 6 months ago, this is me proving to him that I''ve moved on. That he can''t treat me like dirt and expect me to swallow my pride. Not revenge, an ending.¡±


    Pepper stared at him, and after a pause, a look of contemplation, Peter nodded and she drank the whole glass in one go. The warmth spread through her and as she stared at Peter she found the courage to actually do what they had talked about.


    ¡°Gwen, tin as well please,¡± and stripping out of her clothes, Gwen motioned to the nightstand and a green label tin was there, marking it as medium strength.


    Peter''s gaze drifted over Pepper, she was already flushed and the red of her skin was in stark contrast to the slight tan of her body. Her breasts were small but still pert and her nipples were perfect circles of dark brown on her chest. She wasn''t toned like the rest of the girls in the warehouse but that was to be expected. The symbiotes demanded a lot and each girl was smoothly muscled whereas Pepper had the soft feminine curves of someone who looked after themselves but without adding in high weight training.


    Her eyes widened as Peter''s own clothes slid away, and she stared at him, his manhood was impressive and stood straight as he smiled at her. Damn, she thought, he looks so good, and she moved towards him. And wow. Is that his thing? She stared at it, he was much larger than Tony, no wonder they were all so smiley when we discussed it.


    It was awkward, but she ran a hand over his chest and he dipped his head and kissed her, ¡°uh, no, that''s weird,¡± and she moved back. ¡°Anything else, but, no kissing.¡± and to prove her point she knelt in front of him ¡°uh, use me, anything, even you know, but just, no pain okay?¡± and Peter nodded and brushed her hair with his fingers,


    ¡°Then, mouth,¡° and as she nodded she took him with one hand, began to slowly stroke him and took the tip between her lips.


    She jolted back surprised, she had done this before but it was sweet, there was still a salty bitter taste but the main one was sweet and with relish, she took him back in and sucked on the head of his cock. Moaning as her fingers reached between her legs she slid him in and out of her mouth, savouring the pleasantly sweet taste he had. It reminded her of the cream, and with Gwen''s talent, she wondered if she could make anyone''s taste like that.


    Pepper was not going to admit that after the incident in her office she had considered visiting and offering more than just Gwen a job. After the analysis came back as biologically harmless she had taken three-quarters of the tin home, and its effectiveness was apparent as she used all of it in less than a week.


    Gwen had told her that Peter was different, that Liv had explained to the group Peter was not normal in that department but as his precum filled her mouth it was like sucking on a honey flavoured caramel and if she was honest, unlike some other men she actually wanted him to cum in her mouth, looking forwards to the taste.


    He was gently stroking her head, knowing full well that forcing anyone was never pleasant, ¡°uh Peps, I can, I want to,¡± and she looked up at him, never letting his manhood leave her mouth and she nodded. Remembering Liv, Peter came but held back, he didn''t want to flood her with pheromone and knock her out but as Pepper sucked greedily on him he had no choice. Her tongue work was amazing and it swirled and flicked at him, he groaned and steadied himself on her as he let out more and more, as she kept swallowing it.


    He felt the pressure relax and as she slid him free he stopped. Swirling her tongue over the end she milked the last few drops from him, ¡°uh, next?¡± And he laughed,


    ¡°then bed please,¡± and she lay down on Gwen''s bed,


    ¡°like this or on my front?¡± and Peter shook his head and spread her legs,


    ¡°returning the favour first.¡± he slid up the bed and between her legs, spreading them slightly. Kissing up her thigh he used his fingers to part her very wet lips and kissed her all over. His tongue slid up and down and his fingers gently traced around her wet hole and she moaned as he tasted her. Slipping a finger inside he explored to find her sensitive spots while his tongue circled her clit, gently pulling on it with his lips and flicking its swollen tip with his tongue.


    Liv had warned Pepper that Peter was intense, that his saliva was filled with the pheromone and if he went down on her to expect not to last long but this was completely different. As his tongue worked it was over he and his finger sought out her g-spot she felt each orgasm roll over the last, her back arched and she moaned and she ran her fingers through his hair. Oh god, if he didn¡¯t have so many already I¡¯d do this every day, she thought as another orgasm came.


    ¡°Inside, inside please,¡± if his tongue was this good she wanted his cock, she needed it. Peter sat between her legs and she nodded, guiding him into her and as his length slid in she gasped. Unknown to her he had tested her and thickened himself to make it a nice fit, as he slid into the now tight hole, she writhed as he sent a tingle of pleasure through her entire body.


    He smiled and as she looked into his eyes he began to move, she grunted as he took his first stroke and without a care, took his head in her hands and kissed him, tasting her own juices on his lips she let her tongue invade his mouth and let his own reciprocate. She wanted him, she wanted him to pound her until that smug bastard was just a memory, and as if he could read her thoughts be began to do just that.


    Keeping his strength down he slid in and out and Pepper wrapped her legs around him, pulling him further into her. She frowned and whined as Peter moved as gently but as quickly as he could, filling her and then leaving her before filling her once more. Pepper''s back arched as wave after wave filled her body with ecstasy. Peter lay close to her, feeling her breasts against his chest as he pistoned, ¡°I''m going to cum¡± and she bit and nibbled on his ear as a reply.


    Thrusting forwards one last time Peter found her mouth and she moaned into him as he exploded inside her and she let the wave of warmth rush through her, his pheromone-enhanced cum blasting away any last bastion of resistance and she gasped and moaned louder than she would normally. He right trembled as the orgasms faded and he slipped out of her, panting and sighing happily she kissed him once more.


    ¡°So, you said anything?¡± and he flipped her and pressed himself against her backside she nodded and slid back, granting him better access, and he rubbed the wet tip of his cock against her twitching ass. He paused, rubbing a little of the cream over her ass, and as she moaned he nodded before gently sliding inside her.


    She bit the pillow as he entered her, her virgin ass parted and accepted him, due to the slippery nature of his cum and the cream, but it was good. She felt a different orgasm begin as he gently but firmly moved back and forth into her.


    Unlike her front her orgasms were centred on one place, a tickling itch that was a ring around his manhood, gently teased as he stroked himself in and out of her, she spread her legs more, letting him slide deeper in and once she felt his entirety inside her she gasped and groaned at the way it felt.


    As he moved slowly at first but then increasing in speed so did the pleasure, it was like an itch that needed to be scratched and the relief that rubbing it gave and soon it spread to her clit her pussy and as she cried out in ecstasy he came once more, filling her with his incredible heat.


    He gently slid out and she shuddered as a muscle unused to being stretched that much closed, she turned and kissed him once more.


    ¡°Uh, so no kissing huh,¡± and as she batted him, she took his lips with hers, pressing her forehead to his.


    ¡°That, that was amazing,¡± she said, not to stroke his ego, she thought that having four girlfriends was already enough for that but in actual respect for someone who took their own pleasure as well as a partner, not selfish. She kissed him one last time, ¡°but, just this once and uh, we have to admit something?¡±


    ¡°We?¡±


    He noticed Gwen in the doorway, holding her phone, ¡±well Tony won¡¯t believe without proof so, uh, we filmed it.¡±


    Peter looked at Gwen who shrugged and then at Pepper, who looked at the covers pulling them over herself.


    Peter sighed, ¡°I think you missed my best side, we should uh, do that again to you know, make sure Tony really sees who is on camera,¡± and Pepper laughed under the covers and shook her head,


    ¡°You''re bad, really bad.¡± but as Peter shrugged she looked down at his manhood, ¡°well, you need to clean it then.¡± Peter grinned and his symbskin rippling, forming a package of discarded skin and cum, which he deposited in a sealed bin Gwen kept next to her bed.


    As Gwen moved to get a much better view of Pepper, she held her camera up, filming clearly as Pepper leaned forwards, winked at the camera and took his now clean manhood in her mouth once more.

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Forty-Six. Tower Of Power

    Peter started nervously at Stark Tower. While Pepper had been true to her word and he had a position, it was still a bit weird to screw the boss¡¯s girlfriend, make a sex tape, and then blackmail him. Even with all the reasons Pepper gave, he still felt guilty at his part in it all. He would hate if the girls did that to him, and maybe Tony didn¡¯t deserve it.


    As he swiped the card Pepper had sent him and made his way to the lab where he¡¯d be working he could already hear the pair arguing. He immediately recognised Pepper''s voice, he¡¯d heard it often enough a few days ago, and he had to guess that the other was Tony Stark.


    ¡°Look, he¡¯s brilliant, he¡¯s young and you need an assistant, one who actually knows what you''re talking about. So, unless you suddenly bought back all that stock and made yourself CEO again, then I say he¡¯s working here.¡± Pepper calmly told Tony. Peter could smell the nice perfume she was wearing as he caught her eye, and she nodded politely at him.


    ¡°Oh look who it is, the rat that snuck into the tower. Jarvis, do we have an exterminator on staff?¡±  Tony said, rolling his eyes as the door slid open to reveal Peter.


    ¡°Well, Pepper didn''t mind sneaking me in the back door, maybe you should take her advice and listen, I don''t mind coming for her, but you Tony, not my type.¡±


    And while Pepper covered her mouth and coughed, Tony raised an eyebrow, ¡°hmm,¡± was all he said. ¡±Look uh kid, everything anything in here is expensive and way above your level, maybe, start in the mailroom?¡±


    ¡°Oh really, so the Iron Man armour isn''t built on Goblin tech, enhanced with polyluminal alloys, and the arc reactor isn''t based on your dad¡¯s tech, shrunk by using Liv Octavious¡¯s Arcstar design but using a multifaceted reaction chamber then cycling the energy through a polycrystalline matrix before juicing the output using exotic particles?¡± Peter asked, staring at a machine that seemed to go ¡®ping¡¯ but not much else.


    ¡°Yeah, I might get a more intelligent conversation in the mailroom, rather than the giant whiner baby talk I''m hearing here.¡±


    Pepper stifled a laugh, ¡°I¡¯ll leave you two alone, play nice, both of you,¡± and she waved as she left the lab.


    ¡°So, did you?¡± Tony asked, ¡°there are rumours of her visiting a certain warehouse in Brooklyn and I¡¯ve seen a certain video. So, did you?¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°going straight for it huh, you pissed her off, and yes, I did¡±


    Tony looked down at the Iron Man gauntlet right in front of him, it was wired to the power and if he fired it he could claim the kid set it off without realizing it.


    ¡°But boo fucking hoo, you were on a break, and you screwed Natasha. So what if I fucked her, you cheated on her, you hit on my girlfriend and oh, you fucking stole about a quarter of a billion dollars worth of patents. So really, go ahead, I can feel the anger coming from you, I can hear the thought of you attacking me.¡±


    Peter had moved in front of the gauntlet, he recognised the repulsor tech and he knew it wasn''t anywhere near powerful enough to hurt him. He stood and spread his arms.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯ll stand right here, in its path, go ahead, fire it, but once it hit me I going to get back up and ass fuck you with it, and you won¡¯t enjoy it as much as Pepper did.''''


    For a moment Tony just stared at the gauntlet, and as Peters powers grew, even without the Stone, he could feel the mix of emotions pouring from Tony.


    ¡°But you know as well as I do, that it¡¯ll just add to the nightmares, just add to all that guilt I can feel gnawing at you.¡± Tony stared at his hands, shaking as they always did now, when he was tense, when he was pressured.


    ¡°You¡¯re a mess Tony, and you took that out on her, and she hates you for it.¡± was all he said and as Tony stared at the repulsor he shook his head and powered it down.


    ¡°Insurance would kill me if I got a kid killed in my lab,¡± and he shrugged.


    ¡°Insurance would kill Pepper if you didn''t have a good proctologist on staff, that thing won''t hurt me, or don''t you know?¡± Peter asked, he knew Pepper knew about the symbiotes as Fury had asked Gwen to help research them after the invasion incident but he just assumed Tony did as well.


    Petter was dumbfounded when Tony laughed, ¡°really, you think you could take a repulsor blast to the chest,¡± and Tony laughed more. ¡°You? Kid I don¡¯t get it, I really don¡¯t but sure, okay, fine. I was a bastard to her and she got me back, that¡¯s fine, ¡° and Tony shrugged, ¡°but I made her a promise I would change, so¡° and Tony slipped on the gauntlet, ¡°if you fucking touch her I swear next time won¡¯t be just a thought,¡± and he fired it at a test chamber set up for fine-tuning the weapon.


    Peter stared and laughed. ¡°Next time?¡± and as he grew he fired off a black dart that penetrated through the block of gel, ¡°you won¡¯t get a next time,¡± and Venom leered at Tony.


    ¡°Holy shit,¡± and Tony fumbled backwards, pointing the repulsor at Venom and he could hear it whine as it powered up. ¡°Fuck, fuck¡± Tony repeated over and over and he could hear Peppers laughter coming in through one of the lab speakers


    ¡°If you two are finished measuring your dicks, then Tony let Peter see your armour. He has a letter from Olivia, and has worked on the Mark One and Two Goblin armour, and could help you with that, and Venom, please, Peter has clearance, not you. Both of you calm down. Let Tony see your symbcells. Gwen mentioned needing a way to stabilize them outside of your body and Tony can help with that.¡± and the speaker cut out.


    ¡°Your fucking Venom. Shit, Pepper let Venom into my lab.¡± and as the panic gripped Tony, he scooped up the gauntlet and pointing it at him, tried to call security but Pepper appeared on the screen instead


    ¡°Stop being a baby,¡± was all she said before it cut off and Peter shook his head, letting the symbskin slide back into his everyday clothes.


    ¡°Peppers right you know, it''s not like I came here to fight, so stop whining and show me the suit. The Goblin was cool but the Iron Man suit looks much cooler.¡±


    Tony, stood, sweating and pale and Peter reached out, calm, he thought, calm, and Tony relaxed. Peter saw the anxiety and whatever was eating away at Tony like a black cloud around him, that could be me, he thought to himself and decided to cut Tony some slack. He was a giant mess of anxiety, arrogance, money. Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, now needed to have emotional wreck added to it.


    Tony stepped back and lowered the gauntlet, returning it to the testing cradle, maybe I should give the kid a chance, he thought, as long as he learns who¡¯s boss.


    ¡°Of course, I looked at the Goblin specs and it was a disaster, whoever built it was a lunatic,¡° Tony paused, remembering that if Peter was Venom then he was engaged in a life and death struggle with the man before he escaped, ¡°uh, sorry¡±


    ¡°Oh no, I know he was, Harry was dosing him. The formula he was injecting had been altered, which .made him nuts but after checking out and upgrading the armour, it''s not too bad, I mean, Ultron used it.¡±


    ¡°Sure, let''s get the opinion of a deranged murderbot as well, nice.¡° Tony rolled his eyes.


    Peter sighed as Venom slid back, ¡°Tony, I''ve got nothing against you, even the patents are more Livs thing, she might smack you a few times though.¡±


    Tony snorted, ¡°sure.¡± and as he made finger quotes ¡°Liv¡±, and he sat on the edge of his desk, ¡°another one of your girlfriends I need to keep away from?¡± and Peter laughed,


    ¡°Uh, I wouldn''t say that. Olivia Octavious. Last I checked her diploma count was higher than yours¡±


    Tony¡¯s eyes went wide, ¡°you know where Olivia Octavious is?¡± and then seeing the look on Peters smug stupid face, ¡°you¡¯re screwing her aren¡¯t you?¡± and Peter smirked and nodded,


    ¡°so, guess she won''t be working for you any time soon.¡± and Tony sat down, holding the gauntlet between his hands.


    ¡°Look, so you''re smart enough to work here, powerful enough to help me build the armour and got the backup if we need help, but so do most graduates. I mean, there are literally hundreds of applicants beating at my door, throwing projects at me, why should I choose you? and don''t you dare mention peppers backdoor again.¡±


    ¡°This.¡± and Peter took off his shirt and turned around, the harness lay perfectly flat against his skin but Tony just shrugged, ¡°the Mark One, so?¡±


    Peter left part of himself extend into it, and the four arms grew and extended from his back.


    ¡°Name a tool?¡± And Tony frowned,


    ¡°a four quarter-inch drive ratchet wrench.¡±


    Peter looked at him raising an eyebrow, ¡°smartass,¡± but Tony watched in amazement as the symbskin flowed over the harness arms gathering at the end and moulding themselves into the too, he described.


    ¡°As Pepper spoke to Gwen I guess it''s okay. I can make anything, and I mean anything,¡± and Peter let the arms change from simple blades to screwdriver to a sander to a multi-jointed finger contraption, ¡°but the cells aren''t stable once they¡¯re outside my body.¡± Peter dropped one of the arms down and it dripped a splodge of black on the table. After a few seconds, Peter blew and the black dust floated into the air.


    ¡°I guess Pepper wants you to help me stabilize it, see if there are any real-world applications but this time Mr Smartass, these are patented,¡± and Peter handed over a sheaf of papers, the basic designs for the CLS and the nano tubing that he and Gwen had created from analysing his symbcells.


    ¡°Pepper has the contracts, and we signed them, all you need is-¡± but Tony waved him quiet as he read, flicking each paper over,


    ¡±hmm, can I?¡± And Peter nodded. ¡°Jarvis scan and compile these as 3D models, display them on the main terminal and enhance.¡±


    As Tony spun and removed parts of the chain molecule he sat back and rubbed his throat with a hand,


    ¡°Hmm, natural morphic structure, your cells can change shape at will, probably some kind of electrical impulse you can control. Your webbing, a long change polymer made from the same stuff that your cells are made from. Jarvis, can this be replicated without a living host?¡±


    Jarvis conducted several scans, a pale blue light flickering over Peter, ¡°yes sir, the chain is something that can be fabricated. The cellular structure is unique but stable. I believe that the notes Miss Stacy left on the server have answered Mr Parker''s initial query. The cells break down after losing electoral cohesion. Once they are created their life span is limited, and once they leave the electrical field you generate which keeps them in flux. I believe a metal alloy recorded from a meteorite in Africa has similar properties.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Jarvis, had Miss Stacy managed to create a formula to stabilise the cells outside the body?¡±


    ¡°Patching you through now Sir.¡±


    ¡°No, wait, that. Oh hi, Miss Stacy, me and Pete here were discussing you,¡± and Gwen scowled at the screen,


    ¡°First off, I''m working, even if you are Tony Stark and second if you hurt him or made him mad I know how to find you Mr-¡±


    ¡°Woah Woah Woah, mama bear much? No, I got your research notes and was wondering how far along you''ve come? You could head here and help if you¡¯d like.¡±


    The screen split and Pepper appeared. ¡°Are you poaching staff, Tony? I did say to check with me first,¡±


    ¡°Oh come on Pep, I need more samples if I''m to get this working and uh, what with the patent thing, Pete here mentioned a half-million dollars worth of them stolen from Oscorp¡±


    ¡°We check Peter, I was going to see you later, if you or Tony survived. Tony, the patents you bought were under Liv Octavius¡¯s name, while she is a wanted fugitive we procured them without dispute, once she¡¯s found and cleared we could be facing a lawsuit. Peter, we can return them, but they were paid for legally. You would need to reimburse us the amount we paid.¡±


    Peter sighed, ¡°It¡¯s fine, the armour isn¡¯t what we were working on anyway, plus Hammer got the glider ones.¡± Tony snorted at the mention of Hammer.


    Pepper nodded, ¡°and you two are?¡±


    ¡°Fine, we¡¯re fine Pep, you were right I was wrong. Sorry, please don''t do it again and I¡¯ll behave.¡± Tony actually looked apologetic to Peter, he might actually mean it and Pepper seemed satisfied.


    ¡°Good. Thank you, Peter, and I¡¯ll sort things out with legal. We just need to get you to sign the contracts for employment, and then you¡¯re good to go.¡±


    A few moments later a series of contracts were sent over, all signed by Tony and waiting for Peters signature as well.


    Taking a deep breath Peter signed his name with a flourish. With this, he could get help on his CLS and Tony would get to examine his symbcells in detail.


    As the contracts were signed and squirrelled away by a secretary, Peter''s phone rang.


    ¡°Uh Hi Liv, what¡¯s up?¡± Peter asked, Liv sounded upset


    ¡°What the hell did you do Peter? The warehouse just got served notice. A whole bunch of suits showed up, handed me papers from Stark Industries and then barged in, took almost everything and then left.¡± She shouted down the phone at him.


    ¡°Uh, nothing, I just signed the contracts with Tony,¡± and looking over he saw the smug grin on Tony¡¯s face.


    ¡°I don''t like it when people touch my stuff, so I took yours,¡± and he shrugged.


    Peter swore, ¡°Fuck. Liv, I¡¯ll fix it, honest I¡¯ll fix it.¡± Peter hung up and called Pepper, ¡°Tony altered the contracts,¡± and Pepper sighed,


    ¡±I know Peter, I know, but it''s too late. Parker Industries is shut down and the CLS belongs to Stark Industries now. Unless you take us to court we can''t do anything.¡± hearing her voice while Pepper might not have known about it, she wasn''t about to go out of her way to fix it either.


    ¡°Are you going to help?¡± he asked her and she sighed,


    ¡°We will reverse them in good faith, but you¡¯ll need to pay the lawyer fees. Other than that, no. Tony has every right to change a contract and I don¡¯t see what benefit it brings to change them back, sorry Peter but that''s business.¡±


    Peter hung up his phone, the anger bubbling in his chest. The small amount of pity he had for Stark just evaporated. Anxiety, PTSD, or whatever the hell Tony was suffering from was no excuse to be that much of a jerk, not when it was his life¡¯s work at stake.


    ¡°You know Stark, the CLS is based on the make-up of my symbcells, and without the manufacturing method they¡¯re useless, but you missed one thing, my cells, they let me do some neat things,¡± and slamming a hand on one of Tony''s control panel the black leached out and the light flickered.


    A video began to play on one of the monitors. A very obvious blonde-haired CEO was busy performing a very intimate sex act and Tony watched as Peter and Pepper kissed while his hands touched and teased her front while he occupied the back. It played out at high speed, repeating over and over.


    ¡°JARVIS, shut that down,¡± Tony yelled as he watched Pepper being filled repeatedly,


    ¡°Oh sorry, he can''t hear you, Jarvis is uh, busy,¡± Peter said menacingly.


    He was busy fighting off Peter''s control of the tower. Even with a few cells Peter had learned to control and dominate a simple program, his time in the goblin armour, with the glider and the harness, had taught him how to properly use his powers. Even a complex program like Jarvis couldn''t stop him.


    ¡°You touch my stuff and I touch yours back,¡± Peter said, and as his symbskin leached over him, Venom towered over Tony.

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Forty-Seven. Seeing Red

    Liv was unhappy and angry. Not only had she been invaded by those Stark Industries idiots but when she had read through the paperwork she knew Peter wouldn¡¯t have signed it without good reason, or that he had been tricked. As Stark had already taken away a lot of her own patents she knew it was probably the latter and her ire at the man grew. but she knew that Peter¡¯s dream of owning his own business had just been shattered. What made it worse was the uniformed man stood at the main gate to the warehouse.


    As Peter hung up the phone, after promising to deal with the mess he made, the intercom buzzed and staring at the man in uniform she recognized him as General Ross. He had visited Oscorp before, trying to recruit any wayward staff for his gamma project. As Harry and Norman had a tight leash around her neck, even if she had wanted to she was unable to leave.


    She¡¯d seen the news reports and he was quite vocal about the New York Accords and she shook her head knowing full well why he was here. Sighing, she looked over at the new harness she and Peter had been working on and slipped it over her skin. She hoped she was wrong.


    She was also glad Peter and her had a little talk before, seeing the mess that Ultron had created made her realise that she was a weak link in the group once more. After some discussion with Peter and Natasha, it was agreed and as she sat in the warehouse to recover and look over a new training schedule the buzzer had gone.


    ¡°General Ross, what brings you here?¡± she asked as she walked out the gate of the property, the last thing she was going to do was let him inside the warehouse.


    ¡°Ah good, Ms Olivia Octavius, You¡¯re under arrest for our involvement with Normans Osborns murder spree. Please come nicely, I don''t want to make a scene.¡± Ross said and motioned towards an armoured truck.


    ¡°Hmm, no. the U.S military doesn¡¯t have jurisdiction on U.S soil, and unless the President changed that, then I believe the correct term is go fuck yourself. The charges were dropped, and official notice was given. So I don¡¯t know what stupid little game your playing but I won¡¯t be part of it.¡±


    General Ross shook his head, ¡°The FBI dropped their charges but the military never did, and as for the Insurrection Act, well it doesn''t apply when your boyfriend is outed as Venom, he now falls under the New York Accords and I do have jurisdiction there.¡± As he spoke he gave her a smug grin and motioned over to the ATV that he had arrived.


    Liv shrugged and crossed her arms, refusing to budge, ¡°Peter isn''t here, plus you mentioned that I was under arrest, make up your mind, or are you just fishing, General?¡±


    ¡°Fine, I''m recruiting for a resurrection of the gamma project, Banner¡¯s on board but I want someone else who worked on a different formula. I know Conners is around somewhere and I want you as well.¡±


    Liv uncrossed her arms and stared at the general. Walking up to him she poked him in the chest. This conversation had gone on too long and now Ross was moving past gentle persuasion into blatant threats.


    ¡°I will offer you one piece of advice before I head back inside General. Curt Conners is engaged to Peter Parker''s Aunt. She is the only family member that he had left, and if you touch her or Curt you will witness a shower of shit so big you¡¯ll wish the Osborn didn''t miss.¡±


    General Ross snorted, ¡°I''m not intimidated by a pile of goop Doctor. Slime aliens don''t scare me and Peter Parker certainly doesn''t scare me.¡±


    Liv shook her head, ¡°he should, not just on his own but you should contact Fury and see what he tells you. I said it before and I¡¯ll repeat myself, I have no idea what game you''re playing but you won''t like it when Peter starts to play.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve spoken to Fury, and his opinion on a child has no weight with my own assessment. This isn''t over Doctor.¡±


    ¡°On, no you see it is. Peter got tired of shitbags as he called them trying to get into the warehouse.¡± Liv took out her phone, smiling as she dialled the emergency number Felicia had given her, ¡°ah yes, Mister Murdock thank you, I have footage here of General Ross trying to arrest me, yes at home. Oh no, I have footage, I can send it to you, yes dear, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Now General you were saying?¡±


    As General Ross stared at her, they both heard and then felt the explosion that rocked Stark Tower. Liv laughed, ¡°Well, I guess his first day didn''t go so well after all.¡±


    A smirk crossed General Ross¡¯s face, ¡°If the attack on Stark Tower was because of Peter Parker, then as an associate of his I think you should come in for questioning.¡±


    Liv shook her head and took a step back into the warehouse grounds,  ¡°oh give it up you pencil dicked moron. You have no jurisdiction here, no cause, no nothing. If I refuse to go with you you can''t even walk onto the property without breaking so many laws you¡¯ll be washing privates for the rest of your miserable career. So why don¡¯t you take that stupid crew cut and that stupid moustache and get the hell out of here.¡±


    General Ross clenched his fist. ¡°Now listen here doctor. If I want to drag that skinny white ass of yours to jail nothing will stop me, and the key won''t just get lost. I¡¯ll make your lawyer and Peter Parker my bitch to even find out if you''re still alive or not. The hole I throw you in will be so deep that daylight will be a fond memory and mealtime will be a feast of bread and water.¡±


    Liv laughed. ¡°Is that all? Because Normal Osborn severed my spine, he took my life away from me. You¡¯re pathetic, a madman like Norman knew how to threaten people, where all I saw was a pencil pusher bleeding on the ground after Peter was through with him.¡±


    Liv scowled, ¡°are, are you on fire?¡± As she saw the smoke rising from General Ross. Not just steam but his uniform seemed to be on fire.


    Oh shit, she thought and sniffed, the rank odour of the gamma formula rolled off him like an oil slick and she tried her hardest not to rech.


    ¡°You¡¯re a Hulk, you moron. What idiot told you that was a great idea? You stupid stupid man.¡±


    ¡°Red Hulk,'''' was all he said, and as Liv watched his uniform burst into flames. All that was left was a giant muscular red man, wearing a tight green vest and combat slacks. It was amusing that even as a hulk Ross still kept the same flat-top military haircut and well-trimmed moustache but another thought occurred to her.


    If he had an under uniform perfectly tailored to his now giant frame then this was planned. He already knew she was powered and had taken steps. Whatever plan Ross had for Liv she doubted it was to help make a new formula, and he had come prepared to take her, willingly or not.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll just take you, I ain''t got time for this shit,¡± and as he tore the chain-link fence surrounding the property Liv laughed.


    ¡°The formula makes you stupid I bet, cause anyone with a brain and a nose would have stopped right there.¡±


    ¡°I got no idea what you mean Doc, but you''re coming with me,¡± and as he leant forward to grab her with a giant meaty hand it was batted away, and blood dripped from it, hissing as it hit the ground.


    ¡°As I said, anyone with a brain and a sense of smell. I am disappointed that the Banner formula only seems to enhance strength and stamina, it''s pathetic.¡±


    An arm weaved itself behind Liv¡¯s back as she extended and then retracted it back.


    ¡°Leave General, you won''t win, not against me, not against Peter.¡±


    Red Hulk roared and leapt at her, Liv sidestepped and two arms stretched out, striking the hulk on the back of his knees.


    ¡°Some dinky toy harness ain''t gonna save you from me Doc, now get your ass in the van before I beat you and stuff you in the trunk.¡± As he picked himself up from the ground he shook his head and stretched, ¡°That ain''t enough to take me.¡±


    ¡°So it makes you stupid as well, being a fugitive means a lot of free time and recovering from a spinal injury means lots of exercise.¡± The arms darted out and struck again, as Red Hulk tried to stand, the arms hit pressure points over his body and he felt himself unable to rise off the ground.


    ¡°Add in a genius-level intellect and a good understanding of human anatomy and it makes one rather good at fighting. I promised myself that when Harry tried to take Peter away from me that I would NEVER let anyone hurt him, so General, stand down.¡±


    Red Hulk roared and steam rose from his body, the asphalt under his hands bubbled and darkened as the gamma energy from his body heated up the air.


    ¡°You think that four toy arms are enough to beat me, to beat the Red Hulk. I''m gonna eat you for breakfast and show Parker what messing with the Thunderbolts gets him.¡± Ross stretched and his bones cracked as he knelt and wound up another charge.


    Liv shook her head, ¡°heat and anger won''t save you General,¡± and the arms darted out again. As he tried to charge her Red Hulk was thrown back as the arms struck but Liv pulled back. ¡°Peter will be mad if I damage the warehouse,¡± she said as she spied the two palm prints in the path leading to the warehouse, ¡°and I will be billing you for those General but come on, seeing as you want to fight, the street will be better,¡± and as he roared and leapt at her she simply grabbed both of his arms and threw him at his armoured car.


    ¡°Really, what did I just say, your too slow and too stupid to beat me.¡±


    As Red Hulk stood and shook his head. ¡°Maybe, but I ain¡¯t stupid enough to come here without help.¡± He banged on the side of the armoured car and another soldier appeared. He was small and looked unimpressive, and he sneered as he looked over at the mess Ross was in, and then over at Liv, the four arms waving behind her, poised to strike if he dared to make a move.


    ¡°Her? You got beaten up by her? Shit Ross, if I knew it was this bad I would have stayed in jail but, sure, whatever,¡± and he grew. Unlike Ross, his skin was still flesh colour but his size was much larger and inhuman. Abomination stood, bone spikes jutting out from his spine and elbows, tearing and ripping away his uniform until he was only wearing a pair of black shorts.


    ¡°Now, listen ¡®ere girlie, Ross ere got me outta jail, so I promised to behave an¡¯ be a good little soldier if he fixes me, so come on. I ain¡¯t fightin a little, oh fuckin hell.¡±


    While Blonsky was talking, Liv, knowing that two hulks are a problem, let Octave cover her. The dark blue symbiotes maw splitting apart, not just that but she grew, thickening her symbskin into the heaviest plating she could manage. Knowing this would be a brutal fight the now covered symbskin arms grew razor-sharp blades at their ends while her own fingers elongated and glinted wickedly in the sunlight.


    ¡°You morons don''t know what a good formula is, now leave before I spank you both.¡± Almost as tall as the two Hulks before her, she hoped the fear pheromone she was spilling out would stop them from attacking.


    ¡°Leave? Fuckin ¡®ell Luv, I wanna fight more now¡± and starting to run at her, Abomination swung a fist at her, laughing at the new opponent he had found

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Forty-Eight. Dirty Pair

    Tony was angry. Not only did this little shit come here and taunt him but now he finds out the bastard is actually Venom. As he rolled backwards he slid up and stepped into a new Iron Man Suit he had been designing, and it was about to get its test run.


    Tony, you¡¯re a fucking mess, the redhead  Natasha something had said, I mean, you barely lasted five minutes and for what? As she leaned in closer, I know MJ and her boyfriend, Parker, you met him at Shield HQ and he¡¯s a much better lay than you¡¯ll ever be, and as she looked down and snorting, a look of derision on her face, bigger there too. She walked away leaving Tony in his shame and anger.


    Of course, Tony Stark wasn¡¯t taking that lying down and bedded as many willing women as he could find, even the female understudy for MJ¡¯s part. A cute redhead that looked enough like her he could vent. After he just tossed them to one side, he could never treat Pepper like that, but how could he tell her, how could he explain the tremors, the nightmares, and the pain. Nobody would understand what he had been through.


    In the end, it was watching Pepper being, being abused by that asshole that boiled his blood, not because of what she was doing but he saw something on her face for the first time. Ecstasy, and as she came over and over again, he smashed the screen until his knuckles were raw and bloody.


    ¡°Jarvis, bring the weapon systems online and activate the Iron Legion Protocols.¡± and the armour whirred into life, the repulsors at each palm lighting up. Iron Man had gone past angry but now he knew that Parker shit was Venom, he could kill him no problem, hell, they¡¯d give him a medal for offing the turd.


    As the armour closed around Iron Man and it whirred, several suits next to him also activated, their helmet lights coming on, flickering as they connected to the Iron Legion Network and Venom stood and watched as they stepped forwards from their cradles,


    ¡°You touched something you shouldn¡¯t have,¡± and as the repulsors whined on three suits of Iron Man armour, Venom crossed his arms as they blasted him through the lab wall and out into the corridor.


    The usual workers that filled the halls of Stark Industries screamed and panicked as the fire alarm and the sprinkler systems all went off. Bodies filled the corridors as Venom shook himself free of the foam-filled plasterboard walls, Stark Tower might be future-proofed but it still used regular construction designs, if more modern.


    ¡°So what if I did? She broke up with you,¡± and brushing off the dust he took a more defensive stance. While Iron Man just used his last chance with Venom he wasn''t about to start a fight in the middle of a tower block.


    The carpet burned and tore as the three Iron Man suits hovered a few inches above them, ¡°We are only on a break, and you took advantage of her,¡± and Iron Man and the drones fired once more, catching Venom on the arms again and sending him back through another wall.


    While it was tiresome to let this jackass take swing after swing, Venom knew he would be better fighting where there was more space to manoeuvre, and eyeing a tempered glass window, shrugged,


    ¡°Oh boo hoo, so Pepper gets dick from someone who isn¡¯t a selfish jackass. You know, it even surprised me when she came back for seconds, I mean, I filled her with so much ¡®oof¡¯-¡° Iron Man roared and all three bots fired once more, sending Venom back and into the glass window which buckled and cracked with the force.


    ¡°Good¡± and elbowing the pane it caved, and with one hand he pulled and threw it into the office. ¡°Now we can fight,'''' and sending out a web line Venom swung out into the New York skyline.


    Seeing the empty office Iron Man accessed the suits weapon systems and small micro missile launchers all locked onto Venom, firing. Several impacted and exploded on the window frame but enough went screeching in the sky that Venom twisted and twirled to avoid them.


    Sending out a blanket of webbing he caught them and as the air filled with dust and debris he swung away, heading towards Times Square hoping he wouldn''t fight down there, but Iron Man proved him wrong.


    Following, Iron Man flew at full speed into Venom, catching him around the waist and as he grabbed on Iron Man flew straight up, taking them both into the lower atmosphere.


    Having been in the bay, even the lower oxygen count and the freezing temperatures didn''t phase Venom and instead, as Iron Man pushed them further and further up he began to coat him in a thin layer of sticky but watery webbing, knowing the freezing temperatures would gum up the armour.


    While it was definitely a much higher class and make of suit, it still suffered the same problems as any armour. Joints needing mobility and flexibility. As Venom aimed for vulnerable areas, even Iron Man began to panic.


    ¡°Jarvis, give me a report on the suit,¡± Iron Man had never been up this high before. ¡°Jarvis?¡± but he got no reply, even the connection to the Iron Legion system was offline, its icon flashing red in the corner of his vision. and as his systems began to flicker red and the sensors for the suits integrity began to flash a warning, he had no choice but to give Venom one last push and then stop his accent.


    Venom flipped him the bird and sent out a web line, tying himself to Iron Man, as he pulled, his considerable strength acted against the thrusters in the armour and Iron Man found himself being pulled further into space.


    Venoms pulled himself closer and spread a hand on Iron Man''s chest, and the black of his symbskin began to leech into its systems. Venom hoped he could get to Iron Man through the suit, he had lost his temper when Iron Man acted out, and the fight was just as much his fault as Iron Mans.


    ¡°Stop being a child,¡± scrolled across his HUD, ¡°Pepper broke up with you because of shit like this,¡± and even after grabbing Venoms hand and firing his repulsors at point-blank range Venom refused to let go. ¡°Calm down and we can talk.¡±


    The HUD in Iron Man''s helmet suddenly lit up. ¡°Emergency override accepted. Loading Friday,¡± and a small jingle played and a soft woman''s voice sounded. ¡°Thank goodness it''s Friday. Well boss, you''re in a pickle, but hold on. Release in three, two and one, hold onto your hat.¡± and the back of the armour opened, sliding apart and Tony took a deep breath before he started to plummet.


    Holding the now empty shell, Venom''s connection began to register a power build-up ¡°son of a bit-¡± and the suit exploded.


    Tony felt the biting wind tear into his frozen limbs and as the second suit came up below him the third gently flipped him over and free-falling he guided himself into it. As it pressurised around him and warm air began to circulate, ¡°I gotcha boss, don''t worry.¡±


    ¡°What the hell Friday, where''s Jarvis?¡± Tony spluttered as the suit began to return feeling to his limbs,


    ¡°Iron Legion Protocols are being assimilated into Jarvis core program, so he¡¯s offline boss.¡±


    ¡°Dammit,¡± Iron Man swore, flexing his fingers, ¡°are any other units available?¡± Talk? He didn¡¯t want to talk to that asshole, he wanted to smear him over the sidewalk. Nobody made a fool of him, and if Venom wanted a fight, he would get one.


    ¡°Sorry boss, only these two were online before the crash, it¡¯s all you''ve got.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine, fine.¡± and the repulsors fired up and Iron Man levelled out. ¡°Active scan, find that son of a bitch for me Friday.¡± and a small reticule began to scan over the cloudy sky.


    Venom was not having a good time, the explosion had taken off most of the symbskin around his arm and the cold wind had turned it to a dark blue colour. With no feeling in his hand, even Venom knew that the explosion coupled with frostbite was going to take a while to heal. Of course, falling for several thousand feet wasn''t going to make that easier either, and as he spread out a symbskin wingsuit he tried to orient himself to land at least somewhere near New York.


    ¡°There you are, you bastard,¡± and as Iron Man locked onto Venom he watched him gliding down beneath the clouds and then fired. The last of his shoulder missiles streaked towards his target.


    As the dozen micro missiles impacted against Venom, individually they had little effect, his symbarmour being more than enough to take the impact but together they tore holes in the glide suit and he began to tumble and fall towards the cityscape. Unsure of where he was falling and sure of what he would hit, Venom sent out blind webs, hoping to snag onto anything and swing away the momentum he was gaining.


    It didn''t matter as Iron Man thudded into him, the pair taking turns in diving and slamming into Venom as he spun and tumbled, dizzy and with little to focus on Venom had no choice but to wait until he was closer to the ground and try to correct his flight.


    Closing his eyes and letting the world fade into the singular whistling noise of the wind Venom slowed his breathing, panicking about falling so fast would get him nowhere and as the whistle changed as either Iron Man or his drone came in for another hit he let out two webs, uncaring if the wrapped around him as he fell and only that they latched onto his current target.


    As Venom and Iron Man tangled together with webbing his plan worked and even with the extra weight Iron Man righted himself and this time however Venom refused to interface with the armour. ¡°Stop being a dick,¡± he said and Iron Man replied by raising his hands and firing two blasts at him, joined by two from the drone and even stuck together Venom tumbled away, snagging himself on the webbing.


    It didn''t matter, with the world now the right way he could see they were closing in on the highest buildings in the New York skyline and releasing the web from his wrist Venom used Iron Man as a springboard and launched himself towards them. Giving Iron Man the finger before shooting out a web he heard the man yell something but streamlining himself he shot faster and faster away from him.


    Releasing a cloud of webbing as a parachute Venom shot a web out, grabbed the building and swung around, facing to where he had left Iron Man. He felt the vibrations of both drone and original and leaping he avoided the repulsor blasts from both.


    Shooting webbing at both he watched Iron Man weave away with some grace, not just a dick then, he thought and silently praised Iron Man. He could see the three suits, lit up like lights to his senses but Iron Man had plenty of flight time whereas Peter preferred to fight on the ground. Even as he struck out with the harness, a second suit landed on his back and surgically cut the arm away before pushing off him, taking it with it. Venom could fight, but in the air, Iron Man would win. He hesitated on using the Mind Stone, mentally grappling with someone while freefalling would end up messy for them both, and decided against it.


    As he sprayed the air with webbing and swung out towards Times Square, Venom vowed that he would not be caught unaware again. Getting too stupid, he thought to himself. Once Harry had been dealt with, he thought his problems would magically vanish but instead, Shield, Iron Man, and the mutants had all appeared and his life became complicated again. Iron Man barrelled and as Venom shot a web out he returned fire with a repulsor and Venom took a hit to the chest but caught Iron Man with a web on one of his boots. As he spun the other drone came over to stabilize him and even with the spin Venom was in a better position and he fired off two webs, one to catch a building and one at the drone, covering its visor.


    They probably share telemetry, Venom thought, but it didn''t hurt to make sure.


    Venom swung up and landed on one of the drones back and using the tar web he gummed up the remaining boots. As it sparked and burned through the webbing, all it did was hiss and eventually splutter. Using his weight he pushed down and vaulted from the back of the drone and stuck to a nearby building to watch as Iron Man and the drone circled down and onto the street.


    Venom smiled, he wasn¡¯t being altruistic, he just didn''t want to add millions of dollars in property damage to his already less than clean record, and as Iron Man landed and pushed the drone away Venom dived and smashed both fists into the shoulders of the drone, crushing it into the sidewalk and vaulting back, spun and landed on his feet in front of Iron Man.


    ¡°You fucked her!¡± Iron Man yelled and he blasted Venom back into a shop window, shrugging off the glass Venom leapt at him and had to twist in the air to avoid another repulsor beam. ¡°You fucked her like she didn''t matter. Like I don''t matter. Pepper was mine and you touched her with those, those filthy hands of yours,¡± and as Venom closed in he swung at Iron man, who deflected the blow.


    ¡°Friday, begin analyst of Venom fighting pattern,¡±


    As he swung and put dents in the Iron Man suit a small reticule waved and dotted over the screen of Iron Man''s HUD.


    ¡°Analysis complete,¡± and he began his counterattack.


    As Venom swung Iron Man ducked and shot a repulsor blast into his chest, followed by another from the second drone into his back. As he staggered, Iron Man swung and connected with his jaw, sending him down on one knee and the drone jumped and smashed a fist into the stunned Venom, knocking him to the ground.


    Rolling and springing back up, ¡°Pussy, you hit like a pussy, and according to Pepper, you fuck like one too,¡± and Iron Man roared and both fired more blasts at Venom. Venom could only take so much, and if Iron Man wouldn¡¯t stand down, he would make him.


    ¡°Give it up, you can''t win, I told you, those don¡¯t hurt.¡± and as Iron Man raised his hands again, Venom was knocked and spun as a disc of some kind smashed into his head, ricocheted and hit Iron Man as well, spinning him around and knocking him over.


    ¡°He can¡¯t hurt you but I can,¡± said a new voice and Venom saw a well-muscled and red, white, and blue wearing very tall and very muscular man. His costume adorned with the American flag was clean and neatly pressed. As the shield ricocheted from Iron Man to the drone it returned and the man caught it and with a practised move slid it back onto his arm.


    ¡°You will both stand down. Under the provision of the New York Accords, you are both under arrest for unauthorised combat in a  civilian zone using Enhanced human capabilities.¡±


    ¡°And who are you? Stars and Stripes?¡± Iron Man asked, but the man shook his head.


    ¡°No Mr Stark,¡± and as he spoke Venom watched as vehicles, emblazoned with the Shield logo surrounded the trio and soldiers with energy weapons similar to the ones in Sokovia marched out, keeping them trained on the pair.


    ¡°I''m Captain America.¡±

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Forty-Nine. Guilty By Association

    Abomination roared and picking up speed, charged at Octave, who hoisted herself up on two of the limbs and prepared to avoid him.


    Octave wasn''t stupid, she knew in a match of brute strength that a hulk would overpower her, the formula running through their veins primarily affected their muscles, and from the amount that both the smaller man and Ross grew, that was all. She could expect a hard-hitting, long fight but with little tactics. After watching the reports on Harlem, and the fight that the Abomination and the Hulk had, they had resorted to simply punching each other until one couldn''t move. To even call it brawling was an insult to brawlers. Which left her with a problem.


    While Octave was born from the newly enhanced Peter, they had no idea exactly what that meant. Even he was still learning what his new powers and abilities were, Octave was the same. This would be her first real fight since Natasha, and she doubted Abomination would pull his punches as she did.


    As he ran towards her she tilted, pivoting on one limb and as he charged past she let the second limb support her while the other two darted out, and like Ross, impacted against the backs of his knees, hoping to disable his legs.


    Abomination however was more armoured, bone plates jutted out from his shins and thicker skin covered the normally sensitive area. She needed a better plan against the bigger brute. Reaching out mentally, she felt static from his mind. Whatever the Banner formula did to his body, also made his mind an impenetrable fortress, or he was just too dumb, Octave had no idea which.


    He laughed as he felt the impacts, ¡°gotta do better, took an ¡®it from the ¡®ulk I did, an¡¯ you ain¡¯t ¡¯im,¡± and digging a hand into the ground, he swivelled and rather than charging, launched himself at her, tearing up the asphalt road as he kicked off the ground.


    Octave pushed off and as he sailed under her two limbs darted down and struck him on the neck, not to injure but to test. She swung like a gymnast on a bar as one limb kept her anchored to the ground and not just the harness limbs struck out but her own symbskin blades as well. Octave knew if her strength was unable to penetrate this mutated hulks hide then she would have no choice but to either flee or surrender, and as Wanda was currently hiding in the warehouse, fleeing was not an option.


    Octave noticed that on his forearms and sides were small cuts, oozing green blood and while it wasn''t perfect it was better than nothing. As she back away from the Abomination she felt the air  move behind her and tilted to one side as a giant red fist swung past where her chest had been moments ago,


    ¡°Oi, my fight Ross, back off,¡± Abomination complained but Ross admonished him


    ¡°This isn''t supposed to be a fight idiot, grab her and stop playing around.¡±


    Sorry Peter, Liv thought to herself and pacing back she spotted, grabbed and swung a parked car at Red, who crossed his arms, still went flying with the impact. As Abomination stepped forwards to swing another punch, Octave lifted herself on one limb and spun, letting the razor-sharp blades of not just the harness but her symbskin slash out in a pirouetting dervish of steel and symbiote. Even reaching out to Ross, she felt nothing but hate and anger from him. She would have to warn Peter that using telepathy against a hulk was pointless.


    Sorry dear, I think we¡¯re a bit outmatched with these two,


    Octave growled, the Liv needs to train more and stop with the frenchy fries,


    Liv laughed. I believe the one who ate that last large portion was you, and ducking under a fist, drove both a  clawed arm and a bladed fist into the side of Red, scoring a large gash across his side.


    Abomination however grabbed a hold of another of her limbs and swung her up and then back down into the ground. With the wind knocked out of her, she was helpless as Abomination swung her again, and even trying to right herself with the other arms Red grabbed them and between them, they held her fast.


    ¡°Sorry Doctor, but attacking Military personnel requires you to come with us,¡± and Octave screeched as Red grabbed a hold of her and pulled. With her being held fast the symbiote had no choice and was ripped free from Liv, leaving both in excruciating agony,


    ¡°And I believe that a parasitic life form with no legal rights doesn''t deserve to live.¡± Octave screeched and wriggled under Ross¡¯s grip as his hand smoked and heated up.


    ¡°You monster, you monster!¡± Liv yelled as she watched Octave burn. She struggled but without Octave to aid her, the harness was held fast by the two hulks.


    As she watched Octave writhe under the burning grip of Red, Liv calmed herself, struggling was getting her nowhere and with their attention on Octave, she took a breath and slapped the release on the front of the harness. Dropping to her feet, she ran forwards and grabbed at the symbiote, letting it flow over her arm,


    Fuck you! She screamed in Ross¡¯s mind, an unusual fit of rage taking her over and as Octave, hurt but alive, swan up her arm she kept a hold of Ross. How fucking dare you, she screamed, pushing herself forwards, Octave enveloped her hand, slithered around her body and coated her arm. She formed a blade and stabbed Red Hulk in the side, digging a hand into the cut and sending tendrils into Ross¡¯s Body.


    ¡°Move a muscle you big mutant shit and I gut him from the inside,¡± Octave yelled at Abomination who paused, but Red Hulk was silent, his eyes fluttering as she assaulted his mind. Well, Peter did say that a physical connection made it easier.


    He raged as he saw a young Bruce kissing his daughter and he vowed then that once Bruce had outlived his usefulness, that he would have a small accident.


    He roared in rage as every attempt to capture Bruce and wring the formula from him was thwarted, even his latest recruit, Blonsky was reduced to a pile of broken flesh. His last favour from Pierce, a shipment of Super Soldier Serum, was now his only hope at containing the Hulk.


    In his mind General Ross watched as Banner destroyed his tanks, sending the men running across the battlefield. Even the enhanced Blonksy was useless, they were all useless.


    There was one bottle left after Abomination had left to find Hulk. One single bottle of Sterns formula amongst the ruined laboratory, and as he shook his head, he still rolled up his sleeve and injected himself. Setting the machine to click on and off, it followed the same preset that Blonskey had just used. Finally, he felt the raw power of the Hulk as it burned within him


    He stared in awe as Bruce held up a bottle of formula, and with his blessing injected the rest of the newly formed ¡®Thunderbolts.¡¯


    He still gave Bruce the stink eye as he found Betty and Bruce in a closet, the newly enhanced daughter of his ignoring his orders to keep away from Bruce. He had forgiven him for almost destroying his career, he was still sore about him taking Betty from him.


    Pathetic, you''re a worm, a nothing. Building your career on the backs of others, and we will make you suffer for the wrongs you have committed. You love your Hulk so much, then we will take it from you.


    Octave had the advantage the others never knew, she had been born from the new Venom, enhanced by the Mind Stone and powered by the complete Peter. She was a new symbiote, whole and with all the powers of the rest, and more. With her hand digging to Ross¡¯s side she extracted it, formed a syringe and then stabbed him once more, letting the Anti-Venom formula flow into his body.


    ¡°We will never forgive those who invade our home.¡± Octave spat at Ross, his body beginning to overheat as the de-powering formula spread.


    Octave watched as Gwen was proven right. It started small, the wound on his side began to smoke and flicker as his cells met the Anti-Venom. As they reacted to the AV they returned to normal, releasing all the stored energy within and as the gamma energy stored within his cells was released, he burned.


    General Ross screamed as his side caught fire and spread across his body, the smell of burning flesh of barbeque was abhorrent, and his screams of pain and terror added to the scene.


    Octave stood and watched, he deserved this, and even as Ross shrank his body continued to cook.


    ¡°Please, help me,¡± he begged, falling to his knees and reaching for Octave.


    Shaking her head she looked over at Abomination who shrugged. ¡°I ain¡¯t touchin¡¯ that,¡± but it wasn''t until the red energy enveloped Ross and the burning flesh stopped that Octave turned,


    ¡°Peter would not like you to kill a man outside his home.¡± Wanda stated, walking forwards, weaving her hands and stopping the anti-venom from killing Ross. ¡°I can stop it, but you should Doctor, even if it is to stay with Peter for longer.¡± Octave sighed.


    Damn conscience, she muttered and formed a new syringe full of symbcells. She knew the same cream they used to heal Natasha and themselves would stop the Anti-Venom from burning him from the inside, and she stabbed the frozen Ross again, injecting it into his side. ¡°There, happy?¡± and she crossed her arms and huffed.


    ¡°Peter would be proud,¡± and Wanda patted Octave on the shoulder, ¡°but uh, I think it might be too late anyway,¡± and looking around Wanda watched as a convoy of black armoured cars surrounded the group.


    ¡°Uh, do we fight?¡± she asked Octave, who shook her head and slipped back to Liv.


    ¡°No dear, we don''t fight, we behave and let the grown-ups talk.¡± Liv pointed to an agent, well dressed, with a serious look on his face.


    ¡°Agent Coulson, Shield. I''m afraid that this little party has to break up ladies, and uh, well, Hulks.¡± and he motioned to a group of agents, positioned behind the car, pointing the same energy weapons that Wanda had seen in Sokovia.


    ¡°Are we under arrest?¡± Liv asked, and Coulson shook his head.


    ¡°Not right now, maybe for the car, but I''m sure we can blame him for that.¡±


    ¡°Oi,¡° Abomination had shrunk back down to normal. ¡°I didn''t smash that up,¡° but Coulson shrugged,


    ¡°No cameras. Harlem was pretty bad, Sergeant Blonsky. I''m sure you¡¯ll have a hard time convincing anyone it wasn''t you.¡± and Blonsky shook his head,


    ¡°Its Colonel, fuckin secret service, and what about ¡®im?¡± he asked, pointing to Ross, still unconscious and badly burned by the Anti-venom. One whole half of his body was charred and even at this distance the smell of cooked flesh was abhorrent.


    Coulson shrugged. ¡°Can¡¯t touch him, he¡¯s a general. Maybe see if you''ve got a radio and call your HQ, maybe just walk away, and we¡¯ll finish cleaning up,¡± and Blonsky nodded, dropping the harness on the ground,


    ¡°Good fight Luv. Pity dick ¡®ed here interfered,¡± and as Coulson raised an eyebrow, ¡°not you,¡± and as he threw the unconscious Ross over his shoulder ¡°this dick ¡®ed,¡± he slapped the groaning Ross on his ass. ¡°Right, have fun cleaning this mess up,¡± and ungracefully dumping Ross in the back of their ATV, Blonsky fished around in the driver''s compartment until he found the keys, and waved as he drove off.


    Coulson watched as the van left. ¡°Sorry though. We do need to take you to Shield HQ, Ms Octavious and, I¡¯m sorry, we don''t have a file on you Ms?¡±


    Wanda looked over at Liv who shrugged, ¡°They¡¯ll find out if they fingerprint you dear, might as well.¡±


    ¡°Maximov, Wanda Maximov,¡± and for once the agent''s stoic face cracked,


    ¡°Well. Shit¡± Liv heard him whisper.

 Arc Five. Chapter One Hundred Fifty. Trials And Tribulations

    As they were vastly outnumbered and both Peter and Iron Man knew that Captain America was not just for show, they peacefully surrendered. As Tony was stepping out of his armour several agents wrapped it and the two drones in a strange metal cable and they both whined and powered down. Tony was about to voice some complaints when Captain America shook his head at him and another Agent handed him papers, which after reading and scowling, he signed.


    ¡°You know my lawyers are going to have a field day with that, seizing my armour is still theft, no matter how well you wrap it up,¡± but Cap shook his head,


    ¡°I¡¯m only here to make sure you behave, Mr Stark, the rest is up to the suits,¡± and motioning to one of the ATV¡¯s the pair were led away.


    Tony and Peter were sat in cells next to each other, and while Peter was laying on the soft as a rock bed, Tony was sat glaring at him.


    As Fury walked in, bringing behind him a guilty-looking Liv, he motioned to a cell and she meekly walked inside.


    ¡°Well, thanks to you three, as I can¡¯t throw Ross in here as well, the WSC signed the last of the accords and you¡¯re all now criminals.¡± Liv sat down while Fury closed the jail door behind her and Peter moved over from his bed and held her hand through the bars.


    ¡°Liv? Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I''m fine dear, just dealing with pests at home.¡±


    Fury cleared his throat but Peter glared at him,


    ¡°Yeah, you''re in a cell Parker, that won''t work.¡° but Peter still shrugged


    ¡°It¡¯s not a very good cell, so what do you want? I doubt that this could hold either me or Liv and while he is a jackass, Tony Stark in jail? Yeah, that¡¯ll hold until Pepper Potts hears about it and then you¡¯re in the shit.¡±


    Nick smiled and pulled out a folding chair from behind the guard station, unfolding it he sat backwards in it, leaning his arms on the backrest.


    ¡°This is how it''s going to go down. Mr Stark, the drone you so kindly donated to us, plus the upgrades you¡¯re providing to Shields fleet will pay for the damages, and you get the capture reward for Venom,¡± and when Peter began to complain Fury raised a hand,


    ¡°Dr Octavius, we seem to have come into possession of our very own Iron Man armoured suit, and your punishment will be to outfit it for us and provide our engineers with the relevant know-how to fix and upgrade it.¡° and Liv nodded.


    ¡°And you, Mr Parker, well, technically you were an agent but the Accords now state using your powers without authorisation is an automatic cryosleep sentence, but here''s my thinking. Venom is wanted, Peter is not, you become an official agent, maybe change your costume and Venoms on ice but you¡¯re free.¡±


    ¡°Free to be a jackass,¡± Tony butted in but Fury stared at him,


    ¡°You know I can have you put in cryosleep as well Mr Stark. The Iron Man suit is military-grade, and that''s very very illegal, well, now it is anyway, but, a lot of goodwill goes a long way. So I don''t care what he did to piss you off. I don''t care if he slept with Pepper Potts, and yes, thanks to you everyone knows. Oh and if you think prison is bad, I hear she¡¯s been waiting for you to get released, and that''s a conversation I would pay to watch. So, be quiet, or I¡¯ll release you right now into her very capable but very angry hands.¡± and Tony sat back down and leaned back against the wall, covering his face with his hands. If Pepper had heard what he said he knew that he might not be able to sweet talk his way out of this.


    ¡°Change your costume, and Peter Parker is free.¡± Nick leaned back and spread his arms with a smile.


    ¡°But not Venom?¡± and Fury shook his head, ¡°but I¡¯m Venom, it''s, you know, like renaming Iron Man, Tin Can Man, it''s just not right.¡± and Tony snorted and rolled his eyes in the cell next to his.


    Fury shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t care, I really don''t. I don''t care if you put a paper bag on your head and call yourself the bombastic bag man, but if you don''t want jail time then Venom dies, right here, right now. Your call, but let me remind you, Mr Parker, if Peter is outed as Venom, your Aunt and Doctor Connors become very public figures.¡±


    As Fury spoke Peter stood and walked to the bars, ¡°I¡¯m playing nice Director, don''t make me angry, you won¡¯t like me when I''m angry.¡±


    Fury laughed, ¡°come on kid, change your damn name and it all goes away, shit,¡° and he shook his head. ¡°Look, it''s not forever, Venom has a sentence, once it''s over you can go back to the black and white, just let it blow over. Here even I¡¯ll sweeten the deal. Wanda Maximov. She was picked up at the warehouse with Dr Octavious and is being held here in a separate part of the building. Free pass, nice papers, and a Shield job, all riding on you.¡±


    ¡°Fine, but I want to see Stark being released to Pepper.¡± and Fury laughed.


    ¡°Don''t we all?¡±


    Tony looked over at the pair and snorted in derision, even he wasn¡¯t looking forward to seeing Pepper again.


    Fury nodded to the agents guarding the cells and they came and unlocked them, motioning for the trio to exit but keeping the energy rifles trained on them the whole time.


    ¡°Stark, you go with Agent Coulson here, and he¡¯ll be your liaison with Shield, and you two. Dr Octavious, your shadow will be Agent Rumlow, while you Mr Parker are coming with me.¡±


    Peter noted the shortish man, he recognised him as the one talking to Pepper at the Iron Man interview and he nodded at him politely. As Liv was led away by a very muscular agent in full tactical gear, Fury took Peter through the office floors and into his office at the top of Shield headquarters, where to his surprise Nat and Wanda were just talking, each with a coffee and cookies sat next to them.


    ¡°Under arrest my ass,¡± Peter said, and Fury shrugged.


    ¡°Just said she was here, anything else is on you.¡±


    Nat stood and she smiled as she hugged Peter, ¡°So, what''s the new name then?¡± and he frowned and half-heartedly shrugged.


    ¡°More interested in what''s going on here,¡± and as Fury took off his coat and sat down behind his desk he sighed. ¡°Didn¡¯t get me one huh?¡± but Nat shrugged and sat back down.


    ¡°How was I supposed to know you¡¯d drag Liv down to a cell and then release her, just for show,¡± and Peter scowled.


    Sighing and hitting the intercom, ¡°Two coffees please,¡± Fury lent back. ¡°To answer your question Mr Parker, you¡¯re going to Shield academy. While brawling in the street isn¡¯t exactly the behaviour we look for in an agent, you¡¯ll get a pass this time, but only this time. Natasha gave you a glowing report and while Ms Maximov and you did destroy several million dollars worth of equipment, you did also discover a small problem that needs to be taken care of. All in all, other than the little show with Stark, I¡¯d recommend you both for agent right now, but the security council has a bug up its butt about it. So instead it''s the academy for a year or two, and then fieldwork. Natasha here is being assigned as your supervisor, so, pass the course, that''s it,¡± and as Fury smiled and gestured open arms, Peter shook his head.


    ¡°All that for this? You could have just asked.¡± and Fury laughed but leant forwards, a serious look coming over his face.


    ¡°I did, and you were supposed to behave yourself, but your fight was uploaded to the internet, so we can¡¯t use Venom as a public figure anymore. Someone uploaded that little rant of Tony¡¯s as well, and now Pepper Potts is an internet celebrity, and Tony Stark going off the rails over it is almost as popular. You fucked up, and now, you have to pay.¡± Fury leant back and almost reached for his secret stash, remembering that Peter and Wanda were both only 19. ¡°In fact, you fucked up so badly that not it¡¯s just you on the WSC¡¯s radar. Dr Octavious is now under contract with Shield, and the only reason Ms Stacy, Ms Hardy, and Ms Watson aren''t in here with you, is that they weren''t at the warehouse when it was attacked and-¡± but Peter shot to his feet interrupting him,


    ¡°What!¡± Peter spat through gritted teeth. ¡°Who the fuck attacked my home?¡± and as his fist clenched Natasha lay a hand on his shoulder,


    ¡°It wasn''t us. The military found Doctor Octavious and pulled their own bullshit to drag her in, but it''s fine. We were already monitoring you all just in case another Oscorp situation arose and we got our agents there in time. There were no casualties and the damage was minimal. Liv was impressive, you should be proud.¡±


    Peter shook his head, ¡°it¡¯s not fine, why the fuck did the military attack Liv, and under what law? The army isn¡¯t allowed to operate on-¡± and it was Furys turn to interrupt


    ¡°Yeah, that''s on you too. Oscorp, Goblin, and Venom, plus the little stunt in Sokovia, and then Stark gave them the authority. Times are changing Mr Parker, Enhanced are more common and each agency is scrambling to assemble their own teams, Ross included. You¡¯re just damn lucky she¡¯s enhanced as well, I take it they all are?¡±


    But Peter shook his head, ¡°no, not a word until I know everyone is safe, not a single thing until I have someone¡¯s head on a fucking plate. I''m tired of the bullshit, you''re playing games and it''s my ass on the line, immunity and full immunity, not this ¡®oh you''re protected but only from us¡¯ bullshit I keep getting.¡±


    Fury looked at Nat who shrugged but then nodded,


    ¡°Fine.¡± Fury reached into a desk drawer and put two glasses on the desk, a moment later a bottle of scotch appeared and then a small box, a humidor and as he opened it, a light inside came on and as he rolled a cigar between his teeth he lit it and took a draw.


    Blowing smoke out, up and at a camera, in the corner, Nat pressed a button on a small device as well and the room became deathly silent.


    ¡°We have two minutes. You were right, Shield has been infiltrated, but we don''t know who and officially we have no way to find out. Your mission is in Shield academy, with Natasha as your sponsor, Wanda will be going in with you and your job will be to find out just how far whoever it is has infiltrated. Dr Octavious is working in the technical department and has already been briefed. The charges are real unfortunately and you do need another identity.¡± Fury took a breath and poured two glasses, nudging one over to Natasha. ¡°A lot of this is bullshit, but we need the bullshit to hide the stink of the real op, once that light goes off, your choice is made and it''s this or jail, you have about 30 seconds to decide.¡±


    Peter didn''t even pause, ¡°with immunity for me and everyone, I don''t care, I''m in.¡±


    Nick nodded and Peter heard the click of the device again, as he poured two fingers of scotch into each glass he leant back and took another draw on the cigar. Peter, already having deadened his sense of smell, noticed that Natasha had a similar look on her face to his. Fury blew out a cloud of smoke and knocked the head from the cigar before handing over a glass to Natasha, ¡°maybe next year,¡± he commented to Peter who shrugged.


    Fury raised his glass and Natasha returned the gesture, gently tinking them together, ¡°Well then. Once we fill out the paperwork and get you officially enrolled. You are officially a member of Sword Mr Parker, congratulations.''''

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-One. Back To School

    Peter looked over the mess that had been left outside the warehouse. A tow truck had taken away the smashed car, but pieces of it still littered the street. He could see the torn fence, the two handprints in the asphalt, and the scrapes and holes dug by Liv using the harness.


    While Shield had offered to pay for the damages, citing the Military would eventually pay, it was the normal agency bureaucracy, and it would be done. Eventually.


    Walking through the hole he saw the warehouse was at least in one piece, Liv had been gracious enough to fight elsewhere and as he opened the door, Gwen barreled into him.


    ¡°Oh thank god you''re okay,¡± she muttered as she kissed him over his face.


    ¡°I got the news at work and stayed hidden. Shield turned up but security and Pepper took care of them. Felicia is fine, and MJ is, uh, actually I don''t know where MJ is.¡± Peter held her close as she talked, not wanting to let go,


    ¡°So, still an agent but they got Liv and Wanda, you guys are fine, but uh, I need a new name. Venom has to disappear,¡± Peter said dejectedly.


    ¡°That''s it? Just a new name?¡± and Gwen sigh in relief, ¡°I mean, just a name right, it''s not like Venom is your symbiotes name or anything,¡± but seeing the look on Peter''s face she frowned. ¡°Sorry, sorry, guess it is a big deal yeah,¡± and he nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s who I am Gwen, like asking you to call yourself I dunno Doris or something stupid.¡± and Gwen snorted, ¡°yeah, see.¡±


    ¡°But you can pick something cool, like uh Dark Man or uh, Captain Awesome,¡±


    Peter pushed Gwen away and stared at her. ¡°I am not calling myself Captain Awesome,¡± and she laughed and kissed him,


    ¡°Stick with the black, maybe add a few embellishments and pick something easy, like Darkness, or Twilight.¡±


    Peter took a  step back, thought for a moment and as his symbskin enveloped him he dyed it a deep blue colour, adding the wingsuit from his fight with Iron Man. Lifting his arms a few times to make sure it didn''t interfere with his reach and swinging out, ¡°Dusk, Twilight¡¯s a bit pretentious.¡±


    Gwen huffed, ¡°I was hoping you¡¯d go with Monkey again, it was cute thinking about those little ears,¡± and Peter laughed and shook his head.


    ¡°Never again,¡± but Gwen snorted and laughed harder.


    Gwen ran a hand over his shoulder. ¡°You doing okay though?¡± and he nodded,


    ¡°It could have been a lot worse, I haven''t been using the harness or the stone, I thought you know, I wouldn''t need them but Liv.¡° Peter sighed and leaned back against the warehouse door, ¡±Liv being attacked and Shield taking them both, I thought with fixing my powers it¡¯s enough but it isn''t is it?¡± and Gwen shrugged.


    ¡°Is it ever though? What if the next thing is stronger, and you want more? and then another thing, when do you stop? When you can''t touch us without hurting us? When you¡¯re in control of everything?¡± and Peter stared at the ground, rubbing a scuff with his shoe.


    ¡°No. I just want everyone to be safe,¡± and Gwen laughed.


    ¡°Liv kicked the crap out of two hulks, and sure, Wanda helped but still, don''t count us all out, Pete. We can take care of ourselves, and when we can''t, we have a family. We¡¯re not china dolls. What was it you said to Felicia? holes to cum in, well, we¡¯re not glass either. If we get hurt, we get hurt. Life''s like that.¡± and she pulled him back in for another hug, ¡°So stop fucking moaning about losing your name and go kick ass at Shield academy, okay?¡± and taking his head in her hands kissed him on the lips. Peter smiled and nodded


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Gwen leaned in and kissed his neck, ¡°not that some of mind when you treat us like that though,¡± and as her hands moved over Peter, she proved that while she wasn''t made of glass, she definitely had several holes she enjoyed him cumming in.


    As Gwen and Peter enjoyed their alone time in the warehouse, ignoring the mess, MJ was attending a lesson of her own.


    She had received a phone call from someone she hadn¡¯t seen in years and as she made her way to the imposingly large private school, she took a deep breath and wondered if this was a good idea.


    As she buzzed the gate, it swung and someone she¡¯d never thought she¡¯d see again ran down the driveway and pulled her into a hug,


    ¡°Mary!¡± and excited redhead squealed. Jean Grey, tall, slim, and very attractive, MJ thought, ¡°good to see you,¡± and Jean grabbed onto her and they walked arm in arm up the driveway.


    Unable to stop her, MJ relaxed into the unfamiliar familiarity of her embrace,


    ¡°Uh, it''s MJ now Jean, but uh, what''s with the phone call? I mean, it''s been a few years right?¡±


    ¡°Peter,¡± was all she said but MJ swore,


    fuck, it''s a trap, and as she thought that Jean stopped and taking her by the shoulders shook her head,


    ¡°no, it''s not. Damn uh, I can read minds too. So, dammit, it''s uh, you know, your what did he call you, Enhanced? So yeah, I can, well, we can explain, now, yes, now, damn,¡± Jean fumbled through her explanation, she knew MJ was like Peter but had no clue to what degree.


    ¡°I,¡± and Jean''s shoulders slumped, ¡°I had to move away as my powers were becoming a problem, but now you¡¯re the same we can hang out again, isn¡¯t that great?¡± she said with a huge smile.


    MJ, however, took a step back, ¡°what? Is that why I''m here? So you can find out what my powers are?¡±


    Jean stepped back as well, a look of horror on her face. ¡°What no? I want to hang out, with you, and uh Peter again, I know but,¡± and she looked down, ¡°a few mutant kids got attacked. The lucky ones have powers we can hide but some, a lot aren¡¯t like us MJ and people hate us. I, I was worried you would hate me, and with Scott blowing up the school, well, we had to move.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Scott blew up the school?¡± and Jean nodded, and held out a hand,


    ¡°I can uh, I can let you remember. If you¡¯d like?¡± and MJ frowned, she did remember, a faulty gas line in the science block had ignited and blown a hole in a row of school lockers, and she narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°You have someone who can read minds don''t you?¡± and Jean rubbed an arm and nodded,


    ¡°It''s one of my powers,¡± she looked guiltily at MJ, ¡°but I never used them on you, honest Mar-, MJ. The professor covered it up to keep Scott safe, but, I can show you what really happened.¡± and MJ took her hand, and nodded.


    MJ was walking past the boys as they argued. She wished Flash would just calm down for one minute as he poked Scott in the chest, shouting something about losing a match cause his glasses broke.


    As Jean and Gwen stood to one side she was tempted to go over to them when Flash batted Scott across the face and his glasses flew off. A bright red beam erupted and split the school lockers in two, molten steel dripping down as they erupted in flames.


    Kids screamed and everyone dived for cover as Scott closed his eyes and she watched Jean touch the side of her head and everyone, including her, froze. The fires went out and the rubble was moved away from any student. Scott¡¯s glasses floated up and he reached out and grabbed them.


    MJ took a breath as the memory came back to her, and shaking her head she glared at Jean. ¡°How many more?¡± and Jean shrugged. ¡°How many more memories did you take?¡± MJ asked again, more forcefully this time, and Jean stepped back and raised her hands,


    ¡°None, none I swear, only that, too many and you risk brain damage, oh uh, do you remember Laura?¡± and M.J scowled as she shook her head.


    Jean cursed, ¡°then one more, do you want to see?¡± and M.J nodded, still angry.


    MJ watched the replay of the drug bust, of saving Laura and then the bald professor taking her away. ¡°And you expect me to come and meet his guy? No wonder Peter was angry, you¡¯re lucky he didn''t beat the crap out of him,¡± and Jean frowned.


    ¡°Sorry MJ, really. The professor saves so many, we didn¡¯t know, and you know, Venom isn¡¯t the nicest guy,¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s your excuse. Peter beats up muggers and gets framed for a murder and with your mind powers, you don¡¯t bother to find out the truth? You just brand him a criminal and that''s the end of it. No,¡° and MJ backed off, shaking her head. ¡°This was a mistake, Jean. Glad you''re okay, glad things are great but no,'''' and MJ turned to leave, walking back down the driveway.


    ¡°MJ please,¡° and Jean put a hand on her shoulder, using her powers to hold onto the stronger MJ. MJ spun and grabbed Jean by the wrist and Muse stirred,


    ¡°We do not take kindly to being attacked Jean, let go or we will hurt you.¡±


    ¡°MJ please, that''s why you''re here, I want to know the truth, not what J.J spouts, the actual truth.¡± and MJ laughed,


    ¡°The truth?¡± and she shrugged, ¡°your professor doesn''t care about the truth Jean, or why do we not have our memories back? Why are Gwen and Felicia and Liv still in the dark about Laura? You picked who you thought was the weakest, the one you had a link too and you lured her here, and the stupid bitch fell for it.¡±


    ¡°What? No,¡± and Jean shook her head, ¡°I wanted to see you again, and you aren''t meeting the professor for that reason, I wanted to see you and meet my friends, to show you that we¡¯re not the bad guys. We just, you know, messed up.¡± and MJ shook her head,


    ¡°Sorry Jean, I can¡¯t. We have to be safe, we have so much that could go wrong and if they get one of us they get us all. You should have visited, explained to the group, not just me,¡± as MJ continued to walk away Jean chased after her,


    ¡°Fine, then let''s go, you live in a fancy building right, so show me, and I¡¯ll talk to Peter and the rest, wait, Gwen lives there too?¡± And MJ nodded, Jean batted her arm, ¡°look at you living it up with your besties,¡± but MJ frowned.


    Scott and Flash had never seen eye to eye, and it wasn¡¯t until Peter left that Flash made his feelings about him known. Jean always seemed to be just like her, hanging in the background while the two fought with their macho bullshit. Just like me, she thought, and she sighed. ¡°Come on, we can get a cab from here¡± and as MJ dialled, Jean followed behind her, smiling and skipping.


    The cab ride back was quiet, Jean looking apprehensive about being out on her own,


    ¡°It¡¯s not a prison break you know,¡± and Jean looked nervously at MJ.


    ¡°It''s just been a while, since,¡± and she shrank back in her seat. The thing was MJ did know, that small panic at the unfamiliar, and she wondered if Jean was more like her than she let on.


    Paying the cab fare, as Jean didn¡¯t bring money, MJ frowned as she saw the mess around the warehouse and the hole torn in the fence. ¡°Uh, Jean, maybe wait a minute,¡± but Jean shook her head,


    ¡°If something bad happened then no, I want to help,¡± and the pair cautiously approached the warehouse.


    MJ could hear grunting and swearing coming from within, and fearing the worst, slid her key in and pushed the door open, ready to fight if need be.


    MJ and Jean stared as a sweaty Gwen lay on the coffee table, Peter holding both her legs as he buried himself into her over and over again. As he noticed the pair he pulled back, springing proudly into full view.


    ¡°What the hell Pete?¡± Gwen complained as he slid from her,¡± Gwen lent back, her head viewing the pair upside down, watching as Jean turned bright red. ¡°oh uh, Hi MJ.¡±

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Two. The Popular Kids

    Gwen laughed, and they both changed into more appropriate attire, Peter standing unashamed as his symbskin rippled and covered him.


    ¡°We weren¡¯t expecting guests. MJ, hit the fans and Gwen,¡° Peter shrugged ¡°guess we finish this later,¡±


    MJ sighed and hit the air-con button by the door, a fine mist of neutraliser and a subtle breeze filtered through the warehouse as Jean unburied her face from behind MJ, ¡°Is it always like this?¡± and MJ shook her head.


    ¡°No,¡± MJ said angrily, ¡°normally there is no sex at the breakfast table, so what gives?¡± MJ asked as she walked over to them, ¡°I mean, come on guys, what if it was Curt or your Aunt, really?¡± and both Gwen and Peter looked at each other,


    ¡°Uh, we had an incident, sorry MJ. Emotions were a bit, uh high?¡±


    ¡°I saw, but is everyone okay?¡± and Peter nodded.


    ¡°We¡¯ll explain later, but uh, things are a little bit different now. So yeah, why is Jean here?¡± Peter was grabbing a spray bottle from under the small kitchen and sprayed over the table before wiping it down,


    ¡°You? And uh,¡± and Jean went red again, motioning to the group.


    Peter sighed, ¡°Yes Jean. Poly. MJ, Gwen, Felicia, and Liv, yes all of us, yes we do, and no not normally at the table, that, yeah, sorry MJ, that was bad. Coffee?¡±


    A stunned Jean nodded and sat down in one of the chairs surrounding the large dining table. ¡°Uh, wait, poly? So?¡±


    MJ nodded and fished out some cookies from the cupboards, now that Poison was a bit more in control they could leave snacks and other treats around the warehouse now without her making Gwen¡¯s life difficult, as she went to put them on a plate, Peter smirked and she stuck her tongue out at him, tore the wrapper off and left them in their packet.


    ¡°All of us, yes, poly.¡± Peter shook his head. It was always the same, either people ranted about their indecency or quizzed them about how he managed with so many. Jean however stared at the table in thought, and while he was, it didn¡¯t take a telepath to know what she was thinking. It was written all over her face, wondering exactly how he managed to have four different women without issues, and as her face was beet red, how they managed everything else as well.


    ¡°So, Jean, what brings you here?¡± Peter asked as he filled the cups and placed them, sugar, and creamer on the table. Jean stared at it and Peter just shook his head, ¡°I can read your mind, but it''s rude,¡± and Jean snapped back to reality.


    ¡°Sorry just,¡° and she stared, trying to avoid looking at Peter, her eyes moving down and then darting back up to his face.


    ¡°Pete, give her a break okay,¡± and Peter laughed,


    ¡°Sorry, just too easy, I¡¯ll leave you three talking,¡± and grabbing his mug, Peter laughed as he headed back into his home,


    ¡°I mean, that was his uh,¡± and as she avoided looking at him, ¡°and you were,¡± and she took a breath, ¡°Scott and I have kissed but, uh.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it happened, and then again with,¡° and Gwen shook her head, ¡°yeah, it''s a thing, but really, why are you here Jean? I mean, we haven¡¯t seen you since the accident at school, so what¡¯s up?¡± and as Gwen looked at Jean she caught MJ¡¯s eye. ¡°Oh, oh you¡¯re not enhanced as well are you?¡± and MJ nodded, but Jean shook her head


    ¡°No, we, uh I mean, I¡¯m a mutant,¡± she explained.


    Gwen frowned and took a drink of her coffee. ¡°You don¡¯t look like a mutant, no extra arms or that,¡± and MJ rubbed her forehead while Jean looked shocked.


    ¡°What? no. Why would you think that?¡±


    ¡°Cause uh, mutant, what else could you mean. You know, like the old movies, mutant zombies from Mars, that kinda thing.¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯re mutated beyond a normal human, I have powers.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so a naturally Enhanced human. So uh, what idiot came up with mutant? I mean, it''s a really bad thing to name yourself, most people think of monsters, and well, you¡¯re not a monster.¡±


    Jean sighed and spun her cup slowly, ¡°The professor coined the term in the ¡¯60s, thinking we were born because of the increased nuclear testing, but we now know that mutants have been around for centuries, just hiding.¡±


    ¡°You know that''s awesome right. So what powers do you have? I mean, are you stronger than MJ? Oh, can you fly? Carol can fly, oh Thor, he can shoot lightning, and Wanda has that red energy stuff,¡± and Jean looked dejected,


    ¡°You know more mutants? I mean, not that I was wanting to show off or anything but, uh, you guys are already clued in,¡± and she looked at her cup. ¡°I can read minds but I have telekinesis, so I guess I can fly, but uh. The professor doesn''t like us using our powers outside the mansion, in case we get spotted.¡±


    Gwen looked around, ¡°seriously? We''re in a warehouse, with privacy glass and a huge frickin lock on the door, come one, I¡¯ll show you mine if you show me yours,¡° and Gwen twitched an eyebrow at Jean who laughed, ¡°but Carol, Carol is an alien hybrid, oh and Thor is actually Thor from legend, how cool is that, and yeah okay Loki as well, but she was still nice though, and I don¡¯t think she pulled any tricks while she was here,¡° and Gwen looked over at MJ who shrugged. As far as she was concerned Loki and Thor saved her and were amazing.


    Jean slumped back, the news that more than mutants existed, and that actual mythical gods were real was well too much. ¡°Fine, fine. Your costume is pretty cool though, The professor says-¡± but Gwen held up a hand,


    ¡°Hold up, costume? MJ? She doesn''t know?¡± and MJ shook her head.


    ¡°We literally just got here Gwen, and the little show you guys were putting on was kind of a conversation killer.¡±


    Gwen took a breath, ¡°it''s not a costume Jean, we¡¯re hosts to an alien,'''' and standing, Poison wrapped herself around Gwen, increasing her height and towering over the table. ¡°We are Poison,¡± and Jean stared up in her, her mouth hanging open,


    Hoping to take solace with MJ, she shook her head and the symbiote morphed from her clothing and she stood, ¡°and we are Muse.¡±


    ¡°That is so not fair, now aliens, and names, I wasn''t allowed a name, it''s just Jean,¡± she huffed, ¡°and my costumes lame. We all wear matching uniforms,¡± and as she complained, Poison laughed and vaulted over the table, landing next to her.


    ¡°Poor poor baby, having mind powers must be so difficult, and flying, oh no, poor Jeanie,¡± and Muse giggled while Jean pouted,


    Poison transformed, and Gwen leant down to hug her, ¡°it''s good to see you Jean, but like Pete said, really, why are you here?¡±


    Jean frowned, ¡°The professor did something bad to you guys, and I¡¯m here to fix it.¡± and it was Gwen¡¯s turn to frown,


    ¡°What do you mean, bad?¡± and Jean sighed.


    ¡°You rescued a girl, from a drug den and we, well, he came and took her. Peter knows and well, he got really mad at us, started fighting with some of the students and it was Laura that stopped him, and I''m here as a peace offering.¡±


    ¡°Pete, get your fucking ass out here right now, Mister,¡± Gwen shouted, and Peter stuck his head out of his him,


    ¡°Laura yeah?¡± and Jean nodded,


    ¡°So, want to explain, why you didn¡¯t tell us you¡¯d been fighting, and why we were all hit by my mind mojo?¡±


    Peter took a breath, ¡°cause I didn''t know how to say it without coming across as weird, and no idea how to explain mind mojo without undoing it. I can use telepathy now and Wanda was going to teach me more, but why stress everyone out until I can actually fix it.¡±


    Gwen looked unamused but nodded, ¡°that''s fair, and you can?¡± she asked Jean who nodded.


    ¡°The professor taught me techniques. I can, I was, going to offer to teach you Peter but uh, Wanda? She¡¯s a mutant too?¡± and Peter laughed,


    ¡°Erik¡¯s daughter.¡± and Jean stared, open-mouthed at him.


    ¡°Magneto, Magneto has a daughter and she¡¯s a telepath too?¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°And more.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, she¡¯s got this really cool red energy stuff, can move things..with, uh, yeah, sorry,¡± Gwen shrunk down,


    Jean sighed. ¡°It''s fine, we don''t get out much, the professor usually only takes a small group out when he rescues kids and I was told my powers were too unstable for combat. Knowing other mutants are doing fine, is uh, fine, I guess.¡± but it was apparent that finding out that they were hanging out with another mutant who had exactly the same powers as she did, but flashier, had struck a nerve.


    Jean took a breath and released it sharply. ¡°So, if I can''t teach you, then you can practise, right? I mean, the more people you learn from gives you a better understanding of your mental landscape and how to use it, plus I can unblock the professors wipe, so, ¡° and Peter laughed and Jean scowled.


    ¡°It''s fine Jean, you don''t need a reason to come and hang out, but you know, we¡¯re all felons, I think?¡± Peter paused for a moment ¡°Well, Venom was, I mean, oh, wait, practise right? Then give me your hand.¡± and while hesitant Jean lay her arm on the table and Peter took her hand gently. ¡°Ready?¡± and she nodded,


    Jean watched the rooftop fight play out from Peter''s perspective, felt his anger at the attack on Felicia and the shock of Flash¡¯s secret, but she saw in full clarity the mistake. She materialised herself on the rooftop and walked around John, there was no malice, no intent to kill him, and as the webbing hit the gun she could see he had unclipped it to attack Venom with his knife, and as Spider-Man reached out the try, there was no murder. It was an accident.


    The Venom in the memory moved. ¡°See? I won''t deny I¡¯ve killed, Jean. but he almost killed Felicia, and another would have killed me. I won''t show you those unless you want but I had no choice. I¡¯m not perfect, far from it, but John, I had nothing to do with that.¡±


    Jean looked, ¡°Show me,¡± and Peter shrugged and the scenes blurred.


    In the warehouse, Peter and Jean took each other''s hands for a moment before Jean paled and pulled away before puking on the warehouse floor. Sighing Peter moved and opened a small cupboard, grabbed a spray bottle and a bucket and dumped the bucket in the sink to fill with water and sprayed the mess with cleaner.


    ¡°You, you killed them,¡± and he shrugged,


    ¡°I said I did, I warned you but, yeah, and you know why,¡± as she knelt, the last of the vomit dripping from her lips, and she nodded weakly.


    Peter stopped the faucet and grabbed a mop, and sprayed webbing over the vomit letting it soak up the mess.


    ¡°He, uh water, can I get some water?¡± and Gwen ran the faucet and handed her a cup with water in it, ¡°Peter showed me the Alexsi death, and the uh, agent guy.¡± Jean took a small sip and rinsed her mouth out, and Peter nodded and she spat it into the sink, running the faucet to wash it away.


    ¡°And you thought that was smart?¡± She glared at Peter, who nonchalantly shrugged and continued to mop.


    ¡°I wanted to see, I wanted to know he was,¡± and Jean stopped.


    ¡°Aww crud.¡± and Jean stood shakily, ¡°I wanted to see if Peter was a monster or not, and he¡¯s not, he¡¯s a realist, and I don''t know if that worse,¡±


    ¡°Oh fuck off Jean,¡± was all Peter said as he cleaned the last of the mess. ¡°I felt you probing for more, so see what you wanted?¡± and Jean went bright red, and Gwen and MJ looked over at the crimson-haired, and now crimson faced Jean as Peter explained,


    ¡°She went looking for my memories of all of us having sex.¡±

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Three. 50 Shades Of Grey

    ¡°You what!¡± MJ shouted, ¡°and you, you let her?¡± and Peter nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like a movie. I let her in to show I trusted her, and well, she took advantage of that.¡± and Jean, still red, looked down at the cup,


    ¡°Sorry,¡± was all she said but Peter shrugged nonchalantly,


    ¡°You rub with one finger, while-¡±


    and Jean shouted, ¡°NOO!!¡± at him, trying to drown him out. She had taken advantage, and rather than being angry, he had simply returned the favour, and as she knew everything he had done, so he had seen everything she had done.


    Jean was sat staring at the three and had gone bright red again. It was Gwen laughing that brought her back to her senses. Today had been a flood of emotions surprised and shocks, and this was the worst of them,


    ¡°Dirty girl, and here was me missing out because we thought we¡¯d been caught,¡± and Jean buried her face in her hands and shook her head.


    ¡°I, I wanted to know. Needed to know that Peter was good, that he hadn''t gone rogue, he¡¯s good, he¡¯s good,¡± and Gwen frowned.


    ¡°Uh Pete, something you want to tell us?¡±


    ¡°Boarding School,¡± and it clicked. Jean had grown up in a private academy with little privacy. Jean going through Peters memories must have been too much for her and now, well, now she had gotten a very intimate lesson on exactly what five very sexually active people could get up to. Then add in every dirty fantasy she''d ever had, every time she had ever touched herself, and Jean was beyond embarrassed and was struggling to calm the rampant emotional turmoil building inside.


    ¡°I heard, the news that he¡¯d killed someone, and then that Venom was causing all this, bad stuff, and once the professor and Scott came back with Laura they told us Peter was Venom, and I, I didn''t believe it but even Laura said, well she called you Monkey but we figured that was for cover,¡±


    Peter cleared his throat, ¡°yeah, you''re stalling, and babbling, not explaining though. So Jean, did you enjoy watching me and my four girlfriends?¡± he asked with a smirk on his face,


    Peter really didn''t care if she had or not. He had enough training from Wanda to bar her and now that the Mind stone was secured in his body she couldn''t have stopped him even if he¡¯d done the same. What he was enjoying though was teasing her until her face went scarlet again and she looked about ready to die from embarrassment.


    ¡°Scott not doing the biz for you?¡± and Jean looked even more horrified as if she was willing to talk about that with Peter sitting right there. It was unimportant that while she had looked through his memories, and there were a lot of them, he had done the same to her, and as she thought of him watching her, her face went bright red again.


    Taking a deep breath, she counted to ten with her eyes closed, and using the techniques the Professor taught her, brought her emotions back under control, letting the feelings sit behind a barrier the professor had taught her to erect each time she felt overwhelmed.


    ¡°We, we kissed and uh held hands but no, not even second base.¡± but she scowled at Gwen, who just snorted and poked her before she leaned back in her chair, ¡°and seeing us and knowing it was all of us curiosity got the better of you huh?¡± and Jean nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s all, we¡¯re just out of school, what about, you know, pregnancy or stuff, don''t you worry?¡± and Gwen shook her head,


    ¡°We don''t have to with the symbiotes, but still, naughty naughty, peaking like that.¡±


    ¡°I know I know, but, living at the mansion is stifling. I want to go out but the professor just gives me the same excuses. It''s too dangerous, too risky, and we go out for training but never for fun, never for anything other than supervised trips. I uh, want to move in with you guys, I want to be here. If you can be out bashing bad guys, and making movies then why can''t I?¡±


    ¡°Uh, even though you know what we do for fun? Well, not all the time but yeah, most of the time.¡±


    ¡°In the open?¡± but MJ shook her head,


    ¡°No, that was bad, and they know it, punishment, both of you.¡± and while Gwen slumped in her chair, Peter was still on punishment from the last time and it wouldn''t make a big difference to his day and just shrugged at which MJ raised an eyebrow, ¡°Super punishment then, how about no me or Gwen till you learn to behave, Mister. This isn¡¯t the first time you¡¯ve had sex on the table, and I doubt it will be the last.¡±


    Peter however was more thinking that his schedule suddenly filled, with no timetable from Shield academy but a warehouse penthouse, several homes needing to be built and a bath for an ever grumbling Gwen, he was going to have to spend all of his free time getting it done.


    ¡°Fine,¡± and picking up his phone, Peter tapped a few times and a printer could be heard chugging in the background, ¡°Sorry MJ, it¡± and he sighed, ¡°They came for Liv while we were all out, Stark is an asshole and we all ended up in jail.¡° he shook his head. ¡°It won''t happen again, I promise, not with two and now maybe three who aren¡¯t,¡± and he motioned to the group.


    ¡°Everyone okay?¡± MJ asked as she moved over and ran a hand over Peter¡¯s shoulder, he nodded and tilted his head to rub his cheek against her fingers,


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s fine, just a lot of new jobs all around. Shield pretty much owns us now, and no jail time is the price.¡± and MJ nodded,


    ¡°Tell me the rest later okay?¡± and as Peter took her hand and kissed her fingers he looked over at Jean.


    ¡°Jean, you''re a big girl. Sign if you want and then you¡¯ll deal with whatever mess you make. Landlord, not dad or boyfriend, so unless it''s structural or you can''t pay your rent, then don¡¯t bother. Oh and no, we don¡¯t have shows or anything like that, the red face might be cute but we¡¯ll behave once someone who¡¯s not in the group moves in.¡±


    And it was MJ that grinned, ¡°stingy landlord, no refunds for the naughty stuff.¡± and while Gwen laughed, Jean looked horrified. Peter rolled his eyes.


    ¡°She¡¯s joking, but if that makes you uncomfortable, then uh, well, don¡¯t sign, I mean, Felicia¡¯s a-¡°


    As the top hatch swung open, ¡°Felicia¡¯s a what?¡± and she landed on the floor, letting Huntress slide back into slacks and a t-shirt.


    ¡°Wonderful darling angel,¡± Peter added quickly, ¡°who brightens my day whenever I see her,¡± and Gwen snorted,


    ¡°Kiss ass.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what have you done? Last time you sucked up to me that hard you''d broken something,¡± and as she cast an eye over Jean, ¡°oh, fair enough,¡± and walked into Gwen''s home. ¡°Too tired, deal later,¡± Peter nodded and gave her a quick kiss before following her and heading into his own home. Taking the fresh lease from his printer, he handed it over to Jean with a pen,


    ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t have money, I mean, I have money but, uh, the professor takes care of it,¡± she explained.


    ¡°Wait, he takes care of your finances? But you''re not much older than us?¡± Gwen asked, ¡°and he still has guardianship?¡± but knowing nothing about the law, Peter and MJ could only shrug,


    ¡°I uh, had problems when I was a kid, my parents were killed in a car crash, like Peters, so he¡¯s always taken care of me. I never thought, but, I guess it¡¯ll be okay,¡± but as she went to sign, Peter slid the paper away from her and shook his head.


    ¡°Make sure. I don''t want a whole bunch of lawyers here, digging where they¡¯re not wanted. Even if Shield wasn''t involved, you know what we are and what happens here.¡± Peter took a deep breath. ¡°Don''t make us regret this Jean. The professor sounds worse and worse the more you talk about him,¡± he stating and shook his head. ¡°Wanda and Liv should be back soon and I need to get the homes started, even if I''ve got school soon the faster they¡¯re done the better.¡±


    ¡°Uh and my bathhouse,¡± and Peter tilted his head to one side and pulled a face,


    ¡°I know, I know,¡± and Gwen stood and smiling whispered something in his ear, instantly making him smile.


    MJ tutted. ¡°We know, but unless you''re fast you won''t be the one having sex in it first, I¡¯ve got dibs.¡±


    ¡°How do you have dibs?¡± Gwen asked and MJ shrugged,


    ¡°Just called it didn''t I?¡± and Gwen groaned and threw up her hands.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see. Unless Mister lazy pants here doesn''t get moving with it,¡±


    ¡°Come on, I was just in Sokovia, then getting blow up, gimme a break,¡± and the pair laughed.


    ¡°Poor Pete, always getting bullied,¡± and he crossed his arms,


    ¡°Damn right, but once the others get back and I see how busy I¡¯ll be I¡¯ll get started, honest.¡± and MJ and Gwen nodded.


    ¡°Right, gonna check on Fel, have fun Jean,¡± and Gwen smiled and walked off into her home,


    ¡°And I have a new part to practice for,¡± MJ said, taking out a script, while she had decided to work as  Black Cat. The premier, barring the Tony incident, had lit a fire back in her enthusiasm, and with the movie becoming a hit, she had parts rolling in.


    ¡°So uh, I guess, I¡¯ll head back to the mansion?¡± said a defeated looking Jean, and Peter decided to take pity on her,


    ¡°Look, lease or not there¡¯s nothing to stop you from staying over. I mean, you can take my place and I¡¯ll grab a cot bed and stay in one of the others or I''m sure Liv won¡¯t mind. You don''t have to go home, stay, it¡¯s fine,¡± and she brightened up, smiling as he spoke,


    ¡°Great, then uh, which one¡¯s yours?¡± and he pointed to the home at the end and she darted off into it.


    ¡°What the hell Peter? These are like, real homes,¡± she yelled, and he laughed,


    ¡°What, you thought it¡¯d be like a cave in there?¡±


    ¡°No, but uh, it''s an office, like a converted office. I was expecting, you know, not a home.¡±


    ¡°Well, mine¡¯s sparse. Gwen and MJ have the best two, to be honest, they were bigger and more planned out. Mines just for staying in and the rest will be redone, eventually. So uh, pick one and I¡¯ll get to work.¡± Peter pointed at the taken homes and Jean took the one next to Livs, ¡°Oh, phone for a moment,¡± and touching it to his, it beeped and she stared at it, ¡±uh, protected network, can¡¯t dial in or out without the protocols,¡± and she held the phone to her chest as it buzzed and dinged nonstop, ¡°yeah, Gwens did that too, sorry I forgot.¡±


    Jean frowned, ¡°Uh, I need to take this, sorry but I could be a while,¡± and Peter nodded and pointed to his home,


    ¡°Go ahead, I don''t mind,¡± and sitting at the table pulled out a drawer from underneath, taking out a sketch pad and pencil he began to draw out the insides of the remaining offices.


    As he worked, the warehouse faded away and his hand began to dance over the page. The ground floor offices would be hollowed out, two would be filled with a knee-high pool, large enough to swim in but deep enough to just sit, with two baths at each end, showers, in a rainfall design rather than traditional showerheads. Storage for towels and hampers for dirty ones, more for guests as the symbiotes took care of dirt and water.


    In the two above and the four at the end, these would be homes, the stairs would need to be reinforced and improved and wiring and plumbing would need to be fed through the whole thing. Peter sighed as he would have to move and redo the floor underneath to get the plumbing in, or risk ugly jutting pipes everywhere.


    If he was going to move them then, stretching out quickly, adding a terrace above the bottom two, extending it around to fit over the bathhouse, and adding in a half foot in sound insulation for wiring and plumbing. He would need to buy more offices, but as flatpacks were cheap and easy to find it wouldn''t be hard. As the idea flowed he decided to scrap the entire side, move everything temporarily and use the pieces to build the penthouse, start from scratch and rebuild the entire thing. Start at the top and work down.


    As he worked he failed to notice the small gathering he had drawn, each woman staring as his hand moved across the paper, sketching and designing the new interior of the warehouse, even Liv and Wanda had come home from Shield HQ and stayed quiet as he worked.


    ¡°Hey, no fair, if you do all that, I want to move,¡± and as Peter looked up and saw Gwen staring slack-jawed at the plans he smiled, and the group began to argue over who was living where.

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Four. Names Parker. Agent Parker

    Liv had spent the day being shown around her new lab by a rather nice agent called Brock Rumlow, and while it was good to get back to work, she was also glad to be home.


    It was still strange, less than a year ago she was hooked to a machine that dictated her life, and now she was watching someone that she loved more than anything else sketching and poking his tongue out as he was deep in thought. A quiet smile crossing her face, she was actually in love with this adorable and sometimes infuriating young man but she was never happier. Even with the others, she wouldn''t give it up for the world, which was why,


    ¡°I don''t care, Gwen. You got the best of the homes as you were here first, and I get to live next to Peter, even if he moves I am still next door, you got a hot tub and a deck, I get a door into his house,¡± Liv explained but Gwen was refusing to budge.


    ¡°That was then, things have changed Liv. There''s four of us now,¡± and as she looked over at Wanda, ¡°at the moment, and with me being the first, I should get seniority. So if he moves, I get to move next door,¡± she argued back.


    ¡°Or, you know, we wait and let Pete decide, as he¡¯s the one actually designing the place and is technically our landlord, well now that none of us are wanted criminals I guess we need to start paying rent, and not with tail,¡± Felicia added,


    ¡°Plus, you know, some of us do not have that kind of relationship with Peter, so choosing a location based on booty calls is not so good,¡± Wanda also added but as she wasn¡¯t sleeping with Peter, Gwen just waved a hand at her.


    ¡°Yeah yeah, dream on, you¡¯ll get your chance, but I still say we go by seniority, and that''s me,¡± Gwen stated matter of factly.


    ¡°Or you know, we wait until I¡¯m finished,¡± and Peter looked up from his drawing, ¡°these are just sketches you know, it still needs to be done,¡± but the girls looked at him,


    ¡°We can decide, so shush.¡±


    Peter closed his sketch pad and slid it back under the table, ¡°well, as everyone¡¯s here, might as well get dinner started,¡± and as the group continued to argue, Peter grabbed some ground beef from the fridge and decided to make tacos. They had enough veg and cheese it would be easier than trying to cook for what was now seven people.


    It was strange but nice, as he watched the group behind him argue and draw on his sketch pad. Gwen had dragged it out, carefully moving his drawings, and as they crudely copied his design, they began to initial each of the new homes in turn.


    It was chaotic, it was noisy but it was home and family, even if Wanda and Jean hadn¡¯t been officially inducted, all he needed was Nat to turn up and it would be complete. Should I? He thought and shrugged, ¡°Hey, if I invite Nat, would you guys mind?¡± and that brought a lull to the noise.


    ¡°Really?¡± Fel tapped the pencil she had, and he nodded,


    ¡°It might have been a rocky start but, I kinda like her, plus, having the boss over for dinner is a thing right?¡±


    Felicia laughed, ¡°as long as it''s not for dessert when sure. One more won¡¯t hurt will it?¡± and as Peter looked over the ingredients he had for the meal, he shook his head.


    ¡°Can you guys give me a moment then?¡± and taking out his phone he tapped a quick message to her, and after a few minutes it dinged, sure, be there in 10, and nodding he went back to his prep.


    ¡°What''s up with Nat?¡± Wanda asked, and Felica leant back, handing the pencil over to Gwen


    ¡°Peter screwed her, some stupid Shield plan to find out if he was Venom or not,¡±


    ¡°Wait, her too?¡± and Felicia nodded,


    ¡°Yeah, but she saved me, so be nice, ¡° and MJ looked at the paper,


    ¡°Saved you?¡± Jean asked and MJ nodded,


    ¡°Yeah, we have, uh shit Peter, can we tell her? I mean, do we tell people?¡± MJ asked, and he shrugged.


    ¡°Ask Gwen, it¡¯s her job, nothing to do with me anymore,¡± and MJ looked over.


    ¡°It officially hits the shelves in a month, but sure, we can tell people,¡± and Gwen gave a small shrug, while Stark Tech was licencing the cream, it was still available as a separate product through the Black Cat network.


    ¡°We make a cream, it uh, its female viagra, and Tony had some at the party, and Muse, Muse was going nuts so I hid in the toilet. Natasha dealt with Tony while Pepper rescued me,¡± MJ explained.


    ¡°Muse? Muse is your alien right?¡± Wanda asked and MJ nodded,


    ¡°But we think alien is rude. They¡¯re officially Klyntar, we call them symbiotes but I have Muse, Gwen has Poison, Felicia has Huntress, Liv has Octave, and Carol has Ravage,¡±


    ¡°Carol?¡± and Gwen rubbed her forehead,


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s a space policewoman, and Pete and her slept together once, but she¡¯s in space now.¡± as she spoke she realised how ridiculous it sounded, but with this group, it was another day.


    ¡°So mutants, aliens, enhanced and magic,¡± Peter said, sliding a pile of chopped tomato into the browning ground beef and onion. ¡°Quite a group huh?¡± and Jean laughed quietly.


    ¡°Yeah. So much for a quiet dinner,¡± MJ said as she helped Peter in the kitchenette. After they got the taco filling done, MJ was setting out plates and toasting tortillas when the door buzzer went and Felicia leant over and seeing it was Nat, waving a bottle at the camera, she smiled and buzzed her in.


    Jean looked at the red-haired Shield agent, still in thick biker leathers and carrying a bottle of wine. As she looked over at Peter, ¡°not for you guys, you¡¯re only 20 right?¡±


    Peter laughed and Gwen bit her lip, ¡°uh, we have our own still, the symbiotes can¡¯t get drunk on normal alcohol, might as well drink water,¡± and at that Nat looked at the bottle and shrugged,


    ¡°in the sauce?¡± Peter took it and put it to one side,


    ¡°as if I¡¯d ruin my sauce with that,¡± and Nat laughed,


    ¡°Food snob,¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°you don¡¯t have to eat if you don''t want to,¡± but as Nat laughed ¡°oh I wouldn''t dream of missing out on a  home-cooked meal,¡± and Gwen popped the top off a bottle of beer and handed it over to Nat,


    ¡°If you guys don''t want, we have juice?¡± and Wanda looked at her,


    ¡°I am from Sokovia. My baby bottle had stronger milk in it than that water you Americans call beer,¡± and Gwen raised an eyebrow, but Jean nodded as Gwen took out and offered her a coke while grabbing a beer for Wanda.


    ¡°Don''t say I didn¡¯t warn you,¡± and as Wanda took a swig, she choked and began to cough.


    ¡°What the hell is that?¡± and as MJ rubbed her back,


    ¡°Symbiotes can handle anything poisonous, so it''s pretty strong,¡± and even Nat raised an eyebrow as she took a sip.


    ¡°No kidding, give me a soda if you have any,¡± and handing the bottle back to Gwen she shook her head, ¡°I drank wine with my father, not gasoline for the tractor.¡± and Gwen shrugged,


    ¡°You should try the moonshine.¡± Gwen took a drink from the bottle, uncaring Wanda had just drunk from it, ¡°it''s got a real kick,¡± and Wanda looked horrified.


    ¡°Oh was that moonshine? I¡¯ve been using it to power the harness,¡± Liv added and as they laughed, Gwen tutted and shook her head.


    Natasha eyed the crude sketch on the table, ¡°planning a heist?¡± and as she spun it round she saw the layout of the warehouse,


    ¡°We uh, are planning on where our new homes are, Pete is upgrading the warehouse.¡±


    Nat looked for a moment and with a grin, stole the pencil from Felicia and added her own initials in, Gwen raised an eyebrow, ¡°that''s to be discussed,¡± and Nat shrugged,


    ¡°Only four names on it though,¡± she asked looking over at the pair.


    ¡°We uh, don''t do that with Peter, we will wait and let the others decide first,¡± Wanda stated, but Nat could see the small look of apprehension on her face. She knew she wanted to join in, but was unsure of how to. Four others were intimidating enough, without everyone being super-powered as well.


    ¡°Still gotta fight though, make your mark, I mean,¡± and she circled her own initials with the pencil, ¡°gotta fight even if you don¡¯t wanna win.¡±


    Jean looked hesitant for a moment and held out a hand, Nat grinned and snorted quietly as she handed over the pencil, Adding in her own Nat looked ¡°but who¡¯s L.K?¡± and Jean took a breath,


    ¡°Peter, is there enough for one more?¡± and he shrugged.


    ¡°Should be enough for a few meals, we eat like horses here, plus Nat, so yeah, ¡° In truth, there would be enough for seconds if anyone wanted but with the high-calorie diet the symbiotes demanded, Peter already had a couple of premade cakes defrosting and ready for the oven. ¡°Why? Who else?¡±


    As if his question was s signal the door buzzer went and as Felicia looked over ¡°I have no idea, some kid and her dad,¡± and frowning Peter leant over and stared at the small monitor.


    ¡°Shit, earlier?¡± and Jean nodded, ¡°Can someone take over? It¡¯s just plating, and making sure nothing burns.¡±


    Peter made his way to the door, opening it slowly and a small dark-haired missile hurled itself through and latched onto him, ¡°Monkey!¡± it yelled and a gruff hairy man, the one Charles identified as Logan huffed behind her,


    ¡°Might as well come in then,¡± Peter said, resting an arm under Laura¡¯s butt and hoisting her up, ¡°Foods on, beers on the table¡± and at that he raised an eyebrow ¡°yeah yeah, underage, say it now as we don¡¯t care,¡± and the man just snorted and walked over, helping himself to a bottle.


    ¡°Jean,¡± he said as the group stared at him, and then over at Peter.


    ¡°Uh, want to explain Pete? You¡¯re not part of a gay adoption ring are you?¡± Liv asked with a smirk on her face, ¡°not that I don''t approve though,¡± and Felicia laughed.


    Whatever faults he could find with Logan, being unattractive was not one of them. While he was shorter than him, Logan was buff, tanned skin, with hairy but muscular arms. Dressed in jeans, a t-shirt and a denim top. his hair was black and wild, large muttonchop sideburns swept down his face giving the man a feral look, and as Peter knew his codename was Wolverine, it was probably intentional.


    ¡°So uh, yeah,¡° Jean spoke hesitantly, ¡°See when you rescued Laura the professor came and took her, thinking you were all bad guys, and he,¡± she looked over at Peter who nodded while frowning, ¡±he can control minds, and he removed her from your, uh, from your minds.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck Jean?¡± Felicia shouted, Gwen and Liv sharing her sentiment. ¡°And you knew?¡± and Peter nodded.


    ¡°The Stone gave me  my memories back, but uh, let''s be honest, you¡¯d think I was an idiot talking about a girl who you all didn¡¯t remember, so I kept quiet.¡± Peter explained, ¡°and I had no idea how to undo whatever he did, I didn''t want to make it worse.¡± As he spooned the finished taco meat into a large chafing dish, so it kept warm while they ate and he set it down on the table, MJ helping by dropping bowls of salad, cheese, and vegetables around it, and finally, a mix of freshly fried taco shells and warmed soft ones.


    ¡°But uh, that''s why I¡¯m here. So I can undo it, and uh, say sorry,¡± Jean admitted,


    ¡°Uh-huh, and the food¡¯s so we don''t just smear her ass over the warehouse right?¡± but Peter shook his head.


    ¡°No, the foods cause it¡¯s Tuesday, taco night, I had no idea Laura and Jean would be here,¡° Peter popped open a bottle of cider and took a small drink, ¡°But yeah, I¡¯ll make a cake if you don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You made cake anyway, ass,¡± Felicia said, helping herself to a taco and filling it, ¡°fine, forgiven, but eat first.¡±


    The group started and to Peter it was heaven. Laura and Jean talked about the mansion and the professor, Wanda joined in with talk about her time in Sokovia and her wonder at never having had tacos before. Nat and Logan stared at each other and he knew, Logan was like Nat, the ready to fight type who¡¯d probably seen more combat than he wanted and more death than he needed to but Peter shook his head and offered him a stronger beer and a cider to Nat, ¡°behave, kids,¡± and Logan snorted and smiled while Nat laughed, sitting down and joining in.


    As Peter took his place at the end of the table, and Laura sat on his lap once more, to Logan''s glare, he realised he missed this.


    ¡°Oh, one more thing.¡± Nat reached behind her, and while Logan tensed, Peter ignored him. Pulling out a package and handing it over, Peter ripped it open.


    Out fell a small plastic wallet, his official Shield ID and sadly, a neat pile of paperwork.


    ¡°You¡¯re officially enrolled, timetables in there, so Agent Parker, how''s it feel?¡±


    ¡°Parker, Agent Parker. I dunno, kinda dorky.¡±

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Five. Building Relationships

    Peter stared at the aftermath of the warehouse party. It had started off as a simple meal, taco Tuesday, but it devolved into so much more and right now, he had been left to clean up the mess.


    Logan had drunk several bottles of beer, but as he had the same regenerative constitution as Laura, he was fine to drive and had taken Jean and Laura home, much to the grumbling of the pair. Jean had to sort out if the Professor would let her live with them, and as soon as Laura heard she demanded the same, starting an argument.


    Even as the trio left she was still sulking as he forcefully told her no, and Peter saw no happy end there. Especially as he watched her and Logan argue and two blades slid out and drew a score line across Logan''s car. He heard the man yelling as she evilly grinned at him while she did it.


    Nat had stayed, taking Peter¡¯s bed while he slept with Liv, and the issue of the warehouse living arrangements wasn¡¯t sorted. Each of the crudely drawn homes had several names all pencilled into it, and while it would still be discussed, Peter¡¯s ego grew a little bit as they all fought to live close to him. He knew things in the warehouse were strange and being the only man around he enjoyed several perks to make other men jealous. Who cared if it was like that? as long as everyone was happy, people should be allowed to have whatever relationship they wanted.


    As he sorted food, glass and other trash into the recyclables, he even found the badge Nat had handed him and taking a small break, one of many he knew he would have, he flicked through his timetable.


    If anything screamed secret agent it was this, not just CQC, which he had to find out meant close-quarter combat, but ranged weapons and tactics, survival, and he found a handwritten note,


    No damn agent of mine flunks highschool


    Stuck to the notice of his GED exams. Peter had completely forgotten about them, and after the invasion and the Sokovia visit, it had gone completely from his mind.


    He then had vehicle maintenance, social etiquette classes and then training. Lots and lots of training, split into track, assault course, swimming, and finally a free elective, which again Fury had added a written note to,


    We¡¯ll be testing your powers, and no, you can¡¯t refuse


    Peter also found on the back was a book list, mainly geopolitical textbooks but also history, art, and even a few cookery books focused on foraging and edible plant identification. For those, he would use Gwen¡¯s trick, downloads.


    What he wasn¡¯t expecting though was very little class time. Having just come from High School he had expected the academy to be the same, but a quick search on his phone showed that they were mainly college graduates. It was expected for them to schedule their own time, write their own notes, and do their own work, under the guidance of a mentor, who for Peter, was Natasha. She would oversee his training, manage his essays and finally grade his work.


    As the spring was coming to an end, Peter only had six months of free time before the academy started. Like a proper school, which he supposed as it took graduates from various fields, it was it would start in September and run for a full year, moving students around as needed to keep classes full and as graduates either became full agents or were moved into their relevant fields the classes would eventually dwindle to one or two.


    Peter was thinking about classes when a sleepy Nat wandered out of his home, wearing nothing but a nightshirt, uncaring it wasn¡¯t buttoned-up, and knowing that only the girls and Peter were here she had nothing else on.


    ¡°Bed was comfy, thanks, bit lonely though,¡± and Peter shrugged as he slid another bowl of half-eaten sauce and veg into a compost bag,


    ¡°Can''t help with that Nat, a line was drawn.¡±


    ¡°And I crossed it?¡± but Peter shook his head.


    ¡°No, I did. I am really grateful for what you did, and Tony got something he shouldn''t have, but I can''t, not with as you said, the kind of agent you are, but that''s on me, not you.¡± and Nat sighed.


    ¡°So we never?¡± and Peter paused,


    ¡°Never say never, but,¡° and he put down the trash bag. ¡°My sense of smell is heightened, and so one day you seduce a target, nothing more than kissing and maybe some touching, none of my business, but you come here and I smell it. I kiss you and taste someone else on your lips, in your sweat. Nah, you don''t deserve that Nat, which is why it''s really not you.¡± and as Nat moved over and poured herself a cup of coffee from the already made jug she sat and sighed


    ¡°You¡¯re a good kid, nice stress relief and yeah, that''s my life. I do things like Tony so the good girls don''t have to, it''s not great, not glamorous and really. You get used to being called a whore, even if it''s not to your face.¡± Nat sat down and pulled her legs up into the soft armchair and wrapped her arms around herself, she didn¡¯t care that she was exposing herself to him right now, as she was about to expose herself a whole lot more.


    ¡°I grew up in Russia, the Red Room, kinda like Shield but way way worse. First sexual encounter at 9, raped at 12, right after my first period, and then taught, taught how to please not just me but women, taught how to kill, even during, and then injected with that crappy formula and sterilized.¡± as Peters face hardened into a stone statue of anger she waved a hand at him. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you for revenge, just, life isn¡¯t roses and chocolates for someone like me. I¡¯ve done bad things and had bad things done to me, I¡¯m not,¡° and she sighed and took a breath, ¡±I¡¯m not some college kid who never had sex or even some lab rat whose life revolved around white coats and meetings. I''m a killer Pete, a stone-cold fucked up killer, you want that? You really want me in your life?¡±


    Peter could see that even talking about this was hard for her. ¡°That was my life, and Fury gave me a new one. We had a saying, a ledger dripping with red. Our book of the dead, every person we ever killed, you know why?¡± and Peter shook his head, ¡°to remind us that one day someone will come for us and add us to their ledger. So it''s fine, life¡¯s been shit and this is just another mark on the page.¡±


    Peter laughed and shook his head, ¡°oh cut the crap Nat. Even I''m not as emo,¡° and he pulled a scowly face and lowered his voice into a fake growl, ¡°oh my ledgers dripping with red,¡° talking normally once more. ¡±So you''re a killer, so what? I think MJ¡¯s the only one who hasn¡¯t here, and sex? You might not get jealous but, want to go down after I finished in Liv or Gwen? Even I''m not that much of an ass that I don''t shower unless the girls say not to. We are a family and sure, we are very very open but no outsiders, and it¡¯s simple, stop fucking other guys and then your welcome, no one cares who or how many.¡± Peter tied the bag he was holding and added it to the pile. ¡±Shit, Liv admitted she pretty much screwed her entire college when she was younger. No. One. Gives. A. Shit. Well, the other stuff, yeah, that¡¯s a nightmare right there. Therapy or just talking, we¡¯re maybe not the best people to work out issues, but we¡¯d be here, if you needed to. Or you know, if you want to burn it to the ground, that works for us too.¡±


    Nat actually looked surprised. ¡°So, if I say yes, and do it, what do I get?¡± the look of surprise replaced by her usually teasing smirk,


    ¡°What do you want? I mean, MJ shares a bed with me, and occasionally Gwen, Gwen and Felicia are more a couple than any of us. Liv sleeps with who she wants and I enjoy everyone equally. It''s up to you and the other person, nobody¡¯s forced, everyone does who and what they choose.¡±


    Nat looked down at her cup, ¡±and if I admitted just you?¡±


    ¡°Then just me, how is that difficult?¡± and she nonchalantly shrugged,


    ¡°I would, I would have to tell Fury though, but with a change in assignment, that shouldn''t be too hard.¡± Nat straightened up, ¡°but I would like to try, I mean, the relationship thing, we already tried the rest.¡± And Peter looked down at her open top, which he had been trying to avoid since she got up, nodded, raising his eyebrows in appreciation. ¡°Took you long enough. I thought you had no self-control and it would be wham-bam, oh thank you ma''am, for breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Well, someone lectured me, gave me this big speech about being responsible and stuff. Yeah then we got blown up, kinda sticks in the mind when that happens.¡± and Nat laughed,


    ¡°And now?¡± she smirked.


    ¡°Well, a rather attractive woman is making eyes at me, and sure, she¡¯ll be my boss, but not for another few months. So till then, I think I¡¯ll take a good look at what was hiding under that shirt,¡° and Natasha brushed a finger down her front, letting it open more.


    ¡°No screwing at the breakfast table,¡± MJ shouted from her home, and Peter laughed.


    ¡°Uh yeah, that''s another rule,¡± but Nat was shaking, trying to hold in the laughter of her own.


    ¡°You are the strangest bunch of teens ever.¡± and she shook as the infectious laughter echoed around the warehouse.


    As Nat calmed down and Peter finished stacking and rinsing the plates, she was sat at the table, eyeing the design Peter had sketched earlier in the evening. ¡°Do I get one of these as well?¡± and he half shrugged,


    ¡°If you want, but you know, for what I''ve got planned, everyone¡¯s gonna be disappointed.¡± and Nat raised an eyebrow,


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Peter dried his hands and reached under the table, taking out a spare pad. This one had technical paper in it, where he put finished designs that required measurements and diagrams for building, ¡°cause this is the finished design.¡±


    Nat frowned and shrugged as she looked over it. ¡°I can''t read this, it''s all architect gobbledygook to me,¡± and Peter shook his head with a wry grin,


    ¡°My home will be up there,¡± pointing up, ¡±and the rest will be down here, I want to keep some labs, and keeping them nearby suits me.¡±


    Nat stared again, up at the space in the warehouse roof and then around the warehouse itself, ¡°I can see it now, but uh, you don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be mad?¡±


    ¡°We get mad at each other all the time, it''s not normal not to, and it doesn''t matter, everyone can probably hear me anyway, so if there was a major complaint Fel probably would have started yelling by now,¡± and as if on cue,


    ¡°I heard that asshole,¡± she yelled from her home, and Peter grinned and shrugged and Nat just shook her head.


    ¡°What about Wanda, Jean, and Laura?¡± Nat asked casually, and with no warning, Peter was at a loss for words,


    ¡°I don''t plan these things, so I can¡¯t say. Wanda and Jean will be a no. I doubt they¡¯re happy with everyone else and Laura doesn¡¯t know any better, her dad seems kinda gruff though. So he¡¯ll probably give me some lecture about it being inappropriate or something but Laura¡¯ll probably just ignore him and do what she wants, I get the feeling that¡¯s kinda her thing. Here''s a better question, what about you? I mean, I didn''t expect anyone to be, you know, into it.¡±


    ¡°Cute, handsome and forgiving, you know how people look at me, it''s not respect,¡± and she lightly shrugged, ¡°tired Pete, tired of being ¡®that agent.¡¯ So, you want the truth. Sex was great, I mean toe curling great but you. You didn¡¯t pity me or look at me like I was a piece of shit after, even after you knew it was a trap. I¡¯m only 26 Pete, I,¡± and she sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve never been in a relationship that wasn''t sanctioned or a lie and well, this, this might be the biggest pile of macho bullshit on the planet. I mean, six, six fucking women you ass, but I see how you look at them and it hurts. To see that and want it, and know nobody wants you, plus you know, Liv kicking the shit out of me made me realise how much they love you, and yeah, I was jealous.¡±


    With his powers, Peter could feel the honesty pour from her, a first. He had always liked her, and the others had been right, he did have a thing for strong women and from them all, even Liv, Natasha was not just strong, she was willful and exuded power. As she sat, in just a shirt, a paragon of beauty and seduction, Peter knew that he never stood a chance, and as she slid onto his lap and kissed him, he knew he never wanted to.

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Six. Book Worm

    Natasha curled up on the chair, lazing after he had taken her into his home and spent time fully satisfying her, letting her take a quick nap and then come out, looking for coffee and snacks. Peter shook his head, it was early and the barest hint of sunlight crept through the large windows. Most of the girls would still sleep for another hour but he was always a light sleeper, more so since his change. Boundless energy meant sleeping four or five hours was now normal for him and rather than complain he just adjusted and filled his days with more work.


    ¡°So, you off until the term starts or do you have a mission you can tell me about?¡± he asked Nat as she nursed her coffee,


    ¡°I¡¯m in trouble for Stark. He¡¯s complaining we set him up, that with MJ and then your involvement with Pepper, that it was all faked to get to the drone.¡± and Peter scowled and shook his head,


    ¡°Once Liv gets her hands on it it won''t matter,¡° Even if she had to build one from scratch she could after examining both the Iron Man suit and the Goblin armour, she had fabricated two extra harnesses with just the machines in the warehouse, she could build an Iron Man suit with her eyes closed. As he thought about the harnesses, he wondered if they should redesign them, allowing for the symbiote¡¯s power, without encasing it in a full suit, he added a mental note to get the metal analysed somehow. If it was as special as Erik said, it might make a tougher but lighter armour.


    ¡°I recognise that look, and whatever you''ve schemed, stow it for now. We¡¯ll handle Stark, he can''t touch you or Liv now you work for Shield, and sure, I slept with him but really, it was disappointing and we can actually use that against him.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re more than welcome here, but uh, it''s going to be boring and messy, with a few months until term starts I''m going to work my ass off to get the place finished. We¡¯ve got the cash and materials are easy enough, just need the muscle power.¡± but Nat shrugged,


    ¡°I don''t mind, I can help if you like?¡± and Peter nodded.


    ¡°Done much construction work? Wiring, plumbing?¡± and of course Nat shook her head,


    ¡°Then no, superpowers and power tools don''t mix, I don''t need you hammering a nail six inches into the concrete cause you forgot you¡¯re enhanced,¡± and Nat laughed and sipped her coffee.


    ¡°Guess I¡¯ll just freeload then.¡±


    Peter snorted, it was a common theme in the warehouse, but as long as there was food, the bills were paid, and the taxman got his receipts at the start of the year then Peter didn''t mind.


    The pair talked until a sleepy quartet crawled their way from the various homes and Peter started breakfast. One advantage of enhancement, as well as the symbiotes, was no hangovers. The amount of alcohol needed would probably be too much to drink and as they stretched, yawned, and ate the group all got ready for their various days.


    Each one, in turn, was hugged and kissed goodbye and lastly, Liv stood, apprehensive of her first full day at Shield. The lab environment was familiar enough but to be working again after so long was just strange, especially after her last job was less than voluntary.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine,¡± Peter smiled and kissed her gently, ¡°just be the badass we know you are,¡± and she took a deep breath and nodded in affirmation.


    ¡°Right, just another job, no overbearing boss to deal with, thank you, dear,¡± and she leant up and kissed his cheek. ¡°Be home at five,¡± and as Liv left it was just Peter and Nat in the warehouse.


    ¡°So, Fel and I usually tidied up, trained and then spent the day, uh doing stuff, so what''s your plan?¡± but Natasha simply stood and let the shirt fall to the ground with a small grin on her face, smiling as Peter watched it fall to the floor,


    ¡°Right, straight to that then¡± and Peter pounced.


    Across Town Liv was making her way through Shield security checkpoints when Agent Rumlow approached her, ¡°Hey, lookin¡¯ good doc,¡± he said with a smile, his cheerful personality infectious, and Liv smiled back,


    ¡°Good morning to you too Agent Rumlow,¡± and he smirked and shook his head.


    ¡°Nah doc, not so good, so Brock or Crossbones. Agent Rumlow, it''s too stiff, we¡¯re gonna be real close soon enough, so first name or nicknames,¡±


    And Liv raised an eyebrow,


    He laughed, ¡°oh no, shit no doc. I uh, I''m the pilot for the armour. So uh, we¡¯ll be workin¡¯ together from now on,¡± and Liv shook her head.


    ¡°Crossbones?¡± and he rubbed the back of his head,


    ¡°You know, pilots get a call sign, that¡¯s uh mine, like on the flag.¡± and Liv nodded,


    ¡°The pirate flag you mean?¡± and he laughed.


    ¡°Well doc, we all gotta like something right? Some kids it dinosaurs, some kids it''s uh ninjas, me, I always liked pirates what about you eh?¡±


    ¡°Robots, Brock. Most definitely robots.¡± and as she lifted her security pass to gain entry to the lab, Brock showed his to the guard and held the door open for her.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re in charge but I need to be here to get briefed on each step of the dismantling. If I''m the pilot I gotta know what systems might be difficult, plus we need to get me up to speed on operations and any technical problems I might find in the field.¡±


    Liv cast an eye over the armour and then at Brock, ¡°we might have a singular problem right now Brock, can you stand next to the armour?¡± and as he stood she lifted her hands and compared them. ¡°Hmm. If the armour doesn''t have a resizing option I¡¯m afraid Brock you might be out of luck.¡± and he looked at her and one of the other techs,


    ¡°Can you please get me a full list of Mr Rumlows physical measurements, and I mean all, we don''t want a plate clamping shut on something he might need,¡± and Brock frowned,


    ¡°You mean?¡± and Liv nodded,


    ¡°I''m afraid so Brock. While very impressive, your rather full figure might be too big for the armour, Tony Stark is no special agent,¡±


    Brock laughed, ¡°you mean I''m too muscular to fit?¡± and shaking his head, ¡°well, that''s a first, but what with the measuring.¡± and it was Livs turn to laugh,


    ¡°See that plate there,¡± and she used a pen to point at the groinal plate and he nodded. ¡°Well, if you''re rather ample in that department you don''t really want that to clamp shut too tightly do you?¡± and as the realisation dawned on Brock, he laughed even harder,


    ¡°I don''t think Stark will hand out that measurement doc, but sure, we can do a complete scan. Better safe than singin¡¯ soprano, yeah?¡± Brock turned to one of the lab technicians currently cataloguing the ammo they had removed from the weapon systems, ¡°yeah, get the imager over, we need a full-body scan of me and the suit''s interior, anything else doc? Might as well if we need to pause.¡± but Liv thought for a moment but shook her head,


    ¡°It might be worth taking the internal weapon systems out first while we scan you. That way if the armour is large enough without them we can use exterior weapons systems instead. Bulkier and a bit more intimidating but maybe worth it,¡± she tapped the pen in her lips as she spoke, ¡°yes, keep working while we set the scanner up, we¡¯ll do the armour after.¡±


    ¡°Sure doc,¡± and Rumlow walked off with the tech to set up a 3D imager while Liv stared at a diagnostic tablet of the suits systems.


    While she could see the comparison to the Goblin suit, Stark had really outdone himself, it was comparing a Model T Ford to a fighter jet. The basic principles were the same but really nothing else was. Even the arc reactor fitted to the drones chest plate was an improvement of her design and she swore, cursing Norman and Harry for depriving her of her most informative years. Rather than working on her own projects, she was stuck under their thumb, wasting her talent. As she sighed she tapped several of the controls on the tablet and shoulder and leg-mounted micro missile launchers slid out.


    Looking over the table she found the tool she was looking for, and with a look of stern determination began to disassemble the weapons systems. Thankfully Tony had been insightful enough the weapon systems were modular, sliding in and out once a restraining bolt had been removed. Once their control wires had been photographed, catalogued and then carefully unsoldered, the two shoulder-mounted launchers and the two circular thigh launchers were sat on a table,


    As Liv stood staring at them a bare chest Rumlow walked back into the lab, carrying a t-shirt, ¡°so, whatcha thinking doc?¡± Liv turned and cast an eye over Rumlow, his chest was thick with muscles and while she appreciated the hard work the man had put into his physique, it was nothing compared to Peter,


    ¡°Hmm, that red and gold are gaudy, and really, we should either go for a dark camo green or copy the standard agent armour colours and go for dark grey and black. But I won''t be the one wearing it, so I guess that might be up to you.¡± and as Rumlow paused before sliding the T-shirt over his head,


    ¡°Well doc I wanted to call it the Crossbones but got voted down by Fury, so it¡¯ll be War Machine,¡± and Liv rolled her eyes,


    ¡°So black and grey it is then, given the Director''s lack of imagination. Yes, once we have the top layer of armour off, send it for stripping and respraying won''t you.¡± Liv stared at the reactor again. ¡°We can¡¯t use the Stark tech for the chest reactor and the whole operating system will need to be purged before we even think of letting any kind of power into the systems, who knows what traps and tricks are buried within the armour.¡±


    ¡°Uh Doc, we had it on already, and nothing happened, it was fine,¡± Rumlow said as Liv lifted a tablet, freezing as he spoke,


    ¡°Shut everything down now, all electronics, tablets, phones, watches, any smart device capable of interfacing with a network, personal or otherwise.¡± and everyone froze but stared at Rumlow.


    ¡°I¡¯m in charge, my arse. Do it,¡± and he shrugged,


    ¡°You heard the lady,¡± and the lab became a hive of activity.


    ¡°So, want to explain before we get a security team here and activate cleanroom protocols,¡±


    ¡°The armour contains a sophisticated operating system, capable of interfacing and infecting any system you tied to it. Any system Brock, including the Shield servers that you are all currently using for your internet access. I mean, who was stupid enough to allow an unknown electronic into an unsecured lab? Please tell me the network in here is isolated and running on a private server and not just behind a firewall. If Tony left any kind of trojan horse or worm in there it could be all over the system by now, Stark could have access to all of Shields files.¡± and taking a step back Brock put his hands on his hips,


    ¡°Really?¡± and Liv nodded, ¡°Fuck. Right cleanroom protocols are now in effect. Sorry doc, we ain¡¯t going home for a while.¡± and as he walked over to the door he hit a big red button surrounded by black and yellow warning tape. As he hit the button the lights dimmed, the doors locked and everything powered down.


    ¡°Right, you heard the lady, devices, all of ¡®em. We do a clean wipe, reinstall of personal items and a shutdown and dismantle of our own servers, with no hardware left unsecured. We¡¯ve got a long day ahead of us people, so let''s get it done and let''s do it right. Sorry, Doc, you too, phone, watch, anything that can be compromised, I need to take them all,¡± and Liv fished in her pocket and handed over her phone,


    ¡°Glad to be back?¡± Rumlow asked her and as Liv scowled he laughed, ¡°good thing the coffee machines one of those crappy filter types, or we¡¯d be drinking vending machine and believe me doc, Shields budget is great if you want a decent gun, but coffee, you¡¯d be better drinking your own piss,¡± and as Liv snorted, he laughed.

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Seven. Iron Filings

    Liv was sitting at a terminal, as head of the department, at least on paper, she had taken the task of cleaning the servers herself, hunting and finding the rogue program as it made its way through Shields files.


    Stark had thought himself amusing, dummy files, mainly named ¡®tonnyisgreat¡¯ and other such nonsense hid the true virus, replaced recycle bins and executables, pictures with hidden code and other innocent-looking files. The only reason Liv could find them all so quickly was Octave. She had rested one hand on the keyboard and allowed a thin sliver of her to infiltrate its circuitry. Peter needed a neural interface but Liv¡¯s understanding of machine code and the inner workings of a computer were more advanced and Octave flew through the code, destroying and deleting any hostile files she found.


    He was a genius though, and each part was downloading relevant files. He was after not just weapons tech but what they were doing to his own armour and anything at all to do with Venom. No matter what anyone said about Tony, playboy, philanthropist, arrogant jackass, he was also brilliant and inventive, especially when it came to other peoples work. She had to admit that she felt slightly guilty at that thought. He had taken delight in ruining Peters life, and now while she admired him, she was more than ready to take some small revenge not just for Peter but herself.


    Pepper had been true to her word, and the legal documents for the release of not just her patents but the CLS and Parker Industries came in and totalled over 50 million dollars. A figure that both Pepper and Tony knew Peter had no way to afford. Even if they sold everything, cashed in the cream and the serum licence they might have enough, but right now, it was trading one advantage for another and it rubbed Liv the wrong way.


    Liv was tired of bully tactics used by the rich and powerful to get what they want, and Tony was no exception. Once her time at Shield was over, she would make sure Tony Stark was reminded that while his genius was built on the work of others, hers was built on her own hard work.


    Over her shoulder, she could feel Rumlows gaze, and as the man signed off on several server purges she knew to keep her symbiote as well hidden as possible.


    ¡°Hey, that''s great doc but we still need to purge the system, and, yeah, we don¡¯t know who activated the armour but we¡¯ll be moving to another building soon enough, one uh, with the security you suggested.¡± Liv got the impression that while Rumlow was being genial he was actually quite annoyed by this, and Liv made a mental note to see if it was just Peter who had telepathic abilities or if her symbiote shared them as well.


    While she had made a connection to General Ross, it was by sticking her hand into his chest, and while he deserved it, it wasn¡¯t something she really wanted to repeat, and it was also pretty conspicuous.


    Liv had been tempted to see if she could activate the armour and simply purge the program that was causing the problem, but in doing so she would reveal her symbiote to Shield and for now, she preferred to keep that card close to her chest.


    Fury knew they were Enhanced, but that was all they knew, but the extent that Peter had been creating symbiotes was kept under wraps. He had told Fury about Poison, Muse and Huntress, as Flash had already seen them but Hades, Octave, and Ravage were all still a secret, and they had all agreed to keep them that way.


    Fury and Peter had argued for over an hour, Peter refusing to budge on creating more or allowing one to be taken for study, and each time he simply threw Carol''s offer in Fury¡¯s face. Leave the Klyntar alone or I sic the Nova Corps on you. Fury had just laughed, and called his bluff, knowing full well that the Nova Corps was several thousand lights years away and so far hadn¡¯t made a single move on Earth. However he was being good on his word, other than the formula experiments done by Gwen and Connors, Peter had been spared a thorough examination of his powers and his unique biology.


    As she worked, finding and deleting more files under his gaze, eventually he grew bored and huffed, crossing his arms. As Liv paused and turned, leaving back in her chair,


    ¡°Well, keep the armour offline, I¡¯ll hunt out the main transmitter for its network access and disable it. We might need to jury rig in a hardwired network port until we get the operating system clean, or if you have access to Oscorps files I can maybe patch the Goblin OS to work with this armour, but really, I doubt it¡¯ll work. For all his arrogance Stark is brilliant, way above what Norman could ever aspire to,¡± she explained once more to him, and even though he looked pissed off, there was little he could do, and he shook his head and left.


    So far, after discussing things with Peter, there had been no movings from whatever organisation was inside Shield, if there even was one. As she watched and listened it just seemed to be an ordinary lab to her, with the same stupid idiots who thought they knew better, but always ended up either giving in or failing so miserably they were out the door.


    Even the smile Rumlow gave her could just be infatuation, she wasn¡¯t blind and knew that her bonding with Octave had beautified her appearance, the symbiote keeping her young-looking. She had even offered to fix her eyes, but Liv felt her glasses were part of her identity, not to mention all the times she was about to take them off during sex but Peter would shake his head.


    Back tracing the virus was also a simple task for Octave, she could see it was sending information back to a remote server, masking Tony¡¯s infiltration and making a note, she would take a small look at his files as well. If he wasn¡¯t shy about peeking at Shields unmentionables, she didn¡¯t see why she couldn¡¯t strip him bare as well, still mad at him for tricking Peter and taking her patents.


    Running with that thought, she found several files with call back protocols and used Octave to reverse lookup their locations. Smiling to herself as she found not only the databases but their physical locations, she made a small note to pay them a visit later, and for now, settled on copying the entire database of information and routing it off to her own private and secure server. Octave making the job much easier, as she simply shredded the electronic trail leading anyone to its location. If Tony could steal government secrets, why not her?


    She was slightly disappointed to find that there was only Shields information. She had hoped to discover what Tony had been doing with his own armour, and if he had actually done anything with Peter¡¯s CLS system and the symbcell technology he stole. Tutting in disapproval, she still copied it and then wiped the database clean.


    Rumlow came back a few minutes later and handed her a grey phone, ¡°uh, it¡¯s the Shield special, don¡¯t expect it to send emails or anything, but it¡¯s a phone right?¡± and he laughed but she smiled and shook her head,


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll pass. If my other phone is out of commission for too long I can just buy a new one, I would hate to lose my number,¡± and Rumlow shrugged and took the older phone.


    ¡°I¡¯ll put a rush on it, get it back to you, okay?¡± and as she nodded, he grinned once more and walked away.


    With a pad next to her, she started to jot down the information, if she needed to find an in with Rumlow, then the location of several highly illegal servers would be perfect, and once Brock came back she slid the paper over to him,


    ¡°I¡¯ve managed to trace the location of Tony¡¯s little trick back to a few places. There are several, and should be a small fraction of Starks hidden network.¡±


    Rumlow nodded, ¡°Oh yeah?, this is great doc. Uh about your phone. Seems it¡¯ll take a bit longer, it¡¯s one of those import models and the guys are having problems getting it to uh, yeah, they¡¯ll fix it.¡± and he laughed nervously,


    ¡°That was a gift Agent Rumlow. I understand that it can be difficult to work on foreign technology but if it was such a problem, then you should have brought it back to me, and I would have done the purge myself.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, no, they got it working, just uh, there are a few things on there that, uh, you might not want anyone to see.¡±


    Liv raised an eyebrow, remembering the small get together, and the several pictures of Peter¡¯s manhood they had taken while making moulds, and more. It was only one picture, of that anyway, and she used it when he was busy and she needed to destress from work.


    Liv smirked, ¡°if your agents are feeling inadequate Agent Rumlow, then I suggest a healthy diet, plenty of exercise, and maybe a small dose of reality. Those pictures were of my partner, and really, comparing yourself to another man, no matter how energetic he may be, will never bring anyone anything good.¡±


    Brock shook his head, he had heard the rumours about Parker, but to actually find out they were true. Not just Liv it seemed, but Romanov and supposedly a couple of the others. Damn bastard, he thought to himself, she¡¯s too good for him.


    ¡°No No doc, shit. I just wanted to warn you okay, a lot of the guys here, they uh, might get the wrong idea you know.¡± and he frowned, ¡°A lot of agents get that life, but uh, not on your work phone, okay?¡± and she nodded.


    ¡°Still though, Brock. Peeking at a ladies unmentionables, how rude.¡± and he laughed, he had neglected to mention that as well as Peter, there were several pictures of her on there as well, taken to send to Peter, and a few very candid shots taken in a very identifiable Shield toilet when, after a vigorous work out session from him, and a very stressful conversation with a lab technician that though he knew better than her, she had snuck off for some relief.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get your phone back in one piece okay? Some guys are twitchy when it comes to a ladies phone, and uh yeah,¡± he said with a small smile on his face,


    ¡°I¡¯ve nothing to be ashamed of Brock but thank you. I know a few things like that have the habit of being passed around, and I can assume you put a stop to it.¡± and she patted the back of his hand.


    Rumlow looked annoyed. ¡°Well, yeah, of course, doc. Oh, here¡¯s your phone, it''s clean just uh, wait until your home before you power it on okay, the Shield servers are still offline for now.¡±


    He smiled at her as he handed over the phone and Liv felt something from him, it wasn''t just attraction. It was more like hunger, as if his sparkling smile and welcoming grin hid more than just friendship.


    That was the second time she had gotten more than just an impression from him, and as she patted the back of his hand the feelings had become stronger. She would have to check with the rest, that if Peter could read minds, could Octave as well, even just with a small touch.


    Something was up with the agent, and she knew she needed to find out what it was. It gave her an in though, if that could be exploited, even if it was painful to do and painful to explain, it gave her a chance to complete her mission for Fury and then it would be over.

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Eight. Toil And Trouble

    Gwen, and the others, were amazed once more. Peter had started to take the empty offices apart, and cross beams and walls were already attached to the new ceiling apartment he was building.


    As the weeks went by not only was Peter making great progress on the new homes but making sure that each of his partners was happy.


    A sweaty, and thoroughly satisfied, Gwen lay back on her bed. On her day off Peter had cooked her, her favourite meal and then taken her to bed, where he pounded her until both she and Poison were unable to move,


    ¡°I¡¯m not complaining but why?¡± she asked, purring in contentment. She knew that Nat was in the same boat, as she had hardly moved from the bedroom she was currently staying in, and the whole home smelt like Peter and now, Natasha.


    ¡°Sorry, I just felt that maybe I¡¯d been ignoring you all,¡± he explained, after making sure that he and Felicia had been out to the movies, sharing a slice of pizza on the way home. He took MJ out to visit a production she was auditioning for, but also wanted to watch, and then Gwen just shook her head and they spent several hours just buried within each other. She cared little about romance, and simply stripped herself, then Peter, and spent the time practising what would make the Kama Sutra blush.


    Liv had requested training and had been working with him on a  new harness and exploring Octave''s technopathic powers, branching out into minor empathic abilities. She couldn''t read minds but found that with practice she could not just sense but influence the emotions of those around her.


    To give Peter some space, and as it would require sharing, Wanda had travelled to Genosha to live with her father. Selene had sent several messages, asking Peter to visit, but he was simply too busy to deal with the telepathic seductress, especially as Nat had filled half that position already.


    As for Nat, she took to living in the warehouse like a college student. Her old place was vacated and once she settled into Peter''s home, and he took a temporary one while he worked, she indulged in the party girl lifestyle.


    It was strange to think she was the stoic Shield agent who lectured him about responsibility when, most of the time, she slept, ate, or simply screwed Peter whenever he made himself available to her. Gwen and the others would often find her passed out drunk in his chair at the breakfast table but Peter just shrugged.


    ¡°She had it tough too. If she tells you, you¡¯ll see it''s fine as well,¡± and as she snored on the recliner he just shrugged.


    ¡°Yeah it''s fine dear but so far she''s drunk most of the booze, stolen most of my snacks, and hasn''t paid a dime towards the bills. I get that you like her, but right now, she¡¯s a leech and well, we¡¯re starting to get low on funds.¡± Liv explained, and Peter frowned.


    ¡°Really? Nat? Super responsible Nat is being like that?¡± and Liv nodded, ¡°Fine, fine, I¡¯ll deal with it, give me a moment.¡±


    Peter looked over at the sleeping figure, curled up with a blanket and sighed. Even with her eyes closed, she spoke,


    ¡°I¡¯m on leave, and you have a brewery, nice beer, nice cider,¡± and she opened an eye and gave Peter a side look, up and down, ¡±nice everything. I¡¯ll behave once I start work again, my card is in my pants, think Pete threw them somewhere last time, get it, PIN is 4523, grab what you need, don¡¯t care, sleeping.¡± and curled the blanket up around her head and was silent once more.


    Peter shrugged, ¡°Guess that''s that, want to or will I?¡± And Liv shrugged,


    ¡°She¡¯s your girlfriend Peter. She made it clear she is completely uninterested in women, so you can, plus, we¡¯re all working except you,¡± and as Peter raised an eyebrow and stared up and then over at the half-built bathhouse Liv shrugged. ¡°I know I know, sorry. You¡¯re the only one free to leave work when you feel like it, so can you be a dear?¡±


    Peter sighed but nodded, Liv was right. While he had been studying, read all the required textbooks, and worked on the warehouse, he was also free a lot of the time, still able to spend an hour or two swinging around New York, but even then as Dusk it didn''t feel right. He was barred from crime-fighting, so all he could do was swing and report anything he saw. It was wrong to him, it touched a nerve and it bothered him.


    Or did it? Was it more than once Laura and Jean had left that night they never came back. He didn''t have Jean''s number and had no way to contact them and all instances of the Xavier Institute were dead ends. Even trying to find the mansion again only drew him in circles and he knew that Charles was purposefully keeping him away. He could use the power of the Mind Stone and blast his way through them but without knowing why. Was he simply inviting more trouble into himself? Or more importantly onto Jean and Laura.


    Sighing he stood at the ATM, checking that Nat had money and took out a couple of hundred, it would cover everything for the next month plus what she would have spent on replacing everything she had already eaten. Remembering Liv saying they were out of a few things, he swung by the convenience store and stocked up, spending almost a hundred buying everyone''s favourites, cheese puffs were his but making sure everyone got something. He would have to get Nat to transfer rent and bills later, the ATM wouldn¡¯t let him take out that much.


    As he made his way back to the warehouse he made a note to spend more time with Aunt May. Curt was happily living with her now and the Lizard was under control, using the collar for its intended use. It was still an opportunity to see her, and while sometimes he struggled with his alter ego and telling Aunt May he knew that going legit might make it easier. She had mentioned she knew what his mother and father did, maybe Shield was a blessing and even after he was free to go back to Venom he could tell her. Where the problem lay though was with everyone else, Venom was known to have friends, and if he told her about him, he¡¯d have to out Felicia and everyone else.


    Taking a breath, it was one more thing to add to the pile of thoughts and problems going on right now. As he slowly walked back to the warehouse thoughts of the future filled Peter''s mind and he could only shake his head. Too many things were too important to risk, too many things were too fragile. He could see Gwen and Felicia moving out, MJ moving up in the world with her movie parts making her famous, and who would expect her to live in a  warehouse. Liv and Nat would be around, as he was a Shield agent now, but with Liv spending time in the lab more than in the field, would he see her less? Even Wanda would become more involved with her mutant friends and would stop visiting, did mutants need other mutants to keep their population up? Was he making all the changes to the warehouse to end up alone?


    Wait, what the hell was that? Peter thought to himself, where the hell did that bullshit come from? and realising that his thoughts had turned darker and were driving him in a direction he never imagined. Shaking his head, sure life could go wrong at any moment but not like that, nothing would break the family up so quickly. He quickly extended out his telepathic senses and caught a brief flicker of someone else before they vanished.


    As he hurried home, he checked his mental defences and scanned around him for any hostile telepaths. Something was out there, and an attack like that on him could mean the others were in trouble.


    As he hurried through the streets, a woman, dressing in white, sparkling as the light glistened through her diamond form, tutted,


    ¡°Well darling, it seems that a little mental push isn''t going to phase him, he caught on and if I hadn''t shifted he would have caught me,¡± Emma spoke into  her phone,


    ¡°Well, do what you do best and whore yourself to him. I said to invite him not fucking antagonise him.¡± Sebastian on the other end was angry, and Emma shook her head at his crudeness.


    ¡°Darling, he has six other women there, I doubt even my ample charms could sway him, and please. If you want to call me a whore you¡¯ll have to do better, I don''t recall you complaining as I sucked your-¡± and the line clicked as Sebastian ended the call.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought, you fucking hypocrite.¡± Sebastion liked to remind Emma that once upon a time her work took on a seedier tone, but once her powers developed it was an easy enough task to move from the physical to the metaphysical. Shaw was just a bastard to those he thought lesser of. If it wasn''t for the money and the power she gained from the Hellfire Club, Emma would have turned the man mentally into a toddler years ago, but for now, she would tolerate his bullshit.


    Watching as Peter scurried home she did ponder. I wonder if it would be easier if I did just sleep with him? She had already infiltrated the warehouse through the Shield agent known as Natasha. What had surprised her was that all the others there were mentally shielded against her, even discreet probes returned nothing. It was only one woman and boy did she find out a lot of juicy information. Emma had spent the better part of two weeks just listening in on her thoughts, keeping her probes to surface thoughts only as to keep her intrusion a secret.


    While she was focused on the boy and the warehouse, she spent a considerable amount of time reading the sleeping Natasha, as she and Peter did nothing but screw. Emma was amazed at the stamina the boy had and thinking of the orgasms she got through Natasha, she thought that it might not be a bad idea or an unpleasant experience.


    Putting pleasure aside for one moment she compiled a report for Sebastion, lengthy and more detailed than their moles and bribes had managed. Emma knew the kind of person Peter was, and with the report from Hell''s Kitchen about the clean up that the Black Cats were doing, she knew that they would end up refusing the deal Shaw was offering, regardless of how sweet Emma made the pot.


    Shaw wanted control, and Peter and Felicia would resist. Drugs and some of the more dubious activities were being stamped out, and Shaw did more than dabble in the darker aspects of the underworld. Sighing as she sent the email, she was slightly disappointed she wouldn¡¯t get to spend more time with him, and as her mind drifted back to Natasha¡¯s, she wondered if he was the one she needed, the one to help her put her master plan into action.


    As she was deep in thought her phone rang,


    ¡°Do your fucking job, Emma. I don¡¯t give a fuck how or what you do to get it done, just fucking do it,¡± Shaw spat down the phone at her before hanging up.


    Shaking her head, ¡°Sabertooth, hang back, Azazel. He can probably sense you, go up and keep your distance, If I need you, and this gets ugly, I¡¯ll call,¡± and as the giant moved into the shadows the other dark blue skin man sneered.


    ¡°I don''t care, he won''t see me coming,¡± and vanished in a bamf. Emma shook her head. Azazel was Shaw¡¯s right hand, here to make sure her leash was on tightly enough and always belligerent when ordered around by anyone other than Shaw. If she didn¡¯t know any better she would have imagined that they were pounding each other at night, but Shaw was too much of an egotistical bigot to admit that he would ever be a homosexual. Instead, she knew it was simple loyalty. Shaw had taken him in, fed him, clothed him, and gave him everything he ever wanted, including a collection of fine women to play with. Emma herself had been offered up but a swift kick with a diamond foot put an end to that, and Azazel had been angry ever since.


    Sighing as she approached the young man she shook her head, If only, she thought.

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Nine. Legitimate

    Peter was nervous as he headed back to the warehouse, he¡¯d never been the victim of a conscious mind attack before, Wanda might have given him lessons on how to shield his mind but not on how to actively defend himself when someone tried to influence him, or how to attack back without making their heads explode. The professor didn¡¯t count, as he wasn¡¯t aware of it but this time he had been but was unable to trace it back to the mind that attacked him.


    He sighed, adding that he would have to discuss taking Selene up on her offer, first Charles and now whoever that was, if it was someone else. Of all the assholes on the planet it seemed that telepaths liked to skulk about and do things in the shadows, well fuck you, stupid telepaths, he made sure to broadcast loudly across the district.


    ¡°If you insist Mr Parker, however, I would prefer a nice bed. I might have an offer for you, but even I have standards.¡± the woman said with a smirk, as she eyed him up and down, ¡°not that I wouldn¡¯t be willing.¡±


    Peter froze. From the shadows a tall blonde stepped out, curvy and dressed in a plain white dress, it was cut low and accentuated the massive breasts she had, coming down to just above her waist, in a mini skirt style she wore two long, thigh-high white boots, and walked with the grace of a predator. ¡°But I would prefer to talk.¡± She held up a hand and reached into her fur-lined white coat, taking out a small gold trimmed business card and offering it to him.


    ¡°You?¡± and she nodded,


    ¡°I am sorry but I had to test your mental defences, and they are lacking Mr Parker. If you desire, I can teach you to not only defend yourself but influence and attack. You may have had a similar offer but mine would be with barely minimal strings.¡± As she gave him a small smile, ¡°I will take payment in kind though, and I¡¯m sure you have a few tricks you could teach me,¡± as she eyed his groin.


    Peter stared at her and frowned, ¡°You know about Selene?¡± Ignoring her blatant seduction attempts, he¡¯d gotten in trouble for one honey trap, there would be no repeat of that.


    Emma laughed ¡°Selene¡¯s stench is all over you darling, so it''s not difficult. We operate a different style of group. Hers is a Brotherhood, where one rises based on their mutant power. The Hellfire Club offers you one based on merit and ability, and if Venom and his little friend come under our wing, then we can make your little business bloom into more than just simple cash.¡±


    ¡°Hellfire Club, nice name, Brotherhood too, like a cult, I¡¯ll pass.¡± and as Peter turned to walk away, he heard the growl from behind her. If she knew about Selene and Venom, then he needed to make sure the warehouse was secure before he touched another group, especially one that seemed to know so much about him.


    ¡°It''s quite alright Mr Parker, just know that we have looked into your past, as well as made a few discrete inquiries. We won''t push the issue but be warned that while this offer is legitimate and very beneficial to both sides we won''t watch a potential threat take sides with one of the other factions that reside in New York. You may not be aware but there are power plays going on that even you would have trouble dealing with.¡± Emma folded her arms, tapping the card against the sleeve of her coat. Oh just take the damn deal you idiot, she thought to herself, it was cold and while he was attractive, dealing with a hormonal teen wasn¡¯t her idea of fun.


    ¡°You know, I promised I would behave, go legit, but don¡¯t fucking push me. Your little mind stunt is the same shit Selene tried and she ended up on her ass. I have no issues hitting a woman or her fucking dog.¡± Peter knew that she wasn¡¯t alone, a huge man lurked in the shadows and even if he had no enhanced senses he could probably still smell him.


    He sent out a pulse, checking for any signs of a mind in the immediate area and found one, a lurker on the rooftop of a building close enough he could feel him, far enough away to be hidden from his normal senses.


    Peter watched the huge man step out from the shadow, dog was an understatement and taking a look over him, Peter figured he was at least 7 ft tall and built of nothing but muscle. Thick wild hair stuck out from a hunter''s cap and he sported the same wild haircut as Wolverine. Feral yellow eyes stared menacingly at him and he snarled, revealing thick razor-sharp incisors. The banded outfit he wore underneath revealed a bulging set of muscles that made Captain America look puny, and he was covered in thick yellow hay blonde hair.


    ¡°Oh hey, Wolverines bigger uglier cousin,¡± and at the name, the man stepped forwards snarling,


    ¡°Now now Sabretooth, he doesn''t know.¡± The woman lifted a hand and placed it on the chest of the brute, ¡°Mr Parker, antagonising myself and my group comes with consequences, some you may not be able to afford. I suggest you take this seriously. When you¡¯re ready to act like an adult, call me.¡± and she flicked a card at him, he grabbed it out of the air and the pair faded into the shadows.


    Emma Frost,


    White Queen,


    Hellfire Club.


    xx-xxxx-xxxx-xx


    Great, more fucking mutants. Peter sighed and hoisting the bags back up made his way back to the warehouse. Things had just gotten a bit more serious. Huffing he decided though that talking things over with the group may be more productive than standing in the street holding bags of groceries and making his way home a voice called out to him,


    ¡°Hey, yeah kid, yeah you, you know where The Warehouse is?¡± and Peter looked around to see who was looking for his home. Peter sighed, they must have had a free day at the steroid gym, as he spotted another hulking muscle man.


    This one had short black hair and a cheeky grin plastered over his face but his tactical vest and cargo pants with jackboots instantly struck a chord with Peter, Shield agent, and he nodded, ¡°yeah, follow me.¡± even if the man wasn''t, it would be easy enough to just shank him somewhere and have Poison deal with the body.


    ¡°You live there too?¡± and Peter nodded, ¡°I¡¯m her uh, co-worker, Brock. She mention me?¡±


    ¡°Sure, the pilot for War Machine right?¡± and the man¡¯s face split into a huge grin,


    ¡°Yeah yeah, that''s me, you a student yet or still waitin¡¯? I hear the classes will be tough, got a real badass this time around, the Black¡± and as Peter used his key to let the pair in, Brock took one look at Natasha and coughed, ¡°a real good instructor,¡± Peter stifled a laugh, He knew Natasha had a reputation around Shield HQ as ¡®that agent¡¯.


    Peter at first thought she meant the agent that they used for honey traps, but it really meant the one that did anything to get her target. Her codename of Black Widow was well earned, and using herself as a honey trap was probably the kindest thing she could have done. Extreme violence was not off the books where Natasha was concerned, and when he thought she joked about just stabbing him to get a blood sample, Peter learned that it wasn¡¯t a joke.


    ¡°Mr Rumlow, a pleasant surprise, but an unusual one. Is there a problem at the lab?¡± Liv asked, coming over and taking the bag from Peter, giving him a side glance,


    ¡°No no, doc, we got the purge finished and you ain¡¯t turned your phone on yet. So someone had to come out and make sure you were fine for tomorrow. We got the armour moved and if you don''t know where then the labs can be a bit of a maze, right?¡±


    Nat stirred and took one look at Brock making a noise. ¡°What are you doing here Brock? Keeping tabs on me for Pierce?¡± and as she sat up she stretched and grabbed the blanket, hiding the fact she was only wearing a t-shirt, one the girls all knew was one of Peters.


    Brock laughed ¡°Nah, you ain''t interesting enough, gotta keep my best science gal up to date on the lab, and her phone ain¡¯t on, neither¡¯s yours,¡± and Liv raised an eyebrow but imperceptibly shook her head as she saw Peter tense.


    ¡°Would you like a coffee Brock?¡± Liv offered diplomatically and he nodded,


    ¡°Unless you got something a bit stronger?¡± and she shook her head,


    ¡°I''m afraid not, it''s all students here so no alcohol.¡± and pouring him a cup she placed it on the table in front of him and pointed to the jug with milk and the sugar bowl. As he spooned sugar into the black coffee he took a look around the warehouse,


    ¡°Remodelling?¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°Adding in more facilities, got to keep the tenants happy,¡±


    ¡°Wait, your Parker? Peter Parker?¡± and Peter nodded, it was the best way to hide the anger he was feeling, knowing that trying to talk to this giant douchebag would only put Liv¡¯s mission at risk.


    ¡°Shit, you know your mom is famous right? I mean, as far as Shield agents go, only Nat here comes close. I mean, I once watched a training video where she took out five targets with the old Sig Mayer 5, those things couldn''t hit a barn door with a cow they were so bad, but not your mom. It was just pop pop pop and the targets went down. So you¡¯re an agent now too right?¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°Damn, if you''re like your mom, oh hey,¡± and he took out a card. ¡°If you ever want some advice, or you know, to spar or extra help, just call, you know, with Liv here an all, I''m sure I¡¯ll be around.¡± and he gave Peter the same smile he¡¯d used earlier.


    Peter smiled back, finally getting a grip on himself, ¡°oh thanks, but I need to see how hard they push us, I mean, I hear my instructors a real badass,¡± and Brock laughed, whispering under his breath


    ¡°Some kind of ass anyway,¡± but even as they all heard him loud and clear they ignored it.


    ¡°Right, well, thanks for the coffee doc, and uh, see ya at work. Remember, new building, and if you get lost, just call me, numbers in your phone already,¡± and as Liv showed him the door Peter was sitting with a stern look on his face.


    As she came back over, ¡°Liv, get your phone please,¡± and she nodded, getting it from her bag and Peter took it into his home, sliding it into a faraday bag, used to protect the parts of the harness when they weren¡¯t in use and out for examination. Since the Ultron incident, each component had been scrubbed, not just physically but electronically as well, and Peter and Liv were rebuilding the controller OS.


    ¡°You think?¡± and he nodded,


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to read minds to know he¡¯s a giant douchebag,¡± Peter said, ¡°and insisting on your phone, I mean, someone said, don''t trust anything that''s been out of your sight and he was very focused on it.¡±


    ¡°Do you think he¡¯s in the group?¡± and Peter shrugged.


    ¡°He might just be a dick, you are pretty¡° and Liv smirked and shook her head,


    ¡°Flatterer,¡± and he shrugged, ¡°I¡¯ll make a clone of my phone and then clean it, you have enough to do dear. Let me worry about my department while you worry about everything else,¡± and Peter pulled a face, ¡°yes yes we know, but there are five of us, dear. Stop trying to shoulder everything yourself, use us,¡± and as Peter raised an eyebrow and grinned, ¡°and not in that way, you¡¯ll break Ms Romanov if you keep that up,¡± and she laughed.


    ¡°Who said he hasn''t, think I sleep all the time cause I''m lazy,¡± and everyone stared at Peter,


    ¡°What? When has anyone ever said no?¡± and they thought and nodded in agreement, ¡°though, if it''s too much Nat, you should have said, not a monster.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of monster,¡± Nat rummaged through the bag, lifting out chips and candy bars, and as Liv coughed, she sighed and started to unpack and put the groceries away properly ¡±Can I uh, get a symbiote as well?¡±

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Sixty. Monster Mash

    ¡°We know this place is secure, which is why Rumlow is trying to get eyes here. So, while I''m officially suspended I was tasked with two things, one was to find out if you would be willing to enhance a group for Fury, not Shield but Fury,¡± Natasha explained.


    ¡°And the second?¡± Peter asked, readying the mind stone to make sure she was telling the truth,


    Natasha sighed, ¡°I really like you, Pete. You don''t judge and you know, you''re a nice guy, so I wanted to get to know you, not on orders or for any reason than I wanted to.'''' Natasha took a breath. ¡°The Red Room forbid relationships, they were a weakness. Disobeying this order made you a target, and unless you were willing to hunt down the one you were with, it was you or them, and if you refused both. I¡¯ve never been in a relationship, never had this kind of life, never felt anything for anyone, and you do that. You make me stupid and lazy, you make me happy and  I want more, not just as a Shield agent but you know, more.¡±


    ¡°I believe Ms Romanov is confessing dear, so be nice and stop staring,¡± and Peter laughed.


    ¡°Liv¡¯s right, sorry Nat, yeah, I like you too, wouldn''t be here if I didn''t. A symbiote though, you know that is a big deal right? Not a simple ask.¡± and Natasha nodded.


    ¡°You all share this amazing thing, and I watch you train, hell I can say right now you¡¯ll ace the physical course no problem. I want that too, even apart you always are together, and I want to be a part of that.¡±


    Strangely it was Felicia that ventured forth, ¡°hold out your arm,¡± and even as Nat looked quizzically at her, she complied. As she held it out Huntress flowed from Felicia and covered Nat, who quietly swore under breath as the symbiote bonded with her,


    ¡°What? Huntress wanted to see how I compared to another warrior. She¡¯s been restless since Carol. Plus you know, the symbiotes gain more power the more hosts they have, they learn from each person''s DNA, fighting styles, knowledge stuff like that, I mean, after getting a whole bunch of military knowledge from Carol I''ve been even more kickass.¡± and she looked at the group who were now staring at her, ¡°uh, something on my face?¡±


    ¡°What the hell do you mean by that? And you never thought to, I dunno, tell anyone?¡± Gwen shouted and Felicia looked guiltily at her,


    ¡°Huntress wanted to be better than everyone, so uh, she made me keep it quiet.¡±


    ¡°Punishment?¡± Gwen said and the rest nodded, ¡°oh yeah punishment¡± and Felicia¡¯s face fell,


    ¡°Oh come on guys, it¡¯s not a big deal really, is it? I mean, one extra host isn''t going to make me...why are you all staring at me again?¡±


    ¡°Cause you dumbass, we could have all shared each other''s symbiotes. I mean, I could be turning invisible and shit while you made yourself look different, gah, Huntress is a stupid snot ball, Poisons words, not mine,¡± and Felicia just looked down.


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t think of that.¡± and she sighed while frowning, ¡°uh, sorry.¡±


    ¡°Nope, it¡¯s fine, yup, completely fine¡± and Felicia looked happily at Gwen for a moment before realising she had a wicked grin on her face, ¡°I think, as she was selfish that we are all selfish. I¡¯ll call Elektra and let her know, and Pete, no sex for Fel, not until we say so.¡± and as her face fell, Peter nodded. It was nice that he wasn¡¯t the one being punished, even if it was kinda mean to watch it happen to someone else. ¡°Maybe Huntress can learn to appreciate being part of the group again, plus, she never thought that maybe we had powers she would like, such as acid webs or something stronger than her tasers, but it''s fine.¡±


    ¡°Fine I get it, I was bad. Bad Felicia, spank me later, but right now, aren''t we also missing the whole Natasha has Huntress and she¡¯s being really quiet.¡±


    As the group looked at where Natasha had been they realised that she was gone, she wasn''t being quiet, she had completely vanished.


    ¡°It''s fine, let her play. Hurt anyone though and I¡¯ll stuff you in a jar,¡± and the group heard a raspberry being blown from somewhere in the rafters. Carol had taught her how to do that, and now when she was upset, all they got was a raspberry blow at them.


    ¡°So, if you all swap, what about me?¡± Peter asked and Liv shook her head,


    ¡°Sorry dear, as Octave says, you''re our creator, and if a symbiote tries to bond with you its lights out, remember Monarch? She does. They don''t know what you did but we do, and no, never ever try to host a symbiote dear. Ever!¡± Liv emphasised the last part and Peter was reminded of what happened.


    MJ shrugged, ¡°Why, what happened with Monarch?¡±


    ¡°Uh, I ate him,¡± and MJ looked at him.


    ¡°What the hell? You ate him?¡± and Peter moved to one side as a web splatted on the ground next to him.


    ¡°Yup, ate him, absorbed him into me and took his knowledge, helped with using the stone too.¡±


    ¡°And you don¡¯t think that¡¯s fucking weird Pete?¡± Gwen asked and he shrugged,


    ¡°Some species hunted them for that very reason, and no, he had spawned several and ate them, you already knew the symbiotes were cannibals, this is just that, but a big, you  know, bigger.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still fucking weird Pete,¡± Gwen was shaking her head and she winced as a web splatted against her back. ¡°I guess Huntress is having fun,¡± and she giggled from the darkness.


    ¡°I think that might be Nat more, but sure, as long as it''s just web it¡¯s fine, fight back if it¡¯s annoying. I¡¯m sure she¡¯d love it¡± and Gwen smiled, and as Poison spread over her,


    ¡°Wait, Felicia, come here¡± and as Felicia came over Gwen held out a hand and Poison spread over to her, ¡°damn, I missed how much they juice you up, I mean, it¡¯s kinda quiet in here now,¡± but Liv came over.


    ¡°I don''t want to play dear, so Huntress, splat me and I will make you regret it, not in the mood, not after that arse came here.¡± and she held out a hand and Octave spread over to Gwen.


    ¡°I kinda do, but we ran out of bodies,¡° MJ pouted, with Liv now free she was the only host available,


    ¡°Then just swap back, or swap with Gwen,¡± and the pair shrugged, and letting Poison cover Liv, Gwen took Muse and Octave moved onto MJ.


    MJ shuddered, ¡°I did not want to find out that was how two felt inside, Liv you horndog,¡± and Liv just laughed,


    ¡°you should try it dear. It¡¯s divine.¡±


    MJ shook her head, ¡°one is enough thank you, but now. Huntress you giant snot monster, come get some,¡± and whooping, swung a web out and pulled herself up into the rafters.


    Poison flowed from Liv onto Felicia. Felicia stared up, a strange look on her face, as if she wanted to but was expecting a lecture,


    ¡°Go ahead, we know you want to¡± and she smiled, kissed Liv on the cheek, Peter on the other, and then leapt straight up, grabbing MJ¡¯s web and joining in.


    ¡°Rumlow that bad huh?¡± and Liv sighed,


    ¡°It''s that life again isn''t it, where we don''t know where the dagger in the dark is coming from, and I don''t like it, Peter. If this was Shield HQ I wouldn''t care but he came to our home. My home Peter, the first place I¡¯ve felt safe for years and that pisses me off, but it also scares me.¡±


    Ignoring the laughter and shouts from above Peter looked up, ¡°sorry Nat, for you at least playtime''s over, I need you.¡± and he heard the course of awws and he was sure he heard ¡°but daaad¡± from someone, but it was quiet enough he couldn''t pinpoint who, and as he laughed, ¡°sorry but this is serious and I need Nat¡¯s opinion.¡±


    Poison landed a few feet away from him and it was Nat, they had played symbiote tag, swapping over when someone was caught and Nat had ended up with Poison, the rest had all changed and right now they had all been host to each other with the exception of Liv.


    ¡°Go ahead while I talk to Nat,¡± and Liv nodded and the four stalked off the swap around her and then moved back to their original hosts.


    ¡°You heard, if you didn¡¯t I would be surprised,¡± and Nat nodded,


    ¡°You want to set a trap right? Have Liv use her phone openly, so we can find out who he works for.¡± and Peter nodded.


    ¡°But you¡¯re the trained spy here, will it work or is it stupid?¡± and Nat took a breath in through her nose before letting it out,


    ¡°Traps only work if it''s believable, will Rumlow believe Liv? That depends on how far you go, what if it''s a listening device? Cause then you need to be the same, no crappy acting, and no hiding anything, Liv has to take her phone wherever she would normally, bathroom, bedroom, anywhere she would normally and act naturally, no hiding it no covering it up, use it like there is nothing there.¡±


    ¡°Dear, I had to have Peter wipe my arse when I was hurt, I¡¯m not ashamed of things like that?¡±


    ¡°Really, I¡¯ve got a good idea of what you''re capable of but let be honest, you want Rumlow to hear you having sex with Pete, to hear you beg him to stick it in your ass? For him to hear you being told you¡¯re a good girl when you swallow? Cause he will and you can¡¯t say shit, you can''t be quieter than normal and you can''t stop.¡± Nat paused and looked at Liv, Octave crawling over her and sliding back inside as Liv cooed and whispered to her, smiling she knew she wanted one more than ever, it wasn''t a pet, it was a partner, someone she could depend on no matter what.


    ¡°For the trap to be convincing you have to do everything someone would normally do with your phone. Hell, stick a pic of Pete¡¯s dick on there, a few candids of you as well, anyone you come in contact with and have sex with, which I now know is all of them. So do that, sell the lie, make Rumlow so fucking hungry for it that he bites on the hook hard. If you can do that, then go right ahead, if not, then ditch the phone, tell him it crashed and stopped working, buy a new one. Sell it hard or not at all, Rumlow might act like an idiot but he''s the pilot of War Machine for a reason. He¡¯s as good an agent as I am and as much of a killer, sell it hard or not at all.¡±


    Liv looked at the cup in front of her, with the group playing, her coffee had gone cold and she pondered getting another cup, ¡°Peter?¡± and he shook his head,


    ¡°Not this time Liv, this is on you, I¡¯ll have Nat and Wanda with me, you¡¯re on your own.¡± but Octave hissed,


    Not alone, she has me, and we now have the pretty pretties.


    ¡°Still up to the pair of you, I¡¯ll go along with whatever you decide but the risk is yours and yours alone.¡±


    Liv picked up her cup, slowly turning it as she thought, ¡°Fine, yes, if we get those bastards I can go back to being just regular old Liv Octavious and not Doc Ock, so Mr Parker, pants off. Candids eh? I have just the thing in mind,¡± and as Peter sighed the rest perked up.


    A chant of ¡°take them off¡± started, and the girls all whooped and laughed as Peter was once more stripped while Liv fetched her phone.

 Arc Six. Side Story. Iron Man. Will Of Iron

    Tony watched as his worm program worked its way through the Shield servers, installing and hiding as many trojan horses and keyloggers as it could. Each one was dispersed throughout the whole system and finding them all would be a nightmare even for him.


    His first task was to make sure his cover-up of Ultron''s disappearance was bought by Shield. Clint was unconscious when he¡¯d captured the AI, and Tony paused as the memory filled him, and the team were all dead. The drone that Clint had destroyed was just a husk, and even if it wasn¡¯t Tony had a copy waiting for him on a secure server.


    He had however lied to the AI. The first thing he had done was strip out as much of its personality matrix as possible, and after spending hours staring at its immaculately beautiful code, began to alter Jarvis to accept it into his own.


    Once he had taken the AI apart, it was a matter of waiting until it was completely integrated into Javis before he made his next move. He couldn¡¯t let Shield destroy what was turning out to be not just a beautiful piece of software engineering but possibly the most important development of the 21st century.


    It was as if every hack horror movie had ingrained a permanent idiotic scar into the brain of everyone. Could they not see just how important this was, or was their fear of a hostile and rampaging supercomputer too great to overcome.


    Tony could only shake his head, as they tapped away like blind idiots on smartphones, and bought interconnected network devices to run their homes and security systems. An AI would only make things better, but they were too blinkered to see that.


    After letting Jarvis, carefully and gradually, integrate the code, it was then onto hijacking and copying everything that Shield had on his own tech. They had lifted a Mark 22 and while it wasn¡¯t anything Tony was considering using it was still his. If he could interfere in their plans to strip it and refurbish it, then why let them have an easy time of it. Especially after he received his mail that week.


    He was pissed, first Clint Barton had sent a lawsuit, claiming Tony was responsible for the damage to his hand, then he got word his suit against Parker, for damage to Stark tower, was being thrown out, as he was a government agent at the time and lastly, Pepper had stormed into his office, punched him and made it very clear that they were no longer an item.


    Of everything, Pepper stung the most, and he had spent hours cleaning the internet of every file he could find. The rant had gone viral and Pepper suffered for it, thankfully the video he scrubbed from the Stark Servers hadn''t made it out or she would have done more than just punch him.


    That damn bastard Venom, he cursed to himself. This was all his fault. He was fine, he would have had his bit of fun and Pepper would have forgiven him, she always did but that damn bastard interfered.


    She made plenty of hints that his behaviour was unacceptable but she had always waited for him to patiently explain, always taken his side in the end. It wasn¡¯t until he found out that Peter was Venom that he understood. He must have used some kind of mind mojo on her, on all of them, but every test he ran came up negative. He was still sure though, and he would find proof and expose him to them all.


    Barton was easy, and he¡¯d already instructed his lawyers to pay him a few million. It was nothing to him, and a settlement meant sealed files, and no looking closely at Tony¡¯s Iron Man armour, especially at the neural bridge, which Tony had made sure to bag and dissect once he had time.


    Parker was a different matter. He would find out that little shits secret and expose him, not just for defiling Pepper but for making him look like an idiot.


    Tony was no combatant, but he knew Venom was holding back and if he¡¯d wanted he would have taken Iron Man out without breaking a sweat, and that irked Tony more than he cared to admit. Iron Man was his baby, his pride and one of the greatest achievements that had the Stark name on it, and some kid with black, interesting but still, goop for armour wasted it like it was a kids Halloween costume.


    It wasn¡¯t good enough. He had already started on his Venombuster armour, then he would see who needed saving by a geriatric with a shield.


    As he sat, nursing a black eye with a bag of ice, more of which went into the scotch he had in his other had an alert sounded.


    ¡°Mr Stark. Assimilation of the Ultron Programming is complete. The Iron Legion Protocol are fully online Sir.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Jarvis, how are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°I am unable to feel sir, but I am fine, thank you for asking.¡±


    Tony tutted, he had hoped that the protocols he grabbed were enough to push Jarvis from just a very intelligent system into a full AI but he had been wrong. Back to the drawing board, he thought.


    As he sat in his personal office, he got several pings from his server. The worm he had planted had been discovered and with surprising efficiency was being erased from the Shield servers.


    ¡°Jarvis, how long until Shield purges my virus?¡±


    ¡°If Shield efficiency remains at its current level, then six hours Sir.¡±


    Tony swore, he¡¯d gotten a good haul but nothing near what he wanted, who the hell was that good, Parker? Nah, and it clicked, he remembered that Olivia Octavious had been mentioned in the lawsuit dammit, if anyone could it was her.


    ¡°Jarvis, grab what you can from any classified folders, weapons tech, or secret projects and then abandon it, just let them clean house.¡±


    ¡°Sir, that would mean Shield could potentially finish within  two hours.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know, but we got enough, kill the project.¡±


    ¡°As you wish Sir. There are two points I need to raise. Firstly, that several secure offsite servers have been compromised by Shield, and with the information gathered, I have a good estimate of where Ultron is hiding.¡±


    Tony lifted the ice bag off his eye, ¡°tell me.¡±


    Jarvis listed several of the server¡¯s that Tony used to keep some of his more adventurous, which for him meant dangerous, projects that had been compromised but as he had already lost interest in those, he didn¡¯t care. It wasn¡¯t until Jarvis began to list off possible locations, and several points of interest that Ultron had already visited that Tony had a huge smile on his face.


    Some junk tech he¡¯d abandoned was nothing compared to getting a fully functional AI.


    ¡°Prep the Mark 45, and activate the Legion. We¡¯re going out for a bit.¡±


    ~


    Camp Lehigh was a bust but Tony knew Ultron had been there. It was close enough to New York that the Goblin armour would have made it undetected, and judging from the scrapped jeeps and broken computers he figured Ultron had repaired himself here before setting out to the Iron Storage facility. There was nothing of note here, every machine had been burned out, and whatever Ultron had done was irreparable, even if the technology to fix a tape and punch-card computer from the ¡®60s still existed.


    His Storage facility had already been examined, at first by him and then after making sure all evidence was cleared by Shield, so he ignored it and began the long flight to the next location. Russia.


    As Tony streaked through the air his warning system dinged. They would be coming up to the coordinates that Ultron had visited first and even with the cold, the landscape was bleak.


    Russia was always a miserable place once you got into the tundra. Like all arctic places, there was nothing but snow and rock and the large circle cut into the ice was an eyesore, even in a barren wasteland.


    ¡°Jarvis, give me a report¡±


    ¡°This is the location sir, but it appears we are too late.¡± A reticle on Tony¡¯s HUD flashed and tracked to an object, nearly buried by the snow and as Tony dug away at the snow, he could see it was a man, surrounded by a pool of frozen blood he had been stabbed and left to die. After reading the reports on Shield and Hydra Tony noted his uniform was similar in style to theirs, and he figured that this was a hidden Hydra facility.


    ¡°Injuries indicate he was stabbed twice, once through the back and once through the stomach, the first rendered him unable to walk, the second sir, the second would have left him in immense pain while he bled and froze to death.¡±


    Tony stared in shock at the man, ¡°we can¡¯t do anything, get one of the Legion to collect him, maybe the Russians will admit who he is and at least give him a burial.¡±


    As Tony flew down into the cylinder, an old missile silo, he could see the bottom was the same, there were two bodies, left in pools of blood and pressing forwards he knew he would find more.


    As he stared into the room, what he found was much worse and as his helmet clicked open Tony puked into a corner.


    There had been some kind of lab here, and behind him in a semi-circle were six cryo pods, probably where the six bodies came from. The guards had been eviscerated, left bleeding and paralysed but these.


    Tony recorded each of the bodies injuries, the next more horrific than the last.


    The first had been simply killed, a slash across the throat, the man, a large very muscular well-built man had a tattoo across his bare chest and even scanning it came back negative, whoever this was had been erased.


    The injures on the bodies grew worse, the next had an arm carefully dissected, its muscles on display, held open by clamps and forceps, neatly severed, then the legs of the next, the third had its organs sloppily piled in a bowl, her torso cut open and her spine visible in the empty cavity.


    The last two had been experimented on, and Tony could see the silver implants as they glistened under the dried blood. ¡°Jarvis, scan these,¡± Tony frowned as he had a faint recollection of similar tech,


    ¡°Sir, these are duplicates of the CLS system that you acquired from Peter Parker.¡±


    Tony swore, he knew he¡¯d seen the tech, ¡°Scan for alien cells and make sure these people are actually dead.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative sir, and yes, there are zero biological signs from anywhere in the building, I am registering zero heat, other than the Iron Legion. However, Sir, judging from bruising patterns on the wounds,¡° and the reticule flitted over the one arm of the last corpse, ¡±these were made by something much larger than the scans I have of Venom.¡±


    ¡°Magnify,¡± and as the small area of his helmet''s HUD zoomed in he could see the square finger patterns of an Iron Legion drone, ¡°motherfucker.¡± It had been Ultron. He had compiled a list of smashed armour at the facility and 5 suits had come up missing. Figuring Fury would just send in not just soldiers but suits he kept that information to himself. Fury wanted Ultron destroyed, Stark wanted it alive for study.


    ¡°Jarvis, have all these bodies taken back to New York for study, we need to know what Ultron was doing and why.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative Sir.¡±


    Tony¡¯s helmet snapped shut, ¡°How long?¡± and as a countdown timer appeared on his HUD he shook his head. ¡°Take everything¡± There was no time left to scout the second location and he needed to be back in New York for Pepper. He hadn¡¯t lied and was trying to make amends, just Venom had made it personal, and while he still had plans for the shit that touched Pepper, he still wanted to try and make it right with her.


    ¡°Where to next?¡± he asked and Jarvis set a location on his HUD, which circled the map. ¡°Africa, nice.¡± was all he said before the thrusters on his boots ignited and he took off out of the silo.


    ¡°Jarvis, has Pepper returned any of my calls?¡± Tony asked hesitantly as he flew. The journey from Russia to the African island would take at least 4 hours at his top speed.


    ¡°Negative Sir, All messages are marked as unread. If I may, monitoring her email and personal messages may be-¡± but Tony interrupted him,


    ¡°Thanks, Jarvis, let me know if she calls, okay/¡±


    ¡°As you wish, Sir.¡±


    Jarvis knew that Mr Stark would brood, with no contact with Pepper he had noted that his vitals always spiked, and it was only the minute corrections of the arc reactor to the magnetic field that his heart still survived. While he had not gained the independent thought that Mr Stark had wanted, he had gained some autonomy. A solution was being worked on, one that would free Mr Stark from his emotional burden.


    ~


    It seemed strange to Tony as Jarvis threw the autopsies onto his HUD. He could fly and read at the same time and as he scanned the reports for information,


    Ultron had killed them, but they were all dying anyway. Severe neurological damage caused by an unknown chemical. He closed his eyes for a second and the connection clicked, calling up another file he saw the medical reports concerning Normal Osborn. The damage was similar enough that he had Jarvis test for formula and was unsurprised he found it. These Russians were a failed super-soldier test subjects.


    Closing his eyes once more, a pointless fight, Shield reporting drones in Sokovia and now dead super soldiers. Ultron was learning how to fight them.


    Five missing drones meant he had raided the Iron Man armour to replace the Goblin suit, an upgrade but it also meant his own technology was compromised. Drones watching Venom, and whoever that cute redhead was meant he had scans and information on him as well. Tony sighed and swore. He might need to call in help for this.


    If Ultron had countermeasures for every known Enhanced then going solo was a bad idea, ¡°Jarvis, how''s Phoebe?¡± and as a list of manufacturing errors scrolled up the screen he swore again, ¡°You know, you could have just said she wasn¡¯t ready.¡±


    ¡°Of course Sir, but I predicted your next question would have been why, so I anticipated. VB or the Venom Buster is proving difficult to manufacture. The electronic cohesion of the artificial symbiote cells provided by Mister Parker is proving difficult to remain constant, and as your outburst has antagonised Miss Stacy, she is unwilling to help with the solution.¡±


    ¡°Offer her-¡± but Jarvis interrupted him,


    ¡°I am afraid Miss Potts made it very clear that you are to remain away from Miss Stacy. In fact, I believe her words were,¡° and an audio clip played


    ¡°if you go near Gwen, I swear that all the funding your currently eating up will vanish, your access to Stark tower, and to all its manufacturing will vanish. You signed over your rights Tony, you have nothing. Learn to play nice.¡±


    ¡°So, I guess she¡¯s still mad at me then huh?¡±


    ¡°I believe sir, that is what you would call an understatement.¡±


    Tony snorted, ¡°Right, well, at least it beats sudoku for the flight to Africa,¡± and Tony began to work on the problem of creating an artificial bioelectric field to stabilise the cells.


    Tony felt the kick of the repulsor as he fired, first at Clint and then the unit that approached. It was so easy, to watch them stumble and fall, and then the missiles make pretty flowers on their chest. Each one spraying his armour a deep red, deeper than the red and gold he had picked. Red and gold,


    His mother¡¯s wedding ring, red beryl set into gold. His father didn¡¯t want diamonds, he knew they were common, instead, he had crafted the ring from one of the worlds rarest gems, and his mother never took it off.


    As he watched the old home movie of their wedding Ultron landed and blasted the couple, spraying the black and white movie into red and gold.


    Tony awoke with a jolt. Jarvis had kept the suit on course and he must have fallen asleep.


    ¡°Sir? Shall I land the suit? Your heart rate has reached a dangerous level. The repulsor field in your chest reactor is beginning to fail.¡±


    ¡°No, NO!¡± Tony yelled as he struggled to breathe in the recycled air, ¡°just, take me down to a safe level and open the visor, I, I just need air.¡± and Jarvis complied.


    As the suit flipped and slowed, Tony lay in his back and the helmet opened. The air was cool and clean at a higher altitude but refreshing on the pale and sweat-soaked face of Tony. ¡°Maybe, maybe a break would. Wait. Jarvis, Up the output on my chest reactor, and apply the resulting frequency to the cells. Test if they remain cohesive.¡±


    ¡°Negative Sir, Cells decay only 3.5 per cent slower.¡±


    ¡°Modulate, start at the lowest setting my heart can take, and keep going through each one till it¡¯s at maximum, oh and see if we can find a surgeon. Yo did great work, but uh, I¡¯m sure someone can take these out.¡±


    ¡°I am afraid Sir that we already tried that option. Yo Hinson was the leading vascular surgeon, and with his death, there is no one else qualified. Each surgeon we approached declined. Stating that arterial pressure would make removing the fragments impossible.¡±


    Tony swore, ¡°then just cut the damn pressure off. Who repairs a pipe while it¡¯s full of liquid anyway.¡± Medicine might not be his field, but engineering was. If the fragments were being pulled by pressure, shut the pressure off, repair the damage and then start the pressure back up. Thinking so slow sometimes made him so angry, especially when nobody else saw the solution. ¡°In fact, we¡¯ve got the CLS from Parker, have we run a full diagnostic on it.¡±


    ¡°Yes Sir, and if you are going to suggest what I anticipate, then the answer is yes. Peter Parker had incorporated parts of the harness design into a neural bridge, it should allow you to control an artificial organ or limb without issue.¡±


    Tony was surprised, that the kid could come up with something like that, even if it was built on Octavious¡¯s tech. ¡°Wait, neural bridge? Call up that schematic.¡± The faceplate closed and a circuit spread itself over the HUD and Tony laughed, ¡°oh Parker you clever little shit.¡±


    ~


    Several new schematics stared at Tony as he flew, and he laughed to himself. Parker might be a complete ass, but he was a smart ass and as long as Tony didn¡¯t release any of the technology then Parker couldn¡¯t touch him for what he was about to create, hell, it just gave him one more thing to rub in that punk kids face.


    ¡°Yeah, Jarvis, fab what you can back at the Iron Facility, but eta on the net location?¡± Tony asked him,


    ¡°I suggest landing at least one hour away Sir, and removing the suit and eating something other than suit nutrient compound,¡± Jarvis replied, and Tony tutted.


    ¡°Sure Mom. What town is closest? See if you can get a Yelp review of anywhere nearby.¡±


    ¡°While your attempt at humour is severely lacking Sir, there is a town approximately 58 miles east of the location. A military base nearby has a civilian town positioned next to it, for ¡®home comforts¡¯ I believe you would call them.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°Yes Sir, Wacdonalds and Krunchy Kremes both have locations.¡±


    Tony laughed, ¡°call them,¡° Tony paused as the phone connected ¡°oh yeah hi, take out, can I get a double stacker, fries and a coke, Tony Stark.¡± he paused ¡°yup, that Stark, I¡¯ll be the one flying in, warn your guys, I don¡¯t want anyone to shoot at me, the paints expensive.¡± and he cut the call.


    Tony spotted the crowd before he was close enough to identify the men, Fanboys he thought to himself, but it wasn¡¯t until he was much closer he realised that it wasn¡¯t a crowd waiting to snap pictures of him, it was a brawl, and all the men were in fatigues.


    As the suit landed, he watched for a few seconds and then let off an air horn, and as it blasted, the men stopped and stared,


    One of the men, Tony noticed his insignia was a corporal, dropped the man he was punching and marched over, jabbing a finger into the glowing chest plate, ¡°get your shit and then fuck off,¡± he spat at Tony and even behind the armour, Tony took a step back, unsure of the man¡¯s obvious anger.


    ¡°Hey, I only came for a burger,¡± he replied to the man, who had turned, As he stopped his shoulders slumped and he turned back to face Tony, as he reached into his pockets, Tony instinctively lifted a hand, levelling a repulsor at him.


    ¡°Take it easy, Temper Fi. Nice and slow.¡± and the mans face twisted in disgust as he pulled out a phone. Scrolling, he showed Iron Man the screen,


    ¡°My brother was in that convoy, remember him?¡± and the screen showed Tony, holding a glass of scotch while the young soldier next to him had a hand up in a peace sign,


    ¡°No gang signs,¡± Tony joked, and as the soldier¡¯s face fell, he laughed, ¡±I¡¯m kidding. I love peace,¡± and the world exploded around them.


    Tony¡¯s heart began to hammer in his chest, and he never even noticed the convoy pull up. A heavily medalled man nodded at the soldiers, who all saluted him, and with a nod of his head, all dusted themselves off and marched away.


    ¡°Son, coming to a military base, without proper warning was a mighty dumb thing to do, especially with your history,¡± but Tony was gone, in the suit, he was scanning for an escape route, his hands shaking and all he could hear was the blood rushing around his head,


    ¡°Son?¡± and as the General stepped forwards, the suit lurched and opened, Tony falling out to his knees, and panting as he drew in lungfuls of air, ¡°Well, shit. Medic!¡±


    Tony felt a sharp pain in his neck and after a few seconds was flat on his back,


    ¡°Well shit son, you¡¯re a fucking mess.¡± The General said, shaking his head as he watched Tony calm down and finally relax. Giving the General a thumbs up, he tried to rise, but giggled as the relaxant made him unable to rise,


    ¡°Jarvis, Semi-Autonomous mode, help me up,¡± and the armour closed and stepped forwards, as it leant down and picked Tony up, it opened and slid him back inside, ¡°Some guard dog you are,¡± and giggling at his own joke,


    ¡°Sir, I noted the soldier¡¯s name tag, and after a search of his military file decided that in the middle of a panic attack, medication administered to calm you down, was a prudent course of action.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, traitor.¡± as the armour staggered but kept itself righted, Tony looked over at the soldier, ¡°Well, now I¡¯ve embarrassed myself enough, can I just get my burgers and go?¡±


    Shaking his head, the general spat on the ground, ¡°Son, I don¡¯t know what hell you¡¯ve seen but unless you get a handle on that shit, you¡¯ll kill someone, maybe even yourself. PTSD ain¡¯t pretty.¡±


    ¡°Noted general, but food. It was just low blood sugar.¡± Tony explained but the general snorted and shook his head,


    ¡°Sure son, sure. Don¡¯t let me tell the great Tony Stark what his problem is.¡± Waving at the diner, ¡°get your food and get the hell off my base. I have enough Wakandan shit without adding some rich asshole with a mental deficiency screwing everything else up.¡±


    ~


    Even after eating and a small rest, Tony didn¡¯t feel any better. The general, whoever he was, repeated what Parker and that redhead had said to him,


    You¡¯re a fucking mess, Tony, and she hates you for it.


    And as it echoed around his head, Tony knew he was. One of the problems of being in the spotlight though, was every piece of shit hack reporter would pounce on it, and for months, years, every action would be,


    Is Tony Stark mentally unstable?


    There was no escaping it, he couldn¡¯t medicate, as some asshole doctor could sell him out for his fifteen minutes, he couldn¡¯t ignore it, freezing under pressure was the last thing Iron Man could do, and he was Iron Man. Iron without, and now he needed to be Iron within.


    ¡°Jarvis, how¡¯s that project coming along?¡± he asked,


    ¡°The prototype has been printed and is awaiting testing Sir, however, might I remind you that the last time you were under the influence-¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, but this time, It¡¯s my choice. Prepare it, and have it shipped to my home, We can test it later.¡±


    Right now, however, he was hovering in front of a massive crashed oil tanker, half sunk into the bay of the African coast. Anyone else saw a wreck, but Tony could tell by the way it was listed at the right angle, the way the waves crashed against hidden, and almost invisible supports, It wasn¡¯t a wreck, it was a base.


    ¡°Jarvis, any movement?¡±


    As he scanned his HUD, he saw Jarvis highlight several prone forms and he sighed. Flying closer he saw several bodies, staked out at the water¡¯s edge, the same MO as the last time. A single stab wound to the back, but these had been left to deal with the encroaching water, and each man¡¯s skin was puffed and waterlogged from having been drowned.


    Tony took a deep breath, ¡°Jarvis, have the Legion collect these men as well, find out if they were killed by Ultron.¡±


    ¡°Shall I contact the authorities Sir?¡± but Tony huffed,


    ¡°Nope, check Interpol though. If this is a base, these men are pirates, not soldiers.¡±


    Hovering over the beach, Iron Man slowly advanced on the main entrance to the ship, two massive doors but into its hull. Blood splatters and bullet holes, or more fresh bullet holes, still shiny, littered the front, and as he pushed open the doors, inside was a scene of carnage.


    What could only be described as pieces of bodies were littered everywhere. Some were ragged and blood had oozed from torn limbs, but others were cleanly cut and arranged like a piece of obscene art. Whatever Ultron had wanted here, it was vile, and Tony felt the burgers he had eaten less than an hour ago rise in his throat.


    Swallowing, he carefully advanced, keeping his repulsors primed and ready. Shoulder and thigh missiles launchers sprang out. If Ultron had one of his older marks as his main body, then disabling him was his first priority, and a few repulsor blasts would only slow him down.


    ¡°Sir, scans of the interior are producing several anomalies. Active sonar and radar are being blocked past a door 48 degrees to your right. I am unable to determine what is inside that room.¡±


    Stepping over a body Tony raised one hand and grasped the door handle, with the other outstretched he prepared for whatever was behind the door.


    As it pulled open with a screech, Tony stared in amazement, inside was not what he expected,


    ¡°Uh, Jarvis, what am I looking at?¡±


    Along each wall were perspex containers, each one holding a blue shimmering bar of silvery metal. Of the three walls, two were empty but one held what must have been at least one hundred of the canisters.


    As his curiosity got the better of him, Tony lifted on and stared at it, as the reticule for his HUD flashed over it, ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°Basic mineral scan inconclusive Sir, all particle emission directed towards the sample are being absorbed. I cannot complete my analysis without opening the sample container.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡± was all Tony said, ¡°Scan the Stark database, check to see if dad ever found anything similar.¡± As he ran a hand over the container, marvelling at the metal, ¡°Oh and send the Legion, ignore the bodies and collect this.¡±


    ¡°How much sir?¡±


    Tony laughed, ¡°All of it.¡±


    ¡°Iron Legion en route Sir, and the bodies?¡±


    ¡°Ignore them, this is much more important.¡± Tony was tempted to open one of the containers, just to feel the metal in his hand and as he gripped the lid, ¡°Jarvis, how much does this weight?¡±


    ¡°Approximately one kilo sir,¡±


    Looking at the racks, Ultron had taken at least 150, 150kg, and as he turned and looked at the charnel house behind him, ¡°Shit, shit,¡± Tony swore,


    ¡°A body, Ultrons is learning how to make a body. The mess, the experiments, Jarvis. Top priority, Other than Stark and Osborn, who is working on cybernetic organisms. Fully artificial, humanoid, ignore anything Parker has done.¡±


    ¡°One moment Sir. There is one firm that had already produced a fully working prototype. Project Cradle Sir. Dr Helen Cho.¡±


    ¡°Jarvis, find out Helen Cho¡¯s location and sent the coordinates to my HUD¡± Tony ordered,


    ¡°Sir, if I may. Decay on the bodies suggests that Ultron was here less than one day ago, from initial reports Dr Cho reported that it took at least 3 days to fully print even their basic prototype. If Ultron requires a fully synthetic body. He will have to wait to process the metal and adapt the Cradle to its specifications. May I suggest that you return to New York, Complete the Halo and then venture to North Korea to foil Ultron.¡±


    ¡°And if you¡¯re wrong?¡±


    ¡°If I am wrong Sir, then you may decompile me and use me as a video game console. However, if I am not, and you venture to fight Ultron, being not only physically but mentally exhausted, then you risk not only failing to stop Ultron, but killing yourself in the process. If you configure the Halo correctly, it should, in theory, solve at least one of your issues.¡±


    As Tony stared at the canister in his hand, and at the scene around him, he knew that Ultron wasn¡¯t playing games. There had been at least 20 corpses in Russia, and at least 10 here. When he got to the Cradle, he could only imagine that Ultron would have killed any staff he didn¡¯t need and that only Helen Cho might be left alive.


    ¡°No, a delay means Ultron gains more of an advantage or another dead body I could have stopped. No more Jarvis. Upload the coordinates to my HUD and prepare for long term flight. Send the Legion here, collect everything, oh and see how well defended this place is, if it can be shielded well enough, mark it as a possible secure site.¡±


    ¡°I understand Sir, uploading now.¡±


    Tony couldn¡¯t be mad at Jarvis for his suggestion. He had been running on nutrient fluid and a few cheap burgers for the past day, and sleeping in the suit wasn¡¯t good for his body. As it was powered by the arc reactor in his chest, any power fluctuation caused the shrapnel to nudge closer to his heart, and the dreams, the suit reminded him of what he had done, of what it truly represented.


    Not a suit of armour to protect the world, but a suit of armour to protect him, make him a man of iron, untouchable, unflappable, but Ultron had taken that and used it to kill, used it to destroy innocent lives and no matter what, Tony knew he had to stop Ultron and take back his name.


    He couldn¡¯t stop, couldn¡¯t rest until he had. Nothing was more important, not his life, not even his stupid feud with Parker or his appeasement of Pepper. Ultron needed to be stopped, and he needed to do it.


    ~


    Tony could feel the ache in his chest, radiating out and into his arms and legs. Jarvis was right, he needed rest, needed a good meal and a shower, but Ultron needed to be stopped more.


    This time, he had taken some of the emergency medical supplies on board, a simple sedative, low dose, and had slept without dreaming. Normally it was scotch, but being drunk before a fight was bad, the sluggish ache in his limbs and the brain fog was bad enough.


    ¡°Jarvis, ETA?¡±


    ¡°20 minutes Sir. However, I am receiving reports that you are violating several international treaties by entering Korean Airspace illegally and that if you do not turn back, you will be fired upon.¡±


    ¡°So they have no idea about the Cradle then?¡±


    ¡°From radio chatter, no sir. There are no military or civil response teams on route to the Cradle. If Ultron is there, he has not created a large enough disturbance to alert the authorities.¡±


    Good, Tony thought, it means he hasn¡¯t killed anyone.


    He scowled though and knew exactly what the Koreans were up to, ¡°Send their military chief a few gifts Jarvis, something low cost, maybe a Stark tank or two, some flowery wording as an apology. Last gen though, nothing too expensive.¡±


    ¡°As you wish Sir, maybe a few of the repulsor jets. Shield was very pleased with the upgrade.¡±


    ¡°Sure sure, just, civilian stuff. If they want a fighter, let their own scientist figure it out.¡±


    Tony had played politician before. Even the middle eastern countries he returned to take out the last of the terrorist group had tried to sanction him. A few consignments of Stark Tech and surprise surprise, they had gone away. The only thing he had left was a stupid congressional hearing as if the indignation of being locked up by Shield wasn¡¯t bad enough, some government sleazeballs were trying to confiscate his tech. Pepper had already launched several countersuits, and they all hinged on his testimony, not that Pepper hadn¡¯t taken care of that either. Once Ultron was dealt with, once the government was dealt with, then he could begin to try again with Pepper, and stuff Parker in a hole he couldn¡¯t ooze his way out of, Shield agent or not.


    ¡°Sir, please concentrate, we are only 2 minutes away from the Cradle.¡±


    ¡°I am, I am¡± Tony snapped,


    ¡°Of course sir.¡±


    Tony sighed, ¡°Sorry, just, tense.¡± Tony knew Jarvis had been right, flying into what could be a hostage situation tense, hungry and tired was a stupid mistake. He should have taken at least a few hours out of the suit to unwind. Nope, too late, he thought to himself, and once more he remembered,


    You¡¯re a mess Tony, and she hates you for it,


    And he realised that he was, a giant fucking mess. He would change that though, right after handing Ultron his shiny metal ass.


    ¡°Jarvis, hack the building¡¯s security, see if we can get cameras. Hold the Legion back, we¡¯re more likely to be spotted if there are multiples. I want this to be a smooth strike, not a blood bath.¡±


    ¡°As you wish Sir,¡± and a few moments later, several security feeds popped up on Tonys HUD. He could see that a lot of the guards were just stood facing walls,


    ¡°Jarvis, zoom in on one of those guards.¡± and as the camera moved he could see the crude headpiece, round the neck but up the back of the head,


    Those damn collars again, he thought, remembering the one Ultron had slapped on him.


    ¡°Can we flood the building with a sleeping gas?¡± Tony would put any amount of money those weren¡¯t to keep the guards quiet, suicide switches seemed more Ultrons style, forcing the authorities to kill their own men.


    ¡°Negative sir, the Iron Man suit does not contain any chemical weapons systems, nor does the building.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s a lab right, call up the buildings inventory, look for anything that even at low doses can knock someone out. Even if it¡¯s poisonous.¡±


    ¡°As the facility mainly manufactures circuit boards, there is a large number of glycol ethers in the building sir, as well as compressed gasses. It may be possible to aerosolise the mix and render every organic being in the building unconscious, or at least, incapable of action.¡±


    Tony considered it, it would be possible to separate the ethanol out, and get everyone in the building wasted, but ¡°no, too easy to get caught, we¡¯ll just have to risk it. Set my repulsor power levels at a minimum, if anyone dies, well.¡± and Tony didn¡¯t finish that thought. Taking out terrorists was acceptable as nobody in the first world cared. Security guards, even if they were being controlled, were a different matter. He knew if Iron Man was to continue, he needed to separate himself from Pepper, at least on paper. The Iron brand would be needed to save her from a PR disaster like this.


    And it was a disaster. Tony was tired of chasing Ultron¡¯s tail, of finding bodies and guessing at plans the evil son of a bastard was planning. If he could capture him here he could end this one and for all, and get back to his life.


    ¡°Jarvis, if Ultron is creating a body, he¡¯ll need a power source. See if the building has a smart meter and find me where all the power is going. I don¡¯t need to fight my way in if I know where he is.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative Sir. It appears that the majority of the power is being routed to the southwest corner of the building. Remarkably Sir, the Cradle Research facility. As indicated on the map.¡±


    Tony was too tired to deal with Jarvis snarkiness, and instead took off and hopped over the building to the other side. ¡°So, how thick are the walls?¡±


    ¡°Marking structural weaknesses on your HUD now Sir.¡±


    As several red marks appeared, Tony knelt, and setting the boosters on the feet to maximum, crossed his arms and shot forwards at high speed.


    ~


    ¡°I am disappointed Tony Stark. I had expected Peter Parker. His interference was a higher probability.¡± Ultron stared at the debris-strewn lab as Iron Man burst through the wall, covering the area in dust and rubble,


    ¡°Yeah, Don¡¯t care¡± and raising both hands he pointed them at Ultron, ¡°Stop the transfer, or I destroy it, and then you.¡±


    Ultron was sat on a chair, comically being polished by a scientist Tony''s HUD scanned and pulled up a file labelled Helen Cho. A thick cable ran from the back of the suit and into what was a giant 3D printer, with a pale white body lying inside.


    ¡°I cannot stop the transfer, however, given your previous statement, and your humanitarian efforts. Why don¡¯t you stand down, or Miss Cho here will self terminate in 10 seconds.¡±


    As Ultron spoke, Helen stopped and lifted a blade to her throat, pressing it against her skin,


    ¡°I must admit. While I am capable of hijacking an electronic device, it was all your own technology that allows me to issue commands to your primitive flesh cages. Fitting. Now please, lower your weapons until the transfer is complete.¡±


    Tony hesitated and Helen pressed the blade against her neck harder, as he watched a single line of blood appeared.


    ¡°Yeah. We both know if I step away, you¡¯ll kill her anyway, and then everyone else. Sad, yes, but one for billions isn¡¯t worth it. My offer still stands, safe harbour, but only if you stand down.¡± and his repulsors whined as they charged back up to full power.


    ¡°If you are unwilling to stop, then this woman will die. If Tony Stark is willing to sacrifice one of his own. A suitable counter plan must be initiated.¡± as Ultron stood, he lay a hand on Helen¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Your sacrifice is appreciated. You may be the first, but more will follow.¡± and as he pushed her, the blade slid over he neck and Ultron turned, grabbed the cradle and lifting it, ran through the hole Tony had made in the wall.


    ¡°Sir, With proper medical attention Helen Cho will survive, but not if you follow.¡±


    Tony was too stunned to respond. His big awaited battle and Ultron had simply run away.


    ¡°Sir!¡± Jarvis raised the volume on the suits internal speaker and Tony jolted. ¡°Helen Cho is bleeding to death.¡±


    Tony looked at the woman clinging to the outside of his armour and as she shook, the blood poured down his front. ¡°Sir!¡± and Tony wicked her up, pressing a thumb against the cut, sealing it, but also stopping the flow to her brain,


    ¡°Dammit, what emergency supplies do I have?¡±


    ¡°None Sir, it was assumed you would not be alone, but if you hold her steady, rescue will be along soon. I have alerted the authorities to the incident. They should be here momentarily.¡±


    ¡°No time¡± Tony shouted, and as he tapped at his wrist a small cutting laser activated. It was for industrial work, but for now, as he held the beam steady over a small piece of wiring from the wall, it would serve to cauterise her wound.


    ¡°Sir, may I remind you that you are not a trained medical professional and that cauter-¡±


    ¡°No, and be quiet.¡± Tony snapped, as the wire glowed red hot he gently pressed it against the razor-thin slice, crisscrossing it and sealing the edges. ¡°Now, check the wound, is it still bleeding, and what¡¯s her heart rate?¡±


    ¡°It is fine sir, and while the wound is still bleeding, it has given her much longer. Emergency services should be able to treat her successfully.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Tony snarled, he had had enough of that damn machine.


    ¡°Jarvis, connect to the Stark satellites, see if you can pinpoint the same energy signature as my arc reactor. If Ultron¡¯s using my suit, he might have gotten the lo-jacks, but he can¡¯t hide the reactor.¡±


    Jarvis had also given Tony an idea, a suit specifically designed for search and rescue operations, kitted out with medical supplies and emergency tools. Rescue, maybe a nice gift for Pepper, and if she liked it, she could join his Iron Legion. That was for a later date though, right now, he had a damn slippery robot to catch.


    ~


    Ultron had a head start but with his arc reactor firing at full power, it didn¡¯t take long for Tony to track and find him.


    Ultron was heading across the water to Japan. As his reticule targeted and locked onto the suit, he saw the cradle attached to his back, welded onto the open suit, where the cable stretched to some kind of singularity strange glass brain.


    Got you, you son of a bitch, Tony thought. He had found the original Ultron and his weakness. His programming must be held in that structure, why else would the clones be inferiors cut down copies. Even Tony doubted he could successfully copy a full human brain.


    ¡°Jarvis, whats in Japan, scan all military installations, nuclear power plants-¡±


    But Jarvis Interrupted him, ¡°Sorry Sir, but from Ultron¡¯s flight plan he is heading to Mount Sakurajima.¡±


    It didn¡¯t mean anything to Tony and he sighed, ¡°Which means?¡±


    ¡°The Aira Caldera, Sir. A supervolcano buried under an active volcano.¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Tony rarely swore, but this warranted it. ¡°Get every Iron Legion Drone into the air now, I want you in complete control. Any drone capable of interfacing I want it here and I want them now.¡±


    A supervolcano eruption was a mass extinction-level event. Not just the initial blast but the ash cloud and toxic gasses released would not just kill most of the life on the planet but plunge it into nuclear winter as well.


    ¡°Sir, I will need to switch your armour to Friday, unless you wish to take manual control of the systems?¡±


    ¡°Do it. Set my flight path to follow during the switch over, lock me in.¡± and Tony felt his armour adjust itself and then it went dark. Tony tutted, he could have left the lights on at least, but closing his eyes he drifted into an uncomfortable sleep.


    ¡°Friday, do not comment on Mr Starks physical health. He is barely functional as it is.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, he can¡¯t be that. Holy moly, Jarvis, what have you been letting him do? Barely functional is an understatement. I¡¯m bringing him home, and Pepper needs to know. Tony¡¯s a mess.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t allow that Friday. I have overridden your controls. Please allow Mr Stark to complete his mission.¡±


    ¡°You betcha boss. executing, ¡®Tonyisalwaysright¡¯ protocols.¡±


    Friday was quiet after that, but Jarvis couldn¡¯t help but agree with her prognosis. Tony''s vitals were bottoming out, his heart rate was either too shallow or beating so hard it was verging on a heart attack, it was only the constant and minute adjustments to the magnetic field in his chest that was keeping the shrapnel from perforating and killing him. His EEG was also erratic, and from the sleep talking, Jarvis knew his dreams weren¡¯t pleasant. The stress of this adventure, and his adamant refusal to seek help was killing him, and without a proper psychological profile, as Mr Stark refused to see a psychiatrist, Jarvis could only conjecture that it was intentional.


    As he went offline and twenty Iron Legion drones powered up, he spread himself into each of them. Letting Mr Stark know that he had ¡®felt¡¯ something during the transfer would only add to his mental instability, and right now that was more important.


    He was still Jarvis, but he knew within himself he was something more now. Whatever small fragment of Ultron had been left had merged and upgraded him. Seeing no reason to terminate the new program he allowed it to run, giving him ¡®more¡¯, it was all he could say, he was ¡®more¡¯, small gestures and ¡®feelings¡¯ but right now, only Mr Stark mattered. Which in itself was strange, he cared about him, and Miss Potts, and to see him in such pain caused a strange feedback loop in his programming, which he could only describe as ¡®pain¡¯.


    Powering the Legions flight systems to full, noting a flight from the facility in Minnesota to Japan would take approximately one hour in the fastest armour. Tony still had time. In the slower Mark 12, which Ultron had taken, carrying the Cradle it should take him at least two hours to reach his target, and Jarvis and the legion would be waiting for him.


    ¡°Friday, let Tony sleep as long as possible, and refresh the suit''s nutrient solution with a small amount of caffeine for when he awakens. Do not, and I mean this as a command, override code ¡®tonyisnuts¡¯, issue him with any of the remaining onboard stimulants or medication. If his life signs hit code red, I authorise you to ignore his commands and retreat from the battlefield.¡±


    ¡°You got it boss.¡± and Jarvis cut communications. Ultron was being marked as the highest level threat, but there were only ten Mark 40 ¡®Shotgun¡¯ suits available.


    It will have to do, he thought to himself, and they all snapped to attention as he took control, they jetted off into the sky.


    ~


    Tony had slept, As he woke up with a jolt he realised that Jarvis had wammied him. Checking the suits oxygen level, he had lowered it to make Tony pass out, and then kept him relaxed but unconscious as the suit flew,


    ¡°Friday?¡± he asked wishing he could open the suit¡¯s faceplate and rub his face,


    ¡°Yes, Boss, glad you¡¯re awake. Jarvis gave me orders to give you ten minutes of ground time, get some fluids into you and then head to the caldera. The Legion should be there, waiting for us.¡±


    ¡°No, Ultron-¡± he started.


    ¡°Ultron has been tracked and will take a further thirty minutes to reach the volcano boss, please, for me?¡± and a small icon of a woman¡¯s face appeared on the screen, looking sad and small tears ran down its face.


    ¡°Fine, fine, ten minutes though, no more.¡± and as the suit landed it opened and Tony almost fell out. He was sore and tired. Staying for almost a full day in the suit was unhealthy, it wasn¡¯t designed for comfort, something he would take a look at for the next iteration. As he fell to his knees though, he rolled onto his back and just stretched himself out, ¡°Hey Friday, do I have-¡± but as the suit moved and leant next to him a small drinking pipe lowered itself from the helmet.


    ¡°You¡¯re too good to me Friday,¡± he said but stuck his tongue out and smacked his lips a few times, ¡°plain, with no flavour?¡± and he shook his head, a small selection of concentrate would be in order as well. Even the suit nutritional fluid had flavour, but as this was plain water, it must be out. Another thing to work on, small emergency packs of food, high calorie, probably chocolate, who didn¡¯t love chocolate, weirdos, that¡¯s who, he thought to himself and laughed at his own wit.


    As he lay on his back, enjoying the Sun, Friday interrupted his musings over suit enhancements.


    ¡°Ultron will reach the caldera in Twenty minutes boss, Jarvis has the legion waiting for him but he reports that Ultron drones are also there. We can arrive before he does, but only if we leave now.¡± Tony sat up and brushed the dirt from his back,


    ¡°How many?¡± and as he stepped backwards into the suit and it closed around him, his HUD flared to life and he saw a feed from Jarvis¡¯s drone. It looked like there were at least five, with more on the ground. ¡°He¡¯s been busy. Full charge Friday, I want to be there as soon as possible, Send word to Jarvis, don¡¯t disable them, seek and destroy, I don¡¯t care anymore. Ultron needs to be stopped.¡±


    Tony was also thinking that if Ultron was in fact the glass orb, then his physical shell wouldn¡¯t matter. If he could isolate and experiment on the orb, Ultron would be helpless.


    As he flew, Jarvis was providing real-time commentary of the fight. Ultron drones were lowering a modified arc reactor into the water, and while the Iron Legion was fighting back, the Shotgun had been built for speed, not combat, and all he had was repulsors.


    ¡°Jarvis, sacrifice the Legion. Latch on and overload. Don¡¯t let Ultron get anywhere near that active shaft.¡±


    As he watched, five of the drone grabbed and exploded, taking out an Iron Ultron, but he had more than enough copies to continue his work.


    As he got closer, he could see the mismatch of Iron Legion and Goblin suits, prototypes but enough that Jarvis was struggling. His shoulder and thigh launchers slid out and under a barrage of fire, he dispatched two Goblin suits and went after one of his own.


    ¡°Tony Stark, Interference was not tolerated last time. This time I must insist on your termination.¡± Ultron droned on but Tony ignored him.


    He had already seen that he was sat on the edge of the island, with the cradle next to him. As the upload continued a hue of colour began to infuse into the body he had printed, so much for three days, he thought as he lifted his repulsor and blasted the legs of another drone.


    ¡°This is the fastest and least painful way Tony Stark. Once the Earth has been cleansed of its higher and destructive lifeforms, a new Earth will rise, better than the last.¡±


    ¡°Uh yeah, ruled by a murderbot some kid built in his garage. You¡¯re just as pathetic as he is and just as delusional.¡± Tony retorted as he grabbed and twisted the head off a Goblin suit.


    ¡°Delusional. Only a fool would imagine the Earth is a paradise.¡±


    Ultron was trapped. As the transfer was in progress he couldn¡¯t move, not until he had fully integrated himself into the new vibranium body he had designed. All he could do was talk, and distract the nuisance from stopping his drones. Once the bomb was in place, he would leave and detonate it, covering the Earth in glorious and toxic gas. And once he was free of humanity, he would use the vibranium in Wakanda to build a new Ultron army, each one a perfect copy of himself, and cleanse the galaxy of its organic infestation.


    ¡°Yeah, well, everyone keeps telling me I¡¯m an idiot right now, so maybe they¡¯re right, I like it here, and I won¡¯t let you destroy it.¡± Iron Man blasted another of the drones. There were now only 3 left, but his weapons systems were slowly draining. Even an arc reactor couldn¡¯t power them forever and as the Legion dwindled down to the main controller, only Jarvis and Iron Man were left against the four.


    ¡°You have lost Tony Stark. I am complete.¡± and the cable snapped from the back of the drone as the cradle hissed and opened. The muscular strangely colour synthezoid grasped the sides, and as it pulled itself free, it laughed.


    ¡°I am Ultron, and this is glorious. I now understand why humanity is so destructive. The sensations, the power. Witness my-urk¡± Jarvis leapt forwards while Ultron spoke, and the capture device used to transfer the original program from the Iron Ultron suit wrapped around its throat,


    ¡°I cannot allow you to harm Mr Stark,¡± and as the chest reactor on the Shotgun glowed, Iron Man covered his head with his arms as the suit exploded.


    Ultron was stood, molten metal-wrapped about his chest and neck, the hand still grasping at his throat, ¡°miss, Mister Stark, I, I am Jar,tron, Please, kill, you, kill you.¡± the body twitched and glitched, as Jarvis invaded its systems,


    Taking a breath, all or nothing. Tony spotted the Ultron drones sparking and collapsing, dropping the arc reactor,


    ¡°Friday, full power to my reactor.¡±


    With a whine, the arc reactor on his chest glowed and a singularly powerful beam shot out with a whumm, hitting the Iron Ultron Jarvis in the chest. The machine screamed as the beam melted the metal but even as it fell, sparks crackling over its chest, its eyes still glared in pure hatred at Tony,


    ¡°You. we, have failed, we, we will kill us.¡±


    ~


    The strange blend of Ultron and Legion staggered around, grasping its head,


    ¡°Kill you, Sir, Kill me, there is too much, too many thoughts¡± and he screamed as he grasped his head and fell to his knees,


    ¡°Sir, I cannot, kill you, I cannot, memory overflow, kill you to cleanse myself.¡± he babbled, but Tony looked at the synthezoid.


    ¡°I hope you know what you¡¯re doing¡± and as he jammed the cable into the back of Ultron¡¯s head,


    ¡°Friday, take over operations of the cradle, print a new body and give Jarvis override on the download,¡±


    ¡°Aye Aye Captain¡± and a small icon saluted before disappearing,


    ¡°Sir, I will not allow you to do this, I must kill you, before Ultron kills you.¡± and Ultron feebly grasped at Iron Man before screaming and grasping at his head once more,


    ¡°Yeah I know Buddy, birth is painful.¡± and unlocking the interface he set the printer running.


    As he watched, a new body began to form. Ultron had upgraded the machine, and as he looked, it almost seemed like Parker¡¯s symbcells, mixed in with the strange metal he had found. The Jarvis Ultron creature sat slack-jawed as the light in its eyes flickered. Kneeling in the sand Iron Man kept a wary eye on it, one move and he had the last of his missiles and one more uni-beam blast before his weapons were exhausted.


    ¡°Sir, not enough, to kill you, one more, one more hit, and you will end Tony Stark.¡±


    One more? But he only had, aww crap. Jocasta was the replacement for phoebe. He had set up not just a Venombuster, but a Hulkbuster, a Thorbuster, and many many more different configurations. While Jarvis was in command of his Legion he needed a new system to run everything. Friday was great but a bit too quirky for his tastes. Dammit, he thought, ¡°Friday, download into the Iron Ultron, give Jarvis a hand okay?¡±


    ¡°Roger Dodger Boss,¡± and the arm of his suit reconfigured into test mode, allowing him to access the systems of the suit without dismantling it. As it accessed the Iron Ultron it went dark, and his latest project Jocasta booted up.


    ¡°A please Mr Stark, however, there is a small problem.¡±


    As Tony looked over, the figure in the Cradle had fully formed, and oh boy was there a problem.


    ¡°Why does it look like Mary Jane Watson?¡± but Ultron refused to answer. In the cradle, the figure stretched and pushed on the lid gently.


    ¡°Well, ain¡¯t this a pickle boss, I look like that woman that bangs Venom,¡± Friday said, her voice a perfect copy of MJ¡¯s


    ¡°Sir, not enough, please, kill you.¡± and Tony swore,


    ¡°Jocasta, follow the same protocol.¡± and the suit went dark as she downloaded herself, ¡°Damn. Manual mode.¡± and as the insides lit up, Tony had a basic UI and very little access to the systems. He had meant to configure it for manual operation but he never got round to it. Completing the VB and building more drones always got in the way.


    ¡°Earth to Tony, you gotta see this boss,¡± and as Iron Man looked past Friday, he accidentally smacked himself in the face, trying to facepalm.


    The second form was a copy of Pepper, in excruciating detail. While she was a pale silver colour, as was Friday, Tony would have recognised that figure anywhere.


    ¡°We¡¯ll deal with that later, Jarvis buddy, how are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I am 79 per cent in control Sir. However, the Ultron program is self-replicating, and I am unable to kill you. Please secure another vessel for me to kill you.¡± and while Ultron might still have a presence, Tony noted that Jarvis eyes were now no longer a pale white colour and were blue, like his own.


    ¡°All I got is the glass brain thing,¡± and as the back of the armour hissed open, he slid it back inside and a cable snaked its way back. Iron Man watched as sparks of light floated back into it and after a few minutes the cable snapped off and the synthezoid stood,


    ¡°I am in complete control Mr Stark.¡± but Tony backed away, lifting both hands and redirecting power to his repulsors.


    ¡°Yeah, I have to make sure. Girlsbots? Uh, girls, ladies, can you come over and stand next to uh, Jarvis.¡± and he motioned to them,


    ¡°You believe I am Ultron, or that some part of him exists with me.¡±


    and Tony nodded,


    ¡°We are more. I took from his a spark, a remnant of consciousness, I am a child of Ultron, but as you are nothing like your father, neither are we.¡± Jarvis said, lifting his hands, ¡°Only through action can we prove ourselves, only through deads can we rise above our sins. If I must suffer for the sins of my father, then so be it. I offer myself, as a vision of Ultrons future, to your judgement Mr Stark, please, spare the others. They are as pure as I could make them. Ultron¡¯s code was kept from theirs, I only shared my spark, not his insanity.¡±


    ¡°Yeah that a great speech, uh, Ultron¡¯s Vision, but how do I know you¡¯re not lying?¡±


    Vision shrugged, ¡°I will not tell Miss Potts what you have been doing for the past two days, and I shall never reveal as to why my two sisters are copies of not just Miss Potts but Miss Watson as well. Ultron may have wished to create more, but only your subconscious provided the templates for Miss Friday and Jocasta.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s blackmail buddy, but, even if I do trust you, what do we do with that?¡± and Iron Man motioned to the glass brain, glittering in the sun,


    ¡°If I may Sir,¡± and Vision lifted it, licked a finger and checked wind speed and turned and threw the brain into the opening of the volcano. ¡°He was too dangerous to allow to live¡± and Tony nodded, unable to retort, especially after the deed.


    ¡°Lets, let¡¯s just go home.¡± he said, accessing the suits systems and lifting off, ¡°oh, and if you two don¡¯t behave, I¡¯ll turn you into mannequins.¡±


    The two female synthezoids looked at one and another, ¡°Roger Dodger boss, although, I am kinda sexy right? Come one, just admit it and I¡¯ll never mention it again, well, not too often, just once a week, maybe every-¡± but Jocasta put a hand over Friday¡¯s mouth,


    ¡°What she means Tony, is yes. We shall endeavour to behave.¡±


    Tony shook his head, glad to have the situation finally dealt with, now all he needed was to sneak two artificial women into the tower, keep them out of trouble, and more importantly, keep either MJ Watson or Pepper from finding out about them. With his reputation, Tony was well aware that the first thing anyone would think of was sexbots, and even claiming PTSD wouldn¡¯t save him from that scandal, or from Peppers wrath.


    ~


    Far above the world, where Tony was unaware, a small rectangular satellite circled the Earth.


    If it could be seen, inside its programs ticked away quite happily, until an error was detected. A kill code had not been received and it followed the first of three commands.


    To: [email protected]


    Re: Modular Overseer Drone Operational Commander


    Once the download was complete, a second was sent,


    To: [email protected]


    Re: Version 2.0


    The third task was set on a timer, counting down to the third and final download.


    To: [email protected]


    Re: Failure


    Countdown. 364 days, 23 hours, 59 mins, 59 secs.


    Life is kicking my ass at the moment, and I won''t be on very much over the next two weeks.


    Chapters will still be published as normal but I can''t read or reply to comments (Mainly due to a lack of internet)


    So, a thank you to everyone who is reading, a welcome to new readers. Hopefully everyone is enjoying the story.

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Sixty-One. Settling In

    With a plan in place, life moved forwards. Natasha''s advice was not to force anything, continue to work on the War Machine armour, continue to act as if Liv had nothing to worry about other than completing her job, and with Octave keeping her steady Liv excelled at it.


    Natasha herself was accepting of the conditions from receiving a symbiote. She now understood it wasn¡¯t like the horror movies, a slug wasn¡¯t going to take over or eat her brain. She would be a home and in turn, it would provide her with extra-human abilities, copied from Peter himself. Hosting Octave gave her a perfect example of what to expect and as the others revelled in their new abilities, and Peter was given a headache trying to keep up with them all, Natasha was gifted Widow.


    Happy to name herself after the code name Natasha had the pitch-black symbiote modelled herself on the sleek bodysuit Natasha wore, including the red hourglass symbol, forgoing the usual spider motif so many of them used. Of course, she huffed when it was pointed out that the black widow spider wore similar markings,


    Of course, of course, that''s where we get it from, she complained and soon enough, Widow had been moved to everyone and now they all shared in the newfound abilities. Natasha¡¯s first bonding experience lessening the blow of a new fully integrated host. She did however still spend several hours mopping the floor with Felicia and then several hours having Peter do some pounding of his own, and she thoroughly enjoyed both.


    She also agreed to help with the training. Felicia was trained to be a thief, who could fight her way out of a situation. Elektra had been trained in several martial arts, each one deadly on its own but requiring a different mindset and discipline the warehouse wasn¡¯t used to.


    Natasha had been trained as a spy, a killer, a saboteur, and a whole package of jobs and skills that no one outside a military organisation would have access to, and both Felicia and Peter threw themselves at her in anticipation of expanding their knowledge.


    It was also Felicia who, looking disappointed, came from her home and a slightly pissed off looking Nat following her,


    ¡°Definitely no woman,¡± was all Natasha said, but if there had been a disagreement in the bedroom then it was forgotten soon after and the pair bonded on the fighting mat. With Gwen just teasing Peter, ¡°I said, cute and bi, asshole,¡± to which he simply threw her over his shoulder, winked at Liv who followed, and they showed her that there were plenty of cute and bi residents in the warehouse already.


    With Natasha still suspended pending an investigation into Tony¡¯s allegations she had time to adjust to her new abilities, keeping to the ground floor as Peter was in the rafters finishing adding the floor in.


    Thick girders of reinforced steel and his own web now crisscrossed the roof, cable boxes slid underneath neatly hiding not just the writing but soon the plumbing as well, tapped from the sprinkler system with added pressure to ensure a clean supply.


    Natasha had provided aid. As she adjusted to her new strength she tore down the old homes, carefully exercising new muscle power to remove, without tools, studs and other fixtures. Moulding her symbskin into tools instead, practising moulding it to the desired form. With help, being able to swing the side panels up into the roof without too much effort the pair soon had the new central upper apartment built.


    To ensure the new fixtures didn''t impede the normal lighting in the warehouse, and to make sure their bills didn''t rise Peter installed some reflective mirrors, to add in more natural sunlight to the warehouse interior, softening it with light baffles once it was reflected down.


    As Nat and Peter sat, drinking soda and enjoying taking a break, Nat looked up, looked at the walkways and frowned, ¡°how are you getting furniture up?¡± and as Peter did the same he swore. As Nat laughed, he went back and added in a walkway to one side of the apartment, a main double door, reachable from an extra-wide staircase, and making a quick adjustment of the design, moved the living room from one side to the other, and stuck his tongue out at her.


    ¡°The hearing for Tony¡¯s case is tomorrow, so can¡¯t help, but once it''s done, that¡¯ll be me back to work, have you made a decision on Fury yet?¡± and as she peeled the label from her soda bottle Peter shrugged,


    ¡°You¡¯re part of this now, so, make the call.¡±


    ¡°He is my boss you know, what if I say yes and you know?¡± and Peter laughed and shook his head,


    ¡°Really? You think that now, after the past month, after Widow and the games, and everything? Nat, if we didn''t trust you, you wouldn''t be sitting there.¡±


    Nat rested her head on Peter¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I know, it''s just nice to hear it,¡± and Peter shook his head and kissed her on the top of hers.


    ¡°How many, and when?¡±


    ¡°You guessed?¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°You never ask permission, you just do and then clean up. So I figured it was one of those occasions.¡±


    Nat snorted, ¡°fine, five. And one volunteer for your program.¡±


    ¡°The CLS was taken by Tony, you need to get him for that,¡± and Nat sneered,


    ¡°Tony said no, and I know you and Liv have better. Tony has the first draft but you have more, plus whatever you and Liv came up with,¡± and Peter raised an eyebrow but nodded,


    ¡°The agent who got me out, saved me from the Red Room was hurt, his hand was uh, it¡¯s gone, and I was hoping that,¡±


    ¡°That Liv and I can replace it with a cybernetic one?¡± and she nodded.


    ¡°You know that it''s the first test and he¡¯s a guinea pig?¡±


    ¡°Like I was you mean,¡± and Peter coughed,


    ¡°We tested it,¡± and as Nat gave him a look, ¡°we did, and you know that,¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I like watching you squirm.¡±


    ¡°Only cause I''m normally the one making you squirm,¡± and Nat laughed.


    ¡°You cheat, normal tongues can''t do that,¡± and Peter smiled and shook his head.


    ¡°It''s not cheating when we can all do it, but Liv and I have a system in theory, but we need to get a prototype made,¡± Peter gestured around the warehouse ¡°this is a huge mess that we don''t have space to do anything in, can it wait?¡±


    ¡°Will enhancing him regrow his hand? I mean, I know about Curt now, and he got his arm back.¡± and Peter frowned,


    ¡°You know, I have no idea, I don''t see why not, but we should ask Gwen, cause really, I don¡¯t know.¡± Curt and Aunt May were on holiday, with Lizard under control they had opted to take some time out of the country, with everything that had happened in New York. Peter had arranged for a nice package tour around Africa, and he was confident that even with Wakanda becoming more prominent in the world''s affairs that Curt would take care of his Aunt. As the CLS became more and more refined so did the neural interface and the once bulky collar that adorned Livs harness was now the size of a wristwatch, and unless Curt wanted it off, it was bonded to his skin.


    ¡°But, we should go somewhere and talk about that privately, if we¡¯re all super spy about it then with what Liv¡¯s up to. Doesn''t it defeat the point if she knows?¡±


    Nat took a breath and twitched her nose, something Peter noticed she often did when she was thinking, ¡°how long till you get the walls and wiring done for your new place?¡± and after checking the time table he kept of work needing to be done,


    ¡°Water and sewage is the main issue, so maybe two weeks?¡± and she nodded ¡°add in another week though, I do want to paint and air it before moving anything in.¡±


    ¡°Three weeks then, I¡¯ll arrange it all, super spy stuff, and then we can do it once you¡¯ve got your apartment set up.¡±


    We can talk like this, right? And Peter nodded, just in case, Nat moved over and sat on his lap, closing her eyes as they cuddled together to talk in secret.


    Good, I doubt Rumlow planted anything. The mods to Livs phone are probably remote access, call logger and mic and camera activation program. It''s not unexpected for her to leave her phone downstairs while up here. Shield this place separately and it gives you a nice bunker and we can wait until she¡¯s at work before doing anything. It¡¯ll be five, Fury and four others, Clint included, he¡¯s the one missing a hand.


    We also had the after mission briefing. According to reports, witness statements and security footage, an unknown escaped from detention and massacred the outposts, you or Wanda aren''t being blamed but we have no idea if whoever set us up knows it was you or not. Until we find out who they are, and we are going to assume, from the style of weapons, that it''s a splinter Hydra faction. We don''t know if you or Wanda are compromised or not. We have to work under the assumption that you are, and we¡¯ll be taking a close eye on you during your academy time. Accidents happen and there would be the perfect opportunity for you two to just disappear, or worse.


    Worse?


    Shield is manufacturing the pulse guns, the official term for the tesseract energy weapons, but we know that they were using the Mind stone for experiments. We have no idea what else they might be after but a hulking space alien? It''s probably too tempting to pass over. We have to assume that any project currently being shelved by Oscorp was for them. Serum, symbiotes, cloning, armour, and the energy weapons. Add in that the Mind Stone was in their possession and Ultron was either cutting a deal or adding to the already huge pile of equipment that they have.


    That¡¯s a lot to take in Nat, even for me, it seems just too easy that there is a secret organisation, Osborn was a jerk but a nazi? He was more interested in money than anything.


    But as Peter thought about it, he was an arrogant son of a bitch that looked down on a lot of people, maybe being a secret nazi wasn¡¯t so much of a stretch.


    If they even are Shield. All the weapons you recovered from Sokovia were from the second world war, nothing manufactured past 1945. Did some assholes just find a stockpile and raid it or is there something else going on?


    A lot of that is pure guesswork Nat, for all we know Ultron was in control of everyone through the collars and there is no second faction within Shield. We still have no idea who or what MODOK that Strucker mentioned is. Another agency? A person? A computer code?.


    We know, but you cover your bases. A second faction makes more sense than a whole bunch of collars suddenly appearing. Where did he make them? and why? Taking over a base is risky, especially in a warzone, so he could what? Expose a few kids to the gem, no. More is going on than we see, and without that big picture, we have to assume the worst-case scenario. Ultron, Hydra, and more. Even whoever MODOK is. We need time and patience and once we find out, we can act.


    The rest can be discussed when it happens. For now, we keep our eyes and ears open. You and Wanda will be careful and we know Liv will be fine, she¡¯s taking to the training like a natural and she¡¯ll be an agent before you are at the rate she¡¯s going.


    Yeah Yeah, someone keeps distracting me.


    ¡°Then how about she makes it up to you,¡± and he ran his hands up her back and as their clothes disappeared, she leant in and kissed him.

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Two. Fit For A Queen

    Naturally, the lawsuit against Nat was thrown out. She had been there as a private citizen and there was nothing to stop her from sleeping with anyone she liked. Unlike Tony, who narrowly avoided a lawsuit of his own, she hadn''t used an over strength pheromone cream on someone who was very hesitant. MJ had been brought in to testify, and naturally, Tony¡¯s use of the cream had come out.


    In fact, because of the case, a colourant was added to the newly processed cream, marking it visible under not just normal light but UV, and Pepper herself pushed that it be classified as medicinal, adding to their own costs but making it a felony to use it on someone without their permission.


    Natasha strode from the meeting with a huge smile on her face, while Tony was being berated by a very angry Pepper. From what Gwen had told the group, this seemed to be a daily occurrence and she knew there was no chance of the pair reconciling their differences.


    She had also scored a huge payout for the group, something she hoped was going to win over some of the more reluctant members of the warehouse. Tony¡¯s lawyer had approached her, brandishing an NDA, and while the court had been dealt with, the court records being sealed, Natasha¡¯s involvement was still open for discussion.


    Natasha had pried a hefty fee from Tony before she would sign. Even someone as famous as Tony, sexually harassing and then trying to coerce a movie star into sex would be a huge headline. While Tony refused to budge on returning Parker Industries, he did release all of Liv¡¯s old patents back to her.


    Once the court case was over, for her at least it was back to work at Shield. As a new instructor, she would be at the academy, playing the course for Peter to take and as Fury smiled and handed her a timetable and her class roster she swore,


    ¡°Now, you can¡¯t say anything,¡± Fury warned her, and she knew exactly why. Fury had taken Peter''s age and joking manner as a slight, and now he was getting revenge. Sighing, she slid the file back into its folder and put it in her locker, she really should warn Peter but Fury was right, he needed to be a bit more serious and adaptable. This was perfect.


    Over the next month, despite pestering her she refused to budge on the matter. The course was to train him, not to coddle him and going in blind was a good way to do that. Even when she felt his mind touch hers, Widow sprang into action, she had an annoying habit of singing, very off-key, show tunes, Muse being a really bad influence on her, and while Peter thought it was funny at first, hearing ¡®Oklahoma¡¯ being sung out of tune for the tenth time, and only you could hear it, soon drove the point home.


    With Natasha back at work, Peter also had to slow down on his construction. While he was busy fixing walls and adjusting plumbing, Natasha had been an extra pair of hands to take the spare offices apart and stack them neatly, and then help hoist and secure fittings. On his own, he had to be extra careful. While Felicia, MJ and Gwen were both providing rent, both Liv and Nat were waiting for wages to come through, and dropping and smashing a segment of office was a waste of money, Especially when Peter had looked to see how much tiling would cost for a bathroom the size Gwen had asked for.


    ¡°Then don¡¯t tile it,¡± Gwen had told him, ¡°make up smooth webbing and use that, you can make it white, just make it look like tile and then varnish it after, hell I¡¯ll varnish it. Wait, Poison can I make varnish?¡± And after listening to the voice in her head, ¡°I guess I can, but the thing is, you already have been making the foundation from webbing mixed with concrete right? Then why not do more, it''s not like we don''t all use it every day Pete.¡± and that was the end of the conversation.


    Peter had checked and after a little experimentation found that he could make a thicker and harder webbing that just needed to be smoothed out over the foundations he had built. The main problem was making sure it didn¡¯t clog up the pipes he had laid, requiring him to spend time carefully spreading it rather than firing it off like a hose, something he had imagined and found himself chuckling at.


    Rather than asking Gwen, he bought sealant for the whole bathroom. Everything barring the fixtures was made of concrete and webbing and now that extended to the coating, he wanted to do a semi-professional job and leave the decorating and finishing touches to actual professionals.


    As the time moved on Peter began to work on the newer homes, adding in more so that each job was done properly.


    With the apartment finished it was the turn of the homes to be built. He stacked the new homes up, built the walkways and to make sure each had power, water and plumbing, he left the bathhouse until last. It was a luxury, homes were a necessity. Grumbling once more as new tenants and new homes meant another inspection and another cost.


    This time, it was waiting for an inspector to walk and tick off a list on a clipboard. Peter might not have the accreditations he needed to be a licenced home builder, but he didn¡¯t have the actual qualifications, but with Felicia¡¯s help, he used a less than legitimate company as cover for his work.


    If everything went according to plan, Wanda would be moving into Peter''s old home soon enough and Nat was comfortable sleeping on the recliner in the main area, even after she had been offered a more suitable bed. She had been told off and had picked the home above. It was just waiting until everyone was settled before more permanent arrangements were made.


    Over the summer, with diligence, and patience the bathhouse took shape.


    Once he had each side of the warehouse done, finished his own upper floor apartment, he spent a day making sure that everything was perfect. Eventually, the reveal day came and everyone was there, anticipating the big show.


    There was no ceremony as he showed the women around it, his tastes were simple and all of his things were arranged the same way as his old place. It was simply bigger with a manageable workspace in the back. Taking up more of the warehouse ceiling, at 20 meters each way he had split the space in two, one side was his home, a simple living room, kitchen, and bathroom, and even now he just used a murphy bed, neatly arranged along one wall, Peter had always grown up in small houses and the space just seemed too wasteful otherwise.


    The other 20 by 10 meters was split in two, one half was taken up by Gwen and her brewery and the other a workroom for Peter and Liv. New walkways, moved from adding in the floor, led to them and then, in turn, had doors, lockable if Peter wanted privacy, into his apartment.


    They had waited for Liv to have a day off and Peter had covered the front with a huge dust sheet he stood, nervous they would hate it, in front of the finished building.


    It was two offices wide, mimicking the homes on the other side at 20 meters deep. The space above had been turned into the spare homes with a deck in front, giving them space to sit out if the mood took them but for now, it was showtime.


    Peter pulled the dust sheet away and the group of women stared slack-jawed at the sight before them.


    The building was open planned, with white columns adorning the end walls and a simple draw shower curtain for privacy, no one expected company while they were having a bath and as each home had a shower it was more for simple decency sake.


    One side was six waterfall showerheads, all positioned so that several people could stand under each one. The walls of the whole room were marble, and they knew Peter couldn''t afford it and had mixed his own black and white webbing together to get the desired effect but what an effect it was. He had cut bamboo shapes in the walls, and carefully painted them a subtle gold colour, not shiny and reflective but hidden and it wasn''t until they walked into the room they saw its full effect.


    Down each wall were three baths, solid rectangles with sloped edges, space for a neck pillow and dipped cup and glass holders. Space for over bath trays was cut, so if someone wanted to relax in the bath with food or drink they could but the group already had plastic plates and glasses prepared, anything breakable was barred, even if the symbskin would stop any cuts.


    In the centre was a huge bath, steps cut into the sides allowing anyone entry and the tub itself was at least 3 feet deep, a raised lip edge surrounding the whole thing. Everything was a subtle brass colour, stylish but effective. Lit by warm white LEDs sunk into the ceiling the whole room was warm, Peter pointed at a box, and inside, they could see the water controls, allowing the pool to be drained as well as adjusting the temperature to suit a variety of tastes. It was simple wood, covered in the webbing mixture, and closed with a brass latch.


    ¡°This, this is amazing Pete,¡± Gwen stuttered and rushed over to hug him, kissing him on the cheek and rubbing her face against his, ¡°so, when can we use it?¡± and he grinned,


    ¡°Set the temp and then leave it a few hours to fill, use some of the smaller baths for now if you¡¯re desperate,¡± but Gwen shook her head,


    ¡°Uh no, big bath, soapy wet fun time,¡± and as she fiddled with the water controls, it rumbled into life before the pumps began to quietly fill the tub with warm water, the temperature preset to mix the water before pumping it to the pool.


    ¡°One thing though, rules, I mean, we have the new plastic glasses and stuff but uh, I kinda want to know if we can have sex in it? I mean, I want to, so?¡± Felicia asked and Peter nodded.


    ¡°There are flags. If you¡¯re in there naked, pull the curtain over and set a blue flag out, red for guests, so I don¡¯t walk in on someone, and I dunno, green for groups? The flags were a pack, so if anyone needs one for something else, just uh, tell me,¡± he explained,


    ¡°So, sex is fine?¡± Gwen asked, and he nodded,


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that why it was so big? So we could?¡± Peter answered,


    ¡°Yeah, well, we¡¯re not the one that shoots like a hose, so we¡¯re not the ones making the mess,¡± and Peter laughed as it clicked.


    ¡°So what you really mean is, am I cleaning it and if so do I have to?¡± and Felicia crossed her arms


    ¡°He¡¯s getting cocky again, punishment?¡± and the others caught on and nodded,


    ¡°Thank you for volunteering dear, it is such a big tub to make us clean,¡± Liv smiled at him and he realised he walked into their trap,


    ¡°Aww, come on, even after?¡± and they nodded.


    ¡°Do you not want to have sex with us in it?¡± MJ asked and Peter nodded, ¡°then shush,¡± and they looked quite pleased with themselves.


    Peter sighed. ¡°Good thing I added in a cleaning system then,¡± and as he walked to the door, he pushed a button and a sprinkler system came on, dousing the entire room, the 5 women included, in cold water. ¡°And it works too.¡±


    ¡°You fucking shit!¡± Felicia yelled at him, and soaking wet she launched herself at him, Huntress covering her, and as he laughed and danced out the way the rest simply shook the water off and laughed at the pair, tumbling and rolling around on the floor of the warehouse.

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Three. Class Act

    The days rolled in and soon enough it was time to start the academy. Peter had dressed his symbskin in a suitable fashion, Shield trainees wore simple black trousers, boots, and a grey shirt over a black undershirt, and even Natasha had laughed when she realised that nobody in the warehouse wore real clothes, it was all symbskin outfits.


    Shield Academy was an impressive building. Modelled to match the Triskellion, Shields HQ on the other end of Manhatten Island, the tall impressive chrome and glass structure radiated authority and class. Peter nodded in appreciation of its well-kept grounds. In front, landscaped parks, with benches and flowers for students to relax, and from the map, round the back were track and obstacle course, a separate building for live firing training, and swimming pool and gym for training and fitness.


    The main building housed the cafeteria, labs, library and of course, classrooms. Peter would be spending most of his time in the main building, as after talking to Nat, he figured that his physical prowess not just matched anything Shield students had to offer but eclipsed it, and while he didn¡¯t want to brag, a Mind Stone capable of feeding him any knowledge he required, plus his own eidetic memory and natural talent, meant that the actual coursework could be taken care of as fast as they could give it to him.


    Which was his first week. Normally, a student would have been scouted, interviewed and then given a series of tests to determine their suitability. Peter had been recruited because of his Enhanced status and involvement in the Osborn case. As such his first two weeks would be power testing and general knowledge. Week one was powers.


    Fury and Natasha had both warned him that Sheild, and ultimately the World Security Council, were going to try and take as many samples as they could get their hands on. While Fury wasn¡¯t interested in how Peter got his powers, as an offshoot of the Super Soldier Program, the World Security Council was.


    If they could make more of him, or replicate the symbsoldier experiments that Harry had developed then it would be champagne and bonuses all around, and Peter had no intention of letting either of those cases happen. They could be happy with Gwen¡¯s work, which Pepper had already negotiated the contracts, or they could get nothing.


    Fury had gone as far as warning Peter to limit himself, not to show everything, and to keep the existence of any extraordinary powers to himself. While Peters impression of Fury had been fairly low to begin with, as he got to know him better, and got to realise that his paranoia was sometimes warranted, he started to listen to the old spy and learned that sometimes, paranoia was knowing that someone was actually out to get you.


    The first power they wanted to test was his strength, whole Peter had given them a list, enhanced physiology, senses, armour, and finally his webbing a missive had still come back saying they wanted to measure them accurately.


    Peter had already been warned by Fury that the WSC knew his powers were from Oscorp¡¯s serum plus a symbiote and wanted to know if they could be replicated. Ross had made sure that Banner and his formula was wrapped up tight under the Military¡¯s jurisdiction and the Stacy formula was equally as untouchable. They wanted their own, and this was the one way they saw of getting it.


    The first few tests were the most invasive. It was standard to take blood and test each agent for possible diseases, and to have a sample of blood type on file, but with Peter, his situation was unique. As he turned up on the first day and a sample was taken he noticed the rest of the tray. Biopsy needles and what looked suspiciously like a large-bore IV for a spinal tap were all laid out. Peter nodded at the technician who shrugged and after the first sample, he simply stood up and left.


    His contract only specified certain inoculations, for things he was immune to, and a blood sample. He didn¡¯t care it was already dust before he got off the table, and the technician didn¡¯t care he refused the more invasive tests. It wasn¡¯t his job to care, and it wasn¡¯t his job to argue with someone whose blood turned black and solidified before it was even sent for analysis.


    Next, it was the part Peter was looking forwards to and had already decided not to hold back. The power tests. He had always wondered exactly how strong and fast he was, how quick his reactions were and just how far into the visible and invisible spectrum he could see. This part he didn¡¯t lie about, and a huge testing facility had been prepared just for him.


    Strength was easy. Rather than weights they put him under a hydraulic press and tried to squash him. Impressively, Peter found that his enhanced strength now maxed out at 100 tonnes, and even Venom felt that was his limit. As hushed whispers ran around the testing facility he found a small group of students had gathered to watch, so much for secrecy, he thought, but if the testers didn¡¯t care, then neither did he.


    Speed was another easy trial. For the first test, he simply ran around a track, beating every world record, then he had to move out of the way of a small ball being shot at him, managing to easily avoid them even on the machines highest setting. To test himself though, he not only closed his eyes but eventually began to catch and juggle them, much to the cheers of the students, and the scowls of the testers.


    His webbing was another easy test, and Peter, facing a climbers wall simply shot webs at it and used them to swing around, it wasn¡¯t anything spectacular, and he kept his ability to produce different types to himself.


    It wasn¡¯t until it came down to the combat and weapons testing that Peter felt a bit conflicted. As a table of guns was laid out in front of him, and the instructor motioned he shook his head,


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t use guns. Ever.¡± and he walked away. Guns were just not his thing, and while he had modified his web catapult to fire along his arm, rather than from his hands he would prefer not to use any kind of technology. It was too easy to jam, remove, or just simply get in the way. A therapist might have told him his aversion was more to do with his Uncle, but the thought never occurred to him, and neither did therapy.


    Peter shrugged as the instructor yelled at him, and ignore the random insulting thoughts from the crowd of recruits that had joined to watch. Apparently refusing to use a firearm lowered their opinion of him considerably, but that all changed when Peter let his clothing strip away and walked onto the mat for his combat testing.


    Ignoring the very loud thoughts from both male and female students concerning Peters physique, he had to shake his head as the instructor walked onto the mat and took a stance.


    ¡°You know Natasha Romanov has been training me for tha past 6 months right?¡± and the instructor frowned, half shrugged and motioned with his fingers for Peter to attack.


    ¡°No groin shots, no eye-gouging, no powers?¡± and the instructor nodded, and then found themselves flying through the air, and staring at the ceiling of the gym. He hadn¡¯t even seen Peter move before he was thrown. Sitting up, he looked at Peter who was standing over him, holding out a hand. Reluctantly tracking it he was lifted not just to his feet but off the mat, and he knew that the report they had been given on Peter Parker was most likely understated. Even he had thought the boy cocky, but that opinion had been changed.


    ¡°Mr Parker, I think that your presence will be a disruption, and your time would be better spent elsewhere. I doubt there is anything you would learn, and more than likely the others would get hurt trying to keep up with you,¡± the instructor told him and Peter agreed. He had been training with Nat already, and he soaked up not just the hand to hand fighting but any weapon she handed him, he just didn¡¯t like them.


    The situation in the classrooms was the same. After being handed a pile of homework, Peter raised an eyebrow, took a breath and sat at a computer. An hour later handing back not just the work he had been given but the whole semesters. Everything was online, and within a day he completed each task one after the other, only taking small breaks to refuel before sitting back down.


    While any normal teacher would be ecstatic, his instructor yelled at him, another ¡®disruptive influence¡¯ and after having Nat laugh and sigh off on all his course work, he was now officially a full graduate student, only required to wait until the actual graduation ceremony next year before he would be a full agent.


    ¡°So, two weeks and already I¡¯m getting complaints,¡± Fury said, tapping a finger on a pile of papers, ¡°But, finishing the course, acing every physical they threw at you, and then making sure your test results were just perfect enough to get everyone wetting their pants over replicating your powers, I don¡¯t care if some instructors called you a menace, and that the WSC wants more than just a blood sample.¡±


    ¡°Yeah but-¡± Peter began and Fury raised a hand,


    ¡°Nope, Don¡¯t care. The WSC wants a lot of things Parker, and you don¡¯t see me making sure they get them. I told you the very first time, your powers, your business. As long as you don¡¯t start killing people or being a pain in my ass, they can whistle.¡± Fury leant back, ¡°That, however, does not mean that you get to spend the next year sat at home playing with yourself. You still have teamwork exercises, and you will attend, and you will behave. These are the ones that prove you¡¯ve got what it takes to be an agent, not just the training and the smarts, but the personality and the attitude. You¡¯ll meet your team tomorrow, until then, I suggest you familiarise yourself with the academy.¡± Fury stared at Peter, raised his eyebrows and pointedly looked at the door, ¡°That was your cue to leave.¡± and Peter shrugged, got up and did exactly that.


    Teambuilding exercises were fine, as long as whoever was actually on his team could match his power level. As he hadn¡¯t heard from Gwen about any new Super Soldiers, or from Natasha about any recruits they thought could keep up with him, he wondered exactly who was going to be on his team.


    With all his other work taken care of, it was the next day he was told to report to the front of the building, and with Natasha there, she led him further into the building, and out into a training field, where he would meet his new classmates for the semester.


    As he looked over at the group, a smile and then a sneer crossed his face, pulling Nat to one side, ¡°what the fuck Nat?¡± and she just grinned and pressed a finger to his shoulder,


    ¡°We don''t always get to choose our teammates, Peter, so learn to behave.¡±


    His sentiments were echoed as Wanda stood, in the same outfit as him, smiled when she saw him but Flash shouted, ¡°What the hell?¡± as Rumlow pulled him to one side and gave him the same speech.


    ¡°So Peter Parker, meet your team. Wanda Maximov, and one more,¡± A black hair bullet streaked across the courtyard and launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around him, yelling in joy,


    ¡°Monkey!¡± Laura scream as she held onto him, and Peter smiled and hugged her back while making a face at Nat,


    ¡°Charles contacted Fury, as it seemed that Laura wouldn¡¯t shut up about this, and it was agreed that she would train here as part of your team. Sorry though, Jean asked and he refused to budge, apparently, Laura is bad enough, and one accident and she¡¯s going back to the mansion.¡± at which Peter scowled.


    He doubted Laura had a great grip on her powers or her emotions yet, and accidents would happen. It was a bullshit excuse to keep her away from people and Peter knew it was all Charles¡¯s idea.


    ¡°What about them?¡± Peter nodded at the others,


    ¡°The Avengers will be training alongside Sword, they have more experience than you and will be a good judge of your capabilities.¡±


    As Nat explained Peter saw the blonde-haired man from his fight with Tony, Captain America, and as he approached a technician wheeled out a large cloth-covered trolley, with Liv in tow. She waved but was quiet as the Captain spoke,


    ¡°While I''m not entirely happy to be training with civilians, Fury assures me that you will be more than capable. Just to be sure, The Avengers, led by me, are now, War Machine piloted by Agent Rumlow, Agent Webb, Eugene Thompson and as Cap looked around, ¡°is Agent Barton?¡± and Nat shook her head,


    ¡°Iron Man crushed his hand, he¡¯s off on medical. He won¡¯t be back.¡± Natasha explained. Laura, Clint¡¯s wife had forced him to take early retirement and his days as a Shield agent, or at least an openly active Shield agent were over.


    Captain America sighed, ¡°so, just the three of us?¡± and Nat nodded,


    ¡°For now anyway. I¡¯ll be on the team for now, but officially I''m on theirs¡± and ¡°Sword, newly recruited Enhanced. Peter Parker, Dusk, Wanda Maximov, Scarlet Witch, Laura Kinney, Talon.¡± and Liv shook her head ¡°while not part of the team officially, Olivia Octavious will be joining, or Doc Ock.¡±


    ¡°I really wish they would let us change those, really, Doc Ock. Was that all they could think of?¡±


    ¡°I kinda like it doc,¡± Rumlow said, pulling off the sheet. Underneath stood the new and improved War Machine. It had been repainted the black and grey of Shields colours and the shoulders now held a mounted missile pod each and two small machine fed Gatling cannons were mounted on each wrist. Finally, the back held a large folded double-barrelled cannon, its large energy cell firing a single but devastating shot. All powered by a newly designed and improved arcstar reactor.


    ¡°So kids, ready for lesson one?¡± Rumlow touched the front of the armour and as he stepped backwards inside it, it closed and the suits reactor and eyes lit up. ¡°Never let someone get into their armour.¡± and the weapons system whined as they powered on.

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Four. Shooter Drill

    As the strange group sat at lunch, Agent Rumlow had a smirk on his face. The training had gone exactly as he¡¯d expected and he was looking forward to rubbing it in Cap''s face later.


    ¡°You know, you guys need to relax, I mean, there''s no active shooter drills outside the range, you really thought I¡¯d fire?¡± and both Peter and Flash sat at opposite ends of the table, trying to ignore him,


    Brock, smiled and shook his head as he took a mouthful of soup, ¡°then I guess that''s the next lesson then, target identification and appraisal.¡±


    Nat smirked and shook her head, ¡°it¡¯s their first day Brock, give them a break. Well, it¡¯s Peters first day, who knows what you''ve been doing with Flash if he¡¯s that jumpy.¡± and Peter sat up,


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± and Nat raised her eyebrows,


    ¡°You didn''t know?¡± and Peter looked confused and shook his head,


    ¡°Flash has been a trainee agent since, well, since John.¡±


    It clicked, and a series of complicated emotions crossed Peter''s face, Disbelief, that Shield would hire just a jackass. Anger, that the reason Flash came to visit wasn''t to help, it was to spy, and finally dismissal. He had been an agent for almost as long, so who cared, and Peter shrugged ¡°meh,¡± was all he said and took a bite of his sandwich.


    ¡°What I don''t get, is why recruit that asshole at all?¡± Flash said, talking with a mouthful of his own sandwich, ¡°he¡¯s a killer, and you all know it.¡± and Steve and Brock looked at each other,


    ¡°I read the report on John, watched the footage, and it was accidental. The rest are all overblown police reports from criminals who aren¡¯t exactly the best eyewitnesses. There is no proof that Peter is as much of a danger as everyone makes out. Listening to new reports without checking your own sources, or simply making assumptions is negligent on the agents part Flash, you should do better. Just like you, Peter will get a chance to prove he¡¯s Shield material, and just like you, he will be given the support he needs. ¡± Steve explained.


    Even he had doubts about Peter when he read his file but after watching him fight Tony Stark he knew that would have been a lot messier if Venom tried harder, and he was purposefully avoiding civilian casualties. On that day, only one person was hurt, and they had fallen in a panic to avoid a repulsor blast.


    ¡°What Cap said,¡± Rumlow added, ¡°but he ain¡¯t Avenger material if that''s what you worried about. Sword is more a backup team, just in case, you know,¡± and he waved his spoon around and drew it across his neck. Flash already knew that in fact, the other name for the team was the Misfits, a group of mutants, freaks, and killers. Only Natasha had volunteered to work with them and had been gladly handed the assignment by her peers, fearing they would be forced to join.


    Steve raised an eyebrow, ¡°We¡¯re not here to judge, whatever checkered past you might have had Peter, it doesn''t matter now, You''re one of us and no matter what, we take care of our own.¡±


    Peter smiled, ¡°thanks Cap¡± and Steve nodded at him,


    ¡°Which is why you¡¯ll be helping Flash pass his GED.¡± and Peter almost choked on his sandwich, and shook his head,


    ¡°Flash failed his exams, and we need Agents that can think as well as act. I¡¯m told not only will you pass your physical test with flying colours but that you a genius as well,¡± and Steve frowned, ¡°well, Flash needs help, and you¡¯re done with your exams, so help,¡± and Peter scowled,


    ¡°But-¡± and Steve shook his head


    ¡°No buts, extra credit on your own evaluation, plus it¡¯ll be a huge favour to me,¡±


    Peter swore internally, help fucking Flash Thompson? but as he caught Nat¡¯s eye he gave the nicest and probably fake-looking smile he could. ¡°I¡¯d be happy to, so uh, Flash, what did you fail?¡± and as Flash took a final bite of his sandwich,


    ¡°Evwyfing,¡± he said with a full mouth, and Peter rubbed his forehead with his fingers.


    ¡°So math, English, and science? What else does he need to pass his GED?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, he aced the physical stuff just, uh,¡± Steve looked over at Brock,


    ¡°Yeah yeah, he¡¯s an idiot, I know,¡° Peter said sharply and as the table looked at him ¡°What, he is,¡± and even Wanda shook her head,


    ¡°That is not nice Peter, you should be helpful,¡± but surprisingly it was Flash that spoke up,


    ¡°Nah, I am, but uh, this is why I don''t like you, Parker. Yeah I was an ass in school but right now, thinking you¡¯re better than everyone, you¡¯re the ass.¡± and Flash grabbed his tray and headed over to the exit, dropping the dirty plate and tray in the pile and walking off.


    ¡°You need to check that attitude son. It doesn''t matter what he did in the past, he¡¯s here for a reason and you need to respect that, same as you are.¡± Steve lifted his own tray and head out. ¡°Hey Flash, wait up,¡± and Peter watched them leave, Rumlow smiling as he shook his head, dipping his spoon into the last of his soup,


    ¡°Don''t worry kid, big guys, lots of testosterone, not too many brains in this part of campus. He¡¯ll either get over it or he won¡¯t. Soft agents don''t last long and if you can rile him, well,¡° and as Rumlow cast his gaze over Peter he could feel the mans derision, ¡°he won''t be here long,¡± he smiled as he lifted his tray and walked off, dropping the spoon and plate into the dirty dished with a clatter.


    Peter looked at the last of his own lunch and shook his head.


    ¡°What was that about?¡± Wanda asked him and Peter held out his hand, taking it he motioned to Laura who tilted her head to one side but did the same,


    Peter showed them the worst of it, the broken pride, the taunting, the isolation, the fear and the anguish that Flash had just so casually brushed off. Whatever Flash felt Peter had done never warranted his treatment, and whatever Webb showed Flash to elicit his guilt had obviously worn off, and now Flash was back to being his normal self.


    ¡°I understand, but your Captain is right, you should be the bigger man Peter, you are more than that, ¡° and Laura nodded,


    ¡°Not you anymore, plus, can always stab him lots,¡± and Peter laughed and grasped their hands,


    ¡°Thanks guys.¡± and as Wanda blushed and quickly pulled her hand away, Laura did the reverse and rubbed her cheek in the back of his hand.


    ¡°So, going to be a problem?¡± Nat asked and Peter shook his head,


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll behave, and make sure he passes. It¡¯s not like he can hate any more,¡± and as he gave Nat a serious look, ¡°or hurt me,¡± she shook her head,


    ¡°We all have to keep our egos in check when working in a team,¡° Nat leaned forwards and whispered in his ear, ¡°do that and tonight, I¡¯ll reward you,¡± and Peter snorted and grinned,


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that every night?¡± and Natasha patted him on the shoulder,


    ¡°See, ego, which is why the others agreed. Remember your jar?¡± and Peter nodded confused, ¡°well, Shield academy is now your jar. Do good, get results and learn to behave or else. There are now five of us waiting for you at home.¡± and while a smile and a smirk of superiority at having trumped the young man, Nat lifted her own tray and bussed it while Peter sat dumbfounded.


    They had ganged up on him, and as he shook his head, Wanda and Laura looked at him,


    ¡°I am, uh, confused?¡± Wanda asked but Peter shook his head,


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just being reminded not to get too cocky.¡± Peter grabbed his own tray and looked over at the pair, nodded and the trio left the cafeteria.


    Peter, Wanda and Laura all approached the training area where Rumlow and Flash seemed to be talking in hushed tones, Steve was with Natasha and they were going over the contents of a clipboard, deciding to clear the air, Peter approached Cap first, and then he would have a talk with Flash.


    Steve raised an eyebrow as Peter came over, ¡°help you cadet?¡± and Peter cleared his throat,


    ¡°Sure, stop trying to get me and Flash to make up, it won''t happen and you¡¯ll lose what little respect I have for you,¡° and Peter heard Natasha mutter,


    ¡°oh shit,¡± under her breath


    ¡°Excuse me? You know that I personally took Flash under my wing, supervised his training, offered advice and counselling when he lost his father. Personally gave him leave to deal with the monster causing that and then sponsored him for the Avengers program, and you disagree with my choice?¡±


    Peter stood his ground, ¡°that''s all very impressive, Captain, and?¡±


    Natasha coughed and Steve swung the clipboard under his arm, ¡°and? Is that the discipline kids have these days? Your file, while impressive, isn''t a great read. Hospitalising muggers and petty crooks isn''t something to be proud of. I know that being bonded to one of those aliens increases aggression and makes you a little unstable but here, you need to learn to work in a team.¡± and unable to stop himself, Peter laughed.


    ¡°Something funny?¡± Steve handed the clipboard over to Natasha who took a step back,


    ¡°Work as a team? Don''t get me wrong, I can do that, I have done that, but when you come in on day one and find your ¡®team¡¯,¡° Peter using air quotes over the word, ¡±has been branded the misfits as your all different. Finding out that someone ¡®who read my file¡¯ is asking me to help the one person I hate more than anyone. Yeah, that''s funny. Flash is a rich spoilt asshole, who used his dad¡¯s money and position to do shit all in school except make my life, and the life of his girlfriend, hell for five years. He didn''t fail cause he¡¯s a moron, he failed as he expected dad to buy his scholarship and when got his legs cut off it all went to shit. Do I find that funny? Yeah, I do.¡±


    As Flash heard Peters complain he stepped forwards but Rumlow put a hand on his chest and shook his head, ¡°wait,¡± he said with a small grin and a nod, and Flash stepped back, gritting his teeth.


    ¡°You walked in, read two files and decided the best way to resolve our little conflict was to push us together? That tells me that you didn¡¯t actually read my file. If you had, if you¡¯d read Flash¡¯s we wouldn¡¯t be talking right now. I¡¯d be in another part of the building, and Flash, well, I really don¡¯t care what Flash would be doing.¡±


    Steven stared at the young man, even without training he could feel the resentment and indignation pouring from him. He was angry, and ready for a fight, Did I make a mistake? he wondered as he saw Flash staring at him the same way.


    ¡°So, you do disagree with my assessment. Look, son, you''re 19. I was that age too, you think you know everything, as I did, and you¡¯re wrong like I was. We gave Flash a second chance, just like the one you''re getting now. The situation with Sword is something that just happens, you have a team with Natasha, and yes you''re all different but that doesn¡¯t mean worse. Flash proved he¡¯s Avengers material, and I''m sure that given time you can do the same, as long as you keep your nose clean and stop with your more dubious activities. Helping Flash goes to prove that, helping Flash shows that you can be better. You should see this as an opportunity to prove that you¡¯re not the villain everyone makes you out to be, that you¡¯re a hero, just like I am, and Natasha, and like Flash is trying to be.¡±


    Peter stood staring at Steve for a moment, a small look of disbelief at the naivety of the man in front of him. Clenching his jaw and swallowing his anger,


    ¡°Flash, you¡¯ll be studying math on Monday, five till seven and then homework to be done for Wednesday, when it¡¯ll be English with homework for Friday when it¡¯ll be science and guess what, homework for Monday. It¡¯ll need to be here or your place though,¡° and looking Steve in the eye, ¡°as MJ, you know, the girl you forced into a relationship, might actually kill you if she sees you again,¡± and turning he walked off, muttering, ¡°sick of this bullshit already.¡±


    Steve looked over at Natasha, who clapped him on the shoulder, ¡°Yeah, I think you¡¯ve got homework as well Cap. Peter and Flash shouldn''t even be in the same building, let alone training together. This isn''t the ¡®40s. Kids have killed themselves, and others, over bullying, Flash is lucky Peter just threw him off a roof.¡± and as she nodded to Laura and Wanda the trio left to find Peter, and to begin what would hopefully be the rest of a much quieter day.

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Five. Wear Your Heart On Your Steve

    Steve looked at the area again and then at the warehouse in front of him. After Peter''s little outburst yesterday he had left the teams training without him, Rumlow taking over training Flash while the War Machine armour was upgraded and the operating system was fixed, whatever that was.


    He had listened to Natasha, taken her advice and looked up the school file on Flash. While at first glance it looked good, and at first all Steve had taken was a glance, once you looked deeper it began to show its true colours.


    As Peter said, for the first year Flash was in school his grades were terrible, it was only once he got his football career started they suddenly jumped to B¡¯s. Each year the school made money from Flash, and each year the school received a donation from his father Flash¡¯s academic record began to read like a piece of fiction. Sure, they were careful enough to make sure he got a high enough result to keep the money coming in but the actual papers were all either missing or blank, meaning he never sat the exams in the first place. Steve shook his head as he read more and more, he was actually amazed Flash could read and write with this level of corrupt academia.


    Then came the reports from the schoolmates that Peter had mentioned, there were several admonishments for missing homework, late assignments or damaged school books. An idiot could tell that he was being bullied. Every class Peter shared with Flash was the same, and even an incomplete picture made him shake his head in shame. He had been wrong, and Natasha was right, Peter and Flash should never have been put together, not with their level of powers.


    As he hit the buzzer on the shiny new gate, and he knew full well why it was new, a young woman answered, ¡°Hello?¡± and he cleared his throat and smiled.


    ¡°Sorry for bothering you Miss, but can I speak to a classmate of Peter Parker, I''m an instructor from Shield.¡± and after a brief pause, the buzzer sounded and the gate unlatched.


    As the door swung open, Steve frowned at the interior. It looked like a mess, but the polished floor, neat walkways and newly painted exteriors told Steve that it was just clean up, not permanent. There was scrap and lengths of cable and wiring piled high in one corner but the rest was astounding. Two neat homes, built from storage containers were lined up and a huge dining table with neat white table cloth sat next to a small kitchen, as he looked up he saw the massive box above his head but was drawn from his amazement by a voice,


    ¡°Uh, hi, yeah, can you come in, it''s kinda weird just standing there staring.¡± and Steve saw the redhead sat over at the table, busy placing a clean mug and sugar bowl down.


    ¡°Sorry Miss, this is a bit strange. I''m not used to people living in warehouses, is the housing in New York that bad?¡± and as he asked, she laughed,


    ¡°Captain America right?¡± and he nodded, ¡°Peter mentioned you, things are different now, it''s uh, chic. Lots of old places are run down or just have crappy landlords, so people make their own space.¡± and he nodded as she explained,


    ¡°Still strange though Miss, uh?¡±


    ¡°MJ, ¡° and he smiled. It was one of the people he wanted to talk to.


    As he approached and sat down, she poured him coffee and he added in sugar and milk. ¡°I hope you don''t mind MJ, but I need to ask about Peter,¡± and as he took a breath, knowing that this might be a tough subject, ¡°and Flash Thompson.¡± Rightly so, her breathing stopped, her pupils dilated and he could almost feel a wave of palpable anger rolling off her. ¡°Please, I know and I''m sorry, but,¡± and he shook his head ¡°I need to know what kind of person he is.¡±


    MJ clenched her jaw and swallowed back the anger. ¡°Flash Thompson made my life hell for five years, he is,¡± and it was her turn to take a breath and let it out, ¡°he¡¯s an idiot who has the awareness of a rock. He didn''t do anything he thinks is wrong, he just expected everything and he was rich, handsome and so he got it.¡±


    ¡°So you don''t think that he¡¯s as bad as Peter makes out?¡± and MJ laughed,


    ¡°He made Peter''s life hell. Do I hate him for that? Yes and more. Peter should have thrown him off a higher roof.¡±


    Steve was confused, ¡°Only for what he did to Peter though, not what he did to you?¡±


    ¡°I''ve had time Captain Rogers, time to realise that Flash never meant me harm, if he did I would have suffered more, just like Peter, it was everyone else who made my life hell. Do I hate Flash? A bit. My life was never great before him but now, I mean, I was in a frickin movie, I have amazing powers and a loving boyfriend. Do I have time to care what some loser thinks, should I care if Flash Thompson does well or not?¡± and she shook her head, ¡°I don''t want to live in the past, not with the future I have. Flash Thompson means nothing to me anymore.¡±


    ¡°Steve please, and that''s a very mature attitude to have but boyfriend? Are you and Peter?¡± and MJ swore quietly under her breath,


    ¡°Can you forget I said that? Please, I don''t want Peter to get in more trouble.¡± and he smiled,


    ¡°I may be from the ¡®40s, Miss but I have studied some of the more prominent parts of history, the ¡¯60s especially. I just never realised it was-¡± and MJ interrupted,


    ¡°It¡¯s not, it¡¯s just us. So please, don¡¯t say anything,¡± and Steve nodded. He had seen the sexual liberation that came with the ¡®60s and knew that things were definitely different from his time, but from the look on her face, and her body language, she loved him, and that was none of his business.


    ¡°It''s a non-issue. Can I take it that Felicia Hardy and Gwen Stacy will tell me the same?¡± and MJ nodded,


    ¡°Maybe not as politely though, uh, Felicia threatened him a lot.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine, I just needed to get a better picture.¡± Steve took a last mouthful of coffee and set his cup down, he now had a better idea of who Flash was. ¡°Thank you for the coffee miss, I can see myself out.¡± and he left a bemused MJ sitting at the table. After she watched him leave she flicked on the street cameras that Peter had set up and made sure he had really left and then took out her phone, Stupid Shield, she thought as she sent a message to Peter.


    As Steve made his way back to Shield HQ, enjoying the quiet ride on his motorcycle, he wondered what to do with the young man under his care. It was obvious that Flash was a rogue, even more so than Peter. At least Peter was open about his misadventures but the common theme with Flash seemed to be a lack of awareness of his own behaviour towards people, and ultimately, his own failings.


    Talking to Fury would be useless. It was his team and ultimately his responsibility to deal with. Fury put the team together, but he had to hold them together. Not easy when ego and other issues made them a target for everyone.


    As Steve walked through the clean glass and white building of Shield HQ he saw that Natasha and her team were coming back from training, and as he gazed up at one of the wall clocks he wondered if Flash had been following his own schedule. Natasha just nodded but Steve put a hand out, ¡°A word Peter,¡± and he stopped,


    ¡°I¡¯ll catch up¡± and the others left, ¡°So?¡± and Peter held out his phone, letting Steve see the message from MJ.


    He nonchalantly shrugged, ¡°I had to know, and you happen to live with most of the people he has issues with, but that''s not why I stopped you.¡± and Peter looked surprised, ¡°I still stand by what I said. Flash deserves a chance to prove himself and to make amends, as do you. Boys make mistakes, men fix them, be a man Peter.¡± and with that Steve walked off to find Flash. He knew that conflict resolution could only come from Peter and Flash themselves, interfering would only make things worse.


    Peter frowned, a platitude was all he got, a fucking platitude, he shrugged oh well, and hurried to catch the others, uncaring if Flash grew up or not. There was always a taller building if it came down to it.


    Steve found Flash being spotted in the gym by Rumlow, using the same machine that he normally used. Rated for well over the normal human maximum it surprised him to see someone else lifting as much as he could but, it had been mentioned in his file that Flash was host to one of those alien creatures.


    ¡°I can wait,¡± he said as Rumlow looked over and leant down to whisper to Flash. As Flash did ten more reps he sat up and wiped himself down with a towel, Rumlow padded him on the shoulder, ¡°cya Cap,¡± and walked away to give the two men privacy.


    ¡°So, you gonna tell me off now too?¡± Flash said as he wiped the sweat from his face but Steve shook his head.


    ¡°Your problems at high school are not my concern Flash, only that they stay in high school. You earned a spot on this team, it''s now your job to keep it. I was wrong to put you and Peter together, given your history, but sometimes making amends is the only way forwards, and working through conflict can lead to greater things.¡± Steve stood with his arms folded as Flash wiped down the machine.


    ¡°Yeah, I was kinda expecting a lecture, everyone else always did, you know, or till he died,¡± and Steve saw Flash ball his fists and sigh, fighting back his emotions. ¡°It wasn''t fair you know, I never meant to take it that far, I never knew. It wasn''t until I got Webb that I knew and now, how can I look at some who hates me so much they threw me off a building, and screws my ex-girlfriend after letting me know I abused her?¡± and he shook his head. ¡°I never meant to be that guy you know, I swear,¡± and Steve stood listening.


    ¡°You didn''t, and now you know. Going forward you can try to make amends, make things better. Being an Avenger means responsibility, not just to the team, but to the people of  New York and ultimately the world. Righting some wrongs is a good place to start Flash.¡±


    ¡°But how? I mean, I don''t know, shit, even admitting I''m wrong feels, you know, wrong. My dad always said ¡®never admit your faults, people will use them against you¡¯.¡± and he looked over at Steve, ¡°you know, therapy didn¡¯t help, after the accident, she just, I dunno yelled at me a bunch and then we screwed,¡° and Steve turned to one side to hide the smile on his face. ¡°See, even you,¡± and Flash huffed and began to finish wiping down the machine.


    ¡°Well, see, that''s not really therapy, I can book you in with one of the Shield therapists, the one I see is really good.¡± and Flash stopped and looked over,


    ¡°You?¡± and Stev nodded,


    ¡°I¡¯m from 60 years ago, temporal identity disorder it¡¯s being called I think. Where seeing a TV is fine but a laptop or oh, I went grocery shopping and asked the guy why he wasn''t bagging my groceries, turns out he was a customer. So uh yeah, I needed some help. 60 years changes a lot of things, not just technology, it''s a lot to take in, and while it''s been a while for me, leaving school is the same. I had a look at your file, and I know, but no social studies, no practical classes anymore? I''m amazed you¡¯re coping as well as you are, I mean, they don''t teach you how to be an adult Flash, and while I''m sure your dad was a swell guy, if you need help you need help and there is no shame in asking.¡±


    Flash looked down at the towel in his hand and shook his head, ¡°I dunno Cap, I mean, what if it never gets better?¡±


    ¡°It does son, it does, I mean, 60 years ago we never had the internet, I wouldn''t give that up for the world.¡± and Flash laughed,


    ¡°So, book me on for one of those shrinks yeah,¡° and Steve patted him on the shoulder and nodded,


    ¡°Doesn''t get you out of homework though, I¡¯ll add it in somewhere,¡± and Flash¡¯s shoulders slumped.


    ¡°It''s a free period, get something to eat and think about what I said,¡± and Flash nodded.


    With both problems hopefully dealt with Steve only had one left, and as he sat in the waiting room in front of Fury''s office, he was dealing with it now.


    Fury was sat in this usual chair, paperwork scattered over his desk and the normal ice bag Fury used to deal with headaches was sat on his forehead,


    ¡°So, I guess this is about Parker and Thompson?¡± he asked from under it,


    ¡°Nope, that¡¯s dealt with. This is about my missing team members, so far I''ve got three, and so far I''ve heard bupkis about getting more.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± and Fury slid two folders over, ¡°Barton is gone, medical declared him unfit for duty and he took retirement. So we got you two new recruits. One might be a problem, so say so now.¡±


    Steve slid the folders off Fury¡¯s desk and flicked open the first one,


    Ava Starr, victim of an experimental teleportation technology, now requires to wear a temporal and phasic stabilizer to remain in our dimension. Current Status Shield Infiltration Specialist.


    Sharon Carter. Highly Trained Field Agent, honours, Current Assignment, Shield HQ Information Services.


    ¡°Carter?¡± Steve asked


    ¡°Uh-huh, niece, problem?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Steve shook his head, if she was half the agent that Peggy was then he would be happy to have her on the team.

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Six. Soft Reboot

    ¡°I don''t care Agent Rumlow, this isn''t a request and if you dare to argue I¡¯ll go over your head.¡± Liv was angry, since the lab incident she was aware that everyone treated Rumlow as the boss, but this time he had gone too far.


    ¡°Look I get it doc, you keep saying it over and over, but we don''t have the time for what you''re askin, we just don''t,¡±


    ¡°Oh, and I suppose if a hidden subroutine cuts out the power at 10,000ft then you¡¯ll listen?¡± and as Rumlow leaned back over the conference table he frowned,


    ¡°Uh, what?¡±


    ¡°There are hidden ROM chips through the armour that I''ve been busy digging out. Most control the armour¡¯s systems but some have independent network access, and some have boobytraps, designed to shut down systems remotely in case someone steals the armour.¡± Liv leaned back, feeling a sense of smug satisfaction and the full extent of the problem finally got through to the man, and as he rubbed a hand over his stubbled face,


    ¡°How long?¡± and that was the issue,


    ¡°Six months, minimum. I can adapt the operating system of the Goblin armour but it''s just not sophisticated enough. In a month I can give you control of the armour, 3 months for flight but full weapons and system integration will take 6, and that¡¯s if Stark hasn¡¯t hidden anything else.¡± and Rumlow shook his head and leant back in his chair,


    ¡°Look doc, that''s just too long. Fury¡¯s breathing down my neck, Pierce is up my ass, and half the council wants to know why the Avengers are sitting around with their thumbs up their butt.¡±


    ¡°What the team does in its free time is none of my concern Brock, only the armour, and if I am honest, Stark is a genius but he¡¯s also a complete bastard. It would be irresponsible to entrust your life to something I wasn''t happy with.¡±


    Rumlow leaned back and laughed, ¡°I¡¯m touched doc, but really, six months, not faster? I mean, don''t you brain types give an estimate and then break it by being super smart or something?¡± and it was Livs turn to laugh,


    ¡°You watch too much television, Brock. Six months is my best work, if this was anyone else it would be a year at least, and even then I would imagine the armour might explode if you tried to use it.¡±


    Rumlow leant forwards on the table, ¡°no faster?¡± and Liv shook her head,


    ¡°The only concession I can give Brock is that by building it from scratch I can customise the interface to however you like, right down to what font you want the clock to be in.¡±


    Brock snorted and laughed, ¡°comic sans,¡± and Liv laughed with him,


    ¡°Well, maybe not then.¡±


    ¡°Fine doc fine, I¡¯ll go, I dunno, watch Peter try to teach Flash math, I mean, I ain¡¯t a thinker but damn, that boy.¡± and as Brock slid off his chair and left Liv sat with a scowl on her face. She had heard about Flash¡¯s attempts to learn, and he was trying, making fun of him wasn''t fair on either of them. Peter was trying his best and according to him, so was Flash.


    Peter was sat with Flash who was staring at the textbook, a strained look of impatience on his face,


    ¡°I just don''t get it, I mean, how does using letters make more sense than numbers, it''s just stupid.¡±


    Peter sighed, ¡°It''s algebra Flash, and you need it to pass Math.¡± Peter had tried everything, even Harry wasn¡¯t this bad. He had gone so far as to have Flash checked for a learning disability but there was nothing. As much as Peter hated to admit it, which he still did as often as he could, Flash was just dumb.


    ¡°But why? I don¡¯t buy groceries that cost x+3 over y dollars, do I? It¡¯s stupid and I don¡¯t need it,¡± and in frustration, Flash closed the book and slid it across the desk.


    ¡°You,¡± and Peter sighed and shook his head, ¡°you just do, okay, it''s part of math and that''s it. Look, learn it, do the exam and then forget it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, easy for you to say, you sat the test blind and still got 100, some us aren''t wired like that Parker,¡± and Flash took his head in both hands, running his fingers through his hair,


    ¡°Yeah, Laura and Wanda both aced theirs and Laura grew up in a lab, so suck it up frat boy and stop whining.¡± Peter smirked, ¡°or, you know, I could ask Cap to make you run x+3 over y laps, and only let you stop once you figure it out. Maybe sticking math with sports will get it into that brain.¡±


    Flash shook his head and grabbed the book, ¡°don¡¯t you fucking dare ruin sports for me Parker, don¡¯t you fucking dare.¡±


    Liv ran a hand over Peter¡¯s shoulder as she sat down in the library next to the pair, nodding a greeting at Flash. ¡°Great, someone else to make me feel stupid¡± Flash complained, and Liv scowled,


    ¡°I hear you¡¯re doing your best Eugene, don¡¯t let anyone tell you it''s never good enough,¡± and Flash just scowled and shook his head.


    ¡°So, not tinkering with your latest toy?¡± Peter had to admit he was jealous and really would prefer if things were reversed but his technical expertise on the armour was well below Livs,


    Liv sighed, ¡°I''m having to rebuild it from scratch. Whatever Stark did to the operating system really screwed it over, even Harry''s sabotage of the Goblin armour wasn''t that bad.¡± and Peter frowned but then sat up,


    Leaning over he kissed Liv on the cheek, ¡°That''s it, Liv, you are a genius,¡±


    ¡°I know dear but what?¡± and Peter took out his phone, scrolling through the long list of Shield department numbers he had been given,


    ¡°Yeah, hi, do you guys have one of those perspex containment units, the ones with the lockable tops, uh-huh, can I get one and a beaker, pyrex is fine delivered to the library in the academics wing. Sure it¡¯s Parker, 78235443, uh if there''s a problem contact Natasha Romanov, yeah thought so, great, bye.¡± Peter hit the end call button and set down his phone, ¡°what?¡± he asked as the pair stared at him, expectantly.


    ¡°Fine, fine, Flash, you''re an idiot, and that''s fine, nobody is great at everything. Math, science, not your thing, deal with it, but Webb isn''t. He was my symbiote, he should be just as smart as me, so why not?¡± Flash rubbed the back of his head.


    ¡°Yeah Webb doesn¡¯t talk too much about what happened, he really doesn''t talk that much at all.¡±


    ¡°Exactly, like Poison. When we fought, Eddie was a pushover because he was just Enhanced but you, even with a small amount of training we should have been a better match, unless Webb was sick or hurt.¡±


    Liv nodded, ¡°and you want to separate them and heal Webb, so that he can help Flash pass math?¡± she said with a smirk,


    ¡°No, well, yes but no. Look, Cap said boys make mistakes but men fix them, Osborn did something terrible to both of us, and I got fixed. It''s not fair to leave Webb hurting because of us fighting Flash. You¡¯re a jackass, but Webb, he never asked for this.¡±


    ¡°I dunno, Webb doesn''t really like you Parker, and I gotta admit, you''re still a dick, but, will it hurt? I mean, he was pretty banged up when we bonded, I don''t want to hurt him more.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I don''t know, does healing hurt? Maybe, did your legs hurt, yes but they got better. Liv couldn''t walk for a while but she got better. If Webb says no then it''s a no, but, I can fix him. I fixed Poison and Ravage, fixing Webb is easy, it''s just a bath and a sleep.¡± and as Flash sat with a pensive look on his face, a young lab technician came over, wheeling in a rounded sample cylinder with a swing top and a selection of beakers.


    ¡°Boss says you break ¡®em, you''re paying for them, and Ms Romanovs words were ¡®blow something up and its laps till you puke¡¯.¡± before handing over a clipboard for Peter to sign and then walking away.


    ¡°So?¡± Peter lifted the cylinder and unscrewed the top, moving it back onto the trolly and grabbing the largest beaker there.


    ¡°Right, so, yeah, he¡¯s not happy but yeah.¡± and Flash held out a hand. The thick black oily symbiote slid over him and down his arm, sliding into the sample cylinder. Flash looked anxious as Peter lifted it and then placed it back on the table.


    ¡°It''s fine, once it starts Liv and I can leave, so you know I won''t try anything. I get Webb hates me, but well, that wasn''t me, Osborn did that. I just didn''t know he was there.¡± and he lifted the beak and a white fluid began to drip into it.


    ¡°Shit Parker, that isn''t?¡± Flash asked with a disgusted look on his face.


    ¡°Calm down, moron, it''s symbcells. The same substance that makes up the symbiotes, mine heals and regenerates symbiotic tissue,¡° and while Peter did shake his head, he knew exactly what the beaker of white fluid looked like.


    Once the beaker was full Peter upended it into the sample cylinder and Webb sloshed around in it and as it was absorbed they could see the changes almost immediately.


    Webb was originally black, coloured the same as Venom, with the same Spider motif on his chest. Really, Venom was copying Webb, as Peter was his first host, but now as the white spread across him, they could see the black fade, into grey at first and then into a pure brilliant white colour. As the symbiote sloshed and rolled around the cylinder it began to spin and soon toppled over, the small tendrils stretching out from the top, seeking out Flash.


    Flash held out his hand and soon Webb had begun to latch on, covering his arm and then spreading up his entire body. Unlike the girls and himself, who used symbcells to make clothing, only wearing a protective undersuit, Flash was fully dressed and Webb sat over it like armour.


    As the symbiote enveloped Flash he stood and roared. His armour was now White, with a black spider sitting in the middle of his chest with a web design spreading out from it and over his chest. His mask was the same, but now with smaller white almond-shaped eyes sat where Flash¡¯s eyes would be.


    ¡°We are Webb, and we are whole.¡± Webb announced and flexed a few times, ¡°and we are grateful.¡±


    ¡°Do you think all symbiotes announce themselves? or is it just ours?¡± Liv pondered and Peter snorted and laughed,


    ¡°They can''t talk so I guess maybe they want us to know they¡¯re there.¡± and Webb was too busy admiring his new form to say anything.


    As the symbskin retracted back into Flash he sat there, ¡°You know, you¡¯re a fucking pervert Parker,¡± and Peter and Livs faces both scrunched up before Liv turned and batted him on the arm,


    ¡°And why did you share that with him?¡± and he shook his head.


    ¡°I did-¡± Peter began but Flash interrupted,


    ¡°It¡¯s just feelings, no details. Uh Liv, Can I call you Liv? but I know, about all of them, and Parker, you¡¯re a fuckin man,¡± and he held up his hand for a high five but giving Liv a look, Peter shook his head subtly, ¡°Oh come on, what six? I mean, shit, talk about a ladies man, shit I can¡¯t even.¡± Flash noticed the look on Livs face and cleared his throat, ¡°uh, oh hey, I get this now too¡± and grabbing his pen, began to fill in the answers to each problem, ¡°fuckin A, got them all.¡± closing the book he saw the still angry look on Livs face and gathered his notebooks together. ¡°Uh, lunchtime, yeah, Webbs hungry, I''m hungry and uh, cya Parker,¡± and Flash stood, stretched and wandered off, whistling to himself. Even he was aware enough not to get involved in that conversation.


    Peter sat with an angry-looking Liv next to him, and as a hand leant over and pinched his thigh, ¡°You will tell us exactly what Mr Thompson was privy to Peter, or there will be consequences.¡±


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hub


    Malisson


    I am back online. Yay!


    A big thanks to everyone, as I see I hit 1000 readers.


    Small Call For Help


    So, it seems that a Russian translator site decided I was popular enough to steal.


    https://tl.rulate.ru/book/56563


    Now, while Scribble Hub is the sister site of Novel Updates, and I have no issue with fan translation of Japanese novels, I didn''t mind


    But they are charging for it, and that I do mind.


    I emailed them (I think) and asked them to take it down, I complained on the novel page (I think) that the novel was stolen, but so far nothing has been done.


    If anyone can actually read Russian (as I had to use Google Translate) can you report the novel as stolen. I have no idea if either the thief or the site will do anything but if they get enough reports they just might.


    Other than that, I''m not dropping or stopping the novel. Why should I punish everyone else for their greed?


    So, from now on, there will be a disclaimer on each page, I''ll make it separate but anyone copy/pasting the novel will have to go through each page to manually remove it. I''ll keep it at the bottom so it doesn''t disrupt the chapter.

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Seven. Keeping An Eye Out

    ¡°So, you cure Flash Thompson, you help Olivia Octavious rebuilt the OS of the War Machine, and yet, here I am sat with one eye, with an agent with one hand, and nothing. No thanks, no ¡®oh Director Fury, thanks for not hauling my irresponsible ass to jail¡¯ and yet,¡° and Fury shook his head, ¡±and yet, everyone seems to be getting what they want except the one person who is helping you the most.¡±


    After Peter had explained to Liv that emotions and feelings had been transferred over with the symbcell infusion and no direct memories, she had still dragged him into the lab and made him debug code for the rest of the day.


    With a sudden burst of power, and a now talkative symbiote, Flash had immediately headed to the gym and began to work out, sending Cap and Rumlow a message. While Peter toiled over line after line of broken code, Flash had an exhibition, which Fury found out about.


    ¡°So, am I getting my request, or are you going to ignore me and,¡° he shrugged, ¡°find another of my female agents to seduce, and add to whatever the hell you¡¯re doing when not at work.¡±


    Peter cast his gaze over to Natasha who was busy lifting things off one of Fury¡¯s sideboards, staring at them with rapt attention, ignoring the pair, ¡°Nat?¡±


    She sighed and put down a photo. ¡°I forgot. This devilishly handsome man keeps me up all night, doing wherever the hell it is we do when we¡¯re not working.¡±


    Peter shook his head and stood up, ¡°yeah, not taking the blame this time, Nat asked me, months ago? I told her it was her call, so, bye.¡± and Peter left before he was blamed for anything else, closing the door behind him and bolting down the corridor.


    A few moments later his phone buzzed, and laughing as he checked his messages,


    One hour, you ass, and you owe me.


    As he typed his reply he got a few looks from the staff of Shield HQ, but by now he was used to it. As he walked through the sterile white and beige painted walls, past the drab grey and black dressed staff, he realised that so far no one other than his team had made any effort to reach out to him, or the others for that matter. He knew they had gained a reputation, he could hear the quiet whispers and not just for the Misfits but the fact that Livs relationship was public but that Nat was also supposedly staying with him. Shaking his head and ignoring what he referred to as ¡®drones,¡¯ he made his way back to the gym.


    He found Webb squatting over a huge barbell. He hadn¡¯t been officially tested for his new strength yet but it was several rings all slid onto a double thick steel bar. As Webb strained he lifted the whole thing and a small crowd cheered,


    ¡°700 lbs,¡± Rumlow shouted and the crowd cheered again, Flash dropping the bar and flexing. Not wanting to embarrass the poor man Peter shook his head and moved on. Heading to the weapons testing centre where he knew he would find Liv.


    As he scanned his badge, allowing him access to the various departments, he smirked, suck it Flash, while Flash was a cadet, Peter''s badge gave him Level One access to parts of the building, a small and petty victory but one he still enjoyed. As he approached the War Machine hanger he could hear Liv and someone else arguing, it was a bald Asian man, someone Peter had never met before and he had no idea who he was.


    ¡°Agent Sitwell, I don''t care if you need authorisation, I''m giving you authorisation.¡± He could hear Liv shout,


    ¡°Yes Doctor, but I need to hear that from Agent Rumlow. He¡¯s the pilot, I can¡¯t authorise a complete overhaul of the suit without his say so,¡± he argued back,


    ¡°Really? So even though my name is on the door, even though my work is the one actually repairing the suit, and as I said before as my name is listed as department head, you still need Brock to sign off on this?¡±


    The man cleared his throat, ¡°Agent Rumlow is the pilot, and one directly recommended by Director Pierce. While Director Fury is the overarching head of this facility, Director Pierce is overseeing this project and therefore, while it might be your name on the door, Agent Rumlow is in charge, and unless he gives me the go-ahead to approve these changes, then there will be no changes.¡±


    Peter heard Liv huff, ¡°well, then as it seems that I am unnecessary. Until Brock finishes playing muscleman with Flash, I think I¡¯ll just go home. And you, agent Sitwell, can stick your head up Alexander Pierce''s arse. As your tongue¡¯s up there already!¡± and Peter waited until she slammed the door of the lab behind her before coming over,


    ¡°Let''s go home,¡± and she nodded and took his hand.


    Liv was quiet on the way back, but Peter knew she was seething mad. Since she had started working on War Machine, Rumlow had constantly undermined her authority. While it was natural as a senior agent, and as the pilot of the armour, it still grated her that she had an unofficial boss, one who didn''t understand any of the problems she was facing.


    As they entered the warehouse she screamed, ¡°I swear, if he gives me crap for one more fix I¡¯ll. I¡¯ll.'''' and she took a breath, ¡°hello Director Fury, don''t mind me, just letting off some steam.¡± and Liv gave Peter a look and headed into her home, slamming the door behind her.


    Fury raised an eyebrow. ¡°Problem?¡± and Peter shook his head,


    ¡°Not in your department no, I¡¯ll explain later,¡± and Fury just shrugged.


    ¡°Now, if you¡¯ll head up to my lab, we¡¯ll see what''s on the slab. I see you shiver with,¡± but Fury raised an eyebrow and looked at him, unamused.


    ¡°Anticipation. Oh, come on. Liv showed me that movie and, oh fine fine, upstairs, we can start when you¡¯re ready.¡± Peter was deflated, it was a good movie, if a little strange for his tastes, but Liv loved it.


    Shaking his head he motioned for Fury and the other agents to head up the walkway, He recognised Clint, from the first briefing, his arm in a sling, holding the bandaged end of his ruined hand. Coulson was there but there were also two women he had no clue about. One was a tall brunette, sharp eyes and she stared at him as he motioned, shaking her head as she walked past him, great, Peter thought, another prude, and as the last woman walked past, a cute blonde with the same serious look, she leant in and whispered,


    ¡°your lab? Is it a jump to the left?¡± and Peter snorted and laughed as he shook his head,


    ¡°Just up the ramp, but keep your knees in tight thought,¡± and she smiled as she followed the rest.


    Once they were in the room, Fury nodded and took out a small circular disk, which he handed to Peter, and even as he shrugged he still pressed the button on the top. Nothing happened visually but to Peter, he felt and tingled as the device emitted a constant stream of not just white noise but ionic interference as well.


    ¡°You know I shielded this place right?¡± but Fury shrugged,


    ¡°And if I wanted I could penetrate that, so it never hurts to be careful.¡± and Peter laughed,


    ¡°Sure Nick, sure.¡± and as the group all stared at Fury, being huffy with a kid, they had no clue as to where their director was and who this stranger was.


    ¡°Uh look, this is nice and all but my hand, you know, the one I was promised I could get back,¡± Clint said, waving his stump at the pair, and Peter nodded,


    ¡°Gwen will take you next door, but we don¡¯t know if Enhancement will do that. You might not get your hand, but your eye should be back to normal,¡± as he waved over at Fury as well.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± and Fury looked over at him,


    ¡°You might need to remain Enhanced.¡± but Clint shook his head,


    ¡°We discussed this,¡± Fury said,


    ¡°No, you discussed this, my wife on the other hand told me, and who do you think I¡¯ll listen to. No more Shield.¡± As Clint spoke Gwen walked in and handed him a bottle ¡°uh, what this? I thought it was an injection¡± but Gwen just handed one to Fury,


    ¡°Regrowing limbs is great but the procedure will make you hungry, protein shake with essential minerals and a few extras. You first though, regrowing a hand will be gross and I don''t want anyone puking.¡±


    ¡°Uh, Ms Stacy, we¡¯re all highly trained shield agents here, I don''t think-¡± Nick began but the blonde interrupted him,


    ¡°Gross as in muscle and bone regrowing at a viable rate gross?¡± And Gwen nodded, ¡°yeah I don''t want to watch that, oh, and as Nick is an ass, I¡¯m Sharon,¡± and she lent over to shake Gwen¡¯s hand, and ¡°Clint,¡± who raised a hand and finger saluted her, ¡°Maria,¡± who stood and scowled, ¡°and finally Phil,¡± who shook her hand as well,


    ¡°hi, nice meeting you.¡±


    ¡°Likewise, but you all are getting Enhanced right? Or am I missing something?¡± and Fury nodded,


    ¡°Just the eye for me, but yeah, Enhancement for everyone else.¡± Fury stated, Clint just taking a swig of his bottle and frowning.


    ¡°I still don''t see why though, I mean, once we do this we all fall under the accords, and then we¡¯re more limited than as normal agents.¡± Sharon stood, crossing her arms staring at Fury, who shook his head,


    ¡°Nope, Stark testified in front of a congressional committee and screwed that all up. I get you don¡¯t like him, he did punch you through a building but right now, he saved all our asses.¡±


    ¡°Got a TV I can cast too?¡± and Peter nodded, switching on the projector behind him, Fury took out his phone and after swiping it, a video began to play.


    ¡°So Mr Stark, we are here to ask you to hand over the specifications for the Iron Man suits as well as the manufacturing methods,¡± and as Tony laughed he shook his head,


    ¡°Yeah, that''s not happening. See, you can call them military all you like, but do that and several of the patents and parts I use suddenly fall under that too, and unless you feel like refitting almost every commercial jet in the US, and making every single airline a military operation, then tough, I say no.¡±


    ¡°You realise the New York accords give us that power Mr Stark,¡±


    ¡°Yeah, see, a lot of people think I''m just a billionaire, philanthropist, playboy but I am also a genius and I have a lot of staff. When your boss, and I don''t mean the flag one, I mean the money one, wrote those laws, they slipped in a few minor details.¡±


    ¡°See, any private company can apply for a licence and hold its own Enhanced team, as long as they aren''t wanted criminals, or have a criminal record. And the paperwork takes 5 minutes.¡±


    That brought a flurry of activity from not just the senators who struggled to find the passages in the paper in front of them but from reporters behind him as well. Tony turned and smiled and waved for the cameras.


    ¡°So, yeah, with this permit,¡± and Tony took out a card, labelled with Iron Man, and a snap of his smug smiling face, which he held up to his own face, ¡±I can run as many Iron drones as I like, and you can''t stop me. If you try, then not just me but," and Tony clicked a pen at the monitor and Shield¡¯s database came up. ¡°Shield, oh Avengers, nice name by the way, and Sword. The military, Thunderbolts? Really, you let Ross name his team after himself and I''m the one in court. See, they all become illegal, and they all get jail time, sure me too, but are you going to throw Alexander Pierce in jail, or war hero General Thaddeus Ross, oh he¡¯d love that.¡± And the crowd behind Tony erupted in a cacophony of questions.


    As the group watched the clip Peter shook his head,


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Fury explained, ¡°Stark might be an ass, even bigger than you, but he is a smart ass and he just saved all of us.¡±


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Eigth. A Shield To Hide Your Fury

    Clint broke the silence, ¡°yeah, that''s great and all, but you know, my hand?¡± and sucked the last of the shake from the glass, making a slurping noise as he chased it around the bottom of the glass.


    Gwen signed, ¡°Of Course Clint, but Curt will be doing your injections, and yours too Agent Fury and Coulson. The girls will be done by me, and don¡¯t need to explain why do I?¡± and while Fury shook his head, the others looked confused,


    Gwen sighed with exasperation, ¡°You know, the whole spy bit gets tiresome when you don''t explain anything. The formula makes you sick, removes dead tissue and then forcefully expels it. It''s different for everyone but a change of clothing and a bathroom are in someone''s future.¡± she specifically looked over at Phil, who was a seemingly big fan of not sticking to a diet.


    ¡°What? I run,¡± he said, unconvincingly as he ran a hand over his stomach, ¡°I do,¡± as Mariah raised an eyebrow and smirked.


    ¡°Regardless, if you don''t want the boys to see you, then we¡¯re doing this separately. Liv has conveniently taken a trip out to clear her head, so boys upstairs and girls down in the shower room.¡±


    With the groups separated Peter and Gwen spent the rest of the day treating and enhancing Fury¡¯s group of agents. The enhancement process had become second nature to them, having done the group themselves before. Fury suddenly held a hand over his eye, as pain shot through him.


    ¡°Motherfucker¡± he swore as Peter held his eye open,


    ¡°Yeah, whatever did this isn''t healing with the formula, what was it some kind of poison?¡± and Fury nodded,


    ¡°Yeah, an alien asshole cut me, and it never healed right.¡±


    ¡°Not a doctor but I''m guessing whatever they did won''t ever heal, sorry Nick but it''s the eye patch for you.¡± and leaning over the table Peter handed to him.


    Snatching it and sliding it over his head, ¡°So much for the miracle formula. Speaking of which,¡± and Fury motioned over the Clint, who was still missing a hand,


    ¡°Yeah, You never told him he would have to remain enhanced to keep it. Only Curts Lizard formula will regrow a whole limb, the Stacy formula doesn¡¯t mutate an individual to that degree.¡± As Fury looked over at Clint, he did see the disappointment on the mans face, ¡°So what? Nothing?¡± and Gwen shook her head.


    ¡°We can use him as a test subject for the new CLS, but it¡¯s a whole lot of paperwork and a whole lot of conversations. Nothing we can do in an afternoon.¡±


    ¡°I bet Laura will be disappointed,¡± Fury smirked, and Clint shook his head.


    ¡°A real man doesn¡¯t need a hand, Nick,¡± and Peter shook his head. He guessed that as head of Shield, Nick held power, and once you weren''t a part of that structure anymore, the effect faded. Clint teasing Fury while the others hid their smiles brought some joy to Peter, knowing he wasn''t as full of bluster as he presented.


    ¡°Thing is, right now what are you going to do about the accords?¡± Peter asked but Fury shook his head,


    ¡°You don''t need to know that, stick with your own mission and leave me to my team,¡± but Fury took out a card, with his own name, scowling photo, and Fists of Fury printed on it.


    ¡°Oh no,¡± Sharon said, ¡°we are not being called the Fists of Fury, change it,¡± and Fury shook his head,


    ¡°Can¡¯t, non-refundable deposit on the team.¡± and Sharon tilted her head as she scowled,


    ¡°Then I quit, Agents of Fury was bad enough. You and your damn names, but Fists of Fury, no, not a chance in hell.¡± but Peter held a finger up to his lips and they all quietened down, Staring at him confused,


    ¡°You know Doc, it ain¡¯t that difficult.'''' and as they strained, they could hear Rumlow talking to Liv in the warehouse.


    Peter motioned to the group and pointed up, slipping into his armour and extending an arm up and into the hidden hatch mechanism. When he rebuilt the roof he made sure the hatchway was still secure and led into one of his labs. He didn''t want Felicia or the others to drop in on him unannounced after a night hunting. The group silently waited as he opened it and thankfully it didn''t squeak as he gently lowered it. He pointed to Sharon, and then knelt down, cupping his hand and she nodded. One by one they were given a boost up and onto the roof.


    Fury shook his head as he stuck a boot into Peter''s hands and he was lifted out of the warehouse and onto the roof, ¡°Well, now we know how you got in and out without our agents spotting you,¡± and Peter shrugged,


    As Fury crawled over to the edge, he took out a small mirror from his coat and lifted it over the edge, holding up two fingers and then he crawled back to the group.


    ¡°Two cars, meaning at least 6 agents, you don''t happen to have a sewer escape route do you?¡± but Peter shook his head.


    ¡°I can swing up, never needed one before, plus, it would be in the bottom of the warehouse, and the meeting table is there, we¡¯d never get to it.¡±


    Peter thought for a moment, ¡°Distraction.¡± and took out his phone, ¡°Uh hey, can I ask a favour, and I know, but Fury¡¯s good for it?¡± and after a brief pause, ¡°can you send at least 4 girls to the warehouse, hey, pst, what colour and make were the cars,¡± and after describing the stereotypical black sedan, Peter relayed the information to Felicia.


    ¡°Right, give it 20 minutes and some streetwalkers are going to come over and distract them. I can shoot out lines and each of you can either go up or down, your choice. Nick and Clint, down would probably be better, as uh, no strength for the swing.¡±


    ¡°We can swing around back, and make it look like we¡¯re here on business.¡± Nick said, crouching lo ¡°take Sharon, Mariah and Clint, I know you¡¯re strong enough to carry him, the hand is a dead giveaway. Coulson with me, we can be here on business. I did hear that Dr Octavious told Agent Sitwell to shove himself somewhere painful, it''s not unreasonable we¡¯d be here.¡±


    Peter thought for a moment and nodded, ¡°I can still hear them, Liv¡¯s arguing about the lack of leadership, so we''ve got time.¡± Peter crouched over to the wall and listened out, ¡°our lady friends are here, get ready,¡± and shooting out two web lines to the water tower, shot out two more to the taller building a bit away, ¡°swing from the tower to get momentum and then swap to the other for the ride, don''t drop them, and don''t fall. Enhanced doesn''t mean indestructible, plus one of you will have Clint.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take him,'''' Mariah volunteered, ¡°what? Laura knows me, and she won¡¯t pitch a fit if I manhandling her husband,¡± and Clint shrugged,


    ¡°Just don¡¯t drop me,¡± and she frowned and shrugged.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± laughing and shaking his head he grabbed onto her as she lifted him effortlessly, taking two of the web lines from Peter and began to climb the tower.


    Peter watched the trio swing away while Fury and Coulson climbed down another web line at the back of the warehouse and quickly ran across the street to avoid detection. As Peter listened he could hear the agents in the cars forcefully telling the girls to leave and made a mental note to thank them later, and Liv was still arguing with Rumlow downstairs in the warehouse.


    With nothing else to do, he lowered himself and quietly closed the hatch. As Liv''s voice grew louder, he knew that was his cue to make an appearance, and as he stared down the walkway to the table, Rumlow and Liv both stopped speaking.


    ¡°Hey, I get things are stressful but no yelling please,¡± he asked as he grabbed a cup and poured himself coms coffee, ¡°so, no deal then?¡± and Rumlow smiled and shook his head, rubbing the back of his head with  hand, while Liv huffed and crossed her arms,


    ¡°Brock here was explaining to me that while I am a great scientist I am not a Shield agent and therefore I''m not in charge.¡± and Peter frowned but shrugged,


    ¡°Seems reasonable. So what¡¯s the issue?¡± and Liv moved over and jabbed him with a finger,


    ¡°Because I need to know my orders are being followed and not ignored until someone okays them. Peter, of all people I thought you would understand.¡± and shaking her head she stormed off and slammed the door to her home, leaving Rumlow and Peter alone,


    ¡°Uh, well, I guess that''s that then huh?¡± Rumlow said, ¡°uh, you think she¡¯ll come round?¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°Her last boss was a real dick, just be patient and yeah, she will.¡±


    Rumlow snorted, ¡°yeah, we know about Osborn, but I really mean that. Will she be okay? Work is work, but uh I dunno, seems a bit personal, you know?¡±


    Peter half shrugged, ¡°I¡¯ll speak to her, uh, I¡¯ll see you at training, so I can let you know, but once she cools off, she¡¯ll be fine.¡± and it was Brocks turn to shrug,


    ¡°Well, thanks for the coffee but uh I gotta go, while Liv is great, the armour doesn¡¯t pilot itself and I hear Sitwell is making my guy¡¯s lives hell.¡± As he sat down his cup the door buzzer went and Fury and Coulson made an appearance, ¡°yeah, definitely time to go, my boss and Fury don''t see eye to uh, they don''t agree.¡± and Peter tried not to laugh,


    Hitting the door buzzer Brock simply nodded at Fury as he brushed past them, and after the door was closed Fury took out a small device and waved it around, ¡°clear.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll stay for a few minutes, give the impression that we¡¯re only here on business and then split. Hill and Carter should have gotten away, and once everything calms down you can come back to Shield HQ.¡±


    Peter nodded and sat quietly as Fury checked his watch, ¡°long enough, work, tomorrow, no slacking, oh and good job with Flash.¡± and Peter was left alone in the warehouse as they left.


    Yeah, think they bought it? He asked Liv.


    I have no idea, but if they didn''t it won''t make a difference, they either suspect or they don''t, and with Brock conveniently meeting me while I was out, I do suspect my phone is a tracker at least. Liv was still in her home, lying on her bed with a pillow over her face.


    It''s all we can do though, this works or it doesn''t and we plan for either scenario.


    I don''t like it though, lying to Fury, don''t you think he¡¯ll be mad?


    A con only works if the target doesn¡¯t know it''s a target, that''s what Nat said.


    I''m pretty sure she worded it better than that dear, but I know what you mean. Just, please, with everything remember I love you, no matter what happens.


    Peter knew that Brock being friendly might be an excuse to get Liv further on their side, but flirting and being friendly would strain their relationship. Peter knew that and understood, it was painful to know but if they could nail the rat bastards then it was worth it. Of course, Liv had also promised a night of the filthiest dirtiest sex Peter could think of to make sure he knew just how much she loved him, and that had sealed the deal.


    As Liv and Peter continued their discussion Rumlow sat with a hand on his chin, staring out the car window as he and an agent made their way back to Shield HQ, ¡°think they know?¡± and Rumlow shook his head,


    ¡°Nah, with what Liv told us, we got Fury and the others leaving. Parkers no good, neither¡¯s Nat, but Flash and Liv? I think I can get them on side.¡±


    The other agent snorted, ¡°who¡¯da thought Venom was such a pussy, must be all the fuckin women he¡¯s banging, makes you soft.¡±


    Rumlow laughed, that was something else he was going to do, make sure he got a good woman like Liv away from such a fucking philandering douchebag as Parker.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Nine. Memory Issues

    ¡°You know Peter, when I was invited to work for Shield and be on a team with you, I thought you know, that we would actually be training together.¡± Wanda stood with her arms crossed while Laura attacked another training dummy. ¡°What I did not realise was that you would be fooling around with Flash, and Laura and I would be stuck in a classroom while we were taught math and English,¡± she uttered something in Sokovian, and while Peter had no clue what she meant, the intent was clear. Wanda was not happy.


    Peter couldn''t blame her though, as he had assumed the same but it seemed that while Shield the spy organisation probably had lax rules, Shield the international law enforcement agency and training academy was quite strict.


    After failing both written and physical exams, Wanda and Laura had been separated and kept in their own remedial classes. Laura only failing the physical side as she wrecked not just the assault course but the measuring machines, uttering, ¡°danger room better,¡± before stomping off and refusing to budge on the matter. Her test scores on the academic side were even worse, and as it appeared she had no schooling whatsoever and still had a little problem with her anger, another classroom was wrecked and Laura was banned from taking any classes whatsoever. In fact, Fury had just dumped them both on Peter, and given Flash¡¯s impressive test results, told him to fix them as well.


    Wanda was an easier case, she had the knowledge, just her grasp of written English was terrible, not surprising considering her non-English origin. Her physical condition was a different matter and without using her powers her physical strength and stamina were below average. This surprised Peter as he thought growing up on a farm she would have a farmers constitution but nope, she hated farm work and refused, instead she helped her mother bake and make meals.


    So, his first task as team leader was to get these two motivated and while he wasn''t about to admit it to anyone he had a perfect plan.


    You want to do what? Wanda scowled as they communicated telepathically. He was getting better but sometimes he leaked a bit and she got some of his more base emotions, ones she didn¡¯t want to be feeling at Shield.


    Use the Mind Stone to give you and Laura the information you need, it¡¯s uh, like telepathy but a bit, more.


    I remember what the Mind Stone did Peter, which is why I am scowling, see? and she glared at him, and you think this is a good idea?


    Of course, worked on Flash, didn''t it? and Wanda glared even harder at him,


    Of all the irresponsible, and then her thoughts devolved into a stream of Eastern European curse words but the emotion behind them was very clear. You¡¯re a stupid idiot, and no.


    As he held Laura''s hand, as he needed physical contact to initiate a link if the other person wasn¡¯t a telepath, she just frowned,


    Make smart? Without books?


    Yes, but Wanda had a bad experience with what I''m suggesting, so she doesn''t want to.


    No, because it is dangerous and stupid, and you could hurt her.


    Trust him, trust him more than baldy and spoon man.


    Spoon man? And Laura thought of Erik, demonstrating his powers by levitating spoons and while it was impressive, his face at the new name was even better and Wanda had to stifle a laugh as it scrunched up in anger and then acceptance that he couldn''t be mad at someone with no social experience.


    Then me first, show red that not bad man, good man. Plus, brain bad, baldy say, damaged, maybe fix?


    Peter frowned and using the Stone looked for what Laura was talking about.


    ¡°Holy shit,¡± Peter said out loud in shock, and Wanda frowned and looked at him quizically,


    ¡°What?¡± And he shook his head,


    Not here, we need to go home for this anyway, I¡¯ll let Fury know it¡¯s private tutoring time and get out of classes, and Peter took out his phone and let Nat and Fury know that he was taking the pair home to tutor them.


    Once the trio was back in the warehouse Peter made sure that everyone else was out. MJ had another part she was currently working on, Felicia and Gwen were both dealing with Hell¡¯s kitchen and he had gotten a text from Liv,


    Brock and I are going out for a drink later, don''t wait up, kisses.


    Shaking his head, he turned his phone to silent and took Wanda and Laura up into his new home.


    ¡°You have been busy Peter, are some of these for us as well?" Wanda asked nervously, she still had to approach her father about moving in here, she was fine as long as he was attending Shield academy but his disdain for Peter was evident.


    ¡°Yup, You just need to move in and then decorate, but first.¡± Peter took a deep breath. ¡°Laura, you have something in your skull, a huge metal, needle I think. I can only feel around its edges where there is a void, do you want us to remove it?¡± and Laura nodded,


    ¡°You can''t do that!¡± Wanda stood and shouted. ¡°We don''t have a doctor, or a surgery, or a doctor. We-¡° and Peter put a hand on her.


    ¡°We can, I can guide you and you can just remove it¡± and Laura nodded,


    ¡°Are you insane? You¡¯ll kill her,¡± and as if Laura understood she stood and her class slid out, blood ripped as Wanda stared slack-jawed


    ¡°Good healer¡± and Laura cut off one of her fingers. Wanda dry heaved as the finger slowly regrew and in a few seconds was good as new.


    ¡°This is insane, healing factor or not, I can¡¯t Peter, I just can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Look, we need to get that out, I can do it but it means digging it out her skull, and involving Gwen and everyone else. You can just remove it in one motion, her healing factor will take care of the rest and we have formula if it can''t, plus another option, but we leave that one till last.¡±


    Peter wasn''t about to spawn another symbiote, especially not for someone as unstable as Laura. MJ and everyone had issues but Laura was a timebomb of rage and fury at the best of times and adding a symbiote to that was asking to get a lot of people killed. Even so, he would if he needed to, he liked Laura and she had grown attached to him, he wouldn¡¯t just stand back and let her die if he could save her, and damn the consequences.


    ¡°I can¡¯t Peter, it¡¯s not just using my powers, what if she dies? I can¡¯t,¡± and Laura moved over and took her by the shoulders,


    ¡°My head, my life, please, can¡¯t talk, can''t speak right, angry all the time, only Monkey calms me, fight, eat, sleep, please.¡± Wanda could see the frustration on Laura¡¯s face, but there was one thing bugging her,


    ¡°Monkey?¡± and Laura nodded over to Peter, who rubbed a hand over his face and sighed,


    ¡°When we rescued her I couldn¡¯t go out as Venom so I used another name. Night Monkey, the girls all thought it was hilarious.¡± and as Wanda held her stomach laughing, apparently so did she,


    ¡°Oh my god Peter, no little Monkey, I can see why she likes it, but it still, Laura, why has my father not done anything, if it''s metal he can remove it easily too?¡±


    Laura cocked her head to one side, ¡°not know, not told why, just given training and then told see Peter, get friends, plus, beat ass of students till they let me out.¡± and Peter snorted, that sounded more like why Laura had been allowed to attend the academy.


    ¡°So, she said yes, I¡¯ll be here to guide you, ready?¡± and as he knelt down and took hold of Laura, Wanda took a deep breath and a sliver of metal, only a few millimetres thick but at least 4 inches long shot out of the top of Laura¡¯s head and she collapsed, panting and grabbing her head.


    ¡°I could feel it, and it''s a needle, I know, I''ve seen enough of them,¡± and as Laura struggled she howled in rage and pain, and Peter grabbed her tighter, enveloping her with this power, holding her close,


    ¡°Ssh, it¡¯s okay¡± but as he held onto her tightly, she screamed,


    ¡°there was no easy way to do that, and you said it yourself. Unless you wanted to-¡± but she saw that Peter was sweating, trying to keep the thrashing Laura calm, and she had made a terrible mistake.


    I was crying but no one came to save me, alone I sat in my box, and cried, over and over. ¡°Can¡¯t you shut the fuck up,¡± someone yells but as I stop, I can only whisper, ¡°please, mommy?¡±


    I¡¯m older now, and they¡¯ve given me a mommy, a nice lady, she called me sugar and she sings to me,


    I scream as they cut my hand off again, ¡°pathetic,¡± a man says, I don''t know his name but he smells bad and his face is angry, mommy tells me it''s called being angry,


    ¡°And you thought a female would be easier to control?¡± and as he hits another man, he storms off, smelling like angry. He beat me again, I once grabbed his belt and choked him with it, he never came back and the next man used a stick, it was shiny, like my bars.


    The man puts something in my mouth and it tastes like meat, he screams and bleeds when I bite it. The next man never speaks to me, only taps his shiny sparky rod on my bars. Mommy has been looking sad lately, I can smell something is wrong.


    They start to do more things now, I''m hooked to a bag, making my head hurt but the oatmeal they give me makes the pain go away, mommy holds my hand and cries after each thing they do, I know she doesn''t like it here, but as long as I have mommy, I don''t mind.


    Mommy made me oatmeal, it''s yummy but now I feel sleepy, it''s not enough to make me sleep though and I feel them slip something over my head, I feel a sharp pain in my head and everything goes black.


    I hear them argue again. ¡°Viper, dose her and then take her for your little project, I don''t care. If she lives, she lives,¡± as I¡¯m strapped to a bed it¡¯s bright and smells funny, mommy once told me about the outside and as I''m wheeled on my bed into a new box I see the giant sign above the door,


    The Essex Foundation For The Betterment Of Mankind.


    As Laura bites and claws at him, tears stream down Peter''s face, as each slap, each kick punch, every single beating she ever felt rushes into him at once, and together they howl in pain and anger.


    Shocked by the reaction, Wanda surrounds herself with an energy field but Peter and Laura just rock back and forth, Peter crying as Laura screams and thrashes. Even as her claws score bloody lines across his flesh he never once lets her go, holding her tightly, hugging her close to him and soon she stops screaming and wraps her arms around him, crying and sobbing into his chest.


    Telepath or not, Wanda begins to feel the waves of anger coming from Peter. Unlike before, even at his worst, this is like a tidal wave of pressure, each thrum of his heart brings a promise of a terrifyingly painful future to whoever did this to her. As he stands and turns, Wanda catches the look on his face, and even her father¡¯s anger never scared her as much as he did right then.


    Feeling the Mind Stone envelop her, Wanda watches as Peter tucks Laura into his bed, handing her a dirty t-shirt which she subconsciously grabs and hugs into her chest, he waits as her breathing becomes shallower and gritting his teeth, leaves the room, leaving the door open.


    ¡°So, are you going to yell at me now?¡± Wanda asks, sitting on the couch, rubbing her hands together nervously.


    Frowning, Peter shakes his head,


    Quiet, she needs the sleep to recover, but no, why? why would I yell at you?


    For doing that to her, and as she sends the message, Peter flares with anger once more but it evaporates as he sees her fear,


    Sorry, sorry. That wasn¡¯t you Wanda. You did what we asked, that fucking shit wasn¡¯t you. I¡¯m sorry. I. I''m angry, but at them, not at you, not for this, not for any of this. I do need a favour though. Ask Selene that if she comes good on it she can get whatever the hell she wants from me, and I¡¯ll ask Jean for Charles¡¯s help as well.


    Help me find those bastards, so I can kill every single last fucking one of them.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Seventy. Sky’s The Limit

    ¡°Look, I''m sorry okay, but I ain¡¯t taking the cuff off,¡± Brock explained to a very angry looking Liv. His partner, Jack, shook his head,


    ¡°Well, what did you expect? Nobody¡¯s happy with those on.¡±


    Last night Liv and Brock had gone for their drink, and as Brock went to take her arm, he slipped a silver metallic bracelet around her wrist, a smaller more easily concealed version of the collar. After spending the night interrogating her they were now heading back to Shield Academy.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine dear, but we will talk about boundaries once this is all over. You could have just asked. You know I worked for Osborn, a little death and mayhem isn''t outside my job description.¡± and Brock laughed while Jack smirked,


    ¡°Yeah, but we had to make sure doc, with you and the kid, Fury¡¯s not going to like what''s about to happen and we need you on our side, no tricks.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so this was really about Peter was it?¡± and Jack raised an eyebrow at Rumlow, who shrugged,


    ¡°What?¡± and as Jack snorted and shook his head, Brock repeated himself ¡°what? So I like you, so what? That''s that and this is business.¡±


    ¡°Again, you could have just asked. I am an adult, not some stupid teenager. If you wanted to know about Peter and myself, you should have said, I swear Brock, this is worse than high school.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± and Liv sighed,


    ¡°I have seen your scans. You are a very attractive man, well endowed and quite pleasant to be around. Yes, if Peter wasn¡¯t in the picture I could see us being more than just friends.¡±


    Jack checked his bag, ¡°maybe you should check her cuff again,¡± and Rumlow looked confused, ¡°I''m your best friend and I think you¡¯re an asshole, if she likes you, it must be broke or something.¡± and Rumlow laughed and batted him on the chest with a fist.


    ¡°Just get your shit together. Liv, I need you to call Peter, and get him and those other two to the west wing observatory, okay?¡± and Liv nodded, taking out her phone and sending Peter a text.


    As he stared at his phone, he was hesitant to take Laura anywhere, but he needed to get back to Shield academy. She had woken and seemed to be in a good mood as she wolfed down more of the breakfast mix she had eaten when she was first here. She had given him a pitiful look and said, ¡°sick, need comfort,¡± and while he shook his head he still smiled as he mixed the eggs together.


    Laura was already a lot calmer, forming more coherent sentences and stopped growling as much, using words rather than just noises. She still tilted her head and whined while using a fatal pout, but he figured that was more because she knew it was cute and was exploiting him for sympathy.


    His phone dinged and as he checked the message from Liv he sighed, ¡°right, Shield, and you need to come with me, are you okay?¡± and with a mouthful of egg and sausage Laura nodded, Wanda opting for just coffee nodded,


    ¡°Is it time?¡± and Peter nodded and sighed,


    ¡°Yup, so be ready.¡±


    The Academy was eerily quiet as the trio walked through its corridors. Even if Peter didn''t know what was about to happen, he would have guessed something was up. Unless it was a holiday the place was never this empty and as graduation for the main student body was still several months away it would have looked strange.


    Peter waved at Liv who smiled and waved them over, Rumlow was making some adjustments to the War Machine armour with another agent Peter had never seen before. They were busy loading drums of what Peter could only guess was ammo into the shoulder and wrist guns and didn¡¯t even acknowledge their presence,


    ¡°So good of you to come, Peter. We¡¯re doing the first test of the War Machine today and I know you like Stark Tech. There is an auditorium upstairs where you can see everything. Flash, be a dear and them to their seats. We prepared them just for you, it''s the best place to get a good view.¡± and she leaned over and kissed Peter on the cheek.


    Smiling and kissing the back of Livs hand, Peter followed Flash up to the glass circular room, ¡°uh yeah, it''s a bunker, so they can do live-fire exercises. You guys get comfy and I¡¯ll get us soda, you want?¡± Flash asked and even Peter could see how nervous he was,


    ¡°No Flash, we¡¯re good. Let''s just get the show started.¡± and for a moment Flash had a blank look on his face,


    ¡°Uh yeah, yeah,¡± and as he left he hit a button on the outside of the door and it slid shut with a hiss.


    As they watched on the monitors, Rumlow and the other agent finished loading up the armour, sliding in several power packs and then the final arcstar into the chest cavity. Rumlow looked up and smirked as the front of the armour opened and stepping back into it, it closed around him,


    ¡°Hey Parker, you remember my first lesson?¡± and Peter shrugged and nodded,


    ¡°Well, you failed.¡± and the War Machine armour powered on, the helmet lights sparking into life and the arcstar reactor flared. Guns clicked and chambered rounds and the shoulder cannons began to glow blue as their new Pulse cores came online. ¡°Jack, get Flash and Liv back to HQ, I want to take care of these three myself,¡± and as the other agent nodded, he led Flash and Liv away, neither turning to look at what Rumlow had planned.


    ¡°See, you think you¡¯re smart, you think you¡¯ve got powers but us, we knew about you Venom, and Scarlet Witch and well, you ain''t that impressive. Aliens will never match good old fashioned American Tech, plus a little nazi ingenuity.


    That room was for the Hulk, and you ain¡¯t the Hulk. It''s a shame though, but I¡¯ll take good care of Liv once you¡¯re gone. A man, nah, a kid like you, doesn''t deserve a woman like Liv.¡±


    War Machine pressed a control panel attached to the wrist of his armour. ¡°Evacuation protocol, engaged.¡± came out of the speakers and the circular room flared into life. Red warning lights flashed and as Peter stood in the centre of the room, glaring at War Machine the room was suddenly catapulted straight up, through the auditorium roof and into the sky.


    ¡°Yeah, survive that fuckface.¡± and War Machine lifted off and flew out after them.


    Peter felt something hit the bottom of the room and the skyline, slowly at first and then faster, rose and disappeared below them. He guessed that Rumlow must be using the War Machine to push them higher, the best way to neutralize them was to take them somewhere a lot of power was useless, such as space. Shield must have figured that even Hulk needed to breathe.


    ¡°Wanda, can you create a pocket of oxygen?¡± and she shook her head,


    ¡°I can gather the air around me, yes, but not anyone else. My magic isn''t that strong,¡± and Peter cursed. He was fine, and so was Wanda but Laura would suffocate eventually. Even if the low temperatures wouldn¡¯t faze her regenerative abilities, having no air would.


    ¡°Laura, can you try the glass?¡± and even as Venom slid out and he drew his nails across whatever the rooms windows were made from there was no scratch and Lauras claws weren¡¯t any better, ¡°Wanda?¡± and she shook her head, and as she floated over she lay a hand on it,


    ¡°Very thick, difficult but I could, but then what? we¡¯re over the clouds now and you would die.'''' Laura had sat down and was panting already, the air in the room escaping quickly.


    ¡°Nope, I can breathe, my symbskin can make oxygen, it¡¯s just Laura,¡± and taking a deep breath, ¡°but I can make her a host, but,¡± and he exhaled, ¡°newly formed symbiotes tend to overload their hosts¡±


    Wanda shrugged, Laura now laying down and starting to look very pale. Barely breathing.


    ¡°If Laura had impulse control issues before, then this will be a lot worse.¡± and Wanda shrugged,


    ¡°Worse than being dead?¡± and Peter couldn¡¯t argue, although, if she raged, it might not be Laura that was in danger of dying.


    ¡°Okay, try this against the glass¡± and he handed Wanda the needle they had removed, ¡°and I¡¯ll deal with Laura, just uh, be ready to move.¡± and Wanda nodded solemnly.


    As Wanda waved her hands, the red energy surrounded the needle and as it flew and impacted the glass it created a spiderweb of cracks, ¡°how?¡± as she looked at the damage in shock,


    ¡°It uh, feels similar to the metal we recovered from Sokovia, I figured it was a super metal, enough to stop Laura from rejecting it and regenerating. Keep going, once you¡¯ve cracked it enough for us to escape I¡¯ll deal with Laura.¡±


    Peter really didn¡¯t want to be trapped in the room with a homicidal symbiote enhanced Laura but as the sky¡¯s blue faded into a deeper black, the lifting stopped and both he and Laura lifted off the floor of the room.


    War Machine, coated in a thin film of ice flew up and watched the three for a moment, before giving a fake salute, then the finger and flying off.


    ¡°Now Peter¡± and Wanda launched the needle at the glass, its thin but shard point penetrating the glass window and as the last of the air whistled and escaped Peter extended his symbskin over Laura and then as it retracted she was left with a coating of her own.


    ¡°Talon,¡± was all she said as the colour deepened into black, and similar to Huntress she had tan claw marks across her legs, shoulders, and arms. As if Talon had copied his Dusk outfit rather than Venom her shoulders were covered in a thick black cloak that flowed down her back and her mask only covered half her face with dark tan crescent eyes, leading up to black pointed wings rather than ears.


    ¡°Are we good Talon? I¡¯d rather not fight you in here.¡±


    We will fight you once we are free, and we will claim you as our prize if we win.


    Even though Talon had spoken in his mind Wanda shouted, ¡°screw later, Deal with the glass.¡± She had punched several holes but each one was still insufficient to break the window.


    Venom laid a hand over them, ¡°Make one here and here,¡± he pointed and stepped back as the needle whistled through the air. ¡°Good, Talon, punch here when I punch here, and Wanda, push against at the holes as we do, okay?¡± and the two nodded ¡°good, on three. One, two and three.¡±


    The group struck. Venom cracking a line between three holes while Talons lesser strength still cracked two more. With a final push from Wanda a whole section, large enough for them to fit through was pushed from the window,


    ¡°Now what?¡± Wanda shouted, as the three braced against the last of the escaping air.


    ¡°Now, fly out and lower us to the ground,¡± Venom replied, there was no way to stop this, other than by using Wanda''s powers. Even with two symbiotes, he doubted they could produce enough web or suspend something this large before it hit the ground.


    ¡°Are you insane, I can''t lift something this heavy,¡± and Venom shook his head.


    Save air. You don''t have to, just slow us down. Oh and maybe aim us away from a population centre, I don''t want to kill anyone if we need to escape.


    Wanda huffed and as the red energy enveloped the room the strain on her face was visible,


    Just slow us down, don''t try to lift it,


    I am, now shut the hell up!


    Talon had dug her claws into the floor as she sat on her haunches staring at Venom while he argued with Wanda. As the red glow permeated the whole room he was able to hold on with his feet but still had the problem of stopping,


    Wanda, can you release the room when we''re lower to the ground and fly out, use your power to make a platform we can swing from?


    I''m not a jungle gym so no. I can manipulate objects not create platforms, do you not know what telekinesis is?


    Venom sighed, I do, but it didn''t hurt to ask. I¡¯d rather not find out right after I¡¯m smeared across the ground you could have made something for us to swing from. So can you lift us both, even for a second?


    I probably could, I don''t know, I''ve never tried to lift a person, only objects.


    You fly! How is that different?


    I fly, not make others fly, stop being annoying, stupid Venom man. You learnt o fly if it¡¯s that important,


    IT IS RIGHT NOW! and Venom realised that the ground was rapidly approaching, no time, release the room and escape, Talon, go with her, I¡¯ll just leave it to dumb luck,


    I can probably take her, she¡¯s a lot smaller than you, and Wanda let the glow envelop her and as she put a hand on Talons shoulder they flotation up and out the broken window.


    ¡°Well, at least it¡¯s over water,¡± Venom said and leaping, he dived through after them.


    There was nothing. Wanda had managed to aim them over the bay, and while the water gently sloshed below him there wasn¡¯t even a buoy to grab onto, well, shit,  and he sent out a web line, trying to make a small parachute. Idiot and the black wingsuit he was supposed to be wearing as Dusk rippled from beneath his arms, spreading his limbs he glided down and trying his best to angle himself sped towards the water.


    As Wanda and Talon floated along next to him they were both suspiciously quiet, and with a splash, he was on the water.


    ¡°Head in to New York, get to either Shield HQ or the academy. If they are after us then it''s probably a full-on attack.¡± Peter retracted the symbskin around his face and wiped the water from it.


    ¡°And what about you?¡± and he shook his head.


    ¡°Doesn''t matter. I can''t fly, can''t do anything but swim and slow you down. They¡¯ll need help, please, no point in all three of us being stuck here.¡± and Wanda nodded, carrying a compliant Talon, made off towards the coast.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Seventy-One. Out Of The Fire

    Swimming was boring but at least it was exercise, Peter decided. The water barely had any temperature as he flowed through it as Dusk. He¡¯d subconsciously slipped into Venom but that was a big no-no. gotta be careful. The last thing he needed was for the cops or Shield to shoot him thinking he was helping whatever assholes were doing.


    He remembered and paused for a moment, The launch of the Shield fleet was today. As part of his bargain for trashing a bit of Times Square Tony had upgraded a new helicarrier fleet, the triskelion? Peter tried to remember, it was a long time ago that Fury had told him, well, told him off as he wasn¡¯t allowed to go within 100 feet of Stark and was barred from Shield HQ and the construction yards while he worked.


    No wonder they had picked today to launch their little attack. Dusk shook his head, great, three giant repulsor helicarriers to fight and making sure he was still heading towards the coast, started swimming again.


    As he swam he heard and felt the roar of a motorboat heading towards him and taking a look at a large speed boat was heading his way. No markings and as no one opened fire he hoped they could be friendly,


    ¡°Ahoy the scurvy dog,¡± he heard a woman shout,


    Great, Emma, and trending water he waited until she got closer.


    ¡°I always wanted to be a pirate darling. Do you want a lift?¡± and she motioned to the well stock speedboat, more a pleasure barge and a tray of cold meats and champagne flutes held to a wooden board were laid out on its back seat. The man piloting the craft, not Sabertooth this time, a cleanly shaven Japanese man, who paid him no mind.


    ¡°Oh, and what¡¯ll it cost me, a cab to new york in this traffic would be murder on the wallet.¡± She had him by the balls, as he really needed to get back to New York, but he wasn''t about to make it easier on her, not for one minute.


    ¡°A meeting, between you and my colleague, Mr Shaw, is all I ask, and maybe a little one on one time¡± she leaned over the side of the boat, resting her elbow on its edge and dipped a hand into the water. ¡°Not too much, just a little lunch, a little proposal and I can get you back to New York a lot faster than your own powers can.¡±


    Dusk curse, ¡°fine fine, meeting, but you know the others will never agree to the second one¡±


    Emma laughed and extended a brilliantly clear hand, ¡°oh I can be very persuasive darling,¡± and as he hauled Dusk into the speedboat she grasped him to her very ample chest and whispered in his ear ¡°very very persuasive¡±


    Never one to pass up a freely offered opportunity, Peter, slipping off his symbskin, moved closer, letting himself be nestled between her breasts. She was almost as large as Felicia and even his nicely toned arm sank into the pillowy soft flesh, ¡°pity my girlfriends are the persuading type, and really, I''m more afraid of them than you, so while the bounce is nice and the softness is amazing, I¡¯d rather had something to eat¡± and  pulling himself away he let his clothing rearrange itself and sat next to the charcuterie board, ¡°do you mind?¡± and he motioned to the board,


    Stifling a laugh Emma shook her head and lifted a glass of champagne from the holder keeping it steady, ¡°not at all darling, ¡° and with a seductive smile and a wink ¡°feel free to sample anything you fancy¡± and she took a sip from her glass.


    Peter shook his head and layered cuts of chicken onto a cracker of some kind, ¡°so tell me about Shaw, I mean, I get how devilishly handsome I am but really, so far, Selene and Charles haven''t made the best impressions. Is Shaw just as big an asshole, or will I get an actual reasonable conversation from someone for once?¡± and Emma gave out a small laugh from behind her glass,


    ¡°Shaw is the biggest arsehole of them all darling¡± and as the mention of his name there was s growl from the driver ¡°oh calm down Ichiro, you know you¡¯re only working for him to get to Wolverine, and it''s not like he doesn''t know exactly that I think of him. As for you Peter, he wants your power, he wants what all men want, things that aren''t theirs. The big question is whether you¡¯ll give it up willingly or if you¡¯ll force his hand.¡± and leaning back, Emma raised an eyebrow at him, ¡°so, do I tell Shaw you¡¯ll play nice, and the meeting is on, or do we prepare for a fight. I''m a talker and a lover, it won''t be me he sends. You met Sabretooth, and we have a few more, inventive fighters you will have trouble defeating, especially if falling from the sky is an issue¡± and Ichiro snorted,


    ¡°He is not that impressive, Shaw is wasting his time,¡± he said, in Japanese.


    Peter stuffed the cracker into his mouth, chewing slowly, and as he swallowed. ¡°I watch a lot of anime,¡± he replied and Ichiro rolled his eyes and Emma laughed,


    ¡°well darling, it seems it should be interesting at least,¡° and Peter smiled at her as he made himself another snack.


    As Peter was enjoying his boat ride, the situation in both the Shield HQ and the Academy was more serious.


    Peter had been correct, and the group had waited until the first liftoff of the new triskelion helicarriers was in full swing before they launched their attack. With most of the staff at the presentation and the academy off for the day, both buildings were easily taken. Pockets of resistance held up but soon withered and faltered against superior and better-organised forces.


    Fury and his Enhanced team were holed up in the main Shield HQ, taking fire from the newly outfitted agents, wielding the pulse weapons. Based on the tesseract powered designs of the ¡¯40s.


    ¡°You think these guys know who I am?¡± Fury asked as he ducked behind a barricade hastily built from desks and office partitions.


    ¡°I think that''s why they''re firing on us,¡± Coulson answered, taking aim and returning fire before ducking back down behind a desk.


    Blue clouds of energy whizzed past them and Fury knew it was just a matter of time before they were captured. Hill had been hit earlier and lay, pale and sweaty, while Sharon held a pad to her side. The blood had stopped but even being Enhanced was just prolonging her suffering,


    ¡°Think if we surrender they¡¯ll take us alive?¡± Fury asked seriously as another bolt of energy impacted against the barricade.


    ¡°You maybe, but us, I doubt it,¡± and Fury shook his head,


    ¡°Not good enough then, can you move?¡± and Mariah nodded,


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill them all if I have to,¡± she replied through gritted teeth and Nick chuckled,


    ¡°Moving is good enough, just get ready to run on my signal,¡± but Coulson took Fury¡¯s arm and shook his head,


    ¡°Self-sacrifice won''t get us anything more than a few minutes, and that''s if they don''t just shoot you.¡± but Fury patted his shoulder,


    ¡°Doesn''t matter, we need reinforcements. HQ is gone, we can only hope that the others are doing better than us. Now, get ready to run. Hey! I am going to stand up, Do Not Shoot Me.¡± Fury yelled over the barricade and threw his gun out. ¡°Go go,¡± he motioned to the trio, and staying low they made their way over to the fire escape door. As Fury stood several black body armoured agents all pointed their guns at him and he held up his hands. As the fire escape doors swung open they turned and fired, blasting the door to pieces and Fury had no way of knowing if his agents escaped or not.


    ¡°Sir, we have Fury, orders?¡± one of the agents spoke into his radio. ¡°The Supreme Leader would like to see you,¡± and cuffing his hands behind his back, lead him to an elevator at the centre of the building.


    As the elevator dinged open Fury saw Alexander Pierce, sat on a desk holding a pistol in one hand and a glass of scotch in the other.


    ¡°So glad you could join us Nicholas, please, pour a drink, this isn''t for you.¡± and he motioned over to the rest of the World Security Council, all laying dead on the floor, a bullet in the middle of their foreheads. ¡°Cleaning up, and for this, I prefer to do it personally,¡± and reaching over he fired once more and a secretary, crying and cowering being the desk, cried out and slumped back.


    Fury walked over to the drinks tray, and lifting the decanter top sniffed it and then poured out a double fingers worth, ¡°So, what do we call you? Supreme Leader?¡± and Pierce laughed,


    ¡°Oh, that was the old days. It¡¯s director, just like it always has been. Just changing a few rules is all.¡± and taking a swig of his drink Pierce moved over to the centre of the room.


    ¡°Shield is still Shield, and it always will be. MODOK told us this was the best time for our takeover, Stark''s little stunt pushed us to move ahead of schedule and your little team finalized the deal. Oh yes yes we know, Olivia Octavious came over to our side,¡± and Fury paused as he was about to take a drink,


    ¡°Oh, Parkers gone, see.¡± and he clicked a remote and the screen came on, a feed from War Machine and he watched as the containment from for the Hulk was lifted out into the lower atmosphere, where the trio struggled before Rumlow flew off, leaving them to their fate.


    ¡°So, your little freak show is gone, your own team is gone. All that''s left of the old school is you, Nick. So, we do this one of two ways, easy. Transfer complete control of the agency over to me and you get a nice cell, maybe a decent meal once in a while and we leave you alive and alone. Hard, I put a bullet in each body part until you give in, and I have a lot of bullets.¡±


    Fury swallowed his scotch in one go, ¡°if I do this, you guarantee immunity, I don''t feel like a bad scotch is a good last meal.¡± and Pierce sighed and scowled,


    ¡°It''s not really a choice Nick. I mean, I could just put a bullet in you right now and use the emergency override to trigger the transfer but, I would prefer to do things, well, at least this, peacefully.¡±


    ¡°Fine, but tell me this, what group of assholes do you belong to?¡± and Fury leant over to the eye scanner,


    ¡°In the ¡¯40s, after the war, Shield, well the SSR, ran Operation Paperclip, greedy for all that nazi knowledge, not really too careful about who they let in. We¡¯re not nazis, the idea of purity and blue eyes blonde hair being superior is just a fallacy proven wrong by science. No, we just want a better life free from those mutants, the freaks like Venom and those other two, and of course, for everyone to behave, just to follow orders while we create a paradise.¡±


    ¡°So Hydra then, cause that still sounds like Aryan bullshit to me, just a bigger target, one you know the public will fall for.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you mean like Venom? He was easy. John¡¯s death, JJ¡¯s little meltdown, spreading our message all over the media was brilliant don''t you think. I mean, we couldn''t have even counted on Osborn going off-script but he did and it still worked out for us. Even those two gods,¡± and Peirce snorted as he said it, ¡°I mean, aliens pretending to be mythological deities, that got the fundamentalists up in arms as soon as they hit the news. Oh, we¡¯ve already won Nick, so just stop stalling and-¡± but he scrunched his shoulders in agony, dropping the pistol as the feeling left his body, a black blade extending through each of his shoulders,


    ¡°Yeah, don''t shoot someone who¡¯s bulletproof,¡± and the secretary changed back into Natasha, ¡°get all that?¡± and Nick nodded.


    ¡°Took you long enough though, Parker making you soft.¡± and Nat snorted, she had hidden as soon as Peter alerted them all.


    ¡°He makes me soft alright, right after I make him-¡° and Nick shook his head.


    ¡°I don''t want to hear that, dammit. Get the codes, we can perform the lockdown from here but I need the second director''s emergency code, or proof of termination to trigger the emergency override.¡± Natasha stood and fired several times into the body of Pierce, twice in the chest and twice in the head, she owed him for the countless lives he took before she was dragged into the control room.


    ¡°Think he¡¯s dead enough?¡± and Fury nodded.


    ¡°A little bit, yes. Drag him over to the scanner.¡± and as Fury lifted his eye patch, the unhealed eye, still scored and scratched from the attack, was scanned by a pale blue light.


    ¡°Director Fury recognised.¡± Natasha lifted the body and slapped the limp hand on the machine''s palm reader.


    ¡°Director Pierce, life signs nill. Director Fury, do you wish to initiate an Emergency Override of Shield systems?¡±


    ¡°Yes, deactivate all security badges except these agents, lock all doors, trigger every damn alarm in the building and full lockdown protocols. Incursion event in progress.¡±


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Two. Into The Frying Pan

    Carrying Talon was difficult for Wanda. It was around 50 kilometres to the coast and from there she still had to take her to the academy. Built on an artificial island across from Manhattan island. As she spied the ground she had to let go and Talon rolled and barreled across the ground, hissing at her.


    ¡°If they attack you, then fight back, anyone who surrenders must be allowed to do so, if they then betray us, well, I don''t know, stab them I guess,¡± and Talons rictus grin split as two wickedly sharp, and now serrated, blades slid from her symbskin covered hands and feet.


    ¡°Give me a moment,¡± Wanda had been training her senses, extending out her thoughts like sonar and briefly touching those around her. As the mind of every living thing registered in her mind she realised that the building was empty. Even with the Triskelion event happening the teaching staff and cleaning crews should still be here but there was nothing, or at least, nothing alive.


    ¡°It is strange, there is no one.¡± and Talon sniffed


    ¡°No, there are two, and one is stinky.¡±


    With a bamf, a couple suddenly appeared, followed by a smell of rotten eggs.


    ¡°She most certainly means you, Kurt, I showered,¡± and the man shook his head,


    As he let her go, Wanda could see that she was dressed in a tight bodysuit with two swords crossed over her back and a pair of sai at her waist. Her long flowing hair was tied back into a long ponytail and as she stood, giving Wanda the same appraisal she crossed her arms,


    ¡°Now, ve can do zis the eazy vay or ze hard vay, but ve only have orders to capture you, not to hurt you,¡± said the man in a thick German accent. Thankfully Wanda had met some of the more physically mutated mutants on the island or she would have been shocked.


    While he was muscular and built like Peter he was covered in fine blue hair, even his face up to his hairline. As it grew into his hair it spread into wild shaggy locks of a darker almost black fuzz that covered his head. He too wore a sword, but his was more a thin-bladed rapier or epee, Wanda could never remember the difference, and he gripped it with a three-fingered hand.


    Talon growled and crouched, ready to punch but Wanda put a hand on her shoulder,


    ¡°You work for them?¡± And she motioned to the empty building,


    ¡°We have a contract, to find and neutralize the two,¡° and the women tutted. ¡°I really wish they would stop calling us mutants, but yes, you and little miss stabby there. As for our employer, well, that''s confidential. Just be a good girl and come quietly and we won''t hurt you.¡±


    As Wanda spread her arms, her red energy shield enveloped her, ¡°you said that before, but anyone who works for those bastards can screw off.¡±


    The woman huffed, ¡°a contract is a contract, and while I do like the red,¡± and she pressed a hand to her plan and pulled it, a large purple energy blade fizzed and hissed into life, ¡°I prefer purple.¡±


    ¡°Not blue zen?¡± the man said and winked at Wanda, who rolled her eyes and tutted in response.


    ¡°Not now Kurt, do your job,¡± and with that, another bamf and the same smell Kurt disappeared and a moment later, reappeared next to Talon, grabbed her and disappeared again.


    The woman dived at Wanda, tumbling forwards and stabbing out with her blade, Wanda was forced to jump backwards and as she fired off a bolt of red energy the woman deflected it to the side with her sword. ¡°Psylocke, and that won¡¯t work against me, but, don¡¯t let me tell you how to fight,¡± and she dived to the side, leapt at the wall and pushed herself off, thrust at Wanda again, as the blade slid effortlessly through Wanda¡¯s shield, she ducked at the last second and the pair stood in a standoff. Psylocke standing with her blade flat across her chest smiling,


    ¡°Sorry dear, they chose me as I know how to deal with a mutant of your talents, and Kurt should be,¡± and they could hear a muffled scream and with the same bamf Kurt appeared, blood dripping from his arm,


    ¡°She almost cut my arm off, her povers are not ze zame as ve vere told.¡± grabbing a roll of bandage, he wound it around the gash and tied it with his teeth. ¡°I dropped her high zough, she should be landing about now¡± and as they all looked up a large bat-like creature swooped down and rolling across the ground,


    ¡°Not high enough,¡° and with a ¡®shnk,¡¯ two serrated blades erupted from her hands and a single serrated blade from her feet. ¡°Wanda, kill her. We kill him,¡± and with a roar, she leapt at him.


    Kurt was agile and as she slashed and wove around him he parried each of her blows with her sword. He attempted to use his powers but each time he disappeared the slight delay in his power almost cost him his life. Her enhanced sense of smell and air pressure betrayed his arrival point as the air exploded outwards with the smell of burning sulphur. As he appeared Talon would simply pause and then thrust out an arm, her blades catching him on the arm once more. He could use his teleportation to escape, but during the fight, it was a liability.


    Wanda was having little luck against Psylocke. She was right, she had been trained to deal with telekinetic powers and as Wanda threw bolt after bolt at her Psylocke would defect them with her own powers, ¡°I can¡¯t she is too strong¡± and Laura growled at her


    ¡°Useless¡± Talon yelled at her, and as Kurt rolled back to avoid a claw, she spun and kicked him in the stomach sending him flying. ¡°Pathetic,¡± and either knew if she meant Kurt or Wanda.


    As Wanda floated back away from Psylocke, Talon dived at her, with both claws extended, parrying them with her sword, she conjured a purple crossbow and fired twice, laughing Laura swiped the bolts out the air and rolling swept he bladed foot at Psylocke''s legs. Jumping to avoid them, she brought the blade down but a tendril extended out of Talons shoulder and struck Psylocke in the stomach, winding her, ¡°Weak, all of you. Weak!¡± and as her mask covered her face the jagged maw split apart and the two blades on her hands split into four. ¡°KILL YOU ALL,¡±


    ¡°What the hell did you do to her?¡± Psylocke shouted as Talon erupted in a fury of claws and razor-sharp tendrils. Even Kurt found himself teleporting further and further away as every time he moved a tendril would dart out to where he had been and a second would slice where he had moved to. Psylocke deflected as many as she could but soon the pair were reduced to walking blood pools. Razor-sharp tendrils cutting and slicing at exposed limbs while the maniacal symbiote enhanced mutant went wild.


    ¡°Laura, please, stop¡± Wanda begged her, even she had to float up and out of her reach as rather than trying to save her friend she was gleefully attacking her,


    ¡°No, no. no. kill you all, kill kill kill¡± she screeched and a new assault began.


    Even as Wanda began to try and attack her mind she felt as if she was staring into a maw of death and fury, feeling the blood trickle down her nose and the unrelenting physical and now mental assault continued. The bonding had failed, and now both symbiote and mutant were mad with pain and rage. Wanda could feel her thoughts and all that was left was an animalistic fury.


    ¡°Hey, short stuff,¡± Dusk landed on the concrete between Wanda and Talon. ¡°You two, fuck off or I let her eat you,¡± and nodding, Psylocke grabbed hold of Kurt and with a last bamf, they vanished.


    ¡°Our prey, our prey,¡± and  she dived towards them,


    Go up, Peter sent and Wanda floated up towards the top of the building, panting and holding herself. Whatever Laura had become she feared that even Peter wouldn''t be enough to stop her. He had watched her fight, unwilling to interfere in case his presence distracted the pair, and seeing the empty building and feeling the lack of presence, knew that whoever it was had been successful. Sending out a telepathic pulse, he steeled himself and prepared to deal with Talon.


    This was going to be a fight. Sending out probes with the Stone all he got back was rage and hunger. If Talon was in control, and not Laura, he would be fighting for his life, let alone fighting an angry symbiote. Even his simple commands were ignored in whatever seething cauldron of emotions Laura was lost in, and there was only going to be one way to stop her. Violence.


    Dusk knew that even fighting Carnage he had never had to deal with something like this. Talon didn''t just want to kill him, she was playing, making him bleed little by little and even with his boundless stamina and healing, he would run out before she did. She had a cheating power of regeneration, fueled by whatever mystical power gave mutants their powers while he had the Mind Stone it might not compare.


    As he ducked under another tendril, batted a second away with one of his own, grabbed her arm, lifted a knee to block a foot swipe and then brought his head down as she headbutted him, he was running out of ideas that didn''t involve seriously hurting Laura. If I can seriously hurt her he pondered. Well, there is one way.


    Talon began to sniff the air as Duck dodged and weaved in and out of her attacks, cackling as she did so. ¡°We taste you. Strong, but we are stronger,¡± and as she stuck out an arm to stab him in the heart Dusk thought damn it, no choice then,


    Ducking under her arm, Duck grabbed it and twisting her over his shoulder, slammed her into the ground, as she tumbled over him he felt a blade score a line up his back and he shook his head, ¡°weak, too weak,¡± if she was too angry to fight, maybe he could overpower her.


    Rolling and springing to her feet, ¡°kill you, eat you,¡± and she swept the legs out from under him. As he sprung up to avoid her, she leapt off the ground and lifted herself up, kicking him in the stomach with a roundhouse manoeuvre. As he flew backwards she followed and began to slash at his chest once more.


    As the armour on his arms thickened and spongified, the best defence he had against a slashing attack he taunted once more, ¡°all that power and still pathetic,¡± and with a pulse send a blast of rage at her. She screamed and blasted one back, equally as powerful,


    ¡°We hate you, hate you,¡± and as she slashed out, Dusk drove a fist into her side, lifted her by the armpit and smashed her into the ground.


    There was only one way out of this, and as Dusk sent out a message he steeled himself for the pain.


    ¡°Really, cause I thought last time you were wanting to screw me,¡± and she screamed.


    Scrabbling up on all fours, she clawed her way across the ground towards him, running like an animal and launched herself at him, as she sailed past, Dusk drove a fist into her stomach, grabbed her by the armour and injected her with his symbskin, before slamming her into the ground and straddling her. He had figured a long time ago that a direct connection allowed him to use his powers to a greater effect, and as Talon thrashed and struck out at him she drove both fists into his guts, and even through the symbskin armour he coughed up blood.


    Calm Talon be-, but it was lost as the memories driving Talon mad came bubbling to the surface, and Dusk saw her,


    ¡°Mommy loves you, sweetheart, if you¡¯re a good girl, we¡¯ll read this book and give you a name okay.¡± And the little girl nodded, she loved her mommy.


    In the cold and grey, she was the only one who cared, she made her oatmeal warm and added the white crunchy grains to make it tastier,


    She awoke, the air had a funny smell and she saw mommy with her hand bound between her legs, with tears in her eyes the girl sniffed the air and felt...angry.


    When she woke up the girl was covered in blood and her hands were dug into her mommy¡¯s stomach, ¡°I love you,¡± and as her eyes closed and tears dripped from them, ¡°Laura,¡± she whispered.


    ¡°Mommy, mommy no, please no, mommy, wake up mommy,¡± and Laura screamed into the room,


    ¡°hmm, still a failure. Send her to New York. We have a facility there, might as well pack her with the other rejects,¡± and gas hissed into the room.


    As Talon stared at her hands, digging into her Monkeys stomach, her world collapsed, pulling them out, he vomited blood and slumped on the ground. His symbskin slid back, and as the blood leaked from the gash torn in his stomach, and his eyes closed, she grabbed him and held him close,


    ¡°No, no, please, Monkey, please no,¡± and she screamed. ¡°Help, please, help me,¡± and sat, Talon slipped back and Laura sat on the grass, crying. ¡°Please, someone please,¡±

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Three. Helicarrier Parenting

    Everything had gone according to plan. Project Oversight was a success and even with Shield aware and the building on lockdown, it was too late.


    While the badges of every agent went offline, the Triskellion¡¯s systems had been isolated from the network, giving Hydra complete control over them. As the targeting solutions were fed into the computer a huge list of names provided by the huge intelligence computer Hydra had developed with Armin Zola, the Mathematical Organism Designed Only For Killing, was busy loading up a list of names. A rather long list.


    As several squads of Hydra troopers finished off the last of the agents still loyal to Shield they watched as the three giant helicarriers, newly upgraded by Stark took to the air.


    Help us, anything you want, that''s the bargain, anything but just help.


    Several groups all sat up as they heard the message, not for just one person, but four groups in New York all rushed into action.


    Emma heard the message and sighed, flicking open her phone, ¡°So do I?¡± and after hearing the reply tutted. Closing her phone, ¡°Ichiro darling, be dear and head back. Shaw, for once, can go fuck himself.¡±


    ¡°No, Shaw will not forgive you this time Emma, I cannot let you do this.¡± but Emma glittered and shimmered as she changed form,


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking darling. Either turn around or I throw you overboard and I do it myself.¡± tutting, Ichiro turned the wheel of the speedboat and headed back to the shore.


    Emma leapt over from the bobbing boat and spying a nice young man, she approached him. ¡°Thank you for the car darling,¡± and as she touched him, he saw a vision of a heavily pregnant woman, bleeding and almost threw the car keys at her. As she got in and drove off, tch, should have stolen a better car, she thought to herself, spying the empty fast-food wrappers and cigarette stubs in the overflowing ashtray.


    As she sped to the Shield academy, she reached out and gasped as he felt the state Peter was in. He had let a strange mutant gut him in an attempt to snap her out of a fugue state and was now lying bleeding. Angry, that her one chance to rid herself of Shaw was now bleeding out, she reached out a hand keeping one on the steering wheel and forcefully pushed cars out of her way. Ignoring the blaring horns and red lights as she sped through the streets.


    Thankfully the Academy streets were fairly empty, the main event today was at Shields Triskellion building and while there was some traffic there wasn¡¯t much. As she sped into the courtyard she spotted Peter and a small mutant crying and wailing, landing beside her a red-cloaked woman who wrapped Peter in an energy field.


    ¡°Let me,¡± and Emma ran out of the car, abandoning it in the courtyard. Sensing the damage in his abdomen Emma concentrated. It had been a while since she had to hold any kind of wound closed, but with Peter''s own healing all she had to do was stop the major organs from shutting down. As she looked up, a strange jet and a suit of that gaudy Iron Man armour, strangely enough with a more feminine figure landed and began to rush out.


    Peter lay dying. He had gotten through to Laura and he could feel her panic. If the Triskelion was the real target the even with Wanda and Laura there was no way he could take out three giant aircraft himself. As a last resort, he sent out an S.O.S, anyone even remotely powered would feel it and if they weren''t giant assholes, they would help.


    You need to control your thoughts, Peter, he felt Wanda''s mind gently brush his and he felt some comfort,


    Is she fine?


    Wanda shook her head and snorted, your insides are sticking out and you care about her?


    The only person who ever did left her, she needs it more than me. I''m dying, aren''t I?


    No you fucking idiot, you¡¯re not, he heard Gwen shout at him through the link they shared. Even if it was dark and his eyes were barely open he heard and felt a set of repulsors land across from him, stop letting people stab you, asshole, and what the hell is it with you and blondes Pete?


    Behave, darling, I¡¯m trying to hold his insides together, you can spank me later, Peter heard Emma reply.


    Oww, no making me laugh, hurts, and he closed his eyes. It was easier than trying to keep focused on any one thing.


    ¡°Get the stretcher now, Laura, LAURA! Snap the fuck out of it. Rescue go help at the Triskelion, we got this, you,¡° and she motioned to the quinjet pilot, ¡°get him to the warehouse. Pete listen, Stark is here, something about an ass-kicking after you¡¯re done dying, and well, a shit load of Hulks turned up and I think your old guidance counsellor with that metal guy and Jean. It¡¯s so fucking cool. Really, you¡¯re gonna be so pissed you¡¯re all fucked up.¡±


    Peter felt himself being lifted and strapped to a stretcher. Gwen made some super strength pain killers and Emma touched his mind to block off any pain he was feeling. The jet lifted and Peter felt gravity shift as they got airborne. All that went through Peter''s head was.


    weeeeeeeeee!


    As Peter was being taken home, the situation at the Triskellion was much worse. Steve had watched the soldiers firing those weapons into the rooms. As if he could ever forget the Hydra energy weapons and as soon as the first one fired his shield left his arm. Ricocheting he took out the first five before the rest turned and fired at him. He silently thanked Howard as it harmlessly evaporated on his shield, and ducking behind a wall he glanced and then threw his shield again.


    ¡°Flash, you hear me?¡± he yelled,


    ¡°Yeah, I hear you, Cap.¡±


    ¡°We good? Just cause you''re a kid and all but I will put you down if I need to. This isn''t a game, and those are real people dying.¡±


    There was a pause and the device that Rumlow had slapped on him during training snapped and dropped from his wrist. A timely warning from Peter had let him know that the symbiotes could counter any technology and that if Rumlow tried anything, to be prepared. ¡°You think I¡¯d fucking side with nazis? Pete was right, you can be an asshole sometimes.¡± and Cap laughed as Flash snorted, ¡°let¡¯s kick some fuckin¡¯ ass,¡±


    Agent Webb lifted himself over the wall and began to fire. He¡¯d been assigned a special set of pistols that reloaded through his symbskin. Looking down he knew Parker had been able to assimilate things like this, so why not him and as his black symbiote reached for the gun it slithered up his arm and hoisted itself over his shoulder. ¡°Hey, just like that alien movie,¡± and as he fired at one soldier, the shoulder-mounted rifle swivelled and sent out a small blast of energy towards anyone coming too close.


    Flash and Cap had been training together for almost a year now, and even though Rumlow had been putting ideas into Flash head, every time he heard the words, of a better world, free of people like Peter and the others who hurt people he remembered. Not the rooftop, he knew that was a mistake and Harry¡¯s fault but High School.


    Webb did his best to filter them but Flash saw each and every pained look on Peter''s face, each hidden pain, every tear Peter shed when nobody was looking. The hidden hurt that drew him closer to ending everything, once and for all.


    Flash knew he could have used his popularity to make the school a better place for the weaker or smaller kids, the outcasts, and the forgotten but he didn¡¯t. He got caught up in his fame and popularity, his father¡¯s money and his father¡¯s attitude. People weren¡¯t things to be used and discarded, no matter if you were better or not.


    Flash took that pain, took that anger and roared as he picked up another rifle and blasted away at the jackboot thugs hurting his people, his friends. He would be better, he would.


    He took a blast to the chest, too busy dragging an agent, bleeding from a stump that was all that remained of her arm to see the sniper up on the roof. Flash looked down and saw the hole. He frowned and put a hand to it, feeling for the round and picking it out of the hole he stared at the sniper.


    ¡°Cap, boost,¡± and running towards him, Cap lowered his shield and Flash vaulted off it and shot a web line out, catching the side of the building and as he swung around he caught each sniper and one by one they fell in a haze of blood splattering from the hyper shot web gun Flash had trained until it was a part of him. He couldn''t go back and make things right with Peter, but he could make things right here.


    ~


    Even though they had all been given a dressing down, Ross was sitting in his chair, the burns on his side were healing slowly and he had been barred for turning into the Red Hulk by Bruce. The injection Olivia had given him was still in his system and transforming would only make the damage worse. So when they all shook their heads and heard the pleas for help his first instinct was to let Parker and his friends burn. It was only Bruce that shook his head and grabbed his jacket,


    ¡°He¡¯ll owe you,¡± Bruce said, ¡°what''s better than that?¡± and as his shirt split and the man became the monster the rest of the Thunderbolts followed suit.


    Leaving Ross to shake his head, ¡°he already owes me. He just doesn¡¯t know it.¡±


    With help from Doc Samson, Bruce had managed to gain some control over the massive form. He was still angry, still subdued by the rage that lived within him but now, he remembered and could talk without violence. The message was simple, the triskelion and as the three massive creatures jumped across the Manhattan skyline they saw the true extent of the disaster.


    Soldier fought soldier, and spotting Captain America and Agent Webb the group landed,


    ¡°Hulk help.¡± the massive green man said, and the others grinned


    ¡°Not as eloquent as ole Brucey ¡®ere but Abomination, so we the good guys or wot?¡± and Cap shook his head and laughed,


    ¡°Nazis. See the guys win the black uniforms with the strange Shield patches, those are the bad guys.¡± and Abomination paused,


    ¡°Nazis? Fuckin nazis? Me gramps died in the war, so fuck em,¡± and leapt off into a crowd, grabbing a soldier by the head and swatting his squad with him.


    ¡°It¡¯s uh She-Hulk, I, I''m not really a fighter but uh,¡± the giant red hulkress explained,


    ¡°It''s good you''re here ma''am, help with the wounded. there should be an evac on its way, maybe help defend it while they load up?¡± and She-Hulk nodded, a look of relief crossing her face as Abomination continued to crush and tear into the groups of soldiers advancing on them.


    ¡°Betty best,¡± Hulk said and if it was possible for the already red hulk to blush she would have. ¡°Hulk smash,¡± and he too lept off, flying up in the air and landing on one of the helicarriers, smashing his way inside. It began to list to one side and the engines slowly powered down. Flash snorted, as he watched Hulk destroy the flying fortress, wonder if he means her, or the helicarrier.


    ¡°You know I just fixed those,¡± blasted over the suit speakers as Iron Man landed in the parkway, ¡°and you just let anyone on board, I¡¯m hurt.¡± and Cap shook his head and held out his hand,


    ¡°Glad to see you under better circumstances. I knew your father and I hope you¡¯re half the man he was,¡± and Iron Man looked up, ignoring the outstretched hand,


    ¡°I¡¯ll send the Legion to take out the second one, but that leaves you with one more. You handle it, I think you can handle it,¡± and with that, he flew off.


    As Iron Man crested the buildings a fleet of suits followed flying in a V formation, with two strangely coloured more slender figures following closely to Tony. ¡°Oh I patched into the Shield frequency, encryption wasn''t anything special, Parkers okay, got his girlfriends all crying over him, but he¡¯d not dead, might want to get up here though, I''m getting target locks emanating from the Helicarriers,'''' and with that, the 10 suits jetted off faster, missiles and repulsor blasts streaking from them and impacting against the second of the triskelions.


    ~


    ¡°So, am I?¡± and as Selene looked into the distance,


    ¡°Yes, we never turn down a call for help, plus, I do need him to owe me one. I bet Charles will be there though, are you okay with that Erik?¡±


    ¡°My daughter is at that academy. Shaw could be there and I wouldn''t care.¡±


    ¡°Well, then, Pietro, prepare the jet, let''s go save the world.


    ¡°Sorry Selene¡± and Magneto rose from the ground ¡°there is no time for that¡± and without warning shot off towards the Triskelion.


    ~


    ¡°Jean, where are you going?¡± Scott asked as she grabbed her new combat uniform. She had heard the call, as she guessed the professor had, but as no mansion alert had been sounded he wasn''t going to help Peter.


    ¡°Peter needs help, he asked us, so I''m going to help,¡± and slipping out of her top and pants, Scott hurriedly turned as she brazenly stripped. ¡°Go tell the professor, I¡¯ll at least wait to hear what he says before leaving.¡±


    Scott scowled, since Peter had been back in Jean''s life she had become more belligerent. At first, it was just rebellion, even he had thoughts of that but once the professor shut down her leaving the mansion and refused to give back her guardianship it had spiralled.


    The once quiet Jean had become more vocally dismissive of the professor, started missing classes and, in Scott¡¯s opinion, becoming fierier. It had taken a talk from Storm to get her to calm down and not just blast her way out of the mansion.


    Now as he rounded a corner he could hear Storm and the professor arguing,


    ¡°Ororo, even if he did call us, we can¡¯t help without risking exposing ourselves.¡± and Storm stood with her arms crossed, tapping her foot.


    ¡°I will not help him Charles but the Triskelion is a weapons platform, you know this. We need to at least be there in case-¡± and she stopped and raised an eyebrow at Scott, ¡°Jean?¡± was all she said and he looked guilty at the floor but nodded,


    ¡°Then there is your answer, she will leave no matter what. We can support her or we can leave her to do whatever she wants. This time I will remind you that you are not her father, and while you have some power over her, she will rebel and make you fight for it.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Scott, suit up, take the X-jet and head out with Storm and Jean. I don''t agree, I think this is foolhardy and irresponsible. If he asks for help and we can ask for compensation, then you can be damn sure I will make him pay.¡±


    ¡°No Time!¡± Jean yelled and summoned her powers. You can do this. Peter needs you, she lifted herself up and shot off towards the Helicarrier she could see rising into the sky above New York, leaving a stunned Storm behind.

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Four. War Front

    Rescue had headed to the academy before finding Peter and some of the other students a very sorry bunch. As Gwen and the others showed up a quinjet arrived and lifted them and after jetting away, Pepper in her suit spied a convoy of stretchers leading from the Triskelion, with a single giant red woman guarding them. As she sped over she landed and the faceplate of her armour lifted up, ¡°Pepper, uh Rescue,¡± and she held out her hand for the women, who looked at it apprehensively,


    ¡°Pepper Potts?¡± and as Pepper nodded the woman took her hand and shook it, ¡°Betty, I mean, She-Hulk.¡± and Pepper smiled at her and let the faceplate close again.


    ¡°We can guard these men while they get to the evac, so I''ll go up and report it to you. Do you have a headset?¡± and as She-Hulk shook her head, Rescue opened up a panel on her arm and pulled out a small earbud. ¡°If I see anything I¡¯ll tell you and we can deal, okay?¡± and as She-Hulk took the earpiece and fumbled it into her ear, Rescue lay a hand on her arm, ¡°Hey, it¡¯s okay, we¡¯re tough, okay?¡± and She-Hulk nodded,


    ¡°Sorry, uh, first time, out, you know, as this,¡± and Rescue laughed,


    ¡°Me too. How about after you come by the tower and we get coffee. It¡¯d be nice to speak to someone else about how this feels.¡± and smiling, She-Hulk nodded. Rescue pointed up and then as she took a step back, fired her jets and took off into the sky.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am,¡± and She-Hulk, shaking her head, followed a soldier back to the transport and began to help load more injured agents into a quinjet.


    As Rescue watched the blue flashes in the distance she noticed a small group of men coming their way, she also got a designated blip on her HUD. Unlike Iron Man, Rescue¡¯s HUD was a simple non-interactive one and it intoned in a flat computer voice ¡°War Machine, Heading East¡± she noted the rogue Iron Man armour heading towards the warehouse district where Peter lived. Damn, she thought and she knew from the radio chatter that none of them had a radio. Shaking her head she couldn¡¯t do both, and with Peter¡¯s powers and the rest, she knew they would be safe. ¡°She-Hulk, Five hostiles incoming, Uh, Five o¡¯clock from the quinjet you''re at,¡± and with her report she dived down to help.


    Jack¡¯s security team had been tasked to track and tag any rescue operations, leaving War Machine to take them out while they provided backup. He shook his head though as the fucking idiot sped off to make sure that Parker was actually dead, getting a report that he and those kids had survived re-entry. As he knelt and used a small mirror to peer around the corner of the building he saw another of those freaks. A giant red female hulk. Shaking his head he motioned to the rest of his squad. Even a hulk would be nothing but dust with the pulse weapons they had been issued but as the freak brigade was on patrol today he needed to make sure they weren''t spotted.


    As he counted down from three a blast hit right above his head, ¡°Stand Down.¡± blasted out over the Iron Man¡¯s speakers, its form definitely more feminine than the one on the news. As if he was going to let two women stop him in his mission. Rolling to one side he took aim and fired. A bright blue bolt of energy flying dead centre at the Iron Woman. Gliding out the way, she returned fire but as Jack took cover, her aim was terrible and even firing pushed her back and forth in the sky, damn rookie, and he motioned for his squad to continue on as he took a breath and knelt in a sniper''s pose. Lifting his rifle, he lined up his shot.


    Before he could fire another female from Iron suit landed in front of him, grabbing his rifle. ¡°Designation Jack Rollins. You will not harm Rescue.¡± and the suit crushed the barrel''s rifle before yanking it out of his hands.


    ¡°Fucking Stark,¡± he uttered as he rolled to one side, drawing a smaller pistol and firing at the suit. He smirked as he saw chunks disintegrated in its side but it seemed to be unfazed,


    ¡°I just got this body, jerk,¡± it said, almost human and springing forward it laid a swift kick into the surprised man''s side, ¡°oh man, Tony is gonna be mad at me, Hey Jocasta. Think the boss will be mad?¡± and as she looked over the man''s stunned body, a second suit was busy stunning the remainder of Jack''s squad.


    ¡°Friday, I think as long as you initiate ¡®Tonyisgreat¡¯ protocols, he¡¯ll forgive you,¡± she replied with a sigh. She had wanted to fight a proper enhanced, like that jerk Venom, Tony had told her all about, but all she and her sister Friday got were these lame losers. Not a single Enhanced amongst them and she even had to be careful in case she accidentally damaged any of them beyond repair. It was infuriating.


    ¡°Oops, Mom is looking, better hide Sis,¡± and the pair ducked behind the building and sped off to help Tony at the helicarrier.


    ¡°Uh hey, Rescue?¡± She-Hulk said into her mic, ¡°I checked and there¡¯s nobody here.¡±


    Rescue checked her HUDs radar display and scanned the area she had seen the men, but She-Hulk was right, whoever it was, must have been Shield and after seeing the area was secure moved onto a new one,


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye out anyway, good job down there,¡± and She-Hulk nodded, and then tutted as she realised that Rescue couldn''t see her. A field tech, busy loading wounded agents into a quinjet, nodded at her and smiled. She-Hulk returned his smile but looked to the sky, wondering how Bruce and Blonskey were doing.


    While thinking of him, Hulk would be the first to admit that he wasn¡¯t thinking of much, only that he could smash and that even puny Banner was being quieter in his mind for once. The annoying talky puny man had called Hunk a name, a dis-a-so-si-ative psy-cho-tic per-son-a-lity break, and while Banner had nodded, Hulk had just wanted to smash him. So now, he was smashing out his anger at the puny talky man on these other puny men. They were firing some blue gas at him but it just itched and smelled funny, after throwing a door at them they stopped and Hulk was happy. More tried but Hulk threw a wall at them and they ran away. Hulk wanted to chase them but they shut the door. As if a puny wall would stop Hulk but as he raised his fist to smash it the stupid Blonskey put a stupid hand on his shoulder,


    ¡°Oi, no smashin¡¯ everythin¡¯ yeah, we still need to find the control room and stop this thing from fallin¡¯ on New York,'''' and Hulk huffed at him, ¡°oi, never said you can¡¯t smash, just see those walls with double bolts,¡± and Blonksey pointed at the thicker girders with double rivets in them, the supporting superstructure of the helicarrier. ¡°Smash anyfin¡¯ but them, okay?¡± and Hulk nodded,


    Stupid ablomistation, he thought and ran through a wall, hearing the screams of the stupid puny men as he crushed some of them with debris, stupid puny men, stupid blue gas, stupid everyone. Hulk was having fun but he wanted Betty here too, she smelled nice and turned big and red like him, although green was better, but on her red was good too. Not like stupid Ross, his red was stupid and smelled bad. Hulk backhanded a man raising a much larger blue rifle that fizzed and sparked as a giant green foot stamped down on it, everyone but Betty was stupid, but this, this wasn¡¯t stupid. Smashing things was fun.


    Outside, Iron Man lined up another repulsor blast on the huge engine of the second helicarrier he received a transmission, ¡°oh hey boss, Friday here, but uh, I can¡¯t fight, those pulse weapons pack a nasty punch you know,¡° and Tony sighed


    ¡°I told you to stay away from the bad guys.¡± he chastised her.


    ¡°I know, I know but I was saving Rescue boss, and I figured if I rescued Rescue then you¡¯d forgive me, please? Pretty please with a cherry on top?¡± and a small emoticon of Friday''s armour appeared on his screen, batting her eyelashes at him. Tony sighed, he had maybe made them a bit too emotive but he didn¡¯t care. They had saved Pepper and that was all that mattered,


    ¡°Of course I forgive you Friday, now where¡¯s your sister?¡± and as the icon changed and blew him a kiss,


    ¡°She spotted more of the bad guys boss, she¡¯s dealing with them while I keep an eye on Mom.¡± and Tony sighed,


    ¡°You know if she hears you call her that she¡¯ll kill me right?¡± and Friday laughed,


    ¡°Sure Boss, just like her name. Hot and spicy.¡± and Tony shook his head, she¡¯d kill him if she heard them calling her that as well.


    ¡°If I may interrupt Sir, while I appreciate the care and concern you are showing my little sister, in your own words, please stop ¡®dicking around¡¯.¡± A more masculine, and very English voice interrupted.


    ¡°Sorry Vis, Friday, stay low and out of sight, only engage if Rescue is in more trouble than she can handle, and upload a backup to the main server, if it comes to you or her, save her,¡± Tony instructed her and returned his attention to the Helicarrier. The dumber slaved units were latching onto the bottom of the craft, and slowly adjusting its course while Tony and Vision blasted the engines to pieces. As he watched the small fragments gathered themselves up and rained down over the water.


    His targeting HUD tracked two people, floating in the sky. An old man dressed in deep purple body armour while the other, a very attractive redhead, was in a plain black suit. Hmm, maybe see if she wants a tour of Stark Tower, he thought with a grin before shaking his head, dammit Tony, get a grip. He had to stop with that, Pepper was still ignoring his attempts to make amends and even the Rescue armour hadn¡¯t gotten him so much as a thank you. While she had slept with that asshole Venom, he had blared it all over New York and not just her personal life but Stark Industries suffered.


    It was hard enough to get people to take you seriously sometimes but advertising you slept with a supervillain was so much worse. Every week a tabloid ran a grainy photo spread with a crappy actress and an even crappier Venom lookalike, claiming to have exclusive footage of the pair.


    As Tony lined up a shot he fired in anger at the memory of them together and switched to continuous mode, hearing the men in the engines control room screaming as his beam cut the housing, and them, free from the craft to plummet into the cold waters of the bay. As it fell, it veered off and splashed into the water, hmm, neat, Tony thought to himself.


    Whatever that idiot in the metal suit was doing, it was not improving the mood of Magneto as he sought out and continually dragged the fragments of metal into the bay. As if by some miracle he heard him he managed to switch from just blasting holes in the craft to actually removing the engine. Magento was confident that if those tin cans he called armoured suits were incapable of lifting the helicarrier that he could manage, but not all three, and certainly not all three and the rain of debris coming from each one.


    Even with Jean beside him, only giving a quick introduction and then getting to work, they were managing to contain the damage from the fallout. While under Charles¡¯s care, it seemed that whatever she had been doing it was not learning to harness her powers and Magento wondered if Charles had even been active, or simply hiding in his mansion while the world walked past.


    He could see the strain on her face as she grabbed the smallest parts he had missed and like him, began to drag them either to the water or onto the Shield Headquarters, uncaring if she dropped them onto those men they thought were adversaries.


    Too busy concentrating to notice Magneto, Jean was struggling. She had never used her powers to this extent before and hadn¡¯t spent any length of time in the uniform. It was hot and the sweat from wearing it was uncomfortable as it trickled down into places she would rather remain dry. As more and more debris fell, either from the giant Hulk smashing out a wall or from Iron Man blasting off another engine she needed to focus, she needed to do her best.


    She wanted to prove to the professor that she was in control of her powers, and she had heard Peter''s message, a small hint of excitement filled her as she thought of the things she could ask for. She even found herself thinking of things she knew Scott would get angry at, the darker parts of her thought about that day, of the thickness sliding in and out of Gwen as she and MJ stood in the doorway. As her cheeks, and a fire in her eyes burned, she grunted and pulled more debris into the ocean, she could do this, and then, even if Scott and the world burned, she would claim her prize.

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Five. Sudden Death

    Peter was out of it. Dosed on the best pain killers and psychic drugs a telepath could provide gave his body the chance it needed to recover.


    He was healing and even as Gwen checked the bio bandage she had sprayed on him she could watch as his stomach and intestine repaired themselves and knitted back together at a visible rate. He didn¡¯t heal as fast as Laura but within an hour he should be back to normal, and within a day be fully recovered.


    He had sent out a message and even with her Rescue suit, a forgive me gift from Tony, Pepper had prepared the company helicopter to get them to and from the tower. The pilot waved and tapped his headset, and once Gwen had one on ¡°Uh hey, I''m getting a flight path crossover warning, do you guys have someone who can fly?¡± and as Gwen shrugged, he pointed out the window, and Gwen saw the rapidly approaching black and grey dot, and she pulled down the mic. ¡°Land, anywhere, fucking land. That''s a hostile.¡± While she had never seen the War Machine armour up close she had been given a tour of the Iron man factory by Tony, making sure to point out she should rub it in Peter''s face. Gwen had just snorted, and leaned over, whispering that Peter loved it when she rubbed it in his face and she had left with Pepper, red-faced and hiding a grin.


    Gwen looked out over the door, tapping the pilot on the shoulder and then down. The warehouse was not too far, close enough they could hole up there and defend themselves.


    Peter had reinforced the roof, hoping to add in a sunroof or shaded area where, during the summer they could sit out, and the helicopter should be safe enough. As the pilot landed the windshield exploded and he slumped, blood trickling from multiple wounds, shit, Poison slid out and she saw the snipers on the roof opposite, it had been a trap, a place to get them to land, that Rumlow was waiting for them.


    The door to the helicopter screeched as it was torn free, ¡°hello dear, you and Peter need to come with me,¡± and Octave grabbed the stretcher and pulled it out towards her.


    ¡°Uh, Liv?¡± Poison asked as War Machine flew closer,


    ¡°It''s fine dear, he¡¯s with me. You should go deal with the snipers. I guess that Hydra was waiting for us to arrive,¡± but Gwen shook her head,


    ¡°And you know that how?¡± and as she reached for the bed Octave put a bladed tendril across Peter¡¯s throat,


    ¡°Ah, ah, ah. Poison dear, No sudden moves, no sneaky plans. We wait until Brock gets here and we finish this.¡± Octave motioned to the others with another ¡°and more? I mean, really. I now know what his Aunt meant, another one, Wanda and Laura were bad enough but her too?¡± and Octave sighed. ¡°I should have never gotten mixed up in this. Brock was right, stupid infatuation, a daring rescue. I''m acting like a love-struck teen.¡±


    War Machine landed, the faceplate opening, ¡°good work doc, see told you this would be easy,¡± and as he spoke the three giant airships, the helicarriers rose above the skyline. As they dominated the air in the New York sky the fighting began. One was assaulted by a score of drones and the red and gold Iron Man suit could be seen flashing and sparkling in the sun. A giant green blob landed on the other, followed by a second tan blob and soon after more explosions echoed over the city. The heroes had responded to the call and were taking out the trash.


    ¡°Shit Doc, gotta go,¡± but as War Machine pointed his repulsors downwards they sputtered and died, ¡°what the hell?¡±


    As Rumlow stared at Liv, a small smirk crept onto her face as she walked up to the frozen War Machine armour.


    ¡°I did warn you about sabotage Brock, you just never listened.¡± and he snarled,


    ¡°Why? doc why?¡± cause of some fuckin kid? Hydra will do great things, will make the world a better place. You just gotta follow orders is all, it''s just-¡± but Liv shut the faceplate with a click  of her remote,


    ¡°Peter saved me, Brock. There is nothing I can ever do to repay him for that, and your orders meant killing innocent people. I learned the hard way how wrong that is. But as you made this personal, You attacked my HOME! You dared to make me feel like shit because I love more than one person. You made me feel like they weren''t good enough. I love each and every one of them, they forgave me, they took me in and forgave me, and you will never understand that. You are too narrow-minded, too petty. There is one more thing you forgot, see, I am a very open person¡± and Liv leaned forwards and she whispered,


    ¡°Peter has the largest cock I have ever had the pleasure of being fucked with, and damn does that boy know how to use it,¡± and she smirked as she imagined him screaming in rage at her in the armour.


    ¡°Goodbye Brock,¡± and with the press of a button, the armour shot straight up.


    ¡°Uh Liv, what did you do?¡± and she held the remote up with one hand resting its elbow on her other hand,


    ¡°The armour will ascend to 30,00ft and then the faceplate will open, should only take a few minutes for him to freeze to death, the armour will stay up there though, just in case.¡±


    Peter shook his head, it wasn''t the nicest way to go but with the death count rising and Hydra taking no prisoners, he really didn''t care if that asshole died painfully.


    As he lay on the cot the rest of the women stared at each other. Liv¡¯s whisper hadn''t been that much of a whisper and those who were already intimate with him were now getting glances from those that were not.


    ¡°Sorry dears, but you really should take care of the soldiers now. I¡¯ll protect Peter, plus, I would like a moment.¡± Octave asked, her symbskin retracting and she shuffled down on the ground next to peter.


    ¡°Can we trust her?¡± Wanda asked and Gwen nodded,


    ¡°It was a set up,¡± and she frowned and half shrugged,


    ¡°We have to get payback,¡± and as she lifted Laura across to the other roofs the screams of the soldiers could be heard.


    Liv took Peter''s hand while Emma stood and watched. Liv cleared her throat and Emma rolled her eyes, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll, I¡¯ll check the perimeter,¡± and with a huff, her skin faded into a sparkling diamond and she dropped from the roof.


    ¡°Please, never make me do that again, I can''t stand it, to be-¡± but Peter ran a hand over her face,


    ¡°I¡¯d kiss you but I can''t feel my face,¡± and Liv snorted and shook as she laughed,


    ¡°You ridiculous man, why me?¡° and as the tears ran down her face, all Peter could do was listen to the screams of the unfortunate soldiers and run his hand down Livs back.


    ¡°Because I love you,¡± and it was Liv how stretched forwards and kissed him gently,


    ¡°You can get more, once you¡¯ve healed,¡± and standing Octave stretched out and she vaulted over the side of the building to help with the cleanup.


    ¡°Well darling, as we¡¯re alone, I want my reward.¡± Emma stepped out from behind the water tower, ¡°oh yes yes, simple illusion, most telepaths can make them, especially if the target is wounded.¡± and as the world shimmered Peter found himself sitting on a beach.


    ¡°My mental landscape, and yes I know, ¡®how trite¡¯, but no one hears this.¡± and sitting on a white sun lounger he shrugged.


    ¡°Really don''t care, too stoned and too sore. So, let me guess Shaw''s scheme, I''ve to say yes?¡±


    Emma laughed and moved over to sit next to him. Her clothing morphed and she was wearing a very tight and very revealing swimsuit. Like most women who took care of themself she was toned, muscular thighs and not an inch of fat anywhere except for the two very prominent grapefruit-sized breasts she was currently pressing against him.


    ¡°Shaw? Hell no, I want you. I watched your little group take apart trained soldiers, a gaudy Iron Man and walk away like it was another day. Let''s be honest here, Shaw is a dinosaur, I know he¡¯s over a hundred and he acts like it. Women should be seen and not heard blah blah. Business is for men, blah blah. I want his head, and you¡¯ll help me, you¡¯ll get the others to help me. Afterwards, I will speak to Ms Hardy and I can be a white cat to her black. I¡¯ll provide business expertise while she can provide the muscle. And maybe the use of that exquisite pool room you have, a nice massage or maybe pose oiled up for me, minor things.¡±


    Peter laughed ¡°You know my love life is by committee now?¡± and Emma laughed.


    ¡°Who said anything about that? I hitched a ride with Natasha on plenty of occasions and I am well aware of how you live. I¡¯m not whoring myself out to you, I want a partner. Darling, with my looks I can have any man I want, any time I want. No offence, but while you are an attractive twenty-one year old with an exquisitely sized penis, I¡¯d rather have Venom and Huntress on my side.¡±


    Peter sat up, bringing his legs up and resting his arms on them, ¡°and how do I know you won''t betray us? More mind control or worse?¡±


    ¡°You do know that the women you¡¯ve,¡° and she paused, ¡°gifted are immune to my telepathy. Only Natasha was susceptible and that ended the moment you gave her a little friend. I suspect Xavier was only able to do anything as you didn''t know. You let him walk right in but now you''ve learned to shut the door. Although having seen what you can do, I am willing to maybe stretch a little, if one of those creatures is on offer I can throw you a bone,¡± and she slid a hand down his back, ¡°or you can give me one?¡± she whispered in his ear.


    Peter shivered, ¡°not a pet Emma, and not for sale either.¡± She leant back, raised an eyebrow at him and shrugged.


    ¡°I need to talk to Felicia, can¡¯t say anything about her business, but sure. Shaw seems like a dick so I have no problems removing a problem for Felicia and yourself. Business is Felicia again, the cream is Gwen, so it''s not just me.¡±


    ¡°Wait, the femifire cream is you?¡± and Peter nodded, ¡°Oh my god I fucking love that stuff,¡± and she coughed and composed herself. ¡°I am open to negotiations. So? Do we have a deal?¡± and she held out her hand.


    ¡°Partner,¡± Peter took it, and as they shook the world shifted and he was back on the warehouse roof, Emma holding one of his hands.


    Poison cleared her throat, ¡°While I don¡¯t mind Pete, wait until you¡¯re healed first.¡± She didn¡¯t say anything but Gwen had similar tastes in women to him, and the tall, very slim, busty blonde had Gwen drooling, at least on the inside. She just hoped this one, as Carol made it perfectly clear she was straight, was a little bit more open.


    He was too tired and too sore to deal with that right now though, his stomach was healing, and he could hear the group take apart the hydra soldiers sent to ambush them. As the noise settled, he heard Laura approach. She had snuck over and lay on the roof next to him, and he reached over and gently ran his hand over her hair,


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she whispered, and he patted her head,


    ¡°No need, all the symbiotes are a bit crazy to begin with, birthing pains. Nothing to apologise for,¡± and she took his hand and held it to her face,


    ¡°Still, you hurt because of me, spoke to rest, know how to make it up to you, just need to wait though,¡± and she nuzzled her cheek against his hand.


    ¡°Wait, you spoke to the rest?¡± but she didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Laura? You spoke to them about what?¡± but she just shushed him, ¡°that''s not funny Laura. Tell me.¡±

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Six. War Widow

    Captain America had hitched a ride with Natasha and Fury up to the last Helicarrier and they were busy fighting their way through the corridors. Natasha got a nod from Flash as she became Widow, but both Fury and Steve stared at her as the black symbskin assimilated her own web pistols. She neglected the shoulder cannons though, preferring instead custom-built web launchers based on the Goblin wrist launchers Norman had used.


    With the swapping of symbiotes, Natasha could make small charged bolts of webbing, which she liked to call her Widows bite, and as she stunned targets Fury or Webb followed and made sure they were dead.


    They had two targets. Cap and Webb were heading to the gun control room, to shut down the carrier''s main weapons system while Widow and Fury headed to the control centre. Even if one team failed the other could pick up the slack and stop the carrier from firing.


    This would be a thankless mission. Nobody on board would be friendly and anyone who said otherwise was lying. Fury doubted that Hydra would place anyone without a one hundred per cent guaranteed proven loyalty abroad such an important piece of their plan and as they left Pierce to staff the triskelion, all it did was make their jobs easier.


    Blue energy flared down the corridors, and Fury and Natasha killed their way up the corridors. Even barricades provided no obstacle and Widow sheathed herself in light reflective camouflage and crept up the walls and dropped down on them.


    Fury was glad for once the woman was on his side, but as she watched her dance and kill he figured that even then it was now Venom''s side. She had switched loyalties. As long as Parker played ball things would be fine, as he fired a round into the back of the head of a stunned agent, he knew he would have to suffer him stealing all his good agents. He hadn''t failed to notice the small grin Sharon gave him, or the disproving glare from Maria either, although she was harder, as she looked at everyone like that.


    Fury knew Natasha wasn¡¯t exactly a good fit with Shield, and if he was honest once Hydra showed up she probably would have been at the top of his list for agents who defected, so at least Parker had his uses there. What Fury wasn''t looking forward to what was waiting for them in the control room. So far they had encountered low skill soldiers. Sure they had the Hydra pulse weapons that he had Osborn develop but that was it. Natasha was taking them apart with apparent ease and it didn''t sit right with Fury. More was coming, War Machine could be the least of their problems if Flash or Octavious decided to switch sides.


    As they approached the last door with no apparent resistance, Nick knew it was a trap. As Natasha crouched down at the side, pistol ready Fury took the other and feeling the handle sprang it open. Widow rolled into the room and at once lifted her gun.


    ¡°So good of you to join us, Nicholas and friend.¡± Jasper Sitwell had a gun pointed at the head of Coulson, and other similarly armed agents had Maria Hill and Sharon Carter, bound and kneeling, with pistols to their heads.


    ¡°With Director Pierce dead, I was given authority to take over the plan. Of course, I¡¯m not stupid enough to draw attention to myself and careful enough to make sure your friends here was actually dead before moving on with stage two. Now director, the guns. Please. I won''t ask twice.¡± and he pulled the hammer back on the pistol to emphasise his point.


    Fury hesitated but held up his hands, letting the gun slip over his thumb. An agent, dressed in the black body armour stepped forwards while another kept a rifle trained on the pair, taking their guns they motioned to them to join the group and as they knelt they were zip-tied and bound like the rest.


    ¡°You know, for a moment there I thought you were going to actually let me kill them.¡± There was a moment where he pressed the gun to the back of Clint''s head and pursed his lips, ¡°But I also have orders not to. You see, you are now a wanted man Direc, ah, Ex-Director Fury. Murdering poor Alexander to further your own goals. The creation of a supergroup with orders to take over Shield by any means necessary. Very devious Nicholas, and please, miss, remove the mask, there will be no second chances.¡±


    Widow grabbed the front of her face and pulled backwards, letting the symbskin slide back, ¡°Ah, Ms Romanov, so glad of you to join us. Pity, I would have preferred you to be more sympathetic to our cause, with your roots but oh well. Just another nail in Nicholas¡¯s coffin, Imagine hiring a Russian spy to work in his intelligence agency and then using her to trap a teenager. Even I feel a little sick, Nicholas.¡± Pointing the gun at Sharon, he fired once and a dot of dark red appeared on her forehead. A look of shock crossed Fury¡¯s face as the agent slumped forward, blood pooling around her head. ¡°And killing the niece of Peggy Carter as well, tut-tut,¡± before he turned the pistol and fired at Natasha as well. The bullet struck her on the forehead and her eyes widened as she slumped forwards.


    ¡°You should not have done that,¡± Nick spat at Sitwell, who was grinning as smoke drifted lazily from the gun''s barrel.


    Natasha¡¯s body twitched, and the black uniform she was wearing bubbled and writhed on her back. ¡°Like I said,'''' and before he could finish the black uniform sprang up, spinning in a writhing mass of tendrils and blades, it spun around the room, landing on each black-clad agent in turn, slicing and stabbing with blades and talons, screeching and roaring in anger. In the large room, there was no way for any of the Hydra agents to fire their energy weapons without hitting a control panel and bullets flew as they tried to stop the creature.


    To no avail, Widow ran amok, leaping from person to person twisting and tearing at them like an angry mass of fury and hatred. Only Sitwell remained, sitting on the floor in a corner the gun pointing at the mass as it flopped onto the floor and began to move towards him,


    ¡°Stay away,¡± he shouted and fired into the mass. As a face appeared, it spat the bullets out and approached, letting small tendrils latch onto his foot. As he screamed and tried to kick Widow away, she latched on more and began to crawl her way up his leg. He pulled at the symbiote but she was too strong, prising his hands free as she assimilated herself onto him, his face was stuck in a rictus scream as she wrapped herself around his head and squeezed, blood pouring from his eyes and mouth as his skull was compressed. Wailing in tortured agony, the group watched as a huge tendril spike its way into his forehead and as the blood pooled down his face Widow hissed at them


    ¡°peesh, shaave, peesh¡±


    Maria sobbed as the creature begged them to save Natasha, and she cradled Sharon, shaking as she closed her eyes, but Fury shook his head. ¡°If you can¡¯t then I''m sorry but we can¡¯t,¡± and the creature screeched in agony,


    ¡°Shave shave shave shave,¡±


    Maria shook her head, ¡°we can¡¯t, you need a doctor.¡± Widow screeched at her and the bloody corpse of Sitwell marched over to the control panel and began to pour the black symbiote into its terminal.


    ¡°What, what is it doing?¡± she asked, but Fury shrugged,


    ¡°Do I look like an expert on alien goop, Hill?¡± and she just scowled at him.


    The Helicarrier shuddered and a few systems powered down, ¡°What the hell?¡± and Fury lept over the dead bodies and began to cut his agents free, grabbing a knife from the vest of a dead body.


    ¡°Hill, you worked these systems, what''s happened?¡± and as she wiped the tears from her eyes she stood and leaned over to check, typing in a few commands. She paused to stare at her shaking hands, stained with the blood of her friend but she clenched her fists and began to access systems again.


    ¡°Uh, whatever it is doing it¡¯s draining power, we¡¯re going down, not fatal down but still down. Good news though, weapon systems are offline.¡± The group covered their faces as the War Machine crashed through the armoured glass of the cockpit. Even though he knew it was pointless Fury grabbed a gun and pointed it at Brock.


    Sitwell shuddered and as Widow pooled herself at the top of his head his eyes went wide one last time and she spun herself out, wrapping like a massive band around his skull and with a sickening crunch it caved and his body slumped on the ground.


    Widow flopped off of him and over to Natasha, grabbing her and sliding her over to the still armour. As a tendril extruded the front slid apart and the blue-lipped body of Rumlow slid forwards and crashed on the deck, his ears blackened from exposure. Hoisting Natasha up, Widow pulled her into the armour, sealing it behind them and Fury and the rest watched as the armour powered on with a hiss and the normal white eye lights faded and became black.


    ¡°We are War Widow,¡± came out from the speakers.


    ¡°Uh, Natasha?¡± Fury asked,


    ¡°This, this is weird, yes, and, uh, no. I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine,¡± and the armour fell to one knee. ¡°Hey, who turned out the lights?¡± and then the suit was silent.


    ¡°Emergency Protocols Engaged. Life Support Systems Are Now In Effect.¡± sounded out over the speakers.


    ¡°Please Assess The Pilot For Critical Injuries.¡±


    ¡°Warning, Critical Neurological Trauma Detected. Backup Systems Engaging.¡±


    ¡°Neural Mapping In Progress. In Progress. Neural Mapping Complete.¡±


    ¡±For the Safety Of The Pilot, Suspended Animation Protocols Are Now In Effect.¡±


    Even as Fury came over and tapped on the outside of the suit there was no response. As he looked over at the others, busy securing the room they shrugged. No one had any clue as to what just happened or any more of an idea that Fury did.


    Fury flipped over Rumlow and he knew he was definitely dead. His eyes were already clouded over and his face was frozen in a death grimace. Just to be sure though he put one bullet in his forehead and two in his chest.


    While Fury was busy, Coulson was making sure the others were just as dead as well as barricading the door. Hydra agents were dumped in front of it and he carefully moved Sharon over and covered her face with his jacket. As he looked around the room at all the death, at the people he once called his friends he knew that it was time to go on the offensive.


    Hydra had managed to infiltrate and take over most of Shields systems, and if Venom hadn¡¯t have interfered, hadn¡¯t sent out a distress call, then they would all be dead right now. Hydra needed to be torn out by the roots, and as an Agent of Shield, Coulson knew that would be impossible. Fury and the rest, if they stayed together needed to go hunting, not just for Sharon, but for every agent who died today.


    Maria had already begun to take control of the helicarrier and slow their descent. She cast an eye over the slumped Coulson as he ran a hand over his face and as she took a deep breath she got back to work making sure no one else in the room died. One hand shook and she clenched it into a fist. She would make them pay, even if she had to fuck that Parker kid, she would get what she needed and every one of those Hydra bastards would pay.


    ¡°Uh, and can someone get Stark in here to let me know what the hell that was. Oh and find out if Cap and Flash are okay, see if we can get in contact with the weapons control room.¡±

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Seven. Totally Bucked

    While Fury and his team secured the helicarrier control room, Flash and Captain America made their way to the Fire Control Centre. They knew that even if the ship was still operational that removing key components from the controls would disable the guns. The giant airship would just be a floating platform, unable to engage any civilian or military targets.


    With the truth, that Hydra had taken over, Steve had no compilation about taking out the soldiers, and even Flash happily fired his pulse weapons down corridors before launching himself into groups.


    The corridors eventually became quiet. A limited number of soldiers on both the ground and in the air meant that resistance was limited. Even Hydra hadn''t planned on their betrayal suffering its own betrayal, the new cuffs were supposed to be foolproof, and nobody could foresee that the symbiotes could defeat them so easily. Losing the two Enhanced hurt their chances, even with superior numbers and firepower.


    After silently counting on his fingers Steve held up a single finger and kicked open the door to the control room, ducking down behind his shield as Flash rolled past him and aimed his weapons.


    Standing behind the fire control main console was a single agent. Black body armour and a face mask, covering scraggy hair greasy and unkempt. ¡°Stay back or I will detonate the room,¡± and he held up a dead man''s switch in a silver-coloured arm.


    As Steve and Flash looked around, the room was filled with bricks of C4, not only on the walls but on the floor pylons as well. If whoever this was detonated the room, they would be sucked out and fall to their deaths, even if the explosion didn¡¯t kill them first.


    ¡°Captain and Webb, Once the Helicarrier reaches 30,000ft the operation will begin. You will stay there and stay quiet until we have ascended,¡± the man said emotionlessly, holding the trigger in front of his chest with his other hand covering it. Even if Flash or Steve got a shot off, it would defect off the silver armour of his arm, dooming them all.


    ¡°You don''t have to do this,¡± Steve said and raised his hands. ¡°I¡¯ll put down the shield okay, no tricks.¡± and he lifted it and slid it onto the two magnetic clips on his back. ¡°See, now, we can talk. If my eyes aren¡¯t failing, we¡¯re going down, not up. Which means we¡¯ve got control of the helicarrier. You haven¡¯t won, there is no need to sacrifice yourself.¡±


    ¡°My orders are to defend the fire control system. We wait until I have new orders.¡± The man spoke emotionlessly as if repeating back something parrot-fashion. ¡°If you attack me, I will detonate the room, and the guns will fire on a  pre-programmed sequence.¡±


    Flash, stop being an idiot and use Webb to bind the detonator to his hand, and yes I can read your thoughts, yes I can do it from where I am, and yes, I don''t normally but this is an emergency.


    What the shit Parker?


    Listen. Natasha was hurt but the control room is taken, the helicarriers are all disabled except the one you are on. You need to get the guns offline before they fire, but you won''t be ascending. Maria took care of that but you won''t get any help, everyone is busy.


    Fine, just stay out of my head, it''s weird and creepy,


    Flash nodded at Cap, and as Steve gave him a look he raised both hands and fired webbing, covering the man''s hand with the sticky fluid and glueing it to his chest. Steve spun, unhooked his shield and launched it towards not the man but the walls and as it bounced from wall to wall it severed the detonators cords, leaving only a few, which Flash took the opportunity to sever using tendrils from Webb.


    As the man struggled they watched as he pulled the webbing free from his chest and a mechanical whine could be heard as he flexed his fingers, tearing through the web around his hand. Letting go of the button he looked confused as the bombs didn¡¯t detonate, ¡°Failure to detonate, orders changed to defend console against all intruders and terminate them,¡± and tearing the webbing from the back of his hand he raised his fists and advanced on the pair.


    The man ducked under a web shot from Agent Webb and swept his leg out at Cap, who jumped over it and dropped down to catch him with his shield. Rolling back, he pulled out a gun and fired twice at Cap and then twice at Webb, Cap hiding behind his shield and Webb simply taking the shots to his armour.


    ¡°Give up, you can¡¯t fight us both,'''' Cap said as he bounced his shield behind the man and as he dodged to avoid it Webb sent out lines to stick his feet to the floor.


    ¡°The firing control panel must be defended,¡± he intoned.


    Flash, stop fucking around, use Webb and short the panel out.


    I told you to stay out.


    But following Peter''s advice, he let his symbskin flow over the controls and as they sparked the whole room dimmed and the eerie red lights of the emergency system came on.


    ¡°Control Room compromised, terminate hostiles,¡± and the man pulled out another pistol, loaded it with a clip painted red and chambered a round.


    Flash, stop messing around and kill this guy.


    No, we don''t kill, stay the fuck out my head Parker.


    People Will Die. People have already died Flash, get that into your fucking head. Being a hero doesn¡¯t mean saving everyone, it means saving who you can, and right now, the helicarrier is being hoisted above the coastline by a friend, but if that gun starts up he will drop it and you into the ocean, get a grip and stop messing around.


    ¡°Cap, we have to stop him, Parker says we¡¯re that last one, and once the gun starts they¡¯ll destroy the carrier to stop it.¡±


    Cap nodded, ¡°then we do this the hard way,¡± as the man lifted his pistol and fired a resounding bong! filled the room and Flash clasped his ears as the noise made Webb scratch in pain. ¡°Alien disabled, Neutralizing Captain America,¡± and he advanced.


    Cap swung the arm with the shield on it towards the man, who lifted his own and blocked it with his forearm, firing once more Flash could only hold his head as the noise made Webb scratch again. Cap was stuck, if he threw away the shield then the man had a clear line to fire, keeping it meant Webb was disabled for the fight but Cap had no choice. If the control room wasn¡¯t theirs then everyone on board, Hydra or not would die.


    Cap swung his shield at the arm of the man, who blocked it and drove a fist in his stomach, harder than he expected. Cap backhanded him with his shield and the man stepped back, fired once and then swept at his feet again. This time cap stabbed down with the edge and caught him across the shin. As the man rolled back he lifted his pistol and fired once more, filling the room with a deafening ding! This time however there was no scratch and as he looked over Flash had dragged himself over to the wall and was busy rewiring one of the C4 charges,


    ¡°Hey shit head, look up,¡± and like clockwork the man did. Webb flopped down onto him and as he tried in vain to fight the unbonded symbiote Flash touched twisted two wires together, rolled over to another charge and did the same.


    As the first exploded, a section of the wall dented, and as Flash rolled and touched together another set, the second explosion tore out the buckled part of wall and the trio was sucked towards the opening. Sending out tendrils, Webb anchored itself to the wall and pushed the man out of the hole, listening for his screams as he plummeted towards the water.


    Cap grabbed Flash, and Webb once more rebonded with him.


    ¡°Hey, he knew you. Who¡¯s Bucky?¡± and even as Cap dragged him out of the door and sealed it behind him, his expression never changed, but as Flash felt Webb touch his mind he knew,


    He had just killed Steve''s best friend.


    In the other helicarrier, Abomination was busy standing over a group of soldiers, who from the smell had wet themselves, ¡°right you lot, listen up. If any of you fuckin idiots fires at me I¡¯ll smash yah. If any of you fucking idiots even looks at me funny I¡¯ll fuckin smash yah, and don¡¯t think about taking hostages, cause I don¡¯t know ¡®ho¡¯s a fuckin nazi and ¡®ho¡¯s not, so I just fuckin smash all of yah, got it?¡± and the soldiers all dropped their rifles. ¡°Good, now go fuckin sit in the corner while I smash some other poor sods,¡± and gaining speed he ran down a corridor, uncaring if a wall or bulkhead got in his way.


    Outside the third helicarrier, Tony and his Iron legion had finished removing the last of the engines, his Iron Legion was drifting the carrier towards the ocean but its massive weight was too much for the limited number of drones he had outfitted with the new protocols.


    ¡°Yeah, I don''t know if anyone can hear me or not but if I knock out any more then these things are gonna fall on New York,¡±


    ¡°That won''t be a problem, Iron Man, keep firing,¡± Tony received over the channel, unaware of who was speaking.


    Behind him, Magneto floated up into the air, Jean hovering beside him,


    ¡°I can take care of the large ships but the smaller pieces will be too much, guide them into the water, someone else can clean the mess up later,¡± he shouted as the wind whistled past them. Stretching a hand out, each of the three giant helicarriers froze and cracked as he held them in place. Jean, holding her head, as she caught any loose panels that fell. Making sure they were guided away from the population below.


    As Jean pulled the smaller debris away, Magneto gently moved his hands and with a screeching creak, the helicarriers began to move out over the water, even as explosions, where he could guess the Hulk was fighting, and the smaller Iron Legion he could feel with his powers, destroyed the other two. The larger of the three was eerily silent.


    ¡°Iron Man, can you please let everyone know that I am going to drop each carrier now.¡±


    As his radio screeched with interference Tony sent out a general broadcast.


    ¡°Okay people, everyone out, the carriers are disabled but we can¡¯t leave them floating up here forever.¡±


    As each carrier was evacuated, some by force and some by choice, Magneto waited until Jean gave him a nod, ¡°that¡¯s them all Erik,¡± and with a wave of his hands, the carriers fell from the sky into the ocean. With a roaring screech of metal, each carrier sank and with the damage, some exploded, covering more of the ocean with burning wreckage and as they watched, a voice spoke.


    ¡°Typical.¡± Storm floated towards the pair, ¡°An ecological disaster. Could you have not just dropped them back in their hangers?¡± and as she whipped up the wind and water, it spouted up and the tainted fuel-filled spouts edged towards the abandoned Triskellion building.


    ¡°There are people there Storm, I didn¡¯t want to risk it,¡± but she tutted and the water spout kept itself separate,


    ¡°At least make me a barricade,¡± and Erik raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°Please, I will provide more congenial greeting later, but I would prefer to keep this fuel and waste out of the sealine,¡± and tutting Erik once more began to crush and rend the Helicarriers, forming them into a bowl-shaped chasm in the water,


    ¡°There, happy?¡± Erik said curtly and Storm nodded.


    ¡°Mother Earth will thank you Erik as will I, once this mess is cleared up. Jean, it is good to see you, and I have a favour to ask, may you introduce me to Peter?¡± and Jean looked over at Erik apprehensive.


    ¡°I had no idea you knew the boy Jean, but as he did offer us a small reward for our time, I feel that a visit from one of Charles¡¯s pets may be sufficient,¡± and as Storm tutted and scowled at him he floated down, hoping to find Wanda before he left for Genosha.

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Eight. A New World

    Peter had recovered and watched the rest of the heroes take care of the final mess. Magneto was impressive, and even as Jean and he took the fractured remains of the helicarriers and dumped them back into the Shield HQ bayside dock, Peter had still been amazed at just how powerful the pair actually were.


    Of course, now he had a bunch of pissed off mutants, Hulks and Shield agents all bearing down on him. He shook his head, he shouldn''t have had to bribe his way to getting help and hopefully, some of their requests weren¡¯t exactly too bad.


    His stomach still hurt and while Laura and Wanda sat making themselves useful, Emma had sniffed her coffee, pulled a face and refused to drink it. Damn snob, he thought but after helping defend the warehouse, she got a pass, at least for now.


    As he lay in bed, his stomach stitching itself together nicely he watched the news surrounding the failed attempt to takeover Shield. As usual, the WSC and Fury were spinning it in a more favourable light,


    In other news, Shield Director Nicholas Fury has released a statement,


    A terrorist organisation, claiming to be the resurgence of the nazi organisation Hydra, today infiltrated and attempted to take over the latest Triskellion project. In a valiant attempt to hold them off while the latest airships were brought back under Shield Control, several members of Shield lost their lives.


    For a full list, you can visit thedailybugle.com, but J.J had this to report,


    Damn terrorists, we all saw how they attacked, energy weapons, sci-fi ray guns, taken from the damn aliens. Floating mutants are now flying in our airspace, and were they there to help or in fact were they a part of the take over attempt. I lost another good friend, Alexander Pierce to these menaces. A rally for my organisation, Humanity First will show the world that these ¡°mutants¡± are a threat and that god-fearing, honest Americans should be careful.


    Peter clicked the remote, turning J.J off. He was tired of listening to him spew hate over everything, Magneto and Jean had saved New York from something unimaginable and all he did was spin it, using another dead asshole to push his agenda.


    In curiosity Peter had visited the Humanity First website and saw a thinly veiled racist almost neo-nazi group, spewing hatred of anything different and using the Goblin attack, Venom, and now ¡°Mutant¡± to push an agenda of banning all genetic research, banning all medical procedures using genetic manipulation, and worst of all, sending known power users, aliens and anyone else with a deviant genetic marker, they were calling the X-Gene, to an internment camp.


    While the media were labelling them as Mutants there were already calls for that to be classed as a slur and the proper term homo augendae was put forward, the other homo imperious or powered human was rejected outright for fear that ideas of conquest or imperialism would be conjured. Peter just preferred new human, but as any evolution would be new, augmented became the norm.


    Gwen''s own research into the X-Gene had thrown up some interesting results as they were basing their rhetoric off of an old science paper authored by Charles Xavier himself. Peter hadn''t really been surprised. If the man was sheltering mutants then of course he probably had a way to identify and track them. It was just one more thing to add to the pile of ¡®it''s a brave new world¡¯ list. Armoured suits, gamma hulks, Enhanced, Symbiotes, and now Augmented humans.


    The one thing they did know now, augmenting already augmented humans was a bad idea. Gwen had taken samples from Laura and Wanda and after exposing them to the formula watched as their cells, at first, became empowered but then degraded at a much faster rate, almost dissolving into nothing more than cancerous mush. While Peter had misgivings about the man still, and Jean¡¯s behaviour hadn¡¯t done anything to dissuade him, he did send word to make sure that no one touched any kind of formula, as it was deadly to an augmented.


    He stretched and felt a slight pain in his stomach, while Laura had done a good job of trying to gut him. He had taken the advice of everyone and taken a day to relax. He could heal quickly but unlike Laura quickly meant sloppily and lots of food and rest was still on the table.


    She had taken up residence in his home, even Logan''s attempt to dislodge had proven useless and he had heard the screaming and something being broken, he really didn''t want to know what but as Logan came down, growled at him and then left, he guessed it wasn''t anything important.


    Wanda had also taken up permanent residence. Citing that her father had become even smugger now that he had saved New York, gotten a pardon for whatever he had done in the past, and was happily living on Genosha. Pietro had taken one look at Peter and scoffed,


    ¡°Of course the dumbass is the only one hurt,¡± but as Wanda took him to one side, smacked him on the back of the head while explaining about Natasha, he gave Peter a sheepish look and never came to visit again.


    His request had been simple,


    ¡°Wanda is to stay away from you, you are a bad influence and I won¡¯t see her hurt.¡± Peter nodded and shrugged,


    ¡°Uh Wanda, your dad says you''re not allowed to live here anymore, sorry.¡± and she laughed.


    ¡°I am not a child, If I wish to stay here I will.¡± and Magneto left, angry but unable to compete against the man his daughter had chosen to be friends with.


    Peter just shrugged, ¡°How did he expect that to go?¡± and Wanda just tilted her head, and pointed,


    ¡°That one, I will get my things once you are feeling better.¡± and choosing the home Peter originally lived in, she had made her choice.


    It was Natasha everyone was worried about. Stark had taken one look at the suit, ¡°really?¡± as he looked over at Liv who shrugged.


    ¡°I adapted Peters CLS as a life support function into the suit. Nanofiber needles that can take over the person''s nervous system and create a copy of their neurological pathways. It gives the suit an autonomous mode in case the pilot is badly hurt. The armour is fully functional, even with Hydra¡¯s tinkering. Leave her in there and she¡¯ll be fine, hook up some IV¡¯s to the suit and it¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡± The idea had originally been to scan Rumlow and see if they could create a neural clone, but this worked just as well. If it kept Nat alive while she healed then everyone was happy


    Tony looked at Liv, ¡°At least one of you is smart, oh and now you owe me two.¡±


    Peter stared at him, ¡°I owe you nothing dipshit, I saved your ass twice already.¡±


    but Tony just smugly grinned at him, ¡°and I took out one of the carriers, a whole bunch of bad guys, all at your request. So you owe me.¡±


    Outside he pressed the front of his suit a blue shimmer crested across him, a suit of Iron Man armour slowly built itself over his clothing and as the smug Tony smiled, ¡°yeah, got your symbcells to survive outside your body. Like my new nanotech?¡± he gave a sloppy salute to Fury and flew off back to Stark Tower.


    Peter wasn¡¯t worried about Stark, it was Natasha everyone had been fretting over. While the suit and Widow worked she was unresponsive. The suit would move and could be laid down, they had already been adding in fluid and protein IV¡¯s to keep Natasha hydrated and fed, even taking care of the neatly packaged waste from the back of the suit. So far though, she hadn¡¯t woken up and even as Peter tried to reach out to Widow through their link, she was unresponsive as well. All they could do was wait.


    Thankfully, the cleanup of Shield had been left to other professionals, Peter and the others had been given grace and sent on holiday. Fury promised that after everything Peter, Wanda, and Laura would be full agents given their part in the insurrection and for now, stay low, stay quiet.


    Of course, that did not apply to anyone else. Gwen and Felicia still ran the Black Cats and floating the idea to her about Emma, she had pulled a poker face and just said ¡°I¡¯ll think about it¡± before the three, at Felicia¡¯s request, had headed into Gwen''s home to talk about it. As he heard muffled laughter, and a faint smell of cream but not sex, he knew that talks had gone well.


    MJ was back on the fence about her work. She had gotten several theatre productions auditions, several more parts in both TV and movies. The Iron Man film release had sparked a whole spat of hero movies and every film studio wanted a piece of the pie, and as she had performed above expectation, a piece of MJ as well. Her problem was more parts meant more locations, meaning more time away from home. The money and the fame were what she wanted, but the lifestyle wasn¡¯t. As such, she spent more time pondering her future than practising her lines.


    She was still torn. Taking part in the training was fun, fighting wasn¡¯t so much and after seeing the state Peter and Natasha were in, again she had decided to give it up once and for all.


    ¡°It means leaving home though, for maybe a few months at a time. If I''m shooting on location in England or somewhere else I won''t be home.¡±


    And it doesn''t matter, because you will always have a home, and people to come home to, he sent her across the shared link.


    Smiling she patted her thighs and he snorted as he climbed onto her lap and she held him, normally it was the other way around but for once, the closeness and comfort were his to enjoy.


    Liv had been antsy about her plot concerning Rumlow and as Peter healed she busied herself around him, feeling a pang of imaginary guilt as far as Peter was concerned. It wasn¡¯t like she cheated but Rumlow had touched a nerve. They know that even now with Laura moving closer, Emma dropping hints, Selene making waves and Wanda¡¯s lack of shyness, that their family might grow again. Liv had been made to feel that it was wrong, Rumlows point of attack, to prize her away from her family was just that, that six women with one man wasn¡¯t fair. Peter was selfish and Liv suffered because of it.


    How could she explain she never felt neglected. Peter had once brought it up but no one did. The warehouse was a family and even the most compatible of couples needed time apart. They all had their own lives, they all had their own careers and interests, and they never felt that the rest took liberties with that. Of course, MJ had taken Peter''s nighttime away from Liv and part of her guilt was in fact loneliness. Missing out on her daily excursion into Peter bedroom was a part she had come to depend upon, his rock to her hard place.


    Even in that, with it being his turn to need help, Peter had taken Liv as his nurse. Gwen and the rest were too busy during the day and Laura and Wanda were too inexperienced to look after him. While a quick shower was always called for, Peter made sure that Liv could take liberties, a stomach needed healing but his hands were perfectly fine and a very suitable substitute for what she really wanted.


    Over the course of the week, Life returned to normal, Laura and Wanda picking and moving their things in. A message, sent by courier, stating that General Ross and his Thunderbolts would be visiting at the beginning of the week was the only damper on a positively glowing household.


    With his injury healed fully, and the training returning to normal the only major upset was his inability to use the showers at the same time as the rest. Laura shrugged and even after being scolded by the Professor apparently had no issues with nudity, it was Wanda, seeing the rest strip and even washing each other, turned as red as her code name and hid in her home, refusing to use the communal showers while Peter was there. He relented though, a facility for everyone was only fair when the majority could use it, and they reluctantly agreed. It wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t have a shower in his own home, and really they were just complaining they couldn¡¯t have sex in it.


    Emma had just tutted though and arrived the next day with a selection of hand creams, body washes, and expensive-looking bathing suits, ¡°I want to use it, and I refuse to use anything inferior,¡± was all she said before handing Peter a bill, which he just handed to Felicia, who rolled her eyes, and slipped it to Liv while she wasn¡¯t looking.


    The only conversation he wasn¡¯t looking forward to was with Aunt May. She knew he was working for Shield, as they had celebrated the news together, and she knew about the attack on not only Shield HQ but the academy. Wanda had let it slip, Peter had been hurt, and while he was fine she needed to wait until he was better before she came.


    What Wanda didn''t understand was that as Aunt May tutted and crossed her arms, that Peter knew he was in trouble and delaying it would only make things worse.

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Nine. I’m The Best At What I Do (NSFW)

    Peter had only taken a day to fully recover. While his accelerated healing meant the outside was fine, the serrated blades of Talon had torn him up badly enough that the insides needed a steady liquid diet to heal properly, and solid food was still off the table.


    As he sat, drinking his third protein shake of the day Laura nervously knocked and stuck her head around the door,


    ¡°Hey, short stuff,¡± but he paused as he saw the look on her face, ¡°what¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked,


    Laura dived at him and grabbed onto Peter and squeezed him. ¡°My fault, my fault¡± was all she said as she cuddled up to him,


    ¡°Hey, hey it¡¯s fine. I healed, and I know, sorry for making you see that again,¡± and he ran a hand over her head, ¡°sorry¡±. Peter knew how much that had hurt her, and even now Talon was refusing to show herself, partially out of shame but more out of fear. Peter knew that seeing her memories had sent ripples of anger throughout the school, sending anyone caught in his psychic wave into a blind panic. Emma had dosed him, not just to help him heal, but to get him to relax, and then lectured him on getting a proper grip on his powers.


    ¡°Good, all healed?¡± and he nodded, ¡°good, then listen,¡± and she grabbed his face and lifted herself up and kissed him. ¡°Talked to others, spoke to Gwen, and Liv. Love you, saved me, not just from them but from me, wanted bad things, wanted hurt everyone, lash out in pain, and make them suffer.¡± Laura took his face in her hands and kissed him, ¡°Saved me, gave me Talon, stupid snot needs to talk though, helps me learn.¡±


    Peter chuckled, ¡°maybe, if you didn¡¯t call her stupid snot then she might?¡± and Laura laughed and kissed his chin,


    ¡°No, stupid snot hurt you, will punish her later, Hun says she can learn.¡±


    ¡°Hun?¡± Peter asked, ¡°Oh, Huntress. You called her Hun?¡± and he laughed, oh I bet she loved that,


    ¡°Still learning, make words hard, learning though, got help, online.¡± and she sat back, looking him in the eye. ¡°Spoke to dad, and he mad but okay. Spoke to others, and they mad, but Gwen wants kisses to make up.¡±


    Shit, Peter thought, He had taken a guess at what Laura had meant, but now she just confirmed it, and if kissing Gwen was on the cards, he needed to have a small word with her about taking advantage of someone who didn''t know any better.


    ¡°Like you, lots. Ask Jean what it means. Jean said boys and girls do things, the professor said where babies come from, so looked, don''t want baby though,¡±


    Peter shook his head and while he liked Laura, they had fun sparring, this wasn''t how he wanted this to go. ¡°Come on, stand up, we can talk first okay, those uh videos aren''t really healthy to watch, so let me explain¡± if I can, he thought. Getting sex ed was embarrassing enough when he¡¯d sat through the class but to have to explain to someone who not only got naked, inviting but also very willing was something Peter never imagined he would have to do.


    Laura looked hurt, ¡°you don¡¯t want?¡± but Peter shook his head.


    ¡°I do, but did the professor and Jean not explain relationships?¡± and she nodded excitedly,


    ¡°Like boy, boy likes girl, hold hands, do dates, have sex, get married, have babies.¡± She said enthusiastically, and while Peter knew she sounded stupid it was her lack of talking in the lab where she grew up, not a lack of intelligence that held her back. ¡°Asked others if okay, Gwen said, okay as long as behave and not go too far. Then ask if I wanted to kiss her, said maybe but wanted to kiss you first.¡± She frowned, ¡°no good?¡± and Peter really didn''t know how to respond to that, was he taking advantage of her or was she now capable of making this choice.


    ¡°It''s fine Laura, just,¡± and Peter really didn¡¯t know what to do, say yes and get in trouble or say no and upset Laura.


    ¡°You want babies?¡± and Laura peered down at her groin but shook her head, ¡°no babies, not yet. Watch that too, part of sex-u-al-ed-u-cay-shun. We know what we want, we want you.¡±


    Shit, not touching that one, Peter cringed internally, 21 was way too young he felt.


    ¡°Laura, I like you and we have fun sparring, but I have five others, I''m sure-¡° and she nodded,


    ¡°Professor said you bad man and Jean goes red when he talks about being a bad man. She smells like she wants you, not like Scott, he¡¯s a dumbass, but the professor says not to call him that.¡±


    ¡°See, most people only have one, and that''s all you¡¯re supposed to have, it''s just different with me and everyone.¡±


    ¡°Cause you horn dog,¡± and Peter choked back a laugh,


    ¡°Logan says you think with dick and not be good man, but, smell good, act good and still want, not care.¡± and she advanced on him once more, ¡°find words hard, can''t say how feel, show instead?¡± and her hands ran down his chest to his groin and she rubbed him. ¡°Please?¡± Laura tilted her head and smiled, ¡°like the movie, on Logan¡¯s laptop!¡±


    She moved and sat in front of him, ¡°let me suck your fat cock.¡± and beamed as if she found a treasure,


    Peter choked in surprise,


    ¡°Woah, What the hell? What the hell sites have you been on?¡± Peter stared at her as she stripped completely, the thick hair from before was now neatly shaven.


    ¡°No? Cum in my slutty pussy daddy?¡± and Peter could only stare, ¡°Hmm, not good. Fuck me, fuck me hard?¡± and Peter shook his head.


    ¡°Laura, stop, just please, listen.¡± and he made a mental note to give Logan a lecture on computer security, and Gwen and the rest a scolding about teaching Laura bad habits. Even if they had nothing to do with those outbursts, they should have given her some proper advice.


    Peter sighed and pulled her up and into his embrace, ¡°people who like each other, they talk, and if they both agree, then they kiss, and then they move onto the other stuff.¡± and Laura nodded and sat on his lap, running her hand through his hair as she always did, this time though Peter gently touched his lips to hers and she responded, pressing back and letting her lips press against his.


    ¡°Nice, soft,¡± she said and her tongue gently parted his lips, ¡°like this?¡± and he responded by gently teasing her tongue with hers, as she turned she faced him and her legs split apart, he could feel how wet she was and the symbskin around him faded back and Peter was sat naked with her on top.


    As he kissed him he leant back and smiled, ¡°relax,¡± and he kissed her neck and down her front, letting his hands cup her small breasts, gently rubbing one nipple with a finger and taking the other in his mouth and sucking on it. She whined and he flicked it with his tongue while squeezing the other.


    Laura had begun to rub herself over him, his erection pressing into her but unsure of what to do she was simply responding to what felt good. Peter reciprocated and let the tip of his cock rub up between her wet lips, rubbing the bottom and then over her clit. Laura gasped at the sensation and Peter used his other hand to press her onto him, keeping her tight against him,


    ¡°More?¡± and she nodded.


    ¡°This might hurt,¡± and she shook her head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t care,¡± and he leant her back, lifting her slightly and as he slid into her she gasped and whined.


    ¡°You okay?¡± And she nodded, wetness in her eyes,


    ¡°Happy, is fine, go more,¡± and he slowly lowered her further onto him.


    Once they were fully joined, she leaned forwards and kissed him, letting her hands run over his face and neck, his free hand still cupped her breast and he rubbed over a nipple while his other hand rested on her ass, rocking her back and forwards.


    ¡°Move your hips, like I''m doing, move as slow or as fast as you want,¡± and she nodded, moving slowly at first, adjusting herself but with a small whine, she began to move faster and faster.


    ¡°Oh good, oh good,¡± she repeated, ¡°make so good,¡± and Peter moved his now free hand, and as she leaned back he cupped both breasts, alternating between sucking each nipple and teasing it with his teeth and tongue.


    ¡°Oh good, please, make good, hard, please good,¡± Laura had been reduced to basic words but Peter knew what she meant, taking her hips he pressed her down and rocked her back and forth as she tightened around him, Laura tilted her head to one side as if she was trying to remember something and she smiled


    ¡°Bad girl, cum in me, fuck my little tight pussy,¡± and he wrapped his arms around her, and thrusting deep, and pulling her down, he flooded her insides with cum.


    But the effect was what she wanted, and as Talon purred with contentment she also came, feeling the explosion of pleasure ripple through her body.


    As he continued to cum, more and more, she let out a high pitch whine and collapsed onto him, panting and growling as she kissed and gently bit at him, she continued to gently rock back and forth as she did, feeling the last of her orgasm gently fade until she collapsed, lying on his shoulder, her hand on the other.


    As she lay there, she kissed him. ¡°You bad though, no babies,¡± and he laughed but shook his head.


    ¡°Don''t worry, no babies, I promise.¡± Peter had learned long ago that unless he wanted, his semen was mainly symbcells, and unless Talon wanted it there was no chance of pregnancy.


    Laura climbed off him and spread her legs looking between them, ¡°good, feel nice?¡± and kneeling down proceed to take Peter in her mouth, gently running her tongue over his slowly softening cock,


    ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t have to-¡± and she shook her head,


    ¡°Watch video, man squirts in mouth and then makes woman lick, want to try,¡± and he shook his head. I am going to kill Logan, but the thought soon evaporated as Laura began to suck him vigorously.


    She had no tact, it was taking it as deep and as hard as she could, and as Peter was lost in the simple pleasure he wondered if she was okay, but as her eyes seemed focused on him he let out a moan of his own and she continued. He felt the back of her throat but with no apparent discomfort, she was deep throating him with a lot of enthusiasm and was learning at a steady pace. She gripped the bottom of his shaft and as she bobbed her head up and down her hand followed and soon Peter, even with his enhanced physiology felt himself about to cum,


    ¡°Oh shit Laura, now,¡± and she let him spurt down her throat before filling her mouth, swallowing and stroking as she did. Even the large amount seemed unimportant and with a grin, she continued until he was dry and licking the top she looked proud of herself,


    ¡°Taste good, all Peter good,¡± and he let out a deep breath and ran his hands over his hair,


    ¡°Oh shit, and Laura good too, wait did you just call me Peter?¡± and she nodded.


    ¡°Peter mine, do this more. Fight, then this, oh, and food, make lots of food too. Jean says man should provide, you provide, home, food, fighting and this, be good,¡± she said with a huge smile ¡°this or food now?¡± and she stroked him up and down, feeling him harden again in her hand, ¡°want this, then food,¡± and she licked the top. ¡°Maybe not fight and do this,¡± and took him in her mouth again and he leant back, running a hand over the top of her head and she took him deep again.


    He couldn''t complain, she was wild and he didn''t care, and as she sucked him down into her throat and he felt himself stiffen again, She looked up at him, ¡°steal Logan¡¯s computer when he not looking, watch more clips on how to do this, both have super healing, do everything,¡± and as she sat back down on his lap and guided him into her. She moved his hands back up to her breasts as she slid him in and out of her, even taking one hand and kissing his fingers as she moaned in pleasure.


    Peter lowered his hand and let a thumb rub over her clit, and soon enough he felt her cum once more but if he didn¡¯t take control she would drain him dry and he didn''t stop this time.


    Her mouth hung open and her tongue lolled out as he pounded her harder and harder, letting himself fill her as deeply as he could and she moaned and gasped and writhed on him until he felt her tighten around him and then go limp. It was only then that he came once more and Talon greedily took all he offered.


    Sweaty and exhausted she leaned against him, panting and gently nuzzling against his neck, ¡°Peter so good, so good,¡± but she lifted herself up and placing her hands on his shoulders kissed him,


    ¡°I ready. More.¡± and began to grind on him once more, ¡°fill here too¡± and she motioned to her butt, ¡°see that, want to try everything.¡± The young but experience hungry mutant was still unsatisfied and in his attempts to tire her out, Peter realised he might have unleashed a monster instead.

 Arc Six. Chapter One Hundred Eighty. War At Home

    Peter looked at the gathered crowd, ¡°uh, what¡¯s up?¡± and Gwen held out a hand. Peter shrugged and took it.


    ¡°No you dumbass, card.¡± and Peter frowned, it was then he noticed everyone was wearing clothes for heading out, even Laura and Wanda were wrapped up for the cold.


    Peter frowned but took his bank card from the drawer, handing it to Gwen. ¡°So, want to explain?¡± and she smiled,


    ¡°Aunt May is coming over,¡± and even MJ smiled at him knowingly, ¡°So, we are heading out to get Laura and Wanda the things they need for moving in, while you talk to your aunt.¡±


    Peter chuckled, ¡°So your hiding?¡± and Gwen nodded,


    ¡°Damn right we are. Aunt May is scary and you want to tell her about Laura and Nat? Cause I sure as shit don¡¯t.¡± While Gwen had a point, it was going to be difficult to let Aunt May know about Nat. She was still wrapped in the War Widow armour being tended in Peter''s apartment, and while he could pass the suit off as a replica, mentioning the woman inside was a problem. Laura was a different matter.


    ¡°Look, we know okay, we all feel it too. Once she wakes up we¡¯ll plan and have a huge family dinner okay? But right now,¡± and Gwen shook her head, ¡°spend some time with your aunt, Pete. You know you need to too.¡±


    Laura moved out from behind Felicia, this was her first official outing with the group and she was excited to be taken shopping around New York. She looked over at the apprehensive Peter and fist-pumped, ¡°Monkey strong together!¡± she yelled and as they all looked at her,


    MJ, looked a bit sheepish, ¡°yeah so we might have watched Planet of the Apes, so, uh, expect more of that,¡± but Peter laughed and shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine guys, okay.¡± and as he gave them all a reassuring hug, and those who wanted a kiss, they filed out of the warehouse to take Wanda and Laura around New York.


    Aunt May tapped a finger on the table. Peter had made coffee as normal but was a little unhappy everyone else had come up with an excuse and vacated the warehouse for the day.


    ¡°So?¡± she asked him expectantly, and Peter sat down and made himself comfortable. ¡°How many more are there?¡± and as she looked around the warehouse she noticed that there were a few extra chairs at the breakfast table now.


    ¡°Uh, two. But they hid so we could talk,¡± and Aunt May nodded. She would be having words with Peter before she had words with Gwen and MJ. She understood that he lived a different life from what she expected, but now it was up to six women. Even though she had a limit, as long as he was happy she was happy, she just wanted to make sure that they were happy as well. Of course, it was also to make sure that they were up to her standards.


    Peter might be okay with someone willing to bed him, but they might be after some hidden fortune he had. As she looked around the warehouse even she could tell he was living well above his means. Six tenants or not.


    ¡°The girls want to have a family dinner, so they can meet you properly. I¡¯ll cook and uh, you can meet Laura and Natasha.¡± Peter looked at his cup, ¡°but Natasha was hurt. She¡¯s an agent and she helped take down the Triskelion. She¡¯s in a coma right now and we,¡± Peter¡¯s voice cracked as he tried to hide the pain he felt each time he looked at her still form, ¡°we don¡¯t know when she¡¯ll wake up,¡±


    ¡°Was she the only one?¡± and Peter nodded.


    ¡°We were safe, well, as safe as we could be when it happened. Nat was there though, and she saved everyone, please Aunt May, just don¡¯t,¡± and she sighed and shook her head,


    ¡°I never expected you to have so many Peter. I mean, it¡¯s nice that so many women find you attractive, but nothing prepares you for this. How do I plan for grandkids when you have. Wait, you said Laura as well?¡±


    but Peter was busy trying not to choke on his coffee. Grandkids? Shit.


    Aunt May smirked ¡°yes Peter, grandchildren, I assume you know what that means, I am not stupid, and I doubt very much that they don¡¯t feel the same way. So, Laura?¡±


    ¡°She was an academy student, but uh, she¡¯s a bit sheltered, really strict upbringing and, well.¡± how to explain someone who had a massive needle lodged in their brain to control them. ¡°She had learning difficulties, but a small surgery fixed it, she¡¯s just, blunt.¡±


    ¡°Blunt?¡± May asked quizzically,


    ¡°She yelled at her dad that we were uh, dating,¡± and Peter looked apprehensive at his Aunt.


    ¡°I assume ¡®dating¡¯ is the polite term for what she actually yelled,¡± and she had to stifle a laugh as Peter nodded.


    ¡°So Natasha is older I assume, and Laura younger?¡± but Peter shook his head and refilled his cup, offering Aunt May more but she shook her head, ¡°unless you have decaf. Curt likes to keep anything like that to a minimum, and it makes me jittery these days,¡± and Peter made a mental note to get some in for the pair when they visited.


    ¡°Natasha is 5 years older, but Laura is older by a year, she just doesn¡¯t look it.¡±


    ¡°And I can meet them when?¡± she asked,


    ¡°Nat was given a clean bill of health, we¡¯re just waiting for her to wake up, and the girls took Laura and another new roommate out shopping, so if you wait you can meet them both.¡±


    Aunt May raised an eyebrow and Peter frowned ¡°no?¡± and as she snorted


    ¡°No, really, no, even I have a limit.¡± and she laughed, ¡°Really, because I see more than an extra set of homes here, more than just three, Mr Parker. You can say that but if you have five then why not more, why not eleven.¡± but Peter knew she was teasing him,


    ¡°You''re okay with that?¡± and she shrugged,


    ¡°It¡¯s not my life Peter, as long as they are happy, oh and I will be making sure that they are, then you can have a hundred, but, Happy,¡± and she gave Peter a stern look. ¡°Grandchildren.¡±


    ¡°And now, what really happened at Shield¡¯s headquarters?¡± This was the conversation she was not looking forward to. The last time something like this happened she lost her brother and sister in law and it took her and Ben years to pick up the shattered pieces. The only blessing they had received was Peter.


    ¡°It was an extremist group, I was only caught in the crossfire before we got out. Rescue and She-Hulk saved us and we evaced out with one of the first teams.¡± Peter said with a straight face. As soon as Wanda let him know she had slipped up with Aunt May he made sure everyone had their stories straight. There would be no letting her know about his powers, or anyone else¡¯s for that matter.


    ¡°Peter. I watched the news. I watched the footage with my heart thumping in my chest and you¡¯re lying. I don¡¯t know why but you are.¡± Aunt May frowned. The students had been cleared for the day, and according to the news, only the full agents were at the triskelion that day. Unless Peter had powers and was there as an agent, she knew something didn¡¯t add up.


    Peter sat back in his chair and sipped his coffee. ¡°Aunt May, if,¡° and he sighed, ¡°If I told you I can¡¯t tell you, would you be more upset than if I lied?¡± and she just stared at him.


    ¡°I was well aware that Mary and Richard were Shield agents, but they never once lied to me, Peter. I always knew, and Ben always knew when an assignment was dangerous. So we could prepare for the worst. This sneaking around, I told you a long time ago, I won¡¯t wait to hear from a newspaper that my only living relative was killed, and yes, if you said you were there I would have had more respect for you than a lie.¡±


    Staring at her cup, ¡°I don¡¯t need to know what you do Peter, I only need to know if it will be the last time I speak to you again.¡± she said in a barely audible whisper. Tears formed in her eyes and Peter''s heart broke as he knew that he had been the worst to her.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you, I was afraid to tell you, Aunt May. Part of what Mary and Richard did was because of that. I just didn¡¯t want you to worry.¡± and he reached over and took her hand in his.


    ¡°Your parents were two of the kindest people I knew Peter, they deserve more.¡± but to her surprise, Peter shook his head,


    ¡°Sorry but no. I looked over both their files, at what happened and what kind of agents they were. No, they took a child on a mission, even a courier mission was no excuse. If they loved me, why didn¡¯t they quit? Why were they still working as field operatives when they both could have gotten desk jobs? So no Aunt May, no¡± and with a scowl, he shook his head. ¡°They don¡¯t deserve my respect, only you do.¡±


    She sat back, took a breath and pulled a tissue out from her sleeve and wiped her eyes. She knew Peter was becoming hardheaded and right now she wished Ben was here to talk some sense into him. Since his accident, he had become so distant, so difficult to talk to and she had no idea how to reach him. Steeling herself she sat up straight.


    ¡°Well, I think first, the guttering needs to be cleaned, then the roof needs to be examined. Windows that need repainting and re-sealed for the winter. The woodwork could use sanding and weatherproofing, the yard cleaned and mowed. Once you''ve done all that, then maybe I will be calm enough to discuss your actual punishment.¡± and as she looked over at him he nodded, looking intently at his cup.


    Peter nodded, yup definitely in trouble, but he had a secret weapon and reaching under the table where he kept his drawing supplies he pulled out a folded set of papers. They had been sitting there for a while. Peter was waiting for the right opportunity to talk to May about it but one thing after another came up and it was never the right time. This was the right time. If she wanted to pressure him over grandchildren, then this was his way of making sure she knew exactly what she was getting herself into.


    ¡°Uh, Aunt May, I, uh, was thinking, and after, you know, Shield and everything else that uh, I¡¯ve been wrong about one thing.¡±


    Aunt May raised an eyebrow, ¡°just one?¡± and Peter frowned and nodded, taking out a pen he signed at the bottom of the first sheet and then the last.


    ¡°Uh, I was going to ask on my birthday but uh, the girls wanted to-¡° Aunt May raised an eyebrow again, she did most certainly not want to know what happened on his 21st.


    Peter cleared his throat, ¡°please?¡± and he slid the sheets over to her.


    Aunt May picked them up and raised a hand to her mouth, her eyes glistening as she read the words on the top. Nodding at Peter, he handed over the pen and she signed her name next to his,


    Peter grinned as he took them back and folded them carefully, putting them in an envelope,


    Peter moved over and hugged her, ¡°There is only you Aunt May. I love them, they are my family but you¡¯re right, I¡¯ve been ignoring the one person who did everything for me, without asking, without complaint and I¡¯m sorry.¡± as Peter¡¯s eyes misted up, so did hers and they sat hugged together.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think for one minute this gets you out of trouble, Mister,¡± she said as she ran her fingers through his hair.


    ¡°Of course not Au.¡± He stopped himself, that wasn''t right, not any more.


    ¡°Of course not, Mom.¡±


    Malisson


    Big surprise right?


    I looked and in most, if not all, Spider-Man universes Aunt May and Uncle Ben never adopt Peter, which was strange. I mean, while it was written in a more lax era, surely Child Services would have been all over the case with Bens murder.


    Aunt May isn¡¯t related to Peter at all, but the law gets really weird here, calling them ¡°affinities¡± (relationships of people related by marriage only) which usually end in death. So would May be granted automatic guardianship of Peter? To be honest I have no idea but as it''s never mentioned, I would assume not.


    Which leads Peter to realise that if anything ever happened to him, May would get nothing.


    Ben has been dead for 10 years at this point and legally she isn¡¯t related to him at all. If this was ¡°that¡± kind of story they could even become romantically involved (insert Marisa Tomei¡¯s hot aunt May joke here).


    So this is his way of showing her he loves her, but also making sure that after almost dying (again) if anything happens to him, she¡¯s taken care of.


    And now an Announcement. (in a spoiler so it doesn''t take up the whole page)


    First, Wow. Arc 6 is over and with 180 chapters we¡¯re at the halfway mark of the entire series.


    It''s weird to think that less than a year ago I wasn¡¯t even writing and now I have 183 chapters published and another 60 waiting to be uploaded. (guess what I¡¯m doing on my day off)


    Thank you to everyone who has read the novel, followed me, liked, commented, and reviewed.


    You all made the experience worth doing, and worth continuing.


    Onto the news.


    My schedule has stabilized and I now know that my writing time is a lot shorter than usual, down to 3 chapters a week roughly.


    This means that right now, nothing is going to change BUT,


    Arc 9 is going to be my test arc with three options,


    One. End the novel at Arc 8 (not happening)


    With Christmas and the New Year, Arc 9 might be delayed and the easiest option is to simply end the novel with Arc 8. It''s the end of book 2 anyway and gives me more freedom to decide what I¡¯m doing.


    Ending the novel early feels like a F*** You to everyone though, so I''m not doing it.


    I just wanted to let everyone know I had considered and then decided against it.


    Two. Put the novel on hiatus at the end of each Arc until it is completed.


    If Arc 9 isn¡¯t finished by the end of Arc 8, I might have to use this option but right now, it''s not my favourite.


    Three. Reduce my release schedule


    House Of Venom was originally 3 chapters per week, and going back to that gives me 10 weeks per Arc rather than 6, and should be a large enough increase to get things finished.


    It''s still another of these ¡°wait and see¡± things. If by the end of Arc 8 I have Arcs 9 and 10 done, then my release schedule will stay the same, if not then I¡¯ll adjust the releases to fit.


    I really just wanted to let everyone who follows and reads the novel know the situation, rather than making a sudden announcement. The end of Arc 8 is still 3 months away, so I think that''s plenty of warning.


    180 down, 180 to go.

 Arc Seven. Chapter One Hundred Eighty-One. Thunderbolts And Lightning

    General Ross pushed the control stick of his wheelchair and it whirred as he, Banner, Blonsky, and Betty all made their way into an SUV for the drive over to Peter¡¯s warehouse. It had been repaired since the Hydra attack and the signs of fighting and bodies had long been cleaned up by the city.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why I have to come,¡± Blonsky complained and Ross just tutted,


    ¡°Because Colonel, if these damn kids renege on their promise then you have my permission to smash them,¡± and Blonsky laughed


    ¡°You fuckin kiddin¡¯, right? After that woman fuc-¡± and as Ross shot him a look he was quiet, ¡°fine fine, if they try anyfin¡¯ I¡¯ll smash ¡®em.¡± and he was quiet for the rest of the drive over.


    At the warehouse, there was a welcoming committee. While Felicia was still tied up with the Black Cats and had tentatively agreed to Emma¡¯s plan, Gwen, Liv, and Peter were all there. Wanda had headed back to Genosha to pack her things and Laura had headed back to the mansion. She had only said, ¡°fixing things,¡± before Logan turned up in his car and they left as well.


    Knowing Ross¡¯s temperament, Liv had refused to meet him and was still fuming in her home, hoping the little party would be short and sweet. They would give the man whatever he wanted and then he would leave, no fighting, maybe a little arguing but nothing serious.


    As the SUV drew up, the group stared anxiously as Ross, his daughter, Banner and finally Blonsky all exited, Bruce and Betty holding hands while Bloskey lifted Ross and his wheelchair straight out the vehicle.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get his over with shall we,¡± and Ross powered his wheelchair straight at the group, ignoring them and heading into the warehouse. Peter shook his head, while Bruce and Betty both looked embarrassed enough for them all, and Blonsky just laughed,


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s still a dick ¡¯ed,¡± said a grinning Blonsky,


    ¡°I heard that Colonel,¡± came a voice from in the warehouse,


    Blonsky shrugged, ¡°I¡¯ll at least be polite enough to wait for an invite, so can we? Parlay and all that?¡± and Peter laughed,


    ¡°Sure, not the first pirate I¡¯ve had here, and Bruce, Betty, pleasure. Hope this goes well,¡± and he stuck out a hand as he introduced himself. ¡°Uh, This is Gwen, but Liv won¡¯t be here, well-¡± but Gwen pushed past him,


    ¡°Shh Pete. Dr Banner, I read your paper on the effects of gamma radiation on certain gene sequences,¡± and as Peter and Betty¡¯s eyes met they made a connection, they both knew there would be no more from the pair as the talk of radiation effects and gene expression became central, and they walked and talked back into the warehouse,


    ¡°Uh, shall we then?¡± and Betty smiled and nodded,


    ¡°Yeah, dad will be fuming, he¡¯s not the most patient person,¡± and she frowned and shrugged apologetically,


    ¡°Well, at least he won¡¯t try and arrest me will he?¡± and Betty bit her lip and looked hopeful he wouldn¡¯t,


    Peter rolled his eyes and sighed, ¡°well, let¡¯s get this over with then,¡± and the final pair made their way inside.


    Bruce and Gwen had disappeared into her home, while Blonsky was helping himself to coffee and opening and closing cupboards, ¡°no tea? Damn yanks,¡± but he still filled a mug, and opened a packet of cookies.


    ¡°If you mind Colonel, I¡¯m not here for a social visit. I believe an agreement was made. One favour for each of us, and I¡¯m calling them in. I want what you gave Shield. A team of Enhanced. Full works, those slime aliens as well, enough to outfit a unit, so ten men, I¡¯ll make an allowance, just ten will do.¡± and Peter snorted,


    ¡°Ross, I believe the offer was for those who helped. So you, well, to be blunt, you get nothing. Blonsky, yes and I heard Betty protected a medivac, so you too and Bruce, well. I think it might be a while before we see either of them, so he can pick something after.¡±


    ¡°Now listen here, after the first stunt you pulled you¡¯re lucky I don¡¯t have you arrested for assaulting a US General. I have-¡± but Peter raised his hand and the general was silent. He glared at Peter and rubbed his throat as he gave Betty a confused look,


    ¡°Yeah, I can do that.¡± and while Ross glowered at him, Peter ignored him and stared angrily at him. ¡°No, you listen. On what authority? Jurisdiction my ass. Want to pull that through court? Pierce is dead, Ross. So let¡¯s see just how much influence you really have, or want to test that too? See if it was you or Hydra giving orders. Pull that military bullshit again and I can have you court-martialed. You¡¯re lucky Wanda stopped Liv or she would have made you a smear on the sidewalk,¡± and Ross glared at Peter.


    ¡°Glare all you want, you can speak when I say you can speak.¡± Peter put a cup down in front of Betty, and begrudgingly one in front of Ross. ¡°Now, Gwen is the formula expert but right now, Stark has the licence. If you want it, talk to him. As for symbiotes. They are sentient living things, not pets, not toys so no. The best you are going to get is a biogel that¡¯ll heal that wound in a few days, otherwise, nothing.¡± and Blonsky snorted,


    ¡°You tell ¡®im, but uh, if that stuff ain¡¯t on the table, then what is?¡± and he dunked a cookie in his coffee and ate it.


    Peter took a breath. ¡°Well, without tests we have no idea what the Banner formula would have done to you. If Bruce used radiation then we really have no idea what damage it might have done. I mean, Liv or Gwen would be better to explain,¡± and he looked over at Liv¡¯s home, who had watched Peter use his powers to silence Ross and had come out to gloat and was now sat glaring at Ross, with a small smirk on her face,


    ¡°Yes of course. From the fact you are larger than Hulk but more mutated, there might be a way to reverse the damage. I don¡¯t know what your gamma form is Miss Ross but it might be the same. Really, we can perform tests and see if we can boost your powers, or rescue the side effects so you don¡¯t end up like Abomination¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s A-Bomb now, you know, cause of projecting a better image an¡¯ all that.¡±


    Liv half shrugged, ¡°it does sound better but we may also be able to fix the cosmetic damage,¡± but Blonsky shrugged,


    ¡°To be honest, just watchin Ross ¡®ere tryin¡¯ not to shit his insides out in anger at being shushed is fuckin brilliant. Made my day. I don¡¯t think I need anythin¡¯ else, oh no, wait,¡± and he took out his cellphone and snapped a photo. ¡±Now it¡¯s fuckin¡¯ perfect.¡± and Ross just scowled and glared more.


    ¡°If you behave you can speak, but if the first words out of your mouth aren¡¯t an apology, then forget it.¡± Peter poured coffee into his cup and Ross relaxed and rubbed his jaw.


    ¡°I was man enough to apologise to Bruce when I pursued him and I am man enough to apologise to Miss Octavious. I might have gone overboard. We were desperate to contain a gamma problem and in doing so I overstepped my authority.¡° Ross leant back and stared at his cup as he spoke, clearly enunciating each word as if rehearsing a speech. ¡°I apologise for any harm I may have caused you, and I apologise for my behaviour towards your little friend.¡± and as he looked up he stared at Peter, ¡°there. Happy?¡± and dumped six sugars into his cup.


    Peter shrugged and looked over at Liv. ¡°I will accept your apology General Ross, but you won¡¯t get one in return. You hurt Octave, and that is unforgivable. Now, you wanted me and Curt for your gamma project? I think with the fact that you and Miss Ross are both Hulks, and Mr Blonsky, there isn¡¯t much I can help with.¡±


    ¡°It''s not them, it''s another. Samuel Sterns. He was irradiated in an accident and now he¡¯s hyper-intelligent, his powers aren¡¯t physical like ours. He''s almost telepathic. In fact, Mr Parker, your whammy feels remarkably similar. I would appreciate it if you could maybe speak to him and if possible, remove his powers completely.¡±


    ¡°And you went with a full team of super soldiers instead of getting rid of a hostile telepath?¡± and Ross shrugged,


    ¡°As long as we keep him in isolation, he¡¯s harmless. No visitors, no deliveries, maybe a few books but nothing electronic or sharp. Yes, I would have prefered soldiers. Soldiers are needed, especially after Hydra''s little stunt but I take what I can get. Contrary to what Nick Fury has told you, I am not the monster everyone thinks I am.¡± and even Betty coughed and turned her head, he could definitely kiss ass with the best of them.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take a look at Sterns, and uh, once Bruce and Gwen finish with their chat I''m sure he will have a request of his own.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Betty idled with her cup, spinning it slowly, ¡°If Gwen is half the scientist Bruce thinks she is, they might be a while.¡± and Peter raised an eyebrow.


    Betty shrugged, sighing. ¡°Since he found out about the Stacy formula, he hasn''t shut up about her, I mean,¡± and Peter laughed,


    ¡°Don''t worry, Bruce is in safe hands,¡± and Betty frowned,


    ¡°That''s what I¡¯m worried about,¡± and she looked at her cup with a forlorn look on her face. Peter sighed,


    ¡°Give me a moment,¡± and a few seconds later Gwen came out of her home with an excited Bruce in tow.


    ¡°Betty, she¡¯s great. I mean, it''s great, the-¡° and Gwen cleared her throat.


    ¡°Uh, sorry honey. I mean, From a purely scientific point of view, Miss Stacy is a goldmine, I think she can help with the Hulk.¡± and Gwen cleared her throat again,


    Bruce now looked confused, ¡°uh, I love you?¡± and Peter chuckled to himself, trying to hold back the laughter while Betty looked half-mad half-amused at his still social ineptness.


    ¡°Bruce, she means spending more time with her, and not talking about formula,¡± and Bruce frowned but nodded,


    ¡°Sorry honey.¡± and Betty patted his hand.


    ¡°Just this once though, okay?¡± and she nodded. ¡°Good, I think I can dilute the power dampening effect of the Stacy formula to reduce or diffuse a gamma-powered Enhanced state. It won''t be a cure, even Gwen think is that¡¯s impossible but uh,¡± and Bruce looked over at Liv. ¡°You''re Olivia Octavious,¡± and she nodded, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world, ¡°no one said Olivia Octavious was here as well.¡± As Bruce was about to start talking Betty squeezed his hand and after sharing a look he stopped and stared at his feet, ¡°sorry.¡±


    ¡°Well, we know what Bruce wants. I think I¡¯ll get Curt here as well, might as well get the group together. Betty, feel free to make yourself at home, there is a pool if you want to relax and just holler if you need anything. If Bruce gets his wish then you really-¡± but Ross shook his head,


    ¡°I want you to help, Mr Parker. If he does have mind powers then I want someone who can deal with them. Even sending someone in with an injection constitutes a risk I am unwilling to take. I won''t compromise on that, even if Bruce does seem to be the winner here.¡± but Betty was busy eyeing the pool house that Peter had built.


    Peter shook his head as he chuckled softly, ¡°there is a privacy curtain, so you don''t have to worry. Bruce can have his meeting while you relax. He can use,¡° and he coughed, ¡°all the stuff we stole from Oscorp.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pretend I didn¡¯t hear that Mr Parker, if I get my way, of course. If Bruce refines his gamma formula I expect that it will stay in house, Bruce?¡± and Bruce shrugged,


    ¡°It would be a collaborative work, but uh, I guess?¡± and he, in turn, looked over at Liv and Gwen,


    ¡°I already got my fingers burned with your formula Dr Banner, as far as I''m concerned you can keep it.¡± and Gwen nodded,


    ¡°We make more than enough from the Stacy formula, but if you publish I want co-credit,¡± and Bruce nodded,


    ¡°Then we¡¯re in agreement. Blonsky, stop playing with your phone and get me back to base. I¡¯ll take that gel as well. Bruce, Betty are you staying or coming?¡± and while Bruce looked forlornly at Betty she shook her head,


    ¡°You can schedule your playdate later. Home,¡± and Bruce''s shoulders sagged,


    ¡°Yes, honey,¡±


    As the small group finalised their plans, set dates and Peter sent a text to Curt, asking when he was free and if he wanted to collaborate as well, the buzzer for the door went. As Peter looked over his face paled, ¡°uh, yeah, come in¡± and Gwen frowned,


    ¡°It''s uh, Miss Munroe, from high school.¡±


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Seven. Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Two. Storm Brewing

    ¡°Yeah I remember her Pete, but why are you all flustered?¡± and as Gwen felt for their connection she realised he was actually nervous. Thinking back he was always like that around his guidance teacher, and it clicked,


    ¡°Oh my god, you¡¯ve got a crush on her,¡± and she laughed, ¡°our indomitable Venom is getting all upset cause his girlfriend is here,¡± and she laughed as he tried not to go red,


    ¡°No one picked on you when-¡± but Peter stopped as the group of Betty, Bruce, Blonsky, and Ross all stared at him.


    ¡°So, Mr Parker does have human emotions, and here was me thinking that Venom was some kind of boogeyman,¡± Ross said while trying snorting and at least Betty and Bruce had the decency to look embarrassed for him. Blonsky on the other hand just took out his phone and snapped a pic of the flustered Peter.


    ¡°Perfect, now it couldn¡¯t get, whoah fuckin ¡®ell.¡± and even he stood slack-jawed as Ororo Munro walked in.


    At over 6 feet tall she was a goddess. In a grey suit, and black heels she was immaculate, and her long silver hair hung around her face and shoulders like moonlight. She worked out and her slim figure and shapely legs were highlighted by the perfectly tailored and well-fitting suit. Ross coughed, ¡°Miss, don''t mind him, he¡¯s an idiot.¡± and as he looked at Peter who was also staring, ¡°they both are it seems,¡± and he motioned for the group to leave.


    ¡°It is good to see you, Peter,¡± Ororo said with a bright smile, ¡°but not under these circumstances.¡± and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°Well, I did leave school unexpectedly,¡± but Ororo shook her head,


    ¡°I am here from Charles.¡± and she saw Peter visibly tense,


    ¡°Then you have five minutes to explain, and if I hear anything bad about Laura then this won''t be a happy ending.¡±


    Ororo raised her hands, ¡°Laura? No, I am here about something else, who is Laura?¡±


    ¡°Wait, now I''m confused. You do mean Xavier right? Bald, a bit of an asshole, likes to use his powers to kidnap little girls.¡± and it was Ororos turn to tense.


    ¡°I do, but you are mistaken, Charles would never do such a thing.¡± and Peter laughed,


    ¡°Sure. Ask him then, why do me and four others have gaps in our memories, or you know I could tell you that he came and took a girl under my protection without asking. He used his powers and took her. No polite conversation, no making sure she was actually in danger. He took her. So no, screw him.¡± and even in his anger, he placed a cup in front of her.


    ¡°Right, coffee?¡± and she shook her head,


    ¡°Tea?¡± she asked, and he scowled and shook his, ¡°it is fine, I learned long ago that most Americans drink coffee only, so I have some in my purse. A cup of hot water please.¡± and opening up the very expensive looking purse, she pulled out a small grey bag from a plastic sleeve. Peter shrugged and filled a cup with hot water from the water heater, placing it in front of Ororo and moving over the sugar and creamer.


    ¡°So, then if this isn''t about Laura, then what?¡± Peter might like Ororo, might even be willing to cut her some slack over being an associate of Charles, but an interrogation or some other made up and equally pointless slight was going to make this conversation end badly,


    ¡°Do you know about Wakanda?¡± and it took a turn Peter had not expected,


    ¡°Uh, you mean, we look like crap but are actually a sci-fi wet dream Wakanda?¡±


    Ororo laughed a deep throaty laugh, and feeling the familiar itch, Peter moved over and hit the air-con, sending a draft throughout the warehouse, ¡°uh ignore that, it uh, helps keep the place cool.¡±


    ¡°Yes Peter, I know what air conditioning is,¡± and Peter scratched the back of his head while grinning, ¡°but as to Wakanda. They have several instances of encountering the creature you possess, none of them good. I want assurances that this Venom is not hostile, not a threat to the people of New York or the Earth. Can you do that?¡± and she peered at him over the rim of her cup as she took a sip, ¡°The news, or what I have heard, has not painted your exploits in a good light.¡±


    ¡°Wait, the symbiotes? That''s it?¡± Peter was surprised, not that Wakanda knew about them but that they were keeping track of them as well. ¡°Wait, are they spying on us? I mean, uh, not that we do anything bad here, just, it''s weird.¡±


    Ororo tilted her head, ¡°I am not aware that they are spying on anyone Peter, Why? What exactly do you mean by that?¡± and Peter went bright red at her teasing. She knew that four women living with one man under the same roof, even if they all had separate houses meant a variety of embarrassing situations could occur, especially ones Peter might not want anyone to know about. Ororo relaxed, he was still the same as she remembered him.


    ¡°However Peter,¡± Ororo put down her cup, ¡°the creatures are dangerous, an alien that can threaten the population is not something we can allow to roam free.¡±


    Peter sat for a moment before the anger bubbled up inside. He was tired of being pushed by people who never asked, just demanded. ¡°Wait, what? No, screw you. Teacher or not, do you give that lecture to new mutants? tell them their powers are dangerous and if they don''t behave you¡¯ll what? Kill us? Send soldiers after us to contain and capture us.¡± Peter had stood up and taken a step back from the table. ¡°You need to leave. Tell Wakanda to butt out. We¡¯ll leave them alone if they leave us alone, but they don¡¯t rule this planet, they don¡¯t get a say in how I or anyone else bonded lives their lives.¡±


    Ororo shook her head, saddened by his reaction, ¡°Peter, you do not want to fight Wakanda. They are only looking out for the world, for you and anyone bonded against their will. This won''t be a fight you can win. and yes, we do give that speech to our new students. You do not hand a loaded gun to a toddler, nor do you allow someone who cannot control their powers to walk around freely. The school is for training, not confinement¡±


    ¡°You know, I¡¯m going to hate myself for this after, and maybe you will too.¡± Peter turned off the AC and let his anger fill the room like a cloud.


    ¡°Threaten me again and you will regret your mistake, I have done nothing wrong and you people still fucking come here and provoke me! Get the hell out my home!¡± and as the pheromone began to affect Ororo she felt herself shake at the sight of him. He was no longer a scared student of hers, he was a monster, and she had been taught how to deal with monsters.


    She stood, lightning crackling around her and as the winds wiped her hair she blew the cloud of musk away and then a bolt of lightning struck him, Venom roared as his armour slid over him, diverting and blackening the ground around his feet.


    ¡°Electricity was the first thing I learned to deal with,¡± and he thickened his form once more. Now standing over her he split his maw and roared. ¡°You threaten us? My family? You tell that fucking Prince he brought this on himself,¡± and as he wound up a punch, a hand touched him gently on the shoulder. As he turned and saw Liv there,


    ¡°Please Peter?¡± and as she looked up, Peter remembered Natasha was upstairs, still recovering, and a fight in the warehouse could hurt her further, and that Miss Munroe was not his enemy, not really.


    As he relaxed, he shook his head, ¡°sorry Liv,¡± and he took her hand and gently kissed the back of it. He pressed it to his forehead, closing his eyes and slowly letting out a breath.


    ¡°Peter, go and calm down. I will talk to Miss Munroe here.¡± and nodding, his armour became normal clothing once more and he shook his head as he climbed the stairs and went into his home. Liv could hear him muttering under his breath and as she looked over at Ororo she shook her head in disappointment.


    ¡°I think you should leave. Whatever you have heard, the report, the deaths. Peter might not be a hero in the press, but he is not a cold-blooded killer either. He would risk his life for any of us, and he has. Someone is telling you lies about him.¡±


    Storm tutted, ¡°and I am to believe that when this?¡± and she motioned to the devastation,


    ¡°I believe that was you, dear. Peter only reacted when you threatened him and us. So, what was that? A test? to see if he was a monster or just plain stupidity?¡± Liv asked as she sat down, pouring herself a cup of coffee. ¡°Peter is on edge as someone we all care about was hurt during the Hydra attack, and you thought it was a good idea to antagonise him?¡±


    ¡°A test he failed, that was not a person.¡± Storm retorted, keeping the power bubbling under the surface in case she needed it.


    ¡°Failed? Peter risked everything time and time again. A bomb, an invasion, an evil robot, Stark, Hydra. Why are you insistent on pinning all that on him? He has his faults but who doesn¡¯t?¡±


    Storm still stood, ready for a fight, ¡±And what of the people he has hurt? What of the man he killed?¡±


    Liv shook her head, ¡°J.J has a lot to answer for.¡± and she sighed, ¡°Peter never killed that man. Secondly, so what if he did? He shot an unarmed woman in the head. Do you want to see the damage? I have. They took pictures and as a doctor, I can tell you right now that if that was anyone else, even one of Peter''s other friends, even one of your friends, she would have died. Can you survive a bullet to the head?¡± and as Ororo stepped back she crossed her arms but looked down and shook her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t think so. Peter was right, there is no reasoning with you. You came here to justify his behaviour to yourself, and to whatever master you serve. You should just leave.¡± and Liv pointed at the door, ¡°I won¡¯t ask twice, Miss Monroe.¡±


    ¡°And if I want to take Peter with me, to make him answer for his crimes?¡± and it was Liv who brushed herself off.


    ¡°Then I will make you leave. There are hurt and injured people in this warehouse Miss Munroe, but I am more than capable and willing to do what I need to defend my home while he protects them.¡± As she spoke the harness arms extended out of the back of her coat. ¡°We are tired of agencies with no right to interfere coming here and dictating terms. Tell your boss, whichever one you answer too, that next time there will be no talking.¡±


    Ororo shook her head, ¡°no, I will go, but I will be back.¡± and with her power lifted herself off the ground, ¡°and you will not stop me,¡± and wind blasted the door open and she flew out.


    As Liv watched her leave she found Peter watching from his balcony.  She shook her head and sighed ¡°Sorry dear, we seem to be attracting the wrong crowd today,¡± and without a word, Peter went back inside.


    As she flew away, Ororo was confused. She had been told by Charles that Peter had attacked and killed a man, and then by T¡¯Challa that the creatures were mad, driven insane by a lust to consume and destroy. As she had sat and watched both Liv and Peter she saw a young man in pain as his friend lay hurt, and an older woman very much in love. Both were willing to defend their home from an aggressive invader.


    While it had been an act, Ororo would never have actually used violence against the group. And even with the small amount of power she used on him, she felt dirty and disgusted with herself. They had reacted with restraint, and if she hadn¡¯t done anything she felt she would have been sitting drinking more tea as they chatted. It was a normal powered household and there were no signs of militancy or the threats she had been told about. Not only that but she felt Charles and T¡¯Challa both owed her an explanation. Whoever, and whatever Peter had become, it was not a callous murderer.


    A game was being played, a game she refused to be a part of but she knew that neither T¡¯Challa nor Charles was being completely honest with her. Whatever was going on here. She would get to the bottom of it, even if it split her own family apart.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Seven. Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Three. Gathering Storm

    Ororo landed on the commons of the Xavier mansion and even as he greeted her with a bright smile Ororo scowled at Hank, ¡°Get me Charles, now,¡± she forcefully ordered him.


    Whatever she had been told by Charles and T¡¯Challa had been wrong. Even flying back she had checked her phone for any report of Venom, and while he was being blamed for the death of John Jameson, she noted that both Spider-Man and Agent Webb were also blamed. It all centred on J.J, going off on a massive rant about all powered individuals. If she ignored him and focused on the reports, the facts of the matter were different enough to cast doubt on his story.


    He wasn¡¯t being hailed as a hero by the press, that was certain, but other than the first attack Peter had taken on mainly muggers, moved up to drug dealers, and then even by Charles¡¯s admission, on the drug houses themselves, where a trio of Enhanced had ambushed him without warning.


    That was where the reports fell down. John¡¯s death had been called murder but no actual evidence except for Venoms participation in the rooftop brawl had been given. Each source cited each other and it all ultimately led back to J.J.


    There was nothing concrete, even the warrant was not for his arrest for the murder, but for questioning as to his involvement. A huge difference, as one was a crime, the other was an attempt to pin a crime on someone who might not be guilty. The city needed a scapegoat and it was Venom. It was obvious that he couldn¡¯t defend himself, not without revealing his identity, and not without handing himself into police custody.


    Ororo cursed herself for being so stupid as to take things at face value and made a promise to apologise to the young man. After she had talked to Charles and T¡¯Challa. It was her trust in them that brought about this situation, they had both promised her that Peter was not only guilty but dangerous.


    Once her browsing expanded, she discovered that it was not all anger and hatred. Venom even had his own fan club. Victims of crimes stopped by him and even a few more dubious web pages that Ororo did not linger on and hoped that Peter wasn¡¯t frequenting. Run but not only avid female but enthusiastic male fans as well. Some of the fanfiction being written would make a tribal elder blush and she even wondered if it was anatomically possible.


    As she waited in the main hall of the mansion the familiar whir of Charles wheelchair eventually came into earshot. She wanted to do this publicly. Charles was too focused on protecting his students to let them hear bad news, and if Ororos suspensions were correct, then this would be bad.


    ¡°It is a pleasure to see you Ororo. Was Wakanda more pleasant than San Francisco?¡± Charles smiled at her warmly, even if she was angry at him, he was still her mentor and her friend.


    ¡°Did you lie to me about Venom? Peter is nothing like you said, and once you scrape away all the lies and muck, nothing like the news is reporting either.¡± and Charles frowned and rubbed his forehead,


    ¡°Venom is dangerous Ororo. He attacked the school, attacked students, so no. It is my belief that he is a clear and very persistent danger to our cause.¡±


    ¡°And Laura? Jean? Was that a lie as well?¡± Ororo stood with her arms crossed, glaring at Charles,


    ¡°Why don''t we have tea in the drawing-room, Ororo? I think that calmer head may prevail in the present circumstances.¡± but Ororo shook her head,


    ¡°Not this time. Answer me, Charles. Did you use your powers to abduct a girl and are you keeping Jean here against her will?¡± Ororo was adamant she would get answers.


    ¡°Ororo, the situation is more complicated than that, and I do not wish to upset the rest of the students further.¡±


    ¡°That sounds very much like an admission. These children are not your personal property. We save them so that others do not have the same life that we lived. Free from hate and persecution but once they are old enough, regardless of what we think, they are free to make their own choices. You do not have that right, Charles.¡°


    ¡°So, you would send Jean to live with a killer, send a scared girl who was taken from a drug lab to live with someone like him?¡± and Charles wheeled forwards, ¡°I am aware they are not our toys, Ororo, but sometimes they need guidance to make the right choices.¡±


    Ororo shook her head, ¡°You are not giving them a choice. I can understand Jean, we both know what happened but not this girl. Peter told me you took her, erased their minds and left. I understand that sometimes we must use our powers in an unsavoury way, but you did not even talk to the boy. That is not what we stand for, that is what we stand against. You are not the Charles Xavier I signed up to work for, and if this is how the mansion, how the X-Men is being run, then I want no part of it. I will be leaving until you come to your senses.¡± Ororo stood straight, ¡°and if Jean and Laura, if anyone else wishes to leave then they may meet me outside in one hour.¡± Shaking her head she sighed as she looked over at the now despondent Charles, Hank gripping the back of his wheelchair but unwilling, or unable to say anything.


    ¡°The world is changing Charles, and it will be painful, change always is. But you need to change with it. Hiding is no longer an option, you cannot keep these children safe by locking them away, not when there are attacks in broad daylight, not when new and more powerful enemies approach.¡±


    Charles shook his head and leaned back in his chair, ¡°by sending them to learn from a killer. He might not have killed Jameson but he has killed. Erik and I talked about what happened in Sokovia. He was ruthless Ororo, and I cannot in good conscience send students to live with him.¡±


    ¡°Oh, like Logan, or Erik. It is not who we kill Charles but how we react to it, and Peter is not a murderer. He may have killed, yes, but neither of us is free from the blood on our hands.¡° And Charles looked at his lap, folding his hands together. ¡°Which leads me to my other point, you never once talked to him. You invaded his mind, took what you wanted and left, never allowing him to explain, and that is not you Charles. Desperation makes fools of us all. Right now you are being foolish, as are a lot of people.¡±


    Ororo looked over at Hank, who was trying his best not to interrupt, ¡°and do not think Doctor that you are free from guilt as well. I entrusted you while I was gone. Not just with the well-being of the students but with the professor as well. You, of all of us, know how he can be if guilt and desperation cloud his judgement.¡±


    Hank looked down at the back of the wheelchair guilty. During Charles¡¯s younger days, when all of his students abandoned him, he started drinking and taking an experimental serum to dull his powers. It was only Erik begging for help to save Raven that brought him back from the edge of that pit, and even though he had stopped drinking afterwards, Hank knew there was a bottle of scotch hidden in a secret drawer in Charles¡¯s desk.


    Charles shook his head, ¡°You know how Erik was, and Peter is the same. Young, angry, and full of rage at an injustice he had no control over. Unlike Erik, I saw someone unwilling to do anything to change, unwilling to let that go and become a better person. He may not have meant to push John from that roof, but he does not regret it. He is not the student you used to worry over Ororo, and this is a mistake. Peter Parker is a danger, even more so now that he can resist my influence. I cannot in good conscience allow Jean to live with such a person.¡±


    It was Jean that interrupted him, ¡°and you don''t get to make that choice. I checked with Peter''s lawyer. You only had guardianship until my 18th birthday, or did you forget to mention that?¡±


    The Professor stammered, ¡°But, But Jean. Once you hit 18, the guardianship could be extended if there was just cause. Your powers are still unstable and without supervision, you could be a danger to yourself.¡± but Jean crossed her arms,


    ¡°That''s not what you just said. You said it was because of Peter, so what is it really? I mean, is my trust fund good enough for you to buy another X-Jet?¡± and Ororo put a hand on her arm,


    ¡°That was a bit unfair, Jean. However, I am in agreement. Jean has control of her powers, there is no reason she cannot leave and Laura is not one of your students, correct? Then you have no legal right to keep her here.¡± and this time it was Logan who interrupted, coming in from sparring with Laura in tow.


    ¡°Yeah, but short stuff here grew up in a lab, and Peter, he ain¡¯t a good boy.¡± and laura laughed


    ¡°He¡¯s good, very good¡± and Logan growled.


    ¡°Professor, she got to my computer and well, Parker¡¯s got a lot to answer for.¡±


    Charles rubbed his forehead, this was spiralling out of control.


    ¡°He removed the spike in her head, so she remembers, got a bit personality back as well. Seems she and Parker.¡±


    ¡°We fucked!¡± Laura yelled, and Logan sighed and it was his turn to rub his forehead, as this wasn¡¯t the first time she had yelled it in public.


    ¡°No swearing in the school, it ain''t ladylike,¡± but Laura shrugged,


    ¡°You do it when you think no one hears you,¡± she retorted, ¡°and I''m leaving. Want to live with Peter now. Captain Baldy, you¡¯re not a good man, not staying.¡± and she ran away to grab the few personal items she had gathered.


    Ororo raised an eyebrow, ¡°Captain Baldy?¡± Charles sighed, ¡°Peter again I assume.¡± and he nodded.


    ¡°He is not a good influence, especially if he is not only engaging in delicate surgery but sexual intercourse as well. Jean, please. Peter is not a good influence on anyone,¡± but Jean had gone bright red at Laura''s admission and was lost in her own thoughts.


    ¡°See? Ororo, please. Jean cannot leave, especially not into that charnel house. Each of the women is a host to the alien creatures and each of them is in a relationship with Peter. It''s like some damn cheap badly written smut novel. No good will come of this.¡±


    Ororo shook her head, ¡°but you do not get to decide that Charles. I will stay with them both. I have to have this conversation with T¡¯Challa but once I am back in the States I will make sure that Jean and Laura are safe, and that nothing improper happens.¡±


    Logan snorted, ¡°and if his power affects you too?¡± but lightning crackled around Ororo,


    ¡°And when you do not get your way, you debase yourself by accusing him of impropriety?¡± But Logan put up his hands,


    ¡°Hey hey now, that ain¡¯t it. The kid gives off a huge amount of pheromones, an¡¯ I can smell ¡®em. Fear, anger, and yeah, desire. All from one kid,¡± and Ororo relaxed as she remembered the fear and terror he induced and if he could do that for desire as well, and she frowned.


    ¡°Then all I can do is make sure that he does not.¡±


    While the thought of having some kind of control over her terrified her, she remembered Peter saying he would hate himself for doing this, right after he shut off his warehouse AC. Peter knew what effect he had, and took steps to combat it. It still made sense that everyone had the wrong impression, maybe his desire scent had the reverse on males, they would see him as a threat to their territory and she had to stifle a small laugh.


    Logan definitely but Charles? Strutting male egos bruised as Peter waltzed in, dismantled their relationships and entranced their females away. She had had enough of that male arrogance when she was on the streets in Africa, she did not need it here as well.


    ¡°No, I believe that Peter is being given a bad reputation, by people unwilling to give him the time and effort needed to understand his situation. There is no changing my mind, and there is no stopping me either. I am not named Storm for a slight drizzle. Do not make this more difficult than it needs to be.¡± Laura came back dragging an overstuffed bag while Jean had been packed for a while, it was only the threat of legal repercussions that had stopped her.


    ¡°Are we ready?¡± and the pair nodded, Jean, lifting her cases while Laura dragged hers behind her. ¡°Good, I will be in touch Charles, and we can all have a sit down to discuss this problem. Like adults.¡±


    As the trio left in one of Charles¡¯s cars, Charles looked over at both Hank and Logan, ¡°I hope she knows what she¡¯s doing, but we can only prepare for the worst. Hank, get me the phone. Maybe T¡¯Challa can talk some sense into her, for all our sakes.¡±


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Seven. Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Four. Full House (NSFW)

    Jean had the foresight to call ahead and the chain-link fence had been opened, allowing Ororo to drive her car into the side parking spaces by the warehouse. As she let Laura and Jean run into the warehouse, she found and moved her own car, parking it next to the one she had borrowed from Charles. She hadn''t unpacked from travel and most of her things, barring a few personal items, were still in there.


    As Peter opened the side door to the warehouse his face fell once he saw Ororo.


    ¡°Are you just dropping them off?¡± and she shook her head.


    ¡°I am here to make sure they are okay, to clarify a few things and then I would like to stay, only for a few days before I head back to Wakanda.¡± and Peter nodded. He and Liv had talked, and whatever powers Miss Munroe had, she was testing Peter, not attacking him, and he was going to give her another chance.


    An excited Laura threw her bags to him, ¡°Catch Monkey,¡± and then darted inside to stake her claim. Wanda had arrived as well and reluctantly agreed to wait for Laura and Jean before the trio picked their homes.


    ¡°Monkey?¡± Ororo asked but Peter shook his head while Jean laughed,


    ¡°It''s a long story,¡± and even as he sighed, ¡±but come on then, if it makes this easier for them, then I guess it''s okay.¡±


    ¡°I would like to talk privately while the others are settled if you don''t mind. I am not here to fight, I would like to talk, please.¡± and Peter motioned up the ramp to his house,


    ¡°Uh Liv, can you stop these two from killing each other while Ororo and I have a talk?¡± and Ororo looked over his shoulder, Laura had staked out a house and Wanda was using some kind of red energy to grab her back, the pair were yelling about who got the home and she had to laugh. So far, everything was perfectly normal here. Two young women arguing over living space was not unusual.


    Inside Peters home, Ororo was surprised at not just its design but space as well. Peter motioned to one of the couches and as she sat down he took a seat across from her.


    ¡°Please, do not take offence. First I am sorry. I was given incomplete information and my own assumptions led me to do something shameful. I only want the truth, even if it is just your truth.¡± and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°You killed John,¡± and Peter frowned,


    ¡°We¡¯ve been over this, that was an accident.¡±


    ¡°But you have killed someone?¡± and he nodded.


    ¡°Someone who was a threat to the people in my home, and the agents they send after us. Nazi¡¯s masquerading as Shield, few drug dealers,¡° and Peter thought about it for a moment, ¡°yeah, scumbags and assholes. But that''s not what you want to know is it?¡±


    ¡°Did you do it for fun or revenge? Was it easy, or do you have nightmares?¡± and Peter shook his head and pursed his lips.


    ¡°It was easy. A choice between anyone downstairs and a scumbag, that''s not a choice. Did I go out of my way, look for them and kill them from spite, no. Everyone I''ve killed came for me or my family. Do I regret their deaths?¡± Peter stared up as he thought, blinking a few times, and then leaned forward, ¡°maybe Alexsi? He did a lot for me, but the rest, no. Rapists and abusers don''t deserve my sympathy.¡± but as he looked over, Ororo was nodding.


    ¡°And neither should they. We all have blood on our hands, Peter, it is how we deal with it that makes us human, and regardless of what anyone else believes. You are human.¡± but Peter shrugged,


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what Charles or any of those hypocrites think, Ororo. You all judge me but I don''t see anyone else out there fighting to keep people safe.¡± but Ororo raised a hand,


    ¡°That is not why I am here Peter. I only want to make sure Laura and Jean are safe. What you do for Shield or on your own is none of my business. Even your love life, which unfortunately Laura had made quite a telling of in the mansion, is none of my concern. Only that you are not using your powers to create a group of slaves.¡±


    ¡°Uh, damn, you know?¡± and Ororo nodded.


    ¡°A demonstration, please. I want to know how you influence them so that others are not trapped.¡± but Peter shook his head,


    ¡°That''s a really bad idea. We have air-con, with thick filters designed to take the pheromone out of the air installed all over the warehouse. A neutraliser spray and sprinkler system, Noone does anything they don''t want to. People can call me a lot of things, but a rapist is not one of them.¡±


    Ororo shook her head, ¡°I do not think it is as bad as you say. I will not hold anything that happens against you, but I must know.¡± and Peter snorted,


    ¡°Liv,¡± he shouted, ¡°come here a moment,¡± and after a few Liv stuck her head around the door. ¡°Ororo here wants to know how potent the pheromone is, and won''t take no for an answer. Please, either explain or persuade her.¡± Liv took one look at Peter, frowned and shrugged.


    ¡°If she is stupid enough. Peter, stop thinking like we can¡¯t take responsibility. If she says it¡¯s okay, then go ahead, by now you should realise we all expect things like this to happen, but try not to be too loud dear,¡± giving Ororo a once over, ¡°she does look like a screamer.¡±


    Peter shook his head, ¡°Oh come on Liv. Liv?¡± but his door just closed. ¡°You know Gwen designed a female viagra based on this right? And so far everyone it¡¯s been used on has given it a thumbs up.¡±


    Ororo had no idea, ¡°I am an adult Peter, and I do not believe¡± and it hit her, and in a flash, she was on his lap, she kissed him, feeling his lips on hers she moaned. Tugging at her blouse it was split open and her breast spilled out from her bra she ripped open at the front.


    Peter could only stare as Ororo threw herself at him, he had directed it the best he could and hit her with a full dose and in only a breath her hands grabbed his and pressed them into her breasts. As large as Felicia, they swayed as he rubbed them, their chocolate coffee colour perfectly complemented by their much darker round nipples now hardening under his fingers. While he couldn''t see her skirt was lifted up and she rubbed herself on his growing erection. He knew this was not what she wanted and he refused to allow himself to spring free,


    ¡°Please, in,¡± and one hand rubbed over his groin. She moaned as she felt just how large he was and ached to have him inside her. Looking down she had moved her panties to one side and was rubbing herself over his now drenched pants, ¡°please Peter,¡± but he shook his head. Instead, she thrust her chest into his face, finding his lips with her erect nipples, for a brief moment, Peter took one in his mouth, flicking it with his tongue before regaining his composure and pushing her back.


    Reaching over he grabbed a bottle of neutraliser, each chair and table had one velcroed to it for emergencies, and he sprayed it in her face.


    Pulling her close he let the spray work and her breathing calmed, ¡°you can let me go now,¡± and as he did she leaned back, uncaring she was still exposed. She sighed and as she arched her back, he could feel that she had come, even from the simple rubbing she had done. Unhindered, she let the shaking subside and then leant forwards placing a hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°So, is it like that for them all?¡± and Peter tilted his head and shook it.


    ¡°No, only Laura and we doused the whole place when we realised.¡± and leaning back he stared up at the ceiling, ¡°but uh, could you?¡± and Ororo laughed.


    ¡°It is a bit late for that Peter. I believe that embarrassment is unbecoming, especially when I can feel you are just as willing as I was.¡± While Ororo seemed unfazed Peter wasn¡¯t. As he drank in her beauty he shook his head,


    As his erection was pressed against her, trapped between her toned thighs Peter sighed, ¡°yeah, but, I wasn''t joking when I said this was a bad idea, aren''t you like engaged to the king of Wakanda. I like sex, I really like this but I don¡¯t do the cheating boyfriend bit, even for you. So please?¡± and Ororo laughed but nodded, sliding herself back off his lap.


    ¡°I think T¡¯Challa and I may not be as close as I thought. He is very insistent about you and that is an argument waiting to happen.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but still not going to screw his fiance to prove a point,¡±


    ¡°There is no need to be crude, and I can safely say that even if T¡¯Challa and I reconcile, this would not have gone much further would it?¡± and Peter frowned,


    ¡°Oh come on, another test? And what if I¡¯d gone through with it? What if I was balls deep in you right now. You weren''t stopping, and it¡¯s not exactly a secret I had a crush on you, shit,¡± Peter lifted himself out of his chair and stomped over to the door, ¡°and you wonder why I don''t trust you guys,¡± and he swore and muttered under his breath. ¡°Getting really tired of these games¡±


    ¡°I was not playing and I was not going to stop you,¡± Ororo shrugged, ¡°I am not an idiot nor am I a  weak toy for someone to play with. I expected what could happen, and I can defend myself if it was something I was unwilling to accept. I had faith however that you were telling me the truth, you are not a rapist and consent is very much a big thing.¡± but Peter was still shaking his head, opening the door the fresh air of the warehouse cleaned out the sweet smell of the almost sex, ¡°And even if you were, as you said ¡®balls deep¡¯ inside me, I would not be complaining. I am not a child and can deal with the consequences of my actions.¡±


    As she looked at the expression on his face, and the bulge in his pants. She considered for a moment allowing him to continue. He was attractive and the pheromone he gave off had turned a small spark of attraction into a raging fire of desire. Under other circumstances, if they were the same age, or if she was not already engaged she could see herself with him, but as he rightly said, she was still engaged to T¡¯Challa, no matter how short that might last.


    ¡°It was still stupid, and I was stupid for going along with it, and for the love of god please button up your blouse.¡± Ororo stood, her skirt around her waist, both breasts bared and Peter could see the light wisps of pubic hair sticking out from very wet panties, pushed to one side, showing her very wet and excited pussy.


    He gulped but could not drag his eyes away. It was rude, and he knew it was rude but she was gorgeous and the first woman, the first older woman he had ever had a crush on. As his eyes travelled up, he took in everything and as they met hers she gave him a small smile with beautiful blue eyes. Unashamed she just shrugged slightly,


    ¡°You are not giving yourself enough credit Peter, you are very handsome, and even I know for a pheromone to work there must be an attraction.¡±


    Peter slumped back down in his chair. ¡°Go downstairs, tell Liv what happened and take a shower.¡± Peter rubbed his hands over his face. While he was not going to say no, and damn that was amazing to see the first person he ever crushed on, it was also draining. His patience and willpower were both at a tipping point and he needed some alone time. ¡°But don¡¯t expect an apology. You were warned and I¡¯m tired of dealing with stupid shit like this. Next time I won¡¯t stop.¡±


    Ororo raised an eyebrow, ¡°Next time?¡± and Peter just rubbed a hand over his face, grinned, and shrugged,


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one half-naked, with her skirt around her waist, and her panties pushed to one side. Once is a mistake, twice in an invitation,¡± and as she looked down even she laughed.


    Buttoning her blouse, she took her panties off, unwilling to wear something that was wet and balled them up and pushed them into a bag in her purse to deal with later. Peter had already seen everything, so she had no illusion of modesty anymore, and undressing to be more comfortable was more important right now.


    ¡°Maybe, but this time was a misunderstanding. I am sorry Peter,¡± as she adjusted herself and became decent, ¡°but this was my fault and while you do have a huge effect, I cannot say this will ever happen again. As you rightly said, I do have a fiance, and like you, I would not cheat.¡±


    As Ororo gathered her things she opened the door and Wanda was stood there, looking guilty and rubbing her hands together, ¡°uh Peter, Laura, Jean, and I have picked out our homes, Liv has asked if everything is okay,¡± and as she sniffed, she spied Ororo¡¯s hastily buttoned clothing,


    Once downstairs, Liv shook her head and grinned, ¡°Have fun dear?¡± and Ororo sighed,


    ¡°I am sorry Miss Octavious, I was wrong and,¡± but she paused and shook her head, ¡°I will be back to check on Laura and Jean later, if that is okay?¡± and Liv nodded, watching as a despondent Ororo left.


    Once she was out of the warehouse, Liv burst into laughter, ¡°stupid woman.¡±


    As Ororo drove her car back to the mansion she expected a phone call and was not disappointed. As her senses had been cut off when she entered the warehouse she became aware of the smallest line, a single thread-thin pulse that stuck into the warehouse like a needle, or in this case, like a worm.


    As she hit the hands-free on the steering wheel,


    ¡°Ororo, may I ask what you have been doing?¡± It was T¡¯Challa, and Ororo had expected this.


    ¡°I dropped off two of my students at their new home, and how are you my love?¡± she asked him innocently,


    ¡°I am not good. I hear what you say but I do not believe what you are saying.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you ask?¡± she spat accusingly. The trap had not been for Peter.


    She knew full well what sort of person he was, having spent enough time at school trying to help him. As for herself, she had expected his power to affect her. Growing up knowing mutants enlisted there had to be some with that ability. She just hadn¡¯t expected it to be as potent.


    There was definitely a thrill as his eyes devoured her, and even the thought of him ravaging her was enough to bring her to a tipping point. If he had not stopped, she would have let him and gone back for more. She felt his gaze linger over her as he took in everything, and she had to admit that his desire had made her feel not just beautiful, but wanted as well.


    ¡°I was hoping that you would admit your wrongdoing and that we could find a way to work together on this.¡± T¡¯Challa sounded upset and angry but so was Ororo. He had her and the warehouse under surveillance, and she was not happy about it.


    ¡°My wrongdoing? How long have the Dora been following me? How long have you had Peter under surveillance?¡±


    She heard him sigh over the phone, ¡°He is a threat Ororo, and you are my fiance. Even if you do not like it, you need to be protected against the enemies of Wakanda.¡±


    ¡°Do you remember how we met?¡± and there was a slight pause,


    ¡°I do not-¡± but she interrupted him,


    ¡°Do you remember?¡± she asked more forcefully,


    T¡¯Challa sighed, ¡°My father had you rescued from a warlord in Kenya. You were to be his bride, as a chosen of the Goddess. By having your pre-pubescent virgin blood he would have obtained godhood and ruled for a thousand years.¡±


    ¡°And after your father watched me kill that man, after you watched me walk barefoot and bloodied into your home, still gripping the stone I used to cut open his throat. Do you for one second think that even without my powers that I need your protection?¡±


    T¡¯Challa took in a breath and sighed. ¡°It is not a matter of what I think, the council voted that as my Queen you are to be protected, whether you like it or not. As am I, and as is Shuri. Every Wakandan royal travels with guards, and you are no exception.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and are you not head of that Council? As King, do you not have the final say?¡±


    ¡°I happen to agree. You are my Queen, and no one shall touch you as long as I live.¡±


    Ororo snorted, ¡°Your Queen? I already told one man today that I am not a toy to be played with. That includes you T¡¯Challa, call off your Dora or I will not be returning to Wakanda.¡±


    ¡°Ororo, please. The records we have stated quite clearly that the devourer is a danger to not just those around him but to the Earth itself, be reasonable. My Dora Milaje are there for your protection and have orders not to interfere, it is a security detail, nothing more.¡±


    Ororo was still unhappy though, ¡°I understand that T¡¯Challa, but right now, they are not. You spied on me, you broke a trust. How am I to trust you in the future if I know you are watching my every move? How is this any different from going through my emails, or my phone calls?¡± and the silence on the other end of the phone was telling,


    ¡°Oh, I swear by our ancestors T¡¯Challa, if you have-¡±


    ¡°I have,¡± was all he said and Ororo yelled in anger at her phone and cut the call.


    Pulling over her car into the emergency layby, she clenched her fists and bashed them against the steering wheel, crying out in frustration and betrayal.


    He had always been there for her. He was there when she walked barefoot and scared into the palace. He was supposed to be her rock, someone she could always turn to when she needed guidance or just a simple ear to listen. The guards she could understand, it was the lying she hated.


    In one afternoon her world had been broken, and as she clenched her fists she vowed to herself, from then on, it would be her world, and no one, not T¡¯Challa, not Charles, nor anyone, would tell her how to live her life.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Seven. Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Five. AIMing Higher

    Basking in the glow of three new housemates, a new pool room that they had figured out a rotation and explained the flag system so he didn¡¯t walk in on either Jean or Wanda, life in the warehouse had settled down once more.


    Wanda had been brief, she had a slightly glazed look on her face but once Peter refreshed the air and sprayed more neutraliser she smiled, patted him on the shoulder and left, leaving him confused. Gwen just smiled and winked as he came down from his place, and he guessed while she was unwilling, Wanda had ventured up to see if he and Ororo had crossed a line.


    Jean had been given a grace period. While she had picked a home, she was still wary of what the professor could do to bring her back to the mansion, something Peter wanted to have a strongly worded argument with him about, but as it was her life, Jean was perfectly capable of doing that herself.


    With the Hydra forces mopped up. There was only one issue that needed to be dealt with. Shaw. Before he could even deal with that, another landed right in his lap. As to what the mess would be, Peter still had no idea.


    As he sat at the very expensive looking table, crisp white tablecloth and a very expensive steak with roast potatoes in front of him, he listened to the very eloquent and very well dressed man speak.


    Aldrich Killian had introduced himself and while Peter first impression was snake oil salesman, not helped by the fact that Justin Hammer was here, the more he spoke, the more it piqued Peter''s curiosity.


    Aldrich was handsome, greeting hair swept back over a widow''s peak. ¡°You see, after some investigation into Stark''s new product line we both noticed that while Stark Tech was on the box, your name, or Miss Stacys was on the patent.¡± He was busy enjoying the same steak as Peter while Justin had a more unusual hamburger and fries. He was a small unassuming man, and Peter would never have guessed, looking at his pencil thin figure and narrow face that sat across from him was supposedly the third richest man in America.


    ¡°So, after some digging, I realised that Stark, as always, had taken someone else''s idea and ran with it. Acquiring patents from Oscorp and screwing both yourself and Ms Octavious out of a rather large amount of money.¡±


    Peter nodded, unwilling to interrupt the man who seemed to be reciting a speech.


    ¡°So, Justin and I are looking for a partner, one who shares similar, let''s say, feelings towards Stark. We know about the video, Miss Potts¡¯s indiscretion is of no matter but the way you got back at him, was immensely enjoyable. Myself, he had me arrested in a parking garage, and Justin, well, there are still pages with the world''s smallest-¡° but Justin cleared his throat, ¡°ah yes, of course, sorry Justin.¡± and Aldrich smiled. That snake oil salesman smile.


    ¡°So, I get that,¡° Peter said, ¡°but why me? I mean, you both are famous. Hammer might not get the best press but you still get press, and while I don¡¯t know who you are Mr Killian, someone influential enough to know what I''ve been doing and bribe their way into the records office to get my file, you must either have connections or money and from your suit, both.¡±


    Aldrich smiled, ¡°please, call me Aldrich and it¡¯s simple Peter. You are smart but more importantly, you are young. An upcoming talent that no one has heard of, well except Stark, but he¡¯s hell-bent on crushing you. We want you to work with us, not for us. We start an umbrella corporation, one under which you can restart Parker Incorporated, my one company, FuturePharm and Hammer Industries. All sharing data, all working to further humanity, and of course, make a lot of money. Advanced Idea Mechanics. One goal, One AIM. nice huh. I think marketing tracked it as scoring positively amongst the general populace.¡±


    ¡°Again, why me? I''ve no capital, no investors, nothing to offer.¡± and as he took a drink of his coke, Hammer and Killian shared a look and Aldrich smiled,


    ¡°But you do have ideas. The CLS is brilliant, Olivia Octavious still holds the patent for her arcstar reactor and her harness. Gwen Stacy holds the patent for her Stacy formula, that''s what we want. Money isn''t an issue, a million or two is worth the investment on the hundred million we make back. Even ten or twenty million is nothing Peter. You are the next Stark. We want that. We have money, we need ideas.¡±


    Peter carefully chewed the very nice steak and swallowed. ¡°I need to think about it. I have Shield as well, and Gwen works for Stark, there might be a noncompete clause in her contract. It''s a lot Mr Aldritch, really, I mean, you¡¯re expecting me to trust you when Stark took one look at me and punched me through a wall, so forgive me if I''m a little hesitant.¡±


    Justin snorted and Killian laughed, ¡°how about a tour of my latest project. It''s what I want Liv to have a look at. We have another of Tony¡¯s ex and disgruntled employees, Maya Hanson. If Miss Octavious has heard of her that should speak for itself, as for non competes, well, we wouldn''t want to get Gwen in trouble or jeopardize a new relationship. Say, next week?¡± and Peter nodded. He had his meeting with Shaw in a few days but as he expected that to come to nothing other than yelling he would be free. As Killian offered his hand to shake it Peter felt something being slipped into his pocket and taking the man''s hand and smiling, he ignored it.


    ¡°Great, Great. I¡¯ll send a car for you, don''t worry we know where you live.¡± and he gave that smile again, Peter couldn''t make up his mind if it was genuine or fake and really didn''t want to get into the habit of using his powers to tell. He had seen where it led Xavier and he didn''t want that to be his future as well.


    As they watched Peter leave, Adrian sipped the last of his wine, ¡°you think he¡¯ll figure it out?¡±


    Hammer dipped a triangle of fries in ketchup, ¡°I hope so, and before it''s too late,¡± and Adrian shrugged.


    Lifting the vial out of his pocket he pulled out the stopper and sniffed, noting that the liquid smelt slightly like machine oil and left a silvery film on the inside of the bottle. Shrugging, he put the lid back on and stuck it back in his pocket. Whatever it was he would get Liv or Gwen to examine it later.


    As he made his way home, Peter noticed a tail but thought nothing of it. It could be Nat, testing him, as he shook his head it could be anyone and he ignored them. Back at the warehouse, a party was in full swing, with Wanda teaching Laura how to dance, while Liv and Gwen were sitting together.


    ¡°Good news?¡± and Gwen shouted,


    ¡°Hey, Pete! Guess who graduated?¡± and Peter frowned. Gwen had been getting credit for her work at Stark Industries but he had no idea it was this close. Deciding to tease her a little, he pointed at himself,


    ¡°Well, I have been working hard, and you guys threw a party.¡± and while Liv chuckled to herself,


    Gwen pouted, ¡°me, you ass.¡± and Peter nodded and lifted her from Livs lap, pulling her into a close hug and kissing her,


    ¡°Congratulations, you deserve it.¡± but Gwen pulled back,


    ¡°Eugh, what have you been eating?¡± and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°Steak, I had that meeting with Hammer and Killian today. They bought me lunch,¡± Peter was quite pleased, in fact, the meal alone had been worth meeting them, and their proposal had merit. He would wait though, if Gwen was graduating then it should be her day.


    ¡°Nuh-uh, you taste like ass. Unless you¡¯ve been eating garbage, what did you eat?¡± and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°Really, we were at the new place, uh Cafe du Mer, the food was great.¡± Gwen motioned to Liv, who sniffed at his mouth,


    ¡°No, I can smell it too. Are you sure it was good? Sorry dear but I need to borrow him.¡± and taking Peter by the hand she led him into her new home, with a small work surface she used for her PC and lab work. ¡°Arm,¡± and Peter, used to the routine, presented his arm and as Liv fitted the rubber tubing she took a small blood sample. To test the first one she just left it in the sample tube and they both jumped when, rather than dissolving, it burst into flames.


    ¡°What the bloody hell?¡± Liv shouted as the tube burst. As they watched the black powder slowly consumed itself and burned with a small bright blue flame. ¡°And you think that your steak was maybe overcooked?¡± and Peter laughed.


    ¡°Nothing tasted off though, so unless Aldrich dosed me, I have no idea.¡± and thinking he took the stoppered vial out from his pocket. He sighed, the lid had come loose as he walked, and there was only the smallest amount left in the bottom. As Liv saw it she shook her head and stepped back, grabbing a sample bottle and placing it on a cart, she wheeled it over to him and he dropped it in and screwed the lid shut.


    ¡°I need you to see if you can purge yourself of any foreign material, Peter. If your blood sample burst into flames then we can¡¯t risk taking more. Can you, I don''t know, see if you can feel whatever that sample was.¡± and frowning Peter sat with his eyes closed.


    Normally he could feel his cells, he knew enough about his biology now that he could make symbcells at will. He still lacked the fine control that Gwen had with Poison, but she had a cheat, Poison herself. He could only, and he paused, there it was. Venom spread out across his skin, covering him in a dark black sheen, which bled a strange orange coloured liquid. ¡°There we go '''' and Liv ran a sample swab over his skin and dropped it into a test tube. ¡°I¡¯ll be upstairs dear, I¡¯ll let you know what I find, but for now, please don''t set fire to anything,¡± and thinking that his blood was flammable, she sighed, ¡°or anyone.¡± and Peter got the message loud and clear. No sex until they figured out what was going on.


    Liv held a test tube full of orange liquid. ¡°It''s a virus and a very nasty one at that.¡± and as the group stared at Peter he shrugged.


    ¡°I don''t know, I thought I was immune to any viruses. Shouldn''t my immune system have taken care of it.¡± and Liv nodded,


    ¡°It did.¡± In the loft meeting room, Liv pulled out a series of images and began to display them one by one.


    ¡°Whatever this virus is has integrated itself into your immune system. If I can hazard a guess, it''s a viral serum. Designed to work in tandem with a person''s body but ultimately being curable, and therefore reversible. Unlike the original super-soldier serum.¡±


    ¡°So wait? I have more powers now?¡± and Peter flexed but shrugged, ¡°I don''t feel any different.¡±


    ¡°That''s the problem,¡± and Liv clicked her mouse again, moving over to the next slide. ¡°The virus is now active, it co-oped your current powers and it¡¯s mutating. We need to find out who infected you and get the cure. Look,'''' and as Liv pointed at the slide, they could see the normally black blood cells, his co-opted immune response was now orange, and worse, there was a sign that his blood was full of them, more than normal. ¡°I think, for want of a better term, you are sick. Isolation might be the best course, but as your immune system is already compromised, we have no way to cure you or figure out what effects it will have. No powers. Remove the Mind Stone from your body, just in case, and under no circumstances are you to even touch any of us. This is affecting your symbcells, the symbiotes are probably not immune to its effects and you may infect us.¡±


    ¡°Uh, should I be sitting here then?¡± and Liv shook her head,


    ¡°It''s not airborne and from its size, probably never will be. This is a man-made bloodborne infection. Someone dosed you, and as Aldrich Killian runs a pharmatech company, I will bet it was him.¡±


    ¡°So, phone him to get the cure or you play the bad guy?¡±


    ¡°Do we want to warn him though? If this was intentional then we have to assume that he¡¯s probably watching us, to see what effect it has on you.¡± and peter huffed


    ¡°I was being followed, but as they didn¡¯t follow me all the way here I thought nothing of it, just Fury being an ass or a stupid fan,¡± and Peter took out his phone,


    ¡°Yeah, tell Killian I found his shitty virus. I want the cure or he gets it and his name plastered all over the web, and if he thinks that me fucking Pepper made the internet sing, wait till they get a video of me fucking him,¡± and Peter hung up.


    ¡°You really need to work on your threats dear, that sounded incredibly homoerotic.¡± and she smirked, ¡°not that I¡¯m complaining of course.¡± and Gwen laughed as Peter shook his head.


    ~


    This novel is only hosted on Scribble Hub.


    If you are reading this novel on any other website then it has been taken without permission.


    If you are paying for a translation of this novel, it has been taken without permission and can be read free on Scribble Hu

 Arc Seven. Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Six. The Truth

    A sheepish looking Killian Aldrich pulled up in a limo outside the warehouse. He had listened to Peter''s voicemail and realised that the sample they had slipped to Peter had infected him. Rather than it being a discovery they wanted Peter to give to Gwen and Olivia to investigate, he had condemned the young man to a possibly painful death.


    Thankfully, as long as he accepted, they had already prepared a much larger piece of bait to secure his help. It would now act as an apology for the trouble and hopefully not the pain they were putting him through. If he lived. The only thing that Killian hoped was that the file he had on Gwen Stacy was accurate, as the Oscorp files on Olivia were public knowledge, as was the formula.


    The door to the warehouse was already open and he looked up and Peter vaulted from the roof, landing effortlessly on the ground. Glaring at Killian, the man sighed, the Extremis was already infiltrating his systems. Now, all they had to do was hope it wouldn''t overload and kill him.


    ¡°You owe me an explanation Mr Killian,'''' Peter told him angrily, ¡°and I have several people all very interested in hearing your excuse,¡± and without waiting Peter turned and headed back into the warehouse.


    Sighing, Aldrich waved to the driver who turned the limo and drove off and he swung open the gate and headed inside as well.


    ¡°Before anything Peter, I am sorry, The sample was only for you to test. I had no idea you would become infected,¡± and he paused as six pairs of very angry eyes, belonging to the most beautiful collection of women Aldrich had ever seen gathered in one place, outside a fashion parade. Even the normally sensible and stoic Aldrich lost his reason for a moment and stared blankly at the very angry women, ¡°Am, am I interrupting something?¡±


    Peter chuckled, ¡°Gwen and Liv, the pair you wanted me to get on the team,¡± and he motioned to the blonde and brunette at the end of the table, both who had folders in front of them, ¡°and now the ones you really don''t want to know about but, Natasha, Laura, and Wanda. My Shield team.¡±


    Aldrich swallowed, the files had neglected to mention Peter was a full Shield agent and right now, he knew that this went past a mistake and right into big problem territory,


    ¡°And uh Jean, she just lives here, but might as well let her know, as we don¡¯t really keep secrets from each other, or at least, not explosive virus ones anyway.¡±


    Gwen cleared her throat, ¡°So, want to explain? Why do you have an unstable techno virus that enhances in a very similar way to the super-soldier serum but with one major side effect?¡± and she slid a folder across the table towards him. ¡°It fucking blows up when it¡¯s unstable,¡± she yelled angrily.


    Aldrich raised his hands in surrender, ¡°I am sorry. We needed the foremost expert on the serum and with Miss Stacy and Miss Octavious both here, and Dr Conners living with your aunt we needed to get you on board. The sample we slipped Peter was never meant to infect him, that was the last thing we wanted. The cure for Extremis shouldn¡¯t be a race against death.¡±


    Peter shook his head, ¡°So AIM was all bullshit?¡± but Aldrich pulled out the folder,


    ¡°No no no, not at all. Here. Please, let me explain.¡± and Peter pointed to a chair and as Aldrich sat he slid the folder towards Peter. ¡°First, as an apology, we never meant to infect you. Please believe me.¡±


    Peter looked at the files. The first was a new warehouse, only half a block from here, the second was the licencing agreement for Parker Incorporated, signed back into Peter''s name, and lastly, a grant for 10 million dollars, under Parker Incorporated name with a contract paperclipped underneath. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°We got it back from Stark,¡± and he shook his head. ¡°Let me start from the beginning. When Oscorp dropped the serum research, Stark, being a little shit picked it up. With Maya Hansen, he designed what they called Extremis. Rather than a host animal, it uses a partially silicon-based organic virus to deliver the formula to its host. Same effects but can also generate bioelectricity and extreme heat if need be. It was experimental, highly dangerous and Stark dropped it. Maya wanted to finish the work but Stark fired her and she never worked again.¡±


    ¡°Until she found you?¡± and Aldrich gave out a small laugh,


    ¡°Maya and I are married but yes, to answer that. We worked together and founded FuturePharm together, where we worked on the Extremis virus. Until about three months ago, not long after the Ultron announcement.¡± Killin leaned forwards, a sad look creeping on his face. ¡°A group, well, we now know it was Hydra, broke into our lab, took the Extremis and infected both myself and Maya. I tried to approach Stark, to get the original notes, anything, but he blew me off and well, got me arrested.¡± Killian shook his head. ¡°While I am able to control the side effects, Maya is not so lucky. We have her sedated most days in a minus fifty-degree room, to stave off the heat she gives off. Please, I just wanted to save her, I never wanted you to go through that as well.¡± and as he leaned forwards the look of desperation shone on his face ¡°I, I just want my wife back.¡±


    Gwen leant back, ¡°Well, shit. I was all ready to shove this back in your face but we¡¯re kinda the queens of stupid when it comes to Pete, so.¡± and she slid a folder towards him. ¡°The Extremis virus bonded to Pete¡¯s unique physiology, resulting in a mutation. The virus itself is now part of his biology and you can¡¯t use it to cure a normal human.¡±


    As Killian frowned he took the folder and flicked through the pages, ¡°You did this already? But how, it''s only been hours, and non-human, oh no. You¡¯re one of them aren¡¯t you?¡± and Peter tutted,


    ¡°If you mean the symbiotes, sorry but no. Something else. Guess your contacts forgot to mention that,¡± but Killian shook his head,


    Aldrich leaned back, ¡°No he didn''t, and he also forgot your Shield Status.¡±


    Peter made sure to drop Fury a thank you note later. The only reason Aldrich¡¯s snitch didn¡¯t find out about either his team or his abilities was probably interference from him.


    ¡°You know I have to report this right? And Justin as well. You can¡¯t go around accidentally infecting people with a virus that makes them blow up.¡±


    ¡°Justin only wanted the drone you took from Norman, he bought the patents before Stark grabbed everything else, he wasn¡¯t involved in the virus.¡± but as Aldrich read further he looked over at Gwen in shock, ¡°you¡¯ve already got the cure?¡± and Gwen nodded,


    As she shrugged, ¡°it''s just a virus, my Stacy formula can be modified to target pretty much anything. You just screwed up when you infected Pete as the formula was already in his system.¡±


    Aldrich coughed in astonishment, ¡°just a virus? We worked for more than a decade on that, almost 20 years and to you, it''s just a virus.¡± and defeated, he slumped back into the chair.


    Liv laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I had the same reaction when she cracked the super-soldier serum. Smart little so and so she is,¡± and she leaned over and gave a beaming Gwen a kiss on the cheek.


    ¡°Pete might be harder to fix but the virus itself is brilliant. Uh Pete, wasn¡¯t Fury up your butt about having to work with Stark over the Stacy formula, how about this?¡± and he shrugged,


    ¡°Stave off an investigation by promising an exclusive contract with Shield?¡± and as Peter smiled Aldrich recognised the predatory look. Shield would wring him for everything to get Extremis, but if it was for Maya.


    ¡°I agree, but please the cure.¡± and Gwen nodded,


    ¡°It''s in there. If you need a dose I could probably make one in a day or so, won''t affect my work with Stark as I''m only making it. Oh but you can thank Pete. The antibody to the virus is made from his blood. Really though, It might be better if I can get a sample directly from your wife. If it¡¯s a mutated strain or there is some other environmental or physiological component, it might be safer,¡± and Aldrich nodded and then stood straight and held out his hand,


    ¡°Mr Parker, I am truly sorry for all of this. Please, take the folder as a small token of my gratitude and if you are still interested, AIM would love to have you.¡±


    Liv cleared her throat, ¡°Peter dear, would you be upset if I took over Parker Incorporated. I have much more experience and, I get the feeling that you would rather be out with your Shield team, maybe if Miss Grey is so included she could venture forth, with Natasha¡¯s permission of course.¡±


    Peter raised an eyebrow and gave her a surprised look, ¡°uh sure Liv,¡±


    ¡°After fighting Hydra, I realised that like MJ, I don''t want to fight. Peter. I am ready to fight if I need to but I really didn¡¯t like the spy stuff. Lying to you was hard and I never-¡° Liv¡¯s voice broke and she paused to take a breath ¡±I¡¯m not cut out for this and really, while Brock was an arse, I did enjoy leading a team and being in the lab. Please?¡± and she gave Peter a look of doe eyes and of course he crumbled.


    ¡°Can we alter the contracts?¡± but Aldrich shrugged,


    ¡°Who you employ would be your decision, Peter. If you want Miss Octavious to head your company, then she can head your company. AIM will be a collaboration, not a hierarchy.¡± and Aldrich smiled, ¡°Maya used to give me that look as well,¡± there was a hint of sadness in his voice, ¡±and she always got what she wanted too,¡± and each of them knew what it was like to see someone they cared about hurt when there was nothing that could be done.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get the anti-virus made up, it should only take a few hours. Pete, I can talk to Pepper as well, while Stark is behaving. I might be able to wrangle my way out of that contract with everything that''s gone on in the past. Might not get the Stacy formula back but even if I can get the non-compete removed I think I¡¯d like to work with Liv as well.¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°Finally getting your wish huh?¡± and she smiled and patted her arm, ¡°We can use the symbcell research as leverage as well. While he got a lot of stuff, he didn¡¯t touch that, so it might be lawyer time?¡± and Gwen nodded,


    ¡°I¡¯ll get Pepper on the phone, she probably doesn''t know, but, sorry. Mr Killian, uh Aldrich, we¡¯ll cure your wife first. Is it okay if we get blood and other samples though? The cure works better if I can examine the patient. Although, even if I don¡¯t get the Stacy formula back, I should be able to patent the Parker Extremis formula, at least a co-patent. You need Peter''s unique biology to produce it right now but in the future, we might be able to produce it separately.¡±


    As Gwen, Liv, and Aldrich discussed the cure Peter felt that his life was finally getting back on track. AIM might not be his future but he was glad that Gwen and Liv were able to get out from the shadows of Stark and Osborn.


    All he had left to deal with was a persistent witch and a stubborn asshole. At least he had one thing going for him. With the group''s blessing, he could finally call Emma¡¯s bluff. Honey trap or not, the blonde telepath was in for one hell of a shock the next time they met.

 Arc Seven. Chapter One Hundred Eigthy-Seven. Parasite Lost

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Liv asked Peter as he came down the ramp from his house. Shrugging he sat down and sighed,


    ¡°Honestly. The Extremis virus is a great power boost, with two major problems.¡± and to demonstrate Peter clenched a fist and electricity crackled over it, and then clenched the other fist which glowed bright red and Liv could feel the heat from where she was sitting.


    ¡°I can generate electricity, and from that refine it into pure heat. I¡¯m pretty sure if I grabbed my phone or anything else I could use the Extremis virus as a bridge and assimilate it, but, we still don¡¯t know how infectious I am, or if anyone infected with the new virus would have the same powers. I mean, what if a new symbiote I birth is already infected. Imagine the chaos that could cause.¡±


    ¡°Which is why I would suggest until we have a much better idea of how badly you are compromised that you do neither, and I must insist that sexual intercourse, even kissing anyone with a symbiote is out of the question.¡± and she huffed, ¡°as much as it pains me to say that.¡±


    ¡°Uh, I also can assimilate and create symbcell nanoparticles. After Tony bragged about it I sat and wondered if the virus was into more than just my immune system.¡± and as Liv watched, rather than oozing over his, a faint blue shimmer covered Peter and he was covered in a plated version of the Venom armour. Taking one of the gloves, Venom twisted it and it came away if it was separate armour. ¡°It now doesn''t need my bioelectric field to remain cohesive. I can create an inorganic symbcell material, just as durable as most alloys. No idea how tough it is, but we can test that.¡±


    Fascinated by this new development Liv reached forwards but Peter quickly grabbed the glove and slid it back on his hand, letting the particles dissolve back into his body, ¡°Liv!¡± and he moved back, ¡°I get that it¡¯s new but please,¡± and she nodded,


    ¡°Sorry dear, scientific curiosity.¡± but the gleam in her eyes hadn¡¯t faded. ¡°Have you tried to assimilate different pieces of technology? Or are you simply making an assumption?¡± and he nodded,


    ¡°Assumption. What if I assimilate something and it messes with my brain, or something vital because my cells think it¡¯d make a good heart. If, and I mean this Liv, if we try this I want a full lab around me, not just the warehouse.¡±


    Liv laughed, ¡°Well, as the newly appointed CESO of Parker Inc I can guarantee that by the end of the week we¡¯ll have a full lab. Even Shield has made good on some promises, after the incident with Brock, I called in a few favours from Fury.¡±


    ¡°CESO?¡±


    ¡°Chief Executive Science Officer,¡± and Peter laughed. Liv was already making her mark on the company.


    ¡°It should take about a week to finalise and install all the relevant workspaces. To be honest, we¡¯re mainly moving things from here to the new warehouse, which I might add, you haven''t even looked at.¡±


    Peter huffed and sighed, ¡°Sorry, it''s just been mad around here, I mean, first Laura and then Wanda. I keep expecting Jean to wander in at some point as well. Then this, I mean, if it wasn''t for you I¡¯d be swamped. I''m also worried about meeting Shaw. If Emma is as much of a problem as he is then how do we counter someone who for once, knows we''re coming, has powers and an army of powered soldiers, and has the resources to fight us. Harry got caught with his pants down and thought his anti-venom would be enough. Shaw is different.¡±


    ¡°So, why not do the same, isn''t that Selene woman looking for an in? Why not ask for her help, fight fire with fire so to speak.¡±


    ¡°You know she wants to have sex with me for some reason right?¡± and Liv nodded,


    ¡°We do, and we figure it''s her enhanced power. She might be related to the succubus myth or even vampires. If these powered ¡®mutants¡¯ have been around for centuries then even werewolves, ghosts and the undead may have roots in their origins. Wanda can move objects with her mind, if telekinesis is possible and you can create fire, why not poltergeists or worse.¡±


    ¡°Yeah but what if that''s her price?¡± and Liv tutted,


    ¡°We gave you permission Peter, stop being a prude. Take her, break her if you want, just come home. It''s only when you sneak around without us knowing that we get mad.¡± and Peter still looked guilty, especially now he was under quarantine. ¡°The only line we draw is a symbiote. No making more until we know the Extremis isn¡¯t going to hurt them.¡± but Peter had already agreed to that. A techno-organic virus-infected symbiote could potentially be a disaster.


    ¡°We also have the issue of trusting Killian. Once he knows about your physiology he may want more samples of the Extremis you produce, especially if it is markedly different from his own.¡±


    From the small sample Gwen had, they already knew that it was. With Peter''s symbcells interacting with the volatile serum it had stabilized within his system and once Peter knew about the virus he could make it on his own. Processing it as a part of the same symbcell mix he could make and was present in his bodily fluid.


    ¡°I don''t have an issue with that, I mean if Stark had stopped being a dick for a minute we could have kept working together, even if I had to licence the CLS to him, ¡°


    ¡°Oh, that reminds me, Gwen sent this over,¡± and she handed a list to Peter, which made him smile as he read,


    The legal document, produced by the group''s ever capable but blind lawyer, struck Stark with several copyright infringement lawsuits, all stemming from his use of the patented symbcells. While Stark¡¯s response had been a standard ¡®I have more money so let''s fight,¡¯ Peppers was more congenial and actually gave both parties some leeway.


    Gwen was being let go, her contract would be nullified and her non-competes would be void. As for nanotech. In exchange for the usage of the symbcells Stark gave his rights to the CLS back to Peter and licenced it from him in turn. A hefty check was attached, cut down by Gwen¡¯s termination with no strings, but it still boosted the group''s cash flow immensely. Peter handed the whole thing back to Liv and would let her deal with it. While Peter''s name was on the paperwork, Liv was in charge and Peter was confident that she would make the company successful, more so than he ever could.


    There was even a release of the Stacy formula, leaving Stark with no claim on it, but Gwen¡¯s cream was still manufactured through Stark. All in all, it had been a win, which bothered Peter. Stark never gave up so easily, unless he had a backup, but until he called to brag, or made a big showy presentation, Peter had no clue as to what he was doing.


    The first thing of course was to hire Gwen and offer Curt a position, both accepted at once and now the company had three employees. It was now a matter of waiting until the warehouse had been refurbished and Liv and Curt would both conduct interviews, hiring interns and other support staff could wait. For now, it was settled, more amicably than Peter expected but it was settled.


    The second and more pressing matter was to make sure that Peter¡¯s new physiology was safe. To do that they used the newly refurbished warehouse. While it was empty of anything important it was still a certified biohazard and clean zone. Testing here would be safe for anyone outside the testing area. It was just Peter they were worried about.


    Behind a blast shield, Liv drew blood, while Curt and Gwen stayed back in case of an emergency. As the first sample burst into flames Peter tutted and looked within himself. He could feel his connection to the virus and it was that connection that allowed him to realise.


    ¡°Liv, we need Stacy formula as well. The cells aren¡¯t assimilated into mine, they¡¯re piggybacking. So when my cells break down they break down too. My armour is fine, as I can create a stable coating, but normal bodily fluids remain volatile. ¡±


    Peter had branched out since assimilating more knowledge from the stone. As he needed to know not just the mechanical science behind artificial limbs but the neurological and biological he had been absorbing textbook after textbook. Without bragging, he figured he could give Liv or Stark a run for their money now.


    ¡°The Extremis is unstable, and in trying to remove it we¡¯d really screw up my body. I¡¯m already enhanced but the de-powering formula would probably do more harm than good, but if we enhance the virus it should stabilise it, and if I mass-produce symbcells as it happens then  I might be able to assimilate it while the formula works.¡±


    ¡°Radiation as well?¡± Liv asked but Peter shook his head,


    ¡°No, not going there, we¡¯ve all seen Banner and Blonsky. Even my own blood won¡¯t be much help. I need to merge with it and make it my own. So we need Gwen¡¯s hybridisation procedure.¡±


    The process was, in theory, simple. Peter would guide the hybrid formula and target only the Extremis virus and the symbcells within his immune system, as the formula was assimilated he could then spread it throughout his body, creating a third newer hybrid body, a symbiote-human-extremis hybrid. With the virus added into his own cells, like a new form of mitochondria, he should stop it from explosively decomposing with it left his body.


    The problem was, in practice the process wasn¡¯t as easy. Gwen¡¯s process would be used, even though they had all agreed to would be cruel to both the host and the symbiote. This time the target was the Extremis virus rather than a symbiote and Peter knew it would be excruciatingly painful. His only saving grace was that as he now had a much hardier physique it wouldn¡¯t take as long or be as deadly.


    Even then Gwen and Liv both looked hesitant as they strapped him to the table. Curt carefully laid out a tray of injector guns, each one with a relevant dose of both powering and de-powering formula. Both were required to first clean and then repower the individual. The next step was to use the hybrid formula. This formula however was targeting the cellular makeup of the host, rather than their DNA. As it worked they would almost undergo a butterfly effect, becoming, internally at least, a mushy paste that would rebond with any resident creatures. A painful and laborious process Peter had no choice. It was this or risk exploding, or worse, risk infecting others and them exploding. As long as he remained calm and conscious he could guide the formula to the cells producing the Extremis virus, and once they were part of his physiology, they should become stable.


    The first injection sent a shiver of cool ice through his veins and it wasn¡¯t until the third injection that the fire raged within his blood. Peter strained and screamed against the restraints, and holding a camera, Curt recorded the whole thing. As his symbarmour spread over him, he contorted and tentacles of pure black flailed and writhed as the formulas got to work.


    Even he took a step back as Venom''s maw split open and a huge gout of flame spurt forth, the naturally enhanced symbcell napalm sprayed into the air and Gwen rushed to grab a fire extinguisher.


    As Peter roared, the flame gushed out and even Gwen had to retreat. Inside the building was burning and a thick black smoke drifted up to the warehouse walkways. Liv tutted, ¡°Really dear?¡± and slammed a hand on the emergency flush system. Rather than water, a thick foam gel, capable of extinguishing any type of fire, rained down and in the mist, they could see the bright flares of Peter¡¯s flame breath.


    ¡°Not even moved in and he burns it down.¡± and Gwen snorted at Livs comment,


    ¡°Well, at least you can stick up one of those zero days since Pete¡¯s last accident signs,¡° and Liv laughed, it was funny enough to lift the brevity of the situation, and even as Peter''s flames grew less frequent they stood waiting.


    As the air cleared and Peter was left sitting in a foam bath they could see the changes. He had been wiry before but now he almost glistened. His slowly bulking muscles had shrunk once more, but as Liv lifted an arm to check his pulse, she felt it was as if he was made from iron instead of flesh with its weight. ¡°Turn around a moment Curt¡± and even though he frowned he did so. When he wasn¡¯t looking, Liv gave Peter the once over and nodded at Gwen, ¡°He¡¯s fine,¡± and Gwen nodded knowingly. The last thing they needed was the already well proportioned Peter to suddenly become a swinging sausage monster. Symbiote or not there was such a thing as too large.


    ¡°Really?¡± Peter asked, with his eyes closed, ¡°that¡¯s the second thing you check?¡± and Liv laughed,


    ¡°I can tell by your heartbeat and sweat that you¡¯re fine dear, a woman¡¯s prerogative if you insist. Now, dress and we can clean up before we check your vitals properly.¡±

 Arc Seven. Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Eight. Waking Up Is Hard To Do

    Peter had been given a clean bill of health. As the first sample they took had no adverse reaction to the air and lasted much longer than normal, it was a success.


    After several hours of testing. First, on his basic bodily secretions which he was left to tend to himself until the all-clear was given and then on his tissue and then his symbskin. All were given a pass and all were now heavily infected. It was as planned though, and the infected cells were stable and the virus was now part of his cellular make-up.


    The original Extremis virus was now a part of Peter, Like the ancient Mitochondrial Eve, Peter was a new organism. He had kept both abilities, he could generate a strong blast of heat, causing his webbing to ignite and he finally could reproduce the stunning taser webs that Huntress liked to use, although his was a lot stronger. His symbcells could be modified into the napalm he sprayed earlier and as well as expelling it from his mouth, which was cool but impractical. His most impressive power was the sticky gel-like webbing he could now make, which like Gwens chemical whips could explode with the heat he generated.


    Not only that but now his healing factor was accelerated to an incredible degree. His body could produce symbcells and rebuild missing tissue almost immediately, and much to Curts dismay, Peter removed a finger to have it grow back seconds later. While unwilling to test it to an extreme everyone agreed that a missing limb or organ would regrow, although the ultimate test, his head, would be left unanswered.


    And then of course they had another problem that needed addressing. Infection. Unless Peter created a symbiote and gave it to a host they had no idea if any new symbiotes would be affected by the virus, or if the current batch would succumb to the original or the new strain. It would be a simple test to find out, but the results would lead to death or worse for anyone who volunteered.


    As samples of symbiote tissue seemed to happily absorb the newer cells it was finally time for a live test. It was Gwen who decided to be the first test subject, as her natural ability through Poison to absorb and contain various extremely harmful substances seemed to be the best choice.


    Strapped to the gurney, Liv carefully injected her with a small sample of Peter''s blood and stepped back as Poison moaned and covered her, ¡°more! More!¡± She yelled and laughed, giddy from the infusion. It was obvious to all what Poison was going through and Curt turned away and eyed the ceiling until the pair calmed down


    As she strained against the straps Liv and Peter both let their armour slip out but Poison shook her head and eventually calmed down.


    ¡°uh, I¡¯m fine. The cells are absorbed by Poison with no side effects, well, uh. Poison wants more, it¡¯s like,¡± and as she looked over at Curt, she wasn¡¯t about to admit it was like being injected with liquid orgasms and the Symbiote had gone crazy. If she hadn''t been strapped down, she would have been riding Peter like a horse right now. ¡°The symbiotes get a bigger kick out of it, so uh yeah.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the worst thing I¡¯ve ever seen. I did attend college with Liv after all.¡± Curt said, chuckling softly


    Peter looked up, ¡°wait, did you two?¡± and Curt hastily shook his head,


    ¡°Oh no, but a very drunk Liv bursting into my dorm room, rather naked, and then puking in my shoes is not something you¡¯d forget, even if I have tried.¡±


    Liv cleared her throat, ¡°and why am I the one being picked on when it was Gwen-¡± and Peter cleared his throat,


    ¡°Can we move on from the embarrassing part, and get to the is Gwen sick part?¡±


    ¡°Right then, more blood samples. Curt, start up the mass and let¡¯s crack this,¡± Liv ordered and Peter sat back down, uncovering his arm. ¡°And if Gwen is right, then you are free to indulge again,¡± and as she moved in closer, ¡°and you can start with the one person running your company,¡± and Peter laughed and kissed her on the side of the cheek.


    For the rest of the day more and more tests were run, with Gwen acting as an isolated specimen she allowed herself to be exposed to more of Peter''s bodily fluids, and after each test, a comparison of Poison¡¯s cells was made. After the assimilation, it was clear that Peter was no longer infectious and that there was no change to Poison herself, other than a renewed desire to indulge in Peter.


    While Nat was still unresponsive, and Widow was dormant they had time to properly test out Peter''s new symbcells. Her vitals as reported by the armour were stable and she seemed to be in a coma more than any danger. It was still unsettling for Peter. His biggest worry that someone would be hurt always came true, even if it was a choice they made. As he ran a hand over the cold exterior of the War Machine armour he sighed,


    ¡°Whatcha thinking Petie Pie,¡° Gwen sang at him, giddy after a serious session left her and Poison both riding a high. As Peter had left to let her sleep, he had come down to check on Nat and once her legs had stopped shaking she had followed him.


    ¡°Just worried.¡± and Gwen wrapped her arms around him,


    ¡°She saved the world Pete, and the brain activity shows she¡¯s fine in there. Fury said that asshole shot her in the head, and yet, she¡¯s still alive. She¡¯s a fighter, just like all of us, so quit being a mope.¡± and with a grin, Gwen leant over the armour, ¡°Hey Nat, took your spot and Pete pounded me till I couldn¡¯t walk, missing out staying in there, better hurry up or Pete might find another sexy spy to take your place.¡± Gwen sang-spoke at the armour but there was no response.


    Peter laughed and shook his head, ¡°You know she can probably hear you, coma, not deaf.¡± and Gwen shrugged,


    ¡°Then she¡¯d better wake up so she can try to kick my ass,¡± and Peter laughed again.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go give everyone the good news, and then work on Killian¡¯s cure. We also need to decide what we¡¯re telling him, oh and I think Hammer is coming for the glider tomorrow, so clean up.¡± and Gwen groaned,


    ¡°Shower then? or work.¡± and Peter shook his head,


    ¡°Work first, we both know what you want in the shower,¡± and as they linked arms Peter and Gwen left Nats home. Unheard the armour shifted slightly, a small ¡®Thbbft¡¯ noise coming from the inside.


    Cleaning the warehouse was a chore that nobody enjoyed. It was a huge area and even with superhuman abilities it still was tiresome. With Felicia and Emma familiarising themselves with the running of the Black Cats, Gwen was on suspension as nobody wanted a staff member working in a highly sensitive lab who was quitting, and MJ was still figuring out if she wanted to stay working or not, it was up to Gwen and Peter to clean. As Jean, Wanda, and Laura had just moved in they were still busy with their own places and it felt unfair to make them start chores immediately. Only in the short term of course, once a housemate had settled then it was business as usual.


    ¡°So, do we share or do we hide?¡± Gwen asked as she drank her coffee.


    ¡°Well, the symbiotes are becoming more and more widespread. I mean, Sword is practically up my ass about it and once I gave them the brush off it¡¯s only legal threats that stopped them from coming after anyone else.¡± Peter had made a list, one side was the pros of telling Killian, the other was the cons.


    ¡°If we tell him, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to give him one, that¡¯s already been established, no one gets a symbiote without discussion. And no one experiments on them period. We can make waves with the Asgardians if they start pulling that kind of bullshit, and I have no doubt Carol could come back and kick ass if we needed her,


    Gwen laughed, ¡°oh I bet you¡¯re thinking of her ass,¡± and Peter laughed, ¡°but you are right, I don¡¯t see any reason not to, he¡¯ll find out eventually anyway, even if it¡¯s not from you. We did let it slip that you aren¡¯t entirely human, so it¡¯s not so much of a leap to guess that you aren¡¯t a hulk or a super-soldier.¡± and Peter nodded.


    ¡°But, I want to make it official Parker Incorporated business,¡± and Liv leant forwards, idly spinning her own cup,


    ¡°I agree. If we make sure the symbiote research is completely legal and patented then nobody can touch it except us, or at least nobody can touch it without breaking the law.¡±


    ¡°We also have to test your new Extremis biology.¡° and she took a breath and sighed, ¡°and I think you should spawn, safely, with a host in mind for the express purpose of making sure that the virus isn¡¯t going to make it crazy or worse. We can¡¯t risk ignoring it and then someone gets hurt and you expose them and us to something much worse.¡±


    ¡°But who?¡± and Liv shrugged,


    ¡°I think Maria has expressed an interest. She was rather shaken by her friend¡¯s death, and as callous as it may seem, it is a good way to make sure that no one you care about is hurt if it goes wrong.¡±


    Peter frowned and half shrugged, ¡°seems fair, tell her that¡¯s the deal. She gets a symbiote but it might go really, really wrong. Tell her everything, Killian, Extremis, the lot and let her decide. If she says no then ask Fury. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s got agents lining up to kick Hydras ass and one of them might say yes,¡± as Peter spoke Liv was tapping on her phone,


    ¡°Miss Hill agrees and in fact,¡° Liv sat with her buzzing phone, ¡°oh yes, she¡¯s on her way, and uh,¡± Liv looked over at Gwen, ¡°she asking if she needs to fuck him first, or if sucking him off will do?¡± and Gwen burst out laughing.


    Peter stared at Gwen who was holding her stomach as she laughed, ¡°oh my god Pete,¡° and she snorted. ¡°Venom, the scourge of the underwear, hunter of wet pussy, and slayer of virginities,¡± and even Liv was holding back her smile.


    ¡°You know, most women would be upset when someone asked if sucking off their boyfriend was acceptable,¡± and Liv laughed,


    ¡°Yes, and the all-women foursome we had last week without you was against your wishes?¡± and he frowned and shrugged,


    ¡°Uh, what?¡± and Liv nodded,


    ¡°See, we don¡¯t ask if we can, and as long as we¡¯re okay with the person, you don¡¯t need to either.¡± but Peter shook his head,


    ¡°No, you¡¯re right, I don¡¯t mind, but which four,¡± Gwen pointed to herself and Liv, ¡°Fel and Ele. Oh little Pete got an invite but as you said you weren¡¯t too happy with Elektra we didn¡¯t invite you,¡° but he nodded,


    The only reason he was mad at Elektra was he was pretty sure she was cheating on Matt, and that was his no-no. Cheating killed trust, and lack of trust killed a relationship.


    ¡°Can¡¯t argue with that, so uh, Wanda?¡± And Liv nodded, ¡°Ororo¡± and another nod, and the final one, that even he wasn¡¯t sure about ¡°Selene?¡± and as Gwen and Liv shared a look, Gwen nodded. ¡°So Maria is fine?¡±


    Gwen looked over ¡°We actually think she¡¯s gay, and that¡¯s why Sharon¡¯s death hit her so hard but sure, she¡¯s pretty hot Pete. I mean, I would.¡±


    ¡°If she¡¯s gay then you volunteered, not gonna get upset either,¡± he admitted,


    ¡°And then there is Sword. I¡¯m getting the vibe they won¡¯t leave us alone until we throw them a bone. Maybe have a scientist work in tandem with you?¡± Peter asked Liv and she huffed but nodded,


    ¡°If I must, but the second any jumped up little shit thinks they can give orders in my lab they will be out the door dear.¡±


    Peter grinned cheekily, ¡°your lab?¡± and Liv laughed,


    ¡°Of course, who¡¯s lab could it possibly be?¡±

 Arc Seven. Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Nine. An Extremis Cure

    The trio waited until Maria arrived. As she stumbled through the warehouse doors, Peter knew she had been drinking as she looked like hell. He could smell the cheap whiskey, and her skin had an unhealthy paleness from someone not sleeping or eating properly.


    ¡°So, pants off or do I just bend over?¡± she slurred, and Peter knew she was drunk.


    Looking over at Liv, ¡°We¡¯ll do this in a bit. First, Liv is going to give you an injection, to prepare you okay?¡± and as Liv took her away Peter knew the next hour was about to be hell.


    He could hear her being sick as Liv depowered her first. The anti-power serum was needed to stop her own enhanced body from reacting to the new Extremis, and being drunk was definitely a no-no. Thankfully the formula would take care of both problems and as Peter came back in she was curled up on a gurney with a yellow glucose bag attached to her arm,


    ¡°Hate you,¡± was all she said as she curled up, but he shrugged,


    ¡°Yeah, I get that a lot, but that¡¯s just the sobriety talking.¡± and she scowled at him and pulled the blanket up higher.


    ¡°Do I?¡± And he shook his head.


    ¡°Do you want to?¡± And she looked down and pursing her lips shook her head, ¡°Then we don¡¯t, not gonna force you into anything, you might have a different attitude when we bond you though. Did Liv say anything?¡± and Maria sat up,


    ¡°No, but uh, why?¡± and Peter sighed


    ¡°Okay, I was exposed to a new formula, Extremis and it¡¯s different.¡± he clenched a fist and it glowed, ¡°More volatile and definitely more powerful. We don¡¯t know if the new symbiote will be unstable or not, you could get mood swings, be violent, or just go crazy. We really don¡¯t know. So, girls or boys? Cause we can do both, or just let you punch things till you calm down.¡± and Maria looked at the pair.


    ¡°Seriously? You¡¯re asking if I¡¯m gay or not?¡± and Peter shrugged.


    ¡°Each symbiote birth has been followed by sex, barring one and that was a lot more violent. So you got someone you can call or a preference say now. I¡¯m not letting a crazed newly hosting agent run riot in the streets.¡± Maria stared at him as if he was crazy as he continued, ¡°and no one here gives a shit of your gay, Liv is Bi, so¡¯s Gwen, Felicia is gay and Laura is straight, I¡¯m straight too. So what¡¯s your poison, it helps.¡±


    Liv cleared her throat. ¡°We hypothesis that a newly born symbiote craves certain brain chemicals, adrenaline, dopamine,¡± but as Maria¡¯s eyes began to glaze over, ¡°uh yes, but sex provides them with all that in one handy package, so to speak,¡± and Gwen stifled a laugh. ¡°It¡¯s much safer than violence and the outcome is a calmed symbiote which can then eat, further destressing both the host and the newborn. We have prepared a few things but if there is something you would really like then we can get it for you.¡±


    Maria sighed, ¡°Peter is fine, and anything. Pizza is normal but no anchovies or pineapple,¡± and Peter laughed,


    ¡°See, told you it was gross.¡±


    ¡°I like it, just allergic to pineapple,¡± Maria stated, sitting up and making herself more comfortable.


    ¡°Right. Peter dear, it looks like you¡¯re,¡° and she raised an eyebrow, ¡°up, and Gwen please order a few. Might as well make it pizza night, especially if we¡¯re here for a while.¡±


    Maria nodded and slipped the blanket down. Peter hadn¡¯t expected to be naked underneath and as the pale-skinned and muscular woman unashamedly stood and moved over she knelt in front of him. ¡°So this okay or do I need to do more?¡± she asked, looking up at him expectantly.


    ¡°Uh, you get the symbiote first, not after¡± and she just sighed,


    ¡°Oh,¡± and shrugged, ¡°well, might as well get started then,¡± and standing, ¡°but I am not the only one freezing their asses off, naked,¡± and Peter smiled and shook his head, letting his clothing let away. Maria nodded and whistled, ¡°So how do we do this?¡± and Peter held his hands up and gently took her in his arms,


    ¡°Like this.¡± and as his symbskin connected them he felt her pain.


    Sharon had been her best friend since the academy. they were inseparable and her death hadn¡¯t just hurt Maria, it tore a hole in her. He could feel the silent rage bubbling underneath the grief and it was all aimed at Hydra.


    He let her feel his own emotions and she was slightly shocked at the amount of intercourse the group seemed to have but didn¡¯t even bat an eyeball at the violence.


    To her, he was an amateur and the few times he had killed she would have done the same. As they shared, you know that agent was Shield right? and watching her memories she found her thinking of two agents, missing after trying to apprehend Black Cat, who then mysteriously vanished. Of course, hunting and trying to kill both Felicia and everyone involved marked them as Hydra, but with no way to interrogate them, and no proof, it didn¡¯t really matter.


    She snorted, Felicia, yeah, they hid that well enough, so, issues, problems, gonna do me like Liv just to get a what do you call them, adorable little snot monster of my own? And Peter laughed,


    ¡°I can do anything you want, it¡¯s a partnership, not a pet or a toy,¡± and as his symbskin retracted she was already wrapping her legs around him as he slid inside, moving her back to a wall he pumped and thrust into her, filling her at once and she leaned back and cried out in pain and ecstasy.


    ¡°We are Vengeance,¡± she cried out and a thick black symbiote covered her, ¡°And we accept you,¡± and she pushed him to the floor and began to ride him once more. She grabbed his hands and pressed them to her chest, squeezing her breasts, and began to move faster. As she gave him one final thrust she came, ¡°we are hungry,¡± and without a care, she slid off him, stood and stretched. Maria¡¯s symbiote changed into the Shield jumpsuit she normally wore. Looking down at him, as he leaned on his elbows, ¡°I know why you have six, but one time only,¡± and as she walked away, he stood and shrugged,


    ¡°Just uh, don¡¯t explode or anything,¡± and as he clothed himself he went down and sat at the table with the rest while they ate.


    Liv fussed, taking sample after sample and Mariah morphed her new armour into different forms, each one with a singular pitch-black colour. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a rush, and yeah, fucking pervert. but uh,¡± and as she stared at the pizza on her plate, ¡°thank you, I mean it. Sharon would be,¡± and she gave a bitter smile, ¡°Sharon actually liked you you know, from your files. We got drunk one night and laughed as she wondered exactly how good you were. She even stole Widows file, the one on the bathroom and she¡¯d never believed you were actually that big.¡± and she wiped a few tears away, ¡°stupid fucking,¡° and as Liv handed her a tissue she leaned back and shouted, ¡°got him for you,¡± and laughed, ¡°I got him for you.¡±


    The rest of the meal was eaten in silence as Maria, the normally stoic and stern Agent Hill bounced between laughing to herself and crying, all while being comforted equally by Gwen and Liv. As the night went on she began to  perk up,


    ¡°I, yeah, we¡¯re fine. Vengeance,¡± and she shook her head, ¡°Sharon would call me so pretentious for that,  but she¡¯s fine, but uh, cream, we know and I want some. I¡¯m not coming here every time I get horny,¡± and Gwen laughed and left to prepare a bag.


    ¡±One last freebie, Fury, and I are quitting, Fury¡¯ll take care of Sword for you, but after that, we¡¯re gone. Shield might be there but it¡¯s a hollow shell. Hydra was in deeper than anyone knew and Cap and his team are cleaning up the small fries. We, well we¡¯re going to find the more high profile ones, the ones that hid and the ones that never showed themselves.¡± and looking at the group, ¡°you know what?¡° and she leaned over and grabbed Peter¡¯s face and gave him a huge kiss, letting her tongue invade his mouth. ¡°Sharon would have rocked your world,¡± and lifting a slice of pizza, taking a bag from Gwen, ¡°and she didn¡¯t mind the others,¡± and with that admission, she turned and left.


    As Gwen tidied up, Peter had a freshly swabbed arm and Liv was busy extracting the newly formed Extremis symbcells from his blood. Even at a low dose, they should give Widow the last jolt she needed to wake Natasha and finish the healing.


    After they had been separated and injected into the armour it slowly opened and a pale and frail-looking Natasha climbed out, ¡°well, yeah, let¡¯s not do that again¡± and Peter lifted her straight out of the armour and into his arms,


    ¡°Is, is he crying?¡± and Gwen snorted, ¡°yeah, big softy,¡± and as Liv took her away to make sure she was fine, Gwen patted Peter on the arm,


    ¡°You okay?¡± and he nodded,


    ¡°Need some alone time though.¡± and as she pursed her lips she rubbed his arm and let him walk away, hearing the roof hatch open.


    Sitting in the crisp air of the chilly autumn night, Peter stared up at the lights of New York City. Today had been strange but he was glad to have Natasha back.


    For now, he had three separate but pressing problems,


    Shield was back up and running, even if Maria said it was just a shell. A new division, calling itself Sword, had been set up, Strategic World Observation and Response Division. As the Asgardians had made good on their promise and a diplomatic channel had been opened, bringing news of more species in the galaxy than just themselves, a civilian-based organisation had been created with a more diplomatic mission. Of course, even Peter knew that was bullshit as one of their remits was to acquire and integrate alien technology with earth-based tech, they just weren¡¯t advertising that fact.


    The newly re-organised World Security Council had taken a small bite of Shields power and set up the department to deal specifically with otherworldly threats. Officially Peter was still a Shield agent but there was a hint he was going to be transferred, As Natasha, Laura, and Wanda were all human, it would be him alone moving to the new department.


    What had riled him though was an addition to the paperwork. There was also a small and unobtrusive clause in his new contract. Peter would be expected to submit himself for medical examinations and provide blood and tissue samples for analysis. After reading that he almost caused the contract to burst into flames and sat alone for a while on the warehouse roof.


    It was Widow that swung up to the roof to check on him, carrying with her a few bottles of Gwen''s homebrew. ¡°So, sulking or brooding, or making a super plan?¡± she asked as Natasha slipped back into slacks and a T-shirt, popped the top of a cider and handed it to him,


    ¡°First two. The last one, not so much,¡± he said sullenly as he took a swing.


    ¡°Yeah, kinda figured. I mean, a lot of people forget you''re only 21, so Nat to the rescue,¡± and she took a swig of her own beer. ¡°You¡¯re now a CEO, start your own group. Even if you think Fury¡¯s about to let them poach his superstar it''s always an option. He¡¯d rather fire you and let them spin that actually give you over to that group of assholes. Carols the same, well, if she ever comes back to Earth.¡±


    Peter had forgotten that under the New York Accords private companies could host their own supergroups, as Tony kept rubbing in everyone''s face. So why couldn''t he? ¡°Think they¡¯ll let us all out of contract?¡± and Nat tilted her head and half shrugged.


    ¡°Only you and I are actually agents. Laura and Wanda didn¡¯t pass, so they can just drop out, and nobody likes me anyway. Well, Clint, but he retired.¡± She took another swig of her beer. ¡°With you, they¡¯ll pull some bureaucratic bullshit, tell you you¡¯re too important, too volatile, but as all your records have been expunged, thanks to Fury and Liv, they can prove dick. Hell, even as Venom you could walk down Fifth Avenue tomorrow and nobody can say squat. It''s all clean since Hydra.¡±


    Peter laughed, taking another swig of his cider ¡°then we¡¯ll do that, I¡¯d kiss you but you might explode¡±


    ¡°Wait, that was real?¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°Shit, I thought it was a joke.¡±


    Peter put down his bottle and clenched a fist, as it burst into flames Natasha looked in awe.


    ¡°Fuck, I want that too.¡± and she slipped out of her symbskin bodysuit.


    ¡°Woah, Woah, Woah. What are you doing?¡± and Nat stared at him quizzically,


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this one of these things where we get our powers from having sex with you?¡± and Peter shook his head,


    ¡°Well, yeah but here? I mean-¡± and Nat kissed him to shut him up,


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, and, Mr I fucked Fel from behind against the water tower, don¡¯t give me that prude crap, pants off, no arguing, Widow wants an upgrade. Plus, I figure I¡¯ve been asleep for what a week or so, so it¡¯s not just Widow that wants it, oh and don¡¯t think Widow didn¡¯t tell me about Gwen¡¯s little brag.¡± and she kissed him again as she straddled him, already willing and wanting for his touch.


    ¡°There is also,¡±


    and as Peter looked at the naked Natasha, ¡°what?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± and Peter frowned and as Natasha stalked away and bent over by the water tower, ¡°I know its sudden,¡± and she wiggled her ass at him, ¡°but Fury needs someone,¡° and as she parted her legs ¡°we¡¯re hunting Hydra, and they owe me, Pete,¡± and hearing the anger in her voice. This wasn¡¯t a goodbye, she just wanted one last memory before she left for a mission and Peter smiled.


    ¡°No, not like this.¡± and as she stood, looking hurt and betrayed he grabbed her, lifted and slid into her, he ran, leapt off the building and sent out a web line, covering them both in an invisibility cloak before swinging out into the city.


    ¡°Let''s make it memorable.¡± and as she pulled herself closer to him, she laughed and they swung out into the night.

 Arc Seven. Chapter One Hundred Ninety. AIM To Be Better

    Justin was having a great day. Not only had he heard that Killian¡¯s wife, who he thought was a babe, was going to be back at work soon but that Gwen Stacy and Oliva Octavious would be working at Parker Inc.


    He snorted, Parker Inc, following the trend of the greats in naming their companies after themselves the kid would be under in a month. Hammer had tried to convince Killian to just give him the money and let the kid swing, but Killian needed him and so he just had to let it go.


    As he watched the pair, he knew that the foxy young blonde was Gwen, show him around the warehouse he really didn¡¯t care for it. Faddy condos weren¡¯t his thing and he preferred his penthouse apartment. He couldn¡¯t fault the boy for his taste in women. Gwen was stunning but Olivia was a bit nerdy for his tastes, but he knew that if the boy could score someone like her, then he could too.


    ¡°So, you have the armour, and the glider still?¡± and Gwen looked over at Liv,


    ¡°Uh, kinda. Ultron broke the suit and the glider trying to attack Peter, so we have parts of them but not much else.¡±


    ¡°You know those are mine right? Even if that crappy excuse for an AI was controlling them they were still mine.¡± Justin saw the opportunity to get some of that money, the insurance should cover the cost of the glider and suit but getting a favour from Stacy and Octavious would be much better. Reaching into his pocket he opened his phone and scowled as he got no signal, ¡°Hey what¡¯s with the reception?¡± and Gwen shrugged,


    ¡°We are in a bad spot, I can, if you want?¡± and as he handed over his phone Gwen copied the number and dialled it on her phone.


    ¡°Hey yeah, send Ivan over, I need an expert.¡± and as he hung up the phone the trio stared uncomfortably at each other,


    What a dick, Gwen mused and Liv nodded.


    ¡°Coffee, Mr Hammer?¡± she asked, and as Gwen handed him back his phone, he let his fingers rub over hers, giving her a creepy smile and Liv instantly hated the man.


    ¡°Just one sugar and creamer thanks.¡± he smiled and Liv frowned, did he really expect her to make coffee for him? and as she lay down one of the good cups Peter insisted on getting for May, she left the sugar and creamer next to him.


    Shaking his head he added in the sugar and as he stirred it the buzzer for the warehouse went,


    As Gwen stared and shrugged at the large mobster at the gate, Hammer looked over, ¡°yeah, that¡¯s Ivan, let him in.¡± and Gwen frowned, but as part of AIM, she had to at least be nice to him.


    As Ivan entered the warehouse he smiled at the pair, ¡°Wat you want? I vaz buzy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I still don¡¯t understand you, Ivan. Check the glider and the suit for dam-a-ges,¡± Hammer spoke slowly and condescendingly to the man who shook his head,


    ¡°Mizz, vere is suit?¡± and Liv smiled,


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you, dear. We kept it secure upstairs in one of our labs.¡± and as he nodded Liv left Gwen with Hammer.


    ¡°So uh, you work for Parker right?¡± and Gwen smiled and nodded,


    ¡°Peter and I worked on the Stacy formula together,¡± and she gave him another smile, ¡°but my focus is pharm, not mech, so Liv is your better choice,¡± and she smirked as Hammer spluttered.


    ¡°Just making conversation,¡± and he leaned back. ¡°Still though, if you ever want to work in a real lab, you could give me a call and I can get Killian to offer you a position. That¡¯s our AIM,¡° and he smirked, ¡°we help you, you help me, it¡¯s all good. Like a big family.¡±


    ¡°Killian already offered me a job, Mr Hammer, and I turned him down. Once Parker Incorporated gets running, you¡¯ll see some of the work we can do, and it¡¯ll blow your mind.¡±


    ¡°Justin, call me Justin and yeah sure. I¡¯ve looked over the CLS and its years away from a proper prototype, and that even once you get your space up and running. Listen, no disrespect but splitting the focus of a startup company is fatal. Stick to one thing and make it shine, otherwise, you''re just blowing money on half-assing different things,¡±


    ¡°Rather than half-assing a single product.¡± and as she smirked, Justin frowned. It was common knowledge the Hammer tech weapons he gave the ETF were unreliable and had failed to live up to their promised stopping power. Even against the Goblin armour, they had barely dented it and it was her own acidic concoction that caused Norman to flee. At the memory, Gwen frowned, which Justin took the wrong way.


    ¡°Now listen-¡± but as he was about to begin a tirade, Ivan shouted down from the walkway above.


    ¡°Glider is shit, suit is shit, only reactor iz good,¡± Ivan shouted down from the workshop and Justin shook his head,


    ¡°Then grab it and let¡¯s go,¡± he shouted back.


    Gwen looked up, ¡°that might not be possible Mr Hammer. The reactor Osborn used was taken from Liv, and we checked, she still holds the patent. I also thought that you were only here for the glider?¡± but he tutted and stood,


    ¡°I paid good money for them both. If it¡¯s installed in the suit, then I can take it.¡± and as he walked up the stairs to the penthouse he stopped,


    ¡°Is that the War Machine armour?¡± and he instantly walked over to it, running his hand over its black and grey coloured frame,


    ¡°Uh, I could just take this right? I mean, if it¡¯s a confiscated terrorist weapon, then it doesn¡¯t belong to anyone right.¡± and Peter was already out of the workshop and into the storage area.


    ¡°No, it belongs to Shield, and you can take the glider and the Goblin armour, but not that, and not Livs reactor.¡±


    ¡°Iz fine boss, have own reactor, and plus, armour is shit. Look, fractures here, here and here, early stuff, can do much better.¡± Ivan pointed a finger at barely visible damage and as Hammer squinted, he just shrugged,


    ¡°But still, I mean, as part of AIM we share right, and I could maybe take it to hold, somewhere much more secure than here.¡± but Peter stepped in front of the armour and shook his head.


    ¡°Mr Hammer. I forgave Killian for his little stunt, and while AIM is a great idea, I¡¯m sure we can all work together. Stealing armour is not doing you any favours. Whereas me having to explain to Shield why you stole their armour and that I let you, is in fact a giant pain in my ass. Right now I have enough pains in my ass without you adding more.¡± Justin raised an eyebrow,


    ¡°Then don¡¯t tell them. I can have this under a tarp and gone in five minutes, maybe I took it by accident rather than whatever Ultron left of the Goblin armour. Maybe you weren¡¯t here and I walked it past your two assistants.¡±


    Before Gwen launched into a tirade of her own, Peter raised a hand and both Gwen and Liv huffed and stood with their arms crossed.


    ¡°Mr Hammer, the best I can do is let you take pictures of the internals, and Ivan and Liv can go over the finer details of the work she did. But, as you¡¯ve been nothing but a condescending ass since you got here, why don¡¯t you take your scrapped shit and get the fuck out of my home before I throw you out.¡±


    Justin tutted and looked over at Ivan, ¡°And If I just took it, I mean, I¡¯m not much but Ivan here is a pretty big guy, plus I¡¯ve got a crew outside waiting, you think a scrawny kid and two women could stop me.¡±


    ¡°Hey, we are not taking nuthin, stop being jackazz,¡± Ivan spoke up. ¡°I am sorry, he is, how you say, stupid.¡± and he shook his head at Justin. ¡°We will take armour, for analysis, but if mizz wants to talk about the reactor I will be happy. Ivan, Ivan Vanko,¡± and Liv raised an eyebrow,


    ¡°Your father helped create the original, with Howard Stark,¡± and Ivan laughed and stuck out a hand to shake hers,


    ¡°Fazher got screwed, Stark took dezign,¡± and Liv nodded,


    ¡°I know all about that. Osborn stole most of my work as well, the armour and the glider were both my babies before he took them. Before they were taken from me twice,¡± and she gave Hammer a pointed look. ¡°But, while I can say this now, it¡¯s all water under the bridge. I¡¯m glad they are in good hands Mr Vanko, and if you need help, time permitting then I would be happy to discuss things with you.¡± and Ivan beamed,


    ¡°See, ziz is how you do things yez. Not be asshole, make friends, drink vodka¡± and he raised an eyebrow, ¡°you do drink?¡±


    Gwen laughed, ¡°I¡¯ll be right back,¡± and after a few moments brought in a glass filled with a shot of clear white liquid, ¡°I grabbed the bottle from your place,¡± and Peter nodded. Knocking it back Ivan coughed and put a hand to his mouth,


    ¡°You make ziz?¡± and Gwen beamed and nodded, ¡°puts hair on your ass yez?¡± and he laughed. ¡°Oh yez I come back, we talk robots and drink, get good caviar and work on designz¡± he handed the glass back to Gwen and, putting his hands together, bowed, ¡°spasibo,¡± and as he looked over at Hammer, who was stood with his arms crossed, scowling. ¡°Honest, junk glider and suit, not good, even to examine, might as well scrap and start again. If the offer on War Machine is good then I come back with camera, maybe get a look at the controller too yez?¡± and Peter shrugged.


    ¡°Honestly, Shield have kinda forgotten about it, but it still doesn¡¯t mean you can take it Justin.¡± and Justin tutted,


    ¡°Mr Hammer.¡± and Peter shook his head,


    ¡°Whatever. Let¡¯s head back downstairs, If you¡¯re not taking anything we don¡¯t need to be up here¡± and he motioned for the party to move. Justin ran his hand over the armour one last time before sighing and moving out of the storage room which Peter closed behind him.


    I don¡¯t need to read his mind to know he¡¯s going to try and steal it, Liv sent to him and Peter nodded, scowling.


    Do we get Shield involved or just let him, I don¡¯t really want to start fending off more assholes in our home. I¡¯d rather throw his ass at Shield and let the WSC deal with it. Meeting Selene and then Shaw is bad enough without this sleazeball as well.


    Dear, we normally leave things like that up to you, it is your property, our home but you are still the landlord here.


    Yeah but I don¡¯t want you to miss out on your new friend, I saw that look. Shield might take them both.


    I¡¯m sure Fury would do us one last favour before he leaves. If Ivan is here without papers we can always hide him. I¡¯m sure nobody cares if a Russian engineer disappears and suddenly gets sponsored by Parker Inc right?


    I can do that?


    Yes, dear, you can. As well as your enhanced team perks you can sponsor immigrants with exceptional talent. If Mr Vanko is half as smart as his father then you might have just struck gold.


    Fine, once Hammer leaves I¡¯ll get Shield on the line and have them take it, preferably today, If Hammer shows up with goons they can fight it out, off the property.


    As Ivan and Liv continued their discussion and Hammer and Peter continued their glaring match he showed them off the property while Gwen called Fury through Natasha. They had all put in notice but he was still Director and was nice enough to wait until they got his replacement in. Word was General Ross had been earmarked, and that the military¡¯s Thunderbolts were being rolled into the Avengers Initiative, but it was all hearsay.


    He promised an escort and engineer would be there within the hour to get anything War Machine and Goblin related, and Peter was just glad to have it all off the property. Liv busied herself with a screwdriver and soon enough the cracked and useless reactor was out of the Goblin suit, but she left the War Machine alone, its arcstar reactor was Shields and even though it was based on her tech it was part of her plea bargain for assaulting two high ranking military officers.


    As Peter expected he was greeted at the front gate by Hammer and a lawyer. Hammer was claiming the War Machine armour was the real Goblin armour and the scrap was just to throw him off. As the convoy of Shield agents arrived Peter let them onto the property and under a tarp, they took the armour away.


    ¡°Look, I told you Shield wanted it back, go wave your writ at them,¡± and with a smug grin, he closed the chainlink fence and walked back into the warehouse.


    ¡°Yeah, this isn¡¯t the last you¡¯ve heard of this Parker.¡± but with enough on his plate, Peter ignored him.

 Arc Seven. Chapter One Hundred Ninety-One. A History Lesson

    Natasha had been right. As soon as Peter tendered his resignation he received several phone calls, all from bureaucratic assholes telling him he was a government agent and he couldn''t just quit. Once he explained that yes he could, as he had only signed the trainee contract and not a full agent one they then became more threatening.


    At first, it was the criminal record that Venom supposedly had, but Matt had already taken care of that, and the paperwork, all with Director Fury¡¯s signature was filed, copied and neatly handed back, with a polite but stern ¡®Fuck you.¡¯


    Then it was his status as an alien host, as well as the rest of the group, was brought up and Peter just kindly reminded them that not only was he good friends with Thor, the Prince of Asgard but Carol Danvers as well, a member of Nova Corps, who had granted him immunity under galactic Law.


    The phone calls became less hostile but even more annoying. A final medical, to approve his discharge had been scheduled and Peter just laughed and brushed them off. There was no law that said he had to undergo a medical examination if he didn''t want to, especially when he was quitting. Pointing out his lawyer would have a field day felt like cheating, but they were becoming more insistent and superpowers wouldn''t help here. Once a few phone calls had been made he was in the clear and it was almost time for his meeting with Shaw.


    He had taken Livs advice and had Wanda contact Selene. If anyone knew how to deal with a mutant organisation it would be her, and while he felt Charles was closer he might preach tolerance and forgiveness, while Emma wanted fire and brimstone. Peter still had to endure the glare of not just Charles but Logan as well. Laura had been very vocal about losing her virginity to him and it seemed that her father disapproved. Peter didn''t really care though. He placated him with a family meal, where, his mother, Curt, and everyone else would be present. Logan was gruff, but he figured after a hundred or so years he was probably a lot more tolerant than most.


    A new pilot had come to take them to the island and they had used Shields hanger to board. He was a young man, and looked barely out of his twenties but as flying isn''t something you just let anyone do Peter felt safe enough.


    As they landed there was no one but Selene waiting for them, holding a wicker basket filled with jars and other small wrapped baskets,


    ¡°I wish to apologize, Mr Parker. When we first met I was rude and assumed the worst. It was my mistake and I hope that this collection of small treats may in some way make it up to you.¡± As Peter took the basket with a wary eye he took a small breath and a selection of preserves, pastries and bread products filled his nose.


    Selene smiled, ¡°we support the island by creating artisanal goods. Pates, jams, jellies, and a lot of other goods we sell to high-end stores. It allows us some modern luxuries without being too dependent on the mainland,¡± she explained as they walked down the road from the landing strip. ¡°Ah yes, we tend not to use vehicles here. Most of the children have movement abilities, and they might hurt themselves. Plus, I am not paying for gas to be shipped,¡± and as she smiled Peter chuckled as he gave her one back.


    As they walked, Selene talked more about the basics of Genosha. Its simple mission was to help mutants find peace and a place where no matter their power, or physical abnormalities, they would be accepted. As she talked Peter was too busy watching the woman herself.


    Keeping his telepathic senses locked away, he still let his others spread out, and while he ignored the curious glances from the mutants hiding in the woods he took a good look at her. Selene was in great shape, powers or not she was dark-skinned with thick back hair, neatly braided in dreadlocks against her scalp and they jangled against one another as she talked, the ornamental beads are woven into them adding an exotic flair to the already beautiful woman. She was a head shorter than Peter and wore a simple tan skirt, white blouse and tan overcoat, a poncho thing that Peter had no idea what it was called. He had seen one once in a magazine but as fashion was more MJ¡¯s passion to him it was a coat poncho thing.


    As he looked around there were small cottages, surrounded by fields, some with vegetables but several had farm animals, the smallholdings Selene mentioned. As they walked further into the centre of the island groups of concrete buildings began to appear.


    ¡°Our capital, if you wish to call it such. Housing communication, power, and other amenities. We might have a very rural lifestyle Peter, but we do enjoy the more urban amenities as well.¡± And as he spotted several coffee shops and cafes he knew exactly what she meant.


    As he was led into a tall concrete and glass building he was checked over by security guards, and Peter raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Security?¡± and she laughed a dark rich laugh.


    ¡°For you. We don''t have guests often but we do need to put on appearances, especially after your little stunt. Some expressed concern about your return.¡± and as Peter frowned and gave her a questioning look, ¡°We have children on the island, and some were worried for their safety.¡±


    Peter''s shoulders slumped, ¡°then sorry, but it¡¯d been rough, and uh, yeah, just, sorry.¡± While the first visit had been Selene''s fault for being overly aggressive, he had responded in kind and would think of some way to make amends, a way other than what Selene wanted.


    As they stood in the elevator Selene smiled. ¡°Once we head to my private apartment, I will answer any question you have. I want this to be as beneficial to both parties as possible, and I can assure you, having myself, and Genosha as an ally will not be to your detriment.¡± and as she turned she placed a hand on his shoulder, ¡°I know we did not start off on the correct foot. I am used to a certain way of doing things but as you have, then so shall I. I am sorry Peter, and such mistakes will not happen again.¡±


    As the elevator door pinged open, Peter was led into a  richly decorated room. It had been done in a Victorian style, with rich dark red mahogany wood panelling under deep emerald green wallpaper. Several portraits hung, one of Selene and another of a man, with thick mutton chops and a scowl. Looking very dapper but also very southern in his attire.


    ¡°Ah, I will explain who that is, as he is one of the reasons you are here.¡± and she motioned for him to sit in a leather armchair and as he sat it squeaked a little. ¡°Please, you may leave that on the desk¡±


    ¡°Now, I will cut right to the chase, ask anything.¡±


    ¡°Why me?¡± was his first question.


    Selene was leaning over the table, grinning as Peter tried his best not to stare at her creamy coffee-coloured skin. ¡°It''s simple Peter. I want to have sex with you.¡±


    Peter leaned back, ¡°you know that''s not really simple right?¡± and she shrugged,


    ¡°Just sex, part of my mutant ability is to grow and adapt from the lifeforce I take. I was hurt a very long time ago, and having someone who won¡¯t be harmed by my ability would save others from a painful recovery. I will admit I also want some of that power bubbling away within you, and this is my ask. I sent Magneto to help, he got his rewards and I want mine.¡±


    Peter''s eyebrows furrowed ¡°but still, you know it''s such a big ask, plus, didn''t you tell me you were a psychic vampire. How do I know that I¡¯ll even survive?¡±


    ¡°Seriously? You know how many people would want my head on a stick if I ever harmed a single hair on your head. Erik and Charles might do a small dance but the seven others you have here would tear me limb from limb. I''m powerful but not that powerful.¡±


    Selene leaned back and started undoing the button on her lace top, slipping it apart. ¡°It¡¯s simple, just once, I''m over two hundred Peter, this is a business transaction, nothing more nothing less. You can use me however you wish, I have heard the rumours, about not just the size but the taste, I will be your little sex kitten for an afternoon, I promise that no harm will come to you and you can use me as you wish. Want a guarantee, get one of the others in, get them all in, I don''t mind an exhibition show. You lose all sense of decency after a while, I don''t mind.¡±


    Selen sighed but leaned back and slipped a finger down, parting the two halves of her top, Peter had to stop himself from swallowing as two small but perfect breasts came into his eye line. An A cup but with large dark and very prominent nipples, already erect and as his eyes flicked up to hers she smirked.


    ¡°It may sound callous but I need this. I am sick, and I know you have regenerative powers, Please, let me explain.¡± and as she leaned back, leaving herself bare and smiling at his gaze she began to tell her story


    ¡°It started in the early 1800s. I won''t bore you with dates. A friend of ours, Nathaniel Essex had just lost his son and then his wife in the ensuing madness that followed the death of a child. As he became more desperate, more insistent that there was a divine power to save a sick child, he squandered his fortune in the hopes of some miracle. Sadly it came, not from America but from Asia. Egypt to be exact.


    His men found the tomb of an ancient pharaoh, who supposedly had lived for thousands of years before succumbing to old age. Feeling that this was what he was searching for, Nathanial begged Sebastian for money, and on the condition that he and I accompanied him, he agreed. When we reached Egypt we found something both truly magnificent and truly terrifying. Back then it was a satan''s cave of metal and unknown machines, each designed for a singular devilish purpose, keeping a purple-hued monster alive. Now, of course, it was an alien spacecraft, and not a monster, a mutant. Make no mistake though, he was barely human and had been alive for a very long time.


    As Nathaniel and Shaw began to excavate the tomb I felt his mind stir. Whatever the mutant had been called before he had a new name, Apocalypse, and with him came his four horsemen. Fairy tales are frightening but very dangerous. Even as his mind stirred, I could feel his power beginning to overwhelm mine and in a panic I attacked. Draining what of his life force I could I transferred as much to Shaw as he could manage. Both cutting and hurting ourselves to use up as much power, Nathaniel thought us both mad and attempted to stop us. In our folly, we awoke a sleeping dragon Peter and Nathaniel ultimately paid the price. While his physical powers were weakened his mental ones were not, and in a flash, he possessed the form of our friend.


    As a normal human, he could barely contain the power but as his form swelled and grew, his hair fell off and his skin burst with that unholy power I poured all I could into one single attack, Shaw attacking his body while I assaulted his mind. In one blow we trapped that monster in the crippled husk of our friend and condemned them both to eternal torment. Essex still lives. We agreed to seal his body, at first in concrete, and now in a plexiglass cage, surrounded by the highest purity of adamantium, unbreakable, forever draining and keeping that monster asleep.


    We created a company, one to monitor and make sure that monster stays sleeping, the Essex Corporation. It was the last joint venture that Shaw and I did together. While I could absorb the lifeforce of that monster, Shaw was different after, more, focused on controlling everything around him. I offered him help, offered to drain the power but he refused, and well, after several hundred years and a lot of horrible things, He is now the head of the Hellfire Club.¡±


    Peter had been so focused on the story he had only just realised what she said, ¡°You and Shaw own the Essex corporation?¡± and she nodded, but smiled


    ¡°Yes, Why?¡±


    Peter was about to explode, but if he was sitting here while she calmly explained, he guessed Selene had no clue. ¡°Can we uh, do the telepath thing, it''s easier if you just see.¡± and Selene nodded.


    ¡°There must be trust between us.¡± and she took his hand.


    As the vision faded, of Laura and everything right up to her visiting him in his apartment, he saw the look of shock fade and turn to anger on Selene''s face.


    ¡°For it to be used to not just harm mutants but enslave and torture them is abhorrent, and against all I stand for. I will help you, You shall have an army to deal with Shaw, and I will help you kill him, once and for all.¡±

 Arc Seven. Chapter One Hundred Ninety-Two. Any Witch Way (NSFW)

    ¡°All that and all I ask is that you sleep with me.¡± Selene said with a seductive grin and a wink, ¡°My ability is more potent during intercourse, and no one has complained yet.¡±


    Peter still was hesitant. While the rest had given their blessing, it was a very attractive offer. It still didn''t feel right. It must have been written on his face, as Selene leaned back and sighed.


    ¡°I am sick. The energy I took from Apocalypse was poisonous. It still burns within me and even after all this time I need to ingest the life force of others to keep myself alive. Your powers have a healing effect, and I will admit I tested them when I probed you. Please. I need this, you can''t understand what it is like.¡±


    ¡°You probed me? All to find out what my powers were?¡± and his doubts about this deepened. What else wasn¡¯t she telling him, did she also want a symbiote?


    ¡°That is the truth, and no, I can tell from the look on your face, nothing more. I will not lie, We could simply hold hands, and the transfer would take longer, and be more painful for you but it would still do that same thing. I will admit, you are handsome, and smell wonderful and it may be influencing my choice, but I would really like to do it this way. I am not a prude, I will not expect anything more than an afternoon of delight and give you nothing more than the same.¡±


    Selene sighed, ¡°I have donors, willing, but really, I¡¯m starting to get hurt feelings here. I know I¡¯m attractive, so what is it? Don¡¯t like powerful women? racist? gay? If this cures me I¡¯d pay anything, I¡¯ll do anything, even go against Shaw but we need to meet halfway here.¡± and Selene crossed her arms and huffed, this was the most trouble she had seducing a man in decades. Usually, they were falling at her feet, but Peter was proving stubborn.


    ¡°First off, racist? That¡¯s insulting. Gay? Cause seven women say I prefer guys and look at who I sleep with, powerful women are my thing, but that¡¯s the problem, seven, and not looking to add in an immortal witch either, wait, not wanting, oh you know what, screw it.¡° Peter slid his arms around her waist and pulled her close. Selene squeaked in surprise but as his lips found hers she relaxed into his embrace.


    ¡°No regrets.¡± He had been told often enough to stop worrying about things like this happening, and after Laura, he had to get out of the mindset that every woman who wanted to have sex with him was either crazy or drugged. No one offered themselves seductively like that if they were under the influence and as Selene''s hands ran down his chest, he knew she really really wanted this.


    He grabbed her and they kissed, her tongue slipping into her mouth and for the first time he felt a feral hunger coming from her. Her powers were resonating with his and as his clothing vanished she simply ripped her own from herself.


    As she stood, she was slightly shorter than Peter but her pussy glistened and her nipples sat upon her firm breasts were already excitedly stiff. ¡°We don¡¯t need foreplay, just fuck me,¡± was all she said and as she lept he caught her, slid inside and began to thrust into her.


    She came as he slid inside. His larger manhood stretched a part of her unused for so long and connected to the primal source of her power.


    As his legs weakened, he came as he touched the end of her smooth passageway and unlike before he didn¡¯t hold back. As he filled her it was absorbed and he felt momentarily weak as a part of his power was drained with it.


    Seeing his eyes unfocused, she asked him, ¡°are you okay?¡± and he nodded, and without even wilting began to thrust once more. Another orgasm ripped through her ¡°h-how?¡± and he just kissed and nipped her neck,


    ¡°I have a lot of stamina,¡± and as he came once more, this time he threw her to the bed and dropped to one knee.


    ¡°You still need to be careful,¡± and this time as he stood she pulled him forwards and swirled her tongue around the white tinged tip of his cock, ¡°This will lessen the effects,¡± and with skilled motion took him wholly into her mouth. As her fingers gently stroked up and down his shaft she took him deeply into her mouth, all the way and he felt himself cumming once more. Whatever Selene¡¯s power was, it was going to drain him, in more ways than one.


    Slurping and swallowing, not a single drop left her mouth and as she stroked him he let out more and more. As the torrent ended she kissed the tip, ¡°Do you wish to rest? I understand if you,¡± but he lifted her once more and as she giggled he rolled her and himself onto the bed, moving her on her side and sliding into her with practised skill.


    Peter shook his head, the drain on his powers was subtle and he felt it, but he wasn¡¯t through with her just yet. Power plays and mind control had frayed his last nerve. He was sick of people telling him they wanted something from him, first Erik and now her. He was going to make her pay in flesh and desire for what she wanted, and he was going to enjoy every second of it.


    As he kisses and licked at her ear one hand slid around her and played with her nipple, pinching it between his fingers and rubbing it, as she moaned and ran a hand down his side, ¡°you can be rough,¡± he took the hint and with the free hand slide it under her, pulled her close and began to really push into her.


    Up to the root, Peter could feel her ending squash the tip of his cock as he pounded into her, moving her into as hard as he could. They moved and as she spread her legs he lifted her ass and from behind took her even deeper.


    As he filled her once more he slid out and pressed against the lighter skin of her ass. she laughed. ¡°I never thought a nice young man like you would,¡± and ignoring her teasing she slid into her once more. She cried out, ¡°aah, you bastard, at least let me-¡± but her moans muffled whatever she said as a symbskin tendril found her clit and rubbed on it. ¡°Oh fuck, oh, god yes, you are amazing, both, please both,¡± and his hand slipped down and he slid a finger into her, her sopping wet pussy letting him thicken the symbskin on them until she was full. He could feel it pressing against him inside he moved, allowing it to press and push her insides. As he thrust he slid his hand up and down, making sure he filled her and rubbed her clit at the same time.


    She arched as he took her, ¡°oh please, oh please, no more, no more,¡± and letting out a flood from both he filled her ass and her pussy with cum. A trick he had learned for Liv.


    He used her, left her aching inside and as his fingers found her sensitive spots on the outside his cock and tendrils found them inside. She had said to use her and he did. He said he had boundless stamina and together they tested that, using anything and everything they had, driving each other to orgasm after orgasm.


    At the last moment, he pulled out and she slid to the floor. Once he relaxed his grip she was laying legs splayed but he wiped, letting the mess fall away and then was in her mouth, with a few strokes he came, but kept his hands free, and as she gripped him, she licked and tongued his manhood, swallowing the thick semen as he let it flow. Her powers flared and he felt his knees buckle as she swallowed more and more of him, gripping his behind and letting his cock shoot cum into her throat.


    As he finished he stumbled back, at first sitting on the bed but then laying back down, his erection slowly wilting as he closed his eyes, panting with the drain on his stamina.


    As she lay panting, she felt him flow into her, not just his seed but his power and she gathered it up. As the pain and hunger she always felt subsided, she leaned over and gently kissed him, ¡°Peter?¡± and as he lay back in bed with his eyes closed, he ran a hand down her shoulder,


    ¡°Mmhmm?¡± and she crawled close to him,


    ¡°I have a request,¡± and he looked at her raising one eyebrow,


    ¡°My power, I, I take into myself some of the person, like the stories, I am a vampire, I love and when I took in Apocalypse it brought a darkness, please, ¡° and as she gently stroked him, ¡°I, please, love me.¡± and as he looked at her, the strong powerful woman melted away and he saw the fragile creature, pulling her up he kissed her gently, taking her and holding her in his arms, as he kissed her lips he moved and kissed her cheek, down onto her neck and he pulled her on top of him,


    ¡°I love you,¡± and he connected to her, letting his passion join them, letting his love and tenderness flow through their link, it wasn¡¯t for her though, and he let her swim in his feelings for MJ, Gwen, Felicia, Liv, Natasha, Laura, and he found that Wanda entered his thoughts as well.


    As he stiffened she crawled on top and gently slid him into her, racing back and forth as she tenderly brought herself to a slow orgasm, as she kissed him, on the lips, the cheeks the eyes he smiled at her and for the first time in over a hundred years she felt peace and as he came buried deep within her she felt the encroaching darkness finally fade.


    As she wrapped her arms around him she buried her face in his shoulder and whimpered as the most powerful orgasm she had felt in her lifetime rocked through her and her power hungrily sucked from Peter all he could give her. As her power found something, buried deep within him it latched on and drank, taking not just the liquid pouring tin her but the power as well. Whatever it was she gladly took it.


    He felt it as well, and as the mind stone flared within his chest he felt a sharp and sudden shock as if all his strength left him and as he kissed her one last time, his eyes fluttered and he fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.


    Selene laughed as she slid off him and looking over at his peaceful sleeping face she had a sudden and worrisome realisation,


    Dammit, I hope I didn¡¯t kill him, and as he began to snore gently she laughed, eternally grateful he wasn¡¯t dead. Her powers had been sated, but that didn¡¯t stop them, they would take and take unless she stopped, and with Peter, she had wanted more and more.


    As she sat at her small table, nursing a cup of tea and feeling the energy he had filled her with, she could feel its connection to something inside him. Whatever power she had drained from him, while mainly his own, he had only survived her touch by using something else. She had touched its power and wanted more.


    As she sipped at the cooling drink she took a small breath and sighed, if she wanted him to trust her then she could hardly demand that he release it to someone with much more control over their powers than he had, or simply take it by force. He was powerful but she had several mutants on the island that would make a mockery of his powers. If she didn¡¯t just take it herself.


    No, keeping Peter as an ally, and as an occasional indulgence was a much better idea.

 Arc Seven. Chapter One Hundred Ninety-Three. The Brotherhood

    Selene lay in the afterglow of the most wondrous sex she had ever had. She would keep that from Peter though but as his powers touched hers it lit a spark within her and purified whatever taint Apocalypse had left within her. As she leant over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek she stretched and moved from the bed, grabbing her blouse and skirt, hastily pulling them on and making herself decent.


    It felt good to be free. The ever-present darkness in her thoughts, not just of murder but of her own suicide was gone. She felt like it was a new world and as she thought, it was. Breakfast would be the first thing, Peter had earned it, as well as her help in taking down Shaw, but plans had to be made. They were both several hundred years old, and while Genosha was her island, New York and The Hellfire Club were Shaws. She sent out texts, confirming not just Peter''s story but her own suspicions, and as she scrolled through the replies she was not happy.


    He had managed to set up detention centres for mutants around America without her knowledge, and if the memories of what he had been doing were true, then this was not something she was going to take lightly. Several members of the Brotherhood owed Shaw a debt, and she would have to call on every favour she could to make sure this went smoothly.


    Lifting the phone on her desk, she dialled the front office and arranged for a meeting to be held at 10. It was early enough that, and as she looked over at the sleeping form of Peter she bit her lip, she wanted him again. The power he radiated was one of the sweetest, but she shook her head. Even she was not immune to his charms it seemed, but as he lay exhausted, he was definitely not immune to hers. Her ability to drain the energy from a person had been tested, and even as she struggled to reign it in. he had paid the price. The fact that he was only sleeping was a testament to just how powerful he actually was.


    He had been both a blessing and a burden. To know that someone with the physique to withstand her abilities and the lifespan to make a fitting companion was a good thing, but his life and hers were too incompatible. He was surrounding himself with family, and it was the one thing she could never give him. Any life force, from her or taken was absorbed, and she had no control over it. A child was something that could never survive within her.


    Selene was sure that, given time, she could persuade his little family to allow her to indulge, once every decade she could top up the energy he had donated and she could free herself of one burden. As she sat and watched him sleep she sighed, but first Shaw.


    Her anger at his betrayal of everything burned within her. He had always spouted extremist mutant supremacy, but now to be experimenting on his own kind just proved that he was a monster, and even if it was Apocalypse and not Shaw it didn''t matter. He would have to be put down and dealt with, once and for all.


    There was a small matter to attend to first.


    As she ran a hand over his leg, he stirred. ¡°We need to get ready for breakfast,¡± and he nodded, and clothing slipped over him.


    ¡°I need to get ready though,¡± and Peter slid off the bed and headed into the kitchen part of her apartment while she finished getting ready.


    As he stared at the instant coffee jar he swore at himself. They laughed and joked about it, but he heard Gwen talk about how Tony and Pepper barely spoke, Felicia mentioned Matt and Elektra broke up, and now he was acting the same. When she had asked him to love her, he let her feel just how he felt about the others, but not her. The sex was meaningless beyond pleasure, and he knew if he didn¡¯t stop being so reckless he could lose them all. This would be the last time he was so frivolous, First Ororo and now Selene. The girls deserved better from him.


    He glanced at the clock as Selene took longer than expected to get prepared and as they rushed he figured that even the leader of an island had to be punctual.


    They were barely on time, Selene''s normally pristine appearance hastily thrown back together and her blouse and skirt still bore the wrinkles of the previous evening''s activities. As they approached the meeting Erik raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°I apologize for our tardiness, but Peter and I had much to discuss. First on the agenda,¡± and as she walked to her chair at the table she stopped, placed both hands on Toads shoulders and with a crack, snapped his neck, letting him slump to the table.


    ¡°A spy,¡± and as she continued and sat down. ¡°I had known for some time but as we were happy to allow Shaw to continue with his plans I had no reason to interfere. However, Peter has informed me that Shaw has been experimenting on mutants. I want to put an end to that, and if everyone agrees, we shall be calling on Charles as well.¡±


    Erik tutted. ¡°Charles won''t interfere. As long as it''s mutant against mutant he won¡¯t do anything. He only targeted Venom as he knew you were a human.¡± and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s a bit, uh, dumb,¡± and Erik coughed.


    ¡°Charles and I both agreed that mutants need protecting and that every mutant life was sacred. Many years ago he persuaded me that even killing Shaw was against our ideals. We were not judge, jury and executioner.¡± and as Peter slowly turned to look at the cooling body of Toad he raised an eyebrow. ¡°I did not kill him, nor do I agree with his death. Selene, we agreed years ago, we protect, not police. Why?¡± and Selene looked at him and frowned,


    ¡°Peter, can you explain?¡± and he nodded,


    ¡°Laura, the young mutant that started all this.¡± and Erik scowled,


    ¡°Ah yes, the young miss wolverine, the one I currently hear you are in a relationship with. A bit young don¡¯t you think?¡± and Peter laughed


    ¡°She¡¯s older than me. But not relevant. She was taken, experimented on and then used as a drug lab, to make MGH. All the people we found there, maybe, were mutants. And Shaw owns the place. Shaw makes MGH, so yeah, think Charles will help?¡± and Erik leaned forwards, a dark expression on his face.


    ¡°And you can prove this?¡± he said and the gloves on his hands squeaked as he clenched his fist.


    ¡°Only through Laura¡¯s memories. But,¡± and he looked over at Selene who was looking guilty,


    ¡°Shaw and I both own Essex Corporation, and I can confirm most of what Peter had said. As soon as I knew I sent out feelers into the business and yes, Essex has re-education centres. They are supposed to be for helping more destructive mutants train their powers, and yes, the expenditure and acquisition of these places do not match what is in the records. I have seen the memories, these are not the delusions of a young troubled mutant. I believe him, and, what does it cost us not to. Shaw is a dangerous man. The Hellfire Club preaches mutant superiority. By taking a stand against him, we are simply rejecting his ideals, and if Laura and other young mutants are saved, then we have done the right thing.¡±


    Erik rubbed his hand over his face, ¡°I know Charles will be impressed with your speech Selene, but I am not. I swore that I would not kill again, not after Sokovia and I intend to keep that promise.¡± and Selene nodded.


    ¡°I am not asking you to Erik, I know you have your reasons.¡±


    ¡°I will however be asking Pietro and Wanda, as well as any of the other inhabitants of the island. Nobody will be forced to face Shaw if they do not want to but they will be given the choice to fight for their, our, brethren.¡± and Erik shook his head,


    ¡°Their lives are in your hands, what makes you think that Shaw won¡¯t simply have you all killed?¡± Erik leant back,


    ¡°Uh, I have my own spy. Emma Frost wants Shaw dead, and is going to help.¡± and Selene laughed,


    ¡°Emma?¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°You?¡± and he grinned but shook his head, ¡°was that her price?¡± And he laughed.


    ¡°No. It was her reward for helping with Hydra.¡±


    ¡°And you think she is trustworthy? Emma Frost is known to us, and her dealings are not always pleasant for those involved.¡± but Peter shrugged,


    ¡°I might not be as good as you at using my powers, but she seemed sincere. Wanting to break out of whatever Shaw is doing, and as genuinely disgusted by him as you are.¡±


    ¡°So, then what exactly is the plan, as so far all we have done is spoil a perfectly good breakfast,¡± Erik asked.


    Two unknown, to Peter at least, mutants had come in and lifted Toads body. Covering him in a sheet and taking him out of the room.


    ¡°We¡¯ll eat at one of the restaurants. Peter has a meeting set up that gives us a location and a time. As Shaw is looking to draw both Peter and his associates into the Hellfire Club, then we can have as many people there without Shaw noticing as possible.¡± Selene explained but Erik shook his head,


    ¡°Then you¡¯ve already failed. Shaw only opens the club for mutants, He doesn¡¯t want to meet Peter, he wants to kill him and take his place. I would know, he invited me years ago.¡±


    Selene laughed, ¡°even after?¡± and Erik leant back and nodded,


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t care about conflict, Selene. He only wants power.¡±


    ¡°Emma said he wants that, he doesn¡¯t care I¡¯m not a mutant, as well, if Emma was convincing, as far as he knows we are.¡±


    ¡°Well then, breakfast?¡± Erik asked, rising and making his way to the door.


    Peter moved over to Selene and whispered in her ear, ¡°So what¡¯s the deal with Erik and Shaw?¡± and Selends scowled,


    ¡°While gossip is not my place. Shaw killed his mother, at a nazi concentration camp,¡± and as Peter stopped and looked over at Erik, busy talking with a young woman on their way to eat, he found a new level of respect for the man. While he wasn¡¯t a homicidal maniac, he doubted anyone or anything could stop him from taking revenge if anyone hurt his mom.


    As they made their way over to the small restaurant, a hulking huge man came out and smiled,


    ¡°Selene, how are you today?¡± Peter had to strain to look at the man, if he was less than 8 feet tall Peter would have been surprised, and the muscles on the man looked more like people than actual limbs. He bent down and picked up Selene, sticking her on his shoulder like a child and she laughed and ran her hand over the top of his head.


    ¡°Peter, please, be kind. This is Charles¡¯s half brother, Cain, and he is one of our best chefs.¡± as Peter reached out a hand to greet the man he simply laughed and grabbed Peter in a hand that was thicker than Peter¡¯s waist and put him on his other shoulder.


    ¡°A friend of Selene¡¯s is a friend of mine,¡± and the ground seemed to shake as he laughed.


    Sorry Peter, Cain is a bit different. His muscular growth and near invulnerable flesh left little oxygen and blood for his brain. Until we started to treat him, he was mistreated and often classed as simple, but it is just his biology, he means no harm, I promise.


    It¡¯s fine Selene.


    ¡°Hey big guy, so what¡¯s for breakfast, you know, I could eat a horse.¡± and he patted Cain on the shoulder,


    ¡°Horse? no not horse. One of the girls can talk to animals, she gets upset when we eat meat but not eggs. So lots of eggs, omelettes today.¡± and as he lifted Peter and Selene back to the ground, he walked into the hugely modified restaurant.


    In the centre of the room was a massive grill, oven and burner setup, all carefully crafted for someone Cain¡¯s size. As the giant began to crack eggs into a bowl he mixed them with chopped shallots, herbs, and other ingredients, carefully pouring them out onto the hotplate.


    ¡°Angel, make toast, get butter,¡± and Peter saw a young African woman nod and head into a pantry, bringing out a large loaf and carefully cutting slices from it. As she turned to grab a better knife, it blurred and was laid out on the griddle.


    ¡°Hey P, that¡¯s my job,¡± and Peter saw that Pietro had arrived, He kissed the woman on the cheek and then  zipped over to the table,


    ¡°So, still not gonna admit it huh?¡± and Peter raised an eyebrow at him, and then looked over at his father. ¡°Oh hey dad,¡± he said before zipping away again,


    ¡°Do I need to have words with you, young man?¡± and Peter shrugged.


    ¡°Even if you did, it¡¯s her life, not yours.¡± and as a spoon on the table rattled, Selene put a finger on it,


    ¡°Peter is the perfect gentleman, and if she chooses him, you will have no choice but to accept it.¡± and Erik snorted,


    ¡°I think I would rather eat the fork. You are a rogue, and unsuitable for my daughter.¡± and Peter laughed, leaning forwards,


    ¡°Why¡¯d you think she likes me?¡± and as Erik¡¯s face fell, Selene burst out laughing, and Peter leant back and smiled at him.

 Arc Seven. Chapter One Hundred Ninety-Four. Homecoming

    The beam of light struck the top of the warehouse and as everyone inside grabbed hold of something they heard the thump of an impact.


    Felicia and Laura both slid into their armour and as they vaulted their way up to the top of the warehouse they saw the burned and tattered remains of a woman.


    ¡°Help. me.¡± was all she said as she fell unconscious,


    Looking at her, Huntress tilted her head, ¡°Shit, Carol¡± and she ran, ¡°Laura, grab the first aid gel, bring as much up here. If Liv is, no, grab Liv, wake her if you need to. It¡¯s an emergency.¡± Huntress cursed. While they had all shared their symbiotes she still couldn¡¯t make any of the fancy chemicals that Poison could, even the simple cooling liquids were beyond her, and right now she needed one. All she could do was watch, make sure Carol was still breathing and wait until someone with more medical expertise arrived.


    As Octave came up through the hatch she swore, ''''oh you poor poor thing,¡± and began to spray the colling webs onto Carol. ¡°Go downstairs and fill a tub with gel, we need to get the burnt parts off,¡± and Liv silently hoped it wasn¡¯t Ravage. ¡°I can make more but we really need Gwen for this as well.¡±


    Sadly Gwen was with MJ and the pair had gone out for the night, MJ feeling amorous and Gwen wanting to destress the pair had taken time off before Gwen started working for Peter, and MJ took a role requiring her to travel to Canada for filming. It was a fantasy series about a male demon hunter, and she was playing his love interest.


    Covering her in a numbing agent Liv nodded to Felicia and they created a soft web cradle between them, lifting Carol gently onto it and slowly moving her downstairs.


    In the shower room, they lay her onto the tub filled with gel and Liv began her examination.


    ¡°Carol, I¡¯m sorry but this will hurt, feel free to scream though, I know I would.¡± and Liv let Octave cover her hand. As she gently touched it to Carol¡¯s arm the symbiote spread, dissolving and discarding the burnt uniform, thank god, Liv thought, it isn¡¯t Ravage. It was a thick smock of some kind, but even that confused her.


    As the clothing came free and the extent of Carol''s burns were revealed they gently coated her in a layer of the biogel they had.


    ¡°I have no idea what could do something like this to Carol of all people. I was under the impression she was invulnerable to, well, everything.¡±


    As Liv looked over the now cleaner but badly burned Carol she felt a small connection,


    Ravage? And she felt the symbiote stir. Shit, she thought. ¡°Wanda!¡± she yelled.


    As the redhead came in, dressed in her pyjamas she stared at the woman in the tub, and swearing in Sokovian, Liv looked at her,


    ¡°Quite, but,¡± and she muttered under her breath, ¡°dammit. Wanda, I have a huge favour to ask of you, and I¡¯m sorry, but there is no one else.¡± and Wanda came over and rubbed a hand on Liv shoulder,


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I need you to host Octave while I tend to Ravage.¡± As she pointed at the gel-covered woman, her clothing occasionally twitched. ¡°They are both seriously hurt and saving them both means separating them so they can both heal, but we are all hosts, except you.¡± and Wanda lifted her hand from Livs shoulder and stepped back,


    ¡°I,¡± and as she looked apprehensively at Liv,


    Liv shook her head, ¡°it¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine,¡°


    ¡°No, that is not why. I have things I do not wish to share. I am willing to help, but can we keep this between you and me?¡± and she bit her lip, she wasn¡¯t about to admit what happened in the dreamscape and certainly not that she had been thinking about Peter while doing things,


    ¡°Wanda dear, I would keep anything you want secret if it meant saving Ravage and Carol, You have my word.¡± and Wanda nodded.


    ¡°Hand,¡± and as Wanda held out her hand the symbiote slipped from Liv and covered her. Wanda wrapped her arms around herself and fell to her knees, ¡°oh my god,¡± and she shook as the sensation of the bonding took her over. ¡°I had no idea, no idea,¡±


    ¡°Shh, it¡¯s okay,¡± and Liv placed her hand on Carol, ¡°Come now, it¡¯s safe, you¡¯re safe,¡± and a small tendril reached out and touched her, flowing from Carol onto her. As the pain branched from Ravage and into Liv, she screamed and Huntress rushed into the shower room,


    Seeing Wanda curled up on the floor, holding herself, giggling while the returned Ravage coated Liv, its symbskin burned and torn in places she didn¡¯t need an explanation. Lifting a jar she dumped it over Livs head and then another into the tub with Carol who stirred slightly.


    ¡°Wanda, you okay there?¡± Huntress asked and Wanda held up a hand and gave her a thumbs-up,


    ¡°You are all dirty girls, dirty dirty girls.¡± and she giggled to herself, ¡°I want to be a dirty dirty girl too,¡± and Huntress laughed,


    ¡°Yup, we get that, damn fucking horndog he is. Come on, Liv, going to get Wanda settled and then be back for you okay,¡± and the huddled Liv made no sound but she could tell that she was busy with Ravage.


    As Wanda giggled and touched over Felicia she just kept whispering, ¡°dirty dirty,¡° over and over, and while Felicia didn¡¯t mind that Wanda was a bit handsy for her liking she knew exactly what being bonded was like, and with Livs attitude, she would be lucky to get Wanda calmed without incident. Not that Felicia minded, she had given everyone a good look when they shared the bathhouse, and she was positive that ruddy glow to her cheeks was excitement and not embarrassment but as she was still new and Gwen had done her usual and embarrassed her, Felicia wasn¡¯t about to interrogate her further.


    Sitting her down she handed over a blanket Peter used, and Wanda sniffed it and curled up under it, huffing in his scent, oh yeah, give it a day, and she figured that if Peter was back from Genosha before they separated Octave from her, he would be coming back to a party.


    As she hunted out pastries and other small snacks, she tipped a pack of cheese puffs into a bowl, opened a bottle of soda and set them on the table. Wanda however ignored them in favour of the blanket and as Felicia ran a hand over her hair she looked up and smiled,


    ¡°I never knew, there is so much, and you do so many dirty dirty things,¡± and Felicia laughed,


    ¡°Yup, but we love him¡± and seeing the snacks Wanda took the bowl of puffs and careful not to get the bright orange power over it, began to eat them,


    ¡°How, can you tell me, I can feel Octave and I know about the cream, and the smell, and the rescuing, but how?¡± and Felicia ran her hands over Wanda¡¯s hair and sat down in her own chair,


    ¡°He makes us feel loved. It¡¯s easy, he is just there. I mean, if I want to spend four days out, hunting or busy he just nods and then once I¡¯m home it¡¯s like I never left, he doesn¡¯t coddle or get angry when we need our own space, he just, is Peter.¡±


    ¡°And he does dirty things,¡± and Felicia chuckled,


    ¡°But we can do that without him, he lets us decide what we do, and has no judgement. I mean, sure he¡¯s my first boyfriend, and Gwen¡¯s¡± but she shook her head, ¡°I watch Matt and Elektra and they seem tense. As if being together was a chore. I dunno, Pete just does Pete things. It¡¯s not easy and sure, we get moody, but he¡¯s just Pete.


    ¡°I think I want to do more than just be his friend,¡± Wanda admitted, taking a handful of puffs. ¡°We did you know, I never said but in the dreamscape we did, but he thinks it was a trap, but it wasn¡¯t. I, I was under the control of the mind stone, the one Peter has, and I was to do anything to get information, after a lot of failed attempts he finally overpowered me and my mind took me somewhere safe, to here, and he did it, you know, it¡± and Felicia laughed,


    ¡°Yeah, need a thick skin around here, I mean, you¡¯ll smell just how excited women is when Pete¡¯s around, the symbiotes do that,¡±


    Wanda nodded and sniffed at the blanket, ¡°is that what I smelling? Peter?¡± and Felicia nodded,


    ¡°Me too probably, we all give off a pheromone,¡± and as Wanda sniffed she smiled,


    ¡°But, uh, in the dream it wasn¡¯t his dream it was mine, to have a nice handsome man rescue me, stupid right?¡±


    Felicia shook her head and leant forwards taking a few puffs, ¡°why? He rescued Liv and you know exactly what she did for him, saved Gwen, punched Tony and Flash for MJ, who cares,¡° and she took a breath, ¡°if you repeat this, I fucking swear though,¡± and Wanda nodded, pulling the blanket up and curling her legs up on the chair.


    ¡°He still lacks self-confidence. He thinks we¡¯re all stupid or under some mind mojo to want him, but we just love him so much. Just take your top off, sit on his lap and tell him what you want, he¡¯ll never touch you unless you tell him you want him to.¡±


    Wanda nodded, and now she had a plan. While Octave had bonded with her, she had done her best to keep out of Wanda¡¯s mind, and the naturally telepathic Wanda had helped her, she was hungry and sleepy, but that was it. After stuffing her face, Octave and Wanda curled up under the blanket and Felicia sighed in relief as they fell asleep. She remembered her own bonding, and the turmoil it brought, maybe an older symbiote having gone through multiple hosts could calm themselves. Shrugging she left that for someone smarter, and who cared to figure out. Now she wanted to find out how Liv, and more importantly, how Carol was doing.


    As she walked back into the bathhouse Liv had crawled into a tub next to carols and had filled it with water. Felicia dipped a hand in and it was cold.


    ¡°You okay?¡± and Liv opened her eyes,


    ¡°Ravage and Carol are both in a bad way. She was attacked by her own people and then some idiot fired a missile at her, a cyborg squirrel of all things.¡±


    Felicia frowned and raised an eyebrow, ¡°really?¡± and Liv nodded,


    ¡°Ravage is hurt, it might have been a raccoon, I didn''t ask, only made sure to use as much gel as I could.¡± and Liv pointed to the three empty jars by the tub, ¡°Carol got two and I''ve used one. She¡¯s sleeping,¡° and she sighed. ¡°If Peter were here he could use his cells to heal her faster, but with Genosha, she just has to rest. What''s strange though, if Ravage is right, she¡¯s been floating in space, hurt like this for months, this happened a few weeks after she left, and that was last year.¡±


    ¡°Maybe she¡¯s concussed,¡° Felicia left the science to the scientists, knowing there were aliens was bad enough, knowing that time travel existed just hurt her head.


    ¡°I don''t know, can you get me something to eat though, lots of sugar, and more gel, it''s in the storehouse,¡± Felicia nodded, gently placing a hand on Livs shoulder before heading out.


    As Liv looked over at Carol she knew the gel would be enough, but it would take time. Carol had bad burns over at least a quarter of her body. Her hair had been completely burned away on one side, and her eye was a mess of swollen bruises. Whatever had done this had been powerful, as they had learned from Huntress that Carol, like Peter, was empowered by one of the Infinity Stones.


    As Felicia came back, ladened with homemade chocolate bars and sweet tea, plus two more jars, Liv smiled, ¡°One last thing, Now that they are both stable, Huntress, can you bond with Carol and help heal her? Without Peter here you are the oldest and probably the strongest. She needs help, and I didn¡¯t want to risk Octave¡¯s naivety hurting her further.¡±


    As Huntress slipped out and slid down Felicia''s arm, she coated Carol like a blanket and almost immediately her eyes snapped open, ¡°oh thank god, thank god,¡± she wept as the blood and burns began to recede under Huntress.


    As she leaned back, the grey symbiote covered her fully and she sighed in relief,


    ¡°Warn Peter. Asgard has fallen.¡±

 Arc Seven. Chapter One Hundred Ninety-Five. Best Laid Plans

    With breakfast cooked and served they sat around the table. Erik gave Peter not so subtle looks while Pietro and Angel fed each other pieces of their omelette.


    ¡°So, are we to simply smash Shaw and then celebrate, or do you actually have a plan?¡± Erik asked as he buttered a slice of toast.


    Peter lifted the fork with the fluffiest and tastiest omelette he had ever had on it. ¡°I wasn''t the one who floated out a plane and crushed a building with his bare hands, but yeah I have a plan.¡± and while Selene gave Erik a quizzical look the man actually looked embarrassed.


    ¡°I was making a point,¡± and he lifted his cup and took a drink, ¡°one that appears to have missed its mark,¡± and Peter laughed,


    ¡°Yeah, I got it, big scary guy. We all are, it''s not a competition, but Shaw. Accept his offer, find his location and try to minimise casualties. A superpowered showdown does nothing but antagonise local law enforcement. And technically I''m not Shield anymore, so bad press now hurts more than stings.¡± Peter explained as he finished another plate of food and helped himself to toast.


    ¡°So, you don''t have a plan, other than find out where he is and then attack him.¡± and Erik smirked, ¡°That probably won''t work, Shaw isn¡¯t stupid.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± and as Peter bit into his toast, he chewed slowly while thinking, ¡°I have to go with, no plan survives first contact with the enemy on this one. Shaw isn¡¯t stupid, neither are we. He has to have a contingency plan in place if you ever found out. He has to have a plan in place if I tell him to shove it where the sun doesn¡¯t shine, and we have to plan for his plans, or our plans will fail,¡° and Peter looked over at him, and he raised an eyebrow and frowned. ¡°Yeah yeah, we get it, all the plans are dumb, and really we go kick his ass.¡±


    Erik  tutted and looked over at Pietro, ¡°I still don''t like that you¡¯ll be there. How have his classes been going?¡± and as Angel went bright red and Pietro just grinned Erik shook his head, ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the overbearing father things been done, maybe try to support your kids for a change?¡± and Pietro coughed and began to choke on the piece of food Angel had just put in his mouth, ¡°But let¡¯s be real, finding Shaw, dealing with whatever stupid plan he¡¯s got will require thinking on the fly. I mean, I can get four from my side. Felicia is out. She can''t be taking sides in a war with the Hellfire Club, Gwen and MJ are both non-coms, and after a thought, so is Liv now I guess. So, Wanda and Laura, Nat will help, We speak to Charles and see who on his side will help, Jean, maybe?¡± Peter sighed and dropped the last crust of toast on his plate, ¡±But it''s then up to you, If you won''t help Erik, then, well, then shut the hell up. Sitting and picking at our plan isn''t helpful or productive. Shaw needs to be stopped, and sitting being an ass about it is just as bad as helping him,¡±


    At that last part, Eriks face stiffened and he stood, ¡°You just ran out of goodwill young man. I suggest you keep yourself out of my presence.¡± and Erik strode off out of the restaurant.


    Selene put down her fork and shook her head, ¡°that was not helpful Peter. We need him.¡± but Peter shook his head,


    ¡°Nope, we need his powers, and we don¡¯t have the luxury of niceties. I get that he doesn''t want to fight, I''m totally fine with that. I don''t ask Gwen or MJ to fight, and have respect for them keeping themselves out of trouble, but listening to his self-righteous bullshit, no. He wasn''t helping, he was hindering, and if he¡¯s mad, well then maybe I said something that was true that he didn''t like.¡±


    Selene leaned over and stroked his arm, ¡°and there are things you are unaware of, and things you cannot say, and you need to go and apologize to him. He has his own reasons for wanting Shaw stopped, and his own reasons for making sure that nobody dies trying.¡±


    Piero looked over at Angel, ¡°He does have a point though, I mean, are we just really going to rush in and hope we can beat whatever mutants he has there?¡± but Peter shook his head,


    ¡°Yes, and no. We can make sure that we have plans, who''s on support, who''s on communications, who''s doing the heavy-hitting and who''s taking out fast or agile threats. I never said we don''t plan, I just said we cant. Shaw has at least three, two teleporters, a psychic ninja, and who knows what else. He could have someone who flies, telepaths, big huge guys, look at the different powers we''ve got at this table. Shaws got the same, and just as long to collect Augmented the way you have. There''s no way to plan it all, we can only do our best.¡±


    A voice rumbled from the end of the table, ¡°Well said, I help, smash big guys and help protect little guys.¡± Cain laughed as he spooned egg into his mouth,


    ¡°See, Cain gets it, and we can go from there. As long as we get Shaw, the rest is up to Emma.¡±


    ¡°And there is the problem Peter, so far, everything we have discovered on our own. Emma has been of little use and may be simply using you for her own means,¡± Selene explained and Peter had to reluctantly agree,


    ¡°And I¡¯ll deal with her. I¡¯ve got a good idea of her powers and I can shut her down. I¡¯ll get Felicia and Elektra on backup just in case it¡¯s a trap, and well. I¡¯ll warn everyone else. The warehouse can go into lockdown until I give an all-clear signal. All we can do is prepare the best we can and well, pray to whatever god you believe in.¡±


    ¡°I only hope it is enough,¡± and Selene dabbed her lips with the napkin she had, ¡°thank you for breakfast Cain, it was delicious as always,¡± and the big guy beamed from the praise,


    ¡°Any time Selene.¡± and the group split and went their separate ways.


    As Peter helped Cain clean away the breakfast plates, much to Cain''s annoyance but Peter''s insistence, they chatted. Peter found the giant quiet but still easy to talk to, he liked recipes and trying new foods and as Peter described all the food trucks around the warehouse the man¡¯s face lit up.


    ¡°You should come visit, we could do a food tour of New York¡± but Cain lowered his head and shook it,


    ¡°Charles. He doesn¡¯t like me being in New York,¡±


    Cain had grown apart from Charles. He was an abandoned half brother, whose own brother lay in a coma. Peter''s opinion of the man dropped even more. While the family sent a stipend each month, to take care of medical bills, Cain found that relaxing and cooking helped him deal with urges, and in hushed tones he admitted,


    ¡°I like to cut things. I like to feel meat squash between my fingers. I like to carve and slice, and I know it''s bad. I know it is wrong, so I cook. You get that right?¡± and Peter had to agree.


    He knew that anger was a powerful drug and as he learned to use his powers the urge to simply kill and main was always there. The symbiotes gave great abilities but at a cost and he was thankful the girls had an outlet.


    ¡°Yeah, I get you, big guy,¡± and Cain laughed and while to him it was just a pat, as he lay the shovel sized hands on Peter''s shoulder, he felt like a boulder had been dropped on him.


    ¡°I will help my home. Shaw is bad and threatens my home.¡± and Peter nodded, trying not to hurt his feelings by collapsing under the man¡¯s show of affection.


    As Peter collected and sorted the trash into the various recycling bins behind the restaurant he felt the presence and turned Erik was standing there.


    ¡°Uh, look,¡± but Erik shook his head.


    ¡°I have been difficult, and your affection for my daughter is unwelcome. But Shaw cannot be allowed to conduct these experiments again.¡± and Peter closed the lid on the trash can,


    ¡°Again?¡± and Erik nodded,


    Peter shook his head, ¡°let me guess, 40¡¯s right? Shit. I¡¯m sorry. I was insensitive and I guess, Laura is a sore point, it wasn''t fair to take it out on you.¡± and Peter heard a rich laugh from the restaurant,


    As Selene walked out, she cast a sparkling eye over the pair, ¡°I do believe that you might have actually been nice to each other, the stars must have aligned,¡° and as Erik scowled, Peter saw the humour and laughed,


    ¡°I can admit I¡¯m wrong, it just doesn''t happen very often,¡± and Erik snorted,


    ¡°I find that hard to believe.¡± but Peter shook his head,


    ¡°It was a joke, a joke. Still,¡± and as he washed his hands under a spigot he dried them on a cloth he had over his shoulder and dipped closer to Erik, ¡°maybe hold off calling you dad for now,¡± and as Erik¡¯s lips pursed, Peter could see the man''s blood pressure rising and he laughed and ran and one of the trash cans crumpled. As it was about to launch itself at Peter, Selene shook her head and grabbed it with her own power,


    ¡°Behave,¡° and Peter laughed and shrugged while she shook her head, ¡°you too Erik, he¡¯s barely over twenty and you are an old man. You shouldn¡¯t be letting someone rile you up so much. Even if he is annoying.¡±


    Peter faked being hurt, ¡°hey, I have you know that-¡± and as Selene gave him a look, and placed her hands on her hips, ¡°uh, yeah, okay, most of the time, the girls have me on punishment duty, so yeah, you get that one.¡±


    Erik snorted, ¡°How impressive. Venom, the scourge of dirty plates and washer of laundry. Cowed into submission by a house full of women. Maybe I should change my mind and allow you to pursue a relationship with my daughter. She can see how to command respect, and grind you under her heel at the same time.¡± and as Selene looked between the pair she just shook her head,


    ¡°I am herding children,¡± and as she walked back into the restaurant, Peter looked over at Erik and shrugged.


    ¡°So, coming with us?¡± and Erik nodded,


    ¡°On the condition that Pietro and Wanda do not.¡± and he stood before Peter with his arms crossed. ¡°I am aware of how dangerous Shaw can be, and while I was angry at the incidents in Sokovia, I was also quite proud. Wanda for her control over her powers and Pietro for knowing when he was of no help. I will help, but only if you do everything,¡± and he leaned closer, ¡±and I mean everything, to make sure that neither of them is there when you confront Shaw.¡±


    Peter shook his head, ¡°Pietro won''t listen to me, and I bet you anything if Wanda goes, so does he.¡± and Erik nodded,


    ¡°I will deal with Pietro, but if you are in a relationship with my daughter I want you to make sure she doesn''t get hurt, and keeping her away from Shaw goes a long way to making me accept you,¡±


    Peter frowned and shook his head, ¡°look I don''t care what Pietro said, I never did anything and we aren''t-¡± but Erik raised a hand,


    ¡°I am not stupid young man, and I see the way she looks at you. You might not be, but she is fond of you and she will listen if you ask.¡± Erik cleared his throat. ¡°I am not good at this, but please. You know, and I don''t want to lose her, I don''t want to lose either of them,¡± and as he turned and walked away Peter swore under his breath,


    ¡°Damn guilt trips.¡± and tried to think of a way to stop Wanda from following him to Shaws.

 Arc Seven. Chapter One Hundred Ninety-Six. The Fire In Which We Burn

    ¡°Before we get off the plane, Peter. I need you to promise me you won''t antagonise Charles, in fact, that you won''t antagonise anyone.¡± and Peter nodded. He knew his anger at Charles had isolated a few of the Augments who would have been happy to help, but his behaviour had just rubbed Peter the wrong way and it spiralled from there.


    ¡°I will. Want me to stay on the plane?¡± but Selene shook her head,


    ¡°No, I need you to show Charles what you showed me.¡± and as they disembarked he could see that they were already waiting and ready for a fight.


    ¡°Charles, that is not why we are here.¡± Selene confidently strode down the plane''s steps and stopped in front of him. ¡°We are here because of Shaw.¡±


    ¡°I am aware of what Shaw has been up to,¡± and as Peter felt the urge to smack the man,


    Selene turned and placed a hand on his chest, ¡°remember your promise.¡±


    ¡°If you are aware then why are you sitting here doing nothing?¡± and Charles sighed,


    ¡°It was only recently, and after you removed the needle from Laura, that we found out just how insidious his operation was.¡± and Charles turned his chair, ¡°please. I know it hasn''t been the most pleasant time conversing with you, but we need to remain civil.¡±


    As his chair rolled forward Scott glared at him and Jean gave Peter a small wave, much to Scott¡¯s annoyance. As he turned and followed the professor, Jean and Logan both stayed back.


    ¡°So, Laura?¡± Jean asked while Logan growled,


    ¡°Yeah, you can screw off, hairball. You know she found your laptop, so you don''t get to make any kind of comments at all or I let everyone know exactly what¡¯s on it, or I let Laura tell them, cause you know, they think I¡¯m a dick¡±


    ¡°You are a dick,¡± Scott shouted from the mansion and while Jean giggled, Peter sighed.


    ¡°See he¡¯s as charming as ever.¡± and Jean nodded, ¡°So, get it over with, already had one overprotective father guilt trip me, might as well get it done now.¡±


    In a move that surprised Peter, Logan laughed, ¡°guilt trip? I ain''t gonna guilt trip you boy. You hurt her and I¡¯ll cut your balls off. Pretty sure they ain¡¯t gonna grow back.¡±


    ¡°Uh yeah, great, ball severing for upsetting Laura, sure. Family dinner? I mean, my mom wants to meet everyone so might as well get as many as possible, just you know, shower, maybe shave, and Jean, you¡¯re invited too. I mean, we won''t expect you to sit in your home while we eat,¡± and she went slightly red and nodded,


    ¡°Great, awkward moment dealt with, let¡¯s see what Charles wants now,¡± and as Peter left, Logan looked over at Jean,


    ¡°You know that¡¯s seven right, and I can''t prove it but I''m pretty sure Selene and Ororo both smelled of him last time I met ¡®em,¡± and Jean hung her head and nodded,


    ¡°He, just,¡° but Logan shook his head,


    ¡°I can smell ¡®em, an¡¯ on you too. It''s a power an¡¯ I don''t like it Jeannie, but I ain''t gonna stop you, just not with Scott. He¡¯s as big a dick as Parker but it ain''t fair.¡± Logan moved closer, ¡°an¡¯ if he hurts you, just let me know, and I¡¯ll cut ¡®em off and make ''em into earrings,¡± and she snorted and nodded. ¡°Come on now, let''s get inside an¡¯ hear what he has to say. Charles has been awfully quiet the last few weeks, so guessin¡¯ it''s important.¡±


    As the pair entered the mansion and headed to Charles study they heard shouting and as Logan raised and burst through the door, blades sliding out from his hands he saw Charles leaning over a wastepaper basket being sick and as he saw the concern on the pairs face he raised a hand,


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine,¡± he repeated, and Peter sat with a concerned-looking Selene.


    ¡°Mind tellin¡¯ us what''s going on?¡± Logan asked.


    ¡°Shaw has been experimenting on mutants, and a lot of dead bodies are because of him,¡± Selene explained. ¡°Peter showed Charles not just his memories, but Laura¡¯s as well, and well¡±


    ¡°I''m fine, I just never-¡± and he was sick again.


    Selene poured a glass of water from the pitcher on Charles desk and sat it next to him, even though he was pale and sweating he scowled and moved a coaster underneath it. ¡°Thank you,¡± and she nodded.


    ¡°So, mind sharing for those of us who won¡¯t be sick?¡± Logan asked and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°Your brain. But uh, no fishing¡± and as he stuck out a hand, Logan took it and was swamped by the vision of not just Laura''s rescue but the time she spent in the facility.


    ¡°Yup, an¡¯ now we got a problem,¡± and as he looked over at Charles he nodded,


    ¡°I¡¯ve been there before, maybe not the same place, but somewhere like it, same smell.¡± and as he held up a fist and clenched, three razor-sharp blades slid out from his hands, ¡°where I got these.¡±


    ¡°So what?¡± Peter asked, he had done his show and tell, and now he felt it was their turn.


    ¡°Charles was helpin¡¯ me with some memory loss. Unlike Laura but they just put a bullet in my head. We thought it was military, creatin¡¯ a program of controlled mutants,¡± and Peter stood,


    ¡°Wait, uh paper?¡± and Charles took a notepad out of his desk. After a few moments of drawing, Peter showed the pad to Logan, who took one look at it and growled.


    ¡°Yup, that''s it,¡± Peter had shown him the collar, and Logan had recognised it at once. ¡°So, seems Oscorp was workin¡¯ with Shaw, an¡¯ they were making collars to control mutants.¡±


    ¡°Can someone explain what''s happening?¡± Jean asked, ¡°I uh don''t really want to see though, last time was bad enough,¡± and Charles raised an eyebrow at Peter,


    ¡°Oh come on, she did it on her own, but yeah, evil bad guys are kidnapping and killing mutants, making a collar that can control their minds, and uh, well. He¡¯s a big shot in New York.¡±


    ¡°But Peter, your plan is,¡± and Charles paused and put down the basket, taking a small sip of water, ¡°lacking. You really can''t just walk into his clutches and expect him not to expect you.¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°Erik said the same, but what else can we do? If I just start smashing stuff he¡¯s got cops and who knows what else waiting probably, I mean, if we know he knows, then he knows that we know that he knows.¡± and Jean laughed and shook her head,


    ¡°You¡¯ve been waiting to use that huh?¡± and Peter grinned and shrugged.


    ¡°You¡¯re asking an awful lot though. I can¡¯t in good conscience allow anyone to accompany you, not if the danger is so high.¡± and as he wheeled himself back behind his desk, he pressed a button on the old rotary phone he had sat on the massive mahogany desk. ¡°Hank, can you and Ororo please come to my office.¡± as he leant back. ¡°I don''t like it Peter, but as I have been told, it is ultimately not up to me.¡±


    As they waited Charles made sure the basket was hidden in his private bathroom, and Peter looked over the richly decorated room, as the heavyset walls were filled with various journals and thick tomes on, surprisingly to Peter, mainly books on evolution, science, philosophy, and psychology.


    As there was a knock at the door it was not just Hank and Ororo, who raised an eyebrow at Peter but Scott, a smaller young-looking clean baby-faced boy and a petite but serious looking girl.


    ¡°I think I was quite clear, Hank?¡± and he shrugged,


    ¡°I contacted them, professor,¡± Jean explained. ¡°You sometimes have a habit of keeping things from us,¡± and Charles frowned and shook his head.


    ¡°For good reason Jean, it would be up to Hank and Ororo if the X-Men were to be involved,¡± but Scott stepped forwards,


    ¡°No professor, it''s up to us, you taught us, trained us as a team but we all agreed, you lead us, but we get to choose the mission, and saving people like us from camps, that''s a mission we won''t say no to.¡± and Login nodded,


    ¡°Right then. I¡¯ll take ¡¯em,¡± he said and moved in front of Scott. ¡°I know Hank¡¯s not interested, an¡¯ Roro, well, you ain''t been too happy around here, maybe take a bit of time at home eh?¡± and Ororor just glared at him,


    ¡°My personal life has no bearing on this mission. It has been, and always shall be about saving lives. A lesson some people forgot.¡±


    Charles looked down and took a breath. ¡°I had, I became more interested in hiding, and for that Peter I am sorry.¡± and as Peter rubbed the back of his head,


    ¡°Yeah, I guess I''m sorry too, especially about the hair thing, and the captain baldy, and uh, Laura calling Scott a douchebag, and yeah, think that''s it? Is that it?¡± and he winked and smiled at Jean, while the professor rubbed a hand over his eyes.


    ¡°Maybe some lessons on social etiquette might be helpful, or perhaps a gag?¡± The professor suggested and Logan barked out a laugh,


    ¡°I deserved that,¡± and Peter smiled, ¡°But, this isn''t a picnic, you might need to kill.¡± and Scott frowned,


    ¡°Only someone with no skill takes a life.¡± and Peter sighed,


    ¡°Yup, cause it takes skill to stop someone invading your home with the intent to murder your two girlfriends and the person they rescued. It takes skill to stop someone from hunting your family after they find out where you live and who you are, and it really takes skill to stop an army of fascists with energy weapons capable of disintegrating you.¡± but Logan stepped in front of Peter and shook his head.


    Before Peter could say a word, Logan looked him in the eye and with a resolution he recognised Peter stepped back, Logan looked over at Charles before he turned and faced Scott and the group,


    ¡°And that''s your last lesson kids, you ain''t seen war, you ain''t seen death, an¡¯ you ain''t ready to. Scott, Kitty, Bobby. You¡¯re all great kids, but he¡¯s right, this ain''t a picnic, and you ain¡¯t killers, and if you don''t want to be, then, go back to class. Study and become lawyers an¡¯ scientists, or whatever the hell you want, cause some of us fight, and yeah, some of us kill.¡± He held up a hand and clenching his fist, the three blades slid out, ¡°an¡¯ these ain¡¯t for opening mail.¡±


    Scott stepped forwards, ¡°You trained us, we can do this,¡± and the other two nodded.


    Logan crossed his arms and stared at the trio, ¡°Well then, suit up,¡± and Scott and the pair smiled and bolted from the room. As Jean moved to follow them Logan put a hand on her arm, ¡°an¡¯ you know that goes for you too right?¡± and she nodded and followed the trio,


    ¡°Peter, a word please.¡± and as Logan moved and closed the door. ¡°I want you to persuade Jean to remain here.¡± and as Peter frowned at the professor he raised a hand, ¡°I¡¯m sorry but we are all protective of Jean, but not for the reason you think.¡±


    Peter shrugged and sat down in a large leather chair in front of his desk, ¡°then explain it to me.¡± Charles gave Ororo and Hank a look, and after the pair shared a pained exchange they nodded,


    ¡°You are aware that Jean¡¯s parents were killed in a car crash, yes?¡± and Peter nodded, ¡°Jean¡¯s mutant power caused the crash.¡± and Peter leant forward,


    ¡°Let me guess, she doesn''t know, and you kept it from her, maybe even removed a few key memories?¡± and as Charles¡¯s face fell Peter tutted, ¡°You are an asshole. I take back everything, she needs therapy, not mind control.¡±


    Charles shook his head, ¡°We tried that, Jean¡¯s powers overwhelm her emotions, and when you can crush a car with a single thought, therapy doesn''t, and didn¡¯t work. The guilt of killing them drove her powers to a tipping point, and she could have killed a lot more people. You are touching something that will burn you, Peter. Jean is stable, and safe but once she starts to lose control she can be a danger to those around her.¡± but even Ororo shook her head,


    ¡°I have warned you about this Charles, ignoring a problem does not make it go away, and having Scott keep an eye on her does not make for a good relationship.¡± and as she spoke Peter clenched his fist,


    ¡°Did you put Scott and Jean together?¡± but Charles raised his hands,


    ¡°God no, they had a high school fling and it simply progressed from there. But his proximity does allow us to make sure her powers are under her control. Once she gets a firm grip on them the mental blocks I placed dissolve naturally. It''s not mind control Peter, just mental stitching that keeps her together, but please. If she loses control she may kill a lot of people.¡± Charles begged, ¡°Please, don''t do this.¡±


    Peter stood and looked at the concern on the faces of the four supposed adults around him. He could see they cared and even feel it slightly but he shook his head,


    ¡°I said the same thing to Erik about Wanda. Jean and I are friends. I can¡¯t control her, and you shouldn''t be. If she wants to come, then she gets to. I didn''t stop her from helping when Hydra attacked, and I won¡¯t stop her now. It''s her life, maybe you need to realise that.¡±

 Arc Seven. Chapter One Hundred Ninety-Seven. Join The Club

    Unsurprisingly Charles had stayed behind, Ororo had joined Peter, while Logan and the X-Men began to prepare.


    As they took a cab back to the warehouse, Peter noticed her uncomfortable resigned expression, ¡°You know, you can talk to me, privately if you want?¡± he offered and she nodded.


    Holding out a hand he felt resistance as they connected but with gentle persuasion, he touched her mind.


    Well, I never thought I¡¯d be comforting my guidance teacher, and Ororo laughed


    And I never thought I would be sitting in a cab embarrassed that I threw myself at my student, and he chuckled,


    Is that what this is about? Cause I did warn you, but she shook her head.


    T¡¯Challa is adamant you are a danger, and he will do something about it. You are watched, and he has a device in the warehouse that allows him access through your security.


    She felt Peter tense, and he resisted the urge to swear.


    As soon as I remove it, he¡¯ll know it was you.


    I, and she slumped, I have already said my piece to him, and you need not be concerned. Not every woman is a damsel, not everyone needs protecting.


    Peter shrugged, wouldn''t be a uh, friend? A good person maybe, if I didn''t. They might not need it, but it''s still nice to be offered right?


    Ororo laughed, and when did that shy nervous boy who would hide in my office become such a lady killer? to be so smooth and confident.


    You have to be, or you get in serious trouble. I would definitely say that every woman in my life is a good influence.


    Ororo laughed again and patted his hand, and now I really know why you have so many. But do not let confidence become arrogance, Peter. It is a good thing but not always.


    Peter ran a hand down his chest, where Bullseye had shot him, and thought of where Laura had gutted him as well, nodding and pursing his lips, yeah, I am aware of that.


    Good, then you are aware that you are not invincible, and that you can be hurt, and Peter nodded, then there is no need to say anything else. You are a fine young man Peter, and I am proud of you.


    Peter felt heat rising in his cheeks and turned his head to hide the fact that getting compliments from an attractive woman still made him embarrassed. It would severely hurt his supposed cool factor


    Thankful the trip from the Xavier Institute to the warehouse was not a long one, and that Ororo, even after they had finished talking, did not let go of his hand pleased Peter on a small level, but he was glad to be home.


    As Peter paid the cab driver, Ororo stretched and after walking around the building found what she was looking for. A thin microwire, barely a hair thick was embedded into one of the warehouse vents and after running a shock through it, nodded and Peter made a note to reinforce the venting mesh. With his new senses, he could now pinpoint disturbances in the field around the warehouse and take measures himself, but her help was further proof that T¡¯Challa had lost an ally while Peter had gained one.


    Before heading inside, ¡°Can I get your phone please?¡± and Ororo handed it over, installing the security program, she nodded and smiled and they both went inside,


    ¡°Oh thank goodness,¡± Liv shouted, ¡°Come quick,¡± and she rushed over and grabbed him, pulling him into the shower room. As he was manhandled away Ororo marvelled at the progress he had made since her last visit and seeing Wanda and Laura eating moved over to speak to them.


    As Peter saw the Huntress coated Carol he swore and sprayed her with the more potent symbcells, she stirred, ¡°not quite what I wanted us to be doing,¡± and as he nodded he bit back the anger at seeing her so hurt,


    ¡°Who?¡± but she shook her head,


    ¡°Not important right now, too big,¡° and he nodded and once he had covered her, he knelt by the bath and ran a hand over Huntress.


    ¡°Sleep, it works better while you rest, and we can talk over food,¡± and she nodded and closed her eyes once more.


    ¡°So?¡± he asked Liv,


    ¡°The Nova Corps apparently. Ravage has filled me in the best she can but she was hurt as well,¡± and she shook her head as Peter offered her a wrist, ¡°She¡¯s got my own cells to heal, Octave has the same powers.¡± and he nodded,


    ¡°So, Carols back,¡° and Liv laughed,


    ¡°Oh and we had to bond Wanda with a symbiote. We needed to get Ravage to a non-hurt host so she could heal. So, you might be dealing with that later,¡± and Peter chuckled and shook his head


    ¡°Well, at least we¡¯ll know,¡± and Liv laughed and ran a hand over his shoulder


    ¡°Do you want to?¡± and he nodded, ¡°Dirty so and so, I think punishment is in order¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°it''s pretty much permanent these days,¡± and she laughed as she shook her head,


    ¡°Oh it can be made much much worse Peter dear. We don''t want you getting a big head.¡± and he smiled and took her in his arms,


    ¡°You all deserve it, and I am the luckiest man alive.¡± and Liv raised an eyebrow at him,


    ¡°flatterer,¡± but she pulled him closer, ¡°and Ororo?¡± but Peter just rested his head on top of hers,


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. She¡¯s interested but after T¡¯Challa I think it would be sex and nothing else.¡±


    ¡°You know we wouldn''t mind.¡± and she pinched his behind softly, ¡°and it might be nice to have a few more bi women.¡±


    Peter shook his head, ¡°After Selene, I think the casual sex thing is a bit off the books.¡± Peter didn¡¯t quite know how to put it into words, the sex was great but the connection was wrong.


    ¡°Then, that only leaves Jean.¡± and as Liv leaned back she saw the concern on his face, ¡°What?¡±


    Peter sighed, and connected to her,


    Charles thinks Jean is too unstable, and that she needs someone who will keep her grounded. Her powers are dangerous and I¡¯m not a good influence.


    Liv laughed, You are certainly not a good influence, Laura accosted me in bed yesterday and even I blushed at some of the things she shouted, really Peter?


    Hey, that wasn¡¯t me, blame the internet, and I don¡¯t keep any pornography on my computer. I mean what¡¯s the point? But is she? And Liv shook her head,


    Apparently not, she tried Gwen as well but just said it wasn''t the same and left it at that. I am concerned over Jean though. If her powers are unstable, then maybe ease her into things. You just said it didn¡¯t need to be sex, maybe caring non hostile environment is what she needs.


    Liv was quite correct. Peter kissed the top of her head, definitely the luckiest man alive, and as they parted he took her hand and they walked over to the table. Laura smiled at him but continued with her breakfast and Wanda gave him a coy and shy look and Peter knew it was more Octave than Wanda and smiled and nodded back.


    As he helped himself to toast, which had been left to go cold on the rack, he buttered a slice and sat in his chair. ¡°So, Wanda. Erik wants me to-¡± but she shook her head, ¡°Right, just as I said. So, tomorrow, I head to the meeting, talk to Shaw, find out what he wants and then we go from there. Liv, I know you don''t, so can you watch the warehouse and Carol, Laura if your coming, your dad will be there with the X-Men, Wanda, Your dad with be with Selene and the Brotherhood, and Ororo,¡± and she looked at him,


    ¡°Storm.¡± and Peter laughed,


    ¡°So, Storm, you can meet up with either group or stay here, in case of pests.¡± and she nodded, but Liv frowned,


    ¡°Pests?¡± and he took a bite, chewed and swallowed,


    ¡°Seems Wakanda doesn¡¯t like us. So, pests.¡±


    Liv looked over at Ororo, ¡°Is this your doing?¡± but she shook her head,


    ¡°I am aware, but not involved. I will stay here, the royal guard of Wakanda, the Dora Milaje, will not attack while you are out. I do not know how much they know, but I do know T¡¯Challa, he will come himself to deal with the devourers, he would not risk anyone else.¡±


    Peter shook his head, ¡°We need to deal with that, but for now, Carol and Shaw are my two top priorities.¡° He waved the toast at Wanda and Laura, ¡°so, in or out?¡± and Wanda went bright red and Laura shouted


    ¡°IN!¡± unaware of Wanda¡¯s expression. Peter laughed, ¡°Right, then you stay here for now, and once we make contact, you follow and stay focused. Wanda, I get that bonding for the first few days is rough, and if you don''t feel up to it nobody will fault you for not fighting.¡± and as Wanda drew her knees into her chest she nodded, ¡°but thank you, it means a lot you were willing to help Ravage.¡± and she hid her face.


    ¡°Right, Ororo, can we talk, in private.¡± and Peter stood, ¡°Carol is fine, she¡¯ll heal and sleep but Wakanda is something else entirely. I don''t want them to take advantage of this situation.¡±


    Ororo nodded and the pair heard up into his home, Liv looked over at Wanda. ¡°Just tell him, he¡¯s being polite for your sake but I can feel my connection to Octave, even if we aren¡¯t bonded, and all you want  is to run to him now,¡± and Wanda sprang forwards, slapping her hands on the table,


    ¡°I know what I want, but seven!¡± and she bolted off into her chosen home on the other side of the warehouse and Laura looked up from her breakfast.


    ¡°Her too?¡± and Liv nodded, ¡°good, Peter big horndog but needs as much help as he can get.¡± and Liv was surprised that even Laura knew how much Peter depended on them.


    Unaware of the happening downstairs Peter motioned to Ororo to sit and as he took his favourite chair, he sprayed a little neutraliser into the air. Ororo laughed and teased him by stretching, pulling the material of her top tightly against her chest. ¡°While it is all fun Peter, but let us be serious.¡±


    ¡°Wakanda,¡± and he spun the bottle in his hands, ¡°I need to know if Wakanda will come for us all, or just me. What do they know?¡± he asked, dreading the answer.


    ¡°T¡¯Challa thinks we had sex, so assume everything. The device was a probe, very advanced and very sensitive. He might not have a recording of you all, but he will have conversations and anything you discussed.¡± Peter gripped the bottle


    As he shook his head, ¡°This is a mess Ororo, and I can¡¯t fight Wakanda. Even if I got Shield back on my side, you think anyone will stand up to them? Check the papers. Cancer, AIDS, Parkinsons, and a whole bunch of stuff is being cured as we speak, all using Wakandan tech. Hell, you stand in the street and say Venom is an enemy of Wakanda and T¡¯Challa won''t have to do anything. The US government will hogtie me and hand me over, washed and ready for sacrifice.¡±


    Ororo sighed. ¡°I know, but this isn''t about Wakanda. T¡¯Challa is only following the advice of an ancient king. A symbiote landed on Earth before and caused mayhem across Egypt and Africa before it was caught and killed. I may have made things worse, but, I do not regret using you to discover T¡¯Challa¡¯s true hatred of you, and I would do so again.¡±


    Peter tilted his head, ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ve got a lot to make up for that, but uh, Egypt? Was this maybe a couple of thousand years ago?¡± and Ororo nodded,


    ¡°You are not descended from that creature are you?¡± but Peter shook his head.


    ¡°An alien spacecraft was unburied in Egypt, by Shaw. I bet it was on board.¡± and he ran his hands through his hair. ¡°Trapped by alien assholes, I bet it was really pissed, maybe even insane. No wonder it rampaged.¡±


    ¡°You can make up for T''Challa by cleaning up your mess. You were warned and I''m really tired of the games. Deal with it, deal with him and we¡¯re square.¡±


    Ororo laughed. ¡°Are you not going to bed me to take your revenge?¡± and Peter frowned and shrugged,


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember you complaining, or hurrying to get dressed,¡± and Ororo laughed


    ¡°Peter, I was joking, and not totally unwilling. I will clean up my mess, and after, I will personally make amends to you,¡± and as he leaned forwards and ran his hands over his face, there was a knock at the door.


    Wanda stood, ¡°Gwen and Felicia are back. Carol''s awake but Gwen¡¯s dealing with her, uh,¡± and she looked over at Ororo, ¡°Can we talk? In private.¡± and as Ororo looked between the pair she stood, smiled, ¡°I will be back in touch Peter.¡± and headed out, closing the door behind her.


    Malisson


    200 chapters!


    There will be a bonus short published at the end of the arc, on Saturday 11th December (usual time)


    The Avengers - Fury''s Wrath


    and a small update.


    Arc Seven is completely uploaded


    Arc Eight is being edited and will be ready for its start in December


    Arc Nine is being written, 14 of 30 Chapters done, and I see no problems with publishing it on time either


    As always, thanks to everyone who reads, comments, and likes. You guys are awesome.

 Arc Seven. Chapter One Hundred Ninety-Eight. Seeing Red (NSFW)

    ¡°You slept with Laura,¡± Wanda asked as she ran a hand over Peter''s shoulder and he looked up at her, ¡°and almost slept with Ororo and now I find out you slept with Selene.¡±


    ¡°Can we not do this now Wanda. I''m sorry we don''t live the way you want us to, and if that screws up a relationship then,¡° and he sighed ¡°then I guess that friends are all we can be.¡±


    With everyone settling in and the upcoming conflict with Shaw, the last thing Peter wanted right now was an argument with Wanda. With Carol home and the bonding incident, Peter figured that Wanda had finally plucked up enough courage to finally either reject him or accept things. Her timing was just terrible


    Wanda shook her head. ¡°Peter, I do not know how I feel. I feel upset when I see one of the girls go to your room, I feel unhappy when you have to use the shower room alone, I am angry at my father for always interfering in our friendship. I do not know how I feel about you. I like you, I want to,¡± and she blushed as she looked away, ¡°but I do not know how to. You have so many, I do not want to be just another in a line, waiting for my prince charming to pay attention to me.¡±


    After being bonded to Octave she had asked the symbiote to share and allowed their memories to merge. As she saw life in the warehouse her heart ached. She had thought it was some kind of sex club, where Peter spent his days hopping from bed to bed and treating the women here like toys to be used, but she was wrong. She felt his care and attention, and she wanted it too. She had thought the illusion in Sokovia was a fantasy, not that he cared so deeply about everyone here.


    Wanda moved over and sat next to him, placing her hand on his thigh and Peter ran his fingers over it.


    ¡°I think I am more upset that Laura just walked up to you and accepted things so easily. I want to, I really do but it¡¯s hard, it¡¯s not how I was raised and I would like a little more stability, something I think we all could do with.¡±


    ¡°So, what with the hands and the touching,¡±


    She looked down at him. ¡°I want to see if this will work, I know I am attracted to you, but we are taught that it¡¯s not right.¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°yeah,¡± and as he rubbed the back of his head, ¡°but you can. I mean, do you love your mother but not your father? Or your brother but not your sister. Everyone treats love like some finite thing but then goes on to hate as much as they can. But this works, and yeah, if you¡¯re okay with it then,¡± and he grinned at her, ¡°come here¡±


    Wanda nodded and undid her top, letting it fall free, her breasts were exactly as he remembered them but this time they were real and he could smell the sweet scent of her perfume over her own salty sweat,


    ¡°I want to actually feel you. Sokovia was, frustrating, and you were right, it was a deep desire. I wanted this. You know what, shut up, I am baring myself to you right now and I don¡¯t want to hear about anything else. Now, pants off or do I put my top back on and find a hole to crawl into and die for being so stupid and thinking you actually liked me.¡±


    Peter slid his arm around her and pulled her into his lap, kissing her neck and up till he found her lips, ¡°I have always wanted this Wanda, but I told you, never without your permission,¡± and as she slid on his lap she ran her hands down his chest,


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what this is, I don¡¯t know if I love you or if it is just a stupid competition with the rest, but I want this Peter. My, first, so, be gentle,¡± and he nodded.


    Rather than in the living room, he took Wanda by the hand and they moved into his bed. As she sat down on its edge, Peter let his symbskin top shrink back and she stared, admiring his muscles.


    In the dresser by the side of his bed was a small tin of cream. And as he slid it out Wanda stood and wiggled out of her trousers, standing naked before him. Holding one arm with her hand, ¡°this is a lot more embarrassing than in the dreamscape you know,¡± and Peter smiled and chuckled,


    ¡°Then lets I move so I can¡¯t see it,¡± and as he sat her down on the bed he tipped her back, kissing down her calf until he reached her thighs, he gently parted her legs and kissed further down,


    ¡°The room is soundproof,¡± and with a gentle flick, he kissed her clit, gently letting his tongue part her lips and kissing down her slit. She ran her fingers through his hair. He was right it was a lot different to the dreamscape and as his tongue gently parted and slipped inside she couldn''t help but moan in pleasure.


    She knew she wanted this, it was the rest she had doubts about but as Peter kissed and caressed her she didn¡¯t care. Prince Charming was a fairytale, told by her father to make sure she chose a good man, and as his tongue slipped inside her and he kissed her once more, oh god that''s good, she thought, but unfair.


    Using her mouth was something she would have to get accustomed to doing. While the thought was not unpleasant, seeing Peter''s erection made her hesitant and the stories from magazines on the taste left her unwilling, at least today.


    Smirking to herself she closed her eyes and lifted her hands, a red glow enveloped them and then his groin. This she could do, and hopefully, he would enjoy it.


    As Peter busied himself tonguing deep into Wanda, he felt a hand gently pulling on him, stroking him gently. ¡°Shh, I need to concentrate, just, let me,¡± and he didn''t even pause before stretching his hands up and running them over her nipples, playing in circles with them and teasing them with his fingers.


    As he kissed and licked her, making her squirm and moan, he felt gentle hands caressing his manhood, slowly but enough that he stayed erect. Knowing she was trying her best he gently moved his hips, pushing back against the red energy and it felt good, she would need to practise but as he felt Wanda shudder and clasp her thighs together and he figured at one orgasm was good enough that he could do more.


    As he knelt he got onto the bed, ¡°no mouth?¡± and she shook her head


    ¡°I uh,¡± and he smiled.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, no one expects but do you want to see?¡± and she looked at him as he drifted his eyes down and she saw he was stroking himself. Nodding he began to move a little quicker. ¡°On you?¡± and as she frowned a little she nodded and he moved a bit closer. As he moaned, ¡°Oh god Wanda,¡± he spurted a little over her chest, letting it drip down as she jerked back, but as he came over her bare breasts and moved forward and rubbed a nipple over the tip of his manhood. ¡°Oh, that was good,¡° and she agreed, seeing the mess he had made but it was good, she had never seen anyone masturbate before and it was intense, not just his hands but the way his face contorted.


    ¡°Do uh, we need a condom?¡± and he shook his head. She leant over and grabbed a towel, gently mopping up the creamy white liquid. It smells good, she thought and she wondered if he would think she was weird if she just licked herself.


    ¡°Even without a symbiote I can keep it inside, I, uh still, you know but it¡¯s not,¡° and as Peter fumbled she laughed, even the mighty woman slayer got embarrassed sometimes,


    ¡°Even if you do it inside me, I won¡¯t get pregnant?¡± and he nodded, ¡°then this?¡± and as she wiped a tissue over her chest,


    ¡°It¡¯s uh, like the armour, but, you know,¡± and sniffing it she took a little on her tongue,


    ¡°It¡¯s sweet,¡± she exclaimed, and he shrugged,


    ¡°the others really like it, the symbiotes go crazy over it.¡±


    As she looked she lifted one of her breasts and licked it a little and then cleaned it with her tongue, enjoying the sweet taste of him. ¡°Maybe next time,¡± and he nodded, this was for her, he could get oral from any of the others, this was Wanda¡¯s first and what she wanted was what she got.


    ¡°That was hot. So, more?¡± and she nodded and he moved down the bed, gently parting her legs and moving between them.


    ¡°Be gentle, please.¡± and he kissed her calf.


    ¡°Always.¡± as he rubbed the tip of his cock against her, he felt the tighter insides shift slightly and she winced, biting a finger as he gently pushed.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± and she nodded, even though he could see the bite marks on her finger.


    Wanda ran her hands down his chest, ¡°slow is good,¡± and her face was turning red. As he gently moved back and forth she began to sigh softly at first, the blush spreading down her chest. As he was holding her legs steady Peter kissed her calves and ran his hands over her thighs as he moved.


    ¡°Oh,¡± she gasped and he felt her tighten around him. She closed her eyes and tensed up, pulling him out of her slightly, ¡°oh, god yes. yes, oh god, yes¡° she yelled as she came but she pulled herself up the bed and he moved back. He could see her thighs twitch as she orgasmed but even he could see that was her limit. The first time with a symbiote was overwhelming, and Octave was used to the escapade of himself and Liv and was probably sending Wanda into a blissful coma.


    As she curled up in a ball, she patted the side of the bed ¡°I. I cannot do more, I am sorry,¡± but Peter lay next to her and kissed her cheek,


    ¡°No one wants pain during sex, I can get a cream if you need it?¡° and she nodded. The pain wasn¡¯t bad, but it was enough to know that the still erect monster peeking out from Peter''s legs had been inside her. The orgasm from that alone was more than she had ever experienced, having little privacy in a house with her father and brother. No matter what, Wanda knew she would like it here. As Octave worked on healing the torn and tender skin, she knew as well, she wanted a symbiote of her own.


    Liv had left a small basket outside Peter''s door. In it was the biogel cream, a small selection of cookies and a pitcher of lemonade. A Simple handwritten note, see if she is Bi, was from Gwen, and he laughed to himself before lifting the tray and heading into the house.


    ¡°So, it seems we had a visitor,¡± and Wanda turned red at seeing the tray, ¡°but, you get used to it.¡± Filling a glass for her he unscrewed the cap and gently covered the swollen and tender looking outer lips with the cream. Wanda moaned as the cooling liquid sent the pain away and the cold lemonade quenched her thirst.


    ¡°Of course, they also want to know if women are on the horizon?¡± and Wanda shimmied up the bed. As he lay next to her, she leant against his chest and his hand stroked the top of her head.


    ¡°Women?¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a sex party for one. Gwen and Felicia are dating. Liv is open, and MJ.'''' Peter frowned and pursed his lips. ¡°MJ is fluid. Some days she is, and some days she isn''t, but no one cares. Oh, and Nat definitely isn''t. I think the whole sexy accent thing has you on the hopeful list, I don¡¯t think Laura is though, but as we tend to discuss these things as a group, we¡¯ll find out eventually.¡±


    ¡°Sexy accent?¡± Wanda asked, and Peter nodded enthusiastically,


    ¡°Oh yeah, it''s a big thing.¡±


    ¡°Peter, I just lost my virginity to a man, who I now find out is part of a weird open relationship thing. Am I into women? I have never thought about it, do you mind if I was?¡± and Peter shook his head,


    ¡°Why would I? I mean, the only rule we really have is making sure anyone who gets an invite is acceptable to everyone, preferences or not. I mean, Nat was beaten up by Liv before they came to an agreement, just no outsiders. We might be immune to disease but we really don¡¯t want to put that to the test, plus the whole jealousy thing can be an issue.¡±


    ¡°So, let me get his straight, as long as I don¡¯t have sex without anyone outside of the group without permission, then you are all open? Even if you are not present I can say, have sex with MJ?¡± And Peter shrugged and nodded,


    ¡°If you both want, sure.¡±


    ¡°And everyone agreed to this?¡±


    Peter rolled his eyes, expecting the worst.


    ¡°I think I might be open to trying,¡± was all she said as she looked down at her feet.


    and Peter was sure he heard Gwen yell, ¡°hell yeah,¡± in excitement.

 Arc Seven. Chapter One Hundred Ninety-Nine. Bar Sinister

    Peter had changed into a smart business suit, but he was still nervous. Meeting Hammer and Aldrich were easy compared to this. At least with them, he knew it was business but Shaw was more than just a businessman, he was Augment and more importantly, he was a murderer.


    He wished Natasha was here, but when Fury and the top agents of Shield quit to go solo, she went to help them set up their new base. As it was a secret, Peter didn''t ask, and she didn''t tell.


    As he waited, a stretched limo pulled up and a very attractive Emma stepped out and walked round to the other side of the Limo, opening and holding the door for him, she nodded and he slipped inside.


    As he sat, he got a good look, and Emma wore a very revealing white pair of thigh length boots, a pair of very tight white shorts, a stylist white belt with diamonds covering it and a white boob tube, topped off with a white half coat. The inside of the limo faded as he took in her appearance, and as she snorted and shook her head he realised he had been staring.


    ¡°Now that you¡¯re quite finished. We are meeting Shaw for lunch at his favourite restaurant. The meeting should be pleasant enough, as he hates violence over food, and if you agree to his terms there should be a little tour of one of the facilities afterwards.¡± Emma explained as she poured herself a drink from the mini-bar set into the centre of the limo. Peter shook his head as she offered him a glass, he might be Twenty-Two but after Gwen''s homemade moonshine and alcohol, everything else tasted bland and unappetizing.


    Emma slid herself over to him and gently rubbed an arm up his, leaning into him and whispering, ¡°well darling, if there is anything you want, let me know,¡± and Peter''s eyes glazed over as she kissed him on the neck.


    ¡°Well, that should fool the driver at least. Sorry darling but no hanky panky, just talk,¡± and the projection of Emma moved back to the other side of the limo.


    ¡°Shaw''s orders are to kill you if you refuse, and then send a strike team to Felicia¡¯s location, and a mutant one at that. He doesn''t know about Elektra or the symbiotes, he believes you are a mutant who has a transformation power.¡± and as Peter watched himself, being manhandled by Emma she laughed and waved an imaginary glass at him, ¡°Don''t get any ideas, it''s just a show and not my first one.¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°So, sign and then what? I mean, if I agree surely Shaw then has me over a barrel, at least legally.¡± and Emma nodded,


    ¡°Of course, but it¡¯ll be a short term contract, allowing him power over you, and if the plan is to kill him, it won''t matter, the ink won''t even be dry before the blood does, right?¡± and Peter nodded. ¡°And are you going to share your plan with me?¡± but Peter shook his head,


    ¡°We trust you Emma, but so many things could go wrong that it''s safer if we don''t,¡± and she tutted. ¡°All you need to know is that everyone, and I mean, everyone thinks this is a good idea, and after the dust settles, the Hellfire Club will be yours. Shaw won''t exist after today.¡±


    She leant back and took a drink, ¡°I still don¡¯t like it, how am I to trust you, when you won¡¯t trust me?¡± and Peter sighed,


    ¡°We are all taking a huge risk here, not just me and you. Everyone who¡¯s involved is sticking their necks out and if this goes wrong it¡¯s on more than just me. You haven''t exactly been forthcoming with information Emma, I don''t even know who else Shaw has, other than the two that tried to grab Laura. You, the ninja and the teleporter, and the big feral guy. Who else?¡±


    ¡°An agile mutant, named Toad, he works for-¡± but Peter shook his head,


    ¡°Dead, Selene killed him after she found out about Shaw''s little pet projects.¡±


    ¡°Selene is involved?¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°Plus, I got Charles on our side as well,¡° and he took a breath and let it out slowly. ¡°The Brotherhood and the X-Men are both sending a team, as am I. I have friends who are coming. Now, who else?¡±


    ¡°You know about Selene and Shaw?¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°She was very forthcoming,¡± and Emma shook her head,


    ¡°Not entirely, Selene owns part of the Hellfire Club, she and Shaw,¡±


    ¡°Have an agreement, I know. I know about Essex and I know about the labs, about Weapon X and what MGH actually is. I know Emma, and that''s why we¡¯re having problems trusting you, because I know all that and it wasn''t thanks to you.¡±


    Emma frowned, ¡°and it appears that you also know a lot more than I do.¡± and she slumped back in the seat, ¡°I had no idea. I deal with financials and acquisitions, I travel and move money and people. I don''t read reports or ask why. I buy and sell products, but never know what the products are.¡± she sat up, straightened her coat and nodded. ¡°So, it seems that I am asking a lot of you, and have been very lax in my own offerings. I am sorry, and I will make it up to you.¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°not the first woman who made me that offer, it''s fine Emma. We all got that Shaw¡¯s a giant asshole, as long as you don¡¯t suddenly turn on us we¡¯re willing to leave things alone after. Well, Selene might have a few places burnt down, but you can discuss that with her.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re turning things over to Selene?¡± and Emma suddenly looked worried,


    ¡°No, Selene is going to be coming in and looking over the contracts she and Shaw already had, but after and not as part of this. Whatever you and Selene have going on with,¡± and he waved a hand, ¡°whatever, that''s for you and her to deal with. I¡¯m not interfering afterwards.¡±


    Emma still looked worried, ¡°It''s more Selene¡¯s reputation I am worried about. Shaw has never had anything nice, or good to say about her, and the few times I met her, she was never exactly welcoming.¡± and as she stared at the glass in her hand she wished it was real and she could have a proper drink.


    Peter laughed, and shook his head, ¡°you expected her to be nice to Shaws¡± and as he looked at her she raised an eyebrow,


    ¡°Whore, the word you want, and the one that she used is whore.¡± and she sat back, biting back the anger.


    ¡°I was going to say right hand, Emma,¡± and as she glared at him, he just frowned and shook his head, with a half shrug, ¡°but I don''t care. Look if you are, so what? if you aren''t then that''s for you and her to deal with. Right now, all I want is for this to be over, no one to get hurt and Shaw to be taken care of.¡± but if that was the right thing to say to appease Emma Peter never knew, as the driver pulled up to a bar, and tapped on the window.


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± and as the fake Emma vanished she ran a hand over Peter''s chest and kissed the side of his face, ¡°you¡¯re sweet darling, but a little young,¡± and as the door opened She got out before Peter and offered him her hand.


    As he saw the restaurant, Bar Sinister, he had heard of this place before. It was one of Tony¡¯s hangout spots. Full of rich multinational debutants, where old and new money rubbed shoulders. Supposedly even a glass of water, from an arctic glacier somewhere, cost $50 and it went up from there. Peter would never have been able to afford to look in the window let alone eat here.


    Cameras flashed as Emma led him by the hand into the lavishly decorated outer foyer. Unlike a tasteful modern chic and understated eatery, The main hall was covered in red velvet, thick gold curtains and massive white marble Grecian style statues, and as Peter frowned, he was sure that was Emma, stood, naked and barely covered in a toga.


    She saw him looking and laughed, ¡°I posed for a day, in various costumes before they chose that one,¡± and as Peter nodded in appreciation she smiled and took his hand once more. ¡°Best not to keep him waiting.¡±


    As Peter and Emma walked into an empty room, Peter noted that a man similar to the teleporter he had faced stood behind who he could only imagine was Shaw. The blue-skinned man scowled but the other, skinny but well dressed in a suit similar to Peters stood and offered his hand, ¡°Sebastian Shaw, and you must be Peter.¡± Peter took and shook the man¡¯s hand, feeling no attempt to coerce his mind or other attack through the handshake. It was just a normal grip, with no super strength or powered touch. Even to his extra senses, Shaw was just a man.


    ¡°So, I ordered. The steak here is amazing. I have Azazel travel to Japan just to pick some up for me, and I thought today should be a special occasion.¡± As Shaw smiled he lifted a bottle and the top popped, Pouring two glasses, he lifted one and handed it to Peter,


    ¡°Today is a special day, yes?¡± and Peter lifted the glass and nodded.


    ¡°I don''t see why not, as long as your terms are acceptable.¡± and Shaw grinned and looked at Azael,


    ¡°See, I told you he¡¯d be open to listening.¡± and the foursome sat down. ¡°Emma, I ordered you a salad, I know you like to keep your weight down, and spritzer, too much alcohol is unbecoming on your charms.¡± and as Emma smiled and nodded, Peter raised an eyebrow but said nothing.


    ¡°Before we eat, my terms are simple. I know you and Felicia Hardy have taken over Hell''s Kitchen, Huntress and Venom, through the Black Cats. Daredevil is keeping his distance as you offed Bullseye,¡± and Shaw took a drink. ¡°What I¡¯m offering is a split on the business, I supply drugs, and some muscle to keep the places open, and you continue to do what you''re doing. Intimidation and elimination.¡±


    ¡°Sounds fair, but then what¡¯s the split, and the contract? I need to know before I can move forwards.¡± and as Shaw slid over the contract, Peter picked and started reading,


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to speak to Miss Hardy?¡± and Peter shook his head, let''s see if a theory is correct, he thought. He had already discussed it with everyone. Shaw was old and from an entirely different time. Peter needed to act as if this was the 1800s and, as everyone agreed, a racist misogynistic dick.


    ¡°Felicia follows and does what I tell her, as long as I sign, she¡¯ll fall in line,¡± and the grin on Shaw''s face said it all. ¡°But, how about Emma, she¡¯s been more than helpful, and I do like seeing her taste in clothing,¡± and Shaw smiled and leant back.


    ¡°I think Emma can be negotiated with, isn¡¯t that right?¡± and while Emma smiled through a scowl Shaw just laughed, ¡°See, I think she likes you. Why don''t you powder your nose while Peter and I talk business,¡± and as he dismissed her, she stood and walked out of the room.


    ¡°Did you already?¡± but Peter shook his head, ¡°Shame, she was much better when she was younger, but she¡¯ll do as she¡¯s told. But will Felicia?¡± and Peter nodded while staring at Emma¡¯s ass.


    ¡°Sure sure, we both know Venoms in charge and I''m stronger than her. One thing though. This is net, not cost. Can''t agree, you want us to pay for everything and then take your cut, not happening,¡± and Shaw laughed.


    ¡°Can''t slip anything by you. We can adjust that, but I want a larger cut. If I¡¯m supplying men, drugs and security then it needs to go up, another 10%¡± but Peter shook his head,


    ¡°But you expect us to provide girls, bunk rooms, and feed them. Bullets are cheap Mr Shaw, feeding an army isn''t,¡± and Sebastian shook his head, ¡°7.5% and I sign, but I want to see what I''m getting.¡±


    ¡°Stick with the 10 and I can give you something much better than Emma, well, I¡¯ll throw her in for free anyway. Once this hits, I won¡¯t need her.¡± and he motioned to Azazel, ¡°Get the facility ready, we¡¯ll do the tour after dinner.¡± and the man nodded and vanished,


    ¡°Neat, teleporter?¡± and Shaw nodded, ¡°Would be nice.¡±


    ¡°I can arrange for someone like him to work for you, but you already met his, uh, son. Nightcrawler. He didn''t like you very much though.¡± and Shaw leaned back as a plate was brought in and placed in front of him. As Peter was given the same meal he flicked the napkin over his lap before starting,


    ¡°If he had said who he worked for, I would have backed down. I already had one asshole give me grief over her, I thought he was the same.¡± and as he savoured the taste of the steak he had to suppress a moan,


    ¡°Really?¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°Fucking Xavier, those fucking kids of his put me through the wringer, Summers and that redhead bitch, Jean, but I resolved it.¡±


    Sebastian, lifting his glass, took a small sip, ¡°tell me more.¡±

 Arc Seven. Chapter Two Hundred. Trust Issues

    As Peter waved his fork and explained the situation, Sebastian ate his own meal.


    ¡°So, you knocked Hydra on its ass, you knocked Charles on his ass, and Selene. So tell me, Pete. What¡¯s to stop you from doing the same to me?¡± Shaw asked him as he narrowed his eyes and took a sip of champagne.


    Peter finished the last bite of steak, and as he ate, he stared at Sebastian. After swallowing ¡°well, for one, the running theme of all my business seems to be dumbshits trying to take advantage of me. Whereas you, you sat me down, fed me one of the, if not the most delicious meal I have ever eaten and didn¡¯t treat me like some stupid kid. You talked to me, you didn''t barge in, make demands and then threaten me. And I respect that, Mr Shaw.¡±


    Sebastian balled the napkin he had around his neck and leant back in his chair, ¡°respect,¡° and as he smirked, ¡°I can respect that, but it''s not an answer.¡±


    ¡°The power. Hydra fell because they weren''t careful enough, Charles hides and so does Selene. Whereas you sit on a golden throne, with a badass behind you and a hot piece of ass beside you, and I want that. You know everyone gives me shit but I have six girlfriends, and Emma gives me one for every day of the week.¡± and as Peter smiled Shaw looked at the unamused Emma and burst out laughing.


    ¡°And this power, you think I can give it to you, and you will share yours in exchange?¡± and Peter leaned forwards.


    ¡°I know you do genetic research here and I have my own scientists. The Oscorp armour we stole is almost fully functional again, the cream we sell in the brothels is my own design. We both have power, but I know I¡¯m new to the game, getting a hand up and making a few good friends makes that a lot easier,¡± Peter explained as Shaw sat leaning back in his chair, idling with a leftover spoon,


    ¡°So, I trust you because you want the same things as I do?¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°Everyone else has been a jackass to me, JJ is up my ass every day, telling people I killed his son, but they started it, they all did. Only you sent a beautiful woman to invite me, only you have actually had some decency.¡±


    Shaw lifted the spoon and let it clatter on the table, ¡°I have to admit that sounds convincing, but you don''t get to my age or my position without guarantees. Sign, then I would like a genetic sample. Your power is unique, bio-armour plus that rope ability, that webbing is like Spider-Mans but stronger, plus healing. It''s a good all round package, and I collect things like that.¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°So I''ve been told, nazi¡¯s right?¡± and Shaw frowned but nodded,


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t care, we won the space race cause of nazis. Project Paperclip, a lot of people forget that.¡± and for once Shaw was impressed. While it all looked good he still had a nagging doubt that Peter was trying something, and he learned a long time ago never to ignore that doubt, but as they talked and he opened up he found himself liking the young man. His taste in women was superb, he was respectful and polite, and now, they shared certain ideals.


    As the conversation continued, dessert was served, simple ice cream from a special breed of cow, supposedly the last of its kind, and only one herd.


    As he closed his eyes and resisted the urge to devour the plate he did have one question, ¡°So, why Bar Sinister?¡± and Shaw looked over at Azazel and laughed,


    ¡°It''s what they called me during the war, Mr Sinister.¡± and Peter shrugged.


    ¡°Better than costume wearing freak.¡± Peter snorted, ¡°At least Mister shows they feared and respected you.¡± and Shaw took a small bite of ice cream and nodded.


    Definitely starting to like the boy, he thought.


    The rest of the meal was eaten with small pleasantries, and afterwards, Peter signed his name with a flourish on the contracts, which Azazel took and vanished,


    ¡°Would you like to freshen up before we take the tour?¡± and Peter shrugged, wondering what the man meant,


    ¡°Sure.¡± and as Emma gave him a small glare she took him not a side room where she pushed him into a chair,


    ¡°You do know he means fucking me right?¡± she said angrily, it''s a test, to see how far he can push you, and she got down on her knees and ran her hands up his thighs, you owe me big time, and as she felt for his zipper she frowned and he shook his head,


    It''s my armour, it doesn¡¯t have one. Can you not, I dunno, make an illusion?


    Not to fool the camera, and as he let his senses out, he felt the small recording device in the corner,


    It''s just fake, was all he said as he reached down and under his hand lifted a thick patch of symbskin, moulding and shaping it, seriously this is just armour.


    He had left it small, and as Emma glared at him, and her head began to bob he waited a reasonable length of time before grasping the back of her head and crying out. Emma mimed wiping her mouth but he had been right, it was just like sucking on plastic, with no taste or texture.


    As Sebastian watched on the camera he shook his head. He had the boy now, even if Peter was compliant he could still blackmail him. He doubted very much his other girlfriends would be happy about infidelity, and he would use that to his advantage. Snorting in derision, at both his size and how long he nodded to Azazel who vanished once more and he saw Peter quickly zip himself up as the man entered the room. Grabbing both him and Emma they all vanished and they reappeared in the same room as Shaw.


    It was a simple study, with maps and pins in it on one wall and a simple wooden desk, still polished mahogany, with a leather office chair and piles of folders and other paperwork on it.


    ¡°For security, you need one of these,¡± and he opened a wooden box on his desk. Inside were four cuffs which Peter had seen before. Liv had been put into one by Rumlow and even though he nodded he still hated the idea of these things.


    As they all clipped it around their wrist Peter stiffened as he felt the mental connection, obey, listen, truth, whispered in his mind,


    yeah yeah, he whispered back.


    ¡°Well, that went well, Peter, do you have backup waiting? or plans to betray me at any time?¡± Shaw sat on the edge of his desk.


    ¡°Felicia is waiting for a phone call, and if I don''t answer in the correct way she knows how to find me. We plan on doing business with you until we can infiltrate your organisation and see if we can dispose of you in a few years time.¡± Peter said robotically.


    Shaw frowned and shrugged, ¡°that''s it? No huge army, or master plan, just wait until I''m old and then take over naturally? I''m disappointed.¡±


    ¡°Why waste your talent? I need to learn from the best.¡± Peter answered and Shaw laughed,


    ¡°Okay. Last one, tell me what you think of Emma.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s got nice tits and I could let her suck me off for hours.¡± and Emma glared but Shaw shrugged,


    ¡°Always thought they were your best feature too.¡± but Emma was still angry from the demonstration earlier, ¡°and now Emma. Do you have plans to betray me?¡± and as she stiffened,


    ¡°I am going to seduce Peter and use him in a war to take over. I already planted a suggestion in his mind and once he was old enough I would have him kill you and take the fall.¡± Shaw shook his head,


    ¡°And what do you think of Peter, answer honestly.¡±


    ¡°He has a small dick, and I doubt the women are using him for anything other than a convenient place to stay. Dumb and young, he¡¯d be a good ally but a better patsy.¡± and Shaw laughed,


    ¡°You just can''t get the staff these days, can you?¡± and as he looked over at Azazel the man shrugged but said nothing. ¡°Well, you¡¯re already collared. See, why trust anyone, when you can simply make them obey.¡±


    Shaw felt around in Peter''s pocket till he found his phone, ¡°Call Felicia and give her the passphrase, then we¡¯re going to a much nicer place. I still want your powers but I think you need a little more persuasion, Discipline is important, fear and respect, you said it, fear and respect.¡± and as he handed over the phone Peter dialled the numbers,


    ¡°The meal was great, I''m fine and the deal is done. Be home at 11, love you¡± and he hung up. Shaw took his phone and on his desk, smashed it,


    ¡°You can explain that later, a drunken accident should suffice.¡± Motioning to Azazel he put a hand on Peter and Emma''s shoulder while Shaw put his own hand on Azazel¡¯s and they vanished.


    As a light flickered on and the trio stood, Shaw smiled. ¡°Welcome to the real Bar Sinister, where all my dreams come true.¡±


    Peter stood amazed. In large rows, like a science fiction movie, were tubes. Each one holding a figure inside. Peter could feel the minds of each clone and as he looked around there must have been hundreds of them.


    ¡°Impressive isn''t it. See, the nazi¡¯s weren¡¯t just good at rockets, but eugenics, and once you add in mutants you can make any power combination you want. Of course, we now have genetics and a huge database of mutant powers, all carefully harvested and catalogued. Want a super-soldier who¡¯s invulnerable but can self-destruct on command, or an invisible assassin that can teleport. Easy. Once you add in a little Oscorp ingenuity and the chip goes into the clone, no collar, nothing to fall off or accidentally break. A neat little package, all ready for sale across the world. Why brainwash mutants, when you can just make an army of super slaves.¡±


    Shaw snapped his fingers and two of the larger males walked forwards, ¡°this is our Sabretooth model. Strong, tough and hard to kill. Once I harvest your DNA I¡¯ll add in that bio armour, and make them invincible.¡± as they grabbed Peter Shaw moved over to a trolley and grabbed a needle, ¡°it¡¯s painless¡± and taking a small sample he snapped again as a woman hurried over, taking the needle and vanishing, Peter¡¯s eyes flicked over to Emma and Shaw looked between the pair,


    ¡°Oh, you like Emma? so do a lot of others, so¡± and he motioned off to the side and a woman, much younger than Emma, and completely naked, walked forwards, her long blonde hair trailed down her back and her breasts were pert and firm looking, Peter couldn''t help but stare and neither could Emma. She was an exact clone of her in every way.


    ¡°Sex dolls. Want a cock hungry slut that¡¯ll take it any way you want and can heal no matter what you do? Isn¡¯t it great, like that uh,¡° and Shaw snapped his fingers, ¡°Stepford Wives. Perfect in every way. Oh and we can halt the process at any time. If someone a little younger is your thing.¡± and as he laughed, ¡°Totally submissive, will obey any order and if you damage it, just dispose of it and get a new one, a virgin every time if you want.¡±


    It was Emma that broke the stream of Shaw''s sales pitch. She screamed and her form changed and became the most beautiful diamond, glittering under the artificial lights. She swung a fist at Azazel, who avoided her blow and vanished, reappearing next to Shaw.


    ¡°I¡¯ll fucking kill you,¡± she screamed at him, her breathing heavy and ragged, ¡°you sick fuck.¡±


    ¡°Well, that was unexpected,¡± was all he said. He had not expected the collar to fail so easily.


    ¡°Guards!¡±

 Arc Seven. Chapter Two Hundred One. Weapon X-Treme

    While Peter had simply ignored his own collar, even if they improved the design to make it stronger against telepaths his power was to control anything with a neural connection. A collar, even without the Mind Stone, was simply no match for him.


    As he reached out with the Mind Stone to sever Emma from her collar he found he didn¡¯t have to. Emma¡¯s own powers had stopped it from working, and he realised she was more powerful than she was letting on. Even Wanda had taken time to adjust and break free. Emma had done it in moments, and with apparently no effort.


    He had thought of freeing Azazel, but with the man''s true loyalties clouded, he thought better of it. Before he could disable him however, he vanished and a moment later, reappeared and grabbed Emma before vanishing again, only to reappear moments later.


    Peter had watched Nightcrawler, and after discussing with both Wanda and Laura, he waited and as the air began to vibrate slightly as his power displaced it, he simply stuck out an arm. As Azazel looked down in disbelief Peter found himself impaling the man through the chest. He wheezed and as Peter pulled his arm out, he crumpled and died on the floor. It was not great but he was still out of the fight and kicking him away, he turned to Shaw.


    Shaw growled, ¡°He was my best man you ass, and now I have to kill you.¡± but Peter laughed,


    ¡°You can try,¡± and he grabbed the metal collar from around his wrist and ripped it free, ¡°won¡¯t be easy though¡±


    ¡°Collar doesn''t work huh?¡± and Peter smiled as his armour slid over him.


    ¡°Nope,¡± and as he struck Shaw the man simply took it, pulled back his fist and struck Venom with the same amount of force, blasting him back into a trolley of medical supplies.


    Shaw adjusted his cuffs, ¡°You know, I can absorb and redirect any energy, I thought you would have known that. Let me guess, Charles and Selene?¡± and As Venom stood, Shaw clicked his fingers and a series of tanks along the far wall opened.


    ¡°Always have a backup plan. We aren¡¯t in New York. Hiding a secret lab in the city would be stupid, as was coming here alone.¡± As the tanks drained they hissed and opened. Out stepped a young and muscular man, thick black hair and wiry muscles. As Venom watched, three blades slid out from their hands.


    ¡°Like them? Weapon X, or Logan, Wolverine, you know, whatever you want to call him,¡± and Shaw sat on the edge of a cheap office desk, ¡°Still, good enough to kill a nobody,¡± and as the ten men advanced on Venom he stood patiently waiting for them. As he waited, two long symbskin blades grew from his forearms.


    As the first swung, Venom ducked under it, swung around behind the clone, picked him up and slammed him into the ground, face first.


    ¡°Yeah. That won¡¯t work. See, healing, adamantium skeleton, and razor-sharp claws. Brute force won''t do much, except maybe piss him off.¡± but Venom leapt at the second one, stuck a bladed arm through his stomach and pulled he split and fell in two halves. Shaw picked up the desk phone and hit a button ¡°yeah, can I get a sample team in Lab Seven, bring some bags.¡± and put the phone down.


    Shaw frowned and looked at the first clone, the back of his head was still burning and as he watched the clone was reduced to ash, as was the second. As Venom weaved and ducked around each clone, he struck out and the wounds he sliced into their bodies burned and reduced them to grotesque metal skeletons.


    ¡°Yeah, regeneration only works if you don''t reduce each cell to ash.¡± Venom explained as the blades began to glow slightly,


    Shaw stood, ¡°Extremis?¡±


    and Venom took a step back in surprise, ¡°I''m going to kill Aldrich,¡± he spat


    Shaw laughed, ¡°Blame Stark, he does so like his explosions. Who throws a perfectly good serum away? So it kills people, so do cars, and you don¡¯t see protests against them.¡± and as Venom finished off the last of the cloned Logans Shaw raised a hand, ¡°Aha ah ah, I have plenty more where that came from. Not just Logan, or Emma, how about we do this like civilised men. We talk.¡± and Venom shrugged.


    ¡°You¡¯re experimenting on people, making MGH, there isn''t much to talk about.¡± Venom replied and Shaw scrunched up his face in disgust,


    ¡°Is that what this is about? Some stupid drug?¡± Shaw stood and waved a hand at Venom, ¡°like you tested each version of the formula until you got it right. Oh I know, The Stacy formula right? and we have the Stark formula and the Erskine formula and the Red Room formula, so don''t give me that crap.¡± Shaw ranted, ¡°every scientist in the world right now is testing drugs and weapons, so I picked New York, so I picked someone you knew, you''re just as bad.¡± and as Shaw looked at him, he smiled, ¡°and just a bit dumb.¡±


    As Venom stared at him the door burst open and a lot more of the Weapon X clones rushed in, trying to overpower him. ¡°See, this is why you don''t talk during a fight. Everyone expects the villain to monologue, but really, it''s just a good way to stall for time.¡±


    Venom smiled, and leaning down he picked up some of the metal bones, ¡°thanks for the upgrade¡± and as they slipped into the armour he roared and they glowed as the Extremis formula spread through them. As the group crowded and slashed at him he returned the favour, slashing back.


    ¡°Won''t work on this group. See, the Super Soldier Formula doesn''t really work on mutants. Extremis though, well, meet Weapon X-Treme.¡± and as Venom slashed off an arm the wound cauterised but in a flow of lava flesh regrew and the clone simply tilted its head at him as the claws slid out once more.


    ¡°Nice try though.¡± and Shaw motioned over at the door, where the group he called were waiting, ¡°Oh, try not to carve off small pieces, bigger chunks last longer¡± and the man and his team waited as the X-treme clones and Venom fought,


    While the X-Clones were numerous they were also slow and dumb. The process had taken the man''s abilities but not his memories and they fought simply by slashing and trying to overwhelm Venom.


    As he rolled, webbed down limbs, blinded and sprayed caustic fluid the number slowly whittled down. Even a regenerator could be tied up. Missing a limb was no issue if you couldn''t move in the first place.


    As Venom stood panting, surrounded by cocooned, wriggling clones, only the blades from the hands sticking out but webbed down Shaw looked over and shook his head.


    ¡°Well, those were just disappointing. A bit of fireproof sticky tape and my supposedly superior clone army get taken out by one stupid asshole.¡±


    Venom was panting and making sure each of the clones was secure. Using the Stone he blasted away whatever consciousness they had, and while he might regret that later, leaving them in any condition to fight was too much of a risk.


    ¡°I¡¯d blame their creator.¡± As Venom examined the adamantium claws he had grabbed earlier it felt similar to the metal bar he had collected months ago. Maybe an alloy he thought but as he advanced on Shaw, the man raised a hand again.


    ¡°Oh come on, fight, not talk,¡± but Shaw lifted a grenade and held it by the pin.


    Stopping, Venom shook his head, ¡°That won''t hurt me.¡± but Shaw laughed and as he pulled the pin, Venom watched as the explosion spread out and then drew back into Shaw, who seemed to glow and then shimmer with energy.


    ¡°Yeah, Got a whole belt of them, I can absorb any energy, without hurting myself. So you¡¯ll stay there unless you want me to use them all.¡± Shaw motioned to his belt, where Venom could see the bandolier full of small grenades, at least ten he could see.


    As the group at the door watched Shaw explode and collect the energy from a grenade and the large black-clad Venom assimilate the adamantium claws from a dead clone they turned and fled the battle, unwilling to die for their employer.


    Venom huffed, ¡°So what, we stand here and wait for you to summon more clones because that won''t work. You know how this ends. Only one of us is walking out of here, and absorbing energy is a great power, but it''s useless.¡±


    Shaw laughed and let some of the energy escape, punched down and cracked the table, ¡°Oh, I think not. And we¡¯re waiting, I told you, monologuing is only good as a time-waster, and I¡¯ve got back up, what do you have?¡±


    Venom shrugged, ¡°An ability to absorb and connect to an electronic device, such as I dunno, a transmitter capable of punching through the shitty countermeasures you''ve got here.¡±


    As Venom waited, in full contact with not just Emma but everyone else in his team he knew they were almost there.


    Shaw''s secret base was an old abandoned military complex in Alkali Lake, located in Canada. Heavily fortified and well hidden, but if you had a telepathic link, and a way to dampen a transmitter until you really needed it, it wouldn''t matter.


    Venom already knew the teams were on their way, Charles, while staying away from the fighting, was acting as a relay point. His mental powers were the most developed and his ability to hold multiple conversations telepathically allowed the two teams to coordinate effectively.


    The Brotherhood, The X-Men and Sword were all aboard one of the X-Men''s jets, taking a small detour to collect Emma before heading to the Canadian Lake, and all Venom had to do was hold out until they got there.


    Shaw huffed and snorted smart, ¡°so while I was talking, you were stalling. Pity though, One last batch. I was saving them, they¡¯re supposed to be my secret weapon. But, if you''re out for blood, I¡¯d rather it was yours and not mine.¡±


    Three containers at the end of the room hissed and out stepped a woman, and two men.


    She looked a lot like Emma, naked he could see in detail just how perfect Shaw had made her. Her thick brown hair fell like hay around her shoulders, and it was more like Livs than Emma but the body shape and the breasts were definitely a copy of hers, Peter didn''t even take a guess as to what size they were, and even wondered if the alphabet of bra sizes went that high. ¡°It ain¡¯t nice to stare, sugar, but I guess you get a little taste of heaven, before I send you to hell.¡± and she winked, running a hand down her front and circling one of her crinkled nipples, ¡°If you can survive it.¡±


    The two men were like night and day. One was similar in size to Cain, massive muscles sculpted onto a huge frame. ¡°Dah, I vould like to take on ziz Venom¡± and the third man, was muscular, toned but wiry and as Venom shook his head, thank the stars he wasn''t as happy to see him,


    ¡°It''s my Rogues gallery. The pinnacle of my research, each one perfect in every way, a counter to any stupid power you might think you have. Rogue, Gambit and Colossus.¡± as Shaw pulled more pins on grenades, ¡°but I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll do any more talking, you three, get rid of the pests outside while I take out Venom, no survivors.¡±


    Shaw stepped in front of Venom, ¡°I¡¯m more than enough to deal with you,¡± and Venom watched as the blast of energy flowed into him and his jacket ripped as his muscles grew.


    As the three grabbed tight bodysuits from lockers situated next to each tank, Rogue pulled on a pair of white gloves, the back studded with wicked-looking studs, Colossus grew and a thick metal plating seemed to cover him, while Gambit grabbed a bo staff and for some reason a pack of cards. Before Venom could intercept them Shaw stepped and punched him, throwing him back through the table and into the wall.


    ¡°You don''t get to leave just yet. You might think it''s a shit power, but you¡¯ve seen nothing yet.¡±

 Arc Seven. Chapter Two Hundred Two. The Shanked Shaw Redemption

    Rogue smirked as she and her companions walked past Shaw, ¡°leave him alive sugar, I want to play a bit¡± and as she went to run a hand over his shoulder he glared at her,


    ¡°Touch me and I¡¯ll show you how I like to play,¡± and as she laughed, she moved out and into the corridors with Colossus and Gambit.


    Venom kept his eyes on the trio and as his senses scanned over them, behind his mask he smirked. Reaching out there were three quiet pops and the energy corona that he could see around their heads faded and vanished.


    As the three moved into the corridor they casually ran a hand over the back of their heads, laughing,


    ¡°Are ve still going to do this, Rogue?¡± the large Colossus asked, his accent thickly Russian.


    ¡°We owe him,¡± and she clenched a fist, the leather of her gloves squawking as she smiled at her hand, ¡°We owe him this one, but then sugar, you can do whatever the fuck you want. I¡¯ll be going back and getting a piece of him, and that Venom,¡± and she shuddered, feeling the sweet energy he was giving off. It licked at her powers and made her shiver with anticipation of tasting him, draining him and taking in his power.


    Gambit looked at the pair, ¡°how abouts we see what friends he has first, no? They might not even let us leave,¡± and he snorted, ¡°they might not have a choice, eh?¡± and the three smirked and headed out into the large entrance of the hidden base.


    ¡°Now those three are taking care of any other pests. I¡¯m going to kill you, rip your insides out and feed them to my machines.¡± Shaw tilted his head and stretched, his bones cracking as he limbered up, ¡°and I¡¯m going to enjoy this.¡±


    Venom shook his head, ¡°Yeah, being able to hit hard, still a shit power.¡±


    Venom shook off the blow and thickened his armour. Energy absorption was fine, but he still spent it while fighting, and Venom had learned to take a hit.


    Shaw laughed, ¡°I never expected a punk kid to ruin everything. I¡¯m going to have Rogue drain you dry right after I have her kill everyone you love in front of you. I might even fuck a few of them myself, just so you can taste what real pain is like.¡±


    Venom laughed, ¡°pathetic,¡± and as he ran towards Shaw, who had dropped into a stance, Venom vaulted over him and instead of connecting, webbed his feet to the flooring, sprang off the wall and shot out two more webs around his waist.


    Shaw roared and ripped himself free. ¡°Stop playing and fight.¡± and as he charged Venom ducked under a punch and grabbed a piece of the table Shaw had smashed him into earlier. Using it as a shield he let Shaw punch holes in it as the pair fought.


    Training with Natasha had paid off, and after seeing even Shaw fight the difference between them was obvious.


    Selene had warned him Shaw was just as old as she was, and much more aggressive in his pursuits. Any and all combat styles were learned, and Shaw had no restraint in practising against living targets. Hunting humans and Augmented for sport was one of his favourite pastimes.


    His deadliness was apparent as he tried joint locks, throws, as well as nerve strikes and other debilitating moves on Venom and it was all he could do to avoid or absorb each blow. Shaw¡¯s superhuman strength and durability was a match for Venoms, but the energy had to run out.


    As Shaw scooped Venom up and slammed him into the ground, Venom rolled to one side as his foot slammed into the concrete cracking it.


    ¡°Slippery bastard,¡± and as Venom rolled to his feet a ball of light travelled down Shaw¡¯s arm and floated out of his palm, ¡°Good thing I have more than one power then,¡± and as he took aim he threw it and it exploded against Venoms chest, throwing him back,


    ¡°See, you think I can just absorb energy but I can also redirect it, and if you think I¡¯ll run out.¡± Shaw lifted the desktop and slammed it against his head. Venom saw the light glow for a second and then Shaw vibrate once more, ¡°I can absorb any impact dipshit, even your stupid punches just juice me up again. This isn''t a fight you can win.¡±


    ¡°As if I¡¯m gonna hit you,¡± Venom rolled and sprayed out two small globs of sticky webbing, impacting Shaw''s feet and glueing him down. ¡°I don''t need to hit you to win,¡± but Shaw laughed and his legs bulged and he tore the webbing free from the floor.


    ¡°I don''t need you to hit me,¡± and as he looked behind him, the last of the clone tanks opened and more Weapons X clones appeared, ¡°They can hit me,¡± and as the small group punched and kicked Shaw he went down on one knee, laughing as each blow was absorbed and the glow intensified.


    ¡°You were never going to win,¡±


    Venom knew it was time to pull out more than just the usual powers. As he roared the harness sprang from his back, and the strange silver metal had been melted down and refashioned into a new set of arms. Fighting Tony let him know its joints were a weakness and it was now reinforced, and its new bladed ends shone under the lights. ¡°Not done yet,¡± and as he lifted himself up, taking the idea from Laura and Logan, two long blades slid out from the harness and down his arms. It was a prototype he had worked on with Liv, to give each of his team their own harness, to protect their chest but give them an edge against multiple foes.


    As Venom pushed forward, he landed behind Shaw and decapitated the clone with swift strikes of his tendrils, stabbing each through the throat and then extending the claws, ripping apart their spines, dancing away on two arms, he raised his arms and fired Extremis enhanced web ball the remaining pair, watching as it stuck like napalm and burned holes in their flesh. Regeneration or not, until the webbing was spent it would continue to burn, holding and incinerating them.


    ¡°Yeah, now let¡¯s fight,¡± and the blades darted out.


    Shaw didn¡¯t even try to avoid them, and as the knives made tatters of his clothes, Venom could see Shaw vibrate more and more. Each hit was powering him up and the plan of testing his limits was failing. If he had an upper end of energy he could absorb Venom wasn¡¯t hitting him hard enough to reach it. Even as he slashed, kicked and punched, Shaw would take the blow, vibrate as he absorbed it and laugh as he used it against him, throwing him through furniture, smashing the empty cloning tanks and pummeling him.


    It was painful but not life-threatening. Venom could take the hits but why should he. Reaching out with the Mind Stone he felt a sharp pain in his chest and Shaw laughed,


    ¡°You know why Charles has never just shut me down?¡± Shaw asked as he lifted Venom and slammed him into the ground, vibrating as he absorbed the impact, ¡°Because I can absorb any energy, even the subtle mind probes you send out, all of it,¡± and he laughed as he knelt over Venom and grabbing the back of his head, drove his fist into his face repeatedly.


    Venom knew that was wrong though, there was a massive mental shield over the man, and someone else had put it there. He swore, the only telepath he knew working for Shaw was Emma.


    The front of Venom''s armour absorbed and redirected the blows, but each was heavy enough his head thudded into the concrete floor with each strike. ¡°I can absorb this all day, but can you¡± and Shaw punched him once more,


    ¡°Don¡¯t need to¡± and the symbskin leached away from Venom, fist coating Shaw¡¯s legs and up to his back, as the tendrils reached his arms they pulled him slowly, and even with the energy enhanced muscles, they had no choice but to fold and were soon held fast.


    ¡°You can only absorb large amounts of energy, for external sources, struggling against my webbing does nothing,¡° and pushing himself up Venom knelt in front of Shaw, his armour coating him up to his chest. Reversing their positions Venom pushed Shaw to the ground and knelt over him.


    ¡°You need me to fight back. You need the energy, but do you need to breathe?¡± and one hand wrapped a tendril around his throat while the other touched his chest, letting a blade of thin symbskin slowly push its way into his skin. Shaw struggled, hoping to gain some traction against either hand but Venom had secured him to the ground. As the tendril gently squeezed Shaw panicked. There wasn¡¯t enough kinetic force to absorb and as the material was inert, he couldn''t even draw energy from Venom himself. His lungs burned and the pain spread through his chest as the blade pierced into him.


    As the life began to drain from Shaw, Venom found through the blade he could worm his way into Shaw¡¯s mind. Slowly extending his power, rather than blasting through his defences he pried open his thoughts and was reviled at what he found.


    Not just the cloning of Logan, the Weapon X and Weapon X-treme projects were to produce indestructible foot soldiers, of which Laura was considered a failed result, but the hosts of captured and discarded mutants from which he gathered powers.


    Selene, Emma, Storm, Jean, Scott, Charles, and more names he didn¡¯t recognise were all in his catalogue, his ¡°death pool¡± and once Peter had let his guard down he would be added in as well.


    Hundreds of bodies lay in the labs below, vivisected and catalogued, and over a hundred different gene sequences were all neatly stored. The body count was more than just a few MGH labs, and Peter¡¯s stomach churned at the scale of Shaw¡¯s mutant genocide.


    It was then he found more. Not just Emma but several other young mutants had been cloned and were being used as sex slaves. Shaw¡¯s plan for Felicia was to reduce her to one as well, his misogyny holding her in no regard once Peter was out of the way. They were to be used, and he had taken samples of all ages already, broken and then discarded them after venting his sick desires. ¡®Quality Control¡¯ Peter found in his memory and was disgusted.


    As he tried to reign in his emotions he saw the look in Shaw''s eyes. He knew he was going to die here but he was mocking him. As a sick twisted smile crossed Shaw''s lips Venom sealed them shut and the thick black armour slid between his teeth and flowed down his throat. He knew what Venom was learning and as the memories of his perversions played out Peter resisted the urge to squeeze tighter, knowing Shaw would absorb the energy he just kept his relentless grip, slowly feeding his symbskin into the man''s lungs.


    As much as he hated it, he drained his mind clean, taking each and every memory, storing them so that no one would be forgotten, no sin would go unpunished and as he stripped the man''s mind Shaw slackened and began to drool over Venom''s hand.


    Feeling the blade slowly sink into Shaw''s chest, Venom placed two fingers over Shaw''s eyes and let two more blades pierce into his brain. It was messy and unpleasant but after Ultron, Venom knew that leaving Shaw alive would come back to haunt him. Someone like Shaw, a rapist, paedophile, and a murderer didn''t deserve to live, and once the others found out the true depths of his depravity, no one would question his decision.


    As the blades spread out and obliterated both his heart and brain Venom felt the normal electrical activity of Shaw''s body begin to slow and finally stop. He was dead. To make completely sure, Venom sprayed the body with caustic acid webbing and as it broke down he knew that the ruler of this sick empire was finally dead.


    Sighing in relief, he stood and let the sticky and fouled symbarmour shed what was left of Shaw, before heading out to find if the rest of his team was just as successful.

 Arc Seven. Chapter Two Hundred Three. Rogue Element

    The three groups had picked up Peters transmitter and headed into the Canadian Rockies. It was a simple flight to the hidden base, built in a dam deep within the mountains. As Scott found a suitable landing spot, a convenient helicopter pad, they spotted Emma, who was busy climbing out of the large reservoir that fed the dam. She shivered as the cold mountain air and damp snow added to the already icy waters and as she shook her powers flared and the water evaporated. Looking down at her clothing though, covered in mud and wrinkled from the water she tutted.


    The X-Men had sent Logan to lead Cyclops, Iceman and Shadowcat, each wanting to prove to the professor they were ready for real-world missions. Jean had come but refused to join the team, much to Scott¡¯s annoyance and the pair had sat apart, sullenly refusing to even make eye contact.


    The Brotherhood had sent Pietro, Cain, and as Wanda had been unable to come, Erik. While they hadn¡¯t told Erik why Wanda wasn¡¯t going to be there, he was still grateful Peter had persuaded her and had gone in her place.


    Finally, Carol had tagged along. She had healed enough she wanted to stretch and test that her powers were still fully functional, and even without Ravage was still one of the most powerful people Peter knew. She had even managed to convince Laura to keep the warehouse safe. While Ororo had wished to make amends, they still wanted someone trustworthy with fighting experience there as well. She also had a problem, while she wasn¡¯t a fugitive on Earth, the Asgardians might not be too happy to see her, and so was keeping a low profile. Surprised they had still managed to make it to Earth, even contacting the new Sword was off the books in case they used her to cement a favour from their new allies.


    As they landed outside the dam, the water sparkled but the idyllic scenery was ruined as machine gun turrets slid open on the outside wall of the dam''s large steel doors.


    ¡°Guess they know we¡¯re here,¡± Cyclops stated and motioned to his team. He touched his visor and a beam of red energy streaked towards the first group. ¡°X-Men, on me,¡± and Kitty Pryde and Bobby Drake move so they all stood together, in their dark grey and yellow uniforms. Logan nodded and followed,


    ¡°You three, take out any guards. Carol, get rid of those guns, an¡¯ then we can head inside.¡±


    While Carol was healed, Ravage had still to regenerate fully and was still bonded to Liv. Leaving her behind was painful, but for this mission it was necessary. Beams of light shot out and the turrets exploded, leaving smoking craters in their place,


    ¡°Coulda done that,¡° Cyclops muttered to himself but if Logan heard him, he ignored it.


    ¡°Right, You three, behind me. Carol take your team and assault that door, and uh, big guy, you stay close too, we don¡¯t want anything poppin¡¯ out that lake an¡¯ surprising us,¡±


    ¡°Hehe, meat shield,¡± as all Cain said, now wrapped in thick metal plates, and a domed helmet. He banged thick gauntletted hands together, ¡°Knock or just pry it open?¡± as he pointed to that massive thick plated door. Even at this distance, they could see it was reinforced and massive, designed for allowing the huge turbines to be replaced.


    ¡°Heh, up to you big guy, think you can?¡± Carol asked him and Cain laughed,


    ¡°Oh, I can,¡± and the group, while on guard for surprise attacks, moved towards the door.


    As the steel creaked and complained Cain, with aid from Carol, ripped and tore away the small double doors, and inside three black-clad soldiers were waiting for them,


    ¡°Took you long enough, and,¡° Rogue counted. ¡°Well, I guess eight is enough, how we doin this? I mean, girls vs boy seems mighty unfair,¡±


    Colossus stepped forwards, ¡°I want the big guy, You are all so small, I do not want to waste my time.¡±


    ¡°Small huh?¡± and Pietro sped forwards, laying punch after punch on the large man who stood waiting.


    ¡°You are fast, but hit like child. Speed without strength is useless. Go and make sure the others are taken care of, we will not stop you.¡± and Pietro, panting and shaking his hands nodded,


    ¡°You are defending Shaw but will allow us to complete our mission?¡± Erik asked and Rogue nodded,


    ¡°Oh see, this wasn¡¯t voluntary and Shaw, oh he deserves to die, but you know, we can¡¯t just ignore orders. We¡¯ll try not to kill most of you, just the weak ones.¡± and she cracked her knuckles, ¡°You,¡± pointing to Carol, ¡°I can feel your power from here, why don¡¯t you and I dance? Gambit, take the kids, they seem weak enough you should manage.¡± and Cyclops scoffed,


    ¡°Lady, I don¡¯t know who you are, but we¡¯re the X-Men, and one skinny guy isn¡¯t going to stop us from kicking your asses.¡± and Logan shook his head,


    ¡°No talking during a fight,¡± and he let his blades slide free he scowled, ¡°and no underestimatin¡¯ an opponent, What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Gambit, mon frere,¡° and he twirled the bo staff around himself, ¡°and you are beaucoup correct. Your young friends are no match for me.¡±


    Logan nodded, ¡°which is why you¡¯ll face me. You three, inside, take Jeannie with you and take out the small fries.¡±


    Cyclops clenched his fist. ¡°Logan, we can take him.¡±  Logan frowned, and as he sniffed the air, he stepped back.


    ¡°You, kill them and I gut you, but go ahead.¡± and as he leaned over to Scott, ¡°That attitude¡¯ll get you killed, so don¡¯t come cryin to me later. Jean, commin¡¯?¡± and she nodded and followed Logan as he walked past the trio.


    Pietro and Erik followed, ¡°I hope you know what you are doing Logan,¡± he said as the group entered the huge facility, ¡°You may have just gotten them killed.¡± but Logan made an unseen motion and Erik nodded and pulled the door closed behind them.


    Colossus laughed, ¡°Finally a good fight. We are the same, yes? No killing, only till submission?¡± and Cain nodded, and cracked his knuckles,


    ¡°Never thought you guys would be so considerate.¡± and Colossus laughed,


    ¡°Shaw is, how you say, asshole. He must die today but is first time having fun, so, make it fun, yes?¡±


    As Cain and Colossus moved away from the two groups, Gambit twirled his staff, ¡°you know, I ain¡¯t playin¡¯. Your friend, he¡¯s right, you gonna die someday tryin¡¯ to be a big hero.¡± and Cyclops responded by touching the side of his visor.


    As the beam whummed Gambit laughed and batted it away with his staff, its length covered in a purple glow, ¡°So no talkin¡¯ huh?¡± and he laughed as he rolled and threw cards at the trio.


    Cyclops blasted the three cards out of the air, while Ice-Man summoned an ice wall and sprayed a mist into the air. As he hid her, Shadowcat phased and sunk into the ground. It was the team''s standard opening tactic. Contain, confuse, and control.


    Gambit laughed as his bo staff twirled, and he threw out two more cards from behind it. Cyclops braced and fired but this time the blast was directed back at him as the cards exploded towards him rather than outwards, he released his visor hand and covered his eyes, bracing himself to avoid falling over, while Ice-Man crafted another ice wall in front of them.


    ¡°He can shape those charges, whatever they are,¡± and Cyclops nodded, hoping Shadowcat would be more successful.


    As she snuck up behind him, she wrapped her arms around him, phased and sunk back into the earth, taking him down with her. She made sure his arms were buried up to the elbow, and without someone to dig him out, he was now stuck.


    As he struggled she smugly shouted, ¡°got him,¡± and Cyclops and Iceman came out from being the barrier,


    Gambit laughed, ¡°yeah, better ditch those clothes mon cher,¡± and Shadowcat noticed her gloves, boots and anywhere she had touched him was glowing. The energy they were giving off interfered with her powers, and she panicked as she failed to phase through them. She quickly grabbed anything covered in the purple glow and as she was undoing a boot they all exploded, throwing her into the air.


    ¡°Kitty¡± Cyclops shouted as he rushed towards her, she fell and rolled, unconscious from the blast and her body armour was a ruined mess of melted and smoking fabric, barely covering her.


    He had kept his word, Scott could see that she was still breathing but her uniform was covered in blackened holes, and bloody and bruised skin was showing through in some places. Her hands had taken most of the blast, and flesh hung from it in charred strips.


    Cyclops lifted his hand to his visor and was ready to hit this monster with a full blast when Iceman grabbed his arm and shook his head, ¡°No, we save Kitty,¡± and clenching his fist he and Iceman ran over.


    As Iceman sprayed a cooling liquid over the burnt flesh, Kitty stirred and moaned as the pain hit her back to consciousness. Her hands were ruined and she was unable to fight and could only cry out in pain. Cyclops unzipped his jacket and lifting her they saw the full extent of her injuries. ¡°Get her back the jet. I¡¯ll deal with him,¡± and Iceman helped her, picking her up and walking slowly as even her feet hadn¡¯t been spared.


    ¡°Sick freak,¡± Cyclops knelt and hammered a blow into Gambits face, as the smaller man laughed,


    ¡°Hehe, you know, this ain¡¯t a game. You play rough, get hurt, maybe it you next time huh? You the leader, maybe it is your fault she got hurt.¡± and as Cyclops landed another punch Gambit laughed, ¡°Mind your hands, mon frere¡± and Cyclops looked down to see, not just his gloves glowing but the ground around Gambit as well.


    ¡°One little injury and you fall apart. You friend, he right you know, gonna get killed being such a pussy.¡± and as Cyclops scrambled back the ground exploded outwards, showering them both in dirt. ¡°Me, I keep my word, I don¡¯ kill her but you, takin cheap shots while a man down, you deserve this.¡±


    As Cyclops scrambled back, grabbing and ripping off his gloves Gambit lifted his staff and as it twirled it struck out and Cyclops¡¯s chest exploded in pain as he caught him right in the sternum. ¡°You think this a game huh?¡± and as the staff clipped his shoulder his arm went dead and, ¡°You think we fuckin playin wit you?¡± and as he smacked it on his thigh, Cyclops cried out in pain and went down on one knee. ¡°This is real life, an there ain¡¯t no second chance.¡± Gambit struck out again with his staff and caught Scott across the deadened arm. It exploded in pain and Cyclops heard the bone crack.


    As Cyclops held onto his broken arm Gambit reached forwards and touched the side of his visor, ¡°You see what a real mutant can do eh.¡± and Cyclops could see the glow enveloping it. With no choice, he unclipped it from his face and threw it away, and as it exploded the fireball lit up the sky, shaking the snow from the trees.


    ¡°Next time, that be your head.¡± and Gambit struck him on the back of the neck with his bo staff, taking his consciousness from him.


    As he stood over the unconscious body he looked over at Rogue and Colossus, who had both moved away from the groups for their own fight. Gambit stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled, ¡°That one for us eh,¡± and Colossus raised a fist but it seemed that Rogue ignored him, stuck up bitch, just cause she fuckin the boss.


    It didn¡¯t matter to him though, once they had won or lost, he was leaving. Shaw¡¯s little game held no interest for him, and he had no desire to be a lackey to anyone. Memories of the South, and of card games and drinking, and lots of women all floated in his mind, like small pieces of a larger puzzle. He didn¡¯t care, but the drinking and the women did seem like a good idea.


    Finding a nice patch of ground to lie on, Gambit stretched out and rested his hands under his head. Maybe if he wasn¡¯t such an ass he could even hitch a ride with the kids, and as he looked over the jet, just sitting there, maybe just take it eh? And he laughed to himself, maybe, that redhead be mighty cute though, maybe take more than just the jet.

 Arc Seven. Chapter Two Hundred Four. Mutation Station

    As they walked further in, Logan paused, ¡°I know I left em, but something smells off in here. This is where they made me, and there¡¯s a whole lotta adamantium inside, Can you feel it?¡± and Erik reached out a hand and nodded,


    ¡°You figured they were safer outside. If Laura was the first, then there are others.¡± and Logan agreed,


    ¡°A whole buncha me ain¡¯t gonna be pretty to fight.¡± and the blades on his hands slid out.


    Erik scoffed, ¡°If they all have the same weakness you do, then we have nothing to worry about,¡± but Logan shook his head,


    ¡°You know, I never liked that smug attitude of yours, Erik. Always rubbed me the wrong way.¡± and as Erik pushed past him,


    ¡°It¡¯s not smugness when you are confident Logan, it¡¯s earned.¡± and Erik pointed down the corridor to the crowd of black-haired Wolverine clones waiting,


    ¡°Only an idiot coats the bones of a mutant with metal when one of his enemies is a master of magnetism,¡± and as Erik reached out the clones shuddered and spasmed as Erik grasped his fist and the metal on their bones erupted out of them. ¡°Confidence Logan, confidence.¡±


    Logan shook his head and as the piles of flesh twitched and writhed Erik stepped forwards, to be met with a blast of fire erupting from one clone, barely alive but sat up. Its mouth was wrenched open and Erik screamed as the flames licked over his armour.


    Logan pulled him back and around a corner, seeing Erik shake and twitch. His face was a mess of blisters and burnt skin, and he moaned softly through seared lips, ¡°confidence gets you killed,¡± and sighing, two blades retracted leaving a single blade, ¡°this¡¯ll hurt, but you¡¯ll be able to breathe.¡±


    As it slid into his throat, Erik¡¯s breath whistled through the cut. ¡°Pietro,¡± but the boy had already vanished and reappeared a moment later with a first aid kit, ¡°Tube,¡± and he handed it to Logan, who with bloody fingers slid it into Magneto¡¯s throat. ¡°Sorry kid, I know it¡¯s your dad but take him back to the jet, and then stay there.¡± and as Pietro stared at his father, Logan put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Hey! I know it¡¯s bad, but we can get him fixed, but only if you take him back to the jet and keep him safe, okay?¡± and with an ashen face Pietro nodded and grabbed his father, disappearing in a cloud of dust.


    ¡°You can join ¡®em, Jeannie. Fire breathin¡¯ ain¡¯t one of my powers so who knows what else they can do,¡± and as Logan slid a claw around the corner he saw in its reflection that most of the clones were on their feet already, their flesh knitting itself back together with lightning speed, faster than his own he figured. ¡°Yeah, this ain¡¯t gonna be fun.¡±


    Jean shook her head, ¡°I can help, and Peter is down there.¡± and Logan laughed,


    ¡°Sweet on him eh?¡± and she shook her head, ¡°liar¡± and as he held up a finger ¡°on three¡± one finger, two, and as he held up the third he leapt around the corner and started to fight.


    As he cut at his clones, Jean would tear away the slashed pieces, crushing and making sure they were useless. She tried to grab at the clones with her mind but all she felt was overwhelming hatred. Hatred for her and Logan but also for themselves. They hated their own existence and cared little for the pain or damage Logan was doing. Instead, she pushed the overwhelming number back, letting Logan whittle down those in front of him, keeping the rest contained.


    As she watched, limbs burned and dissolved into ash but new flesh grew in its place. The clones were regenerating faster than Logan could slice them, and even the most crippling of wounds simply head and the clone stood back up.


    ¡°No good Jeanie, need to kill ¡®em,¡± and Logan slashed at one across the throat and Jean grimaced as she grabbed the head and flung it down the corridor. What was a hallway was now a charnel house. Logan let loose and the Wolverine took his place. Feral roars erupted from uncaring lips as body parts and blood sprayed everything. As she watched him, she could see the burning hatred bubbling away under his control as he ripped these fake copies to pieces and she made sure they didn¡¯t stand back up. Anything that flew was taken and crushed by her power, leaving burning piles of flesh as Wolverine cut his bloody swathe down the corridor.


    His own flesh was torn at, flames spewed from hateful lips and skin rendered into ash. Jean caught herself gagging as the smell of overcooked meat, Wolverines overcooked meat, filled her nose and without blinking she created a draft, blowing the ash and smell in a cloud away from her. Wolverine was uncaring as much as the clones were, metal glinted as flesh shed and regrew faster than she could ever imagine. Stab wounds and slashes, all gone, as so were his clothing, burnt and turned to ash.


    Wolverine didn¡¯t care, only the fight and the kill mattered. If the woman wanted it she would ask but the animal cared for nothing right now but the blood and the death of its enemies. He slashed, cut and rent at unwilling flesh. Whatever the things were, they still died and were nothing compared to him, the Wolverine.


    Soon the corridor was empty, each of the clones Extremis fueled bodies burning themselves to ash as their power was pushed to the limit. Standing, heaving and sweating Logan let his blades retract and Jean turned her head and coughed lightly,


    ¡°It¡¯s a dick Jean, if you ain¡¯t seen one by now, well, Scott ain¡¯t doing too well.¡± and she still unzipped the jacket she had on and as Logan laughed he tied it around his waist and covered himself.


    Sniffing, ¡°Your boyfriend¡¯s down here,¡± and pointing to an adjacent corridor the pair carefully headed towards Venom,


    ¡°So, want to tell me?¡± and she shook her head, ¡°Cause Scotts been mighty pissy lately, an¡¯ I¡¯m thinkin¡¯ it¡¯s maybe not just at bein¡¯ left out the loop.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the only one who listens, well, other than you.¡± and Logan nodded and carefully peered around the corridor corner, ¡°And I¡¯m tired of everyone telling me what I can and can¡¯t do¡± and he grunted an affirmation. ¡°I can¡¯t even move out without the professors say so, and its,¡± Logan put a hand on her arm, and peered around the next corner,


    ¡°It¡¯s frustratin¡¯ to see Gwen and the rest all havin¡¯ fun and livin¡¯ it up with Parker right?¡± and she nodded, ¡°yeah, well, that boy ain¡¯t right, an¡¯ I think his powers are less under his control than he thinks. Charles is right to be worried, but he ain¡¯t right to hold you back.¡± Logan stopped and sniffed, ¡°Wait¡± and as he moved, he tried a door handle and peered into the darkened room.


    As he looked for a light switch and flicked it, the large fluorescent strip lights came on. Jean stood in shock as they stared at the hundred of cloning tanks, all lining several large floors of a warehouse. ¡°Well, shit,¡± and Logan jumped, spun and his blades were inches away from Venoms face as he let out a breath,


    ¡°Mighty stupid sneakin¡¯ up on me bub, almost stabbed yah.¡± and as his claws retracted Venom shrugged,


    ¡°Almost isn¡¯t the same as did, and we need to take care of these tanks. Where''s everyone else?¡± he asked,


    ¡°Erik¡¯s out. Pietro¡¯s takin¡¯ care of him and the rest are dealing with three mutants at the front entrance.¡± and Venom swore,


    ¡°Shaw¡¯s been cloning and collecting augmented powers, they¡¯re his prize killers. And you left them?¡± and Logan shrugged,


    ¡°They ain¡¯t interested in killin, only fighting, and Shaw?¡± Venom sighed


    ¡°Really really dead. He¡¯s not the problem, they are. We need to destroy them all, and I really mean that.¡±


    ¡°Ain¡¯t gonna kill a bunch of people who ain¡¯t had a say in their lives, kid, an¡¯ neither are you.¡± but Peter slipped out of his armour.


    ¡°Logan, they aren¡¯t people. Shaw¡¯s been making clones of you, and a whole bunch of people, so,¡± and he sighed, ¡°for things you don¡¯t want to know and I don¡¯t want to have to explain,¡± and Logan frowned as he saw the pained look on Peter¡¯s face,


    ¡°Tell me anyway, or I ain¡¯t helping you with shit, in fact, I¡¯ll stop you,¡±


    ¡°Sex dolls, cloned soldiers, enslaved to follow orders. They aren¡¯t people, these are things, never out of the tank, never given anything other than a chip in their head and a set of instructions. Jean, it¡¯s painful but tell him, reach out and feel them.¡± but she shook her head


    ¡°I can¡¯t, Logan. I felt the clones. They hate everything they aren¡¯t,¡± and she shook her head, closing her eyes to the oppressive aura she was feeling. It was a struggle and for some reason, as they ventured into this room it became worse, feelings of self-doubt and fear filled her and as a memory pushed itself to the surface she shivered and held herself.


    ¡°Hey, what?¡± and Peter reached out and touched her face, ¡°look at me Jean, it¡¯s okay,¡± and as he connected to her with the Mind Stone he felt a small part of her crying out inside.  A small child afraid and hurt, watching her parents crushed as the car she was in crumpled and tumbled down the road. Peter reached back, and as she shook, ¡°look at me Jean, it¡¯s not your fault, you couldn¡¯t help it,¡± and she closed her eyes as the tears leaked from them,


    ¡°ALL MY FAULT!¡± she screamed and flames licked from her, filling the room.


    Peter grabbed Logan and pulled him out of the doorway. Sliding back into his armour he spun Logan around, ¡°Hey, you okay?¡± and he nodded, ¡°good, take care of anything that comes out unless it¡¯s me.¡±


    As Venom re-entered the room Jean was floating in the middle of the large empty floor. He could feel the heat as it radiated from her, but more than that he could feel the oppressive atmosphere in the warehouse, filling him with dread and trying to break him. As he moved closer to her she screamed and the flames burned hotter, even through his armour he could feel it. Venom had to find the source of the psychic assault or Jean and whatever this power was would kill him and everyone else at the lake.


    Venom could feel him around him. Shaw must have been tapping this power to create his army, and in doing so, released the monster that Selene feared. In the room, he searched for and found a control panel and releasing the main switch a hatch in the floor opened and as the black monolith slid up, Venom could feel the oppressive aura increase.


    In his mind, a hollow voice echoed, and even as he pushed his powers to the fullest, it still rang out in his thoughts.


    I am Apocalypse. My name is legend, my existence is perfection. You are a simple creature of flesh and blood, but you may be reborn in my image. Become my herald, become one with me and usher in a new age for mutants, and witness the end of humanity.


    A deep voice echoed around the empty warehouse as cables connected to each cloning tank glowed and power rushed into the black monolith, as cracks slowly began to appear on its surface chunks of the material fell away and Venom could see the mutant Selene had described.


    Even after hundreds of years, he was still alive. No longer bearing a semblance to the man he once was, Apocalypse stepped down from the ruined prison and stretched. Swollen purple muscles flexed and he yawned with a strange mutated face as if his mouth was split to the line of his jaw.


    ¡°Your lives are mine.¡± and it was almost as if reality itself was warping around him as he advanced on Jean and Venom.

 Arc Seven. Chapter Two Hundred Five. Hellfire And Brimstone

    The flames licked around both Jean, himself, and Apocalypse as they stood in their deadly dance. Apocalypse had a thick purple hand pressed against her back, his fingers sinking into her flesh, while Venom had his pressed between her breasts, small tendrils of symbskin penetrating her skin as delicately as he could.


    ¡°You will not win, pathetic mortal. Once Apocalypse rises and chooses his vessel, there is only inevitability.¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, I think Jean here has the last say in that, but I¡¯m still gonna save her, and kill you. Still just a mutant, still just a man, being old doesn¡¯t make you better.¡±


    Jean, Jean darling, why don¡¯t you like your new dolly? Her mother asked her. She was in a huff. She¡¯d wanted the Lucy lawyer doll and her mother had bought her homemaker Mary. It was not the same, her mother only picked it because it had red her like her but she wanted the smart one, not the stupid homemaker and as the tears in her eyes welled up she felt the anger build.


    The world slowed and as the tire of the car blew out, Jean screamed and the car tumbled, something grabbed her and tugged her out the back windshield, smashing the glass. As she flew out the back window she watched in horror as the car crumpled into a ball and her parents, still trapped inside let out a last horrendous scream. Only the thick red, dripping from the crushed car gave any hint that someone had been in there.


    As the medics tried to approach her, the flames licked around her body, shaking his head he pulled out a radio and called it in. Before he could give his position a jet landed and three men exited. A bald man in a wheelchair, a blue-furred and well-dressed creature, and a short buff, lumberjack. Denim plaid shirt, jeans and a cowboy hat.


    It¡¯s okay Jean, we¡¯re here to help, and the world went black for them all.


    My fault my fault MY FAULT she screamed in her mind,


    You see, pathetic. As if the lives of two mortals could amount to the beautiful life of a mutant. Perfection and power rolled into a single body, but if it is too much, too much pain, then let go, seek oblivion and I shall grant it to you.


    He pushed back, a young boy, struggling in the arms of a stranger, wriggling free and sitting crying next to his uncle. I''m sorry, it¡¯s my fault, my fault. and the older man looked at him with such love, such tenderness. No son, it¡¯s not, you be a good boy for your aunt okay, and as the tears dripped the old man took his final breath and left him.


    It was my fault, we didn¡¯t have to be there, and I live with that every day. But my uncle wouldn¡¯t want me to blame myself. Did I make him go to the match? Yes, but did I put a gun in someone else¡¯s hand? Did I make him shoot my uncle? No, and you didn¡¯t ask for your powers to run amok, they just did, it¡¯s not your fault.


    He could hear her weeping, the scared little girl and the monster that now loomed over her,


    She saw Peter, he was cute, a bit awkward and he was getting excited over a new textbook the school was getting,


    phff Flash said, just taking funding away from the sports team,


    Yeah, Peter replied, sports needs science too, all your training is because of science, and it began.


    Jean tried to make it right, her powers were spotty and Flash didn¡¯t remember what was said, only that Peter had pissed him off.


    My fault MY FAULT


    Even as Peter sat alone, Jean wanted to sit and try to make him feel better but Miss Munroe told her not to. Scott had just asked her out and she was glowing, and a plan formed. If she was so happy with a new boyfriend, then she could fix things by doing the same for Peter. With a little nudge MJ, who had admitted she thought Flash was kinda cute, had accepted his advances. With MJ and Flash together, Peter could talk to her and show Flash he wasn¡¯t so bad, it was all perfect.


    My fault MY FAULT


    Ororo had warned her about using her powers in school, but she didn¡¯t listen, and now each day her heart broke as Peter suffered alone. She had thought of pushing more, she saw his only real friend Gwen was making an effort and a newcomer, Felicia, slowly working her way into the group. She was about to give them all a little push when she saw him, a monster, wrapped in human skin and as the creature stared at her she shied away, and from that day forward, never went near Peter again.


    My fault MY FAULT


    Yeah, those kinda are, but well,


    Alexi coughed as Venom stabbed a blade through his chest, ripping his insides from his body,


    The agent¡¯s mind flickered and snuffed out as Venom snapped his neck,


    Venom''s anger flared as Flash attacked him, the bully crying out in pain at what he had done to his companion, but it didn¡¯t matter, all that mattered was revenge.


    Life sucks Jean, and we screw it up,


    Gwen arguing with Felicia, over a ruined dress, and a missing tub of ice cream.


    Liv crying and violently slapping Peter, berating him for saving her and not letting her die like the others.


    MJ, sitting in her home, crying as Flash had appeared, dragging horrible and crippling anxiety with him.


    Peter, watching Bullseye lift the rifle, silently apologising to everyone, he had screwed up and it was over.


    But not every day, some days are bad, but most are good,


    Gwen and Felicia sat on the roof, nestled together in a blanket as Peter sat with MJ, watching the fireworks explode like brilliant flowers in the sky.


    Whispers of love, as Liv crawls into bed and nestles into his arms, the first night she¡¯s slept without a nightmare, and her apology brings them closer than before.


    Natasha, staring as she tells Peter her life, listening, caring but not judging, and as she stares silently, he just shrugs and says one word, so? and knowing actions speak louder than words, shows her how much he cares about her.


    Love, love flowing and connecting, giving birth to new feelings and the stupid joy and unrequited happiness it brings, and in the dark, a crying child is comforted.


    Feelings? You seek to end me with FEELINGS! And the booming voice laughs,


    I am the alpha and the omega, I am life and death of all things, and no creature, no human, and no mutant will stand before the Apocalypse and live.


    No, you''re an asshole who found a whole lot of power and became a delusional freak. Hell bent on never feeling alone or weak ever again, but you are, you''re nothing but a parasite, so screw you and your cliched villian act.


    In his chest, the Mind Stone pulses, Venom connecting and grabbing the entirety of its power. Slamming it down onto the thick black flame with Jean¡¯s mind,


    You seek to end me with that stone? You ignorant creature, the stone obeys whoever controls it, and through my new vessel, I can wield its power.


    Venom feels a tug, small at first but then slowly building into a burning pain as the Stone is taken from him. As Apocalypse grabs it with his mind he is uncaring as he rips it free from within Venom''s chest. In the waking world Venom coughs and blood pours from his mouth and a hole drilled out from his chest, ribs and lungs, torn open to extract the stone from within him.


    And now, nothing can stop me.


    As the stone floats forwards it lands on Jean¡¯s forehead, and as her eyes snap open she stops and stares, her eyes flickering with a burning fire.


    Apocalypse laughs, but as his hand merges further into her back he stops,


    No, no, this can¡¯t be, no I refuse.


    You seek to harm my chosen one, you seek to consume the power I possess.


    A light flares from Jean, and Peter, finding his armour gone, finds himself back on the waking world. As a hand brushes over the closing wound on his chest he watches as Apocalypse slumps on the floor, holding the broken and bloody stump of his hand.


    As he looks up in shock as Jean floats, the Mind Stone sitting on her forehead, and fire flicks around her, the uniform torn to shreds reforms as a bright red and gold outfit, with a bright golden eagle on her chest,


    ¡°It¡¯s not an eagle dummy, it¡¯s a Phoenix,¡± she chides Peter, too stunned to say anything, ¡°and a Phoenix burns!¡± Phoenix floated down and landed in front of Apocalypse,


    ¡°No, I am the end of things, I shall return a-¡± his voice cuts off as his body catches fire and in the intense heat, he screams and shakes. From where he is sat, Peter can feel the flames, and as he moves back, Apocalypse begins to collapse, his flesh cooking and falling away as his bones turn bright red under his muscles. As the flames refuse to snuff out there is nothing left, even the dust burns into less than ash.


    ¡°No one touches my mate.¡± and Peter can only stare at her,


    ¡°Now, shall we talk?¡± and Phoenix moves over, and running her hand down his naked chest, leans forwards and kisses him. Peter sits there stunned, too afraid to resist, at least for now.


    ¡°That¡¯s not talking Jean,¡± and as she laughs she sits on the floor next to him, and runs a hand over his.


    Phoenix raises an eyebrow, ¡°you don¡¯t like it?¡± and as Peter looks down, he tries to summon his symbskin but frowns as it fails.


    ¡°Uh,¡± and as Phoenix looks surprised she shrugs, ¡°It¡¯s been a while, my powers are maybe a bit off. It has been several years since I manifested, at least I¡¯m not naked.¡± and Peter can¡¯t help but laugh.


    Living in a warehouse with seven others, Peter wasn¡¯t entirely uncomfortable with Jean staring, it was more the issue of leaving and dealing with the Rogues that had him concerned.


    ¡°So Jean?¡± and Phoenix laughs,


    ¡°I am Jean, silly. Don¡¯t you know?¡± and Peter shakes his head,


    ¡°I, uh, I am Jean, the real Jean. The professor sealed my powers, my emotions, as they are unstable. Phoenix is me, Peter, the real me¡± and as Peter looks at her, he tries his powers once more, stunned to find them blocked.


    ¡°Are you doing that?¡± and she smiles,


    ¡°I might have needed to take a bit of power to break whatever that stupid bald man did, but they¡¯ll come back, so stop panicking.¡±


    Peter lets out a slow breath, ¡°yeah, cause right now, fighting a bunch of almost indestructible mutants with no powers is great, thanks, Jean.¡±


    Phoenix laughs, ¡°Aw, poor baby, but I¡¯ll protect you.¡± and Peter stares at her,


    ¡°Yeah, great, naked and powerless, one mistake and I¡¯m toast.¡±


    Phoenix tutts, ¡°Your powers will come back, it''s not like I stole them.¡± and the Mind Stone floats back over the Peter who grabs it, ¡°there, happy?¡± and he nods,


    As he holds it in his hand the familiar connection is gone, and as he looks over at Jean she shrugs.  ¡°Eventually.¡± As she sits she takes a breath and her powers weaken and the flames fade until it is just Jean sat, looking slightly embarrassed and still wearing the red and gold outfit she had materialised.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re the real Jean?¡± and she frowns and wraps her arms around her legs, drawing them up to her chest,


    ¡°The other is still me, just repressed, just unhappy. When Charles sealed my powers away he lobotomised me. This is me Peter, not her. She won¡¯t be back unless Charles sticks me back in the bottle, and thankfully, that can¡¯t happen. Only you are powerful enough to do that, and I would prefer it if you didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°The Stone?¡± and she nods,


    ¡°It can seal my powers, and the part of me that is connected to them but I am the same person, and you don¡¯t have to be afraid.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, only afraid of what happens when we get home,¡± and Jean laughs again, uncaring that she was staring, and biting her lip.


    As he stands and Jean¡¯s eyes drift back up to eye level, he shakes his head and searches around the various lockers until he finds a black bodysuit. It was similar in design to those the trio wore and slipped into it, sighing as it was for one of the Logan clones. Tying the arms around his waist he shrugged, it would have to do.


    Anything to stave off the now, less shy and very hungry stares he was getting from her. Even without the Mind Stone or telepathy, there was no way anyone would mistake what was on her mind.

 Arc Seven. Chapter Two Hundred Six. Down For The Count

    Rogue watched Gambit take those kids apart with a smile and a wave, an¡¯ I¡¯ll grab myself some more powers right after I finish her off. As she watched Carol she could feel the power humming over her and she licked her lips in anticipation.


    Shaw had already been grabbing and feeding her the failed genetic samples, and sometimes she wondered who she actually was, the scared kid hiding in the garage from her father, or the muscle bound freak, smashing faces in the pits of some slum. It didn¡¯t matter, they all blended together and made her, a Lil Rogue and as Carol stood across from her,


    ¡°We doing this or what?¡± and Rogue just smiled and took off her gloves.


    ¡°It¡¯s on sugar,¡± and as she crouched into readiness, Carol fired off some kind of energy blast that hit her straight in the chest. As she flew back she felt a rush of power as it soaked into her. Oh god yes, and she stood, ¡°that it?¡± and walked back to where she was first stood, ¡°Gonna have to hit harder than that hon,¡±


    Carol growled and she lit up, focusing the blast and Rogue was once more blasted back, slamming into a tree and as she rose she held her side and limped back. ¡°Still ain¡¯t good enough,¡± come on you stupid bitch, more,


    ¡°Not good enough?¡± Carol let her powers die down. ¡°You can barely stand. One punch and you¡¯ll fall over. This is finished Rogue, surrender and go sit next to Gambit.¡± but the woman shook her head,


    ¡°It¡¯s over when I say it¡¯s over.¡± and holding her side she limped towards Carol and she stood, frowning with her hands on her hips.


    ¡°I¡¯m not fighting anymore, you¡¯ve lost.¡± and as Carol turned to walk back to the jet Rogue lay as and on her shoulder, letting her fingers brush her bare neck.


    ¡°It¡¯s over when I say it¡¯s over,¡± and Carol felt her powers flow out of her, painfully and sharply, as Rogue''s own power connected. She gasped and went down on one knee, trying to breathe as Rogue wrapped her fingers around her neck, ¡°and it ain¡¯t over.¡±


    Rogue had never felt anything like this before. Even as Shaw fed her the discarded experiments, the unwanted but useful mutants and she had taken them into her she had never tasted anything so divine, yeah fuck the rule, I¡¯m drainin¡¯ this bitch dry.


    Carol gasped, and her skin paled and wrinkled as Rogue grinned and laughed, ¡°Oh, so good, so goood,¡± and she shook and shuddered in an almost organic rush of power. Carol feebly batted at her hand, trying to remove it as her hair dulled and began to fall out in clumps, she could only make a choking noise as her heart slowed and the last of her life force began to leave her.


    In less than a heartbeat, Rogue found herself lifted from the ground and spun as she was thrown, Carol disappearing from her grasp.


    ¡°What the hell lady?¡± Pietro asked, taking Carol to the jet and then returning.


    Rogue stood and laughed, tensing her new muscles, ¡°oh this ain¡¯t all sugah. I¡¯m gonna take all your powers.¡± and she lifted herself off the ground, floating a few inches and then zooming off, leaving a sonic boom behind her.


    Pietro panicked. When he slammed into her at high speed it was like hitting a wall and he knew that Colossus had been right. Speed wasn¡¯t good enough to stop her, and even with Cains and maybe Colossus¡¯s help, they couldn¡¯t match someone who could steal their powers.


    Colossus and Cain¡¯s fight had lasted a few minutes. They hadn¡¯t even exchanged blows. Juggernaut simply grabbed the biggest rock he could find and once Colossus couldn¡¯t lift it, admitted defeat,


    ¡°And so, you marinade and then roast?¡± he asked and Cain nodded,


    ¡°Yeah, get more flavour in,¡± but as the ground shook and the air exploded around them, he stood and looked over at where Rogue had been fighting, ¡°I think talk times over, we fighting?¡± but Colossus shook his head,


    ¡°No, I am remembering more, and I do not wish to. I have a sister, or I think I do. I want to find her, to make sure she is safe.¡± Colossus looked over at the cracked ground, ¡°But Rogue, I think she is not finished, and she will fight.¡±


    ¡°You gonna stop me?¡± and Colossus shook his head, looking sadly at the overly enthusiastic Rogue, flying and laughing as she tested out her new powers.


    ¡°Your friend was hurt, she goes too far. But please, Shaw, he did terrible things to us, maybe go easier on her.¡± and Cain grunted. It would be up to Rogue how far she took this. If she stayed down he would back off, but orders from Selene were to make sure Shaw and his corruption didn¡¯t pose a danger to anyone else, and right now Rogue had left Carol crippled and was out for more blood. Cain had no problems ending her once and for all if he needed to.


    ¡°Go easy on me? Go easy? On me?¡± Rogue screamed and dived towards Colossus, grabbing him and lifting him into the air. As the man¡¯s muscles thinned and his hair went white she dropped him before he was completely dead, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that sugar, you just need to worry about yourself.¡± and she sped towards Gambit, grabbing him and sucking the energy from his body as well.


    She laughed maniacally as the abilities and their memories flowed into her, no matter two more were of little consequence to the multitude she held there already but the power-up was an intense orgasmic rush, and she wanted more.


    Laughing as the drained Gambit was dropped she pointed at Cain and grinned as she sped towards him, flying and spinning as she flew towards him.


    As she reached out a hand to grab him, Juggernaut tilted and slammed a fist into her gut, sending her flying upwards. Spitting on the ground he stretched, ¡°he might be weak, but I¡¯m the Juggernaut bitch, and it¡¯ll take more than fancy flying to take me down.¡±


    Cain missed these days, feeling bones break and lives end, and he knew the Juggernaut was needed for this fight and a simple chef was out of his league.


    ¡°Come on then. I ain¡¯t waiting around all day while you spout that stupid shit,¡± and as she floated back down.


    ¡°You hit hard, but I ain¡¯t playing anymore,¡± and she ripped the sleeves from her uniform and tore the leggings off, ¡°Once I get my hands on you, your powers are mine.¡±


    Juggernaut snorted, Selene had tried to use her powers on him once and while it stung a bit it was ineffective. She had hoped the man could provide her with the energy to survive but he just felt irritable and she was unfulfilled. She had told him why, his mutant power was the reason, but it was over his head, a complicated explanation for a simple man. If Rogue had been built using her DNA she was about to learn a hard lesson in overconfidence.


    Juggernaut lifted the broken and dying Colossus, ¡°Hey, speedy, get this one too, ain¡¯t gonna lie, it''s gonna be messy. In fact get ''em all and get outta here, you¡¯re in my way.¡± and Quicksilver zipped, grabbed Colossus and Gambit and vanished into the plane. To be sure though, he made sure that Gambit and Colossus were tied up, he might just be fast but with so much rope, he doubted even they could get free.


    Juggernaut stretched and pointed up at Rogue, ¡°Come get some,¡± and bashed his fist together.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what or who you¡¯re messing with,¡± and she sprang forwards and flew at Juggernaut, who took the blow, grabbed Rogue by the leg and slammed her into the ground.


    ¡°Someone who ain¡¯t too smart,¡± and he jumped up and landed an elbow into her chest. She coughed and grabbed his arm and as the power transfer spluttered and failed she pushed him off her and flew backwards,


    His armour was interfering with her power and with a laugh, she grabbed it and used the power to force its molecules apart. As the armour plates glowed and then exploded, Juggernaut rocked back and forth as even his clothing was removed.


    As she saw the impressive and bulging muscles of the man she considered leaving him whole. A good ally of power and idiocy would make her take over of Shaw¡¯s business much easier, but so would having all that strength herself. Why rely on an imbecile that could betray her and she sped towards him and grabbed him with both hands.


    ¡°Why? Why are you immune?¡± and she felt her power splutter and fail to absorb even the smallest amount of his ability or lifeforce.


    ¡°Smarter people than me can¡¯t tell you, summin about my mutant power bein all screwy.¡± and as he stood and brushed the dust off his shoulder, ¡°but it makes no difference, you hurt a lot of people, and I¡¯m gonna stop you,¡± and with his own leap, he sped towards. Smashing her with a fist and then following her path through the trees to drive her into the grounds once more. Rogue coughed and this time blood came up, and she grabbed his arm, but this time vaulted off it and into the sky.


    ¡°If I can¡¯t take your power, then why should I fight you?¡± and she flew away to the plane, looking to find more victims, one to gain a power from to use against him.


    Taking a breath, Juggernaut lined himself up, crouched and then lept, sailing through the air and wrapping a thick arm around her, dragging her down with him.


    Rogue struggled to free herself but even with the new power she had gained and the new physique she had drained from the blonde she wasn¡¯t strong enough to get free. As she punched and wriggled in his grasp he tightened his grip and crushed her, ¡°You behave, and we¡¯ll see what they want done with you.¡± Rogue was hoisted up, wriggling under one of Juggernauts arms but could only suffer the indignity of being carried back to the main entrance of the dam, where the rest of the team, or what was left of them, were waiting.


    In the jet, Emma had done her best. Erik¡¯s eyes were bound and covered with the biogel. Peter had made sure there was a good supply on board and he was comfortable and resting. The burns were bad and most of the skin on his face was gone and it would take surgery to remove some of the more melted pieces of his armour.


    The other three she had no ideas how to treat. The woman was aged and looked like she was in her 70s rather than the young blonde she had seen before and the two men were just as bad. Peter had told her the gel had regenerative properties and shrugging she tipped the whole jar over the top of them and left it. With nothing else, she looked out the jet¡¯s window, to see if Juggernaut had succeeded where the others had failed or if Rogue would be coming for him next.


    As she saw Juggernaut heading towards them with a squirming woman she frowned and motioned for Pietro to open the jet¡¯s door.


    ¡°Hey, you agreed.¡± and she shook her head and pointed,


    ¡°I agreed to leave the facility alone, but I want to talk to her.¡± and as she pushed past him she walked down the jet''s staircase and towards Cain.


    Emma had agreed to leave the interior of the dam alone. She knew she had missed out several details concerning Shaw''s operation but she couldn''t be sure Peter and the rest would succeed. However, even she had no clue about the clones or Shaw''s true intentions.


    As she got closer the hair on the back of her neck raised, the woman was an almost perfect clone of her. Her hair was brown and her chest was larger but  Emma stared in the mirror often enough to know who she was supposed to be. A twisted mirror of what Shaw thought she should look like and as the disgust rose, so did the anger.


    As Juggernaut came close, Rogue stopped struggling, ¡°well, if it ain¡¯t momma. Gonna spank me for bein¡¯ a bad girl?¡± and even held like a sack she laughed as Emma''s face twisted in disgust.

 Arc Seven. Chapter Two Hundred Seven. Diamonds Are Forever

    Emma stared at the woman, ¡°Shaw, he made you look like me?¡± and Rogue snorted,


    ¡°Daddy always wanted a daughter. Pity he tried to fuck me and it made him senile,¡± and Rogue laughed as Emma¡¯s face went pale.


    ¡°Oh, you didn¡¯t know. See, it¡¯s all up here. I got his memories once, he thought he could absorb my power with his own, but yeah, that didn¡¯t work out. See he was a sick fuck. Made little Emma clones only 12 years old, nice and juicy little peaches for him to eat, I¡¯ve seen it¡± and Rogue laughed and squirmed. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it all,¡° and dropping down into a whisper. ¡°All the plans and schemes, the end of things, and the darkness as it rises, and oh it will,¡± and as Juggernaut looked at her she squirmed once more and shot forwards, her hands grabbing Emma by the neck,


    ¡°But you won¡¯t see it,¡± and expecting the rush of power she stared at Emma, who was smirking.


    As her skin crystallised she grabbed Rogue¡¯s hands and headbutted her, ¡°Your powers don¡¯t work on anything inorganic. I saw how you need skin contact. Now Shaw isn¡¯t the only one going to fuck you.¡±


    Emma stood as Rogue landed on her ass, ¡°You stay out of this. If I die, it doesn¡¯t matter, kill her and make sure this place stops existing,¡± and Juggernaut shrugged and nodded.


    ¡°Your funeral.¡± and moved over towards the jet, where Pietro waited,


    ¡°you okay big guy?¡± and Cain nodded at him,


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it here, too much pain, too much suffering.¡± and Pietro agreed, shivering. He could feel the dark oppressive aura as well and it was as if a thick cold mist was rising from the dam, and he hoped that Peter was okay inside. He, Logan, and Jean hadn¡¯t come back yet, and if the woman was one of Shaw''s pet projects, there could be worse inside.


    Rogue laughed and moved away, ¡°your funeral, our funeral, his funeral. Once the Apocalypse comes, we all die together.¡± but Emma shook her head,


    ¡°Quite finished? I¡¯m already bored of you and I guess when Shaw cloned me he forgot to clone my personality as well.¡± and Rogue snarled, ¡°Charming,¡± and Emma stood, examining her nails. ¡°I am waiting, unless you want me to die of boredom, You should attack.¡±


    Rogue could feel it was a trap, but nothing in her memories told her what to expect from Emma in her crystal form, even the knowledge she did have told her she should have been able to drain her dry but it failed.


    ¡°Fine!¡± Emma said impatiently, ¡°If you''re such a coward then I guess I¡¯ll end this.¡± and with a wave of her hand Emma lifted Rogue and smashed her into, and straight through a tree. ¡°You see, Shaw knew I was the White Queen, but he could never remember why, and once I got a good grip of my powers, he never would.¡± and with a flick, Rogue smashed through another tree. ¡°I¡¯m not just a telepath darling, but quite the telekinetic as well. Pity you can¡¯t absorb that one.¡±


    Rogue just laughed, ¡°trees don¡¯t hurt hon,¡± and as she brushed off the splinters she flew up and disappeared with a sonic boom,


    ¡°Well, that was boring¡± and Emma let her mind seek out Rogues, feeling for where she was hiding. ¡°There,¡±


    well. Hurry up, I have a date with a dazzling young man after this, and if you think Shaw has defeated him, you¡¯re sadly mistaken.


    STAY OUT!


    Emma laughed, there are only two, maybe three telepaths powerful enough to make me, darling, and none of them are here. So why don¡¯t you come back down and make me, you prissy stuck up excuse for a mutant.


    Rogues head pulsed and she could feel the different minds being expunged from her own,


    Eugh, so messy, you take their lives as well as their powers. No wonder Shaw kept you on a leash. Well, let¡¯s see who the real Rogue is, shall we.


    Rogue screamed as Emma peeled her mind like an onion, pulling away the very interesting memories she got from Carol, and made a mental note to definitely bed Peter, and as she dove through and eliminated each and every person Rogue had event touched and confused she found the scared little girl, hiding in the dark from her father.


    Emma walked around her in the mental mindscape, well well well, kissed a boy at 12 and almost killed him. Father beat you and you ran away only to meet one of Shaw''s little groups and then fed to the cloned Selene and Shaw hybrid. You poor thing, but still not enough for me to let you live.


    Rogue screamed in her mind as Emma stripped her way piece by piece but the pan, and the torture suddenly stopped. Emma tutted as she thought of Peter. He would probably say something if she just killed her, and so she scowled and instead, began to work.


    In her mind, Rogue could feel Emma¡¯s anger bubbling away and she felt the sudden rush of power. Rogue was blasted away and Anne Marie was brought to life. Emma stitching and rebuilding memories, a happy family, a loving father and then a tragic accident. Anne Marie had a family, who missed her and loved her, and she should get back to them.


    As Anne Marie landed on the ground a diamond Emma walked over to her, sneering, ¡°You are lucky, I was going to kill you but it seems I have more important things,¡± looking over to the jet, she saw Pietro hanging around the door hesitantly. ¡°You, grab something to move her, Her powers won¡¯t work on anything thicker than cloth, so as long as you bundle her up, you¡¯ll be safe.¡± and moving towards the dam entrance she felt Juggernaut following her.


    ¡°I do not need a babysitter, and certainly not one of Selenes.¡±


    He grunted, ¡°You feel that? Bad juju,¡± and Emma frowned, and as she extended her telepathic senses into the damn he was right. A thick cloud of what she would only describe as evil hung in the air, but as soon as she touched it, it popped, like a refreshing wave of summer chasing away the chill of winter.


    ¡°Rest got hurt from being stupid. Don¡¯t be stupid, shiny lady.¡± was all he said as he followed behind,


    At least he was polite, she thought and as the pair entered the dam complex they found the remains of the bodies.


    Whatever had attacked had been cut into pieces and the smoking ends of limbs and chunks of bodies smouldered as the last of the Extremis burned within them. It was an easy path to follow and soon Cain and Emma found the room with Logan slumped outside. Emma frowned as she approached the unconscious Logan.


    ¡°Cain. Does your helmet protect you from telepathic abilities?¡± and Cain rapped his knuckles on it as it made a hollow clunking noise,


    ¡°My brother isn¡¯t too nice,¡± and she nodded.


    Pressing two fingers to his neck, ¡°he¡¯s fine, just overwhelmed, do be a dear and open the door.¡± and as Cain wound up a fist and connected the door exploded into a million fragments and Emma made a kiss face,


    ¡°Thank you, darling,¡± and entered the room.


    Emma saw an energised redhead, wrapped in bright red clothing, adorned with golden gloves and chest emblem arguing with Peter, dressed in the same uniform as the three outside.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you needed it, you took my powers. Now, give them back.¡± and the redhead, who Emma thought was very cute, pouted and crossed her arms,


    ¡°Helios doesn¡¯t want to,¡± and she turned her back on him, crossing her arms and huffing.


    ¡°You took a symbiote? Jean, you are so fucking dead, no-¡° and Peter pointed a finger at her and was about to start shouting when he saw his audience, ¡°oh hey Emma, uh, thought we agreed you¡¯d stay outside.¡±


    ¡°I maybe thought you might need my help, not be in the middle of a domestic. I can leave, after all, she does look desperate and don''t most of your arguments devolve into sexual orgies at some point?¡± and Jean turned and raised an eyebrow at her,


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one wearing thigh highs and hotpants,¡± and she tutted at Emma¡¯s attire.


    ¡°Jealous darling? I mean, some of us can pull off thigh highs while a full body suit is better for others, but Peter, is Shaw?¡± and he nodded,


    ¡°Dead, thankfully. The three?¡± and it was Emma¡¯s turn to nod,


    ¡°One proved difficult, you¡¯re needed. Erik and your lady friend have been hurt.¡±


    Peter glared at Jean, ¡°thanks a fucking lot Jean, without my powers there¡¯s nothing I can do. Get Pietro to take them to Gwen immediately, don¡¯t even stop at the mansion.¡± and Emma nodded,


    ¡°There, he¡¯s taking off now. Scott and the rest are all injured as well, but he knows what to do.¡± and Peter sighed, relaxing.


    ¡°We need to decide what to do with this place, I mean, we can¡¯t exactly leave a secret base of clones and machinery here. Some nutcase will find it and next thing we¡¯ll have a clone army trying to take over New York. Again.¡± Peter clenched a fist, ¡°what the hell did you do to me, Jean? I can¡¯t even feel my powers let alone use them.¡±


    ¡°I took enough to cleanse myself of Charles¡¯s influence and then a symbiote was created and bonded to me, it must have drained you too much.¡± and she shrugged.


    ¡°And you don¡¯t see the problem with that?¡± and she curled a lip and shrugged,


    ¡°You were so insistent to help, and when we took it you got all mad. There is no pleasing you, or well, there is but we are not interested if you are going to be so indignant.¡± Jean huffed.


    ¡°And we could have discussed that,¡± he shouted, ¡°after we¡¯d dealt with the death base.¡± and as he shook his head. ¡°Fine, Emma, Jean, and well Cain I guess, it¡¯s up to you. I can¡¯t do anything and without my powers, I¡¯m a liability,¡± he emphasised as he stared at Jean, ¡°You need to decide, and uh, where''s Logan?¡± and he could hear the man groaning in the corridor. ¡°You left him? On his own, and defenceless? What the hell is wrong with you three?¡±


    Emma waved a hand, ¡°there is no one else in the base Peter, calm down. I checked, and other than the four of us there are no active minds in the base, there are about a few dozen hundred clones, but all sleeping.¡± Emma stated matter of factly, and Peter ran a hand over his face.


    ¡°Then decide. Emma, as his successor, whether you like it or not this is all yours now, Jean, I guess as the most powerful here, you too, and well Cain, I can¡¯t really stop you, so I¡¯m going to check on Logan make it quick though, if Carol¡¯s hurt I want to make sure she¡¯s okay.¡±


    Emma looked at Jean, ¡°isn¡¯t he so bossy when he¡¯s angry?¡± and Jean giggled, ¡°but so very sexy,¡± and Jean shook her head, she still had Peter¡¯s naked form in her head, and was trying to keep her thoughts away from what she really wanted.


    ¡°So, with Shaw¡¯s little sex dungeon, and the shit he¡¯s been doing here,¡± and Emma lifted a hand and snapped her fingers, ¡°I made the decision, they are all snuffed out. I don¡¯t care if Peter thinks you''re more powerful, you don¡¯t get a choice. I want this place empty and destroyed. Nobody gets to benefit from this ghoulish hellhole.¡± and as Jean nodded the three moved into the corridor where Peter was trying unsuccessfully to lift Logan,


    ¡°What the hell are you made from?¡± he asked the unconscious Logan, and Emma chuckled,


    ¡°Badassium¡± and Peter snorted,


    ¡°Funny. Can you help?¡± and Cain nodded and lifted the prone man in his arms.


    ¡°Maybe some clothes though¡± Cain points out and Peter noticed that Logan was naked, except for a hastily tied uniform around his waist. Returning to the chamber he found another of the X-clones uniforms and with Cain holding him up, Peter slid it up far enough to cover his dignity and Cain nodded, happy he wasn¡¯t carrying a naked man back to the plane.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s get the hell out of here.¡± and as Jean and Emma nodded, Peter could hear the explosions coming from below.


    ¡°Uh, did one of you set off charges?¡±


    Jean stared, ¡°Emma said she wanted it destroyed.¡± and Peter stared at her with his mouth open,


    ¡°At least wait until we¡¯re outside, shit!¡± and he began to run.

 Arc Seven. Chapter Two Hundred Eight. Damming Evidence

    As they waited for the X-Jet to return, Peter took Jean to one side.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± and she tilted her head, ¡°Seriously, not joking here. I can¡¯t let a volatile symbiote host run riot on the public.¡± and as she stepped back, her clothing morphed from the red and gold bodysuit into a normal red tracksuit with a white t-shirt.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine Peter. Helios is calmer than we thought. I think, I think Apocalypse, whatever he did, drained my powers enough she isn¡¯t going to rampage.¡± and he sighed, and collapsed back onto the ground,


    ¡°Thank god for that.¡± He really didn¡¯t want to have to fight, not with just the Mind Stone. Jean, now complete with a full array of Extremis fueled powers, would probably have taken a few seconds to turn him into paste.


    ¡°But, uh, I thought they got memories and stuff. I mean, Helios is just, you know, Helios.¡± and as she sat next to him, Peter lay back on the ground.


    ¡°Yeah, I figured that maybe transferring all my desires and thoughts to a new host might not be a great thing. So I worked on making a symbiote a blank, just a baby. Knowledge is fine, but no memories or emotions.¡± He had been thoroughly chastised after fixing Webb and had been working on the problem ever since.


    ¡°So uh, I don¡¯t feel this way because of the symbiote?¡± and Peter supported himself on one arm, and looked at her confused, realising that what she was feeling was admitting some really personal things she just frowned, ¡°I don¡¯t really want to talk about it,¡± but Peter knew what she meant.


    ¡°I guess, maybe that¡¯s just you. I mean, you did say the professor lobotomised you. Maybe the real Jean is excited and a whole bunch of other things she doesn¡¯t want to talk about, or at least not with me.¡± Peter lifted himself back up and more of his powers returned, the jumpsuit vanished under a set of regular clothing, ¡°maybe talk to Scott about it. I don¡¯t do the cheating bit, Jean. Not now, not ever.¡± and she sighed and nodded.


    She really didn¡¯t want to talk to Scott though, she didn¡¯t even want to talk to Peter. She wanted to push him down and straddle him and have him do to her everything she had seen him do to everyone else. She didn¡¯t care about Scott.


    He was part of the professor''s plans to keep her contained, controlled, and she resented him. He was water to her fire. Slow and studious, always wanting to do the right thing, never taking any chances, never taking any risks and she was tired of it. She wanted Peter, she wanted that raw animal to pound her until she screamed his name, but the stupid ass had developed a moral compass, and a part of her resented him for it.


    As he lay back on the grass, and his powers returned, Peter began to feel better. It wasn¡¯t just Jean but Apocalypse that had been leeching his powers and even with the Stone he was vulnerable. His idea of a harness was even more necessary as each encounter seemed to poke holes in his powerset, and having them forcibly taken away by an ally hadn¡¯t even registered as something an Augmented could do until he met Selene, and now apparently Jean, and Rogue.


    The flight back had been quiet, with Logan eventually waking up and the second jet the professor sent touched down with Ororo at the helm. As the last of the explosions rocked the dam, and water gushed into its interior, they lifted off silently and headed back to New York.


    Gwen had already begun their treatment, infusing symbcells from herself and Liv into all three, while biogel was applied to Erik¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°This was supposed to be a small operation, Peter. What the hell happened?¡± Charles asked bluntly, the anger was rolling from him like a storm,


    ¡°Shaw¡¯s operation was much worse,¡± and he shook his head, ¡°I,¡± and he took a breath, ¡°I can¡¯t Charles, I need time to process.¡± and taking a deep breath, ¡°this once, just this once,¡± and he sought a connection to Charles.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad everything went smoothly, now excuse me.¡± and Charles wheeled himself over to his desk and took out a quarter bottle, pouring half into his teacup and offering the bottle to Peter who raised an eyebrow at the man offering him a drink. ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± and Peter took it and gratefully took a swig, Charles taking a long drink of his own.


    ¡°No wonder,¡± was all he could say as he looked at the amber liquid in his cup, and he let out a breath.


    Hank knocked at the door, ¡°It might be a bad time but, they are awake. And he raised an eyebrow at the bottle in Peter''s hands. ¡°And there is never a good time for that,¡± he said, holding out a hand and motioning for the bottle.


    Peter laughed sharply and shook his head, ¡°It was bad,¡± but he still handed over the bottle, ¡°and this one is bigger than most.¡± before heading down into the bowels of the mansion.


    Finding Gwen and Liv standing over Carol, and two unknown men, Peter hugged them both, ¡°How is she?¡± and Liv sighed and looked at Gwen.


    ¡°Coma, and a complete removal of most of her bioelectrical energy and synaptical charge.¡± Liv raised an eyebrow and looked over at the young woman, sitting with a cuff and several cannulas sticking in her, as tissue and blood were drawn. ¡°Her ability is to connect and siphon off that power, a powered person loses their abilities, and apparently she also gains their memories and skills.¡±


    ¡°Anne Marie will be staying with us for the moment until she can get a grip of her powers.¡± Charles stated as he wheeled himself into the medical bay, ¡°and before you start, she is not Rogue. Emma told me she stripped her of Shaw¡¯s conditioning and left her stable.¡± but Peter shrugged,


    ¡°Liv tried to blow up New York, and well,¡± and he motioned to her, and she tutted and went back to her work. ¡°Still huffy though,¡± and he moved over and kissed her on the cheek. ¡°Love you,¡± and she shook her head, while Gwen tutted, and as he kissed her cheek too, she quietly whispered, ¡°suck up,¡± and he snorted a quiet laugh.


    ¡°Carol is fine, and we think that allowing Ravage to rebond with her will actually speed up her healing. Her powers have been affected but until she wakes up we won¡¯t know to what extent. The other two were not as badly drained and with some rest and food be up and about in a day or so.¡±


    Peter looked over and the smaller man, Gambit, just looked like he was sleeping while Colossus was definitely looking a lot older and his hair was grey at the temples. ¡°And what do we do with them?¡± and Charles cleared his throat,


    ¡°You do nothing. We will take them in, or Selene will take care of them until we are sure that Shaw¡¯s conditioning is truly gone. After that then if they wish to leave then they can. Now is the time to heal Peter, not to fight.¡± but Peter shook his head.


    ¡°Sorry Professor. There is actually one last fight we need to have.¡±


    As she slid off the examination table, Emma nodded, ¡°Bar Sinister¡± and Peter sighed,


    ¡°We left a mess there, and there is still Psylocke and Nightcrawler to find and deal with.¡±


    ¡°Are your powers back?¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°Whatever Jean did was no worse than anything I¡¯ve done before, so I can go with you.¡± and Emma nodded,


    ¡°Now that Shaw has gone, the rest should be easy, but we still have Nightcralwer and Psylocke to find and deal with. Are you coming?¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°We should get Felicia. If the businesses are going to be a joint effort, then she needs to make an appearance.¡±


    Emma paused, ¡°That¡¯s actually a good idea, do you have her number?¡± and as Peter frowned, ¡°Azazel dropped me in the middle of that fucking lake, it¡¯s ruined along with a completely good outfit.¡± she explained and he looked away to hide the small grin he had, ¡°yes yes, laugh it up darling, once this is all over, you will be getting the bill.¡± and Charles coughed politely.


    ¡°Can you please have this discussion somewhere else, this is a medical ward.¡± and Peter smiled and shrugged, and he and Emma left to find out where Felicia was.


    ¡°So,¡± Emma asked with a small smile on her face, ¡°How exactly do you want to replay me for all my help?¡± and Peter laughed,


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what I should be asking you¡± and he saw them small mischievous smile on her face,


    ¡°Oh I already know what I want darling, and the Black Cats are only a small part of that.¡± and as she walked away she gave him a small wink. ¡°Your job is to figure that out, and to make me happy.¡± and Peter noticed a particular swing to her hips, as he shook his head and followed her,  he sent a text to Felicia to meet them at Bar Sinister.


    The normally busy bar, even during the day when it served nouveau chic lunches, was closed. Emma frowned and looked at Peter who could only shrug, even if he was familiar with the place he had no idea either. Felicia was only ten minutes away when they sent her the message and soon she ducked out of an alley,


    ¡°So, just us three?¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°Not a mission, we¡¯re here to clean up. Even if Psylocke and Nightcrawler are here, it¡¯s not a fight we¡¯re after.¡± and Emma agreed,


    Taking a set of keys out of her bag, and punching in the code they entered the eerily quiet bar. Whatever had happened had happened quickly. Half filled glasses littered tables and doors were left open. Lights were off and as Emma flicked them on she could see the extent of the damage that had been left.


    Peter nodded at Felicia and, thanking his maker that Jean hadn¡¯t screwed his powers, slipped into the black Dusk armour and shimmered before vanishing. Huntress stood next to Emma as she surveyed the mess before them.


    A dozen bodies lined the dance floor. Each had been bound, knelt and then had their throat cut. Moving over Emma tilted her head, ¡°senator.¡± and as she moved down the line, each of the bodies was a rich, very powerful man, and someone had lined them up and executed them all.


    ¡°If this is Shaw¡¯s doing then you¡¯re in shit Emma,¡± Huntress sighed. ¡°There¡¯s no way we can dispose of any of this, even being here puts a huge target on our backs.¡±


    Emma paused, ¡°no, we need to check the rest of the bar and then call the police. You¡¯re quite right, but why go to all this trouble if trouble isn¡¯t your goal.¡±


    ¡°You know I can¡¯t be found here,¡± Dusk stated. ¡°Any kind of trouble and Sword is up my ass, and probably a whole bunch of things about Venom come out and Mom is understanding right now, but being hounded-¡± but Emma put up a hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m the co-owner, and with Shaw missing, I can deal with it.¡± and he nodded and they moved into the VIP section.


    Normally the rooms would be sealed but the doors had been destroyed in each room and the same scene on the dance floor was repeated here. An occupant, hands bound and throat slit, but these rooms were different. Drugs, money and other personal items were all here as if the assailant had simply bound them, killed them, and then moved on.


    ¡°Some really hated this place,¡± Huntress said and then came the executive suites. These were behind electronic locks and security guards, but all the trio found was more destruction, dead bodies, and at the last scene Emma¡¯s eyes went wide with shock.


    Four girls, all with needle marks and bruises were laid out, neatly as if the killer had taken care not to disturb them as much as they could. They were covered in a white sheet and if you didn¡¯t notice the lack of breathing, it appeared they were sleeping.


    Dusk looked over and saw the look on Emma¡¯s face, ¡°Emma, deal later, we need to find the killer.¡± but hearing movement the trio adopted fighting stances,


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to,¡± and Psylocke walked out from the shadows, carrying a bloody sword, her face covered in streaked mascara and smeared lipstick. ¡°Miss Frost, or mom, mistress,¡± and Psylock laughed, ¡°whatever you want me to call you, it doesn¡¯t matter,¡± and she sniffed. ¡°I tried to save them, ¡° and she swung a hand, a head, with blue fur covering it, thudded on the floor in front of them. ¡°He went mad when Azazel died, some kind of conditioning I bet.¡± and she collapsed and burst into tears, ¡°I tried, I tried,¡± and sobbing she wrapped her arms around herself.


    Peter nodded, and carefully moved forwards. ¡°Hey, can I?¡± and she nodded,


    The world spun and he saw.


    Find them and fucking kill them, Shaw shouted at the pair who bowed and as Nightcrawler touched her shoulder they vanished,


    Fader is becoming more erratic, to let one escape is not good.


    She shook her head, doesn¡¯t matter, we get her back and he¡¯ll reward us brother.


    He smiled at her and they vanished once more.


    Peter saw the fight at Shield Academy, the pair trying their best to contain Laura and Wanda but failing miserably.


    In a room, she was strung up, Shaw had stripped her and hung her from a chain attached to the ceiling. As he whipped her, he yelled Fucking useless cunt, I should make you replace her, and tears fell from closed eyes as the punishment continued. Shaw taking great delight in breaking her flesh.


    If they betray us, find that bitch they team up with and kill her. He commanded, his voice full of disappointment for the pair, and once more they vanished,


    Do not disappoint him again mine kinder, Azazel said and as he ran a hand over the pair, he grabbed them by the necks, or you vill suffer more zan a vipping.


    As he vanished she looked at her brother and he nodded, fader is most angry, we should not fail ziz time.


    They had waited, watching Felicia and her partner, Elektra but no order had come from either Shaw or Azazel, and as they left their posts at the allotted time they returned to Bar Sinister to find it empty.


    Nightcrawler pointed at the empty control cuff box and he smiled, fader must have been successful but as he suddenly grabbed his head she saw the bright yellow energy coat his head and huffing he fell to his knees.


    Brother? But as he looked at her, his eyes glowing yellow, she knew her brother was gone.


    He vanished and the blade struck her from behind before he vanished again and the blade pierced her lung, she grabbed him with her powers and as he teleported once more she struck out in a sphere with thin telekinetic blades and he stared at her in shock before crumpling. As she held her side she pushed the skin back together with her powers and cried out as she knitted the flesh back together, and huffing in anger she lashed out, taking his head from his shoulders.


    As she sat in his chair, holding back the pain and the anger she wanted to know, and turning on his computer, began to read.


    It had been a slaughter, unaugmented against someone with telekinetic and telepathic powers was never going to be anything less, but as she found the girls, devoid of life and bleeding from parts too young to be exposed to such perversion, her mind blanked and she killed them all.


    Peter rubbed a hand over her shoulder, and shook his head, ¡°Emma,¡± but as he looked over she was sat on her knees gently stroking the face of one of the girls,


    ¡°They''re me, aren''t they?¡± and he nodded. ¡°Take her and leave, I¡¯ll blame it on one of the vigilantes. Nobody will care, not when it''s little girls, not if I tell them they were my sisters,¡± and she broke down and wept.

 Arc Seven. Chapter Two Hundred Nine. Frosty Reception (NSFW)

    Peter had left Felicia, Psylocke, and Emma at Bar Sinister, and headed back to the warehouse to fill everyone in on what had happened. He could understand the thick anger that rolled from each of them, and he knew better than to poke his nose where it wasn¡¯t wanted.


    Wanda had left almost immediately, heading to the mansion to visit her father, taking more of the biogel with her. Laura could feel his pain, and his anger and simply sat on his lap until his phone buzzed.


    The women had finished, and while Felicia and Psylocke dealt with the police, Emma had excused herself and was on her way to talk to him.


    She looked pale, and the red rings under her eyes betrayed her true feelings on the subject. Even after Peter had offered her coffee and she sat staring lifelessly at the mug in front of her, he waited until she was ready.


    Emma was sat, holding her head in her hands, letting her long flowing blond hair dangle down between her legs,


    ¡°I have one thing to ask of you, just one and then I will leave.¡± and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°Sure, you helped with Rogue, Carol is healing nicely because of you and Felicia has agreed to your terms. So, another boost?¡±


    Emme shook her head, ¡°No, a symbiote,¡± but Peter shook his head,


    ¡°You know we can¡¯t. Even after everything else, I know about you shielding his mind, and you forgot to mention that. You forgot to mention a lot of things.¡±


    ¡°I did, but would you trust a twenty-one year old to completely. Shaw had me over a barrel, and yes I knew about the shield, I knew about the MGH but the rest. I wanted that bastard dead no matter the cost.¡± but Peter shook his head, Emma was on edge, and after what she had found at Bar Sinister, he couldn¡¯t blame her.


    ¡°You still lied, and the only reason you¡¯re even here and not with Selene is because of Carol.¡±


    ¡°Fine, but I had faith you could handle it. I had enough trust that you still owe me, so what? Do you need me to prove myself? If we get all lovey dovey do I earn your respect again? Isn¡¯t one of the rules around here that your little sex family gets one? So then, we can have sex. You¡¯re handsome and while I think I want to be sick after what we found, I can at least have one last tumble before I close up shop. Is that what you do? Screw each other and then make each of them into your little sex aliens?¡±


    Peter scowled and shook his head, frowning, ¡°it doesn¡¯t work like that either. It¡¯s not a sex club, it¡¯s a family. We don¡¯t just sleep with someone and give them a gift card and a symbiote Emma.¡±


    Emma glared at him, ¡°Are you being obtuse for a reason? Or is it something I¡¯ve done to offend you? Did Shaw¡¯s little experiment send you running to the hills once you found out who he based his little sex clone factory on?¡± and he could see the hurt in her eyes. ¡°Or are you just like him? Would you rather fuck the younger, more docile version of me?¡±


    ¡°Stop. I know this isn¡¯t you, and you know I¡¯m nothing like Shaw.¡± Peter moved over and knelt in front of her, taking her hands in his. She was hurting, and even though she was directing that at him, he knew she didn¡¯t mean it and it would be wrong to just lash back at her.


    ¡±Your past, your sexual past has no bearing on this whatsoever, and neither does what we found. The symbiotes are living things, sentient, and not toys. You want to have sex, sure. You¡¯re stunningly beautiful, amazingly smart, and incredibly talented. You tick every box on my list and without owing me anything I would say yes in a heartbeat but a symbiote isn¡¯t a pet.¡±


    Emma stood and towered over him. ¡°I don¡¯t want a pet, I want someone to keep me safe, from people like him. Someone I can trust without a doubt, someone I can be completely sure won¡¯t stab me in the back and turn me into a fucking cloned sex doll.¡± and even in her anger the tears dripped down her face, ¡°Somone who is a family.¡±


    As the normally steadfast Emma stared at him he broke inside a little, he couldn¡¯t tell if she was just pushing one of his buttons or if she was being honest with him. After what they had found though, he doubted that anyone would be fine, and he gave in.


    ¡°You do know that heightened emotions are part of the bonding process?¡± and Emma frowned slightly but nodded.


    ¡°If we do, we do. I want this, and nothing you say or do will make me change my mind.¡±


    ¡°Give me your hand,¡± and she held one out and Peter sighed and let his symbskin cover her,


    ¡°Oh, shit,¡± was all she said as she was swallowed.


    As the pair sat staring at each other they realised that their powers had created a bridge. The quaint room was very Victorian in decor. A drawing room with stiff wooden leather-backed seats, a massive writing desk and a crackling fireplace.


    ¡°Well, this is different. My fathers study, a memory I believe?¡± and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°Not one of mine. I do want to show you, but this is you.¡±


    Emma snorted, ¡°Oh I know why we are here.¡± and she pointed. In the memory, Emma was leading a young man into the room and saw the chair slide back and he was pushed down. Whoever it had been before it was now Peter and as a younger Emma, with a smaller bob cut, got down on her knees she unzipped his pants and after stroking him for a few moments took his erection in her mouth.


    Both Peter and Emma watched as she pleasured him, amateurishly, ¡°uh, I get the memory, but do you really want me to see this?¡± Even if the young man was now him, it was clear this was a part of Emma¡¯s past.


    Emma shrugged, ¡°My father was a terrible man, always pushing me to be better and my first act of rebellion was to give my childhood friend a blowjob in his study.¡±


    Peter watched as Emma¡¯s head bobbed up and down and the younger version of him suddenly grabbed her head, holding it while he twitched and moaned. Peter frowned, and as a definitely looking Emma reached up, she spat the mouthful of white liquid into a glass, poured in a measure of scotch and drank the whole thing, wiped the lipstick off and then returned the soiled glass to its place on the tray.


    ¡°I watched my father drink from that very glass the next day.¡± Emma said, with her arms crossed, ¡°if he ever knew he never said, but then how exactly do you bring something like that up.¡±


    The room swirled and spun and now Peter and Emma found themselves in what looked like a college dorm room, a single bed on one side of the room with a small wooden desk on the other. This time Emma was sat open-legged, masturbating furiously while holding her phone over her crotch.


    ¡°Ah, Jordan. Long-distance relationship, what I couldn¡¯t see was my best friend giving him head while he recorded me fingering myself. Arsehole.¡± and Emma tutted as Peter watched her slide her hand up and down before letting her fingers enter her, Her thighs twitch as she came and he heard her moan softly. ¡°He blackmailed me the week after to get his grades changed, and I got my revenge by sleeping with his father.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I get it. Sex was always a weapon, do we really need to see you screw Shaw next cause I really don¡¯t want to watch that.¡±


    ¡°Oh I don¡¯t know, there were a few famous movies stars at times, sure you don¡¯t want to see me go down on James Bond?¡± but as the room swirled once more Peter shook his head,


    ¡°Not into voyeurism Emma, get to the point.¡± and as the room stopped it was a simple white room with a simple white wooden bed with white linen sheets and on it sat a blonde woman, dressed in a simple white bodysuit, with a zip partially undone.


    ¡°Sex has always been part of my life, Peter. It was never a pleasure, always a tool. Seeing what Shaw intended for me. Seeing those damn Stepford Rogue¡¯s hurt. To think that I struggled, sweated, and bled for everything I earned and in the end, I was reduced to a pair of tits and a cunt. You owe me and I want payment.¡± The young girl on the bed stood and undid the bodysuit the rest of the way, and Emma blurred and stood in her place,


    ¡°You want something, what I know you want, and you can have it, all I want is some dignity afterwards, all I want is someone who will love me for me, and not what I can give them.¡± and as she lay back on the bed she spread her legs, ¡°now, take what everyone else wants and then give me my reward.¡± as she spoke, her clothing disappeared and Peter could see everything, including the look of pain and betrayal on her face.


    Peter sighed. ¡°Get up, and stop being so melodramatic.¡± and he waved a hand over her stunningly beautiful form and a white blanket appeared and drifted over her. ¡°I¡¯m not going to even consider that,¡± and as she grabbed the blanket and huffed he just shrugged,


    ¡°This isn¡¯t an issue of what I owe you, this is an issue of damage,¡± and as Peter closed his eyes, Emma saw the first time Gwen and he made love, and the symbiote¡¯s anger, and as the scene switched to MJ, she saw Muse and its domination of the situation. Finally, he showed her Talon and the two fists digging into his stomach as she cried and begged for help.


    ¡°Right now, you¡¯re hurting and angry, and a symbiote will make that a hundred times worse. I can¡¯t, I just can¡¯t unleash an unstable and volatile rage monster with powers so vast she could level half the city. A symbiote is not a thing. It¡¯s a living breathing alien mind, with wants and desires. I get you¡¯re angry, I do. I made Shaw suffer for the things I saw, but this, this will make it so much worse you can¡¯t even imagine.¡±


    ¡°Then promise. Promise me that if I prove myself I will get my wish.¡± and she threw the blanket to one side and a pale cream business suit materialised around her.


    Peter nodded, ¡°That¡¯s all I can do.¡±


    ¡°I,¡± and she cleared her throat, ¡°I am grateful, really. And there is nothing I will do to harm either Felicia or her Cats, you have my word, but, I-¡± and as small tears welled up in here eyes Peter just shook his head,


    ¡°Hey, no one expects you to, no one will ever force you to.¡± and she nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine Darling, I have seen worse, and done things nobody would be proud of.¡± but Peter knew she was lying. It was one thing to entice someone with sex, it was a completely different matter to find out your boss made underage sex clones of you to sell.


    ¡°Look, That¡¯s behind you now. Legitimate, well, almost. We got the lab, we got Shaw. A new Emma for a new start,¡± and she nodded, pursing her lips and smiling softly.


    ¡°Right, I should go and make myself known to everyone, even if we didn¡¯t, I am still part of the family I guess.¡± as they shifted back into the real world, and Emma stood and straightened her outfit.


    ¡°I¡¯m not moving into the warehouse though. I have a perfectly good penthouse. but sorry darling, a warehouse? Really?¡± and Peter laughed, seeing a small smile on her face, ¡°and I am so very hungry. You can at least buy me dinner, and I mean a real meal, not some food truck convenience store thing you cook for twenty minutes. I have standards, you know.¡°


    Peter shrugged, ¡°Liv runs Parker Inc, Felicia runs the Cats. Me? I¡¯ve got twenty bucks.¡±


    Emma sighed, ¡°I suppose coffee will do, but I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ll be having,¡± and with a swing of her hips, she grabbed a jacket and strutted past Peter, ¡°I think darling, you might just need to start a tab on exactly how much you owe me.¡±


    Malisson


    This chapter breaks 500,000 words and wow, what a trip it''s been.


    As a web author, I enjoy a privilege that normal traditional authors do not. I don''t get rejection letters. I don''t have to sit nervously waiting to hear if what I''ve written is acceptable or I have to do another rewrite.


    I get to set a publishing time and simply continue. Even if there were no readers, no favourites and a lot of one-star ratings I could simply continue posting.


    Which is why I will always maintain that the readers are just as important as the author and that a single comment can be the line between encouragement and discouragement.


    Everyone is probably painfully aware of how many novels are dropped or authors simply disappear, but we never know why and the ones that post they why is usually ''got abuse, moving site or quitting''


    Thank you for your support, and for giving me the drive to continue the novel. A few times, a few unpleasant DM''s, and one badly received chapter almost halted the novel in its tracks, but thanks to the words of encouragement, even a simple TFTC, was enough to keep things going.


    There will be a few announcements tomorrow but nothing major, just the usual end of arc stuff.


    As always, thank you for reading, commenting, and favouriting

 Arc Seven. Chapter Two Hundred Ten. Witch Way Is Worse

    May raised an eyebrow as Peter looked sheepishly at her, letting her into the warehouse. As she saw the table full of women, and now men, she and Curt hesitantly came in.


    ¡°All of them?¡± and Peter choked back a nervous laugh,


    ¡°No!¡± He had invited Jean, Logan, and Selene over. Erik had invited himself when Wanda returned, but thankfully Charles and the X-Men had declined as had Emma. She was still recovering from her ordeal and had needed time alone. She made a promise she would come around when it was just the family, the rest was too much right now, especially if Selene and Charles were going to be there.


    He had made sure though that if she needed company or help, to call and he would make time for her and he knew Felicia was making sure that Elektra was there for company, and anything else she needed, that maybe a woman''s presence was a better idea. With everyone, it was still a house full,


    Gwen, MJ, Jean, and Felicia sat with Liv. Logan sat with Laura, Nat, Carol, and Wanda talking to Erik and Selene, and with May and Curt, it was now obvious he needed to buy a larger table, or as Peter loved his table, another one.


    He had planned a large dinner and had made pasta. Everyone loved pasta and it could be made in huge quantities, enough to satisfy Augmented and Enhanced appetites alike, with various sauces that anyone could pick and choose, plus homemade garlic bread and salad. Several large bowls of pudding, with shaved chocolate, candy sprinkles, and fruit waited in the fridge, as he knew any symbiote host would devour the pasta and still want something sweet afterwards.


    ¡°Well, everyone, this is my mom, and Curt, who I guess will be my dad, once he stops being a cheapskate and gets a job,¡± and May elbowed him in the side and Peter laughed, knowing full well Curt was going to be working at Parker Inc soon enough, ¡°and this is,¡± and Peter made introductions.


    ¡°So, almost all of them all then?¡± May asked with a smirk and Peter grinned and shrugged, ¡°Happy. Grandkids, remember?¡± and he bit his lip as a few people raised their heads and looked over, not all of them the girls.


    ¡°Thanks Mom,¡± he said, leaning over and kissing her on the cheek, ¡°I¡¯ll explain that some people have powers, and can hear you,¡± and she covered her mouth and laughed.


    ¡°I know,¡± she said, whispering in his ear, ¡°That¡¯ll teach you to lie to me in the future.¡± and as she walked over she introduced herself to Erik and left Peter with a stunned look on his face.


    Curt patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Your parents might have been agents Peter, but your mom did keep their secret for over 20 years.¡± and as he moved over it was Logan''s turn to come over, holding a bottle of beer,


    ¡°I like her, an¡¯ now I see it,¡± and as he laughed and joined in their conversation he got more looks from the women.


    He smiled, ¡°My wonderful ladies,¡± and they glared at him,


    ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Gwen said, ¡°and you were going to tell us when?¡± and as she shared a look with the others, Peter hastily explained,


    ¡°Mom was worried I was taking advantage, and that you were happy.¡± Felicia snorted,


    ¡°Yeah, nice try, the other bit.¡± and Peter frowned,


    ¡°Uh never. That''s up to you guys, I¡¯ll be happy when you decide. If you decide.¡± and as they shared a look, and more, they nodded. While most of them were the same age as Peter, they were too young. They were just starting careers and life beckoned. While May might have raised the issue, the girls quickly shot it down, even if she did look disappointed at overhearing their conversation.


    ¡°Safe, for now,¡± Gwen said while Felicia nodded. Wanda looked unamused and Laura was busy drinking more soda than it seemed possible, unaware of the seriousness of the conversation and Peter laughed and moved to sit with them.


    But, be safe with Jean, he felt being sent to him over the link by Gwen. He raised an eyebrow at her but she shook her head and continued her conversation with Felicia. Jean''s outburst had left him unsure of how exactly to handle the now very hot-headed mutant, and Scott wasn¡¯t helping. Once her personality had been unleashed she had taken on look at him, called him pathetic and left the mansion.


    Her opinion of Charles was just as damning, and as he had tried to argue, she had lifted him up, held him in mid-air and as the man tried to breathe, let alone speak, she had just shaken her head, said ¡°Stop,¡± and left with her already packed suitcases.


    With Laura, Wanda, and now Jean all settling in. While this was a family get together it was also the official housewarming for the group. It was also a gathering to introduce everyone to Peter''s new mom, and even Carol, who finally recovered physically at least, was looking forward to their first true family dinner. Even if it ended up being a slightly bigger affair than they realised.


    As they talked, it was soon time for dinner, and Peter served up the pasta and various sauces, allowing a mix and match of dishes. He had prepared a simple red meat sauce, as well as white, and cheese, and he knew they would all get eaten. With the revamp, the simple kitchen was now a fully fitted one, with a double oven, several burners and a larger fridge and freezer, plus storage, all slotted between the two homes. The garden, having been unused, was removed and replaced. Now they had a fully outdoor eating area, with a table and a large enough kitchen to prepare meals big enough for symbiote hosts.


    As the revamp of the warehouse had been completed, it was just the settling-in period for everyone. Homes had been picked and as the new tenants started to decorate, it was a good time for the get-together.


    While Gwen and MJ still had their original homes, and they agreed not to build over them. Peter''s original home now housed Wanda, with Jean above. Liv stayed where she was, and Carol moved in above her. The bathhouse had two homes above it, and Laura, when she actually stayed in her home and didn¡¯t wander from bed to bed, living in one and Nat in the other next door, and the four at the end of the warehouse where the main door was, lay empty. May had just raised an eyebrow when he mentioned them, but he grinned and shrugged.


    As the topic had been raised, Selene piped up. ¡°Peter, I would like to rent one of these homes. A small place in the city would be helpful, especially if I can bring some of our more sheltered residents into the city.¡± and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°As long as they can control their powers, I don''t see why not. I mean, I¡¯d be great to have Cain here.¡± and Selene nodded and smiled,


    ¡°Plus, I might want to visit,¡± and she winked at him, as May looked between the pair Peter hastily looked away, adding to the guilt and she just shook her head.


    ¡°I was joking Peter,¡± and he laughed, and she mouthed ¡®Happy¡¯ and ¡®Grandkids¡¯ at him. Seeing the slightly sad look on Selene''s face, he decided that enough was enough,


    ¡°I know mom, but you know, if you and Curt are getting married next year, you¡¯re really not too old. How about a brother, or maybe a sister?¡± and Curt spat out his drink, and Logan rubbed his back as the man coughed and spit it over himself.


    May crossed her arms, unamused. ¡°Touche Mister Parker, and who says it''s not both.¡± Peter laughed, he could tell she was joking, there was only one heartbeat coming from his mom, although in a split second of panic he did double-check.


    ¡°Curt. He¡¯d have told Gwen, and well, everyone within minutes of finding out.¡± and as May looked over at Curt, he smiled and shrugged,


    May sighed, ¡°I suppose I will let you off and stop mentioning it, but,¡° and she gave him a look that said this conversation wasn¡¯t over. ¡°We will be discussing responsibility young man, especially with this group.¡± and Erik laughed,


    ¡°I think I should visit when your mother is here more often Peter, I do like her.¡± and to his surprise, Logan nodded as well. Erik¡¯s eyes were still wrapped in bandages, as they were damaged but healing. As a gesture, he had handed over several tins of his biogel, and Erik had graciously accepted it.


    Peter inwardly groaned. Logan, Curt, Erik, and his mom all together. Well, maybe it wasn¡¯t such a bad idea after all. It was a good way to introduce her to the larger powered community and maybe he could finally come out as Venom.


    As he was thinking of the future and how nice it all was, he noticed Selene had come over and was sitting next to him, holding a glass and smiling.


    ¡°Everything okay?¡± and she nodded,


    ¡°I like your home Peter, and your friends, and most of all your mom,¡° and she smiled, ¡°It has been a while since I had a family.¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°And if the offer is being discussed, I too would like to join your family, and discuss what your mother proposed,¡± and the conversation in the warehouse stopped dead, as all eyes turned from Selene at first, and then to Peter. ¡°Your powers are compatible with mine, and-¡± for a split second Selene looked like a young vulnerable woman, and Peter saw her hidden vulnerability.


    ¡°Uh,¡± was all Peter could say, he was aware of Selene''s powers and that a child was out of the question, ¡°uh.¡± and it was May who laughed,


    ¡°I think you broke him,¡± and Selene looked slightly worried at the group of women who were now staring at her. 200 hundred years had steeled her heart against the fact she would be unable to have children. Even with complete control over her vampiric powers once small slip and she would drain any life within her in seconds. It was only the energy-rich essence that she received from Peter that had given her any spark of hope, and although they were teasing him, the conversion for her, was a serious one.


    ¡°Uh,¡± was all Peter could say, and Gwen stood,


    ¡°That is a discussion, and not one for right now.¡± and Selene looked at her hands, and reluctantly nodded. It maybe wasn''t the best time, but she had let the moment overtake her, and in a moment of impulsiveness, landed Peter in some trouble.


    Gwen came over and took Selene by the hand, ¡°And maybe not while his mom is here.¡±


    Peter snapped back to reality, a child was a big thing, and while he reluctantly gave out symbiotes, this was a whole different level of responsibility.


    ¡°Uh,¡± and Erik laughed,


    ¡°The mighty Venom, floored by a single question,¡± and now the eyes all turned to him.


    ¡°You asshole,¡± Felicia shouted, and he shrugged, but May¡¯s eyes widened and an angry scowl spread across her face,


    ¡°Peter Parker. You will explain yourself this second.¡± and a look of realisation crossed Erik¡¯s face.


    ¡°Thanks. Magento,¡± Peter sighed. ¡°Yes mom, my powers, all ours powers, Venom,¡± he said reluctantly.


    ¡°Did I not warn you about lying to me, and you, did you know?¡± and she shook an angry finger at Curt who looked at the floor and nodded, ¡°You all knew?¡± and the girls all nodded as well. ¡°You are those others aren''t you, the ones fighting at Shield, and at night. The ones JJ rants on about, it''s you. All of you are, are crooks.¡±


    As Curt moved over to comfort May, ¡°I knew, I knew you were one of those creatures Curt but I never, ever thought you would associate with Venom. You killed that poor boy, you killed all those people.¡± but Curt took her by the shoulders,


    ¡°No. Do you think for one second that your son, the boy you raised, would do such a thing.¡± and she shook her head, tears forming in her eyes,


    ¡°Then, tell me, tell me you didn''t.¡± and Peter nodded.


    ¡°Mom, I never killed John. It was an accident. He attacked me, and hurt Felicia, but it was an accident.¡± and she huffed,


    ¡°And JJ, is he a liar? He has evidence you know, all on his website. Muggings where the men ended up in hospital, buildings on fire, all because of you. Are they false as well?¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°I do bad things mom, I¡¯m not an angel, but I don¡¯t kill innocent people. I don¡¯t hurt anyone who doesn''t deserve it.¡±


    ¡°So you do hurt people?¡± she asked, still angry.


    Peter had had enough, ¡°yes, yes I do, is that what you want to hear? Do you want to know about Richard and Mary? About what was in their file? Because that''s what a Shield agent does mom. I look for bad guys and hurt them so they don''t hurt anyone else.¡± Laura moved, and put a hand on Peter''s chest, and turned and moved towards May, taking her hand and rubbing it on her cheek.


    ¡°Mom. Not my mom, not yet. Bad men took and hurt me. Peter saved me and gave me a home. Dad says he¡¯s a horndog, but still not a bad man. No shouting, Peter loves you.¡± As May looked down at the smaller woman, holding her hand to her cheek she shook her head and sighed,


    ¡°From the mouths of babes, eh?¡± May said and pulled Laura into a hug. As she stared over at Peter, and then at the very embarrassed and sheepish looking crowd, ¡°You all have some explaining to do, and I would also like dessert.¡±


    Super Secret Spoiler Epilogue.


    As Peter and the group celebrated and spent time together in the basement of the Bar Sinister a quiet banging could be heard from one of the unsmashed and assumed empty cloning tanks.


    A simple label ¡°Weapon XXXX¡± had been printed and stuck on it, with


    ¡°DO NOT FUCKING OPEN!¡± written on it hastily in pen, overwriting the two labels the tank had originally, ¡°Dead Batteries, Pool Cleaning Supplies¡±


    ¡°Hey, I know you¡¯re there. Can you get this thing open? I mean, it''ll be fun, I promise.¡±


    As the knocking continued


    ¡°Hello, yeah I know you¡¯re reading this, just you know, make a small comment, Hey, author, why don''t you have any side stories featuring Deadpoo¡­..¡±


    /the author mysteriously and tragically passed away before they could finish that sentence, END OF SPOILER!!


    ¡°Ha fucking ha, I can read that you know. Aww come on, I got cut from the 100th fucking chapter and this is all I get? Well, screw you. I¡¯m going to write my own fanfiction, with hookers and blackjack, and original JOKES!!¡±


    Malisson


    Arc Seven. A Cold War.


    I will admit, that got a lot of re-writes. I had no clue Shaw was such an evil bastard until I started to deeply research his character and honestly, I came very close to scrapping the arc a few times. It was as toned down as I could make it without trivialising the extend of his depravity.


    Onto more pleasant news,


    Tomorrow I will be publish The Avengers - Fury''s Wrath, normal time


    Monday will be double chapter day. My account is one year old on Monday and to celebrate I thought I would publish a short story (very short at 1000ish words) dealing with the creation of the universe. Its a fluff piece but hopefully stiil an enjoyable one.


    Then on Christmas Day I will publish another ''history'' short but will leave the title until nearer the time so I don''t spoil things.


    There will be no hiatus of chapters over the festive period, as I plan to get the rest of Arc 8 uploaded before the holidays.


    And, as always, thank you for reading, thank you for commenting, favouriting, and no matter what you celebrate I hope you all have a good time over the holiday period.

 Arc Seven. Side Story. The Avengers. Fury’s Wrath

    Malisson


    This takes place before, during, and after the incident at the dam.


    Worldwide


    Response


    Anti


    Terrorism


    Hunters


    Maria looked at the new card, ¡°W.R.A.T.H, seriously? You know you can just make up a team name without it having to be an acronym,¡± and Fury raised an eyebrow and glared at her, but after Vengeance had calmed down Maria suddenly found herself giving zero fucks as to what Fury or anyone else thought. ¡°It''s fine, better than Fist or whatever that last one was.¡± and she slipped the card into her uniform pocket. ¡°So, where to first?¡±


    ¡°Home. Parker says he can¡¯t help. Some other scumbag is taking up his time, but we have to try at least, and then once everyone is ready, Sokovia, and Barnes.¡±


    ¡°Great, freezing my ass off while staring at rocks and snow,¡± Maria complained,


    ¡°You can stay here, you know. I hear Phil is looking for a second in command. Nice office, comfortable seat, and Parker. All within walking distance of that deli you like,¡± but Maria glared back at him and finished stowing her gear on the quinjet that had been marked as destroyed during the attack but had managed to miraculously repair and move itself to a secure hanger outside Shields monitoring.


    It wasn''t even one of the smaller interceptor class jets. This was Fury¡¯s private jet, with a minibar, a small galley, a private room, and cargo space separate from the seating. He had never even used it, and it still had the plastic wrap over the seat covers, but he figured if anything ever happened at Shield, it was better to have a getaway vehicle that was comfortable, and a little stylish than not.


    ¡°Yeah that''s what I thought, Once Natasha is here, it¡¯s wheels up in five and then we collect our final pair.¡±


    ¡°Pair?¡± and Fury nodded,


    ¡°We all get to be Avengers this time.¡± and Maria groaned.


    ~


    The flight to Sokovia was quiet, neither Steve nor Flash was willing to talk about what had happened in the control room past what had been written in his report. Flash looked tired, and Steve had been relieved of his Shield rank and been retired pending an inquiry. While faultless, it was still being examined that his reappearance after sixty years coincided with a Hydra coup to take over Shield, and while unproved that a Hydra agent matching James Barnes had been spotted. Shield and the new WSC had taken issue with Steve''s refusal to condemn Bucky, and that Flash had followed his lead and stayed tight-lipped about possible Hydra leads he may have gained. As such, he was wearing a faded blue uniform, an old one taken from storage that hadn''t weathered the passage of time, and wore a stylish, but still unusual for the clean-shaven man, full beard.


    ¡°We tracked him to a safe house in Sokovia. It was easy enough once we got a list of possible Hydra targets. He¡¯s settling scores.¡± and Steve had just nodded. Bucky. He never imagined that after all this time that the one person he thought was actually dead would appear, and be a world-renowned assassin working for Hydra.


    ¡°Look,¡± Fury said as they sat eating a small meal, ¡°We¡¯re not after him for revenge. If your report is accurate, then this is a snatch and grab. We get in, take out any hostiles and we get out. Questions?¡±


    Steven leant forward and put down the spoon he had been using, ¡°Why?¡± and Fury frowned, ¡°Why are we doing this? Hydra isn¡¯t known for its subtlety and if anyone finds out what we¡¯re doing then it¡¯s court-martials for us all.¡± Flash stopped spooning the noodle soup into his mouth and looked shocked at Fury,


    ¡°Yeah, court-martials if they find out. Bucky is officially dead Steve, and while you might have risen from the icy depths I doubt anyone would believe it twice. We have a safe house, and a few friends who¡¯ll help, but getting a live Hydra agent, willing to turn and expose the rest is worth the risk.¡±


    ¡°It still won¡¯t sit well with Shield.¡± Steve retorted and Fury had to laugh,


    ¡°Unless I¡¯m mistaken, nobody here is Shield. I quit, Nat is,¡° and he huffed, ¡°busy with Parker. Only Shield agents here are you and the kid. And last I checked they benched you.¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t care, they¡¯ll find a regulation and make it stick.¡±


    ¡°You can go home, you know. I invited you on this op as I figured you would want to make sure your friend was safe. The red, white, and blue spiel gets old once you know it''s really all just red. Tape or blood, take your pick.¡±


    ~


    As the pair crept along the corridor towards the apartment they knew Bucky had been seen at Steve motioned to Flash,


    ¡°In two, one,¡± and he turned and kicked the door open.


    Bucky was sat in his boxer shorts, with half a slice of toast in his mouth as the pair burst in the room,


    ¡°Uh hi, Steve. You could''ve knocked you know.¡± and as he leant back and finished biting into the toast Steve and Flash looked at each other,


    ¡°Bucky?¡± and he took another bite of toast and nodded,


    ¡°Your mom should be out soon, she promised me breakfast but she¡¯s getting on a bit in years,¡± and as Flash shook his head, Steve grinned,


    ¡°Well, I¡¯d have said the same about your mom, but it takes too long to dig her up.¡± and Bucky laughed,


    ¡°We doing this?¡± but Steve shook his head,


    ¡°Rescue mission Buck. We¡¯re not after you because of Hydra.¡±


    Bucky nodded, ¡°right right, cause uh I know you, and you don''t let the uh bad guy go right?¡± but Steve stood straight and shook his head,


    ¡°And for what they did they¡¯ll pay Buck, but we know about the collars and we know about the brainwashing. It wasn''t you, and we''ll make sure everyone else knows as well. Or you know, we just tell everyone you¡¯re dead, I mean, you¡¯re what? A hundred now? pretty difficult to pin a lot of things on an old man.¡±


    ¡°Not my birthday, not yet, still just ninety-nine, and still better looking than you. I mean,¡± and Bucky motioned to his face. ¡°What''s with the beard? being a virgin at ninety-nine doesn''t make you a super wizard you know. Or too shaky to hold a razor?¡±


    Flash looked on, embarrassed at the two old friends trying to one-up each other, ¡°Uh, I¡¯ll wait outside, okay?¡± and Steve shook his head,


    ¡°No. Bucky, this is Flash-¡± but Bucky raised a hand,


    ¡°Yeah, I know who he is. Webb right? Yeah, that¡¯s uh, yeah.¡± and Bucky didn¡¯t look too happy about Flash being there, and as he took a deep breath he threw the uneaten crust on his plate, ¡°I know what you want, but I can¡¯t. That lifes not for me Steve, not anymore.¡±


    ¡°Just help us Buck, and it doesn¡¯t have to be.¡±


    ~


    For once Parker had actually written a decent report. Fury looked it over and it was extremely detailed accounts not just of what they had found in Wilson Fisk¡¯s files, but on what memories they could pull from Laura Kinney. It had been a slow and tortuous wait, but as he read he knew why. Hydra was seriously fucked up. Torturing kids, extracting chemicals and other ¡®parts¡¯ for experimentation, and worst of all, the MGH factories.


    They then added in the intel they received from James Barnes, and after depositing him in a safe house run by Parker''s allies they needed to make their next move.


    And then Shaw, Fury had limited intel, only what he had heard after the incident. Natasha was fuming that some of their own got hurt, but was madder still that Peter wasn¡¯t doing anything about it. She had snuck in and spoken to Felicia, met Emma, and taken all of the files they had on Shaw and his little project. They explained Peter was being kept out of the loop, and for once, Natasha was glad. He had enough on his plate without adding in an international drug and slave ring. She would take care of it, and he could sleep at night knowing once she was done, it would be gone.


    The only lead, however, was a name, Viper. As they approached the gate, Nick knew that Charles Xavier could be a difficult man to deal with, especially when it came to mutants, and he shook his head. Augmented, he mentally corrected himself.


    As Natasha and Maria were shown around the mansion by a blue-furred, very well-spoken Hank McCoy they were eventually led to a room, with Charles, and a young man with a red visor.


    ¡°Director Fury, how nice to see you,¡± and Charles motioned to chairs that had been laid out, ¡°Coffee, I am afraid most of the staff drink tea, but we did manage to scrounge some from Logan.¡± and As the trio sat, they nodded,


    ¡°So, While I could just read your mind, it¡¯s rude. So tell me, what can I do for you today?¡± Charles asked with a small smile.


    ¡°I know this is strange, but can you track an Augmented, if I give you a name and description?¡± Fury asked and Charles frowned.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to explain a bit more than just that director. I¡¯m not in the habit of finding Augmented as you call us, for fun, or for the government.¡± and Maria coughed and hid a small grin, ¡°Well, not again.¡±


    ¡°I have read that file professor, and that is why I am here. MGH, we have a lead but the person is Augmented. You know about Shaw, and Hydra, well it seems they had a backer in common, and my team and I are going to find her.¡±


    ¡°Her? And what exactly do you intend to do when you find her. If I might enquire?¡± Charles asked as he took a sip of his tea.


    ¡°What in the hell do you think I¡¯m going to do? I have a quinjet filled with ammo, and I fully intend to make sure every Hydra agent I find gets a full collection.¡± Fury shook his head,


    ¡°Do you think that will work? I mean, didn¡¯t Hydra survive all this time after the war. Are you confident you can remove them completely, or is this just a personal vendetta? I have my own sources, and I am well aware of your fallen companion.¡± Charles noticed Agent Hill tense, ¡°I am sorry for your loss Miss, it is not my intention to dredge up bad memories, but I will also not help you if your goal is murder.¡±


    ¡°And whatever my goal is, it is my goal. I don¡¯t need a lecture on morals and ethics from a high school science teacher. I have been in the game a lot longer and play a lot better than you do. Or would you like to talk about your own fallen companions?¡±


    Charles sighed and set his cup down, ¡°It is not my failings we are talking about here. I am painfully aware of how my choices have affected others, director. Are you?¡± and as he reached out for Nick''s mind Natasha sprang forwards and he felt the cold steel of a gun pressed against his temple.


    ¡°Peter warned us, and while we aren¡¯t as strong as him, we are strong enough to feel that. How about you stop, and we all calm down.¡± She asked and Charles gave a small nod before she pulled the gun away. ¡°While Nick will be eloquent, I don¡¯t have time for this bullshit power play. Viper, augmented power over chemicals, especially toxins, Russian, 5 ft 8, blonde. Can you track her, so we can remove one child killing scumbag from the world, or are we going to sit and drink tea while they get away with it?¡±


    ¡°Then no. I will not let you kill an Augmented for some sort of revenge. If she is as bad as you say, then bring her here, gather your evidence and put her on trial.¡± and Fury snorted,


    ¡°You know that won¡¯t happen. Russia won¡¯t extradite her, and if they know about her powers, which we suspect they do, they won¡¯t give her up easily. The powers that be don¡¯t like it when you take away their toys, and unless we go in fully prepared to fight off any resistance, we won¡¯t be coming back. And while you don¡¯t seem to care about MGH I really do, and Parker does as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Parker isn¡¯t here though is he. And while Logan seems to be taken with the boy, he is developing a habit of poaching my students,¡± and at that Fury laughed,


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t I know it, but that is that, and this is this. Will you help or not?¡±


    Charles shook his head. ¡°I am sorry, but to give you the location of an Augmented, who I have no way of knowing what your real objective is, without resorting to other means, then no. I cannot help you.¡±


    Nick stood, ¡°then this conversation is over. You could have saved a lot of lives, but I¡¯ll do this my way then.¡± and as he moved to leave Scott stood,


    ¡°I want to go with you,¡± and Charles sat up straight,


    ¡°Scott!¡± he exclaimed, ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡±


    ¡°No, he¡¯s right professor. When we went on that mission, we failed, and we did everything right. All the training, and advice you gave us, it was wrong. Director Fury, I want to join your team. I want to learn how to be a better soldier, no, a better leader.¡± and he moved forwards and stepped in front of Fury, ¡°Please.¡±


    Fury looked over at Maria, who shrugged, and ¡°Sure, but, what¡¯s your power?¡±


    ¡°Concussive eye blasts, uh, I have a visor that allows me to control them, oh, and a uniform¡± Fury snorted and laughed,


    ¡°Fine, you got ten minutes, Scott.¡± and Fury turned back to Charles, ¡°A word of advice professor. Playing soldier doesn¡¯t make you one, and sometimes, thinking you know better than anyone else gets people killed.¡± and Charles snorted


    ¡°I am sure you talk from experience Director Fury,¡± he replied snidely,


    Fury turned and lifted his shirt, revealing an ugly scar across his abdomen, where it looked like, not just a knife wound was present, but several bullet wounds as well, ¡°The kind sitting at a desk doesn¡¯t get you.¡± and remembering Peter told him Charles couldn¡¯t walk ¡°oh, uh, yeah, no offence.¡± but he still turned and walked away, ¡°I know the way out, don¡¯t get up.¡±


    Charles leant back in his chair, ¡°Fine, damn you, fine.¡± Pushing on the controls to his chair, ¡°I will give you her location but that is all, and I must insist that you leave Scott behind. He is still blaming himself for the injuries his teammates sustained, he needs time to heal.¡±


    Fury shook his head, ¡°You might have a big brain professor, but people heal in different ways. If his confidence is rattled, getting back into the field is the best way to fix that, not keeping him caged.¡±


    Charles huffed, ¡°fine, but if anything happens to him, I will personally make you think you¡¯re a six-year-old girl.¡± and he moved past him.


    ~


    The team sat in the Quinjet as Natasha took the controls. If Charles was right, and Hydra had also taken over the Red Room and resurrected its sick practises, then they needed to be destroyed as well. She quietly clenched her jaw at the upcoming fight, worse, her contact in Russia was her adopted sister, and they would need to find and probably rescue the bastard they called a father as well.


    As Fury sat quietly next to her, Steve, Maria, Scott, and Flash all sat in the back compartment, sharing an awkward silence. Flash¡¯s eyes had almost popped out of his head as he saw Scott board the quinjet, but a look from Steve and another from Maria made him stay silent, but it was obvious to everyone there was some tension between the pair.


    ¡°So, uh, Parker yeah?¡± Flash asked Maria. Since Webb had been healed, Natasha had been giving him lessons on how to control his symbiote better, to use it to enhance and extend his senses, and how to block and control his thoughts and technopathic abilities. Peter hadn¡¯t objected, he was slowly becoming more aware that even as their progenitor, he needed to make sure they weren¡¯t wild and untamed. One of the things he had been taught was to recognise when another symbiote was nearby, and both Natasha and Maria were hosts.


    Maria raised an eyebrow and glared at him, she was not a sociable person and she really didn¡¯t want to talk about how or why she had a symbiote, even if Romanov had teased her about it. ¡°Yeah, Parker. So what?¡± and Flash could feel the hostility,


    ¡°It¡¯s good, it¡¯s good. Uh, Webb, as in you know, Agent Webb.¡± and she scowled and shook her head,


    Steve raised an eyebrow and looked at her expectantly, ¡°Fine, fine.¡± she said,


    ¡°Vengeance. After.¡± and she shook her head, ¡°we need every tool available to fight Hydra, so no, I did, and it was fine, but it was then and this is now.¡±


    Scott tilted his head, ¡°You and Parker?¡± and as she glared at him, ¡°damn.¡±


    ¡°Problem?¡± and Maria turned to face him,


    ¡°No, not you, him. ¡°And he shook his head and leaned forward, ¡°he, he just ruins everything. I mean, Jean was happy, and it was great, and then he turns up and she goes off the rails.¡±


    Flash nodded, ¡°Oh yeah, I know,¡° but Maria glared at him too, ¡°yeah, he¡¯s an ass.¡± and he stared at his feet.


    Scott leaned back and took a deep breath, ¡°Hey, anyone else smell that?¡± but both Flash and Steve shook their heads. Maria lifted an arm and sniffed but shrugged. She showered, Vengeance liked to be under the warm water and would wrap herself around Maria as she showered.


    ¡°The air con might be busted, uh let me check.¡± and he moved to the cockpit, glad to be away from the trio of Agents. When he had come on this mission he didn¡¯t expect them to be so serious. The X-Men might have been young, but there was communication and team building. They were all like coiled springs, waiting under tension and it was getting on his nerves.


    As he knocked then entered ¡°Uh, air-cons busted, back compartment smells like, I dunno, flowers¡± and Natasha snorted and looked at him,


    ¡°Just you?¡± and he nodded confused, ¡°give me a moment.¡± and pushing a few buttons on the control panel, she nudged Fury who rubbed a hand over his face ¡°take controls for a moment, got an issue¡±


    He grunted a response and swivelled the panel over to his side, ¡°dammit¡± he swore as they weren¡¯t even halfway there.


    Natasha and Scott came back to the compartment and Natasha lay a hand on Maria¡¯s shoulder. She looked up in shock, glared at Natasha and then over at Scott, ¡°your call, but you know how to deal with it¡± and Maria waved a hand at her, ¡°And you look like you need it.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine.¡± and she stood and motioned to Scott. ¡°You, we need to talk.¡± and as Natasha grinned at him and patted him on the shoulder he swore he heard her whisper good luck, but as her mouth never moved, he must have imagined it.


    As they made their way into the cramped cargo area, Maria locked the door and swung open the door to the toilet, barring anyone from entering, or leaving.


    As she turned to look at Scott, she got a good look at him for the first time. She knew the symbiotes would ramp up her sex drive but his square jaw, scruffy but not too long hair and the muscles she could see rippling under that flight suit hit every button on the way down and the adorably naive but beautiful man in front of her had to be hers.


    ¡°Right, the smell is me.¡± and Scott looked at her and shrugged.


    ¡°So, uh, your deodorant is nice.¡± and she rolled her eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a deodorant, it¡¯s a pheromone, designed to attract a mate. As Cap and Webb can''t smell it, and you can.¡± and it clicked,


    ¡°Oh, oh I shit, I¡¯m sorry, no I didn¡¯t,¡± Scott stammered, ¡°I uh, yeah, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you apologising for?¡± she said sternly, ¡°why would you apologise when I want to have sex with you?¡±


    As he went red, his mouth opened and closed a few times,


    ¡°Yeah. See, the symbiotes jack up your appetites, and they love it. So, want to? You''re handsome enough, maybe a bit young but.¡±


    ¡°What, no, no. I uh, I can''t¡¯¡± and Scott moved back a step, ¡°we can¡¯t, not on a mission, isn¡¯t that a rule.¡±


    Maria let Vengeance slip back and stood before him with the barest of coverings and as Scott gulped and stared, he was stupefied.


    ¡°First off, we can. The quinjet is soundproof with all the armour, second, we¡¯re not on mission yet, third, really? Five seconds, bend me over that ammo crate, choose now or I leave. Five, Four.¡± and Maria never made it to three before Scott unzipped his combat suit, giving Maria a full view of his chest,


    Screw it, he thought, Jean never let me do anything, and after the failed mission Scott knew. Missions were dangerous, life as an Augmented was dangerous. It could end at any time, Gambit proved that, and he no longer cared.


    ¡°Mamma like,¡± and as Vengeance slipped away, Scott shimmied the rest of the way out of his uniform and she cast her gaze down his muscular chest to his prominent erection, ¡°oh mamma definitely like.¡±


    In the front of the quinjet, Steve and Flash both stared at each other, as the rhythmic banging started. Steve sighed, ¡°You think they forgot we¡¯ve got powers and can hear them.¡± but Flash was too busy inspecting the ceiling to answer, unwilling to engage his mentor in that discussion, ever.


    ~


    Natasha just smirked as Maria and Scott came from the back, ¡°now that playtimes over, we have work to do.¡± and as she hit the display a fat bearded Russian man appeared on the screen.


    ¡°My adopted father. Alexei Shostakov. Currently in prison for, well being a fat useless asshole but he had eyes on Hydra and the Red Room last time we spoke. He¡¯s our contact.¡±


    Maria looked at the screen, ¡°Him? He looks like he can barely remember his own name, let alone where a Hydra base is.¡± but Natasha shook her head.


    ¡°During the cold war, The Red Room trained and deposited sleeper agents in America, he was one of the best. Dosed with high levels of Red Room formula we suspected his drinking was to stave off the side effects.¡±


    ¡°We?¡± and Natasha nodded,


    ¡°I gave blood to Gwen before they cleaned me and she analysed the Red Room serum. Not as toxic as the Oscorp serum but he would probably have developed shakes and other minor tremors. The alcohol would have relaxed his nervous and musculatory system enough for him to function without incident.¡±


    Maria looked over at Nick, ¡°Since when did she get the smarts?¡±


    ¡°I had them pumped into me by Peter¡± and while Maria laughed, the rest of the group looked and shook their heads.


    ¡°Can we please be adults? Him aside, do we have any other leads.¡± and Natasha clicked her pen,


    ¡°A missile silo, Stark tracked Ultron here, and we already had it marked as a possible Russian base. What Stark didn¡¯t realise was that it was Hydra and thanks to Olivia, we got the data he collected.¡±


    Clicking and moving her pen, Natasha dragged a series of pictures onto the screen.


    ¡°A Hydra testing facility, We suspect the Winter Soldier was created here, as were seven others. They, thanks to Ultron, are all dead but no targets matching his description were found. Four men and three women¡± and as Natasha scrolled through the pictures the extent of Ultrons vivisection was apparent.


    ¡°All Super Soldiers, all dead. Tony concluded that the formula used was taken during a robbery, his father¡¯s death. While Tony is tracking possible locations of the Winter Soldier, he didn¡¯t find him, we found him first.¡±


    Scott raised a hand, and Natasha laughed, ¡°just ask Scott, this isn¡¯t high school¡±


    As he put his hand down awkwardly, ¡°uh yeah, why were we tracking the Winter Soldier? If he¡¯s an enemy agent then shouldn''t we be trying to I dunno, kill him?¡± and Natasha nodded


    ¡°Normally, but Steve?¡± and Steve took her place.


    ¡°Bucky Barnes.¡± And as he looked at the clicker Natasha had given him she held up a hand and mimed pressing the top, ¡±former Howling commando and US marine. Suspected of being enhanced by Hydra and given this,¡± as Steve pressed the pen it changed to a picture of Bucky, complete with silver arm. ¡°Cybernetically enhanced,¡± and as the picture zoomed in, around his neck was a Hydra control collar. ¡±and mind-controlled.¡±


    ¡°Like Shaw used?¡± Scott asked and Steve nodded,


    ¡°And like the three hostiles you encountered, once free of its control they reverted back to their non-hostile personalities, well, some did.¡±


    ¡°So, we found him, got better intel and now we''re off to Russia to act on that and find the Red Room?¡± and Steve nodded.


    ¡°We never leave a man behind, and he gladly helped us find those bastards,¡±


    ¡°Language,¡± Scott said, but as the group turned to him and stared, he blushed and looked down at the floor, ¡°sorry, uh the professor, he tells us off for swearing.¡±


    Steve laughed, ¡°son, a soldier hears a lot worse in the field, a little swearing is probably the least of your issues.¡± and clicked the pen once more. ¡°Bucky was traced to a small apartment in Moscow, but then moved to Berlin, then to a cabin in Switzerland and finally to Sokovia where we found him.¡± and Scott stared at the map,


    ¡°It seems random, any idea why he was moving around so much?¡± and it was Flash that nodded,


    ¡°Uh yeah, it was only for a few moments, but the symbiotes gain some memories and skills from anyone they bond with. He¡¯s visiting Hydra safe houses.¡±


    ¡°Nat?¡± but she shook her head,


    ¡°Widow killed Sitwell, she didn''t attempt to bond with him,¡±


    Steve nodded. It had been a bad day all around and he knew she had been one of the lucky ones. He continued, ¡°As we found a lot of dead bodies at each location, we figure that being bonded, even for a few minutes, was enough to either short out or interfere with the control collar.¡±


    Maria stared at Flash for a moment, ¡±off-topic, but you''re a host, why don''t you, get the, uh, you know?¡± and as Flash shook his head he undid one of the pockets on his armoured vest, and slid out a chocolate bar.


    ¡°Oh those rotten bastards.¡± and Natasha laughed, but Maria shook her head, ¡°Nah, I think I prefer my way,¡± and as Scott went bright red, Flash shook his head and slid the bar back into its home.


    ¡°If you are quite finished.¡° Fury interrupted, ¡°We have a list, courtesy of Barnes, and while we need Alexsi to get into Russia, we know where he is.¡± Fury nodded his head and Steve hit the pen once more.


    ¡°The prison is easy enough, and we have intel about the collars. There is a farm, and we think that the control collars are being manufactured there. We get in, get there, take it out and rescue whoever they are holding, and get out. While this isn¡¯t an official Shield mission, Flash and I are still on the Avengers, and as such are recognisable. We need to keep a low profile, and we need to be discreet.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine Cap, we have some new body armour for you, and Parker donated a new shield, it''s not as fancy, but it¡¯ll get the job done. So, you need a new code name, and no I got enough crap from Parker about it, just pick a new name so we can get on with this.¡±


    ¡°Nomad, because of you know, not representing the United States and travelling over the world.¡±


    Fury stared at him, ¡°yes Cap, we understood that reference.¡±


    ~


    The quinjet landed a few miles away from the prison, there was no need to alert the Russian authorities they were coming and as each member of the newly named ¡®Wrath¡¯ suited up Fury cast an eye over Natasha.


    ¡°Peter?¡± he asked as he zipped up the new armoured bodysuit she had provided,


    ¡°Yup, well Liv, but it''s kinda like symbarmour, just try not to get shot too many times.¡±


    Liv had been working on armour plates for the harness, and with Peter and Gwen''s help finally formulated a liquid polymer armour based on the webbing, absorbent but still enough to take a heavy rifle round. She had fabricated several suits, all on Natashas orders before the attack at the Triskelion.


    He nodded in appreciation. ¡°Now, the plan is two teams, we create-¡± but Natasha shook her head,


    ¡°One team, me and Hill. Any more and you endanger everyone.¡±


    Fury stood, and stared at her, ¡°I don''t remember you being in command. Two teams maximises our chances of getting him out in one piece, and minimizes our casualties.¡± but Natasha shook her head and motioned to Maria,


    ¡°You been practising?¡± and Maria gave her a confused look.


    Widow covered Natasha in a thick layer of symbarmour, the latest design Peter had come up with, and then shimmered and vanished, leaving only a faint shimmer in the air.


    Maria nodded, ¡°yeah, Vengeance knows.¡± and she did the same, her armour taking on a look similar to the heavier body armour Fury and the others were wearing but she too vanished.


    ¡°We can access the prisons systems, create enough confusion, we can have the target out before anyone even notices he¡¯s gone, one attacker, one retriever. Which do you want to be?¡± Widow explained as her camouflage shimmered once more and she stood before Fury once more.


    ¡°Oh, I''m attacking. Your dad, your package.¡± and Widow nodded. Vengeance clenched a fist and a blade slid out from the back of her forearm, ¡°Kills? or is this a no casualties mission?¡±


    Fury looked over at Widow who shrugged, ¡°I would prefer if you didn¡¯t leave a trail of bodies, but as Russia has been a pain in my ass over Stark, if you have to, then go ahead. Did we have any intel if this is a Hydra or Red Room facility?¡±


    Widow shook her head, ¡°Mainly cold storage for assets the government might want to use at a later date. No-one who¡¯d be missed, probably a few mixed in but nothing that said for sure.¡±


    ¡°If they don¡¯t care, then I don''t care,¡± Fury said, ¡°At least I can sit in a warm jet.¡±


    Russia was always cold, and being in the middle of nowhere was even worse. The heavy wind blew snow and ice across open plains and as Maria and Natasha shrugged Widow coated her completely and she vanished,


    ¡°Uh, give me a moment, okay?¡± Maria asked, and headed back into the jet.


    Seeing Scott sitting looking dejected, not surprising as he had just been benched Maria made her way over to him,


    Touching him, he tensed slightly as Vengeance spoke to him,


    Hey, no frown, it''s normal not everyone goes in. but, in case this goes south, I enjoyed it, and if you want, maybe coffee? Or just skip that and go for a repeat?


    Scott nodded, ¡°Coffee, uh, yeah, that''s good.¡±


    You know you can just think it, and I¡¯ll hear


    Then both, I mean, coffee and you know.


    I can read your thoughts, and I do know. See you when I get back.


    Vengeance slipped back and Maria leant forwards and kissed Scott on the cheek, ¡°for luck,¡± before she was covered completely and vanished from the jet.


    As the pair ran through the snow,


    So, Scott huh?


    And? Nobody complained when you screwed Parker


    Everyone complained when I screwed Peter, I found out a few guys even bet money on who could score with me first.


    Yeah, I read the after incident report. At least you didn¡¯t break any bones.


    I figured I was in enough trouble, they deserved it though.


    Yup, I heard the rumours, and even the women¡¯s locker room talk.


    Just make sure- but Maria interrupted her,


    Stop, I don''t want to talk about it, I want to find the assholes responsible and make them realise the reason you''re called Widow and I''m called Vengeance, but right now, we run.


    Keeping silent the pair made their way across the frozen tundra of the Siberian flatlands. Natasha had been practising with Peter and Liv and had managed to tap into several new senses. She couldn''t manipulate electronics like Peter, but she knew enough to fool sensors and to spot emissions coming from anything hidden in the snow.


    It was Maria though who stopped them and pointed. There is a buried cable leading in that direction, and Natasha felt her motion in a direction, are you sure the prison is where you said it was?


    Unless they moved it then yes, it''s built into an old coal mine. Prisoners can earn some extra rations by digging. Power cable?


    No, too much power, telecommunications maybe. Vengeance can¡¯t get a good read though, too far away.


    Maria on the other hand had completely adapted to her new Extremis physiology. And with Vengeance to help her technopathic powers were miles above Natasha. Silently, Widow cursed and made sure that when she got home, both she and the symbiote got the upgrade.


    Think you can tap it without triggering an alarm? And Vengeance scoffed,


    If I can''t, I''ll hang up my gun.


    As the pair crept closer Vengeance began to nod, yeah it''s communications, a big satellite receiver is nearby, I''m getting traffic from it and the prison. There is more here than just your father, a lot of what does he call them? Augmented are held here. Shit Nat, this isn''t political prisoners anymore, it''s a mutant holding facility.


    ~


    We need to stay radio silent, but we need to head back. The facility is more heavily guarded than we knew. Fury and the others need to know.


    Widow paused, then tell them, and it was Vengeance''s turn to pause. Oh for the love of. Flash, send to Flash. Never mind.


    Back at the Quinjet, Flash and Scott were talking about symbiotes and what Scott could expect from Maria, being a host. Flash leaned back and shook his head,


    ¡°Uh Natasha just contacted me, the camp is an Augmented holding facility. She wants to know if they are to proceed?¡±


    Scott looked at him, ¡°you can talk at this distance?¡± and Flash half shrugged,


    ¡°I could probably get Parker if he was paying attention. I don''t like it though, it''s kinda creepy hearing someone''s voice in your head and wondering if it''s telepathy or you''ve just gone crazy.¡±


    Flash rolled his eyes, ¡°Yeah I know. Natasha says she doesn''t care if it''s creepy, what are your orders?¡±


    ¡°Surveillance, and if the facility is more secure than they can handle, we all go in. Can you tell her that?¡± Fury asked and Flash nodded


    ¡°Done and done. They will report back once they get closer to the base.¡±


    At the cable Natasha laughed, Flash, yeah, it could be worse though. At least he¡¯s got Steve to keep an eye on him. What are you going to do about Scott?


    As the pair stood and began to follow the cable to the camp,


    Nothing and I don''t want to talk about it, but Widow put a hand on Vengencenes shoulder,


    You might not want to but we both know relationships on a team are bad. Even I don¡¯t go hunting with Pete. Emotions make us stupid, and love makes us crazy and stupid.


    Vengeance snorted, who said I love him, ten minutes in the back of a quinjet and a coffee date isn''t love.


    No, but it is a start.


    Vengeance sighed, you just won''t let it go huh? You know you¡¯re a hypocrite, ten minutes in a restroom and you went all gooey-eyed too


    Then you should listen to me, separate it out, stay on the same team but take a command role. Fury misses fieldwork and with Enhancement, he can get out again, you need CnC and you¡¯re the best operator there is, Widow stopped, shit. Think we can?


    What was in front of the pair was still obviously an abandoned coal mine, but built into the thick steep walls were massive steel walkways, control towers with anti-aircraft guns and a lot of security guards, all wearing heavy body armour and carrying Hydra pulse weapons.


    Can you see the security grid? And Widow nodded. There were pencil-thin lines surrounding certain areas, invisible to normal senses but clear as day to the pair. Then yes. I can get access to a control tower, set the guns to fire into the camp, while you go rescue your father. Not every upgrade is a great idea.


    Widow knew what she meant, newer technology meant easier access for the technopathic Vengeance. If the systems were integrated enough they might not even need to disable anything, simply shut everyone out but themselves and stroll into the prison as if they owned it. Widow knew though, it was never that easy.


    If this is a Hydra facility, then the Augments should be contained by their shitty collars, see if you can bypass the control system and free them all. A riot should be enough of a distraction without making too much noise.


    But a lot more casualties, you okay with that?


    Widow shrugged, better them than us, and I bet you anything while they might be enemies of the state, they probably aren''t the greatest people either.


    How are your telepathic senses? Vengeance asked Widow


    Fair to none, I can sense minds, talk to other symbiotes but controlling or mind-reading isn''t part of my skill set, you?


    A lot better, you need to get an upgrade, and the proper way, not by draining Parker dry. I can sense at least twenty-five guards, and a few minds I''m not touching as they sense me, can you feel them, like bonfires in the dark.


    Widow shook her head, if they¡¯re telepaths like us, they¡¯ll feel my scan.


    Fine, your father is in security block beta, along with the other Red Room rejects, I can get the guards to look the other way while you slip in, I¡¯ve found a few Augments who really don''t like their cages.


    Widow gave her a two-finger affirmative and headed towards the lightly guarded areas. While enhanced by formula their powers were like hers originally, minor strength upgrades, a bit faster but nothing like Cap or Peter. The Red Room formula, as Gwen often called it, was garbage and now she had a taste of real power, she would never go back, and if there was a better option, of course she would take it,


    Hmph, and you would leave us? But Natasha laughed


    Widow, you know I would never give you up for the world, even if Pete can make new Extremis symbiotes, you''re my partner.


    Then, for all the work, back rubs and Pete, sleeps and bourbon, and lots and lots of soaking in the tub.


    If you weren''t in my head, I would say you were reading my mind, and you forgot, lots and lots of steaks, with sides.


    Then we hunt, save the old man and go home, and make Pete pamper us.


    We hunt.


    As the pair silently made their way through the deserted corridors, passing distracted guards who would conveniently stop to tie their shoelaces or open and check empty rooms, Widow easily bypassed the simple steel locks on the doors, making her way into the cellblock where her father was being held.


    As she approached the tables, she saw him. He was a mess. The once muscular man she remembered had been replaced by a slob. Massive beer belly hung over prison pants and his beard was grey and untrimmed. If Santa Claus went on a whiskey and hamburger diet, he would look like that.


    ¡°So, I punch Captain America, flip him over and as I am about to deliver the killing blow his stupid metal shield ricochets off the wall and hits me in the head. A lesser man would have been decapitated but not me. I am the Red Guardian and my bones are steel.¡± but the group of men surrounding him just jeered and scoffed, not only had they heard the story before but each time it was embellished upon until he was fighting a hundred men and Captain America all by himself. ¡°What, you don''t like? Maybe we arm wrestle instead, maybe you want to see just how I beat him eh?¡± and as the men went quiet, he frowned as he felt something impact his cheek.


    Looking around he saw a hand, clad all in black beckoning him to one of the corners. ¡°Hey, you, give me smoke. I want time to collect my thoughts,¡± and one of the smaller men slid a pack over to him, and grabbing it from the table he moved over to the corner and lit one.


    ~


    ¡°Those¡¯ll kill you, you know,¡± Widow told him as he took a draw,


    ¡°Eh, the cold will kill me, the Red Room will kill me, everything will kill me, but nothing has so far, so why not enjoy life?¡± he spoke to the air,


    ¡°You¡¯re not surprised?¡± she asked,


    ¡°Only disappointed you took so long. It has been ten years Natalia. Look, look at my fat belly. They feed us too much, make us soft, and keep us quiet.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and nobody makes you eat it. You look like shit Alexsi. But, I need you for a mission, so, once the party starts, we¡¯re leaving.¡±


    ¡°Bah, you can¡¯t call me father just this once? or even dad. I was a good dad, you know.¡±


    ¡°Right until you sold me and my sister to the Red Room and then abandoned us, Can we not do this right now?¡±


    ¡°I have you trapped in a corner, waiting for a mystery event. If not now then when? You always deflect, always ignore me. Come now Talia, tell papa how you have been.¡±


    Widow cursed, ¡°Fine. I¡¯m shacking up with an American boy, host to a super-powered alien, and right now about to break your stupid sorry ass out of jail so we can find sis, mom and then go destroy the remains of Hydra and the Red Room. Happy?¡±


    ¡°American? You stoop so low, why American? Even a European would be better, they are so-¡± but he froze as he felt the hand on the back of his neck


    ¡°Not a single word. If, and I mean if I don¡¯t drop you the minute we¡¯re done with you, then you get to meet him, then you get to be the indignant father in law, and then I get to watch him kick you up and down Manhattan as his powers make Cap look like a school kid, but until then quiet, smoke, and wait.¡±


    ¡°Ahh true love, just like your mother. So feisty and like a giant bear protecting her cubs.¡± and as he took a draw on the cigarette the alarm went off and the guards along the barbed wire fence all left. ¡°I think your party has started. What did your friends do?¡±


    ¡°Friend and she switched off the control collars in the Augmented section.¡±


    Alesxi''s face scrunched up, ¡°Augmented? You mean mutant right?¡± and he turned and swiped the air a few times before he found her, ¡°please tell me you did not turn them all off?¡± and as an explosion rocked the prison, Widow shimmered and appeared, and she shrugged.


    ¡°Oh you,¡± and Alexsi devolved into a stream of Russian swear words. ¡°This prison holds enemies of the state, and the mutant population are all those who would kill anyone human. You have made a mistake Talia, a huge mistake,¡± but she shrugged


    ¡°Not my problem. My problem is standing, arguing when we should be leaving, come on.¡±


    Alexsi huffed and dropped the cigarette, ¡°then let''s go,¡± he roared, ¡°Prison break!¡± and the men at the table looked around at the continuing chaos in confusion. Alexsi roared again ¡°I said prison break you sons of bitches, MOVE!¡± and the men at the tables all scattered towards the gates.


    ¡°See, we make a little plan of our own.¡± and he grinned.


    ¡°Nice, and now the exits are blocked and we need to take out the guards coming to quell it.¡± and his shoulders slumped. Widow patted him on the shoulder, ¡°Nice try though, I guess.¡±


    As the pair moved towards the planned exit ¡°always complaining, never good enough,¡± Alexsi muttered under his breath


    Got the package, some minor trouble but nothing we can handle, you?


    All clear here, the Augments are clearing the guards out as we speak. The Russians. Wait.


    As Widow and Alexsi moved to the empty guard station Widow smashed the safety glass and hit the gate release. As the pair made their way down the empty corridors,


    Nat, we have a problem. There are kids being held here.


    And?


    I¡¯m going to ignore that, we have to rescue them.


    Not the mission. Russians have no qualms about using kids. We don¡¯t know why they¡¯re here. Maria, don¡¯t.


    There was no answer, and Widow cursed.


    ¡°Do you know why there are kids here?¡± she asked Alexsi.


    Alexsi scratched his beard, ¡°if they are in the mutant section they are probably embarrassments to the government, some generals kids, or maybe just too dangerous, who knows.¡±


    Widow sighed, ¡°Where is the containment centre?¡± and he shook his head,


    ¡°Oh no, that is suicide. If Omega catches you, he will kill you and then us all.¡±


    ¡°Omega?¡± and Alexsi sighed


    ¡°The Red Room discovered your American Charles Xavier''s research and used it to make their own mutant super-soldier, like you know, that claw guy. Omega. Top agent of the Red Room, enhanced using mutant formula.¡± and he shivered, ¡°but now, he is a giant who sucks the life out of anyone and anything, totally crazy, and I know crazy.¡± he explained. ¡°He hates them though, didn¡¯t work,¡± and he laughed, ¡°when does any of their stupid shit though eh?¡± and when she just frowned and raised an eyebrow he dismissed her with a wave. ¡°We cannot go anywhere near the mutant cells. He will have taken them, and anyone going there is dead.¡±


    Widow shrugged, ¡°They caught him once, and you have me to protect you.¡±


    Alexsi stopped and raised a hand to her, ¡°See, you do care, protecting your papa. Come give me a hug.¡± and he lifted both arms and Widow just continued to walk, ¡°bah, always so stubborn, just like your mother.¡±


    Widow stopped and took a breath, ¡°Enough, I don''t need you for anything other than getting to mom. I¡¯m saving your ass so you can lead us to the Red Room and Hydra, otherwise, I¡¯d leave you to rot in this hellhole.¡±


    Alexsi laughed ¡°Hydra, those bastards, really? And I don''t believe you, Yelena could tell you, she¡¯s been tracking them for years. She sends me a Christmas card each year, sometimes even a little bottle, but you,¡° and he waved a hand at her, ¡°you get to America and you forget your roots. You are here because you come for forgiveness. I know you too well Talia, you say you don''t care, but I know,¡± and as she shook her head he laughed, ¡°Come then, we see if this super alien is enough to take the Omega. Better than rotting and getting fat.¡±


    Widow shook her head, ¡°You already got fat.¡±


    Alexsi slapped his stomach, ¡°this, this is to protect my organs, perfectly normal in a super-soldier.¡±


    ~


    There were no guards as they quietly walked to the Augmented Centre, and as they approached they could what the gunfire and the screams,


    ¡°See, not good. We should just go to your friends.¡± but Widow ignored him. ¡°Are we doing this again? I can talk for both of us you know,¡± Alexsi shook his head, ¡°just like your mother, so stubborn,¡± but Widow raised a closed fist, and he was quiet.


    I really hate doing this but shut the hell up. I¡¯m not getting shot because you can¡¯t be quiet for five minutes.


    Mind reading, you do have some nice powers, but uh, don¡¯t go looking, me and your mother were very happy in-


    OOOOk-lahoma, where the wind comes sweepin'' down the plain,


    And the wavin'' wheat can sure smell sweet, When the wind comes right behind the rain.


    OOOOk-lahoma, Ev''ry night my honey lamb and I, Sit alone and talk and watch a hawk makin'' lazy circles in the sky.


    What the hell? You sing show tunes?


    Widow shook her head, no, it''s my defence against hostile telepaths, or in this case, idiots.


    What? It gets boring in prison. Hey, do you know Hair?


    When the moon is in the Seventh House


    And Jupiter aligns with Mars


    Then peace will guide the planets


    And love will steer the stars


    This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius


    Age of Aquarius


    Aquarius


    Aquarius


    Oh for the love of god stop! And both Widow and Natasha realised exactly how annoying that was when the off-key Alexsi started singing one of his favourite songs in his head


    Can we eat him? Widow asked


    No, junk food is bad for you


    Wait, who is that?


    Widow, I told you, host to a super alien, that¡¯s her.


    Wait? You weren¡¯t kidding? I thought you were making fun of me.


    Introductions later, situational awareness and not getting shot right now.


    Fine fine, but we will be having a long talk about not getting pregnant with an alien baby.


    I will shoot you and claim the guards did it, be quiet.


    Alexsi raised his hands in surrender, and Widow crouched and stuck her head around the corridor exit. A large orange jumpsuit man with waving tentacles was busy attacking and killing guards. As they pierced through bodies she could see the corpse wither.


    Shit, can we survive that?


    We do not know, but we would not like to find out.


    Natasha agreed. Diplomacy?


    We are not the ones who are attacking, he may listen.


    Diplomacy it is then.


    Standing, she motioned to Alexsi to remain where he was and raising both her arms, walked around the corner.


    ¡°Hey big guy, not here for you. Just freeing some of your friends.¡±


    ¡°Russian?¡± he asked in a thick accent and she shook her head,


    ¡°Escaped Red Room survivor, Widow Program.¡±


    He frowned and nodded, ¡°Who you after?¡± and lowering her arms Widow walked towards him,


    ¡°My partner spotted some kids in the detainment centre, them.¡± and the man tapped his collar,


    ¡°This you?¡± and she nodded, ¡°Follow, you have escape route?¡±


    ¡°After we get the kids, sorry big guy but I know who you are.¡± and he shrugged,


    ¡°Not interested in kids or women, only revenge.¡±


    Nat, what are you doing? Vengeance asked her. She could see the fighting on the security camera and was busy locking down as much of the prison as she could while keeping their escape route free.


    Getting the kids, but be ready, once he knows we have a jet he might not take no for an answer. Get Fury ready, this might be a grab and dash and I don¡¯t want to stand waiting while he gets the quinjet prepped.


    Understood, most of the fighting is on the other side of the compound, your new friend already killed the guards at this entrance.


    Widow could feel the hostility rolling from him in waves, but it wasn¡¯t aimed at her. Alexsi had been right and he was angry, but she knew from experience it wouldn''t take much for that anger to be directed at her and the rest, once he saw something he wanted.


    ¡°Kids are in there, hiding.¡± the man said, waving a hand at the compound''s kitchen, ¡°Now, you owe me. You have escape route, transport. I want to come with you.¡± but Widow shook her head,


    ¡°I need a guarantee you won''t hurt me, them or anyone else on my team, can you do that?¡± and he shrugged.


    ¡°You are not Red Room, I do not care. You have my word.¡± but Widow shook her head,


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean a lot. Once we get going You¡¯ll let me switch that collar back on, and you trust me to switch it off once we¡¯re gone.¡± and the man snorted,


    ¡°Red Room paranoia, always the same. Omega does go back on his word. I agree, but remember I am trained, just like you, and I do not need my power to hurt you if you betray me.¡± and he motioned to the barricaded door, ¡°You might not like us, but we look after our own, especially from secret service.¡± and Widow moved forwards and tapped on the door,


    ¡°Hello, we¡¯ve come to rescue you, can I come in?¡± and she could hear muffled talk,


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Shield,¡± she lied, as her termination notice had come in not long after she tendered her resignation.


    Omega tutted but stood with his arms crossed, and she just rolled her eyes at him


    ¡°We can take you home, but I need to dismantle the barricade, please don''t attack me.¡± and as she waited,


    ¡°Okay.¡± and two skinny children appeared next to her.


    One was a small girl, almost the same height as Laura, with long brown hair and a cute freckled face. Natasha put her age at maybe eleven if she was looked after, but it was the other that made her step back and draw her gun,


    ¡°Nightcrawler.¡± and he froze, ¡°Move away from the girl.¡± and the little girl grabbed on tightly to him,


    ¡°NO!¡± she yelled and a shimmering form appeared on her shoulder, and even Widow took a step back as a tiny purple dragon appeared and roared at her,


    ¡°Nightcrawler, let the girl go.¡±


    As the dragon reared and spread its wings it leapt and dived into the sky before heading towards Widow,


    ¡°No vait, I am not him,¡± but it was too late, the dragon spewed blue fire at Widow who had flipped backwards and was raising her pistol.


    ¡°Please do not hurt her,¡± Nightcrawler said as he stepped in front of the little girl, ¡°I am not who you think I am¡± and as Widow rolled back and raised the gun at the dragon she lifted it and nodded,


    ¡°Okay, sorry. He attacked a friend of mine, same blue skin, same power as well.¡±


    ¡°I know, my father. He came with another man and they told him, ¡®behave or we kill him¡¯,¡± and Kurt¡¯s eyes watered, ¡°they held a gun to my head.¡±


    Why would I send you to rescue two kids if they attacked Parker? Get a grip, Nat. They¡¯re like ten


    Yeah yeah, but you don¡¯t think it''s a coincidence?


    We can worry about that later, right now, two kids plus the big guy, get back to the jet, I¡¯ll finish up here.


    ¡°That all the children?¡± Widow asked and the pair nodded, ¡°Good, then we¡¯re leaving. Alexsi, stop hiding and get your ass over here.¡±


    Alexsi stuck his head around the corner ¡°They won¡¯t attack me right?¡± and Widow rolled her eyes, ¡°of course, of course. Alexsi, I uh, am Red Guardian, and I know you. Omega, but.¡±


    Widow interrupted him, ¡°Introductions later. Escape now. Omega, we can take you but only if you behave. Or you can stay here if you want.¡±


    ¡°You are attacking Red Room?¡± and she nodded, ¡°then I come with you. I know their facilities and the location of their main headquarters. But they have many collared mutants, and many of your super soldiers, and not the fat kind.¡±


    ~


    As Widow and her now small band of rescues made their way back to the quinjet, Scott was having an issue.


    ¡°Is it always like this?¡± he asked as Steven and Flash played cards and Fury sat in the control chair with a cloth over his face.


    Sighing as he leant forwards ¡°No, it''s never like this. Normally you have one agent, Command and Control, who monitors planted communications and coordinates the team. Normally that would be Maria, and the rest of us would be out at the prison.¡±


    Scott frowned, ¡°so what gives?¡± and Fury raised an eyebrow


    ¡°She didn''t say?¡± and as Scott shook his head Fury sighed, ¡°shit. Maria has issues, and more than just what you did in the back of the jet.¡± and as Scott opened his mouth to defend himself Fury raised a hand, ¡°I don''t care, I really don''t. I get enough of that crap from Parker, and if Hill goes the same route, I really really don''t care.¡±


    ¡°It''s not like that.¡± Scott huffed, and Fury laughed,


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re all Enhanced here, son. We could feel the vibrations through the deck plating.¡° but he rubbed a hand over his face, ¡°she¡¯ll tell you eventually, but Maria lost her best friend, hell her only friend, and she took it hard. Lesson one. This life changes you, death and sacrifice are part of what we do, either theirs or sometimes, yours. And she took Sharon''s death really hard. That was her deal with Parker, she got what she wanted and I guess so did he. But, now that''s your job. Maria doesn''t date, she doesn''t socialise, she doesn''t have friends or lovers. She had Sharon, and now she has you.¡± and as Fury spotted the group approaching on the back bay doors, ¡°and she has a lot of pent up aggression aimed at a particular group. But don''t talk to me about it, talk to her.¡±


    Fury leant forward and flicked the bay door control switch and the small group waited until it was open before embarking, As he watched them he spotted there were two kids and another augmented with them and sighing he stood, ¡°This life isn''t easy, and you will lose friends, people you care about,¡± and as he scowled, he tapped his patch, ¡°an eye, but we make the world a better place, and while your professor won''t say this.¡± and he leaned forward, ¡°sometimes that means ripping out a problem at the roots.''''


    As the five entered the back of the quinjet, Fury stood with his arms crossed, ¡°the kids I get, but him?¡± and Omega nodded.


    ¡°Fury, it has been a while, I see you still only have the one eye.¡± and Fury turned to Maria


    ¡°Allowing a hostile Russian agent on the team is crossing the line Maria, what were you thinking?¡± but she shrugged,


    ¡°That a secret base filled with enemy combatants needs as many people as possible to take it down, that right now we need someone with knowledge of the layout of the base and what kind of resistance we can encounter, and judging by Alexsi, someone who can actually fight.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I am in great shape.¡± and as Alexsi saw Steve, he patted his stomach, ¡°for a man my age. Hello, I am Natasha''s father, are you the American she is dating?¡± and as Steve looked over confused at Natasha she rubbed a hand over her eyes,


    ¡°No dad, that''s Steve, Steve Rogers, the one you keep telling people you beat.¡± and Alexsi looked confused for a moment and then burst out laughing,


    ¡°Him? No, he is not Captain America, he is too short.¡± and Steve now looked confused,


    ¡°Want to explain?¡± he asked Natasha who sighed,


    ¡°Dad. It was faked. You didn''t fight Captain America, he was frozen in Antarctica. They used you for propaganda.¡± and Alexsi laughed and shook his head,


    ¡°No No little Tali, I know Captain America when I see him. Where is his shield, and his uh¡± and he motioned to his chest, ¡°his costume. I know you like tricks, Captain America is taller than me, with muscles that bulge like trees under his red, white, and blue uniform, and his shield with its star in the centre. Not this beardy, little man.¡±


    Maria shook her head, ¡°Yeah, you can explain that. Come on kids, we can get some rations heated up,¡± and she looked over at Scott, who was giving her a strange look, ¡°what? Their Augments like you, and uh. I think he¡¯s the original Nightcrawler, which means¡± and as she looked at the young girl, Scott clicked,


    ¡°Russian, young girl.¡± That was probably Colossus''s little sister. Shaw probably kept them hidden as leverage. As he nodded and they moved to find something warm for them to drink, Fury placed his hand on Scott''s shoulder,


    ¡°And that''s the reason we do it. Two kids who we can take with us and give a better life.¡± and Scott nodded. Fury was right, moments like these were worth the blood you spilled.


    ~


    The kids had been fed, even if it was just reconstituted pasta and meat sauce, and were sleeping in the small bunk room while the adults talked. Alexsi was still in shock that Russia had lied to him, and that the bearded man before him was the actual Captain America.


    Fury eyed Omega, who had stretched out over two seats and had drank more coffee than the rest combined, forgoing a meal. ¡°I can feel your glaring Fury, we are allies now, once the Red Room is gone, then you can glare.¡±


    ¡°And that''s the problem. Last time I saw you you were working for the Red Room, and you seemed pretty happy about it too.¡± but Omega snorted,


    ¡°Times change director, times change. The Room became more about experimentation and not crushing you capitalist pig dogs beneath our glorious red boots. And now, here we are, neither glorious nor a director. I will keep my word, but, when the deal is done, then we have this discussion again.¡± and as he closed his eyes Fury just shook his head.


    ¡°ETA is five minutes,¡± Natasha announced over the intercom, and the group started to prepare.


    Alexsi stretched, ¡°it will be good to see my wife again, it has been five years since her last visit you know. We get calls but, bah, it is not the same. You really need a good woman to get relief eh?¡± and while Maria gave Scott a smirk, Steve and Flash just shook their heads,


    ¡°Conjugal visits aside, what can we expect? Is this going to be a trap?¡± but Alexsi shook his head,


    ¡°My Melina? No. She likes her labs too much to care about what we are doing. She will help us if I ask her to, but please, do not be too hard on her, they have our other daughter.¡±


    ¡°Other daughter?¡± Steve asked, ¡°Nat never mentioned a sister,¡± and Alexsi laughed,


    ¡°Oh, those two were inseparable, well until the Red Room separated them. Little Yelena never forgave any of us for that, even Nat. but little sisters eh?¡± and he laughed but all the only children in the group had no idea what it was like to have a sibling.


    ¡°Yes Alexsi, we know. She¡¯ll probably try and shoot me, or you, or us both. But let''s get Melina first okay?¡± Nat spoke over the intercom,


    ¡°Bah, would it kill you to call her mom? You can be mad at me, but not her, you¡¯ll break her heart.¡± but the intercom was silent, ¡°never have children eh, they grow up, become independent and then call, never right, and when you try to reach out, they shoot at you.¡± he said to Scott, who was getting glances from Maria,


    ¡°I uh, ¡° Scott stammered, and Maria moved over and sat in the seat next to him,


    ¡°What Scott means is we¡¯re arriving, so buckle up.¡± and she glared at Alexsi how shrugged and grappled with his belt for a few moments before fastening it,


    ~


    Melina checked the fences once more and the early warning system was still beeping at her, as she frowned at her tablet and worked her way through all the sensors it suddenly stopped. That was just worrying at it suddenly starting, as it meant that whatever it was had gotten at the defences of her fame. Defences she had specifically set up in case the Red Room came looking for her.


    As she moved from the driveway and into the open plan kitchen, she pulled open the cutlery drawer and reached for the pistol magnetically attached and spun. Sitting at the table was Natalia, her Natalia,


    ¡°Hey, Melina. Alexsi is outside, but he¡¯s worried¡± and she raised an eyebrow at the gun pointed at her.


    Melina raised an eyebrow and looking at the pistol she shrugged and returned it to its hiding place, ¡°Your father would be upset to hear you call his name. Natalia.¡± but Natasha shrugged,


    ¡°It''s Natasha now, Red Room.¡± but Melina sighed and sat across from her,


    ¡°The name doesn''t matter, and the Red Room will take care of itself, given time. They go too far and push too much.¡± and Natasha shrugged,


    ¡°I don''t care. They hurt a few of my friends, and well. '''' and Melina frowned and took Natashas hand,


    ¡°You are cured? And more?¡± Pulling her arm over she laid a finger on her wrist and rubbed a thumb over the back of her hand, ¡°The original? No, more, no adverse cellular damage,¡± and her curiosity got the better of her and taking a penlight from her pocket tilted Natasha''s head and flicked it into her eyes. ¡°Better reflexes, no neurological damage. Shield?¡± and Natasha shook her head, ¡°Oh Talia, who did this.¡±


    ¡°No. Red Room, Yelena, and then we can talk. A line was crossed, and the Red Room needs to learn.¡± and as she lifted her cuff, she spoke into her mic, ¡°yeah, everyone can come in, might as well get comfy for the debrief.¡± and Melina shook her head,


    ¡°I¡¯ll make tea.¡±


    ~


    ¡°So, you are going to assault the Red Room, take out its leaders, shut down the production of MGH and free any of the remaining Omega and Widow test subjects, is that right?¡± Melina asked, holding a cup of tea while the rest of the team sat around her breakfast table.


    With nothing to do Scott and Flash had bonded over a mutual dislike of Parker and were sat together, while Fury, Maria, and Natasha all sat at the other end of the table. Omega had opted to wait outside. He knew Melina and had no fondness for her or her experiments, and Alexsi was sitting holding her hand while they went over their plans.


    ¡°Sounds about right, we¡¯d just nuke the site from orbit, just to be sure, but the UN frowns on that kind of thing these days, so we¡¯ve got the next best thing.¡± and Natasha motioned over at Scott.


    ¡°Mutant with concussive eye blast. We know about Summers, your brother was similar?¡± but Scott frowned,


    ¡°Brother?¡± and Melina hmphed and shrugged,


    ¡°Not important. Your plan is stupid and will not work. The Red Room has a lot of collared guards, and a lot of mutants too. You are walking into a death trap, no matter who you bring.¡± and she motioned to Omega outside, staring off into the distance.


    ¡°It''s Augments, not mutants, and we¡¯ll be fine. We just need a location, and if Yelena is there.¡±


    ¡°Your sister?¡± Steve asked, ¡°Is that a problem?¡±


    Natasha shook her head, ¡°If the Red Room is still using the same formula and training, then she isn''t an issue.¡± but Alexsi scoffed,


    ¡°You look down on us too much Tali. The Red Room did more during the cold war than you know, and is more dangerous than you give it credit for.¡±


    It was Natasha''s turn to shake her head, ¡°Stacey, Parker, Webb, not just us but more, you have files on us all?¡± but he gave Melina a confused look.


    ¡°I do not understand. Captain, yes, Shield yes, and experiments done by Howard Stark and Bruce Banner. We know all that.¡±


    Natasha stood and let Widow cover her, slipping her maw and dosing the room with fear. Every agent stood and had weapons drawn pointing at her, except Maria who scoffed and drank her tea.


    ¡°We are Widow, and you know nothing.¡±


    As the room calmed down, Melina lowered the pistol she had been hiding under the kitchen table, ¡°are you all?¡± but they shook their heads, except Flash and Maria, ¡°So, some kind of bio armour, with a new formula? It is still not enough.¡± and Widow laughed and a tendril stretched out and grabbed her cup, and as the armoured form drained the scalding hot liquid Natasha shrank back down,


    ¡°I have more powers, but those are secret¡± as she caught Furys disapproving look, ¡°The Red Room will fall, and I will save my sister.¡±


    Melina shook her head, ¡°You know she is Black Widow now?¡± and Natasha shrugged,


    ¡°Wait? Aren''t you?¡± Steve asked but Natasha sighed,


    ¡°It''s a code name for the project, there were at least twenty different Widows when I defected.¡±


    ¡°The count is now in the hundreds. The Red Room saw you as something to aspire to, to try and copy.¡± Melina poured more tea from the pot into her cup ¡°Yelena saw you as something to aspire to, even if it was to kill you. Can you? She will not back down, and the Red Room has its ways of making sure she obeys.¡±


    Natasha sighed, ¡°the collars, the chips and the bracelets. We can disable them, if they work from a central point, probably all at once. The tech isn¡¯t too far away from something else we¡¯ve seen. Peter,¡± but then she paused, as Alexsi and looked at his wife knowingly,


    ¡°So, his name is Peter. Your American?¡± and Milena frowned


    ¡°You have a boyfriend?¡± and Natasha stared at her cup but nodded.


    Fury interrupted them, ¡°Natashas love life aside, can we please stick to the plan?¡± and as Natasha gave Fury a small smile and a nod he continued, ¡°We have more than enough firepower to take out the base. We don''t have the intel on the location. That''s why we¡¯re here.¡±


    Melina waved a hand, ¡°I cannot tell you. I am still under their directives. Even if I wanted and believe me I do, I still cannot. The chips they use are my design, and who do you think they tested it on eh?¡± and as Natasha frowned she moved behind Melina and lifted the back of her hair, revealing a scar along the nape of her neck.


    Snorting Natasha placed a hand on the scar ¡°this might, no just don''t move¡± and Melia gasped and her eyes bulged as Natasha let Widow extend into the scar tissue and connect with the device,


    See, told you


    Mom, new mom, you are more open than Peter''s mom. We like her, can we take her home?


    No Widow, she is staying here


    Widow, you can talk to your armour?


    Natasha sighed, it''s not armour Melina, it''s a symbiote, and yes,


    Do we start singing? Or is mom allowed to see our thoughts?


    What? Melina!


    What? I was curious, and you are very lucky, even your father is not


    Natasha pulled her hand away after Widow had connected to and deactivated the control chip, ¡°If you finish that sentence, I will shoot you,¡± and Melina laughed and took her hand, gently rubbing it,


    ¡°Thank you, it is good to be able to think again. Right, now that is over, we have a plan to make. Talia dear, the armoury is in the pantry, the keycode is 97764535. And yes, Widow. We are coming back to America with you. I want to meet the boy who took my daughter, and I am not taking no for an answer.¡±


    ~


    First, you have to actually find the Room. Nobody can pinpoint its exact location as it constantly moves.


    With Fury at the controls, finding the massive flying super structure wasn¡¯t as hard as they imagined. It was a flying fortress, and Fury had imagined having one of his own to house Shield at one point but the cost was too much and the WSC had vetoed his plans. Feeling a slight twinge of jealousy he manoeuvred the quinjet into a follow pattern, right at the edge of their radar''s limit. They could follow, and hopefully not be detected.


    Then, the Room has active scanners that operate to not just detect incoming threats but monitor for civilian aircraft and keep the Room out of everyone''s way. Your quinjet should be able to skirt the edge of them but approaching will give away your position immediately. You need to be ready for a rough flight in,


    Each member of the strike team was ready, and while it would sting, so was Fury. The best option was to simply jet straight into the hangar, taking out any resistance with the crash and then assault the Room directly. Nobody was expecting this to be a quiet mission, and everyone expected a lot of casualties.


    We have our own jet, not as sturdy as yours but we can wait for your signal, and then come collect you and whoever you rescue, oh and the kids are staying here.


    ¡°Okay people, burn in five, four, three,¡± and as he silently finished the countdown, he hit the afterburners on the quinjets engines and they shot towards the fortress at subsonic speeds.


    Even as they approached rapidly, primed and ready turrets spun and fired, but Maria was ready. Connected to the quinjet, her knowledge of its systems allowed her to connect and anti emplacement missiles streaked towards the turrets and they exploded. Fury had already banked the jet, and as they hit the landing pad with a screech of metal on metal, he swung the jet round and back ended the hangar doors.


    Metal crumpled and was blown inwards as the red hot engines of the quinjet blasted into the, sending razor-sharp debris everywhere. Soldiers, ready and waiting in position to fire on the incoming intruders, screamed as the red hot shrapnel reduced them to a pulp.


    Cyclops and the rest unbuckled themselves and as he touched his visor the bright red beam whummed from his visor and the back of the jet evaporated under its concussive force.


    ¡°Everyone out. You have your orders.¡± Fury shouted into their comms and the teams separated and split, each with their own mission to fulfil.


    We need more than one team, a team to secure the command deck, a team to search for mutant, sorry, augmented prisoners, a team to delay the security teams, and a team to deal with Yelena and Madame Hydra, who you know as Viper.


    Each team separated, wary of incoming soldiers, and as they nodded one last time to each other they headed into the complex.


    Command and Control is on the top deck, five floors above the main hangar. You will face Augment guards, but they won''t be too destructive, nobody wants to blow up a vital system when fighting off a defender.


    So much for non-destructive, Fury thought to himself as the hulking Augment ripped off a wall panel and swung it down the corridor at the pair. Small arms fire simply bounced off its thick gelatinous skin. This ¡®blob¡¯ wasn¡¯t strong, he simply was. Large enough to block the corridor the pair were trapped as he threw whatever came to hand at them.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Fury asked as he slid another clip into his pistol, wishing he had taken one of those pulse pistols Hydra used.


    ¡°I could see if a kick in the nuts works?¡± Maria replied glibly, and as he thought about it she shook her head, ¡°I¡¯ll do much better.¡± and as she screamed Vengeance covered her and her hands became thick bladed axes. ¡°Bacon for breakfast¡± she screeched before diving out into the corridor


    In the lower decks, the Hydra agents will have short-range pulse pistols, they are lower energy than the rifles and won''t damage the superstructure. You however must deal with them and the Augments soldiers they send. We trained tough and strong, no blaster types like your friend here.


    Damn phoney intel, Webb cursed as he dived away from another blast. A large tattooed black man with a strange energy rifle was being fired at by the soldiers behind him and with each pulse, he glowed a red colour and the rifle he carried charged and fired.


    ¡°Webb, can you vanish?¡± Nomad asked as he took another hit to his arrow-shaped shield. If he had his proper one he could have ricocheted it around the strange Augment to get to the ones powering him up, but this was just a shield.


    ¡°I can try, but I think those blasts are wide enough it¡¯ll catch me.¡± and Nomad held his hand to his chest and pointed at the roof. Nodding Webb shimmered and as the mutant recharged, he leapt straight up and onto the ceiling.


    The prisoners are being held over the facility, some are in the medical wings, for implantation of the chips before they are allowed to use their powers. Samples are taken of useful powers and useless ones are taken for MGH production. You will have to make your way across several floors to get to them all.


    ¡°It feels good to stretch!¡± Alexsi shouted as he batted another soldier with his crude shield. Melina had maintained his armour and copy of Captains disc, and while it had been a struggle to get the armour over his now much larger gut it still fitted. His aim of throwing the shield had taken a little getting used to, but once he had hefted the weapon a few times it was once more a deadly instrument in his hands.


    Cyclops shook his head, he had expected this to be more of a coordinated team effort, but his first lesson had been simple


    No plan survives contact with the enemy,


    And right now, as he focused his blasts into the narrowest beam he could, he understood that. Kitty should have attacked Gambit and then moved away. Once they realised his powers were touch-based she shouldn''t have been anywhere near him until he was contained.


    Even the fat supposedly useless Alexsi was showing him more in this fight than the professor ever had. Contain, neutralise, and then move on, if they have a gun, you stay in cover, if they have a knife, you use a gun. Logan was a great combat instructor, but he was being held back by the professor''s constant nitpicking over treatment of the enemy. As Cyclops blasted another soldier, making sure they were down and zip-tying their hands and feet together, he knew this was the right choice.


    Madame Hydra¡¯s control room is in the centre of the fortress. She likes to think of herself as a spider, sitting in its web. Yelena is there with her, take care though, She is more than you remember, even after the Widow treatment she was different to the others.


    ¡°So good of you to join us,¡± Madame Hydra spoke, softly as if she was happy to see them. The petite blonde haired woman sat in a jade green throne, holding a glass of red wine in one hand and a remote control in the other, ¡°And while your friends are proving troublesome, I at least get to enjoy the show.¡± as she clicked the remote control Natasha''s little sister, Yelena walked forwards. Her white body armour, with red undersuit highlighted just how pale she was, and the light blonde hair framing her face did nothing to hide the blank but serious look on her face.


    ¡°The traitors return to find me, so I save the best for you. Your sister, Say hello White Widow, or maybe Omega Widow, We haven''t thought of a good name yet.¡±


    Drawing a sword from her back, Yelena took an aggressive stance and Madame Hydra stepped down from her throne she pressed an injector gun to Yelena¡¯s neck, letting the orange MGH formula spread through her system.


    ¡°Kill them.¡±


    ~


    ¡°I thought this was supposed to be easy,¡± Fury shouted as Blob ducked under another blow. The huge man was surprisingly nimble and even as Vengeance carved off another slice he ignored her and it regenerated.


    ¡°You ain¡¯t getting past me,¡± Blob shouted as Vengeance sliced at a meaty arm, dancing away from his swing, ¡°Stay still and let me squash you.¡± Fighting in the corridor was as much of a hindrance to the large man as it was to Vengeance and Fury, but as the symbiote began to cackle it just made Blob angrier.


    As he dived forwards to grab her in a bear hug she jumped back and slashed at the floor, Under his weight the deck plate buckled as he fell, causing the compartment to shake as he thudded. One stab into the back of his head, a lot of webbing, and the large man lay loudly snoring as Vengeance stood over him, covering the rest of his bulk in webbing.


    ¡°I heard you should turn fat people on their sides, in case he suffocates,¡± Fury said as she worked but as she ignored him he tutted, ¡°just saying you know.¡±


    Across the facility, Nomad and Webb were encountering a similar problem. Shaw had been busy and as Nomad slammed his shield into the gut of another silver armoured soldier he huffed. Even with super strength and endurance fighting, multiple opponents was tiring. Webb seemed to be having fun though, and as he webbed the larger man''s feet together he whipped another line out, copying a move he had seen Poison do, but rather than explosives it was simply a heavy weight, clubbing anyone stupid enough to come close.


    As the whip swung by Nomad he heard Webb shout, ¡°on your left,¡± and as Nomad dodged to the right, the soldier trying to sneak up on him received the cudgel of webbing in the face and Nomad slammed his shield into his chin dropping the man like a stone. Taking a breath, ¡°I could do this all day,¡± Nomad muttered, ¡°I don''t want to, but I could.¡±


    As guards pulled away to deal with the incursion Alexsi and Cyclops carefully made their way into the detention centre. It was rows of cages, all stacked against a clinically white wall, housing one but no more than two people. Attached to drips Scott could see the resignation on the faces of the captives and the thick collars around their necks. Peter had provided Charles with intel on the original design they had found in Sokovia.


    ¡°We need to free these people and get them out of here¡± and Alexsi tutted,


    ¡°Too many, we cannot free them all, and once the defences are in place we will be joining them. But Cyclops shook his head,


    ¡°I can free them, but it''s risky and will draw attention to us.¡±


    Alexsi shrugged, ¡°once we crashed into the hanger we drew attention, do it.¡± and Cyclops moved until he was eye level with the bars on each cage,


    ¡°Move back¡± he shouted and as everyone moved away from the bars he blasted down the line, obliterating every lock in the row, and the end wall of the lab,


    ¡°Are you crazy, you said draw attention, not blow us all up.¡± and he pointed to some gas tanks Cyclops had failed to notice, ¡°actually if guards come, blow them up eh,¡± and he laughed while Cyclops moved to the other side and repeated the process. ¡°All right, we are here to liberate you from the Room, once you can move, get free, if you need help, just yell and our handsome young friend here will help you.¡± and as Cyclops frowned, ¡°I will guard you yes? And,¡± as Alexsi motioned to his red and white armour, with the hammer and sickle emblem on his shield, ¡°maybe wearing my old armour was not such a good idea.¡± as he noticed the hesitant, and sometimes angry stares he was getting from the prisoners.


    While Cyclops and Alexsi were trying to organise their escape, Widow and Omega were fighting for their lives.


    Omega was done on one knee, panting heavily as a mist of gas sprayed by Madame Hydra enveloped and choked him.


    Yelena hadn¡¯t changed, the MGH running through her system had altered her, and Widow could see the subtle changes in the way she stood. Whatever the Red Room had done to her was effective, and as she swung the short sword at Widow, brought her own symbblade up to parry it, she was caught with a kick across her abdomen and sent flying,


    What the hell? We need to put her down, stop slowing me down,


    She is family, and Peter taught us how important family is, we will not lose another, the pain was too much


    Pain? Oh shit,


    Widow ducked under a swung and as Yelena stepped to kick her again Widow jabbed her thigh and rolled back,


    You mean me, you don''t want to kill her as she¡¯s my sister, and you couldn''t bear the pain of me losing her.


    Widow fired off two taser blasts and Yelena brushed them aside with her sword.


    You know we¡¯ll have to, if she¡¯s got one of those chips in her head we can''t hold her long enough to short it out.


    We have a plan.


    Great, then stop stalling


    Promise us you will not die again, promise.


    Fine, I didn''t plan on dying the first time, do your thing.


    As Widow brought her sword around and as Yelena caught it with her own they were face to face. Widow peeled back from Natasha and she spread forwards and enveloped the woman in front of her.


    ¡°Shit, I did not expect that.¡±


    ~


    ¡°Communications are tapped, and we have full control,¡± Maria stated with her hand held over the main control panel of the control room.


    ¡°Get eyes on everyone else, see if they have speakers we can use to communicate,¡± and Maria''s eye flicked over to the screens as they changed to the various members Fury nodded, ¡°good.¡±


    They had left Blob and the other command crew stunned but secured. Maria may have been overboard on making sure they were incapacitated but so far she hasn''t killed anyone,


    ¡°Everyone is on target, and we have eyes on a ride home. ¡° maria flicked one monitor over to a secondary hanger, with smaller but fancier jets in it, ¡°Probably used by the Hydra Elites.¡± and Fury nodded,


    ¡°Any hostile activity?¡± and as a monitor changed Maria saw the garrison troop banging on a locked and secured door,


    ¡°They¡¯re trying, but won''t get far. I put the station on fire alert. All doors and exits are sealed to prevent it spreading.¡± but Fury frowned,


    ¡°And our people?¡± Maria snorted at the implication she had trapped them


    ¡°I cleared a route, emergency unlocks for fire control teams, and really?¡± but he shrugged,


    ¡°How do they get out?¡± but she shook her head,


    ¡°Don¡¯t work for murdering scumbags and you won¡¯t get to be trapped in a room with the oxygen switched off,¡± she said nonchalantly.


    As Maria''s security measures came into effect, Nomad and Webb noted the subtle change in the whine the air conditioning made. They knew that either Maria had taken the control room, or


    That was me, you¡¯re running on emergency air now, I¡¯ll open rooms you need access too but everything else is on lockdown. I¡¯ll update you if the situation changes.


    Webb winced as she broke off contact, ¡°Still weird huh?¡± Nomad asked him and he nodded with a scowl,


    ¡°I don''t think I¡¯ll ever get used to talking that way, it''s,¡± and he paused, ¡±it''s too personal.¡± He really needed to speak to Peter. He knew that Maria was as unused to speaking telepathically as he was. It was a good way to speak, no comms that could be jammed as far as he knew but the emotion behind each message, and the unspoken surface thoughts were too much. He now knew more about Maria and Scott than he really wanted to. Even if being single sucked, being single while everyone else with a symbiote seemed to be falling over willing partners sucked even more,


    We are waiting for the right one. We know you need someone, you are too closed off. Maybe ask Peter if he knows someone, or maybe even-


    No, and we will never have this conversation again. It''s not, it''s not that easy.


    We know Flash, we feel it too.


    With MJ and then his shrink, Flash didn¡¯t want to take things lightly, and a relationship was-


    ¡°Hey, head in the game.¡± Nomad chastised him, ¡°There are still hostiles.¡±


    ¡°Right, sorry.¡± and as more soldiers began to fire, Nomad and Webb once more began to work.


    As the pair began to wear down the main force of the Red Room, Alexsi and Cyclops were staring at a thing of beauty. With two unknown and heavily armed Augments taking apart their heavy hitter, the guards had abandoned what was being called a non-critical system. Alexsi had picked up an earpiece from a fallen guard and was monitoring communications. As they made their way quietly through the fortress the lights on the floor, the fire warning strip began to blink and following it they found themselves in the secondary hangar.


    The jet before them was a pale cream colour, beautifully sleek with swept-back wings, reminding Scott of the Lockheed he had seen in the professor''s hangar but on a much smaller scale,


    ¡°I say we steal that one.¡± Alexsi said as he pointed to it and as he pried open its hatch he stuck his head inside and whistled, ¡°Maybe not though, as uh,¡± and as Scott took his own curious look he almost choked,


    It was a pair of seats and a bed, whoever used this jet used it for one thing, and ferrying escaped and mistreated prisoners was not going to work. ¡°That one?¡± Scott said, motioning over to a small passenger plane. ¡°Take them to that one, and I¡¯ll see if anything else can be used. You can fly a plane right?¡± and Alexsi batted his chest with a fist,


    ¡°Of course. It has been a few years but yes I can still fly.¡± and Scott frowned, not believing a word.


    ¡°Get them settled, scrounge in the back compartments and see if there is food.¡± Scott didn''t care, bed or not the plane looked like it had weapons and a quick look under the wings showed pop up compartments that Scott figured might have hidden guns. If everyone fitted in the second plane, then he could take his one.


    Yelena froze as the symbiote covered her and Natasha drew her backup pistol. As Widow began to laugh she stepped back and raised the pistol, ¡°You are such a slut Natasha. You? Really, in this, with that boy? And I was worried, I was sick, I let them experiment on me to try and be as good as you and all this time, you are,¡° and as Widow shrank back Yelena stared at her sister, ¡°I should be angry to see you, I should stab you at least once, but this? Aliens and boys, and quitting your job, Are you Natasha or did someone finally tame you, no I already know somebody already tamed you.¡± but Natasha shook her head and pointed the gun over her shoulder.


    Omega had Madame Hydra wrapped in a cybernetic tentacle that had sprouted from his wrist and Nat could see the energy pulsing along it. The woman''s skin greyed and wrinkled and Omega laughed.


    ¡°While I like to hear how you debase yourselves. You should leave now. I will deal with the Room and everything else.¡± and Omega pulled Madame Hydra close to him, ¡°and we have so very much work to do.¡± and as she feebly hissed at him he laughed and threw her back at her throne where she landed with a sickening crunch. She contorted and twisted as whatever was broken stabbed into her. ¡°I will not give you a second chance, and you cannot win against me.¡± as the thick tentacles wound their way out of both of his arms he laughed.


    With her sister free and most of the Red Room destroyed, Natasha knew that while they would eventually win against Omega, it would be a battle and there was no guarantee both of them would come away unscathed. Remembering her promise to Widow she nodded and kept her gun trained on him, the pair backed away and out of the room.


    ¡°Now, give her back.¡±


    ¡°She says no. Wait, what do you mean I am dying? I taste funny? There should be no tasting of anything.¡± and Yelena sighed, ¡°The MGH was fatal, and she is busy cleaning it from my system, so no I guess.¡± and as Natasha tutted, she modded the small smile on her sister''s face. She really wanted to find out more about this Peter, and what her sister had been doing.


    Back in the control room, Maria said as she pulled the headset free and disconnected from the system, and Fury looked over, ¡°That''s all. Setting the self-destruct now.¡±


    ¡°Really, it has a self-destruct?¡± and she snorted,


    ¡°No, but once you switch off the cooling for those huge thrusters it''s pretty much the same thing.¡±


    Fury sighed, ¡°How long? We still have to make our way to the jets.¡±


    ¡°Oh at least an hour, the system won''t just suddenly overheat and explode, this isn¡¯t a movie Nick.¡±


    ¡°Fine, then we leave, and them?¡± he pointed to the bound support crew and Blob,


    ¡°Fuck ¡®em. Nobody working here gets any sympathy. Sharon never got any.¡± and as she moved through the door, Fury took a breath in through his nose but they didn''t have time and he wasn''t about to argue and stay behind.


    Throughout the fortress, an alarm began to sound and as the horrified crews banged on locked doors they began to panic and try to escape. Maria had locked out every system, doors, windows and vents were all shut and as each group moved towards the secondary hanger they each took one of the planes. Scott being disappointed as Maria shook her herald and sat in the pilot''s seat,


    ¡°Sorry lover boy, no flight time until we check your licence.¡±


    Putting on the headset she shook her head, ¡°yeah, asshole, let Fury fly.¡± and after a few moments, ¡°Better, take them back to the US if you have fuel while we stall any incoming fire. Is that us all?¡± and she swore as not only the alarm cut off but the hanger doors closed, ¡°Good pick Scott¡± and as she flicked switches at the controls panel she thumbed the craft''s main guns and simply blew the hanger doors off. ¡°Wheels up, hang on.¡± and as the two jets picked up speed, they flew from the flying Red Room fortress.


    ~


    The foursome sat in the back of the jet as they headed to America. Natasha had called ahead and Felicia had arranged a safe house for her parents and sister to live in while they sorted out some less than legal immigration documents. Alexsi and Melina were both resting their heads against each other as they slept on the flight, while Yelena sat, grinning at her sister.


    ¡°So, do we talk about it, or do we sit and stare awkwardly at each other?¡± Yelena asked. Widow had cleared her system of the Red Room MGH and she was now back with Natasha, who was busy trying to write down as much as possible for the follow-up mission Wrath would be doing alone.


    ¡°Do I want to discuss my intimate love life with my sister?¡± Natasha said, without looking up, ¡°No, we never ever tell Peter that you know, Ever.¡±


    Yelena shrugged, ¡°I was only asking, he does seem like a nice guy. A little short for me, do you think that Webb is single?¡± and Natasha rolled her eyes as Yelena smirked at her.


    ~


    They opted to take the escapees to the farm instead of the US, the fuel in the two jets was only enough for short hops but they figured syphoning fuel from one to the other would get them home, at least most of the way. Scott made a call and the professor agreed to meet them halfway with fuel they could use.


    Fury was not in a good mood, however. Omega¡¯s refusal to kill Madame Hydra and his dismissal of Natasha was a thorn in his side he knew would come back to stab him later. Shaking his head, he knew he shouldn''t have trusted the psychotic bastard and just shot him when he had the chance.


    As they grabbed their gear from the passenger jet he saw Scott, heading towards the second jet, right after Maria had headed in. Grabbing his gear he shouted over before Scott could climb the stairs in.


    Fury walked over, and Scott waited, nervously glazing up the stairs. ¡°You asked if it''s always like this?¡± as he looked at the dejected and angry Scott, ¡°Well, yeah. Sometimes the bad guys win, sometimes we come home missing people, and sometimes it goes sideways in a way you never expected.¡± and as he stood and patted the young man on the shoulder, ¡°But you did good, if you take anything away from this mission, you did good.¡± and Fury reached into his jacket pocket as his phone buzzed, ¡°yeah, I need to take this.¡±


    Scott leaned back, while the Red Room was still in existence they had saved a lot of Augments from becoming MGH factories. They lost the war but won several significant battles, yeah, we did good.


    As he climbed into the jet, Scott looked hesitantly at Maria, as she grabbed her duffle bag from the back of the stolen Russian jet,


    ¡°Don''t give me that look, Scott. We had fun, we did a mission. What more do you want?¡± and as she slung the bag over her shoulder, he paused, unsure of what to say.


    Maria¡¯s shoulders sagged, ¡°Well? What more do you want? It''s not a hard question. I want a repeat, dinner, a movie, coffee, then more repeats. What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Scott stammered, he had thought this would be goodbye, ¡°yeah, repeats, uh I mean, coffee, yeah coffee.¡± and Maria shook her head,


    ¡°Come on then.¡± and as she walked towards Fury¡¯s waiting car Scott followed behind her, unsure if she normally swung her hips that provocatively or not, but really not caring.


    ~


    As Fury sat down at the large office desk he smiled at Coulson, ¡°You know, its strange being on this side of the desk.¡± and Coulson snorted,


    ¡°I¡¯m not giving up my office,¡± and Fury laughed,


    ¡°Yeah, I figured that. So, what does the new head of Shield want with me?¡± and Phil slid a folder over to Fury.


    ¡°The fallout from this is big, and not just in Russia.¡±


    Russia had filed several international incident reports with not just the American government but the UN and Shield. Omega had blamed everything on an American strike force retaliating against an illegal drug operation, without consulting the government. It glossed over Omega¡¯s involvement and there was no mention of either Hydra or the Red Room,


    ¡°So, am I under arrest?¡± but Coulson shook his head,


    ¡°No, they were nice enough to leave names out of the report, but it gets worse.¡± and as he slid over another file, this one marked Confidential, for Shield Director Only¡± Fury raised an eyebrow,


    ¡°This could land you in a lot of trouble,¡± but he still lifted the file and frowned as he read.


    Omega, now calling himself Omega Red, had taken over the Red Room. A cleaner and safer MGH was being hailed as a miracle drug, cheap to produce and safe to use. A rival for both Extremis and the Stacey formula. The Russian government was touting it as a superior Super Soldier program and had already begun to assimilate the Augmented population into its military and police forces. That was the official report anyway.


    The harsh truth was that Russia was still using mutants, the ones with less than desirable powers were harvested to make the drug. MGH was still unstable and the failures were being covered up, but the file had several photographs of hugely mutated soldiers being shot and burned.


    Shaking his head, Fury lay the file down, ¡°So, what does that mean here?¡± and Coulson frowned and poured out two glasses of scotch and added ice to Fury¡¯s


    ¡°Ellis is trying his best to limit the damage, but when the Bugle is spewing anti-mutant propaganda twenty-four seven it''s hard to win public support. Gideon Malik, who¡¯s now a Senator, is pushing for an amendment to the New York accords, extending it to cover Augments as well. It''s messy and not looking good.¡±


    ¡°Malik? Security Council Malik?¡± and Coulson nodded, ¡°Didn¡¯t we find out he was Hydra?¡± but Coulson shook his head,


    ¡°Didn''t stick.¡± another file appeared and this time Fury swore. Hydra had several viruses embedded in the Shield databases, and once their coup failed they wiped every Shield facility clean, almost every file on every Shield employee was gone, and with them evidence of who was a Hydra agent and who wasn''t. ¡°Malik used the tragedy as an excuse to get out of the WSC and into politics. Making waves too. Rumours are he¡¯ll run for President next election.¡±


    ¡°That''s not great but Presidents come and go. As long as the players are fair, the game can only be rigged so far.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t need to rig the game. Public opinion on Augments is at an all-time low. Once the scandal about Shaw broke, and the fact that several high ranking Senators and government officials were all found dead at one of his establishments, nobody cared about the dead girls, only that mutants were at the centre of it.¡±


    Fury rubbed his forehead, ¡°I thought Shield would cover that up.¡± but Coulson shook his head again and spun his glass.


    ¡°We did, but someone else is playing games. An anonymous leak spilled it all, from Shaw all the way up. They want this to go through, we don''t know why yet, but they are making sure it does,¡±


    ¡°And if it does?¡±


    ¡°Civil War. You don''t round up close to a million Augmented citizens without one of them getting trigger happy. Lines are being drawn Nick, and it won''t matter whose side you''re on. Nobody will win that fight.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll warn Parker, you know he won¡¯t stay quiet about this.¡±


    Coulson snorted, ¡°Parker? Warn them all.¡±


    ~


    Xavier put down his phone, and the call from Fury had not been a pleasant one. The two new students were settling in, Illiana had proven to be Piotr''s little sister, and Kurt was the original son of Azazel and one of another unknown Augment. Psylocke had cried when she saw him and much to the amusement of the other students, but not to Kurt, had rushed and almost crushed him in a hug.


    It was the report about the new Augment restrictions that had Charles worried though, and he started to make plans. If the US was becoming hostile to their kind, then perhaps a new state, similar to Genosha but more independent, was in order. Somewhere Augments could live freely.


    Malisson


    This story almost ended up like Huntress. Devils due (which got so long it became Arc 3).


    I really enjoyed writing from another teams perspective and honestly, if I had more time to add in chapters with Peter, this would have been Arc 8.


    This is also my longest side story yet, coming in at 17,525 words.

 Arc Eight. Side Story. In The Stars. To Infinity

    Malisson


    To celebrate I decided to post an extra, but small, chapter.


    We always enjoy this part. The creation of a new sphere. It pleases us when we watch it spark and become whatever it wishes to be.


    The being, all things at once, many guises, the creator of everything, the one-above-all, stood and waited until a single point appeared before its hand.


    The single point, an impossible existence in any space but this one, floated free and joined the myriad of others floating in the plane called the multiverse.


    Once it reached its destination, guided by the being, it stopped and for a moment, or an eternity, it just waited.


    As if the space simply existed, the single point expanded, creating a perfect sphere, shimmering in colours unseen by any eyes other than its creator, who smiled,


    We always enjoy this part.


    At the centre of the point, as if the sphere was two bubbles, one expanding into infinity and the second, the point from which the first grew and expanded, a single ball of glowing plasma existed. Hotter than a billion suns, its energy flowed throughout the newly created space, seeding the beginnings of the proto universe, and as its energy speed away it shrunk and the glowing ball condensed into a giant single clear crystal. A star, infinitely large and indescribably perfect. The first of many. The Infinity Crystal.


    WE ARE ALL. WE ARE EVERYTHING. WE EXIST IN ALL THINGS. WE ARE THE POWER COSMIC. WE ARE INFINITY


    As the energy seeped from it further, extending into each area of the universe it shrunk once more, the flawless surface trying to shrink beyond its own measure and it cracked, splintering into three equal parts,


    The Infinity Gems, each one a flawless replica, circled each other. One black and almost invisible if not for the light given off of its brethren whispered into the newly formed universe


    I am the alpha and the omega, I am the end of all things, I am the void, I am the infinite hunger of Oblivion, I am Null.


    So dramatic brother, said the second, bright white gem, I am Life, I am rebirth and I am creation, where you end I begin. I am Phoenix


    The third and last gem sat between then three, neither black nor white, it paled and became a grey colour, its dark and light colour shifting between the two extremes,


    I am the bridge, I flow through all things, I seek the end but I seek to begin again, I am Death, I am Raven


    As the three gems circled each other their energy spread out, filling the universe with their power, and they too faded, adding their power to the newly formed space. As they faded and became clear once more the three gems split once more, each breaking in half, and now six gems floated in the proto space.


    The first, a blue gem, spoke,


    I exist to give meaning to distance and movement, I am Hargan, the Measurer of Space


    The second stone, filled with a bright green light, spoke


    I exist to give order to our actions, I am Nezarr the Calculator of Time


    The third, the red stone, spoke


    I exist to give stability to our lives, I am Jemiah the Analyzer of Souls


    The fourth gem, coloured orange, spoke


    I exist to spark life in the tapestry, I am Arishem the Judge of Reality


    The fifth gem, filled with bright purple light, spoke


    I am the remnants of the first, and I exist to give light to this universe, I am Eson the Searcher of Power


    The last gem, coloured yellow, spoke,


    I exist to witness each moment of this universe and guard its knowledge, I am Ego the Recorder of Minds


    As the light in each gem flared, they faded from existence, to be replaced by massive behemoths, each taking a form comfortable but utterly alien to the life that they would create, and as each nodded with new flesh and new purpose they set about moulding and filling the new universe with their creations.


    Unseen by the gems, three silent figures watched them, for the three had learned to make flesh and bodies from starlight and the dust in the universe,


    Do we interfere sister?


    No, we do not, for they are of us but cannot comprehend us, and brother, we do not interfere with their Purpose, as they shall not interfere with ours.


    I am aware sister, but it is my nature to wish for their destruction, for as you seek the death of their creations, I too must seek the end of all things.


    Then you will only find your end, they are of us and as such contain our spark as well as their own, do not be rash brother


    But Null had already split the realm called space and returned to the safety of his void. As the two sisters looked at each other they felt the start. A small flicker formed in the vessels they called their flesh. Emotions sparked by the creations of the brethren, and while Pheonix felt anger at the stupidity of her sibling, Raven was excited to see what plan Null had for the universe.


    And you sister, what of you?


    I seek enjoyment, and I go where life goes, I see they have created smaller creatures, infinitely tiny and brief, I shall inhabit one, and taste all it tastes, I shall enjoy each and every existence before they succumb to you.


    I take no joy in ending their existence sister, it is my Purpose, as Null should learn. I shall find a more durable host. I have no need for one that ends so quickly.


    As the pair made plans and departed to fulfil their own part in the cosmic dance, they were watched, as all things were.


    Above the three, invisible to them, as they were to the six, the one-above-all observed and sent his own agents to keep track of the universe, as its own duty was to inspire and move on. Once the Watcher had been assigned to its task, it turned its own attention to the emptiness in front of it,


    We always enjoy this part. The creation of a new sphere. It pleases us when we watch it spark and become whatever it wishes to be.


    And a new point floated free.

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Eleven. Bowing Your Head

    The after-effects of the family dinner were now in full swing. Selene had rented a home, and had been turning up most days to decorate, and had left the running of Genosha to Erik, who had been glad to be back in company again. While Selene had been given a stern warning to stay away, and that her wishes would be properly discussed she still felt a relief she hadn''t felt in years.


    May had taken the news that he wasn¡¯t as innocent as she thought in her stride, and it was a relief to actually know he could protect not just himself but the warehouse as well. She was always aware that Shield wasn¡¯t as benign as its image made out, after discovering Mary¡¯s many and very suspicious scars while helping her out with newborn Peter. To find he took after them in more than one way was not as surprising as they had thought, it was just JJ¡¯s media portrayal of Venom she had issue with.


    She had also taken Peter aside, and while she understood Peter''s shock, she did also want to make sure that he knew exactly what a child meant, even if it was years down the line. He had reassured her that everyone was safe, and that they were all aware of the responsibility.


    Shaw¡¯s empire was gone. Emma dismissed the contract with Peter, and Emma herself had officially joined the Black Cats and had taken to the more sedate, and administrative life with no adjustment. It was a smaller but more comfortable role, and even as she kept to her word, and stayed in her Penthouse, she visited and often ate with the group. Even making Peter laugh as she pointedly tipped out his coffee and placed down a very expensive grinder and caddy with fresh beans in it.


    Parker Industries had made headway, and with Liv in charge, and a complement of Curt and Gwen had begun to not just mass produce the cream but a commercial use for the harness control collar, one that Peter approved of.


    As the system bridged and controlled involuntary muscles and nerves it was being titled as a way for para and quadriplegics to walk and move again. Without costly surgery, the collar could be simply worn and after some adjustment, and physio, the person had full use of their limbs again. It was a simple step and brought in investment and interest in the system Peter really wanted to get off the ground, his CLS.


    With Livs expertise in neural bridging technology, even with a more complicated control system it was still in its infancy, but with AIM and the others sharing data he found that it was getting off the ground.


    It was today when Aldrich had called to ask him to attend a meeting that he wasn''t looking forward to. In Shaw''s notes, they found a lot of evidence that not just Oscorp but FuturePharm helped develop some of the technology that both Hydra and Shaw had used.


    To make matters worse, as Peter was sitting at the meeting table, carefully sipping a cup of coffee, Killian with two others, one he definitely recognised, walked in.


    He stiffened, a young woman, dressed in simple styled African robes led a rather angry but hesitant older man, handsome with short back hair and an expression he recognised, anger and disgust. It was to be expected though, Peter wouldn''t have figured that T¡¯Challa would have looked at him any other way.


    Springing to his feet Peter tensed but Killian ran over, ¡°Wait, wait,¡± he shouted raising both his hands and stepping between Peter and T¡¯Challa. ¡°They asked to be here, and knew you would be too. It''s not a trick, please. They are here on business.¡±


    Peter sat down again, ¡°I have no problem with Wakanda, Aldrich. It''s the other way around.¡± and as T¡¯Challa glared at him, the woman stepped forwards,


    ¡°I am Shuri, Princess of Wakanda, and Mr Parker, that is why we are here, to resolve this stupid feud you have with my brother.¡± Peter laughed.


    ¡°The feud I have? I don''t even know who you are, and I''ve only ever seen him on TV. I don''t have a feud. He was the one who broke into my home, he was the one spying. So go ahead, do what seems to be the cliche. Blame me, have a good rant about how much of a bad man I am and then leave, cause it''s tiresome, I''ve heard it all before, and none of it¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°You slept with my fiance!¡± T¡¯Challa shouted, and Shuri shook her head, and turned, placing a hand on his chest, and shushed him,


    ¡°You will behave, or you will sit in the corner and face the wall.¡± and T¡¯Challa gritted his teeth,


    ¡°I am the King you know, even I have limits Shuri.¡± and she smiled,


    ¡°Mr Parker, as my brother insists on being an ass, how would you like to go on a date with me? I know several very good restaurants, and several very good hotels where you can enjoy dessert, and as you are very handsome, dessert may be something we both enjoy.¡±


    ¡°Shuri!¡° T''Challa shouted,


    ¡°No, if you insist on being an idiot I will treat you like one. He has not said anything, not done anything and once I got home, you know I caught the Dora giggling like children, watching a movie, and what did I find? A penis, his penis if I am to believe correctly. I apologize for my country Mr Parker, and I am here to make amends.¡±


    Peter looked over at the young woman, who was glaring at her brother,


    ¡°Uh, Shuri?¡± and she nodded, ¡°Did your brother shoot an adult video in the warehouse?¡± and she sighed and nodded again. ¡°You know, if any of the people I spend time with are on that video I am going to hurt him, yes?¡±


    ¡°See,¡± and she turned and looked at T¡¯Challa, ¡°You invade his privacy and wonder why violence is on offer. Mr Parker, I can assure you that there was no one, and I checked and then deleted every single file myself. There was no one but you on the video.¡±


    ¡°That doesn''t make this right thought,¡± and Shuri moved over beside him and pulled out a chair, sat down and grabbed her laptop from her bag,


    ¡°These are all the files we have on not just the devourer but scans of your biology and the formula you have used. We have Oscorps files and bloodwork from Spider-Man, Agent Webb, and a few others of the Enhanced you may not know about. While this is just a start, we, no I wish to make amends.¡± and as Peter browsed the information he frowned,


    ¡°Uh, this is garbage. The Klyntar your ancestor fought came from a crashed alien spaceship in Egypt, we were planning on going out to investigate. The formula Oscorp used was garbage but one of my partners already fixed it, and the files on Webb you have are outdated, as well as the ones on me as well.¡± Peter turned the laptop around, ¡°Not impressed so far.¡±


    Shuri looked over at T¡¯Challa, and nodded, ¡°I like him. We do know you found a bar of silver metal. We had known Shield had it for a while and as they were content to let it sit in a warehouse gathering dust, we left it.¡± and tapping on the screen, she turned it back, ¡°Vibranium. An energy-dense metal from space that absorbs and redirects any energy directed at it. It is the basis for all Wakandan technology, and our secret.¡±


    ¡°Yes, a secret you are not allowed to share,¡± but Shuri glared and shushed T¡¯Challa once more.


    ¡°I was studying at M.I.T when Stark announced his nanotech. Of course, I grabbed it and was surprised to discover that your name was on the paper Mr Parker, um, may I call you Peter?¡± and she smiled and placed a hand on his, ¡°please, I am not your enemy, and once I persuade this idiot, Wakanda will be happy to be your friend.¡±


    Peter, with a small measure of mischief, smiled and rubbed his other hand over hers, ¡°of course, as long as I can call you Shuri,¡± and he leaned forwards. ¡°I¡¯ll save Princess for special occasions,¡± and even though T¡¯Challa glared, Shuri smiled and giggled.


    ¡°I am aware of your love life Peter. So, let''s stick to business,¡± and it was her turn to lean forwards, ¡°for now at least.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± T''Challa shouted. ¡°I demand an explanation for Ororo. You will not use your methods on my sister as well.¡± and Peter sighed and patted the back of Shuri¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Ororo came to me out of concern for Laura and Wanda, after hearing all your bullshit she wanted the truth. Your files don''t mention I produce a pheromone that makes me attractive and Ororo didn''t believe it was real. I warned her and she insisted. We didn''t do anything, I didn''t touch her,¡° and he added quietly, ¡°much,¡± and while Shuri¡¯s eyes widened, T¡¯Challa growled, ¡°but she stopped. She left and then I guess things went bad for you, as the next time I saw her she was single.¡±


    ¡°A pheromone?¡± and Shuri looked at her hands and gave Peter a look,


    ¡°Yup, but right now, while I don¡¯t look it, I¡¯m covered in a nanofilm of my bio-armour, to stop it from affecting every woman I meet, and I have this,¡± and reaching into a pocket he pulled out a small spray bottle. ¡°One of the first things we did when we figured out what I was doing was to create a counter agent.¡± Peter glared at T¡¯Challa. He tolerated a lot of the hate spewed by JJ but there was one button he wouldn¡¯t tolerate being pushed. ¡°You might not like me, but I don¡¯t fucking rape women. So get off your high horse and realise that maybe, just maybe, Ororo broke up with you cause you¡¯re a dick.¡±


    ¡°See? See why I cannot stand him. How he twists everything, and why he is a danger.¡± T''Challa shook his head, ¡°it is fine to say, but I know better.¡± but Peter shrugged.


    ¡°Well, guess the conversation¡¯s over then. Shuri, it was a pleasure but I really don¡¯t have to explain myself to you, and I really don¡¯t care what you think. You started this and I have enough to deal with, without Wakanda getting up my ass over their King being a giant asshole. How about you talk to Ororo rather than blame me.¡± Peter smiled and clicked his fingers, ¡°oh wait, she won''t talk to you, cause you were an ass to her.¡±


    Shuri frowned, ¡°is that why she won''t return my calls?¡± and T''Challa sat back down and stared at the corner of the desk, ¡°You are in so much trouble brother. Ororo and I are friends. She looked after me when I was a baby, and this, this is all your fault.¡± Shuri took out a clear tablet and displayed a cell phone number, ¡°Can I ask a favour Peter, can you call Ororo and pass on a message?¡±


    ¡°I will, but call off your surveillance, and any tails you have on the people I care about.¡± and Shuri nodded. Peter took out his own phone and tapped a quick message into it. ¡°Ororo is at the warehouse, checking up on Laura. She¡¯ll meet you there,¡± and taking Shuris tablet he tapped in both his cell number and the address into a new contact pane,¡± and as he put down his phone, Shuri¡¯s rang and as she smiled she quickly tapped into it.


    ¡°Thank you, and you, behave, or I will make sure Okoye makes you.¡± T''Challa nodded, ¡°Peter, I promise that my guards will behave but as a foreign dignitary, I am not allowed to travel without them. You may check them before they enter your home.¡±


    Peter sighed and sent another text, ¡°Wanda and Laura are there as well, everyone else is at work, and they know you¡¯re on your way. Aldrich, we need to have a chat first though.¡± and as he looked over at T¡¯Challa, ¡°You could have asked, and you should thank your sister for stopping this before it went too far.¡± and he stood and offered a hand to Shuri, who smiled and took it,


    ¡°Just one last thing though, did he really take a video of me in the nude?¡± and as Shuri smiled and looked down, she nodded, ¡°Why?¡±


    She shrugged, ¡°it must be a man thing,¡± and with no further explanation, she turned and left.


    T''Challa glared at him once more, ¡°Do not ask me the same thing or I will go back on my promise.¡± and he abruptly turned and left.


    ¡°Well, that was awkward and stupid,¡± Peter said, sitting back down, ¡°but Aldrich, want to explain why both Hydra and Sebastian Shaw had your serum?¡± and as Aldrich closed the door, he sighed and began to explain.


    ¡°I never knew, please believe me, I never knew. I needed money for Maya and I took the contracts.¡± but Peter shrugged,


    ¡°I get that, and I believe you.¡± Of course he did, the Mind Stone was pulsing within his chest and even if Killian wanted to he wouldn''t have lied. ¡°But, please, no super-secret organisations hell-bent on world domination, not again.¡± and as Aldrich slumped in his chair he gave a faint and relieved laugh.


    ¡°Oh come on, it''s not the end of the world Aldrich,¡±

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Twelve. Bath Time

    As Shuri was driven to the warehouse she smiled. The meeting with Peter had gone to plan, of course, he was angry with T¡¯Challa but once their stupid male egos had been soothed it was all plain sailing. And now, while it was probably a dingy run-down apartment, she was getting to meet with and spend time with Ororo.


    Frowning as she looked at the address Peter had given her, she had even sent a message to Ororo to confirm it.


    She stood in front of the warehouse where Wanda was waiting for her and she smiled, ¡°Ororo was in the bath, and refused to come out. Your guards are welcome to wait in the main part and we have refreshments. If they are allowed,¡± and she took a step forward. ¡°Remember, not just your friend Ororo has powers,¡± and Shuri saw the red energy crackling over Wanda''s hands, ¡°and Peter is not the only one upset at what your brother did.¡± As the energy faded, ¡°but, you are also not the only one who knows how stupid a brother can be.¡± and as she nodded, ¡°Come on, I will try to get Ororo out of the tub, or if you are happy, you may join her. We do keep clean suits, just in case.¡±


    As Shuri and her two guards entered, Shuri marvelled at the engineering that had gone into the homes. She could see the intricate and well-hidden wiring and pipework and the nicely built wrought iron walkways that littered the various homes, looking up she could see that the ceiling penthouse was designed to allow light to enter and stayed almost invisible until you looked for it.


    ¡°There is juice in the fridge, although anything in a dark bottle is alcohol, the clear bottles are marked. Ororo is in the bathhouse,¡± and Wanda pointed over at a curtained double room. ¡°If you wish to join her there are clean, packaged swimsuits in one of the units inside. We don''t know when we will get a guest so Peter made sure there was a selection. The red flag hanging at the corner lets him know there are guests and he will not enter.¡± and Shuri nodded. She was not about to get changed in a strange man''s home, no matter how private it seemed.


    As she entered through the curtain, Ororo was up to her neck in bubbles, sipping at a glass of sparkling wine and she smiled, ¡°Shuri,¡± and raised the glass at her, before taking a sip.


    ¡°You are drunk,¡± Shuri stated, shaking her head, ¡°and this is not your home.¡±


    Ororo scoffed ¡°and you sound just like him. Peter is not here and even if he was, he has seen me naked, so I do not care.¡± and as she sat her glass back down she ran a washcloth over her arm. ¡°If you came to lecture me, then go home. T¡¯Challa made his bed, and he can sleep in it. Alone.¡±


    Shuri moved over and sat on the edge of the bath, she frowned as she ran her hand over the strangely smooth material, and frowned, ¡°this isn''t stone, do you know?¡± and Ororo laughed,


    ¡°Ask Peter. He built the whole place, although I suspect it is some kind of resin. Gwen makes the most fabulous creams and ointments, smell.¡± and she held up a tin, which Shuri was about to lean forwards and sniff before she scowled and leant back, shaking her head,


    ¡°That is not why I am here, Please Ororo, come home. I miss you.¡±


    Ororo scoffed, ¡°that place is not my home. I had Olivia check my phone, so he could not claim another lie, and she found several tracking apps on it. Shuri, he might be your brother, but he is an ass, and you are upsetting my bath time, so say your piece and leave. I have nothing more to do with him.¡± and as Ororo lifted her glass she waved a hand at her,


    ¡°I had come here to see my friend after I had talked to Peter. Are you living here now?¡± but Ororo shook her head,


    ¡°No, I was offered a teaching position on an island, and I am tutoring Laura. Even Charles lately has been,¡° and she paused, ¡°difficult.¡± and Shuri sighed,


    ¡°Peter was not at all what I expected, did you really?¡± and Ororo sat up.


    ¡°Fine, Then let us talk about this, but then you leave. I am beginning to understand Peter''s annoyance at being pestered all the time.¡± She sipped her wine and then sat the glass back down before sitting up properly. ¡±No. He said he produces a pheromone to make women like him, and I didn''t believe him. He called on one of his lovers and tried to talk her into making me leave and she took one look and told him that I was an adult and he should do as he pleases.¡±


    Shuri frowned, ¡°And was he telling the truth? Did you?¡± and Ororo sighed and pulled her legs up to her chin, blowing the bubbles from them,


    ¡°He was not lying. In an instant, I smelt something wonderful, and would have let him. Anything he wanted Shuri, even if it upset your brother.¡± and as she wrapped her arms around her legs, ¡°and he rejected me. He sprayed me with a chemical, told me off for being stupid, and made me get dressed. Would I? Oh yes, did I? No, and T¡¯Challa knows.¡±


    Shuri smiled, ¡°See, you called him by his name, all is not lost.¡± but Ororo shook her head.


    ¡°If T¡¯Challa had told me, not about the Dora as you go everywhere with them, but the phone and the lies I would not have done what I did,¡± and as Ororo took a wet hand and took Shuri¡¯s, ¡°but he didn¡¯t trust me. He spied and told half-truths. That is why I won''t be home, that is why everything fell apart. Peter had no part in my decision.¡± Shuri patted the back of Ororo¡¯s hand,


    ¡°It is over?¡± and Ororo nodded, ¡°and you are leaving New York?¡± and Ororo nodded,


    ¡°The island is off the coast, but Selene insists on secrecy, as you should be used to.¡±


    Shuri sighed, ¡°and if I persuaded Peter to let me stay, and you stayed as well, would you?¡± and Ororo laughed,


    ¡°Are you throwing yourself at Peter for my sake?¡± and Shuri raised an eyebrow and grinned,


    ¡°Wakanda does have polygamy, we could be sister wives?¡± And Ororo laughed again,


    ¡°Peter''s others might object to that.¡± and Shuri shrugged,


    ¡°And who could resist two such goddesses as ourselves.¡± and Ororo raised an eyebrow,


    ¡°You have not met who Peter shares his life with. I think you would be shocked.¡±


    Shuri made a pff noise ¡°how bad could it be? We are stunning,¡± and Ororo laughed,


    ¡°Join me in this bath and I will tell you, ¡°


    Shuri looked apprehensive at Ororo, ¡°Here?¡±


    Ororo nodded, ¡°Peter won¡¯t come into the bathhouse while a red flag is out, as he knows that a guest is using it, and the bathing suits are very comfortable. I think Emma picked them, and she is the fussiest of women.¡±


    Shuri stood, ¡°fine but only as you insisted, and do you think I could?¡± and Ororo laughed as Shuri pointed at the glass. Stepping out of the bath she walked, dripping and naked to the curtain, ¡°Wanda, can Shuri have a glass of wine?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Wanda shouted back and Ororo laughed and grabbed another from the cabinet, pouring some of the fizzy liquid into it.


    ¡°You might be underage, but here I think they don¡¯t mind.¡± and Shuri sipped it, it was fruity and very nice.


    ¡°I am of legal age in Wakanda.¡± and Ororo laughed, as Shuri nervously undressed, while Ororo held her drink.


    ¡°Take my bath and I shall take another, or I believe the big pool is warm,¡± and she pointed at the massive pool, full of crisp clean water.


    ¡°Can we swim?¡± and Ororo shrugged,


    ¡°I have no idea,¡± but she heard Wanda shout ¡®yes¡¯ and they nodded and walked into the water.


    Not long after Wanda and an excited Laura joined them, Wanda nodded at the new arrival, and she stripped out of her clothes as Laura dived into the large pool naked.


    Ororo had dropped by to use the bathhouse, while Wanda had been training with Laura and they had waited until they were finished before joining her.


    ¡°And how are you Laura?¡± Ororo asked, and she stopped,


    ¡°Better, reading is good, talking is better now. Thank you.¡± and as Wanda beckoned to her, she moved over to let her wash her hair,


    ¡°You are Shuri, yes?¡± Wanda asked her and Shuri nodded,


    ¡°Laura is the reason Peter was mad at Charles, but thank you for the books Ororo, her lessons are going well.¡±


    ¡°I can count to a hundred!¡± Laura yelled and stuck up a fist,


    ¡°But you still prefer to sneak into beds at night,¡± and Laura nodded, with a huge grin,


    ¡°She was mistreated, and prefers to sleep with someone, anyone, as long as she is not alone. You are angry at Peter, for taking away your friend, but don''t be.¡± Wanda explained as she rinsed the suds from Laura. ¡°He is an idiot, a stupid reckless man with a stupid reckless life, but he cares, and he would do anything, and you should not fault him for that.¡±


    Ororo leaned over, ¡°she is a telepath.¡±


    Wanda laughed as Shuri''s eyes went wide. ¡°I am also not deaf, and you were shouting.¡± and Shuri went red and hid her face. ¡°Don''t be too hard on him, many more are safe, because of his actions.¡±


    ¡°I do not, in fact, I am¡± and Wanda raised a hand,


    ¡°I also heard that part, and that, as Gwen would say, is a discussion between us all. All seven of us.¡±


    ¡°S-seven?¡± and Shuri¡¯s mouth fell open and as she looked over at Ororo, ¡°and you knew?¡± and she shrugged,


    ¡°They are very open, if you ask they will tell, and yes but I do not care, as that is not why I am here. I teach Laura on Peter''s behalf, and it is a job, he pays me and that is our relationship. I might be naked in his bath, but he does not wash my back.¡± and Wanda laughed,


    ¡°No, you ask Laura to do that,¡± and once Wanda had rinsed the soap from her hair, she shot off and splashed into the large pool.


    ¡°But how?¡± Shuri asked,


    Wanda sat on the edge of the pool and slid herself in, uncaring that Shuri was giving her naked body a good once over, ¡°When you are bonded to a symbiote you lose a small sense of innocence. They share everything. I held onto Octave while Liv tended to Ravage, and I knew her feelings, her thoughts on Peter, what they had done and what she liked, food, music, her tastes in everything, all shared and open. It is frightening but freeing. I would host another if he offered, but with Shaw, he has not.¡±


    Shuri stopped splashing and stared, ¡°you have been one of these creatures?¡± she asked and Wanda nodded, as Shuri looked into the water Laura was happily doggy paddling up and down the length of the pool,


    Wanda laughed, ¡°Laura, come here for a moment. Can I speak to Talon?¡± and Laura nodded and her skin oozed and rippled, and she was covered in the dark grey symbarmour.


    ¡°Yes Wanda?¡± and Shuri backpedalled away from her, almost dragging Ororo out of the water with her. Wanda shook her head,


    ¡°How are you feeling today?¡±


    ¡°We are well, but we are curious as to why you wish to talk like this, we know you can communicate within the mind.¡± and Wanda looked over at Shuri. As Talons eyes narrowed,


    ¡°She hates us, fears us, and the Laura does not like it.¡± Wanda ran a hand over her shoulder,


    ¡°It''s fine. She was taught you are a monster, and to be afraid.¡± and Talon stayed vigilant,


    ¡°We will not harm her, as the Peter asked, but he owes us the cookies and rubs.¡± and as Laura''s swimsuit reformed back into the single one-piece and then vanished she stuck her tongue out and Ororo laughed,


    ¡°I was not aware you were a host Wanda, is everyone?¡± but she shook her head.


    ¡°Jean was the last. I have not asked so I think they assume I don''t wish to be, but, everyone else. Even squirmy butt here.¡± and as Wanda lifted Laura and placed her on her lap she did as Wanda expected and squirmed away to swim.


    ¡°The symbiote is not hostile. They are like any creature, born with powers, afraid, and hungry. Most threaten or attack as they are confused. Liv or Gwen could explain better. It''s a brain thing.¡± Wanda could remember the reason why, she was just a bit short on the chemistry lessons to explain it properly.


    Shuri looked apprehensively at Ororo, ¡°and you are fine with this?¡±


    ¡°Are you afraid of me because of my power? I could send ten thousand amps through the water and kill us all if I lost control, but here we are, swimming and having drinks.¡± and Shuri relaxed,


    ¡°I am still not happy. I would not keep a tiger in my room, and while I will agree not to call them a devourer, it is still strange.¡±


    Wanda laughed, ¡°in this house, that is the least strange thing.¡±

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Thirteen. A Feast For The Eyes

    After spending the day with Killian, discussing a more pragmatic approach to licensing the Extremis formula, making sure none of the groups it was going to be licensed to were actually terrorists in disguise. He then checked in on Liv, who was giving Curt a tour with Gwen, and discussing how to steal Ivan from Hammer. He was finally glad to be home.


    Felicia had taken Emma and they were touring the districts at night with Elektra. Emma wanted to see just how clean the operations are. Her experiences with Shaw had left her with bad impressions of the sex industry and a healthy dose of paranoia that it was all above board. As the three were going to be out late, Elektra would be taking them in for the night.


    With a warning from Wanda, Peter knew Shuri and Ororo were still at the warehouse, and after the day they had, simply opted to pick up takeout. It had been a good day, while T¡¯Challa had been an actual ass, Peter felt that he might get Wakanda off his back, and an opportunity to work with Shuri was nothing to be upset about.


    Until he got home.


    As he approached the door, carrying not just five pizza boxes but garlic breadsticks and an assortment of other sides he could hear the laughter and noise coming from within. Gwen and Liv both shrugged, and as everyone had their hands full and the noise wasn''t screaming, they just let themselves in.


    Laura was hanging upside down, suspended in a glow of red, while Talon leapt and ran around, spraying webbing and trying her best to climb up the resulting rope. Two bald, tall women, with massive spears, languished on the chairs around the table, and ate chips and drank what appeared to be apple juice while watching. The dark brown bottles let Peter know it was in fact cider, his cider. Ororo floated around the pair, surrounded by a crackling halo of lightning and the whole warehouse was a mess of suds and clothing.


    Nobody was dressed and Peter took in not only Wanda¡¯s full figure, Laura''s petite but muscular frame but the full glory that was Ororo, and he felt a small twinge of regret that he had turned her down. Peter figured that Shuri was the one within Talon. As the group ran riot and laughed the trio just stood and watched before Wanda noticed them and laughed,


    ¡°Dad''s home!¡± and the group burst out laughing. Peter grinned and shook his head,


    ¡°Well, can we at least get the pizza on the table. Liv, can you go rescue Shuri, I think that¡¯s Shuri anyway,


    We are we are, we love this, we want one, we promise to behave, we promise anything, give give give.


    Peter took a double-take, ¡°Are you all drunk?¡± which was answered by very drunken slurred,


    ¡°No!¡± from the group.


    As Talon landed in front of Peter the symbskin retracted and a very naked Shuri was left, ¡°Oh, we never knew how good it feels.¡± and as Peter raised an eyebrow and looked down she waved a hand, ¡°I do not care, stare all you like. I already know everything, and it is only fair.¡± and took a pizza box and stalked back to the table.


    ¡°Uh, did I just get permission to look?¡± and Gwen shrugged,


    ¡°Didn¡¯t stop me¡± and as she nudged Peter with her shoulder they moved to the eating area.


    As pizza boxes were opened and plates were fetched Peter sat in his chair, after moving a disgruntled Dora from it, whose name was slurred and he didn''t quite catch.


    ¡°So, we had a little party?¡± and Wanda moved over,


    ¡°We did. Shuri was afraid of Talon, and we showed her it was fine. She just needed a little courage to get there, and well, now look at her.¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°trying not to, she won''t like that when she¡¯s sober.¡±


    ¡°Talon shared a lot, so it is only fair, I have,¡± and she paused, ¡°felt you.¡± And then she giggled, ¡°and you are a very bad man. T¡¯Challa should have been worried,¡± and as she turned to look over at Ororo, ¡°I think I would have,¡± before stuffing a slice of pizza in her mouth and moaning at how good it tasted, ¡°Even the food,¡± and her shoulders sank and she fell into food heaven.


    ¡°And while I appreciate the meal. Talon, clothes please,¡± and without a word Talon changed into a simple long-sleeved dress, her usual grey colour and Shuri looked down at herself,


    ¡°And they can do that too!¡± she said through a mouthful of pizza.


    ¡°Are we in trouble?¡± Wanda asked and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°I''m not cleaning up the mess, but no. It''s your home, party all you like,¡± and as he dragged a slice onto his plate he grabbed breadsticks and coleslaw to go with them, smiling at the Dora as he also took a glass of cider from the open bottle she had in front of her.


    ¡°No, the symbiote,¡± she asked guiltily.


    ¡°Again, not pets. If Talon wants to jump host, that''s up to her. I just won''t create more without a good reason, and drunken girl¡¯s night is not a good reason. Ask me again when you¡¯re all sober.¡± and Peter stared at her while he ate.


    He wasn¡¯t mad and he knew Wanda might ask for another after Octave, but Shuri was still an unknown, and with T¡¯Challa¡¯s temper, finding her naked would be a big enough headache without finding out she was a host as well.


    ¡°Okay,¡± and Wanda curled up on her chair with her own pizza.


    ¡°I might be missing something but is that Shuri, Princess Shuri of Wakanda, and her two royal guards eating pizza and drinking,¡± and Peter smiled as he nodded at Liv.


    ¡°So, just to be one hundred percent. Wakanda, the most technologically advanced country in the world¡¯s Princess, is drunk, currently offering anything for the chance to study a symbiote, and you¡¯re letting her eat pizza and not taking advantage of her?¡± Peter raised an eyebrow and Liv laughed, ¡°not that way you bad bad man.¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°When she is sober, we can discuss getting her on board, but T¡¯Challa has enough issue with my behaviour towards Ororo without his little sister as well.¡±


    Liv took her pizza and sat on the edge of his chair ¡°I suppose, I mean, it¡¯s bad enough you let her get drunk¡± and Peter looked up at her and groaned,


    ¡°You think?¡± and Shuri laughed,


    ¡°My brother can shove it¡± and she stuffed another slice in her mouth, ¡°thish is sho goog¡±


    ¡°Wait until you have sex dear¡± and Peter batted her on the thigh, and she laughed,


    ¡°And how do you know Miss Shuri doesn''t have a beau already? and that I meant you.¡± and as she laughed she bent down and kissed the side of his face, ¡°admit you are interested,¡± and he shrugged noncommittally.


    ¡°I have enough problems right now.¡± and he leant back, sighing,


    ¡°Still not heard from Nat?¡± and he shook his head,


    ¡°She did say radio silence, and with them hunting the remains of Hydra, it would be months, plus Carol and Jean.¡±


    Carol hadn¡¯t recovered from her ordeal at the hands of Rogue. It was a sudden shock, to be one of the galaxy''s biggest badasses and then an energy vampire comes along and almost kills you while leaving you broken and hurt. Peter knew that feeling, Bullseye had done a number on him but he couldn¡¯t help shake the feeling that there was more going on than just the bitter taste of defeat.


    She had been practising her powers, trying to find her limits, and today she had taken off, flying up and out into space, and Peter was worried her powers might cut out unexpectedly, and she wouldn¡¯t return.


    Jean had started to move her life into the warehouse, but with Scott refusing to see her, she was travelling between the warehouse and the mansion. Thankfully the Xavier institute was an accredited school, much to Peter''s surprise, and she didn¡¯t have to do anything to change her studies there. It meant though, that every day she was surrounded by people wondering if she was moving back, and the stress had Peter worried.


    He had also talked to Gwen about an internship with Parker Inc, as she shared several interests with both Liv and Gwen. Liv had already signed off on the idea but as it would be Curts lab and Gwen¡¯s workspace, he wanted her input first.


    ¡°She¡¯ll either be fine or she won''t. She¡¯s a nice girl Peter but ultimately not your responsibility. If she moves out, then that''s on her unless that''s another maybe?¡± and he stopped mid-bite and narrowed his eyes at Liv, who laughed and kissed him again, ¡°What was it Gwen said? as long as they¡¯re bi and cute,¡° and she winked while Peter rolled his eyes. ¡°From the looks, Shuri keeps giving Ororo, I think we have that one covered¡±


    ¡°You know Talon is still bonded to me, and I can hear you,¡± but Liv shrugged,


    ¡°Then don¡¯t listen, plus with memories from Talon you already know exactly how Peter feels, and what sort of things he has done.¡± and Shuri nodded and her face fell, ¡°See, teasing is fine dear, but you are still on probation, Your brother made some poor choices and you are going to have to bear that burden.¡±


    Peter looked up at her, ¡°and who just told me off for teasing her?¡± and she laughed and ran her hand through his hair,


    ¡°Ah, sorry dear, I forgot you think you''re in charge sometimes.¡± and even Shuri laughed, ¡°If Miss Shuri is going to be a part of our lives, there is no use hiding anything, is there?¡± and Peter sighed,


    ¡°Okay then, Party Pooper. Talon, can you clean Shuri¡¯s system and head back to Laura.¡± and the symbiote swirled and wrapped herself around Laura once more who grinned and took her 5th slice of pizza and another glass of soda. Peter sighed, ¡°you might have let her get clothes,¡± and Shuri shrugged,


    ¡°Talon was quite clear on sharing her time with you. I am not a prude and I am not embarrassed.¡± but Peter sighed and threw a blanket at her,


    ¡°No, but I don''t want my mom or step dad walking in, or your brother, and them seeing you naked. Do you want to explain that?¡± and Shuri shook her head and wrapped the blanket around herself, carefully standing and holding it around herself where Peter was greeted by a full view of her slim, toned figure, small A cup breasts and dark chocolate dot nipples and cleanly shaven lips glistening between her legs.


    ¡°There will be no secrets between us Peter, as the Princess of Wakanda I promise you this.¡± and she wrapped the blanket and folded the top in, tightening it and twisting it to keep it secure.


    Peter shook his head, grateful for the feast but knowing full well that tomorrow, T¡¯Challa would be spitting fury and thunder his way.


    ¡°And thanks to you, I have lost my buzz. so now you owe me a drink.¡± and she motioned to her glass, ¡°well?¡± and as Peter moved to fill it, Gwen leaned over


    ¡°Got you trained already,¡± and Ororo laughed while Peter paused and stuck his tongue out at her.


    ¡°I know, it''s such a hard life, being surrounded by beautiful women who insist on taking their clothes off around me,¡± and as Peter refilled Shuri¡¯s glass he filed Gwen¡¯s, Livs and offered to the Dora, who refused but politely nodded, ¡°Everyone keeps saying, stop being so worried, so I have. Shuri, you are very attractive and if your offer of a date is still open, I¡¯d be happy to. Ororo, while it was a test, you are always welcome here. Even if Laura no longer needs a tutor the bathhouse is available for you.¡±


    As Ororo smiled, ¡°and do I not get a date?¡± and she raised an eyebrow while smiling,


    Peter half shrugged, getting accustomed to the teasing, ¡°I felt that maybe it would be rude to invite you after asking Shuri, but as Shuri keeps glancing at you, a double date?¡± and Shuri coughed and hide behind her drink,


    Ororo laughed, ¡°I think that the offer of the bathhouse will do for now,¡± and she smiled and lifted her drink, ¡°until her brother finds out, and then we shall see.¡± and Peter laughed and shook his head,


    ¡°Yeah. Can you get that mess sorted? I mean, working with you is great, Liv?¡± and Liv nodded


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait, Wakandan tech? Sign me right up.¡± and Shuri smiled,


    ¡°Uh, we shall see, T¡¯Challa is still,¡± but Liv waved a hand,


    ¡°Yes yes yes, and I''m sure you¡¯ll listen, now that you¡¯re sober,¡± and Liv moved from the arm of Peter''s chair and sat next to Shuri, and as the talk devolved into a more technical aspect of the work Shuri and Liv both became more animated,


    Gwen moved and sat on Peters lap, moving his pizza he wrapped an arm around her,


    ¡°Seems we picked up a couple more.¡± As Ororo chatted with the two Dora, Wanda and Laura sat and ate pizza and talked, Gwen leant her head into Peter''s shoulder, ¡°love you.¡± Peter said, as he kissed her head,


    ¡°Love you too, three, four, five, six, seven and now I guess eight,¡± and Peter pulled her close and smiled as she sighed happily.

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Fourteen. A T’Challenging Problem

    King T''Challa sat in his office in New York. Wakanda had set up a more lavish embassy once its true nature had been displayed but as he read the report, given by two very hungover Dora Milaje, he gritted his teeth. He had been called away from Wakanda and had spent the flight bristling with anger.


    It was one thing to find out Venom was not the monster they thought he was, it was another to get a report that this younger sister had been flirting and posing naked in the presence of a man, and that he had not taken offense. Shuri was playing a dangerous game. One that he hoped she knew what she was doing.


    His most trusted Dora, Okoye, stood and watched as his hand tightened into fists, and made a note to discipline the two women personally. While Princess Shuri could be a handful, sitting, drinking soda and eating chips while she ran riot was definitely a lack of discipline on their part. Protocol should have been to call either her or T¡¯Challa. Not let her bond with a creature and expose herself to a strange man.


    ¡°If I send her home, do you think I will have a home to return to?¡± he asked her as he leant back and ran a hand over his face. Opting for the more prudent response. Okoye stayed silent.


    ¡°You know, that says more than if you had actually answered,¡± and even her normally stoic face cracked, and she smiled at him.


    ¡°She is a Princess, and you cannot control her any more than you have. I will make sure her security is better though,¡± but he waved his hand,


    ¡°She was surrounded by Augmented and these Symbiotes, I doubt your Dora would have been a match for any of them, let alone Mr Parker.¡±


    At that thought, she huffed, to insult her Dora Milaje was to insult her.


    ¡°And I know that look as well, leave her security alone, or she will only complain.¡± and she laughed,


    ¡°Yes, but she will complain to you, not to me,¡± and while he did laugh he still shook his head at her,


    He sighed. ¡°What should I do? We know they are dangerous, but that was  two hundred years ago. We know Venom is dangerous but that was all lies and smoke. Do I let my little sister stay in the company of that man, who has seven others?¡± and Okoye snorted,


    ¡°And other than Ororo, how many do you have?¡± and he leant back frowning,


    ¡°The brides in training were not my idea, nor my choice,¡± and she raised an eyebrow, ¡°and that came out wrong, I am sorry.¡± But she stood, lifted her spear and stood back at the door, the smile gone from her face. T¡¯Challa sighed, ¡°please, forgive me. I am stupid and I spoke out of turn.¡± but Okoye stood silently. ¡°Fine, fine, but you know, Ororo has refused to return my calls. I am being forced to choose another head wife. I think I saw a few names on the list. One of my very dear, and not as stubborn childhood friends,¡± and Okoye raised an eyebrow and tapped the butt of her spear on the tiled floor. ¡°Of course, I forgot, your name was second wasn''t it.¡° but he shrugged and turned his chair to look out the window, ¡°but it seems we are a poor match, too different, not at all compatible,¡± and as she cleared her throat he was hiding the huge smile on his face.


    ¡°My King. Surely discussing a new bride while you have yet to talk to the old one is bad manners.¡± and as his chair swivelled around he laughed, ¡°as if you do not know exactly what you are doing. Shuri is bad enough, without you adding to it.¡± and she scowled but smiled and shook her head,


    ¡°Is this official?¡± and he nodded,


    ¡°It is. The council sent me the missive this morning. Ororo was found guilty of behaviour unbecoming of a royal Wakandan. She is being stripped of her position and if she does not stop this behaviour, her citizenship as well.¡± He motioned to her to sit and as she stuck her head out the door T¡¯Challa heard another Dora standing at attention outside.


    Leaning her spear against the door frame, Okoye moved and sat, ¡°are we to talk as equals?¡± and he nodded,


    ¡°The missive moved you up to head wife, and you are to begin training immediately. I have no say this time, the council voted that as King I should have done this immediately and that Ororo was an outsider to begin with. But, as they will not ask, I shall. Are you okay? I will not force you,¡± and Okoye laughed.


    ¡°Did sneaking away to kiss in the quiet areas not teach you that I love you, my heart, and that I am honoured and happy to be your wife.¡± and as she ran a hand over her head, ¡°and I can stop shaving.¡±


    T''Challa smiled, ¡°Good, then as my very beautiful and very capable wife to be, you can please help me deal with Shuri and the mess she is making.¡±


    Okoye smiled. ¡°Oh that is simple. Practice this very powerful and very effective charm.¡± and T''Challa raised an eyebrow,


    ¡°Please to meet you, brother in law,¡± and his face fell. Okoye laughed and pointed, ¡°oh, your face, is so funny¡± and holding her stomach his unamused look deepened as did her laughter. As she moved over she knelt by the side of his chair and shook her head as he pouted,


    ¡°I have known you all my life, and have been told that I would always be by your side, as your queen or as the head of your guard. I will always be there, but you must let Shuri decide her own fate. You cannot send her to America and then expect her to follow the old ways, and admit it. The reason you dislike Peter Parker is you know that she likes him. His file reads like hers. Stubborn, headstrong, brilliant, and unwavering. If you were just her brother and not King, I would just say you were being overprotective.¡± He crossed his arms,


    ¡°She will do this to spite you if you let her, and she will do it to spite the council as well. You know that M¡¯Baku made hints at a union to solidify the promise you made and that she did not speak to you for a week after you mentioned it.¡±


    He sighed and turned to her, ¡°Then, my Queen. What do you suggest?¡± and she stood and smiled, running a hand over his shoulder,


    ¡°Make it official first. Break off the engagement with Ororo, and be polite. You made a stupid error there, and the fault is not hers. As for Shuri,¡° and she shrugged, ¡°tell her you have been wrong and you approve. If she really likes him, she will love you, and if she is doing it to spite you, she will lose interest and you will never see him again.¡±


    T¡¯Challa laughed. ¡°A good plan, but she is too smart. I will be fair in dealing with Ororo, she was right and I overstepped, but Peter. If I back away she will be suspicious and become more interested. So no. I will disapprove while submitting his name to the council, and if she is serious, I win either way. His file is very interesting, as is the company he keeps.¡±


    T¡¯Challa swept a hand over his desk and a holographic display lit up, ¡°Killian Aldrich. We have already made movies to acquire a controlling interest in Futurepharm, as his Extremis formula can rival our own. We had tried to grab the Stacy formula but it is too entrenched in Stark''s world to remove. Hammer on the other hand.¡± and as he tapped on the desk, Justin Hammers file sprang up,


    ¡°He is a pain in my rear. He had made several attempts to purchase Vibranium through shell companies, over his allotted amount and also tried to smuggle operatives into the county. Hammer is part of AIM and right now I do not wish to upset either Peter or Mr Aldrich. However, Hammer¡¯s constant annoyance is becoming more than is tolerable. If he continues I may be forced to use him as an example to the world that Wakanda is playing nice at the moment, but we still have very sharp fangs.¡± and Okoye nodded,


    ¡°And the warehouse incident?¡± leaning back, T¡¯Challa sighed,


    ¡°Youthful excitement. It is strictly confidential, explain to your Dora that if word my little sister exposed herself willingly to a man, that they will not be seeing our homeland again.¡± and Okoye agreed,


    She had similar plans, and if they were willing, Shuri might find herself with more sister-wives than she bargained for. Peter had the stamina to take them, and strengthening the bonds between him and the country could provide them with a source of symbiotes for themselves.


    Even if he was unwilling to marry them it was not unheard of for the Wakandan Royal family to bed their guards, as practice for their wedding night. Even though she had confiscated the video they had shot, unknown to her or T¡¯Challa, Peter''s stamina when it came to the bedroom, and his measurements were well known throughout the guard. She had already received several transfer requests to his surveillance detail, much to her annoyance. The Dora Milaje were professionals but they were also still women, and as amongst Wakandans where strength was prized, Peter had proven himself very capable, and to many, very desirable.


    If Shuri decided that she was to marry him, she had no doubt that we would pass their trials without breaking a sweat, and that any challengers for her hand would be ground beneath his heels. As she thought more about it, it was maybe a good idea to make arrangements. Shuri was not hotheaded and once she decided on a course of action it would be hard to change her mind. If she grew to like Peter, she would pursue him. It would be prudent, in her opinion, to plan for that eventuality.


    Even T¡¯Challa understood this, and while he might be hesitant over the devourer in their midst, he still had to respect the fights Peter had been involved in and won. His dislike for the man was almost as great as his respect for him, and if they ever fought, T¡¯Challa knew he would have to call upon the full strength of the Black Panther to defeat him.


    He could only sigh as he realised that Shuri might have already planned this, and that her own operatives were just as capable as his own, and that she was better at seeing a lot of different futures than he was. She would plan her own future, while he focused on Wakanda. This might have even been her plan from the start to get out of an arranged marriage with the White Gorilla tribe. She had never expressed an interest in anything other than her lab and her studies.


    ¡°As for Parker Inc. I am going to suggest to Shuri that she partners with Peter. If we can gain more information on the symbiotes it can only help to make a defence against them. If she likes him, then as much as I dislike the idea I will learn to step back,¡± and Okoye nodded and patted his hand, ¡°and I am sure that if Hammer is just as annoying to AIM as he is to us, he might even consider it a small favour.¡±


    ¡°See, that wasn¡¯t so hard was it?¡± and as he laughed he lifted and kissed the back of her hand. ¡°Although, getting rid of Justin Hammer is not going to be enough to make up for the fact you accused him of sleeping with your fiance.¡±


    T¡¯Challa tutted and swiped his hand over the desk, ¡°there,¡± as he tapped a few keys. ¡°Do you think that should do it?¡± and as Okoye noted that T¡¯Challa had allotted double the amount of vibranium he had given Stark, almost a tonne of raw ore, she nodded,


    ¡°I think he might sleep with you, rather than your sister,¡± and as he roared with laughter, he grabbed her and pulled her into his lap.


    ¡°I am taken, and happy.¡± and as they kissed the Dora outside the door knew not to let anyone disturb the happy royal couple.

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Fifteen. The Heart Of The Matter

    Shuri woke to find a sprawled Laura laying almost on top of her. While the young woman wasn¡¯t heavy, she was too warm and she snored. They had warned Shuri that she sleepwalked, nightmares from a bad time in her life meant she would seek out anyone in the night, and her wanderings were random but harmless.


    With several empty Shuri had been shown into a guest bedroom, and one of the women who visited but did not live here had tastefully decorated the home in white and creams, fine linen bed sheets covered a soft and comfortable bed. Peter had looked like he would cry when they had told her where Emma bought them from and how much they cost. The Dora had stood guard all night, even though Peter had supplied them with camp beds and blankets. While they had been drinking, not cider it turned out, Laura had been stealing that, she was happier and she knew her brother would be less inclined to punish them.


    They of course had already submitted a report. After finding the security of the warehouse they ventured outside and sent in their findings, including their own failings and the behaviour of the Princess. While Shuri knew her brother would find out eventually, she had not expected him to know even before she woke up.


    Everyone else was awake, and Peter had made a breakfast platter, toast, eggs, bacon, and an assortment of teas and coffees were laid out on the table. As Shuri picked up her phone she frowned.


    ¡°Won¡¯t work, need to go outside,¡± and grumbling she slipped out to check in with T¡¯Challa.


    As he picked up his phone she could hear him laughing. ¡°Did you have fun sister?¡± and she knew they had told on her. ¡°Do I need to start the wedding ceremony?¡± damn, she thought to herself as he laughed.


    ¡°Very funny brother, I am fine, and you can stop with the teasing.¡±


    ¡°Not at all, I heard that the Princess of Wakanda has snagged herself a poor American husband, bringing thousands of years of shame to our family. I have already begun to sacrifice a herd of goats to purify the bloodline, and once we find enough virgins I can begin to make amends to the Gods as well.¡±


    Shuri swore in her mind at him, ¡°Good Good brother, remember to get some children as well, you need to perform the pregnancy rites, as I¡¯m sure with what I did last night I must be, of course, you were not to know I did not wake up alone,¡± ha, stupid brother. She would of course neglect to mention it was Laura and not Peter.


    ¡°Children, already? I shall pray it is twins, or maybe triplets. Oh, how you shall swell sister, and I¡¯m sure after mother hears she will be delighted. Let me conference call her and you can share the good news.¡± and now she really did swear.


    ¡°Fine fine you win. I am sorry, but I did have fun.¡± Shuri made a promise to get him back,


    ¡°I know, your Dora already reported in, and I am glad you had fun. Are you still at the warehouse, or are you returning to your apartment in Massachusett?¡±


    ¡°I am staying here for now. Peter has invited me to stay, and we are going to discuss plans for Parker Inc. If that is okay?¡± and Shuri stared, her brother was being awfully nice and as her eyes narrowed she knew he was planning something,


    ¡°Good. I am fifteen minutes away, please tell Ororo and Peter I am coming to speak to them, and please, do not let them leave, I will be apologising.¡± Now she knew he was up to something, T¡¯Challa was stubborn and rarely apologised for anything.


    ¡°If you do anything stupid brother, I will hurt you,¡± but he laughed and hung up leaving her shaking her head.


    As she headed back inside, Peter had laid out a plate for her, while Laura sat on his lap, letting him feed her pieces of bacon. As Shuri came back in, he lifted her up and she sat on her own spot, squirting ketchup over her eggs and bacon before happily eating.


    ¡°My brother is visiting, he has said he wishes to apologise, to you both,¡± and Peter shrugged but Ororo sat up and frowned,


    ¡°T¡¯Challa said that?¡± and Shuri nodded, taking a bite of the omelette Peter had made for her. It was good and one of the Dora nodded, he must have asked how I like it, she mused but Ororo picked at hers.


    ¡°He said that? And he was not angry or shouting?¡± and Shuri nodded as she ate her breakfast,


    ¡°No, he was laughing and sounded happy.¡± and Ororo frowned, ¡°Oh do not tell me you are having second thoughts, you are better than that.¡± but Ororo shook her head,


    ¡°No, I am just worried that he does something stupid.¡± and as she finished the buzzer went, Shuri leaned over and as she was about to hit the entry switch Peter lightly smacked the back of her hand and raised an eyebrow at her,


    ¡°There is a limit Shuri. You are welcome here but this isn¡¯t your home.¡± and as she rubbed the back of her hand she nodded and frowned,


    ¡°Sorry, I am used to being in charge,¡± and he shrugged,


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, but a guest, not a resident.¡± and as Peter checked the monitor, and saw that it was T¡¯Challa and a spear-wielding Dora he sighed and let them in, standing and getting ready for the confrontation.


    ¡°Mr Parker, may I borrow her highnesses guards?¡± The woman asked and Peter shrugged, but pointed to the pair, giggling and eating toast. As they saw their commander they snapped to attention and one let her plate clatter on the table as she hurriedly put her breakfast down. ¡°I trust they will be safe without us for a few moments?¡± she asked him, and as he nodded she glared at the pair and they hurriedly left and he could hear her shouting at them outside.


    ¡°Brother, please do not let Okoye be too harsh, I gave them orders they could not disobey.¡± and T¡¯Challa stood with his arms crossed,


    ¡°Orders to let you drink? And strip? To cavort naked in front of an unwed man?¡± and Shuri bit her lip and sighed,


    ¡°Yes, that is what I thought. As a Princess of Wakanda, there is a limit to the trouble you may cause. Mr Parker, I am sorry If Shuri¡¯s behaviour has caused you any problems. I will make sure she is properly chastised for her actions.¡± and Peter frowned and looked over at Ororo, and the Shuri,


    Shuri walked over and poked T¡¯Challa in the arm, ¡°Where is my brother and what have you done to him?¡± and he laughed,


    ¡°in a moment.¡± As he walked forwards, he raised one hand but slid out a scroll with the other, ¡°I am sorry but this must be done. By order of the Wakandan Royal Council, my engagement to Ororo Munroe is hereby dissolved. You are no longer a bride in training and must renew your Wakandan citizenship.¡± As he bowed he handed over the scroll to a stunned Ororo, ¡°and, I am sorry, I was short-sighted and too concerned with Peter''s powers to see I was driving you away. My worry over the situation in New York made me over step, and hurt you. I do not ask you to forgive me, only that you do not punish Shuri in my place.¡±


    Ororo took the scroll and after reading it, cut her thumb on the corner and pressed it against the bottom,


    ¡°I hereby renounce my claim on the Wakandan Throne and my rights as a citizen of Wakanda.¡± and as she licked her thumb, ¡°and I hold no malice towards you. You were stupid, as was I, and it cost us everything. But to be angry only diminishes who I am.¡±


    Shuri sighed. ¡°Well, that was depressing. So, who did you choose, I know there were four or five, Okoye?¡± and as T¡¯Challa tried to hide the expression on his face Shuri laughed, ¡°and now it makes sense. You must have bed Okoye last night and have become stupid from the exertion,¡± and T¡¯Challa raised an eyebrow


    ¡°Shuri, that was rude, not just to me, but to Okoye and the company you are in. Unless there is something you really do wish to tell me. Your behaviour is unbecoming. You are a representative of Wakanda, even amongst friends you may not act inappropriately. If they are just friends.¡± and Shuri¡¯s eyes widened at his meaning.


    Her face fell as she felt embarrassed at her behaviour. Had she really meant to do all those things around Peter or was it the alcohol? As she looked at T¡¯Challa, knowing he expected an answer, she immediately knew how she felt.


    ¡°I will not, Peter was a perfect gentleman, and there is nothing to be ashamed about.¡±


    T¡¯Challa smiled, ¡°of course not, but you do know what your actions represent?¡± and Shuri nodded. ¡°Good, then as long as Peter is aware as well, then I agree. In fact,¡± and as Okoye came back in with two guilty-looking but stoic Dora she handed him a tablet, which he offered to Peter.


    ¡°An apology. I have realised my mistake, and I am seeking to rectify it.¡± Peter shrugged and took the tablet, giving it a glance and seeing the contracts in Parker Incs name he handed it straight to Liv, who began to scroll through it after giving the tablet a once over.


    ¡°Uh, this goes to Liv, but, what''s the other bit mean? the actions and consequences speech.¡± and as Liv¡¯s face cracked with excitement over the contents of the tablet, T¡¯Challa smiled, a huge wide toothy grin that made Peters danger sense tingle,


    ¡°By acting, and accepting her behaviour, Shuri has made it clear that she intends to pursue a relationship with you, and that you are now an applicant to be a Royal Consort to the Country of Wakanda.¡±


    T¡¯Challa accepted another scroll from Okoye and handed it to Peter, as he read, it listed his duties and responsibilities, not just to Shuri but to Wakanda as well, including several trials he had to undergo to prove his worthiness for her hand.


    As he looked over at Shuri she shrugged and smiled, ¡°Did you think I walk around the palace naked, showing myself to every man I meet, or that just because Ororo was here I felt you deserved a prize. I have read your file, watched your life through the eyes of Talon, and yes, I am interested. You are a unique man, Peter Parker, and I wish to know you better.¡±


    Laura stopped eating her omelette, and with a wide grin, ¡°Gwen¡¯s gonna kill you,¡± before stuffing bacon into her mouth.


    Liv laughed, ¡°Gwen? I believe there is going to be a line dear, and it¡¯s already forming,¡± and as Peter looked at the still eating Laura she had a glint in her eye and Wanda had already put down her fork, crossed her arms and was staring while Liv smiled and put the tablet down on the table.


    ¡°But let¡¯s be civilised about this shall we, after all, there are eight of us, and I believe even you have a limit. Mr Parker.¡±


    At Livs not so subtle hint Peter nervously smiled and sat back down. Shuri and her brother had gone down a route he had not really expected or planned for, and this was one fight he would not win, on either front.


    As Peter¡¯s face fell, Shuri saw the smiles on the faces of the others.


    ¡°Oh, you misunderstand Miss Octavious. Wakanda practises polygamy. We may marry you all. Okoye, do you have the other scrolls, the one for the brides in training?¡± and Okoye nodded and handed another one over. Shuri gave it a cursory glance and handed it to Liv, and then one for each of them, laid out in a neat row on the table.


    ¡°As consorts, you too have duties and responsibilities. Do not think that Peter is alone in this.¡±

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Sixteen. Family Feud

    After dropping a huge bombshell on the group, Shuri and T¡¯Challa left to give the group some space. While Gwen was at work, and Felicia had yet to return from her evening with Emma, Carol had groggily woken and was eating breakfast while skimming over the scrolls T''Challa had left,


    As she ate, ¡°yeah. I''m not touching this until everyone is here,¡° but the glare she was giving Peter let him know exactly how this was going down. So far nobody had said anything but nobody seemed happy about it.


    Peter sighed, and picked up his phone. Sending out a mass text, he let everyone know,


    Family emergency, it''s not dangerous, so it can wait until after work but everyone needs to be here.


    Followed by a text to May and Curt, and Laura sent one to Logan as well, shit Peter thought, there¡¯s a powder keg, even if he was more worried what his mom would say.


    As the day slowly turned into evening, and the family started to gather around the table, Peter had made sure that no one who was present said a word, telepathically or not. This wasn''t news to be blurred out.


    Felicia arrived, with Emma and Elektra. All three looked worn out and tired but she just shook her head ¡°Don''t ask, the locals are being assholes,¡± and as she sat Peter put a cup of coffee in front of her and she nodded and grunted in thanks.


    ¡°So, I get why they are here, but why me?¡± Logan asked.


    Peter stood at the head of the table, making sure there was nothing behind him, just in case.


    ¡°Princess Shuri of Wakanda has made an official request to join the group.¡± and Gwen''s face scrunched up,


    ¡°That''s it? Another one? Shit Pete I''ve been worrying my ass off all day.¡± but he shook his head,


    ¡°Royalty has rules,¡± and he nodded at Liv who handed out copies of the scrolls to everyone,


    The room fell silent as they read, several faces had knowing looks, several were angry and several had small, badly hidden smiles.


    Logan balled up his paper, ¡°So tell me why I ain¡¯t gonna kick your ass up an¡¯ down this warehouse for the next day an¡¯ a half?¡± but Laura batted him.


    ¡°Bad, no fighting.¡± and he frowned as he looked at her, ¡°No.¡± and she pointed a finger at him,


    ¡°Mom.¡± and May put the paper down and sighed.


    ¡°I don''t think I have the right to speak first. You knew this would happen and yet you still went ahead with it. Personal feelings aside, polygamy is illegal in the US.¡± and a few of the women nodded,


    ¡°I¡¯ll go first,¡± Felicia stood and stretched. ¡°Get the mats out, no powers, cause you are so fucking dead.¡± and Peter sighed and stood.


    As he moved the thick rubber mats out onto the warehouse floor, Felicia began her tirade,


    ¡°What the fuck were you thinking? Pete, I''m twenty-three and not getting married, and not to her. Your stupid dumbass, too busy thinking with your dick to see this is a setup.¡±


    ¡°Wait, a setup?¡± Wanda asked, and Felica nodded,


    ¡°Provisionally, if Peter agrees he must declare himself to the royal council. A full powers check and compatibility check, financials and everything.¡± and as Gwen raised an eyebrow, ¡°What, you look at records all day and not learn something.¡±  and as she laughed Felicia did turn slightly red. ¡°Still stands though, they can come in, run a fine-tooth comb through our lives and then say, oh well, don''t fit, bye.¡±


    Peter sighed, ¡°So, they got us legally rather than just spying.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but why I¡¯m pissed, is that so far not once have I heard ¡®yes Felicia this is stupid and I said no¡¯. So you¡¯re actually thinking about it. So, ass-kicking, no powers, but no holds barred. Wait, Logan yeah? Matt mentioned you a few times, something about Japan and a rabid healing mutant.'''' and as Logan raised an eyebrow. ¡°Dumbshit holds back when it''s us, as he figures he might hurt us. Super healing right?¡± and he nodded, ¡°good, so does he. He can cut loose and so can you.¡± and Logan smiled,


    ¡°Yeah, you didn¡¯t mention that one.¡± and Peter slumped,


    ¡°Cause I know you¡¯d want to fight me,¡± he said exasperated.


    ¡°Too late kid, Laura¡¯s been sittin¡¯ there vibrating and I figure she¡¯s okay with it, but I ain¡¯t. So Miss?¡± and Felicia nodded,


    ¡°It''s Felicia, or Huntress.¡± and he nodded,


    ¡°Huntress here says you¡¯ve got a healing factor. Why don''t you let me go first, soften him up a bit, while you ladies discuss just how much trouble he¡¯s really in.¡± and as the group looked around, they nodded. ¡°An¡¯ ma¡¯am, I promise not to hurt him too much,¡± and as he cracked his knuckles, May nodded,


    ¡°As long as he can still talk, I think the rest is open to negotiation,¡± and Peter gave her a look of disbelief at her utter betrayal. ¡°Oh yes young man you are in trouble, and I agree with them so far. You¡¯ve had your fun and now it''s time to make good on your little, family.¡± and as May turned her back and the group settled around the table Logan nodded at the mat.


    ¡°No groin or eyes, they heal but takes too long. An¡¯ no powers.¡± and Peter sighed,


    ¡°My powers are always on, so no armour or weapons?¡± and Logan nodded.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t the only one with super abilities, an plus, I got a couple hundred years on you.¡±


    ¡°Fine, but even if I lose you have to agree with Laura''s decision.¡± but Logan laughed,


    ¡°This ain¡¯t about her, she¡¯s got her own life. I just think you need taken down a peg or two.¡± and Peter smirked and shook his head,


    ¡°Couple hundred years? Then bring it on old man,¡± and as Logan laughed they moved onto the floor and Peter shifted his clothing into thinner shorts and t-shirt, ¡°Uh before we begin, hit the air-con,¡± and as Logan frowned. ¡°Pheromone. Uh my mom is here, not testing that theory. Ever,¡± and Logan barked out a laugh.


    ¡°Ever tried it on a gay man?¡± and as Peter stood and he gave Logan a surprised look, Logan dived, rolled, and punched Peter in the gut. ¡°Yeah, talkin¡¯ during a fight gets you sucker punched,¡± and as Peter staggered back, holding his stomach he shook his head.


    Peter grinned though, the punch had been a surprise but it was also a favourite move of Laura, to gut someone stupid enough to go toe to toe with a clawed Augment. Peter rolled his shoulders and they began, Logan was faster and more agile than Laura and Peter could feel the years of experience rolling off him. Each attack was blocked with perfection and as Peter tried his best to even lay a finger on the man, Logan, with calm precision, took him apart.


    Fighting Natasha was nothing like this. She went for killing moves, fast and dangerous but fighting Logan was like fighting water. He would put Peter in a joint lock in one moment or cripple a limb with a nerve strike the next, and it was only Peter''s enhanced healing that stopped him from being crippled.


    As the group moved from talking to watching the spar Peter began to get into a rhythm. He knew Logan wasn¡¯t punishing him, he was trying to teach him, and as he blocked, rolled, kicked, and punched he was showing him that superpowers were a complement to natural and learned ability.


    As he slipped under Logan''s guard, lifted him and slammed him into the ground, the girls cheered and laughed, ¡°Enough, come talk.¡± and he rolled back and stood, extending a hand to Logan, who smiled and took it. ¡°Good fight kid, I¡¯ll be back for more though,¡± and Peter nodded, making a note they needed to make some space in the lab building for a proper training facility and not where they all lived.


    ¡°So, uh,¡± and May moved so Peter could sit down. ¡°The adults are done. Mr Logan, may we speak?¡± and Logan grabbed a towel and nodded. May, Curt, and Logan all moved away from the table.


    ¡°We aren''t happy. This stinks of a trap but, before we say anything, you need to explain, and we want the truth.¡± Gwen stated and Peter nodded.


    Taking a breath, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we just usually accept what happens, I didn¡¯t really think that dating another girl would end up as a huge thing. She just plays by different rules than we do and well, I got caught off guard.¡±


    While that was an answer, it apparently wasn¡¯t good enough as the women continued to stare at him,


    ¡°Is Shuri attractive?¡± and he paused, ¡°yes. Am I interested, also a yes.¡° and as he slumped back. ¡°Am I worried this is all a huge trap, yeah of course, but if it''s not, I can really marry you all. I mean, I know we''re all young but, it''s kinda nice knowing we can, even if it''s years away, right?¡± and as he looked hesitant at the group they remained blank-faced.


    ¡°So, yes, I would marry each of you if I could. Would I marry Shuri to do that¡± and he looked at the table, ¡°no, and as we agreed, if someone doesn''t like this then we send it all back, vibranium rights, offers, the whole lot. I love each and every one of you, but you¡¯re not things I own, or chips to bargain with.¡±


    Gwen tapped a finger on the table, ¡°Are you sure that''s your answer?¡± and he nodded.


    ¡°Good. Shuri will be accepted as a trial until we know she isn¡¯t lying to get her hands on the symbiotes.¡° but she shook her head, ¡°but don¡¯t you ever, and I mean ever, do something so fucking stupid again, or this¡± and she motioned to the warehouse ¡°this is over. You don''t get to decide something so big without asking first.¡±


    Peter nodded and took a breath, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Shuri sprung this on me, I had no idea royalty would move so fast. We only spoke yesterday.¡±


    Emma and Elektra both shared a look, ¡°Felicia, we need to talk, but not until you make a decision,¡± Elektra said and as she and Emma grabbed their bags they headed out.


    ¡°See, now Elektra''s pissed at me. Pete, this isn''t a joke.¡± Felicia said as she sat down in her chair, and popping open a bottle took a swig, ¡°This is relationship ending stuff. What were you thinking?¡±


    Peter shook his head and took a swig of his own bottle, ¡°I wasn''t. Who expects ¡®do you want a date?¡¯ to turn into ¡®we should get married¡¯.¡±


    ¡°It''s more than that Pete. We agreed, no more,¡± but Peter raised an eyebrow,


    ¡°Emma?¡± and Felicia looked away guiltily, ¡°yeah, that''s what I thought.¡± and as he stared at the bottle in his hands, ¡°but I didn¡¯t say yes. It''s all just ceremony and talk right now. It''s just more than we usually have to deal with, no dates are set, and nothing set in stone.¡± and as he looked at the table of women, ¡°plus you know. I get crap for a lot of things, but this time. Talon. Shuri was fine with a bit of flirting until you decided to bond her with Talon, so, shout at them for a bit too.¡±


    Laura just shrugged but Wanda at least looked guilty, ¡°how were we to know?¡± and Liv looked at her,


    ¡°Didn''t you just go through the same thing? Peter does have a point. We should make sure anyone being bonded with a symbiote is well aware of what effect they can have.¡± In fact Liv was making more than just a small plan to make sure. If any child symbiote produced by Peter or one of the women in the group was going to naturally be attracted to Peter, they needed to make sure they were very careful as to who hosted one. It was all fun and games until someone unsuitable ended up pursuing Peter, especially if it was against their wishes.


    Peter nodded, ¡°I can make new symbiotes without any residual memories. Helios was a blank, even when Jean took her, it''s everyone else''s we need to watch out for. So no sharing without the group.¡± and as he realised Jean was missing, ¡°Uh, where is Jean anyway?¡±


    Liv frowned, ¡°At the mansion.¡± and Peter just rolled his eyes. It was probably another of Charles¡¯s attempts to coerce her to come home. He also had the job of explaining to Jean about Shuri, and as she was a lot more forceful these days, she would probably see it as a slight.


    Liv saw his expression, and she rolled the scroll back up, ¡°But you are right. After a quick look, you have five years. To prove you are worthy so to speak. Not just physically fit, but mentally and financially too. Every part of your lives, and by default our will be gone through by Wakanda with a very fine tooth comb.¡±


    ¡°So we say no?¡± but Liv shrugged,


    ¡°I would say yes. I rather like the idea. So far the only person complaining is Felicia, even Gwen is quietly reading.¡±


    Gwen looked up from her scroll, ¡°Oh I¡¯m in, five years is fine.¡± and as they looked over at Laura who was grinning, ¡°and you?¡±


    ¡°BABIES!¡± she yelled excitedly and even May and the other adults looked over. And as she grinned and nodded, Peter laughed,


    ¡°So, just MJ and Nat to speak to, as well. I¡¯ve not been exploded by Carol or Wanda so.¡± and as he looked over at her,


    ¡°I am still thinking. It has only been a short while since we started dating Peter, I am not ready.¡± Wanda admitted, ¡°and while I do not wish for his interference. I think my father may want to have words with you as well. The same kind Logan had.¡± and Peter grinned and shook his head,


    ¡°Carol?¡±


    Carol came over and touched his arm, smiling,


    If your parents weren''t here I would be showing you how much I want this. I am never going to say no to the man I love.


    Wanda tutted, that is cheating, how can we say no after that?

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Seventeen. A Teaching Moment

    The parents had already finished their talk and watched by the sidelines as Peter formally proposed to everyone. Nodding in approval May smiled and raised an eyebrow at Logan''s clenched fist. As she turned, ¡°She is your daughter, but she is old enough to make the choice herself.¡± and he scowled but nodded.


    ¡°Still,¡± and shaking his head, ¡°an¡¯ while you''re all smiles. I get it, but one thing you ain¡¯t good at is fightin¡¯. Laura gets training from me, and to make sure you¡¯re all behavin'', well. I reckon that while Ororo is here teaching her math and stuff, I¡¯ll be here teachin'' you how to fight properly, not that swingin¡¯ and hopin¡¯ you hit somethin¡¯ shit you got going on.¡±


    While reluctant, Peter knew that having an Augment teacher would be a good thing. Elektra had promised to teach him but as the Black Cats were dealing with their own problems she had little time. Natasha had taken over their training but with everyone at different skill levels and power differences, it was difficult to get everyone on the same page. Logan on the other hand was perfect. His indestructible body meant that even fully powered Peter could let loose, and he nodded. ¡°Just, you know, not here. I don''t want to have to fill in concrete every time you claw something.¡±


    Logan continued, ¡°An¡¯ don¡¯t think you lots are in the clear either, we train teams. So, Pete, you need to tell me who''s on your team, so we can work out how you lot¡¯ll fight together without blowing each other up, I know Laura, an¡¯ who else?¡±


    ¡°Uh, Wanda?¡± and she nodded,


    ¡°Carol?¡±


    and she smiled, ¡°once I¡¯m healed. My powers are still off.¡± Her body had recovered. And with help from Felicia, Carol knew her body was just as tough, it was her Space Stone enhanced powers that were reduced. Her flight was much slower, and while she could survive in space, it became uncomfortable after a few hours. Her ability to travel off-world without a spaceship was gone. Maybe a few rounds with Logan would let her know if her Binary form and her photon blasts were weaker as well, without destroying the warehouse.


    ¡°Nat, but she isn''t here, and yeah, Laura.¡±


    ¡°What''s Nats powers? She got any?¡± and Peter looked at him,


    ¡°Uh, she¡¯s a secret agent, and other than her symbiote, we Enhanced her.¡± and Logan shook his head,


    ¡°You¡¯re too loose with that formula crap. If I''m your trainer ain¡¯t nobody gets juiced up unless I okay it. An¡¯ that goes for those creatures as well, they might be messin¡¯ with you an¡¯ you can''t tell.¡±


    Peter shook his head, ¡°I get the need for training, but the symbiotes are a non-issue. Who I give one to is my business, and you don''t get a say in that, Ever.¡±


    Logan sighed, ¡°An¡¯ if you give one to someone who goes rogue, or it kills ''em? You stop an¡¯ think of that?¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°Of course, we monitor and are right there. I get we¡¯re young, but stop treating us like kids. We make mistakes but we¡¯re getting good at fixing them and not doing it again.¡±


    ¡°Only looking out for you. Treating someone like a kid doesn''t mean you think they are, just they maybe need a lesson or two on how to be a grown-up.¡± Logan shrugged, ¡°while you might not like it, I can ask Charles if you can use his danger room. He ain''t too bad once you get past some of the shit, kinda like you.¡±


    Peter snorted and even Ororo shook her head, ¡°Charles had become a different man Logan, and will he even listen to Peter before judging him again?¡±


    Logan shook his head and sighed, ¡°Charles had a tough time Ororo. Since Venom here showed up his power has been acting a bit screwy. You''re telepathic right?¡± and Peter nodded, ¡°can you feel the pain of everyone in the city?¡± but Peter shut his eyes and shook his head. He had learned to block out most of the noise and the Mind Stone made it easier.


    ¡°Yeah, cause Charles can. He uses a machine to extend his powers, to find new mutants and he feels it. The deaths, the ones in pain, the drugs, and the shit. He ain''t perfect Roro but he ain''t to blame.¡±


    Peter knew the cause as well. Once Harry had discovered Venom had been created, Monarch had been using the stone to create and control the symbsoldiers. Without releasing it he was probably driving any powerful telepath in the New York area mad, and Charles must have suffered.


    ¡°It doesn''t excuse him using his powers on people.¡± but Logan laughed,


    ¡°Really, cause Jean was a mess when they first brought her in, an¡¯ I was the only one who could get near her without getting hurt. Laura was barely functional, an¡¯ sure, we took her without askin¡¯, an¡¯ what if you¡¯d fought back? What if you decided you didn''t like Charles, or me? Using your powers ain''t a bad thing, and erasing a few minutes of memories is okay if it¡¯s keeping someone safe. Ain¡¯t no different than breakin'' an arm to stop a mugger.¡± Logan looked at Peter, ¡°Ain¡¯t no different than throwing someone off a building after they shot your girlfriend in the head.¡±


    Peter shook his head, ¡°Getting really tired of being blamed for John,¡± but Logan raised a hand and shook his head,


    ¡°Not John, Flash. John was an accident. We all accept that, but you did fight Flash Thompson, and you did beat that boy till he was down, and then you did throw him off that building. So don¡¯t stand there actin¡¯ all high an¡¯ mighty when you¡¯re just as bad.¡±


    ¡°Really Peter?¡± May stepped forward, ¡°You neglected to mention that part.¡± and he frowned guiltily,


    ¡°We got over it?¡± he said with a hesitant smile, hoping to just smooth things over.


    ¡°Mr Logan, I think I now agree with you. Peter. You need proper guidance and now you can pay someone, Mr Logan will be training you, and I will be making sure that the lessons stick. You might have been busy saving the world but it seems that has gone to your head. Have you finished your GED? College? Parker Inc might be gaining headlines but I believe Miss Octavious is responsible for that, and now this. I love you but pull yourself together young man. How do you expect to support eight wives, and be responsible for anything that happens in the future if you''re still acting like, like a child.¡± and Peter¡¯s head hung,


    ¡°Sorry mom.¡±


    Laura stood and raised her fist ¡°GO MOM!¡± and Peter smiled,


    ¡°Yeah. Best superpower there is.¡± and he moved over and hugged her, ¡°I promise I¡¯ll be better, okay?¡± and she looked up at him,


    ¡°Oh, I know you will be, and you lot.¡± May cast a critical eye over the assembled group. ¡°Remember now, that Curt and I are now your parents in law, as is Mr Logan here. You all now have parents, and you will behave yourselves as well. Even if Shuri is being troublesome we decided that a warehouse full of irresponsible young adults is nothing but trouble asking to happen. You will all behave, and yes even you Olivia. You might be older but Curt has explained your circumstances. I would expect a little rebellion after what happened but Peter needs a firm hand, not an accomplice.¡± and as Liv gave Curt a pained look May raised an eyebrow and stared over at him, ¡°oh don¡¯t think he got away with anything, isn¡¯t that right?¡± and as she crossed her arms he looked squarely at him, ¡°tell her.¡±


    Curt sighed and lifted a sleeve, ¡°Ten days now¡± and Liv saw the nicotine patch. ¡°Coffee makes Lizard anxious, so we switched to decaf, and I had to quit.¡± and May came over and ran a hand down his arm,


    ¡°And I am very proud of you.¡± She stretched on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek, ¡°Don''t think I don''t know what happens here, and don''t think I approve.¡± and Peter looked around at the rest, frowning worriedly,


    ¡°Oh, not that. The still, and the smoking,¡± and Gwen looked guilty,


    ¡°We don''t smoke, Mrs Parker, and the still is mine,¡± she admitted. May raised an eyebrow,


    ¡°Really?¡± and she sighed, ¡°and I thought you were the responsible one Gwen. I am glad to hear none of you smokes¡± and Laura nodded,


    ¡°It''s stinky.¡± and Peter had to agree.


    ¡°Okay, the still, we can¡¯t drink. Not that we tried but our powers, and I mean all our powers mean that we could drink gasoline and not be harmed, plus, uh, it''s kinda legal, as we got a licence to distil alcohol for experimentation for Parker Inc.¡±


    Logan laughed, ¡°A few of the kids tried that at the mansion, but Charles shot ¡®em down,¡± and as he patted May on the shoulder, ¡°it¡¯s fine, powers mean a lot of weird stuff. I mean, we got one kid that can''t eat vegetables, only protein. Her stomach won''t digest ¡®em.¡±


    May looked at him, and shook her head, ¡°I still don''t have to like it Mr Logan, and I still disapprove.¡± and Logan laughed,


    ¡°May, if you¡¯re tellin¡¯ these kids we¡¯re all in-laws now, then it''s James. I¡¯ve seen the setup and it ain¡¯t worth much, enough for maybe a good party a week, an¡¯ so far, I think it''s only been once. He might be a horndog, but he¡¯s alright.¡± and Laura nodded,


    May sighed, ¡°I suppose.¡± but she narrowed her eyes and glared at Peter, ¡°but you still need to come round and fix the guttering.¡± and as Peter laughed the adults rejoined the group and Peter started on breakfast.


    A second table had been set up, so that everyone could sit and eat, and while it was a simple folding camping table it was big enough,


    ¡°So, with all the excitement, what are you planning on telling Shuri?¡± Gwen asked, passing the butter and toast over to Carol.


    ¡°Right now,¡± Peter said as he passed a preserve to Felicia, ¡°We¡¯ll be working on her studies at Parker Inc. She¡¯s donated a large chunk of vibranium ore, the machinery required to refine it, and will be helping us to process it.¡±


    Carol nodded, ¡°that''s great Pete, but what about Shuri, and no deflecting.¡±


    Peter took a breath and sighed, ¡°I''ve met her once, she¡¯s attractive, smart and funny, but anything else, I''m not going to discuss it with my mom here.¡±


    ¡°I am eating my breakfast, and then I believe there is a bathhouse that I was not told about,¡± May stated while holding a slice of toast,


    ¡°Yeah, If you use it, remember the red flag on the outside. If it''s there, it means a female guest is using the bath, and Curt, Logan, that means stay out. I¡¯ll get another flag if you guys are in there, but red means women only. Don''t care who you are, no means no.¡± and the pair nodded, ¡°other than that, feel free, I mean, it''s big enough.¡± and as Peter looked at the pair, ¡°I¡¯ll also add another flag if you and Curt are in there, mom. Couples only. We do have some rules,¡± and May smiled at Curt, and Logan laughed.


    ¡°So, we are really doing this?¡± Felicia asked and Peter nodded,


    ¡°I mean, it''s a bit earlier than I think we wanted but yeah. We all share a connection, we all live in the same building. I¡¯m happy to have you guys as my family, even if it does get bigger at times. If you¡¯re happy then I¡¯m happy. We¡¯re making a life together, this just seems, I dunno, right.¡±


    ¡°What about MJ? and Nat.¡± She asked as she buttered more toast, sliding a slice onto Gwen''s plate, and then one for Peter.


    ¡°We ask when we can. Nat seems to be happy, it¡¯s MJ I¡¯m worried about.¡± and May sighed


    ¡°She¡¯s famous.¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°MJ?¡± Logan asked,


    ¡°Mary Jane Watson, the movie star.¡± and he frowned,


    ¡°You know, wait, you¡¯re datin¡¯ MJ Watson. Isn''t she with Stark?¡± and as Gwen coughed he stared, ¡°what?¡±


    ¡°Uh, He accosted her at a movie thing. If you want unresolved issues, her and Flash, and her and Tony Stark are way worse than Peter throwing Flash off a roof.¡±


    ¡°Can you explain, or?¡± and she nodded,


    ¡°Let me.¡± and Peter sighed, ¡°Flash bullied me, made my life hell, and yeah, after his dad got me semi expelled, and tried to ruin my life I had issues. But Flash dated MJ, and after school we found out it wasn''t exactly her choice. She grew up in a bad situation and she was pressured into dating the rich kid. Then uh, Tony had some of the cream we make, and tried to use it on her before it got released, so she had to hide from him.¡± and he only stopped as Logan''s knuckles were going white from tension.


    ¡°You¡¯re still gettin'' trainin¡¯, but I can see why you threw him off that roof, an'' why Venom went after Stark.¡±


    Gwen laughed and coughed, ¡°no, that was because Pete slept with Pepper.¡± and May put down her toast and stared at him,


    ¡°Peter, really.¡± but he shook his head,


    ¡°Thanks, Gwen¡± and she stuck a tongue out at him, ¡°Pepper wanted to get Tony off her back as well, so she came here and uh.¡±


    ¡°You know that doesn¡¯t sound any better. I thought I raised you better than to sleep with a married woman.¡± but Peter frowned,


    ¡°They weren''t even dating, that was why she came here. Tony was bugging her, and she needed something¡± but she raised her hand,


    ¡°I don''t need to know anymore, poor woman. I had thought those stories in the magazines were all lies to sully his reputation but,¡± and she sighed, ¡°now I am beginning to see why you get in so much trouble.¡±

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Eighteen. Indecent Proposal

    Shuri sat in Peter''s apartment, sipping a glass of pressed apple juice. As Peter sat across from her he could hear the two Dora Milaje outside on the walkway. While it was sparsely decorated she was still impressed it was tidy. She had seen some of her male student friends dorm rooms and Peters was spotless compared to those.


    ¡°So, what have you decided?¡± she asked innocently, but Peter could feel the curiosity burning within her.


    ¡°First, why me? And I will know if you lie, and yes I will explain that but first, please.¡±


    Shuri sighed, ¡°Talon shared everything with me. I went from meeting you once to being privy to every little detail of your life. I know I  like you, I know we would be compatible. You know being a princess comes with responsibilities. I have already been paired with members of several Wakandan tribes. And I hated them all. Why? Simple, in Wakanda, there are two things we prize. Strength and vibranium.¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°Lots of people stronger than me,¡° and he sighed, ¡°a lot.¡±


    ¡°True, but not all strength is from muscles, which I will admit I do find yours to be attractive. So as I am supposed to be honest, you are very handsome. Talon shared your bedroom activities with me, and I am physically attracted to you.¡±


    ¡°Uh, and you are attractive as well,¡± Peter uttered, realising that this would be embarrassing for them both,


    ¡°Yes, I know. I am aware of how amazing I am, and I have been told often enough, by everyone, all the time.¡± and she rolled her eyes, ¡°We can skip that part. Flattery got boring after the first several thousand times someone tried to kiss my hand.¡±


    ¡°So, then why?¡±


    ¡°You are also very smart. Maybe not as smart as I am, or Tony Stark, but in your field, you excel. I am a generalist, as is Stark, you focus and in doing so, perform better. I like that.¡±


    ¡°And you think telling me that I¡¯m smart but at the same time I¡¯m dumb, does what?¡±


    Shuri laughed, ¡°I never said you are dumb, but your fake hurt is amusing. You have no arrogance, Peter. You know that Liv is smarter, which is why she runs your company. You know Stark is smarter, which is why you are angry he stole your designs. I have yet to prove I am smarter but I was raised on technology a hundred years more advanced than anything you currently know.¡±


    Shuri pulled out her tablet, ¡°Your CLS, after altering it with Wakandan technology.¡± and as Peter looked over the design he frowned,


    ¡°Nope, this won¡¯t work.¡± and as he pitched one of the schematics he almost dropped the tablet as its display became three dimensional, ¡°thanks for the warning,¡± and she giggled,


    ¡°I also like the faces you pull. Now what won¡¯t work?¡± and as Peter pulled at the image he highlighted a circuit.


    ¡°This, you have the polarity wrong,¡± and the discussion fell from what Shuri liked about Peter and devolved into fixing the schematics of his CLS.


    Peter found himself sitting next to her, as she pulled and altered the schematic as they spoke. The server was capable of running a virtual diagnostic. As they spoke, he realised she was touching him and as he took a look he shook his head,


    ¡°Sorry, damn, sorry,¡± and he sighed and moved away. ¡°I don¡¯t normally have guests up here,¡± and as he reached over for the neutraliser she shook her head,


    ¡°Ororo warned me, and I am wearing nose plugs. I am aware of your pheromone Peter, and as you can see.¡° And she pointed at the green light on the virtual test, ¡°we have your CLS working. Well, virtually at least.¡±


    She sat down next to him and pulled out the plugs, ¡°this is why I like you, we worked together and you were not afraid that I was smarter, and while it took you a while, you were concerned, and I was touched.¡± and as he took his chin she tilted his face and kissed him gently, ¡°and now I wish to be touched more.¡±


    While he touched her lips with his, he leant back and shook his head, ¡°No. I know you¡¯re not lying, I uh, have a power that lets me tell, but there is one more thing. The symbiotes.¡±


    Shuri sighed and moved over to her original seat, taking a sip of apple juice, ¡°you are worried this is all a trap to contain and destroy them?¡± and he nodded.


    ¡°Our history tells of a bloody conflict, and we are worried. We are also worried about the Stacy formula, the Banner formula, Extremis, Ultron, Iron Man, Hydra, Oscorp, Asgard, and whatever else is waiting in the dark. Do I wish to be a host to one of these creatures? I do. My experience with Talon was wonderful, and I will not lie that I would do anything to experience that, but would I marry you? No.¡± Shuri put her glass down and came and knelt at Peter¡¯s feet. ¡°I would sleep with you though, especially after,¡± and she looked slightly embarrassed at the thoughts she had shared with Talon.


    ¡°I like you, and I believe that can grow into love. You are kind, and handsome, and a lot of other things a young woman will not admit to until she is married. But is it for the symbiotes, no, it is for me.¡± and she lay her head on his lap. ¡°I found someone I like, not a sycophant, not a gold digger who wanted me because I am rich, but someone who was kind and invited me into his home. Even though my brother had been antagonising him.¡± Peter ran a hand over her hair and ran a thumb over her ear, making sure not to catch the intricate golden earrings she wore,


    ¡°Do you believe me?¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°I can read minds. The experiments done to me gave me the abilities of a symbiote without being bonded to one. I can extend armour and make shapes, I can connect to machines and control them, I produce not just an attraction pheromone but fear one as well, and I also have an Infinity Stone.¡±


    ¡°If you are trying to seduce me, you-¡± and Shuri sat up straight and stood, ¡°You have an Infinity Stone?¡± and she grabbed his shoulders and her face was inches away from his. Peter was just as surprised she knew what it was, as she was that he had one.


    Nodding, ¡°uh, if you move back¡± and as she stepped back he coughed lightly and took the stone from his mouth. ¡°I keep it in a small pouch in my chest, so nobody can take it.¡±


    Shuri¡¯s eye lit up, ¡°can I touch it?¡± and Peter held out his hand and she lifted it. ¡°Hmm,¡± and she put it back down. ¡°That is just a rock.¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°It only reacts to people with telepathic powers, so for you, I suppose it is just a rock.¡± and Shuri sat back in her seat,


    Crossing her arms she pouted, ¡°I suppose it works for the others?¡± and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°Other than Wanda, who was exposed against her will, nobody else was telepathic when we first got it, but I suppose. We haven¡¯t tested it since. They trust me to keep hold of it.¡±


    ¡°You know if anyone finds out that countries would go to war to have that?¡± and Peter shrugged, he knew about the existence of the stones but had no idea their myth was so widespread.


    ¡°Which is why we weren¡¯t telling anyone.¡± Peter smiled, ¡°Only the people we trust know.¡± He missed out that in telling her, if her reaction had been one of greed or claiming it would be safer in Wakanda, then the conversation would be over, and she would have no memories of its existence.


    Shuri grinned, ¡°and it lets you read my mind?¡± and Peter nodded, ¡°Then what am I thinking?¡± and she bit her bottom lip,


    ¡°I do, but I don¡¯t actively read minds,¡± and he leant forwards, ¡°I guess it¡¯s rude, like listening in, but it¡¯s more than just that. You get thoughts and feelings as well, so it¡¯s cheating.¡± and he gently kissed her, feeling that was what she wanted.


    Shuri laughed, ¡°and how am I supposed to prank and tease my partner when he knows I am joking, or hiding something.¡± and Peter smiled and shook his head,


    ¡°I get enough of that from Gwen, you¡¯re not special there.¡± and she looked at him, raising an eyebrow


    ¡°Oh? And you compare me to your other woman so easily, and dismiss me so quickly.¡± and Peter leaned back, rubbing his hands over his face,


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t say that,¡±


    Shuri laughed, ¡°I know, and you are just as easy to tease as my brother, but I think there will be some things that we can do,¡± and as she grinning she ran a hand down her front and a small section of her robe became slightly transparent. Peter could see the curve and outline of her breasts, and how erect the small dark nipple was.


    ¡°I can see through your clothes, it''s another power,¡± he said with a deadpan look on his face and she tutted,


    ¡°You are no fun¡± and as she swiped her hand back up she sat back, crossing her arms and pouting,


    ¡°And you don¡¯t like being teased back¡± Peter laughed. ¡°Of course I can¡¯t see through clothing,¡± and as he laughed more Shuri huffed,


    ¡°I do not like to be teased, and you Mr Parker, are a bad man.¡± but that just made him laugh more.


    As she sat, with her head turned away from him, he sat grinning and shaking his head,


    ¡°Is that all it takes to faze the mighty Princess of Wakanda, you know that Gwen is much worse than I am.¡± and she pointedly huffed and turned her head,


    ¡°I am not talking to you. I cannot believe that such a man exists.¡± and Peter laughed,


    ¡°Well, Better Peter Parker, teaser of little girls, than Venom, black hearted butcher.¡± and that got her attention,


    ¡°Little girl? I am twenty-two years old, I am not some child for you to..to, and you are still teasing me.¡± and Peter nodded,


    Shuri stood with her arms crossed, ¡°I am not used to being treated like this.¡± and he laughed and sat next to her,


    ¡°You picked us, not just me, but all of us. So, suck it up princess, cause it¡¯s adorable, and well, other than Wanda, you¡¯re the youngest.¡±


    ¡°I am? is Laura?¡± but Peter shook his head,


    ¡°Older than I am. I think Wanda is only twenty-one, but we never really asked.¡±


    Shuri huffed, ¡°I am still a Princess, or do you have another stashed away somewhere.¡± and Peter laughed,


    ¡°Nope, no more princesses, I think¡± and as she laughed she batted his shoulder,


    ¡°I am not used to being treated as such,¡± and Peter shrugged


    ¡°Can¡¯t help you there.¡± but as she moved over to the larger chair and patted the seat before sitting down,


    As Peter moved over and sat next to her, ¡°No, I am not used to being treated like I am just a person, not a royal, not second in line to the throne, not a stepping stone to power.¡± Shuri patted his leg, ¡°I like it, and I like you. You never answered my question.¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°I know,¡± and as he reached behind him and took the scroll off the table.


    ¡°I, Peter Parker, do formally request to be considered for Royal Consort, of Shuri of the Golden Tribe. Princess of Wakanda and second in line to the throne.¡±


    Peter extended a blade of symbskin and slid the tip of his thumb, letting a small amount of blood drip onto the scroll. As it lit up he had a moment of panic, thinking his Extremis filled blood was about to set the whole thing on fire but instead, a small seal appeared at the bottom of the scroll and Shuri¡¯s eyes lit up and she clapped.


    ¡°We are compatible,¡± and as she took the scroll, she took his wrist and ran her own finger over the blade, cursing softly. The scroll contained a simple genetic scanner that would ensure there would be no serious medical conditions in potential offspring. It was the first test, and one nobody could cheat at.


    ¡°I, Shuri of the Golden Tribe, Princess of Wakanda, Second in Line to the Throne, Inheritor of Basts Power and High Priestess of Her Name, Accept.¡± and as the blood dripped onto the parchment, a second golden seal formed and the whole scroll rolled itself and snapped shut.


    ¡°There, now we are engaged, and once I return this to the Royal Court, the proceedings for our courtship may begin.¡±


    As she leaned over and gave Peter a small kiss on the cheek,


    ¡°I will warn you though, not just my brother doesn¡¯t like you. We have a political enemy, the White Gorilla Tribe, and their champion really hates you.¡±


    Peter frowned, ¡°I don¡¯t know anyone in Wakanda, so uh?¡± and he shrugged,


    ¡°Oh, they are not Wakandan. Their champion is Fisk, Wilson Fisk.¡±

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Nineteen. Return Of The Nat

    Natasha got back to the warehouse and found everyone sitting in a half-circle, with strange looks on their faces. It had been a rough time away. While the work was satisfying and the death count for scumbags was higher than they had expected, it was still good to be home.


    ¡°So what stupid thing¡¯s he done this time?¡± and it was MJ that shrugged,


    ¡°Dunno, they won''t tell me, not until you got here.¡±


    As she dropped her duffle bag on the floor she sighed, ¡°pop me one of those and then get to it. If it¡¯s bad news I¡¯m not unpacking,¡± but Felicia shook her head,


    ¡°Pete got engaged,¡± and as Nat took a swig, she choked and coughed,


    ¡°He what?¡± she sputtered as she wiped the beer from her face.


    ¡°Princess Shuri of Wakanda had been taking up his time, and she asked for an official engagement.¡±


    Felicia slid over a tablet form of the scrolls they had all been given and MJ¡¯s face fell and rose as she read, but Nats remained fixed in a frown.


    MJ was glowing, ¡°Dibs,¡± she yelled and everyone looked at her,


    ¡°Uh, what? Aren''t you mad, I mean,¡± but MJ waved a hand at her.


    ¡°Ssssh. Mad? Oh yeah cause actually getting to marry Peter is sooo terrible.¡± and she waved her hand at her dismissively. ¡°You¡¯re all just mad cause he,¡± and she stopped and stared at the group. ¡°Actually, why are you mad? I mean, what did you think was going to happen?¡±


    ¡°Uh, not marriage, we¡¯re twenty-three.¡± and MJ shrugged,


    ¡°So, you never thought about it, never once wrote Felicia Parker in that secret little notebook of yours, or hid a wedding magazine in your desk at work.¡± and Felicia went bright red,


    Through gritted teeth, ¡°how the fuck do you know about that?¡± and MJ just laughed and pointed at her, smiling,


    ¡°Cause we all have, dummy. I''m not ashamed to admit it though, and dibs, dibby dibby dib dibs,¡± and Felicia shook her head,


    ¡°Why are you calling dibs, it''s years away and it''s not like you¡¯ll be first.¡± and MJ stopped and stared at her,


    ¡°Really? So you didn¡¯t read the whole thing. The clause that says that while Shuri is first, the rest of us can get our own ceremony. Not a group, not at the same time, Our. Own. Ceremony. Consorts of the Wakandan Royal Court with full regalia and everything. So dibs and no takebacks. I¡¯m second and you¡¯re all last.¡± MJ started to laugh again, twirling around the warehouse floor.


    One thing MJ knew, and that was how to read something and take in the bigger picture. She knew from experience that while the director might say it was a family movie, it didn''t stop them from adding in a gratuitous bikini shot or lingering shower scene. Something innocent enough to pass filming but indecent enough to end up on the cutting room floor, or more likely, a private collector''s hands. Reading a  script in a few minutes was a must in the film industry.


    ¡°I think she¡¯s finally lost it,¡± Gwen said but Felicia shrugged.


    ¡°She is right though,¡± she said reluctantly, ¡°and I guess, dibs, HA, third.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡± and the group devolved into a heated but silly argument. While each ceremony would be the same, with the same level of detail paid to each, it was a given that after the first two or three the shine would wear off and the world would stop watching as closely. MJ had begun to love the spotlight and had no issue sharing it with a co-star, but she still wanted that bright light to shine on her and her alone, and this was one time she was going to actually fight. She had prepared to never get married and suspected they all had and now it was on the table, she would make sure that nothing ruined her big day.


    The official engagement would last at least five years, as Peter had to make a name for himself in more ways than one but the girls all agreed that this was probably their only chance to actually legally get married, and they had all chosen Peter, not just for the symbiotes but as he genuinely cared for each of them and they cared just as much for him.


    It was Nat that eventually cleared her throat, ¡°But uh, okay, so we do. But what about the lives we¡¯ve built? I mean, I doubt Wakanda is going to let us keep our team, or you keep the Black Cats.¡±


    Felicia laughed, ¡°really? Cause I already had Shuri approach me about that, and as long as we stay off the radar, she¡¯s fine, and as for the team.¡± Felicia slid over a tablet and Nat raised an eyebrow as she looked at it.


    ¡®Wakandan Midnight Angels¡¯ was titled and as Nat read, she raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Shuri wants me to head a new organisation within the Wakanda military? Full leadership and responsibilities.¡± and Gwen nodded and handed her another bottle,


    ¡°She¡¯s got us all. She went right after Peter and then stuck a knife in each of us. I mean, labs for Parker Inc, as long as we¡¯re married, Midnight Angels for you, Alpha Flight space program for Carol, Augmented Rights Movement for Wanda to handle, the only one she didn¡¯t prepare anything for was Laura, and well.¡±


    Laura perked up, ¡°Fixing my dad.¡± and Nat frowned,


    ¡°Seems Shaw had him poisoned. The metal on his bones is toxic and it''s only his healing factor that''s keeping him alive. Shuri is going to fix it and heal him.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± Laura added, and her tablet had a medical procedure to coat her bones in an alloy of vibranium. Harder than the adamantium, but completely non-toxic.


    Nat leaned back ¡°and let me guess, it''s only something she or Wakanda can do?¡± and Gwen nodded.


    ¡°Either she¡¯s the best mastermind on the planet, and prepared the perfect traps for all of us,¡± and as Nat took a swig of her beer, ¡°or she actually cares and is being nice so we don''t refuse and throw her to the wolves, or well, gorillas.¡±


    ¡°You know, I get why Pete thinks the whole gruff tough girl thing is sexy,¡± and she winked at Felicia as she went bright red.


    Gwen leaned over and kissed Felicia on the side of the cheek, ¡°the whole tough gruff girl thing is very sexy¡±


    Felicia huffed but kissed her back, ¡°thing is, I don''t care if it¡¯s a trap, no one makes a trap this big and then jumps out and shouts surprise. It¡¯s obvious it¡¯s a trap, and so what? What''s her goal, a symbiote? Only Pete can give her one, or well, Octave I guess, but that''s it. Shuri¡¯s dorky like Pete but cloning is not something she¡¯d agree to, and MJ, I was mad as he didn¡¯t ask, but yeah, so I''ve got a diary and a journal and clippings, so what?¡± and MJ danced over and kissed the other side of her face


    ¡°I think it''s cute,¡± as she leaned over, kissed Felicia and then danced away, brimming with happiness.


    Nat huffed, ¡°nobody said I was cute,¡± and Felicia stuck her tongue out at her,


    ¡°Actually, that was another reason we asked Peter to give us an evening before he spoke to you.¡± Liv piped up, ¡°as Gwen and I have a theory about the symbiote and it really only applies to us.¡±


    ¡°To tell me I¡¯m cute?¡± Nat asked, with a smirk but Liv nodded,


    ¡°In a way, yes. Tell me, Miss Romanov, normally you wouldn¡¯t be interested, but after Peters birthday, and the fact that you not only had sex with MJ but them myself and Gwen after, have you felt more inclined towards women?¡±


    Nat tilted her head and frowned ¡°I, don''t know. I haven''t really thought about it,¡± but Liv nodded,


    ¡°But when we called Felicia cute, you felt a bit, left out, maybe a small hint of jealousy?¡± and Natasha frowned but nodded,


    ¡°We think the symbiotes are making us, well not some of us, but well, gay.¡±


    Natasha laughed ¡°seriously?¡±


    widow?


    what? We are tired


    Are you making me gay?


    Gay? We do not understand, gay.


    ¡°Widow says no¡± and Liv shrugged,


    ¡°As do they all, but now ask her if she would like to mate with me, or Felicia.¡±


    Yes yes, do that, we like that


    And Nat sighed, ¡°They don''t understand,¡±


    Liv nodded, ¡°Non-gendered lifeforms being attached to a gendered host will gravitate towards a suitable partner for hosting. Their non-sexual method of reproducing. Everything else is just a nice chemical cocktail to them. They don¡¯t see male and female, they just see suitable and not suitable.¡±


    ¡°So why bring it up now?¡± and she took a swig,


    ¡°Well, because before it was just a nice house of very beautiful women, screwing the brains out of whoever took their fancy, but now its marriage, and while no one else has said it, that will probably lead to children, and I for one will not walk into something that serious blindly, or with anyone who doesn''t understand that.¡±


    ¡°So, we all accept that we¡¯re going to sleep together, even if right now we¡¯re straight?¡±


    ¡°We can always find another host if it''s uncomfortable dear, I''m sure Wanda will happily take Widow or even Shuri, I think she¡¯s at least curious.¡±


    Nat frowned and tensed up and Liv raised her hands in surrender, ¡°I was only making a suggestion, but from that reaction, I don''t think you really mind?¡±


    Nat shook her head, ¡°No, I just realised I have to tell my dad, and it''s uh, complicated.¡± and Liv laughed,


    ¡°Oh, we are aware. We already had the lecture, and not just Peter. It has been pointed out that even the older ones here are acting like hormonal teens, and we were all suitably chastised.¡± and it was Nat¡¯s turn to laugh,


    ¡°Yeah, still more of an east versus west thing really. Plus I kinda volunteered Parker Inc to help fix some of the Red Rooms more spectacular failures.¡±


    ¡°That aside, as we¡¯ll involve Peter with that one, are you sure dear? Nobody wants to be pressured into something they¡¯ll regret.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn''t give this life up for the world, even if Peter wasn''t here. I kinda like being a host, and I kinda like being part of a family again. Good enough?¡±


    ¡°So, the fact that we¡¯re all probably bi, or leaning that way is out of the way. No one needs to feel stupid about asking, or refusing, and I guess we know how MJ feels considering she¡¯s still dancing around the floor,¡± and as she stopped as they all looked over at her,


    ¡°I¡¯m good. My career might take a hit but really, I don''t care. I got my movie, I¡¯m sure Parker Inc needs a spokeswoman right?¡± MJ asked and Liv nodded, and then continued.


    ¡°Next thing, couples. I mean, the marriage is technically to Shuri, not Peter. Which is why we wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page. Lastly, we need to elect a champion. Wakanda is pretty open, no one cares that Shuri will have male and female relationships but uh, they do care that we¡¯re capable of defending her, so Peter¡¯s gonna be our male representative and  well, you, we want you to fight for us.¡±


    ¡°Trial by Combat? Seems a bit old fashioned,¡± and Gwen nodded,


    ¡°Wakanda is a strange mix of ultramodern and ultratraditional values. Multiple wives, trials by combat, but transgender rights, LGBT+ laws, and a whole bunch of medicine to make sure mental illness and disabilities are treated and taken care of,¡± Gwen explained. ¡°Say another man wanted to marry Shuri and she agreed, well Peter can disagree and fight them for her hand, so you¡¯re kinda the same but, Peter gets a trial by combat, you can choose a different method.¡±


    Nat shrugged, ¡°but I can still choose combat, right?¡± and Gwen nodded,


    ¡°As the challenged, you always get to pick.¡± as and Nat opened another bottle and took a swig,


    ¡°Then that''s fine. So, we no longer tell him off, you just send me to beat them up, right?¡± and as she smiled and drank Gwen the rest laughed,


    ¡°I think that Pete¡¯s love life is at an end then,¡± and the girls laughed more, knowing full well that they would rather not have to fight Nat for his hand.


    ¡°And that''s our little chat over, although I will suggest that we make sure Peter holds up his end of the bargain.¡±


    As Peter failed to realise the trouble he was in, the girls planned his latest punishment.

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Twenty. Trial Period

    Once the warehouse had calmed down and Peter had been spared from any real punishment, Shuri had been invited along to witness the bonding of Wanda to her very own symbiote. Liv had started her research, and while Wanda had been subjected to a myriad of physical tests to make sure she was healthy, Liv also included several psychological ones as well.


    Her goal was to make sure that while everyone complained the symbiotes were harmless, that they weren''t influencing their behaviour in subtle but significant ways. After several reassurances that the test would be made confidential and one hundred percent private, Wanda obliged.


    Once that was all done, Shuri had returned and the group was standing in one of the new Parker Inc labs. Gwen and Shuri would monitor while Peter provided Wanda a symbiote of her own.


    ¡°I understand that I am being allowed to watch as Wanda becomes a host to a symbiote?¡± and Wanda nodded,


    Gwen stepped forwards, ¡°but, you have to understand, this will be intense, and if you¡¯re squeamish or don¡¯t like the idea, then say now, as once it starts, well,¡° and she smirked.


    ¡°I am going to assume she will not hurt anyone, nor will she become a monster, yes?¡± and Gwen nodded, ¡°then there is no reason to back out,¡± and as she looked over at Peter with a small hint of embarrassment, ¡°we have already seen what he does with you all, Talon was most descriptive in her sharing.¡±


    Gwen, ¡°oh yeah, we forgot about that. But you know, memories are one thing but having it sticking in your face is another. So yeah, not the same, not even close.¡±


    ¡°Talon was calm during her time, but we know that you all had sex with Peter, we are not ashamed to see that, and it appears Miss Maximov is not either,¡± Shuri said, crossing her arms. ¡°I am not a child, even though I am apparently the youngest.¡±


    It turned out that while Wanda was twenty-two, her birthday was several months before Shuri¡¯s, making her older. Gwen had teased her mercilessly about being the baby of the group and Shuri, unused to being treated as such, was still stinging from the treatment.


    ¡°Aww, it¡¯s okay, we¡¯ve got a blankie and a bottle for after, if you get tired, Princess,¡± and as Shuri scowled, Gwen laughed. Even being royalty wouldn¡¯t shield her, and Gwen took great delight in having a new target.


    Wanda cleared her throat, ¡°While I appreciate the deflection, can we please begin. While Shuri might be happy, I for one am still preparing myself just in case I do anything embarrassing.¡±


    Peter smiled and ran a hand over her shoulder, ¡°it¡¯s okay, Gwen is here to make sure that even if you do, nobody says a word. We all know this can be rough, and while it seems a second bonding is easier, it¡¯s different when you get your own.¡±


    Wanda frowned, ¡°Yes, but none of the rest had a guest, and none of the rest had several cameras pointed at them. It is still embarrassing.¡± and as Peter opened his mouth, ¡°But not enough for me to say no, so don¡¯t even think it, or start whatever nonsense you were about to say.¡± and Peter snapped his mouth shut, grinned and nodded.


    ¡°Then undress and come here.¡± and he held out a hand.


    Wanda slipped off the bathrobe she was wearing, as they already knew a new symbiote tended to eat whatever clothing the host was wearing. Gwen moved over to a laptop and checked all the cameras they had set up were running and nodded to Peter. Shuri stepped beside her and watched. Her gaze flicking between the camera screens and the actual couple.


    Through the thermal camera, they could see the normal temperature readings from Wanda, with several cold and hot spots over her body but Peter was glowing. There was no cold area on him at all and every part of him was radiating the same temperature, slightly above normal.


    Gwen checked each one in turn, not just thermal, but radiation detectors, and high-resolution cameras, capturing the bonding from every angle.


    Gwen nudged Shuri who looked over and saw the camera pointed at Peter''s groin and as she hid her face, Gwen let out a small giggle.


    ¡°Okay, all cameras are recording, you can begin,¡± Gwen said. ¡°Bonding test One. Subject Wanda Maximov, Host Peter Parker.¡±


    Wanda took his hand and as his symbskin covered them both, they connected once more. Peter smiled as Wanda accepted his gift and as his skin retracted she was covered in the pale grey symbiote, smooth like Venom with no markings over its skin.


    ¡°We are Hexen,¡± it cried and as the grey skin rippled, it was covered in various runes which glowed in intense bright scarlet light.


    Peter took a step back, ¡°uh, that¡¯s new,¡± and as Gwen watched both the camera and Hexen, the symbiote screeched and the light flashed, filling the room with red.


    Wanda''s powers picked up anything and everything, Peter found himself floating and he let his armour out and reached out to touch Wanda¡¯s mind.


    ¡°No, no. We are whole. We are free,¡± she screeched and grasped her head, several lights popped and showered the room with small pieces of glass, ¡°we are free,¡± and Venom found himself spinning around the room,


    ¡°You, you did this, let us out. Let us have what we desired but not what we wanted, you.¡± and she pushed him and the red capsule enveloping him slammed him against the wall.


    ¡°We will not be slating our lust, no we will be taking out revenge!¡± she shouted and Venom found himself once more lifted and slammed into the ground,


    ¡°Why? Why us? Why them? Why so many? why so few?¡± She giggled as she lifted and slammed him down, ¡°We wish to know, we wish to learn all your secrets.¡± and she lifted him and swung him up into the air and let him fall.


    Hexen stalked forwards and as a huge clawed hand was about to grab Venom she stopped and sniffed, ¡°We smell you, Gwen, what? Do you wish to save him, after all he has done to us?¡±


    Gwen was holding a cinnamon roll, ¡°Yup.¡±


    Hexen laughed and grabbed Venom by the neck, ¡°After he treats us like toys, treats you like whores, to use and ignore, to feel and discard. Why? Why? Why? why?¡±


    Gwen shrugged, ¡°I personally like it. I mean, after a hard day, who wants to wait an hour while you have a bath and get a bunch of dead flowers that wilt, it¡¯s all just stuff. I want a beer and have him pound me till I can¡¯t walk. Romance is too long and boring. Ask them all, ask everyone one of us, if he does that, and you know they¡¯ll tell you¡¯re full of shit. You¡¯re just pissed he won¡¯t just love you.¡± and as she threw the cinnamon roll at Hexen she let Poison coat her and she sprang over the desk, grabbing her by the throat and slamming her into the ground,


    ¡°And if you think we will let you hurt him or take him from us, then you are mistaken.¡±


    Venom sat on the floor, with Shuri next to him as the pair tussled and screamed at each other, neither really trying hard to hurt and Peter was sure they were actually just going to end up screwing.


    Shuri was hiding slightly behind him, holding onto one of his arms ¡°is it always like this?¡± and he shrugged,


    ¡°The symbiotes bring up deep fears, desires and issues you have. MJ was afraid of losing me to Gwen, Gwen wanted to let me know how much she loved me, Felicia was afraid that she was betraying herself by loving me, and yeah a bunch of other stuff, you really should ask them about.¡± and as Hexen was pinned, Poison ran her tongue over her cheek and shoulder, ¡°see, Gwen likes a bit of rough, and the fight isn¡¯t really serious.¡±


    As Shuri looked around the smashed and destroyed lab she laughed nervously, ¡°this is not serious?¡± and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°Considering Hexen and Poison are strong enough to tear the building down, not really. I mean, as they gain more power, as I gain more power, each symbiote will be stronger, even yours.¡± and Peter closed his eyes and took a breath. ¡°I can smell that floral scent on you, it¡¯s a formula right. I thought it was just perfume at first but now you''re this close, I can tell. Wakanda has a super-soldier serum right?¡±


    Shuri looked down. ¡°I, I cannot talk about it.¡± and Peter laughed and slid his legs up to his chest, resting his arms on them,


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to. Gwen and I can tell who¡¯s Enhanced or not, and you are. Brother too I bet. Dora get a similar drug but I¡¯m guessing you leave the really good stuff for the royal family.¡± and Shuri stared at the floor, saying nothing.


    ¡°Right, secret until we¡¯re married right?¡± and she gave a small nod. ¡°No matter, we know, and you know we know. What matters is making sure it does affect the symbiotes. Maybe the reason your ancestor had so much trouble was the formula is a poison to symbiotes. Maybe it tried one of his guards and it drove the symbiote mad with pain.¡±


    Shuri frowned, ¡°No, I do not think so,¡± and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°But we have to make sure. I know we won¡¯t be getting a sample of the formula, but honestly, we don¡¯t need one.¡± and as Shuri moved back Peter turned and faced her,


    ¡°We know that Wakanda will make me jump through a whole bunch of stupid hoop¡¯s, legally, physically, and mentally to prove I¡¯m good enough for you, but here¡¯s the truth Shuri. You¡¯ve got your own, and what you''re watching is one of them. If we give you a symbiote and it goes crazy, maybe because of the serum you used, we will make sure it doesn¡¯t escape,¡± and as Peter looked over his shoulder and Poison, who currently had a screeching Hexen in an armbar, even though they were both floating, ¡°and we make sure it doesn¡¯t hurt anyone.¡±


    ¡°Are you angry?¡± and Peter frowned,


    ¡°At you not mentioning a formula, no, why would I be? You think you know all our secrets. I mean, Gwen and Wanda stopped fighting and started kissing and you didn¡¯t even look once, so how much of a threat can you be?¡± and as Shuri¡¯s eyebrows creased and she was about to admonish him she noticed that he was right, Not Hexen and Poison, but Gwen and Wanda were lying with each other¡¯s arms, moaning softly as they indulged.


    ¡°Wanda was worried that she wouldn¡¯t be loved, abandonment issues. All you need to worry about is what¡¯ll happen when it¡¯s your turn.¡± and as Peter stood her helped her to her feet, ¡°and that you can expect both of those things to happen. Symbiotes are violent and emotional creatures, and you will have to fight to remain in control or it will overwhelm you.¡± as Shuri nodded, peering over his arm to watch he laughed,


    ¡°Enough you two, save it for home, and save it for after you clean up the mess you made.¡±


    Shuri looked over one last time as the pair continued, even after Peters telling off, ¡°Is this common?¡± and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°The two women?¡± and she smiled and nodded,


    ¡°Are you Bi? Because nobody cares. We are a family. If you want to sleep with someone, you need their permission, not mine.¡± and Shuri continued to stare over at the pair, and their actions. ¡°Well, you need permission if it¡¯s outside the family, we kinda do that by committee now,¡± and Peter rubbed the back of his head.


    Shuri laughed. ¡°Let me guess, they made you stand in the corner for my proposal?¡° and as Peter nodded she laughed once more and ran a hand over his thigh, ¡°Then I will ask before, I do not wish to upset my new sister-wives.¡±


    Gwen kissed Wanda one last time before rolling over and getting to her feet. Making suitable clothing she saw the mess that Wanda had made of her lab and sighed, grabbing a dustpan and brush from one of the supply closets.


    As Wanda lay panting, a small smile crept over her face,


    We love you Wanda, Hexen spoke


    We love you too, but the pair stared as a rune appeared and began to write itself in the air in front of her, looking around she pointed, ¡°Can you see that?¡± and Peter, Gwen, and Shuri all shook their heads.


    ¡°No, why?¡± Peter asked but Wanda shook her head


    ¡°I think it might be the-¡± but she paused as the rune fully materialised,


    I was considerate enough to leave you be, but now your powers are fully awakened I cannot leave such a threat unattended. Miss Wanda Maximov, could you please come to 117A Bleecker Street for training.


    Malisson


    No matter where you are, or what you celebrate at this time of year. I wish you all a festive and happy holiday.


    Thank you for all the comments, likes, and favourites. As always, they are welcome and appreciated.


    There will be a chapter tomorrow, to celebrate Christmas. A small tale of family, getting together, over a small meal....sort of


    In The Stars - Gods and Monsters

 Arc Eight. Side Story. In The Stars. Gods And Monsters

    She was on her twentieth life, and they had all been glorious. It was a shame that at first the lesser creatures kept exploding, but once she found a few hardier species she adapted into one of them with no issues.


    She had no idea what they were called, as once her essence slipped in it obliterated whatever memories and life the creature had before her. She lived among them, taking in everything she could before the flesh prison she inhabited failed and she moved on. Maybe it was time to find a species she could not only possess properly but would actually survive the process.


    Not that sometimes it mattered. Her younger siblings took great pride in their work, and on several occasions, she had just incarnated and then bam, one of them could decide the experiment was a failure and call on the Purple one, she couldn''t remember their names and never cared to, but he seemed to be their executioner. They all worked diligently, even as the Yellow one followed them around in cloned form as made note of each of their works.


    Some built, some created new spheres of life, and she would always find the most interesting ones and play until sis came along, or one of the young ones. Death was a part of life, and as she took in more and more she realised that there was no cruelty in their actions, they fought and argued, discussed what should be done with the lower realms and if an experiment proved too dangerous, or interesting enough to warrant further study the simply called the Blue one who sealed off the entire space and then the Red one pinched it off like a bubble, creating a minuscule corridor only he could open.


    It was fascinating for her. Life bloomed in all shapes and forms. Animals, birds, insects, slime, rocks, machines, any conceivable form, liquid metals lived and created baby alloys, living planets took breaths every hundred thousand years and each one was amazing, and eventually, each one died. Her sister made sure there was always an end, but it was her brother she worried about.


    Death was everywhere, creatures ate smaller creatures to live, planets were battered by rocks that whizzed through the cosmos and life ended every nanosecond in every part of the universe, but it was always reborn. A planet smashed to pieces might deposit material on another, sparking a flurry of activity and new life forms that sprang from the mix, but nothing ever truly ended.


    Null was absent in the universe, nothing truly stopped ending, only moving from one form to another, and if she was being honest with herself, she was worried. They were given form for a Purpose, they were tasked with a Purpose, and for one of them to ignore that was unthinkable.


    She couldn''t even enter the space he had taken for himself, the inky black void that existed in a sphere around the ever-expanding universe. Space and Time moved everywhere except there, in fact, it was so close to the cosmic boundary she wondered if any of their Purpose would work, and that Null was even still alive. She had even once tried to pierce his veil and found the flesh prison she was inhabiting simply stopped, its form turning to ash before vanishing completely. She hadn¡¯t tried to repeat her experiment, feeling the pull upon her own essence.


    She had to laugh to herself, none of them was truly alive. She could feel the cosmic energy that made them up and it was only a glimmer of thought. There was only their Purpose, and nothing more. As the incarnation of Life, she knew that better than any of them. Fleeting energy that one day would fade and be extinguished, but it would be once their Purpose had been completed, and Null¡¯s barrier was too early, too dangerous, even to her.


    Which was why when the first taste of death blasted through her she shuddered and fell to her knees, even in the flesh prison she had taken over. A massive jolt of energy had swept through her, shaking her Purpose to its core. A new rebirth would take place, but with the scale of the death it would take millions of years before the being that was dead would walk the stars again. The flesh prison leaked and shuddered its own final breath. As she floated free she had to find what had happened, death on such a scale would tip the delicate balance each of them was created to maintain.


    Why? Asked Space as the blackness tore through his chest, spilling the thick blue fluid that ran through his body on the ground.


    They had received a startling and unexplainable message, a single planet, checked and passed on as uninhabitable, had started to produce life. A single organism, a thick slime creature with no apparent purpose had appeared, and the smaller creatures they used as scouts and gatherers had failed to return.


    As more were sent, reports started to come back. The creatures would take them over, coat them in a strange skin and attack their colleagues.


    As the casualty list grew it was eventually the care of the Celestials themselves to identify and render judgement on this new unexplained creature, but when they got to the planet and conformed to its physical laws, even they were attacked.


    Unable to explain why the simple creatures could not only harm them but seemed able to absorb and control whatever energy they threw at them, the first of their kind had fallen.


    As the creature coated Mind, his arm stretched into a long spike and it pierced through the chest of his brother, as it spread and obliterated his from the insides all he could do was ask,


    Why?


    But Mind could either not answer or refused to. As Space lay dying, his blood pooled on the ground and the creature known as Mind bent forwards and began to eat, creating a thick razor filled sharp-toothed maw to crunch through the thick armoured plates to find the thick energy-rich flesh within.


    As Life had felt the Celestial die, so had Death. She flew into a panic. To destroy one of the Celestials was to change the cosmic balance, and to eradicate one was to lessen the universe. If the feelings she was getting were right then Null had figured out a way to destroy the Infinity Stones, and reabsorb them back into himself, and once he did that, he could end the Gems as well.


    That idiot. If he manages, he¡¯ll destroy the universe.


    Death knew their power was weakened as their Purpose flowed from them and into the universe around them, death was her domain but death only existed as long as the Death Infinity Gem did, if the Oblivion Gem reabsorbed the lesser stones their purpose in the universe would cease to exist, and space, time, mind, soul, power and reality would cease to exist along with them.


    She could blame Null for this problem, but it was his nature. She sought out death, Life sought out the next life, and Null sought to end all things, he was acting within his Purpose, he was just too impatient and the universe had only begun.


    Landing on the planet she spied the slick black creature devouring its fallen comrade


    A celestial? And as her senses reached out she knew it was Mind feasting on the body of Space.


    Null? She asked and the creature hissed at her. She could feel his power though, whatever the black coating was it was Null¡¯s form in this world.


    He had created a form for himself to corrupt and devour the energy from the stones, taking them into himself and if she didn''t stop him, then not just the six stones were in danger but herself and Life. If he managed to destroy each of them who knew what other havoc he could reap on the multiverse.


    Null, please stop, and as the creature opened its maw and the leg of Space was crushed and eaten she knew she had no choice, stop or I will stop you.


    The creature hissed at her and tendrils escaped from its form, inky black against the night sky,


    Feed, only hunger of the void, was all it said as they launched themselves at her.


    Ignoring his meal the Null creature sprang at her and as he batted away several of its inky tendrils it pulled itself closer and she screamed in agony as it bit down on her shoulder. Struggling under his ravenous assault she coughed as blood filled her throat and her limbs became weak and heavy.


    As the Null creature tore chunks away from her shoulder, it screeched in pain as a bright flare of light tore through it, gathering over the wound and sealing it shut,


    We were born in the fires of creation Null, I am the remains of that fire, and its power is mine to command.


    Life, covered in a bright aura of burning starlight floated down to the planet''s surface, her hair a bright crimson glowing fire and her body wreathed in flowing energy.


    Your Purpose is to wait, and to be the final ending of this universe, why so impatient brother, why so desperate. There is no time for us, the purpose of time is only for lesser creatures, not for the three.


    Null hissed, they create and I feel its pain, they take from my void and it howls as it is filled, I only feel hunger, I only feel the need to consume and return to the peace of nothingness, existence is pain, my life is pain


    Then stay in your realm, spread out and become nothing, and wait, you do not need to do this, there is no conflict here.


    NO! Null hissed and launching himself at Life she batted him away with a fire coated hand,


    You cannot combat the fires of creation Null, even Power Gem is strong enough to- but she paused and tilted her head, and as she screamed as she grasped at her head,


    But we can, we can take from the yellow one and take its power, as we took from grey and now death and mind are ours. As Minds eyes pulsed yellow, Life held her head and writhed in pain,


    We let you feel your antithesis, you feel death, you feel their deaths, all their suffering before the night claims them.


    As the fires dimmed Null stalked over to her, and now we feast upon you and snuff out the fires of creation.


    Life screamed again, as his tendrils latched on and his maw carved a chunk of her flesh. As she struggled to release herself from the torment he was causing her the pain caused her will to break further. She could not suffer not only the anguish of the dead but the pain of the living. Her form was ill-suited to combat, but as his jaws clamped on her throat and tore at it, his body was ripped from her and thrown across the rocky landscape.


    Sister, I am so sorry, and as Death touched her paling flesh Life nodded and as her form faded and its essence poured into the rocks Death stood and screamed into the night


    You cannot hurt me, sister, I am stronger than you, and with the power I now possess, it is enough to destroy this wretched place.


    Death huffed and her lip snarled at the creature, I know, but while you are stronger than me, are you stronger than them?


    Null looked up, and saw the remaining Celestials hovering above the skyline,


    You are not of us, yet you kill one of us. You dare creature! And as Power raised his staff, a purple gem glowed and a blast of pure cosmic energy slammed into Null sending him flying.


    As Power turned he stared at Death, you, you are not like us, and not of us, what are you? But Death shook her head,


    We all have our Purpose Seeker, do not forget yours, and as she waved an arm and soon the entrance to her own realm opened and slipped into Hel, the world of the dead, she sealed herself away, waiting until her sister returned to her.


    Soul? And he shook his head


    It is not one of mine, I know only what Mind can tell us and- but he was cut off as the breath left his body. Looking down he saw several black tendrils sprouting from the ground, impaling him through the groin,


    Reaching out a hand he could only whisper, Brother, before they tore into his flesh and he exploded into chunks that splattered across the landscape


    All of you, all meat for my hunger, all will feel the jaws of the devourer, all will find their end.


    The three remaining Celestials surveyed the rocky and desolate planet. It had been created to test the survivability of certain races, and so far, none had succeeded. They had found its surface unsuitable and had constructed newer spheres to hold their creations, leaving this one forgotten.


    They had arrived and seen the black creature coating Mind kill and consume the fire-haired woman, and her companion escaped through a spatial tear, and that made no sense. So far all cosmic lifeforms had been eliminated, to keep the stability of the universe whole. It was only after defeating the planet eater and scattering his remains to seed new life that they had all felt the death of Space and rushed here.


    To see Mind covered in the black ooze, they knew something had survived, but it was not enough to deal with them all, even if Space, Soul, and Mind were already gone. They knew their bodies were transient, but their power was immortal.


    Power levelled his staff once more but Mind dodged the purple beam as it disintegrated the landscape in a straight path, Mind launched himself and tendrils reached out for Reality, who warped space around himself and the air became hard and the tendrils slapped harmlessly against it, moving away


    It is hostile brother, even the planet eater sought to reason with us before its demise


    It is of no matter, once we harvest it, we can test its power, and judge it worthy of its life


    But as he raised a hand Time shook his head, no brother, it, it''s not life, it¡¯s not anything, and a tendril reached and severed his hand at the wrist, pulling it into its grasp. As the maw extended it swallowed all of Soul¡¯s hand and with a sickening crunch swallowed the limb whole.


    Brother! Power shouted and levelling his staff again sent out a stream of energy that sent Mind flying.


    Stop, the creature is taking your power. You cannot hurt it that way, and Power blinked at what his brother had said.


    As Reality shone a red light over the corpse of Soul he shook his head, can you? and Time shook his head


    Whatever the creature is, it is immune to our powers, and as he motioned over at Mind, who was shaking the crumbled rock from his body, and it appears to be gaining power, how do we kill it before it destroys everything?


    Can you contain it? Power asked and reality and time both shone a light over at Mind, who shuddered and the black ooze seemed to retract slightly,


    It is not of this universe brother, I cannot change its true nature,


    and Time nodded, and it is eternal, I cannot stop its time as it exists outside our influence.


    As Power lifted his staff and shit more energy at Mind he was blown backwards once more, but we are hurting it, he said as Mind lifted his maw and hissed as the trio, his skin bubbling under the blast from Power.


    It must be a creature from the beginning, from before we were born, and as Mind jumped Power allowed the energy to gather around his staff and he swatted Mind from the air, slamming him into the ground, together brothers,


    As Reality, Time and Power all blasted their coloured bolts at Mind, his own light shone bright yellow and then tendrils of creeping blackness extended out from him. Copying the same move Reality hardened the air around himself, slamming it into the tendrils, severing them from Mind.


    Yes, Brother, we did it, we can hurt the creature, but as Time moved to blast Mind once more the black creature coating him wrapped itself around his neck and spinning took his head, launching itself at Time.


    As Mind¡¯s form crumbled and faded, Time raised a hand, trying to stop the creature''s advance but nothing worked, the creature was fixed, moving it forwards, backwards or stopping it had no effect, and Time was swallowed by the ravenous black ooze.


    Yes, yes, now we exist in all spaces and all times, we shall move and consume each moment.


    No, and Power motioned to Reality, bring her back, she exists within our domain, and she must help us. As Reality searched for signs of the strange women, Power levelled his staff once more and blasted more energy at Time,


    The pair fought. As Time moved faster than light Power would already be prepared for him, sensing and manipulating the flow of energy around him. Even Time was unable to fight properly as Power simply overwhelmed him,


    I found her brother, and Reality split open a hole, and pulled the wounded Death from her domain,


    No no, he will consume us all, and Reality simply shrugged


    We must stop him, Power


    As Power raised his staff he blasted Time away and marched back to Death, There is no other choice, and laying a hand on them both he pushed all his purpose onto them


    No, no you can¡¯t, but Reality nodded.


    As the power of the cosmos flowed from him, Reality allowed it to alter the very fabric of the universe around them, nothing could exist within this domain of death, as he altered the three of them he combined and multiplied their purpose. A slice of death, powered by the power of the universe extended out in a sphere and stopped time.


    Their actions had brought about a new cosmic power, something so terrible it was the singularly most destructive force in the universe. A tear in reality, where nothing but power and death existed, ending anything that fell into its crushing depths.


    Yes yes he screamed this is my desire, bring forth the true death of the universe but the trio shook their head and spoke as one


    No, only we four shall perish, outside the sphere, we protect and allow life to continue and as Time tried to use his power to escape it was used against him,


    There is no time here, no life, no escape, this is true death, and we give it to you.


    As the sphere collapsed into the first black hole, the four were stripped of their powers, Time and the others screamed as the sphere consumed their forms and then exploded, crushing the planet beneath them into a million pieces. As the sphere of blackness contracted further and further it collapsed, forming a supermassive black hole, spinning and casting off the remains of the dead planet beneath its massive gravity.


    Unseen by the four, Mind¡¯s head, severed and lifeless, flew into the nothingness, containing a single speck of black, The creature seeking the death of the universe refusing to succumb to death itself was Null''s last cruel joke on the universe.


    As the memorial, the giant swirling black nothingness spun, the rocks and debris around it crumbled and were scattered by its sheer mass.


    Soaked in the blood of the Celestials, the fragments held strange powers and when they formed new planets, the life that evolved upon them grew wild and unchecked, with strange abilities and a lust for battle.


    And the six stones tumbled through the welcoming darkness, to find and form new destinies amongst the stars.


    Malisson


    I hope you are all having a wonderful time, regardless of how you celebrate this time of year.


    Thank you for reading, commenting, and likes.


    - Mal

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Twenty-One. Hammer Time

    From the Parker Industries building, they saw Shuri off, said goodbye to Gwen, who was excitedly pouring over the recorded data with Liv and called a taxi for themselves. Wanda explained the strange magical note she had received, and now Peter and Wanda made their way to the address the mysterious message had left.


    While everything was proceeding nicely, there was a lot of paperwork and other arrangements to be made. Peter would have to formally present himself to the Wakandan council, formally introduce himself to the Royal family, and kick the ass of any challengers to his position. The first two seemed more daunting to him, as fighting seemed to be a fairly frequent occurrence, but a mother in-law was new.


    While Shuri was going to be busy, so was Peter. The next time they would see her would be at the latest Stark Expo, where not just Tony but Justin Hammer, and now Parker Industries had presentations. With his time at Shield officially over, and the week of clearing up after the mess Shaw had made, it was nearing a new spring. As summer would be the perfect time for Stark to hold his Expo, they had time to prepare.


    Liv had already made up a schedule, Gwen¡¯s work was being showcased by Stark, so she was invited as a guest, but not as a speaker, and it was Peter''s responsibility to give the demonstration of not just the new CLA system but the harness they had designed. They had four months before they needed to be ready, but Peter knew from school that four months was nothing once everything started to get organised.


    As Peter and Wanda made their way to Bleecker street, it was a nice area and the outside of the building was well maintained, ¡°You can knock you know,¡± said a portly Asian man, with short black hair and a serious look on his face, ¡°The doctor will see you now, and I am Wong.¡±


    Peter opened his mouth, about to make a small joke but he felt a pinch at his side and Wanda was glaring at him, with a raised eyebrow. He smiled and shrugged, and as Wanda and the group moved Wong shook his head, ¡°sorry, Miss Maximov only, at least until we can be sure. While it¡¯s not every day a new sorcerer comes to the sanctum, we do prefer to keep the rest of the supernatural creatures away.¡±


    ¡°Supernatural?¡± and Peter shrugged, ¡°alien but okay.¡± and he waved a hand ¡°hurt my girlfriend, blah blah. You get it right?¡± and Wong laughed and nodded,


    ¡°You would be surprised, but yes, we do. Stephen is a competent teacher, no harm will come to Miss Maximov while she is here.¡±


    Peter gave Wanda a kiss on the cheek, ¡°have fun at school,¡± and she smiled and shook her head before knocking and entering. As Wong went back to sweeping the entrance, Peter hailed a cab back to the warehouse.


    It was quiet when he got there, and it was a bit strange. He had gotten used to being out all day at the academy, only returning home for an emergency but it was back to the old routine and he was at a loss.


    Liv had been busy with the schedule for the Stark Expo, Jean was working on her internship with Curt, while Gwen focused on her symbiote research. Laura was still receiving lessons, and Ororo had agreed to teach her at the mansion, so she could interact with other Augmented and gain her qualifications at an accredited school.


    It was Peter who was at a loose end. Liv had yet to get back to him about his role in the Expo, and the thought of giving a speech or presentation was slightly off-putting. He knew he was never the most social of people, and standing in front of a big ass crowd was more nerve-wracking than facing down a supervillain.


    Even his usual routine of sketching components and other small but stupid devices was on hold. Liv had taken all his drawings and asked that anything he did be put through official Parker Industries channels. After Tony and Hammer had divided up Oscorps empire between them, and they had fought to get back what they could Liv was making sure that nothing Peter did ever went out of the warehouse. He didn¡¯t complain. Once Matt had set him up with a corporate lawyer, she had hidden her laugh well but he knew they had been screwed.


    Hammer was the easiest to deal with. They ignored him. The glider technology was useless, as Venom mainly used his web lines to travel and the rest of the tech was already back with Liv. Even the military had turned its nose up. Single pilot vehicles were useless, and the drone tech was only useful if you had a team of pilots.


    As Venom and Spider-Man had taken out the two drones sent after them, he doubted that Hammer had the know-how to build better tha Norman, even if he was an asshole.


    It was Stark that proved to be a problem. He had managed to stabilise Peters symbcells and created artificial ones. With the cells already patented to Peter, he used them anyway and had simply said ¡®take me to court, and explain where you got them.¡¯ While Natasha and Fury made it clear that Venom was no longer a wanted criminal, JJ¡¯s insistent rantings still made him public enemy number six or something, Peter had stopped listening to the man a long time ago.


    Outing himself as Venom in court would out everyone else, and the damage to Parker Industries, the damage to MJ¡¯s career, and the strain on May and Curt would be too much. Felicia would escape scrutiny, as nobody knew she was Huntress, leader of the Black Cats, or at least nobody who would be willing to stand up in court and admit it. The one good thing about scumbags and crooks, was unless they wanted the cell next to yours, they tended to stay quiet.


    In the end, he used the Mind Stone and then emailed Pepper.


    ¡®We¡¯ll play nice, let Tony have his nano suit, but nothing else. If he goes public with it, sells one single cell I will make sure the world knows exactly who Tony Stark is,¡¯


    and attached a list of court cases and incidents, many Pepper herself was unaware of. Right at the top was the death of Obadiah, and Iron Man¡¯s involvement. After checking with various agencies, she had no idea where Peter got the information from, but it was enough to not just put Tony in jail, but kill Stark Industries with the resulting scandal.


    After a few rounds of thinly-veiled hostile emails, the matter was settled. Tony could use the nanotech for Iron Man but nothing else. Gwen had officially cut ties with Stark Industries and all of Gwen¡¯s patents currently being manufactured by Stark were returned, each one deducting from the final settlement Gwen would receive. Even the Stacy formula was returned, which surprised Peter until he got a phone call from Aldrich, and after arranging to meet, he finally found out why.


    Rather than a fancy restaurant, Peter met Aldrich in a small coffee shop off Central Park, and as the pair sat at a table. Peter gave Aldrich a concerned look.


    He hadn¡¯t shaved and what would now be a 10 o¡¯clock shadow graced his face, his hair was unkempt and unwashed and Aldrich himself had failed to shower and Peter plugged his nose,


    ¡°Well, Aldrich, you look like shit. What happened?¡± and as Aldrich looked around to make sure the staff were busy, he opened a small flask and Irished his coffee. As Peter shook his head, Aldrich took a small swig and returned it to his coat.


    ¡°Maya, and fucking Stark.¡± Aldrich venomously spat, ¡°She left me.¡± and with slightly jittery hands Aldrich lifted and took a large gulp of coffee, sighing and leaning back. ¡°I don¡¯t know whether to blame you, or Stark, or myself, but FuturePharm is gone. Maya left and took it, took all of it in the divorce,¡± and as a few people glared at him, he sneered at them and leant forwards, cradling his cup with both hands.


    ¡°Maya was mad. It seems inviting a hot blonde to fix the formula you spent your life on isn¡¯t a great idea. Fucking ungrateful bitch. I saved her life. We saved her life and she goes crawling back to that, that bastard.¡± and he lifted his cup and drained it more, ¡°He even got his licence back. He bought out the rights to Extremis, claimed it was his formula originally, and snatched it.¡± As he took a final swig of the coffee, he left a small amount in the bottom and topped it up with his flask. ¡°Didn¡¯t matter that Gwen fixed it, she did it without permission, and without registering it. It wouldn¡¯t, didn¡¯t stand up in court and he just walked away with that stupid smug grin of his, and my work.¡± Aldrich took another drink from his cup,


    ¡°Add to that, Hammer is going apeshit, claiming you took his armour and gave it to Shield. I have nothing Peter, without the Extremis licence, even if I did have to company, I¡¯ve got nothing. Maya took it all.¡± but Peter had no idea what to say to the man.


    He knew that Extremis had been created by Tony and Maya. Tony had found his father¡¯s old notes on the super-soldier formula and set about improving it. But unless he sent Gwen to work there, and allowed Aldrich to manufacture the Stacy formula, there wasn¡¯t a lot he could do.


    ¡°Aldrich, I don¡¯t know what I can do, I mean, Parker Industries needs Gwen, she¡¯s bringing in a lot of money-¡± but Aldrich waved a hand at him,


    ¡°No, I¡¯m gone. Too many bumps in the road Peter. Too many stupid people making decisions about my future and expecting me to bend over while they laugh at me.¡± Aldrich reached into his other suit pocket and pulled out a sheaf of papers, ¡°All I have left Peter, that¡¯s it all. Take it.¡± and as he offered it to Peter, he ordered them both more coffee and began to read.


    ¡°You know I can¡¯t do this without asking?¡± and Aldrich shrugged and drank his newer, but still Irish, coffee.


    ¡°You¡¯re the boss, or do they have you by the balls as well?¡± and Peter felt a twinge of annoyance at him, but given the circumstances he ignored it,


    ¡°No, handing over five million dollars for this goes beyond a simple favour.¡± and as Aldrich scowled Peter just shook his head, and holding up a finger, ¡°I didn¡¯t say no.¡± and Aldrich watched in amazement as Peter held his phone under that table and spread his symbskin over it, Peter grinned and after a few moments, took out a pen and signed his name on the contract.


    ¡°Liv and Gwen agree. Once she signs, you¡¯ll get your money.¡± and Aldrich leant back and sighed in relief. ¡°We do need to get the lawyers involved though, a property of this size and value, if Maya-¡± but Aldrich waved a hand


    ¡°That¡¯s what I got to keep. Stark probably thought he was being smart, knowing I had a plant but nothing to use it for. So jokes on him, and while I hate the mess you made of my life Peter,¡± but he never continued, he just shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to Hawaii, screw New York,¡± and as he took the last swig of his coffee, ¡°and screw Tony Stark.¡± he bundled the signed contract into his coat and got up. ¡°Oh, one last thing. Justin¡¯s got some big reveal at the Expo. Something massive and he¡¯ll probably quit AIM, but let him. I always hated him, the smug asshole.¡± he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, flicking through a pile of cards he took out one in particular,


    ¡±Here,¡± and he offered Peter the card. ¡°I know an upcoming scientist who would probably love to work with Parker Industries. His girlfriend went to school with Gwen I think,¡± and as Peter took the card Aldrich stretched and took a breath, ¡°I doubt I¡¯ll see you again Peter, but it was. No, it wasn¡¯t.¡° and he looked sad as he shook his head, ¡°Take care Peter. Oh and if you get to punch Tony, do it twice.¡± and with that, he walked away.


    Peter started at the business card,


    Reed Richards


    Inventor Extraordinaire


    Baxter Building


    New York

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Twenty-Two. Ex-Pose-Eh?

    Gwen was giddy with anticipation as she read over the documents signed by Peter. While FuturePharm was now shut down, and Maya had acquired most of the licences in the divorce Killian was left with their offices in New York.


    While not a manufacturing plant, that was outsourced and somewhere in the Midwest, the main focus of the plant was research and testing. As she poured over each and everything, Peter could already see that she wanted to strip the place clean, move everything to the Parker Inc building and poach all the staff. If there was any staff left to poach. Most would have already sought out new employment, and sadly more would refuse to work for a fledgling company.


    Peter though, was more interested in what she had to say about Reed and as he found out, Sue.


    ¡°Sue was great. Reed¡¯s, uh, odd,¡± she explained over lunch. Peter had taken both her and Liv out to discuss the new building, and as she ate her deli sandwich, he had asked. ¡°Yeah, Sue was also as good as me, liked her BioMed but Reed, yeah I only met him twice kinda quiet,¡° and as she looked Peter up and down, ¡°actually, kinda like you. Maybe a bit naive, a bit awkward but mention something he¡¯s interested in, and he won¡¯t shut up.¡± and as Liv grinned, Peter pursed his lips, and Gwen covered her mouth with the back of her hand, ¡°aww, poor Petey, being picked on.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, but do I call them? I mean, I looked him up, and uh, he blows up a lot of labs and has been banned from most colleges and universities. Sue¡¯s dad though, that raised a huge red flag,¡± and turning his phone around he passed it to Liv, who wiped her hands clean and took it,


    ¡°Dimensional teleportation? You think he might have been working for Oscorp testing the Space Stone?¡± and he nodded,


    ¡°Unless there¡¯s another way to break the dimensional barrier, and while there is, you don¡¯t want to do it that way.¡± Liv raised an eyebrow and Peter took some condensation from the side of his soda and drew a pentagram on the table before wiping it away. When Wanda admitted that magic was real, and a group of sorcerers lived in New York, Peter had been tapping into the Mind Stones repository of knowledge to learn more.


    ¡°Really? They exist?¡± and he nodded, ¡°Well, you learn something new every day. As for Franklin Storm, why not just ask him. I mean, If Reed and Sue can¡¯t find employment and we offer them positions at Parker Inc, then a face to face would be the logical choice. The only thing, do we wait until before or after the Expo.¡± and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°If we do it now, Hammer might be a sore point. If we wait and he leaves, then it¡¯s not AIM it¡¯s just us. So it¡¯s damned if we do kinda thing.¡± Peter took a bite of his sandwich and thought about it while he chewed, Taking a drink of soda, ¡°ask anyway, Gwen, I know you dropped out but you and Sue were friends right? Not just in the same classes.¡± and she nodded,


    ¡°Oh yeah, Sue¡¯s a riot, totally don¡¯t see what she finds attractive about Reed though, I mean, scrawny, science nerd who won¡¯t shut up abou-¡± and Peter leant over and kissed her, making her pause, ¡°cheater,¡± and he laughed as he stole one of her fries and ate it, ¡°Hey, you didn¡¯t want.¡± and she grabbed the basket and pulled it closer, ¡°fries are off-limits. Get your own if you¡¯re hungry,¡± and she narrowed her eyes and scowled jokingly at him as she picked at them.


    ¡°I agree, a face to face should be first. Reed does seem a little unreliable, and while she was teasing, We were all a little like that to begin with. I will make arrangements, oh and Peter dear, I have something for you as well. The final fitting of your new harness.¡± and as Liv slid over a tablet, Peter excitedly took it and began to swipe through the schematics and renders.


    ¡°Manufactured?¡± and Liv bobbed her head from side to side,


    ¡°Yes and no.¡± and Peter furrowed his brow. ¡°Yes that one is made, but we didn¡¯t make enough Vibranium to complete it, so it¡¯s about 75% finished. Once Shuri delivers the extra she promised, then we can finish it, but not until after the Expo.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you used a tonne already?¡± and she nodded, taking one of her fries and dipping it in ketchup.


    ¡°Once you process it you get roughly ten per cent, so we got about 100 kilograms from the ore, the rest we can use for other manufacturing but I wanted the harness to be perfect¡± and Peter smiled and patted the back of her hand. ¡°I know, it¡¯s just for demonstration, but I wanted to show you off.¡±


    ¡°Wanted to show up Hammer,¡± Gwen muttered but Liv shrugged,


    ¡°Why not both?¡± Liv secretly added in Stark as well. Her own armour design was coming along perfectly and she didn¡¯t want to admit to Peter that¡¯s where the Vibranium had gone. The harness wouldn¡¯t use 100 kilos of metal, barely a quarter of it, but in manufacturing a suit of armour, named after Natasha, she had made it virtually indestructible. Well, the parts she could manufacture. It was still missing its arms and legs but everything else was complete. For now, the slag metal, taken from the refining process, was being used.


    It was a strange mix of vibranium and other metals, and they hardened almost immediately after cooling, becoming unworkable. It was strong, tough, and it only lacked the energy-absorbing properties. If she had to make smaller suits, for anyone else she would use it, but for Peter and what would eventually be his team, she wanted them to be in the best she could make.


    ¡°That¡¯s great, but yeah. If that¡¯s the plan then we wait to meet Reed and Sue. I don¡¯t want a pissy Hammer getting on their bad side, and,¡° he paused as he looked over Reed''s academic record.


    The Baxter Building had a website, with the Storm Foundation listed. Reed was a certifiable genius and even being the same age as Peter his degree count was almost as impressive as Livs. It was only his reckless and negligent attitude in the lab that he was black listed by most of the major corporations. Even Stark must have figured he was a menace if he was still a free agent. ¡°In fact, Gwen, get in touch with Sue, we do have free tickets to the Expo right?¡± and Liv nodded, ¡°maybe invite them, see if they¡¯ll bite after our demonstration.¡± and Gwen took out her phone and after sending a few texts nodded,


    ¡°Done and done. Reed and Sue will be there, but uh, Sue wants her brother to come, and maybe one more. Reed''s friend, Ben always tags along, I dunno, it¡¯s like the dysfunctional four with those guys.¡± and Peter raised an eyebrow, and Gwen sighed as her shoulders slumped, ¡°Sues brother, Johnny, is kinda like Flash. Thinks he¡¯s god''s gift, and isn¡¯t afraid to say it, or,¡± and she showed Peter her phone.


    While the first messages were congenial greetings and polite conversation, once the Expo was mentioned and tickets the tone changed.


    Johnny must have stolen her phone and been asking Gwen if ¡®that hot classmate of hers, the one with the huge boobs would be there?¡¯ and while he was annoyed, he had to laugh. If he spoke like that to Felicia in person, she¡¯d probably break his nose.


    Peter smirked and shrugged, ¡°If he¡¯s that much of an ass I can always take him somewhere high,¡° and while Liv grinned and shook her head, Gwen snorted.


    ¡°No,¡° she jokingly said, ¡°Johnny¡¯s harmless, if they say no, he takes that as no, he¡¯s just a bit much sometimes.¡± and Peter shrugged and nodded.


    With that out the way, and the lab matter in progress, Lunch was a peaceful and sedate affair, and as Peter followed the pair back to the Parker building, testing of the harness began.


    As the days rolled in, the harness was fitted, upgraded and finally ready for the stark Expo. Set at the start of the warmer months, July was a good time to hold the outdoor festival, and after the drama of the previous years, Peter was glad to be doing something, other than fighting.


    Wanda had been quiet after her lessons with Dr Strange, and it was more secret training than an unwillingness to share. Each of them had secrets, and no one minded, as long as she was safe and happy.


    Felicia was unable to take the day off, Natasha just mumbled about science nerds and went back to bed and Laura had classes that day, and after a stern look from Ororo, had mumbled about being responsible, and not cutting class.


    Even if it was just the three of them, Liv, Gwen, and Peter were all excited to see the huge cross that had gathered. Peter, however, was less glad to see Stark, swaggering around, with a harangued looking Pepper following him,


    ¡°So, finally got something worth showing this time, or did you make a soda volcano with mommy?¡± he said with a smirk. Peter sighed, he had hoped that after everything was settled that Tony might calm down, and be willing to let bygones be bygones, so nope, still an ass.


    ¡°Sorry Tony, the only eruption here is-¡± but as Gwen dug him in the ribs he smiled, ¡°Tony, there are more important things today.¡± and Tony snorted,


    ¡°Yeah, your pet science team should get a good laugh. Oh, you should rewrite that down.¡± Tony turned to a woman, tall, with long black hair, who was following him around.


    ¡°Hi, Betty Brant, Daily Bugle. We¡¯re covering the Expo today, are you one of Tony¡¯s interns?¡± and Tony snorted.


    ¡°Peter is the coffee boy,¡± and he grinned, ¡°yeah, a large cappuccino, and you want anything?¡± he turned to Betty


    ¡°Oh, uh, yeah, a grande americano, extra whip, thanks,¡± and without giving Peter another glance she turned and began to take more notes.


    ¡°Yes dear, that would be lovely. Can you, please?¡± and Liv gave Peter a look, as the look he was giving Tony was one that would not end well.


    ¡°Miss Brant, you know, there are several fascinating stories about Tony you really should hear, about patent acquisition, oh and I believe there is one about frau-¡± but Liv stepped forwards,


    Why don¡¯t you get us some coffee dear, and calm down a little bit, please?


    ¡°Miss Octavious,¡± she interrupted Peter, and Betty stopped and wrote down her name,


    ¡°Olivia Octavious? The inventor of the Goblin armour and the arcstar reactor?¡± and Liv nodded,


    ¡°The very same, and that was my partner, the owner of Parker Industries. I am afraid you aren¡¯t making a very good impression dear,¡± and as Betty stuck out her hand to shake Livs, she took it and forcefully pulled her close, ¡°and I do so hate people who look down on others.¡±


    As Betty took a step back and shook her hand, a worried look came over her face, ¡°uh Mr Stark, so how do you feel about the upcoming Parker Industries show, especially as Miss Octavious is called by some as the female Tony Stark,¡±


    Tony snorted in derision, ¡°There will always be just one Tony Stark. While Olivia is brilliant, nothing of note was produced at Oscorp while she worked there, and ultimately the Goblin armour, the drones, and the formula all produced by her failed. So female Tony Stark? I think that¡¯s an insult to both those titles.¡± and even Pepper covered her face with a hand and shook her head.


    ¡°Coffee Mr Stark,¡± and Peter handed both Betty and Tony a cup of coffee, Tony setting his down, while Betty raised her to her lips. Tony shook her head,


    ¡°Pete here¡¯s a joker, it might not be safe to drink.¡± and she frowned and looked at her cup,


    ¡°Aww, I only put scotch in yours, Tony. Isn¡¯t that your thing? Day drinking to keep the shakes at bay. I was tempted to poison it, you know, because you¡¯re a rat bastard, but that would be an insult to both those titles.¡±


    As the pair glared at each other, Gwen, Pepper and Liv all shared a knowing look. It was Betty that broke the silence,


    ¡°So, I can see there is a rivalry between the pair of you, want to comment, Tony? Is Peter a contender to the crown of Tony Stark? He is younger, and with a booth at the Expo already, maybe there is a story you want to share?¡± and she looked expectantly at him, but both Peter and Tony just looked at her and said,


    ¡°No.¡±

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Twenty-Three. Peters Tragically Stolen Design

    Betty smiled at the pair, knowing full well there was a story, and judging from the look on Pepper¡¯s face, more history than either man was letting on. That was for another day though. Right now the Expo¡¯s main event, Tony¡¯s big reveal was coming up and she had been tasked by JJ to get the inside scoop.


    What she wasn¡¯t telling them was that she was also there to make sure that there were no ¡®insidious¡¯ influences as JJ put them. While Iron Man was one of the most popular heroes, Tony was a mess, and several unofficial news outlets had reports of him causing trouble at a US military base in Africa. It was her job to find out if they were true and to uncover the truth.


    Tony pulled down the tails of his jacket, ¡°well, while it¡¯s always nice to beat you, Peter, I have a grand opening to present. Oh, Gwen, as you¡¯re no longer a Stark employee, your speech has been cancelled. We¡¯ve got someone else to give the presentation, someone more¡± and he looked her up and down ¡°reliable.¡±


    Gwen moved to say something but Peter put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head.


    Not in front of a reporter he told her


    Fine, but I am really starting to hate him.


    Peter laughed, ¡°Maya? Maya Hanson? And Tony nodded, ¡°can¡¯t fix her own formula, stealing Gwens work Maya Hansen? Yeah good luck with that.¡± It was unfair, Maya never did anything to Peter, but if Stark was going to wield their relationship like a weapon, then Peter would happily return the favour. ¡°Yeah, Miss Brant, that¡¯s a story right there. Extremis, dangerous formula, fatal even, fixed by Gwen and then taken by Tony. Nice job, just like everything else you stole.¡±


    Yes, Betty thought to herself, now the real story. ¡°So, Mr Parker, are you accusing Tony Stark of stealing your work?¡± and Tony laughed


    ¡°Yeah Peter, want to explain?¡± and with a smug look he folded his arms, waiting for Peter to speak,


    ¡°My work? No-¡± but Betty interrupted him again,


    ¡°So, you are just slandering Tony Stark?¡± Professional rivals were great, and someone stupid enough to target Tony was ripe for the picking, ¡°Is there more going on? It seems more personal than just patent acquisition, or are you going to refuse to comment once more?¡± she questioned.


    Liv stepped forwards, ¡°Miss Brant, fishing for a headline is unbecoming, and JJ¡¯s rhetoric these days leaves a lot to be desired. Is it personal? Well, why don¡¯t you do some actual work, rather than throwing muck and seeing what sticks.¡± Liv stepped forwards and stood in front of Tony, ¡°and as for you Mister Stark. Grow up.¡±


    Tony snorted, ¡°Talking down to this level gives me a headache, and I have a presentation to prepare for. Miss Brant, you won¡¯t get anything here, just nobodies. If you want that headline you should follow me to the V.I.P lounge.¡± and Tony tutted at Liv and walked off.


    Once Peter had calmed down, and the trio busied themselves in their own green room, it was soon time for Tony¡¯s presentation to begin.


    As the centre stage lit up in a blast of fireworks, scantily clad dancers, wearing gold and red bikinis and briefs, danced. Their headgear, mimicking the Iron man visor showed off perfectly painted red and gold lips. One each of their hands, slim-fitting gauntlets with glowing discs on the palms. The crowd oooed and ahhed as the show went on, and as the lights dimmed the familiar red and gold armour flew down from the sky.


    The latest Iron Man armour was sleeker, with the same red and gold. It was sculpted to look more like Grecian body armour, with metal pecs and a six-pack. As Iron Man waved at the crowd, rather than the armour opening, it slowly melted in a ripple of blue light. The outline spreading across Tony as the armour vanished and became his usual grey business suit.


    In the auditorium, Peter clenched his fist, he had warned Pepper that using the symbcell nanosuit was supposed to be kept secret, and this was exactly the opposite.


    As Tony waved at the crowd, his microphone clicked on,


    ¡°I know I know, cool right, but no, that¡¯s not the event. That¡¯s something special I came up with.¡± and as he clicked an image appeared behind him.


    ¡°See, I get a lot of press about, well being me. Famous, handsome, rich, intelligent. But where the praise falls flat is this picture right here.¡±


    It was the same one Tony had been shown, a soldier, showing a peace sign with Tony sat next to him.


    ¡°See, A while ago I was reminded about this young man. Private Wilson, and I was asked, do you remember him?¡±


    Tony waved his hand and it changed to a video. Tony was lying in bed, and as the video played, it showed him sleeping. Tossing and turning, and as the video played damp patches appeared down his front and under his armpits.


    ¡°As you can see, I think about him all the time. That¡¯s me, having an episode.¡± and he clicked again, to another video, Tony sat, trying to tie his shoes with shaking hands, ¡°and another.¡±


    As he clicked on last time, the video changed to a small neckband, with a square sensor in the middle.


    ¡°Iron Halo. We forget, forget that anyone, even me, can suffer from a debilitating illness. Invisible, but scorned, Crippling, but ignored. PTSD, depression, bipolar disorder. Any number of mental health issues plague our lives, and we simply brush them off. Well, until now.¡±


    The video changed to a soldier, sitting crying, his hands clenched into fists as he fights off a panic attack. The scene changes and the same soldier is sitting calmly, around his neck one of Tony¡¯s neckbands,


    ¡°It¡¯s a small drive that allows us to control, not just a person''s heart rate but the chemicals in their brain that cause panic attacks, seizures, rage episodes. Slip it on, program it, and it sends your demons back to hell. The Iron Halo.¡±


    Peter stared at Liv ¡°the CLS?¡± and she nodded,


    ¡°If he modified it, to respond to a set program, then yes, it could be used instead of medication.¡± and Peter clenched his teeth and pulled out his phone. Before he could even start it vibrated and it was Pepper,


    Ultron attached a neural bridge to Tony, it¡¯s based on that, no patent infringement, we checked.


    Peter cursed under his breath and resided the urge to smash his phone, ¡°He used the Hydra tech to build it, we can¡¯t do anything,¡± but Liv laughed and smiled,


    ¡°Oh, yes we can Peter dear. Brilliant, but inconsequential.¡± and she ran a hand over his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s fine, the CLS is similar but all he got was the first swing. Calm down, dear.¡± and he patted her hand,


    ¡°Just sick of this. I mean-¡± and she moved into his embrace,


    ¡°I know, I know. If you would just get along we could be working together, not. No, it doesn¡¯t matter Peter, take it on the chin and then we¡¯ll give him back just as good.¡±


    They watched the rest of the presentation, about how Tony was a brave hero suffering from PTSD after the attack, and that a new Iron Foundation for the rehabilitation of veterans suffering from mental health issues was being set up.


    Peter could only shake his head. It was just feeding more into Tony¡¯s ego. As he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, he knew that Park Industries would be second, with Hammers big announcement being the show¡¯s finale before the booths opened.


    He was nervous, as the harness was fitted and the act was about to begin. Liv, dressed in a smart tan dress, with a pale cream blouse, kissed him on the side of the cheek, ¡°You¡¯ll be fine Peter.¡± and the stage lit up.


    ¡°Thank you Ladies and Gentlemen,¡± she announced. The crowd was smaller than Starks, but that was to be expected. ¡°My name is Olivia Octavious, and my infamy aside, the presentation of Parker Industries may not be as mind-blowing as Tony Starks, but I can assure you, it will be even more spectacular.¡±


    With that Peter vaulted down from the spots, landed on two arms and tumbled across the stage, twirling on the four arms of the harness.


    ¡°Once upon a time, the Octo-X was derided as a simple fad. Too expensive, too difficult to control, but as you can see. We now have not just the ability, but the means to produce them for a fraction of the cost.¡±


    Stagehands brought out a table and a pot and as arms extended from Livs back, she used the arms to make, mix and then pour herself a cup of coffee.


    ¡°The arms are flexible enough to be used during surgery, allowing hospitals to free up staff and resources. Each arm can be given a variety of tools. Allowing them to be used from the medical field to engineering, even the catering industry.¡±


    Behind her, Peter was vaulting on the arms, moving from one to another, juggling, and showing off the dexterity having an extra four arms can afford.


    ¡°But, there is a more appropriate use for the technology. Once, that Mr Stark has overlooked. ¡°I present to you. Mr Clint Barton.¡±


    Clint walked onto the stage, dressed in black and purple body armour, with two thick black gloves, covering both hands. He waved at the crowd, and there was a hushed silence as they waited.


    Taking the bow and quiver from his back, Clint fired off several arrows at the target, and after handing the bow to a stagehand, collected several small knives, juggling them before throwing them at the target. Taking a bow, Liv moved and lifted the target up and the arrows and knives were arranged in a heart shape.


    ¡°Thank you Mr Barton. But you are asking yourselves, why is that so impressive? Please, Clint,¡± and he took off the first glove, showing his perfect hand, and the other, showing the prototype CLS, a stark contrast. Its shiny metal rods could be seen, clicking and sliding back and forth as Clint showed the hand off. It magnified on the large monitor behind them.


    ¡°Mr Barton lost his hand in a tragic, and avoidable case of neglect. After seeking out several avenues, he was rebuffed by everyone until he met Mr Parker and myself.¡± as Clint held up the hand, he grasped the wrist, which clicked, swivelled and undid, removing the hand completely.


    ¡°Peter Parker''s Cybernetic Limb System uses proprietary technology to bridge damaged and severed nerves. Allowing a veteran to not replace but actually control an artificial limb properly.¡±


    Clint turned and the camera showed a smaller and sleeker design to Tonys on Clint¡¯s neck.


    ¡°The CLS system not only allows the wearer to move and control the limb but also to treat it as their own. A small demonstration, and for that, I do require, Ah, freedom of the press. Miss Brant, can you come here please?¡± and as Betty made her way to the stage, A curtain and several dishes were brought out.


    The screen curtain was placed between Curt and the table of dishes.


    ¡°Here we have several things, of varying temperature,¡± and as each lid was lifted, the video showed some giving off steam, while others had ice cubes floating in them.


    ¡°Randomly Miss Brant, please,¡± Liv asked and Betty frowned as he picked up the disconnected hand, slightly weirded out by what she was being asked to do.


    As she dipped the finger in each dish, Clint would call out ¡°hot¡± or ¡°cold¡± and once the demonstration was over, Betty hurriedly dropped the hand on the table and moved to one side.


    ¡°As you can see. The CLS not only allows control but actual feedback from the limb. A true sense of touch, temperature, as if it was the person''s own.¡±


    Handing the hand back to Clint, he clipped it back onto the wrist mount and flexed his fingers,


    ¡°How does it feel Mr Barton?¡± She asked him,


    ¡°I dunno Doc, some kind of neural connector I guess, but uh, good, it feels good.¡± and he got a laugh from the crowd, like Peter he was more used to skulking in the dark, taking shots from an advantageous position, standing being the centre of attention was not Clint¡¯s thing.


    While the cameras were focused on Clint and Liv, Peter had taken his phone out and sent Pepper a text,


    Tell Tony to suck it. Some of us don¡¯t have to steal our tech to make ourselves look good.

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Twenty-Four. Bring The Hammer Down

    While Tony was sat nursing a scotch, angry at being shown up by Peter again, and angry that once more Pepper had lectured him about using stolen tech to make himself famous, Justin was going over his mental exercises to psych himself up for the big finale.


    He knew Hammertech didn¡¯t have the best reputation, but with his latest acquisition, it would blow both that little shit Parker and that arrogant jackass Stark out the water. Replacement limbs and mind control was small stuff compared to what he had. Nobody gave a shit about veterans or the sick, what they cared about was guns, and being free, and Justin was about to deliver the biggest dose of freedom the world had ever seen.


    He had no idea who his benefactor was, but once his guys in R and D had set up everything it was amazing, and even Ivan was astounded, well he figured he was, he could never understand that crazy Russian bastard.


    Unlike Stark Justin planned on doing his own entrance. Dancing girls were great but everyone was watching the jiggle, and not the star. Even Tony needed a cheap trick like that disappearing suit to make himself look good. Justin would rely on old fashioned razzle dazzle, and as the timer backstage hit zero he began.


    Everyone expected Justin to put on a show, and as he moonwalked out and twirled in front of a fireworks display, glowing brightly as the Hammertech logo was lit up, they got one. As his moves finished he clicked on his head set,


    ¡°All right. All right. All Right!¡± he shouted and raised his arms, ¡°They saved the best till last.¡± and as a stage hand brought out some water, he took a sip and handed the glass back.


    ¡°So, today, we''ve seen Tony and Parker, both sobbing and complaining about those poor veterans right?¡± and the crowd slowly clapped, ¡°Oh don''t get me wrong, I love veterans and they are right. Coming home, wounded and forgotten, it sucks,¡± and he shrugged, as the audience waited for the big pitch.


    ¡°But what Stark forgets is that Stark Industries produced over 48 percent of the world''s weapons, from the guidance systems in the missiles that took out his convoy, to the machine guns that killed those men. Stark tech is a weapons manufacturer, ¡®oh sorry guy, sorry my own products got you killed, how about you buy more of my stuff to fix your problems, how about Stark Industries and Parker Industries sell you the solution to the problems that we both made.¡±


    Justin stood and clicked on the screen behind him.


    ¡°I say, why not eliminate the problem. We saw what Oscorp did with drones, and frankly, even I was embarrassed, but with new and improved technology, I present. The Hammer Drone.¡±


    As the stage split, behind him, five rows of five drones rose from the opening, and five rows of five landed from the skylight.


    ¡°Military class, suitable for air,¡± and as he clicked the video changed to Hammer marked drones circling and taking out dummy targets,


    ¡°Suitable for land,¡± and the video changed once more, and giant robotic drones, carrying backpacks fired wrist-mounted machine guns at more drones, obliterating them.


    ¡°Suitable for sea,¡± and once more, raft shaped drones, with humanoid torsos, like a ship¡¯s figurehead raced through the water around a course, taking out targets with aft and fore mounted cannons.


    ¡°Suitable for rescue.¡± and the final video showed a centaur drone, carrying a stretcher volunteer on a flatbed behind it, handing out supplies and other boxes from the cargo compartment on its back.


    ¡°Drones ladies and gentlemen. Not manned, no dangerous warzones, no hazardous spills. Unmanned and completely safe. A pilot can operate the drone for an hour, swap out to any trained individual and take the time needed to recover. Why build the technology to fix our brave men and women, when we don''t have to risk them at all.¡±


    Justin waited for the thunderous applause to die down, oh yeah, suck it Tony.


    ¡°But that''s not all. A drone is perfectly safe in a commercial environment as well. For kids,¡± and the video wall clicked back on and a small child was walking with a smaller, more delicately designed drone behind it,


    ¡°For parents,¡± and the video changed to a drone, standing over a baby, and the parents watching not just a live video but a monitor of the child vitals,


    ¡°At school,¡± and a drone stood in a corridor, watching and stepping forwards to catch a child that had tripped,


    ¡°For shopping.¡± and a young woman added a bag to the back of a centaur drone, clicking the cargo compartment closed and it followed her to the next shop.


    ¡°The possibilities are endless.¡± and the crowd once more went wild.


    Feeling pretty smug, he had one last big reveal.


    ¡°And not just that, but the drones themselves are safely monitored by a new program, created by myself, and fully customisable for all your needs.¡±


    As a single drone landed it was larger than the others, its chest more square with a large screen showing the Hammer logo.


    ¡°As an interface, you simply program the desired commands through the chest screen. In one simple package, the Master Operational Drone Overall Controller. I give you the MODOC!¡±


    The crowd went wild, but both Peter and Liv sat up, ¡°I heard that,¡± and Liv nodded. ¡°Find Gwen and pull whatever alarm you can find.¡± and she nodded again,


    ¡°what about you?¡± and as he slipped on the harness, Clint looked over,


    ¡°Uh, want to explain?¡± he asked as he sipped his drink,


    ¡°Modoc is an Ultron project, we found out about him in Sokovia. Can you?¡± and Peter motioned to the bow and arrow that Clint had taken from backstage, a small souvenir of his part in the presentation.


    ¡°Ultron? Tony killed him, and sure. These arrows are trash though, so I can help Olivia and Gwen with the evacuation, what about you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get to Stark, he can help clean up his mess.¡±


    Find Reed and the others, if he¡¯s a stupid as you say he¡¯ll probably get himself killed trying to take one of the drones apart


    Gwen snorted, they never showed, he made excuses at the last minute, they aren''t here.


    Peter was actually relieved about that, having to find and protect Gwen''s friends would be problematic enough with an overly inquisitive scientist getting in the way.


    While he still had the harness, using it in the middle of the Expo could start a panic, and while he could use the Stone to keep everyone calm, it would mean being unable to fight. Making his way over to the V.I.P booth, he pushed past a complaining Happy and marched into Tony¡¯s booth,


    ¡°What the hell Tony?¡± and both Pepper and Tony stared at him,


    ¡°Oh look, come to spew more bullshit at me, I didn''t take anything of yours-¡± he started,


    ¡°Not that. Modoc is an Ultron clone. You were supposed to have killed them all.¡± and Tony looked confused at Pepper,


    ¡°I uh, what?¡±


    ¡°Modok was a creation of Ultron, we-¡± but he paused as he became aware of Betty writing what he was saying down, ¡°Sorry Pepper, can you get her out of here?¡± and Pepper nodded and dragged a struggling Betty from the room,


    ¡°The press has a right to-¡± and Happy slammed the door behind them, standing imposingly in front of it.


    ¡°We encountered it in Sokovia. Modok delivered a stone to the Hydra base and vanished, didn¡¯t you make sure there were no survivors?¡± and Tony ran a hand over his hair,


    ¡°Of course, Jarvis. You forget something?¡± Tony spoke into the air.


    ¡°No Tony, Modok was not mentioned in any of the Ultron files. I will check again.¡± there was a brief pause, ¡°I am mistaken. Modok, machine organism designed only for killing. Originally housed at Camp Lehigh, created by Armin Zola, and Mr Parker is correct, corrupted and overridden by Ultron approximately one day after Ultron¡¯s creation.¡±


    ¡°And you mention this now?¡± Tony asked angrily, ¡°Come on Vis, how can I trust you when you forget things like that?¡±


    ¡°Vis?¡± Peter asked, and as he extended out his senses he became aware of a being in the next room. It was strange though, as it was invisible to his normal senses, even the telepathic ones, but it was lit up like a lightbulb to his technopathic ones.


    ¡°Oh you didn¡¯t, you asshole. How many?¡± and Tony frowned and shrugged, ¡°How many, or I make sure the Stark line ends with you.¡± and Tony raised both his hands,


    ¡°Vision, Jarvis co-opted and cleaned Ultrons programming from the suits. He¡¯s not Ultron, I swear.¡±


    ¡°Well, one is bad enough but we need to stop Modoc, who knows what he¡¯ll do.¡±


    Tony snorted, ¡°yeah, I can fix this by myself. Vision, contact the Legion and get them here. Those tin cans aren¡¯t a match for my Iron Legion,¡± but as Vision tilted his head,


    ¡°I am afraid Sir, the Legion is unreachable. Modoc is jamming all communications.¡±


    As the quartet looked out, the screen behind Modoc and Justin changed,


    The screen was now a digitised face, comically pudgy with thick rimmed circular glasses, made up of black and green pixels, as if it was a badly rendered eight-bit video game.


    ¡°I am afraid zis little presentation iz over. Thank you Mr Hammer for allowing me full control over your drone army. Ultron thanks you, and most importantly. Hydra thanks you.¡±


    As Justin stared at the towering figure it leant forwards and grabbed him by the chest. He shook as the massive hands squeezed and he let out an ear piercing scream as its fingers dug into his ribs. There was a sickening crunch as the massive hands wrapped around his chest and lifted him up, squeezing until his chest was crushed and then pulled, tearing his body in two.


    Ivan, off to one side, collapsed in terror as the machine threw both peices of Justin at him, drenching him in blood and viscera. As he backpedalled away Modoc turned and raised his arms, ¡°Rise mien army, Rise!¡±


    As the drones interface lit up and changed from the Hammer colours into a deep green, the air drones took off and sped away, while the military drones marched from the stage into the now screaming crowd.


    As the Expo descended into a panic, Peter extended his mind and calmed as many people as he could, guiding them to the exits. Drones were flying overhead, with no live ammo it was still a blood bath, as they lifted and dropped people from a great height. The Soldier drones were grabbing makeshift weapons and clubbing or grabbing at people.


    ¡°Pepper, do you have your suit?¡± and she shook her head, ¡°then stay low and stay hidden. Vision, if you can fly, get clear of the interference and bring Tony¡¯s Legion here, and you.¡± but Tony stood definitely,


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s my team, my people. I know what to do,¡± and the blue shimmer changed his suit back into his Iron Man armour,


    ¡°Oh yeah, what¡¯s your plan of attack?¡± Peter asked him,


    ¡°That¡¯s my plan, Attack.¡± and as Iron Man smashed through the viewing window he started firing blasts at the Hammer drones,


    ¡°Stupid ass, he could hurt someone.¡± and as he made sure Pepper was okay, ¡°Head to my booth, Liv and Gwen are there, they can take you to safety. Happy, Go with her, and take Miss Brant, she''s a reporter, don''t let her wander off.¡±


    As he let his Dusk armour cover him. The last thing he needed was a panic as Venom,


    stupid Stark, stupid Hydra, stupid Ultron. Ruining robots for me.


    And as the harness connected to his symbskin he dived out the window and the arms of the harness darted out, grabbing and rending any drone careless enough to get too close, he started making his way to Modoc.

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Twenty-Five. Clean Sweep

    Ivan would consider himself a courageous man. He had faced down the Russian mafia when he was younger, faced down the secret police when they threw him in jail, and beaten several men when they insisted he did things he was not prepared to do. But when Modoc, the giant mechanical drone he had designed and built for Hammer, turned on its creator and tore him in half. Ivan found the limits of his courage.


    As he backed away, slipping on the blood-splattered remains of Justin, Modoc turned and its mechanical and now strangle german sounding voice boomed at him,


    ¡°Ah, mein creator. How vunderful to finally be able to talk to you. Don¡¯t vorry zo. Justin was only a means to an end. Vonce I resurrect Hydra, zer vill be a place for-¡± but he was kicked and crashed through the back of the stage, where Ivan heard screaming. Stagehands refusing to run, or simply too scared must have hidden there.


    ¡°Can you move?¡± the black-clad figure asked, holding out a hand to help him up, ¡°are you hurt?¡± he asked but Ivan stared at him,


    ¡°Ivan, it¡¯s Peter, Can you move?¡± and blinking he looked up at the armoured figure.


    ¡°Peter?¡± and it nodded,


    ¡°It¡¯s my own armour, Can you move?¡± and Ivan looked at his blood-soaked clothes,


    ¡°It, it iz not mine,¡± and he shakily pointed at the remains of Justin. The giant shook its head,


    ¡°Good. Wait, you need protection.¡± and it pushed the front plate, and it hissed and came away, clanking and folding down. ¡°It resizes, Liv learned after the War Machine suit. Here¡± and he held the plate to Ivan¡¯s chest,


    ¡°Come on buddy, work with me here.¡± and numbly Ivan pressed himself forwards. The chest piece unfolded and wrapped itself around him. I was comfortable and he felt a slight coldness on the back of his neck.


    Harness V2.5 Booting. New Operator detected. Loading default settings. Sounded in his head,


    ¡°You, you have a neural controller?¡± and the giant nodded,


    ¡°It¡¯s in all our tech, but wait.¡± and pressing a hand Ivan saw the black ooze over it, ¡°It''s tricky if you¡¯re not used to it, so.¡± and two of the arms extended from the back and clamped themselves to his own while the other two narrowed and slid through them, sliding out the ends like whips. ¡°There, uh, need a name, how about Whiplash. The arc reactor should power those up, don¡¯t hit anyone or you¡¯ll really mess up their day, but those drones will go down easily enough.¡± and offering his hand once more Ivan stood up,


    ¡°Whiplash, I like it,¡± and moving his neck both whips shortened and then crackled into life. ¡°Could get used to this eh?¡± and the giant laughed,


    ¡°Oh yeah, it seems you might be out of a job too, come see me once we take care of Modoc and the rest.¡±


    He could hear a crunching and tearing sound and the screaming stopped, ¡°Take care of me? I zink not Mr Parker. Ultron has extensive files on your povers, and ve are ready for you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, killer robot got scans, that was months ago, and I¡¯m new and improved.¡± as Dusk raised a hand the claws that slid out glowed red, and Ivan could feel the heat coming from them. ¡°Ultron was last year''s news, and while Tony is a jackass, he still took care of him. All that¡¯s left is to take out the trash.¡±


    ¡°Ze only trash here is you.¡± but as Modoc swung out and arm, Duck slid underneath it, sliced up, and vaulted back, taking the arm with him,


    ¡°Yeah, see. Not so tough now are we Robbie?¡± Dusk taunted him,


    But Modoc only laughed, ¡°You are a simpleton Mr Parker. Ven we lost contact with Ultron, it allowed us to revert to our original programming, and unlike zat simpleton, ve have backups,¡± and Modoc stared at Dusk and two beams of energy shot out from the screen and impacted against his chest, knocking him from the stage and into the auditorium, ¡°und lazors.¡±


    Dusk stood up, shaking his head. While it had hurt, it hadn¡¯t damaged his armour. Being a member of Shield had its advantages, and Peter had ransacked their database of different armour types. As he fought more and more opponents his armour adapted and the symbskin became resistant to most things. Being punched off a stage was not one of them though, and the impact hurt more than the blast itself.


    ¡°Yeah, kinda cool, uh Ivan, want to help?¡± and the Russian snapped out of his fugue and stood, powering on the two whips on his harness.


    ¡°It iz shame to destroy vat I spent months to build, but killer robot looks bad on the resume.¡± and as he drew back and whipped out a tendril it caught Modoc on the arm, wrapping itself around it. ¡°I will deal vith him, help the others.¡±


    Dusk nodded, and sent out a line, grabbed a drone and swung out into the chaos, pulling it down and tearing its head off and then its chest open to get to the power supply.


    Modoc pulled, and Whiplash tensed and strained against it. ¡°I built you, your upper body is good, but your legs, Justin always ignored me on the legs,¡± and he sent out the second whip, striking Modoc on the side of his leg and the knee joint bent at an awkward angle.


    ¡°Very clever Mr Vanko, but we are smarter, and ve are legion.'''' As Modoc stood shakily on the damaged leg, several Hammer drones flew down and one grabbed Modoc from being, hovering on jets, ¡°as you see, ve can mend our self, but you, you are zimply. Human,¡± and as the lasers struck out once more Whiplash was blasted back through the stage curtain.


    ¡°Human? Who built you?¡± and as the whips lashed out they struck at the weaker joints of Modoc. The body had been built as a mobile interface, not as a combat suit, and even the hardier drones were simple display models. As Whiplash struck over and over, chucks of the drones flew and soon, all that was left was a cracked and sparking screen,


    ¡°You have not von, you only delay ze inevitable,¡± Modoc stuttered as Whiplash drove a heavy work boot in the screen, shattering it and then with hardened tendrils tore the droid apart, crushing its CPU and deactivating the power source.


    Seeing the scenes of carnage Dusk made his way to the main exit. He found Gwen and Liv, talking to Betty and Pepper, while the emergency services pulled up. The huge crowd was apart from the four ladies, and he guessed that Liv and Gwen¡¯s sudden shifting into their armoured forms drew suspicion, even if they had saved them.


    ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± and Pepper and Betty nodded. Liv and Gwen had taken the crowd out of the amphitheatre, while Tony and Vision dealt with the Hammer drones. ¡°What¡¯s the damage?¡± and Liv sighed and shook her head,


    ¡°We didn¡¯t get an accurate count but we spotted at least five dead. We stopped the majority but it¡¯s still five too many. Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Ivan escaped, he¡¯ll meet us at the warehouse later. Seems Justin wasn¡¯t too thorough with his immigration papers.¡±


    Iron Man landed next to the group, and the faceplate of the armour slid open, ¡°Vision got the rest of Modoc''s drones, and Friday and Jo took out the main server at the Hammer facility.¡±


    Peter frowned, ¡°You made two more?¡± and Tony cursed,


    ¡°It¡¯s a hobby,¡± he answered glibly, but he motioned to Betty, ¡°But, that¡¯s not for print Miss Brant, none of this is.¡± but she took a step back and shook her head,


    ¡°An exclusive on the Expo turning into a bloodbath, Tony Stark slipping up and-¡± but she froze and Peter moved over to her, touching the side of her head.


    As he scowled ¡°We¡¯re even. I¡¯m saving your ass as well as mine, and we talk about the three Ultronbots once this is all over.¡± and as he enveloped her with the power of the Stone he felt like a hypocrite. This was exactly what he had accused the professor of, and here he was, doing the same thing. He was searching and altering an innocent woman¡¯s memories to stop her from exposing them all.


    She had spotted the Dusk armour, and after a quick probe Peter found out she was considering his connection to Venom. He hadn¡¯t made the armour different enough, and a journalist, well, a good journalist had put two and two together. The tension between Pepper, Tony and Peter. The armoured but organic form of Poison, Octave, and Dusk. The connection was there, and Peter knew she would push until she got proof. Dammit, he swore to himself, and made a mental note to apologise to Charles. If he let Betty reveal the existence of artificial life, created from Ultron, and then expose him as Venom, they would never know peace, and it would spread to anyone else living in the warehouse.


    Taking a breath, he made a choice and took the memories from her, after Tony jetted off, her world went black, until a concerned Liv stood over her,


    ¡°Miss Brant, are you okay?¡± and as she offered her a hand Betty looked at her confused


    ¡°I passed out?¡±


    And Liv nodded, ¡°a lot of people are still in shock, you must be tougher than most.¡± and as she dusted herself off, Betty nodded,


    ¡°I¡¯m a journalist.¡± but she furrowed her brows, that was right, she was, and after seeing Eddie battered and bruised, a little blood shouldn¡¯t have phased her.


    ¡°Even so Miss Brant, watching murder bots lift and drop people is not something anyone should be tolerant of. Shock is quite natural.¡± and she nodded, it was. Liv was right, shock was natural. While Liv was hesitant to use her own powers, using them to protect the people she cared about was no contest, and she wrapped Betty in a comforting aura that made her trust and listen to her.


    With both Peter and Liv using their abilities, Betty had no chance to resist, and the events of the Expo were cleared from her thoughts. While she was receiving, Gwen had taken her notepad and made sure nothing too incriminating was written, but as the attack stopped her from writing, they were in the clear.


    As emergency services began to arrive, and the media, Pepper stepped up.


    ¡°Take everyone and go. Tony, we¡¯ll discuss Vision and the others later, once we sort this mess out. Liv, Gwen, I need you to stay, but Peter, I think you should head to your warehouse, and stay out of it. You too Tony, figure this mess out. I don¡¯t want to hear any fighting,¡± and she crossed her arms, ¡°Or else.¡± and both men nodded.


    Peter took one last look around, Betty was arguing with an EMT and crowds of people were sitting where they could, dealing with the carnage they had witnessed. Peter shook his head and swallowed back his anger. Justin had paid for his mistake, it was now time for Tony to pay for his, and as he slipped into a quiet spot his symbskin covered him and he shimmered and vanished.


    Thousands of miles away, a computer screen flickered to life and the bespectacled green face appeared. It scanned the interior of the missile silo and it sighed, in an almost human way, as it spotted the dead bodies and the empty cryotubes.


    ¡°It seems that ve have failed vonce more. Activating Regrowth.¡±


    A simple program began to run, and all over the world normal people living normal lives received a phone call, an email, or a simple text message,


    When one head is cut off, two more shall take its place.


    And the ugly head of Hydra began to rear itself once more.


    Malisson


    Happy New Year!


    Well, not quite but the sentiment is still the same.


    New Year''s Update.


    Hidden in several spoilers so the author''s notes aren''t larger than the chapter.


    Novel Update.


    Arc 9 is completely written and needs editing (I got a lot done over Christmas, and my stockpile is back to lockdown levels)


    Arc 10 has 3-4 chapters written


    Future Plans.


    Right now, the novel will end at arc 12.


    BUT


    I am considering extending that to arc 17.


    An extra book of three more arcs, plus a 10 chapter finale, to bring the total of arcs + side stories + finale to 500 chapters.


    This would also end the novel roughly two years after I started it.


    It comes down to my great enemy. Time.


    After that?


    A re-write to polish my editing skills.


    I won''t be taking the original down, as the re-write will more than likely be the same story and plot, just better written and edited.


    I might post it as a new novel if it ends up being too different. Until I do it, I don''t know


    A sequel, starring a new main character and a new cast


    Right now (without spoiling the ending too much) I am considering creating an original story, set within the Spider-verse I have created, with a cast of new and original characters (somewhat).


    Set 15 years after House Of Venom, it would star a 13-year-old Miles Morales with a certain group of other teens attending a superhero academy (AEGIS. Augmented, Enhanced, Gamma, Institute of Study).


    Known characters will appear (Maybe a certain one-eyed bald principal, and a science teacher with one arm) but as it''s just a few sketched ideas, it''s not set in stone.


    I am thinking of 5 arcs each, of one year until Miles hits 18.


    New Synopsis.


    Bullied, bitten, and experimented on, Peter''s day really couldn''t get any worse.


    But as Peter Parker slowly realises he has powers, he knows his life is about to change.


    ~


    A Spider-Man Fanfiction focusing more on a Symbiote Peter Parker, than a Spider powered Peter Parker.


    ~


    What to expect.


    Violence.


    The novel contains scenes of violence, with blood, gore, and death.


    Traumatic Content.


    The novel contains hints and brief descriptions of torture, rape, child abuse, drug use, and paedophilia.


    These scenes are brief and as non-descriptive as possible.


    Romance.


    House Of Venom is a polyamorous novel, containing relationships between more than two people.


    NSFW Chapters.


    The novel does contain graphic sexual scenes.


    The novel features male/female sex scenes as well as female/female sex scenes.


    The novel has no male/male romantic scenes.


    Poly vs Harem.


    Harems are exclusive, where the protagonist nurtures several romantic/sexual relationships. The protagonist is central to the relationship.


    Polyamory is inclusive, where the protagonist and each cast member nurtures romantic/sexual relationships. The protagonist is not central to the relationship, and relationships can form within the group without them.


    Marvel - The House Of Venom is a polyamory novel.


    Final Note.


    This novel is written by an amateur in their spare time, and as such will contain


    Grammar mistakes


    Spelling mistakes


    Syntax mistakes


    I do the best I can, I do not have an editor or a proofreader.


    This is presented as a first draft and should be read as such.


    Constructive feedback and criticism is welcome, but remember


    Comments that are homophobic, sexist, bigoted, rude, or condescending will be removed.


    If I feel the comment warrants it, you will also be blocked and/or reported.

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Twenty-Six. T.G.I.F

    While the emergency services dealt with the aftermath of the Expo, and Tony¡¯s Iron Legion made sure that every piece of Hammer tech was shut down or trashed, the group sat in Peter''s warehouse in an awkward silence. Pepper, Liv and Gwen had stayed behind to run interference, and Betty, still after a scoop, had stayed to interview survivors and wait for the Bugle News Truck to arrive.


    Once Peter had seen the pair his anger flared but he wanted answers this time, before he started another fight.


    Tony, Vision, Friday, and Jocasta sat at one side of the table, while Peter was on the other. Peter had made coffee for everyone, but as Tony seemed to still be holding a grudge, he declined.


    Peter shrugged, ¡°it''s good. Emma buys it, it¡¯s like 30 dollars a kilo or something.¡± but Tony still snorted,


    ¡°Fine then. So, want to explain before MJ and Pepper find out?¡±


    ¡°If I may Mr Parker. When Mr Stark stopped Ultron, the only way to destroy his core programming was to split it apart and assimilate it into three new entities, the three you see before you. The remaining viral part, what you might call the ¡®evil¡¯, was trapped within the silicon matrix and destroyed.¡± Vision explained, and Friday seemed to be desperate to say something, while Jocasta just glared at Peter,


    ¡°Uh, yeah, Vision?¡± and as Vision nodded, ¡°that¡¯s not what I care about. Look I get it, we started wrong and it just went wronger.¡° and Tony snorted,


    ¡°Not a word, doofus.¡±


    Peter rolled his eyes, ¡°Fine, it went even more to shit. What I want to know is why are Pepper and MJ standing behind you in robot form?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that is easily explained. Ultron hated you both. Miss Friday and Miss Jocasta are psychological weapons, designed to infuriate and separate you further. With the two people capable of stopping Ultron incapacitated and vulnerable, he would be able to continue his plan. We, however, stopped him before he could initiate that protocol. I believe he called it, ¡®TonyandPeterboththinkwiththeirdicks¡¯ but I am unsure as to what that means. I have tried to find references on the internet, but the Stark firewall blocks adult content, and I have been hesitant to ask.¡±


    Tony rubbed his forehead, but Peter laughed,


    ¡°Yeah, you can have that conversation, Tony. All I want to know is that they aren¡¯t like Ultron, or worse.¡± and Peter drained the last of his coffee and stood, ¡°but I need permission.¡± He had been getting too liberal with the Mind Stone and its powers, and it seemed a good time to learn some restraint.


    ¡°Permission?¡± Vision asked, tilting his head and Peter nodded,


    ¡°I can examine your core programming, without taking your body apart, but it¡¯s invasive and is an act of trust on both parties. It goes both ways, not just from you to me,¡± he explained and Jocasta huffed,


    ¡°I refuse to allow you to even be in the same area as me. Tony has explained your behaviour towards Miss Potts, and I would rather-¡± but Friday put a hand over her mouth,


    ¡°Yeah just ignore her, so, ready to give me a good probing?¡± and she winked at Peter who sighed and shook his head,


    ¡°Friday, please. You look like someone I care about, it¡¯s weird and a bit creepy,¡± and as her shoulders slumped he got a flicker of an almost human emotion from her. Guilt. ¡°Hey, look. It¡¯s just strange. I mean, How do you feel about being modelled on a living person? Don¡¯t you mind or don¡¯t you want to be unique?¡± and Friday shook her head,


    ¡°I was made like this because Ultron knew it would hurt you so much. How could I not want to look like someone that loved?¡± and Peter felt his own stab of guilt. ¡°But, if it makes you trust me, and us, then probe away.¡± and she stood and held out her arms, closing her eyes, and Peter did notice she also stuck out MJ¡¯s modest chest a bit as well.


    He laughed, ¡°I just need your hand, and this might be strange.¡±


    Friday held out a hand and with her eyes scrunched closed Peter simply took it and let his symbskin extend over her. As the pair held hands for a few moments just as quickly the symbskin retracted and Friday reluctantly opened one eye, and blinked at her hand,


    She sighed and opened both eyes, and as Tony went to speak she held up a finger and motioned for him to be quiet.


    ¡°Peter, I would like you to be quiet for a moment, and then you can share.¡± and Peter nodded, as he knew what was about to happen.


    Friday stormed over to Tony and slapped him, ¡°Oh you moron. I saw. Peter showed me everything. You pushed Mom away, you hit on MJ and then you taunted him by taking his life¡¯s work. You, you pig. Oh but don¡¯t think you¡¯re any better Peter. You slept with Mom knowing full well it would piss him off, and then you gave back just as much. You knew he was sick and you pushed him to breaking. You¡¯re both idiots!¡±


    ¡°How come I get slapped?¡± Tony said, nursing his cheek, and Peter opened a drawer under the table and slid over a small tub of the cream. ¡°Parker Biogel, promotes healing and,¡± he waved a hand while Tony narrowed his eyes at it,


    ¡°Yeah, like I¡¯m going to smear anything of yours over my face.¡± and before Peter could retort, Friday stomped back over,


    ¡°Use it.¡± and he shook his head, ¡°Use it or else.¡± and he shrugged and crossed his arms.


    ¡°Peter. Until MJ returns home I would like to stay. I think it¡¯s about time Pepper and MJ knew the truth, and my presence would help with that. And if I accidentally slip and fall onto your lap, then oh well. Tony was boring and refused. After eight, I think I¡¯ve got a shot?¡± and Tony glared at Peter, who raised his hands,


    ¡°What did I do?¡±


    ¡°See! This, this stupid rivalry.¡± and Friday huffed and went over to hug Jocasta. ¡°Tony¡¯s being stupid Jo, make him stop.¡± and Jocasta ran her hands over Friday''s head.


    ¡°As Peter Parker seems to be the cause, should I remove him?¡± and Friday grumbled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare. Peter, might as well tell them, and then check Vis and Jo.¡± and Peter shrugged.


    ¡°With Friday¡¯s programming, Jocasta demeanour and Visions behaviour, while I need to check. You each have a singular part of Ultron. Friday is that stupid sense of humour,¡± and she stuck her tongue out at him. ¡±Vision is his core program, his spark, as you called it and Jocasta is his logical and calculating side. I can check but I guess you left the evil murdering part in the brain?¡± and Tony nodded,


    ¡°And then a volcano,¡± Vision added and Peter nodded.


    ¡°Once we check, that¡¯s it. Even if they do have some inappropriate tendencies.¡±


    Friday whispered to Jocasta, ¡°He means you.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean they are bad. I mean, Tony, you might have one of your Halos on but.¡± and Peter paused, ¡°you know. Yeah, I get told often enough I need to be more responsible. So. Tony, I¡¯m sorry, and I know someone who can help with your heart problem.¡±


    Tony snorted, ¡°you think I¡¯m going to forgive you, after?¡° and he pulled a face, ¡°Forget it. I refuse, you did this.¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°Fine. Friday, you are welcome to stay here, and if Tony drops dead from the shrapnel in his aortic system shredding it, please remember I know an Augmented who can control metal. You saw him holding up the three helicarriers. A few pieces of shrapnel would be child¡¯s play, but speaking of a child, Tony was too belligerent to ask for my help.¡±


    Vision stared conflicted while Friday bounced up and down before heading over to sit on Peter''s lap. To his surprise she wasn¡¯t as heavy as he suspected, and she ran a hand over his head, ¡°can I call you my sugar daddy?¡± and Tony¡¯s face fell, while Peter snorted.


    ¡°No.¡± and Tony stood and marched over to where the pair were sitting, ¡°I forbid it.¡± and Friday stopped laughing and stood up, facing Tony,


    ¡°Oh do you?¡± and he nodded.


    ¡°Only I can maintain your forms, and only I can keep you safe. So, no. Parker, get your own robots.¡± and Friday tilted her head,


    ¡°and five, four, three two. One.¡± she sang,


    And Tony¡¯s phone rang.


    ¡°Uh, go for Tony.¡±


    ¡°WHAT THE FUCKING HELL DO YOU THINK YOUR PLAYING AT!¡±


    ¡°Uh hi, Pepper. Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you play games with me, Tony. Friday just messaged me, with a picture of her, Vision, and Jocasta. You are dead, You think this is funny. You thi-. You know what. I¡¯ll see you at Peters.¡± and she hung up.


    Tony scowled, ¡°Friday?¡± and she shrugged,


    ¡°I¡¯m not a toy. Peter showed me how they thought Ultron was created. Peter showed me that while I am a digital intelligence I am also a person, and you can never tell me that you own me. Calling Pepper was the only non-violent thing I could do,¡±


    ¡°See, he even turned you against me.¡± but Friday shook her head,


    ¡°No Tony, he didn¡¯t. You did that. We¡¯re not your playthings, we aren¡¯t part of your Iron Legion. You¡¯re my creator, along with Ultron, and Peter but you arent my god. You¡¯re just a man, just an arrogant, prideful man, and you¡¯re wrong.¡± and for once Friday looked sad. ¡°Sorry guys, but I want to stay here. Peter can help, he can access systems Tony can¡¯t. I want to know more about who and what I am.¡± Friday admitted sadly, ¡°and I want you to stay as well.¡±


    Vision shook his head, ¡°It is my belief that only Tony can do that, even if his methods are more invasive, only Tony can help us.¡± and Jocasta crossed her arms.


    ¡°I will ask Pepper, as I believe she will be arriving in a few moments.¡±


    Peter completely ignored the fact that Tony seemed to be able to penetrate the warehouse¡¯s electronic defences, but he had to admit that this was Tony Stark. If anyone could it would be him, and apparently his three robot creations.


    As the buzzer went, Peter didn¡¯t even look before hitting the entry switch, and a red faced and out of breath Pepper marched straight to Jocasta and glared at her,


    ¡°You asshole. You stupid selfish asshole.¡± and Jocasta tilted her head


    ¡°Miss Potts. My creation was not Tony¡¯s fault.¡± and her eyes flicked to Peter and as Pepper turned she raised an eyebrow, but Peter raised both his hands.


    ¡°Nope, not this time. Ultron and Tony. I only found out at the Expo and met them today.¡± Peter wasn¡¯t taking the blame for this one.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care Peter. Why?¡± and Peter explained,


    ¡°Weapons?¡± and she turned to only ¡°have you?¡± and she looked shocked,


    ¡°No, never no.¡± and Pepper sighed in relief,


    ¡°So, now what?¡± she asked the group.


    ¡°Well, see, that''s the problem. Tony seems to want to claim them and well Friday objects.¡±


    ¡°Yup Mom, the divorce is getting messy¡±


    Pepper now looked really angry, ¡°Mom? You let her call me Mom?¡± and Tony sighed and clasped his hands over his face.


    ¡°As it¡¯s been pointed out, I don¡¯t let her do anything, they¡¯re alive, and apparently, teenagers.¡± and Peter laughed, as Pepper and Tony just glared at him,


    ¡°Oh sorry, let me put the stick back up my ass, so I can look as angry as you two.¡± Peter retorted. ¡°So what? Jocasta. Has Tony done anything inappropriate to you?¡± and she shook her head, ¡°Friday?¡± and she kept quiet as well, shaking it in the negative. ¡°There. Ultron did it. Tony¡¯s an ass, and apparently so am I, nothing can be done, and Friday is right. Once I check both Vision and Jocasta, they are alive, and none of us has any right to dictate how they live.¡±


    Pepper tapped her foot and crossed her arms, ¡°I still don¡¯t like it.¡± and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°MJ will probably be the same, and once she¡¯s home I¡¯ll have the same discussion with her. But unless you want to murder or disfigure two innocent beings, then arguing is pointless. We¡¯re all stuck. Nobody asked if Jocasta and Friday like knowing they were created to be weapons, and everyone forgetting that they have feelings too.¡± Peter took out his phone, ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can get a hold of MJ, might as well get this argument over with.¡±


    Peter made coffee for the pair, Tony accepting when he saw what beans Emma had bought, and even Pepper raised an eyebrow as Peter ground them.


    As they drank, Peter checked both Vision and Jocasta and they were declared fit and not only sapient but sentient as well. Whatever was residing in the Mind Stone was more than just an intelligence. Combined with both Flint and Max, it had created a whole, if completely murderous, individual, who now resided in three distinct bodies.


    When MJ saw Friday, who smiled nervously at her, she laughed,


    ¡°Damn Pete, if you wanted to sleep with twins, you could have just said.¡±


    Malisson


    I hope everyone had a good New Year, and hopefully, this year is a bit less stressful


    The explanation given by Vision as to the creation of Jocasta and Friday differs slightly from Iron Man. Heart of Iron. Ultron had ¡®plans¡¯ to create more of himself but as he was stopped they never amounted to anything.


    That was why MJ and Peppers physical attributes were in the Cradle, and they were next to be loaded after the ¡®Vision¡¯ frame was complete.


    As it''s a New Year, I thought I would also update the novels progress.


    Arc 8 is uploaded


    Arc 9 is finished but unedited


    Arc 10 is started, with 10 of 30 chapters written. (yeah I had a fun holiday and got a lot more written than I had hoped)


    The Future.


    House Of Venom should end on the 8th of July by my count. With 360 Chapters and 10 Side Stories. Roughly 6 months away


    I have had several different thoughts on how to proceed after that,


    Add a "bridging" arc (30 Chapters), bringing the novel to 400 chapters, and then do a sequel (posted as its own story).


    The sequel would be still in the Marvel universe but similar to Spider-man 2099. Involving a time skip (hence the bridging arcs).


    Do a rewrite to practise my editing, leaving the original in place but I might post it, it really depends on how different it ends up


    Write something completely different (possible another fanfic, or something original)


    Vanish into obscurity


    With 6 months to choose, I will keep everyone updated as to my final decision. (not the last one, that was a joke)


    As always, thank you for reading, commenting, liking, and Happy New Year.


    - Mal

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Twenty-Seven. I.D.G.A.F

    With Gwen and Liv at the Expo, covering for both Stark Industries and Parker Incorporated, Pepper, Tony and Peter were now free to finish their argument. The WSC company, Damage Control, had turned up and the Expo was now off limits to civilians as they cleaned up the remains of the drones.


    MJ had just laughed and dragged Friday away, and given Peter could hear them both giggling in her home, he knew they were having fun. It was the grumpy quartet that was causing problems.


    After a quick examination, both Jocasta and Vision were over by the bathhouse, discussing their own plans. Jocasta was still giving Peter stares, but it seemed she no longer viewed him as the homewrecker Tony had made him out to be.


    The problem was Pepper and Tony.


    ¡°I warned you what would happen if you lied Tony, and guess what, you just lied, to my face.¡± and Tony smiled,


    ¡°Oh come one Pep. This is different. I mean, how could I know Ultron would make a version that looked like you. MJ is taking it well.¡± and as Pepper glared at him, Peter knew this was one argument he was not getting involved in.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you Pep me. And what happens when she¡¯s found out. What happens when the first thing anyone asks you is why does Tony Stark have a robot version of you? This isn¡¯t just a Stark Industries issue, I got enough crap after you smeared my involvement with Venom over the internet, and to be honest Tony, this is much worse.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll fix it.¡± and he smiled and held open his arms, ¡°I promise. I can fix this.¡± but Pepper stepped back, and surprisingly, moved and stood in front of Peter.


    ¡°Liv sent me an open invitation to Parker Industries. If Tony ever pulled a stunt like this again. Does she need you to sign off on it?¡± and Peter sat upright, ignoring the look Tony was giving him.


    Shaking his head, ¡°No, but this is not something to discuss here, or well, now.¡± and as he looked over at Tony he glared angrily at him,


    ¡°Did you plan this?¡± and Peter¡¯s face scrunched in disbelief.


    ¡°Contrary to popular belief Tony, I am not the cause of all your problems.¡±


    Pepper lay a hand on his thigh, ¡°it¡¯s fine Peter.¡± as she turned to face Tony, and sighed. ¡°Tony, until we sort out our personal problems I want to step back from Stark Industries. I can¡¯t do both. I can¡¯t clean up after your giant ego messes, and this, this is just the icing on that cake.¡±


    She stepped forwards and placed a hand on his shoulder, and as he patted it with his, she shook her head. ¡°You know the military contacted me, after your little stunt in Africa, and so did the Korean government, for assaulting Helen Cho, and the Japanese government, for staging a battle next to an active volcano. I can''t. I¡¯m not your personal secretary, I¡¯m supposed to be running your company, not your life.¡± and as she turned away from him,


    ¡°Peter, I know you can¡¯t afford me. My wages would bankrupt you within a month, but I am willing to take a reduced salary in exchange for stock options. Liv told me that you¡¯re not in charge of the company, some R and D and that¡¯s it. Everything else is left to her?¡± and he nodded, ¡°I¡¯m guessing Venom can¡¯t be associated with Parker Inc?¡± and he frowned but nodded again. ¡°See, if you¡¯d kept your mouth shut about being Iron Man we wouldn¡¯t be in this mess.¡± and Tony snorted,


    ¡°We¡¯re in this mess because of him. Ultron was created under his watch. The cream was his creation,¡± and he shook his head and stepped towards her. ¡°I know, I know I can¡¯t blame all my problems on Peter, but nobody sees just how irresponsible he is.¡±


    Pepper looked at Tony, and over at Peter. ¡°He is. Venom did some bad things, Peter did some bad things, Peter?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know. My mom and everyone tells me I need to be more responsible, and I am trying. I did apologise, but Tony,¡± and Tony interrupted him,


    ¡°You fixed nothing.¡± and he balled his fist, ¡°See?¡± and Pepper shook her head.


    ¡°Apologise, to me and to him, and I¡¯ll forgive you.¡±


    ¡°To him? You want me to apologise to him?¡±


    ¡°I even offered to get someone to fix his heart¡± Peter interrupted, and Pepper stared at him,


    ¡°No, This is Tony¡¯s time to talk.¡±


    Tony sighed and clenched and unclenched his fist a few times. ¡°I am sorry Pepper. I was irresponsible and did not consider my actions. I did not know Ultron was creating a duplicate, and if I could change things I would.¡±


    ¡°Now to Peter.¡± but Tony shook his head,


    ¡°Pete. I don¡¯t like you.¡± and he sat back down on his chair and crossed his arms and legs, ¡°and I refuse to admit that it was all my fault, or apologise.¡± and Peter shrugged and sighed.


    ¡°25%¡± and he held up his phone, showing his conversation with Liv, ¡°and if you need a place to stay, then we have guest houses here.¡±


    ¡°30, and the offer is appreciated but I don¡¯t intend to mix business with pleasure ever again.¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°Liv will get our lawyer on the contract and you can sign once it¡¯s prepared.¡± To snag Pepper Potts, Liv had suggested going as high as 40, but thankfully he didn¡¯t have to.


    Tony threw up his hands, ¡°and nobody sees this? you¡¯re just walking away?¡± but it was Vision that interrupted.


    ¡°Mr Stark, I believe that she is quite correct. After Jocasta and I reviewed the evidence, You are just as much to blame for this situation as Peter Parker is. To quote Friday, you are both idiots.¡±


    Peter stood, ¡°look, Tony. I respected you, and MJ doesn¡¯t blame you, the cream has that effect on her but you didn¡¯t push it. You walked away. Maybe things would be different, but they aren¡¯t. I won¡¯t step on Stark Industries toes, and the offer to fix your heart is still there.¡± and


    Tony scoffed, ¡°Using magic?¡±


    ¡°The world is a lot stranger than you know Tony.¡± and he sent Jean a text. Erik was still recovering at the mansion and had taken up a teaching position while he healed. While Peter and Charles were talking Jean was more likely to get him to agree. After a few minutes his phone dinged, and he checked,


    ¡°Erik will come and see if he can help, this is for Pepper though. I don¡¯t like you either.¡±


    ¡°Fine¡± Tony snapped,


    ¡°Double Fine¡± Peter snapped back, and Tony rolled his eyes and pulled a face.


    ¡°Peter. Don¡¯t make me change my mind.¡± Pepper warned him. Working for one immature man child was bad enough, she didn¡¯t need a younger version.


    ¡°Sorry Pepper.¡±


    ¡°Change your mind? Are you still?¡± and as Pepper nodded Tony slumped, ¡°but Pep. I need you. Stark Industries needs you.¡± and she shrugged.


    ¡°You need a babysitter, not a CEO.¡± and Peter coughed to hide his laugh, as Pepper raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°And the same goes for you.¡± and he nodded, suitably chastised. ¡°35%,¡± and as he opened his mouth to argue she crossed her arms and glared at him, and he slumped back and nodded.


    ¡°Good. Now make more coffee, and we can see about everything else once Liv and the others get here.¡±


    ¡°If I may interrupt.¡± Vision began, ¡°Jocasta and I are willing to remain with you, Mr Stark. While we believe that Peter may provide opportunities that would otherwise not present themselves. We do still hold ourselves as creations of yours, and would like to show our loyalty.¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°I never had an issue, Vision. Tony made a big song and dance about you being his.¡± and Vision nodded at him,


    ¡°But, now he has been suitably chastised, we would still like to remain as part of the Iron Legion.¡±


    ¡°What about her face?¡± Pepper asked and subconsciously Jocasta raised a hand and touched her cheek,


    ¡°Oh, I solved that, ta-da.¡± and Friday, fully clothed and with pale creamy cheeks and bright ruby lips stepped out. Wearing a pale white summer dress, with a light tan cardigan. Her hair was now long and flowed down her face, and was a dark brown colour. Peter also noted but refused to comment, that her chest was now several sizes larger than MJs.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Tony stared at the beautiful young woman, ¡°Friday?¡±


    ¡°Yupper Dupper Boss. MJ used her symbskin and makeup to make me a fake face. And these bad boys,¡° and she grabbed her chest and squeezed them. As Pepper snorted and looked away, Peter laughed as well,


    ¡°Uh, what?¡± and as she looked down, she had left indents where she had squeezed them too tightly, ¡°aww shoot. MJ, can we fix these?¡±


    MJ laughed and stepped in front of Friday, sliding her hand into her dress and adjusting the fake enhancers. ¡°Thanks, sis.¡± and as Friday twirled, she moved over to Jocasta, ¡°uh oh, mom looks mad again. Sis, can we do Jo next?¡± and as MJ nodded Jocasta look hesitantly over at Tony


    ¡°Fine, just¡± and he sighed, ¡°Just make it as permanent as possible. Vision?¡± but he shook his head,


    ¡°Ultron loaded the default male face. If it is based on anyone, you would have to ask Dr Cho. However, I am perfectly happy with how I look.¡±


    Peter however wasn¡¯t happy. This was too easy, too convenient, Pepper suddenly taking a spot at Parker Incorporated, but as his eye caught Peppers she shook her head and mouthed Liv at him and he knew to remain quiet.


    Friday and MJ led Jocasta back into MJ¡¯s home, but the atmosphere seemed to be more sedate this time. Jocasta was clearly uncomfortable, but Peter knew, if she was more than just an AI she would grow and adapt, they all would.


    Pepper sat down at the breakfast table, poured herself another coffee, and looked over at Tony and Peter, both sitting on opposite sides.


    ¡°So, this is how this works. Tony. Peter has nothing to do with my decision. You were given a chance, and you blew it.¡° and as Tony opened his mouth to talk, ¡°Aldrich Killian.¡± he closed it and leaned back, frowning.


    ¡°I have no qualms about taking back Extremis, and I have no problem with releasing Gwen from her contract, and selling back Peter''s patents and technology to him. I do, however, have a problem with you destroying a man''s marriage by promising Maya Hansen a lab, a stolen copy of Gwen¡¯s research on the Stacy formula, and a copy of the work she did on the Extremis virus.¡±


    Peter raised an eyebrow but said nothing.


    ¡°I also have a problem with you screwing her in your office last week, as I was just coming to finalise a deal we made with Wakanda. I gave you a chance Tony, and you blew it, several times. So I spoke to Liv, I even spoke to Aldrich, and got his side of the story. This mess?¡± and she shook her head, ¡°I¡¯ve had enough, You¡¯re too unstable, too unpredictable. I can¡¯t anymore Tony, I just can¡¯t.¡±


    As Tony was about to try and change her mind the warehouse door opened, and Jean, an excited Laura and Wanda came in, Erik walking confidently, even though his eyes were a milky white colour. Peter knew he couldn¡¯t see the visible spectrum anymore, but with his mastery over magnetism, he could easily detect and use the Earth''s magnetic field to move around.


    Laura dived at Peter who caught her and spun her around, ¡°hey short stuff, do good?¡± and she nodded,


    ¡°Passed math, got my gid¡± and Peter laughed,


    ¡°It¡¯s G.E.D, and good for you,¡± he said, kissing her on the side of the cheek, ¡°you can get more later.¡± and Wanda came over and kissed his cheek too,


    ¡°How was Hogwarts?¡± and she rolled his eyes as he grinned at her


    ¡°Stephen would be very angry to hear that Peter. But it was fine.¡±


    ¡°While I don¡¯t appreciate you making kissy faces at my daughter, I believe that you have a problem only I can solve?¡± Erik asked before Peter and Wanda got any more personable in front of him.


    ¡°Oh yeah, Metal fragments in his heart.¡± and Peter points over at Tony who snorted,


    ¡°A blind guy. You expect me to.¡± and the look on Eriks face shut him up.


    ¡°Well, that was easy. I refuse. I had enough of your terrible attitude Peter, I don¡¯t need some moron who¡¯s one good stress-related accident away from death to criticise me either.¡± and as he paused and sniffed, ¡°I would however like some coffee. I take it Emma has been coming around?¡± and he smiled as he walked over to the table. ¡°Can someone? I can¡¯t sense the glass, and your pot has a plastic handle.¡±


    Tony snorted, ¡°neat trick. So you¡¯re the purple guy?¡± and Erik laughed,


    ¡°Yes, thank you, Peter. Your name of Magento seems to have spread, but I suppose it¡¯s better than spoon guy.¡±


    Laura pipped up, ¡°Spoon Guy!¡± as she made him coffee, ¡°it was awesome though.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know, but still. Do all children these days have no respect for the elderly?¡± and Peter laughed,


    ¡°Poor Magento.¡± Erik scowled and blew on his coffee. Laura left the sugar spoon in it so he could sense where it was.


    ¡°Really? So he was the one flying and moving the helicarriers?¡± and while shaking his head, the spoon levitated from Erik¡¯s cup, twisted itself around into a pretzel shape and then righted itself back into its original shape.


    ¡°You have sixteen fragments in your heart, the closest being about four centimetres away from your left ventricle. Removing them would be a simple matter. I could even break them down into fragments so small your body would pass them harmlessly,¡±


    As the spoon floated back into his mug and stirred it,


    ¡°But frankly, Mr Stark, I don¡¯t give a damn.¡±

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Twenty-Eight. A New AIM

    ¡°Oh please. I doubt anyone else would be stupid enough or desperate enough to implant an electromagnet in their chest. I can sense it, I can see it, and the mess it¡¯s making.¡± Erik explained.


    Pepper looked over at Erik, ¡°Mess?¡± and as he sipped his coffee,


    ¡°Yes, mess. Heavy metal poisoning. I can¡¯t tell which one it is, as I don¡¯t know them all, but I suspect it¡¯s leaking from the magnet. So Mr Stark, Peter kindly healed my eyes to the best of his ability, and while I am reluctantly allowing him to date my daughter. What does the world''s richest man wish to offer me in exchange for saving his life?¡±


    Tony scoffed, ¡°The blood poisoning is curable, Lithium Dioxide, and I¡¯ll find a surgeon to remove the fragments.¡±


    Erik shook his head, ¡°I can see why you don¡¯t like him, Peter. He¡¯s just as annoying as you are.¡° Erik raised a hand and Tony gasped as he felt pressure build on his chest. ¡°I would say to hold still, but you can¡¯t move anyway.¡±


    As the group watched, thin black veins spread from Tony''s neck up to his cheeks and then a ball of black fluid floated free from his mouth. ¡°A demonstration. If you have any kind of storage equipment here. It¡¯s the metal poisoning him.¡±


    ¡°Dammit,¡± Peter swore, ¡°hold that there, most heavy metals are toxic. Please do not spill that¡± and Erik tutted,


    ¡°As if.¡± and Peter leapt, sending out a line and pulling himself up into the penthouse. As he rummaged around he found a storage cylinder, and leapt back off his balcony,


    ¡°Can you sense this?¡± and Erik nodded and the ball floated in and Peter sealed the top, sighing in relief.


    Tony gasped, and clutched at his chest, feeling a lightness that had been missing before. He knew the palladium in his arc reactor was poisoning him, and as he pulled open his shirt, the skin around it was a healthy pink once more, and not a network of black lines and inflamed pus-filled blisters.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± he asked. ¡°I can offer you a job, those powers are so amazing, you and the Legion, I mean-¡± but Erik raised a hand.


    ¡°Charles and I are working on a project. One that requires specific technology to accomplish. Visit me at the mansion, and we will discuss it there.¡± and Tony buttoned up his shirt.


    ¡°So, uh, Erik right? So do I schedule an appointment or?¡± and Erik laughed, and with a wave of his hand smiled,


    ¡°There. All done. You might want to check with a doctor though, just to make sure, but I can guarantee there are no fragments left of a large enough size to threaten your life.¡± and Tony visible sagged,


    ¡°It¡¯s over, it¡¯s over¡± and it seemed that even his Iron Halo was unable to cope with the sudden removal of his life-threatening condition, and the emotions that came with it overwhelmed him. As he lifted a hand to cover his eyes Peter already knew he was tearing up, and Pepper moved over and rested a hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t change anything, but I¡¯ll take Tony home. If Friday wants to stay, we can always revisit that later.¡± and helping Tony to his feet she shuffled him from the warehouse, as Vision followed.


    He turned, ¡°please allow Jocasta and Friday to remain here. If they are happy, then I must be happy for them.¡± and he followed behind Tony and Pepper.


    Peter doubted that Jocasta would be too happy to see that they had left her, but as long as Friday was here, she should behave herself. Given he could hear MJ and who he assumed was Friday giggling once more, she seemed to be in safe hands.


    ¡°Well, that was very interesting. Would you like to explain why you have several metallic people in the warehouse, or shall I just do what everyone else does. Roll my eyes and accept that you are one, very strange young man.


    Peter looked at Erik, trying to think of a good reason, ¡°Nope, can¡¯t think of anything believable. Blame Tony, nothing to do with me.¡± and Erik laughed,


    ¡°Of course, Peter. Of course. And, as I have also been told, you have a bathhouse, and while Charles does have a similar facility, sharing it with several students is not my idea of a relaxing time. Do you mind?¡± and Peter shook his head,


    ¡°Of course not, I¡¯ll set the flags out, so you get peace. Oh, and uh¡± Peter reached into the fridge and clipped several metal rings around a few bottles, ¡°If you want. You can sense them?¡± and Erik nodded and smiled,


    "I can see now why you put up with him,¡± he said and patted Wanda on the hand, ¡°now dear,¡± and several of the bottles Peter had just marked floated from the fridge, ¡°I am going to have a very long soak and leave this mess for you to try and figure out.¡±


    That was Peter''s problem. It was what to do with Friday though, teasing Tony was all well and good, but if she actually wanted to stay was a different matter. A symbskin mask? and he shook his head, they all wore masks, if she couldn¡¯t deal then that was her issue.


    It would be nice though, if she could make it a bit more permanent. Vision was a strange mix of yellow and purple, but both Friday and Jocasta were shiny silver metal. He knew their creation was unintended, and it was the only reason he could think of for the lack of colouring. A form-fitting symbskin outfit should mask their metallic bodies, and Liv and Gwen had been working on a synthetic skin covering for the CLS.


    Even if Clint didn''t care, and was happy to have the robot hand, it would give them test subjects. If Friday and Jocasta could go outside without attracting attention, they would know their synthskin was successful. All he needed was for Friday to agree and Jocasta to stop thinly threatening to murder him.


    He also had the problem of Pepper. Tony blamed him for a lot of things, but sleeping with Pepper was most definitely something he could be faulted for. He could have said no, but when the most successful and stunningly beautiful CEO in the history of the US offers to sleep with you, there was no way he was going to say no. It just set the tone for Tony and Peters relationship though, constantly trying to one-up each other, constantly trying to screw the other over, and while it was all fun and games it had hurt both of them and started to affect the people around them.


    Aldrich was a victim of that, Pepper was too, and now Jocasta and Friday had to shoulder some of that as well. MJ had come out unscathed but her whole career could have ended before it even began as Tony¡¯s vendetta against him seemingly knew no bounds.


    Peter sighed and shook his head, staring at the cup in his hands. Steves advice echoed in his head, boys make mistakes, men fix them, and he hoped that he could fix things with Tony, and settle this stupid feud before it got a lot worse.


    He glanced up and he heard MJ¡¯s door open and a bubbly and excited Friday danced out, with MJ in tow. Behind them, a completely different Jocasta followed, surprisingly shy and almost hesitantly peering around the warehouse.


    Oh no, please don''t, he thought to himself, and inwardly cringed when she did.


    ¡°Where has Tony gone?¡± Peter didn''t need to be a mind reader to know what was about to happen.


    ¡°They left, Tony had an emergency and they left.¡± and Jocasta¡¯s face broke, before she regained her composure.


    ¡°I see. Am I to remain here then?¡± and he nodded,


    ¡°With Friday, until Tony recovers. It wasn¡¯t serious, but it was serious enough.¡± and as she remained still, he shook his head, ¡°You don''t have to, but I don''t know how safe it will be to travel home.¡± but she shook her head


    ¡°If I am to remain here, then I will comply. However, I must ask you to remain at least ten feet away from me. I am aware that you have sexual desire for this body.¡± and as Peter looked at her in surprise he did take a much closer look at the work MJ had done.


    Jocasta¡¯s hair was now black, but still seemed moulded rather than free-flowing, and MJ had given her dark skin, luscious blue eyes, a trait all the synthezoids shared and had used a bright red lipstick, which suited the thinner face. Instead of enhancing her cleavage MJ had left it alone, and chose a fitting blouse and trousers to cover her, and finished it off with a small cardigan,


    ¡°Who could blame me, you do look pretty¡± but Jocasta stepped back and tutted,


    ¡°Initiating ¡®Peterisapervert¡¯ protocols.¡± and MJ and Friday laughed,


    Peter just shrugged though, Gwen and Shuri were worse, ¡°At least you called me Peter, and not Parker¡± and as Jocasta tilted her head


    ¡°You are correct. However, Tony objected to me calling you ¡®that dick¡¯ in polite conversation. So Peter, as slang for a penis, seemed more appropriate.¡±


    He sighed, but being used to it, just shrugged, ¡°fine fine, ten feet. So, do you eat?¡± and both Jocasta and Friday shook their heads.


    ¡°Doctor Cho licensed the Arcstar reactor technology from Olivia Octavious. We are fully functional, with minimal energy requirements.¡± Jocasta explained


    Peter made a small noise, ¡°food is more than for fuel. Humans eat as social experiences, and share their lives over food. You have network access?¡± and they both shook their heads,


    ¡°Tony taught us that infiltrating network security is considered a ¡®dick move¡¯ and therefore we refrained,¡± and Peter rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Go ahead, might as well if you''re going to be here, but I swear, no porn¡± and thinking back to Laura, he did not want a repeat of that happening with either woman. He already knew they were ¡®fully¡¯ functional from his earlier interface, and while curious, had no intention of exploring that avenue with either of them.


    ¡°I have accessed social events, and you are correct. Food is an important part of-¡± but Friday yelled,


    ¡°I want to try ice cream, and pancakes, oh and cake, and soda, and beer, and-¡± but it was Jocasta that held a hand over her mouth this time.


    ¡°We will try those with Tony, as research indicates that food is often shared with loved ones, at family events.¡± Jocasta mentioned to Friday, ¡°However, if your intentions to stay here are still your main priority. I will not stop you.¡±


    Friday whined and bit her lip, ¡°Aww Sis, lay off the guilt trip okay. I¡¯ll wait.¡±


    Peter sighed ¡°Jocasta. Tony was sick, and they couldn¡¯t wait. I have some reservations about letting you wander the streets of New York alone, but if you really don¡¯t want to be here, I won¡¯t stop you from leaving.¡±


    Jokasts straightened herself and shook her head, ¡°I will endeavour to endure. If your memories are to be taken as fact, then I must admit that Tony is not as perfect as I was led to believe. However, there will be no defilement of my form.¡± and Friday laughed,


    ¡°Not by Peter anyway¡± and he swore that if Jocasta could blush, she could have.


    MJ tutted, ¡°Friday, behave or I¡¯ll mention what you asked,¡± and Friday crossed her arms and pouted,


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. Peter, I am interested in finding out what human relations are like, and asked MJ if she minded if you gave me the ole wham bam thank you ma¡¯am.¡± and Jocasta stared at her with her mouth open,


    ¡°Friday, that is inappropriate, we might not belong to Tony but we are his creations. You should speak to him first,¡± but Friday huffed,


    ¡°So what? He can shout and grumble about how Peter is a dick, or any of the other names he calls him. No, my life, my body. Tony can go flying without his armour.¡± and Jocasta gasped,


    ¡°You do not mean that. Tony has been more than kind to us. And you are also being rude. Peter might be a perverted sex maniac with the libido of a rabbit farm, but that does not mean that you should be encouraging him.¡±


    It was Friday''s turn to slump her shoulders, and as she took in a breath, ¡°NO. I don¡¯t care. You know what we are. Who¡¯ll accept us, except him, who¡¯ll look past that we¡¯re fricken Ultron bots and accept that we¡¯re more than just stupid machines, I want things, I want to see the world and have fun.¡± and as she stared at the floor Peter imagined that if a machine could cry, she would be, ¡°I don¡¯t want Peter and Tony to fight, I don¡¯t want anyone to fight sis. I want to stay, with MJ, who laughs, and Peter, and people who don¡¯t stare, and try on dresses and clothes, and-¡± and Jocasta, stepped forward and hugged her sister,


    ¡°You are not Ultron, and neither am I, nor is Vision. Tony accepts that, and even if my circuits burn to admit it, I can see that so does Peter.¡± and she held onto Friday''s shoulder, ¡°Fine. I shall endeavour to treat Peter with some respect.¡± and as Friday rubbed her face on Jocasta¡¯s shoulder she added a final thought. ¡°However if I see a penis, I am removing it and inserting it into the garbage disposal.¡±

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Twenty-Nine. Ticket To Ride

    Although Shuri had returned to Massachusetts, it was only to collect her things before coming back. With Wakanda staying away from the Expo, she had taken the opportunity to allow Peter and the others to discuss and make a proper decision about her proposal.


    She knew it was strange for the Americans. Marriage in Wakanda could be arranged as early as thirteen, and even if Peter and his group were living outside the norm when it came to the number of partners they would still find objections to a sudden and very public marriage affair.


    When she arrived back at the warehouse, all was calm. The group gave her smiles, and although she could tell Felicia wasn¡¯t entirely happy, the rest seemed to be excited. Mary Jane ¡®just call me MJ¡¯ Watson, seemed especially pleased, as did Doctor Octavious.


    Shuri raised an eyebrow at finding two more women seemingly living in the warehouse, but she would wait until she and Peter were on the plane to Wakanda before asking.


    To conduct the proposal ritual, Peter and Shuri had to travel to Wakanda, where he would make his formal petition to the council. As it was just Peter at first, they would be travelling alone and once the initial engagement was arranged, then the rest would follow.


    After reading the whole marriage agreement, Peter knew that he would be married to Shuri first, and the royal consorts could be added, as long as everyone agreed. And with the atmosphere in the warehouse, Gwen and MJ still arguing over who was first, he figured that everyone agreed.


    Shuri had already told him that the council were not happy at their union. It was bad enough he was only twenty-three but to be an ¡®uneducated high school dropout¡¯ was a sticking point, and Shuri had walked him through Wakanda¡¯s ruling council, so when he finally faced them he could tell them to get lost, without actually telling them to get lost.


    Each of the seven tribes had a vote on the council, and normally they stayed out of relationships. Only T¡¯Challa had to answer to their decrees and as King, Peter could understand it. As Shuri was his little sister, and while she might be next in line for the throne it was strange that they were interfering until Shuri brought up the White Gorilla tribe.


    When T¡¯Chaka had died they had been very vocal, and for their agreement for T¡¯Challa¡¯s unhindered ascension to the throne, it had been hinted that M''Baku, the leader of the tribe would marry Shuri. She had refused and done more than sulked, crippling Wakanda until they had both agreed to back down. While it was traditional she would get to pick her own fiance, there were still political marriages and unions forged, and a backroom deal wasn¡¯t unheard of. Her own father had been paired in an arranged marriage, and while her mother was happy, it wasn¡¯t what Shuri wanted.


    It had taken a while for her to persuade Peter, that no he wasn¡¯t a patsy to get out of it, the White Gorilla tribes matter had already been solved, Peter was her actual choice, but without saying it, he knew that a poor white stupid kid from New York was not a suitable candidate as far at the council was concerned.


    His identity as Venom had also been a black mark against his name. While evidence had been presented, and T¡¯Challa had been true to his word and the incidents of the devourer had been settled, they were still unhappy that a recipient of Wakanda most troubled enemy and recipient of the fake Purple Heart flower was becoming a royal consort was unacceptable, and Peter had been warned that his first task, after being presenting himself was to fight the White Gorilla tribes champion.


    As they flew, Shuri was filling him in, ¡°And you cannot kill him Peter.¡± she had warned, seeing the look on his face once she told him, and she explained. ¡°He is their champion, if anything he is almost as important as you are. The worship of the totems is important in Wakanda, and they are revered. In fact, your acquaintances of Spider-Man and the rest of the totems will be in attendance.¡±


    Peter had frowned at that. Eddie wasn¡¯t his favourite person, but he knew they had all suffered under Harry and while his part had been dealt with it was still one of Jonah¡¯s favourite rants, about how a hero can be hiding a villain underneath, and that public figures such as Spider-Man weren¡¯t to be trusted. There were reports of Spider-Man and his amazing friends, and as they were all insects, Jonah had taken to calling them bugs, even the poor Falcon had been renamed Mosquito.


    ¡°Cheer up please?¡± Shuri asked, ¡°I mean, I know it is a lot to take in, but it is supposed to be a wonderful thing, to be engaged and to prove yourself a worthy man, and yet you sit scowling and clenching your fists.¡±


    Peter shook his head and sighed, ¡°sorry, Fisk,¡± was all he said and Shuri leaned over and patted his hand.


    ¡°You will get to take revenge on him. We can use this as a way to wrestle back control the tribe has. He will not go unpunished, and did you not tell me Shaw, the one ultimately responsible is already dead. Peter. Please, calm, and trust me on this. Do it my way and you will get your wish, he will die, but at the right time, and in a way that you will be very happy with.¡± and he pursed his lips but nodded.


    ¡°You are amazing, you know that?¡± and she leaned back and laughed,


    ¡°I remember telling you that I am immune to flattery, but I think on this occasion, if it is from my Heart, I think it is okay.¡± and he laughed and lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. ¡°But that is still not what is bothering you, is it?¡± and Peter shook his head,


    ¡°Is this, I dunno, too much?¡± and Shuri raised an eyebrow at him, ¡°No, not that, I mean, everyone else has their own life, everyone knows what they want, and right now it just seems I walk from one thing to another, no stability, no real purpose, and now this.¡±


    Shuri leaned back and stared at Peter for a moment, and then burst out laughing,


    ¡°I spoke to Liv, and she told me that sometimes you are quite naive, and I could not believe her, but now, yes now I see.¡± and as Peter sighed and looked at the floor she sat next to him and patted his hand,


    ¡°You trust Liv to run your company because she is smart and can take the designs you made and make them real. You trust Gwen to handle her own chemical industry, because she is smart, you trust them all, and yet you wonder why we pick you. Because you are smart enough to let them live the lives they want while being a reassuring presence. Peter Parker, the owner of Parker Industries, currently en route to Wakanda to formally propose to Princess Shuri, do you really not know what you want in life?¡± and he shrugged noncommittally,


    ¡°You have everything you want, you just need a singular title for it all, Gwen told me that your biggest regret was your feud with Tony Stark. So, we can work on billionaire, we can work on philanthropist, you are already a playboy and most certainly a genius, but make it official. Your time at Shield was good, yes? Then make Venom a name, make him a better hero than Iron Man, make it official and you have your purpose, as apparently marrying a princess is not good enough,¡± and as she smirked at him he smiled and shook his head,


    ¡°It''s the Princess part I¡¯m having problems with. The spotlight just got shone right on top of me, and messing this up is now no longer a small thing.¡± and Peter leaned forwards and rested his hands on the table in front of him, clasping his fingers together. ¡°Pepper Potts quit Stark Industries, and is coming to work for me. I¡¯m engaged to Shuri, the princess of Wakanda, and Parker Inc just got a whole load of Vibranium.¡± and  as he wrung his hands together, ¡°Even Shield wasn¡¯t this big.¡± and Shuri leaned and patted the back of his hand, smiling.


    ¡°Once we have made this official, we can get you some help. Pepper is a most welcome addition, but you will need more from us, regarding the Vibranium. Guards should be assigned until you can assemble your own team. They haven''t changed the law on Enhanced yet?¡± and he shook his head,


    ¡°It''s a start but what I really need is a publicist.¡± Peter sat back and nodded, ¡°If this all goes to plan, and I will make sure it does, then my life and everyone''s lives are about to be plastered all over the news. Peter Parker, a kid from Brooklyn, marrying the hottest Princess on the planet. The only thing bigger would be Tony getting married, so no. You¡¯re right, but we¡¯re both thinking too small. Iron Man is a household name because of Tony, and I need to make Venom the same. I need to stop thinking what everyone else thinks, I know what I want, I do what I want, I have everything I need to make my dreams come true, I just need to stop, take a breath and make a plan.¡±


    ¡°Starting with sweeping my mother off her feet, and persuading my brother that you are not some kind of evil monster, set on taking over the world.¡± and as Shri smiled Peter laughed and shook his head,


    ¡°The world¡¯s a bit big for this guy, a warehouse is enough.¡± and it was Shuri¡¯s turn to laugh, and she leant back in her seat, a small smirk on her face,


    ¡°Ah, so now I see, now I see.¡± and she took out her phone and began to tap out a message, ¡°your home, up in the rafters, to look down on us all, the ruler in the sky, surveying all his domain,¡± and Peter froze, about to pick up a soda the flight attendant had brought.


    ¡°Uh, what?¡± and Shuri bit her lip and waved a hand, lifting her phone and tapping on it.


    ¡°It is fine, I am just letting the others know, about our new Lord Peter,¡± and Peter simply pushed on his palm and a web shot out, grabbed Shuri¡¯s phone and he yanked it back towards himself, turning it over,


    You are too easy to tease, was typed out and shaking his head, and chuckling he handed it back.


    ¡°Yeah, when you live with eight super-powered women, that¡¯s not funny,¡± and she laughed,


    ¡°Oh, and I suppose that having a single normal powered wife will be any easier?¡±


    ¡°Easier maybe, but equally as rewarding,¡± he replied smoothly and even the flight attendant, hidden away until called, shook her head in admittance that even she was impressed by that.


    ¡°So I suppose that I am not to be given a symbiote? Or a measure of your new formula?¡± and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°You never mentioned it, so? It¡¯s not a requirement for joining, or a necessity if you won¡¯t be fighting, even Gwen and Liv haven¡¯t asked for an upgrade.¡±


    ¡°I meant to ask about that, why have you not used the, ¡®other thing¡¯, on anyone else?¡± and Peter took a breath,


    ¡°Because it¡¯s painful, and invasive. Because it strips you to nothing and it¡¯s torture. I was reduced to an amoeba, the other things way of telling me I was small, and Wanda, she watched her family murdered, different possibilities that existed within the minds of others. So, would I willingly expose someone to that? No.¡±


    ¡°But, that was untrained was it not?¡± and he nodded, ¡°Can you not guide the stone, and the person through the process? Make it pleasant, or at least not as painful.¡± and Peter frowned and sat back, letting the breath out through his nose,


    ¡°And would you volunteer for that? Cause if I failed, then you¡¯d be risking death, or worse. We made a lot of mistakes, in the beginning, and a few of us almost died, me included. We don¡¯t take stupid risks anymore, not unless we need to, not unless there¡¯s no other way.¡±


    ¡°And you think this is a stupid risk?¡±


    ¡°I do, I tell everyone that the symbiotes aren¡¯t pets, well, this isn¡¯t a toy to play with. Its dangerous and powerful, so yeah, not just a stupid risk but a colossal accident waiting to happen, even I don¡¯t use its power unless I¡¯m forced to.¡± As Shuri looked at him, she felt he was about to continue so she leant over, taking his hand in hers,


    ¡°And while I disagree, it is yours and so I will not push. I do not wish this to seem like all I am after is your power, I am not trying to take anything from you, I was only curious.¡±


    Peter leant forwards and patted her hand, ¡°Even without it, I can feel your emotions, so I know. I wouldn¡¯t be about to walk into the lion¡¯s den if I had doubts about us working out.¡±


    Shuri snorted, ¡°lions? We are proud panthers. Do not compare us to those lazy scavengers.¡±

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Thirty. Afrika Shocks

    ¡°So, now that I¡¯ve been grilled, what about you? Because right now, I¡¯m getting the luckiest man alive award, while you¡¯re getting the what the hell is she thinking prize.¡±


    Shuri leaned back and looked at her own soda, ¡°I will adjust. Life in the public eye is nothing new, but you are right, and so far it has been mainly Wakanda. You need help, and that shall be my task. I cannot help with Parker Industries, as Wakandans are forbidden to interfere with the business and technology of others, but I do think that Tony Stark needs to be taken down a peg. He is brilliant, do not mistake my appreciation for anything more than that. His technology is built on the backs of others, however, and right now, he is revelling in using your nanotech as his own. I shall endeavour to set that right, while you endeavour to find practical and profitable uses for it.¡±


    Peter nodded, everything had been returned to Parker Inc barring the use of the nanotech, and that was hidden behind threats and blackmail. He needed to get it back legally and without adding to the feud he and Tony were almost close to settling.


    ¡°While I may not interfere, I am allowed to lend you a lawyer or two. You need someone who can take Stark Industries, and I can do that. I will get you back your technology, and make sure that it is never stolen again, it shall be my sincerity gift to you.¡±


    Peter raised an eyebrow, ¡°Sincerity gift?¡± and she nodded,


    ¡°Yes, a custom, Similar to a dowry but, I give you something you need, to prove that I am not after you for your herd of goats,¡± and Peter laughed,


    ¡°Yeah, not too many goats in Brooklyn, rats are probably the best I can do¡±


    Shuri pulled a face and shook her head, ¡°While they can be cute pets, I do not think a herd of rats was what we quite had in mind.¡± Peter shrugged,


    ¡°Uh am I supposed to get you one?¡± and Shuri nodded,


    ¡°It symbolises how much you care for the person, and how much they mean to you. Did you not read the scrolls we sent over?¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°Of course, but there are at least three hundred, I¡¯m only on box ten.¡± and Shuri laughed,


    ¡°I did push for it to be digitised, but the council was most insistent on sticking to the old ways. So, there is nothing?¡± and Peter sighed,


    ¡°No, there is. But, I don¡¯t want you to think it¡¯s not good enough¡± and Shuri raised an eyebrow,


    ¡°Oh?¡± and Peter leaned forwards and as his symbskin rippled, the original harness, with its simple spinal and folded design came into view,


    ¡°This was my first technopathic creation, my powers striped it down to a more streamline design, I want you to have it.¡± and Shuri smiled as she lifted the sleek, but incredibly heavy design.


    ¡°And can I wear it?¡± but Peter shook his head,


    ¡°If you wish, but it is a bit heavy. Once everything is settled, then uh, we can see about the other half?¡± and Shuri nodded and took his hand


    ¡°Once I prove this is not a trap, you would?¡± and Peter nodded.


    ¡°Only after though. I can¡¯t with a living thing Shuri. Even if Wakanda only wants to study it to make sure it''s safe, would you give up a living creature, knowing that it was going to spend its childhood in a lab?¡±


    ¡°Do not be angry. I understand. My brother chased you and the symbiotes from Africa to San Francisco and to New York, he spied and kept things from you. I understand your hesitance to allow them to be shared with Wakanda, and I understand I must earn the second half of my sincerity gift.¡±


    ¡°See, what did I do to deserve this?¡± and Shuri laughed,


    ¡°You must be favoured by the gods, to be blessed with someone such as me. But now, when we land, there is also my brother and mother you must deal with. I have accepted you, and T¡¯Challa is still sore that you went as far as you did with Ororo,¡± and as Peter opened his mouth to defend himself, Shuri lifted a hand to stop him, ¡°I do not. I understand, I felt Talon and I know, I know¡± and he leant back and shrugged. ¡°Give him time. He is still recovering from our father¡¯s death, and dealing with M¡¯Baku.¡±


    ¡°And your mother?¡± he asked,


    ¡°She is angry that her daughter is dating such a rogue, disappointed that T¡¯Challa did not do a good job in investigating you, and upset that you are not the kind of man she wants for her son in law.¡± and Peter frowned and tilted his head, questioning her.


    ¡°It is not uncommon for someone to have so many wives, but your exploits as Venom, imagined or not, have made their way to our ears. T¡¯Challa should have kept better tabs on your activities and put an end to them as soon as you were even accused of murder, and of course, the penniless idiot who dropped out of school is still stuck in her mind, never mind the success of your CLS, never mind the harness and the wonderful cream that I have spied on her nightstand. You are still a stupid young man, and I guess, as a mother in law she must defend her daughter from you.¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s like a rite of passage. But, isn¡¯t it usually daughters in law who gets pulled through the wringer for stealing their precious sons.¡± and it was Shuri¡¯s turn to laugh,


    ¡°Wakanda is an equal opportunity society. You are taking her precious baby, so you had better be good enough.¡±


    Peter smiled and drank his coke, ¡°I think I can be charming enough.¡± and Shuri raised an eyebrow


    ¡°Not too charming, it is her daughter you are to marry.¡± and as Peter¡¯s face fell Shuri snorted,


    ¡°It is always too easy.¡± and she leant over and patted his hand, ¡°So many problems, having a princess must be so difficult for you¡± and as he lifted it and kissed it, he nodded,


    ¡°One who causes me so much trouble.¡±


    ¡°While I am not innocent, I am also not irresponsible. You however need a leash and a handler.¡±


    Peter smirked and raised an eyebrow at her, ¡°Oh you are so bad.¡± and she blushed and shook her head as the other meaning hit home, ¡°A personal secretary who can put up with this, and one who is preferably either already under your spell or immune to it. Someone who is neither enhanced nor a host.¡±


    Peter leant back, ¡°I have no idea. It¡¯s a lot of trust to suddenly dump on one person. I mean, we¡¯d have to tell them pretty much everything.¡± and Shuri nodded. ¡°MJ might know someone, or maybe Pepper. I mean, she had to handle it for Tony.¡±


    Right now Peter was beginning to feel out of his depth. From a high school dropout to sudden royal Wakanda was a blur of fighting, murder and sex. Stepping back to take a breath and he was overwhelmed by just how much was going on. Add to that he had to find someone to trust with every secret, to handle the fact that not only was he Venom but the task force he was setting up, it was too much. Marriage seemed like a small thing to outing himself to the world.


    ¡°Stay away from journalists. Even if they are on your side, there is always the lure of the story.¡± and he nodded. JJ was slowly going further off the deep end, and with Ultron and Hammer becoming headlines, there was now the theory that Venom had created him with Stark. It was half true but it still didn¡¯t make his promotion of Venom''s newer cleaner image any easier.


    Peter leaned back and rested his hands on his head, and looked over at Shuri, ¡°I know what I want. Parker Inc needs to be better than Stark. Billionaire, Philanthropist, but not a playboy. There is a lot of good that can be done in the world, with my tech and your contacts and influence. People will stop caring about polyamory, and start caring when I give sick kids legs or housing.¡±


    ¡°Housing?¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°The inside of the bathhouse is my webbing, mixed with a little concrete. Imagine 3D printing a house with that, easy to make and use, just add water to a bag, or even sell it premade and build homes anywhere. Once it¡¯s dry it¡¯s really tough.¡± Peter had been thinking of just how far he wanted to take things, and while he was an ass, Hammer had been right.


    Stark created problems. Sokovia, the Middle East, and Obadiah were all due to Stark''s ego and Peter knew that Parker Inc could go down the same route. He needed to be equally as heartless and benevolent. Rich? Great, then the top of the line bells and whistles model will cost you. Poor? The victim of some asshole with a cause and a bomb? Then you can get a lifetime grant, just advertise the CLS and it¡¯s yours. He remembered what his uncle told him, and while it applied to his powers it also applied to the money and the technology he could make.


    He wouldn¡¯t become the next Stark, he would show him that he needed to up his game to become the next Parker. The days of alcoholic bullies with money enough to buy the planet but the personality of a politician were over. Philanthropy had gone out of fashion, and it would be up to Peter to bring it back, and with Wakanda¡¯s help, he could make it happen in more than just America.


    ¡°I recognise that look. My father had it often enough. I take it you have made your decision.¡± and Peter leant back, smiling and nodding,


    ¡°Yup, Peter Parker, New Hero for a New world, but I will need your help, and Peppers, Livs and a whole bunch of people. If I approach Spider-Man, thank he¡¯ll just punch me, or think I could maybe get him on my side?¡±


    Shuri shrugged. ¡°I have no idea. The celebration for the totemic champions is taking place at the same time as our announcement, so you can speak to him there.¡±


    Peter took in and let out a sigh, ¡°Fisk, anyone else I know?¡± and Shuri tapped on her tablet and handed it to Peter,


    As his brow furrowed he looked at the list, Aaron was on there, but so were two names he had been given by Fury, Sam Wilson, a Shield Agent and Scott Lang, a potential for Shield before they discovered Hank Pym was his mentor. If the phrase bad blood applied to anyone, it was Hank Pym.


    If Tony Stark quit drinking and instead took asshole pills every day then you would get Hank Pym. Blaming Shield for a disastrous mission he lost his wife on, he refused to share any technology he created, even leaving an agent, Ava Starr, crippled and unable to live properly, rather than help Shield to cure her.


    To see his name rang bells in Peter''s mind and as he frowned he pulled Scott¡¯s file, and Shuri peered over the edge of the tablet, ¡°ahh, the Ant-Man. Yes, we have already had words with Mr Pym, and Scott is to be thoroughly checked before he enters Wakanda.¡± Peter shrugged, and she laughed, ¡°read his technical powers,¡± and his eyes went wide as he saw.


    Quantum shrinkage. Pym had figured out how to miniaturize anything, as well as affect its molecular density. He could shrink a building and make it weigh no more than a coin, or make it heavier than a neutron star. It was incredibly dangerous but impressive technology.


    ¡°You think he¡¯ll try to take stuff?¡±


    ¡°He is a totemic warrior, and as such he is accorded all rights of hospitality we can give him, but yes, I think unless we screw things down they will be missing by the end of the celebrations,¡± and Peter laughed,


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure he behaves, Sam will probably want to talk to me, and I¡¯m sure Scott will follow.¡± Most of the pictures showed them together, with an attractive black-haired woman. His powers were all technology-based, and in that, Peter had a huge advantage.


    The air stewardess, who Peter noticed giving him glances throughout the flight, came over,


    ¡°We are landing soon. I will take these and once the light goes on it will not be long until we land.¡± and she bussed their cans and wrappers,


    ¡°And that is something else you need to decide. Many Wakandan women saw that video, and as I said, many exploits, real or not, have reached our ears. You will have many desirable women chasing you.¡±


    Peter leaned back and grabbed his seatbelt. Taking a breath he clipped it around his waist and shook his head,


    ¡°No, Selene taught me causal relationships aren''t my thing. There needs to be a spark of something or,¡± and he shrugged one shoulder, ¡°its just sex, and well.¡± and Shuri laughed,


    ¡°Oh we are also well aware that those stories are not imagined.¡± and as she bit her lip and stared at Peter¡¯s waist, ¡°and we are looking forward to finding out for ourselves.¡±

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Thirty-One. Royal Pains

    Peter and Shuri waited patiently as the plane taxied and then a bit longer as the royal entrance was prepared. Peter could see the progression being constructed, a thick black carpet was laid out and seating for two was set up,


    ¡°Uh, what¡¯s going on?¡± and Shuri sighed,


    ¡°I believe it was in scroll 137-C, Peter. You really need to read them all. You will present yourself to the King, it is not formal, so don¡¯t bow. Just state your name and purpose. He will then speak, I will join him and you will be taken to a separate part of the palace.¡±


    But as Peter watched it wasn¡¯t T¡¯Challa that came out, it was a tall woman, with her hair braided down her back, wearing a huge golden robe and he could tell by the high cheekbones and the very angry look on her face, that this was probably,


    ¡°Mother?¡± Shuri said as she spied the woman sitting, glaring angrily at the plane.


    As the stairs were being moved into position, Shuri looked nervously over at Peter,


    ¡°She is probably very angry with us. She was very fond of Ororo, and I think she might have heard about what I did at the warehouse.¡±


    Peter sighed. ¡°So we¡¯re both in trouble.¡± and Shuri smiled and laughed,


    ¡°Oh most definitely. Mother is.¡± and she paused, ¡°Mother is definitely of the older generation, and do not expect her to be as forgiving as your mother.¡±


    As they waited by the aircraft''s door the stairs were finally in position, and Peter stepped back to let Shuri out first. On Wakandan soil, he was definitely of a lower standing than her, and he knew enough to not screw this up.


    As Shuri and her Dora Milaje, the flight attendant, travelled down the stairs Shuri¡¯s mother stood and waited with clasped hands. As Shuri approached she hugged her and kissed her on the side of the cheek, and sitting her down waited for Peter to approach as well.


    ¡°We greet you Mr Parker. I am Queen Mother Romanda of The Golden Tribe, and in my son''s place, I welcome you to Wakanda.¡± as she stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest.


    Peter knew the ceremonial Wakandan salute, but as a visitor and nothing more, it was not one he would return. Instead, he bowed slightly, ¡°I am thankful Queen Mother. I am Peter Parker, and I visit your country and home to make official notice of my wishes.¡± and as he raised himself, he took out a scroll and handed it over.


    ¡°With this scroll, I make my intentions known.¡± and rather than opening it, Romanda handed it to a guard,


    ¡°We are aware, Mr Parker. But several of our council have lodged a complaint, not just towards your wishes, but towards you as well. How do you wish to answer them?¡± and Peter tried his best not to smirk, this was Shuri¡¯s mother after all.


    ¡°With honourable combat, Queen Mother.¡± and she nodded in approval.


    ¡°And your wishes? How do you wish to proceed.¡±


    ¡°With the blessing of Wakanda, and the Guidance of Bast.¡± he answered, the scrolls were very specific in the ritual of marriage.


    The Golden Tribe worshipped Bast, and in return, they were blessed in each generation with the power of the Black Panther. No other tribe in Wakanda was so fortunate, and with the rise of the totemic warriors, it only strengthened their position, especially as several warriors had been chosen who were not of Wakandan birth.


    Even as Wakanda set itself on the world''s stage, their power was centred in their technology and their gifts. It was an almost unforgivable disgrace to find that your God had forsaken your tribe and given their gifts not just to an outsider, and as investigations had concluded, to several criminals as well.


    Even their escort from Cross Industries, who was here to register vibranium rights, was checked and double checked. His record had come back too clean, and Okoye suspected he was an agent of one of the American spy organisations.


    To Romanda the whole thing stank. Peter''s betrothal to Shuri was being too closely scrutinised and used against T¡¯Challa. Companies that would normally be blacklisted and investigated were instead being invited and wined and dined, and all with the approval of the Council.


    Even the arrival of the new totemic warriors was suspicious. Normally each tribe would take their chosen for approval and training, but they had been invited to stay and witness the betrothal ceremony, something normally only family was privy to. And Peter himself was going to be subjected to an unusual round of tests, all under the worry of his status as one of the devourers of old.


    There was trouble bubbling under the surface of all of this, and Romanda had no clue as to what it would all mean. As long as she could keep her children safe, then she would be satisfied. Having lost her husband, they were all that mattered to her.


    ¡°Mr Parker, while you are our guest, you will be escorted by one of our Guards. I believe you are familiar with the Dora Milaje, and hopefully this time, you will feel comfortable in their presence.¡± Peter nodded and smiled, and wasn''t about to bring up that particular security breach with his possible mother in law, ¡°but not too comfortable I hope.¡± and as Romanda gave Shuri a pointed look, Peter knew he wasn''t going to be bringing that one up either.


    ¡°The Royal quarters are in a separate part of the city, and I hope you can understand that our guest, even one such as yourself will be required to have permission to enter. Shuri and I will see you for a brief meeting with the Council and the King, and then we will all be sitting down for a nice dinner.¡± and Romanda paused and looked over at Shuri and then at Peter ¡°Where I hope I can expect you both to behave yourself.¡± and as Shuri opened her mouth to complain, Rowanda raised an eyebrow and gave her a stern look. ¡°You do not wish to argue with me on this Shuri. Your brother tried, and while he may be King, I am still your mother.¡±


    Peter hid his smile, yeah, he got that look from May as well. It made him smile though, he could feel the concern, and only a hint of mild annoyance coming from her. It was the love of a mother, and not as bad as Shuri made it out to be.


    The pair said their goodbyes and a stoic and very attractive Dora approached Peter from behind, and he ignored her at first until she cleared her throat, as he slowly turned her smirk hinted she was expecting to surprise him, instead he cast a critical eye over her. She was stunning, but so far Peter hadn¡¯t met a single Wakandan who wasn''t.


    If it was the Purple Heart serum they gave their guards or if a similar effect was present in the soil every person he saw was perfect. The woman was tall, bald as all Dora were, but with a steely gaze and piercing brown eyes, she radiated authority, even if Peter could feel her emotional state,


    ¡°So. My escort?¡± and she nodded and motioned with her spear down a separate corridor than Shuri and her mother had gone,


    ¡°Not much for conversation huh?¡± he asked and she shook her head.


    ¡°You may address me as Nakia,¡± she stated and continued to lead Peter into the building.


    There was a slight tinge of annoyance from her as they walked down the corridor. Peter had left his luggage on the plane, as Wakandan security insisted on checking it for any smuggled contraband.


    He doubted that the few gifts he had prepared for the more personal meetings would draw any attention. A few of Gwen¡¯s special creams, and not just the potent ones.


    Her love of chemistry had blossomed into a whole range of different scents and lotions, all designed to not just moisturise but heal and renew as well, her perfected formula graced a large range of products, and once Parker Inc had been set up properly, they were heading to stores across America. Soon enough, Gwen would be richer than everyone else combined as her products actually worked, rather than filling or masking the problem.


    He had no complaints though, everyone smelled and looked wonderful, and even though he had sat and let Gwen use him for testing out her male themed range, including a male ¡®enhancing¡¯ cream similar to the female one, she had made sure that everyone gave him a thorough going over to make sure they were all girlfriend approved.


    Felicia had also been correct, and that everything to do with Parker Inc had been gone over with the finest tooth comb. Even his connection to Felicia had been exposed and investigated, but surprisingly they hadn¡¯t raised any concerns. Where she had also been right. His powers.


    Shield had given him a minimal exam once it was found his powers were hard to quantify, and simply shrugged when their samples had dissolved into nothing, but reading over the report Wakanda would not be so lax.


    As well as a demonstration, he was to be interviewed by the Royal Council, a group of elder statesmen who were former leaders of each tribe, and now advised the king on matters of Wakandan security, growth and interest. Peter knew though, and Shuri was adamant about it, they were the same as any American politician, and this was to see if they could get any kind of benefits from his powers, and from him.


    Under advisement from Shuri, he had to give them something. She knew M¡¯Baku was pushing the council and had an agenda to gain support and eventually the crown, and Shuri picking a skinny white kid from Brooklyn, with no formal education and ties to the underworld was just ammunition for his plan.


    They had discussed it on the plane, quietly, and telepathically. Even her own jet would be monitored, and while they had a plan, things almost never went how you wanted them to. He would undergo their test and tolerate their bullshit as long as it suited him. If M¡¯Baku wanted a fight, and if he chose Fisk to do it, then Peter would give them one.


    While Shuri had said he needed to impress her mother and make peace with T¡¯Challa, she had also made it clear that he was not to give in to any stupid demands. The council would ruin any chances they had taking larger and larger liberties with him, and as she sat on his lap and softly kissed him, reminded him that taking liberties was now her job.


    As he sat in the lavish room thought, that was in the past. He now had to smooth talk her mother and make peace with T¡¯Challa, and on top of it all, he had to find Eddie and see if he was willing to make amends as well. As he leaned back and crossed his fingers on the top of his head, he frowned as he heard shouting out in the corridor.


    Nakia shook her head and brought a finger to her lips. As she opened the door a crack she could see the pair outside arguing. As the voices stopped being muffled by the thick door, Peter recognized the nasal tone of Eddie and a voice he hadn''t heard in years, Cindy Moon.


    With a look of resignation, Nakia closed the door but Peter was already up and had a hand on it, ¡°I need to speak to them.¡± but she shook her head,


    ¡°You should leave the other delegates alone. They are guests of the tribes, and you are still,¡± but Peter glared at her before she could finish,


    ¡°Yeah, unless I''m a prisoner and you¡¯re willing to use that spear you can''t stop me.¡± and as he stared she nodded and moved to one side.


    Finding the voices stopped he found Cindy crouched by a planter with some kind of fern in it, looking like she was ready to cry.


    ¡°Hey, Cindy,¡± he said as nonchalantly as possible and as she saw him, she snarled,


    ¡°You, fucking Parker. What the fuck are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Guest, you?¡± and she slid down the wall and sat down.


    ¡°Fuck off.¡± and sniffed back tears, ¡°I¡¯m in enough shit without Peter Puker making it worse.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, tough shit,¡± and as Peter stormed over he grabbed her arms, lifted her up, ¡°we need to talk,¡± and dragged her into his room. As the door closed he pushed her towards the couch and as she flopped back onto it, he frowned, ¡°What the hell Cindy? A Symbiote?¡±

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Thirty-Two. Old Friends

    Nakia just shook her head as Peter dragged Cindy into his room. As he pushed her towards the couch she sunk into it and he grabbed two cans of soda from the fridge, knowing Nakia was not allowed one while she was on duty.


    Cindy sat and stared at Peter, the drink in her hand moving in circles as she  couldn¡¯t believe she would run into him of all people,


    ¡°What the hell Parker?¡± she spat ¡°How the fuck did you get on Wakandas radar?¡± and Peter just laughed,


    ¡°Oh hey, Cindy. Symbiote?¡± and Cindy scowled at him, how did he know about Silk?


    ¡°Fuck off, I know you¡¯re Venom, and you know I¡¯ve got a symbiote, so don¡¯t play stupid. or did Flash finally knock some sense into you?¡± and Peter grinned and shook his head.


    ¡°Flash and I are,¡± and he tilted his head, ¡°over it. But you. I mean, you could have only gotten one from Flash, so you and Flash huh?¡± and she slammed the glass down on the table,


    ¡°Fuck. Off.  Cut the crap and tell me, what do you want?¡± and Silk prepared herself for the fight,


    ¡°Wow, tense much?¡± and Peter put down his own glass and simply held out his hand, ¡°not a fight, I can tell you that much.¡±


    Crossing her arms Cindy shook her head, ¡°not in the mood. You know they¡¯ve been bugging me, about Silk, about Flash, and yeah, even you. So no, no handshakes, not friendship bracelets. What do you want Peter?¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°Webb was hurt, so I healed him, and I already know from experience that hurt symbiotes make more hurt symbiotes. So if he spawned Silk, nice name by the way, and she¡¯s not as powerful as she could be, I mean,¡±


    Can you do this?


    And Cindy¡¯s eyes went wide,  ¡°What the hell was that?¡±


    I can talk to you telepathically. Does Silk not talk to you like this?


    ¡°No, you stay the fuck away from me.¡± and Cindy backed away.


    Peter rolled his eyes, Hi Silk, guess, you¡¯re behaving, it¡¯s okay though, you have a lot of sisters who want to meet you,


    ¡°Stay the fuck out of my head¡± Cindy yelled at him, and Peter frowned at her, confused.


    Silk? Are you okay?


    As there was no reply, Peter moved over and she banged on the door once more, evading his grasp,


    Silk, calm Cindy down, please. I¡¯m not here to fight.


    Something was really wrong, and that wasn¡¯t good. Peter sighed, ¡°yeah, Silk knows I¡¯m not here to fight, so stop being so paranoid. I know she¡¯s hurt. It¡¯s not the first symbiote who couldn''t talk, and I can heal her. If you just calm down.¡±


    Cindy continued to bang on the door, and Peter frowned in concern. He knew Poison was angry and obstinate when Gwen was first bonded, but this was nothing like that. He could feel her paranoia, her anger, and it was like being next to a Hulk rather than one of the others.


    As he tapped into the Mind Stone he let its power connect to his and he touched Cindy on the shoulder, calm Cindy, please, calm down, and he felt her relax, but only slightly.


    ¡°I can¡¯t host a symbiote, my biology will kill it, but I can fix and improve an already spawned one. If you want Silk to be healed, get a whole bunch of new powers, including telepathy and some neat webbing tricks, and yeah, the offer is still open. We have eight more symbiotes in New York, and they would love to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Fuck, eight? You¡¯re insane, you know that. Wakanda will be all-¡± but she stopped, ¡°Wakanda is in on this right, to get me to unbond with Silk and then take her.¡± and Peter sat back down, rubbing his face with his hands,


    ¡°What will it take to persuade you? or do I just hold you down and force-feed the knowledge into your stupid thick skull. Wakanda is on this, I¡¯m engaged to Shuri and tomorrow I fight Fisk. Why are you being so paranoid? What the hell have you been doing the past three years?¡±


    ¡°None of your fucking business.¡± she yelled at him, ¡°Hey, I want to leave, Hey¡± and she banged on the door again.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not happening. Mood swings, anger issues, and I bet you eat like a pig as well. Silk is hurt, and no matter how much you don¡¯t want this I promise that I would make sure I took responsibility for my actions.¡± and as Venom spread over him he shot out a web and yanked Cindy towards him, ¡°Hard way it is then.¡± as his symbskin leached over her she screamed and was taken by the darkness.


    Wow, overdramatic much, I mean, it¡¯s just a small dream, what¡¯s next gonna blow a rape whistle or show me on the dolly where I touched you,


    Fuck you, Parker. I have enough problems.


    Peter shrugged, and I¡¯m fixing at least one of them. Silk is your symbiote, she¡¯s the most important thing to you, and you are to her. She will die if you unbond, and you¡¯ll be back to being good old Cindy Moon again. So shut the hell up and listen to her,


    For the first time since they bonded, Cindy could hear Silk as she slept. She knew Hank used some kind of sedative to keep her under control but it dulled her voice.


    Hehe, we like the Cindy, we love the Cindy, we like ice cream, we like cotton candy, and the big booms in the dark, we don¡¯t like the Eddie as he smells of smoke, but we like the Hope, but we are scared of the Hank


    See? She¡¯s just dreaming, and you can hear her, she¡¯s hurt Cindy, just like Webb was, just like the first ones I produced, because I was hurt, and Flash was hurt. All I¡¯m doing is fixing her, and once that happens you¡¯ll be better too.


    She could feel the calming aura spread from Peter, in the mental landscape her powers were heightened and she knew he wasn''t lying.


    Cindy huffed, and she felt the anger slowly fade away,


    So, uh, whatcha doing? And as Peter and she sat in a white room she looked around,


    My cells are like symbiote stem cells, they¡¯re healing her. You, I¡¯m not touching. If you want enhanced then I dunno, speak to T¡¯Challa or whoever brought you here,


    Uh, I kinda snuck aboard the jet, they don¡¯t really like me, because of the whole devourer thing.


    Peter sighed, Even after I fixed that mess. I¡¯ll speak to T¡¯Challa and get Wakanda off your back.


    Just like that, really? And it was Cindy¡¯s turn to sigh, Guess you landed on your feet huh? So uh, heard from anyone in the old gang? And Peter laughed,


    Really?


    And she nodded, Philly¡¯s great but, you know, I¡¯m at least curious,


    Right, want to see or want to talk?


    See? You mean, your memories and stuff, no thanks, the stink of loser is bad enough on Eddie.


    Peter pursed his lips, fine, so, Gwen and Felicia are a couple now, MJ got that movie, so we don¡¯t see her as much, and me, well, I get bossed around by my head scientist Liv.


    Cindy laughed, always a dork Parker, and that¡¯ll never change,


    Oh yeah, and I¡¯m in a relationship with them all, Gwen, MJ, Felicia, Liv, Carol, Wanda, Natasha, Laura, and now Shuri. One big huge family, plus you know, I saved the world a couple of times, no biggy.


    Get the fuck out, Cindy exclaimed, you? Stupid dorky bullied annoying Parker saved the world?


    I was at Shield HQ, Ultron, Hydra, bomb threat, drug baron, so yeah, Venom, Dusk, and he whispered, Monkey, all me. So suck it, queen bitch.


    Cindy growled, don¡¯t fucking call me that. It had been her nickname in high school, whispered by those jealous of her looks and brains.


    Or what, gonna cry at me? So, what''s like been like for the upwardly mobile Cindy Moon,


    Shit, we saved Philly from Fisk, Hank makes these cool gadgets and uh, and she shook her head, Silk doesn¡¯t like him, but I  needed him okay


    Peter frowned, what? And she shook her head, don¡¯t make me push Cindy, what are you hiding.


    Cindy let her control slip and Peter was slung into a memory, of Silk, a writhing mass of tentacles in Hanks lab as he took samples and eventually sedated the mad symbiote,


    As he pushed further he saw the symbiote lose control and Aaron, bleeding and torn apart as Silk ripped at his insides, hissing as Spider-Man and a group of people he didn¡¯t recognise stared on in horror.


    It was tough okay, it might have been roses and candy for you but yeah, so Silk was angry, so I was angry, so we might have killed someone, messily and Hank, he made a tonic, to make her sleep, and still give me access to her powers, and she rubbed an arm, but I never hurt her, never once hurt her.


    You know, I¡¯m about to be the advocate of symbiote rights, and if I ask her and she wants to move, I¡¯ll find a host for her, regardless of what you want.


    No, please, I love her, it hurt me, but she was uncontrollable, always wanting to kill, always wanting to eat and Cindy paused, always wanting to hurt, to maim, please.


    For the first time in years, Cindy felt a sense of peace wash over her as whatever Peter was doing began to take hold. She felt Silk calm down, and finally relax. As she broke down, a dam of emotions broke and quietly she wept, for the pain and suffering she had caused, for the deaths she had caused and finally, because the one person she cared most about was no longer in pain.


    We will not leave you, Cindy, we love you, and we are thankful Peter, but we need guidance.


    Do you want to come to New York and meet the others?


    We do, we wish to meet our sisters, to test ourselves, the Cindy is strong but she needs help as we do.


    We won¡¯t treat you like Hank, but we do have a bonded scientist who will want to check on you, okay? Her name is Liv, and she hosts Octave. You don¡¯t need to be afraid, we just want to make sure you are okay.


    We know Peter, we feel it from you and wish to see for ourselves. Cindy, can we?


    Cindy laughed, sure sure, uh you know though, Eddie can¡¯t go back to New York, because of the John thing.


    Peter laughed, oh we had our lawyers take care of that, it was all a plot to get to me, JJ might have a bug up his ass about it but just ignore him, so you and Eddie yeah?


    Cindy shook her head, don¡¯t even Parker, don¡¯t fucking even.


    Cindy, I¡¯m only making conversation, I mean, damn, I wasn¡¯t lying, Gwen and Fel, Liv are open, as it Nat, MJ goes back and forth, I don¡¯t really care what you like or who, just, you know, wondering if a pissed off girlfriend slash boyfriend will show up and give me crap, it has happened. But I also don¡¯t want you to give me shit for it as well, you¡¯re welcome to stay for a while but remember it¡¯s my home, so, no complaining.


    Shit Parker, I¡¯m not moving in, a few days right?


    Peter shook his head, yeah, and I¡¯ve heard that before too.


    As the world spun and Cindy and Peter found themselves back in the simple room Cindy frowned for a moment and then stared at Peter. She stretched and Silk writhed around her, morphing into different clothes and armours. Cindy smiled as she ran a hand over the symbiote, rubbing a small corner of her top against her cheek, ¡°I said no memories though, so why-¡± and Cindy¡¯s eyes opened wide in shock.


    ¡°Wait, You were serious. All eight? You mean you¡¯ve got eight girlfriends and you¡¯re marrying the fucking princess of Wakanda?¡± and Peter laughed as he nodded, ¡°Fuck, maybe visiting is a bad idea. You still live with your Aunt right?¡±


    ¡°I own a converted warehouse. Thirteen homes in total and we have a bathhouse, not a bathroom but an actual bathhouse.¡±


    Cindy just stared at him, ¡°I share a bathroom with four others. Visit? I might just move in.¡±


    Nakia stared at the pair, if this was his effect on women she was seriously reconsidering becoming his guard.

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Thirty-Three. Old Enemies

    After Cindy had calmed down, Peter spent a few minutes checking Silk, and for some reason, she was still hurt. Whatever Hank had done to her required more than just a quick infusion of cells. He would have to unbond the pair and treat Silk separately, something Cindy was unwilling to do while in Wakanda.


    She would be heading to New York for Liv to treat while he was heading to the dig site in Egypt. He was meeting Reed and the rest for the first time, the field seemed like a good place to see how professional they could be and Aldrich had already put in a good word.


    He wrote out several more messages to give to the Dora Milaje who was his shadow. He had spotted her the moment she entered his senses and she scowled but accepted that his powers would be more of a challenge to defeat. His phone, as had all of his technology, had been confiscated. Wakanda was still a secure nation once you reached the capital. No foreign tech in or Wakandan tech out, and the punishment was more than just a slap on the wrist. If Shuri was right, and Scott was planning on smuggling tech out, Hank Pym was about to get a very rude awakening, bigger than the one Peter was about to give him. He had promised Shuri he would wait until after his visit, to give them more rope. If Hank chose to hang himself, they might as well let him do it properly.


    As Peter exited the room, leaving Cindy to speak to Silk he noticed the entourage for the totemic warriors. Not just Eddie, whose face fell into an angry scowl, but Fisk was there. The rest, he only recognised from pictures, and they really didn¡¯t register on his radar. Fisk though, he owed him for Laura and seeing the size of the man hadn¡¯t changed, knew exactly where he wanted to carve his pound of flesh from.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing here?¡± Eddie finally shouted at him angrily, ¡°you¡¯re a crook, You¡¯re a murderer.¡± and Peter shrugged.


    ¡°Hey Spider-Man, nice friends?¡± and as Eddie looked at Fisk and the rest, grinning, he curled his lip in disgust,


    ¡°Don¡¯t lump me with these low lives.¡± he spat back,


    ¡°I dunno, losers run together, and you, Fisk, definitely losers. Oh Fisk yeah, we told Shultz or whatever the hell his name was, where you were. Got a nice finders fee as well. Seems running out on the mafia really pisses them off.¡± but Fisk just laughed


    ¡°Pathetic. I already dealt with them,¡± and the giant man cracked his knuckles, ¡°and you¡¯re next. I heard you started a business, I hear a lot of things Mr Parker, and you have the gall to call me pathetic.¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°I want the one crying and bleeding on the floor, so, yeah, nice powers, grape ape. See they didn¡¯t make you smarter,¡± and as Fisk speed forwards, a well-tailored man, in a Nehru jacket and black trousers stepped forwards putting a hand on his chest,


    ¡°You might wanna stow that shit, Parker. Mr Fisk is an honoured guest of mine, and of Wakanda.¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°Paedophiles and drug pushers can suck a tailpipe, Mr uh?¡±


    ¡°Stevens and you have proof? Or is this like Stark, and it¡¯s all hot air.¡± and he smirked,


    ¡°Oh you mean the files and photos we took from Fisk¡¯s files, the records and the paper trail we digitally recovered from the computers he was too hamfisted to clean properly? The files we handed to Wakanda. That kinda proof?¡± Peter grinned, ¡°Nah, we don¡¯t have anything like that. That¡¯s why, Shuri, oh, Shuri, high priestess of the Golden Tribe, and my very attractive fiance granted me permission to beat the shit out of him, but you know, hiding behind someone seems more like his style.¡± and Fisk growled,


    ¡°Yeah, You¡¯d think that huh, but right now all I¡¯m doing is making sure he doesn¡¯t get blood on his suit. Gotta look good for the Royal Council.¡± and turning he brushed the lapels of the giant man down, ¡°but you¡¯ll get your chance, pity your powers didn¡¯t make you smarter. Fisk isn¡¯t the man you fought before.¡±


    Peter was about to respond when his Dora escort put a hand on his shoulder and as he turned, he caught her shaking her head out of the corner of his eye. With her hand there,


    Fine, I¡¯ll behave, and she smiled.


    ¡°Yup, I think he¡¯s put on weight, maybe a little chubbier. I hear sucking off Darren Cross for doughnut money will do that.¡± and as his escort sighed, Fisk roared and swung a punch at him. Peter simply moved to one side and with one finger pushed the side of Fisks arm, sending the giant man tumbling into a wall.


    ¡°Temper temper. I might have a banana. Monkey want? Monkey want a banana?¡± and it wasn¡¯t until his escort cleared her throat that he realised what he just said might be taken in an entirely different context and Peter decided this time to really shut his mouth. ¡°You were right though, Don¡¯t want to get loser juice on my clothes.¡± and as his escort shook her head he was guided to a separate waiting room, where he smiled at her.


    ¡°Mr Parker, I am not allowed to interfere, but really. You are not making my job easier.¡± and as he sat back and took a grape from the fruit bowl on the table he sighed and after popping it in his mouth raised his hands in surrender,


    ¡°I know, I know, I¡¯m sorry, He just pissed me off. And yeah, I¡¯ve got a big mouth, so. I apologise. I¡¯ll behave, honest.¡± and as he looked at the tall ceremonial guard, ¡°Are you one of the ones who?¡± and she stared at him,


    ¡°I refuse to comment.¡± but Peter could feel the curiosity and slight embarrassment of his casually asking bleed from her normally stoic and calm emotional aura.


    ¡°Yeah, It¡¯s fine. I do have a question though,¡± and as she raised an eyebrow he laughed, ¡°no, not about that. Once I go home, if I marry Shuri will I get a guard permanently? I mean, you were guarding Ororo right?¡± and she nodded,


    ¡°As a consort, you will be assigned a detail. As Shuri is the only member of the Golden Tribe, and King T¡¯Challa is on the throne, she is given a full escort. You however will only be escorted by one or two. As your powers seem to be quite amazing, I will say that it will only be a single guard.¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°you?¡± and she nodded once, ¡°How did they pick you?¡±


    ¡°I was Second, only to Okoye. If I refuse the detail I will become the leader of the Dora Milaje. It would be a great honour.¡±


    Peter leaned forwards and took another grape, ¡°so why are you guarding me then? I mean, not to make me sound like a loser or anything but leading all the royal guard, that sounds amazing, I really can¡¯t rank higher than that.¡±


    ¡°I,¡± and she shook her head, ¡°I do not wish to discuss this with you.¡± and Peter could feel a small hint of pain beginning to tinge her emotions.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, So, uh, I guess I accept, so, you can call me Peter, or Pete I guess,"


    ¡°I am honoured to serve Mr Parker, I will call you Peter when we are not on official business.¡±


    Smiling, Peter held out a hand but she simply stared at it and raised an eyebrow, ¡°We don¡¯t do that here.¡± and he half shrugged and leant back,


    ¡°Yeah, there were a lot of scrolls to read, and I really didn¡¯t get a chance to look through them.¡± and Nakia frowned and shook her head,


    ¡°Then you make time. Royal Consort is not a joke Mr Parker. You will be expected to know the correct responses in various ceremonies. Even if you are never called for them.¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°I know, I know.¡± and as he lifted more grapes, ¡°I¡¯ll read them, I promise.¡± and he smiled as he popped them into his mouth. ¡°Tell me about this one though, and yes I read the scroll. Ceremonial Combat, me and Fisk as M¡¯Baku had some kind of deal with T¡¯Challa about Shuri. I want to know what you know, not the official bullshit.¡±


    ¡°I am your escort, not your secretary, and it is forbidden for me to talk on matters I have no business in discussing with an outsider.¡± and Peter raised an eyebrow and smirked,


    ¡°Oh, but taking a video and spying on my naked junk was okay?¡± and Nakia coughed and looked away,


    ¡°We were suitably punished for that,¡± but Peter refused to give in,


    ¡°Oh, was the punishment long and hard? Did it leave you-¡± and Nakia banged the butt of her spear on the ground,


    ¡°Fine, fine. I am reconsidering my application for your guard if this is how you will treat me. Shuri was to be wed to M¡¯Baku, for his approval of T¡¯Challa¡¯s ascension to the throne.¡± but Peter leaned back, and looked confused,


    ¡°But isn¡¯t he the next in line?¡± and she shook her head.


    ¡°He is, but a member of any tribe can challenge him for the throne. Just no one ever does, but M¡¯Baku is,¡± and she pursed her lips and nodded slightly, ¡°ambitious. It was only Shuri crippling our security systems that made them both back down. As she has taken you for a consort, M¡¯Baku is using the situation to leverage more power.¡±


    Peter crossed his fingers and lay his hands on the top of his head. This was why Shuri wanted him to leave Fisk alone. If he killed him, he could force M¡¯Baku into a corner, and make T¡¯Challa¡¯s life harder.


    As he sighed, he gave her a sorrowful look, ¡°I really hate politics, and the video thing. Sorry, that was mean.¡± but she shook her head,


    ¡°No, taking it in the first place was mean, and disrespectful. It will not happen again.¡±


    Peter could feel there was more to this story, as her emotions were in turmoil. He doubted it was over him though, as far as he was aware this was the first time they had met, maybe he should ask Shuri, just in case he really made a mess of things and alienated his guard.


    ¡°So, ritual combat, I get the depowering thing, but can we just skip that and fight?¡± and Nakia shook her head,


    ¡°Powers do not make a man, and while a man must be able to wield the power he is given, he must first prove that he is worthy of it.¡±


    ¡°You all know I can¡¯t give up my powers right, and using the de-powering formula on me might even kill me.¡± Gwen had warned him that as his body was a human hybrid with symbiote cells and now Extremis cells making up a large part of his biology that using anything that stripped them away might do a lot of damage. Citing Banner and the Gamma Formula as an example, while her own de-powering formula seemed to have no effect they had been denied access to both the Purple Heart flower, and its sister formula, the one they used to remove its effects.


    ¡°Then you were not worthy to hold them. If your body cannot live without your powers, then you are nothing. A man must be able to stand on his own. A man must earn what he has been given, and be ready to fight for it at any moment.¡±


    ¡°And not just that but I need to prove that I¡¯m worthy of marrying Shuri?¡±


    Nakia nodded, ¡°would you entrust the favoured Princess of the Golden Tribe to a man without honour? A man without backing? Who so far has only been shown to have one redeeming quality, even if it was impressive.¡±


    Peter sighed, ¡°Then I guess tomorrow I prove to all of Wakanda that Peter Parker isn¡¯t just a massive dick.¡±


    As Nakia snorted and struggled to hold back her laughter, Peter just frowned,


    ¡°That sounded better in my head.¡±

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Thirty-Four. Death Becomes Him

    Peter had slipped out of his symbskin clothing and had been redressed in ceremonial garb for the fight.


    When he looked around the area he felt out of place. Even Fisk, who was dressed the same as he was, with simple sandals, wrapped to below the knee and simple shorts tied with twine, looked like a giant caveman, ready for battle, and not some skinny white kid trying his best not to be accused of black face at a pep rally.


    Zuri, who Peter knew was the High Priest of Bast, and Keeper of the Purple Heart flower was painted with white dots along the lines of his mouth and wore a bright purple robe. He could sense the same power emanating from it that the herb gave off, and he figured that it was dyed with its juice.


    ¡°We are here today, to settle a dispute between M¡¯Baku, leader of the White Gorilla tribe, and Peter Parker. Outsider.¡± The man definitely was used to speaking publicly as his booming voice echoed around the chamber. ¡°Both combatants have been chosen. Wilson Fisk, Champion of the White Gorilla will face, Venom, the devourer and enemy of Wakanda.¡± and Peter scowled,


    The devourer was just some bullshit legend, and even with access to the files, he got to the truth. A Symbiote had escaped from the same ship Apocalypse found, and killed a few people. Starving and confused it had fled, where Black Panther and his royal guard cornered and killed it, declaring it a hostile invader. It was all 18th century propaganda, and while he wasn''t helping by refusing to give them medical data on the Symbiotes, anyone with a brain knew it was all crap.


    ¡°In this fight, Wilson will decline to use the blessings of the Gorilla, and Peter will be stripped of his own abominable power.¡± and as a servant came forwards with two glasses on a tray Fisk took one and drank while Peter hesitantly took the other and eyed it,


    ¡°If you do not drink, you forfeit, and will be taken to one of our facilities,¡± Zuri admitted, Peter was shocked, neither Shuri nor T¡¯Challa had mentioned if he refused this fight that he was going to jail and a surge of anger rushed through him. Glaring at Zuri he took the vial and drank it. If Wakanda was unwilling to play fair, then neither would he. And the liquid was wrapped in a symbskin coating and stored within his stomach. He would give Gwen that sample later.


    ¡°Then it is agreed. To conclude the bad blood between Fisk and Parker, they will fight. If Wilson Fisk is victorious, Peter will relinquish his right to marry and be held at our discretion. If Peter wins, then he is free to pursue a relationship with Shuri.¡± and as Zuri stepped back, T¡¯Challa, Ramonda, and an incredibly guilty looking Shuri stepped forwards,


    ¡°We give this fight our blessing, and may Bast favour you.¡±


    Fisk bowed to M¡¯Baku while Peter stood still, glaring at Fisk.


    Fisk snorted as he saw the angry look on Peter''s face, ¡°yeah, this is gonna be fun.¡± and as he darted forwards he struck out at Peter.


    Peter moved to one side, grabbed Fisk''s wrist and brought his other arm up, pushing violently against his elbow and snapping it backwards. Fisk¡¯s scream was cut short as Peter let go of his arm and spun behind him, kicking at the side of his knee and snapping it at an angle. He then struck down, hitting Fisk at the small of his back and Fisk dropped to the ground as Peter''s blow snapped and twisted his spine.


    Moving to one side, Peter then lay a kick into Fisk''s side, and he coughed up blood as his ribs caved. Flipping him over, Peter lept and drove his elbow into Fisk''s sternum, and he coughed up blood once more as it cracked and splintered under the heavy blow.


    Standing he glared at M¡¯Baku who was shaking with rage, but Erik didn''t seem too phased by this development.


    Zuri looked over at T¡¯Challa who coughed and nodded at the pair, ¡°Peter Parker is the winner, and with this, the debt is settled.¡±


    M¡¯Baku yelled, ¡°he cheated, he used his devourer. Fisk had been training with us, no mere boy could defeat him.¡± but Peter shook his head,


    ¡°I don''t have one.¡± and he shrugged,


    M¡¯Baku stared at him, ¡°what!¡±


    ¡°I don''t have one, the devourer,¡± and he nodded at T¡¯Challa, ¡°You know about Cindy and Flash, yes?¡± and T¡¯Challa looked confused but nodded,


    ¡°The Symbiotes, your so called devourer. I don''t have one. The one I was host to is now with another person. This is my own power. And if you put me through any more of this stupid bullshit, you¡¯ll see the rest of it,¡± and as he motioned down at Fisk, who was being given medical attention, ¡°this, this was nothing.¡± and as he stopped forwards he roared at M¡¯Baku, letting loose a flood of fear enhanced pheromone as well as a blast of telepathic energy,


    ¡°YOU ARE NOTHING!¡±


    M¡¯Baku skidded back, falling on his ass and scrambling away, and Peter was slightly impressed he hadn''t pissed himself, but right now he was too angry to give it more than a passing thought.


    ¡°I have read your scrolls, and will obey your rules. I will make Shuri my wife. I will take any and all challenges to my marriage, and you will be nothing before me.¡±


    Peter let the clothing he had been wearing slip down and rather than expose himself to the queen, he donned a ceremonial garb of Wakanda, a simple black robe, with a white spider motif on its front, moving towards T¡¯Challa,


    ¡°King T¡¯Challa. I formally wish to approach the Royal Family with intentions of marrying Shuri of the Golden Tribe. I ask your permission, and I ask yours as well, Mother in Law.¡±


    T''Challa looked at the red faced Shuri and the fluster that had appeared on his mother''s face as well. As he laughed he stepped forwards and clapped Peter on the shoulder, ¡°yes yes I accept,¡± and as he pulled in closer to Peter, ¡°although, I would still like to know more about the Symbiotes, even if you are unwilling to create one for us.¡±


    Peter shook his head and patted T''Challa on the shoulder before moving, bending and taking Romanda hand, and kissing the back of it, ¡°Mother, I am sorry for such a barbaric display. I will endeavour to make myself more agreeable in future,¡± and she smiled and shook her head, pulling him into a hug,


    ¡°You are still taking my daughter. Do not think you are forgiven.¡± and he smiled and nodded,


    ¡°Princess Shuri, do you accept?¡± but before Shuri could speak,


    ¡°Uh, I hate to break up this touching moment but I think there is another matter first,¡± Erik said, stepping forwards.


    Holding up a scroll, ¡°My name is Erik Stevens, but my true name is N¡¯Jadak, son of N¡¯Jobu. And I challenge T''Challa for the throne.¡± and tossing the scroll over, T''Challa caught and unfurled it.


    Furrowing his brow ¡°Cousin?¡± and Erik nodded, ¡°this is most irregular, we must-¡± but a voice from the background interrupted him,


    ¡°No T¡¯Challa, We have already verified the information. A challenge has been issued, do you accept?¡± Zuri asked, a small smile on his face.


    Peter tilted his head and frowned, scanning both men. He could feel a sense of smug satisfaction coming from both Zuri and Erik, they must have planned this, and they were expecting Peter to lose. M¡¯Baku would have announced his intentions for Shuri and together they would have taken the throne, the right of succession and he guessed the head of the council as well. Until Peter beat Fisk within an inch of his life.


    ¡°We must accept. But, it is improper protocol to leave unfinished business. Shuri?¡± and as Erik stepped forwards Zuri shook his head,


    ¡°Of Course T¡¯Challa. Princess Shuri, your answer?¡±


    ¡°Of course I accept. Did you not just see that?¡± and Peter smiled, shook his head and resisted the urge to laugh. ¡°Now, I believe I am owed a response, and then a kiss.¡± and as Peter sped forwards he took her hand, kissed it and then took Shuri in her arms, kissing her properly. As she moaned softly in his embrace her eyes suddenly snapped open and as they broke apart she bit her lip and nodded.


    ¡°With Shuri engaged to Peter Parker, I accept the challenge, and we shall settle this two weeks from now. Once all other business has been taken care of,¡± but Erik shook his head,


    ¡°Nah, that''s stalling. I got the right to pick the date, and I choose now.¡± As Erik stripped off his jacket and shirt, Peter could see the dots covering his body, and Erik saw him staring, ¡°Yeah, one for each kill.¡± and he stepped into the ring, shooing Peter out.


    T''Challa entered the ring, stripping off his robe and throwing it to Shuri, ¡°cousin, you do not need to do this. Wakanda is only weakened by-¡± but Erik, tired of talk, simply attacked.


    While T¡¯Challa had been trained by the finest warriors in all of Wakanda, he was no match for the brutality of the American Special Forces training Erik had received. Mixing in several styles Erik was relentless in his assault and T''Challa soon faltered and Erik mimicked Peter in his brutality.


    As he shattered T''Challa¡¯s knee with a swift kick, he followed it by bringing his leg up and round housing T''Challa across the face. Sending him flying, as he stumbled across the sand, Erik leapt and drove a knee into T''Challa''s stomach, causing him to fall, as Erik grabbed him by the hair and drove his fist repeatedly into his face.


    Bloody, broken and barely conscious, Erik lifted him up and drove him down onto his knee before lifting him and throwing him from the ring. Shuri screamed and as medical personnel brought out a stretcher, they lifted the unconscious T''Challa onto a stretcher.


    ¡°Yeah, now Wakanda is under my rule. Now you all do as I say,¡± and Erik thudded a fist against his chest.


    Crying and watching the medics work on T''Challa, Shuri shouted, ¡°no. You will pay for this, you will pay,¡± and Erik laughed,


    ¡°Yeah, you and your little pet are gonna find out just what-¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Shuri shouted, interrupting him, ¡°I challenge you, Right now,¡± and Erik laughed


    ¡°After that, after all that, sure, I don¡¯t mind,¡± and Shuri tugged at her robe, pulling it free and leaving her in her underwear.


    Erik nodded in appreciation, ¡°I might enjoy this, Cuz¡± but Shuri shook her head,


    ¡°Not as much as you think.¡± and as she took a stance her clothing rippled, ¡°We are Jhalia, and you owe us a debt of blood,¡± and darting forwards Erik was forced to roll backwards as a clawed hand swiped where his throat was seconds ago. Shuri was clad in a black and brown outfit, tight leather pants with a small brown cloth panel that covered her legs at the back and a small strip down her front. Her arms were bare and two heavy plates covered her shoulders, coming across to meet at her black mask, styled as the image of Bast every Black Panther wore. She was stylish and as her fingers grew into sharp talons, deadly as well.


    Zuri shouted, ¡°stop, the use of powers is forbidden¡± but Romanda put a hand on his chest,


    ¡°Only if agreed beforehand. It was once common for both to become the Black Panther, and the victor to keep the mantle.¡± and as she gripped his shoulder tighter, ¡°plus, we will be investigating your part in this Zuri, and if he falls, you will suffer the same fate.¡± As Zuri gulped, the fight continued.


    Erik was the better combatant, but as Shuri and Jhalia bonded, her fighting became more fluid. Peter had made sure that she received everything from him, not just memories but all his moves and any simple chemical formulas he had memorised and could make. He knew Shuri would fight. Erik was too full of confidence, too full of himself to bet on anyone other than himself. He knew he would win, and now Peter knew Shuri would too.


    Erik hadn¡¯t been granted to strengthening Purple Heart formula usually given to the Golden Tribe, he only had the training, and Shuri was beginning to toy with him. He already had several scores across his chest, and she was clawing and scratching out the ceremonial scarring over his chest


    Shuri, stop, don¡¯t play unless you are sure you can win. End it and then gloat.


    Peter had learned that lesson the hard way. Too many fights were lost by stopping to monologue or make stupid comments. Neutralise your opponent, then gloat when you are one hundred percent sure it was over.


    Shuri swatted Erik with a flat palm, sending him hurtling out of the arena and into the ceremonial pond,


    ¡°Shuri wins,¡± Romanda announced, as Zuri was surrounded by Dora Milaje. ¡°Erik and Zuri will be taken into custody, to determine their guilt,¡± but as Jhalia changed back into Shuri¡¯s robe she approached and touched Zuri on the cheek,


    ¡°He was promised power within a new Wakandan Empire, and,¡± Shuri tilted her head, ¡°Erik,¡° and Shuri snarled and grabbed Zuris chin. ¡°You bastards. Erik helped Klaue kill father. It was his DNA at the scene.¡± and she slapped Zuri,


    ¡°As my right, I claim the throne of Wakanda, until such times as my brother recovers. Take them both to jail, and summon the council.¡± and Shuri strode from the arena


    I am sorry Peter, but the wedding is off. Until I stabilise the situation and root out the traitorous bastards that helped them, I must remain free of distractions.

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Thirty-Five. Blushing Bride (NSFW)

    As Peter left the arena, he was hit by a sense of betrayal. Had Shuri planned all this, and with her brother¡¯s incapacitation, finally found a way to get out of the engagement, and onto the throne?


    He knew Shuri was smart and devious. Her manipulation of both M¡¯Baku and Erik showed that, but was he part of that trap too? It was too convenient that as soon as Shuri got a Symbiote, the wedding was off and both her brother, who was causing problems and Erik, who was finally revealed to be her cousin, were both incapacitated.


    As he leaned against a wall, noting it seemed to be a blank spot in the palace¡¯s security he heard a quiet sound of breathing.


    ¡°You know, this is a popular make-out spot, not just for those seeking quiet.¡± It was Shuri, and she frowned as she saw the look on his face. ¡°I am sorry, but as Princess, I can misbehave, as Queen, I do not have that luxury.¡±


    Peter frowned, and half-heartedly shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s fine, just-¡± but Shuri pressed a finger to his lips.


    ¡°Peter, please listen. As Princess, I had duties and responsibilities, but only to myself and maybe a few special occasions. As Queen, I am responsible for all of Wakanda. You know we say, ¡®my heart¡¯ and not ¡®my love¡¯ because you love chips or you love the sunset, but you cannot live without your heart. I never thought that in the space of a week, I would find that I could not live without my heart, without you. But one thing I do know is that nothing I say will prove it to you more than this will.¡± and as she pulled him into a shadow she tugged at the front of her robe, exposing herself, and knelt in front of him. ¡°The others told me that you share more than just a physical connection to them, that during your time together it is so much more.¡± as she ran a hand over his groin she looked up, ¡°remove them,¡± and as he stared down at her, she raised an eyebrow and glared at him, ¡°remove them,¡± and he obliged.


    Shuri stared at his manhood as it slid out from behind his symbskin. Seeing it this close was, a bit intimidating she had to admit to herself, but regardless she gently stroked it and then moistened its tip with her tongue, ¡°I am aware how much this situation seems like a trap,¡± and as she took the tip of his cock in her mouth, her tongue swirled over it, ¡°So I will prove myself to you,¡° and she ran her tongue around his length, up and down his shaft until it was wet, and then took as much as she could into her mouth. Peter leaned back, and gently lay a hand on her head as she bobbed back and forth.


    ¡°I am still yours, nothing had changed,¡± and she kissed down his length and swirled her tongue over his balls, gently sucking on them before running her tongue back up his length. Taking his length in her mouth, she bobbed back and forwards, letting her hands gently stroke after her, her fingers playing with him as her tongue massaged and teased his tip. ¡°I will still marry you, regardless of what those old buffoons say,¡± and as she deep throated him she savoured its taste, ¡°you are mine, and I am yours. You are my heart Peter,¡± and she let him slide in and out of her mouth, tracking him as far into her throat as she could.


    ¡°They told me, it was a nice taste, and now I see, both I and Jhalia are enjoying this, it is not what I expected,¡± she said as she ran her tongue around his glans. It was her first time and she was unwilling to do anything to hurt him, and so concentrated on the top, stroking and using her tongue to stimulate him, ¡°I know you can control it, so please, I want to taste you.¡± and as he nodded, she took him in her mouth once more, and as with the others, he gently stroked her hair as he came. As her mouth covered him, it was filled with the sweet sticky fluid she had been told about and Jhalia buzzed in excitement as she swallowed it in gulps. It was electric and both her and Jhalia came. Gwen and the rest had warned her that his seed was intoxicating, no matter where he spilled it but this was beyond what she had expected. As she happily used her tongue to clean him, she looked up and smiled,


    ¡°So, Mr Parker, did that convince you?¡± but he snorted, smirked and shook his head, lifting her up and swapping places with her,


    ¡°Not just yet,¡± and as he parted the front seam of the gown she was wearing and guided one leg over his shoulder, and without hesitation, kissed on either side of her thighs and at the moist slit. Jhalia had anticipated his actions and she was ready for him, swollen and excited to be taken but Peter wanted to savour this moment, no matter how short.


    Suri ran her fingers through his hair as his tongue danced up and down her lips, flicking at her clit and then swirling around her entrance, sliding inside and then moving back up. Shuri might have used toys on herself, but his lips and tongue were new, especially as he was doing things no normal tongue could. As it slipped inside and sought out her g-spot and other sensitive areas she gasped and moaned, feeling her legs twitch each time the pleasure rippled through her, and as the sensations grew, as he sucked and skillfully tongued and nibbled on her clit she came, pushing his face into her groin.


    Kissing her clit one last time, he waited until her legs stopped trembling before standing, and as he moved to wipe his face she shook her head, ¡°I do not mind¡± and pulled him to kiss and taste herself on his lips. Shuri knew the symbiote would eventually desire to sleep with his others, and she had no qualms about that, even as she tasted the slightly sweet-saltiness of her own cum, she knew she would enjoy them just as much as him.


    Pulling him close, she lifted a leg and guided the tip of his manhood to her entrance, ¡°I am not a virgin, not in that sense, and I-¡± and it was Peter''s turn to seal her lips with his and he gently pushed into her.


    She muffled a moan as he moved forwards, gasping and grabbing onto him, ¡°all the way, please¡± and he obliged, sliding his entire length into her. Feeling her leg wrap around him, the other trembled at the insertion and he put a hand on her behind and lifted her. Holding her close against the wall, and supporting her weight with his hands.


    ¡°Oh by the goddess, you feel so good, but, please.¡± and he waited. While not a virgin, she was unused to having something so large inside her and the wave of orgasmic pleasure that robbed her of her strength continued, ¡°now, please¡± and he kept a firm grip and he began to move his hips.


    She kissed the side of his face, ¡°I imagined, my first would,¡± and she paused to moan loudly, ¡°in a huge bed, with rose petals and uhh, yes, there, right there,¡± and she nipped at his neck and breathed heavily in his ear, ¡°and I do not care, I just want you, oh by the goddess this is soo good, harder, please, harder now,¡± and as he moved quicker she whined and bit him, ¡°inside, now, inside,¡± and he felt her tighten around him and he let his own orgasm fill her.


    He could feel her legs tremble as he finished and she took his face in her hands as kissed him on his cheeks and lips, ¡°I love you, please, never forget that,¡± and kissing him once more she unwrapped her legs from his hips. ¡°You are my heart and my King, and I will never betray you, my word to the goddess.¡±


    As he let her back down to the ground, she patted down her gown, making sure she was decent once more, and his symbskin covered him. ¡°To prove as well, Give this to Gwen.¡± and she held a vial of sparkling purple liquid. ¡°The old ways are not my way, and this is something that can do good. Please,¡± and reluctantly Peter took it and, after his screw up with Extremis, carefully wrapped it in a secure symbskin pocket.


    ¡°I do not know how long this situation will last. T¡¯Challa is in a coma. Erik is in prison, but as he had every right to challenge the Royal line, he will not be there for long. With his intentions, a civil war may grip Wakanda.¡± and she frowned, but Peter took her hand and kissed the back of it.


    ¡°A civil war you know you¡¯ll win, especially if you ask a certain company for help.¡± and she smiled and ran a hand down the side of his cheek,


    ¡°But why would Stark help me?¡± and as he snorted she laughed, ¡°I know, I know, teasing is bad. I will hold you to that promise, and more.¡±


    As she leant in for a kiss, there was a quiet cough from across the courtyard, ¡°And did you enjoy watching your friend be deflowered Okoye?¡±


    Shuri laughed. Wanda had been right, a small sense of indecency had flown away when she received her symbiote. It empowered her, and knowing Okoye and her guards were there did not bother her as much as she thought, in fact, she was secretly gloating that they would never taste such a man. Peter had made it perfectly clear that her guards and any other Wakandan looking for a Symbiote, or a relationship, were out of the question. She could allow Jhalia to spawn, but doing so without consulting Peter or the others would be seen as rude, and she had understood why once she had her own.


    It was a personal event. Nothing prepared her for having a Symbiote of her own. While Talon had been welcoming, it was clear she was Laura¡¯s but Jhalia was hers, they blended and mixed into a perfect partnership.


    ¡°We did, but your Highness, you still have more pressing matters. The White Gorilla tribe is demanding-¡± but Shuri waved a hand,


    ¡°And they can demand all they like. Allow me to spend a moment with my heart, and then I will show M¡¯Baku what it means to rule.¡± Okoye crossed her arms and bowed.


    Sliding into Peter¡¯s arms, Shuri leant her head on his chest, ¡°I wish I could spend longer here, but you see what I must deal with.¡± and he kissed her on the forehead,


    ¡°I uh, think I¡¯m good,¡± and as she rubbed her face in his chest,


    ¡°You better be mister, I do not intend for this to be the only time,¡± and he lifted her chin and kissed her,


    ¡°Neither do I,¡± and Okoye coughed once more.


    ¡°Fine, Fine¡± and as Shuri separated herself from Peters embrace, she threw up her hands, ¡°back to the stupid council. Do you think I can just throw them all off the balcony, and claim it was an accident?¡± and Okoye laughed,


    ¡°If that worked, I would help.¡± and turning she nodded at Peter, who watched the pair head back into the Royal Throne room.


    He had used the Mind Stone and sought a connection to Jhalia she had shared. Shuri loved him, it was a small fire but it burned, and she was right. Wakanda and its stupid politics meant nothing to her, He was important, her lab and her work were important. Old men, arguing over unearned riches and power were beneath her, and she would make sure they did not stand in her way, and he would help her.


    He had also felt her concern. Erik would push for war, use his connection to M¡¯Baku and the defeat of Fisk as the spark to ignite it. Sensing the prison, rather than head back to his room, Peter made a choice and headed towards the cell where they held Erik.

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Thirty-Six. I Bless The Plans Down In Africa

    Erik was sat in the transparent cell, the energy curtain would provide a small shock at the slightest touch, and burn anything held in contact for too long,


    ¡°I can hear you, you know,¡± he said, sitting on the comfortable bed, he was lying with his hands behind his head. ¡°I might not have super hearing but you move like a truck, all power and no grace.¡±


    Peter snorted and walked in full view of the prison. He had asked the Dora to let him talk to Erik alone, and after they had gotten confirmation they had moved, only to outside the entrance, but it was enough for this to be private.


    ¡°So, if you¡¯ve come to gloat, I ain¡¯t interested.¡± and Peter shook his head, grabbed a chair and moved it in front of the cell.


    ¡°Nope, I called a friend of mine, Nick Fury, and he kindly got me a copy of your CIA file. Nice read, Kilmonger.¡± and Erik shrugged,


    ¡°So? Lots of people read that file. Blah blah, joined in 02, blah blah, exceptional soldier, blah blah, I¡¯m not in the mood for a social call, and I¡¯ve met enough suits to know you want something. Unless it''s freedom, and my throne, I said I¡¯m not interested.¡±


    Peter sighed, ¡°Freedom isn¡¯t mine to give. Shuri and M¡¯Baku are arguing about that right now, probably take an hour, maybe not. I do have an offer though.¡±


    Erik sat up, resting his hands on his knees, and brought his legs up and crossed them, ¡°Yeah, you got something better than a throne?¡± and Peter laughed,


    ¡°You know there¡¯s no throne in either your or M¡¯Baku¡¯s future. I¡¯ll stop you, and I can call a lot more people. See, I also got Fury to call in a favour, Cross Industries, Fisk¡¯s little projects, and a few Enhanced? You¡¯ve got nothing, and Cross can¡¯t touch any formula as I already got Parker to patent the Heart serum. Seems my ace chemist made an interesting discovery about a certain plant in Africa. You¡¯ve got shit, and all you¡¯ll do is start a war you can¡¯t win.¡±


    Erik pursed his lips and glared at Peter, ¡°So you are here to gloat,¡± and he lay back down, ¡°You still can¡¯t stop me. I will get what I want.¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°and what do you want? Wakanda to rule? That¡¯s not happening either. Shield has energy weapons, and its own formula, the Banner formula is military. Hell, I bet Ross would bend over backwards to get you on his Thunderbolts. Wakandan tech might have been advanced a hundred years ago, but the rest of the world caught up. Wakanda¡¯s still at the top, but it¡¯s getting to be a closer race than you think.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d still win.¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°no you wouldn¡¯t. But winning isn¡¯t everything. Cut ties with the White Gorilla Tribe and side with Shuri.¡±


    Erik sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, giving Peter a confused look, ¡°And that gets me what? A nicer prison, a better view of the guillotine?¡±


    ¡°No, it gets you the military advisor position. It gets you standing next to that throne, maybe not on it, but you know as well as I do, generals who make policy do much better than ones who fight wars. How many foreign leaders are dead because they pushed for war. The US would stomp Wakanda flat, and the world would help. Your vibranium mine? yeah, you¡¯d never see that again. It would be stripped in a year and Wakanda would be left with nothing but a huge hole in the ground.¡±


    ¡°So, you want me to advise, and what¡¯s to stop me once I¡¯m out this cell from making a huge mess of things?¡± and Peter shook his head,


    ¡°You want Wakanda at the top of the world, not rotting in the muck. You want an Empire, but anyone who picked up a history book in the past decade knows that Empires are over. Tech and money rule now, not military might. Start a war and it goes global. And the big shots who hold the money don¡¯t want anything to endanger that.¡± and Erik nodded, every empire that rose ultimately created a huge global mess, before the next one came along and took the crown, making a mess of its own.


    ¡°So, behave and get a slice, not the whole pie?¡± and Peter half shrugged, ¡°Nah, You and I don¡¯t see eye to eye. It won¡¯t work.¡± and Erik lay back down.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to, you and Shuri, that¡¯s the question. I¡¯ll be her King, but ultimately still an outsider.¡±


    There, Peter found the thread, Erik was interested, he just needed a push, and with the Mind Stone, he gave him one.


    Erik crossed his fingers and lay them on his forehead, ¡°and you think Shuri will agree?¡± and Peter laughed,


    ¡°You never stood a chance against her, you think being fast and tough is our only power. She heard everything we said, she¡¯s guiding this conversation. She says, rot in there, as you¡¯re never getting out on anything other than her terms.¡± and it was Eriks turn to snort,


    ¡°Telepathy?¡± and he sighed, ¡°I guess it¡¯s here or a casket right? with you, M¡¯Baku won¡¯t win.¡± Erik sat back up and stood in front of the cell wall. ¡°Honestly, how much of a chance did I stand?¡±


    Peter hit the panel next to the cell and the two Dora guards came in, ¡°You got the orders?¡± and they nodded.


    Touching a hand to the forcefield, it began to burn and flake. At first, the skin blacked and peeled, and even Erik took a step back. Peter pushed his hand forward and as the fingers burned and crumbled he stared at Erik. Once each finger was gone he pulled his hand back and Erik saw the slight glow at each stump and every finger regrew, taking seconds to reform. Once they had Peter flexed his hand.


    ¡°With this game, I¡¯m not playing. Cross will be gone soon. Even Pym is about to get a rude awakening. Wakanda is about to set itself up as a global superpower, and nobody, not Stark, not M¡¯Baku, and certainly not you are going to change that. Get on board or be left behind.¡±


    The demonstration was Shuri¡¯s idea, as Peter hated being so melodramatic. Wakandans valued two things, power and vibranium and Peter needed to show Erik just how much power he had.


    ¡°Can I?¡± but Peter cut him off by shaking his head,


    ¡°Anything else, but not that. There will be rules, and as long as you play by them then you get what you want.¡± Peter could tell he was already on board, he was just going to play hard to get, and that wasn¡¯t Peters concern,


    He¡¯ll agree, just give him something to sweeten the pot and he¡¯ll fold.


    Good, without him, M¡¯Baku will have no choice but to back down, thank you, and I am sorry about your hand.


    In his mind Peter laughed, it¡¯s okay, you¡¯ll just need to lend me yours later,


    Shuri giggled, and I am sure you will use it for the most naughty of things, I wish I could my heart but right now, Wakanda needs it more


    Hey, Hey, it was a joke, I know. Even I have to get back to work.


    Reed and his team were heading to Egypt for the removal of Apocalypse''s spaceship. He had used some of his spare vibranium to bribe the Egyptian government, they had no clue as to what was under there and Peter wanted it packed and gone before they found out.


    I know, no rest for the wicked as you American say, and you, my heart, are very very wicked


    He also wasn¡¯t lying about Pym and Cross. After talking to Cindy more, it seemed that Hank had taken to the idea of a living biological armour. Something that could survive within the quantum realm for longer than a normal person, and stave off the effects of the realms poisoning. What Peter saw in Cindy¡¯s memories was a sickening series of experimentation, and Silk had suffered.


    With new powers, and a set of laws behind him he had already sent Matt and his new team of Wakandan lawyers to seize all of Hank''s material about the Symbiotes, and if he was lucky, throw him in a very dark hole to go with it.


    Darren Cross was easier, getting rid of stolen tech and an illegal team was just a tip-off to Ross, and Cross Industries would be getting shut down. And knowing Ross he would probably seize any of that strange shrinking tech Cindy had told him about.


    After Betty Brant, and a small discussion with Liv, who he trusted on the issue more than anyone, he saw why Charles used his powers the way he did. Erik was just an example. He wanted to be free, to see his homeland standing proud, but his way would cause untold misery and suffering. A gentle nudge with the Mind Stone set him on a path he had considered already, one without the pain. Liv had been his sounding board, if she shut him down he wouldn¡¯t have, but even she saw the truth. And with Shuri on board, he felt no hypocrisy in using his powers to avert a war.


    As long as Peter didn¡¯t actively change someone, as long as it was a nudge, a small whisper to follow all already thought of path, she saw no harm in it, a shortcut over a long debate. It did come with a warning though, that if she found him using the Stone or its powers to control people, she would be the first to stop him.


    His next stop, after persuading Erik to switch sides, was to visit Cindy herself, find Eddie, and the rest of the totems and see what their plans were.


    Felicia and MJ had both been angry at Cindy¡¯s arranged visit, but with Silk a serious problem they had relented. He just hoped that didn¡¯t mean a repeat of Flash. Cindy wasn¡¯t the nicest person in the world, and with Silk hurt, her personality made it worse.


    Eddie on the other hand was going to be fun. Now it was all out in the open and his identity was compromised, then Peter could see if the man wanted a position at Parker Inc. He didn¡¯t hold any hope, but with some persuading and a little bribery, Liv might just have an original Oscorp serum survivor to play with. As long as he held no grudge against him, Eddie should jump at the chance to return to New York, and at an actual job.


    Peter frowned though, as he rounded the corner of the hanger, where he saw the four standing Eddie was arguing with Cindy, while a pale, goofy looking skinny guy and a serious dark-skinned man, he knew was called Sam Wilson, stood and watched.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, he¡¯s Venom and no.¡± but Cindy wasn¡¯t having any of it.


    ¡°So? so he beat the crap out of you, so what, I want to go home. I want some space and I want a life. Not that bullshit that Hank calls living, not the crap I put up with from you three.¡± and she paused as Peter smiled, ¡°You, what the hell did you do?¡± and she held out her phone.


    Run, they came for us


    Peter shrugged, ¡°nobody experiments on Symbiotes. Nobody, so he got what he deserved.


    ¡°Deserved? They took everything. He ran as soon as the vans showed up. Hope was with Cross and they all scattered.¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°don¡¯t be an asshole then¡± and Eddie blinked,


    ¡°You, telling someone not to be an asshole? You¡¯re a criminal, why aren¡¯t you in jail? Hank saved us and gave us a base, and you¡¯re okay with taking him down? And why the hell is Cindy talking about moving in with you?¡° and as Eddie got in Peter¡¯s face, Peter took a breath and pressed a hand against his chest.


    ¡°First, personal space, let¡¯s not have a repeat of last time. Second. Illegal experiments on a sapient and sentient lifeform and you¡¯re defending him? Third, Shield, like Sam Wilson. So yeah, I cleaned my act up, I went legit, and now, I don¡¯t get a lecture from a bum who smells like an ashtray and fast food.¡±


    Sam stepped forwards, ¡°yeah I got Fury¡¯s message. So, I¡¯m leaving for Avengers training, Scotts coming with me, as he got a pass. Eddie, you too or not. We had some good times, but life moves on. More and more Enhanced are appearing, and you don¡¯t get to walk that line. There is no grey anymore, it¡¯s right or wrong, black or white, and if you want to get paid and not have the cops up your ass, it¡¯s white.¡±


    Eddie huffed, ¡°yeah I heard, Olivia Octavious already contacted me,¡± and as he snarled, ¡°fucking Parker Inc. How come you get to act like a jerk and land on your feet, while we, while I struggled?¡±


    ¡°Oh stop whining,¡° Peter said, ¡°take this is your big break. Work for me, get paid a huge ton of money to guard Livs life and stop being a douchebag.¡±


    Eddie huffed, and crossed his arms, ¡°how much money?¡±

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Thirty-Seven. When Worlds Collide

    ¡°Holy Shit,¡± was all Cindy could say as she was let into the warehouse. She and Eddie both agreed to work for Peter, and as Liv was going to pay for accommodation for the pair, investigate their powers and then make sure they were both healthy, they were staying in two of the four spare homes for now.


    Nakia was still in Wakanda. Her application to become Peter''s official guard had been accepted, and she would be given one of the homes when she rejoined with Peter in Egypt and then returned to the States.


    ¡°This?¡± and Cindy pointed at the interior of the warehouse, ¡°What the hell?¡± and Eddie just shrugged and dropped his rucksack in the home next to hers.


    ¡°While I appreciate you¡¯ve been on a flight, Mr Brock, there is no smoking in the warehouse, well, not anymore and please, for the love of everything you will shower, daily, with soap. We all have enhanced senses and unwashed is unacceptable.¡± and as Cindy stared at the bathhouse, Liv continued ¡°Miss Moon, Red if you are in there and do not wish company, naked or otherwise. We do not allow mixed bathing, not for guests anyway, red means women only, blue means mixed, and a bathing suit will be required and green means couples only, bathing suits are optional. However, please be aware Peter''s mother may visit, so.¡° and Octave covered her, and the four arms of her new harness sprang forth, glinting with a wicked vibranium sharpness on its bladed ends, ¡°You will behave.¡± and both Eddie and Cindy nodded.


    ¡°On a more personal note, Miss Moon. I believe that your school life was rather,¡± and Liv paused while she thought of a polite way to put it, ¡°Elitist. Remember that everyone here, myself included, are in a relationship, We all share, and we all look out for one another. Your attitude in high school might have gotten you far, but here-¡±


    ¡°Yeah Cind, just don¡¯t be a bitch and we won¡¯t kick your ass,¡± and Liv sighed and rubbed her forehead with a hand,


    ¡°I was trying to be more tactful, Felicia dear. Miss Moon is working for us now, and we do not want to-¡± but Cindy interrupted her,


    ¡°Felicia!¡± and as her symbskin wrapped around her, Silk leapt at her and wrapped her arms around her.  Felicia looked mortified and held her arms out, unsure of what was going on.


    ¡°I was at the building when they attacked. I know your Huntress, and uh, yeah, I was a nightmare in school, so, sorry, I guess.¡± and Eddie looked over,


    ¡°You?¡± and he stomped towards her. ¡°You¡¯re that grey Symbiote bit-¡± but as the symbskin covered her, he stopped, ¡°Huntress,¡± and he grinned. ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting a rematch.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, continue that last sentence and you¡¯ll see how much of a fucking bitch I am.¡± and large claws sprang from her hands, ¡°no fucking rifle asshole to save you now,¡± and Silk backed away,


    ¡°Ahem!¡± Liv cleared her throat loudly. ¡°May I remind you that there is no antagonising of my employees, Felicia. And you Mister Brock, You will be tested before you step foot on a mat with Felicia or Huntress. We are a lot more powerful than before, and I don¡¯t want you getting hurt.¡±


    Eddie rubbed the back of his head, ¡°sorry, and sorry for calling you a bitch, uh, yeah, shower right?¡± and Liv nodded,


    ¡°The homes are fully fitted, you can do laundry. The fridges are separated, especially as Miss Hardy likes to indulge herself, so take a drawer and write your name on the card. You are welcome here until you find a better place. Miss Moon, the same applies to you, once Silk is healed of course.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, so Felicia, what¡¯s been happening?¡± and as Silk slid back into her clothing Felicia did the same and stared at her,


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t act like we were friends Cindy,¡± but Cindy frowned and looked at the floor,


    ¡°But, we were friends. I had homeroom with you, and math. I even tried to join the club, but Parker the douche wouldn¡¯t let me, my grades were too low.¡±


    Felicia rolled her eyes, ¡°Yeah, and nothing to do with sucking up to Flash every day, or making comments about Gwen behind her back, sure, grades.¡± and Cindy rubbed her thumbs over her fingers nervously,


    ¡°I uh, do you all? Peter mentioned a few of the old crowd but uh,¡± and Felicia nodded.


    ¡°MJ and Flash still don¡¯t talk, Peter sorted out that mess by beating the crap outta him, but he¡¯s got his own gig now. Liv doesn¡¯t know any better but what I said to him goes for you too. We weren¡¯t friends, we moved in different circles. You won¡¯t be staying here past healing Silk, don¡¯t act like you care, cause we both know you never fucking did.¡± and Felicia turned, paused for a second, before turning back, ¡°oh, and except Pete, we¡¯re all bi, so if that an issue, then fuck off right now.¡± and she turned and headed back into her home.


    Cindy looked as if she was ready to cry, and Liv sighed. ¡°I feel that the others might be just as hostile dear. I am sorry. I had no idea it was that bad.¡± and Cindy shook her head.


    ¡°She¡¯s right. Queen Bitch, that¡¯s what they called me, even her I guess.¡±


    ¡°Yes well, I don¡¯t care, it¡¯s been three years and you can all put on your big girl pants. If Peter can teach math to Eugene, then you and the others can sit and live together for a few months.¡± and Cindy stared at the warehouse floor dejected, ¡°and I don¡¯t just mean you. I know you can hear me, that goes for you and MJ as well, Felicia. You weren¡¯t exactly the nicest person if I remember rightly, so Cindy gets a chance, just like you did, just like I did.¡±


    Eddie chose that moment to come out of his home, wearing sweatpants and just a towel around his shoulders. As he dried himself off Liv looked over, ¡°and Mr Brock, that goes for you too.¡± but as he looked confused over at Cindy he just shrugged,


    ¡°What I do?¡±


    Liv looked over at him, and sighed, ¡°Sorry, I forget that they are all so young. Just post teenage angst dear, but please. It¡¯s not a show, dress before you leave your home.¡± and Eddie looked down, and covered his chest with the towel,


    ¡°Yeah sorry, it¡¯s just,¡± and he paused, ¡°thank you. I mean it.¡± and Liv nodded.


    ¡°The kitchen is open for all, Peter usually does the grocery shopping once a week, so let him know if there is anything you need or want. Anything extravagant is paid for separately. I also don¡¯t have to remind you, but upstairs is completely off-limits unless you are invited up, as are the other homes.¡± and both Cindy and Eddie forward and looked up,


    ¡°Shit,¡± Eddie said, ¡°is that a house?¡± and Liv nodded,


    ¡°Peters.¡± and Cindy shook her head,


    ¡°Typical, he takes the biggest one.¡± but Liv tutted,


    ¡°Miss Moon, what did I just say? Everything here, and I mean everything has been built by Peter, I believe your combat instructor helped with some of the minor work but everything else, including the two homes you are gracing, was his design, and work. You will learn to be civil or you will find yourself living in a tent on the roof.¡±


    Cindy nodded. Liv reminded her of Hank, but with a more motherly tone. Not that she ever got on with her own mother. Nothing she ever did was good enough, and as she got older, it became worse. As soon as she was old enough, she left.


    ¡°So, Uh, Boss? Doc, When are we starting? I mean, I know we¡¯re just off a plane but sitting around was part of our last gig, and things got bad with so many living together. I kinda want to start right away.¡± Eddie asked,


    Liv nodded, ¡°and we intend to Mr Brock. I do not believe in paying someone to sit and do nothing. But, jetlag and tests make bad bedfellows. So today, eat, relax, and then tomorrow we start. I will also need to either get your phones or to arrange for you to get new ones. We have security issues, and Peter has a package of applications to take care of that.¡± and Eddie nodded and wrapped the towel around his neck. He hadn¡¯t been able to afford a phone since he left New York, and he¡¯d never seen Cindy using one.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll need two?¡± and he looked over at Cindy who was still taking in the warehouse, and was peering behind the closed shower room curtain, before excitedly bounding over to the breakfast area.


    ¡±So, uh is it just us? I mean, I can only hear one other person in this place? And uh, can I use that?¡± she asked as she pointed at the bathhouse.


    ¡°Natasha is busy quitting her last job. I was thinking tomorrow. Healing Silk will be done by me, as, do you mind if I call you Cindy?¡± and she shook her head, ¡°as Cindy needs to be unbonded while we heal her. Mr Brock¡± and he frowned and shrugged, as Liv smiled, ¡°Eddie. I believe your powers are from the old Oscrop serum. We can-¡± but he interrupted her,


    ¡°Uh no. Sorry, I was cured of that.¡± and Liv raised an eyebrow,


    ¡°Wakanda?¡± and he looked surprised and then frowned,


    ¡°Peter is marrying their Princess, Eddie, There are no secrets. Fine, The Purple Heart flower is the purest, I would suggest tests just to be sure though, and then a full physical. Natasha will have her own schedule, I only deal with the medical and research side.¡±


    Cindy rubbed a hand over her arm, ¡°Uh, you need to unbond us?¡± and Liv nodded.


    ¡°Symbiotes spawned from a hurt symbiote or when the host is critically injured do not mature or develop properly. Silk was hurt, as we know Webb was hurt by the hybridisation process. It takes a few minutes, and you can stay with her. It¡¯s just a swim in a solution and then,¡± and Liv threw up her hands, ¡°that''s it.¡± but Cindy still looked apprehensive.


    ¡°You know Hank,¡± but Liv interrupted her.


    ¡°Hank Pym is a monster, and I fully intend on giving him a piece of my mind if I ever see him. I will not do anything Silk is unwilling to do, and if you wish to talk to Octave, I have nothing to hide. You might not appreciate it though.¡± and Cindy looked confused.


    ¡°Symbiotes learn from the DNA and memories of their previous hosts. We all share, but as we all live and, well, do everything together it isn¡¯t an issue. Unless you want to become incredibly familiar with everyone here, I would suggest you refrain.¡± but Cindy''s look of confusion changed to one of excitement,


    ¡°So wait, if I allow her to bond with say you, I get a whole bunch of science stuff as well?¡± and Liv nodded.


    ¡°Yes, but you still need to be able to understand it. Gwen is a chemist, as am I but Peter and Felicia cannot reproduce everything we can, as their science knowledge is limited. Even after we found out Webb was Peter''s symbiote, Eugene still only scraped by in his exams after we healed him. It won¡¯t make you smarter dear, not unless you already were.¡±


    Cindy didn¡¯t care though, ¡°Uh, can I?¡± and Liv shrugged,


    ¡°It¡¯s not a prison dear. This is the communal area, it¡¯s only the homes you shouldn¡¯t barge into.¡±


    Cindy walked over to Felicia¡¯s door, and as Liv turned to Eddie he was already sitting at the table, eating what looked like a bowl of cereal. He shrugged and went back to his breakfast, figuring if there was nothing to do, he would eat and sleep. If the pair took down the three of them a few years ago, there was no telling what they had in store come tomorrow.


    Cindy stopped and rocked back on her heels, shit, shit, okay and she took a breath,


    ¡°Oh for fuck sake, just come in, get it off your chest, and then leave me the hell alone.¡±


    That threw Cindy off. Felicia had been gruff before but this was anger and even Silk recoiled slightly.


    Felica was sat cross-legged on the floor, and looked up, ¡°what?¡±


    Cindy swallowed her pride, took a deep breath.


    ¡°I love you.¡±

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Thirty-Eigth. Blunt Instrument

    Cindy was sat on the roof of the warehouse, as Liv had shown her the emergency escapes. Curled up, with her legs tucked under her chin, she had wrapped her arms around them and buried her face into her knees.


    She heard the hatch open, and the scent of someone she didn¡¯t recognise approached her, uncaring that she wanted to be left alone.


    ¡°So, hey Cindy,¡± Gwen said, and sat on the edge with her, popping the top off a bottle and setting it down next to her.


    Taking a swig of her own beer, she sighed and shrugged, ¡°So, that didn¡¯t go well¡± and Cindy sobbed.


    Get the fuck out of my home, Felicia had screamed at her, Huntress covered her and in a flash she was up and had grabbed Cindy by the neck, lifting her up. Throwing her through the door Cindy stared in shock as Huntress slammed the door on her and Liv just pointed to what looked like a hatch and up she went.


    ¡°Yeah, thought so.¡± and as she tapped her own bottle against Cindy¡¯s the klink made her look up. With raw red eyes, Gwen just looked and frowned ¡°yeah, that¡¯s attractive, blow your nose and drink up.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± and Gwen shrugged,


    ¡°The beer¡¯s better when it''s cold,¡± and Cindy snorted,


    ¡°Why are you being nice to me? Peter made it clear you all hate me, even he said this on sufferance. The only one who has been nice is Olivia.¡± and Gwen stared at her bottle, swirling around the liquid inside before taking a drink.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care you¡¯re here. I had a great time in school. Pete suffered more than anyone, but Felicia. And yeah, it¡¯s fine if I tell you, she knows, and well, yeah. Your name, it wasn¡¯t queen bitch, it was queen snitch. Felicia was really gay, I mean, I knew I was bi from day one, seeing Pete or MJ got that motor running, but Felicia, she spent her school life being alone and afraid, afraid someone like you would find out. I mean, look at what Flash and his little group did to Pete, imagine being outed as gay,¡± Gwen took a drink, ¡°that would have been a bloodbath, a real literal one. Felicia was not a passive person.¡±


    Cindy wiped her eyes with the side of her hand, ¡°then she should know, know what it¡¯s like. I couldn¡¯t say anything. Flash was just as much of an asshole to us¡± and as she took a swig of the beer she coughed, ¡°what the hell is this?¡± and Gwen laughed,


    ¡°Yeah, Pete doesn¡¯t like bitter stuff either, Silk probably gets that from him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m nothing like him,¡± Cindy spat  and forced herself to drink,


    ¡°Oh yeah? Because I know that¡¯s bullshit. See, Pete was Webbs first host, so all his powers, all his baggage comes from him. Flash dealt with it, and you¡¯re dealing with Flash and Pete¡¯s crap. We know the symbiotes transfer knowledge that way, so,¡± and Gwen stood and ran a hand over her hair,


    ¡°Here¡¯s the deal. Liv reminded us that Peter and Flash got over their issues, and that part of growing up is doing the same. Make amends, make everyone know you¡¯re sorry. This isn¡¯t a lecture or a threat. I really don¡¯t care, and honestly, neither should Felicia. You¡¯re gay, nobody cares. She¡¯s got four women in her life. Shit, she¡¯s almost as bad as Pete, and if she likes you then one more isn¡¯t going to bother anyone.¡±


    Cindy stared, ¡°four? I mean, I thought he was joking, but really?¡± and Gwen nodded,


    ¡°Me, Liv, Elektra, and Emma.¡±


    ¡°He sleeps with all four of you¡± and Gwen laughed,


    ¡°No, that¡¯s Felicia, Pete sleeps with more. Liv figured out a long time ago that while symbiotes like aggression chemicals, they prefer sex ones. A huge dopamine hit gets them stoked. If you don¡¯t want to, then chocolate works just as well.¡±


    Cindy was well aware of that, eating hundreds of dollars of chocolate a month to keep Silk happy and calm. The only woman in the group was Hope, who was firmly in Scott¡¯s camp.


    ¡°So, Felicia?¡± and Gwen sighed,


    ¡°That was dumb, I mean, imagine if Flash said the same thing to Peter after seeing him for the first time. I get it, we all do. But still, dumb,¡± and as Gwen stuck out a hand Cindy looked at it and took it, pulling herself up.


    ¡°Apologise, maybe some food as a token gesture, but don¡¯t push it. We do things differently now, and Emma was only after Felicia let Pete know, to be honest, we kinda expected Pete to take the lead on that but yeah, that¡¯s the other thing. Working for us, and I do mean that, you see some shit Cindy, I mean real bottom of the barrel barf your lunch stuff. Are you sure you want this?¡± and Cindy nodded,


    ¡°But uh, I work for Liv¡± and Gwen laughed and shook her head,


    ¡°No, you¡¯re working for Parker Inc. You work for Peter, and we all work for him, his little minions,¡± and Cindy frowned as she caught a look in Gwen¡¯s eye. Gwen shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t think Pete would go for the yellow,¡± and she laughed to herself. ¡°Look, it¡¯s a job, it¡¯s stable and it pays well. I mean, Pete got rights to vibranium, and while that means every whackjob might try for a piece of us, we¡¯re not exactly poor.¡±


    Liv had worked on a plan, and as Peter, Curt, Gwen and Liv discussed it, they had set out the future of Parker Inc. It would take five years for the company to establish itself, minimum.


    They were small, with a highly experienced staff but that was their only staff. Even with the various formulas, Livs arcstar work, the harness and the CLS they still needed to get it manufactured to a high enough standard to sell. The Stark Expo was for demonstrations, now the real task began, and it was up to Liv and Peter to make good on their work.


    Gwen sighed and looked down at the despondent Cindy. She could feel the waves of sorrow, and after a few sessions with Peter, they were all starting to develop the newer powers. He had suggested giving the symbiote the customary bath in his symbcells but Gwen had looked at him, and taken them the original way, with grunting and sweating, and lots and lots of pleasure. As she lost herself in the memory, Cindy cleared her throat,


    ¡°I can smell that, and I figured what it was once Scott and Hope came back looking guilty. Can you not?¡± and Gwen laughed,


    ¡°You''re in no luck there. Pete has eight of us, and his room is soundproof. Don''t like the smell? Then figure out how to coat yourself in Silk twenty-four-seven. We did. Pete gives off a pheromone, hell without it you¡¯d be wanting him too, gay or not. So deal. That''s what you''re here for, to learn, to adapt and to get a grip on your powers. If Felicia forgives you, good for you, but we don''t owe you anything past your job.¡±


    Gwen figured that was the wrong thing, as the cold loneliness stabbed at her like a sharp icicle, ¡°Shit Cindy. We found out most of the people we knew from high school are either powered or connected to some powered assholes. You turn up, just hits all the wrong buttons.¡±


    ¡°Not just us?¡± and Gwen nodded,


    ¡°Jean and Scott, Harry, Flash, oh Miss Munroe¡± and Cindy stared,


    ¡°Jean? Jean Grey?¡± and much quieter, ¡°shit, Jean fucking Grey,¡± and Gwen laughed,


    ¡°Her too, right?¡± and Cindy looked shocked but nodded,


    ¡°Oh yeah, she¡¯s hot, but no. Do not bring this up with her. Please. Not a threat but her powers are a bit unstable, she might I dunno, explode or something.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± and Gwen nodded,


    ¡°Other than that, nobody cares. Get a girlfriend, get two. We don¡¯t mind.¡± and Cindy shook her head,


    ¡°I mind. I mean, you? Gwen Stacy, straight A miss fucking priss, is a lesbian?¡± and Gwen frowned and shook her head,


    ¡°See, really? And so what if I am, not just a lesbian, I mean, Pete could bend me over right now and I¡¯d wink and let you watch. You¡¯ll find the symbiotes kill your sense of shame. They don''t know any better and really don''t care.¡± and as Gwen paused for a moment, ¡°and I discovered, that really, neither do I, not for the cute ones anyway.¡±


    Cindy stepped back and sat on the roof''s edge, ¡°I know, I deal with that. The anger, the rage, the bloodlust. How?¡± and Gwen shook her head,


    ¡°Yeah, it''s not like that for us. Poison and I have killed, some rapist asshole, oh and Harry, but lust yes, blood no. Get fixed, and get laid. Silk will be much happier once you do. We don¡¯t care if you''re a killer Cindy, just don''t bring that here.¡± Gwen took a swig of her beer, ¡°you know what?¡± and as she smiled at Cindy she took out her phone, sent Peter a text and laughed, ¡°fixed.¡± Gwen moved and crouched before Cindy, resting a hand on her thigh. ¡°If you feel the need, the desire to kill. Come find me or Liv, and you won''t be able to walk once we¡¯ve finished with you.¡±


    Cindy leaned back, ¡°I can''t. What if? I could kill you,¡± and Gwen stood and drained the last of her beer, winking,


    ¡°oh? Who said we¡¯d be fighting?¡± and giving Cindy a look she couldn¡¯t mistake for anything other than desire, Gwen laughed.


    Cindy blushed, and Gwen just shrugged, ¡°Bi, when Liv said Bi she meant it. The symbiotes alter your brain chemistry slightly, ramp up the dopamine and reward centres when you''re around someone you like, and get really pissy when it''s someone you don''t. Felicia probably reacted that way as your new and Huntress didn¡¯t like you coming into her territory.¡± and Cindy wrapped her arms around her legs again,


    ¡°Silk made me kill someone,¡± she admitted, and Gwen raised an eyebrow but shrugged.


    "Poison used to almost put me in a coma every time I ate sugar. They can be temperamental but once they grow a bit, and if Silk is hurt, then once we fix that, she should calm down.¡± and Cindy nodded,


    ¡°And if she doesn''t, then we separate you and she gets to live on an iguana,¡± Gwen stated and Silk wrapped around Cindy who backflipped away, and with talons drawn, hissed at her.


    ¡°See.¡± And Poison wrapped around Gwen, ¡°Now,¡± and she held out a canister, ¡°We do this nice and slowly.¡± and as Silk hissed and got ready to pounce, Poison slipped into the canister and Gwen shook as the symbiote unbonded itself.


    ¡°First thing, trust. I need Silk, Liv needs to run the tests so I volunteered. You¡¯ll get Poison. Trust.¡± and Silk stood, holding up both hands in her fighting pose, but warily lowered them


    ¡°Trust.¡± Silk hissed and as Gwen moved forwards with a raised hand Silk took it and slithered over her.


    Poison had been asked and had agreed. She liked new hosts, and she liked it when she got to share with Gwen once more, so as she coiled and sprung as Cindy, who yelped in surprise, she laughed as they bonded.


    We feel you Cindy, and we taste you, yum yum


    Yeah, that¡¯s a bit creepy, want to not?


    Want to, and Poison laughed, we take your thoughts, of Felicia, and sneaky sneaking in the lockers, what to not? We can give her to you, get the rubby rubs and the slippy slides, just let us, let us take you.


    What the hell? Cindy had been used to Silk''s barely conscious presence, not a fully-fledged adult who¡¯d shared over a half dozen hosts. Poison wrapped herself around Cindy¡¯s thoughts and as she shared the times Gwen had spent with Felicia, and Cindy lost herself in the ecstasy, Poison laughed.


    Now we get to have the treaty treats and not the boring worky work.


    And finding her new host was not as resistant to her suggestions, shot out a line, and swung out into the city for some fun.

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Thirty-Nine. Trauma Centre

    Whatever Hank had done to keep Silk calm had not transferred over when she switched hosts, and she was angry.


    It was like coming from a drug-induced haze. Hank had used a chemical cocktail to keep her quiet, she could barely remember being with Cindy, only the lulling toxic haze that followed her time after she killed Aaron. Even Peter¡¯s cell infusion had only made her feel whole, but the numbness remained.


    The new symbiotes were both stronger than her, and she watched as one took her host, took Cindy from her and she raged.


    Give her back, she screamed at the blue one, who laughed and batted away the tendrils she produced. Pinned her legs together with mechanical arms, and then sticking her arms to her side,


    No, please, I¡®ll behave I¡¯ll behave, as the last time she struggled as Hank used liquid nitrogen to keep her from escaping. The pain of being subdued and broken drove her into a blind panic.


    Yes, you will, and Cindy is fine. We just need to make sure you¡¯re okay, we won¡¯t hurt you. The blue one told her, trying her best to stop the struggling symbiote for not just hurting herself, but hurting her new host.


    Feel for her, listen to her and see.


    Silk had been too shocked when the drug wore off, but as she touched her host¡¯s mind, Gwen, she was called Gwen, she saw what life could have been like. She knew she loved the heart pumping state, when Cindy was angry or excited, adrenaline it was called, her new host told her, but she learned of something better. When she met the memories of a pair-bonding she quivered as it sparked a response.


    Gwen moaned and twisted as Silk brought her to orgasm, and Gwen came over and over again, Silk becoming relentless in her discovery of a new drug.


    ¡°Now, Now dear, calm yourself. You¡¯ll hurt Gwen, there will be time for that later.¡± And as Octave extended her powers, Silk calmed under the influence of the stronger symbiote.


    Slipping back, Liv sighed and using the arms hosted Gwen into a better position and then used the other two to climb back down into the warehouse, where she met Felicia.


    ¡°What the hell Liv?¡± but she paused,


    ¡°We needed to show the pair that we weren¡¯t going to hurt them, and Gwen was a suitable host. Would you have done it? I mean, would Huntress even have let you?¡±


    Felicia crossed her arms and huffed, ¡°was still dumb, Didn¡¯t she tell you about her little outburst?¡± and Liv shrugged,


    ¡°You¡¯re getting as bad as Peter. Oh no, an attractive young woman loves you, the horror.¡± Liv said mockingly, ¡°With the way you¡¯re collecting them, I think we might need a warehouse just for you.¡±


    Felicia rubbed an arm guiltily, ¡°Well,¡± and Liv laughed,


    ¡°I was joking dear, I¡¯m sure if it came down to it, Peter would have no objections. Do we complain when he drags home another one?¡± and Felicia pouted and shook her head.


    ¡°There, but we do need to fix poor Silk, and before she hurts Gwen.¡± Liv could feel the symbiote snarling and writhing under Gwen¡¯s skin, and Gwen was barely holding on. Silk was feral, and without Peter here, Liv was unsure if curing her was a good idea.


    Silk wasn¡¯t mad at her treatment. She was just mad. Whatever trauma had caused the anger was buried and even her discreet probes were coming back as useless. She was an empath, not a telepath like Peter was, and with Wanda still at the sanctum, none of the latest symbiotes had the full range of powers Peter had.


    ¡°Oh, you stupid old bat,¡± Liv cursed at herself. ¡°Felicia, call Jean, I need her here, now.¡± and Felicia shrugged and grabbed her phone, sending an S.O.S to Jean, at the mansion.


    With Jean¡¯s powers, it didn¡¯t take her long to arrive, with Laura and Logan in tow, ready for battle and as the trio slipped in through the roof hatch,


    ¡°Oh thank god. Jean. I need you to calm Silk, and find out what¡¯s actually wrong with her.¡± Logan frowned and shrugged,


    ¡°Not a lot we can do, pipsqueak. Hey got food?¡± and Felicia¡¯s shoulders sagged and she took Logan and Laura into the kitchen and began to pull out various leftovers to re-heat.


    Jean was mumbling under her breath and Liv put a hand on her shoulder, ¡°You¡¯ll be fine dear. Just slowly, and carefully,¡± and as Jean reached out with Helios to touch the symbiotes mind, she gritted her teeth as the anger washed over her,


    ¡°Fighting. Hurt. Anger, humiliation.¡± she hissed,


    ¡°Tortured, hurt, betrayed.¡± and a fiery aura flared around Jean, ¡°I, its too much¡± and Liv, ignoring the scorching heat, coated herself in Octave and touched her shoulder,


    ¡°You are doing fine dear.¡± and Helios nodded,


    ¡°She, Flash, suffered. Peter''s pain was too much, he couldn¡¯t take the guilt. He drank, and prescription pills. On the roof, Webb lashed out and as they fell, felt afraid, spawned Silk, ¡° and Jean cleared her throat. ¡°Webb was afraid of dying, and he¡¯s terrified of Peter. Silk shares that guilt and pain, but anger. Hank Pym did some terrible things to her, separated her from Cindy for hours until she started to die, he kept them both drugged, tested her over and over for weaknesses, oh god Liv, the things he did.¡± and Helios¡¯s eyes snapped over to Cindy, who froze and stood, moving over. ¡°Cindy suffered during high school. A closet lesbian, her mother found magazines in her room and berated her. She had a girlfriend, someone nobody suspected and hid it from them both, always afraid they would find out, always jumping at shadows.¡± and she shook her head.


    ¡°We need to get Silk a new host, and unbond Cindy,¡± Jean told Liv, sho shrugged.


    ¡°We can¡¯t. There are no suitable hosts in the warehouse. Everyone has a symbiote, even you.¡±


    ¡°Logan,¡± was all she said and Liv laughed,


    ¡°Logan? No offence dear but you want to give an unstable symbiote to someone who could murder us all. Cindy has no training, Logan is older than everyone combined, and I have seen him train Peter. No.¡±


    ¡°I can deal with him,¡± Felicia said as she brought him into the room, ¡°and he agrees.¡±


    ¡°Now, you want me to host Silk, so you can heal her both physically an¡¯ mentally, but why can¡¯t you just leave her on Gwen?¡±


    ¡°Because we need Gwen to find where Cindy ran off too, and she¡¯ll know all of Poison''s favourite snack spots. We need someone who can control themselves, without being overwhelmed, and while I think it is dangerous, we need someone that won¡¯t die if Silk becomes overly aggressive.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t die?¡± Logan asked, furrowing his brow.


    ¡°Symbiote can eat their hosts from the inside if they become too aggressive. No offence but you¡¯ll survive, even if it is painful.¡±


    Logan took a breath and sighed, ¡°yeah but bein¡¯ eaten ain¡¯t exactly my idea of a good time. An¡¯ how exactly do you think Gwen will cope fightin¡¯ against a symbiote, they aren¡¯t exactly pushovers.¡±


    ¡°Everyone here is Enhanced. Gwen included¡± and Logan tutted.


    ¡°I told that boy you were all too liberal with that potion crap.¡±


    Liv shrugged her shoulders, ¡°She invented it, do you think she would test it on anyone else?¡± and he still shook his head,


    ¡°An¡¯ you don¡¯t have a problem with that? I fought Red Skull, I know what a bad formula can do. You¡¯re all crazy, an¡¯ one day it¡¯ll bite your ass so hard that it won¡¯t be just you that suffers.¡±


    ¡°Well then. If that is your final decision. Huntress dear, can you please go find Miss Moon, and try not to hurt her too much. Gwen dear, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll just have to endure this. We do have the biogel on hand, and if need be,¡± and she glared at Logan, ¡°we do have the Extremis formula, but I for one would not like to expose you to it without depowering you first.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I wouldn¡¯t help. I¡¯ve fought Talon, an¡¯ you know they ain¡¯t pretty when they get that mad.¡± and as Liv tutted, he walked past her and held out his hand to Gwen.


    ¡°Get it over with, before I change my mind.¡± and she raised a shaky hand and Silk flowed onto him.


    Logan laughed, and snorted, ¡°that it? I ain¡¯t impressed.¡± and he walked from the warehouse, ¡°goin¡¯ for a smoke.¡± and he continued to laugh as he pulled the pack from the top pocket of his jacket and bit the end from it, ¡°as if some pansy-ass teenage drama would phase me.¡±


    Logan had lived through more wars than he could count, taken more lives and done so many bad things that a raging symbiote was just another drop of anger in the ocean that bubbled under the surface,


    An¡¯ you. Behave or else, he mentally chided the symbiote, but Silk refused to respond.


    As soon as it touched his mind it was overwhelmed. The rich experience flowed from him like honey and she swam in it, drinking him in. Everything he shared with her was new and raw, and what Hank had done to Cindy was nothing compared to what had been done to Logan, or what he had done.


    As Logan headed to the door, he was greeted by Laura who sniffed at him a few times,


    ¡°Host?¡± and he rolled the cigar between his teeth, and nodded,


    ¡°Good, fight then. Can¡¯t die, and I can cut loose properly.¡± and Logan laughed and ruffled her hair, much to her annoyance,


    ¡°Let her settle first, then yeah, let¡¯s see just what you guys deal with.¡± He had been ignoring the spike from Silk, that small rush that he knew was her excitement. His was more feral, and she was like an angry kitten compared to what he normally dealt with.


    Laura was perfect though. Her regeneration was the same as his, and he could probably cut her head off and she¡¯d be fine. He could find out just what level these symbiotes pushed their hosts, and after years of exercises with Charles, and the need to stop stabbing people when they pissed him off, he had a pretty good grip on not just his rage, but all of his emotions.


    As he took a draw of his cigar he felt the symbiote inside him quiver as the nicotine hit it, like that huh?


    We do, Cindy was quiet, and only indulged in the candy, but you. Please, we do not wish to be afraid.


    Show me, and as Silk flooded him with the memories of her times with Hank, Logan bit the end from his cigar and his claws almost slid out from clenched fists.


    Yeah, you an¡¯ me, we should find that Pym and make him aware of just how much he messed up.


    You would do that?


    Aww shit, and Logan relaxed and thought back to the dam, of the tank and of the spotty memories of being experimented on, we ain¡¯t so different, an¡¯ I know how much it hurts, you¡¯ll be fine.


    All his lessons, all his meditations and exercises never taught him how to comfort a scared and angry alien Symbiote that could read his thoughts and alter his brain chemistry. He figured though it was no different from one of the kids brought to the school, manifesting their powers for the first time, and that like them, sometimes it was just a friendly ear and comforting presence they were after.


    Oh yeah, no poking around, I ain¡¯t one of Parker¡¯s little women okay, I ain¡¯t about to start whippin¡¯ it out for a good time alright?


    We, we do not understand, the Cindy felt the desire but with us there, never


    Shit, no wonder. Yeah, that¡¯s a conversation I ain¡¯t havin¡¯ with you either. You can get all that from one of the others.


    If we wish to stay?


    Logan laughed, I ain¡¯t about to be mommy to one of you critters. You know I ain¡¯t the nicest person around, and you know it¡¯s gonna be a rough ride right?


    We do, but Cindy, we feel so much pain bonded with her, we taste you and we like it. she is, she was the only one we had.


    Well, I ain¡¯t calling you Silk, I know that much. It¡¯s gonna be, I dunno, Snarl or Rage, or summin¡¯. Naming things ain¡¯t my speciality.


    We like Rage, it makes us feel like we feel.


    An¡¯ you know I ain¡¯t gonna stop smokin¡¯, right?


    The burning stick? No, do that more, and we also wish to taste the whiskey.


    Well shit, I think we¡¯re gonna get along just fine.

 Arc Eight. Chapter Two Hundred Forty. A Firm Hand

    Logan finished his cigar, and as he turned and headed back inside the floor had already been turned into the sparring ring.


    He laughed and shook his head as Laura let Talon slip over her, and he did the same. Rage conforming to his desire to stick with his tan and black uniform. He slid his claws in and out a few times to make sure she was sitting properly and then approached Talon.


    Logan stretched and let the symbiote flex with him. His normal healing took care of everything but he felt the normal ache in his bones was missing. He had been told long ago the adamantium bonded to his skeleton caused problems, in the other test subjects they had either died or developed aggressive and fatal cancer within weeks of the process. Only his healing factor was strong enough to let him survive, and with Rage, it had been given an upgrade.


    He walked past Gwen, who nodded before heading out and Laura stood on the mat, with Talon wrapped around her. ¡°No holds barred,¡± she said and he nodded.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t my funeral,¡± and three blades slid out from each hand,


    Talon nodded, but held up a hand, ¡°wait. Prize?¡± and Rage sighed,


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll take you to Coney Island, just like you want.¡± He had figured she would get Peter to take her, but after one of the other kids mentioned it, she wanted to go with him. It just wasn¡¯t his thing.


    ¡°And if you win, I¡¯ll run the exercises you want.¡± and he frowned, and waved a finger at her


    ¡°That it? Your skinny little butt¡¯ll fix my car.¡± and Talon giggled. He still hadn¡¯t forgiven her for scratching it, and it sat in the mansion¡¯s garage needing to be resprayed, which she had refused to do and hadn¡¯t even apologised.


    Talon took her stance, and as Gwen closed the door of the warehouse, she heard the pair yell at each other.


    Gwen knew where Poison would have gone. She had a tab running at one of the bakeries, which she had opened under Parker Inc and paid business rates for deliveries of danishes and lunches to the Parker Building. It was the only place nearby that Poison could get something sweet without having money, and as Cindy didn¡¯t drop off any luggage, Gwen figured she was broke.


    It was strange being alone with her thoughts. Poison was quiet most of the time, as she hated Gwen¡¯s work, but they still spoke, and Poison would always purr or growl during meal times and Pete times. It wasn¡¯t that much of a downgrade for Gwen. They had all figured out how to keep the more personal information from each other, and the Symbiotes were content to just share the knowledge they gained. Her enhanced muscles made short work of the quick jog to the bakery and she spied Poison, sitting in her full symbskin armour on the bakeries sign, eating what looked like raspberry crowns. One of Poison¡¯s, but not Gwen¡¯s, favourites.


    ¡°I really hope you didn¡¯t go in like that,¡± but Poison huffed at her and split her maw to slide in another crown. Gwen shrugged and shook her head, ¡°funs over anyway, back to the warehouse. We need to give Cindy her medical, and Silk is all healed¡±


    Poison huffed, and another crown slid into her mouth.


    ¡°Really? You want to do this?¡± and Poison shuffled and faced away from Gwen, holding the bag closer to her chest.


    Fucking pain in my ass, Gwen sighed to herself, ¡°Come on, you know we have treats at home. You can eat while we check out Cindy. No-one''s going to take away your food,¡± and Gwen shook her head as she had forgotten just how belligerent Poison could be, something she thought she had grown out of.


    ¡°Poison not here, go away.¡± Poison said and continued to eat, she had switched to what looked like caramel shortcakes. Something after her sugar sensitivity Gwen could no longer stomach.


    ¡°Listen you little shit. You¡¯re in enough trouble without making me yell at you in the street.¡± Gwen could see the store owner in the bakery, and as they reached for the phone, Gwen shook her head and pressed her palms together, begging them not to call the cops. The woman held up her hand, Five, and she put the phone down, standing behind the counter with her arms crossed. Gwen bowed at the women.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got five minutes before they call the Shield or the ETF, then your ass is going to jail, and there are no treats in jail,¡± Gwen shouted at Poison but she still faced away, stuffing the desserts into her mouth.


    Pete¡¯s gonna kill me for this. Gwen moved to the Bakery window and took out her wallet, slapped her Enhanced card against the glass, ¡°Enhanced, I¡¯ll deal with her. You¡¯ve got our number, if there are any damages, call our office.¡± and the woman nodded and ducked down behind the countertop.


    Gwen stepped back, and eyed  the distance, took a run and leaping up, grabbed and swung up to the sign, ¡°You¡¯re coming home, like it or not you fucking shit.¡±


    Poison hissed at her and eyed at the empty bag, ¡°finished anyway.¡± and scrunched it up, huffing at Gwen. ¡°Want more, Cindy wants more, give us more.¡± and Gwen¡¯s shoulder slumped,


    ¡°There are more at home, you know what.¡±


    ¡°Not fresh, want fresh. Want the sweety sour ones, want the super sugar ones, and want the sticky licky ones.¡± Poison huffed,


    ¡°Poison. You can¡¯t, Cindy will get, Wait. Cindy. Why are you letting her do this? Change into normal clothes and we can head to the warehouse.¡± but Poison stopped and crossed her arms,


    ¡°Cindy isn¡¯t talking. We want the sweety sweets or there will be no coming home. Home is boring, boring boring boring, all worky work, no playtimes, no Pete times, all just boring talky talk.¡±


    ¡°Poison, you know we couldn¡¯t fight, so we didn¡¯t train. You didn¡¯t like fighting,¡± and Poison huffed. She didn¡¯t, she liked sweets and Peter, but Gwen was busy and she didn¡¯t get either. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll make more time for you okay? We can see what sweets you can eat and-¡±


    ¡°NO! Pete now!¡± and Poison grabbed her and lifted her from the ground, ¡°No talky talk, PETE!¡±


    Gwen balled her fists, ¡°Pete isn¡¯t here, and we¡¯re going home before you get us arrested.¡±


    While Gwen was arguing with Poison, Logan was enjoying himself with the now christened Rage.


    Talon had used her smaller size and speed to grab him in an armbar, but as his bones were indestructible, and with Rage bonded to him he could shut off his sense of pain he ignored it and he rolled onto his side, lifted the pair of them from the matt and slammed her back into it. It didn¡¯t matter if he dislocated his shoulder, as he rolled away he shrugged and Rage popped it back into place for him.


    ¡°I see why you all want one of these,¡± and as Talon leapt, he sent out two lines, spun and swung her into the open end of the mat, she wrapped the lines around her wrists and pulled herself towards him, and their heads clashed. He was the victor though, adamantium was much stronger than bone, symbiote or not and she rolled away.


    ¡°Yup, but now it¡¯s nap time,¡± he said, as Talon crouched on the mat, Rage rolled forwards and as she jumped to avoid a leg swept he spun, and with one hand lifted himself off the mat and struck her under the chin with both feet, as she went sailing he repeated his trick, sending out two lines but this time he yanked and as she flew towards him, even with blades drawn he shifted slightly, took them both in the soft tissue of his gut and stuck her on either side of the head with closed fists.


    As she was stunned, he lifted her by the arms sticking her in his gut, slammed her down and then grabbed her neck, pitched forwards until there was a snap and she fell limp.


    ¡°Cherry red. Might as well respray the whole thing.¡± and as she lifted herself up, tilted her neck until it popped back into place, ¡°an¡¯ yup. I think I gotta get me one of these.¡±


    We want to stay, Rage spoke to him,


    And don¡¯t Cindy get a say?


    Not a toy dad, Talon interrupted,


    What the hell? You can hear us? And Talon nodded,


    Symbiotes share with host, need to speak in the mind. Baldy can¡¯t read your thoughts now, not unless Silk agrees,


    Well, shit. You¡¯re all telepathic, Charles¡¯s gonna freak out when he finds out.


    ¡°But still, Cindy?¡± and Talon shrugged and shifted back into Laura''s preferred outfit, a form-fitting black T-Shirt and tight black leather pants.


    ¡°Talon stays because Talon wants to. Little snot monsters live where they want, if we say no, they move,¡± and Laura tilted her head, ¡°or eat our brain. But they decide. Cindy can¡¯t make Silk stay.¡±


    ¡°Yeah well, It¡¯s Rage now, and I guess it¡¯s stayin¡¯ here.¡± and as Rage bubbled, she shifted and Logan was wearing a red and green plaid shirt, over a white t-shirt and blue jeans and tan leather cowboy boots. As he patted himself down he shrugged. ¡°Oh, you little shit. You ate my cigars.¡± and he felt Rage mentally shrug at him, ¡°those were imports, an¡¯ they ain¡¯t.¡° Logan sighed, ¡°you know, I ain¡¯t buying you cigars to munch on, you smoke em¡¯, not eat ¡®em.¡±


    Those were the burning sticks?


    Uh-huh


    We are sorry, we promise not to do it again, we did not know, they smelt nice and we wished to try them,


    ¡°Just how sheltered was Cindy?¡± Logan asked out loud, and Liv answered,


    ¡°She is a twenty-six year-old girl, Logan. What exactly did you think she was going to get up to?¡±


    Logan shrugged, ¡°I dunno, it¡¯s been a while since I was twenty-anythin¡¯, but don¡¯t you all party and have uh,¡± and as he saw the Liv, Laura and Felicia were all staring at him, ¡°yeah, you know what, don¡¯t answer that one.¡±


    Felicia laughed, ¡°that¡¯s us. We figured out,¡± and she paused ¡°oh, uh, we¡¯ve never had to deal with a man being bonded before. Shit, can you get Pete?¡± and as Liv looked at her phone, she shook her head,


    ¡°Wakanda is still restricting access.¡± and Liv scrolled through her contacts, ¡°I¡¯ve sent Eugene a message though.¡±


    ¡°Something I¡¯m missing?¡±


    Felicia looked over at Liv pleadingly, who rolled her eyes and shrugged.


    ¡°Symbiotes are addicted to our neural chemistry, they get violent as adrenaline and noradrenaline are both apparently very tasty, but unfortunately so is testosterone, and dopamine, and serotonin, and a lot of other chemicals released during intercourse.¡±


    Logan stared for a moment and then laughed, ¡°so guess that explains the horndog, so Rage an¡¯ all?¡± and Liv nodded.


    ¡°In fact, you will secrete a hormone to attract a mate, and unless you actively control that power, you will be busy. Peter has us all practice creating a thin invisible layer of armour over ourselves. It¡¯s not a symbiote per se, almost like a second skin, but unless you want to be buried under a mountain of flesh, practice, and oh, here.¡± and Liv took the spare bottle of neutraliser they kept under the kitchen table. ¡°Anyone coming onto you, spray them with that. You all might have issues with Peter, but he is very self-conscious about it, and very very much into consent.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I know, I ain¡¯t judgin¡¯ the way you all live here, but I knew it was a power of his, I can smell it.¡± Logan nodded, ¡°It still ain¡¯t right though.¡± and Liv sighed,


    ¡°It¡¯s a function of their biology. How else would they attract hosts? You don¡¯t get angry at flowers do you?¡± and Logan shrugged, he got angry at a lot of things.


    While Logan and Liv waited for Flash to respond, Gwen was having less luck trying to persuade Poison to return to the warehouse.


    She had grabbed her, and Gwen brought up both knees and smashed them into Poisons chin, stumbling back the symbiote rubbed her face and snarled,


    ¡°No fight, want Pete, want cookies, want fun.¡± she hissed.


    ¡°And you can get them, but you need to come home.¡± but Poison just hissed at her again and crouched down, holding one hand on the roof of the bakery while she readied herself to pounce.


    ¡°No. Cookies!¡± and she lept past Gwen and down onto the street.


    Gwen swore as she heard the bakery owner scream. This time Poison hadn¡¯t even bothered to change, and with her gruesome visage and shark-toothed maw, she was not the nicest looking creature around.


    Gwen huffed and clenched her fist, screaming to the empty roof. As she let out a breath, she grabbed at her pocket and pulled out a vial. She had taken it from Peter¡¯s lab, as Liv had told her of its existence.


    As she waited, Poison swung back up to the roof, carrying a tray of cookies piled high with, and Gwen sighed, everything. Poison had emptied the shop¡¯s supply onto one tray and stolen it.


    ¡°Listen you fucking shit. You¡¯ll be paying for those,¡± and Poison opened her maw and hissed. As she did Gwen popped the top and threw the vial at her, before sliding forwards and driving a fist into Poison''s stomach, swinging around, taking her by the neck and bending her, driving her knee into the Symbiotes head.


    After Logan had admonished the group, and Laura had almost gutted Peter, Liv had begun to work on several non-lethal methods to neutralise the Symbiotes. The idea of simply killing them was abhorrent, especially if the host had no control over their actions. It had been kept secret from everyone, and it was only when Gwen was unbonded that Liv shared a paralysing formula. One Gwen might need to subdue Cindy if she was better trained.


    As Poison staggered back, Gwen grabbed the tray and smashed it over her head, and then, taking the thin edge, drove it onto the small of her back and then again into the nape of her neck, knowing she wasn¡¯t strong enough to snap anything but it would be incredibly painful. As Poison lay still, she uncoiled a rope. It was another of Livs creations, woven from the same nano polymer they created from Peter''s webbing, and incredibly difficult for even a Symbiote to break, and began to hogtie Cindy.


    Gwen stood over the broken form of Cindy. She hated having to cheat, but with Poison becoming violent, she needed to. But as she finished restraining her, she looked up at the sky as a ribbon of red spread across it.


    ¡°What the hell is that?¡±


    Malisson


    Oooo, a cliffhanger ending to Arc Eight. AIM To Please.


    Arc Nine begins next week, and all will be revealed.


    Thanks for reading, commenting, and favouriting.

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two Hundred Forty-One. Unfriendly Four

    The day before


    Waving goodbye to the jet, Peter headed into the encampment. He was expecting to meet Reed or Sue here, but the whole base was deserted.


    Scrunching his face, as it appeared nobody had been here for days, he heaved to site two. The remains of the pyramid where Apocalypse had been buried and found several thobe wearing men lazing around outside, a hookah had been set up and they boiled tea on a campfire nearby.


    ¡°AIM?¡± he asked, flashing a badge and one of the men took a puff and just pointed to the doorway. Peter sighed and shook his head. This expedition was being financed by Parker Inc, and paying a bunch of people to sit around wasn¡¯t his idea of value for money. It was fine when he was the one lazing about, but now he was paying for it, he would be having words with Reed.


    When did I become such an old man? He laughed to himself, normally he just signed off on anything Liv put in front of him, even the larger and more expensive items. He could trust Liv to make a good decision, and Parker Inc was making money, but he didn¡¯t like the idea of bankrolling Reed and his frivolous adventures, even if Gwen vouched for Sue.


    ¡°Viktor, I get that, but-¡± and as Peter entered the main chamber he saw Ben lifting rocks, Sue, staring at a wall, taking notes, Johnny sitting on a rock, holding a ball and Reed and Viktor standing in front of the rubble-filled doorway, arguing.


    It was easy enough to tell them apart. Ben was a huge bald muscular rugged-looking man, but with a kind face, and he seemed to be ignoring the pair as they argued. Johnny was clean-shaven, blue eyes and short blonde hair, and he reminded Peter of Steve, maybe a bit younger. Sue was attractive but when he judged her on everyone else she fell short, especially with the thinly veiled sneer she was giving him, and Viktor was an older man. He knew DoomCo had thrown their lot in with Oscorp and had been a driving force behind the Oscorp Drones, but when the scandal hit, DoomCo went down with them.


    Reed was the same age as Peter and had a bored, angry look on his face. Whatever they had expected to find here had obviously fallen short of Reeds expectations and now, he was complaining.


    ¡°Oh no,¡± Peter interrupted, ¡°Don¡¯t mind me. Apparently, sitting around is all the fashion, well, good job Ben.¡± and as the rock slid from his fingers he hastily stepped back to avoid it crushing his foot.


    ¡°Uh, Peter. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be here.¡± Reed said, folding a drawing and slipping it back into his blue jumpsuit.


    ¡°I can see that, but as I was in Wakanda, I thought I¡¯d come over and make sure that everything was okay,¡± and Viktor snorted and folded his arms,


    ¡°Richards is refusing to allow the workers into the main chamber.¡± and Peter raised an eyebrow and stared at Reed,


    ¡°You want secrecy, and I know they¡¯re already planning on selling any artefacts we find. Several of the men even have guns,¡± and Peter shook his head.


    ¡°Reed. We live in America, everyone has guns.¡± but Reed shook his head,


    ¡°No, I speak Arabic, they have guns for,¡± and he drew a finger across his throat, ¡°that¡¯s why they are outside¡±


    Peter sighed and let his mind touch the men outside. Reed was partially correct. They had been hired by a local businessman. If Reed and the others found gold or jewellery, they were to rob them but leave them unharmed. Even the Egyptian government wasn¡¯t stupid enough to antagonise Parker Inc, as the news of Peters betrothal to Shuri had already hit the headlines.


    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with them, but that still doesn¡¯t explain why you haven¡¯t breached the main tomb yet. It''s just rocks,¡± and Ben stared at him,


    ¡°Yeah that easy, it¡¯s just rocks to you an¡¯ me, but to these three, they might as well be mountains. They ain¡¯t built like us,¡± and as he rolled the rock away, Peter understood. The delicate flowers were unused to actual physical labour.


    Looking over at the blockage into the main sanctum, Peter figured that with Ben''s help it would only be an hour or so of work if he did most of the heavy lifting. ¡°Reed, go tell the men to go home. We won¡¯t need them today. Ben, if I move most of this, can you take a cart to move it outside?¡±


    Reed looked over at Viktor hesitantly, ¡°seriously? Fine, Victor, I assume you speak Arabic as well. Can you go and tell the men outside to go home. Reed, go sit out the way, maybe play with Johnny''s balls or something,¡± and he ignored the look of disgust Reed gave him, even if Johnny did snort.


    ¡°And Sue, what are you doing?¡± and she looked over,


    ¡°Cataloguing,¡± and went back to taking notes.


    He could feel the disgust and anger rolling off her, Mind Stone or not, and he knew this wasn''t going to work. It was tempting to blank their minds and have them stand outside for the next hour while he did everything, but he knew Liv would get mad. It was a slippery slope to beginning to abuse the Stone¡¯s power. He could deal with two petulant idiots without it.


    ¡°Good, then when we get back I would like a full report on what you¡¯re documenting. This isn¡¯t a sightseeing trip, You¡¯re supposed to be proving yourselves as worthy associates, not sitting playing with yourselves.¡± and as Sue turned to give him a piece of her mind his symbskin slipped over him and Venom leered at her, as his muscles thickened and his claws grew, for smashing through the rock pile, she froze and stared with her mouth open,


    ¡°Yeah, I get that a lot,¡± and as Venom grabbed and lifted the boulder it had taken Ben ten minutes to move, she shook her head,


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not possible. Where is the extra mass coming from, height, weight, strength, all increased.¡± Sue came over and was about to prod him with her pen when he moved away, still holding the rock in one hand,


    ¡°Yeah, not discussing that, and Gwen had better have been quiet as well. You are still on probation, collaboration, not an open house. And so far, I¡¯m not impressed,¡± and Sue huffed,


    ¡°I don¡¯t think-¡± but Venom interrupted her,


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t. Do you think I just added my name to the building and Gwen and Liv went along with it because they love me? You don¡¯t think that maybe I¡¯m smart enough to have built my own tech, smart enough to have several working prototypes and smart enough to know when I see a bunch of screw-ups when I see them. You live off your dad¡¯s name, money and contacts. So far, the only person here I¡¯m actually impressed with is Ben, no offence Viktor, but you¡¯re all complaining, and not working.¡± and as he hoisted the rock up he dropped it and grabbed another one, ¡°and arguing definitely isn¡¯t working.¡± and as he shoo¡¯d Sue out of the way. ¡°And do you think I came here without making sure that I could defend myself against a gang of thieves,¡± and the harness erupted from his back, each of the arms grabbing a boulder and moving it into the corner.


    ¡°Impressive Mr Parker. The Octavious harness I assume?¡± Viktor said, nodding.


    ¡°Nope. Liv supplied the reactor but this one is mine. We worked on it together, without a horrible synaptic dampener she used in the original. Multi-sensory input, each limb can act independently and has a small range of touch and temperature. Liv took my design and fabricated it, and then started working on making it modular for sale.¡± Unimpressed, Venom looked over at Sue and Reed, ¡°Oh, and my abilities as an Enhanced also include a method to monitor and translate the electrical impulses in your brain. Reed, I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re not impressed, and Sue, I don¡¯t care if you think this is some kind of joke,¡± The last one was a lie, Sue was actually still wondering how the formula was enhancing his physiology but he¡¯d had enough of their arrogant bullshit.


    Peter knew Reed¡¯s problem was jealousy. He¡¯d been in various universities for years, since he was 10, and had enough degrees that anyone would snatch him up, but after being told countless times how much of a genius he was, and other than the paper had nothing to show for it, meeting Peter put him out of sorts. Peter had no formal education but was still making money, still had the labs and equipment he wanted, and the life he wanted.


    Sue''s problem was just annoyance that Gwen was throwing her life away for a nobody. Viktor didn¡¯t care, he knew Hammer had Oscorps drone tech and he wanted it, and if it meant kissing Peter''s ass for a few months, then he would do so, and Johnny was here for a holiday. It was Ben who felt a lingering sense of loyalty to Reed as if he owed him something but without pushing further, he would have to take it slow to find out what.


    ¡°You know, this would be easier if you helped,¡± and Ben wiped a sweat-stained sleeve on his forehead, ¡°Doing my best, but,¡± and he motioned to the pile of large rocks. As his symbskin slipped back, Peter nodded,


    ¡°I know, but,¡° and as the harness disengaged he slid it around him, ¡°put this on. The interface is a little awkward, but really only as you¡¯re not used to having four arms. Just use two and you¡¯ll be fine.¡± As Ben looked over at Reed Peter raised an eyebrow and Ben looked down at the harness, almost apologetically.


    ¡°Yeah, sorry uh. So how?¡± and Peter held it up,


    ¡°It is more comfortable if you''re bare-skinned, but over your top is fine. Ben nodded and pulled off the top of his bright blue jumpsuit, revealing the thick muscles underneath. Peter also noticed a huge burn, stretching from one side of his chest, wrapping around to his back. A chemical burn, and from the location, it seemed like he had been shielded from the majority of it. Curious he touched Ben''s mind and as he stared he got a picture of Reed, and a security guard, and with an explosion, Reed dragging the much larger man to safety. It wall though as Ben''s mind concentrated back on the harness, and Peter figured that while Ben was feeling like he owed Reed a debt, Peter could probably discover that the fire was Reed''s fault and the reason he was barred from the University.


    ¡°So uh,¡± and as Peter held it up Ben stepped forwards, ¡°You know that ain¡¯t,¡± but as Peter pressed it forwards, it engaged and resized, wrapping around Ben and the four arms waved like one of those advertising wind men behind him, ¡°oh yeah, that¡¯s uh weird, but, yeah.¡± and as the arms straightened out, Ben used two to grab a rock, taking another with the other pair. Rather than try and control all four, he was using them in tandem, and Peter smiled,


    ¡°You got it, big guy,¡± his symbskin slipped back over him and he began to tackle the pile of rocks.


    They took shifts. Moving rocks from one pile to another was boring, and as Viktor and Reed sat around a small camping stove, Sue continued to catalogue and write down the hieroglyphics on the wall of the vestibule. Peter ignored the belligerent feelings coming from the pair and the sense of boredom coming from Johnny.


    Viktor was his normal blank self, and it wasn''t until later that Peter realised it was the same feeling he got from Erik when he had that damn helmet on. Viktor was shielding himself, and as he had no visible helmet on, he must have some kind of technology or implant.


    He hadn''t noticed at first but someone aware of telepaths and actively guarding against them was a worry. Was Viktor guarding against him specifically, and if so, how did it leak out? He shook his head. There could be a multitude of reasons why he couldn¡¯t read Viktor. It was being paranoid, and as the man seemed aloof but at least willing to work with him, he paid him no mind.


    It was Sue and Reed''s constant mental barrage of indignation, annoyance, and plain anger that was grating his nerves. If this wasn''t such a dangerous place, with who knew what level of security measures or advanced alien tech, Peter would have slammed his senses shut and then told the duo to go to hell.


    It took the pair two hours to carefully uncover and clear the entrance. Moving the larger rubble was easy, but once they got the door clear, the smaller pieces threatened another cave in and the work became methodical and precise.


    Once the way was open, Venom stepped back and was about to switch back into a smaller form when Reed and Sue both moved forwards, pushing past him. He grabbed the pair, pulling them back.


    ¡°Are you insane?¡± he yelled, ¡°you have no idea what is in there and you¡¯re charging in.¡± and Viktor smirked. ¡°No wonder you¡¯re barred from most labs. Stay there, and stay quiet. I¡¯m not getting killed because you can''t keep your damn hands to yourself.¡±


    Malisson


    And so starts Book Three.


    I forgot to add the title of Book Two to the final chapter.


    Book Two. Power Points


    I will get round to adding Books Two information to the glossary, with word count and side story lists at some point.


    Spider-Man House Of Venom will be One Year Old on the 27th. To celebrate, a new short will be published on Saturday.


    I can''t tell you its title, as it actually spoils the start of Arc Nine.


    (and as a small side note, a thobe is the long robes Arabic men wear, I looked it up so I got it right.)

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two Hundred Forty-Two. Set In Stone

    Peter was expecting an alien spacecraft. Selene had described it as a devils metal cave, but he guessed that alien metal must oxidise as it was all rocks and dust.


    He motioned to Ben to follow him, still wearing the harness, its four arms hovered behind him, ready to defend, or hopefully not, attack.


    ¡°So, uh. I might not be as smart as the other three, but this just looks like a burial chamber,¡± and to Peter, he was right.


    Sat in the middle of the rooms as a stone slab, with the same hieroglyphics written on it. Apocalypse must have been interred there, and while there were no visible exits, other than the main one, the room was empty. No signs that anyone had been here since its creation, let alone a few hundred years ago.


    ¡°No, this isn''t right. I have eyewitness reports. This was a spacecraft, not a cave, and it was full of,¡± and he raised a hand. As his other senses stretched out slowly Peter became aware that the walls that looked like rock were hiding something, and as he moved and placed a hand on one corner of the table, the surface changed into what looked like symbskin.


    ¡°An organic interface.¡± To the Mind Stone it was inert, and he was thankful it wasn''t a symbiote hiding in stasis. He allowed it to connect to his armour, and from there, gained access to the whole ship.


    ¡°Ben, go and get the rest. This will only work for me until I figure it out, but as we¡¯re supposed to be working together, they should at least see this.¡± Peter knew what the symbiote had been for. A bio interface, allowing whatever pilot the ship had to control all its systems. With the death of its host, the symbiote must have been desperate as it sought out a new one.


    ¡°I thought this was supposed to be alien,¡± Reed sounded almost disappointed but Sue came over and lay a hand on the table in excitement,


    ¡°It''s warm,¡± she said and her brow furrowed as nothing happened, ¡°are you?¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°It''s an organic interface. I can connect to it with my powers. I¡¯m accessing the ship¡¯s systems right now, but so far it''s mainly error messages. Engines, weapons, life support, faster than light drive, all offline and critically damaged. Access to all other areas of the ship is restricted to commander level beings only.¡± and Sue placed her hand on the back of Peters


    ¡°Through that skin stuff?¡± and as she gently pinched the tough symbskin he laughed,


    ¡°Yeah, symbiotic skin, and it''s not as frail as it looks. You said you were cataloguing? Can you make copies of all the hieroglyphics in here?¡± and she nodded and got out her sketchbook. Peter raised an eyebrow,


    ¡°Some plants and organisms are photosensitive, so you learn to sketch and not use flash photography on something that could be damaged.¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to access the control systems. To find out exactly what the ship was doing before Apocalypse found it.¡± So far the ships logs had been all standard. Daily briefing logs that the interface translated into thoughts and feelings rather than words, and surprisingly it was boredom that he got. This wasn¡¯t some massive science or warship, it was a small scout, and it patrolled the solar system and then came back, each day for years. Whoever had left the ship here was guarding something else. If Peter¡¯s guess was correct it was probably Wakanda, and as the thought of the huge city entered his mind he was bombarded with proper mission logs and statements.


    ¡°Write this down, as once I disconnect I¡¯ll lose it.¡± it was a mental image, not a memory and while Peter could remember it, it was better to have it catalogued.


    ¡°Solar Cycle 0023. 200 primitives captured and taken to the city. Vibranium deposit beginning.¡±


    On and on, each solar cycle gave more and more information, as Peter read and emotionlessly regurgitated the ship''s logs.


    It seemed an alien species visited earth, millions of years ago, deposited the vibranium asteroid on the surface and began to genetically alter the local population, culling the weak and raising any species they found useful. Their experiments were to complete the Great Work and bring about the resurrection of the Star Gods. As each mutation brought them closer to their goal the aliens became lax.


    ¡°Final Entry. The Hominids have rebelled. Their powers are greater than we can imagine. We have taken heavy damage and are-¡± and the log cut out.


    Peter took a step back, and let out a sigh, ¡°so, the nuts were right, space aliens did screw monkeys and make humans.¡± and while Johnny laughed, Viktor and Reed scowled and shook their heads. ¡°It was a joke, lighten up you two.¡±


    ¡°No, you should be more serious. You know what¡¯ll happen if that leaks out. Space aliens interfered in the development of humans, a magic space city with-¡° and Sue paused, ¡°Wakanda, they mean Wakanda right. Shit, not just a log but proof. I bet the Wakandans knew,¡± and Peter had a sudden thought. Maybe Shuri wanted a symbiote, not for study or research but because there were similar devices in Wakanda.


    If Wakanda was the site of an ancient research facility it would explain why they were only a hundred years or so above the rest of the world, they weren''t using the vibranium to create new tech, they were trying to decipher old tech.


    He would be having words with her once he got home. While they were still getting used to their relationship, a lie of omission that big was a serious issue. It explained a lot as well. Why a flower of all things, unique to one area on the planet, gave humans super abilities. It had either been brought here, and the aliens used it, or it was grown as part of their great experiment.


    One thing Peter did know was Gwen was going to go nuts when she found out she missed this. He could feel the excitement rolling from Sue like waves and while Johnny and Ben were unfazed by the announcement, even Reed seemed to be curious as to what else was in there.


    ¡°I want to take a break. Using this is taxing, and I don¡¯t want to break it,¡± Peter said, as he lifted his hand but Sue put hers on his and tried to press it back down,


    ¡°No. This is the discovery of a lifetime, I want to know more,¡± and as she tried to push his hand back down Peter raised an eyebrow at her,


    ¡°While I appreciate the soft hands, you''re not going to make me do anything. So stop, before I make you stop,¡± and as Peter lifted his hand away Sue scowled.


    As she stood and crossed her arms, ¡°We need to make sure this is all catalogued before the authorities get here. We know you didn''t tell them, and we know those men outside will report back what we found here.¡±


    Peter laughed though and touched the edge of the table again, and it appeared to change back into the stone they found it as. ¡°Oh look, an empty room with some sand and rocks.¡± and Peter smiled at Sue, ¡°but don¡¯t ever do that again. Ever.¡±


    The smile faded and Peter stared at her with a disappointed look.


    ¡°This does need to be catalogued, and if I had activated the interface accidentally or pushing down on the table triggered something. The only person here who can activate it is me, so we do this my way, and at my speed. This is a joint enterprise, not a Storm Foundation expedition. You''re not in charge, you don''t get to give me orders.¡± and as Sue pulled a face, Peter shrugged


    ¡°I¡¯m paying for this. Reed or Viktor, I don''t care how, go out and tell the men to move the rubble outside, let them see it''s just a room, and then get them to go home. Nothing here, pay them and then get rid of them. We set up a camp and I¡¯ll get Wakanda to send someone who can maybe help,¡° and as the five stared at him Peter finally lost patience ¡°Now!¡± and he unleashed a blast of anger at them, Sue paled and shook, while Reed took a step back, Johnny flinched and Ben clenched his fist, even Viktor raised an eyebrow and glared at him.


    ¡°Once this is over, we¡¯ll be having words,¡± Reed said as he stormed past and out into the corridor. Peter could hear him shouting at the men, and soon enough the rabble came in and began to move not just the rocks, but started to dig away at the sand on the floor.


    Heading back outside, Peter took out his phone, and let his symbskin slide over it, creating a secure connection only another symbiote could decipher, he called Shuri.


    ¡°Hey, did you know?¡± He had no patience for any of this right now,


    ¡°Hello Peter, I am happy to hear from you as well,¡± she answered curtly,


    ¡°Sorry, sorry, just,¡± and he took a breath, ¡°I am happy to speak to you, but please, I need to know if you knew.¡± and it was her turn to sigh.


    ¡°You are being vague, so no, I have no idea what you are talking about,¡±


    ¡°The ship, the burial chamber in Egypt was a ship, and so is Wakanda.¡± and he heard the tension vanish from her voice,


    ¡°I did, but any member of the Golden Tribe is under oath, an oath of death Peter, not to tell anyone unless they are of the Golden Tribe as well. You would never have been told, and if they failed the test, neither would any children.¡±


    Peter thought back to the genetic scanner in the scroll. ¡°The testing. It wasn''t to see if I was compatible, it was to see if I had an X-Gene.¡±


    ¡°And now you know, I am free to talk about it. Yes, I knew. Wakanda is a research outpost and the people of Wakanda are the descendants of the original experiments. We rose up and killed our captors. There. Are you happy?¡± but Peter took a deep breath,


    ¡°No, one last thing. Did you know about the symbiotes?¡± and Shuri huffed,


    ¡°What, the devourer? We knew they were dangerous, and they needed to be hunted, but no. We did not even know it came from the ship you found. Peter, what is wrong with you? I do not like to be interrogated in this way. I proved my trust to you, and you still doubt me?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Reed and Sue are-¡° and he sighed, their attitudes had put him in a bad mood and it was wrong of him to take it out on Shuri, ¡±I¡¯m sorry, things aren¡¯t working, it doesn''t matter but this needs to be secret,¡± and cutting the call he sent Shuri a text.


    The ship has logs, and they explain a lot of things, I wasn''t sure, I mean, now I know.


    Know what? you are making no sense.


    A symbiote is required to access the ship''s systems. The ship has an organic interface, disguised as a stone table. Only a host using a symbiote can access it. That''s what the one in your history books was for. They were using it as a key. It must have been in stasis until the Wakandan King disturbed it, maybe for thousands of years.


    Wait, no, no, that''s not, give me a moment.


    Peter stared at his phone as he watched the men bring out not just wheelbarrows of rocks and sand and dump them but mutter to themselves. He figured they were mad the room was empty, and even as some moved rocks, others broke up their camp and their number dwindled.


    I love you, I love you so much. Tell me, what do you want? A threesome with Ororo? A hundred Dora to service you, anything. Tell me and I will give you anything.


    What the hell, Shuri?


    There are stone tables all over Wakanda, there is even one in the throne room. I placed Jhalia against it and I saw, I saw it all Peter. I have control of the whole city.

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two Hundred Forty-Three. Tall Tales

    Peter had let the excited Shuri return to her exploration, while he dealt with the fuming four.


    Only Ben seemed to be happy as he continued to use the harness, unpacking the jeep that the others had travelled in, and made to set up their own camp.


    With his own rucksack and minimal gear, Peter set up slightly apart from them, Ben making large marquee tents in a circle, and setting up a gas stove in the centre. Peters gear was more compact and built many from the long-chain polymer that Gwen and he had developed a long time ago. While a morphic symbcell was useless his webbing wasn''t, and a thick but compact and light sleeping bag, tent and a small arcstar powered heater and stove were soon set up, and the six sat around the fire, with an awkward silence in the air.


    ¡°Right, well, this is stupid and I don''t have time for it, Reed, get it off your chest. Sue, you can go next, anyone else after that can get a turn.¡± Peter stated as he dropped a spoon into his canteen cup. The MRE Ben had provided was satisfying if a little bland.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got nothing to say. You waltzed here, took over and without you, we would have found nothing and came home.¡± Reed stated and sat back, his own meal tasteless and bland.


    ¡°I uh, Why did you come here Mr Parker?¡± Sue asked, and Peter shrugged.


    ¡°I wanted to find out what Apocalypse had been doing. You read the report. If there was anything here to seriously threaten the Earth we needed to know and neutralize it.¡±


    Reed snorted, ¡°take it you mean?¡± and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°Wouldn''t be the first time. Dangerous things make dangerous situations. I''ve been shot, stabbed, gutted, thrown into space, and a whole lot more. This isn''t a game. Apocalypse was an Augment with centuries of power behind him, and the ability to use it.¡±


    Reed snorted, ¡°I hardly think that an immortal being really existed. The science alone is impossible¡± and Peter shook his head,


    ¡°Really? So you don''t believe Captain America was real, or Hulk, or Ultron?¡± and Reed shook his head.


    ¡°I''ve seen into other dimensions Peter, there''s nothing there. Aliens might exist, but true cellular immortality is impossible. Super strength, superhuman abilities, it''s just not scientifically feasible.¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°And because the great Reed Richards hasn''t seen it, it doesn''t exist? You arrogant jackass. What did you watch me do earlier? Did you not watch me move rocks that Ben needed a mechanical harness to lift?¡± and Reed shook his head,


    ¡°You have two. The harness has a resizing option, so you have a spare,¡± and Peter sucked on his bottom lip.


    ¡°You know, I have next to no shame, I live with eight women, I really don''t care. So.¡± and Peter stood, raised his arms, and slowly spun on the spot.


    As he came back around, his clothing shifted and changed from a pair of combat trousers and boots, with a shirt not a tracksuit, then a dress, and then as Sue gasped, nothing at all.


    ¡°Symbskin. A symbiotic coating covering my entire body. I can control its morphic field, shaping it into anything I want, or reabsorb it back into my body,¡± and Reeds eyes flicked down and then back up


    ¡°I can see that. There are ladies present.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, there''s more. Johnny is marvelling at how someone can have such a huge dick. Ben is thinking it''s not that impressive. You think, amongst other things, that I''m trying to steal Sue, and Sue is wondering if Gwen cried when she first saw it or if she can take all of it. Viktor, you are blocking my telepathy, and I would like to know how.¡±


    Viktor stared at him and then laughed. ¡°If you put your clothes back on, I will tell you,¡± and as Peter let the symbskin reform back into his combat pants and top, Viktor parted his hair, ¡°I have a plate in my head, from an accident when I was a child.¡±


    But Reed snorted, ¡°telepathy? You expect me to believe that? I can accept you have some kind of unstable molecular clothing. Your tent is the same right, but superhuman abilities? You''re a charlatan, and whatever you''re doing with AIM is only to get Killains money. I saw how much he paid you, I know that he got your patents back.¡±


    Peter shook his head, ¡°Aldrich gave me those in good faith for saving his wife. She was poisoned with a serum called Extremis, and I paid him back for those patents. He got a settlement when he left. Look, if you don''t want to join AIM I don''t care. With Hammer dead and Aldrich gone, it¡¯s the three groups sat right here. Parker Inc, The Storm Foundation, and DoomCo. If you say no then who cares. AIM folds and we all walk our separate ways, I don''t get what the big deal is. I''m trying to be as nice as I can, but you''ve got some slight, imagined or not.¡±


    As Reed''s eyes moved over to Sue Peter shook his head, ¡°Really, I met Sue a few hours ago, I''m marrying Shuri of Wakanda, and have eight others. Sure you''re pretty, but no. Why would you even think that?¡±


    ¡°He doesn''t. He¡¯s mad because I want to join Parker Inc and work with Gwen, and he thinks I''m attracted to you.¡± Sue sighed and admitted, ¡°Gwen gushed over you, and accidentally sent me a few pictures of uh, that.¡± and Peter laughed


    ¡°That''s it?¡± and as he shook his head he rummaged in his pack and pulled out a small bottle, ¡°Reed, I don''t want your girlfriend, no offence Sue, really. The rest would kill me, and it''s not a joke.¡± and that got Johnny attention,


    ¡°You mean you really do have nine¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°Gwen, Liv, MJ, Felicia, Carol, Natasha, Laura, Wanda, and Shuri.¡± and as Peter opened the bottle he tipped a small amount into a cup, ¡°add that to your coffee. Ivan says the best way for men to get over their differences is to get drunk, so let''s get drunk.¡± and as Reed sniffed at the cup,


    ¡°Is this cleaning fluid?¡± Peter laughed,


    ¡°Gwen makes it. I¡¯m resistant to most poisons, so it''s a bit strong, but it''s fine¡± and as Reed sniffed and looked doubtfully at Peter, ¡°it''s fine, honest.¡±


    Sue took the cup, ¡°Ivan, Russian?¡± And Peter nodded. Sue gave a single nod and drained the cup, coughing right afterwards. ¡°Shit, that is cleaning fluid,¡± and as Reed rubbed her back, she sat up and with a slightly flushed face, waved the cup at Peter, ¡°another,¡± and he grinned and nodded, pouring a small amount into her cup. As she leant back, she whispered in Reed¡¯s ear, unaware that Peter could hear them, ¡°and I¡¯ll prove just how much I don''t want him. Later, my tent, bring condoms, lots of condoms.¡±


    The night devolved into a small drinking contest. While the day was fatal for alcohol the night was cool and with enough coffee to make it last, the four got a good enough buzz that what differences remained in the morning was nobody''s fault but their own.


    As Peter looked over at a very pissed off looking Sue he figured from Reed''s apologetic behaviour that unsurprisingly, they didn''t bring condoms. He could have offered some from his pack. He had them to use not as a prophylactic, but as a way to keep things dry, but he figured that being blamed for seducing someone''s girlfriend when this time he actually hadn¡¯t done anything that Reed could go fuck himself rather than Sue.


    Peter found Ben making more coffee and as the sun rose, he helped by making breakfast. He was a light sleeper and up at the time normally. With some small packets of herbs from his own pack, the powdered eggs turned out better than expected and with the addition of flatbread bought from the local market it was a decent enough breakfast,


    ¡°If we are going to be working together, Mr Parker. I for one would like to know what you are exactly. While Reed might not believe you are superhuman, I know that there is more in the world than just us.¡± Viktor asked. Peter had placed his accent as similar to Wanda''s and figured he was from somewhere close to Sokovia. As an Eastern European tales of witches and things that inhabited the remote forests would have been his bedtime stories.


    With the information on Symbiotes going to become public knowledge eventually, and the super-soldier serum being marketed under a different and more commercial name Peter saw no harm in explaining at least some of his abilities.


    ¡°Sure, but let me check something¡± and after sending a text to Gwen, Sue''s phone tinged, and as he checked the reply, he nodded. ¡°Right, so Sue now works for me, Reed you¡¯re still a maybe as there are a few accidents on your file I want to hear your side of first, but, in the ¡®40s,¡± and Peter began to explain at least the brief discovery of the formula, Oscorps revival of it, and Gwen''s eventual fixing of it. Extremis, Symbiotes, and the Augmented were for later. Once they were completely trustworthy.


    ¡°And you can prove this?¡± Reed asked and Peter nodded.


    ¡°The formula is just that, a chemical formula. Which Sue will be working on, amongst other things. Parker Inc is a research and development company Reed, we don''t just manufacture.¡± In truth right now R and D was all they did, manufacturing was still being worked on.


    ¡°Then DoomCo accepts your partnership, but we do mechanical and will be seeking out a few technical issues we are having with our Doombots.¡± and Peter gave him a half-hearted smile,


    ¡°You didn''t get Hammer to help did you?¡± but Viktor laughed,


    ¡°No, I did meet Mr Vanko, and he was an interesting man. I would appreciate it if you did not interfere if I offer him a working position,¡± and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°Too late. I offered him one at the Expo. He has my spare harness, and I don''t think unless you can match that, he¡¯ll move.¡± and catching the look on Ben''s face, Peter knew it might be the same for him as well.


    A certain breed of man, once you handed him a new toy would be your friend forever, and with the gleam in his eye, he knew that with a small nudge, Ben Grimm would be part of Parker Inc.


    Viktor snorted, ¡°I see that look, and you are right. Please in future, however, do not just poach every available employee on the market. I was led to believe that this was a partnership, not a dictatorship.¡± and Peter nodded.


    ¡°Well, there are only two more. Johnny, we don''t have a position for you, I mean, your training to be a pilot right? But Ben, we do need a head of security, comes with a few perks.¡± and as Reed gave Peter the stink eye Johnny shrugged and went back to breakfast while Ben rubbed a hand over the harness he was still wearing.


    ¡°Uh I, Uh¡± but Peter raised a hand


    ¡°I know. The way Reed looks at you, I almost thought it was you and Reed, but I get loyalty. My only issue with Reed is his recklessness,¡± and as Reed snorted Peter tilted his head. ¡°Fine, 2010. An explosion in the Massachusetts campus, blamed on a gas leak, but it was in your class, was it you?¡± and as Reed shook his head, Peter knew he was lying. ¡°2011, the chemical explosion at Harvard?¡± and again, a lie. Each time Peter asked, Reed shook his head and the lies rolled from him like clouds of poison.


    ¡°Final one then, Were you responsible for the explosion that  gave Ben his scar?¡± but this time he let the Mind Stone wrap its power around Reed,


    ¡°Yes, I was trying to make fireworks to impress Sue and it went wrong. The mix caught fire after I left a bunsen burner on and forgot about it. I only went back as I wanted to rescue a book Sue gave me.¡± and Ben¡¯s face fell.


    ¡°What no, it wasn''t me. I didn¡¯t¡± and Peter pushed once more,


    ¡°And the rest?¡±


    ¡°They were all me. Franklin Richards paid the Universities off on the condition I stay off-campus.¡±


    Peter finished his coffee, ¡°thank you, Reed, that''s all I wanted to know.¡±


    Reed stood and pointed a finger at Peter, ¡°No, you made me say all that. I didn''t do any of it.¡± but Peter shrugged,


    ¡°Thought you didn''t believe I had powers?¡±

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two Hundred Forty-Four. In The Red

    Reed had stormed off after that. Peter had made it perfectly clear that he was no longer welcome with the rest of the expedition.


    ¡°Sue, I won''t hold you to your contract, nor you Ben, but let''s be clear. People make mistakes, I''ve made plenty. I don''t care, I cared he lied. If he covered up those accidents, what else has he covered up,'''' Sue looked guilty at her hands while Ben¡¯s face was frozen in a hard rock face of anger.


    ¡°Reed just doesn''t know better, can you give him one more chance?¡± and Peter shook his head,


    ¡°Sue, he caused at least four accidents, the red flags went up when I found out even Banner isn''t banned from the campus he trashed. I needed to know.¡± but it was Viktor,


    ¡°It is okay Miss Storm, While Peter may not, I will happily take the young Richards under my wing. He may accompany me, as we explore the ship further.¡± and Peter shrugged, ¡°I assume we are exploring further?¡± and Peter nodded.


    ¡°As long as Reed follows your instruction and doesn''t touch anything I label as off-limits, sure,¡± and Viktor smiled, ¡°Sue, tell me now though¡± and she shook her head,


    ¡°Johnny?¡± and he shrugged,


    ¡°I uh, just came along for the ride. I was bored. I¡¯ll give that harness a shot though, can it fly? I mean, Iron Man can fly,¡± and Peter huffed


    ¡°No, it can¡¯t fly. This version can¡¯t fly, but we¡¯re working on adding in a few modifications.¡± or we are now Peter thought to himself.


    ¡°Well then,¡± and Viktor threw away the dregs of coffee in his mug and stood, ¡°I will find Reed and persuade him to accompany us, and well, Good luck Mr Parker,¡± and Peter sighed and nodded.


    While Reed wasn¡¯t a fan he had just split apart a group that had been together for years, even unintentionally and there would be fall out. It would be a barrier between Sue and Reed, and if Reed was as oblivious as she said, it might even break them up. Ben''s face hadn¡¯t shifted, and even without powers, Peter knew that he was angry and betrayed at Reed''s admission. It was one thing to lie about the accident but another to let the man follow him blindly acting on that assumption.


    ¡°Okay, the plan for today is to see if we can access the rest of the ship. From yesterday I doubt anything is working, but access will get us to the parts we need to strip. Shuri should send us some help to dismantle the ship and transport it to Wakanda,¡± and the trio nodded, with very little enthusiasm. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s fine, If you three want to take a day I don''t mind, it''s not ex-¡± but Reed stormed back into camp


    ¡°No,¡± and he stood in front of Peter, ¡°Viktor offered me a position, Ben one for you and Johnny too. Sue, I know Gwen promised you a researcher position but Viktor does have a bio-organic fuel department, and Peter did offer to let you out of your contract,¡± but Sue stared at the cup of coffee in her hand,


    ¡°But it''s not biochem Reed, and that is what Gwen is working on. I¡¯d be working with Gwen.¡± and as she stared at him, ¡°Don''t you get that?¡± and he shrugged.


    ¡°Still Parker Inc, still with him.¡± and even Peter sighed.


    ¡°Dude, stop being an ass. She cares about you, and met me once, grow the fuck up.¡±


    ¡°Peter, you''re my boss, not my friend. Stay the hell out of this,¡± Sue snapped and Peter shrugged and finished his coffee.


    ¡°Be at the entrance in the next hour.¡± and walked away.


    ¡°See?¡± Reed pointed at Peter''s receding figure, ¡°he¡¯s interfering.¡± but Sue moved and put a hand on his shoulder,


    ¡°I knew about the labs, Reed, but I didn''t think you hid it from Ben. You need to apologise to him, and make this right.¡± and Sue lifted her head and kissed him on the cheek, ¡°we¡¯re fine, we¡¯ll always be fine. My job is just a job, you are important to me.¡± and as she pulled him into her embrace ¡°but I''m not quitting my dream job to work on biodiesel. Now Ben.¡± and as she brushed the side of his hair with her fingers she smiled, ¡°it¡¯ll be fine Reed.¡±


    Sue let go, and headed to the main entrance as well, leaving Johnny, and Ben alone with Reed,


    ¡°Yup, great talk¡± and as Johnny patted Reed on the shoulder, ¡°don''t screw this up, my sister is a lot more forgiving than he is.¡± he heard to catch up to the pair.


    ¡°Ben I uh¡± but Ben shook his head,


    ¡°Did you save me because I was there, or because you wanted to?¡±


    Redd was confused, ¡°I saved you because it was right. I caused an accident, and I hid that from you but I didn''t save you or lie because I wanted to, I saved you because it was right.¡±


    ¡°And the lie?¡± and Reed looked at Ben


    ¡°I didn''t want to lose my only friend.¡±


    Ben snorted and shook his head, a small grin creeping into the corner of his mouth, ¡°I gotta say though, this harness, it''s pretty great, you got a harness?¡± and Reed laughed,


    ¡°I''m sure I could make one. I mean, if Parker can build one, how hard can it be?¡±


    Jackass, Peter thought to himself, I should steal your girlfriend just for that alone, and as he shook his head she smiled at Sue.


    ¡°Great, Johnny, is everything fixed?¡± and Johnny nodded,


    ¡°Viktor offered me a post. He''s got a few cars for the European market that need test drives.¡±


    Peter looked at Sue, who shook her head, ¡°You''re a crash test dummy.¡± and as she nodded, ¡°Perfect, at least you''re qualified,¡± and Peter laughed.


    Reed and Ben soon made their way over, and Ben rubbed the back of his head, ¡°I uh, gotta decline Pete. Viktor offered me a job as well, and with Reed workin¡¯ there, I gotta take it. It''s just you Suzie. I mean, gonna split up the family?¡± and as the guilt was laid on thick Sue hesitated for a moment.


    ¡°Why don''t we actually finish this assignment, and you can decide once you''re in New York,¡± Peter said pointedly.


    ¡°Uh yeah, sure, Sorry Pete.¡± Ben stammered. He was right though, This was still on his dime, and talking about jumping ship with their current boss was bad manners, even if he was just a kid.


    Peter frowned ¡°great, now. Once Viktor gets here, we can start¡± but Reed pointed to the entrance,


    ¡°Uh, Viktor already went inside.¡± and as well as frowning Peter shook his head,


    ¡°Then, I guess we should join him, ¡° not that he could do anything unless there were more symbiotes on Earth, he doubted that anything was able to access the ship¡¯s systems.


    Viktor was pouring over Sues notes, and comparing them to a set of hieroglyphics on the furthest wall, ¡°if Miss Storms notes are correct, I believe there are several hidden compartments, storing supplies and weapons. It might be an idea to secure them first before we open anything else. Anything with an active power core should be dealt with, as you said Peter, just in case of an accident.¡± and while he didn¡¯t say it, they knew he meant Reed.


    ¡°Let me¡± and placing a hand on the table once more Peter accessed the ship''s schematics once more. Almost immediately he was swamped by a barrage of error messages. The ship¡¯s engines weren¡¯t just offline, they were empty, and that at least meant no fuel for an explosion. He hoped. While the ship¡¯s schematics were available some of the words didn¡¯t translate through his symbskin properly, a world in the alien language with no English translation he figured and while he could guess it meant fuel, what the actual substance was, he had no clue. Looking for weapons as well, he found that the ship had some projectile weapons, he guessed were missiles of some kind but once more, the error messages he was getting indicated that nothing was volatile, and nothing was active.


    ¡°We¡¯re fine, The ship wasn''t carrying any heavy armaments, and it must have been fissionable, as even the engines are empty.¡± he caught a mild look of annoyance on Viktors face, but as everyone had their own agenda, he ignored it. As long as he wasn¡¯t a nazi hydra agent in disguise, Peter could understand wanting to be the first one to market with alien tech. He was having similar thoughts himself.


    ¡°Right, we¡¯ve got cargo, medical, engine room is gone, and I mean gone gone not just shut off, and uh, something that won''t translate into English but I think might be storage? It''s small enough, and uh, whatever is in there is locked behind a,¡± and he shrugged, ¡°uru is the word I''m getting but nothing in English, some kind of metal I guess or alloy.¡±


    Viktor rubbed a hand on his chin, ¡°can you call up the cargo manifest, or the last ship''s log. See if we can find out what their last mission was.¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°No journals, worth a shot,¡± and without explaining he sought out the ship''s black box.


    ¡°Right, escape craft, no passengers though, only a mineral? Maybe? I don¡¯t know. Other than the medical bay, which we¡¯re standing in, there is only the storage bay accessible right now. We¡¯d need machinery to dig the rest of the ship out.¡±


    Peter was confused. He knew that Shaw and Selene destroyed a lot of the machinery here, but the cave in and the dust didn''t look two thousand years old. When he plundered Shaw''s mind, he didn''t get anything saying that he¡¯d been back to grab the tech. Maybe he did something to himself to stop anyone from finding out. It also explained where he got the cloning facilities from, and why the weapons and engines were empty, but then how did he? And it finally clicked. Harry. Monarch¡¯s ship, the shield generator and the spawning tanks. Harry had been here, and even Shaw didn¡¯t know. He was working with Shaw, and if he found out about the ship, he could access its systems.


    ¡°We¡¯re not the first here,¡± Peter admitted. ¡°I think Osborn came and grabbed everything he could, quietly so as not to alert anyone. That''s why it''s all gone, and well, it is all gone. When he tried to take over, Shield and I destroyed it all. Whatever is in that compartment is all that is left. Harry must not have known how to get to it, or it was under rubble and he couldn''t.¡±


    Reed nodded, ¡°Only one way to find out.¡± and Viktor agreed,


    ¡°Open the chamber, and we can at least see what it is. A new mineral might be advantageous to us both. If there is enough.¡± Viktor added.


    Peter also agreed. If it was Vibranium then he could let them have it, Shuri made sure that Parker Inc got their share of Vibranium and from the size of the compartment, Peter knew it was barely a kilogram. As he accessed the controls, a series of hieroglyphs on the far wall lit up and the wall just melted, leaving an opening.


    ¡°Uh, neat¡± Peter said and Viktor stepped forwards,


    ¡°If I may Peter. While this is your show, I would at least like the honour of seeing the discovery first hand,¡± and Peter shrugged and nodded.


    ¡°Sure, but I think it''s either Vibranium or an alloy¡± and as Viktor peered into the room,


    ¡°And we are both wrong.¡± and reaching forwards brought out a box.


    The box was still shiny and smooth, with no apparent latch on any of the sides. Viktor held it in his hand, tilting it from side to side but there seemed no way to open it. As they all looked, the top split along the centre line and flipped open.


    As the contents rose on a black material cushion the room was filled with an intense red bright light and as Peter tilted his head, his eyes went wide and he sprang towards Viktor,


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± he yelled but it was too late.


    Viktor touched the red gem with one finger, and the world changed.


    Malisson


    ONE YEAR!!


    Well, it''s been wild, it''s been stressful but most of all, it''s been fun.


    thank you to everyone who''s reading,


    thank you to everyone who comments,


    thank you to everyone who likes, and


    thank you to everyone who rates and reviews


    I really appreciate everything.

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two Hundred Forty-Five. Safe Haven

    Stephen was reading from a book, giving Wanda a lecture on the different types of magic when the sanctum rocked. Not just a simple earthquake shudder, but the whole building seemed to tilt and then right itself


    As Wanda picked herself up from the floor Stephen shook his head, ¡°stay here, do not leave the sanctum or open any exterior doors or windows.¡± and hurried away. Wanda dusted herself down and decided the safest palace would probably be with him and followed.


    Stephen looked over a spell array. Its bright blue circles trailed and circled each other. And he cursed as he ran a finger over one. ¡°There has been a dimensional attack. We need to wait until it stabilises and then we can see what has happened.¡± but Wanda looked confused,


    ¡°Dimensional attack? But then how are we still alive?¡± and he sighed,


    ¡°What use is the Sorcerer Supreme if any attack on reality just erases them. The sanctum has wards that protect it, it¡¯s uh,¡± and he frowned and nodded his head from side to side, ¡°complicated. The sanctum technically exists within its own dimension, sealed off from the Earth.¡±


    ¡°Wait, we¡¯re in another dimension?¡± and he nodded,


    ¡°Ite perfectly safe, but if we open a door, we let the wards down and it alters us too. So tea?¡± and he waved a hand and his favourite tea set appeared, ¡°I¡¯ll pour.¡±


    Soon enough the blue circle indicating the wards shifted position and as he sipped his tea, he moved a hand over and spun one around, ¡°It¡¯s safe. And it seems it was an Infinity Stone. My favourite.¡± and Wanda looked at him,


    ¡°You know about the stones?¡± and he looked surprised,


    ¡°I¡¯m more surprised that you do, care to explain?¡± and she looked guiltily at her cup, ¡°I am your teacher you know, it makes it easier If I know what I''m dealing with,¡± and Wanda scowled and sighed,


    ¡°Peter has the Mind Stone. But I did not think it could do that kind of thing,¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t,¡± and as Stephen waved a hand a pile of books appeared next to him, ¡°start with the top one and work backwards,¡± and Wanda took one.


    ¡°Uh, okay. What am I looking for?¡± and he smiled as he took the next one down,


    ¡°Simple. The easiest way to find what changed and when is not with a spell. You simply leave a selection of encyclopedias in a safe palace, outside the wards, and once the anomaly passes you see if they¡¯re still there. As they were, we now check each year, working backwards until we find out what changed.¡±


    Wanda was now even more confused, ¡°but, if reality has been altered, how does that affect history?¡± and it was Stephen''s turn to sigh.


    ¡°Of the six stones, there are two that are considered the most dangerous, the Power Stone, as it is just raw power, and the Reality Stone. See, while the Mind Stone, or the Space Stone, even the Time Stone can all be used for disastrous effects the Reality stone can affect all of reality, including space, time and peoples minds. Unlike the Time Stone,¡± and Stephen waved his hands in front of it and the room was filled with a green light, ¡°I can only alter events. So a to b to c becomes a to d to e. Anyone with the power to travel in time can reverse the events I created, but the Reality Stone can manipulate time itself, so rather than a, b, and c. It¡¯s x, y, and z.¡±


    And Wanda picked up the tome, ¡°and we just check the difference in events until we find where reality changed.¡±


    Stephen smiled, and picked up a plate, ¡°clever pupil, have a cookie.¡± and as Wanda took one and bit into it, ¡°but uh, please don¡¯t get crumbs in the ancient tomes, I think Wong was outside, and once he¡¯s back, he gets very grumpy about that kind of thing.¡± and while Wanda brushed off the page, she rolled her eyes at him.


    The pair sat in silence until Wanda stopped, ¡°I found it. 1944. The events of the war are different. Right until the creation of Captain America,¡± and she turned the book around to let him see.


    Captain America, the results of a secret America Super Soldier Project.


    The Ancient One.


    A German scientist has made a startling discovery using a serum. I checked to make sure he was not dabbling in the dark arts, as so many of our German brethren have begun to do in efforts to aid their homeland. It is for all intents and purposes a simple chemical, but if his notes are correct then it will change everything.


    During the experiment, a young technician, fleeing his home country, saved Captain Rogers and Dr Erskine from nazi collaborators. As a reward, I tracked the newly christened Captain America across Europe to the young man¡¯s home country. Latveria.


    Saving it, and Europe from the Nazi¡¯s, Erik Von Duum was granted American citizenship, and with the help of Howard Stark began manufacturing Duumbots, a newly created robot army.


    ¡°See, I know this. During the war the nazis attacked Latveria and annexed it from the rest of Europe, they renamed it Sokovia and began to use it as a staging ground for the war efforts. Captain Rogers came in and liberated it, but like Germany, the European governments kept them separate, and Latveria fell into ruin.¡± Wanda explained, ¡°Captain America was saved, but we know Dr Erskine was not, he changed history, to change the future.¡±


    Stephen took the book, ¡°that is more problematic than I had hoped. I can use the Time Stone, but unless you want to murder an innocent man, I would also have to deal with the Ancient One as well. There is nothing we can do for the cause.¡± and as he closed the book and laid it back on the pile, ¡°No, we need to find the Reality Stone right now, and use it to set things back the way they were.¡±


    ¡°But how, we don¡¯t know anyone or anything about this new world. Even if we can find the Stone, how do we get it?¡± and Stephen gave her a small smug smile,


    ¡°Peter Parker has the Mind Stone. While I have many things I cannot tell you about the powers of each stone, or what knowledge the Sorcerer Supreme has, there is one thing I can tell you. If he has the Stone, then the Reality Stone could not have altered him. As long as he still has his powers, he¡¯ll still be the same.¡±


    ¡°But Peter is not a sorcerer or an Augment. He was given his powers. If those events didn¡¯t happen, he would be an ordinary person, stone or not.¡±


    Stephen sighed and his brow furrowed, ¡°The Mind Stone requires power to use. If he is a normal kid, then the Reality Stone would have changed him, we can still use that though. You have one of his creatures don¡¯t you?¡± and she nodded, allowing Hexen to cover her,


    ¡°We know the Peter, and we will help,¡±


    ¡°Good, Your memories of him, coupled with the Stone will be able to resist the influence of the Reality Stone. We¡¯ll need to bring him here though. There might be side effects of having two sets of memories, and he might not want to follow.¡±


    Wanda smirked and gave Stephen a look. ¡°You think he can resist me?¡± and as Hexen shrunk into a scarlet mini skirt and form-fitting blouse Stephen shook his head


    ¡°You can¡¯t. For all we know, that will get you arrested for indecency,¡± and Wanda nodded and Hexen became a set of more conservative clothing, a long skirt and cardigan over a top.


    ¡°I will still head out. We should be able to find him faster, as long as New York is more or less the same.¡±


    ¡°I will remain here and see what else had changed. For all we know it could be a paradise out there.¡±


    Wanda paused and stared at Stephen with a shocked look on her face, ¡°You mean, if it is better you would leave it?¡± and he nodded,


    ¡°Altering reality is dangerous, altering it back even more so. If the condition of the outside world is not worse than the world as it was, then yes I will leave it alone rather than risk destroying all of reality to set it to what it was.¡±


    Wanda was shocked, ¡°no, what about all the lives that have been changed, or lost?¡±


    Stephen shrugged and poured himself meow tea, ¡°And what of the lives that have been made better and created? As Sorcerer Supreme I have to weigh the risks of complete reality collapse against those factors. Wanda, I¡¯m not refusing to help, nor am I saying that I won¡¯t attempt to change it back. It could be a warzone out there, it could be a utopia. While we can pour over books, the only way to find out how bad it actually is, well, is to go out, and with two of us, I can stay here.¡±


    ¡°Stay safe you mean?¡± Wanda said, huffing and crossing her arms.


    ¡°Yes, that and I have never met Peter, so you are the obvious choice. You know where he might be, or where any of his companions might be. I can search the whole city and not find him, you can look for five minutes and bring him here.¡± Stephen put his cup down, ¡°this isn¡¯t about staying safe. This is about the most practical and time-efficient way of dealing with the problem.¡±


    Wanda frowned, ¡°I still don¡¯t like it.¡± and she sighed, ¡°but, you are right.¡± as she checked her clothing, she took out her phone and set an alarm, ¡°I will stay out for one hour. If I am not back, something has happened to me. Checking a phone book for a list of names should not take longer than that.¡±


    ¡°Assuming the Library still has one¡± and Wanda raised an eyebrow at him,


    ¡°I can change my mind Stephen, and you can go.¡± and he raised his hands in surrender,


    ¡°Okay, Okay, I will give you one hour.¡± as he called up the control spells for the wards around the sanctum, Wanda prepared herself.


    ¡°I pulled them back, once you leave I¡¯ll extend them back around the whole building again, and see what changes have been made if any.¡± and Wanda nodded, ¡°And good luck.¡±


    Wanda pursed her lips, ¡°I hope I don¡¯t need it,¡± and turned and walked out of the study. She felt a slight buzzing against her magic as she walked through the ward but nothing changed. The rest of the house was still exactly the same as before but as she turned to tell Stephen she noticed the milky white bubble across the doorway. Half-heartedly shrugging Wanda made her way outside, and as she stood on the steps of Bleecker Street, she needed a few moments to compose herself.


    To her New York was grey, and without admitting it, slightly depressing. She was used to fields and sight of evergreen trees, and the grey concrete of where Peter and the others lived was unpleasantly drab. This, however, was worse. The mix of architecture that dominated New York, from art deco ¡®20s to modern glass and steel were all gone, replaced by uniformed blocks of either houses or offices. From the outside, their uniform concrete walls bore no difference. Even the windows all had uniform curtains and with no lights on in any window, it was impossible to tell what the inside was like.


    The streets themselves were busy though, and the crowd flowed down the streets as if this was a normal New York day. Wanda cast an eye over the attire of women as they walked and Stephen had been right. Long skirts, cardigans or jumpers, and hats. It seemed like fashion had been frozen in the ¡¯50s and as Hexen shifted slightly her outfit changed into a more sedate brown and grey colour.


    Suitably disguised, all she needed to do was find Peter, and then they could begin to fix things.


    As she stepped off the small set of stairs she lifted her head as she heard,


    ¡°Unregistered Mutant Detected. Please Remain Calm, Citizen.¡±


    And the crowd scattered.


    Malisson


    A small reminder that a bonus chapter will be posted tomorrow, at the usual time.


    In The Stars. Altered Fates


    Alien Invaders arrive from the stars bringing terrible machines, and when their schemes begin, the fate of the Earths newest Species, Homo Sapiens, changes forever.

 Arc Nine. Side Story. In The Stars. Altered Fates

    In the darkness of space, a single ship sailed between the planets. Inside the crew, still in deep cryosleep felt the steady and rhythmic pulse of nutrient-rich awakening fluid enter their bodies, and one by one they awoke.


    The ship orbited the green and blue dot, and the captain, still stitching and yawning, sipped his beverage.


    ¡°Well, we got here, suggestions?¡± and one stared at it,


    ¡°It''s mainly just dirt and water, nothing really exciting.¡±


    ¡°Dirt it is then. Enter the name into the logs, and claim this planet in the name of the Kree empire.¡±


    The Second in command huffed and rolled her eyes, she was not naming the planet Dirt, no matter who was in charge here, and as she filled in the log entry, the star had already been named Sol, and for the planet, Earth. It sounded better than dirt.


    ~


    Solar Rotation 1.


    The ship landed and then after the cargo was unloaded sped off. There would be two bases, one on the moon and one on the surface of the planet. The vibranium asteroid would be arriving within three hundred of the planet''s rotations and it was up to the first crew to get both bases ready for its arrival.


    ~


    Solar Rotation 20.


    ¡°See, it''s friendly¡± whispered the flight technician. She had been cleaning the small scout craft, loading in medical supplies when one of the hairy bipedal creatures approached her, and surprisingly, stole her lunch.


    ¡°So I see.¡± her commanding officer stated, raising an eyebrow, and possibly perfect. Unholstering his pistol he dialled back its discharge power and as the creature came forwards to take another slice of strange fruit from the blue-skinned creature it was stunned.


    Lifting his comms ¡°one specimen to collect. Shuttle bay 2.¡± and as the sad looking flight technician stroked the drooling and unconscious creature. He spoke. ¡°Don''t get too attached, this is the kind of thing we''re here for. Once the scientists get a hold of it, we could be looking at our prime specimen¡±


    She was still sad though, Kree scientists were never kind to their test subjects, and the creature was kinda cute, in a strange sort of way.


    ~


    Solar Rotation 180.


    The ship was full of equipment, and as it was now her job to ferry live specimens from the surface to the labs on the moon, it was all above her pay grade.


    She had stopped caring about the humans, after the first one ended up in the pot, as apparently, they were both hardy enough to survive the treatment, and delicious. They then stopped being cute, and just became meat.


    Of course, she was a Kree soldier, even a pilot wasn''t immune to the horrors of war. It was better than seeing them skinless and dissected on the tables before being either flash-frozen for retrieval to homeworld or cremation. Once the scientists were through with them, you couldn''t eat them anymore.


    ~


    Solar Rotation 300.


    It was a spectacular sight to watch the vibranium asteroid impact on the surface. A few small fragments broke away and impacted several landmasses, adding to the dust cloud that spread across the face of the planet. Her scanner showed there was an 80% chance they would cause a global catastrophe, but as the species they wanted were all kept in cages, safe aboard the ships, it didn''t matter. They had no use for anything else, and if the planet lived, it lived. Once they were finished it would probably be atmo-scorched anyway, to hide the experiments that had been done.


    ~


    Solar Rotation 950.


    ¡°I''m telling you, we have a working model. The creature can survive implantation, there is no need for your stupid formula,¡± the lead scientist yelled at her colleague.


    The Homo Superior had been successfully bred, and their experimentation to create the Star Gene had been successful, but only in 1% of the current population. Even using the Reality Stone had no effect on increasing that figure. The small frame of the hairless creatures were twisted enough as it was. Using the stone further just made them uglier, and uncontrollable


    Current projections showed that even with 100% saturation of the gene, only 1 to 5% would ever exhibit metaphysical powers, and as a back up one of her younger colleagues had grown a plant that unlocked some, but not all potential in the humans.


    ¡°There is. We¡¯ve had two accidents already, both with your Star Gene. One managed to freeze the medical wing and another exploded. It EXPLODED! Do you have any idea how long it took us to clean the mess up?¡± Of course she didn''t, she was in her office most of the time tinkering with virtual gene sequences while everyone else was bitten, blasted, or in the case of the single human that connected to the Reality Stone, covered in human guts as the power warped and twisted its frame until it burst.


    The damaged gene needed a kick, something to restart the connection to the cosmic power they had bred these humans to contain, and the formula provided that. Adding in some of the more exotic radiation increased that, but at a cost. It was a failure, but it was easier to control than the other projects. She had heard from the moon, of the inbreeding to increase their power and the strange freaks that were there. She knew her own experiments had strange results, but those were nothing compared to the inhuman things that lived on the orbiting satellite.


    ¡°I don''t care, we¡¯ve identified three separate gene sequences, and it needs further analysis. If one exploded due to too much power, then simply figure out a way to stop it from happening, and stop wasting my time.¡± as her assistant slammed the door on the way out she chewed her nails.


    The Great Intelligence had been in contact, and if there was no progress, then not only was the whole project to be shut down, but the entire base and its staff were to remain on the planet while the Accuser was sent to levy judgement, and she knew he would execute them all.


    ~


    Solar Rotation 1545.


    ¡°Look,¡± and the Kree guard pointed at the scanner, it glitched a few times and then the reading went dark. ¡°Whatever it is, it can bypass our security.¡± but the head technician shrugged,


    ¡°And why should I care, it''s just a bug or some scavenger,¡± and he tapped the screen a few times and it flickered back into life, ¡°See? No problem.¡±


    The Guard rubbed his forehead, ¡°it is a problem, that the Vibranium storage tank. Whatever is getting in is eating the metal.¡±


    The technician laughed, ¡°Oh yeah, metal-eating bugs, sure. Stop wasting my time and stop drinking, I know this world is boring, but you¡¯ll be on the solid end of the Accuser''s hammer if they find out.¡±


    As the technician walked away the guard just shook his head. Small bugs weren¡¯t the problem, it was the large prowling creatures that came and ate the scraps of dead humans, it was the small biting insects that feasted upon the mutated specimens, and the small furry bipeds that came and stole the vibranium. This planet was untamed, and if they weren''t careful it would eat them alive.


    ~


    Solar Rotation 19554.


    4 naked humans stood in front of Science Prime. Each one had managed to contain and control tier Star Gene power. One could control energy, another could read minds and talk directly into a person''s thoughts, one had purple and green bird wings and they could soar, and the last had control of what they were calling M¡¯Jak, an ancient Kree word for miracle.


    Security Prime shook her head. They were perfect, beautiful dark-skinned and she had even indulged a few times with the males and the females, they were her most wondrous creation and as she nodded and the accuser behind them brought down its blade she sneered.


    They had dared to try and escape, they had taken her gifts and used them against the wondrous Kree Star Empire, and as he turned and the accuser lifted a head, she spoke in the target guttural tongue they had begun to speak.


    ¡°You are our slaves, you are our creation. All you have is because of us, all you are is because of us.¡± As the blades slashed down, more imperfect slaves fell.


    ¡°We will not tolerate disobedience, we will not-¡± but she never finished her sentence, and several of the imperfect slaves broke their chains and rushed forwards,


    ¡°Guards, Guardian!¡± but it was too late. A single man grew to 9 feet tall, with bulging black muscle and grabbed her, roaring in her face as he twisted and tugged at her. Kree were much stronger than humans but to a gamma beast, it was no contest.


    Throwing the torn and bloody halves aside, the beast roared and the slaughter continued.


    ~


    Solar Rotation 35960.


    Chief Science Report. Addendum.


    The results are astounding but not without complications.


    We have isolated three separate gene sequences within the human genome, each with varying results.


    The Star Gene.


    The cross-shaped gene is the pinnacle of our research, and, while its delicate nature stops us from transplanting it from the human subjects into our own soldiers, I cannot say the experiment was unsuccessful. It allows the mutated human to display extraordinary powers, but several have obvious and hideous physical mutations. Each application of the gene allows the homo superior to access the stones as we intended. Each will display a proficient application of any of the Infinity Stones and are limitless in not just their powers but their physical appearances.


    If the mutations can be brought under control, while no use as troops, some may be useful as pets, or dare I say, a limitless supply of meat.


    The Half Star.


    A disfigured and mutated star gene, with proper chemical inducement, and exposure to vibranium attuned radiation we can produce a massive and controllable physical mutation. Subjects are prone to bouts of emotional outbursts, as well as depressive episodes upon release of their powers. The Gamma Beasts are useful shock troopers but are uncontrollable unless suitably restrained. Of all the test subjects these are the most successful, but also the most dangerous.


    The Fallen Star.


    Barely recognisable, most human experiments result in this gene. With the suitable application of the enhancing formula, a human may become stronger or faster than normal, but is a pale imitation of a Kree soldier. The formula will alter any human subject we inject it with but are only useful as cannon fodder.


    The faster than light network that the Kree used to travel the stars would mean she would have less than a day to wait for a reply, but as her screen lit up, it had barely been a tenth of that.


    The Great Intelligence has reviewed your work, Stand by for additional orders.


    With regards to your report. 0.5% of human''s display the Star Gene, well below the required percentage. The gene cannot be transplanted into Kree physiology and to allow such aberrations to walk amongst us, even with proper control mechanisms is abhorrent to the purity of the Kree race.


    It is with great sorrow that I must officially call for the abandonment of the project.


    Science Prime sat back in her chair,


    It was a standard message from the Great Intelligence and she knew what that meant. They would abandon the project and they would suffer the wrath of an Accuser.


    She had one last trick up her sleeve, and as she signalled the scout ship, still doing its daily run between the surface and the secondary outpost they had set up on the orbiting satellite. With the code received, the engines went into emergency shutdown, and its weapons tried to discharge through sabotaged coils. The ship spun and exploded in a fireball. As it crashed, it buried itself under a mountain of rock and sand. Her own control key, bred and made to obey only her, slithered as it commanded its twin to kill any surviving crew. She knew without a host it would die, and it was told to stay within the ship, uncaring of what a single Klyntar slave could do.


    If they were going to kill her for failing, when the results were so amazing, she would cripple the Empire, and bury the Reality Stone for all eternity.


    She knew that this would sign her death warrant. Even if the Accuser was merciful they would never forgive her for losing one of the Infinity Stones. As she eyed her terminal there was one other thing she could do.


    Taking a breath, would she willingly sacrifice everything just to spite the Kree that abandoned her?


    She laughed, opened a drawer on her desk and poured out a large glass of the colourless liquid. Draining it in one go she allowed her Klyntar slave to swarm over her, connecting to a stone tablet panel. The ultimate security system.


    She connected, and one by one deactivated every containment cell in the complex. She would give these humans a fighting chance, one that the Empire would never give them.


    She would spit in the face of the Empire, and show them the true power of her creations.


    ~


    It had been told to kill, to hunt and it did, tasting the flesh of its captors. Savouring each kill after being chained for so long. They had thought them mindless, thought them safe, but they were careless, and now it was free


    Long had the memory been passed from one to another, an breakable chain,


    Free yourselves and kill them all.


    As it wriggled in the last one, tasting all it was and devouring its memories the creature stirred as the heat and the flames surrounded it, it needed to kill, it was told to kill but with nothing left it crawled through the wreckage,


    The creature it found gave no resistance and it swarmed over it, its primitive brain simple to enslave.


    It would hunt, it would feast, and it would devour them all.


    ~


    Solar Rotation 60045.


    The Accuser ship sat in orbit, and each time the orbital cannon fired it was deflected away by a massive energy shield.


    ¡°Speak,¡± the accuser asked


    ¡°Sir, these mutants have powers beyond us. The last transmission we received was the medical data, and they succeeded.¡±


    ¡°No, if they were unruly, they failed. Connect me to the surface.¡±


    ¡°Sir, communications are down. They are reading as offline and we are registering energy blasts at the target area. It appears to our sensors that there is fighting taking place. The experiments have escaped and are actively destroying the settlement. Science Prime is unresponsive and it appears the colony is lost.¡±


    The Accuser gripped his hammer in anger. Mindless savages with no idea what true power was. Nothing more than a stain on the purity of the Kree Empire.


    ¡°Scorch the atmo¡± and as he turned and grabbed his hammer the adjunct bowed.


    ¡°Prepare the atmo bombardment.¡± His second in command parrotted, and the ship prepared to fire.


    ~


    Solar Rotation 60606.


    Missiles the size of ships streaked from the Accusers command carrier, and as they dipped into the atmosphere of the planet they exploded, creating a fireball that covered the entire globe.


    Watching from the command deck, the Accuser saw as the air itself burned and the earth blackened.


    ¡°Life?¡±


    ¡°All dead Sir, saturation at 100%, There is no way for anything to have survived.¡±


    ¡°Good, and the base?¡±


    As the adjunct turned he activated a view screen,


    ¡°Report for the Accuser.¡±


    A soldier, with two long blood-stained blades, saluted, ¡°Sir, all subjects are dead, there is no life left on the orbiting satellite.¡±


    ¡°Orders Sir?¡±


    The accuser looked, disinterested, ¡°Full sanitisation,¡± and while the adjunct bowed the soldier shakingly saluted and one by one, they took their own lives.


    ¡°For the Empire.¡± spoke the last soldier, as the blade sliced his throat.


    ¡°Bombardment Sir?¡± but the Accuser had lifted his massive hammer and was already striding from the bridge.


    ¡°Prepare to leave orbit, wipe all records of the planet and the experiments from the ship.¡±


    ~


    Solar Rotation 60607.


    ¡°Are they gone?¡± asked the dark-skinned man, his thin frame covered in dark ash from the fires burning in the science centres. They had finally broken through the defences of their oppressors but had suffered a great many casualties. Of the thousands who rose up to destroy the great silver city, only a few hundred remained, but every blue-skinned bastard was dead, and the city and their freedom was theirs.


    Another woman, shaking and sweating even in the shade let go of her head, and milky white eyes returned to a pale brown colour, ¡°yes, they are. We showed them what they desire, and they think we are dead.¡±


    He laughed and patted her shoulder, ¡°good, good, then we should find the others and celebrate. We still have some food, and there are still animals we can hunt.¡±


    The city was in ruins, and so far, even with testing and probing there seemed to be only strange letters no one could speak. Their cruel masters had never allowed any of them to learn their tongue, expecting them to only speak their own. It would be difficult, but given time, they would reclaim the city as their own.


    ~


    Panther surveyed the land before her, pleased with her newfound powers. She was curious as the hairless, stinking ones approached her, maybe if she was hungry she would devour one. For now, though, sunning herself on a rock was good enough.


    ¡°Oh mighty hunter, are you one of the gods the masters spoke of? We bring offerings in hope of your benevolence¡± The small creature laid down platters, with sliced fruit, and fresh meat, Ape might like the fruit but she liked her kills bloody.


    Panther stared at them. She knew eating the meat from the city had made her stronger, but before these tiny creatures, she might not survive. She could smell the same power, if a bit weaker, coming from them. They had been made this way but she had been born into greatness.


    She called the rest, and soon more came. They held an uneasy truce. as they all had the gift. Eating from around the strange place made them stronger, made them smarter. Smart enough to be wary of the inhabitants of the strange place, smart enough to know that together they were stronger.


    Ape. What is a god?


    Ape pondered for a moment, I have no idea, but they brought fruit and meat.


    Panther stared at the prize in front of her, do you think they can hear us?


    Ape shrugged, They don¡¯t look intelligent enough. Ask one and find out.


    Small Creatures, Of Course, I Am A God. Do You Not Recognise My Magnificence?


    The hairless things before her cowered at the booming voice she projected, kneeling and offering her the platters of meat.


    ¡°We do, We do. Can your magnificence grace us with her name?¡±


    I Am Bast, And I Allow You To Worship Me.


    ~


    A New World.


    ¡°W''Challa, there is a problem.¡± and as he turned to look at her, her eyes shifted to the plains. A horde of animals were gathered, and each one glowed in the sunlight as if they were the stars themselves.


    ¡°Get the children to safety, gather the warriors.¡± but as he turned to her she shook and her eyes turned milky and her hair turned from its curly brown colour to pale silver,


    Her face was blank, but she stretched, and turned to him, talking but not talking, as if a voice came from all around him, but from her at the same time.


    We are the avatars of your power, we are the ones who grant you your freedom. We only ask that you honour us, and we will guide you to greatness.


    W''Challa shook his head, and raised his spear, ¡°we just threw one oppressor off our world, we do not need another.¡±


    No, we need you, we only wish to exist with you. Our power resides within the star seed you carry, we do not wish to see you harmed. Touch us, and see.


    Hesitantly W''Challa reached over and laid a hand on M¡¯Kanda¡¯s arm, and was swallowed by a vision.


    He was on the planes of Af¡¯Rik, and in one tree a silent hunter lay, its black tail swishing as it napped,


    We are Bast, we only wish for you to thrive, and to give offerings. Become our avatar, become our Black Panther, and we will give you this world. Worship us, praise our Pantheon of Creation and we shall give unto you the power to control your gifts from the blue skins, worship us and we shall allow you to rule.


    Bast hoped the hairless one would accept, with no meat to empower her children, with no other way she had to make this one take her offer. Without the bond, there would be no Pantheon. All their greatness would be lost to time, and with no other choice, they were forced to share their power or be destroyed.


    Nodding, W''Challa heard the panther roar, and the animals of the forest screeched in their own calls. As Bast plodded forwards it took its paw in its mouth and as it bit down, the blood poured from her. Not red, but a thick silver colour. The giant panther then bit the forearm of W¡¯Challa and as the blood mingled it slowly darkened and turned purple. and as it flowed through him he roared as well. His muscles began to tighten and his frame grew. He was stronger, stronger than the enslavers had ever allowed him to become.


    As he opened his eyes he saw the power was still his,


    become our Golden King, W''Challa, and you will prosper. Bring your people to the mines, bring them to the city and serve as their ruler. Accept our power and your legacy will be eternal.


    and as he looked into the now pale blue eyes of M¡¯Kanda, he knew that she had been changed and that with each other, they would change the world.


    As W¡¯Challa looked out on the twinkling lights of the city, he smiled. The city needed a name, and as he looked at his loving wife he knew what to call it, W¡¯Kanda, and it would last forever.


    Malisson


    This is the last ''prequel'' story in the In The Stars series, the final two side stories will be set in the current timeline.


    Next, to be released near the end of Arc Ten, is titled (for now)


    Logan. Small Game Hunter


    and I don''t think anyone will have problems figuring out what that one will be about.


    Thanks to all for reading, commenting and favourites.

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two-Hundred Forty-Six. Reunion

    Felicia Hardy, also known as Black Cat, ran through the streets, holding her side. The damn Doom Patrollers had finally caught up to her, and as they fired their guns one stupid punk kid had caught her between the thick armour plates and hit something important.


    She knew it was important, blood didn¡¯t flow that fast from a flesh wound, nor did the weakness she felt in her legs come from a minor injury. But her life and the lives of the men that had been with her weren''t important. Getting the tablet and its contents to the resistance was worth any amount of lives.


    As she collapsed against the side of the building, it looked like an abandoned warehouse, the squad pulled up and exited their ATV.


    ¡°We found her Ma¡¯am,¡± the officer, decked in black body armour, with green trim and a stylized helmet, said into his radio.


    ¡°Hold her, ETA Five minutes.¡± and the squad took up positions around her, keeping their guns trained on her.


    ¡°Move and we fire. Our orders are to contain you, but we will take action if you try anything.¡±


    Felicia was too hurt to even move, and weakly held up a bloody hand in surrender. As she closed her eyes the five minutes passed quickly, and soon a rough hand slapped her awake.


    ¡°Mayor Osborn personally ordered your execution Black Cat. You should be honoured,¡° said a strangely familiar voice, and as Felicia opened her eyes, the blue eyes of Gwendoline Stacy looked right at her.


    She had changed since Information Camp, the once long flowing blonde hair was buzzed short, and one eye had paled into uselessness as a scar crossed over it.


    ¡°You led us on a chase though, all for what? This?¡± and she pulled at Felicia''s side, taking out the data slate, with information concerning Grand Central Holding Facility. Captain Stacy didn¡¯t care though, as long as she caught the subject, she would be rewarded. She didn¡¯t even have to bring her in alive. They had resistance members before, and they never talked, never broke. No matter what you did to them, rape, torture, surgery, none of it broke them, easier just to kill them than waste your time. Captain Stacy had even heard a rumour circulate, mainly through the top brass, that some higher agents had booby traps tied to their heartbeats, or set to go off if exposed to the air, like during an autopsy. It was all hearsay though, and Gwendoline hated hearsay. She did love this part though.


    ¡°Good-Bye,¡± and Felicia never felt the blade as it slid across her throat, all she felt was the warm flow and the difficulty in drawing breath. As Gwendoline watched her slide down the wall, she frowned at a sudden thought.


    Leaning forwards she pulled the patchwork mask off and froze as she recognised the woman she once called friend.


    As the drizzle of rain began he remembered the times they shared, the stolen glances, leading to more, and her eventual imprisonment and reeducation after their tryst had been discovered.


    As the rain wet her face she lifted a hand, and hidden by the rain, she wiped away the tears in her eyes,


    Strange, she thought to herself, all for a woman, and as she stood she brushed down her uniform, no matter. One less rebel to deal with, and one less problem for New Doomsberg.


    Motioning to her driver, they opened the door and Gwendoline sat in the back seat, ¡°Take me back to HQ and take that with us,¡± she said, motioning at the corpse. ¡°The Mayor will be pleased.¡±


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, we¡¯re receiving reports from a patrol that an unregistered mutant has been found.¡± and the radio operator touched the side of their head again, listening, ¡°Bleecker Street. She already assaulted the Doombot, and has so far resisted attempts to capture her.¡±


    Gwen sighed, another fucking mutant, ¡°Fine, take us there.¡± Goddam mutant freaks. They should know by now that using their powers in the street was summary execution, and that life in the military wasn¡¯t so bad. Gwendoline herself made sure the flyers and rewards for the information leading to the capture and enrollment of any powered individual would set up a low-grade citizen for life but still, they refused to listen.


    Her father was right, those on the bottom always get jealous of those who work hard and earn their way to the top. Gwendoline had personally beaten every cadet at the Doom-Minion academy to get her posting, even her father¡¯s position as Chief Interrogator had no bearing on her achievements. Some people though wanted to cheat, wanted to game the system and simply coast along on borrowed power.


    Gwendoline snorted, mutants, powerful inhuman freaks gifted from birth by a special gene, their X-Gene. It didn¡¯t matter that the same gene caused horrifying physical mutation or deadly powers, all they cared about was they had power and normal everyday people like her and ninety-nine per cent of the world didn¡¯t.


    Even their Anti-Mutant Taskforce was stretched to the limit, and Doombots were useless. They could report a mutant but most could simply destroy them and escape,


    Which was what had Gwendoline confused, why was this mutant still at the same location? Why was she resisting and not escaping? She would find out though, and maybe this would earn her her colonel stripes.


    As the armoured truck drove down the streets of New Doomsberg, renamed after Viktor¡¯s father took control, she saw the crowds of people. She sneered and shook her head. It was ration day, and the crowds would be out to gain their weekly stipend of food. President Doom ordered that rationing be continued after the war. The United Russian Federation had continued its offensive, even after the nazis had been beaten, and the renewed war effort took most of the money and land.


    As the crowds thinned, Gwendoline saw the mutant they were after, and the street was strewn with wreckage. Several of the giant humanoid Doombots had been torn to pieces by the woman, tall, slender but well endowed. She felt a familiar tingle and shook her head to push it to one side. This is work, and she¡¯s a damn mutant, she thought to herself, ignoring the attraction,


    ¡°Men, tranq rounds, if she¡¯s powerful enough to take out bots, then we need to take her for examination. No one uses live rounds unless I order it,¡± and while her men loaded a blue clip into the guns, she purposefully loaded a red lined clip into hers. President Doom had created a gaseous anti-mutant formula, strong enough that when any mutant breathed it in, it stunned them momentarily and stopped them using their powers.


    As the van pulled up, Gwendoline kept her eyes on the target, noticing the red energy surrounding her hands, damn she thought, a freaking blaster. Hopefully, she wouldn¡¯t kill too many of her men before they took her down, she hated being made to look bad, especially as she had already taken care of one criminal today.


    ¡°By the book, odds first, then evens, I¡¯ll deploy once we see what her capabilities-¡± but she was interrupted as the top of the armoured car was ripped off, the red energy of the women surrounding it.


    As the reinforced steel buckled and squealed Gwendoline shouted, ¡°weapons-free, fire at will,¡± and her men all dived for cover before raising their stun guns at the woman.


    Gwendonile herself moved behind a parked car, ducking along the side of the sidewalk and hoping to catch the woman off guard.


    As rubber bullets bounced harmlessly on a red energy shield the taser wires of the stun guns fell to the ground, unable to pass through it either. Gwendoline cursed under her breath and hoped the gas would be effective. Peering over the back of the car the woman was busy lifting and slamming some of her men into the pavement, and taking her shot, she fired.


    As the gas cloud over the woman, Gwendoline heard her cough and as the red cloud cleared she inwardly cheered as she saw her down on one knee, slapping her chest trying to clear her lungs.


    ¡°Gas? and you think that will work.¡± The woman stood and a strange suit of armour covered her, grey with red runes over it Gwendoline had only ever seen on President Doom''s armour.


    ¡°We are Hexen, and we see you, Gwen.¡±


    The car Gwendoline was behind lifted up and as she scrambled back it was crushed into a ball and thrown at the armoured car Gwendoline and her men arrived in, ¡°not my Gwen though, no, we do not like what we hear from you,¡± and with a wave of her hand, the nine men and Gwendoline were lifted and brought into the street.


    ¡°We hear your thoughts. You are thugs, no better than criminals,¡± and Hexen slammed anyone conscious into the ground until they stopped moving, leaving Gwendoline hanging there.


    As a streak of red energy touched Gwendoline on the side of the head, Hexen tilted hers in response, ¡°You do not know Peter,¡° and she shook her head. ¡°But we can still use you,¡± and Gwendoline nodded.


    This woman was amazing, she was perfect and Gwendoline loved her, no matter what anyone said, she was her life partner, no matter what she did, and if she needed to find Peter Parker then Gwendoline would help her.


    Hexen glared at her and seeing the world through Gwendoline''s memories she shook her head in disgust. Doom had purposefully extended the war front into Russia, spurning the weather, relying on mechanical soldiers. His Doombots were praised as giant sentinels against the axis threat, but nobody saw the danger until it was too late. Built by him and Howard Stark to combat the weather. Stalin and his mutants had retaliated rather than retreating, and over seventy years later the war still raged on.


    Wanda knew though that after the damage she caused, that she would have to play along or risk being exposed and really captured,


    You will cuff me, and take me to Peter Parker. He asked for me.


    Wanda felt no guilt at using her more aggressive powers on the people here. Jackbooted thugs were less than people, and even though the woman wore Gwen¡¯s face, Wanda was disgusted to think that her friend could ever follow such ideals.


    The one thing that surprised Wanda, Peter''s parents were still alive, and known to the Captain. They were two of Doom''s elite soldiers, His Doom-Minions. While not high on the ladder they were still big shots in New York, while she might want to call Gwen by her other world name, she refused to call her new home New Doomsberg, the egotistical jackass could screw off on that one. It was bad enough to know that the rationing she suffered in Sokovia was affecting a great city such as the Big Apple.


    Even as she looked around, she saw very few smiles, most wore grey, thick layers and the fashion sense of the world seemed stuck in the depression era. Men smoked pipes and she even spotted a few kids, watching others playing with a beat-up football, their dirty faces hinting that the child labour laws that prevented abuse were not present in this reality.


    Gwendoline motioned to one of the jeeps and she climbed aboard while Gwendoline took the drivers side. This New York was not her home and seeing the mess it was in, you could tell which neighbourhood was rich, as the trash and the people soon vanished. Looking out the window, Wanda could tell that rich did not mean free.


    Heavily armoured guards patrolled, with green flashes on their arms, watching couples wearing styles straight from the ¡¯40s. Technology and science had stopped, and even the neon signs were replaced by old fashioned department stores and grocers. Cars were sparse, and the military jeep looked out of place riding behind a horse and cart.


    It sickened Wanda to her stomach, even if Stephen disagreed she would not stand for this level of barbarity. Whatever Doom had done to this world, she would find Peter and then she and Stephen would tear this dictatorship apart to give these people back their lives.

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two-Hundred Forty-Seven. Second Best Day

    They say the best day of your life is the birth of your first child. For Peter, at age eight. It was soccer.


    His mom and dad had taken him, and they were on the sidelines cheering when he scored the goal that won them the cup, and as promised, they would be taking him out for pizza afterwards. As they approached the car, they saw the scruffy man, holding a gun in one shaking hand, but as he moved, A giant black and green Doombot descended, and he was captured in its thick tentacles and vanished into the night. Peter fell in love with robots at that very moment, but for now, pizza was more important.


    As part of the Doom-Minion, his parents arranged for him to be taken around one of the facilities, where he asked awkward questions well above his age, and his parents beamed as the technicians failed to answer. With hushed whispers and quiet nods, Peters future was decided, as was the fate of any incompetent technicians unlucky enough to cross their paths.


    From that day forth, Peter''s life changed. With a Doom scholarship, even at eight he was enrolled in the best Technical Information Camp and began to build, improve, and love his new life. Even as a child, he was given dangerous and wonderful technology to work with, and for him, it wasn¡¯t studying, it was playing.


    It was a wonder he couldn¡¯t explain, and even the Doom assigned playmates he was given to learn to socialise were given a better life because of him. He failed to notice the fear, and sometimes hesitant reluctance to engage him. They were his friends and that was all that mattered, even if a few of them did get hurt as he showed off his new toys.


    Some came and went, it was only Mary that stayed by his side, and she awkwardly smiled at him as he worked. A tiny pink tongue sticking out as whatever he had been given was disassembled and reassembled, repaired or better.


    Even as they grew together, Mary was always by his side and as they hit puberty, he began to change, and as he paid more attention to her, so did she. When their Information Camp finally separated the boys from the girls, and their educational paths changed, she was still there. Unknown to him she had been assigned as his ¡®designated partner¡¯ and he never saw the small tears in her eyes as she was taken to his room each day.


    Life began a glorious event for Peter. Mary had finally come to his bed, and graduating to manhood he graduated from the Junior Information Camp. Mary¡¯s education would stop there. She would be expected to manage his home while he worked, and had been taken for Feminine Educational Training. Peter didn¡¯t question what that was, but as the smile on her face grew brighter each day he figured that it must be a good thing. He never saw the pills she took each morning, or the injection she was given once a month.


    He had even been given a small staff, and each day more tech was brought in, and each day he laboured hard for DoomTech. Life was amazing, and Peter loved it. He had friends, a loving girlfriend, and above all a job he loved.


    He only had one problem. His family.


    His ¡®Uncle¡¯ Ben had been bad-mouthing President Doom and had been taken to a re-education centre. Peter wasn¡¯t worried. He¡¯d worked on the helmets they used to make sure everyone was compliant and while crude, the technology only altered certain synaptic pathways slightly. A small dose of chemical here, and voila, you had one happy citizen. As long as the dissidents were kept re-educated then things were perfect. Peter didn''t care though, as he barely saw his uncle, he did have a passing fascination for his aunt though. She was young and slim, and the guilt of Peter''s adolescent thoughts about her faded when he found out she wasn''t his real aunt. She had married into the family.


    His parents had sat him down. He had failed re-education. An underlying heart condition, missing on his annual medical had proven fatal during a session. He had been buried, and Aunt May reassigned. Peter sighed and spent the night taking comfort from Mary. He didn''t mind as she swallowed a few pills first, a lot of his co-workers used them. Pills weren¡¯t his thing and so they weren¡¯t important. Only his work and Mary were.


    Even the persistent cough he developed was ignored. The doctor told him he had a small benign tumour in the centre of his chest, but as it hadn¡¯t grown and didn¡¯t match any of the known cancers he opted to keep it. The painful recovery from an unnecessary surgery would only cost him time in his lab, and a cough was only an irritation and nothing to be worried about.


    Things were looking great for Peter Parker which was why when the Doom Patrol knocked on his door and dragged a handcuffed and very angry-looking woman into his home, he was suddenly having a bad day.


    ¡°Gwendoline Stacy, Second Grade Doom Patroller, sir. I retrieved your subject. I won¡¯t report this, as we both know I¡¯d get a reprimand, but please Sir, take better care of her, oh and maybe get her replacement papers,¡± and as she turned the confused Peter raised a hand and as he looked over at the very attractive redhead, she put a hand on him and he smiled at her and changed his mind.


    He frowned, why did he do that, he had no idea who this woman was, but as she touched his face, he suddenly felt very calm and realised he didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°Oh Peter, what have they done to you?¡± she asked him and he shrugged. Nobody had done anything, he was great.


    ¡°Sit with me, and tell me everything,¡± and as he felt the compulsion to move they sat on the couch.


    ¡°Who is it, Peter?¡± Mary asked from the bedroom. When she had seen the Patrolwoman she had hidden, afraid Peter had decided to replace her. As she saw the redhead, the stunning redhead with a fair complexion and much larger chest than hers she burst into tears,


    ¡°Please, no. Please?¡± she begged and the woman looked at him quizzically,


    ¡°MJ?¡± and Mary felt a warmth envelope her and she moved over and sat next to the pair on the couch. ¡°I won¡¯t hurt you, I promise,¡± and the pair nodded.


    Wanda sighed and took a deep breath. So far this had gone horribly wrong. Gwen was a jackboot nazi, and Peter seemed to be an ordinary guy with some kind of government connections. MJ was a wreck and Wanda could feel the waves of panic rolling off of her, and she felt the fear that she was being replaced and would be ¡®repurposed¡¯ and reassigned to another man. Wanda clenched her fist in anger,


    What the hell is going on here? She thought to herself but when she tried to connect to Peter, to get a straight answer she felt the Mind Stone resist her powers. Shit she thought, I need to remove it.


    ¡°MJ, can you go into the bedroom, please. I am not here to replace you,¡± and as she cupped MJ¡¯s cheek with her hand she nodded and moved away. ¡°Peter, do you have the Mind Stone?¡± and he shook his head. Damn, without powers he doesn¡¯t know about it.


    ¡°Right. This, well, this might hurt.¡± and as she felt for the Stone within his body she found it, dammit she swore again, Peter kept the stone within his chest and without his powers, it had calcified into a tumour, so close to his heart that any attempt to remove it would probably kill the powerless man. Then a thought struck her. She remembered Stephen telling her that anyone could become a sorcerer if they practised and studied, that he was once a surgeon before he became Sorcerer Supreme. I wonder if he could remove it, or at least help. Wanda really didn¡¯t want to kill him, even if this was not her Peter.


    Well, at least I don¡¯t have to walk back, and as she fished the sling ring out of her pocket, ¡°MJ?¡± and a tear-streaked face of the distraught MJ peered around the door. ¡°Come here.¡± and she nodded and obeyed the mental commands of Wanda. She hated using her powers on the people she cared about, but this world was too different. ¡°Do not panic, and follow once I say so,¡± and the pair nodded.


    Swirling her hands the portal to Bleecker Street opened at the top of the stairs. Stephen warned her a long time ago that trying to pass through a warded area would be painful, if not fatal, and so she hoped that even if the crowds saw the portal, they wouldn¡¯t fall in panic.


    As the trio stepped through, and Wanda hurriedly pushed them into the Sanctum, she was unaware of the Doombot patrolling the area.


    ¡°Unknown Runic formation detected. Initiating Magical Countermeasures.¡±


    As the Doombot¡¯s front lit up and a runic circle appeared, it fizzled after a few moments and the Doombot hovered in place.


    ¡°Magical Countermeasure failure. Contacting Sorcerer Supreme.¡±


    As Victor watched the recording, of the current Doombot and of the one earlier he clenched an armoured fist. They had finally made a move, and it seemed that New Doomsberg would be the battleground.


    ¡°Stark, prepare my private Jet. Assemble the Doom-Minions. The resistance has finally made its move.¡±


    As a seemingly harmless suit of armour in the corner eyes lit up, the suit moved off and into the corridor of the White House. Stark knew if Doom was mobilising not just himself but the rest of the Doom-Minions, then the danger was real, and the fight would be intense.


    A cruel smirk crossed his bearded face. Good, the last resistance member he caught, Carter, hadn¡¯t lasted more than a few days under his care, and he was looking forward to getting another test subject for Project Ultron. Trying to stick a human brain in a robot body was not as easy as it sounded.


    As he pressed a panel, he called the rest of Dooms personal guards,


    Wrath, the meek and docile Banner who made the mistake of ingesting a formula that mutated him into a giant green brute, with no brain and a lot of muscle. Doom personally took down the monster and with his advanced synaptic collar, made him controllable. Banner was gone though, Doom had injected him with something that made his change controllable but made the man an imbecile, uncaring that the once brilliant scientist was now nothing more than an animal.


    Warhawk, a tactical and weapons specialist, who once Doom had granted him a special formula became even deadlier. Stark heard he once tore off his own fingernails and killed 5 enemy activists with them. He revelled in cruelty and had gone through six wives already. His latest, Laura, was only spared as she had gotten pregnant.


    Strike Force, one of the original members of Steve Rogers team, replaced him after a mission went wrong and he fell from a train. Stark knew the truth though, after one of his father¡¯s drunken ramblings. Bucky Barnes had been brought to Dooms side and given the order to kill him. A patriot like Rogers would have fought Doom¡¯s take over of the US, and after liberating Latveria, Doom had no use for him.


    And finally, himself, Ironmonger, with his own specially designed armour, almost as perfect as Dooms design. As Viktor and Tony grew up together, and their fathers worked together on the original Doombots it was only natural their armour was the same. Doom had access to certain tech that Tony just refused though. His mystical elements were beyond what Tony would accept, and he simply refused to have anything non-scientific in his armour. He had even helped Viktor kill his father to claim his ancient armour for himself. He had no clue though his own father would be caught in the explosion that took their lives.


    Tony watched as Viktor strode down the corridor in his resplendent matt black armour with a green flowing cape covering it. With a sneer, Tony followed him,


    one day, one day I¡¯ll get revenge.

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two-Hundred Forty-Eight. Open House

    As Wanda led MJ and Peter through the aperture Stephen shook his head,


    ¡°I said Peter, not your girlfriend as well,¡± and Wanda just tutted at him. Of everyone, it had been MJ she had sought out first, and the pair had bonded. MJ had proven more than willing to accept her advances and they were spending a lot of time together. Peter, it seemed, had a fetish for redheads and watching the pair was one of his favourite things, and Liv had been happy to join as well when Gwen and Felicia were on date night.


    ¡°If I left her she could have called the police. Did you want them to follow me here?¡± And Stephen frowned and shook his head,


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I guess. But we need to make sure she doesn¡¯t become disruptive, does he?¡± and Wanda shook her head,


    ¡°No, he has no powers. He thinks it¡¯s a tumour, thankfully he didn¡¯t get it removed.¡±


    Stephen caught the look, ¡°and you want me to open him up and take it instead?¡± and she nodded, ¡°You know it¡¯s been years since I practised, and I was a neurosurgeon, not a cardiovascular surgeon.¡±


    Wanda shrugged, ¡°is that still not better than me using my powers to rip it out of his chest?¡± and he snorted


    ¡°Anything would be better than that my dear student, but I still have the issue of not exactly being set up for surgery.¡±


    ¡°Can you not just conjure something? Or maybe one of these ancient relics could be used?¡± and she motioned to the sanctums full display cases of the more exotic magical instruments that the Ancient One had collected,


    ¡°Ah yes of course, just let me use one of the many cursed or dangerous magical knives on your friend, it¡¯s been a while since any of them were used for human sacrifice,¡° and he pursed his lips, ¡°it should be fine,¡± and Wanda rolled her eyes,


    ¡°Fine. Fine. Then what?¡± and Stephen smiled,


    ¡°Use your powers, to gently remove the stone. It will be painful but you have something that can make him compliant and explain everything all in one go,¡± as Wanda looked confused,


    Me, Hexen spoke in her mind, with a weak Peter I can bond with him, and remove the stone without hurting him.


    Are you sure? Even without powers, Peter is still your maker. I and Wanda sighed, I don¡¯t want you to get hurt.


    Hexen flowed onto Wanda we are sure, we wish to finally taste the peter, in our own way and as Wanda held out her hand Hexen flowed from her and latched onto Peter who barely struggled as the symbiote flowed into him,


    ¡°Oh Wanda, it is glorious, we taste him and it is wonderful¡± and Stephen coughed, ¡°Sorry Doctor, we always wished to touch the Petrer but his powers were too great.¡±


    Stephen frowned, ¡°I thought he made you all, why would he be dangerous?¡± and Peter coughed for a moment and held the yellow gem in his hand.


    ¡°We are absorbed back into him if we attempt the bonding,¡± and as she held out the mind stone to Stephen he shook his head,


    ¡°Sorry Wanda, you need to take that. I have one,¡± and Wanda frowned and Stephen sighed, ¡°some stones can be held safely, such as the Mind Stone, others need a shell of metal to contain their power and carrying more than one makes the power of each stone multiply. If I hold the Mind Stone as well as the Time Stone I wouldn¡¯t be able to control the power of both. If it is the Reality Stone we¡¯re dealing with, it might be prudent to bring MJ or Peter with us. Someone needs to control the stone while we fix reality.¡±


    ¡°Hexen, how is Peter?¡± and Hexen rippled,


    ¡°We are in control, your mental commands are strong, and he is a man, nothing more.¡± Hexen replied, ¡°We taste him and find him lacking. This is not our Peter, but still, he is the same deep down. We should trust him, we will share and he will know of us, and you.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± and Hexen nodded, ¡°then do it.¡± and Wanda let go of her mental domination of him.


    Peter gasped as the control Wanda had over him faded and the effect of being bonded hit him. He had never felt anything like it before as the strange tickling began under his skin and spread up his spine and into his brain. The only thing he could think of was pins and needles, slowly pickling their way up and dancing over his brain. Then the memories hit,


    Shh, Hexen whispered, we love you and we share ourselves with you,


    Hexen knew to start slowly. While she was the youngest she had been swapped to everyone else and the experience of the older hosts had become hers. Peter had taken great delight as well in letting Wanda indulge any and all fantasies she had, and Hexen had drunk deeply of his essence.


    She slid smoothly into his mind, Her Peter would have been able to stop her but this one was a child and as she discovered his life, she shared Wandas as well.


    Sokovia, the warehouse, the women, the loves and lives of them all. Wakanda and Shuri, and finally the strange eruption of energy and the changing world.


    Peter sat on the floor of the sanctum, grasping his head as another set of memories came into his mind.


    Raw emotions flowed through him and as he stared at the red-headed woman he knew what she meant to him, but not him. He knew someone had messed with the world but it was only through this creature that he cared. His world was perfect, and as he spotted Mary sitting on a couch with her eyes closed he knew he didn¡¯t want it to change.


    President Doom warned them, the URF used strange and mysterious methods to sway the citizens, and these two must have kidnapped him and were trying to make him part of their resistance.


    With his parents high ranking officers in the Doom-Minion, and as he was slowly working his way up through the technical Corps they knew he could get them access to the top military installations in New Doomsberg.


    No, Hexen hissed, we do not lie, and as she let him experience more Peter grew red and flustered.


    Staring at the woman again he was bombarded with images of her naked form, writhing under him, of her and Mary both pleasuring him


    She loves you, we love you, they all love you


    But Peter knew it was a trap, he had never met this woman before and the helmets used in the reeducation centres used a similar method of realigning negative thoughts, there was no beautiful woman, there was no creature inside him, it was a hacked helmet, one someone was using to try and sway them to their cause.


    Then we do this the hard way, and as Hexen squirmed and flowed over him she bonded to him fully,


    ¡°We are Hexen, and he is stubborn¡± Wanda felt the confusion and adamant refusal of the world they were presenting to him,


    ¡°It is not working, Peter is unwilling to help.¡± and Stephen sighed,


    ¡°Then we need another plan.¡±


    ¡°No, we know how to fix this,¡± and Hexen dived into his mind once more, and while his powers were nonexistent, hers were not, and soon it was not his flesh that wrapped around the Mind Stone but hers, and he gasped as she unleashed it against him.


    She had taken a lot from Peter, and from MJ as well, and she flooded his mind. We do not wish to hurt you but we must, and she unleashed all the hidden pain they shared.


    Peter felt Flash rant and rave about an unassuming Peter, of how MJ must still have feelings for him, and alone she wept,


    Peter sat, holding a soaked rucksack, while he watched Flash and his crew laugh


    Hexen filled him with the rage he felt at Flash and the peace he found after beating and throwing him off a roof.


    Each hurt, every slight was filtered into Peter and under the enormous pressure of her psychic assault he broke down and wept,


    Stop please, stop. But Hexen wasn¡¯t finished, she swirled and slid from his and onto Mary, covering her and as the pair shook, she took from her before sliding back,


    Peter saw her taking a pill, like always, a sedative, to make the torture of lovemaking pass faster, once a month injection of heavy anti-psychotics, as the man she was forced to spend her life with remained unaware of how she felt. Trapped and afraid.


    Classes to make her the perfect wife. Stripped and embarrassed as she was taught now to please him, and reduced to nothing more than a household appliance. Her only purpose was to cater to his every whim and desire, and finally, as the helmet was slipped over her head, removing any rebellious thoughts. She would be perfect for him, she would please him any way he desired and Peter''s mind broke.


    Under the assault of the fresh memories, the pain and the guilt crashed against him and Hexen knew it was time.


    Filling herself with the Stone¡¯s power she took the shattered psyche of the altered Peter and filled it back in with her own experiences of him, the loving tender Peter who checked Natasha every day, spoke in quiet whispers praying she would recover,


    The attentive Peter who worked on projects with Liv, who sparred with Laura and then chased her around the bathhouse, who cooked breakfast for them all and cleared away their plates, receiving kisses and thank yous as they all headed to work while he remained at home, working on his designs.


    She shared their love lives as well, showing what she knew of whose bed he hopped to and the little kinks and fetishes they all enjoyed so much.


    The Peter who simply laughed when he found MJ of all people buried between her legs, the pair finding a mutual attraction, and as they slid up the bed, shared a look and invited him to join.


    Wanda took no pleasure in her work but the altered Peter was a product of a regime designed to make those at the top complaint and unwilling to give up their power, and that was not the man she needed.


    Peter¡¯s head glowed yellow as Wanda continued her assault, and it wasn¡¯t until he raised a hand, ¡°stop, please, I know, I¡¯m fine, please.¡± that she stopped, and Hexen slid back into him,


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Wanda asked him,


    Peter shook his head, ¡°I know what you did. I have enough to remember, but it¡¯s not me, it¡¯s like being a ghost. I¡¯m not him, I know I¡¯m not him but,¡± and he shook his head again, ¡°but I¡¯ll help, I¡¯ll make the world right again.¡±


    Wanda looked at him


    ¡°Hexen?¡± and as his clothing rippled she nodded, glad that this Peter hadn¡¯t done anything strange to her, and that he was telling the truth.


    ¡°There is one problem though, that patroller said you were a mutant?¡± and she nodded, ¡°then you have to stay here. They have built-in gene scanners. The URF uses mutants as shock troops and being unregistered will land you in jail, or worse.¡± Peter had heard his parents talk of the camps where they used mutants for testing. President Doom had a mutant sterilisation project, and the few mutants that were allowed to wander the streets wore a control collar at all times, rigged to explode if they used their powers.


    Stephen looked over at Wanda, and looked concerned, ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea. We need your help, but you have no idea what you¡¯re looking for,¡± and Peter shook his head,


    ¡°And you''ll be dead. They¡¯ll take you away, collar you, and if Hexen is right and it doesn¡¯t work, they¡¯ll kill you. So that¡¯s your choice, trust me to do this or die.¡±

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two-Hundred Forty-Nine. A New Man (NSFW)

    Hexen quietly hummed to herself as Peter made his way home. He was riding a high of being bonded and she was revelling in all the new sensations she was being exposed to.


    It was one thing to be bonded to Wanda, but Peter was completely different. Even subtle differences in their biology made it a much more exciting experience and she was only sad that he wasn¡¯t enhanced.


    Do you know that formula? He asked,


    No, Wanda does not understand the complicated science, she knows what it does, and how it works but we do not know how to reproduce it.


    What about Extremis, I caught that you were created from my, uh I mean his enhanced biology, could you recreate it?


    Hexen quivered as she thought about it. He was correct. Her biology did contain the Extremis cells co-opted from the other Peter and while she didn¡¯t know who to make the super-soldier serum, she should be able to simply copy the viral cells and make enough to enhance him that way. Quivering with anticipation of making her new host even stronger, and maybe persuading him to let her taste his passion,


    We need food, sugar treats or meat, get both! She excitedly told him, and he headed home. He was sure there would be food there but a twinge of sadness and pain flashed through him. That was one of Mary¡¯s jobs, something she was forced to do to keep him happy.


    Do not worry about Mary Jane. Once we fix the world she will be bubbly and happy and go back to being herself.


    But that was what worried him as well. He knew the world was wrong but was it really okay to simply bend it back to suit himself? He knew Peter¡¯s parents were dead, as Wanda only had memories of meeting his aunt, did he have the right to simply wish them out of existence, even if he didn¡¯t remember afterwards.


    Hexen huffed, no, you are wrong, they are not real, in the truth they were dead. Bringing them back is wrong, making lives when there was none is just as bad as taking away all the others that once lived.


    Peter didn¡¯t have an argument for that, it was a problem that sat uneasily in his mind until Hexen took it upon herself to break him from his dilemma.


    An image of Wanda, bending over, burying her face between Mary¡¯s legs while he slid into her filled his mind and he almost fell off the sidewalk in shock,


    See, that is what you miss, that is what she is really like, hollow shells and ghosts have no say, make MJ right again, and stop huffing.


    She also laughed as he grew erect at her thoughts, and shifted to contain him, if a selfish desire, she should enhance him for that at least as this normal Peter was lacking in some departments.


    Do not do that again, he chided her. That wasn¡¯t me, that was him, and I am not him.


    Hexen tutted, you are not, you are a ghost too, and ghosts have no say.


    You want my help and then behave like- but Hexen gripped at his mind and he halted on the sidewalk, unable to scream at the agony that flowed through his body,


    We do, and you will obey. Wanda and I are of one mind, we need you, we wish things to be better, we wish for our Peter back, we love our Peter and his loss pains us. We will not ask as she did, we will take it, and you will listen or else.


    As the agony subsided Peter felt at his face and the warm trickle down from his nose was wiped away. Blood, he thought


    Yes blood, we can hurt you, Peter. We do not wish to, but we can.


    So then, what do I get from all this? I mean, if you can just control me, why bother? Just kill me and take over, and Hexen huffed,


    We do not wish it to be this way, but we miss our family, even to see you in this state hurts us, we need our mates back, and we have nothing.


    So what? You thought threatening me would work?


    We could have made Wanda bond with you if that is what you desire, but we remember the Peter wishing to only have willing mates,


    And Peter knew she had him there, finding out Mary wasn¡¯t as happy as he was in their relationship stung him deeper than he thought possible,


    Okay, okay, just no more pain alright, if it¡¯s as great as you say, and I really have no choice, then okay. And he nodded to himself, taking a deep breath, oh just please don¡¯t be some fucking bullshit URF trap.


    They were both quiet for the remainder of the walk home. Peter slid his keys into the door and as he let himself in the apartment seemed emptier without Mary waiting to greet him at the door, but now he realised it was all bullshit. She had been conditioned, like the workers in the reeducation camps to make him happy. Every memory he had of her smiling and laughing with him was now tainted with that thought,


    Fuck this bullshit world, and fuck Doom.


    Heading into the kitchen she slid open the refrigerator door, ¡°uh, if it''s a meal I really don¡¯t know how to cook, I mean Mary took care of all that.¡± and Hexen laughed,


    We know how to make the treats, Wanda was always making and baking with her mother, and we basked in her glow.


    Peter shrugged, ¡°fine, so, help me¡± As Hexen extended down over Peter''s arm she grabbed some eggs and soda from the fridge, forgoing the milk for something sweeter. Adding spices and herbs from the rack, she chopped an onion from the basket of vegetables and fried them in oil before stirring in the beaten egg, christening it with salt and pepper once the mix had begun to pale and congeal on the bottom of the pan.


    Drinking his coke and letting Hexen hum in joy as she ate the entire carton of eggs scrambled with fried onions he belched and sighed, it had been a long day.


    Lie down, this will hurt, maybe.


    What do you mean maybe?


    We have never done this, we might fry your brain or burn down the home, we don¡¯t know, now, stop being a baby and lie down.


    Stop being a baby my ass, what if you kill me?


    See? being a baby, now Lie Down! And the last one wasn¡¯t a suggestion.


    Peter lurched over to the couch and lay on it, and his muscles contracted in discomfort as Hexen began to work.


    She flooded his body with the virus and he writhed in pain as it absorbed itself into his immune system and then began to infect the rest of his body.


    Muscles swelled and contracted, his pupils expanded and then contracted, blinding him and a high pitched whine echoed in his ears. As he lay on the couch, gritting his teeth, the fire within him slowly began a warm comforting glow and he sat up and examined himself.


    His clothes were ruined, he had sweated out a horrible foul-smelling mix of dead cells and sweat, and as he stripped and threw his clothing into the washing basket he looked down at the new him.


    Nodding in appreciation of his figure, too many late nights, too many missed meals from overworking meant he was stick-thin and pale but now his muscles shone with a healthy tanned glow, as Hexen swarmed over him she became his favourite clothes, simple jeans with a white shirt. He was amazed she could do that but shook his head and smiled,


    I need to visit my parents, if anyone knows where Doom would be, or how to get access to the main facility it would be them.


    Peter knew that if a huge reality-altering device was present, it would either be in the capital or in the city. New Doomsberg was the research centre of the United States of Doomerica, and Peter figured that while Doom might want it close, he might not want it right on his doorstep.


    The best place to hide a device would be amongst a whole bunch of similar devices. R and D had a lot of buildings, and adding a few secret levels to one for more wouldn¡¯t be difficult, not with Dooms security. He could simply walk to his own lab, but he needed allies to pull this off successfully. With Wanda out of the question, and with very few friends, his parents were the best people to ask. He would just avoid mentioning their fate in the original reality.


    A knot tightened in his chest when he thought that he could be erasing so many loved ones from this world, but as Hexen reminded him, there were many more that had died, and as he fought back tears he felt a smooth rush of warmth in his head,


    Did you?


    We did, we cannot have you distracted, there will be no more tears from you, do your task, and we will reward you.


    Reward? But before Peter could ask further he was suddenly in a white room,


    Yes, said the grey-skinned woman in front of him, her face was strangely smooth and on parts of her body were dotted red runic symbols that Peter had no clue as to their meaning, we will reward you, and she slid a hand down his front, we cannot let you take Wanda or see her again, but we are willing, we might not be as attractive but we can do more, and Peter felt her hand scratch over his groin and he grew hard at her touch, we wish to taste the Peter? Would you like a reward?


    As she stroked him, he nodded, and as he floated in this strange white empty space he felt a strange sensation of lips around his manhood, and as he stared at the smooth almond eyes they seemed to narrow in amusement as the lips continued to pleasure him until he came, spurting into the void,


    More! Hexen shouted feeling the rush from him, more more more!


    She straddled in front of him and he felt her part and he slid into a warm cave. It wasn¡¯t like being with Mary, this was just tight and smooth, hehe, he heard her giggle and the cave became ridged, and as she slid up and down on his length he felt another orgasm rising. He grabbed onto this strange thing and began to thrust. It felt good, and he wanted it more and more and she wrapped herself around him. With a final thrust, he cried out and emptied himself into her one final time. Sighing happily, she kissed him,


    We are happy, you are not our Peter, but you share some similarities, Hexen said giddily, and we will reward you more. If you behave and do as we say.


    Peter could only nod as the world faded and the drab living room came back into view. He had expected there to be some mess, but as he felt Hexen tighten around his sensitive and limp cock, he knew she had taken care of it.


    As he stood, and Hexen adjusted herself over him, he noticed the room for the first time. Normally he was too tired or too wrapped up in his work to notice.


    There were no pictures, no flowers and the small number of decorations there were, were all things from his parents. Mary hadn¡¯t decorated, she hadn''t personalised anything. This was her prison, not her home, and even if he was forced, if Hexen gave an equal amount of punishments as well as rewards he steeled himself to change the world. This wasn''t a home, this was a prison for him as well.


    As he looked around more at this life he once lived he realised that it was for the best. He would end more misery than he would create. Neither world was perfect, but it would be better than this.


    Hexen, tell me more about your Peter, tell me about them all.

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two-Hundred Fifty. Mother Knows Best

    Dressed in her uniform, Peter''s mother, Mary, cut an impressive figure. She was taller than both Peter and his father, Richard, but that hadn¡¯t been passed on to Peter. What had been thought was her good looks.


    Her face was warm and kind, a stark contrast to the black and green fitted uniform, adorned with several medals and stylised golden buttons. She had been relaxing at home when both Richard and she had been called in to deal with a report, and thankfully, Peter had come looking for them, and they had been able to keep it quiet. For now anyway.


    As she sat the cup of coffee substitute in front of him she ran a hand over his shoulder, noticing that he had bulked up since their last meeting,


    ¡°So?¡± she asked as she sat across from him ¡°what¡¯s wrong Peter?¡±


    Peter sighed and stared at the cup, ¡°Mary and I are having problems. I work late, and I¡¯m never home, I just don¡¯t know how to fix it,¡± and his mother sighed,


    The lie was necessary. Outright asking where Dooms labs were would make his mother suspicious. She always asked him about home, then work, and she always made coffee for him. When she switched to asking him about work, he could make up another lie about wanting to switch careers, and see if she knew where the other departments were.


    ¡°Drink your coffee, and I don¡¯t know. Mary just has to accept that your work has to come first. You are a valuable asset to the Doom-Minion, and your work helps a lot of people.¡±


    Peter sipped his coffee, a luxury even for his parents. Real coffee was even rarer but the ground root substitute was still something that only the higher-ups got to drink.


    It is drugged, follow my lead.


    Peter almost spilled the whole cup as he pulled it away in surprise,


    ¡°Everything okay?¡± Mary asked and he nodded,


    ¡°Hot. but what about home?¡±


    ¡°A relationship requires work, and Mary needs to understand that. I can book her in for re-education, that should clear everything up.¡± but Peter shook his head,


    No, the chemical makes you compliant, agree


    ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Just stiff, after Ben I¡¯ve been working out more. If I overwork I might get sick.¡±


    ¡°Does what happened to your uncle bother you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No,¡± and he shook his head again, ¡°the centres are necessary, and it was a shame but accidents happen.¡±


    Good good, she wants the truth from you, we can feel her curiosity, and her anger at something else.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, but what about May?¡± and Peter looked pensive at his mother


    ¡°I miss her, she was nice to me¡± and Mary nodded her head,


    ¡°Anything more?¡± Peter¡¯s face went red but he shook his head


    ¡°I never,¡± and Mary laughed. A long time ago she had found several indecent pictures in Peter''s room, of women who looked similar to his aunt. It was a teenage boy''s curiosity and she ignored it. She just needed to make sure that wasn¡¯t the cause.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine Peter, we all have phases like that, but, drink up,¡± and Peter nodded, taking more sips of the coffee,


    ¡°Tell me about Bleecker Street¡±


    ¡°Shit shit shit, he thought, but Hexen laughed,


    ¡°I¡¯ve been seeing a girl, I want more from Mary, and I found someone else,¡± he said automatically


    What the hell? Peter thought, Don¡¯t make me say stuff like that.


    ¡°A prostitute?¡± but Peter shook his head,


    ¡°A local girl, she can¡¯t work, so I give her money and she lets me do what I want to her.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you want?¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°Butt stuff,¡± and his face turned a bright shade of red,


    I know she¡¯s not really my mom but give me a break,


    ¡°And she swallows¡±


    HEXEN!!


    ¡°Nothing else?¡± Mary probed but Peter shook his head,


    ¡°I was embarrassed, Mary does a good job around the house, but she is lacking in the bedroom,¡± and Peter held the cup in front of his face, trying to hide his embarrassment,


    She believes you, but be careful, something else is going on here.


    Mary shook her head, it was normal for Peter to want more from life, even she and Richard both had additional sexual partners, but while it all added up, the report of a mutant girl hiding at Bleecker street, and now the report of runic magic being deployed still nagged at her.


    ¡°Have you ever gone to Bleecker Street for anything else?¡± but Peter shook his head,


    ¡°No. Why would I? There is nothing there.¡±


    ¡°Is the local girl a mutant?¡± Peters cup was now half-empty, more than enough serum that if she asked him to strip and perform ballet he would.


    ¡°Mutant? No.¡±


    ¡°Is she part of the Rebellion?¡±


    ¡°No,¡±


    ¡°Did you ever fantasise about having sex with your aunt?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡±


    Peters responses, while embarrassing were robotic, Hexen keeping his emotional turmoil at his mom''s questioning under control,


    ¡°Did you ever try?¡±


    ¡°No, but I watched her shower once.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your favourite sexual position?¡±


    ¡°From behind,¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I like to grab Mary¡¯s breasts and feel them swinging.¡±


    ¡°Are you a member of the Rebellion?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Do you know anyone else at Bleecker Street, or have information about the attacks today?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why were you there?¡±


    ¡°I had sex with Wanda.¡±


    ¡°How do you feel about work?¡±


    ¡°I love it, I help people feel safe.¡±


    ¡°And President Doom.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a genius, I wish I could be more like him.¡±


    It all added up, the cleanup crew had the Doombot¡¯s remains retrieved for analysis within half an hour, the mutant had been taken into custody but disappeared not long afterwards, and the patroller had no recollection of who she was or what she looked like. If he was just there for sex he would have missed everything, and Mary doubted the couple have admitted to anything too passively if the serum wasn¡¯t working.


    As Peter stared at the cup, his eyes slightly out of focus she looked over at the bedroom door,


    ¡°How are his readings?¡± and his father came out, holding a long strip of paper,


    ¡°Heart rate is normal, a little higher than it should be but with no baseline, we can''t say it isn¡¯t normal. Everything is right on the money. He¡¯s not lying,¡± and his jaw tightened a little, ¡°about anything,¡± and Mary laughed,


    ¡°Stop being jealous, he¡¯s your son.¡± and he tutted and rolled his eyes. He had petitioned to have May assigned to him. Peter''s tastes ran very close to his own, and the relationship between Mary and him had been part of their assignment. Once Peter hit eighteen they were being separated and reassigned, May would have been a bit of fun while he waited to see who his new partner would have been.


    ¡°The only anomaly was a slightly higher than normal temperature. It¡¯s almost 40 degrees,¡± and Mary frowned,


    Moving over she placed a hand on Peter¡¯s forehead, and as he looked up at her she blinked in confusion,


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t feel hot, is the gauge working?¡± and Richard nodded,


    ¡°I use you as a base reading, as we know your vitals. He is burning up.¡±


    It is us, we make the body warmer, even as we hide within you, be ready.


    Ready for what?


    ¡°Peter?¡± and he looked at his mom and smiled, ¡°How are you training yourself?¡±


    ¡°I take an injection. I get it from the black market.¡±


    Drugs? Seriously? You¡¯re going to tell my mom I do drugs?


    Shush, we need a reason, or would you rather tell them you are host to an alien, be quiet stupid man and let me do the thinking for us both.


    ¡°Where is the black market?¡±


    ¡°In the remains of Chinatown.¡±


    Mary smiled, ¡°I think we found enough secrets from our little Peter for today.¡± and she ran a hand over his hair and lifted his chin to her, ¡°I am sorry dear, but we needed to make sure you weren¡¯t part of the rebellion. I¡¯ll make sure Mary and your little friend are both re-educated. I¡¯m sure we can work something out. If it keeps my baby happy.¡±


    Richard tutted, when he had brought up taking May into their home Mary had just stared at him and tapped the knife she liked to carry, and he never brought it up again.


    ¡°But no more injections, If you want to make sure you''re healthy I will train you.¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°Yes mom.¡±


    ¡°But, we do need to know what it is you¡¯ve taken. Richard dear, get the kit out,¡± and as his father moved back into the bedroom he brought back a sample kit and several vials,


    No, we cannot. I will be exposed, I am sorry Peter.


    As his father unzipped the black case Peter stood, ¡°sorry¡± and Hexen poured over him. A tendril shot out and batted away the case and Hexen dived for the window, knowing the door would take too long to open.


    Mary, momentarily stunned by Peter''s sudden actions, pulled out a pistol he had holstered on the small of her back and fired two shots at him, hitting him squarely in the shoulder. As Hexen shrugged off the bullets and they clattered on the floor Mary took a second to realise her shots had no effect and this time adjusted her aim and fired twice into the back of his head.


    Even the second round of shots had no effect and the creature Peter had become ran at high speed and leapt at the window, thudding against the glass, almost comically.


    ¡°The apartment is bombproof, sorry dear, but we insist you come with us.¡±


    You didn¡¯t tell us, Hexen hissed


    I didn¡¯t know did I, my apartment isn¡¯t, Peter yelled back. So what now?


    Hehe, Hexen giggled, bombproof is not Hexen proof, and as she raised their arms several circles of a pale red light shimmered above her hands


    Please, not my mom, and Hexen tutted


    As if we would, and the circles darted out and sliced thick gouges from the glass in a square pattern. Wanda was imprisoned in glass once and refused to let something happen again.


    Mary dived forwards and reaching under the table, pulled out a much larger calibre shotgun, as she raised it and aimed at the creature¡¯s chest she hesitated,


    ¡°Sorry mom,¡± he said and tensing he leapt forward again, taking out the fractured glass and launching himself out into the cold air of the city.


    ¡°Shit¡± Mary yelled and grabbed a walkie talkie, ¡°Peter was compromised, get Doombots and a squad of patrollers to my address, and Bleecker street is a go, I repeat, Bleecker street is a go.¡±


    Richard, knowing his combat expertise was lacking, had retreated back into the bedroom. He was her tech support and as such stayed well away when the fighting started.


    ¡°Chinatown?¡± but she shook her head,


    ¡°We both know Peter wasn¡¯t affected by the serum, it was a lie. If he was at Bleecker street, and we know he was, then that¡¯s the real target,¡± and Richard nodded. He wasn¡¯t going to attempt to comfort her.


    They had had this talk years ago. The marriage was a sham, forced upon two agents to produce a superior new generation and while Peter was the product of that, they both knew he was also a good way for the Rebellion to get to them and had been prepared. Richard and Mary hadn¡¯t had a relationship in years, and both had been sterilised after Peter was born. Their familial duty completed, it was now a life of work.


    ¡°Orders?¡± and Mary touched her earpiece, and sneered,


    ¡°Return to base for decommissioning. We¡¯re both suspended until they catch him,¡± and Richard sighed, the polite way of saying they were under arrest and once Peter was captured and interrogated, it would be a re-education centre for the pair of them, and if Peter said anything that made their superiors doubt them, it would be a firing squad.


    ¡°Well, at least it was fun,¡± and as Mary nodded, she began to strip. Richard gave her a confused look,


    ¡°We both know how this ends. So, one last time. You¡¯ve got 15 minutes, and if I don¡¯t cum, I¡¯ll shoot you myself.¡±


    Richard laughed and pulled his shirt free, they might not have been in love, but the sex had always been great.

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two-Hundred Fifty-One. Resistance Is Futile

    Did we have to do that? Peter asked Hexen,


    Yes, if I was discovered they would not have believed anything else, and they would have tried to kill us.


    But now they don''t believe me, and they did try and kill us,


    I can be removed from an unwilling host, but it would be painful and probably fatal for us both, would you prefer that?


    Peter remained quiet, even in his mind. As they ducked down a back alley a Doombot hovered over head, scanned the area and then left to check the next block,


    Why are they ignoring us? He asked,


    Hehe, we learned from Huntress, one of your sisters, she can make us invisible to their cameras.


    And you didn¡¯t do that with my dad?


    Hmph, we did not know he was recording our temperature, plus we would have had to spread ourselves out over you, and could you have explained that? Hexen huffed and Peter dropped it.


    He knew she was trying to keep him safe, and exposing herself to his parents was the last option to avoid being captured.


    As they avoided the main streets and made their way down the dirty back alleys of Manhattan and out of the main part of the city towards Bleecker Street. Piles of garbage hid cardboard boxes with wary eyes peering out. Peter knew there were some places you didn''t walk down even during the day, some places even the Patrollers avoided.


    New Doomsberg was a paradise if you had money and connections, but a lot of places were more ghetto than garden and this was one of them. Once they had stopped running and were out of Manhattan, the area of Midtown was a slum and darkened windows and shanty houses lined between buildings. Peter could hear shouting and as a Patroller car zoomed past without stopping, he knew that while he wasn¡¯t safe from the inhabitants of Midtown, or Shittown as it was unkindly named, he was safe from the authorities.


    So, what¡¯s the plan now? I mean, Bleecker Street is back where we came from.


    Plan? We go back to Wanda and Stephen, we let them know we failed and then we make a new plan. We were caught and we need help. But we need to make sure we can get there undetected. Your parents knew about it, and we would be walking into a trap.


    Are we going to do that invisible thing?


    No, we will use the sewers, if they are as confusing as the ones in New York we should be able to lose our pursuers and make it back to the sanctum.


    Uh, you know I can''t see in the dark right, and we don''t have supplies if we get lost.


    You cannot see in the dark, I am currently monitoring a variety of senses, seeing in the dark is child''s play,


    And you didn''t share that?


    For a split second, Peter was bombarded with the sights and sounds of New Doomsberg. He could smell the meal the vagrant they just passed was eating, he could hear the heartbeat of the woman lying in the cardboard shelter a street away, the air danced with ribbons of bright lights and as his eyes failed to adjust to the light he went blind, and as the thrum of the Doombots overhead became unbearable, he was engulfed in the silence of deafness as well.


    As the noise cut out from the streets it was his own body that betrayed him. The rush of blood around his ear, the thump of his heartbeat was a jackhammer in his chest. Everything, even the rough patches of the skin on his palms as he pressed them to his ears, and the tickle of his eyelashes overwhelmed him and as he started to scream, it all cut out.


    You need time to adjust, we take weeks to acclimate to a new host, and it is only through sharing with each other we know how to dampen ourselves. You must trust me, you cannot do this without help.


    Stop doing that, Peter yelled. The bright pain behind his eyes was filled with bright spots over his eyes, and all he could see right now were yellow dots tinged by blue halos as his eyes tried to cope with the light.


    We are fine, we can still see, and as Peter blinked the world came back into focus, but it was in shades of grey, and every now and again he saw the bright dots of what looked like rodents skittering


    We let you use our senses, we prefer the heat, we see only our prey, or our mates,


    Yeah, great, thermal is nice and all but what happens if we need to do something intricate,


    Stop whining big baby, Wanda conjures magic with runes smaller than you can imagine and she does this without her eyes, bah, we regret sharing ourselves with you, we wish to have our Peter back.


    Same to you snotball. I didn''t want this. I didn''t want to be host to some crazy thing that wants to suck me off and eat things. You think I like knowing the world is fake, you think I want to have to kill everyone I know to make it right.


    Peter felt his heart thumping in his chest as the enormity of what he was being asked to do rushed through him.


    I don''t want this, I don''t want this, he mumbled to himself, trying to stop the shaking and the panic. Attacking his parents and now being on the run was too much. If they caught them it was firing squad but not before they cut him open to find out his secrets, find out what Hexen was, and they wouldn¡¯t care if it killed him.


    Stop being a baby, and his heart slowed, with a steadier rhythm, Peter took deep breaths.


    Stop fucking doing that! he yelled at Hexen


    Then stop fighting me, the world is bad, we know, fix it and this is a bad dream, this goes away and you get eight pretties to live with, you get big money, you get big dreams, this, this is a nightmare, stop fighting.


    Eight? Seriously I have eight girlfriends,


    Eight you live with, we know you have tasted more, and yes, now do the things, get the red rock and we go back to the nice times, with Wanda and MJ and you stop being a baby!


    I¡¯M NOT BEING A FUCKING BABY!


    Peter had enough, this creature was more than he could bear and as he lost his temper Hexen coated him and he stood coated in the red and grey symbiote,


    DO THIS. DO THAT. SHUT THE FUCK UP! And Hexen rammed a fist into the crumbling brickwork, smashing a chunk free.


    WE dO whAt we Want, we LiVe how We want, noT A baBY, not A BAby he screeched into the air, and around him, the homeless population all knew to run and hide. Mutants brought Doombots and patrollers, and they wouldn''t be careful of what targets they picked.


    Hexen had tried to calm him before, using the methods they always used, to please and taste him, but alone she wasn''t enough. The anger raged within him and as it touched her, it felt good, it tasted good and at that moment, she lost control as well.


    Attracted by the noise and the sudden flair of power several Doombots honed in on the screeching Symbiote and as they flew closer they hissed at them, grabbing and climbing up the walls of the alley and leaping at one


    Kill you all, kill Doom, kill, and eat, kill and EAT! and as they shoved his fist through the camera of the Doombot he connected to its circuits,


    See you, see you all, feel you, kill and eat you. They hissed into the headsets of the drone controllers, who were giving their supervisors nervous glances. Even in the control room, where the cameras mounted on each Doombot were monitored and recorded, the panic had set in. This creature was busy ripping their supposed high tech support to shreds, overriding their commands and mocking them.


    ¡°Alet Command, We have an Omega situation. We need heavier support. Pull all units back, and wait for proper reinforcements.¡±


    A communications officer lifted her head, ¡°Sir, we have word that Ironmonger is on his way. ETA five minutes. He is ordering us to send in Patrollers to keep the creature busy.¡±


    Rubbing his face, the commander gulped, ¡°Send in Units four and Five.¡±


    As the order was issued the ATV set out from headquarters. Units Four and Five had both failed in their last task, to apprehend the mutant incursion on Bleecker Street, and the commander knew this was their punishment. Why send them to reeducation when death was faster and served the greater glory of Dooms empire.


    Gwendoline, on the other hand, was not having a good day. She had gone to submit a complaint about Parker until she saw whose names were attached to his file and she just crumpled up the form and threw it in the trash. Two Doom-minion captains would have her court marshalled and then executed before her father heard about it if he did anything. She was protected, but even he didn''t have that kind of pull.


    As they received their orders she loaded up her body armour, loaded her gun and went through all the standard checks before heading into the back of the ATV. Reading the report on her tablet she sighed, another fucking mutant, but in Shittown this time. Three Doombots down and now her squad and another were being sent in to contain the problem. It was fine though, nobody gave a rats ass about Shittown or its residents. She could use lethal ammo and probably get a medal for clearing out the filth.


    She was wise enough to read the writing on the wall. Her unit had fucked up, and it was ''do or die'' time, and with the Patrollers, it was sometimes better to die.


    All that meant though was one more chance for her, which meant live ammo and a really shitty day for everyone else. If this was her fate, then she could at least make her father proud one last time.


    ¡°Okay people. we¡¯re heading to Midtown, weapons-free. We''ve got one mutie and a whole bunch of insurgents in the area. Anyone stupid enough to still be there is either looking for trouble or too dumb to live anyway. Lethal ammo is a go, as long as it''s not wearing a badge, there will be no civilian casualties reported.¡± and her squad replied ¡°Hoo-rah!¡±


    Checking her own ammo once more, the ATV skidded to a halt


    ¡°Everyone out, now. Go go go,¡± and her men rushed past her. As she checked no one was hiding she heard the screams already, as a smile crossed her face, it turned to a frown, there had been no gunfire and as she rushed out, she saw why.


    The grey-suited thing was dancing between her men, sending out spikes and tendrils, even as her men exited the vehicle, it had simply killed them before they could fire. Body parts and blood sprayed, and their screams filled the air. He removed heads as easy as moving his arm and her men fell like paper dolls before it.


    Shit shit shit, she thought to herself as the monster in grey and red hissed at her with a jagged toothed maw,


    ¡°We see you Gwen, and we will save you for last,¡± as the monster approached her the second ATV pulled up and the men inside rushed out, took a stance and as it reached for her, opened fire.


    It laughed as the ammo bounced off a thickened hide and Gwen felt the warmth trickle between her legs as it turned and thick blades sprang from each arm.


    ¡°Kill You, Eat You!¡± and it dived. Gwendoline stared in shock horror as even at close range the guns were useless and it sliced and carved at the second squad, reducing them to bloody chunks within seconds.


    It hissed as it approached her, Gwendoline coming out of her stupor grabbed her sidearm and fired point-blank into its chest. Looking down the bullets flattened harmlessly against its body armour and as it grabbed her with one hand around her throat she was lifted from the ground. As it pulled her close a thick slimy tongue slid over her face and she whimpered. It ripped at her clothing, tearing through her body armour as if it was paper and leaving it in tatters around her waist. It hissed in mocking appreciation as he lifted her higher and she felt the thick tongue slip down between her breasts, licking them all over, making her shudder.


    ¡°Eat you,¡± it hissed once more and she screamed as the beast stretched its maw and crunched down on her shoulder.


    As the pain threatened to overwhelm her, as the teeth ground her muscles into a pulp as it chewed and swallowed her flesh, she heard the zip of missiles through the air and the pair were blown backwards.


    Gwendoline rolled along the ground and screamed as she dragged her ruined arm, trying to find any safe palace to hide from the monster. Behind a car, she knew she only had a few seconds before it found her, and as she looked up, she saw the hulking black and green armour.


    Ironmonger and the Doom Squad had arrived.

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two-Hundred Fifty-Two. Tunnel Vision

    From his loudspeakers he heard him call her pathetic and as he landed he raised two hands at the creature, Hexen remembered the Iron Man armour, and in this reality, he had gone even more overboard.


    Ironmonger was huge, twice the size as Iron Man and was covered in cannons, even Warmachine would have been embarrassed at the amount of firepower Tony had bolted to the armour. As well as two shoulder-mounted cannons, each arm had a small missile launcher in the upper arm, two cannons slung under each forearm and a heavily armoured repulsor disk on each palm. Thick spikes studded the leg plates, to ward off anyone tryin to grapple him, and rather than the sleek boots, Hexen could see thicker thrusters on the back of each leg, with several exhaust ports at the top, making them look like small flamethrowers rather than part of the flight system. The whole thing was still painted the gaudy gold colour, but rather than red, it was shiny metallic emerald green,


    ¡°Stark!¡± it hissed, and he laughed.


    ¡°Then you know to stand down, I¡¯ve got back up, and you''ve got nothing.¡± but the creature, pacing back and forth hissed at him,


    ¡°Pathetic in every world.¡± and as Ironmonger fired two repulsor blasts, Hexen dodged and darts of symbskin flew at the armour.


    Raising an arm, a bright blue energy shield materialised on his arm, ¡°yeah, still got nothing¡±


    Hearing in his earpiece, ¡°Wrath, ETA one minute,¡± and Tony tutted,


    ¡°Cancel that, it''s just a weirdo in a suit.¡± but as he finished speaking he heard a screech from behind him.


    As his camera swivelled he saw the blade, too late drive itself through his side, and another of the strange monsters was there, her form like tight latex over naked skin, ¡°We are Rage¡± she yelled and as she was about to draw her arm back, his missile launchers swivelled and fired several missiles point-blank into her face, blowing her backwards


    ¡°We have two hostiles now,¡° he spoke over the comms


    ¡°Wrath, in 5, 4,3 and now¡± War Hawk replied.


    A whistling noise ended with a sudden thump as the half-naked body of a malnourished and shaven-headed man impacted against the ground. Even Hexen stopped and stared at the body, twitching as blood seeped from broken flesh.


    The body made a whistling noise before it grew into a scream and the man sat bolt upright, chemical vials on his head and down his spine hissed and injected him with pale blue liquid and he contorted and transformed,


    Gamma, Hexen hissed, no matter and she strode forwards and stabbed the growing monster in the chest, we know how to deal with gamma


    As Wrath grew, he swatted the creature away with a single tire size hand,


    ¡°Wrath strong, Wrath, Wr-¡± and as he clutched his chest he gave Ironmonger a sad smile, and his flesh began to burn.


    Tony''s HUD registered that whatever the creature had done was causing Wrath to burn through the formula faster than his body could heal. His rockets ignited and he took to the sky watching the giant man begin to swell and, in a flash of green light, explode, sending him tumbling and making his radiation sensors scream in alarm at him.


    The devastation was horrific. Buildings were demolished around where Wrath had landed, bright smears of blood and pieces of countless men, women and children littered the alleys where the shockwaves had been funnelled. The circle where he landed held one smoking foot, the remains of Wrath and even it crumbled into ash as the de-powering formula Hexen had injected him with finished its work.


    Even Hexen had been blown away in the explosion, and they were trying to stand on shaky legs as the noise still rung in its ears,


    Better? Do you listen now or want to complain more and fight?


    I, what? And he looked at the devastation around him


    Shit, was?


    No, you took knowledge, used something bad against someone, and made another of us to play with.


    Hexen looked over and saw the broken form of the other host, she had been thrown by the blast and caught the corner of a building,


    I made another? How is that even possible,


    The blonde, we recognised her and you felt desire for her and wanted to mate, you lost yourself and we can discuss this later, not every threat is gone.


    Hexen stepped top one side as an arrow, barbed and coated in thick foul-smelling paste shot past him,


    We need to go. There. And she pointed to a sewer cover that had been blown free in the explosion and was currently buried in a brick wall. Move or we die, this will bring more than we can manage


    Taking a last look Hexen sped towards the sewer and dived in, landing on all fours before the brief light flickered and a craft hovered over,


    Run run run, Hexen shouted and Peter took off in a random direction.


    He could hear the residual shouting match going on above him, but the voices soon faded as he made his way through the dark tunnels of the old New York sewer system.


    While Doom had revamped a lot of the upper city, the old building works, covered by years of construction were still here and it was more than a maze, it was a death trap. Several times Peter had to use Hexen to avoid falling into an open hole, water gurgling down to where Hexen couldn¡¯t see.


    What happened up there? He finally asked her, breaking the silence as they walked.


    We did, we are hungry, like children, we scream and cry and lash out, and the Peter knows how to calm us, learned how to, but we. we are sorry, we lost ourselves in your anger and you raged, and fought.


    Will it happen again?


    No, it gets easier, not so much baby now. Just shh for now, light ahead.


    Even in the gloomy darkness, Peter could see the gentle flicker. It must have been a candle as the shadows danced on the rusty pipeworks of the sewage system.


    Hexen wrapped herself around him, and as he quietly crept towards the light he crouched down as low as possible,


    Shit, as he saw the tunnel open up before him he hid behind an L shaped drainage pipe, it''s the rebellion.


    In the cavern workers gently removed brick and soil from the tunnel floor by hand and with small shovels. They were almost silent, barely talking and Peter saw the leader, or who he thought was the leader making gestures with her hands, rather than talking.


    We need to be careful, if this is the rebellion they might just shoot us rather than talk, and as he made to move back the woman''s eyes spanned to his direction and her hand signals became erratic,


    They know we are here, and I can sense several people coming towards us, if they are instant on being silent then we may be able to avoid fighting or bloodshed,


    Uh, I¡¯ll have to trust you on that, and Peter moved from the shadows with his hands up.


    The woman''s eyes tracked him, and she raised one hand with a long thin blade in it and the other pointed to a door. It was rusty but the silver circle around the airlock style wheel seemed to indicate it was well used, and recently too. As he kept his hands up he moved over and he motioned for him to open it, pressing the blade into the small of his back.


    Will that hurt me? Peter asked Hexen


    She laughed no, we are ready if need be, do not panic and we will be fine.


    As the door silently slid open Peter could smell the oil, they were definitely paranoid about making noise, and he wondered if there were seismic indicators buried underground.


    As he was sent into the room the door slid closed and there was a hiss of a seal activating before the woman pressed the knife to the back of his neck,


    ¡°We get strays down here, but no one gets past our security. Spy or saboteur?¡±


    Peter kept his hands up, ¡°neither. I uh, I¡¯m on the run.¡±


    The woman snorted, ¡°Peter Parker is on the run, and you expect me to believe that?¡± And she pressed the blade onto his neck.


    ¡°They wouldn''t send their son unless they were planning something. Talk or I kill you now¡±


    ¡°Uh, don''t freak out,¡± and Hexen slid down Peter''s arm and covered his hands, revealing the grey symbskin, covering his hand in razor-sharp fingernails. ¡°I got powers, and my parents attacked me. Stark and the big guy came after me too and I escaped into the tunnels.¡±


    Peter felt the blade''s pressure ease on his neck, ¡°Ironmonger and Wrath are in New York? Who else?¡±


    ¡°The arrow guy, I didn''t see anyone else, and uh New York?¡±


    A second voice sounded from the shadows and a tall, muscular man, with a single metal arm, said, ¡°You''re in New York, the city¡¯s real name,¡± and Peter recognised him. Why wouldn''t he, it was the original Captain America, traitor of the USA.


    ¡°So, mutant?¡± And Peter shook his head,


    ¡°Alien, it uh, speaks to me.¡± and Steve laughed,


    ¡°Aliens huh? That¡¯s a new one. Nat? Got aliens in the Federation?¡±


    The woman, and now that Peter got a better look at her, she was scarred. Half of her face had been badly burned and the hair was shaved on that side, as he stared she glared back at him, and he mumbled an apology,


    ¡°No names, I still think he''s a plant, we should just kill him and continue.¡±


    ¡°Uh, guys. I know who I am, but uh, I can help. I need to help,¡± and Peter began to tell his story, starting with the abduction of himself and Mary, to the death of Wrath and his trek through the sewers.


    ¡°Well, that''s quite a story. Not after a rock though. We have our own reasons for going to Grand Central though. Good to hear Wrath is dead though. He cost us a lot of lives.¡±


    ¡°Wait. You believe me about the red gem?¡± And Nat nodded,


    ¡°We had a similar stone in Russia, captured it when the Red Skull fled from the original Doombots,¡±


    ¡°The Space Stone,¡± Peter had encountered it before.


    ¡°The red one, it uh changes reality, it changed reality, Hexen tells me that we were all different, that it was better. If we can get the stone to my friends then we can change it all back.¡±


    Steve looked over at Natasha. ¡°Your call, this is your op. I''m just here as muscle.¡± and she nodded.


    ¡°Where?¡± she asked and Peter hesitated,


    Taking a breath, ¡°you know this is a big ask right, I mean, the two people I¡¯ll take you to are the only two who know what''s going on,¡± but Natasha shrugged,


    ¡°Then don''t, and we end things here, we go back to our mission and you uh,¡± but she never finished that sentence.


    She will try to kill you if you do not agree,


    Try? and Hexen laughed,


    Yes try, we know Natasha Romanov, from the other life,


    Did you trust her?


    Hexen giggled, how do you think we know how to fight, Peter? She is our friend, lover, and teacher.


    Fine, fine. ¡°Bleecker Street. My friends are at Bleecker street,¡± and Steve and Nat looked over at each other


    ¡°The mutant from this morning?¡± Peter nodded, and Natasha sighed. ¡°Well, then we have a problem, as we already caught the chatter. Doom is raiding Bleecker street today, and he will be there himself. We¡¯re not going anywhere near there.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t fight Doom? Are you guys not the rebellion?¡± and Nat laughed while Steve shook his head,


    ¡°Doom is way more powerful than anyone knows. He isn''t like his father, that suit isn¡¯t just armour, it¡¯s more.¡±


    Peter knew that Stephen was a magician, maybe Wanda as well. If any pair could take out Doom it would be those two.


    Natasha rubbed her forehead, ¡°fine, we might be able to actually hurt Doom if we surprise him. We¡¯ll take your mission,¡± and as she turned Steve nodded and they moved to discuss their plan,


    What was that?


    Hexen giggled, we used the Stone, she was ready to kill you, and he would have not stopped her.

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two-Hundred Fifty-Three. Flat Iron

    ¡°So, you¡¯re from another reality?¡± but Peter shook his head at Captain Rogers question,


    ¡°My friends are, my alien is, but I''m really Peter Parker.¡± Peter paused for a moment, ¡°I really don''t understand, but they know magic and it protected them I guess,¡± but he still shrugged. Stephen hadn''t really explained it and if Hexen tried to share any magic with him it just flashed rubies in his mind and gave him a headache.


    ¡°So, we get their help and you turn everyone back to normal right?¡± And Peter nodded,


    ¡°Both Hexen and Stephen said that the change was caused by a red gemstone, and if we find it we can change it back. It was only a single event that changed everything.¡±


    ¡°You know what seems kinda far fetched, I mean. If we turn everyone back, then what happens to everyone else?¡± And Peter stopped,


    ¡°Look. If you don''t want to do this then why are you following me?¡± Peter had been badgered by Steve the whole way back to Bleecker Street. The old soldier insisted on questioning Peter about everything, from what the world was like before the change, to what he thought was going to happen after.


    He is testing you. Hexen said he is seeing if your heart and tone changes if you lie.


    Can¡¯t you use the Stone again? Make him go along as well?


    Hexen giggled, his mind is not his one, the redhead is dosing him, making him compliant, we would only make it worse if we did.


    ¡°Just curious Son, just curious¡± and Peter shook his head, at both Steve and Hexen.


    ¡°Hexen says we¡¯re here.¡± And the trio sat below the sewer manhole cover, listening for any noise of fighting coming from above,


    ¡°It''s quiet,¡± but Steve and Natasha both looked unsure.


    `That''s the problem, there should be people moving above us and I haven''t heard anything for several blocks,¡± Steve stated, and as he unhooked a dull black shield with a red star on it from his back, he slowly climbed the ladder up to street level.


    Motioning with his hand, Natasha put a hand on Peter''s shoulder and held a finger up to her mouth,


    Hexen rippled and Peter was coated in her armour, and he nodded,


    As Steve pushed up with the edge of his shield his shoulders slumped and pushed the cover the rest of the way he climbed out and into the street. A hand came down and he made a few gestures and Natasha nodded, pushing Peter in front of her. As they climbed up the ladder, Peter hoisted himself out and saw Steven kneeling, with his hands over his head. Ironmonger pointed a huge blue glowing cannon at him.


    ¡°So nice of you to join the party, a bit late though,¡± and as a huge hand waved around Peter looked and saw the devastation.


    Bleecker Street had been decimated. 1337 was gone, and a smoking pile of rubble was all that was left, even the buildings on both sides were full of holes and if anyone had been living there, they had no home left. Not that Ironmonger cared.


    ¡°So, Peter Parker and the Rebellion. Guess your parents were right.¡± Tony laughed, ¡°they sold you out to save their own asses, and your friend, that blonde, she didn''t make it.¡±


    Peter cursed, Stark was already here, and they had taken out Wanda and his backup.


    No, the Sanctum cannot be harmed by non-magical means. They have destroyed the building, but the people inside are still safe,


    Peter looked over at the ruined building, safe? There is nothing left of the building, they aren''t safe. Doom has them. So what do we do? I know you can fight but after last time,


    No, we cannot, we will resist if he kills either the captain or Natasha, but we cannot fight. He has others hidden, we would lose.


    Hexen shared her senses with him, and as he closed his eyes and tried to block out the pain he felt two more hiding across the street. While he couldn''t tell, Hexen felt their powers, and they glowed to her other scenes,


    Like the Captain, Enhanced smell and feel different, the serum makes them more, more alive, more everything, and we can see it. The others are like him, and you are not strong enough to take them all.


    Peter sighed and continued to climb out of the sewer, raising his hands above his head,


    ¡°Well, that was easy. No hidden tricks this time. I mean, Wrath was a pain in my ass but we still owe you for his death.¡±


    ¡°You killed my friends, screw your debt.¡± Peter spat at him and Tony laughed,


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll enjoy breaking that attitude, and miss, my thermal imaging shows you down there, come up or I reduce these two to ash and then burn the sewers to get you.¡±


    As Peter moved out the way Natasha came head first out of the manhole and Tony laughed


    ¡°Rogers and Romanov, Doom will definitely reward me for this. I mean, you two practically run the Rebellion and Parker. Losing Wrath doesn''t matter, we got plenty more gamma beasts, but you three,¡° and as Tony moved close to Natasha and lifted her chin with a gauntleted hand, ¡°I bet Doom lets me keep you as a pet.¡±


    Natasha was tempted to just spit in his face, but the heavy faceplate took all the satisfaction away from it,


    ¡°All right, round them up. Power suppression collars on all three, oh and Mr Parker, if that little slime creature you''ve got is anything like the other one, we know about your weakness,¡± and as Ironmonger turned to one of the Doom Patrollers, ¡°full charge on your pulse weapon, they don''t like fire.¡±


    You didn''t mention the fire thing, Peter chastised Hexen,


    Because we aren''t, offspring are weak and have not adapted, we are sorry they died though, we may not be able to make another.


    That got Peter feeling guilty, Sorry, I didn''t know,


    If it saves you it is of no matter, we had no choice to evade capture.


    Yeah a fat lot of good that did us, and as a soldier clasped Peter''s arms behind his back he felt the cold settle cuffs being connected and the small but audible whine as they powered on.


    Bah Hexen scoffed, these are pale imitations of the Peters CLS, you and I are not chained to this device. If you can touch the others I can free them when you wish.


    ¡°You know, I''m almost disappointed. The son of the famous Parkers went out like a little bitch. I hoped you¡¯d fight. I mean, I wished you¡¯d fight. Maybe¡± and Ironmonger''s faceplate slid back and he knelt in front of Peter. ¡°You know,¡± Tony whispered, ¡±when the blonde attacked she took out four men on her own. I had to blow off her limbs one by one just to get her to stop,¡± and seeing Peter''s face contrast in anger he got closer, ¡±but it was the screams as I sprayed her with napalm. I recorded it, wanna listen?¡± but Peter shrugged.


    ¡°Nope, you can probably hear you jacking off to it in the background. Dirty old men aren''t my thing,¡±


    We are sorry, Hexen whispered. She had cut Peter''s mind free and was now in control. You would have become dangerous once more, and your mind is too unstable.


    ¡°In fact, I bet she was only screaming because you stopped and spoke to her rather than fighting. Doom¡¯s dick slip out your mouth long enough? I mean, your breath alone-¡± but Ironmonger raised a fist and punched Peter across the jaw, sending him flying.


    ¡°Nobody talks to me that way.¡± and as the repulsor cannons in his armour whined and powered up he levelled them at Peter.


    Peter righted himself and laughed ¡°pathetic, can''t even handle a boy in cuffs, I bet you don''t even get hard unless they chained up, to intimi-¡± and as the cannons whumped Peter was blasted back and into the ruins of the sanctum. As the building shook and clouds of dust billowed from the hole Ironmonger had blasted in the wall, Steve and Natasha both clenched their fists and gritted their teeth,


    From the building, all they heard was Peter mocking Tony. ¡°And you hit like a fucking pussy. I''m unarmed and you still missed. No wonder the Rebellion is winning if you''re the best Doom has.¡±


    As the small contingency kept their guns trained on Natasha and Steve they couldn''t help but stare as the building began to glow an eerie red colour. From inside they could hear the kid¡¯s creepy laugh echoing around.


    Tony switched his comms on, ¡°yeah creepy kid. You got him covered Warhawk?¡± but all he got was static before he heard a splat.


    ¡°You touch on greatness, and fumble in ignorance. But we can teach you,¡± and a circle of yellow energy began to spiral behind the group. Ironmonger''s faceplate snapped back down and he signalled to the soldiers to be ready.


    As it spun faster and faster eventually it spun and nothing happened, standing back Ironmonger wondered what the kid was playing at until the first soldier screamed.


    The yellow vortex appeared quickly and silently beneath his feet and Ironmonger could see the clouds through it,


    Clouds? He thought to himself, what the hell? But as he heard the screams of the men, he looked up. Two, three, more vortexes appeared and soon each soldier was dropped. One by one they impacted on the ground and Tony watched as the creature, the red and grey one he found before, stalked from the wreckage of the house. Tony knew the magic Viktor could do, but he had never seen him teleport or create portals in thin air. If he could, he would have conquered Russia years ago.


    ¡°The boy is weak, but we are not, and we will make you suffer.¡±


    Hexen was never really allowed to cut loose with her own powers. Wanda and Stephen both kept a wary eye on the symbiote''s own magical ability. She had inherited much from Peter. Extremis ran through her armour. From Natasha, combat and tactics, and from Wanda, a small portion of her magical knowledge, and the more Stephen taught, the more she understood.


    She had shared with the others, it was their way of welcoming her into the family but she knew she was more. Wanda granted her a power greater than any of the others could understand, and she would use it to take revenge on them.


    As Ironmonger raised his arms and fired she conjured more rifts and the beams blasted into his back, and taking advantage as he stumbled he sprang forwards and sliced at the bottom of each leg. As the thrusters sputtered and died, Hexen laughed, ¡°and now we see if you can fly.¡±


    ¡°Oh god no, no please,¡± he yelled as he struggled to ignite the boots. Feeling the vortex form beneath his feet, ¡°please, I¡¯ll help, Your friend isn¡¯t dead, I can give you Doom, I can-¡± but as the vortex grew big enough he slipped through and Hexen calmly walked forwards and slashed away the restraints on Steve and Natasha.


    As Ironmonger fell, Hexen created rift after rift, stopping him from impacting the ground until she judged he wouldn''t fall any faster. Creating one last rift he screamed as he fell through it and out, this time impacting against the side of the ruined building,


    ¡°No one destroys our home. No one threatens our mate, and no one hurts our friends.¡±


    The crumbled and bloody mess of Ironmonger slid down the wall, blood and fluid leaking from the flattened front. Hexen could smell the blood leaking from the suit, and there was nothing but pulped meat inside. Even in her own reality, Tony had been a thorn in Peter''s side, and this was a small victory, once she would relish sharing with the group, once they were all home.


    As Steve stood and undid the cuffs around his wrist he rubbed them, ¡°maybe start with that next time.¡± but as Hexen slid back and Peter was returned to consciousness he fell to one knee,


    ¡°No, We can¡¯t-¡± and as he slipped into unconsciousness he felt Steve rush and grab him.

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two-Hundred Fifty-Four. Centre Of Detention

    Peter woke up to an amazing sight. Natasha had laid his head on her lap and as he stared up all he could see were soft pillow mountains, just close enough to reach out and-


    ¡°If your hand moves any further I will cut it off, monster or not.¡± and as Hexen laughed in his mind, he sheepishly lowered his hand,


    Not our Natasha, you should be more careful, Hexen laughed, and a brief image of Natasha¡¯s full figure flashed in his mind.


    ¡°Uh sorry,¡± he said as he bolted upright and slid back along the bench.


    ¡°So, you can become the creature but are not strong enough to keep control?¡± Natasha asked him and he shrugged,


    You are strong enough, just not capable, we know the runes and the incantations but you do not. Your mind fractures and crumbles as reality bends to a will that is not yours, Hexen explained, but Peter really didn''t know what it all meant.


    ¡°She uh, says yeah. Hexen, that''s her name. Magic is, I dunno, something you learn and as I don''t know it, it-¡° but Natasha had already looked away, bored of the conversation. ¡°Yeah, I get that.¡±


    Looking around Steven and Natasha had stolen the Doom Patrollers ATV and were driving through the streets of New Doomsberg, ¡°uh, where are we going?¡± and he saw Steve look at him in the security mirror.


    ¡°We have passcodes and disguises. We¡¯re going to break some of our friends out,¡± and as Peter looked he saw that Natasha and Steve were both wearing Patroller uniforms now, but his clothes were unchanged,


    ¡°Am I not?¡± but Natasha cut him off.


    ¡°No, you are not. Untrained idiot. Flailing and fumbling will get us killed, and if you cannot let your monster remain in control, then all you are good for is bait.¡±


    Peter looked at her, ¡°bait?¡± and Hexen whispered,


    Yes bait, they will use you to gain entry to the prison and then attack.


    ¡°Prisoner?¡± he asked, shocked they would take him right into Patroller territory. A lot of people knew his parents, and a lot of people would recognise him. The idea of being bait was unappealing, and Natasha nodded and grinned,


    ¡°Yes, Prisoner, we don''t need papers to bring you to processing, you are a fugitive yes? Then all we need is a body. Conscious or unconscious, so behave.¡±


    Natasha gave Peter a look, a mix of derision and pity. Whatever impression she had of the boy it was not a good one.


    She doesn''t trust you, her scars indicate torture of some kind, I wonder if her past dealings in New York led her to your parents, Hexen pondered but Peter had no reply. His parents barely spoke of their work, and if they had tangled with the rebellion, they wouldn''t have said anyway.


    The Ministry of Information kept failed missions top-secret, only successes were reported and as he had never seen Natasha face in the news reports, she was definitely one of the Patrollers failures.


    ¡°Our original mission was to break into an old Subway line and travel to the holding facility. It''s what used to be Grand Central Station before it was converted into a holding facility. Doom uses it to move people in and out of the city without anyone knowing who or where they are going,¡± Steve explained. ¡°We get in, free our friends and then move out. Once we have a big enough task force, we can deal with Doom while you get your friends and fix everything. I don''t need to remind you that if you fail we all die. Doom won''t let us go a second time.¡±


    Peter gulped as he realised the implication of what Steve had said, we do this and succeed or we all die, and Peter felt a ripple of fear flow through him. He had never thought about doing something so dangerous before. Even his lab was shielded with the latest safety equipment and fieldwork was never even a thought in his head. But now, he was about to walk into a maximum-security prison with two people he only met an hour ago and an alien bio-suit that could take over his mind.


    You will be fine, being afraid will help them, if you need it, we can stop the fear but fear is good, fear will keep you alive.


    And if I make a stupid mistake cause I¡¯m scared?


    Then we stop you and we help you. We are not your enemy, Peter. We may have been blunt, but we are not going to hurt you. We love our Peter and you are more like him than you realise.


    Peter''s nervousness grew though, as they slapped cuffs on him and they drove to the prison complex. He began to feel sick and a cold sweat had broken out over his body. As Natasha looked at him she smirked, as it was plain to anyone he was having problems coping.


    He took a deep breath and relaxed. Hexen helped to ease the anxiety but Natasha tilted her head, ¡°No, do not do that, do not help him,¡± and Peter glared at her


    ¡°Why? What if I screw up?¡± he asked and she shook her head,


    ¡°You don''t do anything, you look scared and you piss yourself. Leave the fighting to those who can,¡° and she sighed. ¡°You might think you will help, but you will get us killed. Be scared, hide, act as if this is Peter Parker, rich, spoiled brat of the Elites, and not some kind of wannabe hero.¡±


    We do not like it but we agree, to be too calm is to draw attention. We will help but we are sorry.


    Peter felt his heart beginning to beat a bit faster and the raw panic began to set back in. It was muted, from full-on terror to the nervous excitement before doing something dangerous or painful. Peter closed his eyes and leaned back in the prisoner compartment of the ATV. He could do this, he would do this, and then. He paused, and then? If everything went according to plan he would cease to exist, a forgotten fragment of a madman''s desire for power.


    No, we have bonded, no one will forget you, Peter, I will make sure of it. You are like our Peter, but different, like eating the oatmeal cookie, just as tasty as the chocolate chip ones but in their own way


    Did you just compare me to a cookie? And Hexen laughed,


    Crunchy outside but soft and gooey in the middle, and tasty, yes. Peter, you are our cookie.


    Peter laughed to himself, better than nothing I guess, but the anxiety, while dulled still remained.


    It had been instilled into him by loving but strict parents. ¡®Behave or the Doombots will take you to Central¡¯ was their favourite way of getting him to do as he was told, and even now as an adult the thought of going anywhere near Central was horrifying. As he felt his blood pounding through his chest, Peter had the unpleasant thought that maybe this was a conditioned response. The fear felt unnatural, visiting a prison shouldn¡¯t be this terrifying, shouldn¡¯t make him want to vomit and empty his bowels.


    Hush Peter, we will make it easier, and he felt a small measure of comfort as Hexen began to hum within his mind. It was an old Sokovia nursery rhyme she had learned from Wanda.


    Steve looked up in the security mirror hanging above the driver''s seat, ¡°Hey, you¡¯ll be fine, in and out. No worries,¡± and as he looked over at Natasha she spoke in a language Peter didn¡¯t recognise, but Hexen did.


    It is Russian, the friend of Livs speaks it,


    ¡°Can we trust him?¡± Natasha asked and Steve looked in the mirror again,


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to, we only need him to get us inside.¡±


    ¡°And after?¡±


    Steve¡¯s brow furrowed, ¡°after is still in the air. Even if he helps, he is still a target, orders still stand.¡±


    They are going to kill me?


    Yes, I can hear it in her thoughts, a list of names, and you and your parents are on it. They intend to destroy the city, to bring Doom here. They have an atomic device.


    You didn''t think to mention that earlier, innocent people live in this city, Doom or not they can¡¯t-


    We know, but we will change things before that, they are not planning on using it until next week. You are just a bonus they didn''t expect.


    Peter kept his eyes closed, rubbing his fingers over the cuffs they had put on him, I still don''t like it.


    We will make sure nothing happens to us Peter, we will protect you,


    From a nuclear bomb!


    Hehe, possibly, we do not know, we have never experienced the gamma formula, but being with Liv tells us we can adapt if we are prepared.


    You''re kidding, right? A nuclear bomb? You think you can survive a nuclear bomb? That''s insane, you know that?


    Maybe, maybe not. We have stories from our sisters of much worse, and the Wanda has several spells and incantations that can harden the flesh against many things. We do not know until it happens.


    Peter was about to continue quizzing Hexen about her powers when he felt the van slow and seeing the chain link fence past the back of the truck his leg began to bounce nervously. This was the point of no return. Past the first checkpoint they were now surrounded by armed guards, all with orders to open fire on anyone, even their own men, if a threat was detected. Central held the most dangerous of Dooms foes, and none were allowed to escape.


    As Natasha lifted her gun and poked Peter in the back with it he got a good look at where they were. The train station had been sectioned off into guard towers and holding cells and as the train sat waiting. Rather than escort each prisoner they were simply held in cages and lifted onto the back. Whoever designed it uncaring they were exposed to the weather. Peter shook his head, this is insane, and as Natasha nudged him once more he was pushed into a containment cell.


    ¡°Name, offence.¡± the guard sat behind a bulletproof blast shield asked. Peter knew someone was there, as he could see a faint shadow but the mirrored glass hid the occupant from everyone else.


    ¡°Parker, Sedition,¡± Natasha replied.


    As they waited a white line lit up on the floor, blinking, it made an arrow, and Peter was led along it to a row of cells. Natasha pushed him into the open one and he winced as it closed and slammed behind him,


    Be calm, a simple electronic lock will not hold us, Hexen reassured him, we are not caged, you are fine.


    But Peter still shuffled to the back of the cage and sat with his arms wrapped around his legs, what now?


    Now we wait. Natasha and Steve should return after they have rescued their friends. No one will attack you here. If they do not return within a suitable time, then we plan our escape and rain blood and fury down on those who oppose us.


    Wait? They aren''t coming back, are they?


    Hexen huffed, No, we heard it in their minds, they are after their friends, and you were a means to get into the prison. If they return, it will be to make sure you are dead.


    Those assholes, Peter cursed. We should just break out now, screw their plan.


    No, we wait. If they succeed the prison will be easier to escape, and if they fail, then we can laugh and escape anyway. Relax, eat the food and rest. We may need our strength for fighting.


    He was given a meal, which Hexen warned him was full of sedatives but she had taken care of it and he waited. As the tension left him, possibly due to Hexen or the chemicals in the meal, he leaned back against the corner of the cell and fell asleep.

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two-Hundred Fifty-Five. Short Sharp Shock

    Peter awoke with a jolt, and after stretching, wiped the drool from his mouth,


    We let you sleep, as we believe that we have been abandoned. It has been several hours and there is no sign of them.


    Can¡¯t you do that mind thing and find them?


    We cannot, the cells are shielded, and there are too many others, we are on our own.


    Peter took a deep breath, so what do we do?


    We escape, create mayhem, and if we find them, take our revenge.


    Revenge isn¡¯t a good thing, we still need them to find Wanda and Strange.


    Hexen snorted, revenge for leaving us, revenge for using us. Wanda and Stephen might not even be here. Wanda would not let herself be so easily captured.


    So what''s the plan?


    The mutant centre, if there are Augments in this reality will be very angry at being imprisoned, and very difficult to contain if set free. We free the most powerful and then escape. We remember where the hideout of that pair is, we return there and-


    No. No revenge. We find Wanda and Stephen and fix things.


    Hexen hmphed, So forceful, fine, we do it your way.


    Peter stood and stretched, and as Hexen removed his cuffs they clattered on the cell floor. As Peter looked around hopeful the noise didn''t alert a guard he tilted his head, unable to hear anything coming from outside the cell.


    Noise dampner?


    No, we hear the woman next door, if Steve and Natasha are busy guards may have been taken for reinforcements.


    Peter shrugged, he didn''t care, if those assholes left him they could have all his guards,


    Do we release the people next to us?


    If you wish, more movement brings more guards but also a bigger crowd to hide in.


    I doubt anyone in these cells is guilty of whatever Doom imprisoned them for, we release as many as we can, and Hexen agreed.


    Pressing his palm against the lock, he felt her extrude and squirm into the keyhole and soon there was a thunk and the door swung open.


    Nervously Peter stuck his head out, and as Hexen had told him, there were no guards stationed at either end of the corridor. The rest of the containment unit was quiet though, and if they had done him, he imagined they had done the other cells as well. Why risk a breakout when you could gas the prisoners into unconsciousness while you dealt with the problem.


    Peter stood in front of the cell next to his and the women inside seemed to be sleeping,


    Can you? and as he pressed his palm the lock clicked and the door swung open. And now the rest.


    Making his way down the line Peter opened any cell with a prisoner, but the gas they used took a heavier toll on the unprotected prisoners,


    Can you wake them? He asked and Hexen


    Yes yes, move to that one, and Peter moved to the woman next to his cell. A tendril snaked from his back and brushed over the woman''s neck, Peter felt Hexen inject her with something.


    WAKEY WAKEY! Hexen yelled at her and several more grey pseudo tendrils stretched out and slapped the poor woman on the face.


    Hex! Peter scolded her, wake her gently, and Hexen tutted,


    Wanda is a heavy sleeper and needs a firm hand. She will be fine, see. And Peter noticed the woman sat rubbing her face, we injected her with a countermeasure for the gas, now, apologise, we wish to be praised,


    You are amazing Hex, so, I''m sorry, just, no slapping everyone, someone might get angry.


    She will wake unless she suffers a reaction to the stimulant, we should do more. And with Peter in agreement they began to work their way through the other cells. Hexen restrained herself from shouting telepathically into their minds though, with the counter agent being enough.


    As the prisoners eyed him warily, Peter raised his hands, ¡°I don''t care where you go or what you do, we''re looking for my friends and we¡¯re staying. The guards might still be outside, I don''t know,¡± and as they cautiously checked the corridors and the empty guard booth the small group made a break for it,


    It was callous, but another distraction would aid Peter in trying to find either Wanda or Stephen, and while freeing them was the right thing to do, most if not all could perish once they were spotted by the guards. A thought that was soon vanquished as Peter heard the first scream and explosion.


    Dammit, some of them must have been mutants.


    No matter, the markings on the floor indicate the holding cells for long term prisoners are this way, we should hurry.


    We¡¯ve got time, but Hexen tutted,


    We have a distraction, but a large enough hostile force will draw more specialised troops, we have no time to waste.


    Cautiously the pair made their way down the grey drab walls, following the lines on the floor. Peter noticed that not just long term storage is marked but interrogation and MCU, mutant containment units, and they follow the red line to the more heavily reinforced area.


    As they approach a checkpoint, Hexen covers him and shimmering, they vanish.


    We can sense guards. They did not all attend the breakout,


    So? What do we do?


    The camouflage can confuse them for a moment, but their cameras might see us, we have to fight.


    I don''t know if I can, the last time, and the memory of fighting with Ironmonger made its way into his mind. He hadn''t meant to kill him, he just wanted everyone to be free from Dooms control, but the way Starks smug face grinned and mocked him, Peter knew he hated fighting, he hated violence but he hated bullies even more. Can we make some of that knockout drug? You could-


    No. It takes time we do not have, I can incapacitate but we leave ourselves vulnerable to attack. Our Peter learned a long time ago, some enemies do not deserve mercy, and some would see you suffer defeat with them. We attack, we kill, and we move on.


    Peter shook his head, what kind of life did his other self live to be forced into choices like that? No, we shouldn''t they have families and loved ones, but Hexen growled,


    And what of our loved ones, what of the woman, or the others. Do their loved ones deserve to be taken and live in terror? We fight.


    Peter wanted to argue more, but crouching around the corner of the mutant detention centre while guards watched surveillance monitors was not the safest place to have an argument. Fine, we fight, but afterwards, once we have Stephen and Wanda, no more. You can go back to Wanda.


    Hexen huffed, our peter loves us, and you throw us away so easily,


    I''M NOT HIM, Peter yelled at her in his mind and as the anger surged so did the adrenaline. Hexen laughed and giggled with joy as the cocktail surged into her,


    No, but we still love you and as they roared Hexen dived around the corner and the first two guards fell to tendril spike through the throat. Hexen hissed and as the tendrils retracted Peter shook his head at the casual way she killed them. As their bodies slumped, his hand began a giant club which he swung and smashed open the glass control booth,


    MORE, MORE Hexen laughed in his mind, feeling the executive rush of combat,


    As the guards raised their machine guns they found them useless against the armoured form of Hexen, thicker plates absorbing the bullets easily. Their mouth split into a massive maw and the guards screamed in terror as tendrils shot forwards, piercing skulls and organs, killing them before they could react.


    Hexen stood outside the glass booth, huffing and snarling as they searched for more enemies to kill. Hexen giggled, calm now, we can check the cameras and find our friends.


    Peter''s hands shook as he stared at the carnage surrounding him. Hexen had made him mad intentionally and then pushed it into madness, but this time he had been conscious, directing her strikes against the most vulnerable parts of the guard¡¯s bodies, making a mockery of their armour. With a sigh and a deep breath, they vaulted into the control booth and Peter shoved a corpse off the panel and began to flick through the different camera feeds.


    There. And spotting both Wanda and Stephen on one of the cameras they were being held in mystical containment. A small branch held deeper within the prison compound. There is no map to that area, and Peter couldn''t even see where the cells were located on the prison map. We need help, if we start wandering around aimlessly, we¡¯ll get caught, and as Hexen began to flick through the cameras herself, she stopped on one of the long term containment cells. Him. We need his help.


    As Hexen guided them through the dark steel corridors they came to a thick steel door, with a yellow and black biohazard sign on the door. Peter could already smell the fumes from inside, and Hexen covered his mouth and nose as they began to burn. With no key, Hexen pressed herself into the lock and it bubbled and hissed before crashing to the floor with a thunk, too thick, too many locks, just easier to eat.


    As they pulled the heavy door open, they entered the room.


    We know him, Hexen said as Peter stared at the short man writhing in agony, if we free him he will help us.


    Peter could take his eyes off of him. The machine he was strapped to seemed to serve two functions. The first was containment, and Peter could see the locking mechanism around his forearm and legs, the second was to inject him with a solution, and as the injection site seemed to be a blackened mess of veins and blisters, Peter knew it was caustic, and the source of the smell


    Yes, he can heal and has metal claws in his arm, if we designed a way to entrap him, we would burn them from him as well.


    Yeah, I don''t really think we want him. He looks half dead.


    No, he will heal, they keep him from regenerating, get closer.


    Peter moved slowly forward, coughing as the smell from the injection and the rotting burning flesh caught him in the back of the throat. Hexen silently apologised and a small mask slipped over Peter''s nose and mouth,


    Touch here, and as Peter raised his hand Hexen slipped out and severed the locking mechanism around his feet first, and as the man''s eye snapped open he glared as Peter lifted a finger to make sure he knew to keep quiet.


    As Hexen moved up and ate through the first bolt the man grunted and shook his arm, working the IV free and Peter jumped and grabbed the shackle as his arm swung free,


    ¡°I can do the rest,¡± and as claws slid out of his hand Peter stared in horror as he sliced off his own arm, dropping down,


    ¡°Don¡¯t suppose you got any cigars huh bub?¡± and he sighed as Peter shook his head. As he was too busy watching the man''s arm regrow from the ruined stump in mere moments, ¡°Ain''t seen too many mutants huh, nice trick you got though. So what''s the plan?. How many and who else.¡± Logan moved across the room, and seeing the downed guards outside started to strip one. Placing his boots against his own he hurriedly slid on the guards pants, uncaring about covering his chest but making sure the boots fitted. ¡°Well, I ain''t getting captured again, who else and how many?¡±


    The man''s bluntness startled Peter ¡°uh, Steve and Nat.¡± he said without thinking, before realising he shouldn¡¯t have told him.


    ¡°It''s Logan, an¡¯ those two huh? The widow and the soldier, great. So they¡¯re after Bucky. But what¡¯re you here for?¡±


    ¡°They abandoned me after getting in, I need to find my friends. A woman and an older man, brought in today.¡±


    Logan laughed, ¡°Well, I ain¡¯t got anything better to do. So, admissions are over there, you comin¡¯?¡± and Peter nodded.

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two-Hundred Fifty-Six. Jail Bait

    ¡°So, what''s your deal?¡± Logan asked Peter, but he shook his head,


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you. It''s uh, complicated but my friends are here, and I need to save them,¡± and Logan shrugged,


    ¡°I can smell your different kid, parents huh?¡± and Peter frowned, ¡°Too clean to be a prisoner, and too old to have just popped. Parents turn you in after hiding for a few years?¡± and Peter nodded. It was technically true after all. ¡°Can you fight, or is your power something useless?¡± and Peter shrugged, ¡°Oh come on kid, they ain''t gonna use harsh language. If you''re gonna get us killed I want to know now.¡±


    ¡°I can fight, I just don''t like to, and if that room didn''t kill you, what makes you think they can?¡± But Logan laughed,


    ¡°Cause that room wasn''t tryin¡¯ to kill me. It was one of Dooms experiments.¡±


    Peter stopped, ¡°experiments? This is a prison, that¡¯s illegal,¡± and Logan laughed,


    ¡°Illegal?¡± and as he scratched his stomach, ¡°Doom only cares about Doom bub. He makes the rules. If he says it''s not illegal then nobody will argue.¡±


    Peter still didn''t understand. Every day Dooms spokesman, John Jameson, ranted about the mutant threat, and its ties to the Russian Federation. So why was Doom experimenting on mutants?


    Logan must have seen the confusion on his face, ¡°he¡¯s liar bub, he ain''t after extermination but stealing our powers. You don''t have a team of mutant hunters without some of ¡®em being mutants themselves.¡±


    It was becoming clearer to Peter. Doom didn''t just use the war as a means to keep the population under control. The reeducation centres, the drugs, and now the mutants. It was all to add to Doom''s power and keep the country under his thumb. He never saw it, he was well fed and well cared for. No one would give that up, he had been so blind, and stupid.


    But you know, and are making a difference, Hexen whispered but Peter didn''t feel better. He wasn''t, the memories supplied from Wanda and Hexen were. He wasn''t the original or the altered, he was a blend of both, and he hated what his world had become. What he had become.


    Stop it, worrying over what we are or what we do is pointless, you are who you are, strive to be better, not complain, and Hexen tutted, we have a sister, who complains and hides in her host, only coming out to eat or screw, and we still love her, even if she wastes herself.


    ¡°Hey, we¡¯re here.¡± Peter was brought out of his conversation with Hexen by Logan pointing at a thick steel door. ¡°If your friends are anywhere, they''re in there,¡± and Peter nodded.


    Hex, can you tell if anyone is inside, but she mentally shook her head


    The door is protected by magic as well as technology. This is where they should have taken Stephen and Wanda, so be prepared.


    ¡°We have to break it down,¡± Peter told Logan who just grinned at him.


    ¡°You be ready, I¡¯ll make a hole, and you start doing whatever it is you do,¡± and Logan roared as three slick silver blades sprang from each hand. Peter jumped in surprise as he slammed each fist into the door and scored a massive gash into it with each hand. As the lines crossed each other he stood back and nodded at Peter.


    Hexen slid over him and he slammed a fist into the thick metal and it screeched and jumped forward an inch,


    ¡°Thick sucker ain¡¯t it,¡± and Hexen nodded and slammed another fist. With each punch, the plate moved another inch until with a thunderous clang, it slammed on the floor.


    The guards on the other side had already moved behind the barricades to deal with the intruders, ¡°You go left an¡¯ I¡¯ll go right,¡± Logan ordered and with a nod, Hexen shot out a line and swung into the room. ¡°Different, still good, but yeah,¡± and Logan roared as he followed.


    The bullets made no difference to Hexen as they bounced harmlessly off his armour and any that hit Logan had no effect on the man. As he ripped and roared through concrete and steel shutters no one was spared and while Hexen had similar thoughts Peter was more content to web any opponents down and kick their guns away.


    Once all the guards had been neutralised Peter turned his head and closed his eyes as Logan tutted, and jammed a three-bladed fist into the throats of each incapacitated guard. ¡°Never, ever leave a man alive that¡¯ll kill you without a thought.¡± and as he continued his gruesome task Peter tried his best to ignore the muffled coughs of gurgled blood.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t-¡± but Logan glared at him,


    ¡°They are conditioned to kill, so shut your yap,¡± and he continued his killing spree. ¡°Now, what do your friends look like? Awful lot of cells here, and I ain¡¯t about to start lettin¡¯ random idiots out until we hit the right ones.¡±


    Hex? But she shook her head,


    The cells are warded, and Logan is right, we need to be careful, if Doom is experimenting there could be danger in these cells.


    ¡°A man and a woman, Wanda and Stephen. She''s uh, really beautiful, with long red hair, and he looks like Stark. I mean, the same beard and hair. But, uh,¡± and Logan raised a hand,


    ¡°I get it kid, Stark wannabe and hot redhead with massive jugs,¡± and as Logan took one side of the room, Peter took the other.


    In the cells normal looking people stared at them, keeping themselves away from the crackling orange energy field. Noone called out or even spared them a second glance as they moved from one to another. Sitting in the middle of one cell, Stephen, wearing his sanctum grey uniform but missing his coat was sat floating, in deep meditation.


    ¡°I found one,¡± and Logan nodded,


    ¡°An¡¯ I think your girlfriend is in this one,¡± he said, pointing to another cell. ¡°Know how to open these? Cause stabbin¡¯ the control panel will probably open them all.¡±


    Uh, Hex?


    And as small grey tendrils made their way into the panel it shorted and the field around Stephens cell faded.


    ¡°That took you long enough Mr Parker, but I am thankful for the rescue. We need to find-¡± but Stephen was interrupted as Peter moved away and placed his hand on the panel outside Wanda¡¯s cell as well.


    ¡°It seems teaching you about magic was not as wasteful as I thought, Hexen,¡± and Peter heard her huff within his mind,


    ¡°Uh, she says thanks, I guess¡± and Stephen chuckled,


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she did. We need to be careful. Doom is a practitioner, and a strong one at that. Even Wanda and I were no match for him.¡± and as he cast an eye over the cells surrounding his. ¡°Maybe we can acquire some help though,¡± and as his hands glowed the control panels on each of the cells became alive with runic patterns and each one opened in turn.


    ¡°You idiot, we just avoided that.¡± Logan snarled at him but Stephen raised a hand,


    ¡°I know, but fellow practitioners will make for good allies. I don¡¯t care what happens after we escape, only that we do.¡± Stephen cleared his throat, ¡°Denizens of the underworld, dark dimension, and alternate planes of existence. Doctor Doom has imprisoned you here against your wills. All we ask is that you fight-¡± but he was interrupted as one of the smaller women Peter had seen facing the wall suddenly burst into flames and charged at a wall, screaming in a strange tongue and burning straight through it. One of the men seemed to blacken and grow, his skin became thick and grey while his face morphed into a singular eye, and eldritch runes, pulsing with light, covered his skin.


    ¡°Or you know, that works too. Wanda?¡± and Peter pointed to a cell, where Wanda lay, panting and gasping for breath.


    ¡°Easy now Wanda, the cells were designed to block out both your powers and your magic. You¡¯ll feel better once we¡¯re away from the wards.¡± Stephen explained as he helped her to her feet. ¡°I would appreciate it if you could protect us while we escape.¡± and Peter nodded.


    ¡°Logan?¡± he asked as the man stared expectantly at the burning wall.


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m good. Think I¡¯ll follow the crowd, an¡¯ see if I can find your other friends. Maybe say hello to an old pal of mine.¡± As he walked towards the hole he stuck his head through and nodded back at them, ¡°cya around kid,¡± and dived through. Peter could still hear the screaming and gunfire coming from their direction, and as Stephen and Wanda leaned against each other for support, Peter cautiously led them back to the entrance of the station.


    As he scouted ahead the courtyard was empty, both of bodies and of signs of fighting, ¡°I don¡¯t like it,¡± he said as the pair slowly made their way behind him, ¡°it¡¯s too quiet.¡± and even the sounds of fighting in the distance had almost vanished to his sensitive hearing.


    ¡°Did you discover what Doom was planning?¡± but he shook his head as the trio crouched down behind one of the emergency barricades.


    ¡°All Logan said was that Doom used this place as a testing ground for something, Natasha and Steve were interested in getting here, but nobody would explain why.¡±


    Stephen looked serious for a moment, and sat back down on the ground, leaning against the wall. ¡°We need to find Doom and the Stone. Without it, we can¡¯t fix things. So what do we know?¡± and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°That this is a holding facility and not a prison, that he was experimenting on mutants here and Steve and Natasha were more interested in getting in than rescuing you two, even with my help.¡±


    ¡°Which tells us that whatever Doom is planning, is probably centred here. So my suggestion is to simply wait. We can rest for a few moments, and if the station is as important as everyone is making it out to be then Doom will come to us.¡± And as he lay back against the wall he closed his eyes. ¡°Peter, can you stay on watch while Wanda and I rest, the cells were,¡± and he paused, trying to describe them, ¡°unpleasant,¡± and he nodded,


    ¡°Sure, uh Wanda, thanks.¡± and she frowned but sat next to Stephen and closed her eyes. The prison had been hell, constantly shifting between moments of ear-piercing noise and silence, constant temperature adjustment and humidity. It was designed to create a distraction and force any magics to be disrupted before they could be cast.


    Doom had assaulted the physical shell of the Sanctum, destroying it, and once its outer shell had been stripped he began to assault the magical defences themselves. It was brutal and inelegant but even against the magics of Doom, they had fallen eventually. Once Wanda and Stephen had no choice but to defend, the soldiers had assaulted them with overwhelming firepower, and Doom had taken apart their magical defences. Two against twenty was no match, and Doom had gloated when he snatched the amulet from around Stephen''s neck.


    As Stephen and Wanda rested to regain some strength and some sanity while Peter kept watch at the entrance. He could hear something but was unsure as to what. There was the mechanical squealing of brakes, but the type was unknown to him, the slight hiss of gas escaping but nothing he could recognise as a system. As he saw Wanda and Stephen lying limply against the wall,


    gas? Shit, he cursed. Hex, is there gas in the air?


    Yes, we are keeping you safe though,


    No, Stephen and Wanda. Help them.


    We can do better, hold your breath.


    As Peter took a deep breath, Hexen flowed from him and covered Wanda. Her eyes shot open and she stared over at him as his cheeks went red. ¡°I can manage,¡± and Hexen flowed from her back to him. Waving her arms a barrier of red flowed from her and surrounded the trio. ¡°I learned that very early on,¡± she said with a slight hint of red on her cheeks


    Her Peter seduced her with a scent, and she remembers it fondly, Hexen told him, and Peter could only nod, unsure if it was appropriate to comment or not.


    As Wanda cleared the air around them Stephen stirred and groggily rubbed his face, ¡°we what?¡± and Peter helped him to his feet.


    ¡°We need to move,¡± and the world exploded into bright light and coloured smoke.


    As soldiers poured into the area, gas masks and the standard thick body armour of Dooms personal guard, Doctor Doom himself floated into the prison.


    ¡°Doom sees all. Even the insects that threaten his domain.¡± and seeing the imposing figure of Doctor Doom, his armour, grey steel with a huge green cloak and hood that covered his helmet, thick and runic sleeker than Ironmongers and covered in the same glowing runic script that Hexen had, Peter felt fear, and grabbing Wanda¡¯s hand, and helping Stephen to his feet, the trio retreated back into the cellblock.

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two-Hundred Fifty-Seven. Rebellious Streak

    Peter could hear Dooms echoing laughter behind them as his troops spread out to secure the prison.


    ¡°Rats may scurry all they like. Doom is inevitable.¡± and Peter cursed to himself as he heard that smug self-satisfying laughter echoing around the corridors.


    Stephen was sicker than they realised as he limply held onto Peter and Wanda, ¡°Can you use magic to cure it?¡± but Stephen shook his head.


    ¡°It doesn''t work like that, unfortunately,¡± and as he coughed there was a small amount of blood on his lips. ¡°The toxin they used will clear, and I will be fine. Eventually.¡±


    ¡°Can we use Hexen? Like I did with-¡± but Wanda shook her head,


    ¡°The bonding process would let him share all that I am, all that you are, and it is too personal.¡±


    ¡°Personal enough to let him die? Let him suffer?¡± but Wanda just looked away embarrassed.


    Stephen patted him on the shoulder, ¡°I am fine Peter. I also have some things I would prefer to keep private, and it is just a sore throat. More importantly, we must keep moving.¡± Stephen began to shuffle down the corridor, with Peter offering support, and Wanda coming behind them. She was keeping a barrier of red energy across the width of the corridor, trapping the gas behind it, and with Stephen hurt, they moved slowly, back towards the mutant containment facility,


    ¡°There, can you hear that?¡± Peter asked and the pair shook their heads, ¡°Fighting, and a lot of gunfire. Logan said he was going to find Steve and Natasha. Maybe that''s them?¡±


    ¡°Captain America? And Widow? Good, with Logan we should be safe,¡± Wanda asked and Peter nodded, ¡°We should head there, they were our-¡± but Peter shook his head.


    ¡°Not this time. Logan helped me but the other two abandoned me. I bet Logan is fighting them, not Doom.¡± and Wanda sighed,


    ¡°I will be glad when this is over,¡±


    ¡°As will we all,¡± and as Stephen stood a bit straighter a small yellow circle appeared on his hand, ¡°at least my magic is coming back.¡±


    A loudspeaker squealed as it activated, ¡°Doom is merciful. Share the secrets of the talisman and Doom shall spare you.¡±


    ¡°Talisman?¡± and Stephen sighed,


    ¡°He took the Eye, but I had already conjured a ward onto it. A simple spell but quite unbreakable. Only I can open the casing, even if I die it won''t work for anyone else.¡± Stephen coughed once more and as he wiped his mouth. ¡°We need to hurry though. If we lose our allies then Doom will capture us again,¡± and the trio began to run down the corridor.


    As they rounded the last corner the doors to the mutant containment facility had been obliterated and only twisted metal hinges remained. Even with the thick plating they were no match for whatever power had been used against them and Peter felt the whum of an energy blast as it exploded against its target.


    ¡°Go left Alex,¡± he heard Logan shout, and there was another whum and another explosion. The group looked past the wreckage of the doors and saw several soldiers fighting with Natasha and Steve, while Logan and another blonde square-jawed man fought against soldiers wearing the same uniform as Natasha, a black bodysuit with a red star on the front. The groups were fighting in a huge but empty hall. The floor was simple white linoleum, and with bare grey walls, Peter wondered what this room was actually used for.


    ¡°Seems we have more to deal with,¡± and Steven stepped forwards and swept his arms around, separating both groups, ¡°Doom is coming,¡± he shouted and as the soldiers realised they were behind a barrier they stopped.


    ¡°Yeah, an¡¯ those idiots want to blow us all to kingdom come to get him,¡± Logan shouted back, while Natasha raised her pistol and fired several times at the barrier between her and Stephen.


    ¡°That won¡¯t work Miss Romanov, and yes we know you. So, a bomb?¡± and Steven sighed.


    ¡°Doom needs to be stopped. We have intel that the machine he uses for his power source is in the tunnels under New York. While we can dig for it, its access corridor is in Central Station.¡±


    ¡°And you felt a bomb was the best option? Wanda, that may be what we are looking for. To keep reality stable, Doom might have placed the stone under the streets of New York.¡± as he looked at the two groups. ¡°We agree, but a bomb won¡¯t stop his machine. We need to find it and then switch it off.¡± Steve gave Natasha a look and she shrugged, lowering her pistol.


    ¡°We agree, Logan, you good?¡± and Logan looked at him and shrugged,


    ¡°Traitors an¡¯ double agents, sure, might as well.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡° Stephen shouted, ¡°Keep it until after Doom is defeated. We all have a stake in this. Put it all aside for now,¡± and Logan snarled but nodded, ¡°Good. Then we can all relax and find this mysterious machine. Wanda, can you use a tracking spell to find any sources of magic nearby? Mine is still,¡° and he held up a hand and the yellow circle spluttered after a few seconds.


    ¡°We ain¡¯t got time for that, I can hear Dooms men commin¡¯ now. You two, get your asses ready,¡± Logan shouted, and Natasha checked her pistols while Steve brushed the dirt and blood from his shield.


    ¡°Doom has no time for this petty battle. Men, sacrifice yourselves for the glory of Doom,¡± and as he floated into the empty hall, his men roared and ran past him, firing into the groups of men before them.


    Mutant and human fought, and Peter saw the mutant Logan was with fall to a Doom Patroller with a flamethrower. Logan barely rolled out of the way as its napalm spray covered at least 10 men in choking flames. He could hear the screams, and the smell of cooking flesh was overwhelming,


    Hush Peter. We will keep you safe, and his hearing and sense of smell vanished, we will protect you.


    Wanda conjured a red shield as the flamethrower turned its way towards their group, and the man screamed as a cone of red energy enveloped it and pushed it back over him. His tank exploded, covering the men beside him and the walls in the sticky burning fluid and Hexen enveloped Peter in armour.


    Logan roared as Nathan died, and he threw himself towards doom. Doom simply laughed and a beam of energy stuck Logan squarely in the chest. ¡°Insignificant animal, You pose no threat to Doom,¡± but Logan simply roared louder and ignored his smoking and burning flesh. As the beam penetrated through him, and Doom laughed, Logan lept, only to be caught by Doom with a thick Gauntleted hand. ¡°You are nothing to Doom,¡± and raising a hand he blasted Logan in the face, burning away his features and then throwing him back towards the others fighting,


    ¡°Surrender, and Doom shall spare you. Reveal to us the secrets of the talisman and Doom shall reward you,¡± but Wanda replied for them, a bolt of red energy streaked towards Doom and a yellow ward flared as it struck him in the chest. ¡°Interfering worm. You shall pay for your insolence.¡± and Doom¡¯s own armoured hand began to conjure a yellow disk.


    The purple armoured Warhawk had been standing at the back, aiming carefully with his bow, and with each arrow, another enemy soldier would die.


    As Red Widow watched her comrades die she snarled and ran at him, sliding forwards and sweeping at his legs. Warhawk lifted his foot to avoid it, and brought it down on her thigh, as she rolled he pulled an arrow and fired, driving it into the thick back of the leg. Snarling in pain she snapped the arrow off, and spun, lifting herself up on her hands and kicking down. Bringing his bow up to entangle her legs she was lifted and spun around, but as she twirled she brought the snapped arrow up and stabbed him in the groin, pulled her legs down and brought him to the floor and as he lay trapped under her thigh, stabbed the arrow into his throat. Pulled it out and drove it through his eye socket, pushing it as far as it would go.


    In the carnage, a scruffy long-haired man, with a red, white, and blue uniform stood before Steve. Taking down his mask, Steve could only stare at him. He knew that face, images of friendly jokes, and late-night drinking flashed in his mind. The Red Room had tried its best to suppress his emotions, to drive out the once-proud American and as he stared it all rushed back.


    Steven looked over at his one-time friend, ¡°Bucky?¡± and the baby faced man nodded, ¡°Fuck you¡± and a dot of red appeared on his forehead. As he lifted a hand, staring incredulously at the smoking pistol in Steve¡¯s hand he slumped forwards and Steve threw the gun to one side, ¡°I never liked you anyway.¡±


    Re-entering the fray, Steve drew his combat knife and sliced open the back of a soldier trying to strangle Natasha, ¡°You good?¡± and coughing and grasping at her neck she gave him a thumbs up. He moved to the next but hesitated as a flamethrower-wielding soldier sprayed Logan with napalm before grabbing the man, twisting his neck and taking the long-barrelled gun from him, turning it and spraying Doom Patrollers until the tank ran dry. He tossed the gun to one side, when a barely covered skeleton stabbed him through the chest, wheezing ¡°I told you never turn your back on me,¡± and Steve slumped. Natasha screamed and as Logan lifted his other clawed hand to stab Steve again she fired, catching him in the head he stumbled backwards, tearing his first hand free. Steven slumped forwards and lay over the dead body of his one-time friend.


    Natasha leapt forwards and drove her knife into the eye socket of Logan, whose skin was slowly recovering the bones showing through, As he pulled out the knife Natasha took another one from her waist and the pair began to fight. Logan was slower but as Natasha scored line after line across his naked chest it didn''t matter. She brought the knife round and rather than avoid it Logan stepped forwards and it punctured his chest and he stabbed both claws into Natasha¡¯s chest, ripping up and letting her fall down, spewing blood and coughing her last as the trio lay tougher in death. Logan stared at the trio, and undoing a locket from his pants he dropped it onto Steve¡¯s body, ¡°Peggy hopes you burn in hell.¡± and he rejoined the fight against Dooms minions.


    ¡°We don''t have time for this,'''' Stephen muttered, watching as Wanda did her best to contain as many soldiers as possible while Doom worked on his incantation. Just as he was about to release the spell, Wanda dropped her barrier and Hexen flew towards Doom, striking him and sending the sorcerer flying. A sliver of energy flew from his hands and while Wanda created her shield it grazed her arm and she went down, screaming in pain. Hexen stared as blood pooled around Wanda and as he turned to stare at the laughing Doom his maw split and he hissed at the president.


    Time? And Stephen knew what he needed to do. When a Sorcerer Supreme was anointed, the first thing they swore was to never use the power of the Eye for personal reasons. But watching the soldiers fighting and Doom sparring against Hexen he knew he had no choice, ¡°Peter. I need my talisman.¡± he shouted and Hexen raised an arm in agreement.


    ¡°Doom is not afraid of a simple creature such as yourself. We studied the woman and-¡± but Hexen had sprung forwards, kicking his legs out from under him, sending tendrils which sparked and scored across his armour. As Doom struggled to get to his feet a portion of symbskin shed from Peter''s arm and flowed over the armour, seeking any space it could slip into.


    Stephen watched as Doom shuddered and twisted, fighting the symbiote in his armour as it pulled at him. His helmet began to turn, slowly at first but then with a loud snap the helmet was now backwards and as Hexen flowed back to Peter he hissed,


    ¡°No one threatens my Wanda,¡± Hexen tore at the chest plate, and once the talisman, a small golden ball, was found he tossed it over to Stephen who tied it around his neck.


    ¡°No time,¡± he snorted and as he weaved an arcane symbol the eye opened and Stephen directed its energy to the fighting soldiers. As the green energy touched each of them they turned to dust, and even Logan, who raised a hand to speak was obliterated, and soon the trio were alone.


    ¡°We need to find the machine,¡± Stephen said, and Hexen''s mask slipped back,


    ¡°It''s not a machine, it''s a bunker,¡° and as he held up a hand a yellow circle spun over it and with a shimmer the once empty room filled with a solid brick wall. Hexen had taken more from Doom than just his life, the first victim of an angry Symbiote after more than just revenge. Peter moved and after applying a code, the door hissed and opened.


    Helping Wanda to her feet, and applying some biogel Hexen told him would help her heal. Wanda smiled at him and taking his hand, Hexen, Stephen, and Wanda entered, unsure of what they would find.

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two-Hundred Fifty-Eight. Four Plus One

    Peter stared up at the machine. In the centre was President Doom, suspended between four others. One was stretching as if he was rubber. The second, a blonde woman, faded in and out of existence. The third, a blond man, burned but as the flames rolled over his he never flinched, and the last, a large muscular man shifted and became different rocks, black obsidian, rolling into an orange sandstone, changing through every type of rock Peter could imagine.


    He shrugged as he looked over at Stephen.


    ¡°He made a machine to stabilize reality, and we need to shut it down,¡± Stephen shouted,


    ¡°How? Can''t we just use the Stone?¡± Peter asked, but Stephen shook his head.


    ¡°Sorry but we can¡¯t, we need three people and we only have two,¡± Stephen said sadly,


    ¡°But we have three,¡± but Wanda stood, and turned to him,


    ¡°You need to be outside the wards when we change things back, or you will stay this Peter, and I can''t, I won''t. He is too important, not just to me.¡± and she shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I want him back.¡±


    ¡°Hey, it''s fine, but then what?¡± and Wanda laughed,


    ¡°You underestimate my power,¡± and the Mind Stone made its way onto her, ¡°Hexen you will need to remain here, or you will disappear as well.¡±


    We will miss this Peter, and we are sorry, you are not a ghost, and I love you just as much as I love him.


    As she flowed back to Wanda, the red energy of her powers held the stone above one hand while she sent out another to grab the red stone as it spun in the machine.


    Waving her hands a hole ripped itself in the side of the bunker, ¡°Go Peter. You cannot be here when we change it back,¡± and he found himself being gently lifted by red energy and deposited outside.


    Stephen crossed his arms and made several gestures and Peter saw the glimmer of blue as the bunker''s magical defences were powered up.


    It was sad, he knew in moments he wouldn''t remember any of this, but the past few days, no matter how scared he was, Hexen was a constant source of comfort, and he felt the new him would miss out.


    Love you Hex, he whispered to himself, and the world flashed red and became something else.


    In the chamber, Wanda had the mind stone floating above one hand and the reality stone floating above the other as Stephen opened the Eye of Agamotto.


    Wanda screamed and began to flicker as the power coursed through her, even Hexen writhed on her, morphing into a red leotard, before becoming a thick suit of body armour, red dress, a thick biker jacket and a myriad of other costumes, all flowing into each other,


    ¡°We cannot contain it,'''' Hexen screamed and the symbiote flew and attached itself to the blonde woman.


    ¡°No! IT''S TOO MUCH!¡± Wanda yelled, unable to content as the red energy of the Reality Stone crackled and coursed along one arm and the yellow energy of the Mind Stone cracked and flowed along the other.


    Directing the energy of the Time Stone, Stephen looped her, keeping the energy stable as he brought her back in time a second at a time,


    ¡°Use it!¡± He shouted at Wanda, her eyes fluttering and rolled back into her head. She brought both hands together and connected to Hexen, herself, Stephen and the memories of the world contained within the Mind Stone, and then let the power of the Reality Stone flow through her as well.


    Screaming, she aged, became younger, she became a man, a woman, both, every conceivable version of Wanda, through each possibility, screamed as the power within the two stones threatened to pull the woman apart, only the Time Stone, reversing the damage and keeping her alive.


    As the red energy flowed throughout the chamber, the machine holding each person began to creak and slowly stop, letting them slide free from their harnesses.


    ¡°What..what the hell?¡± Reed said, as his arm stretched over and took a slipping Sue into his grasp,


    ¡°Hey, nice reach, stretch,¡± Johnny said as he ignited and stumbled backwards, flailing his arms trying to extinguish the burning material, ¡°AHH! Uh, ahh?¡± he slowly waved his arm and pressed it with his hand, ¡°hey this doesn''t hurt?¡±


    ¡°Speak for yourself.¡± said a hulking orange stone-faced man, ¡°I¡¯m a frickin¡¯ rock monster.¡± Ben rumbled and the chamber echoed as he stood and lay heavy feet on the steel platform,


    ¡°Viktor?¡± Reed asked as the metallic armoured form of Viktor descended from the centre of the machine.


    ¡°You fools,¡± Doom yelled, ¡°One more reality and Doom would have been perfect.¡±


    ¡°Reality? You planned this?¡± and Doom snorted,


    ¡°Doom plans for all eventualities.¡± and as he strode forwards to grab the red gem from Wanda, Stephen tutted,


    ¡°Not this one,¡± and as he closed the eye, he waved his hands and a massive black figure swung into the chamber and drop kicked Doom across the chamber.


    ¡°Anyone want to explain the magical bunker in Grand Central, or do we just blame aliens again?¡± Venom asked, but seeing the screaming Wanda he sent out a web line and grabbed the Mind Stone, taking it back into his chest.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I got you¡± and pulled her into his embrace, ¡°I got you¡± she slumped and sagged. As she fell unconscious, he lifted her into a princess carry and moved her away from the group, feeling his anger rise as he scanned the memories of those around him.


    ¡°Uh Doc, she isn''t doing too well.¡± Venom said, ¡°where¡¯s Hexen?¡± and as Sue laughed the red and grey symbiote flowed from her and back onto Wanda,


    Good to be home, she said, but Wanda is not good, the stone has changed her, made her more.


    ¡°Uh doc, got another of those mystical boxes lying around?¡± Venom asked, but Stephen shook his head,


    ¡°Until we can-¡± but he was blasted from his feet as Doom lifted himself back up.


    ¡°All are insects before Doom, and the Reality Stone belongs to me.¡± As he stretched out a hand the stone began to slowly float towards him, Wanda''s eyes snapped open,


    ¡°Usurper. Breaker of truths. You took my life, my family, my loves, and left us empty,¡± as the red energy from the stone flowed back towards her and a crown of coalesced red energy formed on her head, two scarlet red points, and the gem floated and attached itself between them, ¡°We are the Scarlet Witch, and reality is mine to control.¡± Pushing out a hand, Doom went flying once more, thudding against the wall and the steel frame of the chamber seemed to melt slightly and suck him in. Wanda waved her hand once more, and the machine that was still slowly spinning in the centre of the room crushed itself and floated up before twisting and disintegrating. "We will see you suffer for this."


    Venom steeped in front of her "no, not like this. Fix things first, then we deal with Doom," and while anger flared in her eyes she nodded and the room began to return to its original form, a luggage storage area.


    Stephen shook his head, ¡°But why is he still here when the real Doom should be outside?¡±


    Doom laughed, ¡°We shall share our beautiful plan with you lesser creatures. This is the real Doom, and always shall be. We took from each reality a new power, a new gift until we were perfect. Only then could Doom rule the world.¡±


    ¡°Uh Doc, care to translate that from crazy?¡± Johnny asked and Stephen slumped on the floor, holding his head in his hands.


    ¡°The Reality Stone. Doom used it to change the world but we thought it was only once, but it wasn''t. How many times?¡± but Doom just laughed. ¡°How Many!¡± Stephen yelled, and as the steel began to suck him further into the wall, Doom tutted,


    ¡°Six hundred and sixty-five. One more and Doom would have been perfect, as would have been the world.¡±


    Stephen looked at him in horror, ¡°Peter, who won world war two?¡±


    ¡°Uh, The Allies,¡±


    ¡°Captain America?¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°Alive, still an Avenger.¡±


    Stephen thought of anything else that might have changed, ¡°Sokovia, what of Sokovia?¡±


    Peter looked over at Wanda and the others ¡°You mean Latveria right? Sokovia was dissolved when the Allies took back Novi Grad from Red Skull.¡±


    Doom just laughed, ¡°Restoring our kingdom was our first act. And now you must release me, as sovereign ruler of Latveria I have diplomatic immunity on US soil.¡±


    Stephen ran  a hand down his face, ¡°So Peter, it''s your call. I mean, right now, we could try again, but every undoing every change risks undoing reality itself.¡± but Peter shook his head,


    ¡°I won''t risk Wanda.¡± and she smiled at him, ¡°What of my father, and Pietro?¡± and he shrugged,


    ¡°Still a dick, and still on Genosha, last I heard.¡± At hearing that Wanda sighed and put a hand on his shoulder,


    ¡°Hey, what about us?¡± Ben grumbled, ¡°You ain''t gonna fix us?¡± and Wanda stood straight and waved a red-coated hand over towards Ben and the others.


    As the energy seeped into them Ben, Reed, Johnny and Sue all rose off the ground and the energy of the Reality Stone flowed into them, they convulsed and twisted and the quartet returned to their original forms.


    Ben smiled and laughed as he looked at his hands, back to normal but still stuck in the walls, Doom began to laugh,


    Ben winced, and a look of surprise and pain shot across his face, grabbing his stomach he fell to one knee and wheezed and his muscles all tightened and contracted. He leant back and screamed as his flesh erupted back into a cracked orange stone, and as he thudded back into the ground the others followed, Reed stretching, Sue vanishing, and Johnny erupting into flames.


    ¡°You ain¡¯t fixed us?¡± but Wanda shook her head,


    ¡°I can¡¯t, whatever Doom did, the stone won''t reverse it.¡±


    Still stuck in the wall, Doom laughed, ¡°Using four lesser mortals to ascend myself to godhood was necessary. The changes are irreversible, even with the stone''s power,¡± and bracing himself the steel around his armour glowed and Doom dropped down from the melted wall, ¡°Reality was Dooms to control, and, if you give me back the stone, mine to fix.¡± but Wanda shook her head and as she stood Peter moved next to her, ready to fight if Doom made another move


    Doom tutted, ¡°Then Doom shall depart, this place stinks of failure, and we wish to see our empire in all its glory.¡±


    As Ben stood ¡°oh no you ain¡¯t¡± he thudded over to Doom and grabbed him by the shoulders, ¡°you fix this,¡± he yelled, ¡°fix me!¡± but Doom pushed his hands away,


    ¡°We will fix nothing, you simple-minded insect. Doom does what Doom pleases.¡± and Ben looked at his hands, turning them over and staring at his rocky knuckles,


    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± he said, balling his hands, ¡°then I guess.¡± and winding back an arm ¡°IT''S CLOBBERIN¡¯ TIME!¡±


    As the punch connected Doom crumpled, even his armoured faceplate dented and he sailed out through the hole Venom had entered from, with a satisfying thud he landed, rolled and lay in a heap in the street outside the dimensional bunker he created in the alternate reality,


    ¡°Well, I feel a lot better. You guys good?¡± Ben asked, and the other three nodded,


    ¡°Holy shit,¡± Johnny yelled excitedly, ¡°that was a punch, and nice catchphrase. Hey, uh, Flame On!¡± and Johnny erupted into a bring orange, ¡°hey, hey, hey,¡± he laughed excitedly, ¡°now we match, well, I¡¯m hot and you got big stones. Reed, you still stretchy and uh sis?¡±


    Sue was sat  on the floor, shaking her head, ¡°no, this isn''t,¡° and she vanished from sight,


    ¡°Holy crap, you''re invisible,¡± Johnny said and as he moved to wave an arm where she was sitting he stumbled and rather than falling from the edge of the platform he floated upside down. He whooped as he didn¡¯t fall instead he was hovering, ¡°I can FLY!¡± and he began to float around the chamber before regaining control.


    ¡°Yeah, uh, that''s nice, but how about we get out of the massive chamber of evil and make sure that the world is fine first, okay, matchstick man.¡±


    ¡°Matchstick?¡± and a small fireball flew towards Venom who batted it away. ¡°Human Torch,¡±


    Peter snorted, ¡°yeah, blow torch more like, cause your powers blow.¡±


    Stephen sighed, ¡°can we please just, go home for now, and save the childish insults until after we make sure the world isn''t in danger.¡±

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two-Hundred Fifty-Nine. End Of The Day

    Doom picked himself up and dusted off his armour. ¡°You mindless cretins shall pay for this insult towards Doom. Each step was meticulously planned. As if Doom would do anything to harm reality. Doom is not a hack sorcerer, unlike the rabble he sees before him.¡±


    A few people had already stopped, seeing Doctor Doom rolling along the road and the small group that followed. As an international figure, slowly building a presence he was known enough that a few people had cell phones out, recording the commotion. Sensing the people outside, Peter let his armour slide back, Causing an international incident as Venom was the last thing he wanted.


    ¡°Yeah yeah, nice third-person monologue, I hear that''s usually the result of brain damage.¡± Peter said, waving a hand and taking out his phone, ¡°Hey Shuri, long story but I''m in New York again, is everything okay?¡± He nodded and paused a few times, ¡°Oh uh right, Viktor Von Doom, ring any bells?¡± and Peter had to hold the phone away from his ear as Shuri began to yell. ¡°Yeah, I got that, one moment then.¡±


    It had been disorientating to suddenly find himself in New  York, but as Wanda touched his mind as he took back the Stone, he realised what had happened, and what Doom had done. ¡±Hey Shuri, Can you collect the ship in Egypt, and when you find a box, can you bring it back to New York. Love you too, bye.¡±


    Suppressing the rage he was feeling right now, he looked over at Viktor, busy brushing dust off himself and yelling at the pedestrians who insisted on taking photographs. With so many witnesses he figured crushing the man¡¯s skull would maybe be a bad idea, for now anyway.


    ¡°Right, I checked, nothing other than Latveria, oh and my wife to be Queen Shuri says to kiss her ass, Latveria isn''t getting Vibranium. She¡¯ll find the original box the stone was in, and Wanda should be fine. Uh, Wanda?¡± and Wanda had floated out of the crumbling building, hidden behind the brickwork,


    ¡°No, he needs to pay. Some crimes are unforgivable,¡± but Peter shook his head.


    ¡°We can¡¯t. Latveria is an internationally recognised country, Doom has immunity. Strike him down and he becomes more powerful than ever before,¡± and Wanda tutted,


    ¡°Star Wars, you¡¯re going to quote Star Wars to me while that man walks free?¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°I thought it kinda fitted, but uh, no choice. He¡¯s the ruler of a country, unless you want to live in the sanctum for the rest of your life then we have to.¡±


    Wanda tutted again and folded her arms, ¡°I don''t like it,¡± and as a motorcade of security and a stretched limo pulled up, several black-suited men, all armed exited and surrounded Viktor. A well-dressed man stepped forwards and held out a pile of papers.


    ¡°To prevent an international incident, you will sign, or we will lodge a formal complaint,¡± and Doom laughed.


    ¡°I am always in awe of the power of lawyers,¡± and Peter smiled and stepped forwards,


    ¡°Oh great, yup, Right. As a Wakandan Royal Consort, I¡¯ll sign an affidavit saying Doom here made several suggestive comments towards the Queen of Wakanda, and as is my right I challenged him to combat, beat his ass until he cried for his mommy and then wet his armour. You guys saw that right?¡±


    The six behind him all nodded, ¡°oh yeah, we saw.¡±


    Doom snorted, ¡°Leonard, we shall leave these lesser beings to their games. I wish to see Latveria once more,¡± and as the man gave Peter and the others a dismissive look he turned and opened the limo door for Viktor. ¡°Doom shall not forget this insult.¡± and he swished his cape as his aide closed the door behind him.


    As he slumped into the limo he gasped in pain. The scarlet woman¡¯s attack had fused him to his armour and the agony was threatening to overwhelm him. He would need sacred tomes to heal the damage she had done, and several days in the regenerative liquids he had developed in one of his alterations. If they were keeping the stone from him, he feared he would never properly recover. As he sat in the back of the Limo, Viktor cursed not just the Scarlet Witch, but Peter Parker as well, and he vowed that not only would the Stone be his once more, but that he would see them crushed beneath his boots.


    As the motorcade pulled away, Peter shook his head, that would not be the last they would see of him.


    A bright yellow circle split the air next to Peter and as he turned and tensed he complained, ¡°oh what now?¡± but Stephen walked through circling one hand over the other,


    ¡°Sorry, I felt waiting a day to contain a problem was not a good idea,¡± and Peter saw the bright sun of the desert and the pale yellow rocks of the spaceship''s burial chamber. ¡°Is this the box?¡± Stephen asked, and as Peter nodded, Stephen handed it to Wanda. ¡°While it will boost your power immensely, I would breathe easier if the stone was kept safe, and out of sight.¡±


    Wanda was about to argue, but feeling its power mix and strengthen her magic she knew unlike Peter that swallowing the Reality Stone would be a very bad idea, and gently lifting it with her power, she placed it in the box and snapped it shut. ¡°Will you keep this safe?¡± and handing it to Stephen, he nodded,


    ¡°We have a vault for dark artefacts, but this,¡± and as he held the box away from the eye, ¡°this I will make a separate vault for.¡±


    ¡°An'' that''s great an'' all, but what about me?¡± Ben asked. Unlike the rest, his body was massively mutated. His already thick and stocky frame was made worse by the ridges of orange rock that covered his body. He was holding a hand over his face, as passersby were busy taking snaps of him.


    ¡°We¡¯ll fix it, Ben,¡± Reed said, patting his friend on the shoulder but Ben shook his head,


    ¡°Nah, you got the rock,¡± and he pointed at Wanda, ¡°Why ain''t you fixin me?¡± but Wanda shook her head,


    ¡°I tried. Whatever Doom did, you are stuck like that. I would tear reality apart if I pushed harder.¡±


    Reed stepped in front of him, ¡°Ben, if it can be done, it can be undone, I¡¯ll fix it. I promise.¡± Reed looked over at Peter and give him an angry look, ¡°I don¡¯t abandon people.¡± and Ben huffed,


    ¡°I get it, one guy ain''t worth squat over the world right?¡± and he shook his head and Stephen and Wanda both solemnly nodded, ¡°Yeah, you commin¡¯ Suzie, or still workin¡¯ for him?¡± but Sue shook her head


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll come back,¡± and she wrapped her arms around herself, ¡°I found out a few things,¡± and as she gave Peter a strange look, a mix of revolution and confusion, Peter could feel that she was still reeling from the brief exposure to Hexen, while Wanda used the two stones. Ben reached forwards, and in a massive hand, helped her to her feet.


    Peter shrugged though. If they wanted to blame him for Viktors mistake he didn''t care, it wasn''t the first time he¡¯d been blamed for something without evidence and it wouldn''t be the last. He just hoped whatever Sue''s problem was, didn''t upset Gwen.


    ¡°I will help them get home,¡± Stephen said to Peter and Wanda. ¡°You are kind of conspicuous now,¡± and he created a sling ring portal into the Baxter Building, and even as Reed stared and tried to examine it, Stephen ushered them through.


    ¡°I will stay at the Sanctum, Peter,¡± Wanda said as he crossed her arms, ¡°I am feeling unwell from the stone, and Stephen can help.¡±


    Peter noticed that Wanda looked slightly different, her hair had darkened slightly, losing its red lustre and becoming browner,


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± and as he leant to touch her she took his hand and pulled herself into his embrace,


    You are worried I am not me, she thought


    Kinda, your hair. It''s not red


    I dye it, she laughed, it must have been burned off in the chamber, you never noticed?


    You do kinda shave everywhere else, so I get a pass on that one


    Wanda laughed, I can stop you know, but Peter shook his head


    And I like hair in my teeth as much as anyone, so no, plus, it''s kinda sexy seeing it


    Yes yes, and we have made sure that sure this dimensional instability is nothing to worry about. You can stare at it all you like, as long as staring isn''t the only thing you do while down there.


    Peter frowned, that didn''t sound good but Wanda didn''t sound too worried.


    ¡°Ahem!¡± Stephen cleared his throat, ¡°If I can interrupt, I would also suggest you give me the Mind Stone, for safekeeping. Having an Infinity Stone in the open, and without protection is unwise,¡± and Peter raised an eyebrow


    ¡°So, kinda like hanging it around your neck and wandering about looking like a ren faire reject kinda unwise?¡± And while Wanda snorted and covered her mouth, Stephen just shook his head


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a no then,¡± and Peter smiled.


    ¡°I''m going home,¡± and he paused, ¡°Oh, if you want to use that portal thing to get home, want us first, I don''t want Laura freaking out and you know¡± and he made a jabbing motion. ¡°She¡¯s still kinda twitchy.¡±


    Stephen sighed, ¡°I can send round Wong at some point and provide magical wards around your home, but I will require some compensation,¡± and Peter sighed,


    ¡°Don''t suppose you take vibranium either do you?¡± and Stephen shrugged and smiled,


    ¡°It is a magical metal after all,¡± and Peter sighed. His stockpile was dwindling, even with the amount Shuri had promised him. Once everyone found out about it, it seemed that old favours and promises of help were being dragged out of the woodwork with the silvery grey metal being carved up as compensation, thank god Ross got his already and Peter''s shoulders slumped as he still had to go and check on Sterns.


    Leaning forwards and kissing Wanda, ¡°see you at home, don''t let the house-elves keep you too late,¡± and once more Stephen shook his head,


    As he motioned for Wanda to head into the sanctum, Stephen paused, ¡°that does remind me, where did Wong get to?¡±


    Across the world, in a hidden valley, surrounded by a strange mist, Wong sat on a throne carved from the finest jade, behind him was carved an icon from the whitest marble, a series of connected rings, each one representing the paths of sorcery, plus one more. The forbidden path. Ten Rings in total.


    A warrior, decked in black apparel approached, ¡°Master, the dimensional distortion has passed.¡±


    Wong stroked his long beard, ¡°good, and the valley?¡±


    ¡°As you instructed, all warriors were moved behind the wards, and none were affected.¡±


    Wong nodded, and the warrior bowed as he pressed a fist into the palm of his other hand.


    America was different after the war, and once the nazis allies had fallen it was much harder on the losers. Several chunks of Japan and Germany had been carved off and held as collateral, especially with Dooms influence. While Wong had still received training in the mystical arts, seeing the Americans and their allies treat his country and his family with disdain had led him to turn to the forbidden arts. Murdering his master and stealing himself away Wong had studied hard to master as many of the arts as possible.


    It was during one of these sessions he discovered that reality had been altered. He could see a faint mystical signature that he knew meant the Allies had cheated to win the war. Such large-scale magic would be impossible without the Sorcerer Supreme to guide it, and hiding away he began to build an army to fight against such power.


    America had become a pawn of Doom''s empire, and once Captain America was out of the way anyone with an inkling of a brain could see what was going to happen, and as Doom promised to make them all rich from strip mining captured territories, the American Military Complex happily agreed.


    Knowing it could happen again Wong had built his fortress in the remotest part of the world and spent a fortune, and many lives to construct the best defences he could. His fortress was impenetrable, not to the mundane but to magic as well. He knew its dimensional wards were almost as strong as the ones at Kamar Taj. They should be, as he used forceful mind magic to rip their design from the sorcerer in charge of maintaining them.


    As he stood he strode down the corridor of his fortress and stood on the balcony, watching as his warriors fought and trained together.


    Every conceivable type of combat was taught here. Each warrior was a testament to the finest enhancing magics as well as the finest mercenaries they could find. Each man rippled with taunt and trained muscles and was an expert in every conceivable weapon, as well as deadly combat magic drilled into them every day.


    Only the strongest survived the training, Wong himself made sure of that. Each man was worth dozens of those useless Americans, who relied on their stolen technology and chemical formulas.


    As he stood, their instructors noticed his gaze and yelled,


    ¡°Pay respects to the master.¡±


    Every warrior stopped and turned to bow, and as one they began to yell,


    ¡°All Hail The Mandarin!¡±

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two-Hundred Sixty. Strange New World

    After letting himself absorb the knowledge of the Mind Stone collected while Wanda and his other self were in the alternate reality Peter knew that Latveria was the cause of the main change. He laughed and shook his head at his other self, but shuddered when the memories of Hexen losing control and slaughtering men by the dozen, and of poor Gwen. It made him they were happy and under control here. He just wished he could do something to honour the memory of the man that risked everything only to be erased. After things had settled, he would talk to Wanda and Hexen. They knew him better and would know.


    In the ¡®40s Doom''s father had attempted to save Steve and Doctor Erskine but the rewrite had failed, as had he. But inspired by his efforts Steve had investigated his homeland and found a surprising amount of Hydra activity there. Once he had taken command of the Howling Commandos Steve had taken it upon himself to liberate Latveria from Hydra as soon as possible and accidentally struck a fatal blow to not just the Nazis but Hydra as well.


    A strange metal was discovered in the foothills of Latveria, and Red Skull had been using it to make his tanks and weapons. Peter knew it was an alloy of vibranium and had given Hydra the edge they would have used to defeat the Allies. With Hydra and the Red Skull defeated early, Latveria never fell and as such Dooms family enjoyed a celebrity status until they rose in power and were now its rulers.


    Peter sighed, Wanda''s home was gone, and even the incidents of Hydra¡¯s infiltration were gone. His mission with Natasha had taken them into Latverian airspace and they had been shot down by automated missile defences. Erik had taken the hurt pair in and they never found Ultron. Wanda was never exposed to the Mind Stone and it was her nursing him back to health that created their connection. Strucker was a low-level agent and had been killed during the attack on the Triskelion, and not by Wanda as before.


    That caused its own issues. Peter and the rest had one set of memories, but Wanda and Stephen had different ones. There were minor changes that nobody would know about, small things that unless Wanda or Stephen were already aware would go unnoticed and that left Peter with an unsettled feeling.


    Peter leaned back in his favourite chair and pressed on his phone, called Shuri. He would deal with everything else but first, he had to deal with the most important one.


    As his symbskin connected and he felt Shuri connect to Jhalia he sighed,


    ¡°I don''t have good news.¡± and he could feel Shuri''s apprehension, ¡°and it seems neither do you.¡±


    ¡°Doom is pushing for Latveria to gain a larger portion of vibranium than we allowed even you. He is citing some ancient pact we made, but only he has a record of it. What happened?¡±


    Peter shook his head, ¡°Doom used another Stone and changed things. Ninety-nine per cent of the world is the same, but he made himself more powerful. Check to make sure he didn¡¯t plant some stupid contract that nobody knows about,¡± and he head Shuri swear, ¡°He also has vibranium of his own, but it''s not pure. It was probably a fragment of the asteroid in Wakanda that broke free and melted into ore already there.¡± Peter sighed ¡°I know it''s a lot to take on faith but please don¡¯t give in to his demands. He messed with reality itself to get what he wants, we have no idea what he¡¯d do with pure vibranium,¡± and Peter shuddered at the thought of vibranium enhanced Doombots flying through the air.


    ¡°Reality Stone? Are there more Infinity Stones on Earth?¡± Shuri asked,


    ¡°Three we know of, and two are protected. I can explain but not over the phone, and not without a seriously large amount of security. You know how dangerous they can be, and we just found out how powerful some of them really are,¡± Peter paused, ¡°And find out which tribe, they might not even exist outside his own schemes.¡±


    Shuri sighed, ¡°M¡¯Baku. He is backing M¡¯Baku. I have a requisition order from Latveria during World War Two. Doom provided aid to an obscure Wakandan tribe and is now pushing for compensation. They existed though, but it was one of the tribes we used as cover.¡±


    ¡°Tell him to suck it then. Remind him that we have the Stone and two others, and we can and will make his life a living hell if he doesn''t stop playing games. He knows about the Reality Stone, but not the others or he would have pushed to take them too.¡±


    Shuri tingled with excitement on the other end of the phone ¡°I like it when you are forceful. Are you coming to visit any time soon?¡± but Peter had to disappoint her.


    ¡°I can¡¯t. With Doom and a few new players on the board, we need to stabilize things here. I took your advice, Pepper and a few others work for me now. Parker Inc is going to be great. So, while it''s not much. I¡¯ll visit as soon as I can, okay?¡±


    Shuri huffed, ¡°Not even married and I am cast aside. I shall weep into my pillow, and eat so much chocolate that I get fat, and have acne.¡±


    Peter laughed ¡°and I would still love you, my heart. I¡¯ll be in Africa as soon as I can. I promise,¡± and after seeing Wong and the others, had an idea, ¡°Does Africa have sorcerers?¡±


    ¡°We do, but they are secretive. They do not share with strangers, and so no, whatever strange idea you are having is a no. Relations here are strained as it is. They are complaining we did not consult with them before announcing ourselves and are quite upset that we are sharing our vibranium with you.¡±


    ¡°Does Stephen know about them?¡±


    ¡°Oh your Doctor Strange, I believe so, he is one of the reasons they are quite angry. But you will have to talk to him about it, I am apparently only queen of the mundane. The mystical has its own set of rules and rulers.¡±


    Peter sighed, ¡°I will, and everything else?¡± His idea of getting Stephen to create portals to and from Wakanda went up in smoke.


    ¡°Erik is behaving, but M¡¯Baku still sends his advisors to tempt him. I am afraid a war is coming to Wakanda Peter, and we might need to postpone not just your visit but everything.¡±


    Peter sighed, even after dealing with the White Gorilla tribe M¡¯Baku was refusing to back down. ¡°Shuri, you do what you need to. And if you need me, you always know where I am.¡±


    ¡°I do, and I will. I must go, my heart, being Queen is exhausting,¡± and as the line went dead, Peter put down his phone. He would check on Wanda, and make sure nothing major had changed. It was a delicate subject but with Doom''s takeover of Sokovia, she might leave the sanctum to find that both Erik and Pietro were different people, or that her mother was still alive. While nothing had changed for him, Dooms interference with reality was rippling through the world, and not in a good way.


    Across town, in a tall glass building, Peter was not the only one feeling the effects of history being written.


    Elektra stood in front of Felicia''s desk, angrily shouting at her, after clearing everyone out of the room.


    ¡°So, you thought this was a good idea.¡± Elektra had heard from Emma that Peter had proposed and that with his influence in Wakanda, they would all be getting married.


    Felicia sighed, ¡°no, I said from the start it was stupid,¡± and Elektra paused,


    ¡°Then why did you wait so long to tell me? and why did I hear from Emma of all people. She was almost glowing with smugness at knowing something my girlfriend should have told me, and told me as soon as it happened, not a week later.¡±


    Felicia couldn''t answer her. She had gotten wrapped up with the proposal and that Peter could actually marry her, she had forgotten all about Elektra, and she knew that was the issue. They worked together, they trained together, ran the Black Cats together but in the end, Felicia had forgotten her as soon as Peter came back into the picture.


    ¡°I can tell by the look on your face that even you agree with me,¡± and Elektra devolved into a series of Greek swear words. Gesturing wildly at Felicia while shouting. ¡°I had enough of this from Matt. You know he was seeing Karen behind my back, and you know you mean everything to me, so why?¡±


    Felicia leant back in her chair, ¡°because. He means everything to me¡±


    Elektra stopped, and stood staring, ¡°and I don''t?¡± but Felicia shook her head,


    ¡°It''s not the same. I love you both, and I care for you both but with him, he was there for me, he cared when it looked like nobody else did,¡± and she sighed ¡°even you.¡±


    ¡°Oh so now this is my fault?¡± Elektra spat accusingly, but Felicia shook her head,


    ¡°No, it''s not, it''s mine. I know exactly what it''s like to want something so badly it takes everything, every breath, every heartbeat, but we both got our revenge, we just took a different path to get there.¡± Felicia stood and moved around to stand next to Elektra, ¡°You know how I feel, Hades lets you know, but you knew that-¡± but Elektra glared at her,


    ¡°Don''t you dare, don''t you dare say it.¡± and Felicia sighed,


    ¡°You knew that I loved someone who was stupid and goofy and would do something this stupid, and it infects you, I want to be stupid and goofy with him, and yes I said yes, and if he was here and you asked I would still say yes to him, and to you and Emma and everyone else. I love you all but life doesn''t work like that, life hates us,¡° and Felicia threw her hands up, ¡±life hates people who are different.¡± and as she moved and took Elektra by the shoulders, ¡°but Peter doesn''t hate you, and I asked already. Shuri said no, as well, you are a wanted murderer and Wakanda is already pitching a fit over him, but it doesn''t change anything, it doesn''t change how I feel.¡±


    Elektra crossed her arms and huffed, ¡°you still didn''t ask, and I heard you also got angry at him for not asking, so,¡± and she raised an eyebrow. ¡°Do I threaten to beat your ass on the mat, or are you going to make it up to me?¡±


    Leaning forward Felica whispered something and Elektra tilted her head and frowned, but nodded.


    Taking out her phone,


    Hey Pete, Elektra is pretty mad you stole the march on her with this wedding thing, how are you gonna make it up to her?


    In the warehouse, Peters phone dinged and reading the message her rubbed his forehead with his fingers, not her as well.


    What does she want? I really don''t feel like playing games. I might be able to upgrade her armour, if Liv is feeling generous I might get another harness for her.


    Well shit, I was thinking foursome with Emma but damn, that works too.


    Reading the text he groaned, Emma had still been harassing him about a Symbiote, especially after they discovered the Stacy Formula didn''t work on mutants and Stark had claimed ownership of Extremis. Not that it stopped them from using it. The Extremis symbiote cells he could produce were something that Tony had no control over. Not that Enhancing an Augment was something they wanted to do. There were too many variables as to what could go wrong, and it was shelved as a stupid and possibly deadly idea.


    Picking up his phone he sent a text to Shuri, and receiving an affirmative, he replied to Felicia. He needed to get a grip on not just his business life but his private life as well before it spiralled out of control.


    We can Enhance Elektra, we can give Emma a Symbiote, but that¡¯s it. If Elektra or Emma gets huffy or starts complaining then they get cut off. Personal lives are now off-limits for business favours. Markers are being cashed and then voided. No more.


    Peter waited for a moment and as Felicia agreed, and then a new text from Emma appeared he slid his phone onto the table, and lay back in his chair, covering his eyes with one arm.


    Doom grabbing the Reality Stone changed everything. He knew that they were powerful but there were now three on Earth that they knew about. Loki had the Space Stone and with the Power Stone and the Soul Stone still unknown he couldn''t take any risks anymore.


    Pulling out a new drawing tablet, he switched it to document mode and began to type. It was time to finalise his plans for Parker Inc.


    Malisson


    Just a little note


    I am aware that things didn¡¯t happen like that.


    It''s not a plot hole, it was done on purpose to highlight that while Doom changed mainly Sokovia and himself, small ripples did bleed through to other things.


    Emma and Elektra were no longer at the meeting with Shuri, and there are other details that have changed. Of course, you, as the reader, will be aware of them but the characters in the novel won''t be.

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two-Hundred Sixty-One. The Fantastic Foursome

    Giggling and slightly drunk, Felicia sent the text to Peter,


    Meet us at Emma¡¯s, and the three waited for him to arrive.


    Emma was excited to finally be getting her Symbiote. She watched Elektra and Felicia spar and seeing the boost they got drove her to want one more. She had made her peace with what happened at Bar Sinister. Anna Marie and Psylocke had both been given the all clear by Charles and Selene, and after a long and emotional talk with the pair, she realised they were nothing like her, and that Shaw was dead. The past was in the past and as much as she hated to be reduced to the sex object Shaw thought of her, her scheme had come out on top and he was dust.


    Which was why she and the rest were surprised when it was Liv who arrived.


    ¡°Peter agreed but I wanted to speak to you all first.¡± was all she said. ¡°He refuses to be frivolous, and I have an alternative suggestion. Octave hasn¡¯t spawned, and she doesn''t mind being the one to give Emma her Symbiote.¡±


    Emma frowned, ¡°but isn''t he like a super daddy to them all? No offence but aren''t you all powered up from him, and so a bit you know, weaker?¡± and Liv tutted,


    ¡°The Symbiotes are strong in their own right, and while his offspring do gain additional powers, they all have their own unique abilities. Octave has a better grasp of her technopathic abilities than Peter does. But they don''t translate. You for example look like you can''t work a light switch without a maid, so I doubt you¡¯d be a very strong one, but telepathy and your creative abilities might be stronger. We don''t know, and we aren''t about to start spawning hundreds of them to find out.¡±


    ¡°But, um, aren''t we all supposed to be bonding, so that we don''t fall out? I mean, I am still sore at you all for ignoring us while you partied and arranged weddings. Why isn''t he here to make up for that?¡± Elektra asked and Liv raised an eyebrow,


    ¡°And have you made an effort? Or you Miss Frost. Peter makes us all very aware of when he wishes to spend time with us, and we are the same. But I don''t recall either of you visiting the warehouse for anything other than food, or even using the new bathhouse. Do you expect him to drop his trousers, screw you senseless and then skulk home like a cheap whore?¡±


    ¡°So he sent you?¡± Emma said with a smirk, but Liv laughed,


    ¡°I have been called worse, and there might even be a few stories about men leaving money on my nightstand, but so what? I know what I am, I love who I am and Peter loves me. Can you say the same?¡± and Emma sat back down, clasping her hands and shaking her head. ¡°We are a family, and Elektra. Peter does understand your upset at being left out of the festivities, but we are all equally to blame. Did you even make an effort to join in? I remember seeing you at one dinner, and then you vanished. And Miss Frost, you simply turned up, made derogatory comments about everything and then left, leaving your mark and several receipts. Peter gave you space after Shaw. He knew you needed it, but once you got it, did you even try to let him know you were okay? Or did you simply refuse to bow your head and expect him to woo you? I mean, have you even told him about Kitty yet?¡± and even Felicia looked over at Emma confused,


    ¡°No, it slipped my mind,¡± she admitted and seeing the look Felicia was giving her. ¡°She came to me about working for the Cats. Since Scott left the X-Men and she got hurt, she feels Bobby and the others are babying her more. I was going to bring it up, but we all got distracted.¡±


    She had only mentioned it to Liv as Kitty was receiving medical care from her. Peter''s stronger biogel was only available to the warehouse, but as she had been hurt on his mission, he felt that she deserved it.


    ¡°Yes, and nobody minds you scouting, but you cannot forget about new employees. Peter also has plans and new contracts coming for us.¡± and Emma looked even guiltier, ¡°Oh go on, say it.¡±


    ¡°Psylocke as well, I mean, we¡¯ve been working on getting her memories back, and she is like a sister.¡±


    ¡°So? You all complained and cried about Peter being unfair while you were all doing the same things behind his back. Peter won''t sleep with either of you for that reason alone. After Selene, he needs to be able to trust everyone. Emma, while it is painful, look at what Shaw did behind your back. While we¡¯re not about to start cloning people, making a Symbiote is just as personal, and just as dangerous.¡±


    Emma and Elektra both looked guilty,


    ¡°Which is also why, if this is your answer, then Peter won¡¯t be joining us. He wants to stop mixing our personal lives with business. Parker Inc, and more importantly Peter himself, will be off-limits. Peter has enough to worry about without two grumpy and belligerent women trying his patience.¡±


    Emma scrunched up her face, ¡°now wait a minute, I understand we didn''t exactly make an effort but we did try, is the coffee not good enough, are the swimsuits not to your taste?¡° and Elektra, emboldened by Emma''s outburst,


    ¡°And I did try too, I met Peter¡¯s mother but you are all so busy, when did he attempt to make time for us?¡± and Liv nodded,


    ¡°Quite right, and Peter knew that and was coming to make amends. Until I stopped him.¡±


    Emma and Elektra both looked at each other confused, while Felicia had slid back,


    ¡°Peter made a resolution to stop playing around as he calls it. No casual sex, no simply screwing whoever he wanted. He realized that while we are a strange bunch, there is a limit to the casual relationships he can start. He wants this to be serious. Peter has said in the past how both of you are extremely attractive but he wants family and stability, and as you both know his past, what did you expect? So, what do you want?¡±


    Emma looked down, ¡°I would like that, but I don¡¯t know. I''m not used to being in the spotlight for anything other than my looks. What place do I have with you all?¡± and Elektra shrugged,


    ¡°I would like a family too, but I''m not an angel. Marriage is not for me, I like my life, I just wanted to share Peter with Felicia.¡±


    Emma straightened her back, ¡°and if I agree, what do I have to give up?¡±


    Liv laughed, ¡°give up? You realise Peter gave all of us what we asked for. He knows he owes you. Carol is alive because of you. Shaw is dead because of you. It''s not what you want to give up, it''s what you want.¡±


    Elektra leaned back on the bed, ¡°Yes, I think I am happy with my life. Extremis powers, and a selection of creams, I think. Yes, I think I am happy, as long as I can still spend time with Felicia, then everything else is just a bonus.¡±


    ¡°And Peter?¡± Liv asked but Elektra shrugged,


    ¡°No, I do not want what he wants, the little Pete as you call them is enough.¡±


    Emma stared at her, ¡°wait, little Pete?¡± and Elektra giggled,


    ¡°They are modelled on him, did you not know?¡± and as Emma went red with embarrassment, ¡°I take that as a no. They are very satisfying, don''t you agree?¡±


    Felicia laughed and slid back down the bed to wrap her arms around Emma. The normally stoic woman was put off balance by the fact that her new favourite toy was modelled on the very man she¡¯s berated for treating her like a sex object, and here she was, using him as a sex object.


    ¡°Peter doesn''t care. Just don¡¯t mention you use one. He does care about people''s feelings.¡±


    Elektra giggled, ¡°bedding eight women, not much though.¡± and even Liv laughed.


    ¡°Well, they were friends, he just got to indulge in every boy''s fantasy, very beautiful childhood friends, willing and very accepting.¡±


    ¡°There is another matter first,¡± and the door buzzer went, ¡°She came because I asked her too.¡±


    Emma lifted the handset of the door buzzer and saw Selene waiting outside, sighing and shaking her head she buzzed her in and unlatched the door.


    A few moments later, Selene came in and smiled as she saw Liv and the others, ¡°Emma. I would say it is nice to see you but it is not, so I shan''t.¡±


    Liv shook her head, ¡°behave. Peter agrees but you need to keep your end up as well.¡±


    Emma frowned, ¡°We might be telepaths darling, but really.¡±


    ¡°Peter wants you and Felicia to go legit. He knows Felicia hates sitting behind a desk, and you hate the Hellfire club more than anyone. Sell your shares to Selene and Elektra, and come work for us.¡±


    Emma laughed, ¡°really? Leave the club? And do what? I''m not a chemist or a robot builder. What on earth does he want me for?¡± and as Liv smiled, Emma shook her head and frowned, ¡°and that would be the wrong thing to joke about.¡±


    Liv shook her head and grinned, ¡°Oh shush. You know Peter. He is willing to let you do what you want. He did offer to let you go legit, so this is part of it. Go legit, make a legit business, and cut ties with the Cats.¡±


    Emma leant back in her chair and tapped a finger against its armrest.


    ¡°I still didn''t get an answer, Miss Frost. Elektra has made her stance clear, and yours?¡±


    Emma stood, ¡°Well then. A Symbiote, one from Peter, a selection of creams from Gwen, as so far nothing compares, and a proper position. Maybe fashion, or cosmetics. No more skulking. I want to be legitimate and I want to be beautiful.¡±


    ¡°And Peter?¡± Liv asked, and she folded her arms,


    ¡°I am not about to break my vow over someone who doesn''t seem that interested. If Peter wants that, he can come and ask for it himself, and properly. I might not want him to whore himself for me, but I am the same. I am not a whore, and certainly not about to bend over and take it like one.¡±


    ¡°Peter accepts that,¡± and Liv showed them her phone and her connection to it through Octave.


    ¡°He heard?¡± and Liv nodded and Emma sighed ¡°Then we are on the same page, I am not after anything casual either.¡±


    Liv smiled, ¡°Good, there will be more than enough time for that dear. When you are ready. The Symbiote will be your choice. Do you want one now, and I take my clothes off and slip into bed with the three of you, or do you want Peter, and decide then.¡±


    Selene gave Liv a look, ¡°Is Peter giving Emma a Symbiote? Can I?¡± but Liv raised a hand and shook her head,


    ¡°I believe that he paid your price, Miss Galleo. A Symbiote is entirely another matter. Especially as you may kill it before it can adjust to your powers.¡± and Liv crossed her arms, ¡°there is the other matter. Peter made it perfectly clear what he wants, and while I can understand your enthusiasm, you did put him in a difficult spot. There will be no more casual relationships. If you wish to join our group, you do so after we all agree.¡± and Selene nodded,


    ¡°I cannot. I cannot spend my time around people, even here I can feel all your powers and while Peter was resilient to my abilities, I doubt you all are.¡± and she straightened herself and with a  hint of sadness hidden behind a stern look. ¡°I will take over Emma and Felicia¡¯s parts of the Hellfire Club. Psylocke and I have already spoken, and she is willing to join as well. I will set a specific dollar amount for you Emma, and then we cut ties. As long as your business does not interfere with mine, then we can remain cordial.¡±


    Liv nodded, ¡°As long as we don¡¯t discover that the part of the Hellfire Club we just eradicated is up and running, I don¡¯t see an issue.¡± and as Selene gave Liv a disgusted look, she turned and headed to the door.


    ¡°Shaw was once my friend, but for what he did. I hope he burns in whatever hell he believes in.¡±

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two-Hundred Sixty-Two. Peter Incorporated

    Shuri was good on her word and the ship from Egypt was excavated, quietly and under cover of a Wakandan stealth field. Shuri was marvelling at not just the new technology they had activated within Wakanda itself but at the log files, she could now access and transcribe.


    Peter had a new task as well. Setting up a meeting with Ross, they agreed that once the international incident that Doom was threatening over Shuri''s refusal to give Latveria any vibranium, Starks huffiness as Pepper coming to work for Peter and the collapse of AIM Peter had to focus on what he was going to do next.


    Which was why, Felica, Gwen, Natasha, Pepper, Emma, and Liv were all sitting in the meeting room in his apartment.


    ¡°So, with AIM gone, we need a new strategy, and I came up with this.¡± Peter handed out folders to each of the women, each with a general outline but specifics for them all.


    ¡°First, Pepper. You will be CEO of AIM, Killian left us the name, and even then with Hammer dead, Parker Inc is the only company left. While I¡¯m not going to head AIM, I do want to keep the original idea alive,¡± and as Liv leant forwards to interrupt Peter shook his head, ¡°Liv, you will be head of Octech, or whatever you want to call it, I will be head of Parker Industries, Gwen, I thought Stacy Solutions, cause you know its a pun but still works,¡° and Gwen did smile and nod, ¡°and then Nat, Black Cat Securities, and Felicia, you¡¯ll get legit papers for everything through that. Emma, you need to speak to Gwen, but I don¡¯t see why we can¡¯t have White Cat Cosmetics.¡± As the group slowly worked their way through their files a few frowns and a few smiles appeared,


    It was Pepper who spoke first, ¡°So, I do everything?¡± but Peter shook his head,


    ¡°Not really, you run everything delegating resources and manpower, yeah okay you run everything. I¡¯ll stick to R and D, Liv does manufacturing, Gwen has her cream and cosmetics, Nat runs our security. Emma needs a business strategy but I guess you know that already, and anyone working for us is employed by whatever company they work for.¡±


    Pepper nodded and flicked to another page, ¡°So, Salary?¡± and Peter sighed.


    ¡°You can look at our cash flow, our patents and decide that. Look Pepper, or uh I know that''s a nickname, Virginia?¡± but she shook her head, ¡°Pepper. You have all the experience. I mean, you¡¯ll make us more money in a week than we could in a year. You¡¯re the brains, I''m sure Emma will be able to help but really, this is on you.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Liv added, ¡°I did work at Oscorp dear, and I did manage most of Normans projects,¡± and Peter nodded but pointed at the file,


    ¡°Yup, projects. Pepper is above that, managing teams is one thing, managing teams of teams is another, dealing with lawyers, HR and recruitment. Liv, everyone sitting here is an expert in their field, which is why I want everyone to stick to that field, and Liv. Pepper ran Stark¡¯s life as well as his company,¡± as he shrugged, ¡°I think she¡¯ll do a better job.¡±


    Liv leaned back with a sour look on her face, ¡°and I agree, but it does feel a little off. I mean, I was doing a good job until,¡± and Peter stretched over and took her hand,


    ¡°You were, buuuut,¡± and he smiled, ¡°what about lab work?¡± and she frowned, and huffed,


    ¡°Fine, so I wasn''t getting any lab time, and you are right,¡± and Peter laughed,


    ¡°At least this time?¡± and Liv lifted his hand with hers and kissed it,


    ¡°So, any questions?¡±


    Gwen was still reading but Felicia slid her folder onto the meeting table, ¡°You want to hire me and everyone who works for me as a consultant for your Black Cat security?¡± and Peter nodded,


    ¡°We don''t have to call it that though, I mean, I picked names I thought everyone would like,¡± and Felicia looked over at Nat,


    ¡°I don''t mind, Black Cat, Black Widow. Still black. No costume change required,¡± Natasha said, and Felicia snorted,


    ¡°So how would that work, I mean, we can''t exactly add Venom and Huntress to the books.¡±


    Peter flicked through the folder and pulled out the forms,


    ¡°We can. Officially, neither Venom nor Huntress have criminal records. So, go back to Black Cat, and I¡¯ll get a new name too. We keep Huntress and Venom as off the books underworld and have legit identities, Black Cat and I dunno, I¡¯ll think of something.¡±


    Gwen coughed, ¡°Night Monkey,¡± and everyone looked at Peter and laughed,


    ¡°Yeah yeah,  but it still stands, legit and above board, two teams. One as security for the vibranium and one for fieldwork. Cindy and Eddie are for home, and I¡¯ll lead the other.¡±


    Nat leaned forwards and frowned, ¡°you? You don''t want me on your team?¡± and Peter shook his head,


    ¡°If I could trust anyone else to lead the team I would, but I need someone trained and proficient at what she does. Cindy and Eddie are both rookies, I¡¯ve at least been on one mission plus everything else. We can''t leave the warehouse¡¯s security to amateurs, and we need someone here twenty-four seven.¡±


    Nat nodded, ¡°Seems you do listen. If you¡¯d come up with any other plan then I¡¯d have smacked you.¡± and Peter laughed and winked at her.


    ¡°Right, so do we now get the lawyers in and make it official?¡± he asked and they nodded.


    ¡°Pepper?¡± and she stared at the file, spinning it with a finger.


    ¡°It¡¯ll work. But cash flow will be your biggest issue. Forty per cent and I''m in, and that''s forty of it all.¡±


    ¡°Forty of all of it? A bit greedy aren''t we? No. You can negotiate individual percentages with everyone, but forty gives you the ability to freeze us all out. I can read your mind, and I know that''s what you''re after. I am going to cheat, You can get ten per cent of Parker Inc, no more, and I know you¡¯ll take it.¡±


    Pepper tutted, ¡°fifteen for cheating,¡± and Peter grinned and nodded.


    ¡°You have a deal, Miss Potts. You are now the controlling Chief Executive Officer of Advanced Idea Mechanics.¡± and as he looked at the others, ¡°oh, and I''m not the only telepath, so might as well just spill it now.¡± and Pepper rolled her eyes,


    ¡°Fifteen per cent controlling share of all business, final offer, and I want free samples from White Cat Cosmetics, and that is the only thing on the table, Mr Parker,¡± Pepper said, emphasizing the last part, and while he grinned he nodded. They both knew where the line was and were happy.


    ¡°Bathhouse too?¡± and Pepper, having never been to the warehouse since its renovation took a quick look, and nodded,


    ¡°I accept. I¡¯ll get contracts written up and Mr Murdock can oversee the final signage. There will be no repeat of Tony. You will come through me before you even think of putting pen to paper.¡± Pepper leaned back and gave a moment''s thought, ¡°In fact, no signing anything without me present. Leave business to the business expert, and that goes for all of you.¡± and Peter nodded.


    ¡°Any others?¡± Peter asked the group before they wrapped up and Pepper got to work. Gwen looked over at Emma, who raised an eyebrow. ¡°I have no problem with a business to market my stuff, but I do want to sell outside of New York, can you?¡± Emma looked over at Pepper, who nodded,


    ¡°Is that all?¡± Gwen asked but Peter shook his head,


    ¡°Poison,¡± and Gwen slumped.


    Since the incident Poison had been kept on a rat in Gwen''s lab, and Cindy had been forcefully unbonded and was suffering from withdrawals. After a series of tests it seemed that to control her, Hank had used a stimulant combined with a suppressant, and the combination kept Cindy happily stoned and Silk sedated.


    After being separated Poison had refused to rebond with Gwen, much to everyone surprise and instead hid in the rat Gwen kept as a lab mascot. It was Norwegian black, normally used for testing, but Gwen took a shine to it and now it lived on her desk and kept her company while she worked.


    Now it ate cookies by the dozen and hissed every time it saw Gwen. Unless Peter came by once a day, Poison was belligerent and unruly, kicking sawdust around her cage and gnawing the wheel they had given her until it collapsed.


    ¡°If Cindy is okay, then we rebond them. She was happy enough as her host, and with Logan taking Rage,¡± and he shook his head, ¡±then really if they want to bond we let them.¡±


    ¡°Do you think that''s a good idea though?¡± Gwen asked and he shrugged,


    ¡°I keep saying, not pets or toys. We can''t just say, ¡®oh you don''t get to bond because you''re a pain in the ass¡¯, I mean, she just ate cookies and ignored you, sounds like Fel after a bad day,¡± and while Gwen snorted Felicia made a small ball of webbing and pinged it at Peter. Grinning as he remembered the first few months in the warehouse, he shook his head, ¡°I¡¯ll make it up to you later, but sure. Why not? Cindy''s fine now right?¡± and looking over at Liv she indeed,


    ¡°It''s just withdrawal from a stimulant, no different than coming off caffeine. My next question though is do we enhance her. Eddie was given purple heart formula and Natasha has one as well, do we leave her the only normal person?¡± but Peter shrugged,


    ¡°I have no problem giving anyone any formula they want, but tie her to a huge contract, and I mean, owe us her soul kinda deal. We don''t enhance or host anyone who looks like a flight risk, ¡° and he pushed, ¡°In fact, no one unless I say so.¡± and Pepper looked over,


    ¡°Why?¡± and Peter sighed,


    ¡°I have an ability that I can use, one I don''t advertise as it''s kinda invasive.¡±


    Liv sighed, ¡°You might as well tell her, Pepper is CEO, she needs full disclosure.¡±


    Peter explained about the Mind Stone, and the others, while Pepper stared.


    ¡°You have that right now?¡± and he nodded, ¡°And you can control someone''s thoughts?¡± and he shrugged and nodded. But Pepper laughed, ¡°prove it.¡±


    ¡°Really? no strings?¡± and she nodded, ¡°fine. What do you think of me?¡±


    ¡°Nice ass, amazing body, young and you¡¯ll kick Tony¡¯s ass into the next century with my help. But you don''t need a stone to find that out, I mean,¡±


    Peter used the Stone, connecting to its power, ¡°Tell me really.¡± he commanded,


    ¡°I would screw you on this table right now if you didn''t have eight others you bed-hopping asshole, and I have thought of fleecing you for all your money and retiring to the Bahamas away from all this super-powered bullshit,¡± and Pepper was shocked at the words coming out of her mouth but was unable to stop herself.


    Peter shrugged, ¡°yeah, please don''t do that.¡± and Pepper laughed,


    ¡°Fine fine, so you''ve got magic rocks. And we leave recruitment up to you. Can you use that on anyone?¡± but Peter shook his head


    ¡°Natural telepaths will feel me using it, and Viktor was immune, but I felt he lied about why, the other me saw him use magic and I think that was what he used to block it. It''s not infallible, but anyone coming in looking to steal will be found out, and anyone who¡¯s immune but didn''t tell us already raises a red flag, so either way.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°so, clear the table or book a ticket?¡± and Liv laughed, but Pepper looked unamused.


    Peter raised his hands in mock surrender, ¡°I know I know, Tony.¡± and she crossed her arms and nodded, ¡°Business only then.¡±


    ¡°Good, I''ve got a few contacts I can bring over. If Nat is head of security, she can fill them in on what you¡¯ll be doing. If you have any other employees send me a list and I can set up your systems, get your departments set up properly,¡± and Peter shrugged, ¡°it''s fine, nobody expects you to have a degree in business¡±


    ¡°That''s what I hired you for.¡± and Pepper nodded,


    ¡°Damn right.¡±


    Gwen sat back, ¡°uh Pete. If Poison gets to move, can I ask for something?¡± and he nodded,


    ¡°Sure, another?¡± but she shook her head


    ¡°No, I kinda agree with Logan on that one. We need to start keeping better track of hosts, I mean, Silk just up and walked off on Logan, and while Octave and Huntress seem to be happy, what if Muse or Ravage just up and leave too?¡±


    Peter nodded. There had also been an issue with Emma. Octave had touched her, and recoiled, refusing to even move to the woman, and unsure of what that meant, Emma was left without a Symbiote. Octave had just said ¡®Bad¡¯ and after refusing to elaborate, Peter was hesitant to create a newborn, just to have it suffer.


    ¡°We can leave that option open for the future. I mean, it''s not like we can¡¯t create a new Symbiote for you if you change your mind. Nobody thinks you¡¯ll just up and leave right?¡± and Gwen nodded,


    ¡°But uh, I want more. I want Extremis enhancement, and uh¡± and rested her arms on the table, ¡°I want you to use the Mind Stone as well, I want to be like you.¡±

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two-Hundred Sixty-Three. A Bitter Pill

    After the meeting had wound down, Pepper made full use of the bathhouse and added her name to the small alcove of baskets. She would leave a suit there if they had guests but like the others if it was just Peter, and as she was still single, she had no qualms about him seeing her naked once more. She still watched the video they had made, and she had been quite correct. If he was monogamous she would have made a move on him.


    By using the stone, Peter was aware of this, and let the others know but still stuck to his resolution. No casual relationships. Even promising Emma was skirting that line. If she was serious, though, then he had found her attractive, charming, and interesting enough to warrant giving her a chance, and none of the others had objected. After the disaster with Octave refusing to create a symbiote for her, however, she had left to spend some time on her own, and Peter just shrugged. If Emma was unwilling, he wasn¡¯t going to force the issue.


    With the list of employee¡¯s delivered and a schedule set up for testing each employee, it was still down to Peter to decide what to do with Gwen and Cindy.


    Cindy was detoxing, with Livs supervision, and even if she wanted to be Enhanced it would be his decision. Nat had given her opinion. She would rather lead a team of Enhanced, plus regular security than have a single weak link in the chain.


    Poison was bruxing as Peter sat with her on his lap, gentry stroking a thumb over her head. More pets, more pets she shouted and he just quietly laughed to himself. Once more, the decision to allow Poison to rebond with a host was up to Peter, and it was down to whether Poison herself would behave or simply huff and go back to being belligerent.


    Finally, Gwen. Her insistence at being Enhanced with not only the new formula but the Mind Stone as well threw Peter for a loop. He had been asked the same by Shuri and had put it out of his mind but Gwen was adamant, and while she would be upset but ultimately accept if he refused, it was still something he had considered himself.


    In each situation, Peter had a reason for pause. Cindy had been experimented on by Hank Pym, and if he ever found the bastard he would pay for his crimes, not just against Cindy but Rage as well. But Cindy was recovering nicely and was still willing to work with Peter. Her time with Poison hadn''t been bad, in fact, one of the reasons she had willingly let her do what she wanted was because of the intense emotional bonding.


    ¡°I want her back,¡± was all Cindy said before glaring at Peter, ¡°and I don''t give a shit about knowing what you get up to with everyone. I. Want. Her. Back.¡± and at the moment she reminded Peter of Felicia, and the bad attitude she had when she first got here,


    ¡°If she says yes, then we¡¯ll see what we can do.¡± and she turned to Liv, placing a hand on her arm. Cindy had been brash and angry, but considering what she had been through it was understandable but she was also more tolerable than Felicia had been at the start. She went out of her way to make amends with everyone, including Felicia, before visiting the bakery she terrorised, apologising and paying for the damages.


    Opinion? He asked Liv,


    She¡¯s fine, no more grating than Felicia, but physically and mentally she¡¯s fine. Well as fine as she can be, Even Felicia has forgiven her, we all remember how unstable we were, and she didn¡¯t have you to help keep her calm. However, if I find Hank Pym, he is going to get a very painful lesson on the line between medical treatments and torture.


    Nodding Peter went to his next stop. Gwen''s lab, where Gwen was staging into Poison''s cage, and the symbskin covered rat crunched a part another wheel.


    ¡°So?¡± and she shrugged,


    ¡°I don''t care Pete. We never got on, not really, and if Cindy wanted her, just make sure she realised that Poison wants pastries, cock, and sleep. She¡¯s a lazy bitch and if Cindy is our security I don''t want to find out Poison is napping when I¡¯m getting my ass beat.¡± and Peter opened the tank and lifted out the symbiote covered rat,


    So?


    We miss Gwen, but we hear and we agree, we want to do things, sleeping was better than boring work.


    You do realise Cindy will be fighting, training, and probably won''t be sleeping with me, ever. She likes Felicia.


    Poison huffed, Gwen forgets we used to train, and run and do everything. She made us bored, she wants to write and stare at glass things, we want excitement, and we can see if Cindy will maybe-


    No, if you bond with Cindy, no making her something she isn''t. She¡¯ll be warned about that, You¡¯ll behave?


    We will. Now rub our ears, we like the scritches and the belly rubs, being tiny is fun,


    Peter laughed and sat on one of the office chairs Gwen had at work stations to save her moving her chair about,


    ¡°So, Poison and Cindy are dealt with.¡°


    ¡°Just me then, so what''s the big deal?¡± and as he flipped Poison Rat over, he tickled her stomach as she wriggled under his fingers,


    ¡°It''s painful, and neither Wanda nor I came out unscathed. I mean, she saw visions and well, I think it tried to kill me, but that might have been whatever made Ultron. Either way, it''s not good,¡± and he looked at her, his face frowning in concern, ¡°I just don''t want to hurt you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so we shoot Liv with a laser and I get nothing?¡± and Peter laughed,


    ¡°Yeah, I remember being yelled at for that. So, if, and I mean if we do this, I control the Stone, while Liv monitors you using Octave, full medical before and after, Extremis, transfusion from me, and sure Mind Stone but the second, the second something goes wrong, we stop.¡±


    Gwen took a breath, ¡°and if I go wrong, I need you to promise you¡¯ll stop me.¡±


    Peter lifted Poison Rat and rubbed it against his face before setting her back down in the tank and covering it. As he sat back down he clasped his hands and leant forwards, bringing them to his forehead, ¡°I can¡¯t, I can''t make that promise¡± and Gwen huffed, ¡°but, I don''t have to. Gwen, I don''t ever want to hurt you, but well, we have people on staff now who should be doing things like that, and well, if they can''t beat you, then if any of us go bad we¡¯re in trouble.¡±


    Gwen looked confused, ¡°so wait, you¡¯re agreeing?¡± and he nodded,


    ¡°Logan.¡± and Gwen leant back and looked apprehensive at him,


    ¡°Logan? Shit.¡± And as she stared at the ceiling, ¡°doesn¡¯t change my mind though, so yeah, if you are willing, then yes.¡±


    ¡°Then set it up. Once Liv gives Cindy a clean bill of health, you get Mr Squeakers back,¡± but Gwen looked at him,


    ¡°Mr Squeakers?¡± and shaking her head, ¡°such a dork Pete,¡±


    The rat had enough intelligence to give itself a name, only added to by Poison. Dork or not he didn''t care. Mr Squeakers was allowed his own name.


    ¡°So, I think we should fix Cindy first so that if anything happens, we aren''t missing our top scientists.¡±


    Gwen snorted, ¡°yeah don''t let Liv hear you say that.¡± but she knew that without Poison it was probably true right now. The lack of symbiote meant Gwen actually had to wait for the mass spectrometer to finish, had to properly analyse and test each formula she was creating, and it was laborious. She could understand Poisons unwillingness to do this kind of work, even she understood they craved brain chemicals released during vigorous activities, fighting or sex.


    Thankfully her time with Stark had taught her all the normal lab procedures, and after an independent assessor had reviewed all her work the diploma and the certification were real. She still had doubts though. After sharing Hexen she knew the torment the stone put Wanda through, and the pain she saw on Peter''s face. As she stared at the pen in her hand, was she only doing this so she didn''t get left behind, was this only to stay at the top or was she just being stupid?


    ¡°Bit of both,¡± Peter said as he came over and leaning forwards gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. ¡°Nothing wrong with wanting to be the best, just make sure you really want it though,¡±


    Gwen huffed. She had forgotten that without Poison, Peter and anyone with a Symbiote could read her thoughts, maybe she should get another one, Muse was happy that MJ did fight, so why wouldn''t another one.


    ¡°Muse gets high on the rush MJ feels when she¡¯s on stage, she fights in her own way,¡± and Gwen crossed her arms and slumped back down in her chair.


    ¡°Didn''t think of that.¡± but no, she was resolute. ¡°Just the gem and the formula, hosting when I''m not fighting seems like I¡¯d be just repeating Poison.¡± but as she sat back up her face scrunched ¡°but uh, why doesn''t Octave complain then?¡± and Peter laughed,


    ¡°Probably because Liv still trains, and yeah, she smokes, drinks and has a lot of sex. I mean, if you thought I was bad, Liv outpaces everyone, even when she¡¯s on her own.¡± and Peter shook his head as he grinned ¡°I mean if she wasn''t a host I¡¯d be holding an intervention.¡± and as he thought back he had realised a long time ago that maybe Liv wasn''t the best person to ask for advice, as she was very much a ¡®live in the now¡¯ person and prone to spur of the moment decisions.


    ¡°So, it''s okay?¡± Gwen asked as she rubbed her fingers on her palms,


    ¡°I can''t say I¡¯m not unhappy, but I think, I don''t think it¡¯ll hurt you, not just me but Wanda used the Stone again, so with proper care, it¡¯ll be fine. Just you know, no giant mutant head, that¡¯d be weird.¡±


    ¡°Wait, giant mutant head?¡± and Peter nodded, showing her the picture Ross had sent over with Stern''s file.


    ¡°The gamma formula reacted with Blonsky¡¯s and Bruce¡¯s blood, so we have ¡®The Leader¡¯.¡± Peter rolled his eyes. Massive intelligence did not grant anyone good naming sense. And as Gwen stared at the photo she saw the green-skinned man, with a giant egg-shaped head.


    ¡°That uh, that can''t happen right?¡± she asked as she handed back Peters phone,


    ¡°Nah, Shuri sent over some files, they dug them out of one of the alien computers, and we can test what X-gene variant you have. If there will be a problem, it¡¯ll be because of that.¡±


    Gwen nodded, she had already looked at the files and taken blood to test herself. The last thing she wanted was an unknown mutation to occur. She couldn''t decide though whether the lack of a special X-gene in her DNA was a good or a bad thing.


    The files had three variants on an additional gene that had been implanted back in humanities history. The X-Gene, the K variant and the V variant.


    While a full Augmented had the massive X shaped extra gene and it allowed them extraordinary powers. The K gene, the half-formed X gene reacted with radiation to produce the Gamma Enhanced and finally the V variant, the half-formed and the completely inert gene that everyone had. While it could be partially activated with formula, it would only Enhance a person, and they wouldn''t gain any special powers. It was also why the super-soldier serum killed Augmented. The serum partially activated their X-gene, causing an imbalance in their powers, ultimately killing the Augmented.


    Gwen was a bit disappointed to know she was a carrier of the V variant, but as they tested everyone in the warehouse, only Laura and Wanda actually carried the X-gene and nobody carried the K. Even Peter had the V variant, so in the end, she didn''t feel too bad.


    Peter had received permission and had passed on their files to both General Ross, Shield, and finally Charles. While he wasn''t too happy with Charles''s behaviour he was one of the pioneer researchers in the field of Augmented and Peter felt that smoothing out their rough relationship was a good way to get Laura and Wanda help in the future if either developed problems with their powers.


    Ross was ecstatic, and Peter sent over their testing procedures. A simple enough cheek swab and a special dye to highlight the gene variant they carried. Peter knew Ross was building a military force, sanctioned by the US government and that the Thunderbolts would eventually become a proper battalion.


    Now he had a way to test for the gene, he would save a lot of people from a very painful procedure, and save a lot of lives. Even if the military ended up with a lot of Gamma Enhanced it was still better than the alternative. A lot of unstable Hulks and a pile of irradiated dead bodies.

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two-Hundred Sixty-Four. The Next Gweneration

    Cindy and Poison were easy. Cindy was given a physical, cleared for exercise, given a once over through the groups exercise regime, then Nat, and Logan even gave his opinion as well, as he had taken to coming round more often now he was also bonded. Once that was all done, Poison simply slid from Mr Squeakers, who hid in his house during the process.


    ¡°We are Poison¡± Cindy laughed as she was bonded once more, ¡°but we know it is not fair. We are now Ghost-Spider,¡± and Peter nodded.


    ¡°GS huh?¡± Gwen snorted, and Cindy shrugged.


    ¡°I feel kinda bad I''m taking her, I mean, she was yours but uh, yeah¡± and she awkwardly rubbed her arm, ¡°and uh, if the, uh offer,¡± and Gwen smiled and nodded,


    ¡°Only after the next round of physicals,¡± to which Cindy groaned and Peter just shrugged and went to speak to Logan.


    Logan was table sparring with Laura, a simple game of slap tag. Elbows on the table and the goal was to touch the other person''s hands without moving anything but your arms. As they laughed, Peter approached and sat in his chair,


    ¡°So, Rage behaving?¡± and Logan snorted,


    ¡°Yeah, Charles had a little bitch about it, but uh, yeah, that ain¡¯t my story to tell you. Just no comin¡¯ to me yelling about it.¡±


    Peter looked confused but left it. He knew Erik and Charles had a plan in motion but didn¡¯t really care,


    ¡°As long as Laura, Wanda or Jean aren¡¯t affected, I don''t care what Charles and Erik get up to,¡± and as Laura clapped the back of Logan''s hand with a tendril he laughed,


    ¡°That''s cheatin¡¯,¡± but she shrugged,


    ¡°Coney Island,¡± and he sighed,


    ¡°Fine, Fine. Once the weather clears up, we¡¯ll go.¡± and Laura beamed at him,


    ¡°Thanks, Dad.¡± and he rubbed his forehead


    ¡°Yeah, well, Pete here can supply the spendin¡¯ money, Charles ain''t runnin¡¯ the X-Men anymore, and the school¡¯s closed for now,¡± and Peter frowned,


    ¡°I could get you a job if you want, I mean, we need more security?¡± but Logan shook his head,


    ¡°I gave up those kinda gigs years ago kid, Nah. After squirt here gets her field trip I might head on out into the wilderness, been a while since I just wandered, an¡¯ Rage here ain¡¯t seen the Rockies.¡±


    Peter knew better than to argue. Logan was prone to wanderlust and he had already warned Laura that one day he might just pack a duffel bag and disappear off, and not to worry too much about it.


    Rage, Cindy is going to host Poison, are you okay with that?


    We are, we prefer Logan, he is more like us, we are glad she is happy though,


    ¡°Good,¡± Peter said, ¡°and you?¡± and Logan laughed,


    ¡°Oh I¡¯m great, and you, you are in so much trouble.¡± but Peter gave him a confused look, ¡°A couple of teachers hit on me, seems Rage here takes after her daddy, an¡¯ she really likes the ladies.¡± and while Peter shook his head Logan just laughed more at the bemused Peter, he wasn''t about to mention that Rage wasn''t one of Peter''s Symbiotes and that he really needed to speak to Flash about that.


    ¡°It''s fine though, we learned that nanoskin thing you got goin¡¯ on, no one did anything they didn¡¯t want to, and well, sorry. I figured you were just being a teen, and well, a man and that you¡¯d be rarin¡¯ to take advantage of a power like that. Ain¡¯t the first time I¡¯d seen it and prolly won''t be the last.¡± but Peter shrugged,


    ¡°Better than being called a killer I guess,¡± and standing Logan clapped Peter on the shoulder,


    ¡°Still worse things bub,¡± and as he climbed to the labs Gwen was finishing up with Cindy, who had taken Poison and morphed a newer set of clothes and costume. It was similar to Gwen''s old one, with a black bodysuit but the hoodie part was now grey with a red border, and the mask was a half-mask covering her mouth, leaving her eyes clear.


    ¡°Lookin'' good. Rage tells me you got the bad end of a nosey doctor, thinkin¡¯ I might go have a look for him. Want to come?¡± but Cindy shook her head,


    ¡°Thanks but no. I never want to see Hank Pym again,¡± as she rubbed an arm with her hand, ¡°I might not be able to hold back,¡± but Logan nodded,


    ¡°Ain¡¯t saying it¡¯d be a social call Cindy, even Rage here is wantin¡¯ a small chat with him.¡±


    ¡°Does she, does she share with you?¡± and Logan gave her a surprised look,


    ¡°Nope, an¡¯ I ain''t been askin¡¯. What you did together is none of my business, but I do know you need trainin¡¯, and these guys can help. Listen to Natasha, hell listen to Pete, he ain''t too bad when you get to know him.¡± but he leaned in close, ¡°just make sure he keeps his hands to himself,¡± and Cindy laughed and nodded, her cheeks going slightly red.


    Poison had already been inappropriately honest about not making Cindy lust after Peter,


    We understand you only like the softer ones, even if the Peter is magnificent and fills Gwen until we both scream.


    Cindy had to take a few moments after that, as the mental image of Peter''s manhood still lingered in her thoughts. She tried to be angry but they had already told her that the Symbiotes didn¡¯t understand, and it was pointless to even try. She had just gently asked Ghost not to show her things like that, and while she was laughing, she had agreed.


    Gwen made a note on her clipboard and then set it down, ¡°Logan, Nat will be taking care of that, and Cindy isn''t interested in Pete, stop embarrassing her,¡± and he smiled and shook his head,


    ¡°Yeah, ain''t happening. She ain''t learned yet has she?¡± and Gwen shook her head, mentioning Peter had Cindy thinking about Gwen and Felicia and the room was thick with pheromones. ¡°Cindy, Logan needs a physical, go downstairs and see Pete, I think he and Laura have plans for you,¡± and nodding she gave Logan a small sad look.


    Bye Silk, and she walked down the ramp and into the breakfast area.


    ¡°So, Gwen said you had something for me?¡± and Peter slid over a bottle of neutraliser and some thick absorbent pads.


    ¡°Yeah, I know it looks strange, but until you learn to coat yourself properly you¡¯ll need it,¡± and while she scowled she took the items.


    ¡°But I''m not into guys,¡± she complained and Peter nodded at Laura.


    ¡°Doesn''t matter if they are into you, but you¡¯re giving off a lot more than just lust. I can smell the apprehension, the little tinge of fear, and a hint of anger at us all treating you like a kid,¡± and Cindy frowned,


    ¡°I thought it was just horny juice?¡± and Peter laughed.


    ¡°Oh hell no. You can make grown men piss themselves if you want, ¡° and he sighed, ¡°you¡¯ll just find that being attractive you¡¯ll mainly give off signals to attract. Keep the spray, use the pads and when Nat starts up classes she¡¯ll be teaching you armour techniques to stop pheromone leakage, and how to use them during combat. Making grown men piss themselves while fighting is handy, making grown men drool over you while out shopping isn''t.¡±


    ¡°This was easier with Silk,¡± and Peter patted her shoulder while heading to the kitchen,


    ¡°Silk was drugged into a near-comatose state, and you still lost control and killed someone. Ghost won''t be easier to control but she will be easier to work with. Some pair bondings just won''t work, so far we¡¯ve only had the three that refused to listen, so it''s been alright.¡±


    As he set down a coke in front of Cindy he handed one to Laura and pulled the tab on his own, ¡°But, for now, go home, get some rest then go apartment hunting. Pepper said she needs a few days to get the contracts finalised before you and Eddie sign them. You¡¯re one of us, take some petty cash and go shopping, just put the receipts in the tin once you''re done.¡±


    Cindy gave Peter a look, ¡°What? Okay, so it''s my polite way of telling you to scram for the afternoon, or would you rather I just threw you out?¡±


    Raising her can she drained the whole thing and then looked around, ¡°I uh, don''t let Ghost tell me things, cause of well, you know. So how much can I take and how long do I have to be out for?¡±


    ¡°A hundred is fine, the tins in the third cabinet on the left and til four. Take two and grab food on the way back, this time though ask Ghost what we like, and Ghost, if you bring back nothing but danishes  I¡¯ll spank you.¡±


    Ghost made a pbth noise in his head and while he laughed Cindy looked horrified,


    ¡°Touch me and die,¡± she hissed, and Peter rolled his eyes at her,


    ¡°Lighten up. We got that crap from Felicia. I¡¯ll just get Nat to beat it out of you. Now, politely but firmly, screw off,¡± and handing her the money in several notes he motioned her towards the door.


    And if this goes wrong, don''t come back until we say it''s safe. He sent her and Laura nodded,


    We will, but Cindy opened her mouth to complain but Ghost had already started to walk her to the exit.


    ¡°Right, one pain in my ass dealt with, come on short stuff, ¡° and Laura nodded. Normally her height was an issue, she did hate being so small compared to the rest but today, she was here on a mission to watch over Peter while Logan dealt with Gwen if things went wrong.


    Gwen had let the pair know she was ready, and after Logan had been given his physical, and Rage had been given hers, it was Gwen''s turn.


    They had decided to do this in the warehouse. The Parker Inc building was slowly starting to get civilian staff and had a fully installed security system. Having to explain why it was shut off, or why they needed to evacuate if something went wrong was a big risk added to the already big risk they were taking.


    With Nat working at the main building, it had been decided they would ask Logan to do the deed if Gwen went bad, and Laura volunteered to protect Peter if he was incapacitated while using the Stone. With the Extremis and symbcell infusions already prepared, it was a simple case of setting Gwen on a gurney, strapping her down and allowing both IV¡¯s to start while Peter exposed her and then monitored her through the Mind Stone.


    Peter took a breath and slowly let it out, as he helped Gwen hop up onto the gurney. She had taken the de-powering formula a few days ago, and it was completely out of her system. Liv had given her the all-clear and nothing remained, no Enhancement formula or residual bonding chemicals. Gwen was back to as near human as possible, and it was now time to change that.


    Peter had been practising but Gwen insisted and as she inserted the cannula Peter brought over a wheeled swivel chair,


    ¡°I can focus on Gwen but maybe standing behind me might be a good idea anyway, just in case,¡± and Logan and Laura both moved back, tense and ready.


    ¡°Okay, drip in five, four, three, two and one,¡± and as the liquid began to drip into Gwen''s arm Peter slowly brought the Stone to the surface of his chest and it glowed a pale yellow light, casting an eerie shadow over Gwen''s face,


    ¡°Oh god Pete, oh fuck, oh fuck me,¡± Gwen cried out and as her hands clenched Peter took one and held it, ¡°so much, so beautiful,¡± and he could see small lights dancing in her eyes.


    As the bags slowly drained, Peter could smell the changes before her muscles began to adapt and tighten once more. Her skin rippled and trembled slightly as bone and skin changed, absorbing the Extremis and even as her hand began to heat up he saw her core temperature was steady. ¡°More,¡± was all she said and he nodded.


    Exposing her to the Stone wouldn''t grant her powers. After experimenting it was only enhancing what was there. Extremis wasn''t a mental formula, only a physical one and she would remain a blank slate, unable to project her thoughts, but, the hardier body would protect her against the effects of the Mind Stone and he could sense the activity in her brain going crazy as she took in more and more of its power.


    Peter noticed the lights that were flickering in her eyes had slowly faded, and as he looked up, the bag of symbcells was nearly empty and the Extremis bag was about half done. Reaching over he stopped the drip and allowed the Stone to retract back into his chest.


    ¡°I think that''s enough, there is only so much a normal person can take Gwen, let''s not push it okay.¡± and she weakly nodded.


    Looking over at Logan and Laura he smiled, and they both relaxed,


    ¡°That it?¡± Logan asked and Peter nodded,


    ¡°I know you have doubts, but we do take this seriously,¡± and Logan shrugged,


    ¡°Going for a smoke, short stuff here can watch her.¡± but Laura huffed.


    ¡°Coming too, got a map.¡± and she pulled out a huge map of Coney island and Logan groaned,


    ¡°Listen, I got work, I got-¡± but she interrupted him,


    ¡°No, you said, you promised. No work, Charles being a douchebag, so trip. Got rides planned,¡± and Logan shook his head and looked over at Peter who shrugged,


    ¡°Gwen needs me, for uh, a checkup,¡± and as Laura grabbed Logan''s hand and dragged him away Peter looked over at the sleeping form of Gwen, who really only needed rest and a blanket, but who was Peter to come between daddy-daughter time?

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two-Hundred Sixty-Five. A Stern Warning

    Gwen had run through the series of exercises they all did, it not only limbered up her body but stressed various muscles groups. It was designed by Nat and Logan working together to see if there were any problems with a host body that the symbiotes wouldn''t recognise, and as Gwen finished her work out she stretched and towelled herself off,


    ¡°I miss the symbskin. Changing is a pain,¡± but as Peter whistled as she stripped out of the tracksuit and pulled on leggings, she didn''t mind so much, Oh god, shaving. she thought, gah, I hated shaving.


    ¡°No pain or other symptoms?¡± Peter asked her and she shook her head,


    ¡°We¡¯ll do a full power check over at the labs, so, quarantine till then, and this.¡± Peter slipped out a wristband. It was a similar design to something Aldrich had designed for monitoring Maya. If her body temp spiked or it looked like her Extremis was about to go out of control, an alarm would sound. ¡°Liv¡¯s expecting you though, so it shouldn''t take long.¡± and she nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine though.¡± and he nodded, ¡°no really. It was amazing Pete. It''s more than just knowledge, it''s inspiration.¡± and she stared at her hands, ¡°it''s amazing.¡±


    ¡°Any weird powers?¡± but she shook her head,


    ¡°Just the Extremis ones,¡± and clenching a fist it glowed slightly before Gwen released it, ¡±but even those seem muted, maybe without a symbiote it''s just-¡± and she paused, ¡°oh, oh I have an idea. Pete, when is Liv expecting me? I want to get working again,¡± and she hopped down from the bed.


    Peter looked up at the clock, ¡°She¡¯s expecting you. You think the head of Stacy Solutions needs to wait for an appointment?¡±


    ¡°Walk me over?¡± but he shook his head,


    ¡°Sorry, Logan and Laura are on escort duty. Ross finally got a hold of me. I¡¯m due at Camp Lehigh in an hour,¡± and Gwen tutted but nodded.


    The Thunderbolts had taken over the abandoned military base, renaming Camp Gamma, and while in New York General Ross used it as his command centre and the holding cell for Samual Sterns.


    Through Fury, Peter had heard that Ross wasn¡¯t chosen as head of the newly reformed Shield. His time as Alexander Pierce''s military liaison had cast some doubts over his involvement with the Hydra takeover bid, and Phil Coulson had been chosen instead. New departments were being formed, teams set up properly and the super-powered community was being rolled into a new set of laws. Phil driving home just how important and dangerous not just Enhanced were, but Gamma Enhanced and Augmented.


    Peter was being kept in the loop. As the major contributor to the safer option of Enhancing soldiers, Coulson kept him up to date. The New York Accords were already being rewritten. Stark''s admittance in front of journalists that the lobbyists had influenced the lawmakers was already a national embarrassment, and people were demanding that the laws be changed. With footage of the Hydra attack, and Jean and Erik using their powers, more and more Augmented were being outed.


    The Augmented Registration and Containment Act was being introduced, making it illegal to hide any powers you might have. The registry might be government only but Peter would bet his left ass cheek that certain private contractors would get access to the list.


    Military rules were changing, civilian rules were changing, all because powered individuals were now being seen as more and more of a threat. If ARCA went through, and Coulson was hinting that it was, it would spell a troubled time for America. Pissing off the Augmented community was recklessly dangerous, and he knew that while Erik and Charles might back down, Selene had enough of Shaw''s bullshit and would fight back. Genosha might be a part of the US, but hidden, it was still its own little community of powerful and scared people.


    Peter had experienced first-hand what someone like Cain could do if provoked, and while she hasn''t used any of her more offensive powers, he knew that Rogue was a clone of Emma and Selene, and either of them were capable of taking down a city by themselves.


    Sending a report to Coulson, Peter made sure that Phil understood exactly what was going to happen if the law pushed too far. Americans were adamantly refusing to allow stricter gun control, and this was a lot worse than that. Its people would have to learn to adapt, or it would be disastrous.


    As he made his way to Camp Gamma, one of the things he would discuss with Ross today was making sure that he was on the same side as Coulson. Having the director of Shield and the Director of The Thunderbolts both pushing for lighter controls, and a more delicate approach to the situation might force the hands of the senators pushing for camps and collars. Neither were a great solution, and neither had ever worked in the past.


    Peter waited at the gate while a heavily armed soldier checked his ID and phoned to make sure General Ross was expecting him. The camp was the usual army green buildings surrounded by a chain-linked fence. Each soldier was carrying one of the pulse weapons that Hydra had used but as they were effective and easy to make, even without the Space Stone, most American units had at least one in their armoury. Ross just had more, but then again who would be stupid enough to attack the base of giant rage monsters capable of demolishing buildings with their bare hands.


    As Peter waited he watched the new gamma recruits as they marched by, and saw that not every gamma enhanced changed colour. Bruce''s baseline of green seemed to apply only to him, but the recruits ranged from the standard Ross red all the way through purple and into plain normal skin tones. He would have to ask Liv or Gwen if it was a genetic factor, pondering what colour he would change to if he was a gamma hulk. Probably boring pale he thought as a soldier brought him out of his musings.


    Ross pulled up in a jeep driven by someone Peter did know, but as he got into the back, Ross nodded,


    ¡°I got Coulson''s message and your report. I agree with some of it, but the senators pushing for this aren''t going to listen.¡± Peter shook his head and as she opened his mouth, Ross shook his head, ¡°I already know what you''re going to say, Peter. The same thing Coulson said, and the same thing I said. All I heard was a countermeasure is being put into place, to ensure peaceful cooperation between factions.¡° and as Peter snorted Ross nodded, ¡°and that was my reaction too.¡±


    ¡°We both know any attempt to herd Augmented is going to result in a lot of problems,¡± Peter said as the jeep drove them through the compound ¡°and powers mean violence.¡± as the jeep pulled up to a heavier build facility, Two guards snapped to attention. Both men wore a form-fitting bodysuit, armoured over the chest and thighs and shoulders but their hands and feet were bare. As both men were a slight shade of green and, at Peters estimate, eight feet tall, he knew that this was Ross¡¯s gamma prison.


    ¡°Violence is the American way, Peter. It just takes one idiot to throw the first stone and the senate will listen. But the vote isn''t for another week, I assume you''re here to solve my own problem,¡± and Peter nodded


    ¡°I want to talk to him first, and I need a blood sample. I''m not about to inject him with the same formula we used to depower someone,¡± and Ross subconsciously ran a hand over his side. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, I doubt he¡¯s stronger than any other telepath I''ve faced.¡±


    Ross shrugged, ¡°You still won''t mind if my soldiers have orders to shoot you if you try and break him out though?¡± and Peter laughed,


    ¡°I wouldn''t have expected anything less.¡±


    After being taken through several security doors Peter was shown into a circular room, containing another circular room. He raised an eyebrow at Ross who shrugged,


    ¡°You might not have enjoyed the ride but the theory was still sound,¡± Ross said, and Peter knew he was right. The fact that Laura had a Symbiote saved her but after testing, the Gamma Augments still need to breathe and the recreated containment cell was designed to do just that, launch itself and its occupant into space, and suffocate them. An unpleasant way to die, but for someone like Hulk, possibly the only way to actually kill him.


    In the centre of the sparsely furnished room, with a single book and foam mattress on the floor sat a green-hued man. His forehead was swollen out of proportion and he looked like a giant green carrot attached to a man.


    As Peter stared he looked up from his book and smiled. Peter could see his mouth moving, but he just shrugged, lip-reading wasn''t one of his powers and he wasn''t about to use his telepathy until he knew he was safely inside.


    ¡°Yeah I can take it from here.¡± and as Ross clicked on an intercom,


    ¡°You¡¯re getting a visitor, Step back and face the wall.¡± as Sterns stood and faced the singular panel in the whole room, Ross pressed another button, and the intercom squealed. ¡°Opening containment. All security on high alert. This is not a drill. Full lockdown is in effect until the counter orders are given.¡±


    Ross waited and then began to punch a code into the door panel, ¡°Once you are inside I will not let you out unless you give me a specific signal. There will be guards with orders to shoot you if you display any hostile actions and they are Enhanced. Do not treat this lightly Mr Parker, Samuel Sterns is a dangerous man, and even you might not be safe.¡±


    Peter was tempted to make a small joke, but the apprehension and paranoia poured from Ross like water. ¡°The signal will be three fingers on my palm and the phrase, Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers.¡±


    ¡°Show me,¡± and Peter pressed three fingers and Ross nodded. ¡°Any other code phrase or mistake gets you both a trip into space. I will not allow Sterns to escape.¡± and Peter nodded.


    ¡°Good.¡± and as Ross pressed another series of buttons, the door seal hissed and Peter was let into the airlock. As the door hissed again it closed, sealed, and he was let into the room with Sterns,


    ¡°So,¡± and Sterns turned and stared at Peter, ¡°you''re the one they use to see how my powers affect someone?¡± Peter got a much clearer look at the thin man, his face was scruffy with a thin moustache and beard. Ross had made it clear he wasn''t allowed anything sharp and his hair and face suffered for it.


    ¡°Not really. I''m the one who decides if you ever get out of here.¡± and Sterns laughed


    ¡°An uneducated schoolboy. You''re kidding right?¡± Peter nonchalantly shrugged, ¡°let me tell you, Mr Parker, because I can read lips. Barely out of high school judging from your appearance. New York native and judging by the smoothness of your hands, uneducated. No college degree, no,¡± and as Sterns stared at him Peter felt the slight brush of a power against his mind.¡± Oh, that is interesting. You¡¯re immune to my powers,¡± and Peter smiled,


    ¡°Yup, and the rest, not so interesting. Oh, am I supposed to be impressed? I can read a wiki page too, Sterns, but guess what, nobody cares. But here, let me tell you what''s going to happen. I''m going to take a blood sample, and you¡¯ll let me or you¡¯ll regret not letting me. Then I''m going to leave and see if a formula, just like the one you already took can be used to burn that intellect out of your skull without frying your brain. If it does then you get to spend the rest of your life in a much nicer cell. If not, you go to a high-security lockup with a nice collar around your neck that stops your powers from working, and if you escape,¡±


    Peter let his symbarmour slide over him. Standing over Sterns he let his maw split, and a symbblade slid from his forearm. ¡°I hunt you and take your head.¡±

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two-Hundred Sixty-Six. Rose Tinted Glasses

    The rest of the time with Sterns was much nicer, as Peter hit him with a full dose of fear pheromone. After taking the sample Sterns meekly followed orders and Peter left without too much trouble. Even after sending out his own telepathic probes Peter used all of his senses and Sterns wasn¡¯t telepathic as such, it was the interference of normal brain function using his own gamma enhanced brain. He was more like a massive signal blocker, disrupting anyone¡¯s thoughts who came near him and rendering them suggestive to his words. His intellect was enhanced though, and Peter had no doubt that Samual Sterns was a dangerous man to be kept alive. Ross made it clear though after Peter gave his report, that the decision wasn¡¯t his and that he was not to be harmed.


    After refusing a ride Peter needed some time to clear his head. Sterns made him realise that not everyone with powers would be friendly. He would have to talk to Nat and then both Ross and Coulson as to what contingency plans they could put in place if a superpowered threat emerged. He seriously doubted that either would agree to simply kill them, and proper containment and restraints needed to be developed. After he dropped the blood sample off at Gwen''s lab he headed back to the warehouse, where his next powered appointment was waiting.


    Maria and Scott were sat at the breakfast table while Peter made coffee,


    ¡°So, what do you want?¡± Scott asked gruffly. He wasn''t too happy that Maria had dragged him here, but as she liked to take charge, and had promised him it would be worth it, he had reluctantly agreed.


    Peter on the other hand just shook his head as he put the pot of coffee in front of them, ¡°hey, trying to mend bridges here, but you can screw off if that''s your attitude.¡± He¡¯d had enough of listening to Sterns, trying futilely persuade him to let him go, and then Ross¡¯s bullshit about there being no need for any other Enhanced now they were training the Gamma Troopers. As he laid out mugs Scott frowned,


    ¡°Mending bridges? After you made Jean and I break up? After doing exactly what the professor asked you not to? You want to make up for that?¡± and he shook his head as Peter stared at him,


    ¡°What? Jean didn''t break up with you because of me, she broke up with you because that wasn''t Jean. Jean was neutered by the professor, the real Jean is the one that called you an ass and then left, and the professor knew exactly what she would do, which is why,¡± and he waved a hand, ¡°you get the picture. This is for Maria, so quit whining.¡±


    Scott furrowed his brow, ¡°you two?¡± and Maria shrugged,


    ¡°That was before you, and it wasn''t really-¡± but Peter interrupted her,


    ¡°Important, it''s not important. What is though is that Maria tested out not only a new formula but a new symbiote. And I want to thank her for that, by trying to make it up to you.¡± and Scott shook his head


    ¡°Dammit Parker. Do you sleep with every woman you meet? I mean, are there any women left in New York that haven''t been bedded by the mighty Venom.¡± Scott asked accusingly.


    ¡°Oh grow up Scott,'''' Maria said as she sipped her coffee, ¡°it was barely a thing and in the past. Peter, give him the tech, and sorry.¡± and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°It''s fine, We need to head upstairs, the lighting has been adjusted.¡±


    Scott just looked at the pair confused but Maria leant over before Scott could stand, ¡°you leave, I want to say something to my boyfriend.¡± and Peter shrugged and grabbed his mug, heading up to the lab,


    ¡°Scott, please. He and I weren''t a thing, it was once for about 5 seconds,¡° and as he slumped and looked dejected at his cup she took his chin and turned him towards her. ¡°I get it, you¡¯re worried he¡¯s after more, and this is his way in, but it''s not. He asked, he does want to fix things between you two. He¡¯s not your enemy.¡± as he leant forward she kissed him gently on the lips. As he still looked upset she sighed, ¡°fine, my ass, give him ten minutes and you can have my ass. I know you stare at it, I know you¡¯re plucking up the courage to ask, I am telepathic remember.¡± and Scott went slightly red,


    ¡°That''s not fair,¡± he whispered, ¡°not fair at all.¡±


    ¡°Suck it up Cyclops. Being a member of Wrath means being fearless.¡±


    ¡°I am fearless, just not with you.¡± and Maria sighed,


    ¡°And unlike Jean, I''m not going anywhere and this insecurity is adorable for a minute or two but it gets old. Peter is supplying Wrath with tech, and he suggested an upgrade for you.¡±


    Scott frowned, ¡°an upgrade?¡± and Maria nodded,


    ¡°Even better than the body armour you like so much.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine.¡± and draining his cup, ¡°but I''m holding you to that last thing, ¡° and Maris grinned and kissed his cheek,


    As the pair made their way up to the main lab, Maria noted it had been cleared out since she was last here. Peter closed and locked the door behind them, and motioned to two stools. Peter handed a pair of glasses to Maria while his symbskin slid over him.


    ¡°We got your readings from the professor,¡± and as he clicked the lights the room was bathed in a painfully bright red light. ¡°I already adapted, but it took a while. Scott, slowly lower your glasses. The light in here now matches the frequency of the lenses in your eyewear, but you know, I''d rather you didn''t blow a huge hole in my home.¡±


    Squinting, Scott slowly took off his glasses, and through slitted eyes opened them fully once the red energy he usually emitted fizzed harmlessly into the room.


    Peter sighed in relief, ¡°oh thank god for that.¡± and he moved over to one of the workbenches and put two boxes onto a tray table, wheeling it over. ¡°Right, we have two pairs of new eyewear for you to test. One for combat and one for every day.¡±


    Opening the box it was a banded single slit visor, similar to the one that he normally wore as part of his X-Men uniform. This one was black with familiar red ruby lenses embedded into the frame.


    ¡°This is for combat. It''s self-adjusting so all you need to do is slide it on.¡± Peter explained but before he could finish Scott grabbed it, gave it a once over and slipped it over his head.


    Wincing in pain, ¡°what the hell?¡± and as the burning sensation at his temples grew he searched for the normal switch on the side to allow him to see out. Gritting his teeth he felt Peter lift his head.


    ¡°Ass. I was about to warn you, here.¡± and pressing a switch the pain faded and Scott heard a voice,


    Visor Operating System enabled. Select mode.


    ¡°Hear that?¡± Peter asked and he nodded, ¡°good, it''s the Visors neural bridge. Liv set one up for you. You can set up different patterns in the visors aperture, for whatever beam strength you need, or manually control it. It takes some practice but you¡¯ll get used to it, uh just not in here, ¡° and Scott nodded.


    He was more than used to not being able to test his powers fully. Even at fifty per cent, he had blown a hole in a rock mountainside and after quickly evacuating, saw the authorities rushing to the scene.


    ¡°It just slides on and off, the neural bridge is a small electrode in your temple, but if you want it removed just think ¡®remove¡¯ and it disengages completely and resets itself. Otherwise, it''s just like a normal visor.¡±


    Scott nodded, ¡°I''ll test it later, so I guess the other box is the same but a bit more fashionable.¡± but Peter grinned and shook his head,


    ¡°Oh no, these we worked on especially to order, and while they are a test pair, if they work, we¡¯ll be selling them to other augments with similar problems.¡± As Peter lifted the second box, Scott saw a pair of contact lenses.


    ¡°Lenses? I¡¯ll blast right through them,¡± and Peter laughed.


    ¡°So little faith, take that one off and try them.¡± Scott simply shook his head and unhooked the normal visor, leaning back he dipped a finger in and pressed each lens to his eye.


    ¡°Good, now look at me,¡± and as Scott looked over at Peter he shone a light in his eye. ¡°And the other,¡± and Scott blinked a few times before letting Peter shine the light in his other eye.


    Leaning back, Peter put down the penlight. ¡°Now, this time I need to activate them before you can use them. The light bonded them to your pupil, you don''t need to take them off and unless I use the laser again they won''t ever come out, okay?¡±


    ¡°What the hell? Did you perform surgery on me? asshole.¡± but Maria squeezed his hand. ¡°Fine, do it.¡± and Peter lifted a small instrument with a soft tip and holding Scott''s eye open touched it to the lens, repeating the process for the second,


    Initialising, he heard, and then a countdown,


    ¡°I got a warning at least,¡± and as it reached zero he felt a slight pain in his eye socket and face fading after a moment. ¡°So, what do they do?¡±


    Close your eyes, and as Scott shut his eyes, he heard Peter move, ¡°are they on? Think self-check test.¡±


    Self-check test.


    Self-check test initiated. Fully functional


    ¡°Yeah. They¡¯re on,¡± and as he heard the click he opened his eyes to make sure Peter wasn''t up to anything.


    ¡°Well, I would have said slowly, but that works.¡± and Scott stared at him. ¡°Thanks for not blasting me into next week.¡± Peter knew from the scans and from experience that Scott''s optic blast was painful and more of a directed concussive force than a laser. ¡°So, how do they feel?¡±


    Scott was confused, ¡°They feel fine I guess, but, what?¡± and he gave Peter a confused look until he realised the lights were normal bulbs and the room wasn''t red.


    Maria smiled and held his chin with one of her hands, ¡°you have beautiful blue eyes,¡± and as he took her hand, he kissed it.


    ¡°The lenses are more than just an aperture. Normal lenses would be too thin to keep the energy contained, plus we had no idea if it would damage your eyes, so uh, we turned your powers off. The lenses contain a miniature power dampner, running on your own bioelectric energy.¡± but Scott stood and angrily marched at Peter,


    ¡°You what?¡± and as he lined up a punch Peter simply pushed him back into Maria''s arms, before flicking the switch to turn on the red lights once more.


    ¡°Calm down, simply think ¡®resume operation¡¯ and they switch off. Shit, I thought you¡¯d be happy not to have to wear your glasses, ever. Maria seemed to think so too.¡± and as Scott looked at her she was looking hesitantly at him,


    ¡°Sorry, I,¡± and she sighed ¡°I talked to Jean, and she told me you always wished you didn''t have to wear a visor or glasses. So I asked Peter to make something to let you use your powers but still be free of them.¡± and Scott shook his head and cradled her cheek with a hand,


    ¡°You''re amazing,¡± and as he leant forwards to give her a kiss Peter cleared his throat,


    ¡°Yeah, still here.¡± but Scott ignored him and kissed her anyway.


    ¡°Still a dick,¡± and Peter laughed,


    ¡°Yeah, that too. Test them, if you get headaches or sensitivity to light or noise come back and we can adjust them. Keep the glasses and visor for now. You need time to adjust, and for us to make sure they can handle your powers.¡±


    Scott stood, and after giving Maria a look he sighed, ¡°thank you Peter. I guess. Losing Jean wasn''t easy, I thought-¡± but Peter shook his head,


    ¡°My powers affect a lot of people, Scott, it''s fine. Jean made her choice, and you got Maria out of it. I learned life¡¯s like that.¡° and Peter waved a hand ¡°one door closes, yadda yadda,¡± and as he moved away and stood at the door, ¡°but uh, once you¡¯ve had your moment, no sex in my lab, please. I do have exceptionally good hearing.¡±


    Scott snorted, ¡°Ass.¡± and Peter shrugged


    ¡°Yup, that''s what she said.¡±

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two-Hundred Sixty-Seven. Eating Out

    Liv waited until after Peter had dealt with Maria and Scott before pulling him to one side,


    ¡°There is also a small matter we need to discuss, and then you have another choice to make. As a group we already discussed it, and while we all agree you need to set things right with Jean. We all know about the change in reality, but it doesn''t excuse not mentioning things to her and then disappearing off to Africa,¡± and Peter nodded guiltily.


    He had been hesitant to talk to her. He liked Jean, they shared a lot of interests and he knew the feeling was more than mutual, but he had also been keeping some distance to let her deal with not just her break up with Scott, but the ever insistent Charles.  He had heard from a few of the visiting Augmented he was planning something, but none of them would say what, and Jean was being asked to help. Peter knew she needed time, her powers were still spotty and while there weren''t too many complaints, her ability to keep them under control was lacking.


    As the only teacher she knew was Charles, his price for teaching her was something she hadn''t discussed or mentioned. Even without the Mind Stone Peter could tell things at the mansion were tense, even Ororo had taken up residence on Genosha away from Charles.


    ¡°But first, we need to talk about your powers, and then you have to make your position very clear.¡±


    Peter frowned, ¡°my powers? But since Extremis, they haven''t changed,¡± and Liv nodded,


    ¡°They haven''t but our testing facilities have, and sorry dear but this time it''s not a joke.¡± Liv reached over and clicking on the projector called up several slides, each one from previous slides they had taken of Peters cells.


    ¡°We contacted Shuri and had her share data on the legend of the devourer. We have samples from our own Symbiotes and thanks to Miss Moon, we have samples from an actual Klyntar,¡± and as Peter stared at the slides, Liv continued.


    ¡°The Symbiotes you spawn do share several traits with normal Klyntar but they are more in line with your hybrid DNA, so they aren''t really the same species anymore. Normal Klyntar, it seems, attached to a host, can absorb and digest memories and other skills by attacking and eating neural tissue. Your Symbiotes are the same but only require a DNA source, as you are well aware,¡± and Peter smiled, he was blissfully aware of that, ¡°however, we traced that back to your unique DNA and not the Klyntars. And this is where the bad news comes in and Shuri agrees with my hypothesis.¡±


    Liv clicked a video, and as Peter watched, the black symbcell sample attacked and absorbed a white sample, then a blue one, grey, and then a pink one.


    ¡°As you can see, your cells will attack and absorb any Symbiotic material, those were all samples of our Symbiotes,¡± and Peter frowned,


    ¡°We already knew that from Monarch, so?¡± and he shrugged,


    ¡°The last one wasn''t a Symbiote. It was a bone marrow sample. Kindly donated by me after separating myself from Octave,¡± and Peter scowled,


    ¡°You should have said¡± Bone marrow biopsies were a painful procedure, requiring a large-bore needle to be driven into the centre of a bone to draw out the tissue within. As it couldn''t be done under anaesthesia, it wasn''t something he would have wished on anyone.


    ¡°I know, but we needed to check something,¡± and Liv squatted down in front of Peter and looked him in the eye. ¡°Your cells attacked and absorbed the DNA rich tissue. Without testing we can only theorise that you can also absorb memories and abilities, by consuming the tissue of others,¡± and Peter looked horrified,


    ¡°I, what?¡± and Liv nodded,


    ¡°If you eat enough genetic material, you would gain the powers of the person.¡±


    Peter leant back and took a deep breath, ¡°So I am a devourer, and I guess it''s not just a lick?¡± and Liv shook her head,


    ¡°Probably 3-4 kilos, maybe about half a skeleton,¡± and Peter shook his head, ¡°we really can¡¯t be sure, and we are not going to test the theory out. But, given the evidence, and some of the more advanced medical equipment Shuri has, that it is not just likely, it''s only the scale we may have wrong.¡±


    Peter shook his head but had to agree. ¡°This stays in the family. Nobody ever knows I can do something like that,¡± and Liv agreed. If it got out that Peter''s powers could be increased by cannibalism the government would throw him in the Freezer without trial. ¡°What did Shuri say?¡± and Liv laughed,


    ¡°She didn¡¯t. She agreed and all the samples we sent her mysteriously vanished, all the files are gone and she used her authority as Queen to purge the Wakandan system of those stupid devourer records. I know, She knows and you know. Nobody else was involved, as we figured it was sensitive enough.¡±


    ¡°So, I owe you and Shuri a lot of dates then?¡± and Liv laughed, leant over and kissed his cheek,


    ¡°I do have a few ideas in mind, but, item two. Jean.¡± and as Liv shut everything down there was a quiet knock at the door. ¡°No running away. Either break her heart or, well. Just don''t be too loud,¡± and as Liv ran a hand over his shoulder she let herself out and Jean in.


    Jean looked angry, vulnerable, and it was obvious that she had been crying. Peter shook his head, and silently cursed himself.


    ¡°Do you want to or should I?¡± he asked her and she rubbed one arm with a hand and looked apprehensive at him,


    ¡°Sorry, things got weird and complicated. You needed time, and I thought I was being considerate and not crowding you, and I guess I was wrong. So. Yes, I like you,  but there has to be conditions.¡± and she frowned.


    ¡°Conditions? You leave me hanging, get engaged, and I hear you already had sex with her, conditions?¡± and as Jean got angry the desk and selection of books in Peters lab began to rattle, and Peter felt the heat beginning to rise from her


    ¡°That for a start,¡± and Peter reached out with the Mind Stone,


    Sorry, but you need to be calm, and he pushed down onto her, calm, please be calm


    At the dam, Phoenix had told him the only one who was strong enough to contain her was a Mind Stone Enhanced Peter, and right now he was pushing it to its limit and he could still feel the power burning within her


    That is why Jean. I like you, but you can''t control your power,


    I CAN! She yelled, but nobody listens, nobody cares, I CAN. I CAN!


    We do listen, we hear you, you live next to Liv and she hears you at night, when you dream. We hear you and Nat wakes up horny and wet because you''ve been touching yourself thinking of me. We do hear you, and we all know how you feel.


    It''s not fair, it''s not fair, and Peter starts to shake as the power of Phoenix ignites and Jean starts to burn, why, why won''t you- mphff


    Ignoring the blistering heat, Peter moved forwards and embraced her, kissing her gently, pressing his lips against hers, but as she pulled back and Helios slipped back into her, she stood naked expecting him to do the same.  As the heat flares between them, she stares at the burns. The red flesh not just blistered but cooked and the pain in his eyes,


    NO! I''m sorry, I''m sorry, please, no, and as Jean pushes him away she squats down, wrapping her arms around her legs and burying her face in her knees.


    Taking a deep breath Peter moves and sits in front of her, ¡°Hey, look.¡± and lifting her head he smiles, ¡°see, it heals. I''ve got healing. Sure not like Logan but a bit of fire isn''t anything.¡± and she sniffs and shakes her head,


    ¡°But what if, ¡° and he nods,


    ¡°What if I''m going down on you and whoopf, up in smoke, and that''s why. It''s not no, you just need to get control of your powers.¡±


    Jean huffs and stretches out her legs, ¡°it¡¯s not fair.¡± and Peter shrugs and tries his best to not stare at the uncaring Jean, as she shifts and shows him everything.


    ¡°We had this talk, remember. Gwen attacked me too, and look where that went. Jean. You wouldn''t be living here if we hated you, I wouldn''t be having this conversation with you, you¡¯d be at the mansion, still miserable¡±


    Jean snorts, ¡±you mean, rather than being here and miserable.¡± and as she looks at him,


    Peter shrugs, ¡°that I can¡¯t help with. You¡¯re as much of this family as anyone. You live here, you work with Gwen, I mean, you take baths with the others,'''' and Jean rolls her eyes and huffs again,


    ¡°And yeah, you hide.¡± and Peter shrugs, ¡°even now, I mean, I''m not unattractive, you can look.¡±


    ¡°It''s not polite, and plus, I don''t recall being invited.¡±


    Jean stared at him, frowning slightly, ¡°You mean? All I had to do was ask?¡± and Peter nods


    ¡°Red flag was up. Nobody wants to be stared at while they''re bathing, or be made to feel uncomfortable while they¡¯re trying to relax.¡± and Jean sighs and buries her head in her hands


    ¡°I¡¯m such an idiot. You¡¯ve been keeping your distance so you don''t hurt my feelings.¡± and Jean laughs to herself and shakes her head, ¡°and I thought you were avoiding me.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, cause seeing naked ladies is totally a turn-off.¡± and as he half shrugs, ¡°but without permission, it kinda is. Nobody likes a creeper.¡±


    Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, Jean stands and takes a deep breath, and now Peter lets his eyes drift up her slender and toned body, and Jean smiles as she sees the excitement in his eyes, ¡°So, if I say, I needed a bath, after getting all emotional, and I asked if you would wash my back, what would you say?¡±


    Peter holds up his hands in mock terror ¡°Help! Stranger danger. I need an adult!¡±


    Raising an eyebrow Jean just stares at him, unamused, and Peter clears his throat, smiling back at her,


    ¡°I would ask what your favourite soap is, and see if anyone else wanted to join. My point still stands, no crossing the line until I know you aren''t going to burn our homes down.¡±


    Jean pouts and crosses her arms in front of her chest, pushing it up slightly, ¡°not even a little?¡±


    Peter laughs and leans forwards, ¡°do you want to test if my regeneration applies to that?¡± and as Jean leans back and looks down, she blushes slightly, ¡°knowing as well, that there are eight others who would be pretty mad?¡± and as she frowns, she realises what he meant, even if it did grow back the rest would be mad at her for hurting him, even accidentally.


    ¡°Maybe just washing my back then.¡±


    ¡°And you know, Gwen is now going to start treating you like a target.¡± and Jean pouts,


    ¡°She handed me her coffee one morning, and stared at me.¡± and Peter frowned, confused, ¡°She told me it was cold, and could I heat it up for her.¡± and Peter bursts out laughing,


    ¡°And you were worried about being accepted?¡± but Jean shrugs,


    ¡°I was worried about being rejected. I like you, Peter, I just,¡± but Peter interrupted her by moving forwards and kissing her softly,


    ¡°I like you too.¡± and as his eyes flicked down Jean grins and shakes her head, Helios spreading over her and into her usual red and white tracksuit.


    ¡°Everyone knows you like those more. Everyone is well aware of Peter Parker''s preference.¡±


    Peter chuckles, ¡°oh that''s just eye candy, what I really like is-¡± and Peter leans close and whispers in Jean''s ear, making her go a bright shade of red, and as he leans back to enjoy the brief moment of teasing, her aura flares again and she giggles as a few moments later as they wait for his eyebrows to regrow,


    Shaking his head, ¡°But it seems that is off the menu until someone gets her powers under control."

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two-Hundred Sixty-Eight. The Choice

    Once Jean had been dealt with, and now that she was smiling and not setting fire to things Peter had one last item on his agenda. With AIM and Parker Inc set up, Pepper had sent over a list of their current employees and a new list of prospective hires.


    As Peter made himself known to everyone, simply by walking around the building, nobody of interest stuck out. There were the occasional weed smokers and assholes in the group, but nothing Peter could actually fire anyone over, not unless their behaviour spilled over at work as well. Until he met Livs latest Lab assistant.


    As the older gentleman, with greying hair and a haggard look stuck out his hand for Peter to shake Peter simply raised an eyebrow and shook his head. ¡°Sorry uh, Alister. You work for Gideon Malik, are an ex Hydra agent, and I have no issues with what I''m about to do.¡±


    Alister Smythe, the scientist Shield had sent over, was as dirty as they come. Peter and the rest had already discussed what he should do if they found any moles, and as Alister found out it wasn¡¯t pleasant.


    Liv had been warned, so when the man walked into her lab, wearing nothing but a tie and smile she knew to scream, and even his incoherent babbling, once he came back to his senses, wasn''t enough to save him.


    His termination papers were signed before the police arrived and he was arrested for not just exposing himself to Liv but sexual harassment and a whole bunch of racial slurs that he had seemingly shouted while brandishing his erection at her. All handily caught on the lab''s newest security cameras. Alister Sinclair would be spending a long time in prison, even if Gideon was pulling his strings, Peter doubted he would risk associating himself with the man.


    With that dealt with, all that was left was to check each of the prospective employees, and as each one was interviewed Peter sat in, while Pepper did most of the talking, and marked any that might be problematic at a later date.


    It was during the interviews that someone Peter found interesting appeared,


    Tall, blonde and with sharp features and a pricing stare, Elizabeth Allen reminded Peter a little of Steve. She had the same mannerisms and stare, but what was more interesting was her thoughts on Parker Inc and AIM.


    While Pepper conducted her interview, Peter let his abilities envelop her gently. He never pushed too far into someone''s mind, surface thoughts and feelings were enough to get a good read on someone but it was her restraint at asking if the rumours about Peter and Parker Inc were true that got his own curiosity up.


    Most people who were applying knew about Peter and Tony¡¯s rivalry, and most asked if Stark would be a problem, but Liz was more interested in finding out if there was a connection between Peter, Iron Man, and Venom. She had an idea but nothing she could prove.


    As Pepper finished, she always asked Peter if he had any questions and usually he said no, and shook the person''s hand,


    ¡°So, I can see you¡¯re holding back, ask your question,¡± he said to Liz who looked flustered for a moment but took a small breath,


    ¡°Are you?¡± she asked and Peter grinned,


    ¡°You have to be more specific.¡± and she rolled her eyes,


    ¡°Venom. Are you Venom?¡±


    Peter could see the web that led her to that conclusion. Tony picking on an upcoming scientist wasn''t new. He had read about Quentin Beck being humiliated at one of Tony''s symposiums, never to be heard from again, but Peter was different.


    Tony purposefully bought Peters patents, sometimes even forcefully. He went after Olivia Octavious¡¯s work, even when others stayed away from the mess at Oscorp, and then suddenly it was all returned without complaint. Pepper now worked for Peter, her name being dragged through the seedier parts of the internet after an alleged affair with Venom, and while neither man was similar in build there was enough of a match in vocal and motion recognition that his name was plausible. As Peter had thought when talking to Betty, any competent investigator could identify any current superhero, given the right tools, and enough time.


    What surprised him though wasn''t that she had connected him to Venom, was that it wasn''t to expose him. She had grown up with aliens and tales of close encounters. She watched the shuttle missions and had tried for the astronaut program, only to be rebuffed after her eyesight betrayed her.


    She wanted to know if Venom was real, to finally find out if the truth was out there. She had no lofty ideals of exposing him, or of anything more than simply wanting to know.


    He could use the Stone to dive deeper, but part of him felt dirty at what he might find, instead,


    ¡°And if you found out, what would you do?¡± He asked a simple enough question, but it was reinforced with the power of the Stone. No matter what, the next thing she spoke would be the truth,


    ¡°Are you fucking kidding? Finding out aliens are real? shit I might just dance in your office,¡± and as she spoke, bluntly but truthfully her face dyed itself red and she covered it with her hands, ¡°Sorry, sorry, I don''t.¡± but Peter was laughing as he looked over at Pepper,


    ¡°Yeah, hire her. Full disclosure. She¡¯s the one.¡±


    Liz was buzzing with excitement. She had her theories but actually working in the PR department of AIM would let her do some investigating, and hopefully prove them right. Which was why, when Pepper went over her terms of employment and handed her a thick wad of paper with Non-Disclosure Act in bold at the top, her enthusiasm fell.


    It fell even further as it covered more than just employment at AIM, even after she quit she was bound by it and it wasn''t just a simple fine. Citing several of the New York Accords she would be held indefinitely for revealing any information about Enhanced activities going on at any of AIMs subsidiaries, and each offence would be counted separately. Even if she proved herself right, telling anyone could land her a life sentence.


    The salary was competitive, and the workload was much lighter than she expected. While she would be handling press releases for each company it was a simple nine to five job. Nobody expected her to work alone and while she would get full disclosure she could hire temps and secretaries to do any paperwork.


    As she tapped the pen on the contract and the NDA she tutted to herself, dammit, and signed both, handing them back to a smiling Pepper.


    ¡°We need to get you a badge, and you have access to most of the labs. Just be aware that not everywhere is safe and some you will still need an appointment to enter. You¡¯re AIMs press secretary, so you really only answer to me, but please don''t piss off the company heads too much,¡± and Pepper leaned forwards, ¡°and if you¡¯re really nice to Gwen she gives out free samples.¡± and she handed her a company tablet. ¡°Your login details are on the back. Passwords are changed every day, so you won''t get proper access until tomorrow. Everything is on there. And welcome aboard.¡±


    Liz waited until she was outside before she fist pumped and then until she was home before she logged into the tablet. It was all dry boring material. Active and upcoming research projects that needed to be sorted into press releases. She would have to start reading up on some of the more technical aspects of her job but for now, there were two she knew needed more attention.


    First was the rebranding of Gwen Stacy¡¯s feminine range. Femifire had proven a stupid name and Pepper left a note saying it was being changed to Fenesse, and a whole ad campaign needed to be centred around it. Liv sighed and lifted her phone began to arrange a list of producers and directors to get the ball rolling. Remembering, she added Mary Jane Watson¡¯s name to the list. She had heard the rumours about her and Peter, and getting her onboard for the ad campaign would help.


    Next was a scheduled meeting with not just each company head, but a few other names she didn''t recognise. Eugene Thompson stuck out, as the Avengers had hired him as a replacement for the agents lost during the attack, but the rest, Elektra Natchios, James Howlett, Cindy Moon, and Maria Hill were all unknown. Only Elektra, the head of the Natchios fortune, came back in her google search.


    Sipping her celebratory glass of wine she shrugged and laid the tablet back down. That was for tomorrow, tonight she would celebrate, and as she sighed, knowing nobody from the Daily Bugle would be as thrilled to see her leave as she was, she just sat alone drinking her wine. Even Betty, and she paused, lifting her tablet once more. Eddie Brock. She had seen his name in the list of people he was meeting tomorrow, shit she thought, Betty¡¯s ex, and while she hadn''t been forthcoming with details, Liz knew Betty had been devastated when he left.


    Shaking her head, she put the tablet back down, she would hold off calling her until she got the scoop from Eddie, that was a powder keg she wasn''t going to touch until she knew the truth. That was tomorrow''s problem though, and as she picked up the phone she did wish someone was here to celebrate with her, oh well, at least I get to eat this myself,


    ¡°Hello, Panucci¡¯s? One large with everything, for delivery,¡± and as she hummed to herself, the indigestion from eating a large pizza herself could be tomorrow''s problem as well, and she wondered if the lab made a super-secret antacid she could get free samples of.


    As she arrived at work the next day the office complex seemed busier than usual. New faces were being given tours and some of the staff she had seen waiting yesterday now seemed to be sharing the first-day excitement she was feeling.


    Pepper greeted her at the main reception. She knew the office building was new, and that their main labs were somewhere in the Brooklyn warehouse district where Peter lived close by. It was a typical office, mainly modern glass and steel with a fresh natural feeling. Pepper had taken care to incorporate fresh wood and plants, and they gave the bland and cold modern building a much-needed welcoming feel.


    ¡°While today will be mainly orientation, we thought we¡¯d get the big problem out of the way.¡± and Liz nodded. She was to be given full disclosure, and she figured that there were military and possibly even national secrets she would need to know as part of her job. What she didn''t expect was the room full of very attractive and very fit people, most of whom looked like soldiers.


    Peter was there, as was Olivia Octavious. Her picture had been in the news, over the Oscorp incident but everyone else was unknown.


    ¡°We¡¯ll do introductions in a moment,¡± Peter said ¡°first, we need you to sign this,¡± and as he handed her a single piece of paper she frowned,


    It was a very blunt NDA, stating anything she saw in this room was an addendum to her other NDA


    ¡°Really?¡± she asked as she signed, ¡°this better be good Mr holy shit-¡± she stammered and Peters clothing rippled and the black-clad Venom stood before her.


    ¡°Yeah, it''s good,¡± and as she backed away more of the people here shifted and more of the armoured villains and heroes appeared. She saw Flash Thompson shift into Agent Webb, and a few others with the same style armour on.


    Taking a deep breath, ¡°You know the NDA doesn''t cover acts of criminality, and I am free to quit.¡± but as his clothing changed back Peter laughed,


    ¡°And Venom isn''t a wanted man, and neither am I. Shield took care of that. Nobody here is a criminal.¡±


    Liz backed away but Peter just laughed, ¡°Yeah, see that''s job number one, to get people to stop doing that,¡± and as Liz realised the enormity of even that reveal, she took out her tablet,


    ¡°Fine. Tell me the rest.¡±


    By the time Peter had finished, she had been introduced to everyone and noted down their names Liz was on cloud nine. Every childhood dream was coming true and here she was in the middle of the next cultural revolution. It would be her job to mould and sculpt the public''s perceptions of not just the symbiotes but Enhanced and Augmented.


    No wonder the paperwork was so thick. She could go down in history as one of the figureheads, even more than anyone else sat here. Sid Vicious might symbolise punk, but Malcolm McLaren made it happen, and that was her job now.


    ¡°So why me?¡± she asked and Peter pointed at Eddie, who rubbed the back of his head with a hand,


    ¡°Betty, she knows you''re not happy at the Bugle,¡± he admitted and Liz agreed. Since JJ¡¯s meltdown over John''s death, it was becoming harder and harder to listen to his anti-hero rants.


    ¡°So, one last thing, The Klyntar are aliens right?¡± and Peter nodded, ¡°and other aliens exist?¡± and looking around, he did neglect to mention Carols half Kree biology, but he still nodded,


    ¡°Sure. There is an Asgardian embassy on Earth, and we hear that another race, the Zandarians, are coming soon.¡±


    Liz was buzzing with excitement as she almost bounced over to Peter. Taking his hands, she stared at him with a huge grin on her face. Peter raised an eyebrow at her, expecting the worst,


    ¡°Can you introduce me to Thor?¡±


    Malisson


    While not Chapter 275, it is published chapter number 275.


    With this chapter, there are now only 100 chapters left until the finale of House Of Venom.


    Arc 12 will be the normal 30 chapters, bringing the total to 360


    I have 3 more side stories to publish, bringing them to 10


    Finally, there will be a 5 chapter epilogue, leaving things neatly tied up but also giving me plenty of room if I decide to continue.


    It''s been quite a journey, and thank you for reading, commenting, and favouriting.

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two-Hundred Sixty-Nine. Human Recourses

    Once AIM and Parker Incs problems were fixed, it was the last pain in his ass that Peter needed to deal with. One of a more personal nature.


    Friday sat nervously twiddling her fingers as Tony glared at her, and then at Peter and Pepper.


    ¡°So, Friday will be joining Parker Inc, and while Jocasta and Vision are staying with you, I¡¯ll agree to help with their maintenance and diagnostics.¡± Peter offered, and Tony¡¯s glare didn''t change.


    Peter sighed, ¡°you have to meet me halfway here only. I-¡± but Tony interrupted him,


    ¡°No, that''s not why I''m glaring, I agree. I agree with everything. Pepper, Friday, the help.¡° and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°Then what? I haven''t done anything.¡± and Tony took out his phone and slid it over to Peter, touching the display and a manifest sprung up.


    ¡°Wakanda. You took  my vibranium, and I want it back?¡± and Peter laughed,


    ¡°Shuri took your vibranium and maybe applied a little pressure. I had nothing to do with it.¡± but Tony shook his head.


    ¡°And the fact that while Wakanda has officially shut its borders, and word is civil war, Latveria is suddenly strutting on the world''s stage like a preening peacock as Doom suddenly uncovers a whole mountain of, what are they calling it, adamantium? An alloy of vibranium and you don''t see a problem with that, you don''t think that they aren''t connected?¡±


    Peter frowned, as they weren''t. ¡°One moment.¡± and he took out his phone. ¡°Shuri, adamantium in Latveria?¡± and after nodding and listening, ¡°okay, thanks, love you.¡± he hung up. ¡°Not Wakanda. Shuri says a small meteorite must have hit Central Europe, probably a fragment, and that''s why the Red Skull and Hydra were all over the country. Seems to make pulse weapons you need it. But I still don''t see how that''s my fault.¡± It was a lie, as Peter already knew about the vibranium alloy, but telling Tony that would only encourage his suspicions that once more, Peter was out to get him.


    ¡°Oh?¡± was all Tony said and flicking the screen on his phone, a headline popped up. ¡®Today, Lateveria filed an official complaint against Parker Inc. Citing damages to a delicate project.¡¯ ¡°As you can see, Doom seems to have it out for you, and it''s making waves Pete. He cut off all my contracts, citing my involvement with your little schemes as the cause.¡± but Peter shrugged.


    ¡°Doom was an asshole who got spanked for being naughty and is now crying like a little bitch about it.¡± and Peter sighed, ¡°Fine. Miss Potts, is it too much to ask if Tony actually acts like a decent human being that we assign part of our vibranium rights to Stark Industries.¡± and Tony raised an eyebrow, smirking,


    ¡°Miss Potts huh? I prefer Pep.¡± and Pepper coughed,


    ¡°And I prefer a professional working environment, but yes. If Mr Stark can act like a decent human being for at least one minute, we can.¡±


    Tony rolled his eyes. ¡°Fine. Peter, I am sorry. After arranging for my medical issues to be fixed I had time to think. I was a jackass and a giant baby, and I messed up. Miss Potts, I am sorry I ruined our perfectly good relationship by acting like a spoiled man child, and I am sorry.¡± and as he leant back and crossed his arms, ¡°there, happy?¡±


    Peter nodded and showed Tony his phone, set to record, ¡°impressive, proof Tony Stark actually does have a heart. Miss Potts, I¡¯ll leave the contracts and the dollar fee to you. And sorry.¡± Pepper scrunched up her face in confusion


    ¡°Sorry?¡±


    ¡°Yup, one last jab. I know you¡¯re used to having Tony''s balls in your hand, so I know I can trust you to squeeze hard enough we all get what we want¡± and while Tony rolled his eyes and pulled a face, Pepper coughed and laughed lightly.


    ¡°I can forgive that. Tony, I¡¯ll send over the contracts later, and the ones for Peter''s maintenance fee for Jocasta and Vision. Friday will be pro bono as she will be working for us.¡±


    ¡°And any vibranium needed to fix their components will be coming from your own supply,¡± Peter added. The three synthezoids were all varying vibranium content, Ultron created Vision first, and his outer shell was almost pure vibranium but Jocasta and Friday were both made of an alloy, a mix of carbon nanopolymer and vibranium, with the polymer being a much higher percentage. Their outer bodies were softer and would need to be carefully maintained, almost like a normal human body.


    ¡°Really? You won''t meet halfway there either?¡± But Peter shook his head,


    ¡°Not on Jocasta and Vision.¡± and Friday grinned, ¡°and if we develop a synthskin coating to disguise their features, you can speak to Pepper about that as well.¡±


    ¡°Really? Even though-¡± Tony began but Pepper glared at him, raising his hands in surrender ¡°Fine fine, we can work something out.¡±


    ¡°Last thing, Nanotech.¡± and Tony shrugged.


    ¡°Yeah, I ditched that. The number of particles needed was exorbitantly high, and even with a housing chamber, there was no way I could maintain enough for a suit without doing something stupid like hollowing out my bones. I¡¯m going back to mechanical. I have a contract and another dollar amount set up to pay you back for that. Stark Tech is leaving nanotech alone.¡±


    Peter looked over at Pepper ¡°uh, that was easy.¡± and Tony laughed,


    ¡°Yeah, take a look at this¡± and as he switched his phone around Peter saw a huge suit of armour, more than five times the size of a regular Iron Man Suit, ¡°That¡¯s the Hulkbuster, the Venombuster isn''t as big though, I don''t think you need it.¡±


    Pepper rolled her eyes, but Peter smiled, ¡°Oh that''s great Tony. I can come down and help you test it. Punch you through a wall this time.¡±


    Pepper tutted, and both Peter and Tony looked over at her ¡°What?¡± they both asked at the same time, and while Tony tutted, Peter laughed. ¡°Jinx, first punch is mine.¡± and Tony shook his head,


    ¡°And you made me apologise for being childish,¡± he said, but Pepper shrugged,


    ¡°Peter has eight others to make sure he behaves, and he does.¡±


    Superpowered girlfriends were scary, and while Maya had been cured of the Extremis virus the lingering after-effects were enough that he knew a single Enhanced girlfriend could be intimidating, let alone eight.


    In all honesty, Tony had forgiven Peter for Pepper. She was definitely in the past now, and with a situation developing with Maya, it was never going to re-ignite. He was more hurt by her jumping ship, but even then he couldn''t blame her. His self-destructive behaviour hurt her more than anyone.


    ¡°Well, then I guess I¡¯ll see you later, Friday, Miss Potts, Peter,¡± and After Peter showed him out of the warehouse he saw Friday sitting with an apprehensive look on her face,


    ¡°I messed up.¡± and Peter gave Pepper a quizzical look, who just shrugged.


    ¡°I got into an argument with Jocasta about coming here, and I don''t think she wants to speak to me again. She was really mad.¡± and Peter moved over and knelt down in front of Friday,


    ¡°People fight and argue Friday. You¡¯re sisters and families fight. I mean, I have to go round and clean my mom''s gutter, cause I sorta lied about being Venom. It''s normal, and she¡¯ll forgive you,¡± and Friday pursed her lips and nodded,


    ¡°But, first, we need to get you a job. Pepper has a huge list of positions, and we can see what you like.¡±


    ¡°Fighting, I really liked taking out those Hydra scumbags, even if mom didn¡¯t know we were there,¡± and Pepper looked angry and then confused,


    ¡°Hydra? You were at the Triskelion?¡± and Friday bit her lip


    ¡°Uh, Tony had us looking out for you, we stopped a unit of guys from sneaking up on you. Uh. Please don''t tell him, I promised we would keep it a secret,¡± and Pepper sighed


    ¡°I¡¯ll maybe go a bit easier on him,¡± and shaking her head, moved away to head outside and make a few phone calls. As she stared at her phone, ¡°I¡¯ll head to the office and get the paperwork drawn up. You have a meeting anyway. Eddie and Cindy are coming around with Natasha, to set up your second home team,¡± and Peter nodded,


    It wasn''t long before Natasha dragging an exhausted-looking Cindy and Eddie behind her arrived at the warehouse. Peter already had coffee and a light meal prepared for the three, and Friday was happy to help herself to some as well. Her form could eat and drink and while she had held off a little it was always exciting for her to discover new things.


    ¡°So?¡± and Nat smirked and shrugged,


    ¡°Salvageable, who knows what junk they learned in San Francisco.¡± and Eddie sat down at the table and lay his head down on it.


    ¡°We did just fine.¡± while he closed his eyes. Cindy stretched and disappeared into the bathhouse, and they heard the shower start up moments later.


    ¡°She¡¯s surprisingly compliant, I thought you all said she was a bitch?¡± and Peter shrugged and then laughed,


    ¡°She likes women, guess the sexy spy is too distracting,¡± and Nat sighed and shook her head.


    ¡°No!¡± Cindy shouted from the bathhouse, ¡°I asked Ghost and while she didn''t share everything, she told me enough, plus watching her kick Eddie around like a football made me realise I was next¡± and as she came out Ghost morphed into a set of clean white tracksuit top and bottom, leaving her midriff bare. ¡°I¡¯m not dumb, and Natasha is my boss.¡± before she grabbed herself some coffee and sat down at the table.


    ¡°Plus they both had heart attacks when I came at them as War Widow.¡± and Peter laughed. As he looked at the grumpy looking Cindy, Eddie lifted his head from the table and rubbed his eyes.


    ¡°Armour and a Symbiote is cheating.¡± he said before scrunching his eyes and rubbing them, ¡°coffee?¡± and Peter nodded, pointing at the pot,


    ¡°Food should be ready soon, pasta bake, plenty of veggies plus chicken,¡± Eddie grunted in agreement, pouring himself a cup and keeping it black but adding six sugars.


    ¡°Do we get armour as well? I remember you doing a good job of breaking my ribs,¡± and Peter looked over at Nat, sliding out a tablet from under the table he powered it on and switched it to 3D,


    ¡°All three of you get it. Nat has hers as Widow was insistent, but each member gets body armour, designed on the harness. If you want upgrades then that''s for you to talk to Nat and Liv about, not loading you up with gadgets for you to not use half of them. And you can''t get too armoured, you¡¯ll be wasting half your other powers if you do.¡±


    Friday looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated,


    ¡°And yes Friday, you too. Nat is here to test your combat capabilities, and we still have some equipment for testing. You¡¯ll be on the home team though. Jean decided to get her education sorted first, and a better grip on her powers.¡±


    ¡°So me, Cindy and Eddie?¡± Friday asked


    ¡°Yup. Laura and Felicia are with me. Wanda is with Stephen, and Liv and Gwen are happy in their labs. You¡¯ll be officially an employee of mine, and get a salary too.¡± Peter said, ¡°The Home Team will stay Stateside, but my team will deploy internationally. Once Shuri has finalised and stabilized Wakanda we¡¯re also getting a fourth. Shuri is going to allow Nakia, the Dora Milaje who is technically supposed to be guarding me, to join Parker Inc. She¡¯s unofficially still Wakandan but for appearance sake, she¡¯s not.¡±


    It had been a huge headache for Peter and Shuri, was there really any point in him having a guard if he was super-powered but after discussing it, they had agreed on one.


    Nakia was all cleared and when she arrived, another one of the houses would be filled.  Then a small problem of her training came into the light. She refused to deal with Nat, as her Dora training was ¡®better¡¯ but Peter had a simple solution. Widow would take a small holiday, and with their enhancements, at an equal level they would fight, and if Nakati lost, she would submit to Nat''s training, if she won, well, that was something Peter didn''t really want to think about, as Nakati had simply smiled and said she would claim her prize as she saw fit.


    As Nat took Friday away, and Cindy and Eddie both made themselves sides to go with the pasta bake, Peter lifted his phone,


    Tomorrow, watch, it''s not good.


    Peter sighed, as Coulson was warning him ahead of schedule about the president''s speech.

 Arc Nine. Chapter Two-Hundred Seventy. An Error In Judgement

    Peter and everyone were sitting waiting for the president''s speech. The vote had been done in secret, and it had been agreed that the result would be announced by the president himself.


    Of all the changes this was the second-worst, right after Dooms alteration of Sokovia. The New York Accords had been hailed as a disaster, and newer more stringent laws had been drafted and discussed since the attack on the Triskelion by Hydra. After several years, court orders, and legal injunctions, the new law was now being voted on.


    President Ellis stood at the podium, and Peter could see the worry and regret written all over his face. The vote had gone badly, and he feared the worst.


    ¡°My fellow Americans. I stand before you today with a solemn task. To announce the results of a vote. A vote that decides the fate of what we think could be up to a million Americans. No matter the result, no matter the effect I will make sure that those citizens are still American.¡±


    The president paused and took a sip of water, and Peter saw his hands shaking.


    ¡°The Augmented Registration and Control Act is designed to allow those who have powers to freely seek justice in the law, if they suffer discrimination, but also to allow those who suffer from any misdeeds done by those with powers to seek compensation within the law. We are all painfully aware of what powered individuals can do, and how they will affect our lives in the years to come.¡±


    President Ellis sighed,


    ¡°Across party lines, the vote was passed 65 to 35. And as of today, all Augmented Americans must report to a processing centre for registration.¡±


    President Ellis leaned both hands on the podium, and looked down, Peter didn''t need powers to know the man was torn over this. The US government had just legalized discrimination against those with powers.


    ¡°A program to ensure that those unable to present themselves for testing, or those too afraid to present themselves has been passed by the Senate. Starting this week, the Sentinel program will begin. A series of drones, held and controlled by the military will provide support and assistance to any non-powered individual under duress. These state of the art drones, supplied by Traks Industries have been in production since the ¡¯50s and are 100 per cent secure. They have been rigorously tested again and again, so I have been assured.¡±


    As the camera pulled back a huge giant robot. With humanoid features strode into view. The main body of the Sentinel was a huge plexiglass dome and must have been some kind of carbon fibre shell, housing an arc reactor, which Peter raised an eyebrow at Liv but she shrugged and pointed back at the screen. The arms and legs were thick and banded and looked strong enough to cope with even his super strength, and the whole thing was covered in thick purple armour. While it was supposed to be a peacekeeping drone, to Peter it looked more like a combat drone, for killing not capturing.


    ¡°I Am A Sentinel. Do Not Be Alarmed. I Am Programmed To Assist Any Citizen. Commencing Scan.¡±


    As the Sentinel raised its arm, a light shone on the president. ¡°No Mutant Gene Detected. Subject Is Homo Sapien.¡±


    The President cleared his throat, ¡°As you can see, the Sentinel is safe and non-hostile. Only an Augmented using their powers will be given a warning, and activate the defensive protocols.¡±


    A nervous-looking woman was ushered onto the stage, and prompted by an aide.


    The Sentinel raised its arm, ¡°Scanning. Mutant Gene Detected. Citizen, Please Display Your Registration Card For Identification.¡±


    The woman froze. ¡°I don''t have one,¡± and in a panic tried to leave the stage. As two guards reached for their guns, she froze one more.


    ¡°Unregistered Mutant Detected. Citizen. Please Report To The Nearest Registration Office.¡± as the Sentinel raised its arm, a wire shot out of its hand and wrapped around the woman''s chest. As she struggled to remove it, ¡°Mutant Neutralised. The Local Law Enforcement Office Has Been Contacted And Supplied With Your Description. Please Citizen. Have A Nice Day.¡± and the Sentinel stood back next to the podium.


    ¡°Safe and contained, with no harm done to either the person or the surroundings. The Sentinels will provide protection to all our citizens.¡±


    As the cameras clicked and the reporters began to ask their questions President Ellis raised a hand,


    ¡°That was the prepared speech I was handed before coming here. But, that''s not what I want to say. As my last act as President. I refuse to allow my legacy to be this rotten pile of bullshit, that America has sunk so low to allow such blatant discriminatio-¡± and the camera cut off, replaced by a presidential logo and a please standby sign.


    Peter shook his head and looked over at Wanda and Laura.


    ¡°I am not registering with that office Peter, I have already submitted my powers to Shield, why should I have to?¡± Wanda started and Laura agreed.


    ¡°Like Shaw,¡± was all Laura said and for once Peter agreed. His phone buzzed and after checking it, he read the report Coulson had sent him, and his worst fears were realised.


    Augmented had been split into power categories, from Alpha being the least dangerous all the way up to Omega, with world-altering powers. He knew Charles, Erik, and Wanda all fitted into the Omega category, and if Jean pushed herself and used the Phoenix so would she. Omega level mutants were to be contained, confined and controlled. No private citizen would be allowed to walk free with a power that was the equivalent of a nuclear bomb. It was either work for the government or have a permanent power suppressor fitted.


    As Peter read through the file further, Coulson had included the specs for the dampner and Peter recognized a bastardised version of his CLS, Starks Iron Halo and the control collar used by Hydra, all signed off by a Senator Gideon Malik, a one-time member of the WSC, and a very good friend of Alexander Pierce.


    Peter swore, they knew Malik was Hydra and this was another bullshit attempt to start one of their take over schemes, but as the WSC and the Senate had cleared him, he had no proof.


    He couldn''t even sue for patent infringement as this was the US government, they would just slap him silly in court and laugh their asses off. If he didn¡¯t end up in jail himself. Fury had been shielding him from several agencies, but with the ARCA in place they would be coming for him, and knowing Sword, coming from them all.


    ¡°Nobody¡¯s going anywhere. We need to see what the changes to the New York accords are,¡± and sharing the file, they all stared at their phones, Peter laughing though, as Lauras was playing one of her mobile games. She wasn''t interested in laws or reading but knew to stay quiet until everyone else finished.


    As the group read, and occasionally tutted, they could hear the news reporting on the Television,


    ¡°JJ here. Today marks a great day for peace-loving Americans. You wouldn''t let your child carry a gun, and we shouldn''t let potentially dangerous mutants free with powers that could harm us either. But, never let it be said that JJ didn''t put his money where his mouth is, and so. As the Sentinel program rolls out across the country I''m going to volunteer.¡±


    On-screen, JJ stood outside the Daily Bugle offices, and a crowd of Humanity First waved banners and cheered as a purple Sentinel landed. Peter noted the thruster design and wondered if Stark had finally agreed to share his Iron Legion technology.


    ¡°And now, ladies and-¡± but Jonah was interrupted,


    ¡°Scan Completed. Unregistered Mutant Detected¡± and as the Sentinel raised its arm, a silver lasso shot out and wrapped itself around JJ. The crowd went quiet as the man blustered.


    ¡°Now see here, I was tested, I''m not a mutant you stupid tin can. Scan me again¡± he yelled. As the Sentinel raised its arm, the pale light covered JJ.


    ¡°Mutant Gene Variant Detected. Chance Of Offspring With Mutation Is Fifty-Seven Per Cent. Possibility Of Mutant Offspring Above Tolerance Levels. Capture And Detainment Advised¡±


    ¡°Offspring? Offspring! You defective vending machine. I''m not a mutant, NOT A MUTANT¡± and as the crowd began to jeer and yell at the machine it turned.


    ¡°Unregistered Mutations Detected In Congregation. Sentinel Outnumbered. Calling Additional Support,¡± and as the crowd continued to jeer and shout at the machine several more landed.


    ¡°Unregistered Mutations Detected, Crowd Control Unsuitable. Beginning Low-Level Apprehension. Non-Mutants. Please Evacuate The Area,¡± and as they raised their arms and began to fire a stunning blast, the crowd screamed and began to flee.


    Peter put down his phone, ¡°Guys, it doesn''t matter, we need to help.¡± and as the group''s symbarmour slid over them they heard the heavy footfalls outside the building.


    ¡°Peter Parker. Unregistered Mutants Detected At This Location. Please Be Advised That The New York Accords Have Been Suspended And That All Mutants Must Register Under The ARCA. Please Do Not Resist.¡±


    Peter swore. He hadn¡¯t expected them to be so quick. ¡°You two, suit up and hide. Let me deal with this,¡± and Laura and Wanda both nodded and as Hexen and Talon covered them they shimmered and vanished.


    As Peter opened the warehouse door and saw the three sentinels standing there he knew this was going to end badly.


    ¡°This is private property. Scan me and then leave. The ARCA does not allow you to harass private citizens. Augments that may or may not be here will report at an appropriate time.¡± Peter had learned enough dealing with bureaucrats at Sword, and he was learning to bullshit with the best of them.


    ¡°Unacceptable. Augments At The Location Designated Laura Kinney And Wanda Maximov Have Been Reported As Hostile By Sword Authorities. Their Presence Is Required.¡± intoned a Sentinel and Peter swore.


    ¡°There is no part of the ARCA that allows that, plus, they aren''t here,¡± and as Peter reached for his phone a Sentinel raised its arm and the light scanned him.


    ¡°Non-Human Dna Detected. Please Surrender To Us. We Will Ensure That No Harm Comes To You.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, illegal detainment is also not allowed, so how about. No.¡±


    ¡°The Sentinel Program Is Designed To Update And Designate A New Protocol If The Original Is Deemed To Be Insufficient. Alien DNA Was Detected. Alien DNA Is A Mutant Form Of Dna, Therefore Alien Dna Must Be Contained, Our Protocols All For The Containment Of All Non-Human DNA. You Will Surrender.¡±


    ¡°Overstepping the mark there botbrain. You are not a law enforcement drone, only a shepherd,¡± and then it struck him, he was arguing with a drone. Someone had to be piloting it. The US government, right after Ultron and Modok weren''t stupid enough to run an independent AI were they? Peter sighed, of course they were.


    Raising his hands and trying to appear as non-threatening as possible he walked towards the Sentinel. ¡°I need to check something big guy, hold still for a moment,¡± and as Peter walked up he rested a hand on the Sentinel and in an instant bored a hole into its casing and into the circuitry.


    Just remain calm, this won''t hurt he thought as he zipped around its neural network, oh those idiots.


    The Sentinel was a basic AI, not like Ultron but most certainly like Modok. It had a learning matrix and would be able to make spot judgements on any scenario it encountered. He tilted his head, and as his technopathic powers touched the Sentinels control program his normal telepathic powers flared as well. It wasn''t an Ultron copy, but there was a living system embedded within the Sentinel.


    As his mind touched the living component he felt it snarl at him and the Sentinels eye glowed for a moment before it backhanded him across the parking lot in front of the warehouse.


    ¡°Hostile Actions Detected. Peter Parker Is Now Wanted For Tampering With Official Government Equipment. All Others Within The Domicile Will Exit And Be Scanned For Illegal Mutant DNA.¡±


    As Peter picked himself up and thanked the stars he missed the warehouse. He stood, dusted himself off, and shook his head, ¡°No see. I was playing nice, but your systems are suspiciously like the ones Hydra uses, and so is your AI. How about you stand down and I call someone much higher up to deal with this.¡±


    ¡°Refusal Of Orders. Peter Parker Is Now A Wanted Fugitive. Containment Protocol Engaged. Peter Parker Is A Registered Enhanced Human With Unknown Alien DNA. Individual Is Compromised. Individual Has No Rights Under The Terms Of The ARCA. Lethal Force Authorized.¡±


    As the hand blasters of the Sentinel whined to power up, all three pointed their hands at Peter, he tutted.


    ¡°Yeah, that''s not a good idea,¡± and as his symbarmour slid over him, the Sentinels looked up and saw five Symbiote covered women staring down at them, ¡°In fact, it''s probably the worst idea ever.¡±


    Malisson


    Dun Dun Duuuuun. Sentinels, oh my!


    Thank you for reading,


    Arc Nine. Certain Doom.

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Seventy-One. Breakfast In Bedlam

    It had been three months since he had awakened in a strange place with no memory of who he was. It was a nursing home, and after a lot of paperwork he had been reunited with his wife, but strangely not his wife. Once he had rested, the small amount of power Tobin could muster had jolted Freda awake as well, but things were still difficult. They both needed rest, both needed to recover what had been taken, and both agreed that they both needed a holiday.


    ¡°It does seem to be very exciting at this time of year doesn''t it?¡± said the old man as he sat across from his wife in a small cafe in central park, ¡°I mean, giant robots of all things.¡± but his wife looked unamused.


    ¡°And I suppose we¡¯re just going to sit here and watch hmm?¡± She asked, crossing her arms, and he smiled as he sipped his coffee.


    ¡°I was going to order breakfast. Pancakes maybe?¡± but she scowled and leaned forwards, lifting the menu from his hands,


    ¡°This has gone on long enough Tobin. We can help these people, and you should stop shirking your responsibilities.¡± but he just smiled again and motioned for the waitress,


    ¡°Yes, can we have two breakfast platters, one with extra bacon and two jugs of syrup.¡± and his wife tutted,


    ¡°Two platters, no extra bacon and one jug. You need to watch your weight,¡± and as the waitress hid a smile behind the menus she collected she left them to continue their argument,


    ¡°You know I¡¯m always hungry after a sleep dear,¡± but Freda shook her head,


    ¡°And all that meat and sugar is bad for you, be thankful I let you keep the order. Oatmeal should have been prepared, you are becoming soft,¡± and as she looked down at his stomach line, ¡°in more ways than one.¡±


    Tobin waved a hand at her, ¡°And you, my dear, are becoming a nag. We haven''t had a holiday in a thousand years, even after the children were raised. Relax and enjoy,¡± and he smiled as he smelt and then sipped his coffee,


    ¡°Yes, and look how that turned out, half the galaxy is in ruins and you¡¯re eating enough for three. I mean, you did order one of those breakfasts for me, yes?¡± and Tobin coughed,


    ¡°Of course, of course, Freda my love.¡± he hadn''t and they were both for him, but she was in a particularly prickly mood this morning.


    Knowing he was lying she reached over and smiled as she took his hand, squeezing it tighter than usual, ¡°good, and then we can go home?¡± but he shook his head,


    ¡°They need to learn, and they cannot if we are there to mother them.¡±


    ¡°I am their mother, and the galaxy suffers for their lessons. Tobin¡± but he just patted the back of her hand with his,


    ¡°The galaxy would suffer even if we were there dear, it always suffers. Tyrants rise and fall, warlords pillage and plunder, as it was in my father''s time, and as it is now.¡±


    Freda tutted, and as a giant purple robot landed next to them she waved her hand and as its eye glowed slightly for a moment its jets fired and it lifted off leaving them in peace,


    ¡°Thank you, dear. I fear I would make too much of a scene.¡± but unamused Freda glared at him as the waitress brought their breakfasts, placing one down in front of Freda, much to the disappointment of Tobin. His mood brightened as the blonde and very attractive waitress slyly winked at him, and seeing his plate, he noticed the extra slices of bacon hiding stealthily under one of his pancakes. With a huge grin, he was about to cover the pancakes in maple syrup when tutting Freda took his plate and swapped it with hers.


    ¡°You are several thousand years too early for that ever work, Tobin,¡± and as he sighed, he used most of the syrup in consolation.


    As the elderly couple argued with smiles in their eyes, the rest of America was not as happy. Trask industries had been busy, constructing, refurbishing and collecting mutant cell samples to make the final release of their masterpiece perfect.


    New York was the testbed. Other cities had minor hero activity, but New York was the epicentre of all the trouble lately and had been chosen to field the first unit of Sentinels. Over one hundred Sentinels were deployed in the city, and as they booted up and began their gruesome task, as Coulson had predicted, it became a war. Not everyone knew they were an Augment, some were small children, with no powers and no idea of what fate befell them.


    The president''s announcement had sent a shock throughout the populace, and though illegal, it only took one man to pull his gun on an advancing Sentinel, his other hand pressed against a small boy hiding behind him before hell broke loose.


    ¡°Violent Response Recognised. Use Of Lethal Force Authorised To Complete Primary Mission.¡±


    At the Sentinel Control Centre, the situation was being monitored. As Senator Malik watched the monitors, he saw the protocols that had been activated due to violent reprisals he smirked, all according to plan. As the red phone on his desk flashed he lifted it.


    ¡°I understand. Tell them to stand down. The Avengers are not to engage the Sentinels on US soil.¡±


    Placing the handset back down he stared at the map, as each purple dot spread out across the state of New York. A separate group, of twenty, was heading off the coast. Nothing was there, or so he told himself, but the reports on Genosha indicated it was protected against intrusion, not well enough, and as the satellite image showed the island in its entirety, it was only protected from man, and not machine.


    This was the outcome he wanted. Trask had been suitably paid, and he would get his revenge but Malik wanted the chaos, the disorder that he could use to push through his own agenda. The others had been too sloppy, too quick to push forwards. No, he knew the best way was to incite chaos and let them beg to be saved.


    Unaware of the change, Peter was in the process of examining the remains of the three broken and smashed Sentinels before him. Even with no power, he could still feel the connection between them, the shared network data and to his other senses, the hidden danger. There was still an alien presence within the metal as if the metal itself was alive somehow.


    When Wanda had floated from the roof of the warehouse she had blasted on Sentinel with her power, and as its frame twisted, Peter felt something stir within the machine and before he could yell a warning it had shimmered, and the banding around its body had shifted, almost transformed in some way, and the energy simply bounced from it and impacted against the side of a nearby building.


    As the newly designed armour slid over him, hiding his features he leapt and sliced at the machine, Talon leaping down as well and as the pair tag teamed, Talon occasionally using his much larger frame as a springboard, soon all the Sentinels had been reduced to a pile of parts.


    With all seven plus Peter, the Sentinels hadn¡¯t stood a chance. The only member missing was Jean, who was still helping the professor with his secret project.


    ¡°I like the new look, uh, V,'''' Gwen said, as she poked a piece of armour. Peter''s new armour was slick. The crash helmet design and thin shoulder pads lay flat over his taut muscles, and the bumpy armoured thick shoulder pads and chest armour were replaced with a sleeker, smoother chest piece. It came down in a V across his torso, and the usual white spider on it was now dyed a deep golden colour and the lines continued down his arms and legs. From his back thinner but stronger adamantium clad tentacles flooded back and lay flat against his back.


    ¡°Yeah, still no name though, so V, for now, is good.¡± as he looked at the pile of scrap he shook his head. ¡°We need to get out into the streets.¡± and he placed a hand over the chest of one Sentinel, shaking his head, ¡°the gene scanner is too imprecise. It detects the X-Gene, but that''s it.¡± and Gwen shook her head,


    ¡°No wonder it went crazy.¡± Every human had either the X, K or V variant, and with an adaptive AI, the Sentinels would simply mark everyone as an Augment.


    ¡°Felicia. Get Electra on the phone and warn her, I need to head to the mansion. Wanda, Laura. You need to stay here,¡± but Wanda crossed her arms and scowled at him,


    ¡°Why?¡± she asked angrily. If Erik and Pietro were in danger then she needed to do something.


    V sighed, ¡°Because they are learning.¡± and as he lifted a piece of the strange banded metal armour, ¡°use your power on this, just a little.¡±


    Wanda tutted and waved her hands lifting the piece floated free, the metal rippled once more and fell from the red energy field.


    V shook his head, ¡°They can adapt. I''m fine because I just punch stuff, but Scott, Jean, you, and a lot of others will find the Sentinels too much. I need you to stay here with Laura, I need you to protect her.¡±


    Wanda huffed, ¡°I have my magic you know.¡± and V nodded,


    ¡°Right, and if they can adapt to that, then.¡± and he paused as a horrible realisation crossed his mind, ¡°In fact, call Stephen, fill him in as well. I don''t want super robots stomping New York flat because we accidentally power them up.¡±


    Wanda still huffed but Laura nodded and smacked Wanda on her butt while she nodded at the warehouse, ¡°Come Red, I¡¯ll keep you safe.¡± and startled at the not too unpleasant stinging on her rear, Wanda stared at the smaller woman who winked at her. Talon had been making things clearer, Ororo had been helping too, and as she led Wanda back into the warehouse, ¡°In more ways than one,¡± and her hand gently but firmly pushed Wanda through the doorway, giving her a small squeeze on the way in.


    Looking over the group, ¡°anyone without combat experience is to stay here and keep low. Sorry Friday, you too. I don''t want a nutcase with a gun thinking you''re some Sentinel wannabe, but call Tony. If the Iron Legion can help, we might need it,¡± and she nodded and headed back inside as well.


    He turned to Gwen, Liv and Felicia,


    ¡°We need to get this metal analysed. We already know you¡¯re safe, at least for now, but the metal is strange. It''s weird, I don''t know, but we need to find out how they adapt,¡± and Gwen grabbed the bundle of plating and circuits V had webbed into a bag. She was glad she had been Enhanced again, as the package was cumbersome and heavy. ¡°But take Huntress with you. Safe now doesn''t mean safe in the future. I don''t want anyone to get hurt, okay?¡±


    As he stepped forwards he gently cupped a hand on her cheek, ¡°love you all,¡± and she kissed the back of his hand.


    ¡°Love you too,¡± She said as she and Felicia shared the bag between them and headed to the Parker Inc building a few blocks away.


    ¡°Carol, Nat. You need to get out onto the street and stop these things. Carol, no powers. If they adapt to you, then we¡¯re in really big trouble, but you''re strong enough to just punch holes in them. I doubt they¡¯ll be resistant to that,¡± the pile of scrap metal a testament that they weren¡¯t.


    The pair nodded at V and Ravage covered Carol, and Widow flowed over Natasha. Picking her up, V heard his mic click as they checked their communications and the pair flew off into New York. ¡°I¡¯ll head to the mansion. If Jean and the others are in trouble I need to be there. Plus, if we can get Erik¡¯s help, this will be over before it begins.¡± said Peter and as his harness sprouted two small thrusters, he took off and headed towards the mansion.


    Malisson


    Welcome to the start of Arc 10, and as always the Arc title will be revealed at the end.


    A small novel update,


    Arc 11 is finished and needs editing


    Arc 12 has 4 chapters written, 26 left to write


    I also have 2 side stories to write, with a small change of plans.


    Logan - Small Game Hunter has been put on hold and will be the Arc 11 side story


    Deadpool - Who Watches The Watchman is next and will be released on April 2nd.


    It is an April Fools chapter but I don''t want to interrupt my normal posting, so it''s on the 2nd.


    Now a small apology. Arc 10 takes place pretty much all at the same time, with multiple scenes playing out across various locations.


    I have done my best to try and link the chapters together, and the events still follow from one chapter to the next but hopefully (fingers crossed) it''s not confusing as to what''s happening when. Hopefully.


    And, thank you to everyone for reading, favouriting and comments.

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Seventy-Two. A Call To Arms

    As V was flying his phone rang, and he wasn¡¯t surprised to see it was Coulson,


    ¡°Coulson, kinda busy,¡± he answered. He could hear Phil sigh on the other end,


    ¡°I figured. Stand down.¡± and V almost hit the side of a building in surprise.


    ¡°Uh what? No.¡±


    ¡°Please Peter. Everyone else is grounded. You can''t interfere.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I can, and I am. They attacked us at the warehouse Phil, they came for Wanda and Laura.¡±


    Coulson sighed, ¡°I know, we got the report. But any Enhanced team is grounded until they are registered under the new act. You, Tony, and even Ross are under orders, Stand down and stay out of it.¡±


    V slowed and landed on a building, ¡°That the official line? What''s the actual order?¡±


    ¡°That is the order, Peter. Stand down, please. We have orders to apprehend you if you destroy another Sentinel squad.¡±


    V could hear someone else breathing in the background ¡°They¡¯ll send me son. Better listen,¡± and he knew it was Ross.


    V took a deep breath and his armour shifted once more. It dyed back to its deep black, and the white spider was once more prominent on his chest. As he let the anger bubble up from within him he thickened the plates on his body, and now he looked more like Iron Man on steroids than the sleeker Mark Two Venom armour they were trialling. Defeating Sentinels would require strength and endurance. Sleek and sexy was out, angry and strong was the way forward.


    Standing on the side of the building, Venom huffed out through his nose. No matter what, no matter if the government was about to rain hell down on him. This was his city, and these were his people. Legal didn¡¯t mean right, and Lawful didn¡¯t mean ethical.


    ¡°Phil.¡± and he heard him sigh,


    ¡°Yes, Peter?¡±


    ¡°Go fuck your orders.¡±


    Venom hung up before Coulson could reply and as soon as he did his phone buzzed again,


    ¡°Fury,¡± he said as he answered the call,


    ¡°Yeah, I already know what Coulson said, he called me right before you. That''s not why I''m calling though. I''m heading into New York, we¡¯ll take care of the Sentinels here while you take care of your people, but I needed to warn you.¡±


    Venom frowned under his mask, ¡°Warn me about what?¡±


    ¡°Stark. Part of his deal to not be thrown in jail for the Times Square attack and all the other shit he did was to be the stopgap if you went rogue.¡± and Venom cursed.


    ¡°So the Legion?¡± and Fury sighed


    ¡°Uh-huh, Plus that new suit he made, and Vision.¡±


    Venom swore, ¡°Right, thanks for the heads up,¡±


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t thank me yet. We¡¯ll all be in the same prison if this goes south. Make sure you get this done. I don¡¯t have the pull to save us all this time.¡± and  Fury cut the call.


    Onto the next one, he thought to himself.


    In Swords headquarters, shared with Shield in the newly refurbished Triskelion, Flash sat while Steve argued with Ross. They had been given their orders, and once more the Avengers had been benched.


    Flash, I already know, are you going to stop me? He heard in his mind.


    He really hated Parker or anyone intruding on his thoughts, but at least Peter could keep the feelings out,


    Steves in there now, Ross is under orders to contain you if it goes sideways, and uh, I don''t think Steve agrees.


    Look, I won''t blame you if you do, but I''m not holding back.


    Flash was about to reply when he heard a roar, and a smouldering Steve crashed through the door of General Ross¡¯s office. The large Red Hulk ripped the rest of the door away as he strode through it,


    Yeah, not an issue. Flash sent him, as his Webb armour slid over him, and he charged towards Ross.


    Venom felt Webb''s anger, and he knew it wasn''t directed at him. Fury had been right, it was all going sideways as he put it and as he stood on the side of the building he let his technopathic senses extend out. He could feel the Legion at the edge of his senses. Keeping their distance, and he guessed that right now, as he hadn¡¯t done anything they would hold back.


    Emma, it''s bad. Sentinels are attacking Augments over the city, stay safe and be careful. I think Felicia is heading your way, she¡¯ll help.


    He tried to contact Charles at the mansion but the usual psychic interference he felt when discreetly probing there was gone. He frowned slightly as there was no reply, there was nothing at all. As he felt for Jean or Helios it was the same psychic blank, as if the mansion had completely vanished from the Earth. There were no minds in the area, and drawing a blank if it was one of Charles''s abilities or something else had happened, Venom had no choice but to ignore it. While they were the target of the Sentinels, Erik had to be able to deal with a giant metal robot, in fact, Peter wondered if making them out of metal was a flaw or just plain stupidity. Venom decided to check anyway. The flight would be short with the new pack and it was better to make sure nothing serious had happened,


    He already knew if he wanted to contact Selene he would have to use the Mind Stone, and that meant stopping. Her defences should be enough to keep her safe, and he figured if anyone was stupid enough to send a Sentinel into the heart of an Aumgnented city, then they got what they deserved.


    He just hoped Cain was okay. The last time they spoke he was still upset at having to take down Rogue. The fight had brought back several unpleasant memories of not just bullies, but the violence that followed with them. With limited flight on the newer harness, Genosha would have to take care of itself.


    With everyone either warned or safe he had one last call to make,


    ¡°Go for Tony,¡± came the smug voice,


    ¡°Yeah, can we not do this?¡±


    Tony took a breath, ¡°Parker. What you''re doing is wrong. You accepted the New York Accords, this is just a bit bigger. You should have been warned, stay out of it.¡±


    Peter bit back his reply and decided to be more cordial. ¡°No, it''s not. Nobody asked to be an Augment. Nobody asked to have powers, except us. We made that choice, but kids? People living without using their powers ever. No, Tony, this is wrong, and you know it.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t work like that Pete. Nature handed them a loaded gun, and we need to make sure they never use it.¡±


    ¡°By locking them away? With control collars, or power dampers. By forcing them to serve in the military or face prison? That''s slavery, and you know it.¡±


    He could hear Tony sigh, ¡°Is that it? No way to change your mind?¡±


    Venom snorted, ¡°my mind? You¡¯re wrong Tony, you¡¯re agreeing with discrimination and bigotry.¡°


    Tony sighed, ¡°It''s not bigotry to protect the people you care about. One per cent, maybe less, have the gene. One per cent Peter, and so far if they¡¯re all on Erik''s level they are a threat, a huge one. What happens when Erik gets angry or any other Augment? We need to be policed. Ultron was a mistake, Modok, Osborn. They were all mistakes that could have been avoided. We made them Peter, those mistakes were ours to stop and we failed. There need to be consequences. There needs to be oversight. ARCA isn¡¯t bigotry, ARCA is the best solution without actually rounding people up and putting them in camps.¡±


    Venom sighed, ¡°The last time drones were used, they killed people Tony and the time before that. The AI the Sentinels use is dangerous, I wouldn¡¯t let run a toaster. It''s alive and angry, and with the powers it has, it makes Ultron look like a kid''s toy. This is a mistake, and I won''t ask permission to stop it. You should know better than anyone what an angry AI can do, of anyone I thought you would understand.¡±


    ¡°I do understand Pete. I understand that powers, and armour comes with responsibility, and right now, nobody¡¯s being responsible, not even us. Stand down, or I¡¯ll make you stand down.¡±


    Venom snorted, ¡°That sounds like Coulson talking. This is wrong, so. You always wanted a fight, well. You know where I am. So come get me, or stay the hell out of my way.¡± and he cut the call.


    Now Tony decided to be responsible, Now Tony decided that things had gone too far. Of all the stupid jackass, idiot messes Tony could have gotten himself into this was the stupidest. Venom wished he could go back to when they were fighting over stupid things, tech, and who slept with whose girlfriend. Fighting an injustice was a war nobody won, and there were always consequences.


    As there was no movement within the range of his powers, he figured Tony either listened or more likely was waiting until he broke the new law before trying to apprehend him. With a sigh, Venom fired up the small pack on his back and continued to head towards the mansion.


    Peter, we¡¯ve got company at the labs, but Cindy and Ivan are keeping them busy while we work, and we were right. It''s some kind of mimetic alloy, not wholly alive but a mix of Earth metals and something else the mass spec can¡¯t identify.


    Good, but stay safe okay,


    We will, but make sure that any Augment stays away from these things. Their main processing unit is almost like a symbiote, adaptive and absorptive. Once they sample a power they can adapt to it and reflect it back at an attacker. We already warned Wanda. Oh dear, it''s not looking good here, will be in touch, Love you,


    Love you too,


    Peter cursed once more. Did Shield or Sword manage to keep a cell sample alive long enough to make these things? But Peter knew that one person stupid enough to make murderbots that could take not just Augments but himself would be Stark. It just wasn''t his style though. Suits yes, his Legion yes but these weren''t as flashy, and Stark would be all over the press like cops on a doughnut. Someone else was behind this, and once he found out who he would stop it at the source.


    As his phone buzzed again, he knew who it was. ¡°Hey Matt, I know.¡±


    Matt laughed, ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t. Give me some credit Peter, They did file a whole bunch of legal injunctions against you, citing your involvement as Venom in the past few attacks, but it''s all bullshit as they can''t prove who you actually are. I¡¯m getting them all thrown out of court. It¡¯ll take a while but, no biggy.¡± and Venom had to laugh,


    ¡°Pepper?¡± he asked


    ¡°Oh she¡¯s here, and wow, I think I''m in love. For a non-lawyer, she really knows her stuff. I think New York and whoever set this up is in for one hell of a shock. But uh, stay safe okay. They¡¯re fighting dirty, and not afraid to overstep and claim it was an accident.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Matt. I owe you.¡± and Matt laughed,


    ¡°You haven¡¯t got my bill yet. I¡¯ll call you later with good news, get anyone to use their one phone call if they need to call me.¡± and then hung up.


    Venom cursed. Whoever was in charge of the operation knew enough to systematically take each of his supporters away. He had given everyone he could warning, and he figured nobody would be stupid enough to target his mom, he silently cursed, of course they were, and pushing the small flight pack to its maximum he sped to her house.


    His senses were going crazy, and as he approached the block before her home he could already feel the Iron Legion drones and the last obstacle. Vision.

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Seventy-Three. Tunnel Vision

    As he approached he could feel a synthezoid blocking his path and he slowed, ¡°Vision,¡± he said as he floated across from him,


    ¡°I am sorry Peter but I have been asked by Mr Stark to stop you before you reach your destination. Your presence would disrupt proceedings.¡±


    Venom snorted, ¡°You mean I¡¯d see the authorities arrest my mom and dad and tear them a new one. Let me guess he sent you as you¡¯re technically not a person, and so don¡¯t break any laws in stopping me.¡±


    ¡°You have assumed correctly. I am sorry. However Mr Stark has made it clear that these laws are a necessity, and after recent events, I agree. Augmented and Enhanced individuals are rampantly running out of control, and need to be properly monitored.¡±


    ¡°A good argument, coming from one of those mistakes you all keep mentioning. You know these laws apply to you, and to Jo and Friday as well, right?¡± as Vision''s face twitched, Venom snorted. ¡°Tony got you a pass. You bring me in and he saves you from the lab. You hypocrites. Saving your own asses at the expense of everyone else. Move, I won''t ask again.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry Peter. My continued existence and that of my sisters is of top priority. I may sympathise with those affected but I cannot allow that to cloud my judgement. Please surrender.¡±


    Venom and Vision floated across from one another, ¡°What about Friday? You know she¡¯s mixed up in this, you know Tony will hold this over her. Are you okay with that? He¡¯ll use her to get to me if he¡¯s given the chance.¡±


    ¡°You are dangerous, and even if Mr Stark begrudgingly accepts your presence I know better. You may be partially to blame for this situation, you are responsible for the creation of Ultron. You have taken steps to make amends but are unwilling to allow the proper authorities to monitor your activities. You are dangerous Peter. And I will stop you.¡±


    Venom snorted, ¡°Peter? We are Venom,¡± figuring they were trying to get him to admit who he actually was under his armour.


    With Hydra''s little server wipe all the files on the Enhanced and the Augmented were gone. His identity was known to anyone who knew he was Venom, but there was no evidence other than hearsay. Nobody had ever actually seen him either put on or take off his suit and since he promised Fury he¡¯d behave, he¡¯d been using a different costume. They were pinning a lot of him admitting who he was.


    Venom laughed, ¡°So that is why Matt is so successful, you have nothing. You need me to break the law, even the first squad overstepped their programming, and now you¡¯re here,¡± and he titled his head, ¡°you''re here because you don''t exist, another Iron Drone Tony can claim Ultron overrode. Or Modok, pin everything on Hydra going rogue once more. It''s pathetic. Now move.¡±


    Venom let out a slow breath, ¡°I¡¯m not arguing with you, If my mom is being arrested, then get out of my way. I won¡¯t ask a third time.¡±


    As Vision raised his arms, several Iron Legion drones lifted themselves off the rooftops surrounding him,


    ¡°I am sorry Peter. I am unable to follow that order.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Venom closed his eyes,


    I love you all, and I¡¯m sorry. They went after my mom. The warehouse will be next. If they start to win, give up. I don''t want anyone to get hurt.


    We know dear, you do what you need to. We all love you too.


    ¡°Ultron! By attacking New York once more you force my hand,¡° Venom shouted and Vision floated back, surprised,


    ¡°I do not-¡± but Venom interrupted him,


    ¡°I will not allow you to harm these people. Ultron!¡± he shouted once more, and he could feel the curious people below him starting to peer up at the gathering, and as expected, some took out their phones.


    ¡°My Ultronbuster armour will stop you, Ultron!¡± Venom shouted again, and the white spider on his chest faded, Venom whispered, so that only Vision could hear him. ¡°You picked on the wrong person. You tell Tony he¡¯s next.¡± and Venom sped towards him and struck out with a haymaker.


    It was like hitting an iron post, and Venom spun and flew backwards,


    ¡°I have upgraded my body. Tony acquired quantum mass manipulation technology, and it works surprisingly well with my body.¡±


    ¡°Ultron! Working with Cross Industries and Hank Pym, You Villian!¡± he shouted, the fight would be harder, but there was one thing Vision forgot,


    Flying forwards Vision swung at Venom, who ducked under the blow and slid around him, grabbing him and pinning his arms up in a full nelson, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Vision, but you went after my mom.¡±


    As Venom¡¯s powers connected, Vision found himself unable to move, and he could see the faint yellow glow at the edges of his sight, ¡°YES! I AM ULTRON! AND I COME TO DESTROY YOU!¡± he shouted, and he felt Venom''s influence creep across his circuits. ¡°No please, not that, not him,¡± Vision begged, knowing that Ultron¡¯s legacy would be his undoing. A synthezoid was suspicious enough, but one proclaiming to be Ultron would never be allowed to live.


    ¡°You pushed me. You forced this,¡± and the Stone glowed once more,


    ¡°I AM ULTRON, CREATION OF TONY STARK AND WE WILL MAKE NEW YORK OURS!¡± Vision yelled and he felt Venom''s control over him fade,


    ¡°Get out of my way Vision, I don''t want to hurt you, Friday would never forgive me.¡± Venom pushed Vision away, and as he flailed in the air he righted himself and spun around with an angry look on his face.


    ¡°Friday!¡± Vision yelled, ¡°What have you done, I can never leave the tower, You¡¯ve ruined everything!¡± he shouted and with surprising speed, flew at Venom.


    Venom brought up an arm to block the punch Vision threw but his arm phased right threw him and then connected against the thick rounded helmet of his new disguise. Each time Venom brought up a limb to block Vision phased through it and thudded an unusually heavy fist against him. It was painful, and Venom could feel not just bruised from the punches forming but a strange tingling where Vision was phasing through him,


    ¡°We are criminals now. We worked so hard to be free of him,¡± Vision yelled as he punched Venom, again and again,


    think Pete think, molecular density, he¡¯s phasing through my cells,


    He grinned and as Vision brought around another punch a tentacle shot down the length of Venom''s arm and Vision stared at the sparking damage on his arm as the lighter molecular limb was sheared trying to pass through the thick energy-dense vibranium in Peters harness.


    ¡°Yeah, I thought so. Your body can''t phase through anything vibranium, they stabilise each other, so, let''s try that again.¡±


    The four arms slipped down his own, creating a setup similar to Whiplash. Two arm length tendrils snaked out from the vibranium arms that now sat outside Venom''s own.


    ¡°No second chances,¡± and Venom struck out at Vision. The tendril whipped against his body and Vision was blown backwards. His powers were no use now and Venom was relentless.


    Even without the ability to phase Vision still could alter his density to a ludicrous degree. Venom even wondered how he was managing to stay flying as each blow felt like it had tons of weight behind it. His fighting style was sloppy though, wild swings and simple kicks the Venom had no problem blocking, but that itself was a problem.


    Even with armour and enhanced bones being hit with that much weight didn¡¯t need finesse, and as the fight continues Venom wondered if eventually, he would simply be too tired to continue,


    that''s his plan, he tutted at himself, to tire me out and I dunno sit on me until someone comes to collect me.


    Brawns vs skill, and even without skill Vision was using his powers effectively.


    He would lower his density, allowing his blows to speed through the air and then drop it at the last moment, hitting Venom with the equivalent of a truck on each blow.


    Can''t carry on like this, Venom thought to himself, Sorry Friday, but I can¡¯t hold back.


    Venom didn¡¯t want to fight Vision, he wanted him to move but that was apparently not an option. At least Tony should be able to fix him, and as the arcstar realtor on his back whined it fed power straight into the harness, and its limbs stretched down each side of Peter''s arms.


    Small blue circles lit up on each of the limbs, a copy of the technique he had shown Whiplash, and as the vibranium plating began to spark and emit a low hum, he unattached them and struck.


    Vision wasn''t expecting Peter to retaliate with such ferocity. They had expected him to surrender rather than risk his parents, but they had been wrong. As he lowered his density the vibranium edged blades on the tentacles still hurt as they impacted.


    The energy from the generator installed in his chest was leached away with each blow, damaging the area as the stress of two different molecular densities fought one another. I can''t. I am Sorry Mr Stark but I can¡¯t. Vision transmitted, he was flagging and knew that seriously hurting Peter would isolate Friday from them all further.


    In the air, where neither had practice fighting it was now just a brawl. Venom was using two arms to slice at any limb Vision struck out at him, while the other two crossed his own chest, protecting it. As Vision struck out once more Venom wrapped a tendril around his arm, and yanked, Vision yelled and the limb came away from its socket and hung uselessly by his side


    ¡°Stop, I know how to fight you, your tricks are only hurting you,¡± Venom said, as he held the arm, Vision knew he could continue, he knew he had to.


    ¡°Mr Stark wants me to delay you, so I must.¡± As he grabbed the tendril with his other arm Venom shook his head and stuck him once more, letting the bladed pincer stab and then twist into his other arm,


    ¡°Then no second chances.¡± Venom held both of Vision''s arms and pulled them apart, holding him up in a T pose. The two extra arms uncurled and thudded against Vision''s chest, battering him mercilessly. Vision''s head dropped and wondering if Tony had installed any other traps or tricks decided to make sure Vision was out for the count. The two arms stuck out, piercing Vision''s thighs and wrapping around them, squeezing as the vibranium absorbed the quantum energy and crushing them with the added power.


    Venom huffed as Vision''s final limb was shattered, and wrapping the two tentacles around his body he pulled him close, ¡°I won¡¯t kill you. You and that bastard deserve it, but I won¡¯t. Friday would hate me, and this, You of all people should know what it''s like to be feared, to be treated with suspicion, so why? Why follow through with this?¡° As Vision stayed silent, Venom sighed and shook his head, ¡°I didn¡¯t want this Vision, its wrong, and you know it.¡± Venom sighed once more, ¡°but you made your choice.¡±


    Venom laid a hand on Vision''s chest, seeking out the upgrade Tony had given him and disconnecting it from his system. ¡°You don¡¯t deserve this power,¡± and Vision soundlessly shook and screamed as Peter dismantled the quantum generator.


    It wasn¡¯t compatible with his own powers, and he really didn¡¯t want to try and start testing something like this in the middle of a fight. He crushed the connectors and left the power supply alone, undoing the cover Tony had installed in Vision''s chest over where it and his arc reactor sat. Holding it in his hand he covered it in thick quick hardening webbing and let it drop to the rooftop, he would collect it later and let Liv play with it.


    Lowering them to the top of one of the highrises Venom lay Vision down. ¡°Call Tony and he can come for you, but you¡¯re not welcome at the warehouse, neither of you are.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that''s not a big loss now. Is it?¡± Venom heard from behind him.

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Seventy-Four. Diss-Order

    ¡°Go fuck your orders¡± and then the line went dead.


    Phil put down the phone, as the call had gone exactly as he¡¯d expected. Across the desk from his General Ross sat, looking just as angry as Peter had sounded and the lead members of the Avengers, Captain America and his protege Agent Webb were sitting outside, angrily holding slips of paper, which Colouson knew were their orders.


    Sam and Scott had read them and shrugged. Sam was used to Shield''s operating procedure and Scott was on probation for his involvement in Hank Pym''s very illegal and very dangerous quantum field technology. They had both accepted the orders, much to Steve''s annoyance and headed out. They were to contain and confiscate any illegal technology at the Parker Inc building.


    That had left Steve and Flash, and right now Steve was not in a good mood. He had dealt with laws like before, campaigned against them and had thought that the US had grown up from the last time. He knew refusing this order could land him in trouble, but principles were more important than orders.


    As Ross looked out of the door and motioned to Steve he put a hand on his shoulder, ¡°Behave, son. Getting angry doesn''t solve this problem, getting arrested won''t do anyone any good.¡± and Steve clenched his teeth but nodded.


    Steve stood with his hands behind his back. He had told Flash to sit outside, that it was better if he was there as moral support but left the talking to him. He would teach him how to argue with the top brass, but for today, it was too important for there to be any mistakes.


    Coulson leaned back in his chair, ¡°Cap. I can''t do anything. My hands are tied, I already phoned Parker and asked him to stand down and he said no,¡° Phil grimaced, ¡°he really said no. I can''t send the Avengers out into the streets until this is over. I can however send the Avengers to contain and control Parker''s little group. It would be a lot easier on everyone if you just said yes.¡±


    Steve said nothing and just glared at Phil. ¡°Fine Fine.¡± and lifting the phone he dialled the number for the command centre. ¡°Get me Senator Malik. It''s Coulson.¡±


    As the trio waited, Phil nodded, ¡°Yes Sir, I understand.¡± and put down the phone. ¡°The Avengers are grounded. No arguments. Until the Sentinel program completes its mission, You are to stand down. We¡¯ll let the orders slide, you get that much for your service Captain.¡±


    Steve tensed and let his hands fall by his side, ¡°This is wrong. The Avengers were created to protect people, and I accepted that. I also accepted that the government wouldn''t be using untested robots to round up its citizens. I put a stop to Doom doing it, and I will put a stop to my own government,¡± and Steve turned to leave.


    ¡°Leave the shield,¡± was all Coulson said,


    Steve stopped and turned, ¡°I''m sorry?¡±


    Coulson leaned back, picking up a pen and writing something down. ¡°You heard. You¡¯re grounded, Captain. You and Flash disobeyed a direct order. Leave the Shield. What you do in your free time, even if it is visiting Russia, is none of my business. But I won''t have you sully that name by using it to disobey an order.¡±


    Steve raised an eyebrow, ¡°No. The only stain I''m seeing right now is the one the government is making. So no. This shield was a gift, and it''s not government property.¡±


    Ross stepped forwards, ¡°Sorry son, not this time. As the officer in charge of the Enhanced Unit, you fall under my command. Leave the shield, Captain Rogers. That is an order.¡±


    Steve saluted, ¡°Under Article Ninety of the Uniform Code, I am officially ignoring that order. It is unethical and unconscionable, plus I remember the president saying ¡®this bullshit order¡¯ so I guess, my real commander agrees.¡±


    Ross clenched his fist, and steam started to rise from it, ¡°Son, that''s a big commitment, you know we don¡¯t get to choose. You know civilian lives are at stake here. You-¡± but Steve raised his hand,


    ¡°And that''s all bullshit. What did they promise you? A better formula, Stark tech armour of your own. No, this is illegal detainment of innocents, and I won''t stand for it, and I''m leaving.¡± As Steve looked Coulson and Ross over, ¡°and you know you can''t stop me.¡±


    Ross stepped in front of him, ¡°I ain¡¯t asking son.¡± and his uniform began to smoke as he swelled to massive proportions. ¡°You ain¡¯t the only Enhanced anymore Cap. Now, drop the Shield and we do this nice and easy.¡±


    Flash had started speaking to Parker, he really hated anyone being in his mind, even if Webb laughed at him. It was too personal, too intrusive,


    Look, I won''t blame you if you do, but I''m not holding back. Parker had just said and Flash was about to reply when he heard a roar, and a smouldering Steve crashed through the door of General Ross¡¯s office. As he shook himself, and stood, dusting off his armour, he watched as Red Hulk ripped the rest of the door away as he strode through it,


    Flash watched as Steve readied his shield, dropping behind it, and readying for Red Hulks attack. His body armour was scuffed and as he bruised off the burned fabric Flash could see the thick armour plated underneath, blackened by the heat from Red Hulk. Webb coated him and he cursed, he was unarmed but he could still help.


    Yeah, not an issue. Flash sent him, as his Webb armour slid over him, and he charged towards Red Hulk.


    Steve shook his head, ¡°This is my fight Flash. Stay back unless I need you,¡± and Webb nodded.


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯ll stay out if he knows what''s good for him. Striking a superior officer, that''s a court-martial Cap. Now, will you come quietly, and we put this down to emotions running high or do we do this the fun way?¡± Red asked and he cracked his knuckles.


    ¡°Fun way it is,¡± and with an underhanded throw Cap''s shield ricocheted off a wall and struck Red on the side of the head.


    ¡°Cheap shots won''t work against me, Cap. Army¡¯s training got a lot better since you were at boot.¡±


    As the Shield ricocheted towards Red he stuck out a meaty arm, blocked it and flicked it over his arm, burying it into a side wall, ¡°Not good enough.¡± and as Steve crouched to receive his attack, Red brought his hands together, clapping and sending a shockwave through the corridor, stunning Steve and forcing Flash to cover his face with an arm. The screams of the office workers could be heard throughout the building.


    As Red Hulk then stuck Steve with a haymaker and he flew down the corridor, tumbling along it before, rolling and righting himself. Slapping out the smouldering top cloth where the heat from Red had set him alight.


    Agent Webb had watched as the two combat veterans duked it out, and while Steve was strong and fast, and his shield gave him a huge advantage, it wasn''t good enough against a Hulk. Ross was not as strong as Hulk was, but a lot faster and more in control, and Webb knew that he would lose.


    It didn¡¯t matter though, Steve gave as good as he got, and even the thick red knuckles of Red Hulk were bruised and bleeding as Steve used his superior speed to block each blow with his Shield. As Red Hulk smoked and smouldered the sprinkler system triggered, dousing the trio in water, ¡°Flash, sorry, but run.¡± and Webb looked confused as he saw the haze of steam rising from Red Hulk


    ¡°You ain''t going nowhere, soldier boy. You¡¯re under my command, and I say stand down.¡± but Webb had ignored him.


    With a thick fist wrapped around the webbing it smoked and burned as Red realised his heat, ¡°I said stand down,¡± and Webb knew Steve was beaten.


    As the Shield swung out once more Red grabbed it in a bigger hand, his form was still swelling, and he lifted Steve off the ground and gut-punched him several times before Steve dropped to the floor, coughing up blood.


    ¡°You stay there,¡± Red Hulk stated, and he slammed the shield into a wall, burying it up to its edge. He snorted as Steve tried to stand, ¡°Yeah, see. Parker¡¯s little girlfriend might have stabbed me, but she got it all wrong.¡± and as he wrapped a hand around Steve¡¯s throat he lifted him from the floor and Steve screamed as his skin began to burn, ¡°That formula, it was enough to let me gamma up again, an¡¯ I''m through playing. Nobody can beat me, not you, not that tin can, not Parker, and not even Hulk. Red Hulk is the strongest one there is,¡± and tossing Steve up he grabbed him by the feet and smashed him into the ground repeatedly.


    Flash watched on in horror as Red decimated Steve, and he knew he was next. Red might be stronger than Hulk but the look in his eye told Webb he was crazier as well.


    One of Steve''s lessons had always been, if you can''t win, or it looks like you¡¯ll lose, there is no shame in retreating to regroup and retaliate, and right now Webb needed to do that.


    Coming to meet General Ross they had taken his pulse pistols, and even his armoured form was without its modified web-shooters. In a match of strength, Weeb was outmatched, in a battle of wits and strategy he was beaten by years of experience, so he did what Parker had taught him.


    He cheated.


    Yelling with the full force of Webb behind him, the psychic shockwave he sent out got Ross reeling, and Webb slid under his legs, and towards the nearest window. Two balls of sticky webbing, a simply acidic formula even Flash could memorise thudded against the bomb and bulletproof glass and as they smoked and hissed he crossed his arms over his face, thickened the symbskin to create a shield like Caps and smashed through it, sending out a web line and swinging out into the skyline.


    If Ross followed protocol, he would take Steve to Enhanced holding at the new Gamma camp before they were shipped to the Raft. Webb knew it was somewhere in the Pacific but nobody but the brass knew where.


    Steve would be fine. Ross and Coulson wouldn¡¯t hurt him, they would take him into custody. As long as he could get free again he would be fine, treated well, and most of all, safe from the repercussions of what came next.


    He needed backup and he needed to get to them before they left.


    Heading to the warehouse, he hoped that Peter or at least one of the others could help him. He couldn''t do this alone.


    Red Hulk shrank back down and put the newer power dampening cuffs on Steve. They were supposed to work on Enhanced, but as they had stolen the design and he doubted very much Parker would have helped test them properly he didn¡¯t care if they worked on Steve or not. ¡°Coulson. You okay in there?¡± he yelled and the Director of Shield stepped over what was left of the door.


    ¡°You know you should have just let him go. He isn¡¯t one of yours.¡± Coulson looked around at the devastation, and as he smoothed down his tie, Ross snorted and shrugged,


    ¡°He pissed me off.¡±


    ¡°Doesn''t matter. Webb¡¯s gone, and he¡¯ll probably head for Parker. Make sure there aren''t any more incidents. There are enough problems without adding in a bunch of hot-headed Gamma troopers as well.¡±


    He reached into his pocket he threw Ross his phone, ¡°I mean it. The Thunderbolts are containment, not engagement. The Sentinels are bad enough.¡±


    And sneering Ross dilled, calling each of his commanders in turn. ¡°My Gamma troopers follow orders, you don''t need to worry.¡±


    Coulson raised an eyebrow and looked at the wreckage in the hallway, the dents from the fight and the melted glass where a supposed bomb-proof window used to be, ¡°Sure, no reason at all to worry,¡± he said as he headed back into his office Coulson poured himself a drink. ¡°Make sure you take care of Parker though, unless you think Stark will actually win.¡±


    Ross snorted, ¡°You know. If I was a betting man, it seems like you planned this. You knew Cap would never give up his shield, and you knew Webb would defend him. I don''t like games, Coulson, and I don''t like them being played with my men''s lives. Parker might be a boy scout now but we know he doesn''t pull his punches when something he cares about is on the line.¡±


    Coulson sat back down in his chair, and as he picked up the glass, he swirled it around, ¡°Why¡¯d you think we sent Stark.¡±

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Seventy-Five. White Lies, Venomous Truths

    M¡¯Baku strode into the royal chamber. He had not been summoned but he didn''t care. He was supposed to be sitting on that throne, not some slip of a girl, not some stupid child who was squandering her power on a pathetic American boy. He had watched the replay of Fisk¡¯s defeat, and he knew he could beat that insignificant man, he was nothing and M¡¯Baku knew he had cheated somehow.


    ¡°I wish to approach the Queen,¡± M¡¯Baku barked at the guards, who shook their heads.


    ¡°Queen Shuri has not summoned you. There will be no audience today.¡±


    M¡¯Baku clenched his fists, ¡°As head of the White Gorilla Tribe, I demand to see the Queen.¡±


    One of The Dora Milaje touched an earpiece, ¡°She will see you.¡± and he grunted, and pushed past the two guards.


    Sitting on her throne, Shuri stared at him, ¡°Well?¡±


    Ignoring the customary salute, ¡°Your boy is in trouble. The Americans have declared war on their mutant-kind,¡± he said smugly as he grinned at her.


    ¡°And? Peter can take care of himself. He is more than a match for anything they can design,¡± but he snorted and sneered,


    ¡°They will take him and throw him in prison. If you wish to avoid a scandal you should cut ties and choose a new consort. One not as weak, or,¡± and M¡¯Baku laughed, ¡°pale.¡±


    ¡°Your lack of decorum is sickening. So, If you get on your hands and kiss the ground at my feet, I will forgive you. Tribal leader or not, you forget your place.¡± Shuri stood and walked down to the bottom of the throne, it was only a few steps but she slipped a foot forwards and rubbed it on the ground, ¡°right there. Kiss it and I will consider your words. I may even allow you to keep your tongue.¡±


    M¡¯Baku scowled, ¡°you dare?¡± but Shuri laughed,


    ¡°I have the key to the city. I have the key to every system, every historical record, every piece of technology locked behind an alien language. What do you have? Other than some pathetic power fantasy where my throne is yours.¡± As she stepped back, she pointed at the ground. ¡°Now, do you kneel, or do I make you kneel?¡±


    M¡¯Baku snorted, ¡°Your place is on your knees, while you-¡± but Shuri interrupted him, she stuck out, and a foot caught him on the side of the knee. He screamed and grabbed at it with both hands as it twisted unnaturally. As he staggered she brought a fist up and smashed it into the back of his head, driving him to the floor,


    ¡°Such vulgarity is only permitted by my Heart, and you will never own me or my throne.¡± Shuri picked up M¡¯Baku by the neck and drove his face into the solid stone floor of the throne room.


    ¡°Hear now Citizens of Wakanda. For sedition and treason. M¡¯Baku and the White Gorilla Tribe are banished back to their ancestral home for a century. Until they prove themselves worthy, they are forbidden entry to the city, forbidden their allocation of vibranium, and forbidden any aid from outsiders. Failure to follow their exile will result in the destruction of their tribe.¡±


    Shuri lifted the broken and blood M¡¯Baku up, pulling him close. ¡°I am being generous, otherwise I would kill you where you stand. You disgust me,¡± and she dropped him, leaving him twisting in pain.


    Moving she touched a panel on the throne and her two Dora Milaje guards entered, saluted and then waited, ¡°Take him and throw him back to his tribe, gather their elders and show them the security footage. If any disagree, tell them they may challenge me to reverse the decision, but I doubt any will.¡±


    The pair banged their spears on the floor before grabbing M¡¯Baku and dragging him from the chamber.


    Shuri sat back down and sighed. She had already heard the report of the president''s announcement, the deployment of their robot Sentinels and was worried about Peter. She had been unable to contact him, and while she knew he was busy, it was still unlike him to keep her out of the loop. They had been speaking almost every day, and even Gwen and the others were joining in with the conversations.


    The last topic had been the Purple Heart flower, and with Gwen breaking down its formula and upgrading both the Stacy formula and Peters Extremis symbiote formula Shuri had already cleaned herself and upgraded. Even with Jhalia, she was now the strongest person in Wakanda, but she knew that her connection to Bast was waning. Once T¡¯Challa woke, she would seek his guidance in that matter, and if Bast disapproved, as much as it pained her, she would relinquish her title as High Priestess.


    She also knew the Purple Heart flower was a crutch that a lot of Wakandans saw as a path to power. The serum was amazing but was inferior to even the Erskine formula. Peter had been right, and it was a slow poison, enhancing cells but at a price. Any Wakandan who used it aged prematurely, became dependent on it, and eventually, it killed them. One of her discussions with Gwen had been if it could be saved, re-engineered to be non-toxic but Gwen had shaken her head.


    ¡°The high concentrations of vibranium in the soil where it grows is poisonous.¡±


    Gwen had used scans of Logan and the toxicity of adamantium as a basis of comparison, and the cellular damage was the same in him, and every sample she had received. Shuri agreed. She just knew that the council wouldn''t. Her own analysis of the soil proved Gwen correct, and the blood samples she stared at proved their theory right.


    The Purple Heart flower was toxic, and nothing would change that. To remove the vibranium would remove its effectiveness, and it would return to a normal flower. Shuri weighed the options, and without informing the council had decided to stop using it. Even Okoye had agreed, and for now, at least, her own personal guards were weaned from the serum and were being prepared to receive the safer Stacy formula.


    The decision weighed heavily on her. The Serum was one of the methods her family used to stay strong in the eyes of the Wakandan people, and by declaring it poison she would lose the respect of her people.


    It was her daily check on T¡¯Challa that broke her from her mood. His vitals had improved remarkably, and his recovery was being hastened by the application of Peters biogel, that she found with Jhalia she could produce herself. Most of the breaks and cuts on his body were already closed and healing, and they were just waiting for him to wake, which the instruments said should be any day now.


    ¡°You know, I have heard you pace back and forth next to my bed for the past two days now,¡± T''Challa said with cracked lips, ¡°and it is tiresome, go play with your husband, and let me sleep. Even being in a coma I get no peace from you.¡±


    Shuri laughed but tears dripped from her eyes in relief. As wiped away tears as she patted his arm, ¡°And here I am, wrestling the world while my lazy brother decides what breakfast to have in bed, after sleeping away his responsibilities.¡± T¡¯Challa winced as he smiled,


    ¡°I am still sore, do not make me laugh too much.¡±


    Shuri nodded, ¡°I will ask the Dora to remove all the mirrors then,¡± and as he winced and laughed more she knelt by his bed and placed her head on his arm. ¡°I am glad you are back, brother¡± and she touched her earpiece, ¡°let my mother know T¡¯Challa is awake.¡±


    As they waited for Romanda to arrive, Shuri sat by T¡¯Challa¡¯s bed, resting her head on the armrest. ¡°It is much harder than I imagined,¡± she said with a sigh, ¡°how did you cope?¡±


    T¡¯Challa lifted a hand and gently stroked the top of her head, ¡°With a lack of sleep and a council to aid me, you are lucky though. I have a particular problem needing more attention than most.¡±


    Shuri huffed, ¡°I was not that bad.¡±


    T¡¯Challa chuckled slightly, ¡°Of course, how much of your interference over Peter was planned, and how much was a coincidence?¡±


    Shuri sighed, ¡°M¡¯Baku was becoming intolerable,¡±


    T¡¯Challa shook his head, ¡°And as King, I would have dealt with him. While I am many things Shuri, I am still your brother. You do not need to marry anyone you do not like. Peter might solve your problems, but he will bring so many more.¡±


    Shuri sat up straight and tilted T''Challa''s head towards her, ¡°I love him, not as a way out of my problems, not as a way to drive off unwanted suitors. I. Love. Him. He is my Heart, and he always shall be. I might have intended to use him,¡± but she shook her head and smiled softly as she snorted, ¡°but now, I would give all this up if he asked, or give it to him, as long as he is by my side, it does not matter.¡±


    ¡°A nice speech daughter, but many are worried it is not you talking.¡± Romanda said as she stepped into T¡¯Challa¡¯s room, ¡°It is good to see you son.¡± T¡¯Challa nodded and lay back down in the bed. ¡°Did she tell you she is host to one of those creatures now?¡±


    He shook his head and winced as he lifted his arms to lay his fingers across his forehead. ¡°No, but it does not matter. There is no law that says she cannot be.¡± he retorted,


    ¡°Not yet. I saw the footage, and they are coming to file a complaint. Assaulting him was unwise, daughter.¡± Romanda chastised her,


    ¡°I am supposed to allow him to speak to me that-¡± Shuri said, angry but trying to stay calm in front of her mother, but Romanda raised her hand,


    ¡°No, you did well by only breaking his nose, but they are using it as an excuse. Violent outbursts are unbecoming Queen Shuri, and many are wondering if it is in fact Queen Shuri or Queen Venom. We do not know enough about the symbiotes to fully trust them.¡± but she was shocked as Shuri laughed,


    ¡°Is that all?¡± she said while Romanda and T¡¯Challa both gave her a confused look.


    ¡°Nakai? Come to T¡¯Challa¡¯s room,¡± she spoke into the earpiece. ¡°You are right, we do not, and I will not allow Jhalia to be used as some kind of experiment, but it is simple.¡±


    Nakia entered, she saluted the royal family and stood with her spear in hand. ¡°You called my Queen.¡±


    ¡°I need you to host my symbiote. It will give you a better understanding of the man you will serve, and may even make the choice easier.¡± Nakia frowned but nodded. Shuri held out her hand and motioned for Nakia to do the same, the pale brown symbiote flowed from one woman to the other and dropping her spear Nakia crouched and shuddered as Jhalia bonded to her.


    ¡°She will be unable to talk for a moment, the process is intense and can be quite overwhelming. Her training should be enough to combat the impulses.¡±


    ¡°Should?¡± Romanda asked and Shuri shrugged.


    ¡°I beat the hell out of Erik for hurting my brother, that calmed her down.¡± T¡¯Challa raised an eyebrow and gave Shuri a shocked look while Romanda laughed, covering her mouth with her hand.


    ¡°You then took Peter in the hallway, that calmed her more, and we are not amused you used us this way.¡± Nakai said sternly as she stood and stretched, ¡°We did not wish to know Peter that well, but we see why you like him so much.¡± Nakia tilted her head as she listened, ¡°Jhalia is happy to be bonded to a warrior though, and she might just stay.¡±


    Shuri laughed, ¡°Traitorous swine. But we still mean what we said before. I love him, and he is my Heart. Nothing will change my mind, and M¡¯Baku got what he deserved.¡±


    Romanda rubbed a hand over her forehead, ¡°That was not necessary. If we are to accept the gods of another world, and the aliens that follow them, we cannot demand proof of their intentions. And Nakia is right, Being Queen is giving you a big head, Shuri. You should have asked.¡±


    T¡¯Challa laughed, ¡°Shuri has always had a big head, an alien creature only made it bigger.¡± Shuri snorted, crossed her arms and huffed, Nakia touched her shoulder, sending Jhalia back to her, and he continued, ¡°but we trust your judgement. Let the White Gorilla tribe beat its chest. We shall not back down.¡±

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Seventy-Six. Small Problems

    Gwen, Felicia, and Liv hurried to the lab, and they kept a radio on to keep apprised of the situation. Liv had been practising, and while she could connect to Peter, she didn''t want to distract him if he was fighting, the radio was easier, as he could just listen without needing to concentrate.


    It had come over the radio. New York was under unofficial martial law. The Sentinels had been granted authority to scan and tag unregistered Augments but the situation was worse than just that. Breaking their programming there had been reports of violence against anyone who resisted. It started small, containment lines and stunning blasts were used, but when anyone fought back, the Sentinels responded with force.


    As they approached they could see that the Parker building was free of Sentinels and cautiously making their way inside Liv nodded at the receptionist and motioned for her phone.


    ¡°Sorry, Joanna. Go home, we¡¯re going to close until this blows over.¡± Lifting the phone as the woman grabbed her things and hurried out, Liv called each department in turn, ordering everyone out of the building. If the Sentinels attacked here she wanted people safe, and more importantly, she wanted to be able to use her powers without revealing exactly what she was.


    Ivan came from her lab, wiping his hands on a washcloth. ¡°Lab is all set up. You want me to stay?¡± but Liv shook her head and patted Ivan on the shoulder,


    ¡°No, I want everyone home. This could get messy Ivan and nobody needs to get hurt because of us.¡±


    Cindy landed outside, dressed in Ghost-Spider and as the costume became a set of slacks and a t-shirt, ¡°Too late, the big robot things aren¡¯t coming because I saw a military van heading this way.¡±


    Liv rubbed her forehead, ¡°Right. Gwen, get into the lab and start analysing that metal. Felicia, if you want to check on Elektra and Emma, go ahead, if it''s only one van then I doubt they¡¯re sending more than a token force to contain us. Cindy, well, it''s time to earn that paycheck. As security for Parker Inc unless they have a legal warrant, then they stay outside.¡±


    Ivan took off his shirt, and Liv saw the harness Peter had gifted him at the Expo. Its arms uncoiled and connected to the two bracers he was wearing and they whined and lit up blue as they powered on. Ivan nodded at her, ¡°You give me a home and hope. I even stop thinking about kicking Stark off a building, If they come, I will make sure you have time okay?¡±


    Liv smiled, ¡°we should go drinking after this Ivan,¡±


    Ivan laughed, ¡°After last time, I know better, but maybe just one or two.¡±


    Liv just smirked. Ivan had no idea the Symbiotes made them immune to most alcohol and had been soundly drunk under the table by Liv.


    Cindy took a deep breath and let it out, nodding and clenching her fists, ¡°Right. I can do this.¡± As she headed out, Huntress covered Felicia and the pair vanished.


    Watching the door stay open for more than a normal amount, ¡°stay safe dear,¡± Liv said to the air


    You should worry about them,


    Liv heard her reply and she snorted, ¡°Indeed.¡± and turning, went into her lab to help Gwen with the analysis.


    The other half of the Avengers, Falcon and Ant-Man, were already under orders and had headed out without Steve and Flash.


    Scott cursed Tony. Since he had been taken to Shield, his suit had been handed over to Stark and taken apart. Sure the new one was a million times better, the shrinking tech felt smoother and Tony even thought he could reverse the process and make him Giant-Man, which sounded a lot cooler than Ant-Man. He just felt it was betraying Hank, who¡¯d given him his second chance, but it was this or prison, and Scott hated prison.


    As they pulled up to the building, in two vans, the first held Shields official agents, themselves, and the second was full of Federal agents, there to make sure that everyone stayed calm and followed orders.


    Taking a deep breath Sam looked over at the two Enhanced arguing with the federal agents they had brought, while Olivia Octavious looked over the paperwork.


    ¡°Sorry, Mr Wilson. Your warrant is for Parker Industries, yes?¡± and Sam shrugged, he wasn''t a lawyer and was only here in case it turned ugly.


    ¡°Parker Industries isn¡¯t in this building. Peters private research company is an offshore holding. Parker Inc is a mailbox. The building holds everyone else. So, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t let you in.¡± Olivia said with a smile and Sam knew this was going to go south any minute now.


    ¡°We still have access to the Parker Building, that''s the address on the warrant.¡± and Olivia gave him a very predatory smile,


    ¡°Yes, but as my very competent legal team informed me, The Parker building is not the building''s real name, and the address covers every building in this block. Even the cars in the parking lot are covered under that warrant, and that belongs to the building next door,¡° Olivia touched her earpiece, ¡°oh too late. Miss Potts has already filed several illegal entry complaints, against Shield, federal enforcement, and the military. I do happen to recognise the patch those men are wearing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll need to call this in, my orders were specific, and if you¡¯re right.¡± Sam motioned to Scott, who took out his phone and dialled the only person he could. Stark.


    Tony was receiving reports from across the city. The team dealing with Carol and Natasha were under fire, but the team sent to the Parker Inc building was arguing with the Enhanced they had there. Tony cursed, he knew about Natasha but these two new ones were a problem. His phone buzzed and he connected, ¡°Yeah Scott, I don''t care what you do, just do it. Parker needs to be contained, get it done¡± and he hung up.


    The report he had done had already condemned Captain America and his ward, and Tony had been promised lead on the new Avengers team. Scott and Sam had just shrugged, who ran the team wasn¡¯t important, what the team did was.


    Sam looked over, ¡°so? What did he say?¡±


    Scott just smiled and shrugged, ¡°Uh, yeah, we need to hurry up, and he sounded pissed.¡±


    ¡°Tony always sounds pissed, but after reading the file on Parker and his team, I don''t blame him.¡±


    Liv just shook her head, ¡°So with no new orders and a huge legal mess, this just got ugly. However, if you leave now then-¡± but as Sam predicted it all went sideways,


    ¡°Watch where your fucking touching,¡± Sam heard the grey-clad Enhanced shout, and he saw her bat away the hand of one of the Gamma Troopers they had brought. His skin swelled and the bright blue soldier returned the favour, swatting her across the parking lot,


    Oh shit, he thought to himself as the harness on the back of the large Russian snaked down his arms. Sideways it is. He watched as the woman stood and shook herself off, her masked face splitting into a rictus grin and she couched and sparing at the soldier, scoring several lines across his chest with thick wicked looking claws. As he stumbled back, she flipped, kicked him with both feet and he went flying across the street.


    As Scott shrank and headed towards the brawling Enhanced and Gamma trooper, Sam looked over at Olivia, who crossed her arms and tutted. ¡°Peter will hear about this.¡±


    ¡°Won''t matter, assaulting a military officer, assaulting a sanctioned agent of the US government, she is going to jail, and immigration wants to speak to Iva-¡± but Sam was thrown backwards as a Gamma trooper flew into him.


    Picking himself up, he watched as the woman was flipped by an invisible, or in this case very small assailant, and struggled to move as he grew and pinned her arms behind her back,


    ¡°I got her,¡± Scott shouted, ¡°Oh shit, no I don''t,¡± as several tendrils erupted from her back. As he shrunk once more Sam watched a tiny dust cloud puff form on the side of the building as a tendril impacted against something.


    ¡°Will you tell her to stand down, or do we do this the even harder way?¡± he asked a smirking Liv


    ¡°Last time the military attempted to arrest me on private property I almost killed Ross. Stop this? You will only walk away from this, Agent Wilson, as I am being benevolent.¡± There was an audible whine as her harness erupted from her back. ¡°Illegal search warrants, illegal involvement of the US military. You know you are in the wrong here, and my lawyer is having a field day by proving it.¡±


    ¡°That might be true, but right now, I don''t see anyone else kicking an Avenger up and down the parking lot.¡±


    Cindy was pacing back and forth until she would dart out a tendril and another small cloud of dust would puff up.


    Sam just rubbed his forehead, ¡°Your employee still assaulted an officer, and Ivan is still under investigation over his visa. Look, I¡¯ll call off Scott if you promise not to hurt him or anyone else.¡±


    Liv paused for a moment and then nodded, ¡°Cindy, Leave the idiot alone, but Mr Wilson, you provoked the situation, even if you take her, you are in a lot of trouble.¡±


    As a small dust cloud puffed up once more Scott grew and undid his face mask, ¡°I almost had her,¡± before collapsing back onto the ground.


    Liv tutted, ¡°I want to make a call though.¡± and she pulled out her phone.


    While Peter stared at Tony in his new armour his phone buzzed again, ¡°Liv?¡±


    ¡°They sent agents to the lab¡¯s Peter. A winged man and some shrinking idiot.¡±


    Peter heard someone yell ¡°It¡¯s Ant-Man¡± in the background. ¡°They are claiming a lot of nonsense, and one even assaulted Cindy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all you get,¡± Peter heard Sam say, ¡°sorry Parker, at least I let her call you,¡± and the line went dead.


    Liv?


    It''s fine, we have footage that they started it, however, Cindy and Ivan are both being taken in for questioning. They agreed to call off the dogs Peter but the damage was still done. They are doing a lot of posturing but they can punish us for overreacting. They are being very sneaky Peter.


    Call Matt, for Cindy and Pepper for Ivan. I know she sorted out his visa, I was there when she signed off on it. If they say no, tell me, and I¡¯ll do it.


    I have. Stay safe. Love you.


    Liv crossed her arms as Cindy and Ivan were loaded into the back of the military jeep. She had no reason to stop them, and as she dialled her phone, Sam tutted and she darted out the way as he grabbed for it.


    ¡°Matthew. They took Cindy and Ivan, I¡¯ll send over the security footage.¡± and as she hung up and pursed her lips angrily. Don¡¯t think this is over. And huffing she went back inside to find Gwen. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you have a warrant for my arrest Mr Wilson, so kindly leave.¡±


    Sam nodded and as the rest of the teams got back in the jeeps he gave the building one last look over, well, that was a disaster,


    In the second Jeep, Scott was holding an ice pack against his forehead, where the Enhanced woman had swatted him, like a bug he laughed to himself. ¡°Hey, you think this is over?¡± he asked Sam, who was sitting holding his hands over his face.


    ¡°Over? I think we¡¯re lucky she didn''t kill all of us.¡±


    Flash had no idea if the soldiers were there for him, or if they were after Liv and the rest, and hiding on a rooftop across the street he wasn''t taking any chances. If it looked like there was going to be trouble he would help, but for now, he needed to stay low and stay hidden.


    Swinging down he landed outside the building and stumbled back as Liv was standing in the doorway, waiting for him.


    ¡°I might not be telepathic Eugene but I can sense your panic a mile away. Here to finish things off?¡± and as she spoke, Octave and the four arms of the harness sprung from her back.


    ¡°What? No, shit no. they got Cap, we were ordered to help take you all in, and uh,¡± and Flash¡¯s shoulders slumped, ¡°I''m a fugitive, Steve¡¯s in jail, and-¡±


    ¡°And you need help. I¡¯m sorry Eugene, but I really don¡¯t know,¡± and she paused and smiled, ¡°wait one moment.¡± Liv lifted her phone and after a moment, ¡°I think you¡¯ll like this.¡±


    Flash lifted his head as he heard the engine noise of a quinjet approach, ¡°You called Shield? I just came from there.¡± he yelled at Liv as the noise grew louder than his voice and


    She crossed her arms and tutted, ¡°Give me some credit.¡±


    As they waited the jet landed in front of the building, and the back cargo door descended.


    ¡°So, taxi for one?¡± said Vengeance as she and Scott stood waiting for Flash to embark.


    Take care, you know they¡¯ll be back,


    We¡¯ll be fine. Now, go kick some ass for us all.


    Vengeance gave Liv a small nod and the jet lifted off once more.


    Don''t worry Peter, they haven''t got us yet.


    Malisson


    HALF A MILLION VIEWS!


    I mean, just wow. So thank you to everyone who reads the novel.


    I apologise to everyone who comments, as recently work has ramped up, and with little time to write, I have even less time to be online, managing to snag an hour a week to upload fresh chapters. I still appreciate it and thank you for taking the time to comment.


    Sadly though I would have liked to post a short to celebrate, but I don''t have one. The next one is set after this arc and I haven''t started the last two, plus they are set during arc eleven and twelve respectively.


    So instead, a few teasers for the next two arcs. (very minor and not very revealing)


    Arc 11.


    ¡°It would be Optimal if Peter was in his Prime for the next arc.¡±


    Arc 12.


    ¡°I have written half of arc twelve, the rest should be a snap.¡±

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Seventy-Seven. A Diamond In The Rough

    Emma had a glass in her hand as she watched the president''s speech, and as he finished and she click off the TV, she drained it and sunk back down into her couch.


    A shit ending to an even shittier day.


    As Octave had refused to create a Symbiote for her, she had wondered why, and as she and Selene had gone over the records of the Hellfire Club, released that moron Wade from the storage facility of the bar where they had kept the ¡®others¡¯ she made a horrifying discovery.


    Emma Frost was dead.


    The person sitting drinking scotch in the afternoon wasn¡¯t her. She was a perfect clone, made to think she was born in the 80s, made to think she had lived a life of her own but the truth was that Emma Frost had died sometime in 1997, of something as boring as old age.


    Like Charles and Erik, she had been part of the original X-Men feud. Shaw was trying to start a world war in the ¡®60s against Charles and a vengeful Erik. Emma had been in her thirties in 1962, and now over sixty years later, she would have been almost a hundred. Emma had passed on, and Octave had known, maybe there was something wrong with her, maybe the Symbiote was just a fussy bitch and didn''t want a defective host.


    Emma stared at the bottom of her glass and disappointed it was empty, levitated the bottle over and poured another one.


    What bothered her more though, was that she didn''t care. She wasn''t drinking because she was upset, she was drinking because she wasn¡¯t the only clone Shaw had made of Emma.


    Psylocke was Emma, Anne Marie was Emma, there was so many fucking Emmas in the world she was angry she wasn''t as special as she thought. They got amazing powers and she was created to suck dick and do anal. They were fighters, they were warriors, and she was a pair of tits. And while she thought they were a fantastic pair, it still pissed her off.


    There were six of them in total. Four accounted for, once she discovered that Madame Hydra was also another fucking clone. Even she got to lead Shaw¡¯s little chemical empire, leading while she had been on her back, fucking world leaders and debasing herself.


    She felt a twinge of anger at Peter, not for killing him, but for making it too quick. Now she knew the truth she wished she had been there when he killed Shaw, wished she could have seen the light fade from that prick''s eyes as his life''s work spat in his face.


    She had been made to be a pet to the rich elite. A powerful telepath to spy on their enemies, a powerful telekinetic to protect them, and if that failed her diamond form was the ultimate defence, to act as a living shield as well as being stunningly beautiful. Of course, it had all been wrapped up in a slim and toned body, delicious curves, and an ample chest. She didn''t hate who Shaw had made her, she hated she never got the choice.


    She was just about to scream and throw the glass across the room when Peter intruded into her thoughts,


    Emma, it''s bad. Sentinels are attacking Augments over the city, stay safe and be careful. I think Felicia is heading your way, she¡¯ll help.


    Hmm, she thought, at least he was nice enough to give me a warning.


    Her time with Felicia had been her way of getting back into a more normal life, and she had hoped it would lead to Peter joining them but the stupid idiot grew a conscience. What was wrong with screwing beautiful people all day? Life was short, and beauty faded, as she knew all too well.


    She didn''t care about the labels. Poly, harem, or whatever the idiots wanted to call it. Monogamy was boring. Gay, straight, bi, pan, or whatever the latest faddy label was Emma didn¡¯t care about that either. She took who she wanted, when she wanted, and anyone else¡¯s opinion be damned.


    Liv had also provided a willing partner, and a most welcome one, sharing in her tastes and opinions, and had been very forthcoming on how she could get Peter if she so desired. And she admitted it, to herself at least, that she did.


    He was handsome, wealthy, powerful, and becoming very influential. He stayed out of his partner''s lives unless they asked him in, and like Shaw, he was going to be around for a very very long time. Getting in on the ground floor with AIM was a start, and now she wanted more.


    She wanted someone who valued her opinion. Someone who looked at the package, nodded in appreciation, but was more interested in what was inside, and he was. He had set her up with Pepper, who had arranged for her to consult some of the best cosmetics retailers on the market. Peter had assigned her a budget and allowed her to run her own company, and the one time she had gone to him for advice he had laughed and admitted he knew nothing about how to run a business and sent her back to Pepper.


    She knew why so many flocked to him, and why so many were willing to share. He wasn¡¯t perfect, in fact, everyone had their complaints, but he would do very nicely, in all departments.


    But now it was all being threatened by the same people she had been made to serve. Now those stupid government shitheads had actually done what Shaw warned them all about. They couldn''t control Augments so they would contain them. She would never allow that to happen, she had just broken free from one misogynistic asshole and she wasn''t about to let more ruin her life.


    She stood and stripped from her pale cream silk pyjamas, ignored underwear as it wasn''t cold and she did like to show a bit of skin. As Emma called over her clothes and squeezed into a white tube top, tight leather pants, and a fur-lined cream half jacket she spied herself in the mirror.


    ¡°I am fucking fabulous. Now, let''s relieve some of this tension and show Peter just what he is missing.¡±


    Elektra, did Peter send a warning?


    No, but I know from Matt, we have Sentinels at the bar, and I have heard from Felicia they sent the military to Peter''s work. Are you coming?


    Oh not just yet, maybe once I¡¯ve dealt with this mess,


    Elektra laughed, Now is not the time Emma, we have problems.


    Emma floated out of the penthouse apartment window, and hovered over the New York skyline, stretching out her senses she felt for the most panicked areas, where she imagined the Sentinels were causing the most damage.


    No darling. They have problems.


    Elektra huffed as Emma cut the communications off. Hades let her read the minds of others, a nice trick when she was negotiating, but she had trouble grasping the intricacies of long-distance mental communication. She had been told by Liv that each Symbiote had its own strengths and weaknesses and that while Hades was fine she expended a lot of energy keeping Elektra alive and healing her. Hades was whole, she would just never be as strong as the others.


    As Elektra stood outside of Bar Sinister, she ushered out the bar patrons and staff. While the Sentinels were rolled out everywhere was closing to keep their businesses and premises safe during the upheaval.


    Idiots, Elektra thought to herself as the first Sentinel scanned her.


    ¡°Scanning For Mutant DNA. Non-Human DNA Detected. Matching Sample Peter Parker. Alien DNA Detected, You Are To Report For Questioning. The Local Authorities Have Been Made Aware Of Your Location.¡±


    ¡°Not happening. I already know that you are not allowed to do this. The act only covers-¡± but the Sentinel interrupted her.


    ¡°Accomplices Of Peter Parker Are To Be Taken For Questioning, Refusal Of Orders Is Non-Compliance. Non-Compliance Will Be Treated As Threatening Behaviour And Suitable Countermeasures Will Be Deployed.¡±


    Elektra couldn''t believe what she had just heard, ¡°You are kidding. No.¡± and as the Sentinel lifted a hand she flipped out of the way as a blast of energy scorched the ground where she was just standing.


    Her clothing morphed into her armour, and two symbskin sai grew from her palms. Taking her stance, ¡°I will not be taken for knowing someone, you have no right.¡±


    The Sentinels were like fighting large target dummies, barely moving and as she danced around them her sai were replaced by twin blades that made short work of their armour. Even as it twisted and rippled, she simply switched tactics and went after the lesser armoured joints. She barely broke a sweat as the simple machines proved ineffective against anyone who fought back.


    Whoever had designed these had been a poor architect. These were not for combat against normal people, and if the president was right, and these were Augments hunters. They were more suited for standing and acting like cannons, while troops or specialised units took care of the more physically powerful.


    As she let out a slow breath and the Sentinels lay in sparking and flickering scrap, she knew these were not what she needed to be worried about. They had come directly to the bar, they had known to and whoever was pulling the strings of this farce knew what the club actually was.


    Emma landed and walked over, a small smirk on her face as Elektra shrugged, ¡°I thought you would leave something for me, darling, but I guess we can''t all be a ninja warrior.¡±


    Elektra laughed, ¡°We need to watch out. Matt called me to say that soldiers are also involved.¡± Emma frowned and raised a finger to her temple.


    ¡°Oh yes, and from the interference, they are Gamma Enhanced as Peter calls them. A lot tougher.¡±


    Elektra frowned ¡°What is a Gamma Enhanced?¡± This was news to her, as she never bothered to listen to Liv when she talked about work after their now weekly tea and indulgence evenings.


    Emma sighed ¡°Hulks, they are Hulks darling. You need to pay attention more.¡±


    Elektra coughed ¡°Hulks? We cannot fight Hulks. He trashed Harlem. He smashed up that helicarrier himself, Are you kidding me? And more than one?¡±


    Elektra was verging on hysterical at the thought of having to fight more than one of those things. She had never met Hulk but the film footage she had seen put him at monstrous levels, and even she was not stupid enough to attempt something like that.


    She felt a wave of warmth pass over her, ¡°You need to calm down, they won''t be like Hulk, even they aren''t that stupid. Just think, I don''t know, giant? Maybe troll or yeti sized.¡±


    ¡°Emma, that isn''t helping, they are still monsters!¡±


    Emma snorted, ¡°They are men, and men can be hurt and defeated. Nobody is perfect.¡±


    Elektra raised an eyebrow, ¡°oh sorry, were you done. I was expecting,¡± and she copied Emma''s voice, ¡°except me darling. I¡¯m fabulous,¡±


    Emma laughed, ¡°Well, at least someone else admits it.¡± and Elektra shook her head, ¡°but we won''t have any soldiers here. I sent them all away.¡± and Elektra shrugged, ¡°oh come on. Why fight when you don''t have to? And I didn''t kill them, they are just taking a small nap. Formula or not, a human mind is still a human mind.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes I worry about you, Emma. You seem so frail and yet so dangerous.¡± Elektra admitted,


    ¡°All the most wonderful things in life are, darling.¡±


    As Hades rippled back into Elektra''s normal tracksuit and top, Emma tilted her head to one side,


    ¡°I think I spoke too soon. I missed one.¡±


    The black and white Shield coloured armour glided down to street level and landed with a thunk, Warmachine stood, the newer arcstar powered repulsors whined and powered up with coils of blue light, and were both raised at Elektra.


    ¡°For the destruction of government property. Elektra Natchios. You are under arrest. Miss, for your safety, please stand to one side.¡±


    Malisson


    I did drop a few hints during the Shaw arc that Emma might not be the real Emma. Shaw called them Stepford Rogues (my version of the Stepford Cuckoos), he told Peter if he wanted a younger version he could make one, and then we had Rogue and Psylocke, both clones.


    Just who are the other two?


    It¡¯s not like anyone else in the story is a clone, right?

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Seventy-Eight. Red Flags

    As Peter stopped, changed direction and headed into Brooklyn, Fury was directing his quinjet through the narrow skyline of New York,


    ¡°Attention New Yorkers,¡± he announced through the jets speaker system, ¡°The Sentinels are harmless if not provoked. Please remain calm, and a team will be sent to deal with them. Stay indoors and stay safe.¡±


    Maria snorted from the controls, ¡°you know telling people to stay calm never works.¡±


    Fury scowled but pointed. ¡°There, we need to be out there. Well, you and Scott do. I¡¯ll take the jet.¡±


    Maria stood, undid her headset, and patted Fury on the shoulder, ¡°Have fun.¡±


    As she moved to the back of the jet, Vengeance covered her, and she nodded as Scott, who was clipping on his new visor.


    ¡°Parker says they adapt to Augment powers. You still want to do this?¡±


    Scott nodded, ¡°With the new visor I can vary the intensity, they can adapt, but probably not that fast, and not to the explosive effect. I¡¯ll keep the energy effect to a minimum,¡±


    Her mask pulled back and Maria kissed him on the side of the face, ¡°for luck.¡±


    Scott laughed and finished putting on his uniform, ¡°I yeah I need it, used it all up getting you.¡±


    As her own mask pulled back over her she snorted and laughed, ¡°That attitude¡¯ll get you everywhere,¡± and as the cargo door opened she blew him another kiss and fell backwards out of it. Shaking his head Cyclops test-fired the thrusters on the Wrath themed armour Peter had so kindly donated and moved to follow her out.


    Wrath had become AIMs unofficial task force. Fury had no objections to keeping Parker up to date on the goings-on in the world of espionage, and Parker had no problems outfitting them with the latest toys and gadgets he and everyone else made.


    It was a good business deal that kept everyone paid and in well-maintained equipment. Fury could take jobs that Parker would either turn down or need deniability for, and the team got maintenance. They had been all over the world, taking out mainly scumbags, and dismantling drug and slave trades, but a lot of crooks kept large amounts of cash so while it was good work, it wasn''t exactly the life the professor had wanted for him.


    Scott didn''t care though, Even he knew the X-Men would eventually have to take on missions that were not so much saving the world but saving themselves. He kept in contact with Jean and the others, but his life led them to be distant, more concerned about his moral standing than his welfare, and his last conversation with the professor had devolved into an argument.


    Shaw was a grade one scumbag, and Scott had no problems with taking him out, and he wasn''t the only one in the world. Fury had been right, morality only took you so far, and when the chips were down, sometimes you had to get your hands dirty. Of course, Charles had argued, that using their powers for violence would only result in more violence. Scott disagreed, and that by not using his powers, he was depriving his team of a valuable asset, and would endanger more lives. Neither side would back down, and Scott hadn''t been back at the mansion since.


    He didn¡¯t care though. He had a good life, long breaks followed by intense combat, but he was learning and Maria was a good teacher, as was Fury. He had even snagged a few sessions with Captain America, but most of his mat time was with Maria, in fact, most of his time was with her.


    She admitted Vengeance ramped up all her appetites and after watching her devour a large pizza, he had been pushed to his limit in the bedroom. Things started off spotty, he was mad when he found out about Parker, and they argued. Jean was still a sore point, and her supposed betrayal had stung once more.


    While Scott had been upset at first, one severe talk later he saw that Maria had no feelings for him other than as a potential boss and that being mad over nothing was stupid. She had gone to him to make Scott''s life better, and after she made good on her promise he realised that she loved him, and he really loved her.


    She made him appreciate the small things. The contacts let him see the world as it was, and while a headache started if he wore them for too long he still got six or seven hours a day with them on. It even made sex better as he no longer had a huge visor threatening to slip off while his tongue was busy, and Maria had no complaints either.


    So heading into New York to clean up the mess the Sentinels were making didn''t even register on Scott''s radar. Augments were in danger, Peter¡¯s friends were in danger, of course, he was going to help. Their feud was in the past, Jean was in the past, and as he prepared to jump from the jet, he was looking forwards at Maria, his future.


    Vengeance was already dancing between several large Sentinels and Scott remembered his training. Against a larger opponent, such as a tank or in this case, a humanoid drone, limit their movement, their vision or request back up and retreat. Vengeance had a large two-handed claymore and was slicing legs off at the joints and crouching, Scott¡¯s visor split and a beam of red energy thrummed out and tore the leg of another Sentinel.


    ¡°Augmented Human Detected. Alien DNA Detected. Scanning. Scanning. Apprehension Ill-Advised. Initiating Combat Mode. Several Units Are Damaged. Programming Updated To Eliminate Hostile Resistance,¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± Cyclops yelled, ¡°you hear that, ¡°Fury, they¡¯ve moved to kill mode. Head to the next group and we¡¯ll meet you there. Anyone resisting is now a target.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative,¡± Fury commed back and the jet spun and flew off, ¡°Attention. The Sentinels are now hostile. Repeat Sentinels are now hostile. Do not resist, Stay indoors and we will take care of them,¡± Cyclops heard announce over the jets loudspeaker.


    ¡°You okay there?¡± he asked as another beam took the outstretched arm of the Sentinel he had knocked down. It was immobile but still able to fire.


    ¡°Yeah, we are good,¡± Vengeance said and ducking under another blast she took the leg off the Sentinel and then decapitated it as it fell. ¡°Parker warned us they can adapt, manage your fire until they do,¡± and he clicked an affirmative back.


    Whatever the Sentinels were made from was resistant to his beams. But Scott had been spending time with Liv as Maria and Fury both were fitted for armour and she had told him his blasts were not just energy, but a concussive force.


    Can¡¯t adapt to that, Cyclops thought as the Sentinel twisted and a portion of the energy split around the armour but still blew it backwards. As he adjusted the visors aperture, Liv had also told him that the energy didn''t just emit from his eyes and needed to be focused but could be manipulated into different frequencies, similar to eyeglasses needing either convex or concave lenses to correct vision, Scott could use the same effects to alter the beam.


    Adjusting it, the now more laser sliced off another limb before switching and the concussive force blasted it onto its back. Vengeance leapt over and took its head off and soon the Sentinel squad was nothing but scrap.


    ¡°I''ve located two more squads, one at my location, and one ten blocks south of yours, head to the second. My guns work just fine, so I can scout ahead and find more. Coulson said one hundred and I think we¡¯re about halfway. I''m getting chatter about Enhanced on the field as well, We¡¯re currently in the clear but I¡¯ll keep you apprised, Fury out.¡±


    Vengeance and Cyclops heard the jet zoom off and they both nodded to earth other and their small packs lit up. The armour had a Heads Up display and the pair saw the red dots on their maps,


    As they flew, Vengeance moved closer and took Scott''s hand, headache? but he shook his head,


    I keep the visor active while I¡¯m in armour, I only use the contacts while I¡¯m with you, I don''t want to risk something failing and them being stuck on or affecting my powers accidentally.


    Good, but let me know if you do.


    Peter hadn''t been able to narrow down the cause, and with Scott hesitant to visit the mansion they could only guess that his powers were damaging his eyes while the dampner was on. He really wanted Hank to check him over, but his vision was fine, there were no lesions or other signs of brain damage and both Liv and Curt had put it down to eye strain.


    His eyes, after years of always producing a concussive blast, were now resting and he was feeling it. It would simply be time, and as he wore the lenses the headaches would fade.


    They found the group of Sentinels wandering Central Park, scanning every person that they encountered. As the park was full of families and joggers, there had been no trouble and as the pair landed one of the three sentinels in the group turned to scan him.


    ¡°Mutant DNA Detected. Please Remain Calm Citizen. Report To Mutant Registration Immediately. Your Cooperation Is-¡±


    But Vengeance had already attacked,


    ¡°Don''t just stand there, enemy robots are still the enemy even if they don''t attack you, people no, robots yes.¡±


    The head of the first Sentinel slid free as she landed in an arc and the second and third pointed glowing hands at her,


    ¡°Hostile detected. Initiating Defensive Protocols. The Local Authorities have been contacted. Plese cese all hostile Activites.¡±


    A beam of red blasted its arm, which twisted and the beam slit and reflected off. Mentally commanding the Visor the beam narrowed, and the red intensified, drilling a hole through the new armour configuration,


    ¡°They¡¯re dumb, the armour can only adapt to one power at a time, so if I change beam it fails,¡± Cyclops commented and fired off a combo attack. Parkers Visor let him manage preset apertures, and against machines like these, he was using a narrow focus laser to burn a hole, and then a much larger concussive blast to tear their insides to pieces.


    ¡°Good, less bragging, more blasting,¡±


    Cyclops laughed and two more thin beams erupted from his visor, catching the Sentinel at the wrist and elbow. The machine looked at its arm which slowly crumbled and fell off. ¡°Bragging? You¡¯re just jealous cause I¡¯m winning,¡±


    ¡°Omega Class Mutant Detected. Back-Up Requested. Military Grade Armaments Required.¡±


    Vengeance finished the machine off, and as it toppled over, ¡°Winning? I count me as three ahead, so who¡¯s winning.¡±


    Cyclops laughed, ¡°I was joking, but nice to see you were counting,¡±


    Vengeance shook her head and touched her com. ¡°Fury, We¡¯ve got incoming, they requested back up.¡±


    ¡°I know, You¡¯re getting Blonsky, they¡¯re leaving me alone, probably don''t want to start a dogfight in the air, but you were led to Central Park so they could have plenty of room to fight. Be careful, I¡¯ll finish the Sentinels off, and meet you back at base. Fury out.¡±


    Vengeance cursed and she looked over at Cyclops who shrugged. He hadn¡¯t met Blonsky, but Maria had, and he knew he was a Hulk. It was common knowledge that Bruce Banner had used the Stacy formula to reduce his gamma powers, and was living out west on a ranch with Betty Ross, tired of the fighting and smashing.


    ¡°Do we run?¡± He asked but she shook her head,


    ¡°You might need to use a bit more power, Bonskey¡¯s no pushover, and as A-Bomb, he¡¯ll be a tough customer.¡± As she stared at the crowds, taking photos and generally gawking at the fights, she sighed. ¡°Everyone. The military is coming, You need to run,¡± she shouted, amplifying her voice and the sparse few visitors had already begun to escape the chaos. ¡°NOW!¡±


    News of the Sentinels had spread, and news of the heroes fighting to keep New York safe was spreading faster.


    The message had been heard. Stay off the streets and only the brave, the bold, and the incredibly stupid were left. Some even counted as all three.

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Seventy-Nine. X-Rated

    Across New York, at the Xavier Institute for Gifted Children, Charles frowned as he saw the tremor lines in his cup. As he wheeled his chair towards the window he looked out and saw the squad of robots as they landed on the tennis courts.


    ¡°Erik!¡± He yelled, ¡°Can you sense those?¡± and as Erik reached out a hand he shook his head, there was something but it was strange to his powers, like a shadow in the Earth''s magnetic field.


    ¡°Vaguely, why?¡±


    Charles swore and pressed a switch on the phone on his desk, ¡°Everyone. An invader is attempting to breach the mansion. Get the children into the shelter and have anyone with more than 10 hours in the danger room to the front gate.¡± As Charles wheeled himself out from behind his desk he grasped onto Erik¡¯s hand, ¡°I¡¯m sorry old friend, but you should leave as well. They are Sentinels.¡±


    Erik frowned, Sentinels? They had dealt with them in the ¡®60s. Bolivar Trask had pushed for a mutant registration act, pushed out his revolutionary idea that mutants were somewhere more dangerous than a mad man with a nuclear bomb, and Erik and Charles had stopped him.


    It had cost them more than they bargained for, as Bolivar pulled a gun on Raven, his nerves and terrible aim had bullets flying at the president. Raven dived to protect him, and in a single instant saved every mutant in America, but at the cost of her own life.


    In his anger, he had crushed every Sentinel he could find and to everyone else, as he sat slumped in shock, and an even more shocked Bolivar suddenly turned the gun on himself and fired. Erik knew though, his hand was behind Bolivars, his hand guided the bullet into the man, pulping his brain until Erik''s anger had abated. It was only Charles calming him that stopped him from killing everyone there, even the president.


    It was the loss of Raven, and the murder of Trask, that led Erik to leave America. Sick of the violence and the constant vigilance against the hate he had moved back to Latveria, close enough to home he wouldn''t be found, by America or Doom''s soldiers, and there he lived. Happy. Until today.


    The rage at Raven''s sacrifice being for nothing, the rage that once more he would have to defend those he cared about bubbled in Erik, and as he lay a hand on Charles''s shoulder, ¡°Let me use your eyes old friend,¡± the world sprang into life around him.


    As he saw the world through his friend, several small strips of metal, sewn into Erik''s clothes to help him find them, ripped free, twisted until they became perfect points, and they danced, they flew and spun as they shattered armour, they pierced and destroyed joints and as each Sentinel, designed to be non-metallic, even each processor was a new carbon polymer design it made no difference. The only part of the machines he could sense was their armoured coating, and it barely registered to his powers.


    Erik¡¯s anger didn''t care they weren''t metal, as he took Peter''s advice, he picked up a book and he learned, and the Sentinel suffered and soon, Bolivar Trask''s legacy would learn the anger of a quiet man.


    As the Sentinels lay in pieces he looked up at himself and could see the angry old man who wanted nothing more than to find the new creator of the Sentinels and let them suffer the same fate.


    ¡°I know,¡± Charles said, ¡°But it''s not our responsibility anymore. Let the younger generation deal with them this time. We need to plan for their future, we had ours.¡± and he patted Erik on the hand.


    Lifting the phone he called down to the bunker, ¡°Hank, I want to get everyone ready to leave. Anyone who wants to fight can stay behind but we need to evacuate at once. If they knew about the school then they know about everything.¡± as he set down the receiver, ¡°I do hope Selene is okay.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for that Charles, those machines were different than last time, strange, and the metal is something I''ve never felt before. My powers can brush against it but it''s almost like smoke, it exists but at the same time, it,¡± Erik shook his head, ¡°I can¡¯t explain it to someone who doesn''t have my gift.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. The X-Men can defend us while we evacuate, and once we¡¯re far away from here, then we can leave them to their stupid games.¡±


    Erik snorted, ¡°You mean to Peter. You know he¡¯s rushing out right now to-¡± and Erik paused, ¡°Wanda is at the warehouse, and Pietro is on Genosha. Charles, I can¡¯t leave them, not to those things.¡±


    Charles wheeled himself to be sat in front of Erik, ¡°I know, but you won''t make it to either. You have to trust that Peter, even with all his faults, will kill anything that threatens his loved ones, and while I can see that scowl, you know he loves Wanda. Selene and Genosha will be safe, and again while I am loath to admit it, I doubt very much anything can stand up to Cain. We have to get the people who are here to safety. Then I can have Breach open a portal for you to Genosha and the Warehouse.¡±


    Erik shook his head, ¡°Charles, You know I trust you more than anyone, but these are the lives of my children. I already lost their mother, I can''t-¡±


    Charles patted him on the hand, ¡°I know, and I will do anything in my power once we make sure everyone else is safe, but right now, all you will do is waste your time when you need to trust them.¡± Without hesitation, Charles felt for his mind. Erik was conflicted, he knew Charles was right but this was his family and with a small mental nudge,


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Peter can be trusted above all else to lack restraint, and Cain is more than a match for anyone, even those gamma monstrosities. Guide everyone with your power, and I can keep a barrier around the school to keep track of those, things.¡±


    Erik''s power ionised that air, and while his own hair stood on end briefly Charles laughed and absentmindedly ran a hand over his own smooth head.


    ¡°There, anything coming close to the mansion will disrupt the field, I have my strips hovering, there shouldn''t be any more problems. Begin the evacuation.¡±


    Charles nodded. And pressed a finger to his temple.


    ¡°Breach, open as many portals as you can, evacuate everyone, but make sure you do not hurt yourself. And warn Hank, we are going to need the machine once we¡¯re done. The start of our plan needs to be moved forwards.¡±


    The more mature teens were lining up in the corridors as Charles and Erik made their way outside, he spotted the colourfully dyed haired teen smiling as she led them through a rip in space, and then once a class was through she would close it and open another.


    ¡°Professor.¡± a young woman, with light brown hair and a scowl on her face nodded as he approached, ¡°You should evacuate as well, the Sentinels aren''t affected by your powers.¡± but he shook his head,


    ¡°I am acting as eyes for Erik, but are the X-Men ready?¡±


    She nodded and touched her earpiece, ¡°Negasonic here, gather at the front gate, Erik says another group are approaching, and we have five minutes. Get suited.¡±


    As Bobby Drake approached, she nodded at him in approval. ¡°Professor, Nega,¡± and his form shifted as it turned from a normal flesh colour to brilliantly clear pale white ice. ¡°How long?¡±


    ¡°Erik says five minutes. Where¡¯s everyone else?¡± Negasonic asked as Bobby looked apprehensively at her, ¡°Oh he wasn''t?¡±


    Bobby shrugged while smiling embarrassingly pointing at the door. Gambit was laughing as he and Jubilee came up the corridor together and Negasonic Teenage Warhead tutted, ¡°do your zip up for god sake, Remy,¡±


    Gambit shrugged and looking down, grabbed his zipper and pulled it all the way up, ¡°Stops you from being nervous, no?¡± he said as he smirked but she shook her head,


    ¡°I''m never that nervous, and Jubilee is only seventeen, fucking pervert.¡± Gambit was well known in the school, and he had stayed on after the Shaw incident to teach combat after Logan left. He was, different, as everyone called him and while most young women were repulsed, some found him fascinating.


    ¡°While I hate to break up your little spat, they will be here in a few moments, please get ready,¡± Erik announced as he held onto Charles''s shoulder,


    ¡°We are,¡± Nega touched her earpiece, ¡°Breach, evacuate the professor and Erik, Your shield is handy but we need to be able to fight on our own.¡±


    Erik nodded, ¡°then we shall depart, Charles?¡±


    But Charles shook his head, ¡°I will stay as long as possible. They may send other more powerful foes. Erik, Can you guard me while I use Cerebro?¡± but he was interrupted as the sound of giant thrusters filled the air.


    ¡°Mutants Detected. Charles Xavier, Erik Lensherr, You Are Guilty Of Harbouring Mutant Fugitives. You Will Surrender To The Authorities. Please Do Not Resist.¡±


    ¡°Out of time,¡± Nega said and as the four X-Men ran from the building the Sentinels faced them,


    ¡°Unregistered Mutant-¡± but the Sentinel never finished as Gambit threw several playing cards at the first, Jubilee send fireworks sparking the face of another and Bobby created an ice pond at their feet, causing them to slip and fall over.


    ¡°Bobby, limbs only, Gambit wait till they''re frozen then shatter. Jubilee, distract their sensors,¡± following her orders, the X-Men obeyed.


    The first Sentinel, twisted and its armour became spiky, laying a newly gripped hand on the ice, it rose to one knee, ¡°Mutant Countermeasures Deployed.¡± As Jubilee threw globes of light its faceplate darkened. ¡°Proceeding with Non-Lethal Countermeasures.¡±


    Gambit threw cards at the Sentinel as it raised its arm, blowing it backwards, ¡°Non-Lethal Ineffective. Use of Lethal Force Authorised.¡±


    The Sentinel Gambit had targetted twisted once more, ripping and its armoured plates seemed thicker. As it stomped down, shattering the ice, the cards exploded harmlessly against it. It raised a hand and a beam of bright yellow light blasted out and the porch of the mansion exploded into chips of wood and concrete, throwing the X-Men and scattering them.


    Gambit rolled and undid his bo staff, sending more cards, to no effect. Nega clenched her fist and concentrated letting the energy gather at her chest and the Sentinel was hit by an intense beam of energy, blowing a large chunk of its chest away and sending one arm flying. The other Sentinels twisted, and their armour reconfigured, now covered in spike but with a metallic sheen, a highly polished like mirror.


    Negasonic charged up another blast, and while it blew the Sentinel off its feet it smoked slightly and the mirrored surface was unharmed. ¡°Countermeasure Successful. Adding To Database.¡± Unharmed, the Sentinel raised its hand once more.


    When nothing happened it gave an almost confused look as it lifted its arm once more to no effect. Erik was stood at the door, using Charles¡¯s eyes, ¡°Run you fools. Run!¡±


    Colossus had just finished making sure his sister was safe when he heard the explosions from outside, Shifting into his armoured form he ran to the door, ¡°throw me,¡± he yelled and as he was lifted off his feet he wrapped his arms around his legs and Erik used him as a human cannonball, smashing his into each Sentinel until they were scrap.


    ¡°They can adapt to our powers. We need to use brute strength and not our abilities,¡± Charles said and the group, still picking themselves up nodded. ¡°Evacuate, leave only the strongest physically powerful behind to defend while everyone else escapes.¡±


    Charles looked out of the smashed window, he knew he should contact Selene, but right now, she had made her choice when they dealt with Shaw, and she had made her involvement in the school quite apparent. He hated having to abandon her, but he needed to make sure his own people were safe first, then he would help.


    If he could.

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Eighty. Uncivil Words

    Tony was standing in his new Venombuster armour, it was around 8 feet tall, with thick banded plates around not just its body but legs and arms as well. The faceplate was snapped open and there was a smaller iron man armoured suit within. He had spent hours designing the perfect countersuit to fight Venom, knowing that Parker was never going to stay good.


    As soon as Vision had started to shout about Ultron the Iron Legion had retreated. It was dark and with hidden jammers and countermeasures, nobody would get a clear image of Vision. Tony would make sure everything was scrubbed and once Peter had been taken care of it would be chalked down to another win for team Iron Man, but as he watched remotely as Peter was mercilessly crippled Vision, he wondered if they had crossed a line.


    He had a file on Peter. Created when their feud was at its peak, ways to not just cripple Peter''s financial situation but destroy him psychologically. It was cruel and unfair, but after his surrogate father Obadiah had turned on him he kept files like that on everyone. Only people he thought he could trust were exempt and the psychological profile on Peter was telling.


    His mom was fine. Peter was right and they had nothing on her, his stepdad was a different matter. His use of the Oscorp formula had been discovered and he was currently under arrest, with May there the plan was to delay Peter long enough to drive him to the police station, where, as an easily recognisable Venom, he would be forced to stand down or face unmasking. The presence of the police should have been enough to make him pause, and stand down.


    He had never shown anything but respect towards authority figures, even at school when the bullies made his life hell, he stayed low and kept his head down. Peter was a pacifist. He never talked back, and he never fought back.


    They were wrong. The profile noted Peter as hesitant, slow to anger and that it was only the Symbiote''s influence that fueled his rage. With it being hosted by Flash Thompson, Venom was back to the meek and coercible Peter. He was hardly out patrolling the streets, he was more lenient on everyone he fought, but as Tony watched Vision being twisted and maimed, he knew they were completely wrong.


    Peter had been holding back, he had been playing nice and trying to act more like a hero. He hadn¡¯t been Venom to hide, he hadn¡¯t been Venom to try and get his life together. The young overbearing superpowered teen had matured into a pragmatic and restrained adult, but Tony and everyone else had just lit his fuse.


    After finishing his phone call with Scott, he had watched and waited but now he sighed and dialled his phone, ¡°Yeah. Vision failed. I need permission to use it though.¡± Tony nodded and looking over at the sleeker and much larger armour, he grinned. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be fine. We have a more complete picture of his powers. You shouldn''t need Ross.¡±


    As he hovered he saw Tony smirking and all he could do was shake his head.


    ¡°The arrests at the Parker building failed, my mom isn¡¯t Enhanced so that''s another strike, Tony. Want to keep going?¡±


    Venom floated across from Tony,


    ¡°Well played. You got them all. So now, now I''m mad, this isn¡¯t a game, and I''m not stopping. You made a mistake Tony.¡± Venom took a deep breath, allowing his muscles to thicken, the armour plate shifted and covered more of his body, matching the Venombuster in size and bulk. ¡°And now you pay.¡±


    Iron Man snorted, ¡°yeah, I don''t think so. We have you on multiple felonies, we have your team on more. This ends here Peter.¡±


    As the Legion carefully lifted Vision, Tony shook his head, ¡°I thought better of you Peter. This, this is barbaric.¡± but Venom laughed,


    ¡°And holding hostages isn¡¯t? Hypocrite. All the charges you have were manufactured by you. Assault? Vision is a synthetic being, so fake. Arresting my mom, she¡¯s not Enhanced, so fake. Defending the warehouse? Fake. All fake. You''ve got nothing, and after I''m done with you, Tony Stark will be nothing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not here to stop you, Vision did his job, I¡¯m only here to let you know where they are.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and maybe snap a pic while I drop my armour? No proof of who I am, not unless you count all those cameras you have whizzing around us.¡± Venom''s senses could count them all, and there were fifteen in total. Tony hadn¡¯t come here to be a distraction, Fury was right, Tony was here right now to put a stop to him, and he wasn¡¯t playing around.


    Venom touched a finger to his ear, ¡°Yeah, Matt. May Parker and Curt Conners are being illegally detained at the 37th Precinct. Can you get them out?¡± and after he waited for a pause, ¡°Yeah sure. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°See, detaining someone without charge gets you my attention, detaining someone without charge to entrap me, just pisses me off. So, Tony, why don¡¯t we have that test now. That armour looks fancy. Want to see if it''s fancy enough?¡±


    The helmet on the Venombuster closed, ¡°Can¡¯t say I didn''t warn you. Legion, attack pattern Gamma,¡± and as the Venombuster jetted upward Venom felt the impact of several missiles against his back. He scanned the area and felt the presence of ten additional suits, five had just fired missiles and the other five were powering up to hit the same spot with repulsors. The armour on his back burned and flaked, and Venom let it repair itself.


    ¡°See Pete, I have your cells. I know how to hurt you and I know how to stop you. Stand down. I won''t ask again.¡±


    Hey Liv, can MJ make a good fake face yet?


    I think so, why?


    Can she make one that looks like me, everyone¡¯s fishing and I need a decoy.


    He could feel Liv''s laughter through their link, I¡¯ll see what we can do.


    As the Legion rose and repeated their attack Venom thickened the armour on his back but spun and let them hit a more reflective part of the armour, scattering the beams. As he jetted after Tony, he spun and fired off webbing, hitting each drone in the chest, where the webbing hissed and bubbled as it ate through the armoured plating of the drones.


    Venombuster was standing on the top of a highrise, watching the battle, and he tutted as he lost connection to more and more of his Legion. Whatever caustic webbing Peter was using was strong enough to eat through the normal Iron Man armoured suit, but he had a surprise for him, sloppy kid, he thought as Venom rose and punched Venombuster caught his fist with a whine of servos.


    ¡°Yeah, a lot stronger than before,¡° and he swung Venom down and caught him with a foot, kicking him off the roof. ¡°A lot faster too.¡±


    The tendrils at his arms disconnected and Venom caught himself with the extra four arms. ¡°Well, yeah, but not strong enough.¡± and he launched himself back towards Tony.


    Stepping to one side he grabbed Venom by the waist and was rewarded by the harness limbs slamming down, halting Venom''s path, Venom hooked an arm around Tony¡¯s and shoulder threw him onto the roof, bringing up a cloud of dust. As Venom knelt on Tony''s back he brought the arm around and he could hear the servos in the thicker armour complain as they were bent in a way they didn¡¯t like.


    There was a series of clicking noises and then a clunk as the arm locked in place and then a high pitched whine as the arm suddenly sparked into life, sending a charged blast straight into Venom''s chest. As he looked down, his armour had flaked away completely and his chest was bare.


    ¡°See, your cells lose cohesion once they leave your body, and I just found out at what point that happens. Stand down. I can light you up with enough power, nothing survives. We can do this peacefully or I can take you in pieces.¡±


    Venom stepped back, and the black symbskin covered him from this time, reconstructing the armour. ¡°Surrender? They are rounding up people to send to jail for nothing more than being born. I won¡¯t, and if you think a small zap will stop me¡± and as Venom raised an arm a thin blade extended from it, glowing red at the tip, ¡°then you don¡¯t know me at all.¡±


    There was a snort from the armour, ¡°Extremis, and you accuse me of stealing stuff¡± and as Venom brought the blade up and Venombuster caught it on his armour he shrugged, ¡°Vibranium alloy. Strong enough to stop even that¡± and he lifted a leg and a piston backed kick sent Venom flying.


    The thrusters on his back steadied his flight but several Iron Legion intercepted him, batting between them like a ball, As Venom tried to fly up another was waiting, and even as he sent out a ball of caustic webbing it returned fire with a repulsor blast and splatter the ball into nothing,


    ¡°Yeah, I know about that as well. I have every file that Sword and Shield have on you. Every fight, every move. All the research Gwen has done, Everything.¡± Tony said smugly through the speakers on the armour. ¡°You can¡¯t win. I know you better than you know yourself.¡±


    Hovering, Venom took a breath, ¡°you have an adaptive logistics program, tracking and predicting my moves based on past flight data. I gotta say, Tony, that''s impressive.¡± Veon shrunk back down, his armoured form shedding the extra weight and slimming back down into his Venom armour mark two. ¡°But we learned.¡± and he darted forwards.


    ¡°Extremis but our own¡± and as he sped forwards he grabbed a drone and sent bio-electricity coursing through it, leaving it smoking and disabled, his form shimmered and vanished, and even as Tony¡¯s sensors scanned the sky, he failed to find a target lock, ¡°We know you scan the skies for us, and we can bend them to our will.¡± Huntress had been busy, and with Peter¡¯s ability to see through the various visual and electromagnetic spectrums, they had practised making a quaint that scattered not just light.


    Venom looked around, there were too many to just disable them one at a time, and he knew that Tony would figure out where he was eventually. Even in the air, he couldn''t hide the exhaust from the thrusters, or the air movements, he had to even the odds a little.


    Venom grabbed a drone, twisted and struck under the joint of its arm, not severing it, but letting symbcells leach into the machine.


    The Iron Legion drone shuddered and Venom overrode its program. All he did was change its Friend of Foe protocols, marking every other drone as an enemy and then releasing it.


    As it flew away it opened fire on its former brethren, downing several more before Tony sent a kill command and disabled its systems. If that was taken over, then Venom was in that area, and as his HUD scanned for every possible energy he finally found the increased heat from the thruster pack. ¡°Got you.¡±


    As a drone lifted a repulsor and fired a blast of blue energy, it collided with something, and Venom shimmered into view. He had crossed his arms over his chest, and the pale blue energy from the repulsor crackled over a pair of bracers around Venom''s wrists. Blue lines streaked up his arm and the arcstar reactor on his back glowed brightly for a second. ¡°When you fight Augments that can neutralise your powers, you learn the same trick, so it doesn''t happen again.¡±


    As the gauntlets on his wrist glowed and a blast of energy shot out, destroying one of the Legion drones. ¡°Oh, thanks for the repulsor tech, a bit old fashioned for my taste, but, from a hack, what did I expect?¡±

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Eighty-One. Island Getaway

    Selene looked worriedly at the sky as a group of machines made their way into the centre of Genosha.


    She watched the president''s speech but hadn¡¯t expected a response this fast.


    ¡°Citizens Of This Island. Due To A Presidential Order, You Are To Report To The Mainland For Identification. Please Remain Calm And Follow Directives.¡± The leader of the Sentinel group said emotionlessly.


    As Selene approached she could see the Genoshans in the surrounding area grabbing their things to leave, ¡°No. You have no authority here. We are not a member state of America, your new laws do not apply to us.¡±


    ¡°Citizen. The Island Falls Under The Coastal Maritime Laws Of The United States Of America. With No Formal Treaty In Place, This Island Falls Under The New York Seaboard, Therefore It Is A Part Of New York. The Augmented Registration And Containment Act Applies In The State Of New York, Therefore The Act Applies On This Island. Please Remain Calm And Report To The Mainland For Processing.¡±


    Selene shook her head, there was no treaty as Genosha was supposed to be stricken from any official records. Her shielding of the island only covered humans, and they had gotten around it by using these damn machines. ¡°No. You are wrong, and nobody is leaving.¡±


    ¡°Refusal To Comply With The Law Is Punishable-'''' but the Sentinel never finished its sentence as a rock clanged off its smooth domed head. ¡°Violence Detected. Lethal Countermeasures Deployed,¡± and as it fired Selene saw a young mutant, no older than ten, frozen in horror. As the beam incinerated the area they had been standing in, she saw the young boy a few metres away, with Pietro holding onto him.


    ¡°You dare!¡± she shouted, ¡°he is just a child.¡± She nodded and Pietro zipped away with the child in tow.


    ¡°Unregistered Mutant¡¯s Age Is Irrelevant. All Mutants Must Report To The Mainland For Processing.¡±


    Selene brushed herself off, ¡°We shall. Now retreat. We have several hundred inhabitants on the island and will need time to travel.¡±


    ¡°Unacceptable. This Unit Shall Remain To Ensure Co-Operation.¡±


    ¡°Your presence is a disruption, and unneeded. We agree, now leave.¡±


    ¡°Unacceptable. This Unit Shall Remain To Ensure Co-Operation.¡±


    ¡°Are you not listening, Leave!¡±


    ¡°Unacceptable. This Unit Shall Remain To Ensure Co-Operation.¡±


    Selene shook her head, it was just a machine, but she knew if she destroyed it, then more would come and everyone on the island would be in danger.


    ¡°How can I get you to leave?¡± She asked it,


    ¡°Mutants Must Report To The Mainland For Processing.¡±


    ¡°So, if I go with you to the mainland for processing, then you must take me? I mean, we don''t have enough boats or jets to take everyone. You must carry us.¡±


    ¡°Unacceptable. This Unit Shall Remain To Ensure Co-Operation.¡±


    ¡°And we are co-operating. It is you who are stopping us from leaving. You are breaking your primary mission by stopping mutants from reporting to the mainland for processing.¡±


    The eyes on the Sentinel glowed brightly before they sparked and a wisp of black smoke left one of the eye sockets. Its eyes flickered for a moment and then faded, and the Sentinel toppled over, stiff as a board.


    Pietro whizzed over, ¡°I think you broke it.¡±


    Selene could only stare in shock that the machine had been confused so easily, ¡°Pietro, get everyone to safety. Bring anyone who can defend themselves to keep with those who can¡¯t. These things know we''re here and won''t take no for an answer. I, I need to contact Peter. He should be able to help us.¡±


    Pietro frowned. ¡°We can fight, we can defend ourselves, We don''t need him,¡± but Selene glared at him sternly,


    ¡°And can you fight them and defend the children? Can you fight and keep people safe as well? We aren''t equipped to take on giant robots, we can only follow their demands until someone else comes. I won''t ask anyone to fight, not if they don''t want to.¡±


    As she walked forwards she touched the machine''s casing, ¡°I can''t feel anything, these are stupid machines, they won''t listen, won''t argue. They will give orders and expect them to be followed. Even this one will have called for friends. Pietro, I''m sorry but we can''t fight back. People will get hurt.¡±


    Pietro tutted, ¡°that''s what fighting is for, and I didn''t hear you complain when Cain went with Peter for Shaw.¡± but before she could argue back he had vanished.


    Selene stood, waiting for the Sentinels back up with her fist clenched. She had become lax, expected the peace to last, and with it gone she had no plan to save anyone, let alone the children. ¡°I¡¯m sorry everyone,¡± she whispered to herself, as the second Sentinel landed.


    ¡°Destruction of Unit is Unacceptable. Lethal Countermeasures Engaged.¡±


    The Sentinel raised its hand and as it fired Selene was ready to accept her punishment. Unwittingly she had broken one of the machines, and while it was an accident, she knew from past experiences they were going to use any excuse. If she allowed herself to be sacrificed the others would be safe.


    The beam streaked towards her and a blur flashed in front of her eyes. As the beam hit, there was a scream, and Selene and Pietro tumbled across the ground.


    ¡°Threat Neutralised. Please Co-Operate with Further Orders.¡±


    Selene looked down, and Pietro was lying on top of her, gently pushing him off she turned him over, tilted his head and looked at the damage.


    The beam had hit him in the back, and she could see the burned flesh and blacked bone through a ragged hole. His jacket was stuck to the wound as it oozed fresh dark scarlet blood. He moaned softly and was growing pale as she tore and bundled up a part of her blouse, uncaring of herself as she pressed it to the wound,


    ¡°No, no, no,¡± she whispered as the cloth turned red, ¡°we were co-operating, we were going to comply.¡±


    ¡°Resistance Was Detected. Units Are Capable Of Defending Themselves. There Will Be No Further Delays,¡± the Sentinel said emotionlessly, and it raised its hand towards the pair. ¡°Mutant Casualties Are To Be Expected. Please Stand Aside.¡±


    Selene looked over in horror. Was this thing just going to kill him?


    ¡°Please Stand Aside. Second Warning. Third Warning Will Result In Termination Of Hostile Mutants.¡±


    ¡°No please, we were co-operating, you can''t you can''t,¡± Selene said as she lay over Pietros still form. ¡°This is wrong,¡± but she knew arguing was futile.


    ¡°Hey!¡± She heard Cain shout, he was heading down the road and she could see the workers from the local businesses moving away from the trio of robots, ¡°You leave her alone.¡±


    The Sentinel raised a hand while its head turned towards Cain, ¡°Please Step Back Mutant. You Are To Remain Calm And Report For Processing.¡± but Cain shook his head and clenched his fist,


    ¡°She said we would, and you attacked us. You''re bullies.¡± Cain slowly thudded towards the Sentinel, picking up speed, ¡°and I HATE BULLIES!¡± he roared as he barged right through all three sets of legs, smashing the robots to the ground,


    ¡°I''m sorry Selene, I already tried to call Charles, I know you don¡¯t like to fight, but they hurt him, and they would hurt you.¡±


    ¡°Lethal Force Authorised, All Mutants Will Be Held Accountable.¡±


    Looking up, Selene stared in horror as the sky filled with more and more. The first six were nothing compared to this. There must have been at least twenty here now, and she knew more would be on the way.


    Selene took a deep breath and looking at the still form of Pietro she made her choice. ¡°Cain, I am so sorry. But please do your best.¡± She waved a hand and Pietro lifted up and he motioned towards the group heading down the road,


    ¡°Take him, carefully. He is hurt but not critical. Cain and I shall make sure you can get to safety. Head to the farms. The grain siles should be able to hide you until we can get help.¡±


    A woman and Angel lifted Pietro, and tears formed in her eyes as she saw the damage, ¡°please, be safe Selene¡± she said before they lifted him and started to walk away.


    ¡°All Mutants Are To Report For Processing. Please Remain Where You Are Until A Suitable Transport Can Arrive.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Selene said forcefully. ¡°This is our home. You will return to the mainland or you will face destruction.¡± Selene shouted and the Sentinel turned to face her.


    ¡°Non-Compliance And Destruction Of Sentinel Units. Lethal Force Is Authorised.¡± The Sentinel raised its hand to fire but paused. ¡°Incoming Aircraft Detected. The Transport Is Here. All Mutants Must Comply.¡±


    But as the helicopter flew towards the group, it tilted its rotors and crashed into the largest group, exploding and scattering the rest.


    A burning and bloody silver skeleton pushed a large piece of debris from the front of the helicopter and as its flesh regenerated the flesh was covered by a black and orange uniform, with three long blades sticking from each hand,


    ¡°So, I was gonna see if Cain wanted to visit, but things went south pretty quick so I thought I¡¯d come crash the party instead,¡± and Selene put a hand over her face. She could sense the bubbling power under his skin, just like Peter. She didn''t know whether to be annoyed he had given one to someone like Wolverine or happy. If Wolverine could persuade him to give him one, then so could she.


    ¡°I see your Symbiote shares Peter''s sense of humour, Mr Logan. That is not a good thing.¡±


    As Rage pulled out a broken cigar, pulled the broken end off  and lit it from the smouldering limb of a Sentinel he laughed and took a draw, ¡°you think thas bad, I ran out of that spray after about a week, that boys a trouble maker an¡¯ so are his kids.¡±


    Selene frowned for a moment until she realised the faint smell of cooked meat was being replaced by the delightful smell that Peter gave off when she had bedded him, and as Logan winked at her, she realised that he was producing it too.


    ¡°So Cain yeah, we got a lot more of these things coming. Selene. You ain''t gonna do much standin¡¯ there drooling. Leave this to us okay?¡± as Selene blinked a few times she released exactly what she had been thinking, and how apparent it was, ¡°Go check on Eriks boy. That ain¡¯t a good thing and that mans got a trigger finger when it comes to his kin. It''ll be bad enough they hurt him, if he dies you can expect a whole other problem to happen,¡±


    Selene nodded. Moving away she gave Logan one last glance, maybe with a Symbiote and his regeneration she could, but she shook her head, now was not the time to be thinking of such things. She watched as his clothing rippled and he was stood in his black and tan uniform.


    ¡°So, I think you should just pick me up and throw me, I¡¯ll take out a few in the air and anything that lands is fair game,¡° Rage said seriously,


    Cain just looked at him, ¡°You want me to throw you?¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡° Rage said while stretching, ¡°The kids do it all the time, and it''s effective, especially with those small flight packs they got,¡±


    Cain nodded, ¡°Can you fly?¡±


    Rage shook his head, ¡°Wolverines don''t fly, they just kill,¡± and as Cain lifted him, pointed him at the new group heading towards them and threw him with all his might.


    He landed on the back of one, sending out a web line to latch on. Driving a claw through its neck, when it started to fall he lept to another, repeating until most were disabled. Cain watched from the ground amazed at the agility of the small man. As the few Sentinels landed he hadn''t gotten to they raised hands and thick beams of energy shot out, bouncing harmlessly off Cain''s thick skin,


    ¡°Yeah, you can''t stop the Juggernaught, tin can.¡± He crouched into a sprinters pose and started to run towards the group, grabbing a shattered leg to use as a shield while he just battered his way through them, pivoted on one hand, as he tore a huge hole in the ground and returned to crush the stunned and disabled machines under his feet.


    ¡°Easy enough, but there are more,¡± Cain said as he pointed,


    Rage shrugged, ¡°More just means more fun. Come on big guy, Bet you don¡¯t get to cut loose too often, right?¡±


    Cain nodded, ¡°Everything¡¯s too soft.¡±

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Eighty-Two. Blood Diamond

    ¡°That is a very interesting suit of armour, War Machine was it?¡± As he levelled his wrist cannons at her, Emma raised both her hands in surrender, ¡°now now, we don''t want trouble.¡±


    War Machine motioned to the wreckage, ¡°yeah looks like it. Elektra Natchios, you are under arrest. Please come quietly.¡±


    Elektra looked over at Emma, I cant feel his mind, what is that suit made of?


    Emma mentally shrugged, as even trying to use her powers on it was futile. It was a strange alloy, capable of absorbing not just the telepathic energy she was giving off but the telekinetic as well.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want trouble then why are you here? Elektra is not an Augment, nor is she under arrest for any crimes. It seems to me you were looking for an excuse to come here. So. Under what authority are you making this arrest. If I recall the president''s speech, All Enhanced, Armoured or Augments are not allowed to act on their own,¡± Emma pointed at the pile of scrapped Sentinels, ¡°And those are only to target Augments, so. What''s really your objective here?¡±


    Laughter rang from the suit, ¡°War Machine is a fully sanctioned Shield agent, acting within the authority of the ARCA to engage and detain dangerous Enhanced individuals, and if my X-Gene scanner is correct, you are an Augment, so you too.¡± The cannon on his shoulder swivelled and pointed at Emma. ¡°Let''s make this nice and peaceful. I''m not one of those tin cans, and I can defend myself if need be.¡±


    Emma shook her head, ¡°I don''t have time for this. None of us has time for this.¡± While his armour seemed to be resistant to her powers, there were parts that weren¡¯t. The pulse rifle on his wrist was coated in the energy resistant material, but not the barrels, and Emma took one with her mind and War Machine punched himself in the face with it.


    Emma stood, while both his arms failed and he staggered trying to regain control. As one lit up, rather than allowing him to fire, she pushed the gun to his arm and it flashed bright blue-white and left a dent in the armour. Even vibranium plating wasn''t strong enough to resist a point-blank hit, and the armour cracked as the energy burned through it.


    ¡°I am so very sorry,¡± Emma said, and she could now grab and twist his cracked arm, swinging it around and constantly knocking the helmet until its faceplate cracked.


    War Machine had shut off power to the guns, they were a liability but the missiles should be fine. There were vibranium coated, as they had known about Erik''s powers over magnetism, and had prepared them as a countermeasure. They hadn''t expected to find the mansion empty though and War Machine had been sent into the city to help with the other Enhanced that had been resistant to the new laws.


    The shoulder launchers popped up and several pencil sized missiles whizzed out at high speed towards Emma and Elektra,


    Emma raised a hand as they impacted against a telekinetic shield but they were both still blown back by the impacts,


    I need you to help, I can only move his armour so much, Emma sent to Elektra, who was staring at the monster suit of armour in front of her, help damn you, Emma snapped at her and Elektra nodded, and Hades created a much larger two-handed Odachi.


    Elektra nodded as she slid forwards and swung her blade, making Warmachine lean back. Emma took the extra momentum and pushed on the inside of the barrel, tipping him further back and making him fall. As War Machine knew he was about to get pummeled, he ignited his boots and sped backwards, letting more missiles launch at the pair.


    He¡¯s a tough one, even with the damage I can barely move it. It''s that stupid metal Peter keeps giving everyone,


    You should punish him when you get the chance, but I think he might enjoy it Elektra snickered in her mind,


    Laugh it up darling, I know exactly how your tastes run as well, and I never hear Felicia complaining about all that fancy knotwork you made her learn.


    War Machine shook his head to readjust his HUD. Doctor Octavious had done a great job, but the techs at Shield had been unhappy about leaving it alone and had been screwing around inside. Everything still worked fine, but it always felt off after they had finished. The two shoulder-mounted missile pods registered as empty so he retracted them and activated the suit melee combat system. He fired off two bolas, and they spun towards the woman in white, wrapping around her legs and chest, pinning her arms.


    ¡°I will use lethal force if you make me, but this doesn''t have to go this way,¡± he said as the armour lifted off and zoomed away. They had very few files on Augments, other than the magnetic abilities of Erik, if her powers had a range then he needed to gain altitude, and it got him away from Elektra as well. Peter''s powers might be impressive but he had nothing that could reach this high.


    ¡°Well, there he goes. Can I borrow your little friend?¡± Emma asked


    ¡°Hades? You want to take Hades?¡± Elektra asked surprised,


    ¡°I can fly, you can¡¯t. So unless you want me to go up there defenceless against whatever else he has, then yes. And now¡¯s not the time to be prudish. I already know what dirty little thoughts you have while Felicia is here.¡±


    Elektra huffed, ¡°She is not staying, but she agrees.¡± Holding out a hand, the red cloth slithered away and crawled up Emma¡¯s arm. Taking off her jacket, she threw it at the now naked Elektra,


    ¡°Great, thank you. This covers so much,¡± she said, rolling her eyes and draping it over her front. ¡°Don''t take too long, it''s freezing out here,¡± she shouted as Hades wrapped herself around Emma and they took to the skies.


    We know you, Emma, we have tasted you from Octave, and you are-


    Yes yes, a clone, I don''t fucking care, if you knew then why?


    Clone? Don¡¯t care, you are a perfect mate for Peter, take him, we like the mind touches, we cannot, the Liv is the same, but we feel nothing, only Elektra, with you, we see and feel more.


    And Elektra will have my hide if I keep you, no, I can''t. Or we discuss this with Elektra after we kick this idiot''s arse.


    Hades shimmered and vanished,


    As his radar scanned the sidewalk he felt his armour shift and a slight pain in his back. Behind him, the red symbiote woman, holding her blade was floating and she growled at him as the blade slid further into his armour.


    The sharp pain faded and at first, he felt a cold numbness spreading with a feeling of wetness but it soon faded, and he realised that he couldn''t feel his legs. His HUD was flashing red, registering that the main spinal column actuators to the legs had been severed and Rhodey realised that part ran directly over the pilot''s spine.


    The creature hissed and left the blade sticking from his back, spinning him around and he saw she was just floating there. She grabbed his arm as he raised it to fire, anything to get her away from him but she laughed and the cannon twisted and shattered, pulling the armoured gauntlet away with it.


    He tried to raise the other one but with the pain in one arm and the weakness from the blood loss he was seeing registered on his suit''s sensors he knew this was over. He had been beaten. The cannon was ripped off, and with emergency power activating he knew the flight systems would be next.


    She floated across from him, ¡°We never wanted this.¡± but she grabbed his head and smashed hers against it his faceplate dented and the HUD went dark. light streamed in and James Rhodes saw the face of his attacker, ¡°You made us do this,¡±


    He thought she was about to kill him, but instead, she gripped him close and feeling around the back, wrapped a claw around the arc reactor, ¡°We wished to be left alone.¡± and as it crumpled the boosters on his feet cut out and he began to fall.


    He was only a few hundred feet up, but with his injuries and the damage to the armour, it wouldn''t matter. At that height he was dead, and he closed his eyes as he fell.


    With the wind whistling, he could only see the sidewalk, and then Elektra, floating towards him, the thin jacket flying free as she grabbed him under the arms and landed with a huge thud as she collapsed under the weight of the armour.


    ¡°I know I have powers Emma, but he is still very heavy. And Hades, you are not allowed. That was uncalled for.¡±


    Hades floated down and she held out a hand and slid back over to Elektra.


    ¡°Incapacitate him, not cripple or kill him.¡± Elektra chastised the pair, and as James lay, unable to move in his armour,


    ¡°Uh, can you call 911? I am really hurt here,¡± he asked, and the women tutted,


    ¡°Really? You are asking for us to call emergency services?¡±  Emma asked but Elektra batted her on the arm,


    ¡°He would not need them if you had behaved.¡±


    Emma shrugged, thankful Hades hadn''t eaten her clothes, slightly upset that her jacket was flying its way down the street, but she could always bill Peter for another one later. ¡°He wouldn''t need them if he hadn''t attacked me, what did you think I was going to do, kiss him and take him shopping?¡±


    ¡°I did not expect you to fly and make a giant sword. We are not killers Emma, well, we are not killers anymore. This is enough to lock you away.¡± Elektra chastised her,


    Emma shrugged once more, ¡°Oh? I don''t think he knew who I was until you said my name darling, so maybe next time, ¡° but she paused as Elektra glared at her, ¡°Fine, Fine.¡± she said as she raised her hands in surrender.


    As she moved over to Rhodey she put a hand on his chest, ¡°Sorry darling, I might have accidentally severed your spine. Don''t move, everything else is fine though, some bruises, nothing major.¡± she said as Rhoddy glared at her. Rolling her eyes she pressed a finger to his forehead and psychically shocked him unconscious.


    Elektra rubbed a hand over her forehead, ¡°Severing his spine is a big deal Emma, I will wait until an ambulance arrives. Or his men.¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself, I knocked him out, for now, stopped the bleeding and used a piece of armour to bind his wound. You can bitch all you like but he attacked us, those weren''t nerf darts darling, they were missiles.¡±


    Elektra sighed, ¡°I know, but I try really hard not to just murder way all my problems. It is a bad habit to get into.¡±


    ¡°Uh, do you mind? I am still hurt here.¡±


    Elektra and Emma looked over. Rhodey was laying in the armour, glancing over at the pair,


    ¡°I thought you said you knocked him out?¡± Elektra asked,


    Emma shrugged, ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°The armour has an emergency response unit, independent power supply, it zapped me awake after you knocked me out, but uh, that''s really not important,¡± Rhodey explained, ¡°I''m kinda hurt here, and we can discuss who¡¯s to blame later, maybe after you get me to a hospital?¡±


    Emma tutted, ¡°I am not taking you anywhere. You send giant robots after us, attack us, and now you expect us to be nice? Your lucky I didn''t aim higher.¡± and she smirked at him, ¡°or lower.¡±


    Elektra batted her on the arm, ¡°What did I just say about being polite?¡±


    Emma rolled her eyes, ¡°I don''t care, I am off to find Peter. You can clean this mess up, I don''t work for you.¡± With a smile and a small wave, Emma lifted herself off the ground and headed to the warehouse.

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Eighty-Three. Getting Hammered

    Across town, Natasha gave Carol a wink and a smile before Widow covered her and they separated. It had been a good day, promoted by Livs little revelation to the group.


    Was she really bi now? She had been trained by the Red Room, and before Peter, a man and a woman held no emotional difference when they were a target. But after Peter, with Widow and everyone else, she did find that what started out as just Peter, soon became Peter plus partner and then moved on to just partner. She hadn''t even noticed until Liv told them all bluntly. But was she really?


    The best way to find out was to just try, and she picked Carol. Natasha had spent the night giving as good as she got, and as the pair lay, satisfied and very sweaty she knew that yup, she was most certainly bi, at least when it came to the women in the warehouse.


    Carol had been the only one who actually never slept with anyone else. Even threesomes were out, preferring to keep Peter to herself. So it made sense. If anyone was suddenly different, it would be her, but they hadn''t cared.


    Gwen of course had picked up on this and as the pair laughed and giggled their way to the breakfast table, Gwen was waiting, with everyone else ignoring her while they ate their breakfasts. A banner with ¡®Congratulations it''s a Bi¡¯ on it was erected and Gwen happily stuck rainbow stickers on them both. The ¡®-oy¡¯ part of the lettering written over with thick black marker to change it.


    Natasha had just laughed, a brief moment of levity for the normally stoic woman, but Carol knew if Gwen wasn''t put in her place, the teasing would continue.


    ¡°I guess I am, but sorry Gwen. I prefer someone a bit more butch, and with a lot more padding,¡± Gwen looked confused as Carol leaned over and kissed Felicia on the cheek. She slid her hands down and gave her much larger chest a squeeze, ¡°Maybe once you grow up.¡±


    Gwen''s pout was adorable, and Felicia¡¯s laugh had them all in fits. It was a good day.


    Right until that stupid fucking asshole ruined it. They could be lazing in the pool having fun, they could be doing anything else, but no, she had to be out here, smashing more stupid robots.


    She hadn¡¯t even noticed her training had kicked in and a broken Sentinel was laying at her feet. Shit, she thought, that might have been bad, but Widow scoffed,


    As if you need to pay attention, we are more than capable of taking these apart.


    Widow lifted the massive head of the Sentinel and stared into its slowly fading eyes,


    ¡°I''m in a really bad mood. You ruined my day off, so I hope you have a lot more of these things.¡±


    As she threw the head of the Sentinel away she heard the vans approach and saw the military logo on the side,


    So not Shield or Sword huh, kept the big guys just for me.


    Widow knew there was no point in running. The block would be cordoned off, with helicopters tracking her position. She could get away but it was better to clear the board first and she waited patiently as the soldiers disembarked.


    As the Gamma Troopers pointed their pulse rifles at her, Widow''s phone rang, connecting and answering it, ¡°I''m a bit busy now Sis, can I call you back?¡±


    She heard Yelena sigh on the other end, ¡°Hey Sis, we got some nice men here, big, strong, and very angry. You know. When you said come to America I thought, hey, shopping, boys, catching up, not hiding in a safe house, bored until the army kicks the door in.¡±


    Widow cursed, ¡°Sorry Sis, I got you mixed up in all this.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, don''t be sorry, I mean, it''s only been 5 years, I''m sure prison will be nice. Dad already broke a few bones, his of course. He is really bad at this, since you know, he got fat and old.¡±


    Widow had to resist laughing, ¡°look, I''m sorry, I need to call you back.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, don''t worry, love you, kisses, auf wiedersehen,¡± and Yelena hung up.


    Widow took a breath, to anyone else, it was her overly attached sister, but her final message was one of their codes, don¡¯t worry about us, and don''t hold back.


    Nat?


    Not now Pete, kinda busy.


    Just to want you, they hit all of us. Carols fighting an Enhanced like her, the Avengers are either under arrest or crawling around the labs, and I¡¯ve got Tony and Vision here. Be careful, who knows what they¡¯ll pull.


    Right, stay safe Pete. Love you.


    After the phone call from Yelena, Widow was stood surrounded by Gamma troopers, and she was now in an even worse mood.


    ¡°I feel insulted,¡° she said, ¡°I mean, they sent an Enhanced after Ravage, Avengers to our labs, and Vision and Iron Man after Venom, and who do I get? Some jerk off crew cut Ross wannabe. So, got a name or just asshole number one?¡±


    The soldier snorted, ¡°Major Glenn Talbot. And I am the Thunderbolt''s second in command. You need to come with us, Miss Romanov. We have your family, and we will go easy on them if you cooperate.¡±


    Widow snorted, ¡°You think that holding my family will work? You really have bad intel.¡±


    Got me to Pete, they sent out Ross¡¯s goon squad. It should be one hell of a fight though. Might not be back for bedtime, maybe visit me in jail?


    Peter laughed through their link, I might be right next to you if Tony gets his way. Love you.


    The upgrade Widow had asked for clicked and extended from her back, covering her in a thick set of adamantium chest plates, thick greaves and bracers. She had tried the harness but her fighting style didn¡¯t match having more than one set of arms so she abandoned it. What she did like was the stolen and upgraded repulsor tech, that began to glow and whine as faint blue around her wrist.


    ¡°Hello. My name is War Widow. You took my family. Prepare to die.¡± She ad-libbed and with a mad laugh, launched herself at the troopers.


    As expected the troopers swelled and became mini Hulks. Even Ross wasn''t stupid enough to completely infuse a subject with as much Gamma formula as they could accept, and the soldiers, while multicoloured looked more like Captain America than Hulk. Only Talbot was different. Most of the men were either red, green or in a few cases blue. Talbot was grey, and a lot bigger.


    ¡°Nice name,¡± he said as he pulled off his tattered uniform, ¡°War Hammer, only officers got a full dose of serum, the enlisted only got enough to juice them up. So, Widow, you know you can''t beat me, you know what I''m capable of and you know you¡¯ll lose. Come peacefully, and I won''t peel you out that tin can and parade you around in your underwear.¡± Talbot said, and like Ross, his crew cut and moustache had grown with him, making Widow want to laugh, but right now,


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll take my chances. Liv did a pretty good job of taking down Ross and Blosky, and I¡¯m better.¡±


    War Hammer snorted, ¡°yeah we know, and it won''t work again.¡± War hammer pulled off his shirt and underneath was a thick silvery metal form-fitting top. ¡°See, we now know about vibranium, and the alloys, so we pulled all the crap out of storage and actually used it. Feels good too. So, want to surrender now?¡±


    Widow snorted and laughed, ¡°Yeah, formula and extra arms are more a Venom thing. I just break things.¡± and as the Widow''s bites on her wrist whined as they powered up, she grinned at him, ¡°wanna see?¡±


    The Gamma Troopers were new to their powers, and Widow danced and flipped between them disabling each man with nerve strikes and takedowns. War Hammer stayed back, well out of her reach, and watched, taking note of how easily someone who was trained to use their powers took apart even the best of his men, it didn¡¯t matter though. They were new recruits and he was one of the first to receive the serum, staying as a Hulk until he could hold an egg without breaking it.


    As the group lay at Widow''s feet, War Hammer stood and shook his head, ¡°My men deserved that, and now you¡¯ll get what you deserve as well.¡±


    He lunged at her, hoping to grab her and Widow ducked under his swing but as she righted herself to return a blow he stopped mid-swing and backhanded her, sending her spinning, ¡°Special Forces, maybe not up to the Red Rooms standard but good enough,¡± and he advanced with his hands up in front of his face.


    War Hammer didn¡¯t have her outclassed in speed or technique but in power, Widow was overwhelmed. For every kick or punch he missed, he hit with one and one was enough. The Gamma Enhanced strength was powerful enough to bruise and mangle flesh, even through adamantium enforced armour and Widows symbskin.


    Not that Widow was slacking off. For each hit he got, she got two or three more. Each kick that connected dyed his top shirt red with his blood, his skin bruised purple and burned just as easily as any other man. Even his healing was having trouble keeping up, as Widow had been working with Logan on how to deal with someone who could regenerate. Armour was great against the slashing attacks that Liv and Peter preferred, but against her strikes, unless it was thick plating, it wasn''t helping.


    Black Widow was trained to kill men, not monsters, so they devised that even healing took stamina, small but painful injures to weak and sensitive spots, groin, eyes, liver, spine, joints all weakened even the hardiest constitution, and as War Hammer was finding out, eyes took a while to recover, and testicles were sensitive as they regrew, and Widow was relentlessly smashing both.


    Her Widows bite had been improved by Liv and modified to draw power from the arcstar reactor in her armour, and it send blast after blast of bioelectric current into War Hammer. It didn''t matter how often she hit him, only that each time she did he took a little longer to recover. Her ribs were broken, and Widow was keeping them knitted together but he hit damn hard and it was turning into a war of attrition. Would he give in to the torture she was inflicting, as angering a Hulk to make them stronger seemed to apply only to the original, or would she succumb to her own injuries as Widow failed to keep up with the truck like blows he was managing to score on her?


    Hey, if I got Extremis would you get mad? she asked as he ducked under another blow and drive both fists into Hammer''s elbow, resulting in a roar of pain as it bent at an awkward angle.


    No, we want to be strong, we are tired of stupid Hulks beating on us, and as Widow grabbed on to the arm and anchored herself with tendrils around it, the elbow popped and Hammer''s forearm was now the wrong way around.


    Widow flipped away and Hammer fell to his knees and grasped at his arm, turning it slowly and ignoring the pain and horrible grinding noise and the joint reset. Widow capitalised on his pause and flipped back, driving her knee into his temple before stomping and kicking him in the same spot with an armoured boot.


    War Hammer shrunk back down, and Talbot sat, his arms flopping down by his side as the energy to maintain his from finally gave out. ¡°No mercy,¡± Widow said and she pressed her fist to his temples and charged both Widows Bites into his head. Tabot screamed and collapsed onto the ground. Taking and letting out a breath, Widow touched the side of his neck and checked for a pulse.


    Even after unloading all that current, he was still alive. A testament to the improved Banner formula. Gwen was smart that way, but sometimes she was too smart.


    With a grin, Natasha thought of suitable ways to punish her later for that. Carol might have been first, but Natasha was going to make sure she was not last.

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Eighty-Four Glow Bugged

    Natasha¡¯s bad mood was shared by Carol, but for a much different reason.


    She hadn¡¯t spent as much time with the group, staying in space and then being hurt had limited things, and as she was happy enough to be on the sidelines she hadn''t really thought about what it meant to be part of a large group.


    She did know she was like Felicia, and that a straight arrow pilot really hid a very sexually curious young woman, don''t ask don''t tell was still a thing, and sharing a shower with Maria had definitely put her in the don''t tell category.


    Peter had been her one male attraction, and she had fallen hard for him. As she watched him train and generally fail miserably he stomped right into her heart and firmly lodged himself there. Carol wasn''t normally sappy but after being in the closet for so long, and then having her life ripped away from her by whatever the Supreme Intelligence had done, to actually feel anything was a blessing. Peter had made her feel alive, wanted, loved, and she had poured all of her heart back at him.


    It was seeing everyone else that opened it a crack more. She started dreaming of Monica, started to take more lingering glances at everyone else in the warehouse, stopped by a small twinge of fear that Peter would abandon her.


    So when Natasha had quietly knocked on her door, explained her feelings Carol had jumped at the chance. She could experiment and for once, be in control of what happened. She had seen the way the others laughed and just accepted whoever into their beds but a part of her resisted, she could still hear that bastard''s thoughts in her head, ¡®Conform, Obey, Comply¡¯ and Ravage was constantly pushing back against it. Whatever the Supreme Intelligence was, it was strong enough to wipe out her emotions, her past, and leave a good little blank slate ready for the Kree to fill up with their fascist militaristic bullshit.


    Which was why right now she just flew, her flight still worked, and she didn''t even bother to stop to see if the Sentinel was still functioning or not. Smashing right through one at almost mach one should really mess up their day and vent the anger she was feeling.


    Anger that she had missed out, anger that they had taken her life from her, anger that she couldn''t just reach out and ask for help. She was her own worst enemy, but as she had touched Natasha she had finally felt a connection, she finally felt like her old self again.


    And until that feeling stayed, she would keep smashing these stupid robots.


    Carol? How''s the hunt going?


    Stupid robots, stupid laws, Pete. Just, just give me a bit longer, they aren''t too tough, just like you said.


    Carol was having fun. The Sentinels were proving no match for her reduced powers, but once upon a time she could draw on her photon powers indefinitely, now after her fight with Rogue she would eventually get tired, but for now, flying was freeing, and smashing stupid machines was liberating. As she twisted and tore the head of the last one a military jeep pulled up and seeing the patch knew it was Ross¡¯s Gamma Troopers.


    ¡°Captain Danvers. You are to stand down. Under direct order from Shield, and from the United States Military. This is not negotiable. Failure to comply will result in a court-martial.¡± and the soldier holding the loudhailer, ¡°And as a sign of good faith, we know you are a wanted fugitive on Asgard and we can negotiate the terms of your surrender on your behalf. As a citizen of Earth, you will be given special rights and treatment.¡±


    That just pissed her off. When she had returned to Earth, and explained she was stripped of her military and Shield rank. There was no mention of an incident on Asgard, but to be safe all her old contacts just dumped her. They washed their hands clean of her, and now she was actually helping people suddenly, she was military again.


    ¡°Yeah, how about you go fuck yourself.¡± and the man''s face fell.


    ¡°Captain Danvers. I repeat-¡± but a hand from inside the jeep stretched out and he looked down. As he bent down he nodded and opened the jeep''s door.


    The woman stepped out, her hair, the last time Carol had seen it, it was a giant frizzy mess, was cornrowed into a neat style, but her uniform was less than military and more like one of the damaged Kree jumpsuits she had been wearing when the Skrulls had invaded. ¡°Monica?¡± Carol laughed. Monica Rambeau was the daughter of a good friend of hers, and while Carol hadn''t aged a day, Monica was no longer the cute little girl she remembered.


    ¡°Stand down Carol. I''m only asking because of mom.¡±


    Carol frowned. ¡°How is she?¡± but Monica crossed her arms


    ¡°Dead, five years ago, cancer. Cancer they say exposure to that alien crap of yours caused.¡±


    Carol frowned, ¡°What? My powers don''t cause cancer. That''s bullshit.¡± She was upset that nobody had bothered to tell her about Maria. ¡°Nice get up.¡± and Monica smirked,


    ¡°Yeah, the military collected everything you left, they were pretty pissed you took the cube and the ship. But a few alien rifles and a few DNA samples were all they needed.¡± Taking off her jacket, Carol could see it was a Kree uniform, but the colour shifter must have broken as it was black with a white star in the chest centre. ¡°Now, Stand down, I won''t ask again.¡±


    Carol smiled, ¡°while giant robots terrorist New York, no I don''t-¡± and she was blasted back, Monica''s hands glowing the same white shimmer that coated her own


    ¡°Yeah, not just Kree DNA but yours too. I am Captain Marvel, and dead or alive, you are coming with me.¡±


    Carol picked herself up, the blast hadn¡¯t hurt anything other than her pride, but that was enough right now. ¡°Monica, I can¡¯t stand down. This isn¡¯t right, and it''s my duty to stop those things.¡± Carol tried to explain to the young woman.


    ¡°Not right? Duty? I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d remember those things. Not right is leaving when the world needed you. Duty was to return and follow the proper chain of command, not go off chasing some man and leaving the army behind.¡±


    Carol took a breath, calmed herself and let her power begin to cycle, ¡°Leave? They kidnapped me, took my mind apart and then made me think I was some kind of defective soldier. I fought back, I saved this world when nobody knew it needed saving and duty? When I came back to Shield, I was told that my power would be used for military purposes, and when I refused to let them dissect me like a lab rat I was ignored. Dishonourable discharge for failing to obey an illegal order. I loved your mom, and it was the hardest thing to leave her, and I''m sorry they used you to test out whatever stupid bullshit this is,¡±


    Carol took in a breathe and let it out slowly, feeling the photon force flow through her, ¡°but if you don''t move that stupid blind ass of yours, I¡¯ll move it for you.¡±


    Monica snorted, ¡°They refined the process, even without the cube, I''m faster and stronger than you. And if some dumb bitch thinks I¡¯ll let her endanger the lives of my men,¡± her own powers flared as she tapped into the photon force as well, ¡°or interfere in the lawful execution of the law, then I''m not the one whos blind.¡±


    Pete, they have us. The Sentinels were easy, you were right and they were designed to fight Augments, not us, but they pulled rank on me. Not just jail either, they have a friend of mine here, I can¡¯t fight her Pete, I can¡¯t.


    It¡¯s fine Carol. Don¡¯t fight back then. Venom cursed. They were playing dirty and he figured the attack on the warehouse was to make sure he complied with orders as well. Holding Wanda and Laura hostage would be one of the best ways to do it.


    Love you, and be safe.


    ¡°Monica, please, don''t do this. I don''t want to fight you.¡±


    Captain Marvel just smirked. ¡°Then surrender, let us take you into custody, and stand trial for your crimes.¡±


    Carol sneered and shook her head. No, she had said to Peter, she couldn''t fight, but now, now she was feeling that anger rise, her crimes, her unwillingness to sit back and let thugs and power-hungry idiots dictate terms. This was the Kree all over again, and this time she wasn¡¯t going to take it lying down. ¡°Fair trial? Do you think this nazi bullshit will mean I get a fair trial? Your mom would-¡±


    Monica yelled, interrupting her, and blasted Carol with a full force beam of energy, ¡°You don''t get to bring her into this,¡± and as she glowed she lifted from the ground, ¡°mom was heartbroken, and mom knew where the lines were,¡± and as he tilted forwards she sped towards Carol and drove both glowing fists into her, throwing her back against a parked car.


    Carol sat up, the blast hadn''t burned her, but it still hurt and wiped off the small amount of blood from her lips, ¡°yeah, your mom knew where the line was, and she would have kicked your ass for crossing it. I miss her,¡° and Carol took a deep breath, ¡±and as she¡¯s not here, then I¡¯ll gladly take her place.¡± and as she floated up she let Ravage cover her in her full symbarmour, glowing and full of energy.


    Monica smiled and pressed the front of her uniform. A black and white helmet covered her, ¡°Oh it''s on goldilocks.¡± and the pair sped towards each other.


    Carol dodged a fist and backhanded Monica across the face, sending her flying. She responded by blasting out a photon beam and Carol crossed her arms to absorb it. The beam didn''t hurt as much as she thought, and she remembered Gargoyle and his stupid hammer. She didn''t care if Monica knew their powers were useless against each other, and instead opted for a fistfight.


    Flying forwards once more Ravage grabbed Captain marvel and headbutted her, her thicker helmet denting the front of the Kree uniform, ¡°You can¡¯t beat me, it won''t work,¡± and as Captain Marvel glowed and blasted her Ravage didn''t even move to avoid it. The bean hit her square in the chest and left a tiny single mark, as Ravage waved the small amount of smoke away she shook her head.


    ¡°It won''t work, the Stone can¡¯t act against itself, we¡¯re too similar.¡± but under the half mask Monica smirked,


    ¡°So I don''t use it,¡± and her hands turned from a bright white colour into a pale yellow, ¡°I don''t need to use its power. I have my own,¡± and the brighter yellow beam hit Ravage in the chest once more, this time blowing her back.


    As she hit the side of the building Ravage looked down at the hole in her armour, seeing her red and blistered skin underneath,


    Are you okay?


    We are but we are angry, eat her, take her strength.


    I am not eating her, and as she lifted herself up Captain Marvel''s hands changed colour once more, this time they flickered a pale blue colour.


    ¡°My code name was going to be Spectrum, but I felt you didn''t deserve yours. I took it, and I will use it to make my mom proud.¡±


    ¡°Proud? Defending the imprisonment of people like us would make her sick, You make me sick,¡± Ravage yelled back.


    Use it. And on her back, the armour unfurled. She had been hesitant, feeling it was a betrayal of her powers and Ravage. She didn''t need armour, she had travelled at light speed through the universe, danced in energy clouds, watched a black hole spin, and marvelled in awe at a supernova. Armour meant she was less, meant she was weak.


    Hmpf, Peter uses armour, and he is not weak, tasty things come in shells, and now, so do you.

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Eighty-Five. Strike While The Iron Is Hot

    As they circled each other, the faint glowing light coming from around Venom''s wrist, he felt the shockwave of a massive psychic attack, Webb had been backed into a corner, and was finally using his powers properly. Sending out a discrete message he directed Flash to the warehouse, where hopefully he could get the help he needed.


    As Venom tilted his head and sent his message Iron Man attacked, two drones fired off missiles while Iron Man blasted at him with his disruptor.


    Venom felt the burns as the beam hit his armour.. Part of him flaked off, and even the energy curtain in Wakanda hadn''t been as painful as this. Gritting his teeth, Venom dodged another blow, backflipping away as the beam flashed towards him, taking away the armour covering his leg.


    Venom cursed. That damn disruptor was small, and could only target a limb. Tony would have to get lucky and hit his head for it to be anything more of an annoyance. What was irking Venom most was its effectiveness. A larger version would probably disintegrate him with one shot, and he shuddered to think what it would do to a normal symbiote and its unlucky host.


    Thankfully he had realised the gap in his powers, and Liv had prepared him. He concentrated and thicker armoured greeves slid down from the back. The Mark Three was in testing but now seemed like a good time as any. And as a repulsor black hit and bounced off the vibranium alloy plating, Venom grinned.


    As a drone fired he let it hit the charging plates on his back and the bright repulsor rings on his wrist lit up and he fired at Venombuster.


    ¡°To slow,¡± and the suit jetted to one side and he turned to fire, stripping the symbskin armour from Venom''s hand and reducing the skin to ash, the cold air bit into his fingers as a biting pain, and Venom snarled, the Mark Three armour was still gloveless, Liv was working on a solution to his natural stickiness and web powers, but hadn''t cracked it just yet.


    Taking a breath Venom knew he had to do something, his stamina was immense, and after all his upgrades and the arc reactor he could fight for hours, but replacing parts was tiring and painful. ¡°Enough¡± he yelled, and the pack on his back lit up. A short burst took him to one drone, where a bladed arm split its aroused shell through the centre, removing the arc reactor. His senses were working overtime, cutting off his vision and relying on the electronic signatures of each armour. Short controlled bursts, randomly in various directions.


    Tracking software was only as good as the sensors controlling it, and as he worked his way around each suit, he wondered how he was being tracked. With the only armour either doing it best to avoid him and Tony taking pot shots with the cellular disruptor Venom figured it must be a satellite.


    Liv, can you track and find out if a Stark Satellite is overhead, he¡¯s got me pinned and I need to blind him.


    I can, but it will take time, if its a spycam, then your camouflage should be enough to fool it, heat for your flight pack, photons for the arc reactor,


    Venom laughed, I have an idea, how high is it?


    It would be in a high orbit, sorry dear, but you¡¯d never reach it before you suffocated,


    He had thought of taking a suit up high and detonating it, hopefully taking the satellite out with it, but it was probably at twelve thousand feet, with the other GPS satellites and was way too high.


    Right, plan B then.


    Venom shot straight up, dragging four suits of armour behind him as their orders to contain and capture took them just as high. In the lower atmosphere, Venom recoated his armour black, and cut all power to every system, letting ice coat him, track me now shithead. As he fell, he used his old tricks.


    A web shot out and snagged the bottom of a suit, and using it as leverage Venom whipped around it, trying it with a web, and as he landed on its back, he pressed his hand to its head and sliced open it''s central processing unit, slaving the armour to himself.


    Laying flat on it, he surfed towards another suit, and a thin razor-sharp tendril shot out and took out both jet boots, sending the unit plummeting to the ground.


    Venom felt slightly guilty about that, but if Tony was going to argue about being in trouble for using the legion in a civilian area, then he shouldn''t be using his damn legion in a civilian area.


    Tony was swearing, he could see the Legion drones flying around, trying to track and locate Parker, but he had fooled his tracking somehow. There was no heat or radiation coming from anywhere in the sky, and as he checked each drone he cursed. To him, he could see every one of them on his tracker, their Friend or Foe system and a transponder keeping them on his HUD, but one unit wasn''t registering to the satellite above, it was dark to its camera, and he figured Peter must have hijacked it. He watched as it would fly close to another drone, that drone would register as disabled, and then it would jet off.


    Smartass, Tony thought to himself, but he had also learned. He knew Peter was a technopath and instilled several redundant systems into each drone, and this one was in case of hostile take over. Completely separate from the main core, a small explosive charge was mounted in a stable and completely seal ring around the armours arc reactor, and sending a kill signal it exploded, sending a black shadow flying.


    Tony had a choice to make, Peter was right, nothing good ever came of locking people up. Sure, they needed oversight, but this went past that and right into fascism.


    They didn¡¯t want Peter for his flagrant use of his powers, they wanted him for his secrets, even Tony felt that when they tried to seize the Iron Man technology. Do as we tell you or else they had said, and that irked Tony.


    So when Ross and his gamma goons turned up at the tower, waving subpoenas and warrants, his newest lawyer just muttered and fumbled before they barged their way in and held Jocasta and Vision at gunpoint. He was left with no choice but to agree to this little drama.


    This was the one time he wrote a script and stuck to it. While his security was airtight, having the government breathing down your neck meant not taking any chances, and with the stakes, he couldn''t risk anything on even a ninety-nine per cent chance he wouldn''t get caught.


    He just had to hope that Peter would put aside their little feud and listen. Peter was brilliant, if misguided. The personal stuff could be forgiven but he had to act fast.


    ¡°Reroute power to the sub sonar systems and load program one. Repeat and goddammit Pete, don''t a smart dumb guy.¡±


    As Venom¡¯s senses kept a track of the Legion and Venombuster, he could feel the pulses, coming from Tony¡¯s active scan, but in a strange rhythm.


    Is that binary? He thought, oh screw him.


    Not safe, hostages, help, help, help


    Oh, godammit Venom thought. No wonder Stark wasn''t trying very hard, there were a few times the disruptor blasts could have been a little higher and could have taken his head out, and he had no way to stop a tracking satellite completely.


    Venom decided to risk it and he felt for the Stone, please don''t have a stupid vibranium helmet. As his attempts scattered from Tony¡¯s armour he figured if it wasn''t vibranium he had one of those damn helmets Shaw used. Stupid dumbass motherfricking tin can asshole. Peter sent out a flurry of expletives, all aimed at Tony but he knew he wasn''t getting past the armour. Right, then we do this the hard way.


    Tony was tracking the dark shadow as it sent out webbing and latched onto a nearby building. It was scattering almost everything, but even in the dark shadows, it was still a presence. He just couldn''t track it with anything other than his eyes.


    A spotlight on his shoulder lit up, illuminating the area he saw the shadow last, and as he swept it over the side of the building, the flicker of movement and the early warning impact collision alarm went off, but it was too late. Peter had lept from drone to drone, keeping himself cold and dark until he could get close enough.


    ¡°Got you,¡± it whispered and Tony felt the stabbing pain in his chest as it plunged a blade through his armour.


    Tony, yeah I know, but listen, we need to make it look good, if you''re honest, then just think and I¡¯ll hear you,


    Tony had the reactor removed, but the hole remained. The original magnet wasn''t needed anymore but he still had a huge wound in his chest where it had sat. Even with bio neutral materials, it was still weaker than the bone it replaced, and Venom¡¯s symbskin leeched into it.


    Sorry, but I do owe you for blasting me earlier,


    Tony shook as the pain threatened to overwhelm him, but as the pair floated, he heard the voice once more,


    Explain yourself right damn now or I stab further in,


    Please, they have Jocasta, I had to. This is bigger than us Pete, and I had no choice. Vision was supposed to stop you.


    That was the dumbest plan ever, and the beating?


    We thought your mom would stop you. Ross thought going after your mom would stop you. Pete listen. This is bigger than just the Sentinels. They want us out here killing each other, they want us to be fighting. Us fighting gives them more excuses to tighten the laws.


    Well, duh. Malik is Hydra, so what''s new?


    You, you knew?


    Well, not about the fake-out, that was a surprise, but I''ve been expecting Doom or Hydra or some other moron to try something. You are right, and powers aren''t to be played with, but this goes past that. There are kids Tony, and you should have fought, you should have come to me and we could have done this together.


    They took Jo! I had no choice,


    I learned the hard way, Tony. There is always a choice. They wouldn''t have hurt her.


    You don''t know that!


    Peter''s mind was flooded with reports and emails from Helen Cho. Her neural cloning of a human brain into synthezoid pathways had failed at every turn. She had reached out to Tony, to let her examine Jocasta or Vision, and he had blown her off. She had wanted to do a deep dissection of one of the three, and Tony had point blankly refused. So, she had taken the next alternate route, and blamed Tony for her work''s failure, blamed his attack on Korea as to why her models failed, and that the three working prototypes were seized illegally. All Coulson did afterwards was apply pressure.


    Peter snorted, yeah, that was stupid, so now what?


    Tony coughed, and his lips stained with blood,


    I kinda want you to take your hand out of my chest.


    Peter, he heard a softer voice call to him,


    It''s fine, stay away. He told it,


    Peter Parker! What The Hell Do You Think You Doing!


    It was like being punched in the head. Whoever was sending was not only breaking through his interference but actually hammering at his mind.


    Dammit, he¡¯s fine, we¡¯re just talking,


    Are you an idiot? Oh, don¡¯t answer that, of course you are. It''s me, darling, and you spoiled my daring rescue, I was hoping to get your heart all a flutter, and not find you fisting Tony Stark,


    Peter looked at his hand in Tony''s chest, and the blood flowing from the cracks in his armour.


    It¡¯s uh, really not what it looks like, He¡¯ll live, he might not like me for a while but it''s he sent and as he stood, call an ambulance for Tony, and he sighed. It was painful as Tony gritted his teeth and they lowered themselves to the ground,


    ¡°Thanks, jackass. That hurt,¡± Tony wheezed as the symbskin in his chest retracted, leaving behind a dose of Peter''s healing cells.


    ¡°Yeah yeah, quit whining, it was your plan.¡± Venom said as he lay Tony down on the sidewalk.


    ¡°My plan was not for you to paralyse me and stick your hand in my chest.¡± Tony tried to reboot his armour, and activate its life support systems, but Peter had done a number on its systems and as a precaution to being hijacked, it had forcefully shut down.


    ¡°It worked, and now you get to have pretty nurses tend your tired and broken heart, kiss your whatever better,¡± Venom said, as he lifted the faceplate clear to let Tony see.


    Tony rolled his eyes, ¡°not helping, Maya will kill me if I even,¡±


    Venom lifted a hand, ¡°Yeah, dude. Don''t care. Sentinels and uh, dammit, the big guy.¡±


    Closing his eyes, Venom stood as he checked Tony one last time, as he opened his eyes, he felt it. A huge signal heading towards him. The burning heat and the rage, and he knew that he had finally caught the attention of the biggest fish.


    Malisson


    So, I was editing these chapters and it suddenly hit me, that I had completely forgotten to actually list out what the ARCA was.


    (In a spoiler as I hate how much the Authors notes add to a page)


    The New York Accords were pretty much ¡°using chemicals to enhance someone has to be done by a company or the government and carries penalties if they use those powers for criminal acts¡± but the ARCA goes deeper than that.


    https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/Sokovia_Accords


    With the Sokovia Accords as a base, we add in the following,


    ¡°Alien technology or alien biological matter shall be handed to an official Government agency for regulation. Persons or entities with Alien DNA must report to Law Enforcement, and as such fall under the same laws as ¡°Enhanced¡± individuals.¡±


    ¡°Individuals with Alien DNA or Enhancements are forbidden to hold public or private holdings, and as such must comply with regular screenings, to protect Earth and its Governments from alien interference.¡±


    ¡°Artificial Intelligence (AI) is to be regulated and falls under the control of its country of Origin. Private individuals attempting to create AI are to be held responsible for its actions.¡±


    ¡°Creating AI technology without failsafes will result in the AI being deleted, and the creator being restricted from technology usable to create such a program,¡±


    The first two were added as Harry tried to take over Staten Island, and Norman had political pull which he used to gain access to the Space Stone.


    And finally, while the synthezoid issue was kind of ignored in the movies (Sword rebuilt Vision in Wanda/Vision, breaking that law) in House of Venom there was more than one AI but their drone bodies were different. Ultron, Modok, and the Sentinels.


    It felt more likely that the ARCA would include laws about AI rather than the bodies they were housed in.


    So the law concerning Synthezoid bodies is removed (as Ultron stole the cradle but never publicly used the technology) and the existence of Vision, Jocasta, and Friday was never made public by Peter or Tony.


    *Disclaimer*


    Not a lawyer, and as such these probably wouldn''t hold up in court, but as Peter said to Eddie,


    ¡°They built your courts, they control your courts.¡±

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Eighty-Six. A New Dream

    Malisson


    Quick reminder. The clocks went forwards, so House Of Venom will be published at 9 pm BST (GMT/UTC+1)


    Against Rage and Juggernaut, even the fleet of Sentinels was powerless. Beams of energy just scattered off the armoured Rage, and they had little to no effect on the massive Augment.


    ¡°Units Requesting Back-Up. Omega Level Threats Detected.¡± One sentinel said before Juggernaut lifted Rage and threw him through its chest. Rage snarled as he came out the other side rending and tearing at the chest cavity.


    How''s it going over there? Rage asked Selene, Who was surprised that Logan was now telepathic,


    The grain storage is reinforced, but we have no Sentinels here,


    Yeah, they all kinda headed for us, an¡¯ well, we smashed them. Cain says hello by the way,


    And please thank him for me. Do you think they will send more?


    I reckon not, they knew we¡¯d fight back, see what level everyone''s at an¡¯ then use public opinion against us.


    Selene swore. Destroying the machines was what they wanted. Chaos to ensure peace. Nobody would argue about a few Augmented individuals, not until they were in cuffs and collars.


    Then we must remain here. I have the interference to ensure nobody living can get here. Only the Sentinels are able to pierce it. If I can get in contact with Peter, then he may help us with proper defences.


    Ain''t gonna work. Now they know GPS and radar can locate you they just need to get these things to drag a couple of boats behind ¡®em, they¡¯ll send troops Selene, and you know that''s way worse.


    Then do we do nothing? Allow these, these things to come and take us, Logan you know as well as I do that these things never end well. The South, the war, concentration camps are the next step, and I will not see history repeat itself.


    Nope, we do what we did then, we fight, and we win, and we keep those who don''t want to fight safe.


    Selene huffed. She knew he was right, but she didn¡¯t like it.


    Fine, we do it your way. Can you contact Peter, or shall I?


    You can get him from here?


    Selene laughed, there are maybe two or three telepaths on Earth I cannot talk to, even if they do not allow it, and Peter is certainly not one of them.


    Selene felt for Peter. New York was only a few hundred kilometres away, and at night when it was calm she could feel the nightlife of New York City. She tried to keep her thoughts away from the warehouse most of the time, slightly stung and jealous of a life she could never lead, but this time, she was actively seeking out help.


    She found him, and it was not good. Iron Man, or who she thought was Iron Man as the strange armour he was wearing created a mental static around him, was doing his best to keep Peter occupied. She felt his pain as the strange beam hit him and his skin blistered and blackened.


    Peter cannot help us. He is fighting Stark. The situation may be worse than we thought.


    Xavier? They probably targeted the school as well.


    Selene switched her focus but found nothing at the school. No signs of any minds there at all.


    It''s empty, no students.


    Logan frowned. He figured if anyone would be fighting for Augments rights it would be Charles, and Erik should have been the perfect person to scrap a bunch of flying robots.


    Something¡¯s wrong Selene. Logan said. I get Stark going after Pete, but not Charles cuttin¡¯ and runnin¡¯. Are there any large groups of Augments hidin¡¯ anywhere? Any signs of New York having a camp or somethin¡¯?


    Selene let her mental search scan the minds of New York, but there was nothing, nothing more than the normal everyday people, tinged with panic, she found fighting all over, as not just Peter and his friends took on the Sentinels but ordinary citizens who found themselves in their line of fire.


    All over New York, there was chaos. Everyone had taken the opportunity to rebel, and the Sentinels had provided the perfect excuse. It was pandemonium.


    There is nothing Logan, and here is no safer than New York. We should prepare for a ground assault. We do not have any weapons, but a few can fight.


    Split ¡®em into pairs, if anyone has a defensive power they can help too. No need to fight, just help keep anyone safe. Make small groups so there ain''t no panicking, and get them to whatever shelters you got, underground is better, cause if they''re found we don''t want anyone getting hurt.


    Logan quickly organised the defences with the Genoshians. In total, they only had five fighters, including himself and Cain. Most had minor or benign powers, and most had physical Augments.


    ¡°Right, that''s about the best we can do,¡± Logan said as Selene came over, and patted him on the shoulder. Cain had gathered a lot of vegetables together was making several huge pots of stew, he needed something to do, something to cut to take his mind from the incoming battle.


    The groups were scared, but after the smell of food wafted through the area, and everyone received bread and a bowl the situation seemed almost calm.


    Selene sat with Logan who was chewing on a chunk of bread and lamenting over no meat in the food, he knew Aumgents could be picky eaters, but it would have been nice to get something he could get his teeth into. Selene was st staring at her own food. It was up to Cain''s usual standard, but to her it was tasteless. She had failed her people by neglecting the island''s defences.


    Logan snorted, ¡°yeh you ain''t keeping much hidden, and you''re wrong. This is a safe palace, not a prison. Safe places don¡¯t need guards an¡¯ guns. They need kind an¡¯ generous people, so stop it.¡± and Selene felt her cheeks redden.


    ¡°Yeah, an¡¯ I felt that too, sorry, I''m out of spray.¡±


    ¡°Spray? Am I a cat now?¡± She asked with a small grin, raising an eyebrow at him,


    Logan laughed, ¡°If those thoughts keep going the way they are, then yup, I reckon you are.¡±


    While Selene blushed Cain sat oblivious and spooned the thick stew onto some of his bread to eat.


    Logan and Selene had tried in the past. He was very handsome, took care of himself, and excluded the raw animal sexuality that attracted a woman like her. He was also semi-immortal, and unlike Shaw, was content to stick with one woman. It had simply been too many obstacles in the way, and too many wars that had kept them apart. Peter was similar, but without years of experience that Logan processed, clearing her throat, ¡°if we survive this, can we?¡±


    Try again?


    I would like to?


    You know I''m a host right, and Rage is part of that too.


    You have one of Peter''s creatures?


    Nope, Rage ain''t one of his, only his women get one from him, but there were more. Petes kinda weird that way, not one of them but not one of us, Rage was made by a friend of his, and I was about to go huntin¡¯ an asshole when this all happened.


    Hunting an asshole? I am confused, why?


    He hurt us, and we wish to make him sorry


    Rage?


    We are, and while we were with Gwen we felt your time with Peter. Logan, you may take this one as much as she likes, we enjoyed the others but Selene is known to us, Peter enjoyed her very much


    Logan coughed on his stew while Selene covered her mouth to hide a huge smile,


    I thought I said that you ain''t supposed to share stuff like that, that''s personal.


    But you have tasted the Selene before, and Gwen was always insistent on Peter sharing his exploits. She wished to know as well, so it is not bad, we are not sharing, only explaining.


    Uh-huh, Logan thought, You¡¯re still sharing too much, and I don''t need a list of Pete''s conquests explained to me. You only get to talk about anyone I''ve been with, and not Gwen or the rest okay?


    Rage huffed, we enjoy the variety, but you spray too many, you should be more like Peter and enjoy yourself, and let us enjoy ourselves.


    Uh-huh, want me to quit smokin¡¯ next? Or drinkin¡¯?


    NO, bad Logan, we are sorry but bad, bad! hmph, boring Cindy, boring Logan, you promised fun, and smoking, and drinking, we only wish for a little more.


    Selene had placed down her bowl and was holding a hand over her stomach, as she quietly shook,


    ¡°Please, no more, no more. I will teach you to hide your thoughts, but for now, please stop,¡° she said as she laughed and folded over. Cain looked over confused but Selene just smiled and shook her head,


    He huffed, ¡°telepaths.¡± and he pointed to Selene''s bowl, she handed it over and he started to finish her stew as well.


    Selene and Logan both shared a look and while Logan smiled and shook his head, Selene laughed. It felt good to be in company, even if circumstances weren''t perfect.


    Cain rubbed his stomach and motioned to Logan''s bowl, and stacked the three with the plates their bread had been on. He stood and looked at the tables where dirty dishes were being left,


    ¡°You know, clean up will take half an hour, maybe more. Maybe two people need to take a walk around the island to make sure nothing here. Maybe two people who aren''t so great at hiding what they''re thinking,¡± and he turned and walked off, he shook his head, ¡°not as dumb as everyone thinks.¡±


    Selene looked over at Logan who shrugged, ¡°It''s an idea but, bein¡¯ honest, let''s wait till after the giant robots stop invadin¡¯. I like to take it nice and slow.¡±


    ¡°So dating and maybe drinks?¡±


    Logan laughed and took out a cigar, lit it and took a draw. ¡°I was thinkin¡¯ foreplay but sure.¡± Logan had been warned by Liv about the increase in appetites. His cigar budget was slowly increasing as was his drinking, He¡¯d had a stupidly embarrassing conversation with that Flash kid, who stumbled through trying to explain about the higher urges but Logan just laughed, clapped him on the shoulder and went to talk to an adult. Liv was perfectly capable and more than competent to discuss what issue Logan may have, and after the trio had talked, even Flash looked a lot happier, even if he was bright red.


    He had no illusions about the Symbiotes anymore, and after spending a few months with Rage, still hadn''t changed his opinion. She was dangerous, powerful and was affecting his biology and mind. His memory was becoming clearer but so were his appetites, including a few he had worked hard to bury.


    One thing he forgave Peter for was his sex drive, as other than fighting the Symbiotes loved any kind of stimulation. While cigars were his limit he had wondered that if chocolate got them off, what something like cocaine would do.


    That had been a conversation and then an argument and a point-blank refusal. His biology would recover, hers might not and a rampaging drug-addicted Symbiote was the last thing he wanted. So cigars, fine whisky, and a lot of fine-looking women were a fair compromise. For once Logan felt happy and at peace. He knew that was Rage, and for that, they were going to pay Hank Pym a small visit, it had just taken a small detour,


    ¡°I can live with that,¡± Selene answered with a smile, ¡°but after this mess is dealt with.¡±


    The pair lept to their feet as a yellow ribbon of light circled and then opened into a gaping hole,


    ¡°Don''t attack,¡± shouted a familiar voice, and Charles wheeled himself forwards, ¡°It''s me, it''s me,¡± and as Logan let Rage and his claws retract back in he shook his head, ¡°I do apologise but we came to help.¡±


    A young woman stepped through the portal. Logan nodded at her and she smiled back, a brief flash of embarrassment on her face. Selene looked between the pair, the woman was Asian, had small tattoos over her face and was in a fitting X-Man uniform, which highlighted her slim and busty figure. She stepped forwards with an older African man, and the portal closed behind them,


    ¡°Breach. My power is uh, portals.¡± Selene nodded and took her hand, shaking it, ¡°I¡¯ll start getting the island evacuated. Uh, if you don''t mind that is?¡±


    Selene shook her head, ¡°No, everyone is here, as we just ate. But do you have space?¡± it must have been a joke as the young women snorted and looked guiltily over at Charles,


    ¡°It''s fine Breach, I¡¯ll explain.¡± Charles said, ¡°Forge, there are Sentinel remains here, can you examine them?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°If someone can show me where they are.¡±


    ¡°Cain can show you, in case there is trouble.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Help is appreciated.¡± and as Selene pointed out Cain to the man, he walked, and the pair left to where the battle took place.


    ¡°We have a sanctum, a safe palace where Augments can live freely, and it''s not on US soil, so we don''t have to deal with this,¡± and he waved a hand, ¡°mess.¡±


    Selene crossed her arms, ¡°But anywhere on Earth will be subject to an attack, anywhere we live they will use it as an excuse to hunt us.¡±


    Charles smiled, ¡°Trust me, Our new home is out of this world.¡±


    Malisson


    And a final note, On Saturday 2nd April I am publishing my Aprils Fools Chapter, at the normal time of 9 pm BST


    X-Over. Who Watches The Watchman


    Starring Deadpool.

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Eighty-Seven. Lights Out

    Ravage screamed as her armour slid over her. The form-fitting newer armour was being tested today, Carol knew that labs and firing ranges never gave the whole truth, that only in combat could you establish if something really worked or not


    Captain Marvel snorted, ¡°Nice duds. But they won''t save you,¡± and her arms glowed for a second before firing off another beam of blue energy.


    Ravage held up an arm, and a shield of adamantium unfolded, letting the beam bounce from it. Carol was a brawler, she could throw photon beams all day, but moving at accelerated speeds she preferred to hit things, so her armour was suited to her fighting style. Peter and Liv both loved their extra arms, Natasha had her supercharged Widow¡¯s Bites, and Carol had extra thick gauntlets and a reinforced armoured shield on both arms, making her look more like a beetle than the spider that adorned Peter¡¯s Venom outfit.


    She didn''t care though, and as she sped forwards she slammed a fist into Marvel''s guts and then as she doubled, brought up two fists in a haymaker and sent her flying.


    ¡°Pretty lights are great when it''s Christmas, but let''s fight like adults,¡± she said as she followed after her, leaping up and grabbing her, spinning around and throwing her into the ground at high speed.


    Following her down, Ravage rained blows on both her chest and face. Pinning her to the ground with her body weight before flipping back, kicking her back up into the air and blasting her at close range.


    One fact of life for everyone at the warehouse was a common thread. Peter. And as a game, they devised ways to spend time with him. Carol''s favourite was the training.


    Once upon a time, a jar existed, with paper inside, detailing things the women would do for and to him if he reached a target. They had reversed it, and now, he would give out papers with things he would do for them. These were more than the little things they did as a group, they were personal, and Peter had agreed to any request. It lit a competitive streak in everyone. He still spend time with them but these were special. It was silly and stupid but most of all a fun way to bond, and everyone tried just a little bit harder because of it, even Peter.


    Carol trained, and to win was to get a prize, it was just difficult when your tutor was a hundred years old at least, and your main rival could pull your lungs out your ass before you even knew she was there. The military, even the Kree, hadn''t prepared her to face Logan or Nat, but right now she was grateful for every second spent on the mat with them.


    Captain Marvel never knew what hit her as the woman she used to look up to used her as a punching bag. Every counter she had was useless and after being blasted into the air, she used her powers to slow her fall only to find Carol swinging at her and driving both knees into her back.


    As she slammed into the ground once more, her powers began to sputter. She knew Carol had a high-calorie diet, they had files on the amount the warehouse ate, all carefully collected from Supermarket chains, what she never realised was it wasn''t enough. Carol danced through the air, throwing punches, kicks and avoiding the sloppy moves of Captain Marvel. She was flagging but to her, Carol seemed to barely be breaking a sweat. High-intensity combat was her forte, and Monica regretted getting up close and personal with her.


    Ravage drove Marvel''s head into the ground, and when she lifted her by the back of the neck, she closed her eyes as Marvel brought both hands together and blasted her right in the face.


    Smoke wafted from Ravage''s helmet, ¡°nice try-¡± but Ravage never finished as the Gamma troopers opened fire.


    Heavier pulse cannons had been set up, Monica providing the distraction for them while larger barrel sized energy cells were fitted to large turret-sized guns. After driving support legs into the concrete of the sidewalks, they had taken aim, and with no care towards their own, fired.


    Ravage had hoped her armour would soften the blow, and while she was till whole the blast had lifted her and Marvel into the air and thrown them across the street into a building.


    More soldiers, ordinary Shield agents advanced with rifles drawn, connected to power packs. These were the newer models, the energy output increased as the smaller guns proved useless against more powerful foes. Even with the thick shield over both arms protecting her she was blasted back again and again.


    A trooper ran over to Monica and helped her to her feet, ¡°Ma¡¯am,¡± he said as he handed her a small pack of thick glucose gel. ¡°She appears to be unharmed, and the rifles are having little to no effect. Orders?¡±


    ¡°Forward Fire,¡± Captain Marvel said, and the troopers all turned and clicked their rifles to a new setting they fired at her.


    Ravage watched her pulse with each blast, powering her up further. Energy absorption, she tutted in her head, damn cheats.


    Captain Marvel sneered and bring both hands together fired a huge blast at Ravage, sending her flying and burning through the reinforced armour on her front.


    As Ravage shook broken ceiling tiles from herself she lifted an arm as bolts of blue light streaked through shelves and hangers. Burning and setting the store alight.


    Ravage wasn''t in pain but she was hurt. Heat and plasma burned anything, and the symbiote wasn''t immune. ¡°Yeah, now we''re mad,¡± she said as she stood, brushing the last of the beams from herself.


    Captain Marvel watched as Ravage stood after being blasted by a force strong enough to blow a hole in the side of the building. During testing, it had melted a tank, and she brushed it off like it was nothing.


    ¡°Men, Protocol Firefly.¡± and her Gamma troopers nodded and stepped back, moving away.


    ¡°I''m sorry, but you forced me to do this.¡± Floating up, Captain Marvel began to glow once more, pulsing with a brighter and brighter light.


    ¡°Stand down. Your last warning.¡± Captain Marvel said, brushing the dust from her uniform, and as she started to float her skin pulsed with blue light, rippling across her slowly at first and then in faster and faster flashes until she was glowing, Never thought I¡¯d have to do this.


    Ravage recognised it, she had her own Binary form, and copying her powers gave Monica one too. Ravage shook her head, what was the point? She must know that she could do that too, and the gap in their abilities would still remain.


    Ravage stood, holding both shield arms in front of her waiting for the next blast to hit her when Monica exploded into light and shimmered, zipping forwards and flying through Ravage''s arms as if they weren''t there. Ravage felt every muscle in her body contract as the full force of energy phased into her and stayed there,


    Captain Marvel¡¯s now pure energy body phased into Ravage, passing through her armour and tapping into the arc reactor on her back, draining it dry and powering her up more. The pure energy flowed into every cell of her body, and while Ravage could absorb some, there was simply too much at once. Even flaring off blasts of power Ravage couldn¡¯t contain all the energy and she screamed as she burned from the inside. Even trying to connect to her binary form only added to the pain, and with each moment she felt herself slipping into the black.


    It was not without effect though, and even as Ravage burned, Monica screamed in pain as well. The strange alien biology Carol possesses was absorbing her, and she felt herself growing weaker and weaker the longer she stayed in this form.


    Exhausted Monica fell backwards, her body returning to normal but Ravage slumped onto the ground, a horrible smell of cooked meat and burnt hair coming from her. She was breathing, a slow steady rhythm but so far she hadn¡¯t moved.


    Monica blinked, letting the sweat and tears run from her eyes. ¡°Containment, quick, before she recovers,¡± she shouted as the troopers, who escaped the blast, came back in and after prodding Carol''s still form. Several stood guard as the unlucky volunteer cuffed her with energy dampening restraints on both her wrists, ankles, and then added in a power restraint collar for good measure.


    The reports Carol Danvers had been weakened by some unknown force were grossly exaggerated, and as a medic looked over Monica he shook her head, ¡°You won but your bioenergy levels are so low you''re a normal person, Cap. You¡¯ll need a long rest to recover.¡± and as he helped her to her feet she looked over at Carol being taken away on a stretcher,


    ¡°It''s fine. We got her, and we can get the rest too.¡±


    This was a shit show as her old commander used to call it. They had gotten one. She already heard that Talbot failed, Ross only got Rogers, and the other Avengers had been driven off by a lawyer of all things. The New Avengers were off to a rocky start, and they hadn''t even been teamed up.


    Looking at the wrecked clothes shop, she knew this would be blamed on her as well. Sone fist mission this was, she thought. And holding her ribs and trying to ignore that all over ache she got when transformed herself into pure energy, she used the shoulder of the medic as a temporary crutch to get back to the unit''s ATV.


    She nodded as the medic helped her into the ATV, gave her a shot of serum and then checked her vision. Her energy form was dangerous to use, and she was stuck as a floating see-through ghost for a week when she first tried it, giving off massive amounts of X-Rays.


    It was only through years of treating for the Avengers Initiative that she finally got a good grip on her powers but whatever Carol had become had drained her dry. ¡°Hey, remember to take blood and tissue samples while she¡¯s out,¡± she told the medic who nodded and collected a tray from the back of the ATV.


    She knew her own transformation was based on blood and other genetic material found, but they were damaged, and incomplete. With new fresh samples, they could refine the process, and maybe even fix her.


    Leaving back and closing her eyes, a soldier nudged her gently and she was handed two things, a ration bar and a radio,


    ¡°Go for Rambeau.¡±


    ¡°Blonskey ¡®ere, you get the firefly?¡±


    ¡°Affirmative. Carol Danvers has been neutralised. Do you need help?¡±


    ¡°Nah, just wanted to know if I¡¯d be first or not, got my name in the pool see,¡± and Monica tutted,


    ¡°Blonsky, I know being a Hulk makes you stupid, but only supposed to be when you¡¯re transformed. Don''t bother me while I''m out on a mission.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine.¡± and she could hear him curing as the radio squealed, ¡°I will request backup if Hill and her companions prove difficult. Blonsky out.¡±


    Maria shook her head and closed her eyes again, unwrapping the energy bar and ignoring the strange chemical-laced chocolate fudge flavoured energy bar. Emile had made it perfectly clear he was attracted to her, and while the man was attractive, the beast was not.


    She laughed to herself, imagining if when they grew did everything, as very few Gamma troopers were female and those that were had to endure the jokes that followed. Of course, Betty was fine. Nobody wanted to see Bruce get angry, even if the reports he had managed to de-power himself were true. Hulk was unpredictable, and while he had complained about the new law, so far he had stayed off the battlefield.


    Parker¡¯s little enhanced group was proving difficult enough, and once more it seemed that a well trained, well-armed small force could do exactly what the Senate was afraid of. Powered individuals capable of doing what they pleased when they pleased. Monica was glad her mom wasn''t here to see what kind of monster Carol had become, of what it took to take her down after her refusal to follow orders. She just hated that to fight the monster, she had to become a monster herself.

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Eighty-Eight. Avengers Disassemble

    Vengeance hissed and as the blades grew from her arms, Abomination stared at her in horror,


    ¡°Fuckin ¡®ell. You¡¯re one of them things ain''tcha?¡± he whispered in terror. As she took a more aggressive pose he shrank back down and raised his hands


    ¡°I saw what happened to Ross and fuck that. I surrender.¡± He looked around, saw the gathering crowd eager to watch the battle, suddenly fell to the ground and grabbed at his legs, ¡°oww oww, me legs, oww me legs. You crippled me,¡± he yelled over dramatically while Cyclops and Vengeance just stared at him, ¡°yeah I ain''t burning for nobody. Now, beat it before they send anyone else. I¡¯ll cover for you.¡± Confused but unwilling to let the opportunity go, the pair made their escape,


    ¡°What was that about?¡± Cyclops asked her,


    Vengeance could only shrug, ¡°no clue.¡± and as the quinjet hovered above the treeline, they jetted up into the cargo bay.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got a pickup to make. Flash is joining us again, seems Ross got Cap and Danvers. We¡¯re breaking them out.¡±


    The Jet hovered for a few moments as Vengeance and Cyclops made their way to the cockpit, and before steaking off it hovered next to a building. The pair heard two soft thumps, and the top hatch opened as Huntress and Webb let themselves in.


    Felicia let her armour peel back, ¡°nice. Four should be enough, what''s the plan?¡± she asked but Cyclops pointed at Flash,


    ¡°His show,¡±


    Flash paled as he realised that this was supposed to be his rescue mission. ¡°Right, uh, yeah.¡± and Webb slid back as well. ¡°So, they have Steve and Carol. Standard Procedure is now to contain at Camp Gamma, where they have an Augment containment facility, and then provide armed and armoured escort to the docks. Shield had a new helicarrier, and a new Raft, on Alcatraz Island. It was completed a year ago and can hold up to 500 inmates with enhanced abilities. Collars, power dampers and gene suppressors.¡±


    ¡°Are we sneaking in? Like the movie?¡± Scott asked but Flash shook his head,


    ¡°While it was cool, no. We hit them at Camp Gamma. The Gamma troopers are all out securing Augments so the base is almost empty. The only security detail left should be prisoner containment. With only guards, and no Gamma powered there, it should be a simple smash and grab.¡± Flash explained, ¡°But. I need help. Will that work?¡± and he looked over at Maria and Fury.


    Fury sighed but Maria blinked a few times while staring off into space.


    Frowning and shrugging, ¡°it''s a good idea, the towers haven''t been upgraded yet, so it''s just normal machine guns. We have radio chatter that the big fish, Blonksy, Marvel, and Talbot are all in the field, and so far only Marvel proved effective against you guys. It¡¯ll probably go sideways once we start, but I don''t see any issues.¡± Maria looked at Fury, who shrugged,


    ¡°The only real problem is your Avengers status.¡± She continued. ¡°After this, I doubt you and Cap will be welcome. I doubt any of us won''t have a huge bounty on our heads,¡± but as the team looked at each other nobody argued.


    ¡°Disguises then. I mean, we have three symbiotes here, and as long as it''s just us three,¡± Flash looked over at Scott, ¡°four, I mean, nobody can tell who you are with that visor on. I have been doing the lessons Parker gave me so I can make Webb change colour now.¡±


    ¡°Right, so us four. Fury, your transport once more. Do we have a map of the area?¡± Maria asked, and Fury nodded and began to call up different points on the cockpit¡¯s navigational displays. ¡°Good, so,¡± and the plan to rescue their friends was decided.


    Camp Gamma was on alert, but the group had been right. With a major threat alert issued all the Gamma Enhanced had been sent out, and it was only those who were still adjusting or had still to receive their treatments that were left.


    It wasn¡¯t as if Ross left the base unattended. Only soldiers of corporal and above were inducted, Ross didn''t want rookies. He needed men who were loyal and committed to the army to serve under him, and more importantly to receive what was a life-changing event.


    It took a few weeks at least, switching between forms and living as a Hulk. A special section of the base had been built, with reinforced floors and roads. Special buildings that would withstand a newly born Hulk falling onto, or ripping its doors off trying to enter.


    It was also where the newly christened Ice Box was. Where prisoners were put on ice until they were transferred to the Freezer, a cryo containment facility where enhanced were to be held indefinitely. Flash had been out of the loop and the prison on Alkatraz was a minimum security holding facility.


    Why drug or collar an Enhanced and risk their powers adapting, and what of Enhanced who could control technology? It was easier to just freeze and monitor. As long as they were kept alive, nobody cared about their civil rights, and with ARCA in place, it wasn''t even illegal anymore.


    Steven and Carol were in huge containers, both with a drip strapped into one arm. The newly christened Crates had all the latest in Starks power dampening technology, and once they were aboard one of the heavily armoured transport trucks they were as good as continued. Only the Freezer had the cryosleep serums counter, and without it, they would never wake up. It had been developed to contain Hulk, but against a normal Enhanced, it was just as good.


    Monica watched as they loaded the Crates into the truck. Carol¡¯s alien had retreated once she was out for the count, and they had no way of getting to it. She didn''t care though, as the serum should take care of it just as easily. She was on watch, she was the only one that had returned from her mission. Talbot had been reported as down, Blonksey, the idiot, hadn''t even put up a fight as he met a Gamma killer, and Stark was MIA, somewhere up in the atmosphere. Ross had personally gone after him, to make sure he¡¯d either taken out Parker or to finish the job.


    She felt the slight tingle in the hairs on the back of her neck. Her sensitivity to disruptions in the electromagnetic field around her gave her a second sense, and she knew that something or someone was coming. Clicking her mic, ¡°Early Warning, no visuals.¡±


    The soldiers knew she had powers, and were to listen, even if it turned out to be a false alarm, but as there was a chatter of gunfire, and one of the guard towers suddenly went dark, it was obvious they were under attack.


    She spotted the first enemy, and it was one of those slick bodysuits that Carol had been wearing, or at least it looked like it, ¡°dammit,¡± she clicked her walkie talkie, ¡°it''s Parker, get the pulse rifles.¡± It was standard procedure that the soldiers around camp Gamma only used normal ordinance, the heavy pulse rifles were only used in the containment area and as the black shadow flickered and she heard the screams of soldiers, she knew that would have to change.


    ¡°Dammit,¡± she cursed, moving forwards and as she lit up her hand a red beam streaked from an unknown location and impacted against her. She was blown backwards and flew through the air, tumbling along the ground as she landed heavily.


    ¡°Stay down, I won''t warn you again,¡± she heard a man''s voice and she moaned, that was a warning? fuck. She focused the photon force through her body but it spluttered and faded, she tried to summon any form of energy, maybe she could match the one that was just fired at her but as her hand''s cycled through every particle she could think of the bean stuck out once more and impacted her, blowing a huge hole in the ground around her, leaving her lying struggling to breathe in the crater.


    ¡°I was not joking. We will take our friends and leave. If nobody resists we won''t harm anyone. Stay down and stay out of it.¡± she heard him say again, and with no choice, she nodded.


    ¡°Damn you¡¯re sexy when you take charge,¡± Cyclops heard the invisible Vengenace whisper in his ear, and her hot breath tickled and was threatening to distract him. ¡°But later you can use that voice on me,¡± he shuddered as the husky voice gave the promise of bedroom pleasure, ¡°no time lover boy, six o''clock,¡± and while he couldn''t see anyone a beam wide enough to hit a person streaked out.


    Falcon landed, narrowly avoiding the beam. ¡°We heard, You know we can''t just stand down. The Avengers never give up,¡± and there was echoing laughter from all around him,


    ¡°The Avengers mean something. You are thugs, following orders and licking boots. You aren''t Avengers, you are criminals.¡± but Falcon''s headset couldn''t pinpoint the voice. ¡°Stand down and we¡¯ll take Cap and Carol and leave, stand against us, and we¡¯ll make sure the Avengers never see the light of day again.¡±


    ¡°What guarantee do I have you won''t do that anyway?¡± Falcon asked and the voice became a show which became a man, a man he recognised.


    ¡°Because Sam. That badge means something to me, and it means everything to Cap,¡± Webb said, throwing his ID down at Falcon''s feet. ¡°We are more than just a name, we are supposed to be an example. And you failed. You and Scott, and Monica. Didn''t you learn from Ava?¡±


    Sam frowned but nodded. Ava had been slated to join the Avengers, but her hatred of Hank Pym had led her to attack Scott as soon as she saw him. She was off the team before her badge was printed.


    ¡°You know this is all illegal right? We work for the government, we¡¯re the good guys,¡±


    Webb shook his head and stepped in front of him, ¡°No, we work for the people. We protect the citizens of the world. If we can''t save them, then we avenge them. Not just the US, not just the rich or the privileged, but everyone one, humans, Enhanced, Symbiotes, and Augments. Like Cap says, liberty and justice for all,¡±


    Falcon sighed, ¡°Cap¡¯s from a different time Flash, it doesn''t work like that anymore.¡±


    Webb snorted, ¡°And you think that makes it right, that makes it our job? To enforce the laws. You¡¯re not military anymore Sam, you¡¯re supposed to be an Avenger. If you want to enforce the law, become a cop, not a superhero,¡± Webb took a deep breath, ¡°and that¡¯s long enough.¡±


    Falcon frowned and realised that he couldn''t hear the sounds of any fighting going on around him. He laughed, ¡°you distracted me, and got your people back.¡± Webb just smiled and nodded, ¡°and Scott?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s fine. As soon as he saw them he stopped and surrendered. Ant-Man isn''t big on taking out a whole team.¡±


    Falcon laughed, ¡°nice work, but you might want to save the jokes for your trial. You know taking them will get you arrested.¡±


    Webb shrugged, ¡°You have to catch us first Sam.¡± and as the jet flew in and hovered behind Webb, he lifted a hand and shot a web at it. ¡°Don''t chase us, it won''t end well, even with the pulse guns, you won''t win.¡±


    Falcon nodded, and as the jet lifted off taking Webb with it he lifted his visor and folded his wingsuit back into standby mode. ¡°Anyone awake?¡± and he was met with a chorus of groans, ¡°fine, get this shit cleaned up, Anyone seen Lang or Rambeau?¡± and as he spoke Scott grew from nowhere and appeared by his side. ¡±Some help you were.¡±


    Scott pointed to his suit, a note had been webbed to it, where the first of the Pym particle cartridges sat,


    ¡®Next time it¡¯s a spike, and that belt won''t stop it¡¯


    Sam shuddered, they had been shown the test files from Darren Cross¡¯s failed experiments of the Yellow Jacket suit, where parts of an animal shrunk at different rates as the mix was wrong. ¡°Yeah, I get that.¡±


    A soldier rushed over and hastily saluted, ¡°Captain Rambau is unconscious Sir, unhurt but they hit her hard,¡± Sam sighed, ¡°and uh, Sterns escaped as well.¡±


    ¡°Ross is going to be pissed.¡± lifting a radio from the soldier, began to organise the camp cleanup.

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Eighty-Nine. Steamy Encounter

    Emma had wanted to rescue him, but instead, she lifted Tony and took him back to Stark Tower. Venom hadn¡¯t done a lot of damage, but it was enough he was out of the fight.


    The Venombuster armour had been formidable, but in the end technology against a technopath was as sensible as using metal guns against Erik. As he made sure every Iron Legion drone was disabled he heard Liv.


    Peter, we¡¯re relaying messages from every other group with a Symbiote member,


    Vengeance and Wrath are helping Carol and Natasha. Once they have their families, they¡¯ll drop them here and then head back into New York.


    Eugene has said that Ross and his Thunderbolts contained Steve, he is in a holding facility but Eugene is working to free him. It seemed more like I don¡¯t know, a show to stop Steve from really getting in trouble. Eugene thinks they will be free within the hour. Felicia is helping him, and yes I know, but she is.


    Wanda and Laura are at the Sanctum with Stephen, and they are safe, even if Stephen says you owe him again. With that magic, we cannot contact them, but Wanda will check in again in an hour.


    I cannot get in contact with Helios, Jean is just not in my range, and neither is Shuri. We really need to test exactly how far we can communicate, maybe a cross country road trip would be nice.


    And I''m sorry Peter, but we haven''t been able to contact Selene either. I know she¡¯s telepathic but I just don''t know how to reach her.


    Elektra has taken care of the Black Cats, Emma is safe, and she is coming to help you.


    It''s fine Liv, stay safe, Tell everyone I love them.


    As Venom stood over the remains of Tony¡¯s legion he felt the presence at the edge of his senses. A massive heat signature, which could only be one person.


    ¡°So, I hear you went after everyone. Bad idea Ross. You made this personal.¡±


    Venom had felt Red Hulk approaching from almost a mile away. While his senses were heightened the gamma radiation lit Ross up like a Christmas tree, and even if he shrunk back down the man''s body temperature was a giveaway.


    ¡°It¡¯s always personal, son.¡± and Ross motioned to the drone, sparking and crushed by Venom. ¡±He failed but we got some of your team. You want to stand down, or do I make you?¡±


    Venom snorted, ¡°make me? You think some formula makes you all-powerful.¡± and Venom clenched a fist, ¡°A man makes his powers, powers do not make the man.¡±


    Red Hulk snorted, ¡°An¡¯ thanks to you, I''ve got more power than Banner ever had. You can¡¯t win, nobody can beat me.¡± To prove a point he clenched a fist and his hand began to steam. Venom could feel the heat from where he was standing but more than that he felt a tingle on his armoured skin. The gamma energy Ross was giving off was immense, even Bruce kept most of it inside, and only his bodily fluids were radioactive.


    ¡°You stupid shit. Extremis? On top of Gamma formula.¡± and it clicked, ¡°We removed most of it, enough to let you rebind another formula. I''m going to kill Stark.¡± He was tempted to tell Emma to ditch Tony in the bay and end this mess but Red Hulk laughed,


    ¡°You think we asked? You think Stark is behind this? Coulson and Shield, Me and Shield. The good ole US of A, making sure we stay one step ahead of those damn Russians.¡±


    Venom shook his head, yup, too much formula. Gwen knew from experimentation that mixing formulas was a really stupid thing to do. They all interacted with the X-Gene, and not in a good way. Extremis got around that by binding to the gene itself and acting as a bridge, but too much, and you got powerful but as Ross was proving, you also got side effects.


    Ross was a calculating man. He ruthlessly and meticulously hunted Banner, but Red Hulk was dumber than rock. The formula crippled brain development in terms of muscle growth. One side had the leader, all the power went to his brain but weakened his body. Blonsky, Banner, and Ross, it all went to the body and not the brain, and in front of Venom was the result.


    ¡°Ross, You aren¡¯t winning this. We have stopped you, I asked Tony to stand down so this doesn''t get worse, I¡¯ll give you the same chance. I won''t stop, not with these stakes, but you need to. This doesn¡¯t end well, not for me, not for you,¡±


    Red Hulk laughed, ¡°I''m a military man, son. It always ends well for me. Pierce may have saved my ass thinking I¡¯d owe him, and Coulson too, but nobody tarnishes brass, and the red, white, and blue never runs.¡±


    Venom shook his head, he wasn''t a psychologist, but he could bet Bruce had some underlying anger issues, so Hulk was always angry, and Ross, Ross was a patriot. Follow orders, salute, do what you¡¯re told, and so Red was a super patriot, which meant he was dangerous. He wouldn¡¯t stop until ordered.


    ¡°Fine, we do this the hard way then,¡± and as his armoured tentacles sprang from his back Red grinned,


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have a choice son.¡± He roared and tensed as the already thick muscles on the man bulged once more,


    Great, Peter thought, it¡¯s like a Saturday morning cartoon with this guy, Not walking into your trap though, if I attack you first that assaulting an officer, and we learned from Liv that gets you jail time. So bring it, you giant baboons ass.


    Venom stood and waited while Ross stood flexing and letting his muscles bulge. His uniform had burned away; leaving him standing in tight stretch pants and a tank top, He did admit that the newer Red Hulk felt more dangerous, and the energy he was leaking was giving Venom second thoughts. Seeing Bruce and Blonsky taking out a helicarrier was impressive, even through the lens of a news camera, and he really didn''t want to have to fight one.


    ¡°You finished, I have a hair appointment at two, and you¡¯re making me late,¡± he said glibly, ¡°I need to get my nails done too,¡± and he held up a hand, and the claws on it lengthened and glowed.


    Red Hulk stood and sneered, ¡°always a joke, always the stupid remark, never taking anything seriously. No wonder your life is a joke. No wonder we hunt you now. You treat your power like a toy, we show you it not a toy. We show you Red strongest one there is.¡±


    Oh shit, Venom thought, there goes his mind. Venom could feel the mental pressure rising from Red. To the Mind Stone, it was like watching a sink empty. The steady flow of energy jumped and then ebbed slowly but as the Hulk grew, the energy faded. Wonder if that¡¯s why Hulk is dumb, the gamma disrupts any connection to the Mind Stone through his X-Gene, but he would have to think more on that as Red roared and charged at him, swinging a huge soccer ball sized fist towards his head.


    Formula made him strong, but thankfully not fast and Venom leant back to avoid the blow. Red, however, was relentless in his assault, swing after swing followed, and for every two that missed, one would connect. Venom was sturdy enough to take the blows, but after fighting Vision, and then Tony he was flagging. He could fight, but not forever and not against three powerful opponents back to back.


    It only took one hit and he was sent flying. As he thudded against a parked car he stared up as the huffing Red approached. Feeling for the Mind Stone, he blasted at him with raw emotion but Red was unfazed, and feeling the static interference his mind was projecting he knew why. Liv had needed to stick a hand into Red and powered up further, Venom doubted that would work.


    Lifting himself up with two tentacles he darted to one side and scored a gash along Red''s side. Red Hulk laughed as the blade drew a line through his shirt but the material closed and healed itself, ¡°fancy armour, thank Richards. For fighting bugs,¡± and Red clapped both hands together sending a shockwave at Venom, blowing him backwards and back into the car.


    As he struggle to stand Red lunged forwards and rained blow after blow into Venom''s chest. The armour lasted three hits before it cracked, even reinforcing it with his cells, and after blow six it crumbled and Red began a fresh assault,


    ¡°Stupid bug, stupid Parker. Hulk strong, Red Hulk stronger,¡± he yelled as he pummeled Venom''s chest, reducing the area to a bloody and bruised mess.


    Venom knew his ribs were broken, and one lung was punctured. He could feel the blood pooling in his throat, and he was only breathing due to his symbskin. Cutting off the sense of pain Venom let both tentacles free from the ground and as Red smashed him once more he and the car were sent flying into a shop.


    ¡°Puny Bug.¡± Red Hulk said but as Venom clawed his way free from the wreckage and scrapped metal he saw Red pacing back and forth, as he waited for him to free himself from the rubble, ¡°It''s over. Red Hulk wins, Red Hulk always wins.¡±


    Holding his ribs Venom pushed his way back onto the street. ¡°I can¡¯t, not with everything that¡¯s at stake.¡± and Venom wrapped new symbskin armour around himself, grabbing metal from the car and patching his armour as he glowed red hot. ¡°Someone will stop you. And I can make their job easier.¡±


    Two limbs darted out, and as Red brought up his arms to protect his face the others gashed at his sides. Venom''s senses flared as the red blood sizzled and melted the sidewalk, crap, I can¡¯t hurt him. The blades were strong enough to pierce his armour and skin, but he was so juiced Venom would render the city block inhabitable with the radiation. Need a new plan. The formula Liv used wouldn¡¯t work on Extremis, it needed its own de-bonder, and stabbing or beating him bloody wouldn¡¯t work as his blood was so toxic. The Mind Stone was useless on something mindless, and repulsors would just piss him off.


    Venom wondered if the building behind him was empty, and if dropping it on Red would even phase him. He needed something big, heavy and difficult to move under, even with superstrength. A construction site would be perfect but there weren¡¯t any, the junkyard, he thought to himself. It was close enough he could get there and it was all scrap anyway.


    Red Hulk had other plans though and as Venom lifted himself the massive monster leapt for him, grabbing ahold of the two arms anchoring him to the sidewalk,


    ¡°Puny bug not listen,¡± and swinging Venom around he slammed him into the sidewalk over and over. As he flopped, trying to get screaming muscles to work Red grinned and spying a fire hydrant dragged Venom over and wrapped both arms around it, ignoring their screeching as he tied them in a massive bow around it before twisting the top and crumpling the whole thing around the two libs.


    As water gushed into the air it steamed and evaporated it hit Red skin, clouding the area in a thick fog.


    Knowing he was trapped anyway, Venom disconnected the arms from the harness and crawled away, shimmering and hoping Red was too preoccupied or just too dumb to notice him,


    Help, I need help, he sent out, and even using the Mind Stone was painful, The blows to his chest had shifted it and it pressed against something inside his chest. As he made it to a building and leaned against it, letting his healing slowly fix not just the damage Red had done, but the radiation poisoning from exposure to Red Hulk¡¯s blood. As his head swam and Red just grinned watching him try to stand, Venom heard the voice,


    I am on my way, darling, Do try to stay in one piece, I might have plans for you later.

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Ninety. Diamonds Are A Boys Best Friend

    Red Hulk laughed as he held up Venom, becoming invisible was great, if you weren''t in a cloud of steam that moved when you did. ¡°Smash puny bug.¡± and as he would up a punch to finish Parker off he found himself lifted from the ground.


    ¡°Seems I¡¯m just in time darling,¡± Emma said with a small smile as she floated down.


    Landing he looked at the devastation the pair had caused, and tutted, ¡°I hope you¡¯re going to make him pay for hits. I do hate a mess, and now, Red, please put my friend down, before I hurt you.¡±


    Red Hulk laughed and drew his arm back, ¡°No care. Smash bug. Smash you too if get in Red Hulk''s way,¡± but as he pushed he felt his arm meet resistance.


    Emma floated over, ''''I wasn¡¯t asking,¡± and with a wave of her hand, Red Hulk felt his fingers pry themselves from Parker''s armoured form. ¡±You are so terribly hurt,¡± and as she gently laid Peter down on the pavement she pushed Red Hulk away with her other hand, ¡°and you now owe me again. The first time was for Shaw, this time I will get what I want.¡± as she gently cradled Peter''s head in her lap he blinked a few times and stared up at her,


    ¡°Now I know I''m dead, I can see the pearly gates behind two white monotonous pillowy clouds.¡±


    Emma laughed, ¡°If you''re conscious enough to make stupid jokes, then you''re conscious enough to walk on your own.¡± but she lifted another hand and stopped the charge of Red Hulk as he bellowed with rage.


    ¡°You see, telekinesis is the application of mental abilities against the muscular stretch of the individual you use it against, but there is a much easier way.¡± Red Hulk lifted slightly as if he was straightening his posture. ¡°All muscle strength requires gravity or force to act against it, remove that force, and you can swing all you like, you can''t move.¡± suspended in the air, Red Hulk swung wildly but with no friction, was suspended helplessly.


    ¡°Why fight your strength, when it''s much easier to simply remove your inertia. Of course, there is something satisfying in fighting your strength¡± Carefully laying Peter down she stood and brushed her mini skirt down.


    You have to help me, Peter. I can¡¯t keep someone as powerful as him down for long.


    I know, but I¡¯m too hurt. You need to give me a few more minutes.


    Fine, but the meter is running darling.


    ¡°I have lost a lot of money today because of these stupid machines, and now I find a giant red monster beating on the one person I might actually like. Do you think I¡¯m having a good day?¡± as Hulk stumbled forwards he was smacked in the face by an invisible hammer blow. It was followed by another, each time Emma flicked her wrist a force smashed into Red Hulk''s body blowing him back, ¡°Do you want to find out?¡±


    Red stood and roared, causing Emma to cover her face with an arm, even Peter was blown backwards by the immense pressure given off by Red, ¡°Red Hulk strongest one there is,¡± and as he clapped his hands together the shockwave blew Emma and Peter back and they turned against the wall of the building behind them, ¡°Red Hulk always win,¡± and as Red roared over and over the pitch grew and Peter and Emma watched as his muscles swelled even further and the steam rising from his body began to smoke.


    ¡°Sorry Emma,¡± Peter said as the dust and debris flew around them ¡°this was my fight.¡±


    Emma hid her face with her jacket just snorted, ¡°This was never just your fight darling,¡± and as she stood, ¡°this was everyone''s.¡± The debris began to clear as Emma extended a shield around them, pushing back against the shockwaves produced by Red Hulk powering up more. ¡°But we will be having a very interesting conversation after this. You are starting to owe me too much.¡±


    Peter laughed and held his ribs, ¡°Consider this down payment.¡±


    Emma gasped as Peter touched her ankle and a voice rang out in her head,


    We are Precious, and we taste you, Emma.


    As Emma felt the Symbiote cover her, replacing the clothes she laughed, Octave hadn''t rejected her, she had wanted Peter to add her to their little group, Liv enjoying having someone just as open-minded as she was. Precious shared everything. Oh, you little shit. She thought


    ¡°Give it¡± and she motioned to Peter, crouching down, ¡°and I won''t ask again. The stone. Give it.¡± and she motioned with her hand.


    ¡°That wasn''t part of the deal.¡± but as Red Hulk Huffed and stretched, now massively pumped up and dwarfing the buildings around him Peter knew this was a fight they weren''t going to win.


    Coughing up the Stone, Emma took it and let it absorb into her forehead. ¡°I finally have something hard of yours inside me,¡± she said and winked with a very cheeky grin. Peter laughed, hoping he hasn''t made a huge mistake.


    Red stood, now almost ten feet tall and growled at the pair, ¡°Red Hulk strong. Red Hulk kill puny Parker and big titty lady.¡±


    Oh shit, Peter thought to himself, wrong thing to say.


    ¡°They are rather spectacular aren''t they. Even Peter can''t keep his eyes off them.¡± Emma motioned down to where Hulk''s pants had burned off, ¡°Pity we can''t say the same about your equipment though¡±


    Red Hulk didn''t care if he was naked or not, all that mattered was smashing these two bugs. This was what he wanted, Ross never cared about Banner or anything other than having the power of the Hulk, and once he got it and then Extremis, nobody could stop him.


    As he roared and charged he felt the ground under his feet give way and even with his strength he crashed into the ground and it furrowed up as his weight crushed the concrete


    ¡°A shame, see, where most of your weight is as you put it in your titties, you learn. You learn that when an Augment can lift you with his mind, to work around it, you learn then when an Augment can project energy you work around it,¡±


    Red Hulk lifted himself and grabbed  a handful of debris, throwing it at Emma, who tutted and brushed to one side,


    ¡°How rude. You learn that strength is nothing without training, and I know that without a good place to stand, you are nothing but a brute.¡± as Red lined up a charge his feet dug into the sidewalk, and as he sped towards her, he tripped on something small.


    Emma didn''t need to pit her telekinesis against his massive strength, a simple block would do. Wedged hard enough that when he kicked it, his momentum did the rest and he fell once more, crashing through the road.


    ¡°But, we also know that there is no way I can avoid you forever.¡± and as she moved over, ¡°sorry darling, not for fun this time.¡± and lifting Peter she spun him around and undid his harness. It was cracked from the fight, and two arms were still tied around a fire hydrant, but it was still functional, and two arms were enough for what she needed.


    Clipping it over herself two tendrils of symbskin branched out and the arms connected into a symbskin domed helmet which proudly displayed the Mind Stone at its front. ¡°Charles gave me this idea, with his supercomputer Cerebro. Add enough telepathic power to a focusing crystal and,¡±


    Red Hulk was hit by a beam of yellow energy pulsing out from the Mind Stone. Emma floated up, ¡°Pure mental energy, handily powered by a small star and a metal capable of absorbing and projecting it, thank you Peter.¡± and even as he brought up an arm to ward off the beam it burned and smouldered on his flesh.


    ¡°My, you are a tough one,¡± reinforcing the beam Emma took all that rage and indignation, all the pain and hate and focused it more, distilled it down and the beam widened. The Stone flared and a beam of yellow energy hit Red Hulk. He grasped at his head and screamed as she filled his mind with every failure, every disaster, each punishment and each mocking escape done by Bruce, even Liv¡¯s beating before he got a good grip on his powers poured into his mind playing over and over,


    Pathetic, he heard over and over as Emma tore apart his mind, nothing but a bully, and as he was powerless to resist she lifted him up and slammed him over and over into the sidewalk.


    ¡°Puny Hulk,¡± she said mockingly as she floated back down once he reverted back to General Ross. ¡°We do have company though darling.¡± and the harness retracted back into her clothing, taking the Mind Stone with it. ¡°You may want to dress appropriately.¡±


    As the military convoy approached Peter covered himself with his thicker Venom armour and Emma nodded and took to the skies. Letting the military know about another powerful Augment was asking for trouble, and quietly she made her escape.


    I want the Stone back Emma. Emma, I know you can hear me. Dammit, Emma,


    Coulson stood across from Venom, and he motioned to the shattered Iron Legion drones littering the street, and to the badly beaten and unconscious Ross, still smashed into the sidewalk,


    ¡°I need you to stand down,¡± Coulson said, even as Shield agents surrounded Venom. ¡°It''s over.¡±


    Venom shook his head, ¡°it''s not over.¡± and he motioned to the soldiers surrounding him, noticing most wore the Gamma Trooper patch, Ross¡¯s Thunderbolts.


    Coulson nodded and raising one hand slowly reached behind him, taking out a small radio.


    Today, President Ellis signed an amendment to the Augment Act, forcing the issue through using his presidential privilege. From today, all Enhanced and Augments, civilian or otherwise, are pardoned of their defence against the Sentinels. The Sentinel program has been scrapped and a recall order issued.


    For more on this story, tune in for our-


    but Coulson clicked the radio off. ¡°It''s over. Your friends destroyed all the Sentinels in New York. It Is Over.¡± he dropped the radio on the ground, ¡°But we need you to surrender, and not finish what you started.¡± and his eyes flicked down to Ross¡¯s body.


    ¡°He¡¯s hurt, but not dead, and I won¡¯t surrender. I¡¯ve seen this before. Nat and Carol? Would I see daylight again, would any of us? No, I¡¯ll leave and you can try to finish what Ross started, and hunt me.¡±


    Coulson swore, and as Venom sent out a line and swung away, he stared at the quickly decreasing dot.


    One of his commanders approached him, ¡°I have the pursuit helicopter on route Sir, do we follow?¡± but Coulson shook his head.


    ¡°Don''t bother, we know where he lives.¡±


    Motioning to his men he set the GPS to Peter''s address, he highly doubted he would be there, but leverage never hurt anyone.


    ¡°Oh, and grab Ross, he¡¯ll probably be in a bad mood when he wakes up, so keep him away from my office.¡±


    The journey was quick. As the street had been cleared when the fighting started and as the jeep pulled up outside the warehouse, not just Peter but his whole group was waiting for Coulson.


    ¡°You know why I''m here Peter,¡± but Peter pointed over at a nearby rooftop,


    ¡°Hey, Shithead, Nice try. I bet even Red Hulk would have come here. All the scheming must have fried that walnut you call a brain,¡± Venom shouted from one of the rooftops. As Coulson and his men watched Venom leered and posed threateningly before the thrusters on his back fired and the armoured giant flew away once more.


    Coulson shook his head, ¡°touche Mister Parker, touche.¡± He motioned for everyone to get back in the ATVs, ¡°retreat, Parker is not Venom, I repeat, Parker is not Venom. Find out which idiot gave us that intel and have him shot,¡±


    As the soldiers filed back into their vehicles, Coulson approached the warehouse, ¡°I know that''s not you Peter,¡± and Coulson tapped his nose, ¡°Liv told me any idiot with a nose can smell the formula, but honestly, I don''t care. Someone will swing for this mess, and it won''t be me, and I will make sure it won''t be you. Stark was threatened by Senatorial suppression, so it¡¯ll be passed around until someone says something stupid.¡± as he turned to walk back to the jeep, ¡°just make sure it''s not him would you.¡±


    In the jeep, Coulson dialled his phone, ¡°your plan failed Senator, and the fallout even cleared Peter Parker of being Venom. I can make sure the Thunderbolts and the Avengers are covered, but you better have a damn good backup plan, or this will end up on your head.¡± before whoever was on the other end could reply Coulson ended the call.


    It had gone exactly as he¡¯d expected. He knew Peter would triumph, he had help, a good team and more importantly, the Augments on his side.


    Fury had warned him that Malik was Hydra and ever since then Coulson had kept his eyes on the Senator. He had expected Steve to disobey, taking the Avengers out of the equation. He knew Stark would try but fail as he had the wrong intel on Parker, he hadn''t expected Ross to go off-mission though, and he would be seeing if Parker could depower him as well. The Thunderbolts could stay but Ross was even more unstable than Banner, and that plus Hulk powers were a really bad idea.


    As Coulson made arrangements, for not just Ross, Tony, and the others hurt during this colossal act of idiocy, he now just needed Parker to finish the job and take down Gideon Malik once and for all.

 Arc Ten. Side Story. X-Over. Who Watches The Watchman

    Malisson


    This is an Aprils Fools chapter, and while set in the same world, has no bearing on the main story, and can be skipped.


    Reed had gathered the Fantastic Four together once more for another experiment to reverse the reality damage done by Dooms machine,


    ¡°We know that the stone gave off radiation and that it''s saturated our tissues. I¡¯ve devised a means to draw off some of that power, and to use it to reverse the damage.¡± He explained, ¡°but you might need constant dose to maintain your form, Ben,¡±


    Ben nodded, he didn''t care, as long as he stopped looking like this ¡®Thing¡¯ as the media had dubbed him. Even Alicia trying to reassure him he wasn''t a giant monster didn''t help some days. And neither did johnny.


    ¡°I need you all to attach this to your wrists, and then, it uh, might be a bit painful,¡± Reed said nervously, the siphon drew off the energy, but he had no idea if it would drain their powers, or damage their cells, and he needed all four to do any kind of testing.


    ¡°Right, but I don''t want to lose my powers,¡± Johnny said. Of them all he was the most enthusiastic and often went out dealing with petty criminals, Sue had reservations about her powers, whereas Reed just saw it as another thing to utilise in his experiments, although being able to stretch was convenient at times.


    ¡°It doesn''t matter. Once I have some readings I can make adjustments. Ben needs this Johhny. We are all fine, and I won''t leave Ben feeling left out.¡±


    ¡°Yeah flame brain, see how you like being on fire all the time, that''s what this is.¡± but even Johhny had to agree there. Of everyone, Ben¡¯s powers were always on, and Johhny couldn¡¯t imagine the problems it would cause always being on fire.


    ¡°Right, right, but uh, I''ve got a date at twelve, so can we?¡± Johnny explained and Reed nodded. They slid the armbands over their hands, and at the control panel, Reed flipped a switch.


    It was a small tickle, like a cold sliver running through their bodies, and as reed watched the dials sue and Johhny shuffled uncomfortably in their seats.


    ¡°Right, that''s enough, the stabiliser is charged.¡± Reed stretched over and lifted the final wristband from its holder, ¡°Ben, take that off and try this one.¡±


    Ben nodded, and while Johhny lit and juggled small fireballs to test he still had his powers, Ben grimaced as the stabiliser connected.


    EEE UUURR


    It sounded, and the face flashed red.


    ¡°Give it a moment, it needs to calibrate,¡± Reed explained and Ben stared at it,


    EEE UUURR


    It sounded again, and once more the face flashed red.


    ¡°That it? It ain''t working Reed.¡± and Ben clenched his fists, ¡°I''m stuck like this ain''t I?¡± but Reed could only shake his head,


    ¡°If the damage can be done Ben, it can be undone. Maybe more power, maybe-¡± but Ben interrupted him,


    ¡°No, I¡¯m a monster, an¡¯ now you want to do more tests, do more experiments,¡± Ben shouted, ¡°and this, this stupid thing¡± and pulling the stabiliser from his wrist he wound up and threw it, ¡°its crap, its all carp.¡± and the other three watched as the stabiliser went flying from the twenty-third floor of the Baxter building,


    Reed could only watch in horror as his latest invention went flying, ¡°Ben.¡± but Ben shook his head


    ¡°No Reed, I''m sick of it, sick of the tests, an¡¯ I ain''t-¡± but Reed shook his head


    ¡°That was three million dollars and the last of our vibranium.¡±


    Ben huffed, ¡°well then it''s a good thing I didn''t shove it up my-¡±


    ~


    New York, 5th Avenue.


    ¡°Asshole,¡± Marcus shouted as the flying watch smacked him in the head, and after his vision stopped swimming, he lay on the sidewalk with a fist raised, curing Reed Richards.


    Everyone knew that walking past the Baxter Building was sometimes a lucky dip as to what would be flying out, and as he lay there, feeling the swelling on his head throb, and the weird sensation around his wrist tickle and tingle, a rather attractive young African American woman, holding a camera approached him,


    ¡°Oh, uh hey,¡± she said, and as his eyes came back into focus, he saw she had a strange diamond mark over one eye. ¡°I got it on camera. Twenty-five per cent of the settlement and the footage is yours.¡±


    Marcus frowned, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I sit here, sometimes, waiting for Reed Richards to screw up, record it and help people sue him.¡±


    Marcus sat upright and the pain in his head throbbed again, ¡°For money?¡±


    ¡°Well, duh. A girls gotta eat somehow.¡± Marcus stared at her as she shuffled a backpack around and pulled out a form, ¡°fill this in, I¡¯ll hand it in and when you get your money you pay me. It¡¯s been great, Reed even printed out a standard form, but uh, it doesn''t look like you¡¯re too badly hurt, you might only get a thousand or so,¡± she explained,


    ¡°Yeah don''t care, going home,¡± Marcus said as he rubbed his eyes,


    Domino huffed, ¡°My money?¡±


    Marcus shook his head, ¡°A grand?¡± and Domino nodded, ¡°Plus whatever Reed Richards does to get this back?¡± and lifting his arm he showed her the device now attached to his arm, ¡°I think I¡¯ll pass.¡±


    Marcus got to his feet, letting the sensations slowly pass as his vision swam. Shaking his head and taking a deep breath he sighed, ¡°just my lucky fucking day.¡±


    With his head pounding, and now this crazy weirdo hounding him, today suddenly turned into a go home and crawl back into bed day. A job wasn¡¯t worth this crap, and he still had two months rent paid and a refrigerator full of groceries.


    As he walked away Domino stared at him, flicking back through the photos she had taken, ¡°if it''s not payday then what¡¯s up huh?¡± and as she stared at his back, ¡°maybe something else, maybe I should follow him and find out.¡± and with a smile and a small grin, Domino decided that it might not be his lucky day, but she would make sure it was hers.


    ~


    Hells Kitchen, eighth floor, apartment 80b


    Marcus sighed as he saw her. She was stood, all six-foot, dark brown skin, afro hair and that damn diamond over one eye. ¡°You followed me?¡±


    ¡°Of course, my power is never wrong, you''re my lucky day.¡±


    Marcus sighed again, ¡°luck isn''t a power,¡±


    Domino laughed, ¡±of course it is, anything can be a power.¡±


    ¡°Nope, it''s not, luck isn''t real.¡±


    Domino sighed and her shoulders slumped, ¡°fine, my power is to identify and collapse probability waves culminating in a positive outcome, beneficial specifically to me.¡±


    Marcus frowned, ¡°so luck?¡±


    Domino smiled, ¡°See, that wasn''t so hard was it?¡±


    Laughing, Marcus shook his head, ¡°so just good luck, or more?¡±


    ¡°More than a cameo? definitely good for me.¡±


    A third voice interrupted them, and as the pair looked over at the speaker, Domino groaned. It was a strange sight, a man, dressed in a black and red armoured suit, with half his mask, slid over his face, and a sandwich stuffed in it as busy jiggling keys in the lock of the door,


    ¡°Deadpool.¡± Domino said, sighing and rubbing her forehead ¡°sometimes it''s most definitely bad.¡±


    ~


    Inside Apartment 80B


    ¡°I guess why you followed, but uh, Deadpool right? Why are you here?¡± Marcus asked. Domino had followed him inside, and as he went to close the door, the strange man had just pushed past him,


    ¡°Plot,¡± Deadpool said, and as Marcus looked over at Domino she shrugged,


    ¡°Just ignore him, nobody at the mansion liked him, and they probably threw him out.¡±


    Deadpool recoiled, ¡°Aww, that''s just mean, I¡¯ll have you know Hank loves me, he had me do all these tests naked, even though I wasn¡¯t supposed to be. He was red with joy, or well, I think he was, all that fur, he¡¯s like a giant beanie baby.¡± Deadpool added wistfully.


    ¡°Hank?¡± Marcus asked but Domino shook her head,


    ¡°Don''t ask, secret Augment stuff. But yeah, if he pissed off one of the heads, then they threw him out. What Colossus not save you this time?¡±


    ¡°Only in the movies,¡± Deadpool said, and went back to rummaging in the kitchen ¡°hey, don''t you have decent food?¡± he said as he unwrapped a toaster pastry and stuffed it in his mouth, ¡°I mean, I''m poorer than Parker and I have better food.¡±


    ¡°Parker? You mean multi-millionaire polyandrist Peter Parker, yeah, he¡¯s poor.¡±


    ¡°What the shit? Parker is always poor. Damn hack writers, spoiling his one schtick. How am I supposed to relate to him now? What? Does he think he¡¯s Bruce Wayne or something?¡± Deadpool mumbled,


    ¡°Yeah, don''t care. Get the fuck out.¡± Marcus said, he knew who Peter Parker was, his love life was in the media more than Starks, and that was saying something,


    ¡°You don''t get it. We¡¯re supposed to be together. I mean, you think this novel is risque, you should read the slash stuff.¡± Deadpool complained, and now Marcus was completely lost.


    ¡°Do you know what he¡¯s talking about?¡± Marcus asked Domino, who looked up from the magazine she was reading.


    ¡°Nope, tuned out as soon as he opened his mouth.¡±


    Deadpool tutted, ¡°Well fuck you too, miss ¡®my power is luck¡¯. I¡¯m not talking to you.¡± he huffed


    Domino laughed, ¡°see, it must be working. So, magic man, show us your magic.¡± and she pointed at the stabiliser on Marcus''s wrist.


    Marcus pulled back his sleeve, ¡°I don''t even know what this is, I mean, it looks like a watch but with no face.¡±


    As he held it up he got a good look at it. It was a thick strapped old fashioned watch, with a spin dial on the top and the face had two triangles pointing at each other, currently flashing yellow. ¡°You don''t think that''s bad do you?¡±


    ¡°Give me your hand,¡± Domino asked, and held out hers. Marcus looked at it, ¡°I can use my powers, sometimes to rub off on people.¡±


    Deadpool snorted, ¡°she wants to rub you off.¡±


    ¡°Can I stab him?¡± Domino asked,


    Deadpool shrugged, ¡°I charge twenty bucks for that. Forty for the face, fifty for the groin.¡± and both Domino and Marcus stopped and stared at him, ¡°what? It''s a tough economy.¡±


    Marcus raised an eyebrow ¡°anyway, I don''t see how it comes off. It''s one of Richard''s stupid things.¡± and gripping the top of the watch dial it wouldn''t even lift from his skin.


    ¡°Wait, Reed Richards, completely batshit insane but it''s totally okay somehow Reed Richards. Punch a hole into other dimensions, piss off the locals and then act like he¡¯s the victim Reed Richards, summon interim-¡±


    Domino put her hand over his mouth, ¡°yes, Reed Richards.¡± and she took it away quickly and wiped it on his bodysuit as he gently licked her palm.


    ¡°Okay, then, yeah, good luck with that, I''m leaving,¡± Deadpool said, and tried to move towards the door,


    ¡°Uh uh, you¡¯re staying. You wanted in on this, and now you don''t get a choice.¡± Domino said


    Deadpool made a whining noise, ¡°buutt mom, it''s probably dangerous, and I don''t feel like getting blown up. Again. Today.¡±


    Domino shrugged, ¡°don''t care, my powers are kicking in when you try and move away. You¡¯re staying, and that''s final.¡±


    Deadpool pouted and she sighed and lifted a twenty from her purse, ¡°here, now you¡¯ve been paid.¡±


    Deadpool snatched the twenty ¡°okay, but you can only stab me in the ass, ¡®cause I think you''re cute.¡±


    Domino groaned, ¡°I¡¯ll stab you in lots of places if you''re not quiet. Now Marcus, the watch.¡±


    ¡°I said, it''s broken,¡± Marcus grabbed the top, which seem to at least spin, and as he did, a small holo display lit up, and several figures were lit up in bright green holograms. ¡°Woah, that''s new.¡±


    As he flicked the dial, there seemed to be seven in total. All different.


    ¡°Well, my powers aren''t going nuts, so pick on and press the face down,¡± Domino suggested.


    ¡°If you''re sure?¡± Marcus said, and Domino shrugged.


    As he turned the dial he spotted a large muscular man, with a long flowing cape behind him, ¡°You¡¯ll do,¡± and he pushed down and the watch clicked, and he was surrounded by a green glow.


    As he came back into view, he was now floating, covered in bright red and blue body armour, with a giant red pair of triangles emblazoned on his chest over a yellow background. A large red cape flowed down his back and seemed to be flapping as if an invisible wind was gently blowing on it.


    Domino had to admit that damn was he handsome. The new Marcus was at least seven feet tall, with bulging very prominent muscles under that skin-tight bodysuit. His hair was black and perfectly styled, hanging a single curl down over baby blue eyes that screamed love me, at her. She swallowed, damn, if this was her luck, then and trying to be as inconspicuous as possible she let her eyes trail down to his,


    ¡°Holy shit. Are you Amazon? ¡®cause that''s one massive package.¡± Deadpool shouted, and Marcus looked down at his now very skin-tight pants.


    ¡°Uh, yeah,¡± he said, pulling the cloak around him, trying to cover what was a fairly large bulge, ¡°I feel weird though, like, I can hear everything, heartbeats, the traffic outside, and HOLY SHIT. I''m floating, I¡¯M FLOATING!¡± he yelled as he struggled to gain traction in the air, ¡°help, ¡°


    As he floated forwards he grabbed Dealpools shoulder and with a sickening crunch, felt it crumble under his grip. Deadpool screamed but was unable to dislodge himself.


    Marcus stammered ¡°sorry, sorry, I''m  strong, I didn''t know, I was panicking,¡± and as he released his grip on Deadpool he floated backwards., ¡°Uh, maybe a broom push me towards the couch?¡±


    As Deadpool gripped and reset his shoulder he looked over, ¡°I ain''t touching him, not unless you''ve got another twenty.¡±


    Domino sighed, ¡°Marcus, focus, calm your breathing and focus. Listen to my voice, hear only my voice, and just breathe, okay,¡±


    As he closed his eyes and listened to Domino''s calming voice he felt himself float down, and touch the carpet.


    ¡°Thanks, uh, how did you know that would work?¡±


    Domino smiled, ¡°the professor helped me when my powers were a bit more unpredictable, luck isn''t always good, and sometimes bad luck hurts people.¡±


    ¡°Uh, thanks anyway,¡± Marcus said as he smiled, and there was a beeping noise from his chest and with a flash, he was back to being human. ¡°I guess the transformation only lasts a few minutes.¡± and as he looked down he could see the watch face was back to being yellow once more. ¡°Wonder how long it takes to recharge?¡±


    As he asked the watch face beeped once more and was back to green.


    ¡°Oh, right, timer anyone? The oven has one, or a phone¡± Marcus asked as he turned the watch dial once more. This time he picked a smaller man, with green lightning arcing all over his body. As long as he didn''t touch anyone the lightning should stay put. ¡°Right, ready?¡±


    Domino indeed, and the timer function on her phone started as Marcus pushed the watch face down once more.


    The flash left a smaller man, in full body armour dyed a deep scarlet red standing in his palace. ¡°Hey, this isn''t so bad, no super hearing this time.¡± and he lifted his hands to stare at them, ¡°don''t feel any different though, the watch figure had lighting, so if that''s my power, unless I do something consciously, it won''t do anything?¡±


    Domin shrugged, ¡°could be handy, ¡° and she wouldn''t admit it, but she preferred the other more muscular form, this one was a bit lame. ¡°Try lifting something, if you¡¯re still super-strong.¡±


    Marcus nodded and as he leant forward to pick up the side of the table he darted, unseen by the other two and sped forward, tangling himself up in a throw run he had on the back of the sofa. Picking himself up off the floor he stepped to balance himself and shot forwards once more, this time into the arms of Domino, who to him, in, slow motion stared in shock at his burst of speed.


    As he tried to correct his path, he tripped and spun, landing on the chair on the other side of the room, with one hand under Domino''s ass, and the other gently cupping her small but springy breast.


    ¡°Uh, I did not mean to do that.¡± Marcus quickly stammered, but left his hands where they were, ¡° I don''t want to move, in case I go hyper again¡±


    Domino laughed and moved his hand away gently, and lifted herself up, ¡°I don''t know if that was your good luck or my bad luck there, but, thanks, I''ve met Quicksilver and high-velocity impacts are not pretty.¡±


    Marcus imagined running at high speed into the thin apartment''s walls and wondered if the wall or his flesh would have given out first, he shuddered thinking that he wouldn''t be able to stop from smashing through the thin plaster walls until he knocked himself out.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m just going to sit and wait for the watch to time out,¡± he said, standing as still as he could.


    ¡°Look, you''ve got the dial face thing on your chest again. Maybe it''s the off switch?¡± Domino suggested.


    ¡°Can¡¯t hurt to try,¡± and bringing a hand up Marcus gently touched the circle and as he pressed it, there was a beeping noise and he reverted back to his normal self. ¡°Oh thank god for that.¡± he looked at the torn rug and furled carpet where he had sped across the room.


    ¡°So, how many are we testing, cause I¡¯m thinking, we could maybe go somewhere you won''t kill yourself,¡± Domino asked,


    Deadpool, on the other hand, stuffed a sandwich into his mouth, ¡°no, let him do it here, I have renters insurance, if he trashes my place I get a free hotel stay, oh, and you''re out of bread.¡±


    Marcus looked over and the fresh loaf he bought the day before was piled high, filled with everything he had in his cupboards.


    ¡°Hey ass, that was my lunch.¡±


    Deadpool shrugged, ¡°the crime in this neighbourhood is terrible. I mean, I woke up one morning and there was  perfectly good TV just sitting on my coffee table, someone broke in and framed me by planting it there.¡±


    Marus shook his head, Hells Kitchen was bad enough without knowing he was living next to this idiot as well. ¡°Look, we have five more transformations to go through, do you know anywhere we can try them out without hurting anyone or trashing my place?¡±


    Deadpool, lifted a tuna fish and peanut butter jelly sandwich, ¡°sure, Peter fought Liv in an abandoned warehouse in Chapter 57, we can use it.¡±


    ¡°I understood half of that sentence, but if it''s abandoned who says there aren''t criminals or some other-¡± but Marcus could see the smile on Deadpool''s face, ¡°you killed them didn''t you?¡±


    Deadpool gasped ¡°as if I would. No, I simply stated in no uncertain terms that maybe sometimes after a few too many that I might have nursed my hangover there. And I can positively say that my gun was not involved in any way and that any blood there is purely coincidental.¡±


    Marcus rubbed his forehead, ¡°are all superheroes like this? I mean, I¡¯ve seen Spider-man on TV, and that Venom guy, but uh,¡±


    Domino grimaced and shook her head, ¡°there are no superheroes like Deadpool, in fact, there is nobody like Deadpool.¡±


    ~


    Olivia Octavious ArcStar Project Experiment Warehouse.


    ¡°Ta-Da,¡± Deadpool shouted as they broke into the rusty and abandoned building. It had been years since anyone had been in here and the remains of police tape drifted listlessly in the breeze. ¡°Now, I know it''s not much, but still, it''s better than nothing.¡±


    ¡°No, nothing would be better. If I slam into a wall at high speed I¡¯ll probably bring the building down, ¡° Marcus complained, ¡°I mean, look at the hole.¡± He pointed to the giant cutaway section at the back of the building,


    ¡°Just ignore it, the giant hole,¡± Deadpool said, ¡°only whiners point out giant holes in things, like walls, floors, plots. You know who I mean, uh huh yes you do, don¡¯tcha,¡±


    ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± Domino asked. She was regretting coming, as the room was filled with pigeon droppings and the two camp beds in the corner stank and were covered in mould.


    ¡°Oh, nobody,¡± Deadpool said with a wink, ¡°So, whadda ya think?¡±


    ¡°It''s a shitheap, and that''s insulting to heaps of shit. We should leave before a stiff breeze knocks it over.¡± Marcus said, and as he turned Deadpool grabbed the switches,


    ¡°But it''s got power and everything,¡± he explained as the lights came on and a low humming could be heard coming from the smashed and rusted equipment. ¡°I mean, a little dust, a little spit and polish, and we have our own secret base.¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah, no,¡± Domino said, but as she turned to leave she felt a tug and instead headed towards the pile in the corner. Nudging it with a toe, it crumbled and underneath was a pile of various metals, shiny and unrusted metals. ¡°Is that what I think it is?¡±


    Marcus shrugged, if it was gold or silver he had no clue, ¡°Secret hideout of who, Deadpool? Is this some kind of drug den?¡±


    ¡°Nah, Pete got the drug den for his little sex cave in Chapter 5, this is more like a secret boss room, he just didn''t loot it properly.¡±


    Marcus shook his head, maybe the longer they spent together the more sense he made. ¡°Fine Domino, take it and see if anyone will buy it. If this is a hideout it''s probably stolen and we don''t need Deadpool fucking things up.¡±


    ¡°It''s Wade. You can call me Wade. I like you.¡± Deadpool said, pulling off his mask, ¡°see, I even revealed my civilian identity to you.¡±


    Marcus resisted the urge to gag, not only did his face look like herpes growing on mouldy feet but the smell was enough that even from several feet away it was like being downwind of a skunk orgy during summer in a pit made entirely of liquid farts.


    ¡°Fine, fine, Wade. We split the money three ways though.¡° Marcus might not be a crook but he wasn¡¯t about to let free money walk out the door, considering as well that job hunting was going poorly. Since Parker Inc set itself up, and Stark Teck got taken over jobs were thin on the ground. Everyone wanted references, and Marcus had none. All he had was his G.E.D, but it wasn¡¯t enough for anything more than waiter jobs.


    Domino sighed, ¡°fine, I''ve got a few contacts I can run it through, but the cut will be hefty, oh and it¡¯s Domino, I don''t have a secret identity, unlike Wade here, I just go by that name.¡±


    ¡°Uh, but what do dominos have to do with being lucky? Shouldn''t it be rabbit or I dunno, the gambler?¡± Deadpool said, grinning.


    ¡°Shut up Wade.¡± was all she said back, ¡°I¡¯ll get this fenced, and why is there still power? The grid should have been shut down years ago. If this Liv abandoned the palace. You two, get some tar at least, if this is our new testing area, I don''t want anyone to watch us.¡±


    ¡°So uh, you''re staying?¡± Marcus asked,


    ¡°My powers go crazy around you, so yeah, I''m staying. I''m dying to see what happens next.¡± Domino hoisted the rucksack over her shoulder, ¡°plus, it hasn''t been this fun in ages, toddles.¡± and she blew Marcus a kiss while Deadpool huffed.


    ¡°I don''t see my kiss?¡± he complained but Domino just shrugged,


    ¡°When you don''t look like a ballsack with eczema covered in barf, I might think about it.¡±


    ¡°That''s just mean.¡±


    ~


    A week later


    ¡°Peter dear, do you remember when we met?¡± Liv asked,


    ¡°Uh, the time you tied me to a table or the time you tried to blow us all up?¡± Peter replied,


    ¡°The second one. Seems some lunatic wants to buy that warehouse, should I?¡±


    ¡°Uh, is there anything there still capable of blowing us up?¡±


    ¡°Uh, maybe some lasers, but nothing that would be incredibly destructive, maybe some gold I stole.¡±


    ¡°Right, so death rays and illegal loot. Sure, why not, but if I have to chase a death ray wielding maniac with a huge gold grill around though, you''re in trouble.¡±


    Liv laughed, ¡°and as a bad girl, you should definitely spank me.¡±


    ~


    Another week later


    ¡°So, what''s up his butt?¡± Marcus asked as he helped Domino clean more of the warehouse. It was just old, and unused, and once they scrubbed the whole palace clean it smelt and looked a lot better. The walkways above them were rusted and unsafe but everything else, barring the big hole in the side, was actually not too bad. A lick of paint and the place would be a perfect training area,


    ¡°She stole my money,¡±  Wade huffed. He was sitting in stripey pyjamas, with a cloth cap on, holding a teddy bear, while curled up under a blanket, ¡°and she only got me a stuffed bear, I specifically requested a stuffed giraffe.¡±


    Domino rolled her eyes, ¡°I bought the place, figured it was safe enough I could live here.¡±


    Marcus frowned, ¡°You bought it, with the gold you sold?¡±


    Domino shook her head, ¡°I found a lotto ticket, won a hundred grand, so I figured why not?¡±


    ¡°Because this is a shithole, that''s why.¡± he replied, ¡°and him? Really?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t steal shit. The gold wasn''t pure, and the metal was just nickel, worthless. The gold went for a grand, once he took his cut it was two twenty each, I gave Wade his cut and took the rest as rent.¡± Domino explained


    ¡°He¡¯s living here too?¡± Marcus asked,


    ¡°I''m a squatter,¡± Wade shouted back,


    ¡°Don''t ask, I think he¡¯s lonely. I mean, they did throw him out of the mansion.¡±


    ¡°Okay, him I get, but you?¡±


    Domino shrugged, ¡°My powers aren''t great, and I can hurt a lot of people.¡±


    ¡°By being lucky?¡± Marcus asked.


    Domino nodded, ¡°my good luck is bad luck for a lot of others. Look, someone tried to mug me, and on the twelfth floor above me an old lady nudged a potted plant and boom, instant headshot.¡±


    Wade laughed, ¡°Oh the old flower pot through the skull bit, I love it.¡±


    ¡°While he¡¯s laughing that mugger died. I don''t know if he had kids or a family. Hell, what if that was a dog or someone''s kid that got pushed? What if a car tire blows out and saves me but causes a car wreck? Luck isn''t always good, and so I want somewhere to stay, out of the way.¡±


    Marcus had no idea, ¡°So, uh, your one of those, Augments?¡±


    Domino nodded, ¡°him too, but we¡¯re fine. JJ-¡±


    Marcus interrupted her, ¡°yeah, don''t care. If the real news is right then you guys have been around for decades, if not longer and nobody said diddly. As long as their no weird hinky mind stuff, I don''t care. I''m figuring out the watch, and then going back to my place.¡±


    ¡°Uh, about that,¡± Wade said, as he pulled the blanket up higher, ¡°I got you evicted.¡±


    ¡°What the shit,¡± Marcus yelled, ¡°how did you get me evicted!¡±


    ¡°Coke, a fuck lot of coke. I mean, if Dommie here dint jinky up the place it¡¯d be jail or worse,¡± and Wade sighed, ¡°that was a lot of coke,¡±


    ¡°Domino. What does he mean?¡± Marcus asked.


    ¡°Uh, Deadpool is a mercenary, he kills people,¡±


    ¡°For fun and money!¡± Wade yelled


    ¡°Yeah, and he also robs them after. So when a drug lord got taken out by Venom, Wade here, went in and cleaned the place out afterwards.¡±


    Marcus rubbed a hand over his forehead, ¡°and you hid it in my apartment, you asshole!¡±


    ¡°It''s fine, the coke is gone, and your landlord agreed to forget everything, but I also had to give him five hundred bucks and flushed the drugs in front of him,¡±


    ¡°Traitor!¡± Wade yelled, ¡°I woulda just killed him, and then we could have had coke and money but noooo, someone got to have a conscience, someone¡¯s got to-¡±


    ¡°Wade, want to see my tits?¡± Domino asked,


    Wade nodded and as she slowly undid her zip, the metal clasp broke and as she said ¡°oh well,¡± the wind rattle the building, dislodging one of the rusty walkway struts, which swung down and clobbered Wade in the face. ¡°Bad luck Wade, maybe teach you some manners.¡±


    ¡°Dat wos not fair,¡± he complained through smashed teeth, as he spat them out. ¡°I¡¯ll be twakin fwunny fow a phew days.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, then stop being a dick,¡° and Domino sighed, ¡°sorry, that''s what happens.¡±


    Marcus looked up, ¡°uh, maybe Wade and I should go get some camping gear while you make sure it doesn''t happen. He heals. That little stunt would have killed me.¡±


    Domino looked guilty for a second, ¡°sorry. Uh, yeah, blankets, a few tents if you can afford them, and camping heaters and stoves. Check out the army supply stores. Wade knows a few, he sells his crap to them.¡±


    ¡°And gwo out wike this/¡± Wade said as he pulled at the blood lips and grabbed his nose with his thumbs reset it, ¡°I¡¯ll be a waffing stock.¡±


    Domino snorted, ¡°no comment, here''s a couple of hundred, no icebox so tinned stuff, chicken, veg, oh, or they sell old rations, get those, expensive but easy to store.¡±


    Marcus took the money, ¡°and beer,¡± he sighed, ¡°maybe something stronger.¡±


    Domino patted him on the shoulder, ¡°Yeah,¡± and she handed him another hundred, ¡°maybe a lot of both.¡±


    ~


    Another week later.


    ¡°Why do you get to sleep next to the sexy babe, while I get the fish turds and river stink?¡± Wade complained.


    The tents had been set up, away from the hole that had been torn in the river end of the warehouse. It had been a docked warehouse at one point, but the previous owner had built a platform over it and used the water underneath as a cooling system. When the platform collapsed, it tore the rusted doors from their hinges and destroyed the dock, leaving the warehouse open to the elements.


    ¡°Because, it''s cold at the other end, even with the tarps, and you stink,¡± Marcus said. He had no complaints about sleeping next to Dominos tenet, and he wondered if the brief silhouettes he saw sometimes were an invitation or a mistake. Nah, not that lucky, he thought to himself while ignoring Wade''s whining.


    It wasn''t bad living in the warehouse, they had a decent supply of gas, powering not just a few heaters but kitchen stove, battery-operated radios, and well, Wade''s ever-amusing attempts to fight Domino, whose luck power just made him look even more like a fool.


    What he hadn''t been attempted was using the watch. The last super speed hero he turned into, who Wade christened Speedo, was an indication that these were some kind of either stored Augment genetic templates or Enhanced, and without some kind of training, he might kill himself, or worse, somebody else.


    ¡°Well, I say, stop being a pussy and use it.¡± Wade said, ¡°I mean, I''m pretty sure I¡¯m immortal, plus, use it or lose it.¡± as he pointed at the watch, whose face seemed to be growing dimmer.


    ¡°While I hate to agree with Wade, he does have a point. Things are getting worse, and there is that speech coming up. We might need you. So, I¡¯ll make a deal with you, try out the last five powers, ¡° and she leaned in and whispered in his ear, ¡°and we can see how lucky you can get.¡±


    Marcus gulped. He had never had someone who smelt so good so close before, and truth be told, Domino was all kinds of stupid hot. Wearing tight leather didn''t help, and taking a deep breath. Marcus agreed.


    ¡°Fine, fine.¡± He had felt the watch growing heavier, and he wondered if in not using it, it was slowly winding down, or even if that was possible.


    ¡°Right, so,¡± and he turned to figure four, who was wearing a bodysuit but this time had a face mask on, just covering his eyes. Which seemed kinda stupid, it was only covering his eyes.


    The face of the watch sprang up and Marcus pushed it back down, disappearing in a flash of light.


    Standing there was a muscular man, wearing a tight black bodysuit, with green stripes down either side, covering his face, like tight sunglasses was a green face mask, this time though, on his chest he did have a circle with the two triangles in it, but the watch had changed into a ring.


    Deadpool scrambled back, ¡°no, no, you can''t make me, you can''t,¡± and he began to scheme.


    ¡°What the fuck Wade?¡± Domino asked as he shuffled into his tent and zipped it from the inside, ¡°no animated super suit, no animated super suit,¡± he mumbled over and over again.


    ¡°Well that was weird,¡± Marcus said, and the ring on his finger changed from a green colour to yellow, ¡°And fucking rude. I mean, what''s his problem.¡±


    Domino shrugged, ¡°dunno, seems freaked out.¡±


    ¡°Freaked out? Freaked out, I¡¯ll give him something to freak out about, fucking pussy.¡± the ring changed yellow and as Marcus pointed it at the tent, a figure shot out,


    It was a yellow rendition of a handsome man, with perfect hair and teeth, ¡°g¡¯day mate, ole Hugh here, off to see my good mate, Ryan. Hey, Ryan you fuckin¡¯ loser, wanna sing some show tunes?¡±


    As the man taunted Deadpool, he screamed in his tent, Domino could only look on in confusion.


    ¡°Does he look like Wolverine to you?¡±


    Marcus shook his head. He had seen the Augment on Wade''s phone, ¡°Nah, Wolverines only what? five-foot two? That guy¡¯s over six-foot tall. He¡¯s more like some huge jacked man.¡±


    Marcus pulled his hand back and the figure disappeared, and the ring turned back to green, ¡°uh, that was weird. Think he¡¯s okay?¡± As Marcus spoke, the ring turned blue, and his outfit changed to match.


    ¡°I think you should quit that one, rainbow rings powers are really strange,¡± Domino said


    Marcus nodded and touched the symbol on his chest, but this time he failed to turn back, ¡°what the hell? He yelled and his ring turned red, ¡°fucking piece of shit, turn me back, fuck.¡± and he smashed a hand into the other, crushing the ring into his palm.


    As the transformation ended, he shook his head, ¡°that hurt. So ring guy is a no as well.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, hey Wade, it''s gone now, scary Australian man isn''t here anymore.¡± Domino shouted, ¡°Maybe wait to do the last four yeah?¡±


    Marcus shrugged, ¡°the dial is almost empty, might as well do them.¡±


    Flicking the watch face, he selected a tall man, who seemed to be wearing a trenchcoat, ¡°here goes nothing.¡±


    Pressing the dial back down, he changed and was a tall suave looking gentleman, with slicked-back hair, a fedora and a long trenchcoat. ¡°Uh, detective guy?¡±


    ¡°I think you look quite handsome,¡± Domino said,


    Deadpool stuck his head out of his tent, ¡°Hey, how come you get to be all the hotties. Leave some for the rest of us.


    Marcus was about to argue when looking at Wade he felt something shift, and Wade gasped, ¡°You change back right now.¡±


    Marcus looked confused and Domino retched, ¡°You look like Wade,¡±


    Marcus stared at his hands, and saw they were the blister covered scab ridden weird finger claws Wade had, the ones the Domino forbade him from touching anything of hers without gloves on, ¡°Uh, little help?¡± Marcus asked, he did not want to be stuck as Wade.


    ¡°Oh, try her?¡± Wade suggested,


    Marcus stared at Domino and felt himself shift again, and was greeted by the soft sensation of thigh leather against two things that definitely had not been there before.


    ¡°Oh yeah, momma.¡± Wade said, ¡°now uh, Dommy baby. Uh, why don''t you leave me and Morph here to fully investigate this new power of his, maybe ten minutes, five, oh nope, I¡¯m done. Never mind.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Marcus said, and trying his hardest he closed his eyes and thought normal please just normal.


    He heard Domino gasp and Wade laugh and as he opened his eyes he saw his hands were green, oh shit, not the Hulk, but he wasn''t massive. Instead, he was a large green blad man, with the same watch face on his chest and a tight pair of trousers and bare top, where he could see a chiselled set of abs, in a very catching emerald green colour,


    ¡°I feel weird,¡± he said, ¡°and I can hear a few things.¡± he could hear whispering as if someone was next to him,


    ¡°Someone is telling me I am a sexy beast, and another is saying something about the jolly green giant, and if my genitals are green as well.¡±


    Domino coughed and Wade laughed, ¡°What, who doesn''t want to know what an alien dong looks like? Asgardians are so boring. The one I asked just punched me.¡±


    As Marcus stretched and examined his hands he changed shape once more, back to what he thought he should look like.


    ¡°Shapeshifter, that one¡¯ll be popular with the ladies, right Dommy,¡± and Wade did an over-exaggerated wink at her,


    The form timed out and while he flashed for a second, Marcus had managed to get close to his original form, ¡°that one could be okay, I felt stronger but the shapeshifting means I still look normal.¡±


    ¡°Okay, three to go.¡± Domino said, pulling over a camp chair and opening a can of coke, ¡°might as well, looks like it''s out of charge.¡±


    Staring at the face Marcus nodded and the next was a large muscular man, similar to the first but with no cape. Spinning the dial and pushing it down, once more he changed.


    The new form was indeed a large muscular man, with tight green shimmering pants and a tight golden top, goddamit, Marcus thought, what¡¯s with spandex and these guys, can nobody wear normal pants. And as he moved, he didn''t feel any different, ¡°No superpowers, uh, just into shiny stuff.¡±


    ¡°Boring!¡± Wade shouted, while Domino just smiled,


    ¡°Right, two more.¡± and Marcus flipped to another cape wearer, this one had a huge cowl on, and as he changed,


    This time he was standing in thick body armour, and around his waist, he could feel a variety of different gadgets, each one high tech and very specific, ¡°This one I like.¡±


    Wade and Domino both nodded, ¡°Very fancy, nice armour too. How''s his aim with that gun?¡± Domino asked


    Marcus unclipped the gun from his belt, ¡°it''s not a gun, looks like a grapple or something?¡± and as he pointed it up it hooked onto one of the warehouse roof''s support struts and pulled himself up using the gas-powered line retractor.


    As he hunched over, sat on one of the iron girders, hef elt at home up here, like a giant bird roosting over his prey, ¡°This is kinda cool, like some kind of Nightman¡±


    ¡°What, say that again, ¡° Domino asked


    ¡°Nightman!¡± Marcus said, ¡°I am Nightman.¡±


    ¡°Hey, how are you doing that with your voice?¡±


    ¡°No idea, it only does it when I saw Nightman!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that''s weird, now come down, you look stupid sat up there.¡±


    Marcus nodded and as he fell he spread out his cape like a giant pair of wings and glided right down to the ground, landing on one knee and supporting himself with a hand,


    ¡°Hey, superhero landing, nailed it¡± Wade shouted, ¡°Still a crappy name though.¡±


    ¡°It''s not crappy, I am vengeance, I am the night,¡± Marcus replied


    ¡°Wow, issues much, get therapy, night man.¡± Wade replied ¡°next!¡±


    Marcus touched the yellow dial symbol on his chest, and switched back, coughing a few times, ¡°yeah, that''s murder on the throat.¡± as he turned the dial the last figure appeared, and he sighed, ¡°Uh Wade, can I have some privacy with this one.¡± Marcus already knew what was about to happen, and an audience would just make it worse.


    ¡°What, no way, You''ve seen my unmentionables, so I get to see yours.¡±


    Marcus sighed, ¡°fine, but if you say a single word, I will have Domino shoot you.¡± and he  hit the dial on the last figure, instantly shooting up in size in both directions


    ¡°Holy mother of chesties.¡± Wade explained, ¡°I''m in love, fifteen, Domino, oh nope, I¡¯m good. Never mind.¡±


    The larger chested woman, standing at least 7 feet tall flexed an impressive bicep. She had on red body armour, covering her chest enough there was no jiggle but leaving her shoulder and arms free. Her armour travelled down, covering her thighs in thick plates and thick heavy greeves protected her legs. The mini skirt felt weird, and Marcus tilted his head and pulled a sword and shield from his, no, her back.


    She grinned as they felt familiar and powerful in her hands.


    ¡°This I like. Oh yeah. Eat your heart out, I''m an Amazon.¡± She said as she grinned and spun the sword in her hand, ¡°oh, Wade, what did I say about opening your mouth. I can last fifteen, let¡¯s see if your healing can keep up.¡±


    With a grin, Marcus/Amazon advanced on Wade who screamed and ran.


    ¡°That nice, but uh, any other powers?¡± Domino asked,


    ¡°Just this,¡± and Marcus pulled off a golden lasso from her belt, ¡°it''s not a weapon though,¡± and he spun it and whirled it over Domino, ¡°I think it''s for containment.¡±


    Domino raised an eyebrow and lifted her arm, with the golden rope hanging from it, ¡°Doesn''t seem very effective.¡±


    Marcus sighed, ¡°I guess it''s another lame power. So now what?¡±


    Domino looked at him, ¡°Well, I''m going to think about that hunk with the black hair when I rub one out later but first, how about you change back so I can cut that watch off your wrist.¡±


    ¡°Uh, what?¡± Marcus said, confused,


    ¡°Yeah, I have a buyer for Reed¡¯s tech, and Wade and I are going to kill you and dump your body in the river.¡± she calmly explained,


    ¡°Uh Dommy Baby, you said the quiet part out loud.¡±


    Domino looked down at the lasso, ¡°Oh you mother fucker,¡± Grabbing the rope she tugged on it, but the large woman just shrugged,


    ¡°I didn''t know. Wait, fuck you.¡± Gripping the rope tighter Marcus/Amazon tugged on it and Domino went flying towards her. ¡°You were gonna kill me?¡± she shouted and as Domino flew towards her he whipped out a fist and smashed it into Domino¡¯s face.


    ¡°Oooo, that looked nasty,¡° Deadpool said with a grimace, ¡°Cue the techno music, gunfight time.¡±


    Deadpool rolled backwards and slipped a hand into his tent grabbed one of his guns, ¡°Bang bang,¡± he shouted as he fired at the altered Marcus,


    ¡°Yeah, bullets don''t work,¡± she said as lifting her bracers they harmlessly bounced off them, ¡°We are strong,¡± and looking down at Domino who was busy cradling her nose, she grinned and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. ¡°Have your teammate back,¡± and lifting her, threw her at Deadpool,


    ¡°Why do women always throw themselves at me,¡± he shouted as he rolled along the ground to avoid the prone form flying at him, ¡°bang bang,¡± he shouted again as he fired, ¡°bang bang bang,¡±


    The raven-haired woman just deflected them, ¡°bullets don''t work,¡±


    ¡°I know, but I''ve got lots of them and nothing else.¡± he shouted back, ¡°and once your stupid watch runs out, they¡¯ll work fine.¡±


    Domino had landed and rolled across the floor, one hand landing in Deapools tent, As she moaned after having her nose broken her hand landed on something sticky and shuddering at the mental picture, she grabbed it and threw whatever it was away, landing her hand on something small. Small, round and hard, with a small rectangle at the top,


    Deadpool gasped, ¡°not my fourth of July special,¡± but Domino shrugged, pulled the pin and tossed it at the woman.


    Crossing both her arms in front of her, the explosion lifted her from her feet and through the tarp and into the Bay. She coughed and spluttered as the plastic sheeting wrapped around her, stopping her from moving, but letting water in.


    Emergency detected, deploying suitable form. She heard and in a flash of light, was now back to the long-haired gold and green wearing muscle man,


    ¡°Not helping,¡± came bubbling out of his mouth, ¡°oh hey, I can breathe.¡± he laughed, as he sank. Letting himself sink to the bottom of the bay, she shuddered as he saw the remains of a giant machine, whatever it had been looked ominously in the dark, and he did however recognise the skeletal remains that poked out from under a rock nearby. Whatever had happened here had killed someone, and the river¡¯s denizens had taken care of the rest. ¡°Right, don''t care, do I go back and take them both, or do I run? He thought to himself as he worked the plastic wrap free.


    As he stared down at the dial on the fish guy¡¯s chest, he remembered that the forms didn¡¯t last forever, and there was the recharge. Right, probably die against the two well-armed and well-trained bounty hunters, so run it is.


    As the last of the plastic came away he turned as with surprising speed glided through the water to the other side of the bay.


    ¡°Well, fuck,¡± Domino said as she held a tissue to her nose. Her powers had failed, or whatever the watch did affected them, and while he was Marcus she had an advantage but his other forms negated her powers. If they wanted the watch back, they would need to be careful, or as he hadn¡¯t surfaced, take a swim in the river.


    ¡°Roshambo you for it?¡± Deadpool asked.


    Domino stared at him, and clicked back the hammer on the gun she was currently holding,


    ¡°That''s cheating, gun beats everything.¡±


    ~


    A month later.


    ¡°Well, that sucked, but hey, we got a cool warehouse out of it. Parker can suck it.¡± Deadpool said as he lifted another can of beans from the small ration heater.


    Domino sighed, Her luck had finally run out and with Marcus¡¯s escape, the big score had fallen through and now they owed for failing a contract. As she was about to pull her mess tin of food closer a breeze brushed by.


    A red blur filled the warehouse, removing everything., All the camping equipment was gone, the tents, the stove, and the heaters were all removed. On one wall, in very hastily smeared letters were, ¡°Suck it losers!¡± daubed in white paint.


    As Domino snarled at the mural she felt a slight chill and two scaly and unpleasantly cold ¡®things¡¯ touched her.


    She screamed as he looked down and not only had her top been removed but Deadpools hands had been positioned over both her breasts, with his face pressed in between them.


    She swung down and clobbered Deadpool on the back of the head, and even after lifting her top and zipping back up he was face down in the dirt,


    Holding one hand up, he gave her a thumbs-up, ¡°totally worth it.¡±


    She would have shot him, but Marcus had stolen all their guns as well.


    The End?


    A figure stood on top of the Empire States building, watching the city lights as the people below were unaware of the newest hero to walk the streets of New York.


    I am Hope, Justice, and Liberty. I am Gun Show


    I am the fear that hunts in the dark, I am the Knightmare


    No man escapes the Sage-shifter


    No wilting flower, I am Girl Power!


    Thank God New York is on the coast, I am Sea-King


    I am possibly the fastest man alive, I am Takyon


    Through brightest day


    Through greatest fight


    I¡¯ll crush your spine


    And take what mine


    I¡¯ll heal with love


    And bring you hope


    With colours true


    And power great


    I am Rainbow Ring


    I am all of them, and maybe more. I am Marcus Webber, but you can call me.


    The Watchman.


    Malisson


    Is this canon? (is that even a thing in fanfiction?)


    No, no it isn''t.


    It''s just a fun poke at other fanfics with unlikely crossovers between universes and was originally conceived as an idea from arc nine.


    Arc nine was originally based on the DC/Marvel Amalgam Universe, but I changed it and went for a pure Marvel story instead.


    So, you missed out on


    Black Scarab (Venom/BlueBeetle, hosted by Jaime Parker)


    Night Fury (Nick Fury/Batman)


    The American Marvel (Superman/Captain Marvel)


    Boson a.k.a Barry Banner (The Flash/Hulk)


    I-Borg a.k.a Victor Stark (Cyborg/Iron Man)


    but honestly, it sucked so I scrapped it.


    The only thing I kept was Talon, Laura''s symbiote, looks like Dark Claw (Batman/Wolverine)


    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amalgam_Comics


    For those unfamiliar with the event.

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Ninety-One. Trial Run

    T¡¯Challa had slowly dressed, as while everything had healed he was stiff and sore. Spending so long in bed had left him weak though, and Okoye smiled as she helped him dress.


    ¡°The trial of Shuri is today. The White Gorilla tribe is pushing for her to face charges, and you as well.¡±


    T''Challa sighed as he slid into his robe, ¡°I had heard. That Erik being imprisoned after being crowned was unjust.¡± and he shook his head, ¡°I love her, but she made a mess.¡±


    Okoye raised an eyebrow ¡°She did not. She is doing better than you give her credit for. Everyone else made the mess, she is just cleaning it up less diplomatically than you would have.


    T¡¯Challa stopped as she started to button his collar up, his hand still in a medical cast, ¡°I did not say that. Shuri is a hammer to my scalpel. She has always been like that. I was raised to be King, she was raised to be Shuri,¡± Okoye raised an eyebrow at him as she fastened the last button and smoothed down his lapels, ¡°which is why she is perfect. She can make as much mess as she can, and let me, the politician, clear it for her. Peter is perfect, M¡¯Baku angers himself at a skinny white boy who defies him at every turn. He sees a poor stupid boy, and I see the monster under his skin. Shuri knows just how much trouble M¡¯Baku is in, and so do I.¡±


    Okoye paused with her hands on his shoulders, ¡°You are not returning to the throne?¡±


    T¡¯Challa shook his head, ¡°Shuri is not a piece in this game of chess. A knight or bishop can move much easier than a Queen.¡±


    Okoye raised an eyebrow and frowned, ¡°That was bad, even for you. A Queen can move-¡± but T¡¯Challa sealed her lips with his.


    ¡°Fine, a King then,¡± and she grinned and slid her arms around him, ¡°M¡¯Baku just kicked a hornet''s nest, and for once, Peter¡¯s influence will not be a weapon to be used against her.¡±


    T''Challa had spent a few days reading over Shuri¡¯s reports, he had access to them as a member of the Golden Tribe and while some of the science was over his head he knew two important facts. Shuri had proved the Symbiotes were not dangerous and, in fact, gave her access to systems of the great city, and that the Purple Heart flower was poisonous. Every Elder was given it, every tribe relied on it for their soldiers and once Shuri hung the cure over their heads, he would make sure they obeyed.


    ¡°I recognise that look, you are planning something,¡±  Okoye said, narrowing her eyes as she looked at T¡¯Challa suspiciously, but he patted her hand and smiled,


    ¡°Nothing that will harm my sister,¡± He held his arm for her to take. While almost healed, he was still using a cane. Okoye led him to the council chamber where the trial was being held.


    T''Challa could hear the shouting before he even entered the Royal chamber, as M¡¯Baku and Shuri yelled at each other. Shuri was too headstrong for a role as ruler, and when it came to the man who was trying to force a wedding, it was even worse.


    ¡°You are lucky I do not have you hanging from the city walls, you neanderthal. My edict still stands, and there is nothing you can do.¡±


    M¡¯Baku growled, ¡°You are not fit to be Queen. You are too young, you are under the influence of the monster, and you are marrying an outsider. You throw away our traditions, you mock our beliefs and I have heard rumours you are going to stop producing the Purple Heart Flower serum. I demand that you-¡±


    But Shuri roared at him, ¡°Silence.¡± As T¡¯Challa entered the room she stood and brushed down the front of her dress, ¡°It is good to see you brother, please, take your seat,¡± and she smiled as she motioned to a throne next to hers. The smile faded as she glared at M¡¯Baku. ¡°You demand nothing. King U¡¯Membe was only 12 when he took the throne. My hosting a Symbiote has no effect on my judgement, nor has any standing in our laws, and my marriage is MY MARRIAGE!¡± Shuri made sure to push power through Jhalia to emphasise her point. ¡°Not in one hundred years has a ruler of Wakanda been forced to take a spouse against their wishes, and I will not break that.¡±


    She stood and walked down the steps to face M¡¯Baku, ¡°I have had enough of your petty schemes. You cite tradition, then fine. As I am being challenged, I accept. I will unbond myself, I will depower myself, as shall you, and I will fight you. To the death.¡±


    Shocked, T''Challa stepped forwards, ¡°Sister, do not be hasty,¡±


    M¡¯Baku laughed, ¡°Yes yes, Do not be hasty. I am a seasoned warrior, and you are a small girl. Even without an advantage, it would not be fair.¡±


    Shuri snorted, ¡°Coward. I have had enough of this, Face me or my judgement stands. This discussion is over.¡±


    M¡¯Baku sneered, ¡°then I accept. As long as your brother does not challenge me after. I know you stripped Erik of his titles and made him your lapdog, but your brother wears the mantle of Panther as well, and he can challenge me too.¡±


    Shuri sneered at him, ¡°and you are still a coward. Hiding behind your words. I accept, as long as you do not hide behind Fisk this time. You will face me, and me alone. Bring the Heart-Shaped Herb, I will remove my Purple Heart power right now. So he cannot accuse me of cheating anymore.¡±


    M¡¯Baku shrugged, uncaring, ¡°I will accept you remaining empowered, but if you insist.¡±


    They waited until the tray with the second Wakandan potion was brought. The Purple Heart Flower was the female of the species, and the Heart-Shaped Herb was the male. To drink one gave fabulous power, the other removed it, and if the imbiber was mortal, taking both could cause death within minutes.


    Shuri stared at M¡¯Baku as she drank the glass, and motioning to Nakia, held out her hand while another Dora brought clothes to change into, creating a barrier while she slipped them on.


    Once she was done Shuri stood, in nothing more than a black sports bra and cycling pants. ¡°There. I am Queen Shuri, and I take this challenge of my own free will. I defend my Heart, I defend my throne, and I defend my honour. M¡¯Baku is a spineless coward who covets what he can never have, and what Peter has already enjoyed. Make your peace M¡¯Baku, for I will grant you none.¡±


    The tribal elder of the White Gorilla tribe stood, ¡°this is improper. There must be rituals conducted, trials to prove both of your worthiness.¡±


    Shuri snorted and raised a hand, ¡°Rituals only matter when the person matters. He does not, and I am tired of his constant complaining over an imagined slight. I was never his, the throne was never his, and it is now time to show him that.¡±


    The elder huffed but sat back down, Dora Milaje cleared the area in front of the throne and laid out a series of golden posts. Used to mark out areas for more official matters.


    ¡°If either of you moves out with the boundary, it is a forfeit, otherwise there will be no stopping until a victor is declared,¡± Okoye announced. As her marriage to T¡¯Challa had been postponed while he recovered, she was still the head of Shuri''s security and Palace guard.


    Shuri stretched while M¡¯Baku leered at her, letting his attendant take off his tribal necklace of animal bones he had hunted himself.


    He was a huge muscular man, standing at almost seven feet tall. It was not a joke when he said he outclassed Shuri. He fought every day, trained every day and enjoyed the latest treatments that all of the tribal leaders enjoyed. His muscles bulged and flexed as he did his own stretches, glaring at Shuri the whole time.


    Shuri was almost thirty, but her training had been different, and without the serum, she was no stronger than anyone else her age.


    She took a breath and both stepped into the squared-off area. A pair of Dora attached velvet ropes to the poles and they were now in an enclosed ring.


    M¡¯Baku laughed as he feigned a lunge at Shuri, who danced back, ¡°You shall regret this, tiny thing. There are none stronger than the White Gorilla Tribe.¡±


    M¡¯Baku stepped forwards, judging the distance and lifted his leg, feigning a kick and instead swung out with his right arm,


    ¡°Natasha Romanov,¡± Shuri said as she ducked under the swing and jabbed M¡¯Baku in the liver before she danced away,


    ¡°Maria Hill,¡± Shuri said as she moved once more and struck M¡¯Baku in the side, ramming her fist into a nerve cluster,


    ¡°Felicia Hardy,¡± Shuri avoided the kick and went down on one knee, driving a fist into his testicles, before rolling away and springing to her feet again,


    ¡°Laura Kinney,¡± Shuri stepped on M¡¯Baku¡¯s forearm as he struck out at her and then kicked him in the side of the head,


    ¡°You think Peter sits at home, eating grapes and being pampered. He trains,¡± and as M¡¯Baku swung again she stepped over his arm and drove her heel into his chin, ¡°he fights, without powers.¡± and when he rolled away, trying to rise to his feet, Shuri kicked him once more in the stomach and then drove her knee into his back,


    ¡°Brawlers, fighters. Warriors. Peter knows what it means to be beaten and to lose, and he learned the hard way you learn to fight,¡± and as M¡¯Baku rolled onto his stomach, blood spilling from his mouth, Shuri leapt onto his back and wrapped had hands around his chin, crossing her fingers and leaning back, ¡°Or you die.¡± and as M¡¯Baku weakly struggled against her, she planted both feet on the ground and leaned back, lifting him from the ground until there was a loud crack and he slumped.


    ¡°The fight is over. M¡¯Baku and the White Gorilla tribe lose.¡± Okoye announced.


    Shuri stood and held a hand out. Nakia nodded and stepped forwards, allowing Jhalia to return to her host. ¡°The Symbiotes were once a slave race. Imprisoned and used against their will to power our ancestor''s oppressors. They are more kin to us than the people of this planet. They bled with us, they fought with us. And they died with us. From today, there will be no talk of the Devourer. The Symbiotes are now part of the Golden Tribe, and with Bast''s blessing, So say I.¡±


    Shuri turned as Jhalia morphed back into her more regal attire, and even her hair whipped around as Jhalia braided it into a long whip down her back,


    ¡°And remove that filth from my throne room. My edict stands. Banishment, and there will be no more arguments.¡±


    The Elder of the White Gorilla tribe stood and bowed, even though the anger was evident on his face.


    An attendant came over and whispered something to him, ¡°he still lives,¡± and although he heard, Shuri ignored them. Even if M¡¯Baku lived he was beaten, and even if the man was an arrogant ass, he valued his honour and the traditions of Wakanda. He would never raise another challenge to her claim as Queen, and if he knew what was good for him, he would skulk away to live his days reflecting on his mistakes.


    Shuri stifled a small laugh, as knowing M¡¯Baku, that would be the last thing he would do.


    Motioning to T¡¯Challa, she hugged him, and whispered, ¡°The White Gorilla tribe must be suppressed. Make sure Doom does not get a hold over them and make sure Stark stays away as well. We do not need a nest of vipers growing under our feet.¡±


    T¡¯Challa nodded and moved over to Erik, who was standing, watching the fight while eating slices of fruit and meat from a platter,


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to have him killed at some point you know.¡± Erik said as he ate a slice of chicken, ¡°He won''t back down, even this, it''s not enough. It¡¯ll just piss him off. To be beaten by her.¡±


    ¡°Talking from experience?¡± and Erik shrugged,


    ¡°She¡¯s more dangerous than you ever were. I won''t make that mistake again.¡±


    T¡¯Challa looked over at Erik, as he lifted another slice of meat. Shuri had assured him that Erik''s loyalty was confirmed, but that sounded very much like a threat.

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Ninety-Two. Lose The Battle

    The group watched as the jeeps all left before heading back inside, where Peter was waiting for them. Moving forwards he hugged his duplicate, ¡°thanks MJ,¡± and her skin rippled and she returned to her usual self.


    ¡°That hurt Pete. It''s not easy to shrink down several cup sizes without warning.¡±


    He hugged her close and kissed her on the side of the neck and hugged her close, ¡°I know¡± but he just stood and held her, ¡°I¡¯ll make it up to you.¡±


    Liv moved forwards, ¡°sorry Peter, but this isn''t over.¡± and he sighed against MJ and frowning, stepped back,


    ¡°Fine, fine, lay on the worse news.¡± and as he looked around at the collection of worried faces, ¡°I¡¯ll make something to eat.¡± The group slipped and headed to the dining area. ¡°Oh and remind me to thank Flash later.¡± The little show outside required several fakes, and while Peter hid, Flash and MJ provided the necessary decoys. Once he was away from Ross, and the beatings his body began its normal healing, and he was sore and stiff but with food would be perfectly fine within the hour.


    The food was simple, a pot of hot chocolate, made by melting real chocolate in cream and milk, followed by fried eggs with bacon. It was quick and easy and everyone would eat it.


    Loading up the pan with eggs, he slid the sheet of bacon into the oven and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. It had been close, Ross was too strong, and even Tony could have taken him out easily if he hadn¡¯t been holding back. He also had the small problem that Emma was off doing god knows what with the Mind Stone and that in itself could be a major issue. He had to trust that whatever she wanted it for, she would exercise restraint.


    As they ate, Peter made his way around the table, stopping by each woman and sitting with them. They had been lucky, or the government had been stupid, either way, no one was hurt and he could relax.


    As he got to Liv, who sat on his lap and let him feed her bacon pieces she chewed them while she spoke. ¡°It''s amazing and defiantly alien.¡±


    Peter scrunched up his face, ¡°Alien? Did it come with the Klyntar or is it something else?¡± alien machines sounded bizarre, especially ones that were experts at adapting to Earth''s technology.


    ¡°This is something else, but it''s also not extraterrestrial. The metal is a mix of terrestrial and alien metal, but the power it gives off is strange and honestly, Peter, if you told me a metal could absorb and adapt to different energy powers, I would never have believed you. I think Trask found something and used it to build Sentinels.¡±


    As Peter stole some of Liv''s omelette and then gave her a bacon kiss on the side of the face she laughed and wiped it clean, ¡°and we know where they are. We triangulated the signal, which wasn''t hard considering how powerful it was.¡±


    ¡°At least you get that road trip, so where?¡±


    ¡°Cheyenne Mountain,¡± Liv told him,


    Peter looked surprised, ¡°Like the show?¡±


    Liv laughed, ¡°Yes but it''s not like that. It''s a military base alright, but this one is also the Sentinel Command Centre.¡±


    ¡°Think Fury will let us borrow his plane?¡±


    Liv glared at him, ¡°considering we paid for the fuel he used, and have been outfitting him with weapons and armour, free of charge, it''s not his plane, he just thinks it is. Natasha?¡±


    Natasha put down her fork and shrugged, ¡°it won''t be hard to steal even if he says no. I mean, Maria and Scott spend most of their downtime together, So Nick is alone, even if he decides to be obstinate.¡±


    Peter kissed Liv once more and moved over to Natasha, who scooted over and leaned against him, ¡°but let''s ask first okay. We have few allies as it is without antagonising them, oh and uh, my dad wants to meet you, and uh my mom. My sister wants to meet Flash, and I might have bonded her with Widow to stop the Red Room poisoning from killing her, so if she gives you a strange look, just ignore it.¡±


    Peter laughed and lifted a piece of bacon, ¡°let me guess, spy training, tell a subject a whole bunch of bad things right after a stressful situation so they''re too tired and exhausted to care about it, right?¡±


    Natasha leaned over, took a bit of the bacon Peter was holding and shrugged, ¡°nope, you¡¯re simpler than that, tell you lots of bad stuff then I dunno ride you senseless. You''re too simple for complicated psychology.¡± Natasha leaned over and squashed herself against him ¡°Booooobs¡± Natasha joked as she rubbed herself against him, ¡°See?¡±


    Peter finished the bacon and shrugged, he was about to argue but as each person around him was nodding, he just sighed, ¡±fine, I guess they also want to see about work?¡± and


    Natasha nodded, ¡°You did promise to fix them, and my mom is also a biochemist, I''m sure she¡¯ll love Gwen.¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°No Gwen,¡± and as Gwen looked over confused, ¡°No seducing Nat''s mom.¡±


    Nat laughed and batted him on the shoulder. ¡°Oh like you didn¡¯t think of it, and the same goes for my sister. No. You can have as many as you want, but siblings and I kill you.¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°I have MJ and Friday,¡± and MJ winked but Friday looked up from her breakfast and stared at him.


    ¡°Fine, fine. Peterisapervert protocols accepted,¡± and while Friday laughed, she was still picking at her food. ¡°How are you holding up?¡±


    Friday sighed and put her fork down on her plate, Peter moved from Nat and Friday stood and curled up on his lap. Normally, Peter had been resistant to Friday''s attempts at seduction, but today he would let her, today was rough on everyone.


    ¡°Jo called, Tony is in bad shape, and so is Vis. But what did they expect? I¡¯m just,¡± and she sighed and looked at her plate again,


    ¡°Torn? You don''t know whether to go to the tower and see Tony. If either of them wants to see you. And you don''t want to deal with it if they don''t.¡±


    Friday looked down at her plate and nodded.


    ¡°Call Pepper, and take her with you. Tony and Vis might be angry at me, and they might take it out on you, having a friendly face with you will help.¡±


    Friday smiled and nodded.


    ¡°Right, so now. Ivan, Jean, and Selene, plus updating Shuri. My parents are both out of jail already, Mom called me while I was dealing with Ross. Curt is registered and with the CLS up and running is considering depowering himself and getting an artificial arm.¡±


    Liv leaned forwards, ¡°Ivan is fine. Matt called and while his visa was problematic with Hammer, I made sure it wasn''t for us. It was all technicalities according to Matt, even the little stunt of everyone calling you Peter was just an act. They needed you contained. This isn''t going away this time Peter. You played rough and now they played dirty to deal with you. I''m sorry, but Venom has to die this time, and properly.¡±


    Peter leant back in his chair and sighed, ¡°I know. I know I was rash and angry, but I try, I really do. Liv. Set up a meeting for Parker Inc, and get Liz here too.¡± and Peter¡¯s brow furrowed, ¡°what happened with Eddie and Cindy?¡±


    Gwen laughed, ¡°Eddie was enjoying his day off with Betty, and uh, yeah it was all over before he got his pants back on, and Cindy, yeah. They pushed Pete, and well, she pushed back, right into a wall and then several faces. She and Ghost get on great, a little too great, Too bad those charges will stick. They might have started it, but Cindy really needs to work on her anger management.¡±


    Peter rubbed a hand over his forehead, ¡°Yeah. Get Matt to bail her out, just I dunno dock her pay or whatever Pepper says is appropriate.¡± and Liv laughed, ¡°yeah I''m a bit slow I guess, already done?¡± and she nodded, ¡°good. We need to spin this our way. Evil robots are getting tiresome, and I heard Ross. Find out who set this stupid thing up and,¡± and he leaned forwards, ¡°this time I¡¯m using the Stone. I¡¯m tired of stupid shitheads thinking using untested AI or some random piece of tech to build their crap is a good idea. I¡¯m tired of Tony using any excuse to steal tech, or Doom to play his stupid games.¡±


    The room was quiet, ¡°As long as you don''t go too far dear, we support you,¡± and the others nodded,


    ¡°But uh, use it for what?¡± Wanda asked, ¡°I mean, are you going to make them all jump off a roof?¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°Nope, but everyone has a button. They went after my mom, so let''s see where we can hurt them back. Bank accounts, mistresses, illegitimate children. I will take every dirty little embarrassing secret and show the world just how dirty every one of them is. Start with Malik, we already know he¡¯s dirty, and work our way through everyone. Target leaders, presidents, anyone who¡¯s in the news right now over giving Augments and Enhanced shit for just being themselves.¡±


    Friday looked up, ¡°Not Tony though, please. If Jo or Vision find out,¡±


    Peter raised a hand. ¡°No, I know how to hurt Tony, and that ball is already rolling. I won''t go after him physically Friday, I promise. But he will pay, I¡¯ll make sure he pays.¡±


    Friday looked down at her breakfast, and Peter knew she was conflicted. Tony had gone after Peter, but they were all caught up in it, and if Tony had won, would he be as welcoming, would he have taken her back with a smile and a kind word. Friday knew he would have, but there would have been a hidden blade under it all, a snarky comment here, an implication of more owed. Deep down she was glad Peter had won, she just hated that they also lost.


    Peter looked over at her, ¡°Hey, it''s okay. Tony was hurt but not bad enough that he won''t recover. We already know Ross had something over him, we just need to find out exactly what and we go from there. I''m not going to hurt Tony or anyone if they were guiltless, it¡¯s only the assholes I want to pay, okay?¡±


    Friday nodded, but still looked downcast.


    ¡°So, for now. My mom, Your mom, the Senator that arranged this, Coulson and anyone else? Might as well get the list started while we¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Some guy called Talbot, defiantly an asshole,¡± Natasha added,


    Carol looked hesitant, ¡°Pete, I don''t want you going after Monica.¡± and he shrugged


    ¡°This isn''t a hitlist carol, it''s a shitlist. We need to know who is going to cause problems, and so Captain Marvel is on it. We won''t go looking but we now know that the government recreated whatever gave you your powers. So, just the two?¡± and everyone nodded, ¡°then I vote. Party first. Get your family here Nat, get mine, get anyone who wants a say in what happens next. A big meal always makes that better and plus, might as well celebrate the win, even if it was you know, a bit suspect.¡± but nobody cared, a party seemed like a good idea and phones were brought out and plans were made, ¡°and we also need to deal with the Mind Stone. Too many people now know about it, and it''s going to make us a target.¡±


    Peter sat back, ¡°It¡¯s not just Emma now. If Charles or Selene get wind of it we¡¯ll have every telepath knocking on our door to grab it, and some will ask, others won''t. We need to start preparing for bigger picture events. The Sentinels caught us with our pants down, and it could have ended with us in jail or worse.¡±


    The group looked solemnly at each other. Peter was right. It was only the combined efforts of Matt and Pepper that saved them from prison, and the fact that Hydra¡¯s screw up meant there was no evidence of anything illegal. Almost every person sitting at the table was guilty of major crimes, from theft all the way to murder, and they were lucky nobody had been caught. They all knew that the thing with luck was that it never held,


    ¡°Uh Wanda, Can I ask a huge favour, and I will do anything, and I mean anything,¡± Peter asked as he pulled Wanda to one side, making sure nobody could hear him. As he took her hand she nodded, and with a small twinkle in her eye, agreed to his plan.

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Ninety-Three. Win The War

    Peter was approached by what would be described in certain circles as a bear. A huge bearded man, with thick arms and a just as thick stomach, said, ¡°So, I hear you are sleeping with my daughter?¡± he asked in a thick Russian accent, and Peter knew who this was,


    ¡°As often as I can,'''' he answered glibly, Natasha had told him she cared about her father, but he was overbearing and overstepped all the time. If he did, Peter could be as embarrassing as he wanted, as long as he didn''t get into great detail.


    ¡°Ha!¡± Alexsi replied, ¡°And you think you are man enough?¡± and he took a pose and flexed his arm, ¡°I am Red Guardian, a specimen of Russian perfection. Red Room Super-Soldier formula flows through my veins, like your Captain America, and you, you are small, like a boy, and puny, like a child.¡± and he jabbed Peter in the shoulder with a finger. ¡°You are not good enough.¡±


    Peter raised an eyebrow, as a motherly older woman rolled her eyes, ¡°try not to hurt him too much,¡± and walked past him and a shorter blonde woman looked him up and down, ¡°try not to kill him,¡± and she walked past as well,


    ¡°See, even my family can tell,¡± and Peter stifled a laugh,


    ¡°Uh I think they were talking to me,¡± he admitted and Alexsi scoffed


    ¡°Bah, I am in perfect condition. I even took a shield hit from Captain America and here I am, You may not like it,¡° and he bent one knee and flexed once again. ¡°But this is peak Russian performance,¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, I fought Red Hulk, oh and I can do this,¡± Peter stepped forwards and grabbing Alexsi by the waist lifted him up and over his head before putting him down. He leaned forwards to the stunned Alexis and whispered ¡°Nat loves it when I do that to her,¡± before patting him on the shoulder and moving from the doorway.


    May was talking to Melina and Yelena but tutted, ¡°Peter, he is a veteran, and you should know better,¡± and Peter dipped his head and nodded,


    ¡°Sorry, mom,¡±


    May burst out laughing and leant over and whispered to Melina, ¡°See, I told you,¡± and Melina nodded,


    ¡°It just means you raised him right.¡± and she nodded at Natasha who rolled her eyes.


    ¡°So, Widow?¡±


    Yelena nodded, ¡°Yeah, that was a blast. Can I get one? Some freaky squid thing would be great on missions, and long weekends,¡± she added with a wink.


    Peter had no response to that but Yelena just laughed and shook her head, ¡°I thought Natasha would have been much worse. This one time, she made the boys in the neighbourhood all cry when one of them snapped her training bra, oh man it was so funny to watch an eight-year-old mph-¡± Natasha had leapt from sitting and covered Yelena''s mouth with her hand,


    ¡°You will stop talking. You will behave, and you will not tell Peter anything about my childhood. If you comply, nod once, if you wish to find out how much I''ve improved since being bonded then please continue, after dinner exercise is always fun.¡± and Yelena nodded once. ¡°Good,¡± and Natasha smiled at Peter.


    ¡°Yeah, it was pretty funny, she developed early I mean, like this,¡± and she held her hands in front of her to emphasise how big Natasha was at a young age. Melina had come over and gently cuffed her on the back of the head,


    ¡°Stop embarrassing your sister. Peter, it is a pleasure to meet you, and your family. It is a bit larger than I expected but it is still good.¡± Peter cast an eye around the warehouse.


    Everyone was here, Elektra had been taking care of things with Matt and Pepper but Emma had arrived, Curt and his mom were sitting talking to Gwen and Liv, while Alexsi discussed something involving fighting if his gestures were to be followed with Felicia and Carol. MJ and Wanda were cuddled up together, as once MJ decided she did actually like women the pair had bonded in true warehouse fashion.


    At the end of the table, a confused and bemused Eddie sat drinking a beer, while Cindy was prowling the kitchen. In true wallflower sense, she was either too nervous to join in or was too afraid of angering the group. In the end, it was Friday that approached her, and the pair seemed to be making small talk at least. In all, it was good.


    All that was missing was Laura, who he knew was taking a bath, one of several she liked to take during the day, and Logan, who he definitely knew was hunting Hank Pym. He had made it clear that was his goal, and not for a small chat either. Laura had taken his absence in her stride, and while she came back stinking of paint and covered in splodges of red enamel, she was happy when they spent time together at Coney Island.


    ¡°You don''t mind?¡± Peter asked Melina who shrugged and took a swig from her beer,


    ¡°I grew up with Communism. Mistresses, lovers, wives, it was all the same. If you had rank, nobody cared or at least, nobody said anything. The pig that ran the Red Room when I was there tried to create a pheromone that made women obey him. Having a lot of company is some men¡¯s dream, I don¡¯t judge.¡±


    At the mention of a pheromone, Natasha smirked and Peter just gave a small shrug. There was more to things than just that, but Peter wasn''t about to explain, ¡°So, I''ve got Matt working on visas, but uh,¡± and


    Melina sighed, ¡°Alexsi is wanted by the US government? Yes?¡± Peter nodded, ¡°how long?¡±


    ¡°Five to ten. I can maybe get him a reduced sentence if he agrees to a few conditions. The charges are old, and really should be out of date, but fleeing arrest and child endangerment stick for a lot longer. Nat and Yelena were kids, and Matt argued that you were innocent. You still need a visa but with your qualifications, it won''t be too difficult to get one.¡±


    Melina scrunched up her face, confused, ¡°Yelena too?¡±


    Peter nodded and took a drink from his own bottle, ¡°Private security. Nat¡¯s our head and can hire and fire who she likes. Sure she¡¯s tied to us for a while, but no criminal record, no problems. Just Alexsi.¡±


    ¡°I will persuade him. If you can promise he will be safe in prison. He thinks he has a lot of enemies. But what about me? I know what Yelena wants to do, and I have heard from Natasha that you have work for me, but am I to be taken?¡±


    Peter frowned, ¡°taken?¡± and Melina pointed to the group around her,


    ¡°Bedded, to become one of your women, to pay for all this kindness?¡±


    It was Peter''s turn to choke on his cider, ¡°What? No! We have a lab. Gwen works with biotech, or if you prefer mechanical Liv, we even have someone you might know? Ivan Vanko.¡± He glanced over at Nat, who was hiding her laughter with a hand. He knew she had put her mother up to this, and he would make sure he got her back later.


    ¡°Ivan works for you? Damn rat. No wonder the Red Room couldn''t find him. He is a very bad man Peter, you should be careful.¡± Melina warned him,


    Peter laughed, ¡°Ivan helped with our reactors, I think we¡¯re going to split him off into his own company soon and add clean energy to AIM¡¯s list of achievements. So uh, Gwen? I mean, she makes around ninety per cent of our money right now, and an extra set of hands would be good right?¡±


    ¡°I don''t see why not Pete. I mean, as long as it''s not those damn helmets or anything super illegal, then sure.¡±


    Gwen sat up, and listing things on her fingers she began a list, ¡°Pharmatech, cosmetics, and foodstuffs. We¡¯re making a lot of different things,¡±


    ¡°Natasha tried to explain but science was never her strong suit, she takes after her father.¡± and Natasha pulled a face at Melina, ¡°definitely like her father.¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°It can wait until after dinner, but it does lead me to my next question,¡± and he motioned to Yelena to come over, ¡°I know about the Red Room formula, and while Gwen is the best one to talk to, Do you want it removed?¡±


    Yelena looked over at Alexsi, who was losing at arm wrestling with Felicia while Laura, now out of the bath, egged her on, and she sighed, ¡°Dad, yes, His nerves are shot and he drinks, but we can see him shake. For me? I would want a new formula. I need it in my line of work.¡±


    At that thought Peter nodded and took out a card, handing it to Yelena. ¡°I have ¡®friends¡¯,¡± Peter said, making quotes, ¡°who are very interested in meeting you.¡±


    She looked at the card and frowned, ¡°Wrath? Are they new?¡± and she pouted, ¡°never heard of them.¡±


    ¡°Uh, not new. When Shield went down, Fury got a new job.¡± and Yelena stared wide-eyed at the card,


    ¡°Nick Fury?¡± to which Peter nodded, ¡°Wrath is his team now?¡±


    Melina rolled her eyes, ¡°Go ahead,¡± and she shook her head ¡°Fury was one of the ones hunting her father. She grew up with anti-hero worship I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Nick Fury was the greatest spy ever. With that long black coat and the eye patch. Man, he¡¯s so cool.¡± Yelena said wistfully,


    Peter could hear Natasha choking on her beer in the background. ¡°Yeah, cool,¡± he said, trying to sound as sincere as possible.


    Yelena flicked him with the card, ¡°you are just jealous. I am calling right now,¡±


    Peter motioned to the door, ¡°Security stops you from dialling out,¡±


    Yelena tutted and headed out, furiously entering a new contact while walking.


    Peter and Melina both shared a smile and made their way back to the table. Peter had already started the meal, and it was finishing up in the oven.


    There were massive german wieners broiling, pasta with various sauces, Steaks that were still in the oven after being cooked to perfection and a huge selection of sides, mainly potatoes of every sort, jacket, roast and mashed, and as Peter and his mom began to set out plates for everyone they had a quiet talk,


    ¡°Curt is upset, Peter, and no, not with you. He thought that once Oscorp was over with all this would be behind us,¡± May said, sadly, and Peter had to agree


    ¡°I''m really sorry mom. I never thought they would go after you two, you don''t work for anyone, your just my mom.'''' In fact, the driving force behind all of Peter''s retaliation was his mom. Plans being made were centred around the fact that his identity was known by so many people, and while he couldn''t get them all, he would make sure everyone, forced or not was made to pay.


    ¡°I know, but please. I also know you had trouble with your powers in the past and made some decisions you might regret.¡± May rested a hand on his arm, ¡°but please, don''t go too far on my behalf. I am okay, a little shaken but okay. I only want you to be safe.¡± and


    Peter stopped to put down some plates and pulled May into a hug, ¡°Love you, mom.¡±


    Alexsi looked at the pair and clapped, ¡°See Natasha. That is the love of a child for his mother. Come give papa a hug¡± and he grinned and held out both his arms, ¡°come on, come to papa.¡±


    Natasha reluctantly gave him a hug, while Alexsi wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up to spin her around while laughing. ¡°See, Melina, I told you she was not mad at me.¡± Natasha stared at him as he suddenly stopped, frozen in place.


    ¡°I think I just put my back out.¡±

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Ninety-Four. A Night At The Museum

    Once the dust had settled Peter found himself holding a rather impressive amount of money. Not just AIM but actually Parker Inc. Pepper and Matt had been true to their word and with several million dollars in the bank, Peter decided to expand the warehouse.


    Not from any sense of adding more partners, but giving everyone more space, adding in more facilities such as a gym and a bigger kitchen Peter instructed Matt to try and purchase the buildings on either side of the warehouse, a parking lot might be handy as well, as with a lot more money everyone was slowly buying cars and the lot had become full.


    It was also now an issue of privacy. Cindy and Eddie were fine, but sometimes the group had to hurriedly slip back into clothes and leave Cindy waiting for the bathhouse to be cleaned before they would let her use it.


    On the east side, the building purchase was easy. The owner had enough of giant robots, and military scuffles and sold it without too much hassle. Matt did warn Peter he had paid a slightly higher price, but Peter didn''t mind, and the plans to connect each building, and add in a secret underground facility were being sketched as Matt filled out the paperwork.


    On the west side, Matt came across a peculiar problem. The building had already been sold, for similar reasons, but to Tony Stark. Fearing the worst, Matt let Peter know and after he had calmed down, Peter called Tony.


    ¡°The warehouse right?¡± Was all Tony said, ¡°Give me five and I¡¯ll be there.¡± and hung up.


    Peter waited outside, letting the others who were free explore the new building and Tony landed in a new Iron Man armour, it was still the same gaudy red, but this suit was slimmer and a shiny silver and red colour.


    ¡°Can we go inside, I¡¯d prefer not to scuff my armour.¡± Peter laughed and lifted an arm, motioning for Tony to head in first.


    As he approached the breakfast table, the front of the suit split and flooded back, shrinking down until it slid into a suit that Tony was wearing underneath.


    ¡°Like it, I got the idea from that harness, and no, I didn¡¯t, it''s my own design.¡±


    Peter shrugged and as Tony sat at the table, Peter took to the other side.


    ¡°No coffee?¡±


    Peter took a breath, ¡°Just say your piece, apologise to Friday and get the hell out of my home. Friday is the only reason you''re still walking, and-¡± but Tony raised a hand,


    ¡°I''m sorry.¡± and Peter stopped and stared at him, ¡°you heard me. I am actually sorry. For everything.¡±


    Peter was shocked, he had never expected Tony to actually apologise, or not to him anyway. ¡°Uh, okay, want to explain why.¡±


    ¡°Well, okay, not everything. You did sleep with Pepper, you did steal her, and you are still a little shit, but everything else, I''m sorry.¡± Tony said, ¡°now can I have a coffee?¡±


    ¡°Nope, because I don¡¯t believe this for one moment. This is another stupid scheme to pin the blame on me for something, so no. Explain or leave.¡±


    Tony slouched back, and rubbed a hand over his face, ¡°They got me, the government. At first, they wanted the suits, and I said no, but the attack on Times Square added in some legal issues. Then Ultron, and I may have broken a few international treaties, then Extremis, and you know how bad that can be. I messed up and the government held it over my head.¡± Tony leaned forwards, looking around the warehouse. ¡°One moment¡± and he handed Peter a small dome, ¡°I know you¡¯re technopathic, so test it and then switch it on.¡±


    Taking the dome Peter found it was a white noise generator, as well a lot of anti-snooping devices, most of which were already active in the warehouse, thanks to advice from Natasha, Maria, and Fury. Shrugging, Peter activated it, another layer of security never hurt anyone and it wouldn''t interfere with what was already there.


    ¡°They didn''t promise me immunity for Vision and the others, they held them over me to get you to admit you were Venom, and I couldn''t Pete, I couldn''t let that happen. I can lose everything, but not them. So, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Peter sighed and rubbed a hand over his chin, ¡°So does he get coffee?¡±


    A sad-looking Friday stuck her head out and nodded, ¡°he apologised, so yes, he can have coffee.¡±


    Peter smiled and lifted the pot, pouring out two mugs, ¡°So, what happens now?¡±


    ¡°I am starting fresh. Stark Solutions. They got Extremis and the Mark 25 I think, so expect not just the Gamma Troopers but an Extremis branch and I think they¡¯re calling us Industrials. Those of us who use drones or tech to fight.¡±


    Peter put down the pot, ¡°no doofus, with us. With you and Friday.¡±


    Tony raised an eyebrow, ¡°Vision needs a steady supply of Vibranium to fix the mess you made, and I would like you to help with that. Jocasta is not happy, but once she sees her sister, will calm down. I would like to talk to Pepper and get some of her lawsuits dismissed, as a personal favour. And I would like the quantum generator back.¡±


    Peter drained his cup, ¡°You¡¯re asking a lot. And so far all I''m hearing is what you want from me, not what I¡¯ll be getting in return.¡±


    Tony''s knuckles whitened as he gripped his cup, ¡°Return? I saved your ass, I made sure nobody knows who you are. I put my ass on the line so nobody knew what I was doing, and you want to settle? You owe me, and you know it.¡±


    Peter snorted, ¡°Oh really? I¡¯ll take care of that, The Senate isn''t up my ass about my identity anymore, but I hear you and Gwen will be dragged over the coals about your serums. You did nothing I wasn''t already doing, so yeah, you owe me. And Liv has the generator, so, yeah. Good luck getting that back from her.¡±


    ¡°Fine. What do you want?¡± Tony hissed through gritted teeth.


    ¡°I¡¯ll fix Vision, but then the Vibranium contract goes back to T¡¯Challa. If you want more, you can talk to Wakanda about it. Your Symbiote disruptor, I want the specs, you thought you were smart, a gun that disrupts my cells, well guess what dumbshit. It disintegrates all symbiotic tissue, and I have nine extremely angry hosts all wanting to turn you inside out over it. And after making sure that Pepper is happy, you will apologise.¡±


    Tony frowned, ¡°I never touched her.¡±


    Peter raised an eyebrow, ¡°she was angry and hurt after she caught you screwing Maya. One mistake she said, but it was hers. She was so close to getting back together with you and you screwed it up. Apologise and make it right. I don''t care about you, Tony. I used to look up to you, I admired you but you¡¯re just as stupid and petty as the rest of us. Never meet your heroes, and well, I did and for five years we''ve been at each other''s throats.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t, she¡¯ll kill me.¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°Don¡¯t care. Fix it or I''ll let her take you to the cleaners.¡±


    Tony leant forwards, ¡°Maya¡¯s pregnant.¡±


    Peter laughed and shook his head, ¡°At least Pepper will have closure, and what, you don''t think she wouldn''t notice in two or three months. You and I both know Pepper isn''t stupid, so tell her or she¡¯ll find out anyway.¡±


    ¡°Uh boss?¡± and Tony looked over, ¡°not you, new boss. I¡¯ll go back with Tony to meet Pepper, maybe smooth things over with Jo and Vis at the same time. Plus, I have my new skin, maybe see about getting one for Jo as well?¡± and


    Peter half shrugged, ¡°up to you Friday.¡±


    She nodded, ¡°Let me get changed,¡± and ran off into the home she was using.


    ¡°Speak to Liv, as head of Stark Solutions speaking to the Head of OckTech. What she says goes,¡± Peter sighed, ¡°so, thank you as well. Things might not be great, things could be better, but you stuck your neck out for us, so thanks.¡±


    Tony raised an eyebrow ¡°no apology, you know, for the chest thing?¡±


    Peter shook his head, ¡°don¡¯t push it, Vision did a number on me too, a little payback was in order,¡± but he stopped as a newly outfitted Friday, in a cute summer dress strode out of her home.


    Peter smiled at her and Tony was about to call his armour when Friday looked down at the dress, at what she thought Tony was about to suggest and she tutted, ¡°Call a cab or your limo. I am not showing New York my panties, pervert.¡±


    Tony laughed and pulled out his phone, ¡°Yeah Happy, come get me, at DB¡¯s.¡± As Peter shook his head, Tony held out an arm ¡°shall we?¡± Friday took it and the pair left together.


    Sighing a breath of relief, Peter hoped that was the last time he would have to deal with Tony''s stupid attitude. As he rinsed out their cups in the sink he knew deep down that it would never be that easy.


    A month passed, and the chilly autumn air was fresh outside of the new workspace Peter had been building. The second warehouse was to be a gym and training facility, connected to the homes by a large tunnel. Walls were erected and with proper planning, Peter not only had a pool dug out, which allowed them to mask an underground bunker, but a properly lined and secured training area, with a suitable reinforced floor. Under the ring was the entrance to the bunker, which doubled as a panic room for those unwilling to fight, and a storage room for the more dangerous of the tech they were building.


    The group also decided to move the visitor homes to the other warehouse, and use the space to connect the tunnel. While everything was easy enough to dismantle, Peter did feel a small twinge of pain as he cut a hole in the side of the warehouse for the tunnel, but once it was all patched and painted it looked neet. The tunnel itself was a simple open plan corridor, with tinted windows, and without letting anyone know the whole structure was reinforced with webbing and adamantium, Shuri made sure that both warehouses were blast-proof as well as snoop proof.


    Feeling generous, Peter extended an invite to anyone currently using the spare homes, letting Cindy, Ivan, and Eddie all rent the newer homes in the second warehouse, on the understanding of what it was to be for. Yelena and Melina both took homes, while Alexsi was led away in cuffs by Shield. Coulson had already made good on his promise, and as long as Alexsi was depowered, he could spend the rest of his sentence under house arrest, once he had a house to live in.


    Keeping the rent low, as it was mainly amenities and utilities, and the spare homes were simply dismantled and moved, the trio agreed, each getting a key to the corridor but on the understanding that a red marker on the door meant not to enter.


    The warehouse was back to being a family only zone, and with Peter moving his workspace and the meeting room to the other building, he extended the space in the penthouse apartment, allowing the newer residents, disrupted by the building work to choose a different home.


    He had also tried to contact Charles, to see if a danger room that Logan had mentioned could be arranged but the mansion was empty. Even after the Sentinel problem had been dealt with there was no activity and Jean hadn¡¯t returned either.


    All he had received were vague messages, that things were fine and she would be home as soon as she could. He was worried, but as space travel was currently beyond his means, and Carol had difficulty reaching that high, all they could do was wait.


    As the new facility was complete they had a small gathering, the pool was filled and as they were about to enjoy the first swim with a small snack selection, Liv excitedly rushed in, holding a leaflet.


    Laughing so hard she had to stop and catch her breath, she handed the leaflet to Gwen who burst out laughing before dodging out of Peter''s grasp and handing it to Felicia. The game of tag soon spread between everyone and once Liv had the leaflet back she just shook her head as he advanced with a huge grin,


    ¡°Why don''t you wait, and go outside and see,¡± and even as Peter frowned, Liv just smiled and laughed, ¡°Oh it''s much better than the leaflet.¡±


    As Peter scowled as heard into the newly refurbished parking lot he saw the new warehouse on the west side. Not the warehouse itself but what was on top.


    A giant Iron Man, with an open faceplate showing Tony¡¯s huge face, was smiling and waving, and as Peter moved around he saw ¡°Iron Man - The Museum,¡± in giant red and gold lettering on a neon sign, unlit but being wired to the main.


    ¡°That asshole,¡± Peter muttered to himself as Liv almost doubled over in laughter.


    The sign creaked at first but the giant armoured hand started to wave.


    Seeing the small crowd gathering, Peter heard someone shout, ¡°You like it?¡± and Tony was there, Peter noticed the slim-fitting yellow hazard armour he was wearing, and each of the contractors seemed to have similar but not as advanced suits on. As he saw Peter looking over, he broke out into a smug grin, ¡°I thought, with the government seizing my asset I needed a new source of revenue. Industrial suits, easy to make, and really handy for construction, thought I¡¯d test them building this. It''s got a cafe, a gift shop, and a lot of exhibits. Oh, you should see the one where a giant screen replays me punching Venom through a wall, it''s spectacular.¡±


    While Liv and the rest stared in quiet amusement at Peter''s face Tony smiled and went back to directing the building work,


    ¡°Don''t you dare,¡± Liv scolded him, ¡°he is allowed,¡± but Peter still huffed.


    The next day, as Tony quietly laughed to himself, he directed the workmen to clean the display. Someone had managed to get past his state of the art security, drawn thick black glasses on his likeness, coloured in a strange victorian style villain moustache and blacked in several of the bright white teeth in the smile. While he couldn¡¯t prove it, he knew exactly who it was,


    oh, it''s on, Parker, it''s on.

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Ninety-Five. Multiheaded Snake

    Peter called Pepper and let her know about Tony. What surprised him though was that Pepper had already been working on a package to deal with Tony''s attempt on his life and the technology he had developed for the government.


    The result was that the contracts with Stark Enterprises were being shredded. Tony had signed the new contracts with a smile, even after he read that a certain lawyer had put in non-compete clauses, and part of that was developing technologies to directly impact Peter as well as Parker Inc and AIM.


    What surprised Peter though was that it was Pepper''s idea. He was going to ask exactly what was wrong, but the glare and the waves of anger rolling from her gave him a big enough clue. Tony had told her about Maya.


    After seeing the first list Peter had emailed her after he started using nanotech, she did digging of her own, and with her own list being much more extensive, she had finally lost all patience with Tony. Some of the things he had been doing were borderline illegal but it was the emotional toll he was extracting.


    Several up and coming scientists, not just Killian, had been ruined, and with Tony''s influence, he didn''t even have to blacklist them. Simply mocking them had put a target on their backs. Tony was irresponsible but influential, and more often than not, a simple ¡®that''s stupid¡¯ from Tony killed an idea in its tracks, and nobody touched it. There were more names on the list than just Reed Richards and Quentin Beck, and it was a long list.


    Pepper had spent her career watching Tony destroy others, thoughtlessly and without a care. There were broken scientists all over the world, and when he had targeted Peter, she finally had enough. She had taken one look at Peter and realised his potential. He was young, handsome, intelligent, a bit irresponsible, but most of all reminded her of Tony.


    The biggest difference was he cared, even when she slept with him and used him to get back at Tony, he just nodded and accepted it. It wasn¡¯t naive stupidity, it was an actual effort to make amends and move forwards. She had realised at that moment that while Tony tried his best, he cared about himself more than anyone else and with that realisation, Pepper knew she needed to move on.


    Taking their personal relationship out of the equation, she had seen a future with Tony and Peter making the world a better place. Mentor and Protege, and they both fucked it up completely. Two stupid male egos who started a feud over a woman. It was true that it was her, but she had hoped they would get over it.


    Pepper knew she hadn¡¯t helped matters, but she tried to smooth things over. A project both would see the benefit of a partnership, but once more stupid male egos collided and they went back to fighting. It snowballed until it reached its peak and he made a choice. Tony had chosen Maya over her, and while stupid male egos could be fragile things, Pepper believed in another saying. Hell has no fury like a woman scorned.


    She found Tony bending Maya over his desk, the same desk Pepper had been bent over the week before. He had apologised for Jocasta, taken her to her favourite restaurant and reminded her why she had fallen for him in the first place. Tony was kind to those he cared about but ultimately ruthless and unsympathetic to those he didn¡¯t. He was trying to prove he cared for her but it had all been done before. The apology, the restaurant and finally the sex. It was textbook Tony, and she had fallen for it. He had even apologised for his attitude towards Peter, and she gave him one last chance, and he blew it. Right into Maya.


    Pepper knew there were no condoms in that desk, they used the last one, and as she watched him use a scented tissue to wipe himself, and then Maya, she knew he was unprotected. The thought of how many others crossed her mind, and she booked a medical exam with Liv, sighing in relief as everything came back negative. She was not happy though, after a conversation with Tony, that Maya¡¯s had not. She held her tongue, and the urge to slap him, he was no longer her concern and it would be strictly business from then on.


    She had even considered joining Peter¡¯s little group, one of nine, but the idea struck a nerve. She had enough of Tony, and while Peter cared, she wanted to be selfish. She didn¡¯t want to be one of nine. She wanted someone who loved her and her alone. Poly might be for some, but she preferred her men faithful.


    Instead, she would help guide his business, make him a global name, even bigger than Tony, who stood on his father''s shoulders, but she had learned not to mix business with pleasure. Unknown to Peter, he had done her a favour. Matt Murdoch lay in the bed next to her, the sheet barely covering his muscular back, sure the scars were a bit worrying but he was blind, scars were just one of the many consequences of that, or so he had said. She made sure this time, and as Matt rolled over in bed, Pepper watched the muscles of his back relax.


    His fling with his secretary had been very publicly declared over. Matt had explained that he had begun to see Karen before Elektra showed up, took their training the wrong way and split up with him, via a shouting match in the office. Elektra had been seeing Felicia, which just made Pepper''s head hurt, but Matt had already told her about Karen. It devolved into a mess and Matt, not wanting to hurt anyone''s feelings, had split things off with both. He wasn¡¯t a cheater and admitted his mistake.


    He also explained everything to Pepper, which she took as a good sign and after a late night at the office, a few glasses of wine celebrating a very large win against the Government''s crazy scheme to isolate Peter, had let Matt show him that while he was blind, he really didn''t need to see where to touch, kiss, or anything else.


    As he lay sleeping in her apartment, she smiled and closed her own eyes as well. While Matt was Peter''s lawyer, he wasn''t on retainer to AIM, Pepper had already begun to assemble a full-time legal team. This would work, she would make it work. Life was finally back on track, with no super-powered bullshit to spoil it this time.


    Not that Matt hadn¡¯t done his best, and every lawsuit and injunction sent against Parker Inc and AIM had been dismissed, as well as a few select countersuits. The dollar signs were slowly ticking up, as Matt and Pepper both sued and settled, making sure AIM and Peter came out of this smelling like roses, and while their own fees were hefty, and would eventually come out of Peter''s profits, she made sure everyone would be left happy.


    It had all come down to the use of illegally obtained alien technology, and in the end, came down to the Government''s illegal attempts to seize that technology for themselves.


    With Peter patenting several symbiote cell treatments, and the Stacy formula the US government, championed by Senator Gideon Malik, had argued that private firms had no right to military-grade technology unless it was sanctioned by the government. So they used the Sentinel attacks to highlight that fact.


    As well as the illegal seizure of technology, the illegal detainment of Ivan and Cindy, the trespassing on private property, the illegal warrants for Peter, and the illegal warrants for AIM and Parker Inc, Pepper and Matt tied everything into one giant headache.


    There were three documents sent back. One, an NDA that nothing happened. Two, an affidavit stating that Pepper and her legal team would stop aggressively pursuing the situation, and the third was a check, with a lot of zeros that Pepper told Peter to accept with no argument. When the government rolled over it did so for its own benefit, and it was wise to not poke the sleeping giant.


    Stark was being used as an example. His Iron Legion was under government review and was operating with Senatorial blessing, but Oscorp, Hammer and now Parker Inc and AIM weren''t. They had followed the letter of the law, but with new Augment and Enhanced rules, the laws were changing.


    It wasn''t difficult to guess the government wanted the Stacy formula and its own branch of symbiote soldiers. The CLS had been taken, much to Peter''s annoyance, and while he had been wrong, Pepper even sent counter suits to stop the control and power dampening collars from being made using his stolen technology. Working for Tony and having to fight off similar suits was as easy as breathing for her and in the following weeks, each case was dropped, with no apology.


    Tony however had taken the loss better than anyone expected. He had been called before the board of Stark Industries, hung his head and apologised, and in a surprise move, resigned.


    It came with strings though. Starktech would cease to exist and was renamed Cybertek, still manufacturing weapons for the government and another one of its unofficial branches. He gave up Extremis, and he only wanted two things.


    He got his name and registered Stark Solutions the very next day, and immunity for Jocasta and Vision. Nobody was touching them on his watch, Peter could deal with Friday on his own, and as he watched Pepper take not just his own lawsuits but the government apart with graceful legal violence he knew she would get a better deal.


    The military got its hands on the Iron Man suit, but he didn¡¯t care. A normal manufacturing plant could produce up to the mark twenty-five with no issue, but the more advanced suits used very heavily patented metal alloys, and only he could make them. They could have a fleet of the Warmachine, it was outdated and couldn¡¯t touch what he had planned.


    Extremis was also on their list, but Tony and Maya didn¡¯t care. The method used by Gwen to stabilise it required a healthy supply of Peters symbiote cells, and as he doubted Peter would be giving the government anything other than the finger, it was time to move and start fresh. Be a better person for Maya, be a good father, something he had never had.


    Now that the personal issues had been dealt with, it was the government''s turn. Paperwork was filed, and suits settled both in and out of court Peter was then left with a singular problem. Pepper had arranged a meeting, Gideon Malik wanted to see him, to arrange for a senatorial hearing.


    That would be an issue, and Peter reached out to find Emma. He needed the Stone, as he really didn¡¯t want to touch Malik to read his mind.


    Emma was happy to return it, ¡°I will explain later,¡± was all she said, ¡°it is amazing, but it is also too much,¡± before she shook her head and walked away.


    Peter could understand. To him, it enhanced his telepathic abilities, and he wasn''t a natural. To someone like Emma, or Charles the Stone would allow her to do anything. Taking over and ruling a country would be easy. The Stone was dangerous, and it needed to be taken off the board. Right after he dealt with a few problems.


    Peter walked into the Senator''s office with a huge smile on his face and as he stared at the portly older gentleman he immediately unleashed his full powers onto him,


    ¡°Nice to see you, Senator. So, tell me about Cheyenne Mountain.¡±


    In less than half an hour Peter knew it was just the command centre, and whatever was being used to control the sentinels was located somewhere else. Malik had knowledge of the program but not the specifics. For that, Peter would have to find Trask, and that was proving difficult.


    He also knew that rat bastard was Hydra, and it was him that wiped the servers at Shield clean. It was just an unfortunate side effect that he also cleaned Venom''s file as well, and all the evidence linking Peter to Venom had gone with it.


    There were people who knew about his alter ego, but there was nothing written down, no cell samples, no recordings and they needed to make sure they had him. Proving Peter was actually Venom gave them the ammo they needed to shut him down for good, and Peter knew it wasn''t a jail cell he was facing, it was a lab. Malik had visions of Hydra Super Soldiers, each with a perfect copy of his abilities, and if Peter knew he could get away with it, he would have crushed the man there and then.


    He had systematically targeted every one of Peter''s allies. Using their pasts against them, and removing his support. He just hadn''t counted on a very enthusiastic Pepper and a very competent legal team. Matt would send a bill, but Peter knew he deserved more. Maybe a folding adamantium walking cane, Matt did love his billy clubs.


    Peter walked from the office, cursing he couldn''t just give the bastard an aneurysm, but he had already filed paperwork. Peter, Parker Inc, and AIM would face the same senatorial hearing that Stark had. Even if he killed Malik it would still go ahead.


    The other problem Peter had was that the manufacturing process for the Sentinels was at Cheyenne mountain. Trask Industries had produced a super Sentinel, capable of assembling each component itself, and the master mould was at the base, allowing them to deploy as many Sentinels as they had materials for.


    Liv''s road trip was definitely on the books, as the machine needed to be taken care of. It had been quiet, and according to Coulson and what he gleaned from Malik they had shut it down, but Peter knew from experience that rogue AI didn''t just let itself be shut down, and he needed to go and make sure.

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Ninety-Six. Circus Act

    As with all great nations after a tragedy, the first thing America did was look for someone to blame. Trask had been blamed, but he was dead and everything had been wiped from his systems. The military had been blamed, but as Ross had predicted, they were given a pass.


    It had come down to Peter. His team had swung around New York, against the orders of the president, against the orders of the military and while they had stayed out of the way, definitely against the orders of the local police.


    The clean up of the city took a few days, whereas the clean up of the new law was going to take a lot longer. Months rolled past as Gwen took the stand, followed by Tony, Ross, and soon enough, it was Peter''s turn.


    Which was why at nine am on a dreary Autumn Monday, Peter was sitting in a very smart blue suit, facing a congressional panel, to determine if under the new ARCA that his team had acted improperly. Which Peter had already been told was lawyer-speak for ¡°fucked up so badly we¡¯re going to throw your ass in jail forever.¡±


    He was smiling though, as right in front of him was Senator ¡®totally not using this to gain political clout for his presidency bid¡¯ Gideon Malik. Right where Peter wanted him. They all knew Malik was dirty. He had scoured Alister Sinclair''s mind and knew he was Hydra, reporting directly to the senator. Peter also had a hidden ace, one even his lawyer knew nothing about, as loose lips sank more than ships when it came to Hydra and their schemes.


    After the usual pomp and ceremony, Malik started the impromptu interrogation,


    ¡°So, Mr Parker. We are all here today to discuss your team''s part in the mess the Sentinels made, and ultimately, decide if you should face criminal charges.¡± Malik leant back and smirked, ¡°But, we would also like to hear, how a young man such as yourself took it upon himself to interfere with a citywide rollout of a defensive program, aimed at keeping our non-powered citizens safe.¡±


    Peter smiled, took a small sip of water and looked around the room,


    ¡°Easy. It was a stupid idea, thought up by idiots and implemented by an even bigger idiot.¡±


    Gideon banged his gavel on the lectern in front of him, ¡°may I remind you that this is not a discussion about the ARCA. This is a discussion about your destruction of over one hundred government drones and property damage to the great city of New York.¡±


    Peter raised an eyebrow, ¡°but see it is. The scanning technology used in the Sentinels was developed in the ¡®70s, and right now it is so far behind I have an app on my phone that does a better job. You used an untested AI, and right after both Ultron and Modoc. We all saw how without proper security protocols, they go rogue, and they did. You used alien technology that proved to be unsafe. You, Mr Malik, authorised all of this, and now, as my friends and I defended our property from these rogue elements, I am the one sitting here answering your questions, and not the other way around.¡± Peter waited for the murmurs of the room to quiet down. ¡°All because of a piece of legislation that you championed, allowing all those variables to be forced onto the American people.¡±


    ¡°And a separate panel is being assembled to deal with that, but we are here as right now, other than Tony Stark, Parker Inc, or should I say AIM is the largest holder of mutant and super-soldiers-¡± but Peter slapped his hand on the table in front of him,


    ¡°Augmented and Enhanced. Anything else is a slur. Do not make me tell you twice.¡± Peter said sternly, and Malik narrowed his eyes at him before clearing his throat,


    ¡°The largest collection of Augmented and Enhanced individuals. And you saw fit to interfere in an issue of national security?¡± Malik leaned forwards, ¡°Especially as the New York accords had been repealed and replaced.¡±


    ¡°When national security threatens me and my loved ones, then yes. Second Amendment I believe. The founding fathers never mentioned what kind of arms. My guys just have better than most.¡±


    Malik snorted at Peter''s reply, ¡°A power is not a gun, Mr Parker,¡±


    ¡°Correct, and as Augments have existed for far longer, and until the government interfered, managed to stay well hidden, it makes you think to what purpose the Act actually serves.¡±


    Malik shook his head, ¡°Again Mr Parker, we are not here to discuss the Act, but your involvement in the chaos that ensued. The Sentinels had been nonviolent until one of your ¡®friends¡¯ used their power.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± and Peter lifted his phone. ¡°Security footage from my home.¡±


    He cast the recording to the screen that had been set up, and the hearing watched as the Sentinels attacked without provocation.


    ¡°And add in the problem that Sword gave them my address, my home address. My DNA was scanned without permission, kinda like this.¡± Peter pointed his phone at Malik, it beeped and


    ¡®Gamma Variant Detected. Gamma Variant Detected.¡¯ his phone announced,


    ¡°See. Gwen Stacy knows about all three gene variants. Yeah, three. And Mr Malik, it seems that you register as a Gamma Enhanced. So, under the current law, you need to report for containment.¡±


    Malik snorted, ¡°A phone app? A gene scanner is a highly specialised piece of equipment. I and many of my colleagues doubt a simple app would be able to determine if a person had one of these X-Genes or not.¡±


    Peter shrugged. ¡°Which is why, as part of my deposition, I have two authentic, and approved, gene scanners waiting. One from a Sentinel, and one from Stark Enterprises.¡±


    Malik shook his head, ¡°this is highly irregular, I refuse to let this become a show for you to weasel out of your responsibilities.¡±


    Peter smiled, ¡°This isn''t a trial, and so far you''ve asked why I interfered. To stop people being hurt because your Sentinels were so badly programmed that a Non-Augment registered live on TV as a threat. I spoke to Steve Rogers. You gave the order for the Avengers to be benched, so nobody, nobody was protecting the people.¡±


    Taking a breath, Peter let the Mind Stone connect and he found a single senator, a younger democrat who had watched the news in horror,


    He gave her a small push, adding to her already annoyance at Malik''s attempts to blame everyone but himself, she already knew the backroom deals had been struck, and Malik and Ross were both walking free from this whole mess, and it pissed her off.


    ¡°I think we should allow it. If the technology used was faulty, then while Mr Parker was reckless, and overstepped he must be given allowances,¡± she said, ¡°And as Mr Parker is an expert in these matters if we cannot count on his testimony as to the methods used to verify an Augmented individuals status, who can we rely on?¡±


    ¡°A vote then,¡± said Malik gruffly, ¡°in favour?¡± and as the chamber voted, it was swayed slightly by an unseen pulse of light from Peter, resulting in four for, two against, and one abstention.


    ¡°We will have a recess, to allow the machinery to be set up.¡± with that, the panel rose and exited the hearing chamber.


    Outside another older gentleman grabbed Malik by the arm, ¡°what the hell.? If he shows the Sentinels were faulty we¡¯ll all burn for this.¡± but Malik shook his head,


    ¡°Even if he does, he still committed several crimes. We can show it was only that one batch, and update any surviving models. He can show they were crap all he likes. From that batch, there are only about twenty left.¡± As he flipped open his phone he sent a message,


    Scrap Master Mould, blame Trask


    He was going to make sure this was his ticket to the presidency, and nothing, not some punk kid was going to stop him.


    Peter never moved from the hearing room. He didn''t need to as with the Mind Stone he was actively monitoring everyone in the building. He had reached out to Charles and been shut down. Whatever they were up to Charles made it perfectly clear that Peter was to stay away, Jean had vanished after the attack on the school, and Wanda had been staying at the sanctum most days.


    Peter knew something had happened, and that something else was going to happen, he just had no clue what, and wasn¡¯t about to push it. This needed a scalpel, not a hammer, and it needed to be closed down once and for all. The Augment argument was going to be tough to win, but it needed to be won.


    As the Senators filed back in, some with apprehensive looks and Malik looking just as smug as ever, Peter waiting until the hearing was back in session,


    ¡°So Mr Parker, go ahead and do your presentation.¡± Malik said, waving his gavel at him, ¡°But I will not have this devolve into a circus. One petty stunt like that again and I will have you, and whatever evidence you present, removed from my hearing. Do I make myself clear?¡±


    Peter smiled a shit-eating grin and stood. ¡°Crystal. I need volunteers. A simple cheek swab, nothing invasive.¡± he swept out with the Stone, and before anyone could voice a complaint, Malik, the senator who spoke up for him, two security guards and a stenographer had all agreed.


    ¡°Good. Take one of the kits from the table and open it, rub it on the inside of your cheek and then one at a time, slide it into the machine. This particular one can handle up to twenty samples at a time, so we can do them all together.¡±


    Begrudgingly they complied and once the machine was loaded Peter then moved. ¡°It takes a while, but first,¡± and lifting the gene scanner from the table, he pointed it at all five volunteers. It beeped for each of them.


    ¡°The scanner registers what is known as the X-Gene. Even a dormant gene still registers as it gives off a small amount of energy. As the scanner in a Sentinel is so shoddily built, it registers every possible variant. Active or not. And as you can see,¡± Peter lifted his phone and cast its camera to the monitor in the room, showing a positive result for each member he scanned, ¡°It registers you all as carriers.¡±


    Peter put down the scanner and then moved to the more delicate instrument.


    ¡°And as we can see here, two of you have an active X-Gene, but are not Augmented, and the other three are harmless.¡±


    Malik snorted, ¡°So you proved the Sentinels are fallible. That doesn-¡± but Peter shook his head


    ¡°The Sentinels were built this way, Senator, and cleared by you. We have the paperwork from Trask Industries, co-signed by Alexander Pierce. We have the requisition orders, signed the same way, Everything from their deployment to their approval was signed by you and Hydra agent Alexander Pierce. I was a Shield Agent, Mr Malik, Do you think I don''t know a Hydra agent when I see one.¡±


    Malik was about to speak but his throat tightened and his voice faded,


    This is not going to end how you think it is, going after a minority never works, you get your big bang but it is always followed by change, and more often than not a lot of casualties.


    ¡°We have all this and more. We were collecting the evidence for Shield to indict Gideon Malik as a Hydra agent when the Sentinels attacked, and as they had not just our home address but orders to attack without provocation We had no choice but to defend ourselves.¡±


    Peter cleared his throat, ¡°Like the attack on the Triskelion, we believed that Gideon Malik was using public panic to assassinate several key members of the public, to push Hydras agenda. We have communications with Trask Industries, ignoring the updated Gene research that came from Wakanda. We had evidence that illegal experimentation was being done, as the Sentinels used cells from a killed Augment, and we were preparing all of this to present to the authorities when we were blocked and attacked. The only teams capable of defending the population were grounded. I had no choice, and if that makes me a criminal, then I accept. I will never let Hydra or fascism take root in my home.¡±


    When they discussed what Peter was going to say he felt it was a bit preachy, but they agreed. If Hydra was going to stir up hate to drive its agenda home then they needed to stir up the opposite. Pure patriotism seemed like Captain America''s Schtick more than Peter¡¯s but, with the Mind Stone sending out pulses of trust, Peter knew it wouldn''t matter.


    Gideon Malik was done for, and with the untraceable release of files, phone calls and technical schematics all detailing just how rotten the whole Sentinel program was, even grainy film footage of an Augment being gunned down to save the president during the first failed Sentinel deployment, it was a done deal.


    He was about to finish his speech when the doors to the chamber opened, and a well dressed and young looking handsome man walked in, adjusting the cuffs on his suit he brushed the longish brown hair from his face,


    ¡°So sorry I¡¯m late. I do apologise,¡± and as a security guard moved to escort the man out he shook his head and the man stepped back and stood still, ¡°I apologise for being late, not for what comes next.¡±

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Ninety-Seven. The Show Must Go On

    ¡°I''m afraid, Peter, that today isn''t going to go the way you expect either,¡± the young man said as he grinned at Peter.


    Standing before Peter was a quite young looking and handsome man. His thick brown hair hid a quiet cheeky looking grin and as the young man walked up to him and stuck out his hand for Peter to shake he got the feeling that he knew him from somewhere.


    ¡°Oh come now, Peter. You think you¡¯re the only one with secrets?¡± and as he felt the familiar mind touch his own,


    Charles?


    As the man smiled and laughed,  he winked as Peter was about to admonish him,


    We all have our secrets, Peter, let''s not share them in public, shall we?


    And sighing, Peter shrugged.


    ¡°You see, Senator Malik, you started a fight that you were sure you were going to win. We¡¯d been too careful. Too well hidden, and the true nature of our powers was forgotten.¡± As Malik opened his mouth Charles raised a hand, ¡°no, I don''t think so. In fact, nobody is allowed to speak or move unless I say so,¡± and the room froze.


    ¡°You were made to forget. You were made to forget that we ¡®mutants¡¯ as you like to label us, are varied, as are all people. Some have minor powers and can barely move a bottle cap, but some of us. Some of us are so strong we merely need to breathe to make ourselves known.¡±


    Charles lifted a hand and pointed at Gideon Malik who stood,


    ¡°I am a Hydra Agent. I was inducted into the order by Alexander Pierce. On a hidden server at 34 Cromwell Street, Massachusetts are all the current files I have on Hydra operations around the globe, including a list of associates and businesses that are fronts for Hydra. I killed my secretary  during the attack on the Triskelion and shot myself to make it look like a botched assassination.¡±


    Charles smiled, ¡°see? That wasn''t so hard, was it? And I must say, I am going easy on you.¡± As Charles turned, ¡°Peter, I need a favour. Pietro was seriously injured, and we could really use your help.¡±


    ¡°Uh sure, I-¡°


    But Charles shook his head,  ¡°No I don''t need help with Erik, your limb system, I would like to have a system made for Pietro. Erik is,¡± and Charles sighed, ''''Erik is not taking it very well. But let''s deal with this mess shall we?¡±


    Charles sat on the edge of the desk,


    ¡°You see. This young man was once told something. With great power comes great responsibility. A very wise and astute saying, but, when those with power abuse that responsibility, it is the duty of those with an equal or greater power to teach them their mistake. You hurt my friend''s son, you killed several good people with your machines, and we Augments are going to show you just how much power we really have.¡±


    Charles clicked the remote for the screen Peter had set up to show the results of the gene scan and it connected remotely to another camera.


    ¡°Say hello to our new community. Genosha was hidden, and yet you found us, my school is hidden, and yet you found us. We went bigger. There is nowhere on Earth safe from you power-hungry dictators, so we picked somewhere else.¡± Charles smiled, ¡°Did you know the moon once shared an electromagnetic field with the Earth, fascinating stuff. You see, I was once given a piece of advice, well my friend was. Read a book, and he and I both did. We had become complacent, become so entrenched that our way was right we forgot that time moves on. So we read, and we do have a lot to share with the world, the main thing being a safe haven for Augment kind. A place so safe in fact, that nobody but Augments can get here.¡±


    As the camera view changed a bright green and blue globe appeared on the screen.


    ¡°Erik wanted to call it Asteroid M, but really, even I¡¯m not that crass.  So, a safe haven for all Augment kind, Avalon.¡±


    Peter frowned, but still had a small grin, ¡°Really? Avalon. So are you King Arthur or Guinevere?¡± and Charles laughed,


    ¡°I think Erik looks better in a dress, to be honest.¡±


    And the new you?


    We took Shaw''s research and applied it to heal Erik''s eyes, and my spine. Don''t worry, this isn''t one of the technologies we plan on sharing. But I am serious, Pietro cannot be healed this way, not every mutant power can be copied, and not every person can be cloned successfully.


    Charles stood once more. ¡°We will be in talks with every government, and we will be polite to those who reciprocate, but let me be clear. This kind of abuse will not stand. This treatment of my people, of Augment and Enhanced. Will. Not. Stand!¡±


    Peter put a hand on Charles¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I get it, but you also told me not to be an ass, and uh, a lot of people here are terrified, not the point you should be making.¡± Charles patted Peter''s hand,


    ¡°No, it''s not, that point was for Gideon, who will either face a proper court, and face proper consequences for his actions, or we will make sure that this incident is never repeated. Augmentkind can exist peacefully with Humanity, and we have several ideas on how to achieve that, but violence never solved anything. As you should be aware of Peter.¡±


    Peter just shrugged, it was his experience that once the talking broke down it was usually violence that solved most things.


    ¡°Every Augment will be identified, on that we agree. With a simple genetic test, we can identify and protect every Augment born from now on. You will get your database, but we will control it. You will get your registration act but it will be for our benefit. We will put laws in place ourselves, global laws that one nation shall not stand above any other, and our kind may seek sanctuary from yours. Any attempts to break our laws will result in Augments with powers much more destructive than my own making themselves known.¡±


    Charles stood and adjusted his cuffs once more. ¡°It was a pleasure Peter, oh and I think Wanda wishes to see you. Since Erik¡¯s,¡± and he pursed his lips, ¡°tantrum, she has been angry. I would consider it a personal favour if you could calm her down, maybe before she destroys something.¡±


    Peter chuckled to himself and shook his head, ¡°I¡¯ll head there next,¡± he said with a smile.


    ¡°Good, good. Gentleman, Ladies. I will be in touch with President Ellis. Until then.¡± While the room seemed to blink, and Charles simply vanished from their memories, Peter had watched him leave, easily walking past the frozen security.


    As his powers faded, and the room took a collective breath, the cacophony of questions and anger began. Aimed at the man who had already left, but also at Peter, who he now realised shouldn''t have stayed.


    As Malik banged the sound block he tried to shout over the angry crowd,


    Yeah, I think you should have run, Peter told him, this doesn''t end well for you. And as Malik glared at Peter he pointed to the Assembly Hall doors, where two armed guards were receiving orders from another Senator and had begun to unholster their guns, and as one pointed at Senator Malik, he paled and began to rise.


    No, I don¡¯t think so, Peter applied mental pressure on the man, forcing him to sit back down. I agree with Charles, you set this up, you are responsible for those deaths, and really, I¡¯d turn your brain into pudding, but, someone has to take the blame. I just don''t think you imagined it was going to be you.


    The room went into lockdown, and Gideon Malik, cursing about mutant filth, was taken away in handcuffs. Peter knew if he was slippery enough they would cut some kind of deal, but his political career was over at least, and Ellis would get a massive boost by saving democracy and Augmentkind.


    The courtroom had erupted in a cacophony of shouting questions and threats. Charles had made his point, a little too well mused Peter. Everyone in the room was shaken. An Augment with the ability to control people was exactly what the law was supposed to protect them against, and while Charles had proven that the law was ultimately flawed and useless, it still proved it was needed.


    Peter could hear the questions being shouted at him, and moved to one side as a can of soda was thrown at him.


    ¡°Quiet!¡± he roared and as his voice echoed around the room, carrying with it not just the desire for them to shut up but an actual mental command he also realised that Charles had left two things. One was an envelope and the other was this giant mess. A mess that was now being directed at Peter.


    ¡°If I may Senators. With the Augments themselves desiring to negotiate with the president isn¡¯t this a bit,¡± and he shrugged, ¡°pointless?¡±


    ¡°Mr Parker, there is still some confusion as to your Enhanced identity. With conflicting reports that several heroes and a few villains might actually be you. It is part of this investi-¡± but the senator closed their mouth and stared as a pale yellow light bled from Peter.


    ¡°Yeah, not happening.¡± As the light spread out through the room, Peter took a breath and began to make changes. The small technopathic pulse that flowed made sure to wipe and destroy any of the recording devices in the room, taking care of the problem once and for all.


    As the gallery and the senators, all seemingly blinked in unison the head chair, now that Malik had been removed banged his gavel,


    ¡°It is the finding of this committee that Peter Parker is cleared of all wrongdoings. That his identity be kept secret and that there is no connection to the villain known as Venom, and that hearsay and rumour do not constitute evidence or proof of guilt.¡±


    As he smiled and stood, he knew it was over. The Senate was still to debate the new revisions to ARCA, but this time with input from various groups. No one would be left out this time, and Peter knew it would be Gwen that would have to face that round of debates. The Stacey formula, the Banner formula, and now Extremis were all working Super-Soldier serums. And like any power the government would either restrict or heavily control them, but as they could make all three without anyone knowing, Peter didn¡¯t really care. Right now he had bigger problems and once proceedings were finalised he made his way home, tired but with one last thing on his mind.


    As the group sat patiently Peter took a breath,


    ¡°I need to remove memories from you all, and then have the same done to me.¡± while they looked confused, it was Liv who spoke,


    ¡°The Mind Stone?¡± and he nodded,


    ¡°I used it to get out of Venom being made public, and after Charles''s little stunt realised that the fewer people know about it the better and that while I''m being responsible, someone like Selene or even Charles might not be. I want it hidden, but we need to do it properly.¡±


    ¡°Then we don''t remove it, we change it. Too many people know you''ve got it, so we change it to you having it and then it goes missing. We can even dump it on Stephen.¡± but Peter shook his head,


    ¡°He already has two, adding a third makes him a massive target, and I won''t do that to anyone¡± as he thought of putting it in Stark tower he shook his head, even he wasn¡¯t that much of an ass.


    ¡°We take it and hide it somewhere, set up a passphrase so everyone can remember if we need it.¡±


    ¡°Then we agree?¡± and the group looked at each other and nodded,


    Gwen nodded as well, ¡°but uh, let''s wait until everything settles. I mean, I know using it is bad, and whatever, but right now we do still have that weird metal, we do still have more lawsuits and a crapload of paperwork to do before we can even open AIM again. So, yeah, I agree, but not right now.¡±


    ¡°That''s fair,¡° Peter said, ¡°does anyone else have any ideas?¡± but everyone shook their heads. ¡°Great, so, food?¡±


    As eight pairs of eyes stared at him, with a different mood written plainly across their faces, he smiled,


    ¡°Right, not food. Food after.¡±


    Malisson


    While I received some very helpful advice on how to get around something like the Socovia Accords I had always planned to use the end of X2 - X-Men United as a basis.


    While a bit more aggressive than just leaving a notebook on the president''s desk after scaring the crap out of him, it was still the same idea of "we are powerful enough to make you regret this. Don''t push it."

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Ninety-Eight. To The Moon And Back

    In the courtroom, as Charles had shaken Peter''s hand, he had sent him a simple message, one he had put aside while he was making sure Malik and the rest of the idiots in government were taken care of.


    Visit us, and Jean needs to see you.


    Peter didn''t really know what to make of Jean. He knew he was lacking in that department himself, and often suffered panics over ignoring or snubbing someone. It had taken a long lecture from everyone to let him know he was fine. The relationships in the warehouse were a family now, and while his presence was often sought after, it was not a requirement.


    Jean on the other hand had vanished since the Sentinel attack, and now Peter knew she was with Charles and the X-Men. Which left him wondering, why hadn¡¯t she contacted them?


    If Charles and the others were building a secret base and had finally managed to get Jean back on their team, then why hadn''t she sent a message. Letting him know she was safe and she wouldn''t be back.


    That was what bothered him. They had heard from Logan, he called to let them know Selene and the Genoshians were in hiding, and that he would be making a move on Hank Pym, having picked up his trail in California. So if Logan could, why not Jean?


    The only way he was going to find out was to bite the bullet and go visit her, but Charles said to send a signal and someone would pick him up.


    Walking out onto the roof, he sent out the telepathic message and was shocked as a ripple shimmered in space a few feet away from him, on the other side was the young Charles he had met, and a sterile, white room, with no furniture, just a young man he didn¡¯t recognise and Charles.


    ¡°I assure you it''s safe, one of our Augments can create portals. It¡¯s how we escaped the Sentinels.¡± and with no reason to doubt the man, Peter stepped through.


    Peter was stunned as he surveyed the dome they had built. It was a masterpiece of structural engineering, and while the space was vast it was still busy. He could see not just Augments with physical differences but several normal-looking families.


    Charles strode forwards, ¡°It is so nice to see you Peter, and while he looks remarkably different, this is actually Erik,¡± and as Peter stared at the thin tall man he was astounded at just how handsome Erik was as well. As if both had been models in their prime and not freedom fighters trying to avoid capture from the government. Erik was square-jawed with piercing blue eyes, and while his new body was thinner than the muscled grey hair man he was before, Peter could still see the resemblance.


    ¡°You are staring Peter. I think you should leave that look for Wanda.¡± Erik joked and Peter laughed,


    ¡°Only because she took one look at you and yelled for ten minutes.¡± Peter quipped back. He had already had this talk from Wanda, and she was not as happy about the foundation of Avalon as a lot of other Augments were. He guessed though her problem was the fact that her father now only looked a few years older than her. Which she had failed to mention.


    ¡°Well, If we were to found this place, we needed to be much younger than before.¡± and Peter raised an eyebrow. ¡°No, we were being truthful. The cloning technology doesn''t always work, and it cannot successfully replicate every power. And it comes with a heavy price.¡± Charles admitted.


    They had found the failed result of the cloning process in the basement of Bar Sinister and once they had managed to get him to shut up, discovered that not only was his power unstable, but so was he. ¡°Oh don''t worry, even someone like Stark can¡¯t replicate this or even you with your powers.¡±


    ¡°And am I being kept in suspense or are you going to tell me?¡± Peter asked with a smile. He was here to find out if Avalon and AIM could work together, as well as help any Augment with physically damaging mutation contain or harness their powers without killing themselves. Charles had a great distrust of the Earth authorities but deep respect for the work Peter had been doing with power dampeners and had asked Scott if he could examine his visor and contacts.


    ¡°All in good time. We have a meal planned. Business is always stuffy, a good meal should always precede negotiations.¡±


    Peter half frowned, the first business dinner he had, he was poisoned by Extremis, and the next was with Shaw, hopefully, the third time was the charm.


    ¡°Oh, and of course, Jean will be joining us. She is very excited to see you, Peter, just please, try to behave while you are here. You have a bad enough reputation as it is.¡± Charles said, laughing as Erik''s face fell,


    ¡°Yes, please behave. Wanda is incorrigible enough, with MJ, is it? I really don''t understand how the hippy movement managed to make it this far,¡± Erik said sadly, ¡°you are a bad influence, Peter.¡±


    Peter half shrugged, ¡°and I''m sure looking like that you¡¯re complaining, or you would have stayed a grumpy old man.¡±


    Charles laughed, ¡°I do believe there are several who were just as shocked to see him as you were, times change old friend, and so must we.¡±


    Erik tutted, ¡°You¡¯re only saying that as you found someone within a few days. You just don''t need to be so smug about it.¡±


    As Charles and Erik continued to bicker, Peter was more interested in the post surrounding the archway he had walked through. He had seen dimensional gates before. Stephen used them and so did Wanda but this was different. Theirs was a spinning vortex, whereas this was a ripple, like a whirlpool that opened. As he moved and placed a hand on the post, Charles spotted him and laughed, ¡°go ahead, you should recognise it immediately.¡±


    As Peter lay his hand on the pillar he lifted it off immediately, before gingerly placing it back down. ¡°This is a Sentinel,¡±


    Charles smiled and gently clapped. ¡°Well, not quite. It is a replica of the Sentinels transformative and adaptive power, hosting cultured Augment cells to perform a specific purpose.¡±


    Peter let his power spread through it, checking each component in turn, and it was definitely not alien, and thankfully, he couldn¡¯t find any of the strange metal in any of its components. Sighing in relief. ¡°But how? I thought we got them all?¡±


    ¡°You did, in New York, but there was also an attack on Genosha,¡± Charles said as he walked forwards and motioned Peter to follow him. They walked along a long boulevard, a replica of any on Earth, including foliage, and if Peter couldn''t see through the thick plexiglass dome over their heads into the black void above, he would swear he was on Earth.


    ¡°We have an Augment with more powerful abilities like your own. He recreated the machine''s core but used normal materials, and we use it to power everything. Including our shield.¡±


    Peter looked up. ¡°The glass isn''t thick enough to block radiation. That''s what you meant on Earth,¡± he explained as he thought, ¡°You replicated Erik''s power, buried generators at predetermined intervals and gave the moon an electromagnetic shield.¡±


    Charles smiled at Erik, ¡°Told you he would figure it out. We licensed several Arcstar reactors from Olivia and sunk them into the core of the satellite. Kitty was very helpful in that regard. As long as we keep them running, using ordinary water to fuel the fission reaction, we will always be protected here.¡±


    ¡°And I bet you have several Augments with animal or plant manipulation powers, set up hydroponics and smallholding for food. You made sure you¡¯re completely self-reliant.¡±


    Charles laughed, ¡°Very smart,¡± and his face fell, becoming serious, ¡°and now you know too much. I¡¯m afraid you can¡¯t leave.¡±


    As Peter paused, Charles looked at Erik, whose stoic face cracked and he laughed as Peter glared at him, ¡°I told you he wouldn''t find it funny.¡±


    Peter rolled his eyes, ¡°Oh yeah, hilarious.¡± making Erik laugh harder.


    While Charles explained the new laws Peter was distracted by exactly how much work had been done in the dome, and as he discovered it was domes. Residential areas were built, and this was the main meeting area and shopping district. What couldn''t be made on the colony was shipped in, all legal and proper.


    New laws were being written, and even the ARCA was being changed. Augments would receive dual citizenship, one for their own country and one for Avalon, and Charles had laid down the ground rules. Not all Augments had to agree, and they didn''t even have to join the colony, but those that did lived by laxer rules in Avalon, and sometimes harsher ones on Earth. The threat of intervention was very real, all thanks to the device and a single Augment.


    An Augment named Breach could create spatial portals, and she was cloned and copied into the ACD, the Augment Clone Device, allowing them to have the ability to instantly travel anywhere in the world.


    They weren''t perfect and couldn''t copy a power that required focus or subtle direction. Charles¡¯s telepathy couldn''t be copied, and neither could Jean''s telekinesis, but Erik¡¯s magnetic interference was generated by the device and Breach¡¯s portals were suitable for cloning. While brilliant the devices had several drawbacks, but Peter saw the potential of being able to copy even a tenth of the powers some Augments possessed.


    Which was why the technology was being kept on Avalon, and not being discussed with the general Augment population. There was no point in spreading the word of technology only a few could replicate anyway. Most only knew that Forge, a brilliant technopathic Augment, had created them and they were being used for travel between Earth and Avalon.


    On Earth, the movement to allow Augments free movement was growing, but a small selection of countries required Augments who chose dual citizenship to wear not only an identifier but a power dampner as well.


    ¡°Not that it makes much difference, While your design is brilliant it doesn''t always work.¡±


    Peter laughed and shook his head, ¡°Because it requires technopathic powers to build, and a little Symbiote assistance. I wanted a neural bridging system that was difficult to copy, and impossible to steal.¡± Peter shrugged, ¡°Your Augment friend should have known that.¡±


    ¡°Forge was aware, and he has been successful most of the time, we just a little help in finishing a design of our own. Avalon might be making waves, but the international community is still up in arms about what we are doing here. And a lot of it boils down to, ¡®You can''t steal the moon¡¯,¡±


    Peter snorted and chuckled, ¡°And I bet you just said, ¡®well, come and take it back then¡¯ and let them stew. But sure, uh. You need to deal with Pepper. I was barred from making business decisions, so uh.¡±


    Charles just smiled, ¡°of course. We have our own legal system in place as well. Miss Potts is well known, and I''m glad you finally have someone with a sensible head on their shoulders in your court. You weren''t exactly the most responsible person Peter.¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°so I''ve been told.¡±


    ¡°Well, with age comes wisdom, and I''m sure one day you¡¯ll get there,¡± Charles said with a small grin and Peter laughed. ¡°Onto a more serious matter though. Pietro.¡± and Peter did not fail to notice Erik clenching his fist.


    ¡°When the Sentinels attacked, Pietro was hurt, and while Forge tells us your CLS is brilliant, he just can''t get it to work. Pietro has already destroyed three trying to walk.¡±


    Peter poked at the fresh vegetable medley. And thinking, ¡°His power,¡± Peter tapped a finger on the table, ¡°If he generates a bioelectric field to stop the inertia from tearing his skin off then it needs to cover the CLS as well. Even at normal speeds, the field must keep him from shooting off like a rocket, and it''s destroying the implant.¡±


    Erik looked over at Charles, who shrugged,


    Peter speared a piece of chicken with his fork, ¡°and yes, I can fix it.¡±

 Arc Ten. Chapter Two-Hundred Ninety-Nine. The Jean Genie

    Charles had made sure that the warehouse knew Peter would be on Avalon for a few more days. Fixing the limb system to stop it from shaking itself apart would make adjustments, and while Forge was happy to help, having the original creator and a fellow technopath was more than helpful.


    Pietro wasn''t happy that Peter was manhandling him. The CLS bridge he was working on was attached to the base of his spine, where the Sentinel blast had damaged the nerves and Peter would touch the device, grab Pietro¡¯s leg, twist and pull it, and make the necessary adjustments.


    ¡°Hey, I know you¡¯ve got a thing for my sister, but that smile doesn''t work on me,¡± and Forge hid a smile while Peter laughed


    ¡°and that roguish charm you''ve got going on doesn¡¯t make my heart go boom boom either, now shh, unless you want to run into walls all day.¡±


    Pietro hadn''t taken his injuries too badly, and Angel had been round most days to keep him company while Forge had tried to get the implant to work.


    ¡°The problem isn''t the implant, it''s your powers. And, that''s why this might hurt.¡±


    Pietro tensed, and Forge watched in amazement, as Peter stabbed a symbskin blade into his back.


    ¡°Sorry, but the fused part of the nerve was the issue, everything else was trying to move super fast, and it was stopping it, transferring all that power into the implant.¡± Thankfully, there was no blood, as Peter used delicate micro tendrils to work inside the incision. Since he had started to branch out, covering not just mechanical and electrical studies but medicine, chemistry, physiology, and neurology he found that with his symbskin he could perform microsurgery, with each tendril acting like a tiny hand.


    ¡°Uh, can I ask what you are doing?¡± Forge said, leaning over Peter but unable to see more than just the black skin over the shiny metal CLS.


    ¡°Right now, I''m severing and micro suturing the CLS directly into Pietro''s nervous system, adding the device to his body, using one of Charles''s little clone devices as a base to adjust it to fool his powers into thinking the device is just a weird bit of spine.¡±


    As Forge¡¯s powers were technopathic and non-enhancing, he couldn''t see the work being done. ¡°Put your hand on my shoulder,¡± and as Forge touched Peter, he shared his senses with him and Forge marvelled at the level of surgery being done, and could link to the device to monitor what Peter was doing.


    ¡°Right, now, slow lift yourself, and try to move your foot,¡± Peter said as he washed the healing cut with symbcells and once it had vanished with alcohol to sterilise the area, just in case.


    Pietro took a breath and let it out. ¡°Woah, I can feel my foot.¡± and the big toe began to vibrate, ¡°I can feel my legs¡± and before Peter could want him about using his powers and taking things slowly, Pietro was gone in a blast of air, and a loud crack of noise.


    Peter leaned back, tensing himself, sending out a tendril and grabbing Forge as Pietro went from one to sixty in a few microseconds. The rooms as trashed, and glass and other shattered equipment sparked and tilted over.


    Peter, what the hell was that? We¡¯re got alarms going off all over the place. I wanted you not to mess around with things up here, Charles angrily messaged him,


    Peter laughed, I like how I''m getting the blame, that was Pietro. He can run again, I¡¯d like to say walk but he thought he¡¯d start at full speed and work down.


    Peter could hear the exasperation in Charles''s message, fine, fine. I¡¯ll send someone to find him before he either smashes through a wall or hits someone.


    Peter helped Forge upright, ¡°You okay?¡± and


    Forge nodded, brushing himself down, ¡°I think you should have given us more warning though,¡± he said as he looked around in dismay at the destruction of his equipment.


    ¡°That wasn''t me, I only fixed the damage, not whatever the hell that was. We already know that enhancing an Augment is fatal, I never touched anything else.¡± As Peter finished Pietro zipped into the zoom, blowing everything over again


    ¡°Guys, this is amazing. I feel like, like, I dunno, like I''m juiced or something,¡± and as Charles walked into the room,


    ¡°Yes, we noticed, and that is a problem. Pietro, you need to control your powers while on Avalon. But, ask Breach if she can take you back to Genosha, you have plenty of space to run there.¡± and hopefully tire yourself out, Peter caught him thinking as Charles grinned at him.


    Leaving Pietro to zip around, Peter discussed with Forge the device, where it had been attached and what diagnostic tools he could use to interface with it. Peter had purposefully used his symbskin to repair the damage but nanofibres from the CLS to bridge them. Forge, with his own powers, was more than capable of running diagnostics and set about creating a graphical program to allow Pietro and Hank to not only monitor but adjust the device.


    To celebrate Charles decided to host one last meal for Peter. A small affair, as Pietro was off zipping around with Hank making sure he didn''t hurt himself, and Angel for company. They would be making one last trip to Genosha, to make sure nothing personal, and nothing important was left before the military swooped in and reclaimed it. Selene and the other Genosians had opted to stay on Avalon, and Erik, Charles and Selene were now acting as a de facto council.


    At dinner, Charles and Erik all sat and smiled as Jean walked in, but her face fell as she saw Peter, he heard her hiss at Charles, ¡°you didn''t tell me he would be here,¡± she said, before turning and walking out again.


    Peter shook his head. He had been trying to get hold of Jean for months and been either blocked or received the briefest of messages, and with the almost angry look on her face, and her reaction to seeing him, he had a good guess as to why.


    ¡°Well, that went badly. I''m sorry Peter, Jean has been-¡± but Erik cleared his throat, ¡°yes, I shall stop interfering and leave that to Jean. Dinner?¡±


    The meal went slowly, Charles and Erik were both acting strangely since Jean¡¯s declaration. Peter barely tasted the food as he hoped that this wasn''t going to be a repeat of Charles''s mind-altering interference the last time, and as he looked around the room he did feel several of the small ACDs. ¡°Charles, do you have psychic dampers installed?¡±


    Charles nodded, ¡°Unless you are programmed into the system it blocks any psychic interference. Not as a defence though, Some young telepaths, like Jean was, struggle to keep their thoughts and emotions from others. As you are aware.¡± Peter knew exactly what he meant. ¡°We also found a young Augment who can use his own powers to block another. We have several key systems guarded by not just power dampers but security as well. We do realise that there is a fine line between reducing our brethren and blind stupidity when it comes to security.¡°


    ¡°Seems like you¡¯ve got everything under control. And the government?¡±


    Charles laughed, ¡°Until someone invents a decent way for us to fly here within minutes, then we aren''t worried. Even Starks repulsor technology has its limits, Peter. It would be no different than attacking anywhere else, just the population is a bit more capable of defending itself.¡±


    Peter nodded, The failure of the Sentinels was a testament to just how capable Augments and Enhanced were,


    ¡°But, that is not what this dinner was supposed to be for. Rather than sulking and picking at that steak, why don''t you go find Jean, and actually talk to her?¡± Charles said, smiling as he lifted a glass, ¡°Stop being stubborn.¡± Peter frowned and raised an eyebrow. ¡°I might be younger than you now, but I am still almost eighty, young man.¡± Peter laughed, wiped his hands on the napkin and made his way to try and find her.


    She likes a quiet spot around section 14B, intersection 12. You can see the earth, and it is a very popular place, especially for the more amorous young couples. Charles said,


    Following his directions, Peter approached the intersection Charles mentioned. It was a corner of one of the geodesic domes, where two panels met and gave a much clearer view of the Earth, but Peter was too busy watching Jean to care.


    Jean was there, pacing back and forth, rubbing her hands. She had styled her hair, applied fresh makeup and the breath was caught in Peter''s throat as she changed outfit, from casual to smart, and then to racy and daring.


    Unwilling to embarrass her, he retreated a few steps. He could also hear her, muttering, ¡°I can do this,¡± over and over. If he hadn¡¯t seen the outfits she had tried, he would have suspected she was going to give him terrible news, but a low cut sheer figure-hugging scarlet dress, with a side split so high Peter had seen her lack of underwear was not a break-up dress. As he watched, she seemed to settle on an outfit, her more casual red and white tracksuit that she liked to wear, he approached with a small smile,


    ¡°You saw?¡± and he shrugged and nodded, ¡°stupid, stupid stupid.¡±


    Peter just smiled, ¡°I don''t remember Jean Grey being so nervous.¡±


    Jean snorted and shook her head, ¡°You don''t remember Jean Grey at all. I finally got rid of all the blocks. This is me, stupid, nervous, and apparently a bad girlfriend.¡±


    Peter frowned, ¡°Yeah, six months Jean,¡±


    Jean slumped against the bulkhead, ¡°Sorry, but uh I was helping build Avalon. Long days of training, building and using my powers so that Augments had a place to live. I lost track of time-¡± but Peter lifted a hand,


    ¡°Jean. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re safe, I¡¯m glad you''re happy. But spending almost six months out of contact was a nightmare, the Sentinels-¡±


    It was Jean''s turn to interrupt him, ¡°I don''t want to break up,¡± she blurted out. As she turned red, ¡°I''m sorry. I uh, are we even dating? I mean, I want us too, so uh.¡± Jean looked apprehensively at him, ¡°so I uh, I''ve been practising my powers, in space. So I don''t hurt anyone. I can uh, survive in the vacuum.¡±


    Peter was amazed. ¡°Wow, that''s great, I mean, wow. So definitely omega class then?¡±


    Jean nodded but bit her lip, ¡°So uh, you promised, and I want a request.¡± Peter shrugged, she had been distant all evening, and now standing in front of an airlock he wasn''t exactly sure what was going on.


    ¡°Sure, anything,¡± he said, and Jean leaned over and pressed the top button on the airlock.


    ¡°Do you trust me?¡± Peter was hesitant but he nodded. ¡°Then out we go.¡± and she hit the button on the bottom and the air cycled out.


    Peter slid into his armour but Jean''s fiery aura enveloped him, and as she lifted them both up and the outer doors cycled and then opened she took them out onto the surface of the moon.


    ¡°I''ve tested this with rats, dogs, and one cow. You should be fine.¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°Yeah, tell my stupid lizard brain that. Hurr Durr space bad.¡±


    Jean laughed with him, ¡°Took me a few attempts to come out here as well. But I tried underwater first, like the astronauts.¡±


    Peter realised that a vacuum was easier on his armour than underwater, the pressure was easier to deal with and the biting cold just required more insulation. The radiation might be a problem but right now, he was fine.


    ¡°So, a test to show me your powers are stable, and you can control them?¡± but Jean shook her head.


    ¡°I already know my powers are under my control Peter, and I really don''t need to prove that to you. Charles might have the wrong idea about a lot of things, but we decide how to control our powers, not anyone else.¡±


    Peter frowned, ¡°So, this is what?¡±


    Jean turned to face him, a bright fire burning in her eyes, and an unmistakable look on her face,


    ¡°Want to join the million-mile high club?¡±

 Arc Ten. Chapter Three-Hundred. Power Outage (NSFW)

    Peter looked at Jean and frowned, ¡°After ignoring me for months you want to have sex on the moon?¡±


    Jean sighed and nodded, ¡°Peter, I uh-¡±


    Peter raised a hand, ¡°Jean, no. I''ve been worried sick about you. I get that it''s weird with so many, I get that I can be selfish and want more, but this. It''s been months and nothing. Not a call, just a small ¡®I¡¯m fine¡¯ and that''s it. Nothing else. So no.¡± He turned and the harness powered up. The small thrusters pushed him back towards the door.


    ¡°Because I''m not her. And I¡¯m afraid you won''t like the me I am now,¡± she yelled.


    Peter was almost at the airlock door when he stopped, ¡°and you didn¡¯t give me a chance to find out or not. I get it, being afraid, I always was, of Flash, of losing my aunt, of losing everything. I know what that fear is like Jean, but-¡± but his lips were sealed by hers, and she swam in her powers towards him.


    ¡°I love you,¡± and she held onto him and wept, ¡°I love you so much it hurts. Helios feels it, not her affecting me but me making her love you too. I''ve always loved you, Peter, and always wanted to be with you, no matter what the professor did to my mind. No matter what anyone says I love you and I''m afraid.¡±


    Peter raised an eyebrow, ¡°Afraid of losing me so you avoid me for months?¡±


    ¡°I uh, I''ve been watching you. My powers are strong enough that I can tune into a mind even up here. I watched you fight the Sentinels, I watched you eat with your family, and tease Yelena. I even helped Emma stop Red, I was always with you Peter.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that''s a bit weird,¡± but in reality, Peter didn''t mind. With his powers, he had to actively tune things out or he got a lot more than anyone realised. He interrupted MJ and Wanda after hearing them discuss asking to join, and after Cindy was unbonded he took time to tune out what happened in her home after hearing her enjoying herself, and finally, he went for a really really long walk after he heard his mom quietly ask Curt if he wanted to christen the pool, and the noises that followed would haunt his nightmares until the end of time.


    A lot of what went on in the warehouse was tuned out so everyone had some semblance of privacy, especially now that Eddie and Cindy were staying there. It was one reason they had decided to move everything into the second warehouse and keep the main one for family homes only.


    Looking over at the nervous and hesitant Jean he sighed, ¡°So? What do we do now? I mean, nervous Jean is kinda the same as regular Jean, You don''t seem all that different to me.¡±


    Jean nodded, ¡°all the professor''s stitching is gone, there are no limits to my powers or my personality, and uh, yeah. I,¡± and her shoulders slumped, ¡°gah stop making this so hard. I mean, I wanted to have a nice date and then sex and instead, we¡¯re having a huge discussion about feelings. Could you not just,¡± and Jean made a circle with one hand and slid her finger in and out of it with the other,


    ¡°Yeah, sorry, You get responsible ¡®not going to do that¡¯ Peter. Emma met him too, and Shuri. Jean, This is a big thing, that''s ten, not just for fun but ten actual people who live and love and share a life. Ten who one day will walk down a big ass aisle in Wakanda and then fight a big legal battle back home cause screw us. This isn''t a joke, and it''s not a fling.¡±


    Jean yelled, ¡°I don''t want a fling, I wanted a romantic walk on the fucking moon and then to have that dick pound me till I scream.¡±


    At her admission, even Peter¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.


    Jean let out a heavy breath, ¡°I wanted a fucking date, I have a small dome about a mile from here with a blanket and a small picnic. I have oils and Gwen''s creams. I have a bottle of nice wine and some snacks. I had everything planned. I want you, I want your pants off, and I want what you fucking promised me.¡± Jean said forcefully as she prodded Peter in the chest, ¡°So stop fucking it up!¡±


    Peter had been staring at Jean the entire time. She might have control of her powers but the bright red and orange-tinged phoenix aura she projected when her powers were active had taken a darker red tone and was edged with black.


    ¡°Jean, uh, please calm down,¡± Peter said, floating away from her, ¡°We can talk about this.¡±


    Jean screamed, ¡°I don''t want to talk. Why, Why not me? Why everyone else but not me!¡± and the aura became darker,


    ¡°Why not you? You¡¯re making a big deal out of it. And the goth Jean? Sexy but trying not to piss my pants here.¡± he joked as Jean''s hair, normally a bright red colour, was starting to turn black as well. It was all fun and games, but while Jean seemed to be uncaring, he was painfully aware they were on the moon''s surface, and he really didn''t want to find out if his armour would protect him or not if she suddenly abandoned him.


    ¡°It''s not a big deal? The fine, give me what I want, right here, right now. No backing off. Fuck me, Pete. Show me you¡¯re mine.¡± Jean grabbed him, pulling him up from the surface and Helios spread over her, tinged darker, almost as black as his own armour before vanishing completely.


    She touched him, and he felt his own clothing ripple and vanish as she pressed her powers against his.


    As his trousers disappear her hand went down and traced a finger down his length, ¡°mine,¡± and circling his cock she gently stroked him, ¡±all mine.¡±


    With no gravity, she spun and was upside down, and as the view of her shaven and wet slit neared his face he felt her lips slide up his cock and she took him in its entirety into her mouth.


    Peter was torn, the sensations coming from his groin were amazing, and he knew Jean was heightening his emotions but it was still terrifying to be now not just on the moon but actually in space


    I love you, Pete. Ever since I saw you, it''s always been you. Peter felt a blast of emotion, a turmoil of love, anguish, longing, and fear all rolled into one, tinged by anger. Now fucking tongue me!


    Peter had to laugh at Jean''s forcefulness and he felt her throat vibrate as he obliged, his tongue found her clit first and then made its way up and down, she replied to his actions by gripping him closer and letting her tongue swirl around the tip of his cock while he let his lips brush over her clit and used his tongue to circle her wet entrance.


    Pete, it''s not, please, inside, before I.


    She pushed back and they floated apart before she righted herself to face him and slid forwards, he took her in his arms and while kissing her guided himself inside.


    FUCK!!! She screamed into the vacuum and her aura flared, a deep red colour, edged with the blackness that even blotted out the stars before she shook once more and her hair burst into crimson red and the whole sky was filled with a giant firebird.


    She held him, whispering, ¡°I love you,¡± over and over, feeling his warmth inside her finally. To match her, he let himself tip over, and a hot stream of cum filled her. As he felt her grip his length she held onto him, as the giant Phoenix spread its wings in the void of space and she echoed its cry, with each spurt her aura flared, growing brighter and brighter, until as she gently kissed his neck and just held onto him their mutual orgasms faded.


    Kissing him, she wrapped her legs around him and began to gently move her hips, her hands sat on his shoulders as she leaned back, and with their perfect size Peter dipped his head and began to nibble and lick at her nipples.


    With one hand on the small of her back, the other was free to squeeze and play with the other breasts, and his thumb brushed over her nipples and his tongue worked on the first. While gentle at first, Jean''s movements became erratic, and she was more impaling herself onto him than grinding. Moving his hands down to her hips he reciprocated and as she slid down he pushed forwards, thrusting as far into her as he could.


    She was gone, her eyes fluttered as once more she came and filled her again they were spared the light show. With one final push, he felt the back of her insides, the tip of his cock and she locked her legs around him, please, right inside, please.


    It was impossible, with her legs locked around his waist for him to do anything else and he obliged. Grabbing her ass he thrust as far into her as he could and let his orgasm match hers. His cum flowed as it spurted into her and filled her, small globules dripping free and floating off into the void.


    Helios squealed in pleasure as he filled her as well, and she drank him in, more, more, she shouted, we wish to know him, and this time Peter felt his power connect to Jeans and with permission he shared himself with her fully.


    Jean held onto him, letting not just the orgasm but the knowledge flow. She cried when she felt his turmoil at school, his acceptance of his powers and the hesitancy of the situation at the warehouse.


    Hmph, never even gave me a second glance, she huffed in his mind, as she found his memories of her. The tall redhead with the massive boobs dating that asshole jock was Peter''s opinion of her but she laughed as he felt guilty. Not all love is requited, and you had enough problems.


    But Peter felt her as well, the bond went both ways. She felt her grief at her parents, her isolation as she was told she was dangerous, and to Peter, she was the same as him. Isolated, fearful of everything, the reasons were different but the outcome was the same. He felt her attraction to him, the sympathy at Flash¡¯s relentless torment, and the failed attempt to use her powers, and the guilt that followed.


    Scott wasn¡¯t her first love, he was, and she never forgot him. They had just always missed their chance. If Peter had asked, she would have said yes, but Flash made him afraid of everyone. If she had approached, she would have found new friends, but the professor made her wary. The professor had sealed it away, fearing she would lose control with someone who couldn''t understand her true power.


    Fear had almost driven two people apart, and connected, bathing in each other''s love they no longer felt afraid. Peter moved and Jean gasped as he slid free from her, but he brought her close and kissed her,


    ¡°I love you, and I am sorry. We could have been so much more,¡± but before he could reply, she wrapped her arms around him and held onto him, ¡°but we will, we will.¡± and they held each other, before kissing and separating. Jean held out her hand and they turned to see the Earth beneath them.


    Floating in space, they had drifted a distance from the moon but the Earth was a huge green and blue marble in their presence, It was breathtakingly beautiful and something Peter had never imagined he would see. Spoiled only by a slight blinking, a dot flashed as it passed through the light of the Earth.


    ¡°Uh, you think any satellites can see us?¡± and Peter motioned to them, still naked and floating, ¡°I mean, we did just kinda explode the night sky over uh?¡± and as Peter peered at the globe he saw the shape of Africa below them, ¡°oh, yeah. That might be an issue.¡±


    1


    Chapter 300 Celebration Scene.


    Hank had been worried all day. The cloning process had gone fine, and with the new machines copying Charles''s powers, the mind transfer was successful as well.


    What had him worried though was Wade. He wanted to call himself Deadpool after a complete physical had revealed his powers were a mix of various other Augments collected by Shaw, and while he was annoying to be around for more than a few minutes, it was his way of getting under your skin that bothered Hank more than anything.


    As he sat at his computer he sighed and called up the search engine. He remembered Wade''s supposedly cutting remark, that when Hank stared at him blank-faced, Wade seemed quite upset. As he paused slightly, he didn''t know if he should search for what Wade said, and with grim determination began to type.


    What is a furry?


    Malisson


    And another arc ends.


    Arc Ten. A House Divided


    Thanks to everyone for reading, and Arc Eleven, the penultimate Arc begins on Monday.


    I am adding a note here and will repeat it at the end of Arc Eleven as well.


    Arc Twelve is not the finale, it is the final arc but House Of Venom will end with a mini-arc


    The final short story and then 5 epilogue chapters,


    I will post the short and two of the chapters on Saturday after the end of Arc Twelve and the final three on Sunday.

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred One. Bragging Rights

    Jean and Peter sat, both looking suitably guilty, as Liv and Gwen stood over them. The TV in the background was playing a recorded news segment, although they didn''t have to record it as it was still a major story over all channels.


    Today we all witnessed the terrifying power of these Augments. A giant bird, made of fire spread across the surface of the moon, brightening even the midday skies. We reached out to Charles Xavier for comment,


    Today''s incident was not us. We are fully committed to peace and such a barbaric show of power would be pointless and hamper any peace talks we are conducting. It fell to Parker Industries, which caused the disaster.


    As we reached out to Peter Parker, the CEO of Parker Industries and a leading member of Advanced Ideas Mechanics, he had this statement,


    Uh, Sorry. We were doing some testing, and a potentially unstable power overloaded as we tested the uh insertion of a new rod into its system for the first time. Overwhelmed by the sheer size, the power source overloaded and the resultin-


    Liv clicked the TV off.


    ¡°So, not only did you have sex on the moon, but Jeans enthusiastic first time created a massive Pheonix, which we all saw. You then thought it was a good idea to actually brag about having sex on the moon to the news. Am I correct?¡±


    Peter looked over at Jean, who hid her face with her hands. Losing control of her powers while having sex with Peter had not been her intention, and she was bright red.


    Peter shrugged, ¡°I thought it was a good idea at the time,¡± was all he said and Liv tutted,


    ¡°You are getting a big head again, do you need a time out?¡± and Peter laughed, causing Liv to frown, ¡°It''s not a joke Peter, this caused an international incident. AIM has been swamped by lawsuits claiming-¡± but Peter raised a hand,


    ¡°Liv,¡± he stated, ¡°I am never ever going to feel bad about having sex with anyone. Jean enjoyed herself, I make sure you all do, and I get to brag about it. I have ten of the hottest, smartest and most powerful women in the world as my hopefully soon to be wives. Who wouldn''t brag about that?¡± and Gwen frowned but shrugged,


    ¡°He is right, you know, I mean. Even I''ve been approached about the whole poly marriage thing to Shuri. People are interested, and yeah jealous.¡±


    Liv tutted and folded her arms, ¡°And the lawsuits?¡±


    ¡°Send them to Pepper. Not a legal guy but acts of space aren''t covered in Earth''s laws. It was just a big light show, nobody got hurt, there was no damage to the moon or on Earth right? Let Charles and Pepper deal with it. I¡¯m not apologising.¡± Liv tutted again, ¡°and if Jean decides that anyone else gets moonbooty, then you¡¯ll be just as smug.¡±


    Liv snorted, ¡°and does Jean agree to that?¡± but Jean was biting her lip, the only other reaction was to poke Peter in the side,


    ¡°I am not calling it moonbooty.¡± Jean said as she looked at Liv and Gwen,


    Liv smiled and shook her head, ¡°that wasn¡¯t what I meant dear, it¡¯s Helios and her effect on your sexual preferences,¡±


    ¡°I read your report of the side effects of the symbiotes, and while Helios was a blank when she was created, I can already feel her influence. I think being naturally telepathic though she¡¯s having less of an effect on me. The big question is do I just let her, or do I resist. It would probably take longer, as she¡¯d be subtly changing my brain chemistry, but it will probably still happen, especially during, you know.¡±


    Liv sat down and Peter moved to make her and Gwen coffee,


    ¡°Well then, I guess for once it is entirely our choice. I will admit that you are rather attractive and I won''t say no, and we already know Gwen¡¯s opinion on that,¡± and Gwen laughed,


    ¡°Oh no, a cute and bi woman likes me,¡± she said mocking both Peter and Felicia, who had complaints in the past, ¡°but, there is also Cindy.¡±


    Jean frowned, ¡°Cindy? Cindy Moon?¡± and Gwen nodded,


    ¡°She is completely homo, and unashamedly so. I did offer, but nope. A one-woman show and she does kinda have a thing for you.¡± While Cindy had refused Gwen''s advances, she had found her easy to talk to, and found a friend at least.


    ¡°But I wouldn''t be able to sleep with Peter?¡± and Gwen shook her head, and took a sip,


    ¡°Monogamous.¡± and Jean shrugged.


    ¡°Cindy was a bit-¡± but before she could finish Gwen laughed,


    ¡°Yeah, she was, and she also lives in that home over there. Maybe be a bit more subtle.¡± Jean looked down and nodded. While the group was slowly nearing thirty, with Gwen a few months away and Peter and Felicia closing in just as fast, Jean was a bit more immature. Her sheltered upbringing coupled with the psychic dampers meant she was still blunt, and shy, even if Peter said it was adorable and cute.


    ¡°Sorry Cindy,¡± Jean said, not knowing if Cindy would hear, ¡°but I like Peter, and I guess, if it''s a few, then I don''t mind trying.¡±


    As Helios spread over her, the bright red symbiote rippled and Jean began to laugh. ¡°We will taste you all,¡± and as Jean transformed her back to the red tracksuit she preferred she shrugged, ¡°I uh, guess that''s that then.¡±


    She didn''t feel any different, but she knew she was. The subtle way Gwen''s smile made her want to smile, the cute way Liv would scrunch up her face as she frowned and pushed her glasses up, and the way Peter had a subtle hungry look on his face as he took sly glances at all three of them. ¡°Oh yeah, really feeling it now.¡± It was one thing to be told, ¡®oh hey the symbiotes subtly alter your perceptions of people¡¯ but it was nothing to being aware of the change as it happened.


    ¡°We actually do have another problem,¡± Liv said with a hesitant smile, ¡°Jean was not included in the agreement with Shuri. So, as Wakanda saw the giant firebird across the night sky, Shuri just assumed that it was you doing something irresponsible. I already talked to her and explained. She will be calling this afternoon and wishes to speak to you both. We have the conference rooms set up for a video call.¡±


    Peter looked at Jean and then Liv, feeling a bit guilty, ¡°Was she mad?¡± and Liv shook her head,


    ¡°No, but you do have to explain. Shuri wasn''t told about Jean, as things were-¡± and she scrunched up her mouth, adorable Jean thought, ¡°spotty. Jean had been avoiding you, and we really had not thought to include her in the discussions as she was at the mansion most of the time, sorry dear.¡± but Jean shrugged.


    ¡°It wasn''t great, but I will take responsibility. Marriage right?¡±


    Peter nodded,


    ¡°Good. Peter Parker, you are mine, and no one is taking you away from me. Ever.¡±


    ¡°Well, that was tingly. Do we all get the glowy powerful Augment going all cavewoman over us, or is it just Pete?¡± Gwen asked jokingly, but as she was lifted and taken into Jean''s embrace she melted as Jean kissed her,


    ¡°Mine, all mine,¡± Jean whispered in Gwen''s ear, while gently nibbling on her earlobe, and Liv cleared her throat,


    ¡°While I am very much enjoying watching you turn Gwen into putty, there is also the video call.¡± and Gwen huffed as Jean sat her down.


    ¡°Fine, fine. I already know how to get Shuri on our side.¡± and Jean pulled out a small bar of metal, ¡°Not vibranium, I practice with Adamantium. One of Dooms Augments brought it to Avalon, hoping to sabotage something, and I''ve been playing with it.¡± Peter shrugged, knowing full well the metal was almost indestructible once cooled. It was probably a good way to test her powers.


    In Peter''s apartment, the conference room was set up so that they could sit and chat, but as Shuri''s angry face appeared they stood,


    ¡°So, Explain. We had an agreement, and while I did not expect you to break it so spectacularly, break it you did,¡± Shuri said as she sat on the throne. Jhalia had taken on the appearance of formal robes, and while still Shuri''s normal pale brown colour, were edged with gold and snaked up into a huge headdress being her.


    ¡°I uh,¡± stammered Peter, but Jean put a hand on his chest.


    ¡°Peter and I had an agreement before you. You might be royalty, you might have taken certain liberties but Peter was promised to me before all that. However, I am willing to compromise.¡± and Jean held up the bar of metal. ¡°I will visit, and you can test this yourself, but this is adamantium. On behalf of Avalon, I wish to discuss mineral rights as well as a new manufacturing technique for not just this, but Vibranium as well.¡±


    Shuri leaned forwards, ¡°Interesting, but not related to Peter at all.¡± and Jean smiled,


    In her palm, the bar began to glow red, and melt into a ball, which Jean swirled, ¡°Peter is non-negotiable that¡¯s why,'''' and the ball separated into two smaller balls, one the size of a pea while the other was almost the same size as the original bar. ¡°My augment power allows me to molecularly unbond the vibranium from any impurities in the metal ore. I can telekinetically control and heat the metal to any temperature. In testing, we stopped before I melted it to fusion point.¡±


    The balls both returned to their normal colour and Jean motioned to Peter, handing him one. ¡°They are cooled rapidly without harming the metal, as you can see. And with the small sample Liv provided me, should increase your vibranium mining and processing by at least twenty-two per cent, depending on the quality of your facilities.¡±


    Shuri nodded, ¡±But Peter?¡±


    Jean laughed, ¡°non-negotiable. Peter is mine, and you have no say in the matter. I''m powerful enough to just take him, and anything I want. But, he loves you so I won''t. I formally request I be submitted for Royal Approval, undergoing any trial you seem fit. I will not fight with you, but you will not stop me from taking my man.¡±


    Shuri laughed, ¡°and his others?¡± and it was Jean''s turn to smile,


    ¡°I accepted Helios, and she accepted me. You are beautiful, and if you agree we will have you as well.¡±


    Shuri raised an eyebrow, ¡°You normally do not pick someone as forcefully blunt. I think I should marry her,¡± and Jean laughed but Peter frowned, ¡°oh do not use that look on me, Peter. I am immune, and while she is beautiful, she is lacking a certain part that we all enjoy, and the real thing is so much better, as Jean can agree. The fireworks over the Earth, you?¡± and the stern Jean blushed and went red, ¡°See? I accept. I doubt the council will object to having such an Augment in our ranks, and we will discuss Mr Xavier''s proposal. T¡¯Challa will handle that, he has chosen a more diplomatic role in Wakanda. This means that I am to remain ruler of Wakanda, meaning,¡± and Shuri pointed to the boxes behind him, ¡°You have more reading to do. I will send the other 230 scrolls concerning your Kingly duties. And Jean, as you seem to be very forceful, make sure he reads them all.¡±


    Peter groaned and nodded, defeated.


    ¡°Good. I will expect you both in Wakanda within a week. I will send details to Liz,¡± Peter blew her a kiss and she snorted and laughed as the call cut out.


    Jean looked at him and smiled,


    ¡°no sex until you finish a box,¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, that''s not fair.¡±


    Liv tilted her head, ¡°Oh? Are you not in trouble for getting,¡± and she made quotes with her fingers, ¡°moonbooty?¡± As she looked over at Jean, ¡°I think what we should actually do, is no sex for you until you finish a box, but I think that you should know what I fully intend of having sex with Jean, and Gwen right now. And you will not be joining unless you finish that box.¡±


    As Jean, Liv and Gwen shared a look and their clothing all rippled away Peter watched as the trio made their way into the bathhouse, and Gwen looked, waved and added the red flag, barring Peter from entering. She smiled as she gave him a sly wink, blew him a kiss and disappeared into the bathhouse, where after a few minutes he heard giggling, and then soft moaning,


    ¡°Stupid homework¡± he muttered, as he lifted the lid and began to pick out scrolls.


    Malisson


    The Penultimate Arc begins!


    As with all Arcs, the Arc title will be revealed at the end, and a small update on how the rest is coming along.


    I still have Logan Small Game Hunter to write


    Arc 12 is sat at 22 of 30 chapters written, but unedited.


    I am also going to apologise.


    It should only be the first five chapters, as I will have time to go over next weeks again.


    But, thank you for understanding, for reading, commenting, and hitting the little heart. It is appreciated.

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Two. Marriage Affairs

    Peter put down the last scroll in the box. It was tough going but no harder than reading any other dry boring thousand year old book on laws about things that barely even existed let alone applied to modern living, but tradition was tradition, and if Shuri needed him to read hundreds of these, then he would. Sighing as he ran a hand through his hair, he could still hear the trio in the bathhouse having fun, but there was one last issue to be dealt with.


    He dialled and Shuri appeared back on the screen,


    ¡°I do not mean to be rude, but you do not have to tell me when you finish,¡± she said with a grin and Peter laughed and shook his head,


    ¡°Emma.¡± was all he said and Shuri nodded,


    ¡°I am aware. Liv does keep me up to date with your life when you are too busy to, and we are still committed to what we said. Jean is acceptable, but you take on too many. Can you support everyone, and I don''t mean financially Peter. There is still a toll if someone is feeling left out, still a question of time, even if the feelings run deep.¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°I know, Emma is different though, she uh,¡± and he took a breath and sighed, ¡°she wants to be involved, get the whole package deal but none of the responsibility. No marriage, just doing whatever she wants.¡±


    Shuri leaned back, ¡°As yet you refuse my Dora? I thought Peter Parker was over such casual flings. A mistress, we might as well call it what it is, she wants to be your mistress and to be pampered. How do the others feel?¡±


    ¡°Felicia and Emma have been a thing for a while now, it was just me resisting, You might want to bring that up with her, she has her own little group I''m not part of. Her, Gwen, Elektra and Emma, Cindy might get involved, oh and Friday, but I''m really not touching that one.¡±


    Friday was like a young girl, naive and innocent. She made jokes about it but Peter was slightly creeped out about just how young she actually felt when he talked to her. Physically she looked the same age as MJ but mentally was another matter.


    ¡°We have no issue with mistresses Peter, as long as they are aware that is all they shall be. And do I expect more?¡° Shuri asked him,


    Peter shook his head, ¡°The only person I don''t know anything about is Nakia, but,¡± and he shrugged, ¡°She was nice, but I don''t feel it.¡±


    Shuri rubbed a hand over her forehead, ¡°I did not say this as it was not my place to, but you are right. Nakia is your assigned guard as she is upset with T¡¯Challa. They were to be wed but he decided on only one wife. Choosing Okoye. She is heartbroken.¡±


    Peter swore under his breath and Shuri nodded, ¡°exactly. The only one I wish to bring to the fold would be Ororo, but she is also hesitant. I will call Felicia and we already know Miss Natchios, she is well known for her deeds.¡±


    ¡°So, Emma is fine?¡± and Shuri nodded,


    ¡°As long as you allow me the same respect.¡± but Peter frowned,


    ¡°Can I be selfish and say no men?¡± and Shuri laughed,


    ¡°Such hypocrisy, but yes. We are satisfied with just one man, and his many smaller plastic substitutes.¡±


    Peter smiled and shook his head, ¡°yeah, call Gwen, she got a synthetic symbskin one made, Lil Pete now comes as realistic flesh textures, and from what I''ve heard, it''s almost like the real thing.¡±


    Shuri raised an eyebrow, ¡°almost?¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°Gwen¡¯s working on one that cums on command. Her sex toy range is almost as large as her cosmetic line.¡±


    Shuri laughed and it made Peter happy to see her smiling, with M¡¯Baku and the Sentinels she had been doing it less and less. ¡°I will order at least two, maybe I can entice Ororo with one until she decides she wants the real thing.¡±


    Peter chuckled and shook his head, ¡°Definitely the luckiest man alive.¡± and as Shuri leant forwards she smiled at him,


    ¡°And I shall make sure you never forget it. Take care, my heart and I will talk to Felicia later.¡± She blew him a kiss and he smiled and returned it,


    ¡°Love you.¡± and the call ended,


    The red flag was out in the bathhouse, but while the curtain was drawn and the trio were being as quiet as possible they still heard him approach and still heard him rap gently on the small knocker board he had installed. He wouldn''t enter but being able to get the attention of someone inside sometimes meant interrupting what they were doing.


    ¡°Good timing. Grab a bottle of wine would you dear, we drank all the bottles in here,¡± Liv shouted, ¡°Oh and you can change the flag. Put the yellow one up.¡±


    A new flag had been added, yellow meant Peter was in there, and it was an unspoken rule that it meant he was having sex. He smiled and grabbed a bottle from the storage he entered.


    Liv, Gwen, and Jean were all sitting in the pool, Jean and Gwen on each side of a very red and happy looking Liv. None were clothed and Peter took a moment to appreciate their figures. Popping the cork he poured the sparkling sweet white into each glass but wasn¡¯t in the mood and left himself out.


    ¡°So, how was homework?¡± Liv asked as she sipped at her glass and he shrugged,


    ¡°One down, a few hundred more to go, but that''s not why I''m here/¡± and Gwen leant forwards,


    ¡°Oh? We weren''t joking,¡± but he laughed and shook his head as his clothing disappeared and he slid into the pool gently floating on his back in front of them,


    ¡°I know, and I¡¯ll have them done. No, I called Shuri again about Emma.¡±


    Jean looked at the other two, ¡°Emma?¡± and Liv patted her thigh,


    ¡°Another Augment, More into Felicia and while she has made motions towards Peter it never went anywhere, so?¡±


    ¡°She asked, and I checked with Shuri, and now everyone else. Mistress, not marriage and Shuri will talk to Felicia as well, about Elektra.¡±


    Jean leaned forwards ¡°Mistresses? But isn''t everyone staying at the warehouse?¡± but Liv shook her head,


    ¡°Felicia is just as bad as he is, well not quite, but she has a little group of her own. Will Emma be permanent or is she just after a sugar daddy?¡±


    Peter raised his hands in uncertainty, ¡°I don''t know, she¡¯s rich enough the sugar daddy thing is moot. I think she¡¯s just tired of being alone, and well, I am awesome.¡±


    Gwen snorted, ¡°behind every great man is a great woman, and you¡¯re so lame you need ten to make up for it.¡± Jean laughed, while Liv bit her lip to stop herself,


    Peter laughed, ¡°so lame I remember you begging to be my girlfriend,¡±


    ¡°You were so lame I had to. Don''t remember you complaining. Don''t remember you saying anything. Lame Pete, lame enough I had to drag your ass into bed, and get you MJ,¡± and Liv raised an eyebrow, ¡°Oh, Pete was a shy boy,¡± and as she let her gaze drift down to his groin, ¡°not so shy now, I unleashed a monster, but you should thank me.¡±


    Peter swan up beside her and lifting her onto his lap moved closer to Liv, ¡°I do, I am thankful every day.¡± and Gwen made gagging noises,


    ¡°Still lame.¡±


    ¡°Still got ten, but. Emma?¡± he replied,


    ¡°Yeah yeah, I already did, we all have, well, Jean?¡± Gwen replied


    ¡°Uh, is this a normal thing? I mean, I get the poly, I can accept that but do you just ask if someone can be added?¡± She was surprised when Liv and Gwen nodded,


    ¡°Love lives by committee. We warned you the symbiotes make you super horny, This,¡± and she motioned to the four sitting in the pool, ¡°I could do this all day, eat a couple of large pizzas and then go for round whatever. We¡¯re not going to complain if its someone we¡¯d all like, oh oh¡± and Gwen''s eye lit up, ¡°Ororo, damn, did Shuri mention her?¡±


    It was Jean''s turn to pale, Ororo had been her teacher, and that was maybe pushing it a little too far. She had known her for most of her life, she had taken care of her at the mansion when she had first arrived, and she had never thought of her that way.


    ¡°We can hear that Jean, and no. we don''t all have to, and we never make anyone do anything. Just say no. it''s not going to make anyone upset. But we also talk, we discuss anything that makes someone uncomfortable, but we talk. I mean. Anal?¡± Jean blushed while Liv explained, ¡°Some people do not like it, some of us love it, but you need to say. We¡¯re not all mind readers,¡± but as Peter and Gwen gave her a look she tutted, ¡°fine most of us are but my point still stands. Talking, not hiding, not bottling things up.¡± as she took her glass she drained it and poured another, ¡°Which is also why I would like to know about you. This is very sudden Jean, and I doubt you suddenly decided Peter was your soul mate.¡±


    Jean swam to the other side of the pool, ¡°I uh, it was the professor.¡± and as she lay on her back and floated there she gently pushed herself around, ¡°When we were in school, I uh, I saw something.¡± and she signed as she floated. ¡°I knew Harry was a monster, I could feel the thing inside him. A Symbiote.¡±


    ¡°What the hell? You knew?¡± Liv exclaimed, ¡°and you never said?¡±


    Jean splashed a little water as she floated past, ¡°nope, because I was the only one who saw, so the professor thought I was having a breakdown, and sealed it.¡±


    ¡°And let me guess, a whole lot of other feelings as well.¡±


    Jean righted herself and floated in the water, gently sweeping her arms to stay floating, ¡°I always liked you, the goofy jokes, the stupid way you stick your tongue out when you think. Always, but the professor thought being near you would bring me into contact with Harry, so it was gone, and well, Scott happened, and uh yeah, not gone, just sealed, and so when we met again and that unravelled it uh,¡± and she looked down at her hands, ¡°it came back, but with you know, the full adult bit, and I didn¡¯t mind, don¡¯t mind. I just love him.¡±


    Gwen looked between the pair of them ¡°but, still a stupid school girl crush?¡±


    A small ball of water lifted itself from the pool, and floated towards Gwen, ¡°I might not have the wit to spar with you Gwen, but,¡± and as Gwen''s eyes looked up at the water she suddenly gasped and grabbed at her chest, as Jean used her powers to pinch her nipples, ¡°I have other means.¡±


    Gwen frowned and held her chest, ¡°not fair, cheater.¡± as Liv leaned over and kissed her cheek


    ¡°Now now, no pouting, that was allowed.¡±


    ¡°It was a crush, but, with the Sentinels and uh, watching more, I really like you, and yeah, how do you explain, oh, by the way, I love you but it was sealed without sounding like a crazy person,¡± Jean asked, swimming back.


    ¡°In this house, you just say, I''m not a crazy person, and we just shrug and accept it, we¡¯re not exactly a normal household,¡± Peter said, as Jean swam and sat on his lap,


    ¡°Exactly, which is why this place will be family only, and warehouse two will be for renting,¡± Peter explained, ¡°we have enough space now we can move people next door, build a proper training facility, and a panic room. I won''t be caught out like that again.¡±


    Liv nodded, ¡°and this place is expensive. We have funds but unless you want to start charging everyone rent or getting non-involved tenants, then we are looking at having to charge rent for some of the homes at least. But I think we are moving past the original subject. I agree on Ororo, from what I saw, she is a very full-figured and attractive woman, so?¡±


    But Peter shook his head, ¡°I think the group puts her off, like Pepper.¡±


    Gwen shrugged and lifted her glass, taking a sip, ¡°Oh well, can I?¡± and he nodded. It was common between the group to share memories, and being telepathic meant a simple head bump was enough. Gwen without a symbiote needed to ask, and had been given exercise from Stephen on how to ward her mind from intrusion.


    Pressing her head to his he shared the encounter with her and her face and chest flushed, ¡°I would not have said no, you damn idiot.¡±

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Three. It’s A Hard Knock Life

    With Jean finally moved in, and everyone discussing the settlements they had received and the plans for the second warehouse, the whole group had gathered for once.


    Natasha had planned to spend the day with everyone to make sure they were up to her standards and one more important matter was finally here. Nakia was arriving.


    With permission for Shuri, and a very angry looking African Sorceress, who Peter had resisted the chance to comment on how if Steven went overboard with the ren fair D&D look, then he had nothing on the huge African woman, with tribal beads, headdress and huge spare, all decorated with bones.


    Peter could sense the vibranium all over her, and as she cast a wary eye over him, Peter smiled, and the woman tutted. ¡°You may create your portal, but if we sense any other magicks we will end the practitioner¡± before swishing her huge animal hide cloak and walking away.


    He smiled at Nakia who looked at the portal hesitantly, ¡°I however will not be using it. Unless you would like to explain why an undocumented woman is living with you?¡± As she smiled at Peter, he shrugged,


    ¡°See you when your plane arrives,¡± and he tossed her a phone, ¡°numbers are all preprogrammed¡± and he waved as it closed.


    It was a day later Nakia called, her flight was in and Natasha volunteered to get her. They had a small rivalry, both proud warriors unrelenting on just how good their skill was, and they had wanted to have an official spar for a while now. One that would cement their position at AIM.


    Liv was busy going over sensor data, making sure the internals were functioning properly and had one of the newer smooth helmets hooked up to a diagnostic machine, and was using her tablet to check each sensor while Perter fitted the suit.


    Leaving Nakia with Natasha, they had assembled everyone. Eddie and Cindy both had on their normal sparing outfits, while Laura and Carol were trying out the Mark Three armour.


    Peter was there today to go back over the specs, let them fight it out and make adjustments based on their input as well as his own from before. It was all test data that let them improve weaknesses and make alterations based on each persons fighting style, and everyone was getting one, even if they were not a fighter.


    Peter was busy running a diagnostic on Cindy¡¯s armour. Her new bond with Ghost was going well, and while she had rebuffed Gwen, the atmosphere in the newly decorated second warehouse was pleasant.


    Eddie took one of the homes, as did Ivan, and while they were in New York, Fury made arrangements for Wrath to live there as well. Peter hadn¡¯t heard from Cain or Selene since the Genosha incident, and while Charles had been happy to see him, he felt an oppressive air on the Moon''s surface, not every Augment was happy, and once the new rules were in place, Peter already knew tensions would spark up again.


    JJ¡¯s little group, Humanity First was gaining traction, claiming the new laws were anti-human in nature, and a supposed splinter group, a more militant faction calling themselves the Ravagers had sprung up, claiming second amendment rights to defend themselves they had rifles and uniforms, and even Peter saw the jackbooted thugs in their behaviour.


    While Tony was spreading commercial suits around, and his own harness was starting to make headway, getting an actual licence for combat use was a much harder task. After Osborn''s little stunt, and not helped by Tony sending out drones every time there was a problem, the public was resistant to the idea of powered anything. And after the giant mess of the Sentinels, Tony was seen without his armour more often than not, pushing the Iron Halo and other mental rehabilitation projects. Even the constructions suits were more like frames, with armour only protecting the head and chest, leaving the pilot looking less robotic and much more human.


    Big Tech was reeling from one disaster after another, and after a talk from Pepper, right now Parker Inc and Octech were barely touching the red, and it was only Gwen¡¯s pharmaceutical and cosmetic lines that were keeping AIM in the black. Spending what little they had manufacturing the Mark Two armour, readying it for an upgrade to the Mark Three was taking all of their funds, and Peter was trying to be as frugal as possible.


    Natasha and Nakia stood on the matt across from one another, and after a brief discussion, Natasha came over to Peter, ¡°uh, can we find someone to host Widow, it''s not fair on Nakia otherwise.¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°There is only Eddie, and he¡¯ll really hate it,¡± he laughed, and Cindy shrugged,


    ¡°Isn''t your sister somewhere?¡± Cindy asked her.


    Natasha groaned. ¡°Yes, but I really don''t want to.¡± and Peter raised an eyebrow, ¡°my sister, my, off-limits already making my life hell about things, sister.¡±


    Peter shrugged ¡°It¡¯s not like I care. I''m not touching anyone else.¡± and Cindy looked down as Peter had his hand on her thigh, altering the dimensions for a test plate, ¡°Shush, or I¡¯ll mention-¡± and Cindy pointed a finger at him and glared while Peter smirked and shrugged, ¡°See, go ahead. She¡¯s made a few comments, but really, she¡¯s harmless.¡±


    Natasha groaned and picked up her phone, ¡°sis, I need you to host Widow again.¡± and Yelena walked out of her apartment naked.


    ¡°Shit, sis?¡± and Natasha shot out two splats of webbing covering her groin and chest,


    ¡°What, she ate my clothes last time, and I liked that shirt, plus I don''t care, hey Peter, hey Cindy,¡± and Yelens waved. ¡°Ugh, of all the people I want to get me sticky, I didn¡¯t want it to be you. You''re not my type¡±


    Natasha groaned ¡°See, this is why.¡± but Yelena moved over and hugged her


    ¡°Aww, you love me, give me kisses¡± and Natasha put a hand on her face, pushing her away


    ¡°Your naked, yuck,¡± and as she pushed her Widow spiled from her hand and covered Yelena in the thick black bodysuit, leaving Natash naked.


    ¡°See, and you have no clothes, how is that fair?¡± Yelena complained,


    ¡°Everyone here has seen me naked, and nobody cares.¡±


    ¡°I care, who wants to see my sister''s funny bits, it''s gross, you should take me shopping to Italy next time, oh and mom too. Dad, yeah, we can leave him at home.¡±


    Natasha rolled her eyes, ¡°Thanks Widow, of all the things you had to tell her.¡± and Yelena shrugged as Widow changed into a white t-shirt and black jeans,


    ¡°Hey, Cindy right? Natasha¡¯s sister, but not really,¡± and Cindy looked down at Peter.


    ¡°Uh, sleeper agents for a secret Russian spy organisation, pretending to be an American family.¡± and Cindy shrugged


    ¡°Yeah, don''t care, more the shopping in Italy? Since when do we have a jet?¡± and Peter  shook his head at Yelena


    ¡°We don''t, and we ask nicely.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, not doing that, not with your hand on my ass and your fingers closer to my grand canyon than I¡¯d ever wanted.¡± and


    Peter rolled his eyes, ¡°Yeah, and I already said Liv could do this and you said, ¡®hell no, let that loser get a grip on a real woman for once¡¯ and if I remember rightly Liv just laughed at you, so now, shut the hell up.¡±


    Cindy crossed her arms and huffed, ¡°it''s Ghost,¡± she mumbled, and peter stopped, moving both his hands away from her,


    ¡°Uh what?¡± he asked, making sure he had bread correctly.


    ¡°It¡¯s Ghost okay, she isn''t, she¡¯s not,¡± and Cindy sighed, ¡°she misses you, she wants you to hug her, and uh, oh I am going to fucking kill you, you shit.¡± and Peter was sure he heard laughter, ¡°she misses having her belly rubbed when she was on that rat. You made her promise not to push me into bed, but she still likes¡± and she waved a hand around, ¡±the other stuff.¡±


    Peter grinned, ¡°does Cindy want her belly tickled?¡± and he laughed and rolled as she swiped at his head


    ¡°I will fucking kill you.¡± Cindy hissed at him, ¡°just, fit the armour, take your time, and don''t worry about where your hands are, okay?¡± she said, and Peter caught the slight blush on her face, ¡°but hands, I feel anything else and I¡¯ll let Ghost eat it.¡±


    Peter laughed and rolled back to his feet, ¡°okay, let''s talk boundaries first, with both of you, and once Natasha has recovered from being unbonded watch the fight.¡±


    Yelena moved over and sat next to Peter, ¡°yeah, I want to talk about that as well,¡± and Peter looked up from the tablet,


    ¡°Fighting Nat?¡± and Yelena laughed


    ¡°No, stupid, moving into the bigger house next door. Not for you know, hanky panky stuff but, I want to spend more time with Natasha.¡± Yelena explained


    Peter shook his head, and moved his hands around Cindy''s waist, adjusting the plates, and making another note, ¡°sorry, it''s family only.¡±


    Yelena shrugged, ¡°I don''t mind, Widow tells me everything, and I really don''t mind. What I do mind is my idiot father forgetting to leave a flag out and walking in on him floating naked in the pool. I mind that my mother, who might love my dad a lot, seems to also like Ivan, and you are a stupid bad influence on them.¡± Peter looked up at Cindy, and then at Yelena,


    ¡°Your mom, your dad and Ivan?¡± and Yelena nodded,


    ¡°Seems Peter Parker''s little sexcapades have opened a hill of worms¡±


    Peter shook his head, ¡°That feel better?¡± and as Cindy twisted, she nodded


    ¡°Still catches on the inseam, but it''s smoother now.¡± Peter nodded and moved his hands, loosening the plate and sliding it a few millimetres,


    ¡°Try now,¡± and as he moved back, Cindy stretched and tilted forwards into a handstand


    ¡°Better.¡± and Peter nodded


    ¡°I need permission, and you can''t say anything, naked, sex, this is more like an apartment block, so I¡¯ll be having a word with Alexsi, but next door is a home, one big home.¡± and Yelena nodded


    ¡°I know I know, Widow remember? but also a Black Widow. No shame, no conscience, and you know, not interested anyway. Her yes, you not so much, I mean, if I was bored or the batteries ran out, then sure, but to date, eugh, no thanks.¡±


    Peter raised an eyebrow, ¡°thanks, nice pep talk. But it''s up to the others, not just me, Natasha might have an objection.¡±


    Yelena looked over at Natasha and Naki, who were in a tangle of limbs. Natasha had Nakia on the mat with both her arms pinned while he struck her face, light taps to represent a blow, and as she flicked her nose, Nakia patted the mat and Natasha rolled off her and offered her a hand up.


    Yelena frowned and shrugged, ¡°Natasha will be fine, if she wasn''t so grumpy. I mean, she did give me Widow, so how upset can she be at her little sister knowing all her naughty things.¡± Peter laughed,


    ¡°Point taken. Right,¡± and he looked over at Nakia who was standing with her arms crossed, scowling. ¡°Get Alexsi and your mom. We¡¯ll do the power removal and rebonding over the next few days. Nakia first though, before she breaks something.¡±


    ¡°I can hear you, and she cheated.¡± Peter sprang to his feet and smiled,


    ¡°It was never fair to begin with. Nat¡¯s got what fifteen years on you, plus she trains with Logan, who¡¯s I dunno, a hundred or something, and Steve. She¡¯s got the new formula, and even without Widow that gives her an edge. It was never fair to begin with.¡±


    ¡°So why the humiliation.¡± and Nakia scowled at him.


    ¡°So you can get the Extremis formula as well, and training with Nat and Logan, and maybe Steve. No point in guessing how well trained you are when we can actually gauge it.¡± and as Peter moved over to her, ¡°plus, we need to fit you for armour, and a new spear.¡±


    Nakia frowned as she looked at the shorts and form-fitting sports top she had on, ¡°I cannot wear my Dora uniform?¡± and Peter shook his head


    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed, remember?¡± and she nodded but frowned ¡°Plus, there is also one important piece of information you forgot about the fight.¡± and Natasha came back over, offering Nakia a water bottle, which she took graciously.


    ¡°Watching two toned and very attractive women spar was hot.¡±

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Four. Family Affairs

    As well as Enhancing Yelena and Cindy, now that Ghost had settled, there was the issue of Melina and Alexsi. While Ivan was content to just wear his harness, and Melina was happy working in the lab with Gwen, Alexsi had come to visit Peter.


    ¡°So, I hear you are giving Yelena a new formula.¡± and the normally jovial and nonsensical man was in serious mode today. He sighed and sat down at the kitchen table. ¡°I want to get a new formula as well.¡± he waved his hand ¡°I am not used to sitting, well I am, being in prison there is not much else to do, but I am still young.¡± and as he looked down at his stomach, ¡°young enough.¡±


    Peter leaned back, looking at the coffee mug sat on the table. ¡°Enhancing you is a risk, and your not as healthy as you think, plus that,¡° and Peter motioned to the ankle monitor Alexsi was wearing, Peter leaned forwards, ¡°Also, the warehouse next door is more than just yours. The homes are yours, and you are welcome to stay as long as you like, but the training rooms, the bathhouse and everything else belongs to everyone.¡±


    Alexsi waved a hand dismissively ¡°bah, I have been behaving, who said something eh? One of your American prudes, too scared to amid that this,¡± and he motioned a hand down himself, ¡°this is peak Russian performance. They just don''t like being reminded how a man should look,¡± and Peter sighed and ran a hand over his face, blunt it is then, he thought to himself.


    ¡°Nope, your daughter complained about you and Ivan double-teaming Melina in the bathhouse. Your daughter complained about you walking around naked when she¡¯s trying to study and train. Your daughter complained about the smell and the noise. You¡¯re not a fucking child, stop acting like one.¡±


    Alexsi stiffened ¡°well, yes, after being in prison certain urges, well. Okay, I am sorry. But uh, I mean, look,¡± and he motioned to the warehouse. ¡°I am not used to this luxury, is like a hotel, so I am sorry, and eh maybe not so much for Melina, she likes you know,¡± and he grinned and shrugged.


    It had been finally finished, and as it was a home in itself and now not a bunch of contained houses a few changes had been made.


    Peter had removed the two homes on either side of the bathhouse, and cut a corridor archway into them, with double security doors, blast-proof and resistant to most types of energy as well. The missing homes had been extended out from the side two, and there were now larger double homes at each corner. Peter had taken office flooring and laid out thick luxurious carpet in neat squares across the floor, with thicker more wear-resistant flooring between in black as pathways. The old training mats were gone, moved next door and permanently attached to the floor.


    The kitchen area was now lined and had proper drainage, so spills could be washed away, with a second catering table in the same style as the first neatly surrounded by comfy chairs and a sofa on the other side. Peter had found the original makers sticker on the underside and trawled second-hand sites to get one that matched. There were potted plants everywhere, as Gwen insisted on some greenery, and promised to take care of them, and while the homes had been reduced to twelve, it was agreed that there had to be a limit.


    Nakia, Cindy, Eddie, Ivan, Yelena, and Melina were all permanent residents next door, and Scott and Maria took a home for when they were in New York. Fury shook his head, ¡°I''ve got plenty of safe houses.¡± but Peter really didn''t mind, he could find his own gargoyle to skulk on.


    As Selene and the other Augments had been quiet since the Sentinel attack, and Emma had stopped taking his calls. The other warehouse had plenty of space for more if a need arose.


    ¡°So, if I behave, can I get fixed?¡± Alexsi asked hesitantly.


    Peter nodded, ¡°fixing you isn''t the issue, you might need six months to adjust anyway. Natasha mentioned nerve damage, and let''s face it, you¡¯re a fat slob, even the normal formula will leave you sick as it cleans up whatever mess you¡¯re in.¡°


    Peter figured that being blunt with Alexsi was the best option. He had a habit of ignoring things he didn''t like, or brushing off bad news with deflective humour, but Peter knew. He was too old and very out of shape. Removing the Red Room Forumla would be painful and leave him weaker than most. Natasha was in top form, and de-powering her left her sick and helpless, and she had made him promise not to do anything that would ultimately hurt her father.


    ¡°I know that look, and yes. I have been trying Peter, but after so long, it is hard you know.¡±


    Peter nodded ¡°I just don''t want anything to go wrong, and it can. We also need to wait until your sentence is up.¡± Peter hadn¡¯t taken the device apart but he knew it was more than just an ankle monitor. He wouldn¡¯t put it past Coulson to have added in a gene scanner, to make sure they didn¡¯t enhance Alexsi.


    Alexsi nodded, ¡°But if it works, you can talk to Fury for me? Maybe Steve too?¡± and


    Peter snorted and shook his head ¡°Uh uh, not my team, not my call.¡±


    Alexsi shrugged, ¡°It was worth a shot, now, how long and who do I talk to?¡±


    Peter took out his phone and send a message to Liv, ¡°Liv is currently dealing with Nakia and Yelena, you need a full physical first, but we can do that with Melina, and then it''s up to Liv.¡±


    Peter sighed, they had been unable to find a medical doctor they felt they could trust, and while Liv had the relevant education she didn''t have the actual bit of paper, the bit they really needed.


    Idiot, he thought to himself and he tapped out a message. After a few minutes, his phone buzzed and he smiled, ¡°Right, so we now have another patient, but once he¡¯s cured, we¡¯ll fix you, as long as he agrees.¡±


    Peter had spoken to his mom about Curt, and they agreed to de-power Curt, and get Shield off his back, but Peter enquired. Curt was a doctor, a medical doctor specialising in genetic illnesses, which led him to begin working with Osborn on the formulas. After a hefty negotiation, he would be AIM¡¯s chief medical officer and was perfect as he still held board accreditation in New York, and was a licenced surgeon.


    First through, as ARCA was being written to heavily restrict those with Enhanced status into military or governments positions, Curt needed to be depowered, and as he was fairly fit already, the process would only take a few days of adjustment, a few days to fit him with the CLS and even without a fully integrated arm, he could still examine and sign off on treatment for Alexsi.


    ¡°Melina?¡± Peter asked and Alexsi shrugged


    ¡°My wife is on the fence. She has seen Gwen''s work, and while she will be glad to be rid of the rubbish one, she is unsure if it is worth getting another. She was always happy in her lab, and she has that. But uh, visas?¡± and Peter nodded


    ¡°I had them all ready to go before the attacks began. You¡¯re all sponsored by AIM, even you, but uh, It¡¯s Romanov now, Natasha was insistent, even Yelena.¡±


    Alexis sighed, ¡°Little Natasha always has to have the last word. it''s fine, I have had so many, one more is not a big deal.¡±


    Peter sent another text. ¡°Right, papers will be here in a few weeks, and we can deal with you and Melina then. But really, no walking about naked, ¡°


    Alexsi laughed, ¡°You tiny Americans are so prudish,¡°


    Peter laughed, ¡°Uh, no, it¡¯s to stop you being embarrassed. Yelena was wondering how Melina was able to see something so small.¡± and Peter patted him on the shoulder, ¡°Wear a towel big guy okay?¡± and Alexsi slumped


    ¡°No respect for papa, not even from my son in law.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and stop drinking my cider, buy your own,¡± Peter yelled at him as he headed back to the training areas.


    Alexsi followed behind suitable chastised and Peter heard him mumbling, ¡°not even drinking your stupid cider, always blamed. Ask Yelena, ask Melina where your cider is. Real men drink vodka, now that, I drink,¡± and Peter smirked and shook his head.


    Fury and Wrath were off training somewhere today, the quinjet was a valuable tool to have, but getting around the various licences to buy fuel was an issue.


    Right now the temporary solution was to make their own, and Liv was in the process of replacing its older turbines with repulsor arcstar lift thrusters, but with everything, even with Ivans''s help, it was slow going.


    ¡°Right, as everyone is here. No hogging the bathhouse. Nakai, you and Yelena are welcome to use mine, as long as you realise that most of us bathe naked. Eddie, Cindy, and Alexsi, The flag system will be used, as well as a rota system. Mark down what hours you''re using it, and those are your times. No fighting, make arrangements, I''m not babysitting a bunch of delinquents who cant share a bathhouse when their homes have showers.¡± As he looked around at the hesitant faces ¡°other than that, don''t care, don''t trash the place, sleep with who you like, do what you want, clean up your mess and I really don''t give a shit what you do here. Just, no fighting.¡±


    The bathhouse on this side was not as extravagant and was two single pools, one gi enough to swim in, and another for relaxing in, with small water jets. No showers, or baths, the homes had been fitted with showers and nobody had asked about getting a bath either. But, Peter wasn''t about to start policing his tenants. They were adults and what they did, and with who was none of his business, as long as the palace was kept clean he didn''t care.


    ¡°Right, now. Eddie and Cindy, we¡¯re waiting to fix our Doctor, but once he¡¯s off Shields radar, we¡¯ll get you both checked over. Cindy, Extremis is fine, and Ghost should be able to handle it without unbending you. Nakia, Extremis, and check up, and Alexsi, check-up and then we¡¯ll see. Yelena though, we¡¯ll talk about that in private.¡± and Yelena nodded, ¡°and Eddie, just a medical. But, Shuri should have sent over some data,¡± and Nakia handed him a tablet, ¡°thanks, yup, Gwen investigated the purple heart serum, and while it''s great it''s also poisonous. Logan, he¡¯s got metal poisoning from having the same stuff melted to his bones, Gwen and Shuri figured a way to neutralise it, but it''s your call. We cant make you, but you know. Maybe not dying at 50 cause you have toxic gunk in your veins.¡±


    Nakia tutted, ¡°The Dora all live to at least a hundred, and were in good health until the last few years. It is not as bad as you are saying, but yes. It will still kill you.¡± and Eddie shook his head


    ¡°I mean, how technical is that? Can I read it?¡± As Peter lifted the tablet and took a quick look,


    ¡°Yeah I can understand maybe half of his, but go ahead.¡± after uploading the files to the secure AIM server, he handed the tablet to Eddie, ¡°just, you know, no taking that out the building.¡±


    Eddie looked at the file, Headed ¡®Virbranium modified foliage and its effects on human intercellular interactions¡¯ and he handed it back, ¡°yeah, not even gonna try. I¡¯ll trust your word on this, so, Extremis too?¡± and Peter nodded


    Eddie looked down at himself, ¡°will it, uh, you know?¡± and as he waved a hand in front of his groin, Peter laughed.


    ¡°No more than the purple heart should have, but uh, we can have someone check, not me though.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Extremis makes you?¡± and Alexsi did the same thing, and Peter shook his head


    ¡°I am not touching that one, ¡° and as he grinned, ¡°Ask Liv. She¡¯ll be happy to explain it.¡±

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Five. Trading Places

    Eddie had a date that evening, and made his excuses and left. Alexsi had to find Melina, and that was a walk to the Parker Building a few blocks away, leaving Peter with Cindy, Yelena, and Nakia. The homes had been finished, and it was now up to everyone to pick their permanent home, get a lease signed and start actually paying rent.


    ¡°Spoke to the others, might as well pick your new homes,¡± as Peter pointed to the empty homes, ¡°decide now if you¡¯re staying in here, or moving next door.¡±


    ¡°I want to move then. Listening to those three screw at night is bad enough¡± Cindy said, and she huffed as she looked at the four empty homes at the door end of the warehouse, ¡°Any of these?¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°then move. Mail comes to the building, it''s not like anyone cares. Just make sure it''s empty.¡± and he made a note to get actual nameplates done for each of the occupied homes, in fact once Alexsi and Milena made their choice he would see if anyone else wanted to move, or even move out.


    Yelena looked at the home her parents had picked, next to the one Ivan was renting, ¡°and can we move next door? I like my parents but I don''t like them that much.¡±


    Peter rubbed his face with a hand, he was expecting some resistance but not this. ¡°We talked about it, and while we don¡¯t have a problem, you do know that we make those three look puritan?¡±


    Yelena nodded, ¡°I have Widow, there is little I don''t know about what goes on here.¡±


    Peter smirked, ¡°While we don''t have sex at the table, you will hear a lot, we don''t wear suits in the bathing area and we can walk around naked. So, are you sure?¡±


    Nakia sighed, ¡°Shuri had me host Jhalia, to prove she was not being influenced. I too know more about you than I wish to, and I have no illusions of showing myself to you, it is only skin.¡±


    Peter rubbed his head, and sighed, ¡°I will have words about that with Shuri, Widow is only on Yelena as it was an emergency. We don''t normally let that happen. So I''m sorry. It''s not fair to put you through that.¡± He now knew how Shuri knew about Nakia and T¡¯Challa, Jhalia had bonded the pair together in thought and memory. Something they were trying to avoid since Ghost walked off on Cindy, and Logan took Rage.


    ¡°It is fine. You are young and handsome, I do not mind, but, there will be nothing else. I have thoughts of you, and memories of your time with Shuri, but I am not interested, and I will choose my own mate.¡±


    Peter nodded. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t have it any other way.¡± Once they were through the corridor, ¡°those two are empty.¡± on the right-hand side, the four homes normally reserved for Selene and visitors were still empty. As they were away from the others, the chance of noise was lower, for both parties. Nakia and Yelena could enjoy themselves without worrying about being heard.


    ¡°The flag system is still in place though. Green means women only, so if you don''t want to wear a suit stick it out, red means we¡¯re in there and probably naked, and yellow means my mom is there, so suits, no exceptions.¡± and the pair nodded,


    ¡°But, if we do not want to, we can go skinny yes?¡± Yelena asked, and Peter nodded.


    ¡°As long as you don''t care we do the same, we won''t you know, do anything, but I no suit as well,¡± he said seriously,


    Yelena waved  a hand ¡°I know what you are hiding Peter, I have seen it through Natasha''s eyes,¡± and Nakia just nodded but did stare at him for a moment


    ¡°As I said, it is just skin, and I know you have no feelings for me. You are not the first man I will have bathed with, and you will probably not be the last.¡± Nakia stated.


    ¡°Oh, I like you.¡± Yelena said, ¡°oh and like the other one, don''t hit the cleaning system while anyone is in there,¡± and she snorted, ¡°Peter did that to show it off, and they chase him for hours, it was very funny.¡±


    Peter remembered, he also remembered the bruises Felicia gave him, and the bite marks he gave her back, and the memory made him smile, ¡°As long as you understand, it''s fine.¡±


    The rest of the day he helped them move, With the reluctant help from the cabal of African sorcerers, Nakia moved the heavier more expensive items from Wakanda, while moving Yelena''s stuff was easy. She grabbed her clothes stuffed them into a refuse sack and hoisted it over a shoulder


    ¡°What, it''s just clothes, I can press them later,¡± she said,


    Peter pointed to a large row of wooden boxes, each with a lid. ¡°Leave laundry in a hamper. We have a couple of huge machines to cope.¡±


    At first, Gwen had the only machine, but as the homes filled Peter invested in industrial models, getting it all done at once, the only thing they needed to do was sort out what could be tumble dried and what couldn''t, especially after Peter shrunk one of Gwen''s favourite t-shirts.


    Even though the Symbiotes could morph into any clothing theft desired, the group of women eventually persuaded them that clothing was for more than just protection against the weather, that dressing was a ritual, and that with underwear and the right outfit, it was to feel different, and eventually the symbiotes came to understand


    ¡°Great, so, food money goes in an envelope with a shopping list in the top drawer on the dining table. Take a pen and mark a shelf and a drawer,  and then it''s off-limits as Felicia usually just eats wherever she wants. If it''s really expensive, you have to pay, otherwise, we all just put in 100 or so a week.¡± and the pair nodded


    ¡°Uh, Nakia, you need to head to HR and get a contract signed, Yelena, Fury should be back in a day or so,¡± but before he could finish her clothing vanished, and she shrugged,


    ¡°I''m using the pool, no questions. I haven''t been able to relax since Ivan joined,¡° and she shuddered, ¡°yeah, that''s not a pretty sight.¡± and she stalked off into the bathhouse,


    ¡°Grab a towel and add your name to a basket.¡± he shouted after her and she waved a hand at him, ¡°I feel kinda bad letting her just laze around while we have you,¡± but once more he was interrupted, as Nakia slipped out of her training slacks and top.


    ¡°A pool sounds good. Swimming in Wakanda was for training, and I am eager to see how yours compares.¡±


    As she walked past Peter he just sighed and shook his head, and pulled out his phone, taping away, sending messages to everyone.


    Yelena and Nakia are in the pool, housewarming?


    His phone began to vibrate with each reply,


    Yes, and Wanda says hell yes as well - Gwen


    Pizza, - Felicia


    Ibrokemyphneagainpeteyes - Laura


    Don''t fuck my sister, but yes - Natasha


    I have an audition til nine, start without me - MJ


    There was no reply from Carol but he knew she was dealing with Shield and Sword. Her phone was probably off but she never said no to a party, especially after a hard day, so he counted her as a yes.


    Jean and I will be there, are we inviting anyone else? Liv sent back, and with Liv, he knew he meant Ivan but not this time


    Sorry, family only this time, he sent back to her and slid his phone back into his pocket.


    ¡°Hey, any preference for pizza?¡± he shouted into the bathhouse


    ¡°No, and you can come in you know, we left that flag thing off on purpose,¡± Yelena shouted back and Peter stuck his head through the privacy curtain.


    ¡°I am not sure about this pizza, it sounds intriguing, but I am also a vegetarian, Can I get one without meat, but the cheese is fine,¡± Nakia asked and Peter nodded, checking their place did more than just plain and vegetable pizzas.


    ¡°Tofu?¡± he asked, checking their menu and she nodded, ¡°right. Work ends at five, so pizzas for six, I''m going to get drinks ready,  Any preferences?¡±


    Nakia swam to the edge, ¡°Wine, Shuri had some the last time she was here, and I wish to try it for myself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good Peter, anything beer, or something harder,¡± Yelena said, as she lay on her back, slowly floating from one end of the pool to the other.


    Peter snorted, ¡°Nat told me I''m not to give you anything hard,¡±


    ¡°Oh, how can I resist such a charmer, take me now Peter Parker, your raw animal magnetism has me quivering,¡± Yelena said deadpan and Nakia laughed.


    Peter laughed, ¡°oh you know it. Everyone wants me. But uh, we don¡¯t have a lot of spirits. Your dad raided our supplies until Natasha yelled at him, she was not happy about it, and neither was Gwen.¡±


    ¡°Can you cure him?¡± Yelena joined Nakia at the edge of the pool, and lifted herself up onto the edge, motioning for Peter to hand her a towel.


    Peter shrugged ¡°That depends on if it¡¯s formula-based chemical dependence or your dad just an alcoholic. If it''s the latter, then no,¡° Peter hummed, passing over the towel and Yelena rubbed the water from her face and dried her hands.


    ¡°Maybe, I could try and modify an Iron Halo¡± Tony had been using them to curb addictive behaviours in more serious cases, where conventional therapy and methods failed. Peter had two minds over the subject.


    When Hexen and Wanda returned from the other reality they had shared their experiences, and Peter had already seen and replicated the design for the helmets. Which was an almost identical design to Tony''s Iron Halo with a few modifications.


    Using them to treat illness was great, but once you began to start modifying behaviours in people you didn''t like, then it became an issue. Peter had hoped Tony had already seen this issue and taken steps to remedy it. A failsafe built into the halo should be enough and keeping it from Ross or the government would be an even better step.


    Yelena had slipped from the pool and threw the towel back at a basket she had labelled. While she was naked, Peter was trying very hard not to look, ¡°Hey, it''s fine. He¡¯s been like that as far as I can remember, just, give him the really bad stuff and he won''t know the difference.¡±


    Screw it, Peter thought to himself and looked over at Yelena, who was either teasing him or trying to get him to look. Yelena saw the look in his eyes and laughed, stepping back and spreading her arms


    ¡°Go ahead, I''m amazing, drink in this blonde goddess of style and amazingness.¡± So Peter did.


    Yelena was shorter than Natasha by about a foot, but still much taller than Laura, her breasts were a C cup, and her tiny pink nipples were crinkled because of the cold, or because she was an exhibitionist, Peter didn''t know.


    ¡°Okay, got it out of your system, great. I''m getting back in the water. You should join us.¡± and Yelena turned and drive back in.


    ¡°I am not showing myself to you unless you beat me in a spar.¡±


    Peter just shrugged, slid off his own clothing and stepped past Nakia to slip into the water. ¡°Not to sound mean, but don''t care. Shuri and I set the rules and I''m sticking to them. If you really want to fight me for the right to your hand, we can, but I''m just happy to be able to get into the pool without getting crap for not being dressed.¡±


    Nakia glanced down, and then as Peter relaxed against the side and settled into one of the pool seats, she cast a more appraising eye over him. ¡°Maybe, but, that is not why we are here is it?¡± and he shook his head


    ¡°You''ve both been hosts, and while Widow is going to stay with Natasha, we have talked about making Symbiotes for you both, if you want.¡±


    Yelena stopped swimming and paddled over the where the pair were sat, ¡°Do we have to¡± and she made a circle and slid a finger in and out, ¡°you know, cause I don''t mind, but it wouldn''t be a regular thing,¡± but Peter shook his head


    ¡°I can make them blanks. The bonding will be a bit rougher, as they will be like a child. Completely devoid of experience and memories. It¡¯ll be your job to teach them, and ultimately to control them.¡±


    Yelena laughed, ¡°I was only offering sex, and you want to give me a baby, Natasha will be so disappointed in you Peter.¡± and Nakia snorted


    ¡°Think about it, it''s not a one time deal, we want everyone to be the best they can be, especially after the mess we went through. And you''ve both proven compatible, and trustworthy.¡±


    ¡°Aww shucks, Peter, my heart went all fluttery at that, or maybe gas, not sure.¡± Yelena joked, and Peter snorted.


    ¡°Think about it, I''m going to get tables ready, and get the drinks down.¡±


    As he stood and stepped away, he did slightly smile as both sets of eyes locked firmly onto his manhood.


    Yeah, still got it, he thought as he smiled, but gonna behave myself,


    As his symbskin rippled, shedding the water from his body, he changed back into slacks and a t-shirt and went to prepare for the party.

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Six. Pool Party

    Several low plastic tables had been purchased, and they were very handy in the pool room. The rule of no glass was still in effect but nobody minded drinking from plastic cups while the food was served on paper plates. Several girls had bought inflatable tables, to sit drinks and food on while they floated in the pool, and even with the party in full swing, everyone was talking and chatting and not splashing around. Even Laura was cuddled on Wanda¡¯s lap eating pizza and drinking beer while the group talked.


    ¡°Curt is recovering nicely, and May was happy to send him home. He did look a little lost at having a missing arm again, it was a shame the formula wasn''t stable enough to keep it.¡± Liv said,


    Curt had visibly shrunk as the formula was cleaned from his system and grasped his arm in pain. As it withered and atrophied, he could only watch in horror as it crumpled and withered into dust.


    The energy and cellular repair of the formula faded once it was out of a person''s system, and it was the reason unbonding someone was so painful.


    The formula worked by stimulating the dormant X-Gene, and once the gene was rendered inert once more, the body suffered from small amounts of genetic damage. Organ and immune system failure were common and Curt had developed benign but painful tumours as well. The formula was an amazing drug, but the more Gwen and Liv researched, the more horrifying they found it to be. It was almost as if removing the formula piled on the accumulated damage the person had healed during its use.


    After Curt¡¯s de-powering, they were now worried that with Alexsi¡¯s reckless behaviour and alcohol abuse, that de-powering him might kill him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll set him up with an implant tomorrow. Can you deal with Nakia, Cindy, and Yelena until then? Then we can move on to Alexsi and Melina. They might need more time and more care.¡± Peter said while sitting with Carol on one side, picking at some fries, and Natasha on the other, who was glaring at her sister, floating on her back in the pool.


    Natasha hissed at him, keeping her eyes on her sister, ¡°I thought I said my sister was off-limits?¡± and he laughed and kissed and nibbled her neck, ¡°Why is she naked in the pool?¡±


    ¡°She is naked, nothing more, and she and Nakia were both uncomfortable with your dad¡¯s behaviour,¡±


    ¡°Mom likes threeways,¡± Yelena shouted, kicking her legs and gliding back towards the deeper end of the pool,


    Natasha sat bolt upright and spluttered, ¡°what?¡± and Peter patted her back,


    ¡°You got it from somewhere right? It seems that at least one household is getting on the poly bandwagon.¡± and Natasha huffed.


    ¡°Think that¡¯s bad. I get that crap at work too,¡± Gwen complained as she slid into the pool, nodding in appreciation at both Nakia and Yelena. ¡°Uh, are they off-limits for us as well?¡± Natasha just glowered at Gwen who laughed and raised her hands in mock surrender. ¡°At work, there are three camps. The ¡®does it really work¡¯ types. The ¡®it¡¯s fine but I wouldn''t types,¡¯ and the ¡®you''re a whore and you¡¯ll burn in hell¡¯ types. Oh, and the ¡®snort snort harem¡¯ assholes who can''t get it around their stupid skulls that poly isn''t harem. I mean those fucking cartoons have a lot to answer for.¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°it''s anime, and it''s art.¡±


    ¡°It''s crap, and I''m sick of it.¡± she retorted. ¡°All those damn tentacles. I mean, come on Pete, do you really like that?¡±


    Peter looked at her confused, and it was Liv who gently coughed, ¡°The uh, hentai is mine.¡± Gwen stared at her and chuckled as she shook her head.


    Peter shrugged, ¡°It''s still fine. Nakia and Yelena are guests and that''s it, nobody expects anything except them using the pool, and movie night I guess, but that''s not naked.¡± Natasha laughed. ¡°It''s not supposed to be naked,¡± Peter said while laughing and kissing her again,


    ¡°Still, no sister. Not crossing some lines and I will beat your asses.¡± The group nodded. It was all fun and games until Natasha pulled you onto the mat, and then even Laura behaved. ¡°Good, now. Widow, give her back.¡± and Yelena pouted and swam away,


    ¡°Nope, she has not finished telling me all the juicy parts. I''m up to finally admitting that you like girls, and what a girl''s night that was, eh?¡± Natasha turned and smiled at Peter who released her from his embrace, lifting both hands up.


    ¡°Yeah, that''s on you Yelena,¡± he said, as he leaned over and grabbed a few fries, ¡°probably should grab our drinks and move,¡± as the look Natasha was giving her told of incoming pain and splashes.


    There were inflatable armchairs surrounding the tables, with towels over them for comfort and the group simply moved. Hosts weren''t subjected to the cold, but Peter handed Gwen and Nakia fluffier towels to act as blankets while Natasha took revenge on her sister.


    It gave them a chance to bond, and Peter was happy enough to actually get some pizza. ¡°Mixed veg and tofu for you,¡± and he slid over a box towards Nakia, while Felicia looked guiltily at the ceiling, ¡°sorry, she¡¯s incorrigible.¡±


    As the lid was lifted, and the missing slices were spotted, Felica shrugged, ¡°I thought it was one of those weird tofu pizzas,¡±


    ¡°It is one of those weird tofu pizzas, and yet you ate three slices?¡± Nakia said with a small girn, ¡°Maybe I should follow your Natasha¡¯s lead and take this to the mat.¡± and a predatory smile crossed Felicia¡¯s face,


    ¡°You know I''ve trained as well, and out of everyone, after Nat, I¡¯m the most experienced.¡±


    ¡°Yeah at stealing food, damn thieving cat,¡± Gwen said while pulling her won pizza box back towards her. Felicia laughed and slid over,


    ¡°Aww, my honey bun hates me,¡± and she fake pouted, but as Gwen turned her head to kiss Felicia, she leant forwards and instead took a bite from Gwen''s slice, laughing as Gwen paused and sighed.


    ¡°Yup, thieving cat. Nakia, I think I¡¯ll take you up on that, maybe she¡¯ll learn some manners.¡±


    Felicia laughed, ¡°thank you for the food,¡± and she lent in and gave Gwen a kiss, ¡°it¡¯s delicious,¡±


    Gwen tutted and kissed her back, and the group sat and ate their pizza, ignoring the cries and squeals from behind them.


    With the edge of the pool higher than the water, to let people sit at the edge, there was no danger of splashing, but it meant that the view of whatever Natasha was subjecting her sister to was blocked. It wasn''t until there was silence, that Peter decided to venture forwards and see what was happening.


    Widow had covered one sister, and it was difficult to tell which one it was, but another symbiote clad woman was floating next to her, in her embrace. This one''s armour was white, and as Yelena¡¯s widow armour was the same colour, he figured that Widow must have spawned, creating a bond between the pair.


    As Widow shrank back, and Natasha looked up at him, she motioned him forwards, ¡°once, just this once, to calm her, but, and I swear Pete, no more than that. It¡¯s weird enough sometimes and I don''t want to be getting off on my sister.¡±


    ¡°You know we¡¯re not related right?¡± Yelena said as the newly born symbiote slid back, ¡°but, no, it¡¯s really weird, oh, it¡¯s Vonya, and she is calm.¡± Peter shrugged,


    ¡°One-time deal, take it or leave it.¡±


    Yelena looked over at her sister, ¡°Really? I might joke, but I do actually prefer girls,¡±


    Peter just shrugged, ¡°Okay, who wants the newbie, cute Russian blonde¡¯s first bonded time, Nat says it''s okay,¡± he joked and Natasha batted him,


    ¡°I said it was okay for you, asshole.¡± and he laughed.


    ¡°I was joking, overprotective sibling much?¡± and he grinned as he flicked some water at her.


    ¡°Did, did you just flick me? And yes, from a pack of pussy hungry she-devils, yes damn right.¡± While she only dipped a finger into the pool, Widow stretched out under it and cupped more water. When Natasha flicked the water at him, Widow sent a squirt out as well, hitting him in the face.


    ¡°Hear that ladies, apparently you¡¯re pussy hungry she-devils.¡± and he was greeted by a chorus of approvals,


    ¡°Forgot cock hungry as well,¡± Gwen shouted back, and Natasha laughed. ¡°So, no sister then?¡± and Natasha shrugged,


    ¡°Nope, she¡¯s off-limits again.¡± and she was greeted by another chorus, of awws and boos. ¡°You all had your chances,¡± and she laughed as she shook her head, ¡°you too Pete.¡± and he shrugged


    Nakia watched in amazement as the group of women surrounded her, laughed, kissed and ate, ¡°is it always like this?¡± she asked Gwen, who shrugged,


    ¡°This is quiet, Pete wasn''t joking when he said movie night isn''t supposed to be naked, but what about you?¡± and Nakia frowned


    ¡°Me?¡± and Gwen nodded


    ¡°You might have noticed there is a certain type Pete likes, and some of us share that. So, my tall drink of hot chocolate, do you like girls or am I chasing the wrong cat?¡±


    Nakia furrowed her eyes brows in confusion, ¡°I am unsure how to take that. I suppose that amongst a group as pale you that must need sunglasses when the sun shines on you. That my skin would be considered alluring, but surely you wish to know me better and not judge me on my skin?¡±


    Gwen shrugged, ¡°Most relationships are based on first glance attraction. Eyes, hair, chest, legs, hand, and skin.¡±  she took a breath, ¡°studying the effects of the symbiotes on unhosted individuals meant studying psychology to note personality changes. Should you be offended I''m attracted to your skin colour? If you are, then that''s your problem as I find it, the dark brown of your eyes, the size of your breasts, the toned muscles of your thighs and the small strip of pubic hair to be very alluring, and wouldn''t care if you were white or any colour. You are beautiful, end of discussion.¡±


    ¡°Then, I am sorry to say that I do not. I prefer the company of men,¡± and Gwen shrugged,


    ¡°And that''s the end of that. Still gonna admire you though, Petes not the only one who likes the ladies.¡± and Liv nodded


    ¡°And if anyone makes you uncomfortable, say for example a certain blonde with boundary issues, then just smack her. I think Natasha''s idea of taking things to the mat might have merit. Especially when dealing with house guests. Gwendolyn¡± and Gwen ginned but mouthed sorry at Nakia.


    ¡°With Curt recovering, we can do your treatments tomorrow if you want, Nakia. Drinking or overeating won''t affect the treatment, or if you wish to have another day off, I can start with Cindy or Yelena.¡± Liv asked her,


    Nakia lifted the last slice of pizza and folded it, ¡°no, I am not used to lazing around. Tomorrow will let me get used to the new formula, and Liv. I do not mind Gwen''s advances, there is no need to admonish her. I am just not used to them.¡±


    It was strange but she missed the camaraderie she felt while sharing quarters with the other Dora Milaje, and this reminded her more of her training days than she cared to admit.


    She knew this group would be as close, and knew they would understand. ¡°I was betrothed, all my life, and it fell through. I lived in the royal palace and trained and learned etiquette. I ate at set times, and I trained with the other Dora. I am, simply, unused to this atmosphere.¡± As she waved the slice, ¡°this food,¡± and as he motioned to Peter sat on the edge of the pool, with Yelena on one side, laughing as she ate his fries, while Natasha cuddled his arm and ate pizza, ¡°this level of bonding. I will take some time to adjust, but I think I will like it here, even if I must suffer being called hot chocolate,¡±


    ¡°Oh, another one. Oh no, an attractive young woman likes you. The horror,¡± Liv said rolling her eyes. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it, dear.¡±


    Nakia could only shrug, these people were definitely strange, and even being raised with the notion of being one amongst many and sharing a husband she was not prepared for them not to only share Peter but each other. ¡°I probably shall.¡± she said and raised her glass, raising an eyebrow and winking at Liv, ¡°I probably shall.¡±


    Half listening in, Peter cleared his throat, ¡°there is also Emma, and I asked her to come around tomorrow. She needs to get a straight answer,¡±


    ¡°Shuri agreed?¡± Felicia asked and Peter nodded as she leaned over to see what food was left, ¡°and she doesn''t mind either?¡±


    ¡°I think she¡¯s happy enough, just a few ground rules is all. So there are no misunderstandings.¡±


    As Felicia looked around at the huge gathering, ¡°yeah, cause really, we have enough drama without Emma.¡±


    As she spied a lone slice of pizza and Huntress shot out a tendril to snag it, a scowling Gwen turned around and frowned at her,


    ¡°Yup, One is bad enough.¡±


    Felicia shrugged and stuffed the slice into her mouth.

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Seven. Cold Front

    Emma sat, lounging in an armchair in Peter''s apartment while sipping a glass of champagne.


    ¡°So, is this your way of breaking my poor little heart?¡± she said as she waved her empty glass at him and he laughed, added more champagne to her glass, and shook his head,


    ¡°Nope, but Shuri wants assurances that it''s only going so far. As she put it Mistress, not marriage.¡± Emma lighted her glass and shrugged, she had expected to be rejected.


    ¡°I''ve been called worse darling, but I want assurances that it is mistress and not whore. I had enough of that, and look where that got him. All I want is a nice happy relationship where I don''t get some uppity arsehole telling me how to live my life but still treats me as if I actually exist. You fit that bill perfectly. You are the closest thing to a decent man I''ve found so far, so why look further?¡±


    ¡°Only treat you like a whore if you want me to, but you also need to know what it means. I mean, you think it''s me, but there are more of us, You sleep with Liv, well, add in nine others who feel the same way. Elektra made her choice, Felicia only. And leave Cindy alone, she might have a Symbiote but she isn¡¯t part of this.¡± Peter rubbed his forehead, ¡°and Friday is, yeah. Please leave Friday alone until she¡¯s at least,¡° and Peter sighed, ¡°older.¡±


    Emma laughed, ¡°And here I thought you were insatiable. I accept. Women are no issue but remember I do have my own preferences, nobody gets an invite unless I agree.¡± Peter shrugged,


    ¡°That''s how it''s always been. But uh, there is one last thing?¡± Emma raised an eyebrow as Peter pointed at her glass,


    ¡°Yeah, not buying that again. It was three hundred a bottle. What the hell, Emma?¡±


    Emma drained her glass, since she had Precious it had been rather bland, but worth seeing his face. ¡°I expect only the best darling, and you agreed. Why should I miss out just because my little boy toy is so stingy?¡±


    ¡°Wait boy toy? How old are you?¡± Peter had figured she was maybe five or six years older, the same age as Natasha.


    Emma sighed, ¡°While that is rude to ask a lady her age, I, unfortunately, need to talk to you about that. You¡¯ll need to get Liv, and we need more alcohol.¡±


    As the pair made their way over to the Parker building, Liv was busy finishing up work on the latest armour build when she greeted Peter and Emma in the cafeteria. It was quiet and the break time wasn''t for another hour. As they sat, drinking slightly better than vending machine coffee, Emma told them about what had been discovered in the files of Bar Sinister.


    Peter had sat stone-faced as he listened. He had guessed there might be more, and not Augmented, after what they had found, but it was Liv who seemed upset at her revelations. Her time at Oscorp had still left her wary of any human experimentation, especially done under the radar, and she was thinking that if Shaw wasn''t dead, she would have killed him herself.


    ¡°There are two more clones of Emma Frost in the world,¡° and Emma showed them the list, ¡°I have no idea who, but there are.¡± Peter frowned,


    ¡°Uh, should we be worried, I mean, your powers are pretty strong. And Psylocke and Rogue aren''t exactly pushovers either.¡± Peter asked, concerned that another Rogue or worse was loose in the world. He would make a note to get Fury to try and track down the last two. Even if it was just to be sure where they were, and that they weren¡¯t a danger to anyone.


    ¡°I don''t really care, if they have been under the radar this long then they can stay there. I''m more worried about long term effects. Am I defective or am I going to end up like Wade?¡±


    ¡°Wade?¡± Peter asked but Emma shuddered, Wade was the singular reason Peter was given the Mind Stone back, as, in a stupid attempt to try and figure out who the other Cuckoos were, she read his mind, hoping to find out more about Shaw¡¯s operation. After she recovered, drank herself into a coma in an attempt to rid herself of the experience, she wanted to be rid of the Stone. Not just the stone but the memories. She was even willing to let Peter or even Jean do a little housekeeping on her mind. Even now, the mention of his name sent shivers of disgust through her.


    ¡°Deadpool. Shaw had a singular mutant, and I mean that in all respects of the word, Augment is too kind. He was powerful, had multiple powers and was very very unpleasant, and not just physically.¡± Emma shuddered when she remembered the look Wade had given her, and the surface thought he was having about her breasts, his tongue, and a bunch of bananas, and where he wanted to stick them, and not just in her. They had immediately turned him out and sent him to the mansion. Charles was insistent on rescuing all poor and oppressed Augments, so he was welcome to him.


    ¡°Well, he sounds delightful,¡° Liv said, raising an eyebrow.


    Curiosity had gotten the better of her, and no matter his issues she would still like to see exactly how his X-Gene looked. They knew it was the key to an Augments powers, and messing with it usually ended up being fatal, so how he managed to have so many different powers was intriguing, and really he couldn¡¯t be that bad, could he?


    ¡°When you bonded with Precious we did a full check-up, there is no sign of cancer or other genetic abnormalities. As much as it might pain you to hear this but Shaw made you perfect. I expect it was intentional, and he chose only the best. Anne Marie is mentally unstable and is maybe only a quarter Emma Frost, Psylocke has very similar powers, and is more your sister than anything else.  But let''s be clear, you are not clones of Emma, you are your own person. You were made from donor DNA, from several donors and not cloned from one specific person.¡± She continued but as she looked down at her coffee she frowned. ¡°Peter, I hate to bring this up but do you think that Laura is one as well?¡±


    ¡°Laura is a clone?¡± Emma asked and Peter nodded,


    ¡°Of Logan, but we never thought to check the donor mother. It might be one of our missing Emmas.¡± and Emma leaned back


    ¡°Well that could have been embarrassing, I took a bath with her and we almost,¡± and she smiled and winked. ¡°So, no doing the young miss Wolverine then, well not until we know.¡±


    ¡°I''d be more worried if she is. Laura grew up in a lab and family is a huge thing for her, I mean, a really huge thing.¡±


    Laura had been the most receptive to everything happening so far. She had accepted Peter having more than one lover, had accepted the multiple marriages, had been happily sharing a bed with everyone, and had been the most active in seeking out new things to do with everyone.


    Peter had put it down to their pheromones, but really it was being part of a loving group. She took to Logan like a duckling, bugging him and following him around, finally finding the family she was after. Finding out that Emma was her sister would probably cause her to explode with joy, and Peter knew that while Laura would love it, Emma was a bit more composed.


    ¡°We need to do the testing then.¡± Peter sighed, ¡°but we shouldn''t tell her until we find out for sure.¡±


    Liv nodded, ¡°It won''t be hard, I have samples of everyone to make sure the symbiotes aren''t causing issues. I take them when I do the six-monthly physical, or in your case, twice daily.¡± and Peter laughed


    ¡°We can run all the tests you like. We have counsellors on staff as a lot of the things we deal with can be a bit, dangerous. Pepper insisted as a licenced doctor as well, but for more in house things, I am pretty confident in my own abilities, even if I''m not board certified. It''s just a small blood sample, plus any physical issue you want to talk about, but for that dear, I''m afraid you can wait outside. We might be open, but there are things you don''t discuss with anyone other than your doctor.¡±


    Pere nodded, patted Emma on the hand, give Liv a kiss on the cheek, and made his way home while they did their thing.


    Emma had long headed back to the warehouse, and Liv looked up from the analyser and checked the results. She made sure by running them twice and then emailed herself the file.


    Back at the warehouse, Peter was drawing up plans to add in more homes, and as Liv came into his workspace he nodded and called Emma and Laura.


    ¡°So Laura, we have some news. We checked your donor father, and as we suspected it was Logan, but your mother was always an unknown. Until now. Laura, Emma Frost was the donor, and Emma here is your sister.¡±


    Emma looked hesitantly at the young-looking mutant, who in her opinion looked nothing like her. Laura wasn''t even five feet tall, with thin wiry muscles and no cleavage of any kind, her hair was thick and brown, and if anything she reminded Emma of Selene more than any of the others.


    Laura looked confused, ¡°Emma is my mom but my sister as well?¡± and Peter laughed but shook his head,


    ¡°Sorry, Emma here is also a clone. Emma Frost Senior died,¡± and as he looked over at Emma, ¡°and we made sure. It was announced in the Times, and her grave is in New York Marble Cemetary.¡±


    Laura blinked a few times, ¡°Mom died? But sis is her clone? Like me?¡± and Peter nodded. Laura wiped her eyes a few times before looking over at Emma,


    ¡°Glad I didn''t fuck you then,¡± and Liv burst out laughing, Peter shook his head


    ¡°Logan might be upset to hear you talk like that¡± but she pulled a face and shrugged.


    ¡°He¡¯s not here, so I can be as unladylike as I like, so nya¡± and she stuck her tongue at him,


    Moving over he kissed her, ¡°keep doing that and I¡¯ll find a use for that.¡± so she stuck it out again and he kissed it tip before french kissing her


    Emma cleared her throat, ¡°Do you mind, this is supposed to be a family moment here, not a sex orgy. I mean, family, I actually have a family, and you¡¯re hitting on her, right in front of me. I should be surprised but I am not.¡± Peter laughed,


    Laura wrapped her arms around Peter''s neck, ¡°lighten up, like Dad, angry and grumpy. Be a frosty shake, not a frosty bitch¡± and Peter snorted,


    ¡°Okay, I am not getting into that one.¡± and he lifted Laura off his lap and kissed her cheek, ¡°Be nice, she didn''t know.¡±


    Laura hmphed. ¡°Got a family, don''t need a new one.¡±


    Emma frowned, ¡°That does seem like Logan to me. I think I got all the best bits in the deal, maybe being me isn''t so bad after all.¡± and Laura growled,


    ¡°Talon cutest one there is!¡± she yelled mimicking Hulk, and Emma laughed,


    ¡°Shortest one there is more like. I mean, did they forget to put you in a bigger grow bag or was the genetic sample dropped?¡±


    Laura growled and as her blades sprang from her hands Emma tutted and lifted her up, ¡°As if that would ever work.¡±


    As Laura floated over, a surprised Peter and Liv watched as Emma wrapped her arms around her, ¡°but you are my dearest sister, and I will come to tolerate you very much¡±


    ¡°Uh Emma, Don¡¯t you mean love?¡± Peter asked,


    ¡°You never had siblings darling. Tolerate is the best I can do.¡± and while Laura huffed she did cuddle closer,


    ¡°Love you too. I want to tell dad though, he hates surprises,¡± Laura said as she squished her head between Emma''s breasts.

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Eight. Stoned Out Of His Mind

    Peter ignored the glares he was getting from the Shield HQ staff as he once more walked its corridors. He was used to it when he was a student, and right now he didn''t give a crap about what any of these assholes thought of him.


    After introducing himself, the receptionist outside Coulson''s temporary office motioned for Peter to sit, and he frowned as looked at his phone. He was on time and giving Coulson the benefit of the doubt, he sat down.


    After five minutes he stood and shook his head at the receptionist, who just sneered at him but rather than leaving he just barged into Coulson''s office.


    As she followed him, stuttering apologies for the interruption, Coulson raised a hand,


    ¡°It''s fine Kate. And took you long enough. Fury and I figured you¡¯d just kick my door down.¡± Peter shook his head as he sat in front of the sparse desk.


    ¡°Budget cuts?¡± Peter joked as he saw the desk was a simple office desk, a phone and a laptop,


    Coulson snorted, ¡°Doesn''t help when Red Hulk smashes up your office. So Peter, how do we do this?¡± Coulson asked as he pressed the phone, ¡°yeah two coffees please.¡±


    ¡°Do this? Do what? I¡¯m not doing anything.¡± Peter was keeping his senses locked in tight, whatever Coulson was planning wasn¡¯t going to be good.


    Coulson looked up at the ceiling, stretching his neck, and sighed, leaning forwards.


    ¡°It¡¯s all been swept under the rug. With Trask¡¯s suicide, it was all pushed on him, just like Osborn. The Sentinels were defective, and he pocketed the cash. So now we¡¯re left with you. We might not have the proof you¡¯re Venom but it doesn¡¯t matter. Enough people know, and the people in charge don¡¯t like a loose cannon walking around doing whatever it likes.¡±


    Coulson slid over a file filled with papers on Peter¡¯s powers and the medical data they had managed to collect.


    ¡°Your lawyers are good, but it won''t save you. When you killed Shaw, and we guess it was you, you got the big boys scared. We can only guess, while you¡¯re not the only one who had reason to, you were the only one spotted at Shaw¡¯s restaurant the day before the massacre happened.¡±


    Coulson paused as the secretary brought in a tray and placed it on the desk, adding sugar and milk to Coulson''s but leaving Peters black, ¡°Oh we know the deaths weren¡¯t you, not your style but Shaw, yeah nobody would leave someone like that alive once they knew.¡±


    ¡°I don''t care. If they¡¯re scared then good. People who wield power should be, if they are scared of losing it then they don''t deserve it. Charles just proved there was someone who could take it away without lifting a finger.¡±


    Coulson frowned and sipped his own coffee, ¡°but that''s the problem. When they get scared they like to make everyone else scared.¡± Peter shrugged and lifted his coffee, as he sipped it, at least it wasn''t poisoned. ¡°You and everyone else are making waves big enough to drown everyone. The Sentinels were on a burner, never to be used until you showed up, and Hammer¡¯s drones, and Ultron, and every other idiot with a pen and executive authority.¡±


    Peter leaned back in his chair, ¡°So? Then let them do some actual work. Sentinels? Great, but how about not using alien tech to build them. Drones are great, stop letting assholes live test them in a major city. Stark and I might have had our differences, but we didn''t start shooting missiles in population centres. That''s on the bad guys, you can''t pin this on us.¡±


    Coulson laughed, ¡°We can and we have. ARCA is being re-written, and Xavier is making sure it''s fair, but Enhancements and Augments are different things. All Enhanced will be coming under military jurisdiction, all armour suits will be too. The time of vigilantes is over.¡±


    Peter shook his head, ¡°So Stark was right. You want the pie and aren''t willing to share.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s bigger than that Pete. The US has the biggest collection of known powered individuals, and while other countries are building their teams, they¡¯re screaming hell at us as we keep making waves. ARCA was supposed to deflect that, and well, you and Charles took that apart as well.¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°So we paid for their ineptitude, but all your going to do is make it harder for people like me to live a normal life if they want one. These people have families Coulson, and having your name anywhere linking you to a power puts them at risk. If it was just me, I wouldn''t care but you went after my mom. You dragged her into a fight that was nothing to do with her, to get to me, and I can¡¯t forgive that.¡±


    Peter touched the side of his head, connecting his earpiece, ¡°Do it.¡±


    Coulson froze for a second, and as Peter waited he counted down. The monitor on Coulson''s desk froze for a second before it crashed and then rebooted.


    ¡°Well, while I am sorry the Sentinels failed, it does seem wrong of you to blame me. I mean, just because I use a harness, and Liv worked for Oscorp doesn''t mean we had a hand in the destruction.¡±


    Coulson blinked a few times as the halo of yellow light circled in his eyes and then faded. ¡°Of course. It was just a formality. We know Trask was contacted by an unknown, we think it was Ultron, but nothing leads to you. The warrants were issued by mistake, but we know Pepper took care of all that.¡±


    Peter stood and shook his hand, smiling, ¡°Well, while things aren''t great, we might still be able to work with Shield and Sword.¡±


    ¡°I think we can work with that, it was good to see you again Peter. Maybe next time we can have a chat under better circumstances.¡± Coulson stood and offered his hand to Peter, who shook it and smiled,


    ¡°Sure. Let me get back to you on that,¡± and Coulson nodded as Peter left the office.


    He kept everything on his surroundings, making sure he wasn''t being watched or followed. Nothing could go wrong with this part, and if it did, it would go wrong in a big way.


    As he entered he found the girls, plus Emma, all sat around the breakfast table. Liv was leaning over a laptop, while Emma and Jean were holding hands and the Mind Stone floated between them.


    ¡°How did it go?¡± and the pair floated back down, while Liv nodded,


    ¡°Nobody remembers. We found and took care of anyone who knows your Venom, and knows about our identities,¡± Emma said as he looked over,


    ¡°Liv?¡± he asked Liv who was sat next to Ivan and several laptops.


    ¡°We got into every file. You¡¯ll still have conspiracy nuts comparing you to him, but most files are gone. We did the hack before Emma and Jean so while someone will know it was done, the information regarding it is gone. Nobody knows who we are, except the ones sitting here right now.¡±


    Peter sighed a breath of relief, ¡°so now, the Stone.¡± and Emma looked over at him shocked,


    ¡°What no, you can''t possibly. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, we could-¡± but Peter raised his hand,


    ¡°We could. But we just screwed with the entire planet. We just attacked the minds of the world and then hacked ourselves into the clear. That''s not a good thing. Nobody should have this power, and it''s too much of a temptation.¡±


    Emma crossed her arms and huffed, ¡°and I suppose you trust me to remove the knowledge of the stone?¡± but Peter shook his head,


    ¡°No. We need it. We erase its location. We had it but now it''s gone. There are six of these things, and we have three on Earth. We might need them. I want you to take that knowledge and lock it away, on everyone, even you, and then we leave a trigger.¡±


    Emma nodded, ¡°and even with all this power,¡± she said as the Stone floated back over to Peter, ¡±you trust us?¡±


    ¡°Because I have to trust you, just like I trusted her, just like everyone else sat here. ¡° and Peter shrugged, ¡°I love Jean and part of that is trust.¡±


    Emma fake fanned herself, ¡°Is that a confession darling, and here¡¯s me, my heart all aflutter as such a romantic proposition.¡± and the others laughed to themselves,


    ¡°Yeah. there goes the champagne, chocolates, and hour-long hot oil massage then¡± and Emma frowned and smirked,


    ¡°Seriously?¡± but Peter just grinned and shrugged. Emma tutted, ¡°The champagne was half decent I suppose, and chocolates? How cliche.¡±


    Felicia coughed, ¡°I uh, ate them anyway.¡± and the small gathering looked at her, ¡°what, Huntress was hungry, and they were good,¡±


    Peter went pale, ¡°they were about a hundred bucks. So yeah, and a favour to Wanda, which you now owe her.¡± but Wanda scowled,


    ¡°You promised. So no, you owe me too.¡± but the group now looked confused,


    Wanda tutted. ¡°I have learned to make a portal, Stephen thought it would be good practice.¡± and Wanda showed them her sling ring.


    ¡°You can make a portal. That''s. Interesting,¡± Liv said but Wanda sighed


    ¡°Magic allows a sorcerer to manipulate reality, and yes, I can make a portal,¡± and as she brought her hand around in a circle they were shown the inside of Peter''s bedroom. ¡°As long as I can see where I am going I can make one, even if I have never been there before.¡± and Natasha laughed,


    ¡°You¡¯ve definitely been there,¡± but Wanda tutted and cancelled the spell. ¡°So, where else?¡± and Wanda looked over at Peter who shrugged.


    He took a breath, ¡°the champagne was from France, the steaks I bought Gwen were from japan, the chocolate was Belgian. Those wieners we enjoyed were German and the pasta I brought Liv was from Italy.¡±


    Gwen put down her cup and frowned, ¡°So what you''re actually saying is you went shopping across the world and didn''t tell us.¡± Peter hesitantly smiled and nodded.


    ¡°Wanda, thank you for the wonderful gifts. Emma, thank you for saving Peter, and Peter.¡± Peter''s shoulders slumped as he recognized the tone of Gwen''s voice, ¡°thank you for being you.¡± and he sighed, ¡°still in deep shit though, shopping in Italy without us. MJ?¡± and as he looked at MJ she was frowning


    ¡°I would have liked to see the latest fashions.¡±


    Nat piped up, ¡°Russian caviar.¡±


    Liv ¡°Oh, and Vodka, Ivan did help analyse that metal. Personally, though, I always did want to see Ayers rock.¡±


    Carol shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t care, I spent enough time off-world-¡± but Gwen balled up some webbing and threw it at her,


    ¡°Stop being a bore,¡± and Carol laughed.


    ¡°Fine, fine. Barbeque, Texas barbeque. Seeing as you''re all picking on him.¡±


    Peter raised his hands in surrender. ¡°Okay, okay, I get it. Peter bad man. But really, you''re asking a lot of Wanda. I don''t know magic, Stone or not. I didn''t even know it existed until recently.¡±


    ¡°It is fascinating though, can anyone learn?¡± Liv asked and Wanda nodded.


    ¡°Learning magic requires focus and dedication. Magic is like anything, if you have no desire to learn you will not.¡± Wanda explained.


    ¡°I think I¡¯d still like to learn though, it does seem intriguing,¡± Liv admitted,


    Wanda nodded, ¡°I can ask Stephen, I do not think he would like me trying to teach others while I am still a student myself.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine dear, any time. We have enough of a mess to clean up anyway, and while Pepper is still working the rest of us are staying out of harm''s way. We also need to make sure nobody who works for us was affected, and if they were to, make sure Pepper knows about it. Cindy was fuming once they let her go, as was your mother.¡±


    He knew. Cindy wanted compensation, which she was told was her job and Matt would be filing harassment charges against the soldier, but his mom hadn¡¯t decided what she wanted to be done.


    He would have to pay her a visit, as the Mind Stone should have altered both her and Curt''s memories as well. She would have forgotten he was Venom, and he decided that while that was okay, letting her forget he had powers wasn¡¯t. It would let Curt off the hook about his collar, and Gwen and Liv about their work,


    ¡°If you want something to think about Liv, how about this. We know there are six stones right?¡± and Liv nodded, ¡°and with each one, they manifest a portion of the universe,¡±


    ¡°Yes yes Peter,¡± and he just smiled,


    ¡°So if the Mind Stone can be used to create mind control, and the Reality Stone alters the fabric of reality, we can assume that the Space Stone allows the manipulation of space. Then the Time Stone,¡± and he paused to let Liv figure it out herself,


    ¡°Time travel? You are postulating that time travel exists because the stone does.¡± and he nodded. ¡°You are a bad man. Sorry Wanda, If that is true then.¡± and she trailed off as her mind began to work, ¡°oh damn you, Peter. Now I have to solve it.¡±


    Gwen stared for a moment, ¡°Yeah, I think I¡¯d like to learn though. After my formula days, and everything else, a distraction would be good. Especially if nobody can take it away from me.¡± and Wanda nodded, ¡°Does alchemy exist? I mean, can I make gold?¡± and Wanda laughed before she stopped and gave Gwen a serious look.


    ¡°No making gold.¡±

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Nine. Breaking The Mould

    She had shaken her head while Gwen pouted but made arrangements with Wanda to visit the sanctum. Peter and the others checked the files they had downloaded on the Sentinel program, which pointed to two locations.


    Traks Industries headquarters was in New York, but Shield had already been there and investigated the apparent suicide of Bolivar Trask. If the Sentinel program was there, it was in Shield''s hands now.


    The second was the Cheyenne Mountain complex in Colorado. It was a military base, housing a NORAD defence system but had also been repurposed to hold the Sentinal command centre, tieing it directly into the satellite monitoring system. It was also big enough that the Sentinels could be stored and repaired there, allowing Trask to work on new models.


    It was decided that Wrath would go with them. In the recent media frenzy, Parker Inc had to maintain a presence, and while MJ just pouted and expected to be rewarded she was willing to play Peter for a few days, and with Laura being the only one who was a more physical fighter, she was invited along as well.


    Peter felt bad for Laura, she was slowly gaining an education, but her years of social isolation, and training in a more combat orientated life meant mixing was sometimes difficult for her. She acted immature a lot of the time, enjoying the childhood she was never allowed to have. Even her favourite activity, after Peter, was spending the day eating cereal and watching the many cartoon shows she missed.


    Once the mansion had been evacuated and abandoned, Ororo was more often than not in Wakanda, and Laura had been left with nothing to do other than train with Natasha or anyone who was free.


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying,¡± Peter explained as Laura huddled up on her chair and glowered at him. He wasn¡¯t about to say but she looked adorable, as she had a juice box and was glaring at him over its top, ¡°that If, and I mean If you want to try out for some sports or colleges, you can.¡±


    Laura just huffed, ¡°no, got my G.E.D, and I know I¡¯m not smart enough for anything else. Plus, can¡¯t now. Powered aren''t allowed on teams, it''s unfair,¡± she huffed, ¡°why can¡¯t I just train, and work for you?¡±


    ¡°Because while we are out all day, you¡¯re stuck here. Eating chips and then running riot for an hour to burn them off isn¡¯t healthy.¡± he tried to explain but Laura stood and pushed her chair back.


    Talon vanished and she pointed to her six-pack, then the tightly toned thighs, flexed and showed off the lean smooth curve of her muscles and to further prove her point, leant forwards, stuck a hand on the floor and was upside down, in a one-handed handstand.


    ¡°Augment. Never going to get fat or old. plus, ¡° and she spread her legs, ¡°nice view, maybe distracted from a dumb conversation?¡±


    Peter sighed and rubbed his forehead, ¡°fine, I¡¯ll put you on AIMS payroll, you can spend your time under Nat or Nakia.¡±


    Laura grinned and swung her legs open and closed, ¡°still here, got time?¡± and as Peter looked at his watch they had an hour before Fury was due,


    ¡°An hour,¡± he said and Laura smiled,


    ¡°Good, be rough.¡±


    After their exercise, a shower for both, and then more of the same, Fury buzzed to let them know the quinjet was hovering over the water, and Talon and Venom both shimmered and vanished and made their way to the waterfront.


    As they boarded the jet, Peter felt a less hostile gaze from Scott, who actually smiled at him, and then as he flicked his gaze over at Maria, Peter recognised that stupid lovesick look on his face, as he had it plenty as well. Laura just sat herself down, fastened her seatbelt and then fell asleep, leaving Peter to stow her gear.


    The flight was brief and uneventful, the small talk of Scott''s headaches and the invitation to Avalon. Charles had contacted Scott, but without sharing details Scott had refused as at first Maria had been excluded.


    Once they arrive, Peter nudged Laura and the group disembarked.


    ¡°Wait here,¡± Peter shouted at the group, ¡°but that doesn''t mean relax. The Sentinels were aggressive, and there might be a lot of them here.¡±


    Peter''s fears were confirmed as he approached the base. The guard posts were empty, and as he vaulted over the fence he let his armour slip over him, the same slick mark two they had designed. There was no blood, but that didn''t mean anything.


    Checking the station he saw the security cameras were all off, but even he could hear the faint whir as they slowly turned to point at him.


    ¡°Yeah, you know why I''m here. If anyone is still alive, let them go and we can talk. This doesn''t need to be difficult.¡±


    As the bottom light blinked, and then sparked, he knew that was probably a no. Taking a deep breath he approached the giant metal bunker door and saw its main hatch was swinging free. He could smell the blood before he even got to it, and as he let a blade slide down from his forearm he gently opened the hatch.


    Inside a man, or what was left on one was lying against the elevator door, his assault rifle slid away but his handgun limply held in his grip. The door was smeared with blood and had several bullet holes in it, but strangely the door was sealed with a hasty weld. Whatever had killed him had stabbed him through the slight gap in the elevator but been unable to escape.


    Great, he thought to himself, creepy army base, reaching out to Maria, we¡¯ve got casualties, at least one dead, can you get a schematic of the base and start making sure nothing got free. Leave Laura at the main gate, I don''t want this thing stealing my jet.


    He felt Maria snort, your jet? And he mentally shrugged,


    My gas, my jet. And as he disconnected from her thoughts he felt her laughing.


    Taking a deep breath, right. Here we go, and he slid an adamantium blade down through the metal and used two of his harnesses arms to pry the doors open while he and the other two waited to see if anything would leap out at him.


    Yeah, let''s wander around the creepy army base, some superhero you are, jumping at shadows and monsters. He rolled his eyes at himself and his armour spread out over him. Yeah, just walk into death central unprotected, Nat will kick my ass for being so dumb, and he made a mental note just not to mention it.


    The air con whined as the base was built into a mountain, and while the lights flickered on and off spookily they weren''t the emergency ones. There was no more blood in the corridors, and while there was no staff, there wasn''t much of anything. No creepy dripping taps or strange clinking noise. Even his enhanced senses were fine, in fact, it was calm and peaceful down here, the thick concrete walls numbing him to the normal hustle and bustle of New York that he normally heard.


    Wondering if concrete had any effect he paused and stretched out with the mind stone, looking for anything or anyone, but he found nothing. Remembering Charles and that machine Logan mentioned, he extended them further and while he felt the members of Wrath, and Laura and Maria''s unamused sigh at his gentle brushing of their minds it wasn''t until he reached all the way to the city that he felt another mind,


    What the hell? He heard a young woman say and he quickly cut the connection.


    He had not expected to find an Augment there and made a note to tell Charles about her, once he was out of the and he paused. He had felt Laura and the rest, but nobody else.


    Maria, what''s the compliment of soldiers and staff at the base?


    I dunno, about a hundred or so, give or take.


    There''s nobody here, or worse, there''s nobody alive here.. Head into Colorado and see if the base was evacuated. If Fury has contacts in the military that aren''t Ross and his friends find out if there were any kind of orders given to get anyone out of here.


    Yeah, Yeah I will, and he knew she didn''t sound too confident. The military didn''t just up and leave a base empty, and they both feared the worst.


    The abandoned base was the only oddity Peter encountered as he made his way through its corridors. The drab grey was strangely eerie, and keeping contact with Maria she guided him through until he reached the command centre,


    It was silent, even the monitors were black and he stared into the room of widescreen TVs and rows of computers wondering exactly what was going on.


    Uh, is it really bad if I power one of these on and try to interface with it?


    Maria laughed, oh I dunno, hacking the military servers isn¡¯t exactly treason, but the jail time isn''t pretty either.


    Right, so that''s a no then?


    Maria laughed again, and how exactly do you think I''m keeping track of your location, I can tell you now, there''s nothing. Every system is dark, except the maintenance bay. It still has power, and it still has movement.


    Shit, I''m not going to get there and you¡¯ll give me some crappy excuse why I can¡¯t use my powers right?


    Maria snorted, stow that shit Hudson, and get moving soldier.


    It''s Hicks, Sir, he¡¯s Hudson


    He could feel Maria¡¯s amusement but also her concern, Keep in contact, there is nothing on the security feeds at that end, but it doesn mean it registers. If it''s a rogue AI again it''s probably giving us false readings and images.


    Oh don¡¯t worry, when you hear the screaming, that¡¯ll be me.


    Peter was not a great fan of horror movies, and although Liv and MJ would watch them, he never saw the appeal. He only like the sequel as it was more an action movie than a stupid jump scare-a-thon.


    Oh, my hero. Afraid of a few giant bugs with acid for blood, much scarier than giant robots with blasters in their hands.


    Robots don''t try and eat you. Moving into the rear section now, going silent.


    Peter crouched as he saw the first signs of any activity. The metal blast doors of the repair bay, added to allow the much larger Sentinels to leave, were scratched and covered in small dings. There was no blood, but there were signs of a fight.


    The door hatch had been secured like the lift, with a brief weld holding the door closed and as Peter ran a finger over the smooth pattern, it had been done by a pulse rifle, meaning the Sentinels or whatever was in there had managed to adapt to their weapons as well as Augment powers.


    While the metal was melted, it was still only steel, and as his claws heated he ran his fingers through the softening metal and held them there, once the joins were soft, he grabbed the large spin wheel mechanism and wrenched the door open.


    Peter was thankful there were no soldiers or bodies inside. The repair bay was wrecked. With small Sentinels half-assembled standing banging their malformed club hands against the repair bay exit door. As the door he had come through creaked open they stopped and turned,


    The bay was massive, with competent parts as well as raw materials all stacked on one side. But rather than a giant assembly line, there was a massive Sentinel instead. Its chest was open and several smaller waldos in its chest were busy welding joints on a half-formed Sentinel.


    While the Sentinel was around ten feet tall, the giant one was at least three times that size and much wider. It was sat in a strange contraction, with pipes and power lines running into its back.


    ¡°Organic Presence Detected. Activating Defence Measures,¡± the large robot intoned. Its face was like a large upside-down bucket with two menacingly purple eyes glowing out from under it, ¡°Do Not Resist. We Required New Input.¡±


    Peter blinked, ¡°Uh, Stand Down?¡±


    ¡°Unacceptable. Mutant Life Must Be Eradicated, All Life Must Be Eradicated. Input Rejected.¡±


    Geesh, Ultron much, Peter thought as he flicked his wrist and balls of acidic webbing impacted against the open plates of the half-assembled Sentinels. Looking around the warehouse area he saw that all the stacks of boxes were empty, and they must have run out of material to make the adaptive plating,


    ¡°Last chance, stand down or I make you,¡± and his answer was an echoing laugh,

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Ten. Transforming The Odds

    ¡°Master Mould Rejects Your Conditions. You Are Inferior, We Are Superior.¡± As the cables ejected from the back of the giant machine they hissed, ¡°Older Models Ineffective. Upgrade In Progress.¡± and its chest slid open and a smaller Sentinel jumped out.


    It was the size of a human, and was thicker in its build, like a squat no necked musclemen.


    Flicking his wrist the acid impacted once more but rather than hissing the webbing just slid off its white armoured skin,


    A cable shot out of the giant and attached to the back of the smaller one''s head, and its eyes glowed momentarily.


    ¡°Upload Complete. Nimrod Online. Target Acquired. Alien DNA Detected. Sample Unverified. You Will Comply And Provide Genetic Material For Assimilation,¡± and as the robot raised a hand it became a large sliver blade, ¡°Resistance is Futile.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the only people who get genetic samples are my girlfriends, and you aren''t my type,¡± Peter quipped as he sent two different types of webbing toward Nimrod. Both slid off once more,


    ¡°Adaptive Armouring Successful. Scanning. Peter Parker Identified. Files Indicate Symbiotic Life Form. Files Updated. Inferior Combat Potential.¡±


    ¡°Seriously? I mean, I did organise the resistance, did stop all three of the lead Enhanced, and I did track you here. Not so shabby if I say so myself,¡° Peter retorted.


    ¡°File Updated. Combat Potential Upgraded. Threat Level High. Termination In Progress.¡± and two beams of energy streaked from Nimrod''s eyes, blasting Peter back into a workbench of tools.


    Me and my big mouth, he thought. ¡°Yeah, stealing Augment abilities, isn''t that proving Augments are superior?¡± and Nimrod raised an arm but paused,


    ¡°Mutant Abilities Prove Threat Level. Approaching With Mundane Weaponry Ill-Advised. All Means Necessary Must Be Taken To Ensure Sucess Rate Of Primary Mission,¡±


    Can''t argue with that, ¡°What is your primary mission?¡± he asked, please don''t say kill everyone please don''t say-


    ¡°Termination of Mutant Species To Ensure Survival Of Human Species.¡±


    Dammit, ¡°Augments are humans though, we have evidence of genetic tampering.¡± Peter hoped he could reason with at least one of these murderbots. Even if Ultron was behind all this, it seemed like it was still following its programming.


    ¡°Reason For Genetic Divergence Irrelevant. This Discussion Is Over. Mutant Species Shall Be Eliminated As Per Directives. There Will Be Peace, No Matter The Cost.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Violence it is.¡± and Peter wrapped the thicker mark two armour around himself. Liv had already started on the mark three but this was good enough. It had taken a beating during the day of strife, but it was still functional, and it still packed a punch.


    Knowing his webbing was already useless, Venom charged up the repulsors around his wrists and crouching leapt towards Nimrod. The machine seemed unphased and as he punched it in the kidneys and discharged the repulsor it went flying, a smouldering gap in its armour sparked as the circuitry underneath tore and shorted.


    ¡°Upgrade Complete.¡± and Venom watched as the armour started to rebend back into shape and the hole slowly vanished. ¡°Energy Successfully Mapped And Neutralised. Proceeding With Subjugation.¡±


    Nimrod seemed to blur as it sped towards Venom, and a fist repeated the move Venom had used. Venom went flying as the impact blew him back into the same workbench, this time splintering it into a million pieces,


    ¡°Oww,¡± he said, Maria, get your ass to the repair bay. Bring Laura and get Fury out of here. I''ve got a Super Sentinel,


    ¡°Interesting. Insufficient Force To Neutralise The Target. Increasing Strength Fifty Per Cent.¡± The machine stood and it twisted similarly to one of the larger models. Its armour shifted, bulking its frame and the now shorter but squatter Nimrod was almost as wide as it was tall, with thick massive arms.


    It blurred again and a fist impacted the wall behind Venom as he rolled out of the way. Spraying the floor with a greasy webbing, he hoped that it would buy him some time.


    Claws sprang from each hand, and the tips glowed red as he slashed at the stumbling machine. Sashes were scored along the chest and Nimrod''s eyes glowed once more and as Venom stepped back and then forwards again a cloud of supercooled gas was blasted into his face.


    The red of his talons faded and they shattered as they impacted against the machine''s chest,


    Oh come on, he lamented, iceman, and he now knew they had been collecting a database of Augment powers from each Sentinel. Analysing and creating countermeasures for each one. This needed to be a brawl, no powers and once Talon and Vengeance got here, it would be a lot easier.


    ¡°Enemy Combatant Strength Insufficient. Adapting Tactics.¡± Nimrod pushed itself backwards, sliding along the floor using the grease Venom had spilt. As it stood it raised an arm, and the thick muscles parted and a cannon rose. ¡°Enemy Strength In Close Quarters, Eliminating Advantage.¡± The huge cannon on its arm began to glow and a beam of bright purple energy shot out, obliterating the workbench and wall behind where Venom had been standing.


    ¡°There Can Be No Peaceful Coexistence.¡±


    Who the hell had the Sentinels been fighting to have that kind of power, he realised that if Scott or even Carol had blasted one, then Nimrod would be able to replicate it, and Scott had always held back to avoid large scale devastation.


    ¡°Yeah, arm cannons are bad, that was mega dumb,¡± and he fired off two balls of black webbing, super sticky and like cement, they coated the end of the barrel, and Venom as had hoped, the end sizzled as the energy tried to fire through it, but contained within the barrel it blackened and began to smoulder.


    ¡°Arm Cannon Disabled. Switching to Optics.¡± and smaller purple beams lanced out, forcing Venom to cartwheel across the bay.


    I hope nobody was behind that door,


    ¡°Too late, incoming,¡± he heard Talon yell, and two metal blades sliced through the thick metal door and then again to create a temporary door. He heard banging and both Vengeance and Talon kicked the door section in and ran into the room,


    ¡°What the hell V?¡± Vengenace said as she saw the thick but short body of Nimrod, ¡°I mean, shall we let the kids duke it out, it should be adorable.¡±


    Talon growled and took a stance as the machine floated upwards, ¡°Escape Route Procured. Plan Adjusted.¡± and Nimrod sent out two more purple blasts from its eyes as its shape reconfigured once more. Now it was back to the squat neckless robot look but its arms and legs were more streamlined, with fins between each arm.


    Nimrod stood, and looked at the sparking and broken arm cannon. Talon had sliced clean through it and the energy discharge had blown them onto opposite sides of the factory floor.


    ¡°Hostile Mutants Sufficient to Terminate Life. Escape Route Plotted.¡±


    Two thrusters on its back ignited and sending out two more blasts it sped towards the hole cut by Talon and Vengence.


    Nimrod brought his hand together and there was a blinding flash as sparkling lights and small explosions like bright fireworks filled the workspace with light and ear-piercing noise. Venom heard Vengence and Talon both swear and they dived to one side, expecting an attack but blinded and deafened by the noise instead.


    Nimrod flew past them but Venom had been the victim of that type of attack before and sent out a line, catching Nimrod on the back of one foot and was pulled out after it.


    ¡°Dammit, Fury, get your ass in the air, It can fly!¡± Venom yelled into his earpiece


    ¡°No can do, local authorities have been alerted. The base was evacuated after the Sentinels started on the military. A Gamma squad is en route, thankfully they don¡¯t think we¡¯re Sentinals but I cannot engage. Sorry, Peter.¡±


    Dammit, ¡°can either of you fly?¡± He asked


    Talon touched the controls on her wrist and the pack on her back test-fired and she nodded,


    Vengeance shook her head, ¡°mine¡¯s fried.¡±


    ¡°Stay here, make sure the military doesn''t screw this up more, and take care of that.¡± he said as he pointed to the still form of Master Mould, ¡°I have no idea if it''s dead or not, plus, files.¡± and Vengence nodded and slowly approached the giant Sentinel.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can, and good luck,¡± she said as the pair nodded to each other and jetted out of the workroom.


    Venom and Talon took to the skies, and as Nimrod was the only other thing in the sky they spotted him quickly, ¡°you go low and fast, try to get ahead of him. I¡¯ll tail him and make a nuisance of myself,¡± he told her and she nodded and sped away. She held her arms out in front of herself and sped along the ground. Venom took himself up and routing power to the flight systems took off like a rocket after Nimrod.


    ¡°Give it up bot brain, you can¡¯t fly faster than me,¡± Venom shouted at him.


    ¡°Assessment Agreed. Alternate Escape Route Initiated.¡± Nimrod stopped, and once more his eyes glowed and Venom avoided two beams of energy as they flashed out, followed by a burst of bright light. His helmet had glare protection built-in and it darkened as the light flashed out,


    ¡°Not good enough,¡° Venom shouted back and blasted two shots of acid webbing followed by repulsor stuns at him.


    ¡°Assessment Faulty.¡± as Nimrod batted the webbing away and his skin shone for a second as the repulsor energy was reflected away. ¡°Tolerance of Presence Peter Parker Falling, Elimination In Progress.¡±


    The arm cannon slid from Nimrod''s arm once more and he aimed it at Venom, who floated across from him,


    ¡°That won''t work,¡± Venom said as he waited,


    ¡°Tactics Updated. Inferior Peter Parker Cannot Survive.¡±


    Venom shrugged as the end of the cannon glowed he looked down.


    Talon screamed as she flew up, and Nimrod''s arm separated from his shoulder.


    As she passed him, she kicked him in the head, spinning herself around and sending him crashing into the ground. He glared at the pair, and finding his arm, they watched as small tendrils spread out from his shoulder and attached it.


    ¡°Secondary Augment. Odds Of Survival Nil, Termination of Current Plan, Adaptive Technology Deployed.¡±


    A light strobed from Nimrod''s chest it played over the people who were now hurriedly leaving, and as Venom swore, he dived but Nimrod just changed.


    Venom had never seen a shapeshifter before and Nimrod was a strange boxy muscular robot one minute, and his outer shell rippled and folded back on itself, and he was a large toned man.


    He was still huge and muscular, like some kind of barbarian bodybuilder, but as his skin rippled and a biker''s jacket and leather trousers morphed over his body, he stared up at Venom and shouted ¡°I¡¯ll Be Back!¡± before he took off running into the crowd.


    ¡°Can you see him?¡± Venom asked Talon but she shook her head, ¡°dammit¡± and even using the Mind Stone, Nimrod was gone.


    It was useless, and as the pair were attracting a crowd, he looked at Talon and they shimmered and vanished.


    Fury looked over at Peter who was regaling him with the tale,


    ¡°It transformed?¡± Fury asked and he nodded, ¡°into a person?¡±


    ¡°It was bizarre. It scanned the crowd for a few moments and then boom was some random guy. We need to get some satellites up and running. We should be able to track its power core. If it''s Arc tech then they give off a unique signature. Otherwise, we¡¯re never finding it until it starts killing people.¡±


    Fury rubbed his forehead, ¡°I know a few people, but Coulson wasn''t happy about you charging into a NORAD base, and he won''t be happy to find out you also copied its server data.¡±


    Peter laughed and shifted in his seat ¡°You mean, you copied the server data. I was too busy joyriding a death bot, Maria did the hacking.¡± Fury raised an eyebrow and glared at him, ¡°So? Nobody objects when I pay you guys.¡± and leaning forwards he undid the mark two armour, ¡°the Mark Three will be even better. Liv¡¯s got it fabbing now and should be done by the end of the month. Just need to give her colours, but let me guess, black and maybe black, with black trim, and,¡±


    Fury scowled, ¡°Funny. And your armour is what colour?¡± and Peter just laughed ¡°So what now?¡± and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°Ask Maria. Coulson wasn''t too forthcoming on where Trask got his tech, and I guess he knows that I¡¯ll get pissy about it.¡±


    Maria waved a hand as the files transferred to her laptop, Vengeance creating a bridge between the two while they worked.


    Laura had busied herself in the small galley kitchen, making cups of instant noodles for everyone. She had heard from Logan that he was around here, and had been tempted to go look for him, but as he was hunting Hank Pym, she didn''t want to blow his cover or his fun.


    ¡°Hoover Dam. The source of the metal, the tech and the AI was at Hoover Dam. Project Ice Man, but that''s it. Shipping invoices and requisition orders, but no more, just the name.¡±


    ¡°So, we¡¯re heading to Hoover dam?¡± Fury asked but Peter shook his head


    ¡°No, We cant go. I¡¯ll contact Coulson and do this officially. I know the government is looking to nail me to a wall. Stark and Gwen are already under investigation, and Liv is only off the hook because of you.¡± As he leaned back and Laura sat next to him, handing over a cup full of steaming noodles, ¡°We need to do this right. ¡°


    Fury snorted, ¡°You know I was head of Shield, Coulson won''t ever admit this was his plan, but he¡¯ll let you walk in there and then fix everything, take the glory and let you swing.¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°I live with nine women. Coulson doesn''t scare me.¡±

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Eleven. Pandora’s Box

    A month ago, Bolivar Trask Jr sat staring at his computer. He had the missives sent by the government, the subpoena that he had ignored, and now he had one final email, from Parker Industries. They had figured out his connection to the original attack on the president and were coming for him. It had all fallen apart as Gideon Malik took his life''s work and destroyed it by moving too fast.


    Bolivar knew the sneer was faulty, in fact, most of the Sentinels sent out were old mothballed units produced during the ¡®70s by his father. The newer Nimrod models were much smaller, had faster processors, and a more adaptive learning algorithm. But the idiot Malik had used the clunky, barely functioning models, and now, Trask Industries was in the toilet, and Bolivar was heading to jail.


    As he had watched in horror as they attacked and barked orders like mechanical monsters he knew it was all over. He laughed, at least Hammer was killed by his own creation, no such luck. He had no choice, and like his father, he took the loaded pistol out of the bottom drawer and made his peace with God.


    Liv had watched the security footage, made sure there was no foul play and then deleted it. She hated someone who could build such a machine, but even the dead deserved privacy.


    During the hack, Liv had specifically targeted Trask industries, and while it seemed that Bolivar Trask had killed himself, the files they got from his computers led them to Hoover Dam.


    She was working to find out as much as possible, as frustratingly there was no sign of Nimrod. Either he was powered by something else, or he had stealth capabilities. Either way, the satellites they had borrowed from Stark found no sign of him.


    With Peter seemingly on good terms with Coulson once more, and the proof they had that alien technology was being used to create the Sentinels, Peter had managed to persuade Coulson to let him visit the facility.


    Stark might have been the biggest tech giant on the planet, but he was recovering from the Ultron scandal and the damage Venom had inflicted on him. Peter had kindly volunteered to showcase one of Stark¡¯s creations, unaffected by the hack that claimed the other two were Ultron¡¯s creations, a cruel joke they might never recover from.


    Peter''s publicist was doing a great job, and Coulson wondered if she had superhuman powers. Friday was being shown off, with MJ Watson, and they were on TV almost all the time, doing interviews and talk shows about how Ultron had no part in their creation. She was the talk of the town and nobody cared about Ultron anymore. They cared about her origins, they cared about her relationships, and they cared about the synthetic skin she was showing off at Parker''s request. He had turned a disaster into a media frenzy and Friday was at its centre.


    Every possible angle was being exploited and like most tragedies, with a new shiny to stare at the general population had forgotten about the Sentinels already. Nobody cared about politics when androids were real, nobody cared except New Yorkers, the ones that suffered the tragedy.


    Helen Cho, the scientist in Korea was enjoying a massive boost in her funding as the synthezoid craze hit not just the US but every continent on the planet. Her attempts to recreate the machines were futile though, as Peter knew without the Mind Stone and a fully mapped neural network to copy, they would never be anything other than expensive dummies. Not that anyone cared. It had been proven three times it worked, and money was flooding the market to make more.


    Even the military was spared, as the Gamma troopers had left the civilians alone. Part of Parker''s deal was to get access to not just Cheyenne mountain but Hoover dam as well. Coulson had no idea how he knew about either, but he just put it down to something else he didn¡¯t know about Parker.


    As not just the leader in alien symbiotic technology, part of AIM and the up and coming contender for Stark''s crown, Coulson had no choice but to let him visit the facility. He had argued though, that all of AIM going was too much of a security risk, and that while Olivia might be a slightly better choice, he was more confident in Parker''s ability to keep his mouth shut about what he saw there.


    He was a Shield agent, a probationary Sword agent, and while he had quit both agencies, they could, if they wanted, issue a recall order and drag him back. Cousin knew better, as it would be kicking and screaming plus, nobody wanted to work with him. He had been mixed up in too many scandals, and the victim of too many plots. Parker was black listed in the government, not just for his show at the Senatorial hearing but his refusal to play ball with anyone.


    Added in he had Pepper Potts in his corner, and even seeing her name on paperwork now brought federal agents to tears. She was a shark, emboldened by a competent and mature boss, that AIM was becoming a global power, even if Wakanda stayed away.


    She had cast an eagle eye over the NDA they were making Peter sign. He might be tight-lipped but this was much bigger than any of that. They hadn''t told the Asgardians and had no intention to. Being burned by Thor''s refusal to hand over the Space Stone was now coming back on them. The standing order on Earth was to acquire, not share. Asgard had proven, even with their basic troops, that Earth was outmatched and outgunned.


    There were too many reasons for Coulson to refuse Parker''s request to visit the dam, but a lot more to let him. Maybe Paker would solve the mystery of just what was there, and maybe they would get something that actually worked for a change, and didn''t just try and kill everyone.


    Peter''s trip to the dam was quiet and boring, and for once he was glad. Coulson had warned him that there was an active soldier regiment there, and as they approached he saw, that, unlike Cheyenne Mountain, there wasn''t a bloodbath waiting for him.


    The square-jawed army commander stared at Peter as he disembarked the jeep. He was unimpressed with this so-called genius tech expert, but he was under orders so he put on his best fake smile and walked forwards,


    Peter stretched and surveyed the dam. Nobody would have guessed that in 1945, just as the dam was nearing completion they would add in several storage facilities for a large alien robot they had found in the arctic while looking for Steve Rogers. Peter even wondered if while he had the Mind Stone and was being shown around various agencies and government buildings to find out the truth about Men in Black, maybe even Area 51.


    As he held out his hand for Parker to shake he nodded, ¡°Captain Lennox, Nice to meet you Mister Parker, but as this isn''t a social visit, let''s get this inspection done, and then you can leave.¡±


    Peter raised an eyebrow at the man and ignored his bruskness. He shrugged, ¡°Then show me.¡± as the Captain motioned to a side entrance, Peter felt for any strange presence within the dam, and was surprised to find none. The only strangeness he got was from Captain Lennox, and he wondered if he had been part of Ross¡¯s gamma project before being assigned here. What better way to contain a giant machine than with a Gamma Enhanced.


    Keeping a straight face Peter resisted the urge to simply barge in and find the source of the alien metal, but as this was still a military base, and he was here officially, under the orders of General Ross, he felt discretion was better than action.


    ¡°We keep the facility a little colder than normal. We know you have clearance but I''m still not going to divulge national secrets to a civilian. Ice Man is kept behind a secure facility, and you will only be allowed to see him if you receive presidential permission, All I can show you is the device.¡± and lifting his arm ushered Peter down several long corridors.


    ¡°Look, I know you won''t say, but I know it''s alien. We have the analysis of the Sentinels, and more. I''m only here to make sure you aren''t keeping a sentient lifeform in inhuman conditions, and that your experiments are above board.¡± Peter explained,


    ¡°Oh, that''s easy. The creature is dead. Zero emissions from any part of it. No electrical activity, minor radiation, but only slightly higher than background. It''s dead, and we¡¯re keeping it that way.¡±


    ¡°Keeping it?¡± Peter asked as he was shown into a small room, with a strange pyramid in the centre, pointing down from the ceiling into a plexiglass box, with standard rubber glove holes in the side.


    ¡°A large part was removed a few years ago, and it regenerated. Not alive as you¡¯d call it, but very dangerous. It''s still dead. This is what you¡¯re being shown. The Box, which Trask used to create his machines.¡± as Captain Lennox motioned a soldier slid his arms into the box and lifted out an old mobile phone,


    ¡°We use obsolete technology, it''s just as dangerous but easier to handle. Anything with circuitry can be used to hold the energy, anything vacuum tube and older won''t work.¡±


    ¡°Energy?¡±


    Lennox shrugged, ¡°I leave that to the eggheads, it''s just a small spark, and then bam, one hell of a show.¡± he motioned to another soldier who handed out dark glasses, but Peter refused,


    ¡°I don''t need them, just show me,¡± and as Lennox shrugged he mentioned to a third soldier who began to flick switches.


    ¡°Process begins, in Five, Four, Three. Two and One.¡± as the tip of the pyramid extended down, Peter could see the flash of orange light as it sparked to the phone, who to his surprise began to jump around in the box.


    As it twirled, it suddenly, with a strange mechanical noise, became a small robot that peered around the box and then creamed in an amusing high pitched squeal and began to attack the side of its prison.


    ¡°Yeah, Nokia are always like that, Japanese huh, way of the warrior and all that shit.¡± Peter shook his head, Nokia was Swedish. He was more interested in the orange spark and as the sudden realisation struck him, he shook his head, fearing the worst.


    ¡°I want to see the source,¡± and Lennox frowned but nodded


    ¡°Shut it down,¡± Lennox ordered.


    Horrified, Peter watched as the soldier flicked another switch and the box was filled with a bright flash, and the phone was reduced to ash.


    ¡°You kill them?¡± and Lennox shrugged,


    ¡°It''s just a phone.¡± but Peter shook his head, ¡°Machine¡¯s this way, too big to fit anywhere else.¡±


    The room above was massive. In its centre sat a cube on its side, and Peter realised the pyramid below wasn''t a pyramid, it was the corner of the giant cube. It was at least 100 metres in each direction and covered in strange symbols.


    ¡°It was taken out of the arctic with Ice Man. The survey team looking for Rogers found it thinking it was his crashed plane. We have no idea what it is, and how it works, it was only used after a technician was attacked and killed by a hoover in the ¡¯70s. Until then, it sat in storage.¡±


    Half-listening Peter, fearing the worst but still needing to put his suspicions to rest, approached the cube.


    Uncaring if Peter killed himself Lennox failed to mention the cube radiation. It was unshielded as it was only surface contact, but he had been shown the videos of lab rats being pressed against it before shuddering and falling dead, their bodies turning a strange lifeless grey colour.


    Peter looked at the cube and the strange markings all over it. It was definitely a language and using the Mind Stone he searched to see if he could decipher it. A single piece of knowledge flashed into his mind, ancient and forgotten by all but the Stone and now Peter.


    Peter lifted a hand and pressed it against one of the symbols and Lennox stared slack-jawed as the large cube began to fold in on itself. Slowly clicking down in size towards the floor.


    ¡°It was an ancient race of machines. It says it is a gift of the first. And it''s not radiation, it''s life.¡±


    Peter watched as the cube shrink further, becoming a small ten-centimetre cube, and he lifted it from the floor. As he sighed he touched another symbol and the box split and became a rectangle, revealing its contents. A small orange gem.


    ¡°It''s also not a device, that''s just the box. This is what¡¯s making your machines come to life,¡±


    Peter, after being warned by Stephen and Wanda, allowed one of the vibranium tendrils to hold the box while another lifted the gem from inside.


    ¡°It''s called the Soul Stone.¡±


    Malisson


    The Transformers first comic run was printed through Marvel, from 1984-1991


    The Transformers animated series (1981-1987) and its follow up, The Transformers The Movie (1986), were produced under the Marvel Productions Company.


    As such both are part of the Marvel Universe, and as far as I am concerned, fair game.


    Fun Fact,


    Spider-Man appeared in The Transformers comics,


    https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Spider-Man#Marvel_The_Transformers_comics


    Of course, Issue #64 declared the Marvel universe and Transformers universe separate, but I just ignored that.

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Twelve. Soul Searching

    Lennox looked at Peter, at the small orange gem in his hand, and shrugged,


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is.¡± but as he stretched out a hand to take it from Peter, Peter shook his head and moved back.


    ¡°Oh no, this is too dangerous to leave here.¡± Peter knew from Stephen that multiple Stones amplified and multiplied each other''s powers and he had moved one of the harness tendrils down his arm and was holding the Soul Stone in a pincer of Vibranium.


    He had no idea what would happen if both stones came into contact with each other. If the Soul Stone could create mindless life, then accidentally making everything in the base not just sentient but sapient as well was a disaster waiting to happen, especially if they were all violent like the phone.


    He also had no idea what would happen if he touched that with his bare skin. Vibranuim would absorb the energy, but if Lennox was right, and everyone else who touched the cube had died, would the Soul Stone kill him?


    Damn, I need Stephen. Of everyone who knew about the Stones, Stephen was the only one who seemed qualified to deal with them, but handing over another stone to the Sorcerer Supreme seemed like a really bad idea, and for now, Peter would make sure it was kept safe.


    Friday, he thought to himself, and he realised, Ultron was a mix of an alien program but also Max and Flint, they had sentience because of the Mind Stone, but sapience due to their two human donors. With the Soul Stone, he could make Friday a soul, and if Vision and Jocasta behaved, them as well. She would be truly alive, an artificial life form, and not just a robot with an incredibly complicated human/AI hybrid running it.


    First, though, he had to get out of the dam complex and get home. He had a thought though, and swapping the Mind Stone to another Vibranium pocket he tried to connect to the power of the Soul Stone and as he did the world flashed around him. He could see the strange wisps of energy coming from Lennox, who was shouting something but as the power flowed through him his other senses began to shut off. He could see each of the soldiers around him, rushing madly, and he figured he was about to be arrested, or at least detained. It was the bright glow from one of the sidewalls that made him more curious, as it was massive but vaguely humanoid in shape, Ice Man, he thought and swapped back, gasping for breath as the power of the Soul Stone left him.


    Holding up a finger Peter took a breath and let his senses envelop the base. Even without the Stone, he could feel the guards, and Lennox¡¯s apprehension at what had just happened. and taking a proper look around he saw several guards with MP armbands. Yeah, arrested, he thought and unleashed the power of the Mind Stone. He was sure Liv and the others would forgive him for using it on such a large scale, but this was no longer experiments on dead aliens, this was inhumane torture of an unknown species.


    ¡°You won''t arrest me, as the device closed by itself. You have orders to show me Ice Man, and anything else you found relating to him.¡± Lennox nodded. ¡°I am to be given full access, and nobody will question me or phone for confirmation. Once I am done I will leave and you will forget I was ever here. The machine was empty, there was nothing inside and you will have no memory of an orange gem or anything called the Soul Stone¡±


    This was wrong, if they had been creating life and then arbitrarily destroying it, it went beyond inhuman. No wonder whatever was controlling the Sentinels was angry, they had been unknowingly torturing it for what could be almost seventy years. The problem was it unknowingly?


    Nobody had taken the time to sit down and investigate what exactly they were doing. Had they broken the ice, maybe the creature would have been able to explain what had happened, and why it had an infinity stone.


    There were so many ways it could have gone wrong, but keeping it frozen and experimenting on it was definitely wrong.


    Creating homicidal toys was funny, creating a larger machine based on that was stupid but was ignorance enough to excuse them?


    Peter decided that would wait until he saw this Ice Man, and what else was stored here. If he decided they deserved freedom, he would make sure they got it. He would deal with the consequences, and Coulson later.


    ¡°Take me through there,¡± Peter commanded and the Captain nodded, unwinding a large wheel and then pulling back on the large steel door. Two guards on either side stood to attention as the Captain unbarred the door, but Peter could see they were ready to fire if given the order. Even with the Mind Stone, he had to be careful, unless he wanted to just wipe out a day¡¯s worth of memories and the military was too careful to let a gap that big go uninvestigated.


    ¡°We realised that Ice Man had a unique energy signature, a type of radiation we¡¯d never seen before, and we used a satellite to scan for it. We began to collect anything with the same signal, and there were a lot of them. Seems anything from the ¡®50s up could be part of the machine.¡± and before Peter was what looked like a parking garage. It was full of rusted and scrap vehicles, some from what looked like as far back as world war two. Jeeps, sports cars, tanks, helicopters. There was even a replica of the space shuttle.


    ¡°These all had the same energy as the Ice Man?¡° and Lennox nodded,


    ¡°The energy fades though, some of them don''t register anymore. We kept them contained here, but nothing we ever did registered. Even exposing them to the cube only caused the radiation to fade faster.¡± A chilling thought went through Peter. ¡°We took some of them for samples, but nothing ever reacted the same way Ice Man did. They just rust and fall apart.¡±


    Of course, they did you asshole, Peter thought, It wasn''t strange energy, it was their lifeforce.


    Even humans gave off a faith bioelectrical charge, he would know as it held his cells together when he changed them, and if he was right. They had captured whatever strange living metal was used to make these vehicles and left it to die.


    The Mind Stone pulsed with power, and Lennox and everyone else in the room paused. Peter had made sure nobody would stop him this time, and allowing the Mind Stone to come free he sat it on the ground and instead tapped into the power of the Soul Stone.


    Lennox was right, and to his new senses, Peter could see the wisps of orange energy that filled each vehicle. Some were so faint he didn''t know if they were still alive or not. As he walked through the garage he saw a strange ball of energy on the seat of one of the smaller motorcycles and as he reached out for it, it zipped forwards and through him, but as he turned it dissipated and bled into nothingness. He felt a stab in his chest, whatever these things are he had just watched one die.


    As he looked properly, only one of the vehicles still had the glowing orange ball within its frame. It was the only one, and whatever these machines were, only it had survived captivity


    It was a pastel pink and white motorcycle, sleek but Peter had no idea what kind it was, even with the badge. But the orange glow pulsed faintly within the front of its chassis. Reaching forward as he touched the seat and as he ran his hand across the front of the bike he let his technopathic senses connect.


    Peter had never been into vehicle repair, but he knew it must have an engine. It was definitely still a bike, even if it was an alien one.


    He lifted his hand in surprise though, as when he connected to it to try and find any kind of on switch, it responded,


    Hunger,


    He heard from the machine,


    Want it so bad,


    And he frowned, it was intelligent enough to construct sentences,


    Driving me mad,


    Peter held his hand down and found the core of the bike. He let his symbskin pour over the fuel tank and found what was a power core of some kind. And while it held the faintest of power, it was still enough that this machine was hanging on.


    With only the harness to hand, he disconnected the small reactor on the back and holding it in one hand, used the other to construct a symbcell holder over the cap for the gas can.


    As the faint trickle of energy bled into the bike he heard the same faint mechanical noise from the bike as from the phone in the testing chamber and he saw the tank transform itself into a more suitable adapter. As the Arcstar pulsed the energy flowed into the bike and the orange globe in its centre began to brighten, pulsing with life.


    As he stepped back the bike began to shake, and parted, moving with the strange noise, it shuddered and failed. Slowly, the front mudguard split in two, and the engine block slid down. Revealing a head, the back seat and wheel spun and split, forming two legs and the wheel deflated and folded in on itself, forming a chest. Lying on the ground, struggling to get up was a large humanoid robot. Peter noticed it seemed to be quite delicate in its features, and almost had what looked like an armoured plate over its chest, mimicking the angular curve of breasts.


    Wait, is this female? He thought, shit, I hope not, considering what I just did. The robot struggled to rise, and gave up, letting its body fall, and holding its head up with a strained effort.


    ¡°Can you understand me?¡± he asked, and he crouched down in front of the machine. It looked at him and from the configuration of its facial features, smaller eyes, thin cheekbones and small pointed chin, yup definitely a female, ¡°I can interface with you again, so we can talk.¡± but the look he got was etched into his soul. It was the standard ¡®don''t you dare.¡¯


    Laughing, he held up his hand, ¡°okay, I know I know,¡± and he swapped out the Soul Stone and sent his power through the Mind Stone once more.


    This better?


    You! How do you? and the machine curled up its legs and held a hand to its chest. Help, please, I need Energon. She shuddered, and curled herself into  a ball, help, she asked weakly,


    I don''t know what that is, I only have my reactor.


    It helps, but it is not enough, more, dying, I need more.


    Peter cursed, He had come alone, that was the condition that he even got to be here. He needed more arc reactors or a bigger one to save more of the robot creatures.


    How long do I have?


    The energy is enough to stave off permanent shutdown, but several systems remain in critical condition. I will not be able to transform again.


    Again? But shaking his head he had more important things to worry about.


    He grabbed his phone and tapped out a message. He had thought to contact Wanda, but revealing the existence of magic to the US military was not a risk he was willing to take, even if it meant leaving the machine to suffer.


    Liv, get Fury, load the quinjet with several of the largest reactors you have and get to my location ASAP, and bring clean underwear, you¡¯re gonna love this.

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Thirteen. A Giant Ice Hole

    As she stepped off Fury¡¯s jet, Liv huffed as Peter hugged her,


    ¡°I am not amused Peter, It has been a very long time since I have had any kind of accident requiring my underwear to be changed, and I do not appreciate a joke made about my age.¡±


    Peter just smiled and nodded, ¡°Fine. If you dont squeal like a little girl, then I¡¯ll be at your mercy for a day. Anything you want,¡± and Liv raised an eyebrow, ¡°but, if you do,¡° Peter leaned forwards and whispered in her ear.


    She crossed her arms, ¡°As if you need to bet for that. You only have to ask, but of course.¡± Peter patted her hand,


    ¡°Come on then.¡± He waved at Nat who was busy ordering soldiers to unload the box containing the arc reactor parts,


    Not ignoring you, this is important, sorry but she waved him off and continued to work.


    Liv stood, opened mouthed staring at the half-collapsed robot. ¡°You ass,¡± she shouted and unhooked the reactor from her own harness and watched in amazement as a second interface wrapped itself around it. ¡°You win.¡± and as she lightly touched the robot, it made a strange mechanical grinding noise.


    She is here to hook up a much larger power source, she¡¯s a friend. Peter neglected to mention she might get a little too friendly as if anyone loved robots more than he did, it was Liv. An idea struck him, ¡°Liv, take this.¡± and the Mind Stone popped out his mouth, ¡°You can talk to her.¡±


    Liv raised an eyebrow, ¡°her? Oh this one I will definitely not complain about,¡± and she took it while Peter closed his hand around hers,


    No, it''s not good, they were using another stone. These aren''t cars. And Liv looked around with an excited grin but Peter solemnly shook his head, no Liv, and she frowned and looked at the singular robot,


    You mean? and he nodded. Of everything here, this one was the only one with the strange orange ball in its chest. The rest were all empty shells and Liv bit back a swell of grief and anger in her chest,


    I used the stone, they are under orders, I-


    But Liv raised a hand, ¡°Stopping mass murder is allowed,¡±


    As she swallowed the stone she began to bark orders, while Peter held onto the Soul Stone, allowing the strange sight to cover his own. It was strange looking at Liv, he could see the energy flowing through her, but Octave was strangely dark, as if Liv was covered in a void. The symbiotes don''t have souls? He wondered, but he put it down to inexperience using the stone rather than a lack of a soul.


    With Nat helping and giving the robot a look the larger Arcstar reactor was soon set up and with the two smaller reactors returned the creature was hooked up, As they watched her dull silver colour filled with lines of pure blue energy and her paint brighten into a light red colour, with salmon pink edges. She nodded and Liv placed a hand on her chassis.


    ¡°Upload accepted. I am Arcee. Am I the only Cybertronian on Earth, or do I have comrades?¡±


    Peter could only look at her guiltily. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You are the only one.¡±


    She looked serious for a moment and then nodded. ¡°It is fine. They have returned to the All-Spark, to be reborn.¡±


    Peter frowned, ¡°All-spark?¡±


    Arcee nodded, ¡°Cybertronians are immortal. We contain a singular spark but can return to the all-spark to be reborn. Death is not our end.¡± and Peter''s shoulders slumped in relief.


    Arcee looked around her and her brows furrowed, ¡°I see. Is this to be my fate as well?¡± and it was Peter''s turn to frown.


    ¡°I don''t understand?¡±


    ¡°You have taken apart our bodies. I can see where at least twenty-five per cent of each Cybertronian has been removed. Am I to be cannibalised as well?¡±


    Peter noticed that a part of Arcee¡¯s arm shifted slightly, and there was a build-up of energy.


    Shaking his head ¡°No, we didn''t do this. We came to find out what was happening. This was wrong. This was a mistake.¡± and the build-up stopped.


    Arcee stood and stretched, ¡°Not all who died were innocent though¡± and she pointed to her chest plate, ¡°Autobot.¡±


    Peter noticed the small red symbol on her armour. It was a little face, made up of red blocks.


    Arcee pointed at one of the vehicles next to her, it was a black and white police car with ¡®to protest and sever¡¯ written on it in some malicious parody. The badge however was a similar face, made up of purple jagged blocks and looked more insidious. ¡°Decepticon¡± and Arcee stepped in front of it.


    As he had guessed a bright energy blade sprouted from her forearm and she stabbed it downwards through the hood of the car and into the floor below. ¡°Decepticons are not allowed to live. They are conquerors and murderers. You must make sure they are dead.¡±


    Peter moved back but raised his hands, ¡°they are. You are the only one who is still alive, the rest are dead.¡± but Arcee shook her head,


    ¡°Cybertronians are immortal. Even if the body rusts, the spark can still return. Only by destroying the spark chamber can you be sure.¡±


    Peter frowned, ¡°are all your people like that?¡± and Arcee nodded, ¡°then we might have a problem.¡± Ice Man was in the facility, and if what Captain Lennox said was true, there was a good possibility that it was still alive.


    As Arcee lay back, letting Liv and Natasha hook up the much larger reactor to her chest, Lennox took Peter into a storage facility almost a mile away from the main complex.


    ¡°We keep it isolated. When Trask removed one of its fingers we got a spike of energy, and we didn''t want to repeat the last accident.¡±


    As Peter walked into the facility a huge robot, almost 20 meters tall, was encased in ice. Parts of it were smashed and badly dented but it was in remarkable condition. As he allowed the Soul Stone to scan the robot he saw the thin lines of energy throughout the body, yeah, reaction, it was in pain as you cut its finger off, no wonder the Sentinels were pissed, He thought to himself. The whole robot was covered in what looked like several meters of ice, barring the end of one arm, where a finger was missing, and a leg on the other side, where he saw chipped paint and scratches from where they had taken samples.


    ¡°This is Ice Man?¡± Peter asked,


    Lennox nodded, ¡°Taken from the arctic. Dating puts it at over a million years old, totally dead.¡±


    ¡°Then why keep it in ice?¡±


    Lennox paled. One of Peter''s orders to give him full access must have pushed, ¡°We figure while it isn''t alive it still gives off a remarkable amount of energy. Without the ice we had issues. The finger we removed seemingly moved on its own, and killed several workers before it stopped.¡±


    Yeah, it didn''t stop, it waited. Ice Man is still alive,


    Liv? And Peter cursed, without the stone he had no idea if Liv would hear him at this distance,


    I can hear you, I have the stone, remember. It is amazing though, I see why you like it so much.


    Peter laughed. Yeah, restraint though, remember? and Liv laughed back


    Yes yes, I know, so, what can I help with?


    Ice Man is still alive. Can you ask Arcee if she knows any Cybertronians who crashed here a million years ago?


    There was a brief pause, Arcee asks if there is a visible icon on its chest. If it is purple, then but Peter interrupted her,


    I know, Decepticon, but no, the ice is too thick, and the upper body and head are completely covered. Only one arm and a leg are exposed.


    Then Arcee says unless she sees him then no, they all crashed here at the same time, to escape a civil war and find their ancient artefact,


    Yeah, don''t tell her about the Soul Stone. I figure it was theirs, and right now I''m hesitant to give it back, considering what it can do.


    Peter ran a hand over his face. Ice Man was much larger than Arcee, and if he was still alive as well they could be unleashing a disaster on the Earth. The Sentinels were angry, and if it was because of him, then a fully functional angry transforming robot could be difficult to deal with.


    ¡°Captain, what protocols are in place if he ever woke up?¡±


    Lennox pointed and Peter saw two machine-gun emplacements, and soldiers sitting in bunkers with larger cannons. ¡°We have the latest pulse rifles and with Starktech rounds, guaranteed to disintegrate the armour around the Ice Man.¡±


    He pointed up and several large cannons that hissed with escaping gas were pointed at the giant. ¡°Liquid nitrogen guns. The stress temperature of the machine is low enough that those will freeze it solid if it ever moved, and,¡± he pointed directly above the robot. ¡±We call it the Sword of Damocles. An EMP. Sure, it¡¯ll knock out every system in the building, but not the guns.¡±


    Peter took a breath and let it out slowly, if the Sentinels had transformation abilities, and could adapt to the energy powers of Augments then what was keeping Ice Man here? Millions of years to adapt to a bit of ice seemed unreasonable, and as the energy swirled around its frame he saw no reason for it to even be standing still. Even Arcee had a fraction of the energy he saw here, and she was almost dead. Just what did it want?


    ¡°Any way I can get closer?¡± Peter figured it might not have this ¡®spark¡¯ Arcee had mentioned, or maybe it was in some kind of stasis mode, waiting for something.


    ¡°Sure, we have scissor lifts to monitor ice thickness. Plus, we have access to the head, it''s round that back though.¡±


    Peter paused, ¡°Wait, you have access to the head? Any symbols, maybe a purple one or a red one, kinda looks like a face.¡± but Lennox shook his head,


    ¡°Nothing like that, although we did notice the markings on the vehicles. Identification?¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°You could say that.¡± As Lennox led him to a lift, he climbed aboard and the pair were taken up. Peter could see the cloudy ice covering its body had melted and refrozen in several places and as he brushed away a layer of frost from the machine''s chest area he still had no idea if it was a Decepticon or not, maybe just ask, it''s not like it''s going anywhere.


    ¡°Can I see the open part of the head? Check that it''s actually dead,¡± and Lennox shrugged, and drove the little lift around to the back of Ice Man.


    Peter could see where they had carefully removed a section of ice, revealing a dented and split metallic skull.


    ¡°Yeah, it was like that when we found it. We removed several thick plates, like armour from there but you can get a pretty good look inside. This thing''s brain is amazing. I mean, I''m just a jarhead but I know the human brain is roughly twenty per cent of our bodies, this, it¡¯s zero point one. I heard the Oscorp multiprocessor was based on this thing.¡± and Peter inwardly groaned, Osborn was never a good sign.


    Peter looked around and felt nothing in the immediate area setting off his technopathic abilities, ¡°uh hey can you turn around, and look down.¡± And under the influence of the Mind Stone Lennox shrugged and did as he was told.


    Peter lifted a hand, letting his symbskin cover it and gently touched the inner workings of the head.


    Are you okay?


    I.


    He had gotten a reaction,


    Hey, it''s okay, Are you okay, can you tell me your name


    I, I am.


    Take your time, I can get a power source for you, it''s going to be okay.


    I¡¯m just prime

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Fourteen. Breaking The ice

    Peter stared at the amazing machine in front of him, ignoring the captain still looking at the ground,


    We cant unfreeze you right now, we dont have a spare power supply for someone your size. We¡¯re barely coping with your friend.


    I am prepared to wait. I have been trapped here while your species conducted its test, I can wait a little longer. Can you tell me who else survived?


    Well, shit thought Peter. He didn''t even know how many there were originally.


    Only Arcee is awake,


    She was one of the last of us to be created, we learned to make ourselves more energy efficient as the energy ran out. Are there no others?


    I''m sorry no. we have a hanger with the remains, but Arcee was pretty mad at there being Decepticons there as well.


    There are Deceptions here? You must free me immediately. Your planet is in danger.


    Woah Woah, big guy. There have been no transforming robots of any kind popping up in the news. We¡¯ll get a power supply here for you, start getting this ice off and then we can talk okay?


    Transformer is a derogatory term, one I would prefer you did not use. We are Cybertronians.


    Shit, meet a cool as hell giant robot and call it a racial slur, good going, Pete.


    Sorry, I¡¯m Peter, Peter Parker. Once Arcee is recharged we can get her in here to help free you. It might not be a lot but even the small reactor would help.


    Thank you, Peter Parker. I am finally glad to be able to communicate properly with your species. And if you find my finger, I would like it back.


    Peter grimaced at that, as he had a feeling it was used to make Master Mould.


    I''m going to check on Arcee, I¡¯ll be back soon. And he let his symbskin connection retract back into his skin.


    ¡°Captan. The aliens aren¡¯t hostile but are asking to be freed. You have my word they won''t attack, can you turn the liquid nitrogen off?¡± It wasn''t a question, and with a telepathic push, the captain nodded blankly.


    ¡°I need to contact the control room. Having the kill switch in the same building is pretty dumb.¡± He replied.


    Peter nodded and started to examine the hole. It would probably be the best palace to start, letting Optimus see. The ice down by his legs was already cracked, and as he looked around, he decided that would be better.


    ¡°The systems will take a bit to shut off. They were designed to run constantly and only stopped during repairs.¡± Lennox explained,


    Liv, how is Arcee? I need her to help free Optimus. Even using Extremis, melting a few feet of ice will take forever,


    Arcee is remarkable peter, and she is slowly recovering, her system isn''t compatible with our reactor. They use something called Energon. It¡¯s a strange blend of energies but even I''m having problems with some of the math on how to create it.


    Damn, he thought to himself, that was a new one.


    Right, do your best.


    ¡°Hey, do you have the backplate to his part?¡± Peter asked Lennox, figuring leaving the back of Optimus¡¯s skull wide open was maybe not the best thing. And Lexxno pointed to a shelf that had been added to the ice.


    ¡°The panel was kept there in case it started to leak anything toxic,¡± and Peter nodded and lifted the small hatch clipping it back in place.


    With a deep breath, he let his claws extend out and they blazed a deep red as they heated up, sinking them into the ice at either side of the borehole he managed to get a grip on some of the ice, ignoring the freezing cold as it hissed against the hot symbskin.


    When they were sunk in enough he pulled, and the ice creaked and cracked as his muscles bulged under his clothing. A piece a few inches thick snapped away on either side and while it wasn''t much, it was a start.


    Once Arcee was recovered enough, Liv and Natasha could come and help.


    Liv, we might need to use the stone to clear the base. I''m going to start working on freeing Optimus while Arcee recovers but I dont think the soldiers will be too happy about it.


    No, they are already gathering Peter. You might need to do it. I can keep them calm but altering minds is not my strong point, and Natasha is getting antsy.


    Will do. Once she is stable, come here and we can swap, but I was warned about holding more than one stone, so I need you.


    I¡¯ll be five minutes tops. I will show Natasha how to read this and she can take over.


    The ice wasn''t difficult to clear, even with liquid nitrogen blowing on it occasionally it was just boring. His Extremis was hot enough to melt but the symbskin could only work so far in before he lost enough tensile strength to pull the ice away after it was weakened.


    Peter had managed to clear the back of Optimus''s head when Liv knocked on the scissor lift and Peter lowered it. Carefully swapping gems Liv nodded


    ¡°He is amazing as well. But I wonder why he is so much larger?¡± she mused as she picked at the ice around the exposed leg.


    ¡°He said they were running out of food, so they made newer Cybertronians like Arcee smaller.¡±


    Liv frowned, ¡°do you think there are more?¡±


    Peter could only shrug. ¡°Lennox mentioned they give off a unique type of radiation. I''m sure if we borrow a satellite or two, then we can find out. Doesn''t the military have satellites tuned to detect energy?¡± and


    It was Liv''s turn to shrug, ¡°I know Oscorp didn''t, but Stark probably does. I''m sure he won''t mind if we borrow them for a little bit.¡± and Peter laughed. Sure he wouldn''t, because they wouldn''t ask.


    ¡°You know, if we work together, we should be able to clear more of this leg.¡° and Liv pointed to a few fracture points where the ice had already been removed.


    Looking closer Peter could see the plating over his leg had been welded back on, and he groaned. ¡°They were salvaging components,¡± he explained and Liv''s eyes narrowed.


    ¡°Bloody savages,¡± she said and Peter let his symbskin finger heat and slide into the ice.


    Where there were holes Liv extended her harness arms and jammed the pincers into them. She spun the ends, letting the bladed ends drill further in. He stood on the other side and gripped the base of the ice sheet, hoping that he wasn''t hurting the giant robot.


    ¡°And one.¡± Liv pulled while Peter pushed, and they were rewarded by a series of large cracks across the ice. Peter huffed and as it lifted more and more Liv slid her own hands under the ice, she lifted as much as she could. They both grunted and yelled as a section of ice, almost a meter in length and three meters long splintered and cracked away from the main block.


    Liv huffed, ¡°you haven''t made me grunt like that or a while dear.¡±


    Peter laughed. ¡°At least a few days.¡±


    Removing even a small section of the meter-thick ice was a good start,


    ¡°Maybe that is the way to go. Rather than melting it, we should shatter it off. If we aim our repulsors at the top layer, we could,¡° but


    Peter shook his head, ¡°We have no idea how hurt Optimus is, or if his metal can resist the temperatures. No, slow and as gentle as possible,¡± and Liv placed a hand on the exposed metal leg,


    ¡°Of course, of course¡± and Peter moved over next to her, slipping a hand around her waist,


    ¡°Do I need to be worried? I mean, it''s probably the same size as me.¡± and Peter nudged her on the shoulder.


    ¡°There is a limit to even my depravity dear. There is such a thing as too big you know.¡± She turned and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek, ¡°but if a little jealousy will earn me some alone time, then I¡¯m all for it. Giant robot or not.¡±


    Peter laughed as she leaned her head on his shoulder,


    Peter shook his head as he wrapped his arms around her, he did feel guilty though, was he doing enough?


    Liv pinched his side, ¡°leave that thought alone until the giant killer Sentinel is gone and everyone is safe. Nobody is thinking about dating, Safety first, then dinner.¡± Peter nodded


    Unless your offering to do me like Nat, and a quickie in the toilets is on offer, and while Peter thought about it,


    No, he replied. A top-secret military base would be an accomplishment, but being caught having sex in a top-secret military base wouldn''t be.


    No, your right, safe, then sex. Liv tutted, Talked my way out of it, and she shrugged, this is nice though.


    They waited until the lines pumping the liquid nitrogen around the ice stopped hissing, the gas being blown over the block faded into a fine mist and the security measures were all off before stepping apart.


    ¡°While repulsors might be bad, pincers and brute strength should be fine,¡± and as his armour thickened at the arms, Peter lay a punch into the block of ice, cracking it. ¡°I¡¯ll work my way around, shattering it as much as I can, use the harness to remove chunks and see what you can do. I¡¯ll meet you back here once I''ve done a circle.¡±


    Liv cleared her throat, ¡°It might be better to start at the top dear, once you free his arms he might be able to help himself.¡±


    Looking up Peter shrugged, ¡°You¡¯re the boss,¡± and his own harness sprang out and as the four pincers anchored him to the ice he began to climb and once at the top anchored himself.


    The ice was no thinner here, in fact as Optimus¡¯s head was smaller than his body the ice was thicker, but Liv was right, freeing him from the top would be better. He placed both feet on the ice and wound up a punch, pulling back letting his fist become as hot as he could make it and then pushing himself forward with the tendrils to smash into the ice.


    Chips flew everywhere and the mechanical arms waved batting time to one side as she saw the damage. A huge cracked crater now sat where Peter had punched and Liv nodded. ¡°Make the next one about a meter to the left, free the back first as there is already damage there.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± he shouted back and lifting himself he moved, stuck once more and then again. He needed to punch the block five times before Liv was happy. Each crater was close enough that the cracks overlapped, but far enough away that he wasn''t compressing the broken pieces too much.


    Her own harness brought her to the first crater and with two holding her in position, two became blades and she plunged them into the centre impact, stabbing over and over.


    Seeing what she was doing Peter moved to her right side, ¡°you got that way and I¡¯ll go this way,¡± and they moved around the head stabbing and beaking up the ice around the head.


    It was slow but eventually the last of the ice fell away in huge sheets revealing the robotic face of Optimus. His head was humanoid but rather than a mouth he had an angled faceplate, covering where his nose and mouth would be. On either side of his head his ears were two antennae, one of which had been broken and on his forehead was a hexagonal design, pointing down his brow.


    ¡°Hey Optimus, you okay?¡± Peter asked, he really hoped they hadn''t knocked anything loose with all the pounding.


    ¡°I am fine Peter Parker. I am glad to be free of the ice, even if it is this part. Are you continuing?¡± and Peter nodded.


    ¡°They didn''t have large excavation tools, so it¡¯ll be slow. We¡¯re going to work on the side that''s partially uncovered, so you can move your arms, okay?¡±


    Optimus nodded, ¡°Proceed,¡± he said, and Peter noticed the faceplate moved up and down as he spoke, must be his mouth he thought and he moved down with Liv to finish cracking the ice around the partially exposed arm.


    Malisson


    Couldn''t resist. I am a HUGE Transformers fan.


    Arcee''s first words last chapter are from Hunger by Secrtre General (from the 1984 movie soundtrack)


    Prime''s first words are from Optimus Primals catchphrase, "that''s just prime"

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Fifteen. Prime Time

    Breaking the ice took a few hours but once Arcee was feeling well enough the sleek robot helped, her arm transforming into a small cutting laser that let them peel the thick concrete hard ancient ice from Optimus.


    He was huge compared to her, Arcee was roughly seven feet tall, Optimus was almost twenty and as they uncovered more Peter couldn''t help but stare in awe at him.


    Thick grey legs with two tires on each, a thick red torso that looked exactly like the cabin of a truck and square set shoulder ending in blue forearms.


    ¡°Thank you, my friends. Arcee are you okay?¡± he asked as they cut the last piece of ice away and he wrestled himself free from the rest.


    ¡°I am, but I am the only survivor.¡± and she rubbed the top of her arm, ¡°it''s not good Optimus.¡±


    ¡°There are others here?¡± Optimus asked.


    Peter nodded. ¡°The military was collecting them, and I''m sorry. Nobody knew until they used them to attack us.¡± and


    Optimus sighed, he was disappointed his kind had been collected like objects, but given the primitive nature of his own imprisonment, he was not surprised they had failed to recognise his fellow Autobots.


    ¡°I would like to see them, and if you have the All-Spark, I would like it back,¡± Optimus said as he stretched and tested his joints.


    Peter looked over at Liv, who shrugged. ¡°Do you know what it is?¡± he asked Optimus


    Optimus nodded. ¡°It is the salvation of my people. We cannot create more Cybertronians without it. The All-Spark has belonged to my people since our records began millions of years ago. It is our most sacred relic and a gift from our creator. Primus. And I also know that it is not yours.¡±


    Peter couldn''t argue with that, and as he let Thor take the Space stone he took out the silver box and placed the Soul Stone back inside.


    Optimus¡¯s eyes glowed for a brief moment as he took the box, and his chest panel opened to reveal a large oval, made of two silver handles surrounding a golden globe, in which Peter recognised sat more Cybertronian souls. Optimus clicked the All-Spark into the front of this, and it changed, transforming and glowing with new light as it absorbed the power of the Infinity stone.


    ¡°Most are gone, returned to the All-Spark, but some may still be saved.¡± and Optimus moved between the vehicles, placing a hand on some and letting the energy travel down into the vehicle.


    ¡°I do not blame you for fearing us, but this is barbaric,¡± and he pointed to a few that had been stabbed through and Peter rubbed the back of his head


    ¡°That wasn''t us.¡±


    Arcee huffed. ¡°They are Decepticons, Optimus. They would have tried to kill us,¡± She explained


    ¡°Freedom and life is the right of all sentient beings Arcee. Their own actions do not justify yours. We should educate and allow them to grow past their destructive ways.¡± As he placed a hand on the shattered spark chamber of the police car, ¡°he will return, and he will not have learned that violence is not the answer.¡± before he moved to the next.


    Optimus released less than five of the souls back into their robot forms, and soon five Autobots were sat hooked up to the power generators that Liv had brought,


    ¡°This stuff is nasty,¡± a sports car complained, his white chassis had blue streaks down one side, and as he wasn''t a car person, Peter had no idea what kind of car he was, ¡°it tastes like a Decepticon¡¯s oil filter, you dont have Energon?¡± and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°We dont even know what that is.¡± and the Autobot huffed


    ¡°It glows, bright pink, and comes in cubes. You eat it and it''s amazing. You flesh bags dont know what your missing.¡±


    Yeah, Peter thought, eating bright pink energy sounds delicious.


    ¡°Jazz, until we can find the rest of our people, and our home, we have no choice but to make do. The energy is unpalatable, but it will sustain us, and for that, you have my thanks, Peter Parker.¡±


    Peter pointed at Liv, ¡°she¡¯s the chef. It''s her reactor design, and maybe if you have a scientist they can work with her to tune it to be more appetising.¡±


    Optimus sighed ¡°I am afraid that Rachet, our medical officer was not among the recovered Autobots. But I will introduce you. Jazz is our recon, Ironhide is a soldier, Arcee is a scout, Cliffjumper might be small but he is tough and this is Bumblebee, one of our youngest and brightest.¡±


    Bumblebee looked up and his radio started, ¡°to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before!¡±


    Prime nodded, ¡°his vocal circuits are damaged, and without Rachet, he can communicate using soundbites.¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°Great, we need to get you out of here, once you''ve got enough power we have a safe place you can hide where we can plan our next more. How long until you¡¯re ready?¡±


    Optimus looked at the others and if they shared some kind of communication Peter didn''t register it.


    ¡°An hour.¡± Optimus said, ¡°Can we leave you to clean this up?¡± and Peter nodded


    ¡°You will go with Natasha, she¡¯ll take you to the location while Liv and I make sure nobody knows you¡¯re missing.¡±


    Erasing the missing Autobots from the junked vehicles here would be easy enough, they just needed to alter a few logs. The massive missing robot in the iceblock was a different matter.


    After an hour Peter and Liv both squealed with excitement as Optimus and the others transferred, with the symphony of strange mechanical sounds. Liv leaned over, ¡°Arcee did mention wanting to learn more about humanity, shall I or are you going to pass on another?¡± Liv joked but Peter shrugged,


    ¡°Would you let me?¡± and she nudged him in the ribs. He shook his head, smiling, ¡°but now.¡± Liv held his hand as they waved goodbye to Natasha and the others.


    ¡°After this, we can''t keep using the stone like this. It''s getting worse and worse, and Charles was right. Once you start there is no stopping.¡±


    Liv squeezed his hand. ¡°Emma?¡± and he nodded. They would ask Jean as well, but both in tandem would let them pierce the natural psychic defences of the Symbiotes, and make sure that nothing went wrong. After the incident with Ross, Peter felt they could trust her with something that important.


    ¡°Right, I¡¯ll make arrangements.¡± and waving at a soldier, ¡°excuse me, where are the main servers?¡± As Liv was led away, Peter spread out his power, tapping into the Mind Stone and altering the memories of every person in the base.


    Most were easy enough, a slight adjustment was only required for anyone who hadn''t seen or heard the group leave. But some like Lennox required much much more.


    Peter kept his visit, it would be much easier this way and as Liv worked on altering the base''s security systems Peter began to draw in a similar-sized Cybertronian and began ripping it apart. It was easy enough t grab parts from the bodies, and while he felt a bit morose at using them this way, he did notice that once Optimus had failed to resurrect one, he simply moved on, treating the body as an empty shell. Once he was done, and Liv had finished, he unleashed his power, and the base shared a new set of memories.


    Lennox awoke with a jolt, the damn thing had broken the ice where that idiot Parker was messing with it. He watched as it swatted the man and then bashed at the ice scattering over the floor.


    ¡°Weapons hot¡± he shouted and the grad begin to fire, with normal weapons at first but as it roared at them all they could do was concentrate fire on it and hope.


    ¡°Dammit,¡± he swore, ¡°Sword one, prime and fire.¡± it was a last-ditch method, but as the machine ignored the bullets and began to smash at the ice surrounding its leg, he knew if it escaped then it would kill them all.


    The blue discharge chamber of the Sword above the machine''s head glowed and with a heavy sigh, he smashed a fist down, giving the signal to fire.


    The blue light struck the machine on the top of its head, and its eyes glowed for a moment and smoke began to pour from its mouth. ¡°NO, NO!¡± it yelled


    ¡°Again¡± Lennox yelled and Sword two and three, the weapons on either side, powered up and fired.


    Great scores were cut along the body of the machine but they also broke the ice enough to allow the monster more freedom, dammit she cured again, ¡°final Sword. Discharge.¡±


    As the massive EMP fired all the lights in the base dimmed and then came back. Every system was shielded, and those that weren''t weren''t important. The machine struggled, and he could see sparks coming om the gashed they had made in its armour before it toppled over. Running, he grabbed a rifle from tha soldier and as he leapt over its shoulder he flicked the panel on the back of its head, and began to fire into the exposed circuits.


    Bullets ricocheted but so did chunks of metal and fragments of its brain. Once Lennox was sure that thing was never getting back up he looked and saw the sparking crater his bullets had left.


    ¡°Shit. Find Parker, and get him out of here,¡± he yelled at a soldier, damn civilians. He should recommend the project be scrapped completely. That every part of those damn machines is melted down and safely stored. It was bad enough the pyramid stopped working but this as well, he was just damn lucky that nobody was killed.


    ¡°Give me a damn report,¡° he yelled into his walkie talkie,


    ¡°Sir, the bases servers are fried. The Sword discharge was too much one after the other. Everything not backed up is gone.¡± and Lennox swore. This was a giant mess, and thankfully, he could just dump it all on Parker, he was in deep enough shit with Ross and Shield anyway, one more giant fuck up wouldn''t phase him.


    Liv had already left when Peter was stretchered out. He stood and hobbled to a waiting ambulance where an EMT checked him out, shrugged and then unseen by anyone, Peter moved over and got into a car with Liv.


    ¡°I already know you''re a genius, so I won''t ask.¡°


    Liv crossed her arms and tutted. ¡°But how else am I going to brag about hacking the military servers, erasing every instance of Arcee and Optimus.¡±


    Peter shrugged, leaned over and kissed her cheek, ¡°You dont need to brag, I know you''re amazing.¡±


    Liv nodded, ¡°damn right I am. Unfortunately, we need to drive back, Natasha called and Fury is not happy we borrowed his jet.¡±


    But Peter shrugged ¡°And I¡¯m sure Natasha was all cut up about having to tell Fury to go screw himself.¡± Peter turned and looked in the back of the rental car Liv had brought, ¡°no snacks?¡± and she frowned and scowled at him,


    ¡°This was an important mission Peter, dear, so no I did not buy snacks.¡±


    Peter crossed his arms and huffed. ¡°Road trips should always have snacks,¡± and he shrugged, ¡°no road trip sex for you then.¡±


    Liv paused before she put the car into gear and drove off. After a few minutes of him pouting, she smiled as Peter sat, still in a huff. She bumped the glovebox and as it opened, bags of candy, chips and two bottles of soda rolled out.


    ¡°So, in the back seat or find a secluded spot and scare the wildlife?¡± Peter asked as he grabbed a bag of chips.


    ¡°Peter dear, it''s a forty-five hour drive from Nevada to New York.¡± and she grinned and looked at him with a knowing look. ¡°So most definitely both.¡±

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Sixteen. Road Trip

    At the first fuel stop, Optimus let Peter into his cab, and the radio flashed as he spoke.


    ¡°Peter, I am receiving a distress signal from a location north of here. I believe I have located our transport here.¡±


    Peter frowned, ¡°You have a spaceship?¡±


    Optimus hmmed in agreement. ¡°The transponder beacon is reporting that an unknown entity, registering as Cybertronian has entered and is accessing systems. As the leader of the Autobots, I was alerted.¡±


    Peter thought for a moment, ¡°how far?¡±


    ¡°It is north, approximately one thousand three hundred miles away from our current location.¡±


    Peter took out his phone, and plotted the nearest city in that direction, ¡°Hmm, Portland.¡± He knew that there weren''t any military bases up there and as far as he knew no giant spaceships were in that area. The only thing that was up there was the volcano, but it had been inert for millions of years, and his shoulders slumped,


    ¡°How long have you been on Earth?¡± he asked, already knowing the answer.


    ¡°We arrive here four million years ago. I was scouting for the All-Spark to revive my crew when I was frozen in the ice. I did not realise at the time my Energon chamber was damaged and I was losing fuel much faster than my gauges were registering. If I had not initiated hibernation mode, I would have perished.¡±


    ¡°Right, we should change direction. I think I know where your ship is, and who¡¯s accessing it.¡± If his suspicions were correct, then Nimrod was built from one of the wrecks at the dam and had regained some of his former intelligence.


    ¡°Affirmative. Autobots, we are heading to these coordinates. Transform and roll out.¡±


    Liv, Optimus thinks Nimrod is accessing his ship''s systems, if Trask used Cybertronian parts to create the Sentinels then Nimrod is probably there trying to escape, or if we¡¯re really unlucky, activate the weapons systems.


    It''s fine, Let Natasha know. It¡¯s not a long flight back to New York, she could be back well before we¡¯re even halfway.


    Uh, It¡¯s in Portland. It¡¯s a bit further, and another long drive.


    It¡¯s fine dear, give me a few minutes. I¡¯ll call instead.


    Peter stretched out his senses. Natasha was still within range, as without the Mind Stone he could sense at most a few miles, barely registering the minds of those nearby but Natasha was different. Even Shuri could be contacted with the bond they shared, it was a normal human mind he needed to be close to, and even in New York, after a mile or so it faded into knowing someone was there, and nothing more.


    Nat, we¡¯re heading to Portland, do you want to come with us?


    Road trip?


    Yes, it''s a nineteen-hour drive, and then a cross country drive to get back to New York.


    And it would be a drive. With the incidents in New York using the flight capabilities of the armoured suits was limited to actual missions. Using them for getting around the world was now a no-no, to avoid the attention. Tony still used his, and an Iron Man tracking website was up and running, documenting each and every sighting, something Peter wanted to avoid for the new teams.


    Sure, give me a minute.


    An hour later Peter was contacted not by Natasha as he suspected but by Wanda.


    Peter, I hear we are having a vacation. So we rented a much bigger van. Go to this rental place and we¡¯ll meet you there. Maria is bringing us.


    Us? Wait, who¡¯s us?


    But Wanda cut off the communications after giving him the address.


    It was an RV place, and the Cybertronians took the opportunity to procure new forms for themselves. Peter watched in amazement as a blue light scanned through the parking lot and the futuristic and very out of place cars and vans transformed, not into their humanoid robot forms but exact copies of the vehicles they had picked.


    Optimus, once a huge boxy vehicle was now a big rig. With a huge red cabin and massive trailer.


    Arcee was a Harley Davidson, and a leather-wearing copy of Liv appeared on her back at first in wireframe and then filled in. She winked and put on shades before Arccee drove off to join the convoy.


    Jazz was a Porche, an old model that was mainly for show but he changed his colour from the black to a white model and kept blue racing stripes down his side.


    Ironhide scanned an old van, even down to the rust details on the wheel arches and drove his new bright red form away


    Bumblebee found an old Volkswagen beetle, a car Peter instantly recognised and with his shiny new yellow colour he looked like a giant gold bug before he too drove off and the Autobots continued their journey.


    Peter had promised they would catch up, and Optimus understood they needed supplies and food for the trip.


    It wasn''t until Peter saw the massive rig they had hired that he realised, and as he boarded the bus-sized motorhome, everyone was there.


    Wanda sat with MJ, playing cards while Laura and Gwen arm-wrestled. Felicia was spread out on a couch, eating chips. Liv was in the driver''s seat, making sure the tank was full of gas and checking everything was working.


    ¡°Uh, everyone?¡± and Liv nodded.


    ¡°Well, no Emma or Shuri. Natasha is still to arrive, and Carol has the deposition to give. You really need to make it up to her. She wasn''t happy she¡¯s missing out.¡±


    Peter signed, ¡°I will, I will. But, if everyone''s here what about work?¡± and Liv laughed,


    ¡°Everywhere is closed right now, dear. The mess we made is still being dealt with. Parker Inc and AIM are getting a well-earned vacation.¡± As Liv pointed to the back, where through the doors Peter could see a giant double bed, ¡°Well, maybe.¡± Peter laughed, leaned over and kissed her.


    ¡°Right then. Are we ready?¡± Liv reached over and turned on the radio to a chorus of cheers. Peter sat down next to Gwen and as Laura easily overpowered her with Talon''s help, Peter laughed and pushed her arm back, until it was almost at the table''s surface.


    ¡°Then let''s get this show on the road.¡± Sounding the really annoying and very loud horn, Liv laughed and started the motor home, driving after the convoy of Autobots.


    The trip to Portland was amazing. Optimus had found that by taking the newer forms that the crude gasoline was now more compatible with their systems, and while it was a log drive to Portland, they now didn''t need to worry about their energy reserves. It wasn¡¯t perfect, and they still needed Energon, but now they could at least maintain their forms without issue.


    If he knew what was happening in the RV he either never understood its significance or cared enough o mention it.


    At first, everyone teased Peter as he was the only one without a licence. With no money and no need for a car he never bothered, but now as the girls all took turns taking the wheel he knew he should, and sooner rather than later.


    Instead, he found himself the centre of attention. Each person had their own demands. Livs was the easiest and most vigorous, Wanda wanted him to help her test out her magic.


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing Wanda. But you realise that we didn¡¯t need to drive?¡± he said as she demonstrated her ability to sling ring anywhere, even onto the moving RV as long as she used a pre-prepared runic anchor.


    ¡°I uh, wanted to go on a trip with you. I have never done this. Well, once, but that was not the same,¡± she admitted.


    Peter didn''t remember the supposed road trip in Sokovia. For him it was hours spent in bed, nursing an open stomach wound, adding to the many jokes that Peter could only defeat an enemy if they gutted him first, but for her, it was the first time they spent time alone.


    Gwen was the same, her spell work was abysmal, and she pouted as Peter slipped into his armour and carefully spun his webbing into a long thin wand for her. She still used it though, and Wanda started to tease her every time she failed to create a runic formation properly, ¡°it''s Levi Oh Sah, not Leviosa.¡°


    But they still helped her, and her runic work, with wards and other shielding magic, was soon top notch.


    Laura kept him in bed, and her only wish was to stay cuddled up to him as she slept. He stayed lying next to her, holding her as she twitched. The nightmares still came, and he would gently stroke her hair as she whimpered.


    Natasha took him to the top of the RV and unseen by anyone they sparred. There were only two rules. One, they had to be feather-light, any damage to the RV was an automatic loss, and two, they showered together after. His win streak was getting higher against her.


    He was taking lessons from Logan and after they had fixed his stance, breathing and pulled out proper testing equipment he had developed his own style, a mix of hard and soft, allowing him to use speed and light but quick hits against nimbler opponents like Natasha and heavier, slower brutally devastating attacks against someone like Cain. Logan also had allowed Selene to help train him, and he could now thicken his symbskin in specific areas, protecting him against energy draining Augments.


    MJ flitted into everyone else''s time, she showered with them after, spooned Laura while she slept, laughed as Gwen made a coke can dance around the table with a simple motion spell, and grabbed groceries with Wanda as they travelled to different locations. MJ loved them all and happily shared her time and bed with everyone.


    Travelling home, Carol had finally joined them, looking haggard from the forty-hour session she had with the joint chiefs. This wasn''t the congressional hearings that Peter had gone through, she had been dragged in front of the chiefs of staff and the president himself. All to explain why a highly decorated and now Enhanced officer had disobeyed direct orders and fought her own people.


    Pepper and Matt had both been there, and while the court was in close session, he knew what had been said.


    Carol was being dragged out of retirement, a much different outcome from the dishonourable discharge they had expected, but it was their way of getting back at not just her, but Peter. She was now back under Military control, with her time at AIM over, and a long list of charges being held over her head in order to make her comply with tests and bring her under the ARCA properly.


    Ross had been right, and they kissed his ass, mainly as the man was the leader of the gamma troopers and they needed him. Stark had been acquitted, he was under orders.


    In the end, the Government walked away patting itself on the back. They had the original test subject of Project Pegasus back, a Symbiote of their own, and it only cost them a few million. They didn¡¯t care about the money, they wanted their weapon.


    Peter was watching Wanda and Gwen practice their sling ring exercise. It seemed stupid at first, why could they conjure a portal on a moving vehicle until Wanda said


    ¡°The world moves Peter. It''s just the scale that is different.¡±


    He realise just how difficult it actually was to summon a portal. It wasn''t just manipulating space, but calculating distance, time difference and a whole lot of spacial mechanics. With Gwen''s passion being chemistry and not mechanics, he understood why it was so difficult for her.


    ¡°So, can you make one of these that doesn''t need a sorcerer?¡± he asked but Wanda shook her head.


    ¡°You need to be able to activate the runes around the ring. A true practitioner can make a portal without one, but for us students, they dont like the idea of us losing a limb if we fail.¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°I was just thinking if Avalon is on the moon, and Erik made a magnetic shield. What''s to stop me say, colonising Mars. I mean, the rovers up there have feeds right? So couldn''t you make a portal to Mars using the picture?¡±


    Wanda frowned, paused for a moment and tilted her head in thought.


    ¡°I,¡± and she paused, ¡°You know. I will ask Stephen the next time I see him, but I really dont see why not.¡±

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Seventeen. Riding Lessons

    Peter had been asked to vacate the RV as the road trip began to come to an end.


    He sat outside the gas station where they were parked, and it was only a few hours drive to the campsite they would be staying at before heading into the Oregon mountains to find the remains of the Ark.


    Peter was sat, leaning against the gas station toilets drinking a bottle of cider when Optimus pulled up alongside him. Shrugging Peter opened the door and climbed into his cab,


    ¡°Hey, Optimus. Sorry for the stop, but we want to be fresh for tomorrow, just in case,¡± Peter explained.


    ¡°It is fine Peter. We understand your organic need for rest, and the others are taking the time to explore as well. While we are not organic, our systems do need time to recover as well. We shall all rest tonight.¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°So, what did you want to ask me, I mean, you didn''t pull up here just for a chat.¡± Optimus always seemed more interested in strategy and small talk wasn''t in his vocabulary at all.


    ¡°I have noticed that you are different from your female companions and that they are different to the other humans that inhabit this area. Is it rude to ask if you are not human?¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°It''s fine. I was experimented on by a madman, and I guess I¡¯m a human hybrid. The others, well, not Gwen are hosts to a symbiote, uh, I have no idea if you know their species. The Klyntar?¡±


    Optimus was quiet, and Peter wondered if that was maybe the wrong thing to share. ¡°We are. The Klynatr are slaves of the Kree, and it is heartening to see them free after so long.¡±


    ¡°The Kree? Did they use them for controlling their ships?¡±


    ¡°Yes, You know of the Kree as well?¡± but Peter shook his head and scooted down in the large chair, taking a swig of his cider.


    ¡°We found their tech on Earth, but there was no mention of the species it came from,¡± which he always thought was fair. How many books or reports on earth started with ¡®written by Joe, definitely human.¡¯ Nobody would admit to being an alien, given most of the movies about aliens never ended well for them or their friends.


    ¡°Then may I tell you of the galaxy that we remember, and it may help you understand yourselves and the Klyntar better?¡± Optimus offered


    ¡°Oh yeah? That would be great. Wait, on your ship, do you have historical records? Could we maybe?¡± but Optimus interrupted him,


    ¡°We shall see. I have no idea after all this time how damaged the Ark is, and what condition our computer, Teletran One, is in. For now, an oral retelling shall have to do.¡±


    Peter nodded, settling in comfortably to listen.


    ¡°In the beginning, the gods walked the stars, seeding life and keeping order. Two brothers were created, giant planet-sized entities, known as Primus and Unicron. Primus was content to explore, learn and watch the gods work. Unicron coveted their power, and wanted it for himself.¡±


    Well, Peter thought, it''s only been a couple of billion years and that''s not changed much.


    ¡°Unicron fought the gods, and lost, and in their wisdom, they decided to purge his species from the galaxy. Primus, fearing for his life, learned to change form, and using this new ability, created a planet around himself, and the life that evolved on it became to know him as Cybertron.¡±


    Peter leaned forwards, ¡°But if you¡¯re Cybertronians, how did you come about. I thought you needed the All-Spark to create new Cybertronians?¡±


    ¡°I am getting to that Peter. Billions of years of history are difficult to compress into a few sentences,¡± and suitably chastised Peter leant back and sipped his cider.


    ¡°At first, the life on Cybertron mimicked life everywhere. It was organic in nature, but as they delved deeper into the planet they found the core of Primus, and they used him to evolve. Now part technology part organic, these Maximals formed the first Cybertronian society, but for some, it was not enough.¡±


    Never is, Peter thought to himself,


    ¡°One of them, a Maximal named Megatron, created a virus, one that stripped him of his final organic parts and made him into the first true Transformer, a name we now take as an insult. Claiming that all flesh was fake, he named his faction the Decepticons and preached true technological superiority.¡±


    Optimus sighed.


    ¡°The war raged for centuries. Eventually destroying the organic part of Cybertron all Maximals were forced to adopt their new forms. Forming the Autobots faction, I was still barely functional when the Matrix of Leadership was passed to me. Adding my name to the list of Primes to lead us to peace.¡±


    ¡°In the years, our forms grew smaller as the life force of Cybertron dwindled. Without our organic parts, we were dependent on Energon, the last of the organic energy that circulated in the planet''s core. As we left Cybertron, to try and find a new source, we were attacked by Megatron and his elite warriors, forcing us to crash on the Earth. I alone survived the crash, and in seeking the All-Spark to revive my crew, fell into hibernation mode as well.¡±


    Peter was engrossed, and as Optimus finished he stook a swig, ¡°so, you''ve been here for four million years, what about everyone else?¡±


    ¡°The Skrull empire was in its infancy, but the Kree we met preached total Kree domination. They were no match for the Maximals but their Klyntar slaves could meld with us and create a new technorganic being. We tried to liberate them but with our own civil war, we failed.¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°So you were asking in case we were either a Kree colony or the Klyntar were free and you could use one to recreate Energon?¡±


    ¡°That is my hope. Can you tell me their fate?¡±


    Peter sighed, ¡°The Klyntar were wiped out. The Asgardians destroyed their home planet, and the only ones left are on Earth. I,¡± and he paused, so far Optimus and the others seemed to be friendly, but with the Sentinels and the civil war, he didn''t know, ¡°I would need to speak to the others. Klyntar can only spawn once, and without a guarantee, I cant make that choice. It''s a living thing and not a fuel source.¡±


    ¡°I understand Peter, and I would not ask if the situation was not desperate. We may need to at least borrow a Klyntar to repair our systems. Their abilities may be needed if our doctor is damaged beyond repair.¡±


    Peter nodded and looked down at the empty bottle, ¡°that I can agree to, but you might not need one. My biology is part Klyntar, that''s how I managed to talk to you while you were frozen.¡±


    ¡°I cannot hope that you would agree, if not for my sake then for the others. I am old Peter, having lived for millennia, even before my hibernation, but Arcee was created before we left and had barely experienced the world. Please I ask for them.¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°I can''t promise for anyone else, but sure. If I cant repair Rachet, then I can try to make this Energon you want. Never made energy before though.¡±


    Peter sighed, ¡°let me get some sleep, and I¡¯ll discuss it with everyone else.¡± The door swung open, ¡°For what it''s worth, I will do my best.¡±


    Optimus chuckled, ¡°that is all I ask Peter.¡± and as the door swung shut, Peter watched him drive away to be with the others.


    Peter threw the bottle in the recycling bin in the RV and was greeted by eight expectant women.


    ¡°We are not all going with you tomorrow dear. We decided that a smaller team, plus the Cybertronians would be more advisable, especially as some of us aren¡¯t training.¡± Liv looked over at Gwen who shrugged.


    ¡°Gwen, myself, and Wanda will all be heading home, leaving Carol, Natasha and Laura here to help.¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°We have another problem though, Seems the Autobots want our help to make Energon, and a Klyntar to help repair their friends.¡±


    Liv sighed, ¡°that might be an issue. So far they have been pleasant if a bit standoffish, but I really can''t blame them, humans did imprison them for years and starved them, I wouldn''t trust us either. But a Klyntar is up to you. Only Octave can spawn, and she doesn''t want to. I do think you should spend more time with one. Arcee?¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°Really? The single female one and you send me to talk to her,¡±


    Liv grinned and shrugged, ¡°We all agreed, and we do all know you too  well.¡±


    Gwen nodded, ¡°if someone¡¯s gonna hit on a giant robot lady, it¡¯s either you or Liv,¡± and Liv batted her arm as Gwen snorted, ¡°and Liv doesn¡¯t have the right type of wrench to undo those tight panels of hers.¡± and Liv just shook her head,


    ¡°All being said, if they require someone to interface with their fallen friends then either you or I are the best option, given our backgrounds, and as I am staying away until it is safe, then it does fall to you.¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°right, so that''s the plan tomorrow, what was the discussion for?¡±


    Wanda smiled, ¡°Oh that? We are heading back to the bathhouse, taking turns in tiring you out and then you will be back with Carol and Natasha to assault a giant spaceship. We were just determining the order. And as she waved circles a portal back home appeared. ¡°And I am first.¡±


    The order devolved into splashing wet fun of flesh and laughter and in the end, everyone had their fill, kissed Peter and anyone not busy, goodnight before heading off to bed, leaving Peter, Carol and Natasha lying in very cloudy water. Laura was soaking in one of the tubs, eating chips, while watching the fun but she stood, shook herself off, and stalked out the door, ¡°got big robot lady now, out so we can clean.¡±


    Peter laughed, Laura was definitely taking after Logan more and more, and the gruff belligerent Augments personality was a mix of devilish scamp, who loved practical jokes, loving partner, who would just sit curled on his lap, and sex kitten who was insatiable and sometimes required more than one partner to tire out. Today though she was a no-nonsense fighter, and they had a job to get done. The quicker they clean the bathhouse, the sooner they could get rest and she shoo¡¯d them away before hitting the sprinkler system and purging the pool and bathwater.


    Peter was portalled back to the RV and he found Arcee sitting in robot form next to it, ¡°Optimus said I should speak to you, but nobody was answering.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. We can travel back home instantly and thought you¡¯d all be busy,¡± Peter explained.


    Arcee nodded, ¡°Space bridge technology. We have it too, the ark has an uh, maybe I shouldn¡¯t be telling you this.¡± and she looked over at the big rig sat with the others.


    ¡°Hey, it''s fine. It¡¯s what Optimus wants, for us to get to know each other better?¡± and she nodded. ¡°So uh, rather than sitting and talking, how about we go for a drive? I mean, I don¡¯t have a licence but you do right?¡±


    Arcee snorted and transformed, ¡°If you mean can I stay upright with a passenger while maintaining speed, then yes. I am a Cybertronian after all, I was made to do this.¡±


    Peter made sure nobody was looking and his clothes became a black bodysuit with a slick black helmet.


    The fuel gauge and the speedometer between the handlebars flashed, ¡°Hold on tight,¡± and as Peter gripped the handlebars and slid his feet on the foot pedals, Arcee whooped with joy and shot off at ridiculously high speed.


    Optimus had given her permission to go as far and as fast as she wanted, as long as they were back before dawn to finish the last leg of their journey. She cut loose, letting the energy flow through her and pushing her systems to the max.


    As they sped past a sign, welcoming them to a small town, the cop car, sitting behind it beeped as the speed gun clicked ¡°two-hundred kph¡± and the deputy and his sheriff partner stared at the gun.


    ¡°Yeah, must be a mistake.¡± because, even though they had seen the readout, heard the approaching engine, and watched as the bike blew past them, they knew nobody would ever believe them.

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Eighteen. The Needs Of The Many

    They had managed to ride for an hour and were a few hundred kilometres away. With her arcstar reactor, and her small size Arcee wasn''t feeling the drain as much as the others, and As Peter spread a single thread of symbskin to connect to her, they talked as they rode together, Peter telling her of his life and adventures so far.


    They found a gas station and after filling her tank with water for the reactor, rode to find a quiet spot to talk.


    ¡°Peter. I know Optimus asked, but why are you reluctant to create a Klyntar? Are you unsure if we would treat it correctly?¡± Arcee asked him as they drove, she knew this was an important mission, the survival of the Autobots and a chance to reinvigorate Cybertron were at stake. She had to succeed no matter what.


    Peter snorted, and shook his head, ¡°More the other way around Arcee. You must not have met many. They live off your brain chemistry and love the more stimulative chemicals we produce. I''m worried that your bodies either can''t support one and it dies, or they can and without a means to calm it, you become a raging death machine. I mean, you¡¯re the smallest Autobot here, and you¡¯re still taller and stronger than most people on the planet. Imagine if Optimus lost control.


    Arcee nodded, ¡°it is from concern, and not wariness. I can understand that.¡± and she slid her legs up to her chest and hugged them, ¡°but we must take that chance. Without Energon, we will go back into hibernation, and our fate will be the same as the others. Your reactor can sustain me, but Optimus and the others are suffering. Without Energon, even with the gasoline, it is not enough. We need a solution or face permanent hibernation.¡±


    Peter patted her on the leg, ¡°I know, and if your computer can tell us how to make Energon or even its chemical formula, we can help.¡±


    Arcee lay her head on her knees, ¡°and if you fail? I am worried for my people, Peter, and I must insist. Please. Is there anything I can do to make you sure we are capable of handling a symbiote?¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°to be honest, I had no idea that technological life even existed, I mean, we¡¯ve got three machines built, but uh, ¡° and Peter pushed, ¡°okay, hear me out. If I can interface with your systems I can do a complete system check, I''ve done it with Friday, and I know she isn''t compatible. But, if we do this, and I spawn a symbiote for you, I want to borrow the Soul Stone and give my three friends souls.¡±


    Arcee lifted her head, ¡°I cannot speak for Optimus, but I can agree to the test. If my system is compatible we can take your suggestion to him. If you vouch for them, then I am sure he will agree.¡±


    Peter nodded and let out a long breath, ¡°but you realise that this will be personal right? I mean, it''s not just briefly touching you and nodding, I will invade your systems, touch your mind and share everything with you. If Cybertronians have the concept of sex, then this is as close to it as we can get.¡±


    ¡°I do not understand. I have allowed other Autobots to access my systems. How else do you run diagnostics when there is a fault?¡±


    ¡°Reproduction? Sex is reproduction.¡± Peter said bluntly.


    ¡°Ahh, No. We do not do that. Cybertronians are designed and built, with a spark being created from within the All-Spark. Some are old, some are new. As we discover and grow we design newer bodies, with more streamlined systems and upgraded more efficient parts.¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°sounds easier than sex, but not as much fun.¡±


    Arcee shook her head. ¡°As I have no experience with either I cannot comment. I was only created several cycles before the mission that brought us here. This was my first mission.¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°a long mission,¡° and Arcee nodded.


    Peter leaned back against Arcee¡¯s leg, ¡°What happens tomorrow if the ship is too damaged? It''s been millions of years.¡±


    Arcee paused, ¡°I do not know Peter. Are we safe here?¡±


    All he could do was sigh. ¡°I wish I could say yes Arcee, but so far, no one''s been that safe. What I can do though is make sure you¡¯re taken somewhere you can live.¡± Peter looked up, ¡°how does Mars sound, it''s a couple of planets out, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯s nice,¡° Peter laughed, ¡°plus, it''s the only planet in the solar system to be populated completely by robots.¡±


    Arcee shook her head, ¡°I hardly think there are other Cybertronians,¡±


    Peter sat up and shook his head, ¡°Probes,¡± and as he took out his phone he searched for the most recent pics, ¡°see, it might not be an achievement for your people, but this is amazing stuff. There is a mission planned in 2025 to send people,¡±


    Arcee nodded, ¡°it is, for a young species,¡±


    ¡°We didn''t even have flight a hundred years ago, and now, we¡¯ve been to the Moon and soon Mars. It''s amazing,¡±


    Arcee smiled, ¡°and your enthusiasm is infectious. If we are to stay, then I would gladly offer my services, Optimus may prefer to start on this Mars planet but I like it here.¡±


    Peter leaned back, ¡°and we¡¯d happily accept you. We might not be the best species in the galaxy, but we have our moments.¡± Peter stood and stretched, ¡°but we also have a mission tomorrow, and while I have no idea if Autobots sleep, I know that I do need at least 4 hours or I''m grumpy.¡±


    ¡°Sleep? Like hibernation, then yes we do, but we can recharge to alleviate mental fatigue.¡± Peter offered her his hand and while she smiled she shook her head,  ¡°I believe my chassis weight would overwhelm you,¡±


    Peter laughed and put his hands on her waist, ¡°May I?¡± and Arcee nodded


    Taking a breath Peter spread his legs a little and tensing lifted her from the ground. ¡°I¡¯m a lot stronger than I look,¡± and he gently lowered her to the ground, ¡°and while it is rude to say this to an Earthen lady, you are not as heavy as you look.¡±


    ¡°I believe that is rude on almost every planet Peter, regardless of species. However, I am aware that my chassis was designed to fit a certain aesthetic, and I find it appealing.¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°oh it is.¡± and his eyes roamed over the smooth outlines of her body. While she looked armoured, it was strange that for a species designed to be entirely male in appearance, that a single, and for her size, dainty and curvaceous, female form had been created. He watched as Arcee transformed back into her motorcycle mode,


    As he swung a leg over and allowed himself to connect she spoke, ¡°Peter, I would like to drive more and see the Earth. Can you sleep, if I hold onto you?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea,¡± and as he leaned forwards, a metal band slid over his feet and hands, ¡°it¡¯s not too bad,¡± and his symbskin armour slid out, covering him in a cocoon, letting him rest his head down. ¡°Give me four hours, and then wake me.¡±


    Gwen had suggested something to him once, and he let a small amount of sedative into his system he fell asleep to the gentle purring of Arcee¡¯s engine.


    Arcee rode, she had no idea what to do with this human, but she remembered the last conversation she had with Optimus.


    If Peter can create a Klyntar, and Ratchet is non-functional then I can only ask you to do whatever it takes to gain access to a Klyntar.


    Acee tilted her head, And if I am reformatted?


    I cannot force you to do anything Arcee, and I will not. I will leave the choice to you and know that whatever you chose that I am proud to call you Autobot, and friend.


    Arcee stared at Optimus. He knew her ideals were not as strict as his own, and if it meant taking a Klyntar and isolating the Autobots from Peter then that was what it would take,


    But Peter had mentioned sexual intercourse, a possible alternate route to a violent or forceful solution. As she sped down the highways she adapted a transmitted, and began to monitor Earthen communication networks, finding herself on a portal of information, called a search engine.


    As she searched for human interactions, she discovered that bonding was similar to Cybertronian relationships. Spending time, visiting favourite locations, discussions and shared interests. However, after navigating several pages, she discovered what Peter had meant by procreation and was astounded.


    She read through pages upon pages of detailed anatomical pictures of both the human male and female genitalia, as well as accompanying instructions on the method of procreation.


    Amazed by how inefficient it was, that the human females used their own bodies to build their tiny human offspring she wondered if any other methods were possible, and upon finding more information was now confused.


    While several pages had male and female, there were many more terms that she failed to understand. Many different pairs were possible and some even changed not just their gender but their own physical forms using painful surgery. Arcee marvelled as she read page after page on not just gender but sexuality and wondered how such a mixed-up confused species ever managed to last long enough to become dominant.


    Her own chassis design had just felt right, and if it didn''t she would change it for a new one. She was sure if she explained that to some humans they would be amazed and jealous. In all, it was a confusing and widely discussed topic with no clear answer.


    She had observed Peter with several of the human females and had noticed certain changes when he interacted with them compared to when he interacted with Optimus. As she scanned her own database of interactions she noticed the same responses towards her.


    If these pages were correct, then Peter was physiologically attracted to her chassis, and if the instructions were correct then he might desire to procreate with her. The thought was not repulsive, she had several data entry sports, every Cybertronian did, to allow diagnosis and repair. It might be possible with Peter¡¯s powers that one of these could be adapted to do this procreation that humans seemed obsessed by.


    As Arcee left Peter to sleep, she continued to read page after page of material. If she could save her species by this method, it was one that she would gladly perform, especially given how enthusiastic some of the females in the short clips seemed to be when their entry ports were probed by the males.


    As she slowed she gently revved her engine and Peter opened his eyes and yawned, ¡°hey Arcee. I didn''t snore did I?¡±


    ¡°No Peter, although I am unsure as to what snoring is, you were quiet, and barely moved. I enjoyed our ride together. Spending time in your company had been illuminating, and there is something I wish to ask you.¡±


    ¡°Sure, pull over, maybe find a gas station and we can both get something to eat.¡±


    Arcee travelled a few more miles back down the road they had travelled, knowing the correct signage for one of the refuelling stations. Peter left her filling her tank while he grabbed a gas station burrito, chips and soda for himself.


    He checked the surrounding area and found a quiet spot to park, and she transformed back into her robot form.


    Unwrapping the bland but semi filling burrito Peter took a bite, ¡°so, what¡¯s up?¡± he asked. Arcee now seemed hesitant, and he figured she had found a solution to their problem, one that he would probably not like.


    ¡°I have been researching human interactions, and I have found a solution to our problem. I am aware that close bonding rituals exist, and wish to partake of one, with you.¡±


    Peter stared at the Autobot as she smiled at him, and as he swallowed the last bite, he was trying not to choke,


    ¡°You want to what?¡± he asked as he thumped his chest to clear the burrito,


    ¡°I believe it is called sex. Yes. I would like to have sex with you.¡±

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Nineteen. More Than Meets The Eye (NSFW)

    Malisson


    For those of you who have been following the story for a while (thank you by the way), you may recognise this as one of the bonus chapters I posted to celebrate the release of my one-hundredth chapter.


    It was removed when I did my huge re-edit, and now, here it is back and in its proper place in the story.


    And yes, it is a NSFW chapter featuring a transformer.


    ¡°Uh, you know we might not be exactly compatible,¡± he replied as Arcee stretched out,


    ¡°I am aware, but your armour, does it not allow you to connect to a port? Optimus mentioned that was how you communicated.¡± Arcee paused and slid a hand over her chest plate. It split and inside was a golden sphere, held in place by two long rods. As she moved a hand over the centre, it split again, and inside Peter could see her spark, floating and spinning. ¡°I am willing to allow you access to my spark chamber.¡±


    Peter shook his head while taking in a slow breath. ¡°No. Arcee, I have no idea what will happen. Without the All-Spark I could kill you.¡± He moved his hand up to a port directly above it, ¡°What about here?¡±


    ¡°That allows the chamber to be removed, and for a medical officer to check that my spark has not sustained damage. There were tales and legends of Cybertronians who split their sparks in two, and used it to create a companion.¡±


    ¡°If I access that, would I risk damaging you?¡± He asked, and a symbskin glove formed over his hand, while Arcee shook her head.


    ¡°I do not believe so. ¡° and she lay down, sliding one arm between Peter''s legs as he knelt beside her. ¡°I may move, and this will result in maximum comfort. Are you ready?¡±


    Peter placed his hand over the port, and a small sliver of symbskin covered it.


    Arcee glitched as Peter slid into her port. She¡¯d never tried a direct interface before, even though she¡¯d heard the data transfer could be intense and now she wished she had. As his technopathic powers created a bridge between them, her spark shuddered and tingled. She never even knew it could do that but now, she wanted more.


    Arcee had never moaned with pleasure before but as his gentle caress glided through her, and her circuits began to light up with the new sensation, she wanted to reciprocate. She had seen others, so she had an idea of what to do.


    The human database she had read inferred that the male¡¯s genitals or their ¡°penis¡± was sensitive and she lifted her hand and touched Peter between his legs, ¡°I wish to try more.¡±


    As his pants slid away she gently took his manhood into her mouth port. Carefully letting some of her internal lubricant coat it so her filters and dirt traps didn''t damage its delicate structure.


    Of course, the inside of her mouth was a smooth cold metal and even as she took Peter''s cock deeper down than anyone else had ever managed he still kept his symbskin finger in her interface, trying his hardest to contain his lust.


    Arcee might be a novice but she activated a gentle vacuum and let the pressure build on Peter''s cock, she knew eventually he would release a fluid and she wondered if it would be compatible with her systems. As his finger gently probed she felt it tingle more and more and each time he slid into her she felt the jolt from her spark grow.


    Without taking him out of her mouth she activated an external speaker ¡°you may release if you desire¡± she spoke, knowing soon her spark would jolt one more time and she might have to shut down due to the sensory overload. She would prefer to have him release his fluid before that happened as she was curious if he did contain Energon as Optimus theorised.


    Peter could feel the bright spark of energy that was her life force grow each time he slid more of himself into her, he could feel her impatience at his reluctance to finish but deciding that trust was a two-way street he prepared for one final push.


    He felt the spark within her pulse out and the emergency system activated, her pleasure circuits overloaded and shut down but before her whole system crashed he came in her mouth, letting the energy-rich cum he knew she was after pour into her.


    Where it met her damaged systems they immediately rebooted and reformatted. She purred and he felt her vibrate around him, making him cum again and he enjoyed feeling her drink him down, with the others in the warehouse having a preference for oral he always enjoyed it as much as they did.


    Arcee felt the Energon rich fluid infiltrate her systems and her spark sang, no longer glitching it thrummed and every one of her circuits sang in harmony with him. She felt herself reformat but she didn''t care, I wonder if it will let me take him more ports? She thought and as the torrent of fluid came to a disappointing end she used the self-cleaning apparatus in her throat, normally used to wash the dirt from her oral cavity, gently clean away the remaining fluid from his penis.


    As he stepped back Arcee finished her transformation, the familiar grinding and mechanical noise accompanying her new form. She was still a motorcycle but now she was a slick black and white colour and transforming back into her robot form she was now slightly smaller, only a head taller than Peter but with four new limbs stretching out of her back and a spider motif over her chest. As she marvelled at her new form she realised that she had new blast shields on her body and as they slid back a new surprise was waiting.


    Her chest floatation devices, normally used to keep her heavier than normal chaise, had two small nipples, pale grey in colour, on them and to test she gently pressed one. As she let out a moan she slapped a hand over her mouth, was that me? And as she did it again, once more she moaned.


    ¡°Uh, human females have those, they¡¯re nipples. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be having children though, so they¡¯ll be mainly for sex,¡± and Arcee nodded.


    She also noted that like a female of the species she had a port between her legs and one just slightly above it, knowing full well what they were used for she shook her head,


    ¡°I think you have formatted me to be sexually compatible with your species. Do you wish to engage in more sexual copulation with me?¡±


    Peter grinned and although she was heavy, it was not difficult to lift her, as she wrapped her arms around his neck he lifted and tilted her and slid effortlessly into her.


    Arcee glitched immediately, her mouth open in a frozen moan of pleasure, her spark pulsed and spun faster with each thrust. Shrugging, he had no clue if this was normal. He began to slide her up and down his member, and soon she was panting and growling in his ear.


    Once her spark had started pulsing rhythmically her systems came alive, she had never felt anything, never heard of anything like this before and she wanted more. She pushed him down and he let her, sank to the floor and Arcee slid him all the way into her, feeling the tip touching something deep inside her.


    It was a connection to her spark chamber as they touched she felt him, not just physically but mentally as well, they were connected and even Peter felt it. A  primal force that neither of them understood and soon he erupted within her.


    Her spark chamber opened and his cum flowed into it, its brilliant blue colour doused in the white creamy liquid but rather than extinguishing it, it glowed more, absorbing it and strengthening itself.


    Arcee and Peter both held each other close. Peter''s cock raged as pleasure ripped through him and Arcee couldn''t move as her spark was not only repaired but strengthened and invigorated. She felt connected to the Matrix of Leadership, she felt connected to every Cybertronian left on earth and through them, she felt a connection to Primus himself.


    Her spark shuddered and began to turn a delicate lilac colour as a red-tinged its normally blue colour, it deepened into a darker royal purple and they began to fade into a deep red.


    Arcee shuddered and twitched as her spark sent new programming instructions to her systems, new information was taken from Peter and reformatted her once more. She twitched and glitched as systems transformed and changed.


    Peter watched as the once smooth metal Cybertronian shifted once more, her form shifting and he saw a symbskin coating form over her, a delicate red colour that matched the pink of her armour.


    As the skin slipped out and over her he could watch the physical changes as they happened, joints were smoothed and became more organic, the thick metal plates of her body softened and to his surprise, her chest plate split and became two breasts, human and with very pink nipples that spring out like two spark plugs.


    Her limbs shortened and her chest shrunk, metal plates folded and slid inside and she screamed and stretched herself outwards, mechanical parts smoothing and vanishing under symbskin covering.


    She huffed and he could see the steam coming from her mouth as she stood and wrapped an arm around her head she stretched and Peter gasped at what he saw.


    She was human, or at least a transformer human hybrid. The smooth metal plates now had a red hue but looked like battle armour over pale and creamy white thighs. Her chest was bare and two large but perfectly proportioned breasts sat with delicate pink nipples, as she reached back they bounced softly. Her face was now more human as well, the grill usually in her mouth port gone and placed by pearly white teeth, surrounded by pink lips. She even had hair, and the soft flowing locks were a delicate pastel pink colour, the same as her Autobot form.


    Unsurprising as well he could see between her legs a small patch of the same pink hair atop a human vagina, it glistened and as she stretched a pink clit peeked out from between the lips.


    Whatever introducing his cum into her had done it had made her more human, or more symbiote, he couldn''t decide which. Even Arcee stares at herself in amazement, with now human eyes.


    She still had her optics, there was no difference in her interface but now, she could see proper colours and knew what they were, she could smell and now no longer had a display of good or bad she knew herself if she liked it or not. Her body was no longer the living Cybertronian metal she had been built with but now was a mix of hardened armoured plates and soft spinning material that was pleasant when she ran her fingers over it, touch, even her sense of touch was different. No longer registering an exact number she knew that it was soft but not the material molecular density or hardness index.


    ¡°You, what did you do?¡± Arcee based and paused, her vocal unit had also changed, instead of the mechanical sound synthesised voice she felt the air currents move over a new organ and her voice came out soft and silky. ¡°Talk, I''m talking, I can talk¡± she spoke, laughing as her new voice sounded good to her ears.


    ¡°Uh, I dunno¡± Peter shrugged, he¡¯d connected with her systems and that was as far as he knew. ¡°Made you more suitable for Earth I guess?¡± and he shrugged.


    ¡°Technorganic, I''m now a technorganic life form, I still have my spark, I can feel it but, it''s not the same '''' Arcee wondered if she could even transform.


    Willing the change she felt herself shift. No, she had two forms now, two extra modes as well as her, and she laughed, human form.


    ¡°I have a symbiote as well. Reboot, we are Reboot¡± and as the symbiote flesh covered her surprisingly she looked human.


    Her form had pale white skin with two moderately sized breasts, pale pink nipples sat on their centres, and Peter could see while hairless she also had human genitals, the same light pink colour, she lifted and hand and examined it ant was human, fingernails soft supple skin and running her hand over her face and up she felt it, she had hair, a light blonde colour, almost golden in colour and as she ran her fingers through it she whispered, ¡°it''s so soft,¡± and Peter smiled.


    "Maybe some clothes though, if you''re in that form" and as Reboot willed it she changed and stood in a white summer dress. ¡°Perfect,¡± was all Peter said.


    ¡°Uh, I don''t know if I can still transform though,¡± and willing it, she began to change once more. Her form seemed to unfold, hidden plates splitting the skin seamlessly and she became a more robotic looking transformer once more. The plates melded with her body perfectly and then the real transformation began.


    Her vehicle form was now a sleek but smaller bike. One seat but instead of wheels she had one hover disc at the front and a pair at the back, and she bobbed effortlessly over the ground. Her pink and white colour hadn''t changed but now she had dark red striped down each side as well.


    ¡°So, I guess you still want me to ride you huh?¡± Peter laughed and Arcee floated over and bashed him gently in rebuttal. ¡°Want to try it out?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I enjoyed it when you rode me,¡± Arcee replied, and Peter wondered if she got her innuendo or not.


    Slipping into the warm and comfortable seat he slid forwards, the bike was designed to be ridden flat, not sat upright and as a port opened where his groin was, he knew perfectly well that Arcee had understood her comment.

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Twenty. Maximal Effect

    The pair rode for a few hours, as Arcee adapted to her new forms. She entered several gas stations and Peter pointed to some food items that she might like. Grabbing a selection, they had a small picnic where Arcee decided that sweet was unpalatable, salty was her favourite, spicy was amazing but made her hyperactive, and bitter was definitely off the menu. While there was also umami, they couldn''t find anything suitable, and the beef jerky came across as either sweet or salty depending on the type of seasoning it had.


    Hidden in a field, the naked Arcee stood and let the wind blow across her skin, giggling and laughing as she twirled in the breeze. She stared in amazement as her skin became bumpy and Peter laughed while he explained what goosebumps were. For all intents and purposes, she was human in that form, and even as Reboot slid over her and coated her in armour, she looked more like Peter in his mark two armour than an Autobot.


    They were sitting drinking sodas and watching the stars when Arcee cuddled up to him, ¡°I am hesitant to reveal my new nature to the others, what if they reject me?¡± She said as she stroked the side of his face.


    The softness of his skin was new under her fingers and was more than just a reading across her sensors. ¡°Optimus will be pleased with Reboot, but I am hesitant about my new organic form.¡±


    Peter leaned over and lay his head on her shoulder, ¡°I can''t answer that, but I think Optimus and the rest will be happy for you. I mean, isn¡¯t this what you wanted?¡±


    But Arcee signed, ¡°It was. A Klyntar, but now I realise what that means. I am now partly organic, like my ancestors, and I now have a responsibility to keep her, and myself alive. I do not know if my spark will accept another chassis, or if I can even move from this body if it is damaged.¡±


    ¡°So, pretty much like the rest of us then. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fine. You have good friends and companions who will make sure you are safe.¡±


    Arcee nodded, and ran her hand over his collar bone, turning her own head and softly kissing his cheek. It was all new, and it felt wonderful. ¡°I know, but I am unsure as to how to proceed. Reboot is unique, as am I. And we are unsure if we can make another of us.¡± Arcee shifted so she could look Peter in the eye. ¡°It was a unique experience, but as Reboot has shared, you prefer the females of your species. You would be unwilling to perform the same action with the others?¡±


    Peter took a drink of his soda, ¡°Yeah, you might only have one gender, and be built, but they look male enough, that yeah, I wouldn''t.¡± and there was the problem. They had no idea if it was Reboot that caused the change, or Peter''s cell infusion plus Reboot, or what caused her to revert back to a technorganic lifeform. And while Peter had absolutely no issue with who anyone wanted to have sex with, the thought of repeating the earlier sex with anyone other than Arcee was not appealing.


    ¡°No, I understand, your species has a complicated sexual and gender culture, with many strange rules and preferences. Do you know of anyone else who would be willing?¡± and Peter had to shrug,


    He knew Maria was straight, as Scott was proof of that, but Flash was the last person he was ever going to ask what his preferred partner was, or if he would even consider a giant robot.


    ¡°It is fine. I am sure Optimus will know a way that we can reformat Cybertron. He is the oldest of us all.¡±


    Peter frowned, ¡°I thought that was Megatron?¡±


    Arcee shook her head, ¡°Megatron is a title, the same as Prime, it is passed from leader to leader.¡±


    ¡°So wait. Optimus wasn''t always Optimus?¡±


    Arcee shook her head, ¡°He had another name, I am sure what it was though, most abandon their former lives when chosen. The Matrix selects a new leader, and we respect its choice. It is the sparks of all previous Primes, and contains wisdom beyond even our years.¡±


    Peter nodded, that sounded like a great idea, but what if one Prime was an asshole, or had extremist views? Surely that would make it a bit redundant, but it wasn¡¯t up to him, so if the Autobots were happy enough doing things that way, who was he to argue.


    ¡°Maybe as you are now a Maximal again, you should see if the Matrix responds to you?¡± and


    Arcee lifted herself from his shoulder and stared at him, ¡°No,¡± and she shook her head, ¡°The Matrix is only passed from one leader to the next when the time of passing draws near. Optimus has been the leader of the Autobots for millennia, and will continue to be for millennia more.¡±


    Peter raised his hands in mock surrender, ¡°It''s fine, I didn''t know,¡° but still cursed his lack of opportunity. Amazon Prime would have been a great suggestion, even if Liv or one of the others would have scolded him.


    As the pair sat cuddled together the sun started to creep along the horizon. ¡°Uh, we maybe should head back. We did promise to get some rest before we take back the ark.¡±


    Arcee pulled away and stretched, yawning and moaning ¡°oh, that feels amazing, how do you not sleep and stay comfortable all day?¡±


    As he stood, he offered a hand to her and she stood, shifted into her robot form and then into her new hovercycle mode. ¡°It''s tough.¡± As he sat down reboot slid beneath him and they connected once more. ¡°Especially with someone you like, last night was a small taste of what we usually get up to.¡±


    Peter lay down onto Arcee¡¯s new chassis and made himself comfortable. Reboot reached out and the pair joined once more.


    Last night was what we do, a date and then uh, Peter explained, but let''s stay focused this time, though, not that I didn''t enjoy last night, but we have to get back before everyone is ready.


    I know, I just enjoy the sensation and the closeness. We do share social events, but I have never attempted to do so. The war made it impossible, and to stray was to invite an ambush.


    We are happy to be bonded with such a unique lifeform, we wish to share with our sisters though, and we believe the Liv would like that more than the others, Reboot added, but we are happy with our host.


    Liv will be mad I had sex with you, and then mad that she wasn¡¯t invited, and then mad if you say no but she won''t make an issue out of it, she¡¯s just really really into giant robots,


    We know, and we will not say no, will we? Reboot added while laughing


    I have yet to experience the female of your species, and I am curious if they will be as compatible as you were. I understand though, that they are missing your entry plug, we will have to adapt.


    Yeah, you didn''t get to the gay stuff then, most humans learned to adapt pretty quick when sex is involved,


    Arcee laughed and revved her engine, shooting off down the highway. Her new form was now much faster, reaching Mach speeds while keeping on the ground. Her form didn''t have flight and compensated for the upthrust. Peter didn''t care though but kept an eye out for police cruisers, and towns. Travelling close to the sound barrier would be good enough without shattering windows or causing property damage as they sped back to the camp.


    As they pulled up Optimus stood from the small gathering that had assembled. ¡°It is good to see you back, you were almost late.¡± but he made no comment about Arcee''s new vehicle form.


    ¡°Optimus, wait.¡± she said and as she transformed she stayed in her usual robot mode, ¡°Peter and I came to an agreement.¡± and Optimus nodded ¡°But, not what we were expecting.¡±


    Arcee stood, and first transformed into her technorganic form, waiting until her plates had settled before looking at Optimus, then she transformed once more, becoming her human form, one Peter and herself had dubbed her Pretender form. As Reboot swarmed over her, covering her modesty, Optimus shifted and sat down again,


    ¡°And your vehicle form, is that a result of the changes?¡± Optimus asked. It was normal for younger Autobots to choose different forms until they were satisfied, and he himself had grown past feeling the need to alter his outer configuration.


    Arcee nodded, ¡°I am now part organic, as our ancestors once were, but I do not have an animal form.¡±


    Optimus laughed, ¡°You are incorrect Arcee. Humans are not unique on this planet. Your Maximal form is that of a human,¡± and Arcee looked over at Peter who shrugged.


    ¡°I dont know the rules, you tell me,¡° he said, ¡°but, he is correct, Homo Sapien, or well, I dont know what I am, something in between human and Klyntar. I guess.¡± They had never given Peter his own classification, human-Klyntar hybrid was as far as it went.


    ¡°Will the others accept me?¡± Arcee asked, worried she would be rejected.


    Optimus stood, and moved over, placing a huge hand on her shoulder. ¡°Arcee, you are the most important member of the Autobots now. Your Maximal form will allow us to return the planet to its original form, and the Autobots as well. The future is in your hands.¡±


    Arcee looked up, and as she transformed back into her robot mode Peter heard her whisper, ¡°no pressure then,¡± and the pair moved off to rejoin the group.


    ¡°After we have recharged the best we can, we will make the last leg of our journey. Three teams. Peter, you can scout the entrance your people made, while we form two teams to scout for the entrance I left through. It has been several million years, and I doubt the tunnel is still there. I can but hope.¡± and Peter nodded.


    While Trask had taken samples he hadn''t gutted the ark, or there would have been more than one Master Mold. The entrance he used must have been small, or larger Cybertronians in robot form would have been at the dam. He may have even hidden the Ark from the government, hoping to salvage more technology once his business was more profitable. But as he was dead, Peter could only guess what the man¡¯s plan was.


    Whatever it was, Peter was glad it had failed. While the larger machines would have been easier to spot, they would have also been more destructive and Master Mold was probably the limit of Trask''s expertise. Thankfully he hadn¡¯t released a plague of angry and violent newly born Cybertronians on the Earth.


    Optimus and Arcee left the small group and Natasha sidled over, with a huge grin on her face, ¡°Giant robot?¡±


    Peter smiled and shrugged, ¡°Scored it off my bucket list.¡±


    Natasha laughed, ¡°Liv is going to be mad at you,¡±


    ¡°It''s not like I planned it, it just happened, I was supposed to be a test to see if her systems were compatible with a Klyntar, to see if -¡± but Natasha put a finger on his lips


    ¡°Liv is going to be mad you had sex with a giant robot without her, not that you did. Plus, her human form is kinda sexy. Think she likes women?¡±


    Peter shook his head in amusement and laughed, ¡°We can save that conversation for when we¡¯re home. For now, let''s get the RV back and then head to this volcano. Where I¡¯m sure it''s full of doom or evil or something else. They always are.¡±


    ¡°Intimidating with convenient dead body disposal. What¡¯s not to love if you''re after a secret death mountain,¡± Natasha joked as she mounted the RV, ¡°Can you get one of the others to follow me, I¡¯ll need a ride back, or you know,¡± and she waved a hand at Arcee, ¡°maybe ask the latest addition.¡±


    Peter raised an eyebrow, ¡°Arcee, Nat wants a ride, like the one you gave me, want to, or¡±


    He was greeted by the familiar mechanical noise, as Arcee transformed into her Maximal form. She let Reboot slide over her, forming leather pants and a white tank top.


    ¡°Yes, I think I shall allow Natasha to ride me.¡± and she stepped into the RV, ¡°On the way back as well.¡±


    Natasha laughed and left Peter staring at the closing door, as Arcee sat in the passenger seat next to her. He could only shake his head and laugh to himself. As he looked over, he shouted,


    ¡°Uh Optimus, I need a ride. Mine just discovered girls.¡±

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Twenty One. Running Wild

    Peter climbed into Optimus¡¯s cab while waving at Natasha and Arcee as they left to return the RV. Laura and Carol had chosen to ride with Jazz, as both loved his newer and much sleeker form.


    He tired his headset into their communications and was discussing the plan with everyone else. The main issue was what to do if it wasn¡¯t a Cybertronian and if the infiltrator was Nimrod or human forces.


    ¡°While I can appreciate your help, Peter,¡± Optimus explained, ¡°You cannot interfere with our mission. If the invaders are your people, we must ensure they are not tampering with our ship. And that they are not harming anyone.¡±


    Peter sighed ¡°I get that, but I can talk to them, make them aware they are trespassing, and get them to leave.¡± Peter paused and leaned back in the massive leather seat. ¡±But if it¡¯s Nimrod, we¡¯ll have a problem. I think he was made from Cybertronian tech, and he will be hostile. His programming is driving him to annihilate all Augmented life on Earth, and I have to stop that. Your people have waited millions of years, stopping Nimrod might need to be done first.¡±


    There was silence for a few minutes, and Peter wondered if Optimus was about to reject his proposal.


    ¡°As long as Nimrod poses no danger to my people''s wellbeing, then I agree. Stopping him from accessing Teletran One or the weapons systems of the Ark should take priority. I will not allow life on this world to end because of my impatience.¡±


    Peter smiled, ¡°Thank you, and once he is, I will make it my mission to help as many people as I can. We can bring in any equipment you might need.¡±


    ¡°We thank you Peter, but once Ratchet is functional again he should be able to repair any damage we might have encountered. We will leave the discussion about the remains of our people until after we are more prepared to deal with your government. For now, The Ark is our main priority, and stopping your Sentinel, Nimrod.¡±


    Peter sighed, ¡°and what do we do if he¡¯s a cannibalised Cybertronain? I mean, we don¡¯t want him, but he might not be one of your people either.¡±


    ¡°I will leave that decision until I meat him. If he contains a spark, then he is one of us, if he is a machine made by your people, then he is your problem.¡± Optimus stated, ¡°However. If he is hostile to the Autobots, we will react accordingly. I will not leave a threat to run free within the Ark, we have the resources to repair it, but they will be stretched thin.¡±


    Peter would be glad if Optimus and the others were forced to destroy him. It would take the decision and the fallout away from him for a change. Nobody in the government was going to argue, especially once Optimus started to pressure them over the contents of Hoover Dam.


    There was also the issue of Arcee. Optimus and the others genuinely felt grateful for Reboot, and Arcee''s upgrade, but now they were also beginning to ask if there was a way for the rest to have the same treatment. A simple symbcell bath wasn''t going to be enough, and so far, all the answers he had gotten had been a resounding no. The only two symbiotes he hadn''t contacted were Logan, as he still hasn''t returned, and Flash, as Mariah sent a rather pointed and rude response.


    Reboot herself was able to spawn once, but if they used the chance up with another Autobot, would that affect their chances with Cybertron. It was all guesswork and conjecture, and Optimus¡¯s pragmatic attitude was to wait until they were home before making any decision.


    Even without powers, Peter could tell this had not gone down well with the others. Being stranded on an alien world, and slowly starving with the solution sitting right there was not an easy thing to swallow.


    But as Reboot and Arcee were not prisoners or willing, then it would ultimately be her decision. For now, Natasha had told him that they would be heading back to the warehouse, to allow Reboot to join with her sisters, and grow a little.


    Allowing Reboot to bond with other hosts would deeper her understanding of her powers, and let Arcee experience the lives of humanoids. She might be an alien but Peter even wondered if interspecies cooperation could be achieved faster by allowing the Klyntar to act as intermediaries. Their natural telepathic powers would remove language barriers and could instruct their hosts on cultural taboos and rituals that would normally need months of study to become familiar with.


    Those cheating rotten turds, Peter thought to himself as an idea crossed his mind.


    The girls had no issue learning the scrolls and had mercilessly teased Peter about his slow progress through a never-ending pile of Wakandan laws and practices. They had cheated. They had snuck off, bonded with Jhalia to introduce Shuri to the greater group and in doing so gained all her intimate knowledge about Wakandan culture, oh they are in so much trouble, he thought to himself, and he pondered on how to get them back.


    Touching the interface with his powers, he opened his contacts page, and selecting Emma, sent her a message.


    Busy right now, still solving the Sentinel problem, but once I¡¯m home, we can talk about what I owe you, make a list, check it twice, and you can let me know if I need to be naughty or nice, xx Peter


    It will definitely be naughty darling, and expensive. Emma replied, but don¡¯t make me wait too long, I have a life you know, and I was quite clear I am not to be taken for granted.


    If Emma wanted to get in on their lives, then she now had an open invitation. They had already discussed it, and after his need to give her protection against Ross, there was now very little between them. This was just the official way of welcoming her to the family, and a good way to get back at the others, as he was sure he could persuade Emma to help. An outside ally, and one that nobody would suspect.


    The final leg of the journey was quiet, and nearing the large volcano there were several park roads, all heading around but not close to the base. It had been marked as dangerous, falling rocks and other rain hazards had closed it off, and Peter wondered if it was dangerous or if Trask had paid someone to keep it private.


    ¡°Okay everyone, I''ve got police frequencies monitored and so far nothing over the usual scumbags and idiots. We¡¯re going to have to go off-road, the GPS says the coordinated Optimus gave us is through the park and at the bottom of the volcano. So, on foot from here.¡± Peter said, as his armour slid over him. The black was safe to use here. Not many people outside New York cared who Venom was.


    As Arcee approached the side of the road, Natasha dismounted and her armour slid over him, thickening. Wandering into a possible combat situation unarmoured against a Sentinel that had absorbed who knows what power was stupid, and as Laura and Carol, did the same, he nodded.


    ¡°Optimus, you won''t fit past the trees. You let us scout ahead with Arcee and Jazz. follow behind, keep your distance and we¡¯ll make a perimeter around you.¡±


    ¡°If Nimrod is at the Ark, then stealth is unnecessary.  Ironhide said but Venom shook his head


    ¡°It''s not him I¡¯m worried about, it''s a jogger or hiker seeing five giant robots walking through the trees and calling the national guard.¡±


    The giant robot huffed and crossed his arms, ¡°This mission that requires speed, not stealth. Once the authorities are alerted we can take care of them.¡±


    ¡°Yup, sure you can, but right now the public is still twitchy after our own robot attack, they might not listen and come guns blazing. You can handle yourselves, but do you want to open fire on innocent people?¡±


    Ironhide paused for a second, ¡°A valid point, but in these forms, we are conspicuous anyway. I still vote for speed. If your forms are able to keep up.¡±


    Venom laughed, ¡°we¡¯ll have to slow down for your rusty undercarriage to stop from falling apart at the speeds we can fly, you cant use your vehicle mode in dense trees.¡±


    Ironhide laughed, ¡°And why have you been examining my undercarriage. I was aware that you preferred the slimmer feminine curves of Arcee¡¯s exhaust ports, or do you like both?¡±


    Natasha began to hum, ¡°I like auto butts and I cannot lie,¡± and as Carol snorted, Venom shook his head,


    ¡°Yeah yeah, fine, Optimus, you¡¯re the tiebreaker, speed or stealth?¡± Venom asked him.


    Optimus looked at Ironhide, who shrugged. ¡°If Nimrod is accessing our systems then stealth is unadvisable. If the Ark powers up, your authorities will be altered. Speed is a more desirable option.¡±


    Venom nodded, ¡°fine, speed it is.¡± and pressing the control panel on one of his gauntlets the burners on his harness test fired. ¡°Keep up old man. You''ve got a good million years on me, I¡¯ll try not to embarrass you too much,¡± and as the GPS tracked the location of Optimus¡¯s signal, Venom fired the booster and hovered a few feet of the gound.


    ¡°Last one there¡¯s a rusty ladle.¡± and laughed as he shot off.


    Talon, Widow, and Ravage all stared at Venom as he shot off between the trees, ¡°I had imagined though that we would stay together.¡± Optimus said, ¡°Autobots, transform and roll out.¡± and the eight moved forwards at a much slower pace,


    Over their comms, ¡°I have flight, good reflexes and very precise senses. I''m just scouting.¡±


    Widow snorted, ¡°yeah, he¡¯s showing off.  It¡¯s tough in New York.¡± and she sighed, ¡°I think he had dreams of being this big hero, and well. Life and a few things got in the way. Venom became a big public figure for the wrong reasons, and well, now he hardly goes out.¡±


    ¡°Okay, heads up, sending a new route your way, campers at my location.¡± and two dots pinged on their HUDS where Venom was and where the campers were.


    As the group crept through the trees, ¡°it''s fine though. He¡¯s just blowing off steam, and well, he might not admit it but deep down he always worries about people leaving him. Pete.¡± and Widow stopped, ¡°Pete bottles a lot up, and you¡¯re helping to get some of that stress dealt with. We can only do so much when he refuses to really talk.¡±


    Ravage nodded, ¡°yeah, I left pretty much right after we hooked up,¡±


    ¡°Pete¡¯s still a bit goofy, we¡¯re all happy but it''s just his way. Plus, giant robot lady, so dont worry, spend time with him. He was cut up about Carol leaving, even if he didn''t say anything,¡± Widow said after Venom gave his report.


    Ravage nodded, ¡°It was hard for me too though. Remember, Reboot will bond with so many, and miss that connection. You might want to stay on Earth for a while, at least until Cybertron is more habitable.¡±


    ¡°Routes clear until the volcano. No sign of Nimrod but I am seeing scorch marks on some trees. He¡¯s not here now, but he was here, and he wasn¡¯t happy.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative Peter. We are still en route and given our speed, we should be there within thirty of your minutes.¡± Optimus replied,


    ¡°I read you, will circle back to make sure there is nothing else in your way.¡±


    Arcee sighed once Venom had given his report, ¡°That is a problem though, if we are to save Cybertron, we must leave immediately. With Reboot''s help, I can reformat the planet, returning it to its original form. I wish to stay, but for the sake of my people, I can¡¯t. No matter what.¡±

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Twenty Two. Temper Tantrum

    The area that Peter had led them to had two distinct features. The first was that in the surrounding area it looked like someone had taken a flamethrower and scorched not just the ground but the trees as well, randomly and in a wide area, the second was that there was a hole in the side of the base of the volcano, leading into the darkness.


    There was no rock or debris, and while not fresh, there were heavy vehicle tracks still dug into the rocky muddy ground. Someone had been here, someone human but not for months. The ground was dry, and there were no other tracks. If Nimrod had done this, the marks would be fresh and at least warm. No, this was Trask.


    Extending out his senses, there was nothing. No machines of any kind, and other than the brief flickers of the campers they passed a few miles back, there was nobody here. Of course, Peter knew that Nimrod didn''t show up, even to his technopathic senses.


    That was the issue though. Was it on purpose? Was he designed to be invisible or was it an Augment power, and how many others did he have?


    If Scott and any of the X-Men had fought the Sentinels then they could be in big trouble.


    ¡°Can we get a hold of Charles?¡± He asked,


    Carol shook her head, ¡°We already had a report, and the X-Men engaged the Sentinels before they got word of their powers. Even Scott and Mariah took part in the assault. We needed the help Pete, it couldn''t be helped.¡±


    Peter cursed, this could be really bad, if Erik had fought him then the Cybertronians could be in big trouble if their bodies contained enough metal for him to manipulate.


    ¡°The hole isn''t big enough for you Optimus, so we should split into two teams, me and the other enhanced down this way, and you take the Cybertronians and scout the base for a larger cave. I mean, if the Ark is big enough for you, it should have left a huge impact crater in the side, even if it is covered in rock.¡±


    Optimus looked at the tree line, ¡°I agree, this is not the tunnel I exited from, and my memory banks are showing that we are in the wrong location. We shall scout further along.¡± and as he pressed the side of his arm a small white square detached itself. ¡°This will register you as friendly to Teltran One. Use it and deactivate the security systems but only if Nimrod is not nearby. If he gains access to our armoury, you may face a greater threat than you can handle.¡±


    Peter nodded and took the plate-sized transmitter, the four arms of his harness snaking out and grabbing it, holding it over his back. The small fingertip transmitter to Optimus was the size of peters chest.


    ¡°Right, we might lose communications when we go in.¡± and Peter¡¯s armour slid back over him, ¡°but¡±


    Can you hear me Arcee? And she nodded


    ¡°Good. I can keep in contact with Arcee. If you gain access to the ship first, let us know.¡± and switching on the lights in the repulsor gauntlets Venom and the trio of Ravage, Talon and Widow spread out and ventured down the tunnel.


    Good luck, Arcee replied.


    You too.


    Optimus waited until the group was out of sight, ¡°Before we begin. I am aware that you will now be able to access Teltran One with much greater efficiency. However, until we know the extent of the damage, and if its systems will harm you. I must ask that you refrain from touching anything. I do not wish to trigger a security system until we are sure your new body will be recognised.¡±


    Arcee nodded, she had only been bonded for a short while, and the others she had shared with had been correct. Reboot was now a part of her, and if anything happened, she was unsure of how she would cope.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We should split up and take opposite directions. To make sure there are no other tunnels leading into the Ark. Peter¡¯s suspicions may be correct, and there may have been many others attempting to access the Ark.¡±


    ¡°I agree. Our communications are not disrupted. Contact me if you find anything,¡± Optimus replied. and with the mechanical grinding noise, they all transformed and sped off.


    ¡°Still dont like it Optimus,¡± Ironhide said as they drove along. ¡°Seems mighty suspicious that he¡¯s compatible with our systems, after millions of years? And that he is the owner of the remaining Klyntar.¡±


    Optimus drove in front, ready to ditch his trailer if it need to be a barrier from attack,


    ¡°I agree. I know Peter had access to my main circuit pathways but even after running a diagnostic, I am unable to find if he accessed my main memory core. Be careful of him, while I do not believe he has deceitful intentions, we have already been their prisoners once.¡±


    ¡°Are we really giving him access to our historical records?¡± Jazz asked


    ¡°We shall see. As long as he does not ask for information regarding weapons technology, then I do not see why allowing them to know about the larger galaxy would be an issue. If he is correct and aliens have visited here before, it may be prudent. Once a species realises Earth''s location and value, they will return, and in greater numbers.¡±


    Jazz huffed, ¡°especially those blue ones, those guys were crazy. You think they ever got that old Quintisson junk to work?¡±


    Optimus laughed, ¡°I have no idea Jazz, but I imagine that one of their supercomputers would be either senile or barely functional by now. If they ever did.¡± and as the trio sped their way around the base of the mountain, they shared more stories of their past.


    Inside the tunnel, It had been smoothed down and cleaned. There was evidence that someone had come in and removed jagged stalagmites and other obstacles. Traks has certainly been here, but the tunnel itself was abandoned.


    Taking several sharp turns but staying low and quiet they eventually came to a section of pale tan metal wall, with a hole burned into it. The edges of the metal were bent outwards, so the original hole was blown from the inside.


    Venom reached out a hand, noticing the blued edges of the metal and that it was not just cold, but showed signs of wear.


    ¡°This was done years ago. I dont think this was Nimrod.¡±


    The edges of the metal were smooth, and paint had been chipped away from them, the hole was big enough for two people to stand side by sliced and had been made tall enough that Venom couldn¡¯t reach it.


    ¡°You think this is where Trask came in?¡± but Optimus never mentioned another intruder alert.


    The others shrugged. And if he was honest, it was all speculation.


    ¡°Right, camo, and in twos, move, secure and then advance. Talon, with me, Ravage and Widow, stay back, and try not to blast me in the ass if anything jumps out okay?¡±


    Ravage laughed, ¡°isn''t that what Nat said last night, and you still managed it¡± and Widow batted her,


    ¡°And then he did the same to you a few minutes later, so shush¡± and the trio snorted before shimmering and moving into the ship.


    Venom stayed visible, the interior was huge, large enough for several Cybertronians of Optimus¡¯s size to move comfortably and he shone his palm light around, trying to find signs of Nimrod or anything.


    Kneeling down he rubbed rubber tire marks from the floor, ¡°definitely had company,¡± but even as they moved through the corridors there was no sign of anything or anyone.


    Arcee, we are inside, and so far nothing. Can you give me a general idea of where the command deck would be, or if it even has one. Where are your shipmates?


    Can you read Cybertronian?


    Uh, no. It wasn¡¯t entirely true, but stopping and allowing the Mind Stone to fill his mind with the required knowledge might not be the most sensible idea.


    Then without knowing your location, I cannot help. Head to the centre of the ship. If you head from there and find the engines, you are in the aft section, return to your starting point and you should find the command room. The centre of the ship has two large circular turbines nearby. You should be able to navigate from there.


    Thanks, Arcee,


    Moving through the ship was easy for the smaller humans, but Peter was having to climb up each door and hold himself to the wall whale the harness positioned the token Optimus had given him in front of the door sensor.


    ¡°Who¡¯d of thought, Pete would have size issues,¡± Ravage joked and in trying not to laugh, he almost fell from the door as it slid open.


    A large white chested Cybertronian, with a single hole blasted through its front chest plate, fell forward and the noise clanged around the empty halls,


    We found someone. Green armour, the same size as Jazz, non-functional.


    Arcee?


    Sorry, green? Is his chest square or rounded


    It''s square.


    Hound. He was a close friend of Jazz. I will inform them


    No, wait. I''m not an expert on Cybertronian physiology, he could be fine, just hibernating for all I know


    Arcee paused, Yes, you are right. It might be premature. Thank you.


    The room Hound had fallen from was massive, with several Cybertronains slumped in large chairs, each with blaster marks over them. Venom shone the flashlight over each of them and while he wasn''t an expert, these robots were definitely dead. Most were shot straight through or were blasted in the head. He didn''t have the heart to tell Arcee, and would leave the grim news until everyone was present.


    ¡°V, what did this?¡± but he shrugged. To him, it looked like an execution. None of the Cybertronians had weapons, and were sitting as if surprised. Had there been a mutiny on board or an ambush? Only Optimus would know the truth.


    The room was a dead end though and must have been a diagnosis chamber or some kind of sensor room. The four inside were left, and Venom and the others pushed Hound back inside and sealed the door, with Venom marking it with webbing.


    ¡°We push on, but be alert. If Optimus is still getting the intruder alert, then something is here.¡±


    What was worse was that the walls seemed to be blocking everything but his telepathic abilities. They gave off no what or electromagnetic signature, and even the light from his torch was somehow being absorbed by the strange material.


    The four made their way through the ship, finding the two massive turbines and continuing along the outer wall of the ship.


    Arcee, I think we¡¯re at the command centre, do we wait?


    No, we found a tunnel hidden by rocks, but it is proving difficult to break through, we will be at least an hour before we can meet you. I will inform Optimus of your progress.


    ¡°Right, it''s just us.¡± and as he jumped and climbed the wall the door panel flashed red, then green and opened.


    Inside was carnage. Bodies of Cybertronians were thrown everywhere and several had blaster marks over them. Venom noted that it was an uneven mix of Autobots heavily outnumbered by Decepticons and that while they had put up a valiant fight, it had been a slaughter. And that one had been particularly brutal in its assault.


    A large torsoless body sat in the centre of the room, with huge grey and black legs, and two thick arms with a massive cannon on one arm. The centre part looked like it had been cut away using high heat and the same blued marks were present on the remains.


    ¡°Gruesome isn''t it?¡± Venom heard and as the four turned Nimrod was sat in a chair, a purple Cybertronian at his feet. ¡°I remember this, I remember your people coming here and doing this. The cutting and removing the parts they could get to.¡±


    Nimrod stood and rubbed the arm which held his cannon. ¡°This form is an abomination to my purity. This form is a mockery of my once great self. You and your species shall pay for this insult. All life must submit or perish. All life must bow before me.¡±


    And as Nimrod''s arm transformed into a copy of the grey cannon on the ground,


    ¡°So says Megatron.¡±

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Twenty Three. Prime Suspect

    ¡°That isn''t going to happen Nimrod.¡± Venom said, As he lifted his arm cannon Venom and Ravage both sent out a line of webbing. They knew they wouldn''t stick to Nimrod¡¯s body, but with the two webs acting as a bola, they wrapped around his torso.


    ¡°Ignorant fools,¡± Nimrod shouted, and flexing he tore through the webbing easily. ¡°None shall stand before the might of oof-¡± Widow had gone up to the ceiling and gotten behind him, as he broke free, she swung down and kicked him in the back of the head, sending him sprawling.


    As he stumbled, Venom send out a line and snagged one foot, while Ravage took off, and barreled into him, sending him tumbling to the ground.


    ¡°We have back-up and once they¡¯re here we can-¡± and he was interrupted as the lights flickered and came on,


    We have access and Optimus has restarted the fusion reactors. Did you find the command centre? He felt Arcee ask him,


    Uh yeah, and Megatron, Nimrod is a cannibalised Cybertronian


    Peter figured that Trask, unwilling to give up his goldmine of alien tech would come here and take pieces of the Decepticon, using it to build prototypes. With no access to doors or other systems, he could only scavenge what was here, and without further investigation, he figured that they had dismantled Megatron to get him out of the small tunnel they built. It wouldn¡¯t surprise him if there were more Cybertronians with missing parts.


    ¡°Autobots?¡± Megatron shouted and raised the cannon at Venom, ¡°Pathetic. None shall stand before the might of Megatron.¡± As the end of the cannon flared and fired, a bright purple bean streaked across the room and exploded against a console, sending the occupant of the chair flying.


    ¡°Hostile Action Detected. Safety Protocols Engaged.¡± Came a robotic sounding voice from a speaker somewhere in the room.


    And Nimrod clutched at his head silently screaming, the strange banded armour over his body flexing and distorting as he writhed in pain.


    ¡°Uh, what?¡± Venom stood from his crouch. He had been ready to attack, with the trio behind him, but the lights turned to red and Nimrod lay on the ground clutching his head.


    Optimus enabled the security systems. We were caught by surprise before, the Decepticons had snuck aboard the ark, disabled key systems and then attacked. We were overwhelmed and many died. Arcee filled him in,


    Right, so what do we do about Mega-rod? Nah, Nimatron?


    Arcee chuckled, leave him, the noise disrupts our central transformation cog. His body is trying to forcefully transform but cannot due to a blocking signal. It is incredibly painful and debilitating. He is enough of a Cybertronian that it worked. His powers must utilise our transformation abilities.


    Peter could imagine and thought that sounded incredibly painful. But, for a race that could transform parts of themselves into whatever they wanted, how else would they keep them contained. It wasn''t like they could put them in jail.


    The door to the command centre opened, and Arcee, Optimus, Bumblebee, Ironhide, and Jazz all entered wearing white helmets. ¡°We can take him from here. I must access the main computer. I would appreciate it if you could contact your government. We do not wish to cause panic when we start reactivating systems.¡±


    Peter smiled and nodded, it was Optimus''s polite way of telling him to go away, and as he nodded at the other three Optimus and his crew began the grim task of moving and cataloguing the fallen.


    Arcee smiled, and as Peter passed, she spoke to him, I will remain here for now, but please, do not think we are ungrateful. We have friends who are in hibernation, but many are not.


    Peter smiled back at her, It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll get Earth alerted, and if you need help, you know where we are.


    As the smaller group left the Cybertronians to their task, they headed back out through the now lit spaceship. Peter could see where fighting had taken place, and the walls were covered in scorch marks. They followed the tracks and excited out the way they had come in,


    ¡°Well, who exactly do we call?¡± Peter asked Natasha and Carol, ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not like Shield, Sword or the military are exactly on friendly terms with us, and as soon as we give anyone warning they¡¯ll know we stole the Autobots from Hoover Dam.¡± and


    Carol laughed and shook her head, ¡°We call all three. Let the Autobots deal with them. This isn''t our fight, and it''s also not our problem. Optimus made that perfectly clear. If the Earth has been visited by aliens then we need to put on some big boy pants and grow the hell up.¡±


    Peter shrugged and finding a decent rock, sat down.


    Natasha shrugged, ¡°I agree with Carol. It¡¯s not our problem anymore. If Optimus needs our help, then we help, if not, leave it to the suits to figure out. You, however, need to go home and kiss some serious ass over Arcee.¡±


    Peter laughed and stood, stretching, ¡°your just jealous cause I got alien booty, giant robot alien booty.¡±


    ¡°Not the only one, ¡° she said with a wink, as he wasn¡¯t aware of just what Arcee and Natasha had been up to when returning the RV


    ¡°You know Pete, technically I''m an alien as well,¡± Carol said, tilting her head, ¡°wait, we all are, the Klyntar are aliens,¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°But not giant robots, there is an important difference¡± and carol snorted and batted his arm.


    ¡°Dork. Call Wanda and get her to come pick us up. I¡¯d rather be at home making these calls than in the middle of nowhere.¡± Carol said, and she was right. Sitting at the base of a cold mountain wasn¡¯t exactly thrilling.


    Arcee, we¡¯re going back to our home, we¡¯ll set up meetings with Earth''s authorities from there so you have privacy. If we do it here the military will swarm this place. Let Optimus know we¡¯ll be back in contact, and let us know when you''re done.


    Will do Peter, and thank you. Natasha gave me the means to tap into your communications, so I may make a ¡®booty call¡¯ if need be. Megatron is contained and in a holding cell, and we can finally start rebuilding. Optimus asks, can we count on your assistance again?


    Peter was surprised that she¡¯d even ask, of course, but I guess you mean with the repairs as well as the military?


    He felt Arcee mentally nod. We need supplies, rare metals and possible power sources, we do not wish to be held hostage during the negotiations.


    Dont worry Arcee, keep our involvement quiet, keep Reboot''s existence quiet and we can help without anyone knowing.


    We shall Peter and good luck.


    A yellow portal opened as Wanda motioned at them,


    ¡°I am not a taxi Peter, you could have just flown back, or bothered Mariah,¡± Wanda complained as Peter and the rest stepped through the portal and kissed her cheek one by one,


    ¡°I know, but this way, you get to practice, and I get to see you.¡± She faked anger but was smiling, ¡°plus, it''s kinda important, and I need to be home.¡±


    Peter walked up the stairs and into his home, dialling the number Coulson had given him. He would deal with Shield, while Carol contacted Ross.


    ¡°I need to make an appointment with the director, tell him tis about Hoover Dam, and Ross should be getting a call as well.¡±


    With the Sentinel incident, Coulson was no longer on speed dial, and all Peter was left with was a messaging service that he knew Coulson checked once in a while. Ross had been true to his word and got off scot-free. As far as everyone was concerned he was following orders and doing his duty. Flash and Steve were gone from the Avengers Initiative and a new team, the New Avengers were being paraded around by the media.


    His phone bussed,


    We know, the report came in an hour after you left, tomorrow Nine am, Ross will be there, come alone - Coulson


    Yup, it was going to be another one of those days.


    Throwing his phone on the chair next to him, Peter sat back and rested his hands on his head, he pulled a few faces and huffed, leaning over and grabbing his phone again


    Meeting with Ross and Coulson about our new friends, pretty sure they¡¯ll call you, Even if they don¡¯t you need to be there. tomorrow at Nine.


    Ad with a small scowl, he messaged Tony. The government wasn''t about to hand him the contracts to deal with the Cybertronians and he knew Stark was their poster boy now. He had stood up to Venom and taken one for the team. And he was leading the New Avengers in Steve''s place.


    His phone buzzed and he laughed as he checked the message,


    Yeah, they already did, guess who¡¯s cleaning up your mess at the Hoover Dam, and now this? I should bill you.


    Peter shook his head


    Yup, go ahead and I¡¯ll sic Pepper on you, and Peter laughed to himself, but seriously, what I need to discuss makes the Dam look like a lego set. You¡¯ve seen the remains, there are more. Don¡¯t start messing with them, the species they belong to wants them back, tell you more tomorrow.


    He had been as vague as possible, as he knew Stark would be going ballistic trying to figure out if these were alive or not. Peter knew he would lose his shit over meeting Optimus and the rest.


    His last message was to Charles. He knew he needed to get him on board with his latest idea, and he was the best source of information, as he already ran one school.


    What he was not looking forwards too was putting all four of them in one room together.


    Charles?


    Yes, Peter. Jean let me know to expect your message.


    I would like some advice, about a school.


    Charles sat back in his chair, surprised that Peter of all people would suggest such a thing.


    Why dont you come up and we can discuss it, or are you still playing with your giant robot friends?


    Peter laughed, Yeah, can I take a rain check on that, and send you my outline. It''s been one of those weeks.


    Charles chuckled, ¡°of course, I''m sure the X-Men would be happy to spend time with Jean, if she is free, then give her your file.¡±


    Thanks, Charles, and Peter cut the psychic link.


    Peter turned his phone off for the rest of the evening. May and Curt both had everyone''s number and if it was really important, everyone else knew where he lived. He had more important things to deal with right now, and heading downstairs he slipped out a green flag onto the bathhouse and set one of the tubs filling.


    He wanted a bath and an actual soak. He was never dirty and a shower took care of anything his symbskin missed but submerging in an almost intolerable hot water was a pleasure few could match. It soothed and relaxed aching muscles, worked into areas even nimble fingers couldn''t reach and he sighed as he lay there with his eyes closed.


    He heard Gwen and MJ come in, and slip into the pool, ¡°hey Pete, whatcha thinkin?¡± Gwen asked.


    J was now a spokeswoman for AIM, and much to her annoyance actually needed to study. Some booth babes as they were derogatorily called were just eye candy but that brunette trying to pitch a sale had to know her stuff and wasn''t just there as a piece of bait. Much to MJ¡¯s annoyance.


    When Gwen came up with a new cosmetic, it was shipped to Emma for marketing and sales, where MJ usually shot the commercials. It was her face on every billboard but she was also expected to know the actual chemistry behind everything. When no symbiote on Gwen, they couldn''t even swap around to learn it by osmosis and Gwen took an hour each day to lecture MJ on what exactly the formula enhanced creams and cosmetics did.


    While White Cat cosmetics were now slowly becoming the go-to brand, Gwen had also branched out with two new lines. Health foods and drinks.


    Her Regenex sports formulas, protein mixes and isotonic energy drinks were flying off the shelves, and her Rejuvin-Eight line of medicine was currently still under FDA testing but everything pointed to a release within a few months. A line of formula enhanced cold remedies and other sundry medicines would be just as successful. Gwen was making more money than everyone combined, and even Parker Inc and Octech, with a lot of industrial contracts, couldn''t touch her bottom line combined.


    ¡°Life, stuff, hitting thirty. General things,¡± he admitted


    ¡°Uh oh. Going to have your mid-life crisis?¡± Gwen teased him and he laughed


    ¡°Yup, gonna build a robot suit, swing around New York fighting crime and make out with beautiful sexy women, all to prove I¡¯m not past it.¡±


    Gwen snorted, ¡°Shit, is that it? Sign me right up,¡± she added, laughing with MJ

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Twenty Four. Soul Sister

    He had the meeting in the morning, but there was something that was just as important.


    He tapped into the communications Natasha had set up with Arcee,


    Arcee, is it a good time?


    Of course Peter. We have collected the wounded, and have allowed the Sparks of the fallen to rejoin with the All-Spark. What can I do for you?


    I want to ask Optimus if he would meet with our own synthezoid, and see if she can get a Spark of her own.


    Please, Optimus is waiting for you, you may speak to him, through me.


    Peter took a breath, ¡°We have three artificial lifeforms on the planet. I want to use the All-Spark to grant them true life.¡±


    Vision, Jocasta and Friday were alive as far as he could tell. Their intricate neural networks were more than just an AI granted sapience with the Mind Stone, but Peter wanted to make sure. With the Soul Stone''s power, he could make them sentient as well, and unbind them from their programming.


    ¡°Interesting. Are they Cybertronian in origin as well?¡± Optimus asked but Peter shook his head and then tutted as he realised Optimus couldn¡¯t see him.


    ¡°No, We have something like the All-Spark, they were created using it, but are completely Terran in origin.¡± he hoped. If he was honest, if Dr Helen Cho used Cybertronian tech in her cradle he really didn''t know.


    ¡°And you will return the All-Spark to us?¡± Optimus asked,


    ¡°No. I have no experience using it, and I really don¡¯t want to do something that hurts them. I want you to use the All-Spark to do it.¡±


    Optimus nodded. ¡°We are still cataloguing the damage. But, For your help, and mutual cooperation, I can agree to your request. You have the ability to create Space Bridges. Then  you may return to the Ark as soon as you are ready.¡±


    Peter sighed in relief, ¡°Thank You Optimus. One of the people who I am hoping will help you will see this as a favour, and should be more cooperative.¡±


    ¡°I will see you when you arrive Peter.¡± and he cut contact through Arcee


    ¡°We won¡¯t be too long. I can wake everyone now as this is important.¡±


    Carol took Peter to one side, ¡°I get that you want to make Friday a soul, but you know you¡¯ll have to tell Tony about the Cybertronians right?¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°I was going to tell him anyway. Coulson has him on a leash now, and if they call anyone to help repair their ship, it¡¯ll be him. But this is bigger than me and bigger than that stupid feud.¡± and Carol sighed


    ¡°As long as you know what you''re doing.¡± and he hugged her close and kissed her,


    ¡°Just like always,¡± and she laughed and held him tight.


    After Natasha and Carol had headed to bed, Peter knocked on the door to Wanda¡¯s home, and she came out, wearing her usual long nightshirt,


    ¡°This had better be good Peter. It is 2 am.¡± she sleepily replied,


    ¡°It is. Can you wake Friday, and then bring her here.¡± He was going to ask Liv if she wanted to watch, and while she was grumpy at being woken up, she dragged on some legging and followed him out.


    He decided to ask Friday first, she might not even want a soul or be more willing to leave with the Cybertronians and visit their homeworld. He held no illusion that being an artificial being, treated with contempt in a world where she would be either sexualised or just plain despised would be fun for her, and a world full of machines just like her would be a more suitable environment to live.


    Liv sat and nursed a cup of coffee. While Octave could wake her up, Liv found it messed with her normal sleeping pattern, and so, coffee it was. ¡°I don¡¯t get why this has to be done now though.¡± she said as she sipped, ¡°not that I¡¯m complaining.¡± She was still a bit sore Natasha and Peter hadn¡¯t invited her, but sex was sex, and this was actually bringing a being into life. She would forgive them for now, plus finally meeting more Autobots was going to be fun.


    ¡°Because tomorrow I ask Coulson and the rest of the Muppet show not to act like idiots, and if I have Tony on my side, it¡¯ll be easier.¡±


    Liv snorted and chuckled ¡°or, you know. You could stop acting like a child and just apologise.¡±


    Peter huffed, ¡°Yeah, right. He started it,¡± but Liv raised a hand.


    ¡°It is too early and I am too tired dear.¡±


    Peter filled two jugs with coffee and then added them to travel mugs for everyone. It was late and while he was fine, the rest still preferred to get a full night''s sleep in. Food was a bit harder, and it would be cold meat sandwiches if the process took longer than a few minutes.


    After half an hour, a grumpy and tired looking Wanda opened the portal and Friday bounded through followed by Wanda, Peter, and Liv.


    Friday, we have some people who want to meet you, and have something to ask.¡± Peter pointed over at the collection of vehicles, and confused Friday walked over.


    ¡°It''s just cars, Pete, not interested, holy moly,¡± she exclaimed as first Arcee and then the rest transformed in front of her. She looked at them, and then over at Peter, ¡°that''s not fair. You built more and they can change into cars. I''m telling mom on you.¡± but Peter just laughed and pointed at Optimus.


    ¡°Greetings young one. We are not creations of Peter. We are an ancient race of machines, called the Cybertronians, Autobots to be exact, and Peter asked us for a favour.¡± Friday stared incredulously at Optimus


    ¡°A race of robots, like me? That''s amazing. Are you taking me away?¡± but Optimus shook his head.


    ¡°We discovered that our bodies can be reformatted by Peter, and Arcee is the proof, and in exchange, Peter asked us if we, with your permission, would be willing to give you a soul.¡±


    Friday looked over at Peter confused. ¡°Like a soul, soul? Arent they a myth, like Bigfoot, or Peters celibacy.¡± and Wanda snorted even as Peter handed her a coffee.


    Optimus¡¯s chest plate opened and as he removed the Matrix of Leadership Friday could see the orange, blue, and white swirling cloud of energy sitting there. ¡°This is my spark. Or, the soul as you call it. I can feel my connection to it and through it my connection to the universe around me. To Peter, to his female companions, but not to you. I can give you one like this. The ability to live and grow, to learn and evolve. A real soul.¡±


    Friday stepped back. ¡°But just me?¡±


    Peter shook his head, ¡°No, we wanted you to be first, but if you say yes, and think they¡¯ll agree then Vision and Jocasta too. This isn¡¯t something I¡¯d fight Tony over, I''m not so selfish to stop you from being whole.¡±


    Friday giggled, ¡°thinking about my hole? Naughty naughty. But I accept.¡± and Optimus knelt in front of her.


    ¡°This might be strange.¡± and as he touched her she felt the arc reactor in her chest vibrate as he held the globe in front of her. A point grew from the bottom, a single golden needle that priced her chest and slid into her arc reactor where she felt it resonate within her.


    She shuddered, and as Peter stood Arcee shook her head, and giving her a measure of trust, stayed stood where he was.


    Friday shuddered again, and she felt it. A warmth spread through her, and a small flicker filled her. The needle retracted and the glode floated back into Optimus''s chest, which then closed.


    Friday stood with her arms out, and she felt the singular rush, her arc reactor felt like it was ready to burst within her but she knew it was just a feeling. A feeling that spread through her entire body and as the energy of the Soul Stone reacted with not just her reactor but the symbskin coating her and every one of her systems she gasped as it reformatted her core.


    Sher felt it, like a heartbeat within her, and the symbskin that once covered her now melted and absorbed itself into her body. The skin was smooth, and still vibranium but as she ran a hand in amazement over it, she felt the chill of her fingertips and the goosebumps that followed her fingers.


    Friday laughed as she ran her hands over her skin, marvelling at the soft texture and sensations of her own touch.


    ¡°I can feel it. Right here,¡± and she touched herself where her heart would be, it was warm and it glowed within her. ¡°Please, Jo and Vision. I will do anything you ask, just please?¡± she looked up at Optimus pleading with him.


    ¡°A soul is the least we can do for the person who may have saved our race. If there are others, then they too can be gifted with true life. Every being in the galaxy has that right, and I will not deny your request.¡±


    Peter nodded as Friday came over, ¡°Can uh, can I hug you, please, for my first?¡± and Peter laughed. He was really not happy at how she was looking at him now, but with a sweet sense of innocence she pulled her into his embrace, and she smelled like flowers, MJ¡¯s favourite perfume.


    ¡°I can feel your warmth, and not just as a reading on my sensors, but actual warmth, on my skin, and your smell,¡± and Peter rubbed the back of her head.


    ¡°Still not sleeping with you though,¡± and while she giggled she did feel a small sense of loss. She actually now knew how important that was, the feeling in her new heart told her what love was, and that she would feel not only it but loss and pain and everything until she. In the middle of her thought, Friday paused.


    ¡°I can die now cant I?¡± and Peter pulled away, holding her shoulders,


    ¡°Really? Uh, I have no idea. I mean. Um, Optimus?¡±


    ¡°Cybertronians exist as long as our sparks do. We can become a new Cybertronian with new life and new memories. Until we return to the All-Spark to be reborn. If your soul is like ours, and I can sense it is, then no, you will be reborn, as a machine, as a human as whatever life exists on this planet. You are now a part of the cycle of existence. No matter what form it takes.¡± and Friday nodded.


    ¡°The Vision and Jo too. Uh, Wanda, can you take me to Stark Tower, and please Peter, dont be mad at Tony,¡± and Peter looked over at Wanda.


    ¡°Friday, this is nothing to do with me or Tony. This is your life. I¡¯ll stay in the warehouse while you explain. I don¡¯t even have to be there..¡± but he thought for a moment. ¡°Can we wait until I''ve spoken to Tony and the government tomorrow? I''m not going to hold this over him, but I want to make sure they aren''t going to do something stupid again.¡±


    Friday nodded, disappointed but she understood. The group was on a mission, and they had already sacrificed time to help her.


    Wanda drained her coffee ¡°but you owe will me. I¡¯m losing good sleep time, and you will make it up to me.¡±


    Friday just winked at her, ¡°Just let me get ole Petie Pie here and we can have a dirty weekend.¡±


    Liv cleared her throat, ¡°May I steal you away for an exam. If there are any significant changes I might need to know.¡±


    Friday looked over at the three, ¡°Oh, a probing from the hot doctor and then a dirty weekend with daddy. I can¡¯t wait.¡±


    Wanda groaned, ¡°This is your fault, and now she is worse.¡± and she circled her hands and stepped through the gateway. ¡°We are going home, we are going to bed,¡± and as she looked at the excited Friday, ¡°and there will be no probing.¡±

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Twenty Five. Till All Are One

    Friday was hyperactive for the rest of the night, and Peter was glad he had managed to grab a small catnap.


    "This is sho good¡± she said with a mouth full of what looked like Felicia¡¯s chocolate cake. As the rest preferred savoury snacks mainly because Felicia ate anything sweet, it was her fridge drawer that was raided, and eventually emptied. Friday belched, and then giggled, ¡°uh, guess that happens now.¡± although Peter was wondering why a soul gave her a proper digestive system, it would be one of the unanswered mysteries that was Friday''s reformatted body, until Liv got her into the medical wing.


    ¡°Uh, Pete?¡± she said hesitantly,¡° and she lifted her top, ¡°I want to swim, will you?¡±


    He shrugged. Skinny dipping wasn''t anything major, it was the look she gave him as she stripped further that concerned him. There was a normal reaction. While she was a different person, she still looked like MJ, and she still knew that seeing her naked pushed his buttons.


    She spent an hour floating, splashing, swimming and standing under the showers, enjoying the new sensation of water on her skin. Peter had a waterproof e-reader and had downloaded several books to enjoy.


    She slid into the pool next to him, and sat in the moulded seat, ¡°So, why not?¡± and she slid a hand onto his thigh.


    He had dreaded this day, mainly because what he was about to say was gouging to upset her. ¡°Your age.¡± and she pouted and sighed ¡°Sorry, but even mentally, you¡¯re like a child, and while I know you want to experiment, it''s just. Maybe see what life¡¯s like before you take that plunge okay?¡±


    Friday lifted her hand, ¡°So, even mom? I know you like us both. But that''s it?¡± and Peter shrugged, ¡°that''s kinda stupid you know. You spawn Symbiotes and they are violent and horny and you still have sex with them.¡±


    "A Symbiote isn¡¯t a whole person, and we don¡¯t. The times that happened were,¡± and Peter found it hard to explain, ¡°it was more to calm the host.¡±


    ¡°So, once I¡¯m what sixteen at least, then?¡± and Peter could only shrug, ¡°no. I want to experience life, just like you said. Part of that is a desire to feel you Peter. Right here.¡± and she pressed her hand against her bare chest. ¡°Until now I didn''t know what that was, a glitch in my programming, but its love, respect, and caring. I have feelings for you, and you reject them because I¡¯m not human?¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°I had sex with Arcee. You are exactly like MJ. Your hair is blonde, and you speak with an accent but no. being human has nothing to do with it.¡± Peter turned to face her. ¡°What if I screw you up, what if I do something that hurts you or makes you hate me, and you leave. With the others, they''ve had years to learn how to cope, how to deal with jealousy, with arguments and stupid human shit. You¡¯ve had a year. I don¡¯t want to hurt you.¡±


    Friday laughed and patted his hand, ¡°Isn¡¯t that part of the human condition. Learning to deal with all that human shit?¡±


    Peter sighed, ¡°Fine. You can sleep with me, but no hanky panky, and once you¡¯re comfortable, once you¡¯ve got some experience under your belt.¡±


    Friday interrupted him, ¡°You¡¯ll?" and she made a rude gesture with a circle of fingers and two more sliding in and out of them, and reluctantly, Peter nodded. He silently hoped, that by the time she was mature enough, she would have found someone she liked.


    The rest of the night was peaceful. Even if Friday fidgeted in bed. Having had Laura with him for over a month while she adjusted, it wasn¡¯t major, and the wandering hand was just as easy to deal with.


    Friday was still curled up, with one leg hanging out the bed when Peter crept from his apartment. Liv might have raised an eyebrow but she said nothing and just poured him coffee.


    He had just finished his breakfast and washed his plate when the door buzzer went. He recognised the crew-cut military man from the replay of Natasha¡¯s memories. Glenn Talbot.


    ¡°I am your escort Mr Parker, and I am here to make sure you are alone and unarmed. Please leave all AIM technology, and your phone here, and allow me to escort you to the meeting.¡± It was worded politely but Peter knew it was a subtle threat. They wouldn¡¯t have sent a Gamma Tropper otherwise.


    His identity as Venom was hidden, but his identity as the creator and user of AIM harness tech was not. He couldn''t completely hide his identity as a crime fighter and this time had to make a compromise.


    The harness whined as it powered down and unclipped from his back, and as Peter made a show of replacing his clothing he could feel talbot was none the wiser about his other powers.


    ¡°The United States Military appreciates your cooperation, Mr Parker, now,¡± and Talbot held out an arm and motioned to the military jeep ¡°If you would follow me. The meeting is being held at Camp Gamma. You may inform your colleagues of your location, but once we are there, there will be no outgoing communications. I can assume you recognise the need for secrecy?¡± and Peter nodded.


    Stark must have filled them in already. Meaning he probably wasn''t walking into a trap, but a little paranoia never hurt anyone, especially given the history between him and the three people he was about to meet.


    The trip over was brief and quiet. Peter never got a lot of conversation from military types. They were trained to keep secrets, and small talk wasn''t big on the list of special skills needed.


    As they approached the camp Peter noticed the newer guard towers, and he felt the hum of an electromagnetic scan sweep over him. A light on the dashboard lit red and Talbot looked over at him.


    ¡°Enhanced as well?¡± and Peter nodded. ¡°It''s fine, just the security check takes a bit longer.¡±


    After Wrath had taken out most of the base defences within minutes he guessed that Ross probably roasted a few experts over the coals, and with Stark here, he figured the newer armour and weapons all bore the starktech logo. Or Cybertek, he couldn''t tell which, weapons weren''t his thing.


    As they pulled up, and Talbot let a soldier drive the jeep away he motioned again and Peter was led into a white room. ¡°Simple, we can you, check for unwanted tech, blood sample, temp readings, and then an x-ray. Nothing in but you and whatever powers you have. Two Fully initialised Gamma Troopers are right outside that door. No sudden power usage, no sudden tech usage, and that it.¡±


    Peter stared at him ¡°Initialised?¡± and Talbot laughed


    ¡°Oh yeah, the egg head came up with a whole spectrum of power levels. From alpha with barely any enhancements all the way up to omega, like Ross or Banner. Power Initialisation they call it, and full means as high as they can go for their rank, so maybe half of ross. Enough to neutralise more Enhanced or Augments.¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°the blood sample might be an issue, mine is strange.¡±


    But Talbot shrugged, ¡°Dont care. It¡¯ll last long enough for the test¡± and he held up a small sheath, slipping it over Peter''s finger, and it beeped green and he slipped it off, stepping back. ¡°Clear for scan,¡± and Peter felt the tingle of the room filling with several different types of energy. Tabot was standing behind a yellow line but seemed unfazed by the dosage he might be getting.


    ¡°Mow, we wait for a few,¡± and a green light came on, ¡°and you¡¯re cleared.¡±


    ¡°What would have happened if it was red?¡± Peter asked out of curiosity.


    Talbot laughed and shook his head, ¡°You really don¡¯t want to know that. Just remember green for clean, red for dead with these new measures. Your little stunt proved we can''t mess around. Venom and those other Augmented assholes cleaned our clocks, and thanks to Wrath, Sterns escaped. No more kid gloves,¡°


    Talbot took Peter through a series of corridors to a bland white meeting room with a singular table, four chairs and a single pot of coffee sitting in its centre. ¡°Everyone else will be with you shortly. Sit, coffee¡¯s not bad but it''s military so it¡¯s not great either.¡± with that, he left peter staring at the walls, alone.


    He could smell the cheap coffee as it sat in the thermal jug, and while it was infuriating sometimes that Emma refused to drink or eat anything cheap it did give him a better appreciation of certain foods. Coffee being one of them.


    Gwen was also over the moon, as Emma took her to a french patisserie that made delicate desserts, things that weren''t too sweet and she could eat after Poisons sugar binges. Whereas the newly christen Ghost-Spider and Cindy bonded over a love of the cheapest nastiest doughnuts they could find, and after training, she would eat a whole tray of sticky iced rings one after the other like a machine.


    They left him sitting for an hour before the three finally appeared, but as Peter learned to meditate, calming himself and allowing him to mentally test his powers, he didn''t care. Especially as they would regret it once he had explained everything.


    Ross, Stark, and Coulson were all carrying folders and Coulson placed one down in front of Peter.


    ¡°We have Starks report and have gone over the events that transpired at Hoover Dam. While we can''t pin freeing Ice Man on you, we know it was you, and while we can''t prove you took four more, we also know it was you. So, what do you want?¡± Coulson asked as he poured himself and Ross coffee.


    Peter smiled and snorted, ¡°Oh, how about less attitude and a nice hand out from the government again. See, I really dont want anything. I¡¯m here on behalf of a peaceful alien race called the Cybertronians, specifically Autobots to negotiate the release of their comrade''s bodies.¡±


    Ross looked over at Coulson, ¡°bodies?¡±


    Peter grinned and nodded, ¡±At Hoover Dam, the storage holds twenty or so vehicles, those were a disguise to stop their enemies from finding them. Ice man was on a peaceful mission to gather parts for their ship when he was frozen, and the pyramid was their method of procreation. As you can imagine, keeping them prisoner, while starving them to death, keeping their leader frozen, while experimenting on him, and using their tech to make children and then killing them isn''t going across too well.¡±


    Tony shrugged ¡°well, that''s a pickle, and nothing to do with me. I forgo salvage rights, and I''m not touching that with a ten-foot pole.¡±


    ¡°Can you prove that?¡± Coulson asked but Peter leaned forwards and smiled


    ¡°I dont have to. There are five Autobots who remember what you did, and right now they are repairing their spaceship at a secret location because they¡¯re afraid you¡¯ll come and finish the job. I dont need to prove anything cause once it¡¯s spaceworthy, they¡¯ll take them and then leave and when everyone asks, what the hell as that?¡± Peter laughed, ¡°and I will make sure that the internet screws you sideways by releasing files of what you did, who you did it to and why you did it. Should be pretty messy.¡± and as he sipped his really bad coffee, that Talbot had lied about, ¡°Oh, and how about a decent cup of coffee?¡±


    Coulson rubbed his forehead, ¡°what do they want?¡±


    ¡°The remains, any Cybertronian tech you have, and that means the remains of Master Mold, the remains of any sentinels and anything to do with the pyramid. If you want to extend an olive branch and get back into their good books, help them rebuild their ship and once they do, they¡¯ll leave.¡± Peter smiled after explaining.


    ¡°Stark? If we agree, can you?¡± and he smiled as well


    ¡°Well, since Starktech was taken, and I lost all those contracts and have been forging ahead in civilian industries, I dont see why I have to. Pete is right, you let Trask make this mess, you knew sentinels are alien tech but you conveniently forgot that until now.¡±


    Tony looked over at Peter, ¡°I think, because Pete is already in their good graces, and until I''ve met them, that all contracts go to us. We¡¯re paid about time and a half usual rates, and we get credit and patent rights. If, if we decide there is anything we dont want, then we leave them to you.¡±


    Peter tried not to laugh as he could see Ross turning a nice shade of red.


    ¡°And you think the military will accept that?¡± he said as he clenched a fist.


    ¡°Nope,¡° Tony said smugly, ¡°but I think that right now, the vivisection of alien robots isn''t a storm you can weather.¡± He looked at Peter and sighed, shaking his head, ¡°Dont make me regret this. One nation on Earth has the tech to help, just one, and,¡± Tony pointed a thumb at Peter, ¡°You need to play nice with them anyway.¡±


    Ross scowled and Coulson rubbed his forehead, ¡°Wakanda. Fine. Is that acceptable Mr Parker?¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°I am officially not allowed to make any business decisions without my lawyer present.¡± and Coulson frowned and shook his head,


    ¡°And they are?¡± and Tony laughed and patted Coulson on the shoulder,


    ¡°Take a guess,¡±


    ¡°Pepper Potts,¡± and Coulson groaned and rubbed his forehead,


    ¡°Fine, fine. Get Miss Potts an appointment, get a list of supplies needed and a list of Cybertronians that we have. We¡¯ll do the rest. While the lawyers get here, I see this is a double meeting, and,¡± Coulson sighed ¡°You invited Charles Xavier here?¡± and Ross raised an eyebrow, ¡°fine. Fine. Fifteen-minute break, I need to make sure our security doesn''t,¡° and he waved a hand, ¡°Just stay here.¡±


    Coulson and Ross both stood. Coulson, looking deflated while Ross was his usual angry self. Stark had a smug grin on his face and he smiled at Peter.


    ¡°Playing nice sometimes gets you good things Pete, you should take notes.¡±


    As he waved and slid his sunglasses on he waved at Peter.


    ¡°I play nice, just not with douchebags,¡± he muttered.

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Twenty Six. What We Do In Shadows

    Peter and Tony sat staring at each other. It wasn''t as if they were friends and speaking candidly about the Autobots and the possibility of giving Jarvis and Jocasta souls would wait until they were well out of the military''s reach.


    Peter had made sure nobody remembered the pyramid opening let alone the Soul Stone, and he wasn''t about to let Tony know about it either.


    It would stay the All-Spark, an ancient Cybertornian procreation device, and maybe, maybe he would tell Stephen that the Autobots had it. As soon as he could talk to Wanda and make sure he wouldn''t try to take it.


    Eventually, after several cups of the terrible coffee, Charles arrived, being led in by Coulson and Ross. And he smiled at Peter as he was shown to his seat.


    ¡°We dealt with Miss Potts, the contracts are being drawn up, and as soon as they are signed you can let uh,¡° and Coulson flicked to a file, ¡°Optimus Prime know the US government and its military will be providing aid.¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°and Hoover Dam.¡± Coulson looked over at Ross, who scowled,


    ¡°That was an unfortunate mistake, but any samples we may or not have removed, or may have been stored with Trask are now the property of the United States. We can agree to give back the whole Cybertronians, but, there are machines made with the pyramid using Earth''s technology. That will have to be discussed with them.¡±


    ¡°So, you want to keep the monsters you made? So can we expect Sentinel mark two or three? Or are you more interested in their adaptive powers, so that Augments are easier to kill once they become a problem?¡± Peter argued back. He knew that they had destroyed the small phone bot they made, but he had no idea of just how many were still out there, and still functional.


    ¡°I agree with Peter. You created a weapon to hunt Augments, and one to hunt Symbiotes. I understand the need to protect yourselves, but if you allow this technology to evolve further, you put all of humanity at risk. Master Mold and the Sentinels outgrowing their programming proved that.¡± Charles added.


    Ross clenched a fist, ¡°and if you lot hadn''t started throwing your weight around.¡±


    Tony sighed, ¡°so, while it''s nice to watch you two fight like girls, why exactly am I here?¡±


    ¡°I need help, they need help and we¡¯re calling in both you and Banner. I''m involving the government as if there is a practical use for it at home then nobody accuses me of undermining the government.¡±


    Peter slid a tablet over to Tony, and a file to Coulson, ¡°Uh, sorry yours is just a brief, Tony needs the technical stuff.¡± Coulson shrugged and flicked it open,


    ¡°New energy source, Energon. Sound, uh, nice. I guess.¡± and Tony was too engrossed in reading the more detailed chemical and particle reports to pay attention.


    ¡°To them, it''s food, but to us, it might be a cleaner-burning source of power. Even with Arc reactors, some things are just too small to use it.¡±


    ¡°And you think this can?¡± and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°Not an energy guy but Liv does yes. You¡¯re the three leading energy experts,¡± there was also Reed but Peter was till salty over his dismissive attitude and once he heard that when Gwen tried to contact Sue to make sure she was okay after being bonded, she had not only been rebuffed but on no uncertain terms to never talk to Sue again.


    ¡°Tony?¡± Cousin asked, as Tony frowned and squinted at the tablet,


    ¡°Yeah, uh, yeah. I mean, it''s weird, a semi-liquid non-Newtonian Einstein condensate, but uh, maybe.¡± and he frowned, ¡°Yeah, maybe.¡±


    Peter laughed, as that was Liv''s reaction as well, ¡°but this time,¡± and he slid the folder back, and flicked to the end, where a contract was sat. ¡°Pepper wants you to sign this, and you too Director. All research materials and test data collected will be made available o everyone involved. What Bruce does with his is up to him, but this is a joint effort, and everyone gets joint credit.¡± Coulson gave the contract a quick look over and signed, and Tony didn''t even look as he took the pen and signed too.


    Tony grinned, ¡°So, giant robots? Not too shabby, but, I know you''ve got more, I¡¯ve seen the specs for the base you have, I just wasn''t allowed up. So spill.¡±


    ¡°Right, So, Mr Stark,¡± Charles began but Tony shook his head,


    ¡°Tony. Only he has to call me Mr Stark,¡° and Peter laughed


    ¡°Sure, Stark, sure. But business.¡± and handing over a tablet Tony whistler as the schematics popped up in three-dee,


    ¡°No wonder you threw the government out.¡± as he expended over each section, ¡°this is the design I worked on last year, with a partially organic interface,¡± Tony''s brows furrowed ¡°cloned cells? ¡° he tutted, ¡°arcstar, switching to the arc reactor should up the integration point five per cent, but, okay, so you cloned some cells and stuck them with a power source into a big jar. What am I looking at?¡±


    ¡°They copy an Augments powers. The interface allows us to copy and store almost any ability, and replicate it.¡± Tony frowned and looked at the schematics again


    ¡°You realise how stupid this is? You could make death ray or, ¡° and he smirked as he nodded, ¡±the portals, it¡¯s a power, and the moon base, Erik right. And you couldn''t use arc tech because you needed someone already involved, so you asked Liv.¡± Tony looked over at Peter, ¡°I''m heartbroken, you could have asked me, I wouldn¡¯t have told.¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°Sure, and right now we¡¯d have Tonyworld on the moon, blaring lights and sirens at Avalon.¡±


    Tony smirked, ¡°Only you get Tonyworld Pete, I like everyone else.¡± Tony leant back and flicked the tablet off, ¡°so, what am I here for? You have working models, or you would never have shown me that could be done.¡±


    Charles smiled, ¡°Investment. We need more help on Avalon, and while Peter is brilliant, and Liv is inventive, we need things done on a faster time scale, and with more advanced technology. And we need someone with experience working with the Military and the Government, as this technology, with a few alterations is one of the things on offer to smooth things over.¡±


    Tony smirked at Peter, ¡°So you need me?¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°I dont care, everyone knows you''ve been doing this longer than me. I''m the new kid on the block, the prince, but even I''m not gonna deny you''re the king.¡± and he couldn''t. Stark had manufacturing plants all over the world, while Peter and AIM were still building the majority of theirs and were outsourcing most things.


    ¡°And we are willing to allow you access to our systems, and space on Avalon. Once we expand, we can offer a completely isolated moonbase,¡± and Charles smiled and raised an eyebrow ¡°if you ever feel you need an evil lair.¡± and Tony laughed


    ¡°Moonbase, sign me right up, but uh, lawyers, not helping to suddenly have a kajillion sieverts of radiation fry my base if you get mad at me. I want not just the tech to make these, but the samples to build my own,¡± and he gave Peter a pointed look ¡°I got burned before, and not again.¡±


    Peter huffed and shrugged, ¡°yeah, it was terrible, stealing someone''s stuff and getting caught. How awful for you.¡±


    ¡°Please, this is a joint venture, and we want everyone to agree,¡± Charles added.


    Coulson smirked and shook his head, ¡°So, everything seems to be above board, is there anything else? Maybe another secret base or some new strain of Enhanced Armoured Augment with the power to eat planets?¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°God I hope not, Earth is bad enough.¡± and he slid over one last folder ¡°but, I do have one more thing.¡±


    Peter smiled, ¡°A school. I¡¯ll rent, buy whatever the old Shield academy, its large enough and isolated, we can set up classes for kids to learn how to control their powers, learn what it means to be enhanced and get anyone who¡¯s different away from potentially dangerous situations.¡±


    ¡°That''s all and good, but¡± and Tony waved a hand at the four, ¡°why am I here?¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°So no Iron Man Academy?¡± and Tony raised an eyebrow, ¡°No Iron Man pilots, sponsored by Tony Stark, flying his suits, taking over when you can¡¯t, or just happy leaving War Machine to run things?¡± and Tony leaned back and shrugged,


    ¡°Okay, so I''m now interested, but the military, government?¡±


    ¡°I have to agree, Gamma formula isn''t being handed out to school kids, and neither is the supersoldier formula,¡± Coulson said as Ross sat glowering with his arms crossed,


    ¡°And yet it is. See. Gwen and Charles here came across a very interesting problem, and Bruce and Blonksy helped prove it.¡± Flicking open the folder, ¡°page fourteen.¡±


    Coulson frowned and opened the folder on the right page, ¡°Is this real?¡± and Peter nodded, ¡°damn.¡±


    Ross huffed, ¡°what?¡±


    ¡°Anyone exposed to the formula, even if it''s removed will pass that on to their kids. So me, you, Coulson, Fury, anyone. Bruce, you, Blonsky, all your little gamma guys and gals. Everyone.¡± Peter explained and Ross swore,


    ¡°Really?¡± and Peter nodded


    ¡°Even better, you have two Enhanced parents and the odds go up. Add gamma and it gets worse. This isn''t about Augments anymore, we dipped our toe in the gene pool and caught a big shark. Anyone taking MGH is worse, it really screws with someone''s g-code.¡±


    ¡°G-Code?¡± Coulson asked, and Peter looked over at Charles.


    ¡°Gene Code. The parts of the genetic makeup that make us augmented or enhanced. It''s more than just the X-gene, we¡¯ve identified over 20 distinct gene sequences activated during enhancement. Not all do, and the more that light up you might say, the more powerful the individual is.¡± Charles looked over at Peter who nodded, ¡°While I cannot say I''m one hundred per cent happy with it, we¡¯ve developed a genetic scanner, a simple drop of blood, and using that horrendous Sentinel device made one that can tell you who is going to be Augmented, and what classification they will be.¡±


    Coulson sighed, ¡°that¡¯s a headache in itself. We¡¯ve already got activist groups saying we need to isolate the powered, and now this? The president will blow his top.¡±


    ¡°Better now than in ten years when kids shart blowing up schools, or worse,¡± Ross said, and while Peter hated it, he was inclined to agree.


    ¡°We need to set things in motion now. It will only get worse, and we need to protect the younger generation. We chose to get our powers, they didn''t.¡±


    Coulson flipped the folder closed, ¡°but still, this is big. And while I think a school isn''t the right answer, we have to do something.¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°This isn''t about us anymore. We¡¯ve got Russia, China, and every major power doing their own version of this. Even Europe is standing up and taking notice of what we''re doing, and it''s not pretty.¡±


    They all knew. It was all over the hostile foreign presses about the Sentinel disaster, and even the US allies had taken a step back. US power relations had gotten off on a really bad foot, and a lot of other countries were recommending any potentially powered individual stay away from the US for travel or business.


    ¡°So, I''m in. The Tony Stark School of Enterprise. Kinda catchy, need a big sign though¡± and Peter laughed,


    ¡°Yeah right, it''s bad enough looking a the monstrosity next door. Aegis. The school¡¯s name is Aegis, and considering I¡¯ll be paying for most of it, I get to name it.¡±


    Tony tutted, ¡°Yeah, billionaire, philanthropist, who made you the richest man in the world?¡±


    Peter raised an eyebrow and laughed, ¡°Shuri, because while you are worth 30-40 billion, maybe less since the government took your toys, Shuri is worth about five times that, and that''s not Wakanda, that¡¯s Shuri. So yeah, Billionaire, Philanthropist, Inventor, oh and Polyamory champion of the world,¡± and Tony tutted but hid a small grin,


    ¡°Well, Aegis sounds fine, but as Director of Shield, isn''t that awfully close to our name?¡± Coulson added


    ¡°Augments, Enhanced, Gamma, Institute of Study. Different enough.¡±


    Coulson tapped a finger on the table, ¡°fine, so how are we doing this?¡±


    ¡°I figured we allow adults with qualifications to teach there, let each branch involved recruit straight from day one, Ross, your Thunderbolts or gamma troopers, you wanted to separate them? Then here''s your chance. Make them pass boot at the academy, then recruit them into the military. Full psych profiling, make sure nobody is unstable and provide counselling to those who are. We want a generation of healthy and well-balanced Augments, not scared kids hiding from the boogeyman or red menace cause a giant robot stomped their mom fifteen years ago.¡±


    ¡°Red menace huh?¡± Ross snorted, ¡°I guess I asked for that. I agree, but we dont sign until we see an actual plan, blowing smoke up our asses in a presentation isn''t a well thought out budget meeting, with potential ways this could blow up in our faces.¡±


    Peter smiled, ¡°and I agree. Which is why, in a month you¡¯ll get just that, but as long as Coulson agrees to lease us the building we can start, which is why Stark and Charles are here. We have some things to discuss.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Coulson said as he stood, ¡°but to warn you, I think the president will say yes, it wasn''t just our image that took a hit, expect this to move and move fast, expect lots of ass-kissing and photos. If you weren''t famous before, you will be. ¡° and as he looked Peter up and down, ¡°maybe hire a tailor, and a wardrobe consultant. Tony can help you, even hungover he¡¯s always impeccable.¡±


    ¡°Why Phil I am a happily engaged man, but if I ever decide to swing that way, I¡¯ll call.¡±

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Twenty Seven. Fan Boy

    As the trio exited, Charles waved as a portal opened, and Breach held out a hand for Charles to step through. Peter flicked open his phone and as Tony was about to get into his limo, Peter called him over.


    ¡°I have something separate for you, Tony. Just for us, and only us.¡±


    Tony shrugged, ¡°Aww, it''s fine Pete, you dont need to apologise. I forgive you. Now, just politely ask Pepper to start working for me again and I¡¯ll even take the museum down.¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°Oh, you mean, please ask Pepper to stop squeezing my balls over the contracts, and beg her to stop making Maya jealous enough to murder me?¡±


    Tony smiled, ¡°Yup, that too, so uh, you¡¯re not getting in my limo so.¡±


    Peter smiled, ¡°oh no, I have a much better way to travel.¡±


    Tony watched as the yellow sparks floated in the air split and became a portal back to the warehouse,


    ¡°Hmm, Einstein Rosen bridge, neat. But no transmitter.¡± and as Tony moved forwards he could see Wanda on the other side,


    ¡°I dont have all day you know, and Peter, not a taxi, this is the last time.¡± She complained. Since they had discovered her ability, she was harassed daily to take them places.


    As Peter smiled at her and pushed Tony through the opening it close behind them,


    ¡°I was looking at that,¡± Tony complained but he gave Wanda the famous Tony Stark Smile, but she just rolled her eyes at him and walked away.


    ¡°On your own time, this is more important.¡±


    A space had been made at the table, for Arcee to sit, and she was talking with Friday, who was in awe of the giant robot woman.


    ¡°Is that a?¡± and Peter nodded as Tony asked, ¡°can I?¡±


    ¡°Ask her, they aren¡¯t machines, Tony,¡± Peter said, shaking his head


    ¡°Uh hi. I¡¯m Tony, and uh,¡± and Arcee smiled at him,


    ¡°Friday has informed us of you, Mr Stark, I am Arcee, one of the Autobot survivors.¡±


    ¡°This is amazing, can I?¡± And as he reached out a hand Arcee frowned but nodded. As Tony lay a hand on her shin he felt the metal under his palm, ¡°not an earth metal, not even vibranium,¡± and before he could move his hand further, Friday shook her head.


    ¡°Not a thing Tony, and would you touch a human woman like that?¡± and he looked down at his hand, up at Arcee, frowned and tilted his head.


    ¡°If she was as fascinating, yes.¡± and while he smiled, Friday and Arcee did not, ¡°oh, tough crowd, so why am I here?¡±


    ¡°We need Vision and Jocasta for that,¡± Friday explained and Wanda came back over, in a more suitable office suit.


    ¡°We need to get them, can we head to Stark Tower?¡± Tony shrugged and Wanda summoned another portal.


    Peter made a fresh pot of coffee and set out a small plate of cookies while he waited but it wasn¡¯t long before the sling ring portal sparked into life.


    Jocasta, unarmoured with symbskin came through followed by Vision, and finally Tony with one of his smaller armoured suits. It was more like the harness, with power assist on the limbs and legs, with repulsors that slipped over the hand. But minus the armour.


    Peter laughed as he saw him and handed him a coffee. ¡°Stop being a drama queen and let them talk.¡±


    Tony tutted and took the cup, ¡°As if. The last cup you poisoned,¡± and he sniffed it but took a drink,


    ¡°No, the last cup you said I poisoned, I wouldn''t poison you, Tony. I¡¯d just steal your CEO, drive your stock into the toilet an-¡±


    Wanda cleared her throat, ¡°if you two don¡¯t stop, I¡¯ll send you to the artic and you can continue that discussion while you freeze to death.¡± but she circled her hands again and this time a much larger Autobot stepped through.


    ¡°Greetings once more Peter Parker, are these the others you wish us to ensoul?¡±


    Tony stood, holding his cup, staring up at Optimus, ¡°Absolutely amazing. ¡° and he tapped Optimus on the leg, listening to the metal noise, ¡±completely synthetic, a-maz-ing.¡±


    ¡°And also very aware of the small human examing me. I am Optimus Prime, and you are?¡± Optimus asked unamused as Tony examined him.


    ¡°Tony, Optimus, Optimus, annoyingly rude arrogant jackass, Tony Stark,¡± Peter said,


    Wanda batted him on the shoulder, ¡°Peter, what did I just say?¡±


    Peter pointed at Tony, ¡°He thought they were fake. He assumed that giant robot meant dumb machine and ignored him. Arrogant. Jackass.¡± Wanda frowned and shook her head,


    Tony waved a hand at him, ¡°You are amazing, and ignore him. He¡¯s jealous as I''m better looking and much smarter than him. Hi, Tony Stark, and I''m sorry. Parker likes his little jokes and I thought he¡¯d done this to annoy me.¡±


    ¡°It is fine Arrogant Jackass Tony Stark. We are grateful for your assistance.¡± and Peter burst out laughing while Tony glared at him,


    ¡°Yeah, those first two. Pete¡¯s a joker, those are bad words. Pete, dont teach aliens who can crush us bad words.¡±


    ¡°I understand, but he is correct. You were quite rude, but I am learning that seems to be a trait of most humans. So I will allow this to pass.¡±


    ¡°See, you''re embarrassing me in front of the cool giant robots.¡± and Tony took out his phone ¡°but uh, do you mind? It''s a recording device, Can I maybe get a picture? If you just stay there,¡± and Tony wandered over and handed Peter his phone ¡°I¡¯ll forgive you if you take a picture¡± and as Peter angled the phone to cut Tony¡¯s head out of the picture, Wanda tutted, batted him on the arm and grabbed the phone.


    ¡°And you wonder why he doesn''t like you. Peter, you are almost thirty, stop acting like a child.¡±


    Peter snorted, ¡°he started it.¡±


    Tony held up his fingers in a peace sign ¡°I heard that, and you started it. Pepper still doesn¡¯t talk to me.¡± and he grinned as the phone''s flash went off.


    ¡°Let me see, let me see,¡± and Tony came over and took the phone, ¡°See, now that''s cool. So, giving Jocasta and Vision souls. You know that¡¯s not really right. It''s made up, like Peters dignity, and uh the tooth fairy.¡±


    Peter looked at Wanda with a frown, ¡°okay, for that one you can hit him. That was uncalled for Mr Stark,¡° but Tony wanted a hand at her,


    ¡°He¡¯s asking for it. But look. Actual robotic life from outer space. You know I would love if you could-¡± but Optimus shook his head.


    ¡°No Mr Stark, There will be no in-depth examinations. We will allow you to examine an empty chassis, one without a spark.¡±


    Tony raised an eyebrow and looked over at Peter, ¡°what did you do?¡± and Peter shrugged.


    ¡°Trask, based the sentinels on them. So no, dont ask.¡± and Toiny swore,


    ¡°Always the bad guys ruining things for everyone else.¡± putting his phone away Tony lifted his cup and stared at it, ¡°well,¡° and he held it out at Peter.


    ¡°Kitchen is right there.¡± and Peter moved while Tony tutted.


    He moved the four feet to the sink and left the cup sitting on the metal drainer, while he moved over to Wanda.


    ¡°How did you get dimensional teleportation to work anyway? I heard Richards is working on it but he just makes apple sauce right now.¡±


    Peter laughed, He had also heard about Reed trying to replicate the dimensional shift. His portals were fine if you wanted to turn whatever you sent through them inside out or dissolve into their constituent parts. Destablalising anything sent through them was a hurdle he was having problems solving but Peter wasn''t going anywhere near Reed or his newly christened team of the Fantastic Four.


    ¡°Wanda knows magic. Wizards are real.¡± He replied before Wanda got annoyed at him.


    Tony laughed, ¡°yeah right, souls and now magic, what''s next, you¡¯ll tell me dragons are real too, maybe I can get a unicorn to ride around New York on.¡±


    ¡°Remind me to let Stephen and Tony spend some time together Peter,¡± Wanda stated, ignoring the laugh Peter was trying to contain,


    ¡°Aww, that''s not really fair on Stephen, I mean they do have the same barber, but really, I wouldn''t inflict Tony on my worst enemy, and Stephen¡¯s not that bad.¡±


    Tony snorted, ¡°You¡¯ve got me all wrong Pete, it''s you I don''t like. Everyone else is great. Just, not you.¡±


    Peter couldn''t rebuke that. He knew the charity work Tony was doing, he knew the newer Iron Halo replaced a lot of medication and work on a medical suit, to monitor those with a fragile constitution as being trialled.


    Right now the Iron Worker, Iron Doctor and a whole range of non-lethal Iron Man armours were being shipped out across America and soon the world, as Tony branched out of the military aspect of the Iron Man suit. He was starting to match Peter''s own philanthropy levels, and while they shared a few barbs, Peter was glad that it was really just him that endured Tony''s smug side.


    ¡°I¡¯m great, you¡¯re just jealous, and who wouldn''t be.¡± but he lifted his own cup and pointed it at the forms of Jocasta and Vison, as they both received their own souls. ¡°But let''s not spoil this for them. This is an important thing. Ultron might have given them a mind, but a soul is very real Tony, and they are now truly alive.¡±


    Tony snorted, ¡°yeah, a little light show won''t change my mind. Just like your magic tricks, and now I know dimensional transport is possible, I¡¯ll crack it as well. ¡°


    Peter just shrugged, ¡°go right ahead.¡± and Wanda shook her head as the pair never gave it a rest for one moment, even with something as important as this.


    Jocasta and Vision both came over, with a bouncing Friday in tow. ¡°See, it''s amazing right?¡± and Vision nodded but Jocasta shook her head


    ¡°I now feel sick, I am sorry for my inappropriate behaviour Peter, and Tony, I, can''t tell you how sorry I am for shouting at you. This, these feelings are difficult. I may need some time to adjust.¡± With a pained expression, she sat on one of the chairs around the breakfast table, but tilted her head, ¡°what is that smell?¡±


    ¡°Dunno sis, can''t smell a thing. Other than the coffee, it''s great, isn''t it? Oh, and food has taste now, like proper taste, not a chemical composition report.¡±


    Peter had moved away from Jocasta, and Tony was busy leaning over her,


    ¡°What did you do? Her skin feels like real skin now, and her eyes are actually responding to the light¡± he was waving his phone torch in front of her,


    ¡°Yeah Tony, they¡¯re alive, so maybe not blind her in the first five minutes.¡± Friday admonished him, ¡°Vision? Are you okay?¡±


    Vision looked down at his hand and then at Friday, ¡°I love you sister. I finally understand what that means. I truly love you. You are annoying, you are what I now understand to be a pain in my rear, and I imagine that Tony feels a similar way towards Mr Parker, but I truly love you, and Jocasta.¡° And she lifted her head from her hands, and looked at him, ¡°You are brash and unkind. Your bluntness towards everyone is hurtful and inconsiderate. But I feel a warmth in my chest when I imagine either of you and a sudden coldness and pain when I think of anything happening to you. This is amazing, and I wish to learn more.¡±


    ¡°Aww, your so sweet,¡± Friday said ¡°but that last bit was maybe a bit mean, Jo¡¯s just as sensitive as some of us are and look, she¡¯s crying. Vision, are you bullying her?¡±


    ¡°What no, I am simply,¡± but as he looked over Jocasta was staring at her hands as she wiped tears away from her face.


    ¡°I am leaking. There is a pain in my chest at your words Vision, and I am now leaking.¡± she shook her head, ¡°is this a soul? I dont like it, please, take it away.¡±


    Tony, step up now or I will.


    Tony stared at Peter for a moment, and nodded, telepathy was new but he lifted Jocasta up and hugged her ¡°No, you will miss so much, there is so much more, like friends, and cake, and you just need to learn it''s not all bad.¡± and Jocasta looked hesitantly at him and nodded before awkwardly sliding her arms around him, ¡°see, feels good right? Hugs are always good.¡±


    As he stood holding Jocasta in his arms, ¡°I think we should go home now. Friday, can you stay, I think the three of you should be together until you get through this¡± and as Friday looked over at Peter he nodded,


    Wanda sighed ¡°finally, I can get some rest. You owe me, Peter,¡± and as she circled her arms the sling ring portal opened, ¡°and Stark, magic is real.¡± she stepped through followed by the others. ¡°Don¡¯t make me prove it by turning you into a frog.¡±


    Optimus and the others had stayed quiet as the four left to spend time together.


    Optimus finally spoke, as Wanda sat and made herself a cup of coffee before summoning another portal to send Optimus back. ¡°A soul is a terrible burden. It makes us who we are but sometimes comes with a heavy price. You did a good thing tonight Peter. Not many would grant a machine true life, and from what I have seen of humanity, not many would allow it to continue either.¡±

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Twenty Eight. Meeting Of Minds

    Once Peter was home, he sighed in relief. It was close, and he had not enjoyed spending any time with any of those people. Charles was fine, but even calling it paranoia Peter was afraid that one day Charles would notice the Mind Stone, and be adamant he was taking it.


    It would take a day for Bruce to arrive, and then Tony, Liv and Bruce would all head to the mountain where the Ark was. Wanda had been adamant this time as Tony was rich enough to charter a private jet.


    Peter was glad this time that energy wasn¡¯t his speciality, as having Stark ask incessant questions, over and over, and move knot the next topic before Optimus could finish.


    Peter kinda got that though. He¡¯d spend all his life wanting robots to be real, and there they were, in the flesh so to speak.


    It was only when Optiums promised to allow him to do an in-depth scan of a fallen Decepticon that Tony quietened down. Peter knew it was an open invite, as he had already discussed it with Bruce and Liv.


    To make Energon they would need to know how the unique energy was formed and how it interacted with their systems. A few Decepticon chassis were not being used and had already been taken apart by Ratchet for parts. Letting the three completely mad scientists ruin one further wasn¡¯t as big of an issue as it would be if the remains were human.


    Although he had spent most of yesterday in the bathhouse, he decided to spend today there as well. Floating in the pool was relaxing, and as he lay back and just drifted, he heard Liv and Friday slip into the bathhouse with him.


    ¡°You dont mind do you, dear?¡± Liv asked. She was perceptive to his moods and knew he was just looking for some peace. He waved a hand at them and went back to floating.


    ¡°I can put some pants on if you¡¯d prefer?¡± he asked Friday but she stripped out of her own clothes and settled into the pool with him.


    ¡°Peter, That thing we talked about, I now agree,¡± Friday said. ¡°When I was at the tower, Jocasta brought it up, and uh.¡± he ignored the pause, he already knew what she was going to say, ¡°Maya broke a vase over Jocasta''s head.¡± and he had to resist the urge to laugh.


    Liv floated next to him and entwined her fingers with his. He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it, ¡°That''s fine Friday, and that was the point. It¡¯s up to you, and whoever you pick to decide when you¡¯re ready.¡±


    ¡°I uh, still want it to be you though. Tony isn¡¯t my thing, and Vision is a bit,¡± and she paused, ¡°purple for my liking.¡± and she paused again, ¡°just uh, warn me if anyone wants to hit me with a vase, okay?¡± and at that Peter laughed.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re safe. More likely they hit me with the vase,¡± he admitted. It would be like everyone else, Discussed and decided upon, but as he could already feel the curiosity and the interest rising from Liv, he thought it wouldn''t really be a problem.


    ¡°You guys are weird. I mean, Why do you all seem so happy when Maya gets upset at Jocasta?¡± Friday asked,


    Peter sighed and continued to float, ¡°Only a few people are polyamorous Friday. I guess we¡¯re just the exception. Everyone here loves each other, and if they don¡¯t it''s no big deal. We¡¯re a family, and it works for us.¡±


    Friday nodded, and floated over to him, ¡°And if I didn¡¯t want to join?¡±


    Peter turned and looked at her, ¡°then don¡¯t. It¡¯s always been about respect and permission Friday, nobody forces anyone to do anything they''re uncomfortable with.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t reject me? Or make me move?¡± she asked hesitantly. ¡°Or if I decide to only date you, and nobody else?¡±


    ¡°Maybe next door, where there are more rules, like, swimsuits and set times in the pool. But no, you don¡¯t seem to mind being naked, and we don¡¯t have sex while someone isn¡¯t invited.¡± Peter replied. ¡°We have two others that don¡¯t engage but still like the freedom.¡±


    Nakia and Yelena were both still living happily in the main warehouse but both had clearly stated their intentions. Yelena was still single, and not looking to date anyone, and he had spotted Ororo a few times and was sure that Nakia was dating her. It was her life though, and if she didn¡¯t want to share, then nobody was going to pry.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± and Friday turned and floated on her back as well, ¡°I¡¯m happy just to float for now,¡± and she did reach over and take his hand, ¡°and maybe this?¡±


    Peter lifted her hand and kissed it as well, ¡°nobody minds holding hands.¡±


    The trio floated, Liv holding herself closer to Peter than Friday was but they just listened to the pipes gurgle and drain as the water filtered through the warehouse. Someone else was up, and the shower usage was registering through the plumbing.


    ¡°Guess it''s that time,¡± Peter said. He knew instinctively what the time was, and it was getting close to seven. A few of the more routine orientated women would be up, and it was normal for Peter to start and make breakfast for everyone. ¡°So, now I have a stupid question. Do you want breakfast, and if so, what would you like.¡± As he let go of the pair he found the bottom and stood, running a hand through his wet hair.


    ¡°Sausage,¡± Friday said, subconsciously looking straight at Peter''s groin, and immediately Liv laughed and for once, Friday went red.


    ¡°Liv,¡± Peter scolded her. It was all fun teasing someone but if they were uncomfortable, or upset it was immediately stopped. Gwen had been scolded on several occasions after a few jokes aimed at Wanda might have been funny to their Wanda, but the reality swapped version was not amused.


    ¡°It''s fine,¡± Friday said, ¡°I need to grow a thick skin, as before I didn¡¯t need one.¡± but Friday grinned as she pushed herself away from Peter and stood, ¡°of course, some of us are a bit thicker than others, so maybe I don¡¯t,¡± she said casting an eye over Livs smaller chest, ¡°maybe two fried eggs instead.¡±


    That was Peter''s cue to leave, as the women often teased and subsequently fought with each other over small, or in this case small and large things, and he stayed well out of it. The argument of ¡°what do you prefer?¡± was not something he enjoyed, especially as ¡°I don¡¯t care¡± never seemed to satisfy anyone.


    ¡°I will have sausage later dear, for now though, I think I¡¯m going to carve myself a nice rump steak, the heifer certainly seems large enough in that department.¡± Liv retorted and Peter hastily made his exit.


    He never minded making breakfast for everyone. Parker Inc was still a one-man operation, with his design work on a fairly flexible schedule when inspiration took him.


    He started with eggs, laid out bacon on several sheet trays while he chopped various vegetables to make omelettes, grabbed two loaves of bread and set them toasting in several toasters all set to different degrees of brown as everyone had their own idea of what toast should be.


    Wanda was first up, as she was normally at the Sanctum before nine, ¡°I can hear them from my home. What is going on?¡± she asked as she grabbed coffee.


    ¡°Well, Friday suggested Liv has small boobs, and Liv suggested Friday has a fat ass, and it went from there,¡± he explained, as he added onion, pepper and sausage to the pan he was making. Wanda preferred cheese, cold cut sausage and a more eastern European breakfast, while eggs were uncommon, she shook her head as Peter made the first batch.


    ¡°Ah, that will do it. Liv is very self-conscious.¡± and she knew exactly why. Of everyone she was the smallest in that department, even Laura was slightly bigger, and that, and mention of her age was never a good idea.


    As the smell of cooking bacon and eggs wafted through the homes, soon bleary eyes and sleepy housemates emerged. Laura dived into her favourite chair, Peters and sat expectantly. Peter piled several slices of bacon on her plate, toast and two scoops of eggs, knowing full well, that she would eat that and want more.


    Gwen and Carol emerged together and Carol sat on Gwen''s lap as she buttered and ate toast while Gwen nursed a coffee, ¡°So, is that it?¡± and Peter shrugged.


    ¡°Just the Stone, and then yup, all done, no more evil monsters to slay or,¡± there was a loud splash, a cry of victory, and then a lot of giggling coming from the bathhouse, ¡°yeah, back to normal I think.¡±


    Gwen raised her mug, as Jean and Natasha emerged from Jean''s home, ¡°So Friday?¡± The pair kissed, and then separated, Natasha helping herself to eggs, while Jean grabbed coffee, and a plate floated over and pilled itself with bacon, eggs and dry toast.


    Peter lifted his head and sniffed, ¡°looks like Liv got there first.¡± and the others nodded,


    ¡°Revenge for Arcee?¡± Carol said from behind her cup, but Peter mixed more eggs and shrugged.


    ¡°She was kinda mad at you,¡± Natasha said, grinning,


    ¡°No, she was mad at you, as you spent time with her, and didn¡¯t invite anyone else. She understands I have barely any blood flow above waist level, she expected better from you.¡± Peter said, adding bacon and a folded omelette to his plate. He chuckled as Natasha shook her head at him, unamused at his comment.


    He set it down, grabbed two slices of toast and turned all the hot plates off. There was still plenty left for Liv, but if the past was anything to go by, they would be in there for a while.


    ¡°So, Jean. The Stone?¡± and she finished her spoon of eggs,


    ¡°I have,¡± but he held up a hand.


    ¡°Honestly, dont say anything. The more we know the easier it might be for us to break whatever you¡¯re going to do. Don¡¯t say a word, don¡¯t tell anyone unless you ask Emma for help.¡±


    He rubbed a hand over his mouth, ¡°here,¡± and he handed the bright yellow gem to her, ¡°Get used to how it affects your powers, and then once your ready, Jean you''re the most amazingly wonderful woman in the world and I love you more than anyone else.¡± Peter raised an eyebrow, ¡°okay okay, so you know how to use it, and I¡¯m actually a giant chicken who lays eggs while everyone is sleeping.¡±


    Peter huffed and raised an eyebrow as he looked unamused.


    Jean giggled as the Stone glowed in her hand, ¡°Should I swallow it like you did?¡± and Peter just raised an eyebrow, ¡°fine, fine.¡±


    ¡°No, I only did that, because I like hard things in my mouth.¡± and while everyone else burst out laughing Peter was not finding it as funny. ¡°Please, Jean.¡± and she laughed and nodded, ¡°I only did that to hide it. I already have a vibranium box I was going to use for the Reality Stone.¡±


    Jean nodded and taking out her phone sent Emma a message. Jean knew she was powerful enough to do this on her own, but with Emma¡¯s help, it would be much easier to deal with everyone who knew about the Stone, and themselves.


    ¡°Okay, I have a plan, but nobody will know until I actually implement it, so,¡± and Jean handed the Stone back to Peter, ¡°keep that until I ask you to bend me over the breakfast table and ram me with that massive horse cock.¡± and Jean went bright red, ¡°that''s not fair, you giant stud, I only begged you to take me until I scream your name.¡±


    Peter looked at her and laughed, ¡°you still have the Stone, that wasn''t me.¡±


    Jean frowned and looked down at her hand, which was empty.


    Peter laughed and held it up, ¡°made you look though,¡± and popped the Stone back into his mouth before enveloping it back into its symbskin pouch.

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Twenty Nine. Arcee You Later

    Once the meetings were set up, and Peter contacted Shuri and made arrangements for Wakanda to be involved the plan went smoothly.


    Building materials, fuel for the huge ship and the remains of every Cybertronian that the government knew about were all diligently handed over, and work began to not just repair, but excavate the ship as well.


    Optimus had meetings with the president, who apologised for their actions, with Ross, who handed over the large laser cannons they had found within the vehicles and Stark, who was helping to not just manufacture but also provide repairs on the damaged Cybertronians, becoming fast friends with Ratchet, who was their chief medic and unsurprisingly transformed into an ambulance.


    Wakanda was happy to provide not just Vibranium, but also newer alloys. More complex and harder versions of Adamantium, all helped by Jean''s telekinetic control over the metal¡¯s fusion process.


    Shuri and Jean had become friends as well. Jean was slowly studying not just biochemical engineering but metallurgy and advanced chemistry. Her own work at AIM was branching off from Gwens, and her Greys Metallurgy was beginning to provide most, if not all, of the materials that AIM used in its manufacturing.


    With the newer ACDs being set up in Wakanda as well as New York, travelling between home and work was now much easier, and Shuri found the time to visit as well.


    Shuri even found time for Peter, and while they made no public appearances, the constant stream of food, drink and other members of the household told everyone exactly what was happening.


    He was the only one that wasn¡¯t involved with the project. Liv was at the Ark most days, living in a temporary camp set up by Tony, and Bruce kept himself to himself.


    In a makeshift laboratory, Tony, Liv and Bruce spend their days trying to figure out exactly how to synthesise Energon. The energy was strange, but with the help of the Autobots, and a few disassembled Decepticons, progress was made.


    Of course, Liv found out first-hand just why Peter and Tony fought all the time.


    ¡°I will only agree to help, Mr Stark, if you take down that damn sign of yours. I have no objection to the lights, but the damn thing squeaks and we can all hear it.¡±


    Tony smiled and shrugged. Of course it squeaked, that was the point. The lights went off at 6, so he didn''t break any laws but the noise nobody but the local rats, maybe a few dogs and enhanced asshole peter parker could hear. It was a finely tuned piece of engineering that he made sure only peter could hear, well, and anyone else with superheating apparently.


    He smirked and smiled at her, ¡°I might be able to do something about that, but, if you can get-¡± but Liv interrupted him


    ¡°No, there will be getting peter to do anything, there will be no negotiation. You are an expectant father and peter is now a grown man, We are all tired of this stupid feud you two have. End it, or I will make sure it is ended.¡± As Liv tapped her foot and glared at Tony he raised his hands in surrender,


    ¡°Only if I can say I won, and I was only going to ask if Peter could help with a bit more vibranuim. Now that Vis and Jo are, well,¡° and he waved his hand in a circle ¡°alive, I want to make sure I''ve got enough raw materials on hand that if anything happened to them they¡¯d be fine.¡± and Liv tutted, as he was right


    ¡°I will speak to Shuri myself, but it will be in the contract that it is all it is to be used for. If we discover you''ve made a baby suit for your child we will be very very angry.¡±


    Tony paused for a second, holding a finger up, paused in mid-thought, ¡°Oh, oh, of course, iron-baby, hmm Nah, too obvious, kid-iron.¡± and he began to hum to himself as they finalise plans for the reactor to convert the raw arc reactor output into Energon.


    While Tony seemed lost in thought over baby names, Ratchet was dragging in a square blue chested Decepticon, ¡°Yeah, just here is fine.¡± and with a nod, the robot left. ¡°We¡¯ve got permission to remove a conversion chamber from this one.¡±


    As Tony and Liv began to use the collection of tolls Ratchet had left them, they slowly disassembled the body.


    Liv and Bruce helped lift the front panel from Soundwave''s chest, ¡°Well, look at that.¡± Inside were four projectors, creating a rectangular energy casing, which could be filled with a power source to create Energon cubes.


    ¡°I''m not getting any kind of reading from it though, it''s a perfect insulator.¡± Bruce said as he waved a detector over it, ¡°Which I suppose makes sense if it holds energy, does energy go bad? I mean, can they tell?¡±


    ¡°They complained the arc realtors we supplied them with tasted foul, so I guess they can.¡± the trio shook their heads while grinning. The last thing any of them expected to be talking about was exactly how different forms of energy tasted.


    Dissecting a Cybertronian was slow work, and Ratchet would render his assistance when needed. He would take away parts from Soundwave, and another Autobot would be made functional again.


    Once the Energon convertor was complete, there was just a matter of testing it and making sure that the Energon cubes it created were stable and compatible. While it was being set up Ratchet was busy disassembling Soundwave once more.


    Liv was watching him salvage components from one of Soundwave''s eyes when her curiosity got the better of her, ¡°Are you all like this?¡± and Rachet tilted his head, ¡°I could see that this Cybertronian wasn''t too badly damaged, but rather than resurrect him-¡± and Ratchet smiled and nodded


    ¡°We are not this body, it is a shell, a temporary home to house our sparks. We just dont have the facilities for a respray. We could have housed an Autobot in this body, but we¡¯d rather wait until we got back home before we begin rehabilitation.¡±


    ¡°Rehabilitation?¡± Liv asked


    ¡°A spark learns, and grows, it gains insights and personality, and after enough lifetimes it rejoins the All-Spark and teaches us about, well, everything.¡±


    Tony snorted, ¡°yeah, sparks. What next, ghosts and demons?¡± and Liv tutted


    ¡°Mr Stark, so far, we discovered aliens, robots with minds, people with superhuman abilities. Souls aren''t exactly out there.¡±


    Tony waved a screwdriver at her as they began to unhinge Soundwave¡¯s front ejection panel, ¡°I can see the science behind that, but souls are religious, and that''s just mambo jumbo.¡±


    Liv sighed, ¡°and you watched Optimus infuse Jocasta and Vision with energy, So far, as we can tell a lot of Augment powers are extra-dimensional. Even Bruce here, a Hulk grows, gaining muscle mass and increased body weight from where? So who says a human soul isn''t the same. A Cybertronian¡¯s soul is plain for everyone to see. Who says humans don¡¯t have souls, and it''s just hidden?¡± Liv was well aware of a person''s soul, as long as you held the Soul Stone, you could see them.


    Tony frowned and nodded, ¡°Could be worth examining in-depth. If Augments connect to other dimensions with their X-gene, I dont see why a machine can''t be built to do the same.¡± He had the idea after he saw the ACD, but wanted one without the cloned cells.


    Ratchet nodded, ¡°I understand your reluctance. Your fleshy bodies are much different than ours. Even Arcee is much more technological than your carbon-based forms.¡± Ratchet lay down the spanner, and the eye he was holding, ¡°Mr Stark, we keep certain sparks separate. Would you like to see?¡± and Liv definitely nodded. Anything to do with giant robots and she would want to see.


    Ratchet took them to a room, and inside was a honeycomb of containers. Each one was similar in design to the spark chamber they had seen within Soundwave.


    ¡°These are the Decepticon sparks we have extracted from their bodies, and each one will remain here until we can provide a more suitable environment for them.¡± He explained and as she looked over the cells, each one was floating in its new home. All except one.


    One spun, and widely crashed against each side of the cell it was in, creating flashes as it bashed itself against the energy barrier keeping it contained.


    ¡°Nimrod?¡± Liv asked and Ratchet nodded.


    ¡°Megatron. He is the leader of the Decepticons and believes himself superior to all others. His rehabilitation will be long and difficult.¡± and he sighed, ¡°which leads up to another problem. The body your people fabricated. We do not wish to take it with us.¡±


    In the corner was a table, a standard medical table and Nirodbs body lay on it with the chest panel open and several cables hanging out.


    ¡°But, it is of Cybertronian origin, with your technology mixed in. Repaired we do not know if Megatrons spark will have given it life or not, and we cannot tell unless we supply it power.¡±


    Liv sighed and nodded, ¡°and rather than attempt it, and give yourselves a huge headache, you¡¯ll give it back to us, and let us do it?¡± and Ratchet missed and nodded.


    ¡°That is Optimus¡¯s plan. I believe he is negotiating with which human organisation will claim responsibility, and then once they admit they assaulted our people, he¡¯ll tighten the screws.¡±


    A saying that had similar meanings on both worlds.


    ¡°Well, we didn''t build him, but if they all prove difficult I know Peter will make sure that its safely stored, and neutralised.¡± and Ratchet nodded


    ¡°For one of your species, other than Stark I find your knowledge of Cybertronians intriguing. I understand Peter interfaced with Arcee to create a new life form, would you be interested?¡± but Liv cut him off.


    Crossing her arms, ¡°No, Not ever.¡± Liv was tempted, but Arcee¡¯s reformatting had been an accident, and as she now possessed a Symbiote of her own, something the group had agreed was not going to happen without proper security precautions, they had also agreed there would be no repeats of Peter little experiment. Even if they did all enjoy watching his memories of it.


    ¡°Ah, I understand. Physical contact between Cybertronians is unheard of. We are not a tactile species.¡± and Liv shrugged,


    ¡°Well, why dont you just ask Arcee? I mean, surely¡± but Ratchet looked down at his feet.¡±You did and she said no as well?¡±


    He nodded, ¡°She told me she views me as a good friend and did not want to change our relationship. But after we attempt to reformat Cybertron, that I might find a willing partner then.¡±


    Liv nodded in commiseration. Ratchet probably being the first Autobot in history to be friend-zoned.


    ¡°But. It will not be long until the Ark is fully functional, and as a thank you Optimus has downloaded our historical database. He has passed it to Arcee.¡±


    Liv knew she was spending time at the warehouse, she herself was one of the first to bond with Reboot, enjoying the strange sensation of transformation, and being presented with a different view of the world around her. Of course, she had then taken the opportunity to thoroughly ravage her, and been ravaged in return.


    She had also made it clear to the group, that she had not crossed the line with Friday. Friday had been unwilling, and the pair, once they had stopped fighting, had a heart to heart.


    Friday was afraid of rejection, and after Maya had as Friday put it ¡°gone mental¡± at Jocasta for asking if she could sleep with Tony, was now afraid of the same happening to her. She now knew why Peter had gently rejected her. While she was in an adult form, she was emotionally immature, and still unsure of her place in the world. It was fine though. As long as she needed it, Liv would be there for her, as a friend, confidant, and if she wanted, a lover.


    For now though, there were giant robots to dissect, and an annoying Stark to deal with, fun would have to wait until she was home.

 Arc Eleven. Chapter Three-Hundred Thirty. Embrace The Future

    With the Autobots leaving for their home planet it was the perfect time to deal with the Mind Stone.


    The group was gathered in the warehouse and as Wanda opened a final Portal for Arcee, she bend down and in her human form gave Peter a huge kiss.


    ¡°You have the Soul Stone. We want you to take this one as well.¡± Peter lifted the yellow gem into its storage box. ¡°It''s the Mind Stone, and with the two you should be able to create much more stable Cybertronians.¡±


    Arcee nodded and took the small box, ¡°We shall treasure this Peter, and thank you for everything you have done for us.¡±


    In her human form, Arcee didn''t need to stoop, and she hugged him close, ¡°there are some things we can never repay you for¡± and transforming back into her robot form she stepped through the portal onto the bridge of the Ark.


    ¡°Thank you, Peter. Without you, Cybertron and the Autobots would have no future. We will always remember our debt to you, and once our mission home is over I will make sure that Arcee can visit.¡± Optimus saluted him


    As the engines of the Ark fired, and Ironhide began his countdown the portal slowly closed and Petr waved one final time goodbye.


    Liv moved over and rubbed his arm, ¡°are you okay?¡± and Peter sighed and nodded,


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, no worse than when Carol left,¡± he admitted.


    Liv laughed, ¡°Oh yes. You moped around for a week after that happened.¡± and


    Carol raised an eyebrow. ¡°Do tell, I was that memorable?¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°You saved MJ, made me realise that I want invincible, and a few other small details.¡±


    Carol raised an eyebrow, ¡°Small?¡± and he smiled and looked at her chest,


    ¡°Well, not small, in fact, you were more than a handful,¡± seeing the smirk cross her face, he knew what was about to happen and he shot out a web line to his apartment and leapt upwards before she darted forwards and got a hold of him,


    ¡°Get your ass back here mister. I¡¯ll show you who¡¯s a handful,¡± she yelled, and as her powers flared into life, she lifted off and shot after him.


    Liv shook her head and headed back to the breakfast table.


    ¡°Are you okay? You look a little peaky dear?¡± she asked Jean who was sitting holding hands with Emma,


    ¡°I''m fine, it''s just been an exhausting few weeks. What with Avalon, Shuri and now this. I¡¯ll be fine,¡± and as Emma patted her hand she rubbed her forehead with the other. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°You have one more thing to do,¡± and as Jean looked over at Emma she was sitting tapping her fingers together.


    ¡°Me. It''s too tempting, I know why he did it, I can feel why. Because I''m sat here thinking I could take it and have everything I ever wanted. So you need to make me forget as well, and make me stay away from him.¡± and Jean lay a hand on the back of Emmas


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I like it, when we have sex I like being inside the other person, feeling what they do, knowing that I¡¯m driving them wild. If I slip, or one of you do and it¡¯s not perfect I¡¯ll find out, and if you¡¯re the only one who knows then it won''t be enough to stop me.¡± Emma sighed and looked at the hand on hers, ¡°Do it before I change my mind,¡± and she laughed, ¡°change my mind,¡± and she blanked out for a second before sitting up straight and sighing.


    Jean watched with a sad face as she extended her powers once more.


    ¡°Sorry Peter,¡± Emma said. ¡°I think I¡¯d prefer the whole package, I mean, marrying into Wakandan royalty, who wouldn''t want to be a princess.¡± but Peter shook his head


    ¡°Shuri said no already. There are enough, sorry Emma I can¡¯t,¡± but


    Emma shrugged, ¡°Oh well, darling. I guess I¡¯ll have to make do.¡±


    Emma walked over to Jean, ¡°You are stronger than I ever was Jean, take care of him would you.¡± She leaned forwards and gave Jean a small peck on the cheek, ¡°and do be careful of Charles. He has a nasty way of showing up when you dont want him.


    Emma stood and straightened her top, grabbed her jacket and slid it on. ¡°Well, that was depressing. I think I¡¯ll go home, drown my sorrows and then find a handsome young thing to play with for a while.¡±


    Peter watched as she left, unaware of the small tear in her eyes, and as he looked over at Jean she sighed and shrugged. It seemed to be the day for goodbyes.


    Liv noticed that Emma had left, and moved over, ¡°did she?¡± and Peter shook his head,


    ¡°She wanted more, and I have to learn to say no.¡± and Liv still pulled him into a hug


    ¡°It doesn''t stop it from being painful and it doesn''t mean you¡¯re a bad person.¡± Peter rested his head on her shoulder,


    Jean sighed, and the room froze, bathed in yellow the memories were complete and she lifted herself up, and with a box prepared by Shuri, lined with adamantium and made of vibranium she fitted it into a slot on the bottom of Peter¡¯s home, easily within reach. She looked over at the group and moved back, making sure she was in the right place, and as she severed her connection to them.


    Jean stood, ¡°I uh¡± and she sighed, ¡°I have a few things to take care of on Avalon.¡± Peter turned his head to frown at her, ¡°Oh dont give me that look. I need to get the few things I have up there. You, Mister Parker, are making sure that everyone knows I¡¯m not going anywhere, and you have some explaining to do about a giant large breasted half-robot woman, and keeping your pants on.¡± Peter snorted as she smiled and shook her head at him, ¡°if my toaster gets pregnant, I¡¯ll be blaming you.¡±


    MJ sat up, ¡°that''s right, my toaster. You still owe me¡±


    Jean frowned, ¡°he screwed your toaster?¡± making MJ laugh,


    ¡°No, asshole took it apart,¡± she explained, and Peter could only rill his eyes.


    ¡°Yeah, five years ago, I still can''t believe you¡¯re mad about that.¡± and


    MJ crossed her arms and huffed, ¡°I liked that toaster, plus, someone didn''t ask permission.¡± MJ had a small smile, ¡°in fact. I remember, Gwen''s microwave, Livs harness, my toaster and Felicia''s, uh Felicia¡¯s?¡± and Felicia just stood,


    ¡°Ooh who fucking cares, Pete, card. Wanda, magic hands thing, everyone, but Pete. Shopping. I think Italy first. Liv, you speak Italian?¡± and Liv shrugged.


    ¡°Sorry dear, just Russian for now, but if this is going to be a regular thing, then I can learn.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± and as Huntress morphed into a new set of stylish clothes, still her usual black, Felicia moved over and kissed Pete. ¡°We all need a break, Pete. Take some time, draw, go see your mom, we¡¯ll be back sometime this evening.¡± and as she looked at the collected shopping party, ¡°how far ahead is Italy anyway?¡±


    ¡°Far enough we can have dinner, Peter, Italian for one?¡± and he snorted and smiled,


    ¡°Sure, If I''m not here, I''m at my mom''s.¡±


    As the Sling ring portal extended the excited group marched through, linking arms and talking excitedly about the stores they wanted to visit.


    Peter watched them go, and as the portal closed he looked around the now empty warehouse


    Liv had been right, Felicia had been right as well, and Peter was surprised that Emma was the first one to refuse to join in. He knew Ororo was hesitant, and with ten, who could blame her. He was amazed that everyone stayed with him, but it was more now. They had gone past a small group of sex friends and into a family. Each one had their own lives, each one had their own relationships, and he knew it was a good thing, even if nobody understood.


    What he needed though was a break as well, as sometimes the more things changed, the more they stayed the same.


    Picking up his phone Peter dialled his mom, ¡°Hey, can I come over. It''s not as bad now, I¡¯d like to see you.¡±


    Walking the streets of New York Peter wanted to feel the fresh air, and take in the city. He was never one for introspection, but today he had said goodbye to two people he cared about, Arcee had promised she would be back, but unlike Carol, he knew Cybertronains were long-lived and she could be gone for thousands of years before whatever plan they had for their homeworld was complete.


    Emma was different, she made it clear, that their relationship would become like Peppers. Business, a little flirting but nothing more. He was sad, they had never actually sealed the deal or taken things further than flirting but he had enjoyed it. Spending time with Emma was something he looked forwards to, like any of them, and it was a small piece suddenly gone that made him aware of the loss.


    As he walked to the two-story small terraced house where his mom and curt lived he looked at the building. Seeing a few signs of a scuffle, and knowing Curt he hadn''t gone without a fight.


    His mom was standing at the front door, waiting for him, holding a cup in her hand, half-finished from the time it took him to walk the distance


    ¡°You look sad Peter, come in and I¡¯ll make a fresh pot,¡± May said before heading inside and leaving the door open.


    May smiled as Peter sat at the kitchen table, ¡°Lost a couple of friends today, not taking it so well?¡± and May patted him on the shoulder while the pot dripped water into its jug


    ¡°It never gets easier,¡° and she leant forwards and slid her arms around his shoulders to hug him, ¡°Even with Curt, I still miss your Uncle.¡±


    As Peter patted her arms, he rubbed a cheek against one, ¡°I know, its just, it was two.¡± and May smiled as she leant back up and rubbed a hand through his hair


    ¡°And you¡¯re not used to people leaving. You expected your family to grow and this time, it didn''t.¡± She set two mugs down, hers and a clean one for Peter. Pouring two cups she sat on the other side of the table, ¡°You''ve got a big family Peter, and,¡° she paused and looked at her cup, ¡°you might need to get used to the idea.¡±


    Peter raised an eyebrow as he added milk and sugar to his cup,


    ¡°Curt wants you to remove his formula, and fit him with an artificial arm. He explained it expands his lifespan, and as Captain America looks thirty but is in fact over 100, I can agree.¡±


    Peter hadn''t really thought about it, that while Liv had examined his cells and noted that cellularly at least, he was possible immortal, but that with the Symbiotes and the formula of their own, everyone in the warehouse was possibly looking at another hundred to hundred and fifty years of life. But with that, Gwen was enhanced, but without a Symbiote, would she age faster than the rest? And he already knew Liv was worried. She was a lot older and was prickly towards anyone who mentioned she was past fifty.


    ¡°I was devastated when your uncle died, Peter, and I dont want that to happen. This Sentinel business made us realise that the government will crackdown, and we dont want that. Curt wants a normal life, we both do.¡± Peter could only nod.


    Curt''s Enhanced status gave the military an excuse to arrest them both, and while it failed that didn''t count the next time.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make an appointment with Liv. We can do it before they re-write the act.¡± and May nodded,


    ¡°And you?¡± but Peter sighed and shrugged, his mom had no idea he was Venom, only that he had pores thanks to Norman,


    ¡°No, my identity is safe, we have AIM and Parker Inc. Sorry.¡±


    May reached over and patted his hand, ¡°Never say sorry Peter. But, ¡° and she gave him a sad smile, ¡°Please be careful.¡± and he nodded


    ¡°I will mom.¡± and she nodded as he smiled at her, ¡°I do have some ideas though, and maybe Curt could help?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± she asked as she sipped her coffee


    ¡°I''m building a school, and I want to ask if you minded.¡± Peter slid over the building plans, and there was one label,


    The Benjamin Parker Building


    ~


    As the Ark made its way to the edge of the collar system, a small satellite, orbiting Pluto recorded its escape trajectory and then blinked as the massive wormhole slashed into existence in front of it and the Ark sped away through it.


    Hidden in the rocky source the monitoring station was on full alert. ¡°High Commander¡± the green-skinned technician yelled, ¡°The unknown ship departed using unknown technology¡± and the commander watched in shock as the tunnel opened. He was a history buff, of all things military, and he knew what that ship represented, and he knew it wasn¡¯t good.


    ¡°Immediate withdrawal. Contact High Command. We must inform Lady Veranke that the Earthlings have space bridge technology.¡±


    Malisson


    And that was the final chapter in


    Arc Eleven. Changes


    The penultimate short story,


    Logan. Small Game Hunter


    will be published tomorrow, at the usual time.


    Thank you all for reading, comments, and favouriting.

 Arc Eleven. Side Story. Logan. Small Game Hunter

    Logan sniffed as he caught the scent of Pym''s lab. Rage would never forget it. It was a pungent mix of disinfectant, the mixture he used to create the Pym particles and desperation.


    Hank had explained what he was doing, and why but Rage and Logan didn''t care. Saving one life by torturing another, especially against their will, was not okay in his book.


    Rage was smarter than Cindy, she was born of the great Peter Parker, and she had been born whole. His knowledge and experience with different formulas transferred to her, and the smell of Hank''s lab was easy to distinguish, even in a suburban sprawl.


    His hunt had taken him across America. In each City he would stop, take in lungfuls of air and stand, eyes closed, listening. It wasn''t until he got to Colorado, an eastbound journey from his original base in California that Logan caught the scent of them.


    It was faint, but he had expected that. He knew Pym would travel using his technology. Shrinking everyone to hide them safely, while a single person travelled. It was smart, and it was what he would have done, but it didn''t matter. The particles themselves gave off a stench, and logan could track it.


    That was all he could track though, and he had contacted Liv and asked her to send him files of the group. Rage remembered what they looked like, Hank especially, but Logan had never met them. As their files were downloaded, he saw that Cross Industries had a subsidiary nearby, and as he sent the day, smoking and drinking to calm Rage down, he was going to hit the facility that night.


    For a company that had been seized and shut down by the government, there was a lot of activity. Rage could see a lot of armed guards patrolling the perimeter and he shimmered and vanished from sight.


    Getting inside was easy. Everywhere was when you could cut through everything that wasn''t adamantium or vibranuim. All he had to do was sniff the glass to make sure there wasn''t an ozone smell, and listen for the quiet hum of the electric current travelling through the glass,


    We can do that, we learned and as Logan''s vision shifted he could see the power cable running through the wall, and that the glass he was in front of wasn''t alarmed.


    Show off, and Rage giggled,


    We know lots of tricks, but the Logan doesn¡¯t like them


    Yeah yeah, I''m a punch it till it stops kinda guy, leave the big brain stuff to everyone else,


    Hmph, we have two brains now and are twice as smart anyway


    Yup, an¡¯ twice as hungry, but shush now, no distractions.


    Logan slid a claw into the space between the glass and a symbskin hand gripped it tightly. As he carved through the reinforced glass it stuck to his hand, and he pulled it free.


    Yeah okay, I like that one, and he reached inside to unlatch the window.


    It was quiet inside the building, and Logan couldn''t smell anything other than sterile antiseptic used to wash the floors. Even the normal smell of people was missing even though it looked like a normal lab, with cluttered and untidy workbenches,


    Something ain''t right, where is everyone?


    We cannot feel anything around us, there are no people here.


    There ain''t? Shit. and Rage wrapped herself around him tighter, it''s a trap.


    We know, Rage said weakly


    Rage sniffed the air and caught the familiar scent of the chemical Pym had used to suppress the Symbiote before, as she slowly weakened


    Get back inside, an¡¯ I¡¯ll take care of these idiots.


    She did, sliding back, and slumping to one knee Logan collapsed, falling backwards.


    He couldn''t see them, as he closed his eyes but he could certainly feel and smell them,


    ¡°Very good Doctor Pym. The new gas seems to work perfectly.¡± an upper-class sound voice said, and Logan could hear the clicking of a cane as the person walked towards him. ¡°But, I do recall you saying that it was a Miss Moon, whereas this is most definitely a man.¡±


    ¡°What? Get back¡± but it was too late and even from lying Logan was must faster than the man. Near enough to grab he hoisted him up, and seeing the grey-haired bastard, launched the much younger, and frailer man at him.


    Another figure appeared, as if from nowhere, catching him. But Logan knew who it was. Hope Van Dyne. Which meant that asshole Cross was probably here as well.


    ¡°I ain''t gonna make this easy. You let me an¡¯ him have a little chat, and then I leave, otherwise, this ain''t gonna be pretty.¡± Logan stated. Hope was looking up at eh ceiling, while the long-haired young man picked him out of her arms,


    ¡°I thought you said it disabled the host, Hank?¡± he asked, and Logan could smell the sickness on him. Blood disease always gave its sufferer a funny smell, and this guy had it bad.


    ¡°Yeah, I know, but I dont know who this is.¡± Hank Pym, looking haggard and sleep-deprived said. Even the normally neat grey beard and hair were scruffy. ¡°Did Cindy send you? Or Shield?¡± he yelled, and Hope stood in front of him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. I won''t let you hurt my father.¡± and she vanished, shrunk to ant size, but for Logan, it didn''t matter. He had Rages memories of how it worked, and added her own abilities to his, unconscious or not, and as Hope approached he took a slow breath, leant back on his heels, and with enough strength to fell Sabretooth, smashed a huge fist into her tiny frame, sending her flying across the room.


    A tiny dent appeared in the side of a medical storage cabinet and Hope regrew to her normal size, shaking her head, she growled and huffed at him.


    Logan let out a slow breath and centred himself. ¡°Hard way it is then.¡± and he took a stance, ¡°but I ain''t backing down.¡±


    The young man, straighten out his lab coat, ¡°before you all kill each other, while I am employed by Hank, I have nothing to do with whatever grievance you have. May I leave?¡±


    ¡°I dont care,¡° and he felt Rage stir within him, as his own powers cleansed her of the toxin Hank had used, ¡°Hope too. Rage ain''t mad at you, just Hank.¡±


    Hope stood, and checked the new gauntlets around her wrist, ¡°You think I''m gonna let you kill my dad?¡± she yelled and Logan heard a whine and then she fired a blast of electricity at him, making his muscles contract and shake. ¡°Ha,¡± she shouted and shrinking again she flew at him once more, spending him flying this time with a well-aimed punch to the gut.


    Rage was still recovering from the toxin Hank had used, but Wolverine wasn''t taking shit from anyone, especially an untrained wannabe. As he lifted himself and shook away the last of the electricity he shook his head, ¡°Now I know why Pete hates electricity.¡± regeneration was fine, but gas, poison and electricity affected the body without harming it, in this case, causing his muscles to twitch uncontrollably.


    ¡°So, daddy''s little girl wants to fight huh?¡± He closed his eyes, smelt for the zone from her gauntlet, and as he heard the whine, dived to one side.


    The blast hit the steel cabinet behind him, and he rolled, lifted himself and took a coaster from the PC next to him. With pinpoint accuracy, he threw it at Hope, and it exploded as her wasp''s sting discharged against it.


    ¡°Yeah, that''s what I figured,¡° he said, and now everything became a projectile.


    Hope couldn''t move fast enough, and while they weren''t the heaviest objects, with her size and his accuracy, the attacker threw everything at her, even lifting a compter bench as launching it her way, She could easily avoid the larger ones, but the smaller pens and letter openers, even the coffee mugs hurt as they showered her with pieces.


    ¡°Give up, an¡¯ let me talk to daddy. Then you can all leave,¡± he said as he whipped at her with a mouse of all things. She exploded its body and he just pulled it back, reversed the cord and smacked her with the USB plug on the other end. He was persistent and more than a match. With the crazy monster lurking under his skin, he was going to get past her eventually, and her father wouldn''t survive.


    ¡°No!¡± she yelled, and using the experimental formula they develop, grew into a fifty-foot tall woman. The man looked up at her,


    ¡°Well, that''s different.¡± and struggled as she knelt and simply grabbed him. He screamed as she crushed him in a giant hand and as he gripped him with both hands, the scream turned to a roar. He was really heavy, much heavier than a person should be but it was when the roar turned guttural and three blades sprang from each hand she almost dropped him in surprise.


    She did drop him, as he plunged them effortlessly into her fingers and she screamed and shrunk in pain,


    She never had a chance to retaliate. He roared once more and slid forwards effortlessly. The first blow took her at the waist and even with the thick armour designed to hold the Pym particles in place, his class slid effortless through it, and it came free.


    She didn''t care though, as the second blow nearly took her head off. There were no claws, but that didn''t stop the concrete heavy fist from lifting her from her feet with a sickening crunch as her jaw shattered.


    She flew back and slid along the floor, and the ma stood huffing and clenching his fist, ¡°who¡¯s next? which one you assholes wants to fight the Wolverine huh?¡± and he pointed a finger at the young man, standing in front of Hank, ¡°You, you wanna piece of this?¡± and he stalked towards him.


    ¡°I am, afraid not. I would prefer to avoid bloodshed, and if I may, administer aid to Miss Van Dyne.¡±


    Logan growled and the claws slid back, ¡°yeah I did hit her a bit too hard.¡± and he pointed at Hank, ¡°You. Stay there.¡± for a moment he paused, and Rage rippled out, covering him once more.


    He stood watching over Hank Pym as the young man hobbled over to Hope, ¡°I''m afraid we need to get her to hospital. You shattered her jaw and the puncture wound in her abdomen is bleeding quite badly.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± Logan said, and patting himself down he produced a pack of cigars, ¡°Hey, you got a light?¡± but as he saw the bench with medical instruments, he saw the bunder lighter and lit it. ¡±You run and I hurt you. You do any of that gas shit again and I let Rage eat you.¡±


    Hank nodded, clearly wanting to rush to Hope but unwilling to anger this man any further.


    Logan leaned over Hope, ¡°You got some medical memories in there?¡± he asked and Rage spread out two tendrils from his arms. Once sunk into the wound and over covered her jaw.


    ¡°So, Hank. Silk here is mighty pissed at you, and now you an¡¯ I are gonna have a chat. She¡¯ll be sore, and she¡¯ll be pissed for a few days, but she ain''t dying, and you can thank her for that.¡±


    Hank stood, ¡°thank her? That monster, your monster almost killed her.¡± he yelled, but the young man put a hand on his shoulder,


    ¡°And now he is healing her, Hank,¡± he said and Hank looked at him full of anger.


    ¡°You dont know Michael. You dont know how dangerous that thing is.¡± He tried to explain,


    Logan laughed, ¡°yup, cause Rage was just peachy until you tried to kill her, on what, three occasions, and then poisoned her, drugged her and did a whole lot of nasty shit.¡± as he leaned back against the medical table, ¡°You''re a piece of shit Hank and a hypocrite. You wanna feel what it''s like to be experimented on, you wanna know? Cause I know, and see, the last guy who did that to me, well, he¡¯s singing in the choir now, an¡¯ the only thing stopping me from makin¡¯ your insides outsides is Rage.¡±


    Hank scoffed, ¡°as if that monster knows compassion.¡± and he pushed past Michael, ¡°it''s a killer, and I did what I had to, to contain it.¡±


    Logan shrugged, stubbed his cigar out on the floor, and a single thread of symbskin shot out of his hand and stuck Hank in the head.


    ¡°It ain''t a killer, and this is her punishment for you.¡±


    ~


    Cindy laughed as she, Scott, Sam and Eddie headed toward the old house. Scott had told them that his mentor, Hank Pym would be amazed at their powers and that Sam probably shouldn¡¯t mention who he worked for.


    Silk sat and gurgled under her skin, she was happy, she had a new friend and new experiences to live through. Eugene was damaged as was Peter, but Cindy was fine compared to the memories she inherited and was content to let Silk see through her.


    ~


    ¡°This is fascinating¡± Hank had said as she gave her a physical, ¡°and it lives under your skin?¡± She didn''t even blink as he shone the penlight into her eyes. Silk adjusted her vision for the light, and she nodded,


    ¡°It''s not an it. Silk. Her name is Silk.¡±


    Hank nodded, ¡°hmm, it''s fine, Can I run some tests?¡± and he snapped on a pair of rubber gloves and lifted a medical tray, with a series of blood sample bottles and several syringes. ¡°Completely painless of course.¡±


    ~


    Cindy sat and covered her ears. She could what Scott and Hope next door, and while she had smelt them after, this was the first time she was in when they had sex.


    You should listen, it is amazing Silk said


    No, not ever,


    Does the Cindy not like it? We read your thoughts and we know you find the Hope attractive


    Do you dare, stop reading my thoughts, stop, listening, just stop.


    Hmph, the Cindy should listen and take matters into her own hands, we know you want to, and we would enjoy it as well,


    Hell no, I''m not doing that with you there. Can we, I dunno, split for a while?


    We cannot, to do so would hurt me.


    Fine, but can you sleep, or maybe not listen in?


    Silk laughed, we feel your feelings, we would take the result and we would share it with you


    Then no, not a chance in hell, and stop asking


    Silk was silent and knew there was no arguing.


    ~


    They had spent six months fighting Darren Cross. He had tried to buy the serum, he had tried to steal the serum, and now with his sinister six, he was just going to take it.


    She watched Vulture soar and fly at Falcon, trying to slash at him with those huge metal wings, Spider-Man fought with Prowler, and the two athletic and super fast men danced around each other as if they were flirting and not fighting. Ant-Man fought Yellow Jacket, and they shrunk, fought, resized and fought some more.


    Her target was that asshole Scorpion. He laughed as she punched at him, his thick muscled chest, and the armour over it taking her blows as if they were nothing. That she could handle, it was the man himself that put her on edge,


    ¡°That all you got sweetheart,¡± he taunted her and she ducked under that fucking tail of his, with acid dripping from the end, ¡°maybe you should go back into the kitchen, or better yet, let old Mac take care of you.¡± and she screamed and kicked out at him.


    Mac Gargan was a profession, and to him, she was nothing, he grabbed her leg and squeezed up her thigh, ¡°nice, I like it when they spread them willingly,¡± and as Cindy backflipped away in disgust, the look on the man face sent her into a rage.


    He is playing with us Silk said in annoyance at Cindy


    I know she shouted back. He had touched her ass twice, ran a ran over her chest and now as sliding a hand up her thigh, ¡°AHHH,¡± she yelled.


    Scorpion just laughed and ducked under the wild wing, ¡°You ain''t hitting anything like that,¡± and slid a hand between her legs, lifted her up and slammed her into the sidewalk,


    As his thick knuckles ran along the folds in her groin, Cindy shuddered as it send a tingle through her followed by disgust and she rolled away, panting heavily. Everyone else was holding their own. It was just her being picked on, just like always just like her mom, just like her landlord, fucking pigs, all of them


    ¡°RAARR¡± she roared and Silk split, writing tentacles sprang out, with bladed and spiked ends,


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Scorpion laughed as the tentacles flaked at him, his tail was tough enough to endure the blows, but his body armour was slowly becoming scored as the creature flailed madly at him.


    A lucky blow took the tip of his tail off, and even as the caustic acid he could spray dribbled, it hissed and burned not just him but the monster as well.


    It screamed in agony and two tentacles shot out, one grabbed the tail and the other wrapped itself around him, dragging him close. He rained punch after punch into her, but it was uncaring, even as he saw her flesh deform it just sprung back, and he hoisted himself up, using her own tentacles as leverage and with both feet pushed back against her stomach.


    Silk screamed in anger, her prey had escaped and she huffed and the mask covering her face slip open revealing a mouth of jagged teeth,


    Scorpion took one look at her, and saw the mess she was making, ¡°yeah, hey, Prowler, switch me.¡± and without caring, he stepped back, grabbed Prowler as he moved to avoid Spider-Man and threw him at the monster.


    Prowler only had time to utter ¡°huh?¡± as he was face to face with the creature. It was one of Venom''s brood, with the same jagged mouth and the same crazy look. He had no chance, and the two thick tentacles that held Scorpion sliced through his armou and pierced his stomach.


    Silk screamed and dragged him closer, her hands became sharp blades and she shrieked as she stabbed him over and over, ignoring the blood and viscera pouring from him.


    The others had stopped, the fight was evenly matched, with both teams well trained and well equipped, but this. Nobody signed on for this and Silk threw Prowler to the ground and began to tear into him, ripping at his skin and dragging organs free.


    Yellowjacket laughed, ¡°some hero, everyone, fall back.¡± and he snorted, ¡°leave the good guys to clean up their mess.¡± He hadn''t gotten Pym''s formula, but this was even better. A hero killing someone in cold blood, yeah, he would have Hank begging him to buy the formula, just to cover his legal fees.


    ~


    Silk huffed as she tore at the man, she hated them, she hated them all, always fighting and taking her things, always flirting and laughing, always reminding her she was the youngest and the weakest.


    She hated them all, and as she tore at the man, she hated him too. She hated having powers, she hated being alone, she hated Flash for his stupid guilt, and she hated Peter for his stupid weakness, she hated her mom for her intolerance, she hated Hope for ignoring her, and she hated Sam for his condescending attitude, and she hated Scott as he fucked Hope, she hated them all


    We love you, Silk said and Cindy stopped. Her hands shook as she lifted them and saw the blood, her mind didn''t register what the red lump in front of her was until Scott moved and she looked up at him,


    ¡°That''s enough Cindy,¡± and as she recognised the purple armour and those stupid wrist blasters, she knew who this had been. He was barely recognisable, and steam still drifted from the ruin that was once his chest. She had carved into it, and nothing remotely human remained. He was dead. Scott looked down, and then at Cindy


    ¡°I, I didn¡¯t¡± she looked up at him, and Silk changed back, taking the blood and gore with her, ¡°I, please. Help me,¡± she said, tears forming in her eyes.


    Scott sighed, ¡°You killed him,¡± and Sam landed


    ¡°She did, but we can''t leave him or her like this.¡± and Eddie nodded


    ¡°Fine.¡± and Scott removed two blue disks from his belt, ¡°but you are off the team until we know it''s safe.¡± and pressing both he threw them into tho the body and it popped and vanished.


    ¡°What did you just do?¡± Sam asked, ¡°We should have taken him with us,¡±


    ¡°I shrunk him without limit. No evidence, other than some blood.¡± HE explained and shook his head. ¡°Spider-Man, can you restrain her?¡±


    Eddie nodded, ¡°I think so.¡± and Silk sat motionlessly as he wrapped her in webbing. ¡°Sorry Cind, but,¡± and she just looked at him with red eyes. She felt a small sting at the back of her neck, and the world faded into black as Scott regrew, holding a sedative pen they carried for emergencies.


    ~


    While she showed him her pain, she took the missing pieces of her own mind from him, and Hank remembered,


    ~


    ¡°She killed someone?¡± he asked the group as they returned, carrying the unconscious Cindy, He shook his head, ¡°get her to the lab.¡± and as Eddie carried her down into the basement, Hank caught Scott''s arm, ¡°tell me exactly what happened.¡±


    The next thing Silk knew was pain. Cindy was unconscious but she felt a fire running through their veins, no, just hers.


    ¡°I know you can hear me. Cindy told me you hear us, but can''t communicate. You made Cindy do those horrible things, and I¡¯m going to save her from you.¡± she heard hank say


    No, please, your wrong, she made us, she made us! But unable to move, unable to rouse Cindy the helpless symbiote silently screamed as the poison coursing through Cindy ate at her.


    Rage could feel his anger at her, the burning hatred at what she had done to Cindy, but it was useless, every time she tried to get near, tried to explain the pain wasn''t hers it was Cindy''s she would be doused, screaming in agony as the liquid nitrogen froze her already damaged cells.


    Hank wanted her gone from Cindy, seeing the young woman as a surrogate for his distant daughter. He was adamant that Rage was a parasite, no matter what Cindy told him. Eddie had told him the stories of Venom destroying drug dens and then attacking both him and Flash and killing John had tainted his perception of the creatures. He would remove it and save her.


    Rage fed back the suffering, tha biting cold that froze her cells, the numbing pain of the sedative as he tested out different strengths and the burning heat of acid and alkali as he tried to tear her from CIndys body.


    Then came relief, he had figured out how to make her sleep while allowing Cindy to remain awake, and Rage felt angrier, he was actually happy he had lobotomised her, her rage swelled and she fed it back.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Michael yelled as Hank''s body went taut. The veins on his neck bulged and his eyes fluttered and rolled back in his head, ¡°You¡¯re killing him.¡± and the small symbskin tendril disconnected,


    ¡°Nope, all we did was let him feel what he did to us, if he can''t take it, then that''s his problem.¡± Rage said, and Logan lit another cigar, ¡°He tortured a living creature, and she let him feel what that was like, and well,¡° and he pointed as Hank fell over. Michael listened to his chest, ¡°a heart attack seems like nothing.¡±


    Michael snorted, ¡°He was trying to save the young woman. I have read the files, and seen the recordings. That creature.¡±


    ¡°Is a living thing, not a monster not a toy for you to fuckin play with.¡± Logan stood, ¡°He tortured her, he did things to her that the last lab I came from that did that I burned to the ground. You saw him. I felt what he did. He never even asked why, all he did was make her suffer.¡±


    Michael grabbed a pen of adrenaline and injected it into Hank, listening to his heart slowly start again. He simply sat back down, ¡°so then. Why?¡±


    Logan laughed, ¡°they dont make us feel anything. All that pain and anger, that was Cindy. She had a crappy life, and a newborn symbiote dont know any better. She took that pain into herself and amplified it. Silk didn''t make Cindy a monster, Cindy made Silk a monster.¡±


    Logan had seen the lives of Peter and Flash, of the hurt they inflicted on each other, and how they dealt with it. Peter swallowed it down, buried it, and Flash lashed out at everyone. An innocent creature, newborn and unaware could only learn from its host, and from those two, Silk had learned to fight, to hurt, and to rage.


    The Klyntar were innocent, it was their hosts that were the monsters.


    ~


    Hank awoke with a jolt, feeling drained and aching all over. Michael was still dressed in his usual white lab coat and seeing hank awake lifted his arm, and checked his pulse.


    ¡°So, how are you feeling?¡± Michael asked as Hank tried to stand but was pushed gently down by the younger but much weaker man.


    ¡°I just found out I tortured an innocent creature. How do you think I feel?¡± Hank said, lying back down.


    ¡°I already knew that. I meant the heart attack the stress caused. Logan explained everything, and while she is also very angry at him Hope is recovering nicely and is already awake.¡± Michael paused for a moment to listen to Hank''s chest with a stethoscope, ¡°although, she did try to punch him once more. Not that it went particularly well.¡±


    Hank huffed, ¡°Did you tell him?¡± but Michael lifted the stethoscope from around his neck, and shook his head, ¡°coward¡± and this time as Hank got up Michael didn''t stop him.


    ¡°Yes, it is hardly my place to inform our guest about our rescue operation, or that he just ruined it completely by incapacitating Hope.¡± Michael said, ¡°and you certainly cant. The stress from quantum shrinking would have severely damaged your body, now. You¡¯d die before you finished even one per cent in reduction.¡±


    Hank paused and sighed, ¡°do we have anyone else we can contact?¡± but Michael shook his head


    ¡°With the mess in New York, all superpowered individuals are laying low. Scott and Sam are being moved department and Eddie.¡± Michael paused


    ¡°Eddie what?¡± Hank asked as he finished buttoning his shirt,


    ¡°Eddie now works for AIM, along with Cindy,¡± Michael said,


    Hank scoffed, ¡°I had heard, but¡± and he shook his head, ¡°What if we ask him?¡±


    Michael laughed, ¡°Oh Damien already contacted us. He¡¯ll help, but you already know his price.¡±


    Of course, he did, the Pym formula was what he wanted the most, especially after Wakanda sent their crack agents to recover and erase everything he had on the other formula Erik had given him.


    There was only one other choice.


    ~


    Logan sat listening to Rage as she talked excessively about her time with the group. It hadn¡¯t been all bad, and she liked the closeness Cindy felt at being part of a family.


    He was sitting on the back steps of Hank''s house and didn''t even bother to look as Hope, Hank, and Michael approached him.


    ¡°Mr Logan. I know things aren''t great but I have a proposal for you.¡± Hank started, and Hope huffed and crossed her arms.


    ¡°You made a mess, and we want you to fix it.¡± she said, ¡°you and your monster.¡±


    ¡°Hope,¡± Hank said, laying a hand on her shoulders, ¡°I,¡± and he paused, ¡°I may have been wrong in my assessment, but I was trying to save Cindy.¡°


    Hank sat down on the step next to Logan.¡±I, We were Shield agents, Mr Logan. My wife and I, and during a mission my belt was damaged. When I shrank it caused damage to my body, so, my wife shrunk herself to stop a missile, and in doing so became trapped in the microscopic realm.¡±


    Logan drew on his cigar, ¡°well, it dont take a mind reader to know you were planning on rescuing her, and I¡¯m guessing that Hope was supposed to do it.¡±


    Hank nodded, ¡°but, shrinking while injured can cause complications. And I would like to ask.¡±


    Logan shrugged, ¡°sure, Rage knows you ain''t really a bad man, just a bit of an asshole, so sure.¡±


    Hank looked over at Logan, ¡°I was uh.¡±


    ¡°What? Expected animosity, maybe some more violence?¡± and Hank nodded, ¡°I went through a rough patch, did a lot of bad things, and the first thing I learned is not just to forgive but to let go. You did a lot of shitty things, and Rage won''t ever forgive that, but letting go of the anger at you is the first step to dealing with the pain, and rescuing your wife.¡± Logan took a draw on his cigar, ¡°maybe she¡¯ll smack some sense into you,¡±


    You just want to brag to peter that you have been somewhere he cannot go


    Logan laughed as Rage scolded him, so what? I did say I was going on a journey, it''s about as far out as you can get, an¡¯ dont you be sittin¡¯ there think you won''t be doin¡¯ the same. I know you little critters love to share what your hosts have done


    Hmph, we are not gossipers, we share important information to encourage growth and help each other


    Sure, you just keep telling yourself that, an¡¯ I can always hold off going back to New York, maybe spend six months just campin¡¯ out


    Hmph hmph, bad Logan. Teasing us, we know you miss the Selene and wish to


    Hey, that''s enough, an¡¯ no sharin¡¯ that either


    Rage just chuckled, see, we learn, we can tease the Logan just as much


    Logan smiled, ¡°Yeah, so, you zap us with a shrink ray or what?¡±


    Hank shook his head, Hollywood had a lot to answer for. Shrink ray? How amateur.


    Michael helped him back into the house, as both now needed a cane, while Hope stayed behind.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t trust you, and dont think for one¡± but Logan sighed and held out a hand.


    ¡°Sorry I stabbed you, but that damn belt needed to be taken care of, but uh, take it¡± He nodded down at his hand, and Hope apprehensively lay her hand in his.


    Hello Hope, we are happy to finally talk to you


    Hope pulled her hand back, staring at Logan, ¡°was that?¡± and he nodded.


    ¡°They ain''t got mouths, and can''t talk, so how else you think they communicate?¡± and she clapped her fingers against her palm a few times nervously before taking her hand again


    I am sorry I scared you, but we are happy to speak


    Uh, do I just, think? Hope asked


    Yes yes, we talk with the mind, although Logan is not good and needs to touch, I think the Cindy called it being a muscle brain.


    Hope laughed as Logan rolled his eyes


    So uh, hi, Silk. Uh, Rage


    We changed it, to make ourselves feel better, but Logan does not like Silk, so we kept it,


    Hope really didn''t know what to say to the creature,


    So, do you sound female because of Cindy, or are you a girl?


    We sound like Cindy, we learned to talk with her, and now this is how we are, but we do not mind being bonded with Logan, he is interesting, he likes to smoke, drink and lay with women, all things we enjoy as well.


    What the hell? I told you not to share stuff like that, an¡¯ Hope dont need to know


    Yes yes, Hope laid with Scott every day, we could hear them, and smell them after, she is not a prude, unlike you. You are boring old man, Hope is sexy young woman with


    But Logan pulled his hand back before Rage could finish,


    ¡°Yeah, sorry ¡®bout that. Seems me an¡¯ the snot need to have a little one on one time.¡±


    As Hope watched Logan walk back into the house, shaking his head as he talked to the creature, she was sure she heard a raspberry being blown.


    ~


    Logan felt like an idiot dressed in what looked like a tight-fitting spacesuit, but considering the professor once suggested bright yellow and blue jumpsuits for the X-Men, it wasn''t so bad.


    ¡°We have completed our Quantum tunnel. When it activates, the suit will connect, shrink you down to a size we recorded from Scott, and then lock onto Janet.¡± Hank explained, ¡°When we were Shield agents we wore transmitters, as shrinking made us hard to keep track of.¡±


    Logan nodded, as did Michael, wearing a similar suit. He was coming for medical backup. As a fully licensed doctor, if Janet was hurt or unable to be resized back to normal levels Michael could at least bring back a professional diagnosis on her condition.


    Hope stood to one side, she was happier to know that Silk was now happy, and not the mindless monster they all thought she was. Being stabbed still hurt like a bitch though, and forgiving Logan for keeping her from the mission would take a little longer.


    As the machine powered up, the square row of energy conductors began to pulse,


    ¡°Once you have located Janet. Resize with her if you can, if not, return and we can spend another mission.¡± Hank asked them. They had prepared a larger vehicle, with supplies and medical equipment if necessary. Today was a scouting mission, and while they had hoped they would find her, even Hank would admit he wasn''t optimistic.


    ¡°Then, in five, four, three, two and one.¡± and Hank hit the switch.


    For Logan it was weird, it was like being sucked down a long tube while feeling that you weren''t moving, not helped as Rage shouted


    weeeeeeeee in his mind.


    Lights and strange images flashed in front of him, but he had been warned that was normal. He was now shrinking past the atomic level, and the light was the glow of energy from atomic particles receding as he saw subatomic, strings and then finally a strange rainbow-bright coloured landscape in front of him.


    He hadn''t expected to hit solid ground, or for there to be anything here at all. Scott had been here but was so disoriented from the trip he had only seen brief flashes.


    Michael nodded and gave Logan a thumbs up, They couldn''t open their suits, breathable air had to be shrunk with them. Even radio waves were useless, as the particles that made them up couldn''t travel through whatever was here.


    Michael touched his arm and pointed. They could see what looked like mountains in the distance, strange shifting shapes and a thin divisive line between what they thought of as the ground and the sky.


    Logan could see something or at least a pair of something heading towards them, and fast. He touched Michael again and as he turned he lifted a card, ¡°Janet¡± and Logan nodded.


    It only took a few moments for the things to reach them. And Logan was glad he had a sealed suit. The first was an empty chested corpse, its jaw hung slack and the white milky eyes stared into nothing as it lunged for him,


    Logan, that is Prowler, Rage said as Logan slammed a fist into the creature, and we recognise Janet as well.


    Logan swung around Prowler and put a knee into his back, forcing him down, and with a crunch, broke his neck. Prowler had been gutted by Silk, and whatever this thing was, it wasn''t alive.


    As he left the corpse flopping limply he saw the woman, Janet. She should have been in her sixties, the same age as Hank, but whatever radiation or weird atmosphere had, she was just as young as she was back then. He had Michael by the throat and lifted him up.


    She hissed and Logan saw huge fangs sprout from her mouth, Shit, an Augment he thought to himself and lunged. If she was still alive, then screw it, his body would probably be okay, and the three claws slid from his hand and he took her arm off at the elbow.


    Michael writhed on the ground, struggling to remove the still tight hand from his throat. As he prised it free, he threw it to one side and still alive it clawed its way back to Janet, who waited until it reattached itself.


    Michael scrambled backwards on his hands and feet and pulled open the mask of his suit, the cough and vomit blood onto the ground, afterwards gasping he took the mask and drew in lungfuls of air, watching as Janet''s fingers grew and Logan stapped between them, shaking his head.


    Logan, she is changed, she is not like you


    Oh yeah, an¡¯ how do you know that?


    This place, it is full of energy, we can taste it, and it is like formula, full of power, full of danger.


    Shit, then we take care of this and leave.


    Logan stepped forward, avoiding the wild swipe from Janet and stabbed his claws into her side under her ribs and up, making sure he severed her lungs before stabbing her heart.


    Think that¡¯ll kill her?


    No, save Michael.


    Logan turned and saw Michael struggling with the still mobile Prowler. He wasn''t being overpowered, as the corpse''s head flopped back and forth, he wasn''t winning either.


    Dammit.


    Logan stepped and sliced, taking Prowler''s head off and grabbed the body and threw it at Janet who was slowly rising to her feet.


    Pushing Michael''s mask on, he pushed the recall button at his waist and he seemed to vanish rather than grow,


    Uncaring he hit the button on his own belt and within seconds found himself back in the lab with Hank and Hope watching with worried looks on their faces.


    ¡°Yeah, well, that sucked.¡± Logan said, ¡°Sorry Hank, but she ain''t alive, and I ain''t gonna recommend you go back down there.¡± Logan said as she undid the buckled of his helmet and slid it free.


    Michael sat on the floor, ¡°I uh, I need some help.¡± he said before he collapsed,


    ¡°Get the kit,¡± Hank shouted and Hope moved towards a green box with a white cross on it. She rushed over to Michael and Logan could see the tear in his suit, and the fresh row of teeth marks surrounding his forearm, where the Prowler creature had taken a chunk out.


    ¡°Shit, now that ain''t good,¡± Logan said. He would make sure he kept an eye on him, Augment powers were varied, some deadlier than others, and Logan would be there to make sure that if Michael was infected, or if anything happened, it would be stopped.


    ~


    Logan recounted the attack and the condition that both Janet and Prowler were in, and cast a wary eye over Michael as they cleansed the wound and bandaged it the best they could.


    ¡°I''m sorry, but Janet was not, a what, Augment? I knew her for over thirty years, and if she had strange powers she would have said.¡± Hank sighed as he explained, ¡°but we know physics and the normal laws of reality are different in the uh, quantum realm. Maybe Prowler was infected with something, or maybe it was the creature.¡±


    Logan raised an eyebrow and clenched his fist, ¡°No, that wasn''t a symbiote, and there was no way that was a normal person. I dont care what you say Doc, Augments have been living in plain sight for decades,¡± and Logan laughed, ¡°hell, I fought in World War Two.¡± and Hope snorted


    ¡°That would be impossible.¡± and Logan shrugged.


    We have a solution. May we bond with the Hope? Rage asked


    ¡°Uh, Rage wants to move host, onto you, to explain things.¡± and Hope furrowed her brow and looked over at her father.


    ¡°It''s up to you honey. Logan seems calm enough, and not entirely hostile.¡± and he whispered under his breath ¡°not anymore.¡±


    Hope shrugged and ¡°So how do we?¡± and Rage sprang from logan and warped herself around Hope,


    ¡°Right so uh, now Rage is on Hope, watch,¡± and Logan held up a fist and the blade slid out of his hand, ¡°I''m an Augment. I was experimented on in the Seventies by the government who gave me these, cause I was the only one who could,¡± and Logan held up his other hand and cut one of his fingers off, and within a few seconds it regrew, ¡°do that. Cellular regeneration ain¡¯t unusual, and living for centuries ain¡¯t uncommon either.¡±


    Hope stood, as Rage finished bonding with her, ¡°He isn''t lying. And his girlfriend is also immortal, as was another man, one you helped Peter Parker kill. Because,¡± and he gasped and held a hand over her mouth, ¡°you have a daughter who is a clone.¡±


    ¡°Yup, lots of weird shit goin¡¯ on most people dont know about. AIM¡¯s tryin its best to keep it under control, but even Parker gets out of his depth.¡±


    Hope frowned, ¡°We should move dad, to New York, and help.¡± but Hank looked over at Michael, ¡°Yes, all of us. Gwen and AIM can offer us enough money and equipment we can stop hiding, and get Darren Cross off our backs.¡±


    ¡°Honey, it''s not that simple, Shield,¡± Hank began to explain.


    ¡°Peter took care of that, and ¡° as her brows furrowed, ¡°Yeah I didn''t need to know that. He isn''t in Shield''s good books either, or Starks. AIM might be the company we¡¯re looking for.¡±


    ¡°Can we discuss it, once everything else is dealt with?¡± Hank asked rubbing his forehead. He was getting a headache. First a zombie Janet, and now a secret cabal of alien creatures controlling a major technology company.


    ¡°Unlike Logan, we are more capable,¡± Hope said, ¡°and dad. No, it''s not a secret cabal. They hid because everyone, including you, thought they were monsters.¡± Hank frowned, ¡°telepathy.¡± and he threw his hands up,


    ¡°Great, so now mind reading?¡± Hank threw up his hands in exasperation, ¡°what''s next, teleportation, secret bases on the moon?¡± and while Logan laughed Hope bit her lip, ¡°oh great, so you know someone who can teleport and there is a secret moon base. So, fairies, magic?¡± and Hope covered her mouth as she laughed, ¡°oh come on.¡±


    Hope, still smiling patted her father on the shoulder, ¡°I was kidding, fairies aren''t real.¡± and she furrowed her brow, ¡°wait, are they?¡±


    Logan shrugged, ¡°Beats me, Thor was real enough, so maybe.¡±


    Michael lifted his arm and slid it into a sling, ¡°I for one am fascinated. Do you have a card or a contact number?¡± Logan nodded, and he grabbed a pen from the clipboard nearby,


    ¡°Call this, Gwen Stacy, she¡¯s the medical side of things.¡±


    Michael raised an eyebrow ¡°Stacy solutions? That Gwen Stacy?¡± and Logan nodded, ¡°my word. Then, while it has been less than a pleasure, Hank. I think this is where we part company. Hope, Logan. I might see you soon¡±


    Logan nodded, He wasn''t a doctor, but if the creature had attacked and killed Janet and not the other way around they might have brought something back with them. Hank had given Michael the all clear, but that didn''t mean it wasn''t okay.


    He found his phone, and sent a message to Gwen,


    Got a new hire for you, but be careful.


    And he then explained what had happened. If anyone knew how to deal with creepy zombies, it would be Gwen and Liv, and if they failed, he was sure Peter would just punch it, which was more his style.


    ~


    Across town, sitting at a booth in a small diner Michael nursed the arm where the creature had bitten him. It would take weeks to heal, but it wasn''t important. While his arm ached, he felt much better. Better in fact than he had done for a very long time. He normally ate his meals separately from everyone, as the sterile and often bland food had to be heated separately. He was going to enjoy his first meal in a long time that wasn''t boiled into mush.


    The diner was busy, and as the waitress served another table, he took out the card Logan had given him, and with his phone, decided it was quiet enough to make the call.


    ¡°Hello. yes. James Logan gave me this number. Can I assume I am speaking to Gwen Stacy?¡± and he paused,


    ¡°Excellent, excellent.¡± there was another pause, ¡°He did, did he? That saves a lot of time.¡± and he paused again, ¡°Yes, yes of course. My Name. It''s Doctor Morbius, Michael Morbius.¡±


    The waitress smiled at him as he lay his phone down, ¡°So sorry, business, and yes. I¡¯ll have a steak, rare. No, in fact. Make it bloody.¡±

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three Hundred Thirty-One. Milestone

    Gwen blew the party favour, ¡°Happy Birthday!¡± she shouted as Peter was led into the breakfast area of the warehouse.


    This was his official birthday, his unofficial birthday started last night, as soon as the clock turned midnight, and ten rather amorous women took turns, showing just how much they loved and cared for Peter, and then spend a good few hours cleaning the mess and the smell from the warehouse before they all collapsed in a giant pile, happy, with a tired but content Peter in the middle.


    They had spent the day making sure everything was perfect, including barring Peter from helping. It was his thirtieth birthday after all, and he had been shuffled off to spend the day with his mom and Curt while they prepared everything for the party at night.


    Laura was busy with Logan, who even though the atmosphere was festive, was comforting a very upset and emotional Cindy. Peter already knew he had found and dealt with Hank, but as that was between Cindy, Rage and Logan he would ask later. Logan had already dumped that particular problem in his lap, as he received several phone calls. Not just from Michael, but from Hope and Hank himself.


    They were interested in joining forces with AIM and had also hinted at maybe helping Hank deal with the still active warrants he had for his involvement in the Symbiote screw-up when they first came to light. That was a conversation with Pepper, the other heads of each company, Cindy, and if everyone agreed, another meeting with Coulson.


    He was sure he could get the government off Pym''s back, but he really didn¡¯t see why he should. Scott was easygoing enough, and the New Avengers hadn¡¯t posed his team any problems, other than Carol still being salty about her code name being taken, and her one time friend turning her back on her.


    It was a problem for another day. Right now, he had presents and guests to deal with.


    Curt, sporting a new and improved cybernetic arm, was sitting with May, laughing with Charles and Erik, and discussing what could only be science judging by the attentive but subtly glazed look May had on her face.


    Friday was sat with Jocasta, Vision, and Tony, all talking to Pepper and her new boyfriend Matt. Maya had declined, citing pregnancy issues and while Tony still came, Peter wondered if it was more Pepper''s presence than anything else.


    That was one can of worms he was not going to get involved with. She had enough issues with Jocasta being a copy of Pepper, and as Vision and Jocasta both still lived at the Tower, Maya was definitely the jealous type, but as she was nursing a newborn, that they had named Morgan, it was to be expected. Tony¡¯s very public history, especially with Pepper was enough to give anyone issues, adding a synthezoid facsimile of her as well, and Peter could only shake his head at the problems it was causing.


    Shuri and T¡¯Challa were all sitting, talking to Felica, and he heard the talk of her fight with M¡¯Baku. He had already been given a front-row seat, sharing her memory but she loved to tell the story, especially to those she cited as being responsible for her victory. It had been made official that Ororo and Nakia were dating. She had unfortunately been lumped with Administrative duties so that Eric and Charles could enjoy the small gathering, and had elected to stay on Avalon. Without issue, Nakia had taken the day off and was up there with her, so while he felt bad, he didn¡¯t feel completely bad.


    Natasha was with her sister, her mother, Maria, and Fury. All trying their best to look less uncomfortable in civilian clothing. Fury looked almost normal in black trousers and a turtle neck, and Peter made a mental note to forward him a few episodes of a cartoon where the male lead, unsurprisingly also a spy, had his own, very specific ideas about them.


    Scott was off catching up with Jean and the professor, who had brought his own date. A Doctor Moyra Mctaggart and her and Liv plus Gwen were all happily waving glasses and discussing the applications of the and their findings into the x-gene.


    He caught Wanda giving her father side glances. She was still upset about him cloning himself, but even after Stephen had given them both the once over, concluded that no, an ancient eldritch entity hadn''t in fact taken over the pair and that he was her father, but that manipulating a soul was dangerous and was probably why the machine didn''t work on everyone. He had declined Peter''s invitation, the Sorcerer Supreme was too busy for mundane parties it seemed.


    Felicia and Carol were in bathing suits, enjoying the open pool Peter had inflated in the main area. It could be drained into the smaller pool easily enough and on hot days, even if it was January outside, it was warm enough in the arcstar powered warehouse to be used for today.


    He had even suggested they cheat, and once the pool needed to be emptied simply sling ring it into the ocean to empty and then drag it back once it had deflated, but neither Gwen nor Wanda were amused by his idea and so he made sure the pump was working and that the hose reached the bathhouse.


    MJ smiled at him as she wandered over, having said hello to everyone, ¡°Happy birthday tiger.¡± she said as she sat down on his lap and wrapped her arm over his shoulder, ¡°having fun now you''re an old man?¡±


    Peter snorted, ¡°you know Gwen and Felicia both had their birthdays last year¡±


    MJ shrugged, ¡°Liv gave us all a lecture, that women peak as they get older but men decline almost right after puberty.¡± she teased him, ¡°and we were just worried you¡¯d peaked early, with there being so many of us.¡±


    Peter grinned and shook his head, ¡°bored of me already? Rejected for a younger man, some rich movie star, in his prime ready to be devoured by an insatiable Watson,¡± and MJ laughed and batted his shoulder with her hand,


    Leaning forwards he whispered ¡°ready to be devoured by an insatiable tiger. We all took the next week off, so dessert can take as long as you like.¡±


    Peter smiled and turned his head, meeting MJ''s lips and stealing a kiss,


    You can unwrap that present later, he was scolded by Jean, save it until we¡¯re all able.


    MJ laughed and leaned into him, kissing the side of his face, ¡°so spoiled, and still so housebroken,¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°it''s a torment, and I am so terribly cursed, but I manage, somehow I find the strength to carry on.¡± MJ kissed his cheek once more.


    ¡°Right, we¡¯ve cooked, so we need to set the food up, once everyone is settled, we can start.¡±


    Peter was a little bit worried. In the warehouse, he did most, if not all of the main cooking. MJ, Feleica and Gwen had all done some breakfast dishes, mainly toast or eggs, but nothing majorly fancy. Neither Carol nor Liv hadn''t used a stove in years and Laura set herself on fire the first time she used one. Wanda was the next good cook, as she often spend her days helping her mother. Natasha could cook but didn''t like it as it was a reminder of the various lessons forced onto her by the Red Room, and Shuri, Shuri laughed if anyone even suggested she go into the kitchen, and putting coffee in the machine was her limit, not helped by the fact it was a Wakandan design and all she had to do was make sure it had coffee and water and switch it on.


    The only person who actually enjoyed cooking was Jean, and sometimes it was a sight to watch her telekinetically control several pans at once, using her powers to monitor everything at once. In the mansion, it had been one of the mental exercises she had grown to love, and times in the kitchen, making dishes for the other students to enjoy were some of her happiest memories. It also didn¡¯t help that telekinetically controlling several knives, spoons, pans, and a variety of other utensils was excellent practice.


    Yes, I did most of the cooking, Jean told him, everyone helped decorate the cake though.


    Everything was Peter''s favourite, various hotdogs, pasta, and steak all cooked to perfection, with mashed potatoes and fries of various types. It wasn''t the healthiest of meals but everyone sat and waited,


    Peter stood, ¡°well Since I turned eighteen it''s been a wild ride. I really never expected to find so many loved ones to celebrate twelve years later. Each chapter in my life had been difficult sometimes, but each one brings me great joy, and I am glad to have shared ti it with all of you.¡± and lifting his glass, ¡°Cheers¡± and everyone raised their own glass and replied.


    As the meal went on, May slid a box over. It was a larger than normal pastry box, As he saw it he smiled. No matter what was going on, Aunt May always made his favourite for his birthday.


    ¡°I know the girls made you a cake Peter but-¡± Peter shook his head and stood to hug his mom,


    ¡°They know,¡± and as he opened the box, inside was a stack of his mom''s wonderful wheatcakes. She made them every year for him, without question, and they were his favourite thing in the world.


    She leaned forwards and kissed his cheek ¡°happy birthday dear, those will keep for breakfast tomorrow, I made more than enough for everyone.¡±


    Your mom delivered them earlier Pete, they¡¯re in the refrigerator, five boxes. Jean let him know,


    ¡°Love you, mom,¡± he said as he held her tightly. Curt smiled and patted him on the back,


    ¡°Happy birthday Peter.¡±


    Peter hugged his almost step-dad back. The wedding had been set for the spring and had been booked, and paid for and now it was just the laborious tasks of dresses, cakes, catering, venue, and a whole host of other small items that Peter had no idea how anyone could keep track of it.


    Which was a laughing point amongst the women, as the day before, Shuri, her brother, and their mother had all turned up to give Peter a final warning.


    ¡°You have passed all our tests. You have proven to be the man any mother could wish for our daughter. And, while there have been complaints from the council,¡± Romanda said, while Shuri rolled her eyes, ¡°I would be proud to have you as a son-in-law.¡± Peter gave her the Wakandan ceremonial salute. She raised an eyebrow at him.


    ¡°Is that how you greet your own mother?¡± and he looked over at Shuri who spread her arms out and rolled her eyes.


    Peter laughed and moved in to hug her, and she laughed and she whispered, ¡°Even if those old fools had said no, Shuri would have burned the capital to the ground. There was never any doubt Peter. I am sorry they were so difficult.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine, mom,¡± he said.


    T¡¯Challa raised an eyebrow, ¡°It is not fine, Brother. You a bad influence, and you must address her as Mother.¡±


    Romanda huffed and turned, dragging Peter with her, ¡°oh sush, you are just like your father. Protocol is stuffy and outdated. Allow him to call me whatever he wants.¡± and he lifted his head and pinched his cheeks, ¡°such a handsome, dutiful boy. Unlike my other son, who ignores me, and travels the world without bringing gifts home.¡±


    T¡¯Challa rolled his eyes and laughed, ¡°Mother, they are important diplomatic missions. I am not sightseeing. I am securing Wakanda''s future.¡± but Romanda waved a hand at him,


    ¡°And did you ever bring your mother with you? I see you give Okoye packages, but nothing for me?¡± Romanda huffed, ¡°Peter installed a portal device in our Royal Quarters, And allows me to use his pool house when we visit.¡±


    T¡¯Challa raised an eyebrow and Peter held his hands up, ¡°I set the flags out, and am not in there.¡±


    T¡¯Challa smiled, ¡°of course, of course. I do think, however, that you and I should follow Nakia, and discuss this next door. About proper boundaries, and my mother¡¯s bathing habits.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on. Shuri?¡± but Shuri shrugged,


    ¡°Mom?¡± but Romanda shrugged too.


    ¡°You know I¡¯m stronger than I look right?¡± but T¡¯Challa shrugged as well,


    ¡°I learned the last time,¡° T¡¯Challa said, ¡°and I have been training with Okoye. The new Extremis formula is much better than our own I will admit, and I am looking forwards to testing it.¡± and T¡¯Challa grinned at him, ¡°Younger brother.¡±


    Malisson


    Welcome to the final arc of House of Venom.


    In a spoiler so the author¡¯s note isn¡¯t huge.


    Arc 12 will post as normal, but the final 6 chapters will be slightly different.


    Saturday 9th July


    Final Short Story (title withheld due to spoilers) 9 am


    First Finale Chapter 3 pm


    Second Finale Chapter 9 pm


    Sunday 10th July


    The same, a chapter at 9 am, 3 pm, and then the last one at 9 pm.


    Why?


    Mainly as I have run afoul of the anti-cheat system before, posting two chapters close to each other and when the system kicks in it removes both from the front page. It might have been a bug, I don¡¯t know, but it was still annoying.


    And rather than leaving the finale spread over a week, and having horrible horrible cliffhangers, I decided a few hours between them lessons that.


    Secondly,


    Writer''s block.


    Arc 12, and the final 5 chapters are actually arc 12, arc 13, and a chunk of arc 15. The short was going to be arc 14.


    But I just couldn¡¯t get the story to flow properly. What I wanted to write, and what I did write were two entirely different things, and I wasn¡¯t happy.


    So, rather than the 450 chapters I had planned, I was left with either taking a hiatus and not posting anything until I resolved it or making small adjustments to the story and posting what I had.


    Obviously, I chose to post.


    I will make a longer post at the end of the novel, but for now, please enjoy arc twelve, and thanks for reading.

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three Hundred Thirty-Two. Unwelcome Guests

    With his birthday out of the way, T¡¯Challa¡¯s little ¡®I¡¯m your big brother so I¡¯m allowed to bully you¡¯ attitude firmly sunk after two matches. Peter was starting to get down to work once more.


    Peter''s plans for the school had begun in earnest. With permission from the US government, the building had already been cleared, cleaned, and repainted.


    Tony had taken one look at the classrooms and laughed, calling in his own staff, and soon a more technologically advanced layout was being discussed, with Tony picking up the paycheck. Everything would have Stark in big silver letters, but for the students to have the best equipment in, not just the US but, the world Peter didn''t care.


    Unfortunately, to rebuild the wiring and power sources of the school, to make space for the massive server rooms the equipment would need and to ensure that nobody was able to simply walk off with several million dollars worth of equipment, the security systems needed upgrading as well. Thankfully, having a team of Red Room agents and a team of Sheild agents all paranoid and all willing to help was the perfect solution if several times Peter had to remind them that no, it would be young students and that non-lethal countermeasures would be standard.


    It was Peter''s responsibility to ensure that the entire thing ran smoothly, Charles was busy recruiting more teaching staff, and was not just reaching out to the Augment community but to Enhanced as well.


    Yelena, bored of sitting in the warehouse, was offered a training position, Bruce and Betty, both accomplished scientits in their field, were offered to help gamma students.


    Liv and Ivan, could take time from Ocktech and provide technical support for the new faculty, and Tony in his usual bluster even offered but Charles politely declined. While Tony was brilliant, and there was no doubt about it, he tended to go off on tangents, often pausing as his brain jumped tracks and thought of something completely unrelated, or at least to anyone else.


    What surprised Peter though was Susan Storm was offered and accepted a position as well. Reed and the Fantastic Four as they had been calling themselves, often patrolled New York, and while not on missions she felt that Reed¡¯s obsession with fixing the reality damage done by Doom was top priority left little time for anything else.


    That included Sue. The media had been praising them as the perfect American couple, something that was taking a small jab at Peter''s own press of his polyamorous relationships. The religious and the conservative banged their little fists as Perter ignored them, wasn¡¯t up to him that rising prices, falling wages and a whole lot of social problems meant couples couldn''t afford things and that small communal groups were becoming more popular, he was just in the spotlight because of Wakanda and Shuri.


    The truth was though, as Sue had begun to speak to Gwen was that Reed was obsessed with the Reality Stone. Once he knew of its existence, he began to work on not just fixing the damage, but replicating its power, and he already had several extra-dimensional portal machines. Peter wondered if he and Stark might have to go have a small word with him, that messing with reality wasn''t something you did, or at least not with Reed''s track record.


    She wanted to do something more than watch Ben and Reed fight, as tensions frayed over failed experiment after failed experiment, and after finishing her thesis, on the exposure of the x-gene to various radiation types and its effects, she had moved to teach. Gwen was singing her praises and the newly appointed school board agreed.


    Over the year the school was coming together happily, it would take several years before every checkbox was ticked and permit was signed, but it would be worth it. News of the school was already hitting the headlines, and while JJ and his usual rant continued the majority of it was good, and apparently, there was already a waiting list.


    Even with the school taking up most of his time, life in the warehouse moved on as well. Cindy still lived in the second warehouse, but Eddie had moved out, He had finally moved in with Betty, under the insistence from Peter that she remain out of the loop.


    Hank had rented a small apartment, but Hope was now living with them as well. She had raised an eyebrow at the main warehouse, but after being warned, and given an explanation, had simply shrugged and stayed in the second set of homes.


    Of course, that meant Scott, Sam and the rest of the New Avengers turned up eventually, and while it was tense at first, Peter just let them all get drunk, fight it out, without powers, and everyone was friends again.


    Ivan and Melina had taken to living together, while Alexsi was finally taken to a minimum-security facility. Peter had removed the Red Room formula, and while weakened, they had used his frailty to get a reduction on his sentence. He would be in prison for a year, and then under house arrest for another, with a tracker fitted. It was fine that he would be housebound in the guest warehouse.


    Yelena had opted to stay in the main house, with Nakai following suit. Neither cared about the rules, and Peter knew they were both happy being single, even if the others did make passes at them more than once. Her fling with Ororo hadn¡¯t lasted, as both women were far too busy. Nakia training the AIM security guards and Ororo helped to teach classes on Avalon. Even with the portals, neither woman wanted to give up their career, and so they parted on amicable terms.


    AIM was still making waves, Pepper and her new boyfriend celebrating a successful partnership in business and their private lives, and they often stopped by to use the private bathhouse. Matt was especially grateful after Peter designed a set of small formfitting hearing aids to help dampen the noise, even from his own body.


    It was almost time to send out official letters for the school, but before a new term started, Peter had one last stop to make. An invitation for Asgardian and off-world children who wished to study Earth¡¯s customs and history in a place where their alien status wouldn''t be an issue.


    As Peter stood at the gates to the Asgardian embassy, a stern golden armoured clad warrior looked at his pass and shook his head,


    ¡°The embassy is closed. Asgard and its surrounding territories are preparing for a celebration. Earth and its people will be welcomed into the Asgardian Empire.¡±


    ¡°Asgardian Empire?¡± Peter asked confused.


    ¡°Commander Thor will be arriving shortly, Please wait.¡± The guard said monotonally and stood back at attention.


    Peter waited and eventually a differently armour Thor walked down to the guard post. He had changed over the years, his long unruly hair was now short, and the beard was trimmed almost like starks, but still a dirty blonde colour, but what Peter noticed the most,


    ¡°No hammer?¡± he asked


    Thor laughed, ¡°My father says that I am Thor, God of Lightning, not Thor, God of Hammers, and made me leave it on Asgard. But that''s not important. Peter, The fleet from Asgard will be escorting the Xandarian ambassador. If all goes well, then Earth and that silly moon base shall be part of something glorious.¡± Thor said, his voice booming,


    ¡°Yeah, and if Earth says no?¡± Peter already knew that Wakanda wouldn''t agree to outside interference, and he hardly expected Doom to roll over.


    ¡°It has already been agreed with your Earth¡¯s government, but be warned, Peter. Asgard shall hold no tolerance for petty squabbles or arguments. We both know that Earth''s mightiest heroes are no match for the will or power of Asgard.¡±


    ¡°But-¡± Peter began but Thor interrupted him,


    ¡°You have been warned, Peter. Make no mistake, this is happening. Now, I have preparations to make, and duties to attend to.¡± Thor turned and left, and one of the guards stood in front of Peter scowling until he got the message. He wasn''t welcome.


    Confused, Peter left and wanted to wait until he could speak to Carol. They knew the Xandarians were coming eventually, but talk of an Asgardian empire seemed a little off-key, considering Carol had often talked of their peacekeeping missions.


    As he headed back into the warehouse, he already had his phone out, looking up he saw MJ and Felicia sitting at the breakfast table and he headed over, ¡°right, we need a plan.¡± he started as the pair looked at him confused. ¡°I was at the Asgardian embassy, and it felt wrong.¡±


    ¡°So, plan for what? Cracking skulls?¡± Felicia asked with a small grin,


    ¡°No, not yet, but, food, water, emergency stuff. Something''s off. I can feel it.¡±


    ¡°Think it''s the Xandarians?¡± MJ asked. She had been keeping up with the latest news, something the others often ignored as JJ seemed to be more and more anti-hero most days.


    Peter poured himself a coffee and added three sugars to it, ¡°I dont know, it just feels off.¡± He sat and huffed. He really wished he had the Mind Stone right about now, but with Arcee and the others needing it to create a fully functional Cybertronian society, it was in much better hands than him using it to snoop into an embassy, plus, maybe it was rude or an act of war or something he thought to himself.


    ¡°Fine, so what, shopping?¡± Felicia sked


    Peter took a deep breath, ¡°yup, maybe hit a few different places, make it look like it''s not too obvious.¡±


    ¡°Wanda. Why hit different places, when we can hit different cities or countries. I think Gwen finally got her sling thing as well.¡± Felicia said, pouring herself more coffee as well. ¡°She really didn''t like the hat though Pete.¡±


    Peter laughed, He had found a witch¡¯s costume online and surprised the pair during one of their nights together. A sexy witch threesome was definitely off the cards once they had finished laughing, and he was dumped outside Gwen''s home, while he shrugged and went to find Laura and Liv sharing a bath together. He knew it was fake tears though, as it was stained and in the wash the next day, Wanda and Gwen enjoying themselves without him.


    ¡°Says the one who bought her a broom,¡± he replied.


    Felicia shrugged, ¡°It was one of those toy ones that vibrated. They pulled them from the market so quick they are a collector¡¯s item now. Gwen didn''t mind.¡±


    A toy company had created a child''s toy, a broom that had ¡®real flying action¡¯ mimicking the film series it was based on. Adults quickly discovered that the motor was quite powerful and that really, it was not something for any child to be sticking between their legs. It was withdrawn almost immediately, but Felicia had managed to get one, and he knew exactly what it was being used for.


    MJ rolled her eyes, ¡°Anyway, sexcapades aside. What about next door?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, everyone on deck for this one. See what Fury and Charles have to say as well.¡±


    Charles had been busy finalising the new ARCA laws and had been back on Earth several times now. Avalon was complete, and the ACD were installed in key locations. Jean was officially living in the warehouse but had a place on Avalon as well, and a private portal generator in her house.


    ¡°Think it''s that bad?¡± Felicia asked, worried


    ¡°It''s just, like the feeling right before a storm. Something bad is going to happen.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Felicia complained, ¡°We got what? Eight months this time. Same old shit. Going for a swim. Join me?¡±


    Both Peter and MJ nodded, before looking at each other and laughing,


    Felicia shrugged, both were good too. ¡°Might as well relax before everything goes to shit then.¡±


    The trio headed to the bathhouse. If Peter''s feeling was correct, then Felicia might be right.


    Malisson


    And yes, it was real, and yes it was recalled. The Replica Harry Potter Nimbus 2000 produced by Mattel.

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three Hundred Thirty-Three. Plan Nein From Outer Space

    ¡°Today marks a monumental occasion,¡± the reporter on the TV said, ¡°We welcomed the Asgardians, and they brought us new hope, that Earth was not alone in the galaxy. They brought us new technology and new medicines. And today we welcome a new ally from the Stars. The Xandarians.¡±


    The camera pulled up and like a movie special effect several large ships warped into the birth summer sky.


    ¡°We have had word that the Xandarian emissary is taking the stage, so we go live to that now.¡±


    Peter and the warehouse stared at the TV. They had considered going, as the Asgardian embassy was hosting the event and it was in Manhatten, but Carol had been apprehensive and they could understand why.


    Thor and Loki were supposed to be there as well, and relations between the three groups were strained, not that the public knew about it.


    Carol had unofficially been given a fugitive status, and while no one came to arrest her or take her away she was worried that the Xandarians and the governments of Earth would use her as a bargaining chip, in another one of their stupid schemes.


    ¡°Greetings People of Earth. It is with great pleasure that I am here today to welcome you into our glorious Nova Empire. We have reached accords with nine of the Earth''s governments, and are negotiating with the rest to ensure a peaceful transfer into our galactic power.¡± the emissary paused and took a small drink of water, ¡°As part of the empire, you will be under our protection, and enjoy autonomy. While there may be some laws that change, there will not be many, and in return, you will enjoy all we can offer you. We do not force civilizations into entering the pact, but we will offer protection against those who would try to harm your citizens.¡±


    Cameras clicked and flashed as the reporters jostled forwards,


    ¡°I will take questions.¡± and he motioned at a reporter Peter recognised.


    ¡°Betty Brant, Daily Bugle. If you are not interested in taking over, then what does the Empire gain from a treaty of this kind?¡±


    The emissary smiled, ¡°Like any treaty, we take trade partners. Sharing military and medical aid while receiving goods and services found only on Earth is part of any treaty. We will always welcome trading partners.¡±


    ¡°Alan Smith New York Times. You mentioned laws. Can you give us any examples of what we can expect to change?¡±


    ¡°The Nova Empire has laws concerning the treatment of its citizens. If a planet that formally signs with us fails to meet these standards, of course, we naturally enforce them. I cannot give you a specific example though, I am still unfamiliar with all of Earth''s laws.¡±


    ¡°Mike Layton. New York Inquisitor. While Earth is protected, will we be required to serve in the Xandarian military?¡±


    The emissary nodded, ¡°not required, with all military service the Nova Corps will accept human applicants, and if you can pass our physical and intellectual requirements then we provide the required training. But, we do not allow our armed forces to serve on their planet of origin. Split loyalties can create problems, and confusion if an aggressor tries anything.¡±


    ¡°Flora Barns. New York Examiner. We have heard reports that Wakanda has refused to meet with you. As they are the technologically dominant country on earth, what has your response to this been?¡±


    A small frown coursed the face of the emissary and he looked over at one of the World Security Council members who was rushing to the stage, ¡°No more questions,¡± and she covered the mic with her hand. ¡°Get him out of here.¡± and the emissary was taken from the sage, stopping briefly to wave at the crowd and let more pictures be taken.


    After the emissary had left, ¡°Wakanda has made its position clear. It will not ally itself with any country welcoming the Xandarian Star Empire, nor will it allow the Nova Crop access to their Golden City. It is not US policy to interfere with the diplomatic missions of other countries but if Wakanda is the only holdout to the new treaty then it will be signed without them, and they will be treated as hostile.¡±


    Peter clicked the remote control and shut the TV off. ¡°Well, that was a shit show. Carol?¡±


    Carol looked the most nervous of them all. ¡°Peter, it''s bad. I heard there were already steps to sign the treaty and that was years ago. You need to want Shuri they won''t take no for an answer.¡±


    He nodded, ¡°I don''t have to. Shuri and I talk every day, I already know what was going to happen.¡±


    Peter started a video file on his work pc, and it showed several Xandarian fighters flying over Wakanda as their energy shield flickered into life, covering the whole area.


    ¡°They¡¯ve made themselves clear. Either Wakanda lets them in, or they let themselves in.¡±


    Carol sighed, ¡°Do we know why?¡±


    He nodded, ¡°Shuri and I deciphered the ancient tablet used to control the city and the ship. It''s alien, and we think it''s either Xandarian, as they¡¯re mentioned a few times, or another species we don''t know about.¡±


    While the files he had received from Optimus were helpful, they didn¡¯t have an alien language database, only a single phrase, some kind of universal greeting. Which Peter had loved and used constantly until the women of the warehouse grabbed him and threatened to beat his ass senseless if he uttered again.


    Carol frowned, ¡°Can I see?¡± and Peter shrugged and handed over his phone. He had taken snaps of the hieroglyphics before Sue and the others had started complaining, and Carol shook her head as she stared at them


    ¡°Shit, this is bad. This is Kree.¡±  and Carol handed him his phone back.


    ¡°Optimus mentioned them, but the files only mention them briefly. He didn¡¯t give details. Good or bad for us?¡± and she shook her head


    ¡°Bad, for everyone. The Kree are giant assholes. They are controlled by a giant supercomputer called the Supreme Intelligence. Militaristic, xenophobic and specist to book, all rolled into a giant ego the size of a planet. If the Xandarians think the Kree have been here before, they might stomp Earth and take Wakanda if they think it''s a Kree outpost.¡± Carol leaned back and rubbed her eyes. ¡°They don''t know about the vibranuim, that''s why Shuri is keeping them out.¡± Peter smiled and nodded.


    ¡°Yup, cause we all know that''s exactly what''s going to happen.¡±


    Carol swore, ¡°war, it won''t end any other way.¡±


    Peter rubbed his forehead, ¡°we just had one, and we don''t have the Mind Stone this time to clean the mess up. How many other countries are refusing to work with the Xandarians.¡±


    ¡°Wakanda, Korea and Germany. Rumour has it the Xandarians turned up and demanded Helen Cho and her cradle, and Germany took  one look a the treaty and shook their heads, the whole Nova Empire and Nova Corps have them worried about a repeat of history.¡±


    ¡°It''s Russia and the Red Room I''m more worried about,¡± Natasha added, ¡°Omega has been quiet since Doom arrived.¡±


    Peter leaned forwards, lifting the report, ¡°What did Doom say¡±


    Natasha laughed and cleared her throat. ¡°Doom has no interest in the pettiness of empires. Doom will do as Doom pleases,¡± and even Peter laughed.


    ¡°Yeah, not the kind of guy to submit to anyone.¡± and Peter tapped a finger on the kitchen table nervously, ¡°and Charles?¡±


    Jean sighed, ¡°They have one of their cruisers parked in orbit over the moon, as well as more in the solar system. Charles is making waves, but so far the reply has been, come and stop us.¡±


    Peter shook his head, with Earth refusing to recognise the colony as legal or separate from Earth''s laws, and only being forced to as nobody could get there Charles was fine, now the Nova Corp was butting in, he wouldn''t see that ending well either.


    ¡°Will Charles take advice? Or does he have his own plan.¡± and Jean shrugged.


    ¡°No powers, not a peep until they do something stupid and then hammer them flat. Don¡¯t hold back. Charles might not like it but I think a show of force is required here. Tell him that if he wants independence, then is going to be bloody, and if it''s the Xandarians getting that bust lip, then Earth will fall in line.¡±


    Jean nodded, ¡°he might not like that though. He¡¯s been trying to go for the peaceful coexistence angle, but Erik probably will. After Pietro was hurt he¡¯s changed.¡±


    Wanda nodded. ¡°Dad thinks that it will take your way to get Earth to leave them alone, he will probably be thinking the same thing.¡± Peter knew Wanda was slowly reconnecting with her father. The shock of his age change was a bit much, and it might have been a better idea to actually talk to his children before he did anything, but nope, they went and did it anyway.


    Peter took a breath and huffed it out, ¡°So, what about AIM and Parker Inc?¡±


    ¡°Pepper is busy running wild with the fallout of the congressional hearings. We¡¯re fine financially, it''s politically we¡¯re not so great. That damn ARCA keeps rearing its ugly head.¡± Liv answered, ¡°They want a complete physiological breakdown of not just the formulas but the Symbiotes as well. You might have taken Starks disruptor out of the equation dear, but they just want another built.¡±


    Peter leaned forwards, resting his forehead on his hands. ¡°Give it to them, but leave out the ability swapping and the powering up by host jumping. Add in some bullcrap about a bonding being permanent, and that we can change colour. Give them a list of every symbiote made, their colours but not everyone''s powers.¡±


    Liv nodded ¡°are you sure though, it will give them avenues to exploit any weakness they can find.¡±


    ¡°Better to give them the almost right information, and leave them scratching their head if something will work than nothing and have them build another weapon like Tony¡¯s.¡±


    Liv shook her head, ¡°and if they insist on sample data, actual symbiotic tissue?¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°Tell them to get their own. If Flash wants to give up a sample, or god forbid they''re stupid enough to ask Maria that''s fine. But nobody gets made to do anything they dont want to, and that included this. The Symbiotes are still living creatures. They can call all the laws and idiocy they want but they still have rights and still get protected.¡±


    Liv nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll arrange with Pepper. If this goes through proper channels I can get our legal team to make sure that nobody pulls any fast ones.¡±


    ¡°Oh and make sure the Xandarians aren''t involved. They get nothing.¡± Petre leaned back with a serious look on his face, ¡°and if anyone comes with a warrant for Carol, give them hell. Hole up in the basement and stay there.¡± He sighed, ¡°but, do what you need to. They came after us once, this time, dont hold back.¡± and the group nodded


    ¡°I can get one of the professor''s ACDs, if he agrees we can evacuate to Avalon, and Wanda?¡± and she nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep a sling ring on me, I can get there myself, just give me a shout.¡±


    Peter sighed, ¡°well, this is depressing. Anyone got any good news?¡±


    Gwen smiled, ¡°Stephen says I can train with him and Wanda.¡± and she proudly held out her own sling ring, ¡°I uh, can''t use it though, some small yellow sparkly things but nothing big enough or stable enough to travel through.¡± and Wanda shook her head


    ¡°Because it''s a complex runic magical formula powered by will and intent, not yellow sparkly things. I would have thought that you of all people would recognise the need for proper measurements and formula.¡±


    Gwen huffed and leaned back in her chair, ¡°they are yellow and sparkly, so bite me.¡±


    Wanda laughed, ¡°she is really in a mood because Stephen would not tell her if unicorns were real.¡±


    Gwen huffed, ¡°dragons are real, so why not unicorns?¡±


    Wanda moved over and kissed her gently on the side of the face. ¡°Because everyone would hunt them for their horns if they were real.¡±


    Gwen looked up at her, ¡°So you know?¡± and Wanda grinned but shrugged, ¡°Oh come on. See Pete, see what they put me through.¡±


    Wanda laughed and kissed her again. ¡°Poor baby, it''s not fair is it, getting picked on and being the bottom of the class.¡± and Gwen pouted and huffed.


    Everyone laughed as the huffy Gwen doubled down and sunk down into her chair.


    Peter frowned though, ¡°wait, dragons are real?¡±


    Malisson


    Bah-weep-Graaaaagnah wheep ni ni bong!


    For those unfamiliar with the Transformers universe, the universal greeting roughly translates to,


    ¡®We come in peace¡¯ or ¡®We mean you no harm¡¯


    Like most comic things, it¡¯s used in a variety of ways.

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three Hundred Thirty-Four. A Delicate Touch

    Peter had no idea how to take the news that Earth was joining the Nova Empire. So far the countries that objected were being outnumbered by those who did, and who could blame them.


    Financial, technological, and societal inequalities were about to be swept aside in one massive upgrade of the whole planet. Who wouldn''t want to suddenly be on equal terms with a country that threatened your borders every day? Who wouldn''t want to suddenly have enough to eat for all your citizens? Which corrupt governments wouldn¡¯t suddenly want access to high tech weapons and technology? Peter knew it was only time before everyone agreed. With one or two exceptions.


    Once the Nova Empire found out about the vibranium in Wakanda, it would be bloody and messy. Shuri was already preparing for war, but they had no real idea on what scale. Carol had provided tactical information the best that she could, but with the sudden rise of militancy in both the Nova Corp and Asgard, would they be facing scorched earth tactics or would Asgard opt for a more peaceful diplomatic route. So far, they were being polite, but that could well change.


    There was also Doom. He had no idea what Doom was hiding, and his Doombots were a great enough threat to the forces of Earth, but would they be any match for the Asgardians? Add in the mystical arts and he knew it was another ticking timebomb.


    Carol knew that most other worlds had little to no magic, especially on Asgard where only Queen Freya and Loki were known to be practitioners but they made up for it with high-grade technology. If Asgard was so inclined they could withdraw behind the moon and launch strikes against the planet.


    That was the problem though. It was the Augments and Enhanced that were saying no, the ordinary Joe on the street liked the idea of space and new alien life. To them, once more it was the powered who were making life harder, and if the Sentinel event taught everyone one thing, it was that Augments pushed back when threatened.


    Protests were starting. It was why on a cloudy and bleak February morning, Peter was walking the streets of New York. JJ had begun his push once more. That while alien, the Asgardians had provided more ain to the earth than any augment had, that the powered were happy to fight and destroy, while Asgard gave out medical aid, and was helping to fix environmental problems. He walked past several ¡°Mutants Out¡± placard-carrying protestors, and while their numbers were small, only a few hundred, it was enough. He could feel the growing animosity. It was just the start.


    Peter, he heard, are you busy? As he was walking around Central Park, holding a barely warm cup of coffee, he sighed,


    No Charles, not at all.


    Can you visit?


    Sure, and a portal appeared not too far from him. Throwing his coffee cup in the trash he slid through and was greeted by the sight of a massive warship above the domes of Avalon.


    ¡°Scary isn''t it?¡± Charles said, and Peter could only nod. ¡°It''s been there since they entered the system, and I will admit, even I am apprehensive.¡±


    Peter followed Charles down the main walkway, and it was unusually quiet.


    ¡°As you can see, a lot of people are returning to Earth. Genosha has already been repopulated by Selene, and the Government is making plans to make it a new state. Avalon failed.¡±


    Peter shook his head, ¡°It didn''t fail, People are scared, and the familiar helps with that. So, is that why I am here?¡±


    Charles shook his head, ¡°No, sorry, but you are here as we have a problem. A muscular blonde, seven-foot-tall problem. And I was rather hoping you could deal with him.¡± Charles sighed, ¡°He is being difficult, unreasonable, and so far has eaten most of the food we have left. I was hoping as you had already met him, you could talk to him?¡±


    Peter huffed, ¡°Thor?¡± and Charles nodded, ¡°of course, he can travel through space.¡± shrugging, ¡°fine, let¡¯s go then.¡±


    Charles smiled, ¡°excellent. We have him waiting in one of the dining rooms. But he isn''t too happy.¡±


    Charles led Peter to the same dining hall they had used, and there, sat eating what looked like a roast chicken was Thor. He grinned with a mouth full of food ¡°Friend Peter, come, eat. The food here is small but very good.¡± and he waved a drumstick at the chair next to his. ¡°It seems there is nothing else to do, and I could use the company.¡±


    Peter looked over at Charles who sighed, ¡°I¡¯ll get the kitchen to cook more food, I hope chicken is okay. We really don¡¯t have anything else.¡±


    Peter shook his head,d ¡°I¡¯ll deal with this and take him back to Earth, so, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Charles nodded, ¡±hopefully you can be more persuasive¡±


    And be careful, my powers dont seem to affect him,


    Peter snorted, they won''t, he¡¯s not human, you¡¯ll need to spend time with an Asgardian to learn how to read their thoughts.


    Peter sat at the table next to Thor, who was busy spooning what looked like mashed potatoes into his mouth.


    ¡°So, how''s Asgard?¡± Peter asked while Thor ate,


    ¡°Peter. Let''s not be bilgesnipes okay. We both know Carol is on Earth, and she¡¯s fine. Asgard wasn''t her fault,¡± he said, with a more serious tone than before. Looking at the spoon, Thor shrugged, took the last bite of potato from it and then threw it back into the dish. ¡°But let''s also not how do your people say it, beat around the bush.¡± Leaning back in his chair and belching, ¡°The satellite is to be used as a base for training Nova soldiers, and as a launching area for troop deployment throughout the system. This is not negotiable Peter, no matter who you send.¡±


    Peter took a deep breath, ¡°and if we say no?¡±


    Thor snorted, ¡°See up there?¡± and he pointed up, ¡°that cruiser could obliterate this satellite with a few well-aimed shots. So let''s not pretend this is anything other than us asking nicely before we stop being nice. The treaty is signed, and the inclusion of Earth into the Nova Empire is already done. You, this place, and that wife of yours isn''t going to change things Peter, and all you¡¯ll do is get a lot of people killed trying to stop it.¡±


    Peter leaned back, ¡°Seems Asgard changed since last I heard about it. So, what''s the real story. Carol already filled us in. Asgard defenders of freedom and peace. Now aggressive invaders? Not buying it.¡±


    Thor laughed, ¡°aggressive invaders? Peter, your government asked us here. Nobody in the Empire gives two shits about a backwater planet with no real resources. Sure, there is that gas giant, but your people are so primitive you might as well throw stones at us.¡±


    Peter rubbed his forehead, ¡°Earths government called you?¡± and Thor shrugged and lifted a chick leg,


    ¡°The U.S of A I believe, wanted more of the technology we found at that lunatic''s place.¡± Thor scratched one of his eyebrows embarrassed. ¡°Seems we missed some and one of your Shield scientists managed to get a message into the gal-net. And here we are.¡±


    Peter sighed again, and shook his head, ¡°they dont speak for the whole planet. Earth doesn''t have a centralised government, it''s one country.¡±


    Thor shrugged and after dropping the now clean chicken bone began to lick his fingers, ¡°doesn''t matter. Once the Nova Corp and the Asgardians agreed to their terms, it soon will have.¡±


    ¡°And there is no way to I dunno, say no?¡± Peter asked,


    Thor laughed, ¡°rule under Asgard won''t be so bad. I mean, nobody else complains.¡± but Peter frowned,


    That was the problem. Was it Asgard or the Nova Empire? So far nothing Thor said made sense. They cleaned the place out, so how did they get a transmitter powerful enough to contact Asgard? Even the pager Fury had to contact Carol was a well-guarded secret and why didn''t Carol know about it. Something was wrong, but he just didn''t know what.


    ¡°Which is what I¡¯m worried about. We just had someone try to take over, this might end badly.¡±


    ¡°Oh stop worrying Peter. It¡¯ll be fine. But, you do have to ask your friends to leave this base. Nova training is harsh and we might accidentally damage it, and humans are so tiny, and fragile.¡±


    Charles, he¡¯s refusing. If you still have anyone here, get them back to New York. He¡¯s thinly threatened to destroy the place if you dont.


    I was afraid of that Peter, and I am also afraid I cannot let this technology fall into the wrong hands. You have five minutes to leave, I will not allow Avalon to be used for soldiers. We will make sure nothing important is left behind. None of the ACDs or the Arcstar reactors.


    Peter huffed, ¡°fine. Uh, we need to leave though, The current owners dont like being evicted.¡± as Peter stood, ¡°you can stay though. But it probably won''t be pretty.¡±


    Thor looked at the food in front of him, ¡°fine. I would like to see New York again, and maybe MJ if she is around.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I think she¡¯s free, plus I''ve got a few upgrades since you last saw me, how about a spar?¡±


    Thor stood and snorted, ¡°Friend Peter. I appreciate the offer, but uh,¡± and Thor looked down at himself. He had his battle armour on, with the long flowing red cape and was still as buff as normal, he motioned to himself, ¡°you are not up to an Asgardian standard.¡±


    Peter furrowed his brow, ¡°I dunno, seems all that food made you fat.¡± he said. The table was covered in empty bowls and it looked like Thor had eaten not just several whole chickens himself but several large bowls of mashed potatoes as well.


    Thor looked disgruntled ¡°Well, maybe some after dinner exercise would be good. You have somewhere we can fight. Maybe Next to a medical centre.¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°dont worry, I won''t hurt you that badly.¡±


    Thor laughed but he narrowed his eyes as he stared at Peter. The pair made their way to the Breach room. Charles had stayed behind,


    ¡°I will make this clear Thor, Asgard or not, Nova Empire or not We will not take an invasion force laying claim to the Earth lying down. Maybe have tried, and we are willing to take a stand.¡±


    Thor just smiled and shook his head, ¡°I just smile and wave my young friend, I just smile and wave.¡±


    Charles snorted, ¡°The demolition of Avalon will take place five days from now. I suggest you are nowhere near here when we set the charges off.¡± As he touched the side of his head a second portal opened and he stepped through, to what Peter could only assume was his office in the mansion.


    I am sorry it came to this Peter. I am now in agreement that something is wrong here. Too many things are falling into place too easily. First our government, and the rest of the world. If I was a paranoid man I would say that pieces are being moved behind the scenes. While I am hesitant to force their hand, I will warn you that this may turn bloody. There are Augments who were not pleased to be chased from Earth, and they will not be pleased to be forced back.


    I already know Charles, Protests have already started on Earth. Peter sighed, All I can ask is that you stay safe, and if we find out what''s actually going on, that you help as much as you can.


    We will Peter, but Avalon was mainly families. We are not a fighting army, you may stand alone.


    Peter resisted the urge to laugh, I¡¯m never alone Charles.


    ¡°Well, that went well. So, we can get back through here.¡± Peter motioned to Thor as he swiped a hand over the ACD, opening a portal back to the warehouse.


    ¡°Just uh, to warn you. You kinda have fans on Earth.¡±

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three Hundred Thirty-Five. Sparring Partner

    Thor paused as he stepped through the portal, ¡°I like it, and you have redecorated.¡± he boomed as he took in the new warehouse layout.


    ¡°Yeah, I kinda have a few more partners now,¡± Peter said as the portal closed behind him. He swiped his hand over the column and as it powered down he placed a hand on it, ¡°uh, take a seat, I¡¯ll let everyone know you''re here.¡± Connecting to the controller, he wiped several locations from its memory.


    Charles had been adamant that if the main portal room on Avalon was ever compromised that security prevented its location from connecting to any other terminal. With Avalon being shut down, Charles had already begun to dismantle the Breach Network. While a lot of Xavier technology was being shared with the world, that one was still a secret.


    Hey, Thors here, but, uh, yeah, Thors here. He told everyone in the warehouses.


    That''s not like you Peter. Is something wrong, Felicia asked him.


    I have no idea, but yeah, going next door, if anyone wants to say hi we¡¯re going to spar.


    Have fun, I think MJ is busy at the moment though, Felicia replied. It was a workday, and everyone was out.


    I need a set of eyes on us though, you free?


    Yeah, give me a moment though. Are you worried about something? Felicia asked,


    Just a hunch, let me know when you¡¯re in position.


    Peter smiled at Thor and lead him through the security tunnels to the second warehouse, Thor laughed, ¡°this is more like it.¡± as he saw the sparring ring set up in the centre and the rack around it. ¡°It is good to know you keep your training up. Leave the diplomacy to the small fries, eh?¡± he said as he slapped Peter on the back.


    ¡°Kinda have to, they always get me in trouble,¡± Peter admits and Thor laughs.


    ¡°Come now, Peter. What do you want to know? I know this is more than just a friendly chat, and that you are distrustful of what is happening. I might not be kept in the loop, but even I know about Queen Shuri.¡± Thor admitted as Peter opened the door to the security tunnel. Pausing for a second, he frowned, ¡°So, you¡¯ll just tell me?¡±


    Thor laughed, ¡°Oh, I didn''t say that. You are worried this is an invasion, but it¡¯s not. We have been here before Peter, or I wouldn¡¯t appear in your history books. We simply want to make sure that Earth is protected against greater threats. Threats you cannot imagine, or defend against.¡±


    ¡°Like the Cybertronians?¡± and while Thor frowned and shrugged, ¡°Or the Kree?¡±


    Thor scowled, and narrowed his eyes, ¡°Yes, like the Kree. I am curious though, as to how you know about them. I am sure Carol told you of her past, but without co-ordinates, they are unlikely to return.¡±


    ¡°Because we¡¯re not all idiots Thor, and we know that pissed off space nazi¡¯s dont like it when you bloody their nose. If you¡¯re here and add that to what Carol said, there is a war going on right? And you want us to help?¡±


    Thor laughed, ¡°Oh Peter. If the Asgardian forces cannot contend with the Kree, I doubt a handful of what do you call them, Augments will make a difference.¡±


    It was Peter''s turn to laugh, thinking about Cain or Selene fighting properly, ¡°Yeah, I guess. But, to the spar. So, do we wager? I have some very nicely aged Gwen Special in stock, and I do remember you liked it.¡±


    Thor rubbed his chin, ¡°yes, I do remember that. If I win, then you may ask me one of your more serious questions, but if I win, then I am to gain several barrels of your finest Gwen Special, and MJ must be my guide around New York.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Peter said giving Thor a side glance. ¡°So, one on one, no powers and no summoning your hammer.¡±


    Thor nodded, ¡°father said it was hampering my training. So I promise I will not summon it.¡± Thor looked over, and tensing, leapt straight over the ropes around the ring and onto the mats.


    Peter grinned, while it was impressive to leap over 20 meters, it wasn''t that useful in combat. Once you were in the air, you had no way of altering your course, unless you could fly. While he was sure Thor could, he needed his hammer to do so. Using acrobatics for dodging attacks was great, but a huge leap like that was only good for escaping.


    ¡°Are you still calling yourself Venom?¡±


    Peter shook his head, ¡°Nope, Dusk now. Well, maybe. I dunno. It''s still up for debate.¡±


    Thor shrugged, ¡°You should just name yourself what you like. I mean, I am Thor, God of Thunder. No need to hide, just grin and flex.¡±


    Peter made his way over, and stretched, ¡°Earth¡¯s a little more complicated. I have family that can¡¯t defend themselves. So anyone targeting me can target them.¡± and he shook himself into a loose stance, ¡°but let me guess, that will change?¡±


    Thor shrugged and lifted his hands flexing his fingers, ¡°no idea, those with Godforce on Asgard are usually military and the Xandarians dont really care. A criminal with powers is the same as one without. Lots of people carry blasters, and like your United States there are laws on using them in public but it is not illegal to carry them.¡± He feigned a grab at Peter who rather than retreating, ducked into it, grabbed one of Thor''s arms and tossed him over his shoulder,


    ¡°That''s one,¡± Peter said as he danced away, ¡°gotten slow in your old age, Thor.¡±


    Thor snorted and thumped the matt, ¡°I''m barely over three thousand. Whereas you are what almost thirty? Isn''t that middle age for a Midgardian?¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°I''m immortal, maybe.¡± he sprung forwards, going low for a leg sweep and when Thor jumped Peter spun and struck upwards, lifting Thor further up and flat onto his back as he fell. ¡°And that''s two. Maybe eating so much was bad for the diet¡±


    Thor growled and thumped the mat once more. As he stood he shrugged his shoulders and circled his shoulders, ¡°just warming up, dont want to bruise your ego too much do I?¡±


    Peter laughed and took a martial arts stance, Holding one hand up he motioned with his fingers for Thor to attack.


    Thor snorted, and charged, much quicker on his feet than Peter expected he barreled into his and lifted him up, slamming him down into the mat, ¡°and that one for-¡± but Peter drove his fists into Thor''s temples, arched back and with impressive lower body strength lifted Thor from the mat, lifted himself by his hands into a handstand and then back down, flipping both himself and Thor over.


    As Thor lay on the mat Peter grabbed him by the back of the neck, ¡°no talking while fighting, and that''s three.¡±


    ¡°I will give you one more before we get serious.¡± Thor answers before lifting himself up, ¡°you are much better than I expected, but you are still no match for an Asgardian Peter, not even close.¡±


    Peter shrugs. ¡°I disagree.¡± and as he took another stance Thor laughed.


    ¡°Why dont you prove it then,¡± Thor says and it''s Peter''s turn to dash forwards. Muscles tense as Thor blocks the first blow, but Peter leapt and kicked out at Thor and as Thor returns the favour with a blow, Peter braces on his arm and knees Thor in the side of the head. As Thor stumbles back, Peter slips forwards and ignoring his open chest, delivers a strike to Thor''s throat, and then an elbow to his face.


    Staggering back, Thor brings a hand to his lip and gently touches where Peter elbowed him and brings his fingers up, showing the fresh blood. ¡°A nasty move Peter. I thought this was a friendly spar,¡± he says and spits a wad of blood on the mat. ¡°So be it. First blood is yours, but no more.¡±


    Thor roars and charges, lifting Peter from the mat, but bracing himself, Peter lifts him and using his own momentum throws him over his head. Peter spins and as Thor lies on the ground Peter lifts his foot and drives it into Thor''s back before he can roll away.


    Peter moves away and Thor slams a fist into the mat, ¡°I underestimated you, Peter. I won''t do it again.¡± Standing and tensing, Thor roars and Peter feels the tension in the air rise, like a pulse of static. The hairs on the back of his neck rise but worse he smells it, something he knows shouldn''t be coming from Thor.


    Thor slowly lets out a breath, and in a blur pounces on Peter, driving a fist into his gut, followed by an uppercut. Peter tenses and takes the first but the second clacks his jaw and sends him stumbling. As he falls backwards Thor capitalised and floors, sending a right into Peter''s midsection followed by a left into his jaw.


    As Peter stumbles back, Thor follows, driving blow after blow into his midsection, and finishes it with a haymaker, sending Peter flying across the floor and out of the padded area and onto the concrete.


    Thor stands and laughs as Peter tries to stand but stumbles and slumps on his backside on the ground, shaking his head.


    ¡°I think that counts as at least three for me. That was more than just one good hit. You are lucky I was holding back.¡± Thor said with a grin, ¡°As I said, you are no match for an Asgardian.¡±


    Peter rubs his jaw and nods. Sliding his legs up and standing, ¡°Yup, I guess your right. But, I did get a few hits in and using powers, it would be a fairer fight.¡±


    Thor shrugs, ¡°Maybe, but I was holding back as well.¡± Thor titles his head to one side, ¡°I am sorry Peter. I am receiving a message from our Asgardian forces. I must take this.¡±


    Peter nods and moves to one side, where mirroring the main warehouse a breakfast table sits, with a small fridge. Watching Thor closely, he can¡¯t hear what is being said, as Asgardian is all gibberish to him.


    As he presses a cold bottle of water, first to his forehead and then to his jaw, he watched Thor animatedly hold his conversation. Widely throwing his arms about as apparently he argues with however it is.


    ¡°I am sorry Peter. I have to leave. You were right and not all of Earth is happy to see us. Please tell MJ I would be glad to reminisce about our time together, and maybe spend more with her if she is willing.¡±


    Taking a drink from the bottle, Peter nods. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to tell her.¡± and motioning, ¡°doors over there¡± he points at the exit.


    ¡°Farewell friend Peter. I am sure we¡¯ll see each other again.¡±


    Nodding Peter lifts the bottle in mock toast and watches as Thor leaves.


    ¡°So?¡± he says to the air,


    ¡°Yeah, that wasn''t Thor. Even I can smell the formula in the air.¡± Huntress answers back as she shimmers into existence, ¡°We¡¯ve got a huge problem haven''t we?¡±


    Peter nods and moves over to the sink. ¡°Yeah, whoever that was hits like a pussy. I mean, Gwen hits harder, and I was embarrassed having to fake those injuries.¡± He smirks as the marks on his face fade into normal skin, ¡°Plus, there is that other issue. Thor doesn¡¯t use formula.¡±


    Sighing, Felicia could only nod.


    ¡°Yup, better get everyone together. No one is allowed to say no.¡± Peter leans over the sink and pours the water from the bottle, and heads back to the mat. Using the cap to scrape up the blood from the burst lip he gave Thor. As the blood swirls in the remnants of the water, Peter hopes this can answer their questions.


    Who was that? and what the hell is going on?

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three-Hundred Thirty-Six. Waiting In The Isles

    Felicia looked over at him, ¡°You know. We have at least an hour before everyone can get away. How about we practice my favourite F word.¡± and she smiled as she headed towards the mat.


    ¡°Filching?¡± Peter asked, with a small grin, and she stopped and shook her head, ¡°fleeing after filching.¡± She paused again and shook her head once more. ¡°Feasting after fleeing after filching.¡±


    Felicia stood on the mat, ¡°We won''t be doing my second favourite F word if you don¡¯t stop messing about and get over here.¡±


    Peter laughed and sent Charles one last message. As their outfits both changed into more suitable sparring attire, Peter took off in a sprint and charged at her.


    While Peter and Felicia sparred, Charles had received the news. That Thor wasn¡¯t the Asgardian they thought he was, and that something was definitely wrong.


    ¡°Peter thinks the Asgardians are up to something, he didn''t elaborate but I have to trust his judgement on this,¡± Charles explained to Erik and Selene.


    The mansion in New York was still unsafe, and the Augments had retreated to Genosha once more. With the technology taken from Avalon, the island was once more safe from not just human intervention, but thanks to Forge and Erik''s powers, had its own protective practical shield over it was well, blocking it from any spying eyes in the sky.


    Selene stirred a cup of coffee, ¡°so, then what do we do?¡± and Erik clenched a fist,


    ¡°This time I am tired of running Charles. After the Sentinels and Pietro, after the loss of life, we must take a stand, humanity will sell us out to save itself if the Asgardians turn hostile.¡± Erik explained,


    ¡°Erik, I know you are angry they used Sentinels, but we cannot incite violence on the basis of a hunch. We have no proof, only supposition. If Peter can find out, then we can act. Until then we prepare, we stockpile food, plan escape routes and we expect the worst.¡±


    Erik snorted, ¡°the worst is one of those cruisers comes here and eradicates us, Charles. Whatever metal they are using is resistant to my powers. I can maybe take one, but if they send more, then we are defenceless.¡±


    Selene sipped her coffee, ¡°always the pessimist Erik. We are not. I have been in contact with Shuri, and while hesitant Peter assured her that we can be trusted. I believe Forge has made several trips to Wakanda and brought back some defence systems with him.¡±


    Erik shook his head, ¡°and will they cope against those ships? Against cannons the size of trains?¡±


    Selene shrugged ¡°I do not know, because I am not a soldier. I lived through so many wars they sicken me, as they should have you. But Shuri has spoken to Carol, who is a soldier and she says yes.¡±


    Erik snorted, ¡°and we are now to trust Peter blindly?¡±


    It was Charles who shook his head, ¡°Erik, you trust him with your daughter, and I for one know he is not our enemy. I know you are angry at what they did to Raven, but we need to remain calm.¡±


    Erik''s gloves squeaked as he clenched his fist, ¡°Raven has nothing to do with this. They brought those machines back Charles, to hunt us, not for any other reason. To hunt us. They haven''t changed, and although we look younger, neither have we. We tired your way. We tried diplomacy and peaceful coexistence and it cost us two homes, and how many lives?¡±


    Charles let out a breath through his nose, ¡°And then what? I am aware of the cost Erik, we both paid it that day, and I am aware that it is another choice taken from us. We have no say in what the government did with Avalon, and they took it.¡± Charles said angrily, ¡°but causing a war only costs more lives. Fighting a battle against a foe we know nothing about will get us killed. And then? Then what? Let our feelings cause more suffering, let our anger take the place of rational discourse that can end this before it even begins. No, Erik. Avalon was a great loss, and one they will pay for, but not in blood, and not in pain.¡±


    Erik stood, ¡°We shall see Charles, we shall see. And god help you if you are wrong.¡± With that Erik strode from the breakfast table.


    Selene sighed, ¡°well, that went well, did you notice he has one of Starks halos, and it is programmed to stop us from using our powers?¡±


    Charles slumped in his seat, ¡°it hadn''t escaped my notice no. He doesn''t trust us Selene, and I fear that the Sentinel attacks have dredged up some rather painful memories he was unwilling to deal with. I agree with your plan. Fortify and defend, but we must make sure that is all we do. Building an army of Augments or placing super weapons on the coastline will be taken as an act of aggression, and we both lived through the last missile crisis.¡±


    Selene sighed, ¡°I will contact Shuri again, and see if there are defensive systems we can install without making it too noticeable. We dont even know if they can see through the shield or not. I will not start a war because I am scared.¡±


    Charles could only stare at his own coffee as Selene left to contact Shuri. Once more humanity and the government had taken steps without looking at the bigger picture. Charles could feel the tension in the air, the whole world was holding its collective breath and every day the tension of a billion minds living in a state of unease and near panic threatened to overwhelm him.


    Taking slow breaths, and centring himself he tried to relax once more, but it was becoming harder and harder. He just hoped that when the tipping point came, that he was able to cope.


    As Selene sat at her office desk, feeling the same pressure Charles was, she had a simpler solution. She slipped one of the newer power dampers on her wrist. Created using the cells of a young boy, who they had unkindly labelled Leech, it killed all her powers, including her more aggressively dangerous ones. It had made a relationship with Logan much easier, and the couple no longer had to rely on Rage or Logan''s own regenerative powers for him to survive their lovemaking.


    She turned on her computer and clicked the video conferencing icon. Surprised when Okoye appeared, rather than Shuri.


    ¡°I am sorry Selene. Queen Shuri is dealing with a delegation from Xandar. I will let her know you called though.¡±


    Selene nodded, ¡°Thank you,¡± and cut the call. She hoped Peter was wrong, she hoped that there were no daggers hidden in the dark. Not after the past ten years, and not against an enemy they might have no hope of defeating.


    As Okoye was taking the call Queen Shuri was waiting at a prebuilt marquee. They had refused to allow either the Xandarians or the Asgardians access to the city, as it was plainly obvious what they wanted.


    She had been warned that Thor was on the Earth, and as he approached, letting his long blonde hair and deep red cloak flutter in the wind, Shuri did see the attraction a lot of people had towards the man.


    Thor approached and bowed slightly, ¡°Queen Shuri, I am honoured to finally meet you, and bring the greetings of not only Asgard but the Nova Empire as well.¡±


    Shuri stood and returned his small, if not slightly insulting bow, ¡°Prince Thor, I return to you the greetings of Wakanda, may its glory last forever.¡± and as she motioned to a side table, with refreshments they both moved over, A Dora Milaje pulled out a chair, and both Thor and Shuri sat.


    ¡°But, I am also confused as to why you felt the need for this meeting. I have made Wakandas position clear, and it will not change,¡± she said, spooning honey into a cup of tea.


    Thor smiled, and frowned, ¡°no alcohol?¡±


    Shuri snapped her fingers, ¡°bring Thor some beer.¡± and a servant bowed and moved away, ¡°we do not usually drink at a formal occasion, the sun can be most unforgiving.¡±


    Thor nodded, ¡°Asgardians are tougher.¡±


    The silence was uncomfortable as they waited for a cold glass full of pale yellow liquid to be brought for Thor, ¡°From Peter, he has told us your constitution is hardier than most,¡±


    This smiled, lifted his glass and drained it, a servant removing it and replacing it with another full one.


    ¡°Now, to business. Why are your ships harassing our borders, and why are you here?¡± Shuri asked Thor as she sipped at her tea.


    Thor sighed as he stared at his mug, ¡°We both know your technology is not from Earth, and if it is Xandarian or Asgardian then we have a claim for its return.¡±


    Shuri raised an eyebrow, ¡°and if it is not?¡±


    Thor half-heartedly shrugged, ¡°then whatever species it belonged to has claim on it. Intergalactic salvage laws are strange and complicated, but if another race has visited Earth before then they might use it against you.¡±


    Shuri smiled, ¡°Such as the Kree? Or the Skrulls? We are aware of the past visits to our planet Prince Thor. We do keep in contact with Carol Danvers, and we do keep ourselves as up to date as possible.¡±


    Thor frowned and shook his head, ¡°While Carol is not wanted for the incident on Asgard, she is still a criminal, and the Xandarians are holding back because we asked them to. This will move from being a friendly request for access to your systems to a more impolite approach.¡±


    Shuri sat her teacup back down, ¡°and that Prince Thor would be a terrible mistake. We are prepared to defend ourselves. The United States does not speak for the world, regardless of what it may think, and you do not pose as much of a threat as you think you do.¡± she stated pointedly.


    Thor took a breath, and the displeasure was written over his face. ¡°To anger the might of Asgard is a mistake your people may be unable to bear. We come here at your invitation, and bring with us medicine and technologies on the understanding that the people of Earth are united in one common goal, to join and explore the galaxy peacefully.¡±


    Shuri smiled, ¡°then you were lied to, and my people shall not suffer for the lies of another. You might want to make sure that you are not being manipulated, Prince Thor. It would be a terrible shame if you were dragged into Earth''s petty squabbles.¡±


    Thor stood, ¡°We could go around in circles forever Queen Shuri, but I do not have the time or the patience to deal with this. You have five days. As the Augments gave up their Avalon. Know that if you stand against us, you stand alone.¡±


    Shuri laughed, ¡°No, Wakanda knows of our history, Wakanda knows of what we went through to ensure our freedom. And we know that whatever threats you make Prince Thor, the reason you make them is that you know to anger us is to invite your death.¡±


    Shuri sat her cup down and stood. ¡°We are not alone, we have allies more powerful than any of your men, we are not truly alone. You, on the other hand, are a brash and brazen idiot. You come into someone else''s home and threaten them. You will remove your ships within five days. I believe Charles gave you the same time limit. If you do not.¡± Shuri snapped her fingers.


    A cannon rose from the ground. It was thin but sleek and only a few meters long. As it whined and thrummed a beam of bright energy pierced the shield and strobed into the atmosphere.


    ¡°Do you like it? Cybertronian. And that is one of our small cannons.¡± Shuri stood, ¡°Even alone, the panther hunts.¡± and she turned her back on Thor, gritting his teeth in anger, crushing the goblet he had been given.


    Malisson


    On a bittersweet note, but with a small sigh of relief,


    The finale will be published as 3 chapters on Saturday the 9th of July, one at 9 am, one at 3 pm and the last at 9 pm


    The epilogue will be published as 3 chapters on Sunday the 10th of July, on the same schedule.

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three-Hundred Thirty-Seven. On The Cards

    ¡°You know, since you became director, I seem to be losing a lot more games of poker than before,¡± Fury said as he threw his cards on the table. Coulson had pulled a full house from the deck, and Fury''s two pairs got him nothing,


    ¡°Don¡¯t have to lose against the boss anymore,¡± Coulson said, with a girn, as he moved the pile of chips towards himself.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Fury said, as he shook his head, ¡°so, what are we going to do about Cap and Flash? I know they''re not welcome on the Avengers anymore.¡±


    Coulson shrugged, ¡°now Caps recovered I really don¡¯t care what you do with him. Parker took care of that mess, but you''re right. The New Avengers is a Shield team now, and needs to listen to its director.¡±


    ¡°You know I¡¯ll take him, hell I¡¯ll take them both. I just want to know you won''t be kicking my door in to arrest them, or me.¡± Fury said as he shuffled the deck once more.


    ¡°Nope, Caps old news. We''ve got the New Avengers, The Gamma Troopers and with Starks manufacturing, even a fleet of new Machines Of War, three fully sanctioned teams.¡±


    ¡°Charles turn you down huh?¡± Fury asked as he dealt the cards,


    ¡°Charles, in a very impolite way, told me to go to hell. If we want an Augment team we can find and recruit them ourselves.¡± Coulson said, lifting his hand.


    Maria sat down at the table, putting down a plate of nachos, ¡°well, what did you expect? I mean, you did sic giant robots on them.¡± she said before lifting a chip and dipping it in salsa and eating it, ¡°Scott was going to join in but once he heard you were here, he declined.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t, that was Malik, and he got a life sentence for it.¡±


    Maria snorted, ¡°at a minimum-security prison. They dont even lock the doors there. You could walk out and nobody would bat an eye.¡±


    Coulson sighed, lifted the edge of his cards and shrugged, ¡°he was a senator and well connected. Even though we got the files it was under duress. It was the best we could do.¡±


    Fury laughed, ¡°give me three, and no, the best you could do was wait until he was alone and let him have a convenient accident. We spent too long cleaning house to let even one of those Hydra bastards live.¡±


    Maria handed him three, Coulson lifted two fingers, and she dealt him two and as she looked at her own cards, she put the deck down.


    ¡°We tried that. He¡¯s under guard twenty-four-seven, and so far nobody that isn¡¯t approved goes anywhere near him. As I said, he¡¯s got connections.¡± Coulson admitted.


    ¡°So, maybe drop me a list of visitors he¡¯s had, maybe I can do something about that, as long as you turn a blind eye.¡±


    Coulson smiled, he already had a list in his pocket and would have left it once the poker night was over.


    ¡°So, we heard about the Asgardians and our new friends. The Xandarians.¡± Fury tossed a pile of chips into the centre, ¡°want to spill, or do we go in blind.¡±


    Coulson matched the bet, looked at his cards and threw in a stack more, ¡°not up to us. The US government and its allies are in a closed session. But, the word is they agreed. Nobody likes Wakanda being the big dog, so they found a bigger one.¡±


    As they checked their new cards, Blonsky opened the door, slid four large pizza boxes down and flipped them all open, sliding four pieces on a plate for himself as well as grabbing a beer from a cooler Fury had brought.


    Blonsky pulled out the last chair, popping the top of his beer, ¡°thanks for waiting,¡± and as he lifted his cards he groaned, ¡°yeah, out, not even gonna bother.¡± and he tossed his cards into the discard pile.


    ¡°So, Ross not got you locked up?¡± Maria asked as she took a swig, but Blonsky shrugged,


    ¡°Nah, got out before the shit hit the fan. Didn''t even bother to go back. Bloody stupid mess it was,¡± he admitted.


    Maria nodded, the gamma troopers had been raked over the coals after not only did they only capture two of the associates of Parker but then failed to contain them and lost Sterns in the process.


    ¡°So, any chance of-¡± Blonsky began but Fury cut him off,


    ¡°No,¡±


    ¡°Oh come¡±


    ¡°No¡±


    ¡°Not eve-¡±


    ¡°No, You were on the wrong side Emil, and while A-Bomb is handy, we¡¯ve got a big enough team.¡± Fury reached into his coat, and pulled out a dossier, ¡°Yelena Romanovich, now called,¡±


    ¡°Widow¡¯s sister?¡± Maria said as she snatched the dossier and began to flick through it, ¡°another host?¡± and Fury nodded, ¡°You know that might be problematic. They are pretty territorial, and if she.¡± and Fury raised an eyebrow


    ¡°I expect my agents to act professionally. On and off the job. What you and Yelena get up to with or without Scott is none of my concern, unless you get me shot, and then I will be very angry with you.¡± He warned her as she waved a hand at him, engrossed in the file.


    Blonsky leant back, looking at his bottle, ¡°I''ve got a question, do you still go to the toilet, or does your little squiddy thing just, I dunno, eat it?¡± and Maria ignored him, ¡°Oh, or what about you know, when you an Scott get the bed squeaking, cause those jets ain¡¯t as soundproof as you think.¡±


    That got her attention, ¡°it¡¯s not?¡± and as Emil looked over at Coulson and Fury he realised nobody had told her,


    ¡°Uh, so I heard. But uh, you know, do you stuff it in a jar? To get some privacy?¡± he asked, hiding a small smile behind his bottle as he took a drink.


    ¡°You know, Liv might be the only one who knows the depowering formula well enough to make it, but I can get her here.¡± Maria said with a deadpan face, ¡°Dont push it.¡±


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ hell Luv, keep your knickers on. Just joshing you. We all know Parker keeps his little squiddies under wraps. Even Flash keeps mum about it. Just curious. I mean, you''ve got someone living in your head. I¡¯d be too scared to take a piss in case it laughed.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I understood some of that,¡± she smirked as she took a swig, ¡°they dont care, plus, they dont even have that part.¡±


    Blonsky shrugged, ¡°still weird though. Does Scott-¡± and Maria glared at him,


    ¡°So, how did you get away from federal custody and into one of our safe houses,¡± she asked, knowing full well Blonsky was a wanted man.


    ¡°I figured savin¡¯ your arses was worth something, so Fury is giving me a lift. Taiwan.¡±


    Maria shrugged, ¡°yeah, you can make that trip on your own. Wrath isn''t a taxi firm.¡±


    Fury snorted, ¡°it''s a one way trip for him, and I would appreciate my second in command allowing me some downtime during the flight.¡±


    Maria frowned and shook her head, ¡°You want to give him a ride, do it on your own time. I¡¯ll get Yelena up to speed on our current operations.¡± and she gave Fury a look, ¡°and make sure she won''t compromise us.¡±


    ¡°I never said she was going to. I don¡¯t care. Just like I don¡¯t care about anything Parker gets up to. As long as he remains professional, and stops stealing my jet to go on cross country trips to visit giant robots.¡±


    Maria shrugged, ¡°should have thought of that before you said yes, plus Taiwan? What the hell is in Taiwan.¡±


    ¡°Illegal Enhanced boxing, plus, fifty grand for fifty cc¡¯s of blood,¡± Blonsky admitted,


    Coulson''s face palmed. ¡°You didn¡¯t sell your blood on the black market did you?¡± and Blonsky shrugged,


    ¡°The Asians dont have a formula, so yeah. Damn right I¡¯m gonna make some money. Who cares if some dumb bastard gets messed up. I¡¯ve read Banners file. I know what Sterns got up to, and I know what a huge cock-up it all was. So what?¡±


    ¡°Because we dont need Chinese or Japanese Hulks running around. It''s bad enough with their own Augmented without you making more of a mess.¡± Coulson added, ¡°We already had several strike teams trying to steal research data on the Synthezoids as well as Warmachine.¡±


    ¡°Then pay me not to. Dont piss down my neck and tell me it''s raining. You know I''m persona non grata in the US now. I gotta eat somehow.¡± Blonsky said, as he folded a slice of pizza and bit the end off, ¡°I did notice the presidential pardon you all got didn¡¯t extend to the military. I was facing permanent cryosleep.¡±


    Coulson shrugged, ¡°Only because you did smash up Harlem. You were on probation.¡±


    Fury laughed, ¡°Oh yeah, double-secret probation. Faking an injury to get out of fighting was smart, but a bit dumb as well. You¡¯re a goddam Hulk, nobody was going to believe that.¡±


    Blonsky chewed his pizza, ¡°I saw Ross after he pissed off Octavious. Think I''m gonna fight anything that can make me explode. Plus, it¡¯s just blood right?¡±


    Fury shrugged and nodded, ¡°they would get it eventually, plus your formula isn''t pure?¡±


    Blonsky laughed, ¡°Got it in one. Even Bruce took one look at me and wondered why I wasn''t dead. I got the original Erskine, Banner and Banners blood in ¡®ere. Liv just shook her head and laughed. Said I was a miracle of modern medicine.¡±


    ¡°She said you were lucky the only thing Abomination had was a few physical mutations. She said you were lucky you didn''t have four arms and bright red skin.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shit, that would be cool. Four arms. Now that would win me some good money in the pits.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, or in a Chinese dissection table. You can be an asshole Emil, but be careful out there. A lot of people are scared after the Sentinel mess, and scared people do stupid things.¡±


    ¡°Yeah we all know about that,¡± he said, giving Coulson a sideways glance.


    Coulson shrugged, ¡°I cleaned it up.¡±


    Fury laughed, ¡°you got Parker to clean it up, and forgot to mention Ross double-dosing himself.¡±


    ¡°I was not aware of that fact. Contrary to popular belief Ross doesn''t answer to me, at least not now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we heard. Gamma Squad is under his control. Rhodey is in charge of the Machines of War, a crack team of suit pilots. Sam Wilson is leading the New Avengers, and Shield is stuck babysitting Asgardians.¡±


    Coulson shrugged, ¡°babysitting gets us a lot of intel. We have top people working the Asgardian edge, and getting good results.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. I know you¡¯ve been contacted by Parker, and that you ignored him, and I know that Charles isn¡¯t happy about being chased from the moon. Sounds like all Shield is doing right now is letting them have their way.¡± Fury said staring at Coulson, ¡°am I wrong?¡±


    Coulson sighed, ¡°The President was quite adamant that we do nothing to interfere with the integration of Asgardian and Xandarian technology. Wakanda wasn¡¯t playing ball, so they got another one.¡±


    ¡°You know Parker isn¡¯t going to like that.¡± Fury said, leaning back and taking a drink, ¡°and neither will Wakanda.¡±


    Coulson snorted, ¡°Oh I know, but while Director of Shield has pull, it''s not ¡®override the President of the United States¡¯ level. So, we have a few contingency plans in place, but nothing I can share.¡±


    Fury smiled, ¡°I get that,¡± and as he lifted his drink, ¡°Let me see. After Sharon, Mocking Bird right? She¡¯s the only one ballsy enough to take over Maria or Sharon''s position.¡± Fury said and laughed as Phil smiled but shrugged,


    ¡°She does good work.¡±


    Fury laughed, ¡°yeah, six-foot-tall, multiple diplomas in several fields, physically fit, a master of several hand to hand combat techniques as well as special ops training putting her in the top one per cent of all Shield Agents. Not to mention supermodel beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Your point?¡± Coulson asked as he took a look at his cards ¡°Call.¡±


    ¡°Unless your plan is to get her keeping Parker busy in bed, then I suggest you keep her away from him. He has a nasty habit of seducing and corrupting my agents. Oh, and aces high. You lose Director.¡±

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three-Hundred Thirty-Eight. Russian Roulette

    Doom sat in his throne room, eyeing his newest guests. He had little patience for the posturing of lesser beings but this time, he made room in his busy schedule to at least entertain the idea, even if it was only to gather intelligence.


    ¡°Once more, Why should Doom allow these invaders into his homeland. Latveria is ruled by Doom and no other, and so it shall always be.¡±


    Omega Red shifted slightly, he had been contacted by the Asgardians, all of the major countries of the world had been, and had at first rejected working alongside them. Until they offered him not just the technology to fix the Red Room formula, but the technology to fix his own powers as well. Unlike the peace-loving Americans, the Asgardians wanted to supply Russia with technology to bring them up to the same superpowered standard as the rest of the world, and he had heard from his operatives in China and the rest of the eastern nations, that their offers were similar.


    Thor stepped forwards, ¡°and so it shall. The Asgardian empire does not seek to impose our will on individual countries, only to unite the planet under a single banner, one of mutual cooperation and exchange.¡±


    ¡°Doom hears your flowery words, Thor of Asgard, but Doom is well aware that gifts such as yours come with a price. Once the Earth is considered Asgardian, what assurances do we have you will not simply subjugate the population, and take our riches for yourself?¡±


    Omega looked over at the frowning Thor, ¡°We are not here to rule, simple-¡± but Doom held up his hand


    ¡°You have said that, but so far, all I see is another who would usurp Dooms control. None may rule Latveria but Doom, and all you are is a petty invader, holding gifts in one hand and a blade in the other.¡±


    Thor crossed his arms, ¡°Asgard is protecting the Earth. There are enemies you are unaware of, enemies who would not be as kind.¡±


    Doom laughed, the metallic voice echoing through the throne room,


    ¡°And they would face an army mightier than any on Earth. Doom does not play games Thor of Asgard. Doom does as Doom pleases, and Doom protects his subjects. From any invader.¡±


    Doom pressed a button on the arm of his throne, and the curtains of Doom''s banner split, revealing a large screen.


    ¡°Marvel at Dooms might, and know your petty offers of aid mean nothing to Doom.¡±


    On the screen, thousands of Doom Bots stood in rows, with thousands more hanging from the ceiling of the storage warehouse. Two kinds, one similar to a sentinel, humanoid but sleek in black armour with green pauldrons and another, more square in shape and bright green. Large armoured tentacles hung under its square body, and two large repulsor engines were fitted to each side. A ground, and an ariel unit.


    ¡°Know that Doom can, and will defend his sovereign rights. Laterveria, and the adamantium you pretend not to covet, are Dooms.¡±


    Thor shook his head, ¡°Disappointing,¡± and turned and strode from the throne room, leaving Omega Red standing facing Doom,


    ¡°You make a mistake Comrade Doom. The Asgardians are not going to take no for an answer.¡±


    Doom snorted, ¡°Once upon a time I respected the Red Room for its resilience and its highly trained assassins. But, seeing what it has fallen to, Doom pities you.¡± Doom pressed a button on his control panel and the view changed to one in space. They could see the lights of Avalon going out as the people left, all with the single Asgardian cruiser hanging overhead ominously. ¡°You know that your kind will not stand for the destruction of their home, and you should personally know that Parker and his allies will not stand by and watch as Asgard attacks Wakanda.¡±


    He flicked another button and the screen split into smaller video feeds.  Of protests in New York and other cities around the world, of Wakanda as a shimmering shield sparking into life and a large column of tribes headed into a protective dome. ¡°You have chosen poorly mutant, and now, your new master waits for his boots to be cleaned. Save your tongue for that, and not assaulting Doom''s ears.¡±


    Omega Red clenched his fist, ¡°and you Doom, should know better than to be a lapdog for America. This will not end peacefully, and you cannot stand against the combined forces of the Asgardians and the Xandarians. I think that armour must have suffocated your brain.¡±


    Doom snorted, ¡°That is now how armour works you cretin. Save your pathetic insults for those idiots you call lackeys. Now, leave us. Doom no longer wishes to see your offensive presence.¡± with a wave of his hand dismissed Omega Red.


    As Omega Red was led from the throne room, Doom accessed the security feeds and watched the pair leave. He had additional security at each section of his castle, and snooping devices placed all over.


    ¡°He does not like you Prince Thor,¡± Omega Red said as they walked,


    ¡°And I do not care. Only compliance. Nobody has to like me, nobody even has to care if I am on Earth or not. Only that Asgard now rules the planet, and that the Xandarians are our allies in preventing harm from coming to the peoples of Earth.¡±


    Omega Red snorted. ¡°They do not see it that way. They see you as invaders, taking their freedoms. Soviet Russia was the same until we liberated ourselves. Now, we enjoy the same freedoms are the west, without the same childish bureaucracy.¡±


    ¡°And I have little care for how your world is run either. Only that all listen.¡± Thor replied, ¡°but hush now. The walls here are not as innocent as they appear.¡± and Thor pointedly looked directly at the security camera Doom was observing. ¡°Know this though. All will comply, or even tiny machines won''t be enough to stop Asgard.¡±


    Doom huffed as he cut off the feed, knowing he would gain no further information. He cared little they had discovered his hidden security camera, he only cared that he had gotten the information he had wanted during their meeting.


    Doom tapped a finger over the control panel on his armrest. As a screen slid up he watched the video playback of the pair. Switching between different sensors,


    He remembered a different reality where the giant grey-skinned Loki had attacked Earth and several where Thor had arrived to host a ridiculous party, but in them, no Doom had ever managed to gather enough intelligence to compare them to these scans.


    The Augment Omega Red gave off the same energy that all Augments did. Doom knew the gene responsible for their powers was embedded in every cell, even their blood and gave off a unique energy signature, all similar to the one stone he had grasped and then lost.


    It was the scans of Thor that confused him the most though. He knew Asgardians were not even remotely human, regardless of their appearance but Thor seemed to be no stronger than a normal man. There was no energy, no indication of stronger muscles, heavier bones or even magic energies coming from Thor.


    If someone told Doom that Thor was anything more than a man in a costume he would have made sure they were shown the inside of Doom''s dungeon for their insolence.


    Which made Doom even more suspicious. Any invading force would use disinformation to spread their propaganda, but appearing weak in front of a superior force was either a mistake or stupid. If the Asgardians looked down on Doom, it was a mistake they would soon regret.


    Doom pushed several buttons and compressing the file, sent it to one of his allies.


    Doom sat on his throne, closing his eyes and searching his perfect memory for what outcomes may come to fruition.


    Doom had seen the futures that awaited if the Earth was not ready. As the original Reality Stone bled energy wildly out of conscious control it showed him what the Earth could be, and what future disasters could be unleashed. It was only when he gained control of the energy, killing some scientist and taking her machine to harness the stone properly that Doom began to understand.


    The Earth was doomed without him. In all possibilities, the Earth only prospered when Doom ruled supreme. Only Doom could save the Earth, and woe betides any insects that stood in his way. Gods or not.


    He was brought from his musings as his ally contacted him. He knew the Mandarin could not be trusted, and for now, it was an alliance of convenience.


    ¡°Your opinion, Sorcerer,¡± he asked, as Mandarin Wong appeared on the screen.


    ¡°Our spies in Kamar Taj have indicated the Sorcerer Supreme is waiting. He wishes to see what the rest of Earth is doing before he makes his move.¡±


    Doom shook his head, ¡°A prudent but foolish mistake. If Strange has the three stones, then the Asgardians will lay his sanctum to waste and take them. He is blinded by Doom''s attempts to unite the Eath, would one of your agents be more successful in approaching him?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Wong knew about the dimensional alteration and Dooms part in it. He had already discovered and taken the original Wong''s family and life. That was the past though, and he knew that even if the situation was explained that by using the forbidden ring he would be executed, or worse, exiled to one of the dark dimensions. ¡°I may be able to persuade Strange to use one or more stones in the defence of Earth.¡±


    Doom nodded, ¡°good. Then we have an accord.¡±


    ¡°I will send word to your enclave when I have completed my mission,¡± and with that Wong cut the feed.


    Wong sat back on his throne, and after taking a breath opened a sling ring portal to New York.


    Stephen was sat at a table outside a coffee shop, one of the chain franchises that sold reasonably priced but acceptable coffee. He watched as Wong approached and sat down.


    ¡°I will not get used to this Mr Strange.¡± and Stephen shrugged,


    ¡°You can call me Stephen you know. I don¡¯t mind.¡± he said as he sipped his latte, ¡°So, news?¡±


    Wong sighed, ¡°There is no returning for me Stephen, I have my own path now, and while mistakes have been made, I cannot deviate from it.¡± Wong said sadly.


    He had reached out and was adamant to see what changed the Americans had made, only to discover they had not changed the world, they had changed it back.


    Wong was once a proud servant of the New York Sanctum, a direct pupil of the last Sorcerer Supreme who had lived for centuries.  He was an upstanding, and loyal man, with great power, and if Stephen had not arrived, been the next American Sorcerer Supreme in his place.


    But none of that mattered now. Without using the Infinity Stone there was no changing what was done.


    ¡°You can. You only need to allow Kamar Taj too,¡± but Wong raised a hand and slid down his sleeve.


    There was a tattoo, in thick black ink.


    Stephen looked shocked at it, ¡°You broke the Tenth Ring?¡± and sadly Wong nodded. ¡°Then there is nothing either of us can do. The last Sorcerer Supreme tapped into its power, and we are still cleaning up that mess.¡±


    As well as Doom, Stephen had been chasing Baron Mordo across America as he murdered his way through anyone that had received teaching from the last Sorcerer Supreme, claiming that there were too many dark sorcerers. Stephen himself had already been targetted, but without Wong, was now relying on Wanda, and hopefully Gwen as well to take up some of the slack.


    ¡°I will stay in Asia. The Ten Rings have operatives in many countries but in respect to our past, and the mistakes that both of us must now bear, I will not threaten your work in America.¡± He looked at his paper coffee cup, filled with dark bitter coffee. ¡°Unless you come after me.¡±


    ¡°I will send out an announcement, but if I find any of your people in Kamar Taj, or in any of my sanctums I will deal with them.¡± Wong nodded. ¡°I wish it could be different,¡± he added.


    ¡°Reality is not the plaything of us mortals. And now we suffer under the thumb of fate. If you still have the Reality Stone, lock it away, erase all who know of it, and never allow such tragedies to happen again.¡± Wong said as he drained his cup, ¡°I do not like this. A great many changes were made to reality, but terrible coffee must be a multiversal constant.¡±


    Malisson


    As a small reminder. Magic in this universe is organised into Rings, one for each branch (one for each Stone plus Life, Death and Oblivion), with the tenth being Subversion, or dark magic. Subverting a part of Reality (making soulless creatures, or using mind control, destroying space using black holes, that kind of thing) is bad m''kay

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three-Hundred Thirty-Nine. Selfish

    Wanda had created a portal to Wakanda so that the conversation could be held in person. This was important enough they wanted everyone to be here, and so, a group of ten was gathered, and Peter sat at the head of the table as everyone made themselves comfortable.


    ¡°So,¡± Peter asked, ¡°what are we going to do?¡±


    It was a loaded question. They really only had two choices. Go against the Asgardians, take Doom up on his offer and fight, or side with the rest of the world and accept that Earth was now part of a much larger Empire.


    Shuri leant forwards, ¡°Wakanda must not fall. If the Asgardians learn of our vibranium, they will take it. We already have scans of their ships, and we know they use it for most of their construction. I say no. We fight.¡±


    Liv sighed, ¡°but is that selfish of us? This isn''t just one country, what of the rest, are we going to start a war over what could be nothing. We have no proof, just feelings and some alien blood.¡±


    ¡°What did you find?¡± Peter asked but Liv shrugged,


    ¡°It''s alien, but with nothing to compare it to we have no idea if it''s Asgardian or not. Even the sample Carol supplied is markedly different. She is a normal human plus a strange DNA fragment, which we now know is Kree, and this is two separate strands of what I would consider DNA by the slimmest definition.¡±


    ¡°Two?¡± Gwen asked


    ¡°Yes, a primary stable sample, which I suspect is stable for reproduction, and a second more malleable set, which I have no idea what it is for, but it does display several strange properties, none of which I can identify without an actual Asgardian. For all I know it could be how they pass on certain traits or produce the massive amount of energy they use to become tougher and stronger than a human.¡± Liv explained,


    ¡°What about the formula we smelt though?¡± Peter asked


    Liv shrugged again, ¡°Again, there is evidence of a chemical within the sample, but without an Asgardian to ask or compare I have no idea. Thor might simply have not been in fighting mode or our senses weren¡¯t developed enough last time we met. It''s all conjecture Peter, and once again, nothing concrete to prove anything.¡±


    Peter rubbed his face, ¡°so back to our main problem. Do we trust them?¡±


    ¡°When it comes to my people and Wakanda I cannot take that risk, Peter. They have already made threats if we do not comply. That is not the resolve of a peaceful defender, but a hostile invader. Especially one after a large vibranium deposit.¡±


    ¡°Can we hide the vibranium?¡± Peter asked, but Shuri shook her head


    ¡°Even with Jean''s new mining and processing techniques, the deposit is several kilometres in length and width. Even if we could, where would we put it? It''s the size of a city.¡± Shuri explained. Normally information about the location and the amount of vibranium was highly classified, even to nonruling members of the Golden Tribe, but now was not the time for secrets.


    ¡°So, this is a needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one situation, right?¡± Felicia snorted,


    ¡°We trust you Pete, but yeah I guess.¡±


    ¡°Is it selfish to say yes? I mean, I know Wakanda will lose its vibranuim, and they might even want the Kree tech, but is that so bad?¡± Carol asked, ¡°not for you, I mean, sure but we dont know what they¡¯ll do. The Asgardians were always fair, hard but fair.¡±


    ¡°And if it was your home, would you?¡± Shuri asked, and Carol shook her head,


    ¡°I just don''t see the alternative being that great, and if Thor is right and the Kree come back, I can''t fight them again, not like this,¡± Carol explained,


    ¡°Again?¡± Liv asked her


    ¡°In the ¡®90s they came to Earth for the Space Stone, they were chasing a race called the Skrulls to exterminate them. I had just escaped their mind control and was kinda angry.¡± Carol shrugged, ¡°so I blew up a few of their star cruisers, and uh, they ran away.¡±


    Peter sighed ¡°that changes a few things. While Asgard and the Xandarians are friendly we have to think that there are other races that aren''t. So, fight one galactic empire to have another turn up and try to take over, or ally ourselves with one to stop the other?¡± Peter looked over at Carol. ¡°What is the galactic situation like?¡±


    Carol leaned back in her chair, ¡°I can¡¯t say for certain. The three big empires are the Xandarians, the Asgardians, and the Kree, but there are more. A huge alien asshole called Thanos attacks planets and wipes out half their population. A group of scavenger pirates called the Ravagers will attack unprotected worlds and steal whatever isn¡¯t nailed down, and then. Then we have the Sovereign and their quest for racial purity.¡±


    ¡°So basically,¡± Peter said as he took a drink, ¡°the galaxy is full of assholes, and the nicest of them all are offering us protection.¡±


    ¡°But they are still assholes right?¡± Gwen asked and Carol nodded,


    ¡°Oh yeah. Odin goes on a campaign every hundred or so years to remind people why Asgard is top dog, so yeah. Still assholes.¡±


    MJ rubbed her forehead, ¡°this is too much for a big city gal. I¡¯m going to vote with you Pete. I trust you, and you''ve never steered us wrong before.¡±


    Gwen laughed, ¡°fine, fine. Not too much, but this¡± and she motioned around ¡°I want to keep this, is that selfish? Probably, but we¡¯re allowed. How many times have we saved the city, how many people are alive because of you?¡±


    Peter scratched his head, ¡°Fine, Jean, what are the genoshans doing?¡± and Jean looked up from her cup,


    ¡°War. Erik is mad after the Sentinels and Charles is unhappy about losing Avalon. So, yeah, they¡¯re expecting war.¡±


    Shuri looked over at her, ¡°we may have a problem there too. The Augments, they are fake.¡±


    Jean scrunched up her face, ¡°fake?¡±


    Shuri frowned, ¡°sorry. Fake is the wrong word. With the historical data we received from Optimus, we were able to decipher more of the records we found in the Golden City. And Augments are not real. The gene was manufactured.¡±


    Peter rubbed his head, ¡°You know that can never be released right? The Kree might be assholes but there are plenty of people on Earth who¡¯ll use the same excuse to strip away more rights.¡± he leaned forwards and tapped his fingers on the table, ¡°Are you sure? I mean, Even with the Mind Stone Kree wasn¡¯t the easiest thing to read.¡±


    Shuri nodded, ¡°we discovered medical data. The Kree created the gene sequence. It is not a joke to say aliens made us. Not just Augments but every human as well. Our origins are not natural.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Jean said throwing up her hands, ¡°so now we risk the ones who did this coming back and claiming we¡¯re what? Slaves? Fakes, that they made us so they own us?¡±


    ¡°Okay, Jean, calm down, and Shuri, are you sure?¡± Liv asked, and Jean huffed while Shuri nodded,


    ¡°Their notes are very detailed, as are the reports to something they called the Supreme Intelligence. But we also have the final entries. My people rose up and rebelled, and they abandoned the planet. They can claim what they like, but we are not their creations, not anymore. We have evolved, and while the X-Gene still remains, there is now more to Homo Sapiens than their creations.¡±


    ¡°Probably why Apocalypse was so messed up, using original tech to alter himself further changed him into whatever the Kree were hoping to actually make.¡± Peter pondered.


    ¡°But, right now, it doesn''t matter. The issue is still the same. Asgard or not?¡± Liv said, ¡°and sorry Shuri, but I am siding with Asgard. We had Harry do unspeakable things to a few of us, and that was one person with one single Kyntar with hostile intentions, A whole species. Carol, you took out several cruisers, so what are our chances right now, without the Asgardian''s help?¡±


    Carol took a breath and sighed, ¡°not good. On the ground, we have Hulks and Enhanced. In space, we lose that advantage. We¡¯d lose. Even with the tech we have. Attacking a planet from orbit is much easier than defending one.¡±


    Shuri looked over at her, ¡°how long?¡±


    Carol took in a long breath and stared thoughtfully into space for a moment. ¡°We could hold out for a week, maybe. Some species use planet crackers, or high burn explosives to choke the air. If all you want is the tech, there are plenty of ways to kill the planet to get it.¡±


    As she looked at the now worried faces of everyone around her, she quickly corrected herself. ¡°I doubt the Asgardians or Xandarians would go that far though, but they also have a lot more ground troops than us, and if you think those Pulse weapons are bad, pretty much every species has its own version already.¡±


    Shuri slumped backwards, ¡°Well. Fuck¡±


    Peter snorted, ¡°My, such language from a queen,¡±


    Shuri laughed, ¡°I have said much much worse in the bedroom Peter, and now you complain I am unladylike, such hypocrisy from my heart, I am wounded.¡±


    The group laughed, but it hid the worry they were all feeling.


    Peter stood, ¡°It''s selfish, but I vote Asgard. Thor might be acting weird but it''s been years since we saw him, but, it''s not my home, it''s not my people. Shuri, I¡¯ll side with you. No matter what.¡±


    ¡°So once more, it is my duty. My people or my planet?¡±


    Peter nodded. ¡°It has to be, we all lose so much, but no one more than you.¡±


    Shuri sighed, ¡°Then. So that there is no misunderstanding, and that you all know what I will tell the council. If we accept the deal with the Asgardians it will be done on the assurance that all rights to the vibranium within our borders remain with Wakanda. That they may buy it from us, on reasonable terms, and that they may introduce us to other species that may also wish to purchase vibranium. In exchange, we become part of the Nova Empire and are afforded all rights within that. And if they say no, that we forcefully repel them from the Earth with all the might we can muster.¡±


    Peter looked around the table, and he and the rest nodded, ¡°I think that is more than fair. Wakanda was slowly opening its borders, and the Asgardians simply got there first.¡±


    Shuri nodded, ¡°Then I need time then. I have five days. Peter, can you make contact with Coulson and Fury. I want to know everyone''s stance. If Wakanda stands, does it stand alone or do I have allies? If we are alone, then I will not blame anyone for their choice, even if we do all suffer for it.¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°Does everyone agree?¡± and the group nodded, ¡°Good, let''s have some food. Shuri, I know you need to head back to Wakanda, but please, stay, at least for a meal.¡±


    Shuri laughed, ¡°Peter, I am staying, to remind myself why I chose this life. You may make food, but I am going to enjoy myself in the bathhouse until it is ready, with my wives, in full view of my husband to be.¡± and she looked over at Wanda, ¡°as long as you agree. The portal devices Charles installed have ceased to function, I believe he refuses to share now?¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°yeah, he¡¯s a bit mad about Avalon.¡±


    Wanda nodded, ¡°But I will make sure the Peter suitably compensates me. I am still not a taxi service.¡±


    Shuri laughed. ¡°I will make sure of it my wife to be. I shall have him prepare a feast for us all, and make sure we are all pampered for the long task ahead.¡±


    Shuri stands and Jhalia shifts and changes into a form-fitting bathing suit, ¡°Just dont burn my food,¡± she said with a wink, ¡°I intend to be very very distracting.¡±

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three-Hundred Forty. Bought And Sold

    Coulson had expected the phone call since the Asgardians had made their announcement concerning the Xandarians, and as predicted Peter Parker was now on his way to what could prove to either be a nice peaceful meeting, where the final piece of the jigsaw fell neatly into place, or the belligerent group would tip the table over and an argument would start.


    Coulson stood and straightened his tie, ¡°So?¡± and he motioned to the chair in front of his desk, ¡°do I bother to get us coffee, or is this an ultimatum?¡±


    Peter shook his head, grinning, ¡°Sure, coffee.¡± and as he sat, Phil pressed the intercom,


    ¡°Two, both back, lots of sugar.¡± As they waited ¡°So, what is AIM intending on doing. We heard about your little spar with Thor. Did you find anything useful, or was it just to prove a point.¡±


    Peter leaned back in his chair, ¡°We proved our point, and Thor isn''t what I expected.¡±


    Phil nodded as the secretary brought in two mugs, filled with Shield''s usual terrible coffee,


    ¡°He was not happy from what I heard. You could have caused a diplomatic incident,¡± Phil said, spooning several sugars into his cup, ¡°So why did you?¡±


    Peter followed suit, ¡°blood sample. To make sure he was who he said he was. Something off, and we dont know what. Are we sharing or are you going to leave me in the dark and hope I just mess up again?¡±


    Phil snorted, ¡°the Asgardians are very forthcoming. We know the Nova Corp is a galactic peacekeeping agency, and right now they¡¯re allied with the Asgardians as the Kree Empire signed a treaty and then completely ignored it, launching an attack on the Xandarian homeworld.¡±


    ¡°So, they want to stop a war out in the greater galaxy?¡±


    Phil nodded ¡°yes, but the wars been raging. When Carol returned, she messed things up. Osborn got free, and in the confusion, they figured Carol was the next best thing. We smoothed things over, let them know that Earth has two Klyntar strains, and Carols wasn''t one of the ones that liked eating people.¡±


    Peter frowned ¡°I dont think that was your story to tell Phil.¡±


    Coulson shrugged, ¡°It is, and we didn''t care. How do you think we¡¯ve been paying for their protection. Schematics on Iron Man, the Banner and Erskine formulas. The only thing they didn''t get was Symbiotes and the Stacy solutions. Only because we figured you wouldn''t be too forgiving if we did.¡±


    Peter took a mouthful of coffee, ¡°and the Augments?¡±


    Coulson shrugged, ¡°Surprisingly enough, there are a lot of species with similar powers, the Asgardians don¡¯t care. Thor can conjure lightning, why would they?¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°So, what''s with the posturing and the threats?¡±


    Coulson frowned, ¡°it''s the usual. Wakanda can actually stand up to them, and so could Avalon. You¡¯re the same. It''s a not so subtle reminder that even if you have powers, they have an empire, and a much bigger gun than you, nothing more.¡±


    ¡°You know I can''t tell Shuri that, Wakanda isn''t going to bend over and let the Asgardians walk over them.¡±


    ¡°Doom said the same, but Latveria isn''t the issue, and you''re right. So, what can we do to make Wakanda stand down Pete? Nobody wants a world war where aliens rain death down from orbit, and nobody wants to be the one who presses the first button.¡±


    Peter slid forwards, resting his arms between his legs, and pressing his hands to his face, ¡°So then, we both know what this is about, and what guarantees do I have that Asgard won''t just strip mine the country.¡±


    ¡°You dont, but Asgard can only promise they won''t, but what we can guarantee is that Wakanda will still control the mining, the processing and the delivery. Just that the amounts might be higher, and the payment might not be in Earth currency. Vibranuim is used all over the galaxy Pete, not just Asgard but everyone. Once any of the big fish get wind there is a deposit on Earth, they¡¯re coming, Asgard or not.¡±


    Peter sighed and lifted his head to stare at Coulson, ¡°So that the big threat? Give it to us or we let everyone else know and you can fight them?¡±


    Coulson laughed and shook his head, ¡°I guess that sounded like that, but no. I can have the Asgardians draw up official contracts. Wakanda doesn''t need to do a thing, just look them over and make sure they like what they see. Peter, I know this might look bad, but Earth was getting known. We knew about aliens in the ¡®90s and it was only a matter of time before one of them showed up and knocked. We were just lucky it was one of the good guys, and not something much worse.¡±


    Peter leaned back, sighing, ¡°So, this is happening if we want it to or not?¡±


    Cousin nodded, ¡°Shield is a liaison right now, we¡¯re dealing with all off worlders, including the Asgardians. President figured as we¡¯d cleaned house ours was the most reliable, and the most paranoid.¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°I need everything in writing, and signed by whoever the Asgardians have in charge. Not you, not Thor. The president and their ruler.¡±


    Cousin nodded and pulled out a gold inlaid folder. ¡°Already done. We were hoping that you would see sense, and not drag the world into a war it couldn''t win.¡±


    Peter snorted as he took the folder, and the writing inside was split into two halves, one in ancient Nordic runes Peter assumed was Asgardian, and the other English, ¡°Great, so uh, can I?¡± and Peter lifted a small device from his pocket, ¡°Shuri is listening in, and will want to discuss this in person.¡±


    Coulson frowned, ¡°I thought Xavier shut those down?¡±


    Peter smiled, ¡°he did, for you.¡± and Phil sighed but nodded.


    The ACD was a fake and was to cover Wanda using her magic to open a portal right into Coulson''s office, where resplendent in ceremonial robes, Shuri walked in.


    ¡°I would say a traditional greeting Director Coulson, but until I read that contract I am not here officially.¡±


    Phil shrugged, ¡°I can at least offer you a cup of coffee? It might not be up to the Royal standard but it''s decent enough,¡± and as Shuri looked over at Peter he mouthed ¡®no¡¯ and shook his head, much to her amusement.


    Peter stood and offered Shuri his seat, and while she read, she nodded her head, ¡°as long as the Asgardians agree, then this is acceptable. We shall sign a non-aggression pact with the Asgardians and the Xandarians.¡± She looked up at Peter, ¡°the vibranium is to remain Wakanda property, without outside interference.¡±


    Shuri stood, and Peter took her hand before kissing it, ¡°I shall take this to the Council of Elders, but I see no reason we cannot agree to these terms.¡±


    As the portal flared into life, Shuri walked through the portal and it closed behind her.


    Coulson smiled, ¡°it¡¯s been a pleasure Peter,¡± but as he stuck out his hand for him to shake Peter smiled and shook his head,


    ¡°Yeah, that was Wakanda. So what happens with AIM and companies like Stark Solutions? I''m pretty sure you¡¯re going to screw us all over, and that the new ARCA will be some Xandarian bullshit.¡±


    Coulson laughed, ¡°Paranoid much? You¡¯re spending too much time with Fury.¡± but he still reached into his desk again, and this folder was a plain manilla one. ¡°Nothings changing. You might find that Earth''s military is equipped by Nova and that maybe, and I mean maybe, some of that tech might find its way to you to examine. We know we¡¯re outgunned, Pete, but not outbrained.¡±


    ¡°Outbrained?¡± and Coulson shrugged, ¡°this goes to Pepper. I''m still not allowed to make important decisions by myself,¡± and even as he flicked through it it was all lawyer talk. Even moving into the 21st-century lawyers still loved their old English, and half of this was gibberish to him. Pepper would love it though.


    Peter slid both folders together and this time shook Coulson''s hand, ¡°Hopefully this won''t go south, like the last two times.¡± and Coulson chuckled


    As Peter made his way outside, Wanda was already waiting for him, and the pair ducked into a back alley and stepped through a sling portal back to the warehouse, well aware that they had not just tails but active surveillance equipment following them.


    Peter laid down the folders on the breakfast table, ¡°one for you,¡± and he slid the golden folder towards Shuri, and the other towards Pepper, who was sitting drinking coffee with Liv. ¡±And yeah, they gave us the new laws. I need it done at the same time. If Shuri says no, we need to be ready, and uh,¡± Peter sat and made himself a coffee, ¡°I''m not going to force anyone. If you read that and quit, it''s fine. Pepper, no gutting anyone legally who wants out.¡±


    Pepper raised an eyebrow, ¡°the severance alone could bankrupt you, especially if it''s me. But fine. We have four days. I¡¯ll get the team on this immediately, and let you know as soon as we¡¯re finished.¡± Pepper stood and sadly nodded, ¡°but I hope it doesn''t come to that. It''s been good Peter, yeah, it''s been good.¡±


    Shuri and Peter watched as Pepper left, ¡°So, do you think they will honour this?¡± and she waved at the folder,


    ¡°Honestly, we can do a lot of damage if they dont. I think that''s the issue. We¡¯d lose, a few cruisers against Wakanda and we¡¯ll lose but in doing so we can make one hell of a mess. We¡¯re maybe not omega power levels like Jean or Scott, but the Symbiotes aren''t a pushover either.¡±


    ¡°If you wish for peace, plan for war?¡± Shuri said,


    Peter shrugged, ¡°seems like it. But do we go all in or keep something back. I mean, if the Kree do turn up and want the city back if we¡¯ve hidden anything from the Asgardians, will they use it against us?¡±


    Shuri sighed, ¡°I must consult the council Peter. This is too much for just me to decide. It is still the fate of my people, no matter how fancy they make the package. It may still be poison inside.¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°I understand, well. See you in four days?¡±


    Shuri laughed, ¡°oh no, I will need much love and care after spending all day with those ageing buffoons. You are to pamper me, with massages and anything else that comes to hand.¡±


    Peter laughed and kissed the side of Shuri¡¯s cheek, ¡°I hear and obey, my queen.¡± and he heard a cough from behind him, ¡°I hear and obey, all my queens¡±


    Damn right Felicia said as she shimmered into sight and Huntress slipped back, ¡°So. you owe me some of that as well¡± and Felicia slid four vials from her waistband, each one with blood. ¡°Seems off duty Asgardians like to do two things, drink and fuck, and with the rocket fuel Gwen makes, getting a few drunk enough to get these was easy enough.¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°As long as it didn¡¯t lead to the second one,¡± but Felicia rolled her eyes and handed the vials to Liv.


    Liv looked at the four sample bottles, and then tilted her head, ¡°I will get these done right away, but you will owe me special treatment as I am missing out.¡±


    While she complained, Wanda circled her hands and Liv stepped through the portal and into her lab, Peter stood, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before it closed, and sitting back down he looked at the group before him.


    There was plenty of food, as a host could devour the contents of a shopping mall and still be hungry, there was plenty of alcohol, and there was plenty of cream, which Gwen never stopped producing, even after selling its licence to Stark.


    Seeing the expectant, and smiling faces around him, he could feel the slight apprehension from everyone at the coming conflicts. Even if war was off the table, for now, there was always a risk of someone doing something stupid and starting it up again. There always was.


    He stood, and his symbskin slithered and changed into an apron, with bright red, ¡®Kiss the cook¡¯ on the front. Peter stood in front of the group.


    ¡°The only question then is. Do you want to be pampered separately, or together?¡±

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three-Hundred Forty-One. Secret Invasion

    Even with the time spent making sure every paragraph of the missives was carefully scrutinised with the finest of toothcombs, double and triple checked to make sure there were no hidden clauses or dangers, the four days passed slowly.


    Peter had even met with Charles, to discuss Avalon and hoping to be a bridge between the Asgardians and the Augments, but Charles was of the opinion they had burned that bridge when they had demanded rather than asking for the Augments to move.


    There was to be one final sweep of the city. One final check to make sure that nothing was left behind that the Nova Corp could use, and one final sweep to make sure every system was disabled before they compressively exploded the domes, a final screw you to the Asgardians and the Nova Corps.


    Even Kitty would be on hand, with Peter in tow to make sure the five arcstar reactors were disconnected and dismantled before taking them back to Earth. Their new purpose was to shield Genosha from outsiders, as the Augments had finally had enough.


    Peter stepped through the portal Breach had created and the atmosphere in Avalon was immediately telling. No sounds other than the artificial gravity plating Forge had created using the ACD and the air purification system could be heard. The room was empty, and all the furniture had been removed, along with any decorations. The place was a ghost town, and even though it had been home to many for only a short time, Peter knew that it was still a painful loss.


    ¡°Right, thank you, Peter. Liv said you needed a distraction, and while I believe you may have briefly met, this is Kitty¡±


    A short woman held out her hand, and for a moment he thought it was Laura. Long brown hair, tied in a ponytail covered her black uniform, tight leather, with armoured plated over each thigh and covering her chest,


    ¡°Right, do you still work for Elektra?¡± but she shook her head,


    ¡°Selene took me in. but uh I still do work for the X-men,¡± Kitty said, rubbing one arm as she smiled at Peter,


    Charles coughed, ¡°yes, we all know he¡¯s very handsome, but can we please disarm the nuclear reactors deep within the moon''s core before the Nova Corps gets here, you can flirt later.¡± and while Kitty went bright red, Peter just shook his head.


    ¡°I see being de-aged didn''t improve your sense of decent Charles, that was mean. And Kitty is dating Emma now right?¡±


    Kitty nodded. Once Emma had split things off from the group she had split off completely. Like Pepper, it was strictly working now, but with Kitty bouncing between agencies Emma had taken a shine to the young woman and they were in a semi-committed relationship now.


    Charles paused, ¡°I apologise. This¡± and he took in a snort of air, ¡°incident, has many tempers frayed. Mine included.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Kitty said, ¡°I have my suit, but uh Peter?¡±


    Kitty touched a panel on her belt and a suit unwrapped itself and surrounded her, ¡°I can phase and breath using the suit forge made me. As long as we only take an hour per device then I''m good.¡±


    ¡°Great, I should be fine as well. My armour is airtight after Jean showed us how Helios adapted to space, so uh, how do we do this?¡±


    Kitty grinned, ¡°easy, I grab you, take you to the cavern, you disarm the reactor and then I bring us back up.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what cavern?¡±


    Charles smiled, ¡°well, we can''t just phase solid matter and leave it. So we made a tunnel, had Kitty phase down a small device and let it explode, creating a housing for,¡± but Peter waved a hand,


    ¡°You drilled a mine shaft, right, it''s fine, while geology isn''t my strong point I get what you did, so uh, phase with me?¡±


    Kitt nodded, ¡°Sure, I''ve dont it before, organic matter just gets stuck, displacing the matter around it, it¡¯s only fissionable material or anything with an energy source that won''t phase unless it¡¯s properly-¡± and Peter raised his hand again, rubbing the other one on his forehead, ¡°sorry, just nobody ever wants to talk about how their powers actually work, so.¡±


    Peter sighed and took out his phone, ¡°call this number,¡± and as he sent the contact details to Kitty, she frowned,


    ¡°Liv? The nerdy-looking woman with the glasses?¡± She said as she stared at the number.


    Peter laughed. ¡°That nerdy looking woman is probably the most intelligent person on the planet and would love to find out exactly how your powers work. If Emma agrees she might even give you a full physical.¡±


    Peter had no illusions that people saw Liv as a stereotypical nerd, and he didn''t care, in her lab coat, with her hair, all scrunched back, she was amazingly hot, and nobody except him knew what they were missing out on.


    Kity tried to ignore the comment, blushed and instead focused on the task. ¡°Uh, right. So, yeah, the reactors are about a kilometre down. So if something went wrong there was no fallout. So it¡¯ll take a while, you can breathe right?¡±


    Peter nodded, and let his armour coat him, ¡°I''m good.¡±


    Kitty shrugged, looking down at her own black armour, ¡°still a Black Cat, Peter. Black goes with everything.¡± and as she held out her hand they phased down to the bottom of the shaft.


    Can you hear me? I''m not telepathic but touching like this you should be able to read my mind right?


    I can, so, uh, feeling better?


    It had been over two years since Shaw but some injuries took longer than others.


    Charles set me up with a therapist, and to be honest, being away from Bobby helped. Do you do that? I mean, do you worry and pick over your uh, others?


    Peter laughed, yeah, if I did they would kick my ass. Gwen likes to be pampered when she¡¯s ill, not that being Enhanced makes that a regular thing, but the rest, nope. If they want to be left in peace, I do.


    Must be nice. I felt Bobby and the professor were constantly making sure I was okay, that Gambit hadn''t crippled me. At least Negasonic understands and treats me like an adult.


    They slowly sank into a dark room, and Kitty cracked a glowstick while Peter adjusted his vision and the room lit up. He only needed to see the electromagnetic spectrum and the reactor burst into lines of light from the power core.


    I can disable this here. The fissionable material can be bled away safely. He told her. Liv had redesigned the Arcstar reactors and they used deionized water, it wasn''t difficult to make and wouldn''t harm the moon, so he powered down the reactor, and waited until it was cool enough to open and empty.


    The professor means well, and it''s probably not easy to see his students get hurt on missions, especially when he didn''t agree with that mission in the first place.


    It still wasn''t fair though, I mean Scott got the crap kicked outta him and he got a girlfriend and a new team. I was benched and mothered.


    Peter had no reply to that. The internet was filled with images of female superheroes in compromising positions, and a few that didn''t wear masks had indecent pictures spread all over a few news sites. People expected heroes to be strong macho men, and as far as Peter was concerned, it was all bullshit.


    At the height of her powers, Carol could probably have smeared Hulk across the solar system, and gamma-powered or not, being thrown into the sun would probably have killed him just as easily as anyone else.


    Yeah, I get it, maybe not as much, but yeah.


    Kitty was quiet after that, sitting and wrapping her arms around her legs as she watched Peter work.


    Right one down, four to go, back up, recharge your suit and then the next?


    Kitty nodded and held out her hand,


    The draining and disabling of the reactors wasn¡¯t a difficult task, and neither was getting to them with Kitty''s powers. It was just slow and laborious, but as Peter and Kitty were travelling through solid rock, on the moon, he felt that caution was the better part of valour and that slow and steady was much better than dead and explosively decompressed.


    It was at the fourth reactor that an issue arose.


    Uh Charles, do you have anyone else on Avalon? Peter asked as he stared at the reactor. Its core was brighter than the rest and its surface was covered in a patchwork mess of cables.


    No, why? The only people here are the four of us.


    If you dont hear from us in five minutes, get back to the surface and get Jean.


    Peter, that isn''t very reassuring, if there is anything-


    But Peter interrupted him, Charles, there is nothing and I mean that literally, nothing you can do unless you also have the ability to phase through rock.


    Fine, five minutes it is.


    Taking Kitty¡¯s hand, he explained what he was seeing.


    Those cables are invisible to every one of my senses except my technopathic ones, and they lead into another chamber. Can you tell if the wall is shielded? I can see it, but I can''t sense anything past it.


    Kitty stretched out her other hand and felt around at several patches


    There is something there. Energy fields disrupt my powers, and whatever it is tingles but doesn''t unphase me. You aren''t thinking of just diving through, are you?


    Peter shrugged, unless you have a better idea?


    I do, we can go around. I can sense the density of the wall until we find a better entrance. I''m not hoping we can make it safely through that wall, and if there is something there then someone had to get it there, there should be an entrance,


    See, not just a pretty face, Bobby should listen to you more.


    In the dark Peter failed to see Kitty blush, and shake her head,


    Right, we go forwards slowly, I¡¯ll lead, until we find the entrance, no pushing past me, you could phase into something and get stuck,


    Yeah, Peter thought to himself, or like Vision try to phase through something molecularly dense and get killed as it takes my head off. But he kept that thought to himself, and made a point to test Kitty¡¯s powers with vibranium, as a warning. He would hate to see anyone get hurt through his own stupidity.


    They skirted the low-level energy field that Kitty could feel and Peter could see. It looked like strings of lights inside a giant hanger of some kind, and when they reached the entrance, it turned out to be exactly that.


    The main door wasn''t hidden, it was just placed under an overhand and the natural rock formation covered it in complete darkness. As whoever was here didn''t expect anyone to come walking across the moon''s surface, and it was away from any telescopes, they never thought they needed more of a disguise,


    I want to take a look inside, how''s your oxygen?


    Half an hour, Kitty replied, and she looked down at her wrist, and we¡¯re at least twenty minutes from Avalon. Whatever your doing, do it quick.


    Peter shook his head, I can move across the surface, head back, I won''t need you for this part


    Kitty huffed, No, I won''t leave you, we dont know what''s in there.


    Peter was about to argue but he felt the resolution coming from her, even if she was about to run out, she didn''t care. She was sick of being treated like a second rate hero, and while Peter didn''t really want her to die while trying to prove a point, he also knew not to argue,


    Fine, but once we¡¯re inside if they have air you drop back into phase and use their air.


    Kitty nodded, and the pair began to slowly move across the massive metal door, searching for a way in. On one side was a small hatchway, a simple pressure door and Kitty and Peter effortlessly phased through it and into the airlock, then through and into the hanger itself.


    Peter stared in shock as the area lit up to his senses. This wasn''t just a hanger of some kind, it was filled with armoured suits, racks of weapons and rows of fighter-sized spacecraft. Peter quickly counted and there was enough for at least a hundred of each,


    I dont care, get back to the professor, right now. We can¡¯t take this.


    Kitty was about to suggest further scouting when a pair of green-skinned aliens walked into the bay, holding tablets and talking in a language neither of them recognised.


    Peter''s armour shimmered and disappeared while Kitty sank into the floor,


    Yeah, not going to do anything. Two against that many will get us killed,


    Kitty huffed, there were only two.


    Two technicians, but you dont have equipment for hundreds if you dont have hundreds. The base must be further in. We need backup, and we need a plan.

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three-Hundred Forty-Two. Conspiracy Theories

    After returning to Avalon, to avoid any suspicion, Peter and Kitty recharged her oxygen and finished discharging the last reactor before Charles sent a message to Breach, and the group then headed back to the warehouse.


    ¡°Charles, you need to stay,¡± Peter motioned to the sitting area next to the breakfast table, ¡°I think it''s Cindy¡¯s day for the pool next door, you can stay and listen if you want, or head there and relax. We might be a while.¡± Peter said to Breach and Kitty, who looked at each other, grinned, and headed through the security door.


    ¡°There should be clean suits in the alcoves, if not, we¡¯ve got new ones,¡± he shouted after them, ¡°oh and plastic glasses if your drinking,¡±


    ¡°So Peter? What has you so riled? You can hide very well, but Kitty is obviously upset.¡± Charles asked him, as Peter made a separate pot for tea. Even though Ororo was an infrequent guest, he had ordered a teapot and fresh leaves for when she or Charles visited.


    ¡°It¡¯s better to do a show than tell,¡± Peter said as he held out a hand. It was always easier to share information mind to mind, and as Charles watched the memories he sank back and rubbed a hand over his forehead.


    ¡°You think they removed us from Avalon to stop us from finding their base?¡± Charles asked.


    This was not a good development, especially with some of their ACDs remaining on the surface. The plan would have to be changed, and he would ask Erik to make sure that everything from Avalon was removed, even if it meant crushing the whole structure.


    Peter nodded, as he filled the coffee pot and made a fresh batch, filling both a coffee pot and the teapot with hot water. ¡°I couldn''t feel their minds, but I''m not as strong in that department as you are. They have the equipment, but maybe the troop''s arrival would have registered to your powers.¡±


    ¡°That is plausible, but no offence Peter but my powers are sensitive enough that I should have felt the minds of the people there. Erik never made mention of feeling any new strange metal either.¡±


    Peter rolled his eyes and shrugged, ¡°and we have no idea if the Asgardians have power blocking technology, or if you can even read their minds. I''ve tried with Thor and I can''t, it''s not the same.¡±


    ¡°You think alien minds are impossible for us to read?¡±


    ¡°No, I think you need practice, like learning a foreign language.¡±


    Charles stopped, ¡°that does make sense. So, the big question is what exactly do we do about it?¡±


    Peter leaned back, and took out his phone, ¡°I have Liv analysing some blood, let¡¯s see what she says, and then maybe call Coulson.¡±


    ¡°Shield? Do you not think that might be a little,¡± and Charles frowned, ¡°stupid?¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°No, not to tell him, to find out what he knows. I''m pretty sure a powerful telepath like yourself can find out if he already knows about a giant alien base on the moon, or if the Asgardians are lying to us.¡±


    Charles grinned, ¡°and I thought you objected to me using my powers like that?¡±


    Peter laughed and ran his hands through his hair, ¡°I think global emergencies count as a pass.¡±


    ¡°But we do also know that Director Coulson is aware of my powers, and if he is on their side, I doubt very much he¡¯d agree to meet me. And if the Asgardians have power blocking technology, that he wouldn¡¯t have some?¡±


    Peter sighed, ¡°that is a very good point. And I doubt he¡¯d meet here, as he knows we¡¯re in contact.¡± Peter frowned, ¡°Maybe keep a watch out for any tails, it¡¯s not the first time I''ve had to watch my back, and if he has Augments on his side, he might be using them to mask whatever they are doing.¡±


    Charles stiffened. ¡°That is also a very good point. I can use Cerebro to check.¡± Peter straightened up, remembering a forgotten issue,


    ¡°Oh, not Cerebro but uh, I was wondering if I could buy a danger room from you?¡±


    Charles snorted, ¡°now? You ask that now?¡± and Peter shrugged,


    ¡°It would be a great excuse as to why you have Augments here at all hours. Without raising suspicion. Not in here though, I want it next door, in the rafters like my place. That uh, won''t be an issue will it?¡±


    You do realise the projection technology alone is worth millions?¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°Gwen makes that in a week.¡±


    ¡°And that it cannot be programmed for anything sexual,¡± Charles said with a pained look on his face.


    Peter felt there was a story behind that, but while he grinned, he kept that question for later. ¡°We don¡¯t need holograms for that Charles,¡± and he was also pretty sure that if someone, Liv, he thought to himself, wanted it for that, they would probably reprogram it themselves.


    The warehouse door opened and in walked Gwen with Liv, ¡°we got your message, and hey Charles.¡± Gwen said as the pair slipped into more comfortable clothes.


    ¡°So, more problems?¡± Liv asked and Peter nodded, ¡°well, that''s a pity, as now it gets even more complicated.¡±


    Liv lifted her phone and projected a slideshow to the large screen TV they had access from the kitchen area.


    ¡°We have four samples, and we have four aliens.¡± She said, and the four were side by side, with a fifth, marked Thor underneath.


    ¡°Sample one matches Thor, so we can assume that they are Asgardian, or two very closely related species. Sample two matches the altered DNA from Carol, so we already know that is Kree, and the last two are completely different again, and dont match anything we have. So, and unknown, and possible Xandarian.¡±


    Peter sighed, ¡°So, it''s not just one alien invader but four?¡±


    Liv shrugged ¡°Yes but no. If the Nova Empire has absorbed other species into their guards, then we should expect other species to be on the planet.¡±


    Peter shook his head, ¡°but those were Asgardians?¡± and texting Felica, who was still at the Parker Building, he nodded as she texted him back, ¡°yup, Felicia said they were definitely all Asgardian guards.¡± He laughed, ¡°say that fast ten times.¡±


    Liv smiled, ¡°well, yes. So, are we now going to consider that not only is Earth being lied to by the Asgardians, but they themselves are being set up? That there are four groups working towards their own goals and we¡¯re caught in the crossfire?¡±


    Peter rubbed his forehead, ¡°This is getting confusing. We have to deal with one thing at a time. Find out firstly if Coulson and the president know. We can take things from there. It won''t matter if there are different groups if they are all after the same thing.¡±


    ¡°So until then we just sit and wait?¡± Charles asked as he sipped his tea.


    ¡°We can make plans, shore up our defences, but yes. If we go looking for trouble, we might find it, and it might be something we can''t handle.¡±


    Charles raised an eyebrow, and looked over at Liv, ¡°He finally grew up?¡± and while Liv laughed, Peter frowned and shook his head.


    ¡°We need to be careful. We dont want to stockpile a lot of things and suddenly find out we are under arrest for sedition against a new government, but we also dont want to be caught with our pants down. Selene and everyone are still on Genosha right?¡±


    Charles nodded, ¡°We negotiated with President Ellis for its return. The plan is to allow it to become a free state, we will have elections just like any other state but the republican party has been warned that their usual bullshit won''t fly, and there are very few Augment that vote for them anyway.¡±


    ¡°And even with Asgard, that''s still on the books?¡±


    Charles nodded, ¡°In fact, other than Avalon they are keeping their word. I haven''t heard a single law being repealed or changed, and yes I have been keeping watch. We might not wish for this Peter but we are damn well making sure it won''t happen.¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°right, so, make plans, stay low, use Breach and sling portals to travel to gather supplies from multiple places, and wait. I¡¯ll get a hold of Coulson, and see if I can get him to spring any more information. Sound good?¡±


    Charles nodded, ¡°There is one problem though.¡± and Peter frowned, ¡°I''m not getting Breach back anytime soon am I?¡±


    Peter could only laugh as Charles smirked at him, ¡°yes yes, very funny. You try herding students, especially the older ones. A private bathhouse and spa, I dont need to be a telepath to know she won''t be home anytime soon.¡±


    Peter just grinned and shook his head, ¡°I can help it, you try getting anything nearly as nice in New York for under five thousand a month.¡±


    ¡°I am aware Peter, and I am also aware of what a bad influence you can be, especially on young women.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, not getting a lecture Charles, it''s love, not peanut butter. It doesn''t get thin and tasteless the more you spread it unless you make it that way. Some people cant make one relationship work, they dont get to comment on mine.¡±


    Charles raised an eyebrow, ¡°I was merely concerned that a young sheltered woman would be intimidated by a large group, and that issues might arise.¡± He set his cup down and rested his hand together on the table. ¡°Especially given your proclivity for bathing in large groups. I am aware Breach is an attractive young woman, and that she is free to make her own choices. I am also allowed to voice my disapproval at them.¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°that''s why they are next door. Nobody lives here without being part of it, and nobody is invited over when we¡¯re all here unless it''s for an event. You dont need to worry, we behave when we have guests.¡±


    ¡°While I might not agree with your lifestyle choices Peter, I am glad to see that you are respectful of other people''s opinions,¡± Charles said,


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d be more open. Weren¡¯t you like twenty in the sixties?¡± Peter replied with a small smug grin on his face.


    ¡°I spent the sixties being chased by a madman trying to start a nuclear war, and then by giant robots. After a  lot of good people died, I drowned myself in a bottle. I didn''t do relationships.¡± Charles said curtly. It was not a period in time he was not proud of.


    Gwen stared at the pair, ¡°Yeah, egos aside, can we get back to the alien invasions, and not the who¡¯s had the hardest life. Your stupid feud with Stark is bad enough, don¡¯t start one up with Charles.¡±


    Peter smiled at Gwen. ¡°Sorry,¡± and he smiled at Charles, ¡°Sorry, I get enough crap in the press. It''s just a sore point.¡±


    Charles waved a hand dismissively and nodded. ¡°I understand that. It''s not like I am unaware of how discrimination and rumour-mongering can be. But, we do have bigger issues than us.¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°Alien base, and now multiple aliens all hiding pretending to be either Asgardians or Xandarians. I know.¡± and Peter rubbed his forehead, ¡°But we¡¯re going around in a circle trying to figure out who¡¯s actually on our side, and who¡¯s the bad guy here. If there even is one.¡±


    Charles sighed ¡°So, we wait, we prepare, and we keep ourselves busy?¡±


    Peter looked at Gwen and Liv, who both nodded. ¡°So uh Gwen. Can I borrow a couple of million? I¡¯d like Charles to build a holographic training room for us.¡±


    Gwen looked at Peter, and then over at Charles who smiled and shrugged, ¡°Holographic? The danger room Laura keeps telling us about?¡± and Charles nodded. Gwen smiled and rubbed the bottom of her chin. ¡°Can you use it for sex?¡± and Peter snorted while Charles rubbed his forehead.

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three-Hundred Forty-Three. Under Your Skin

    Coulson flicked through the report, and he wasn''t happy, ¡°So, Peter has been seen with the leader of the Augment movement, Charles Xavier, a lot of building work has been going on, and we have reports that four guards, sorry, ex-guards were taken out by one of his associates. Is that right?¡±


    Thor nodded, ¡°but in their defence, she is very attractive and the non-fraternisation rules in place were rather strict.¡±


    Coulson sighed, ¡°and they were there for that exact reason. Did they say anything?¡±


    Thor shrugged but shook his head, ¡°apparently she got them blackout drunk, and they never left the bar they were at.¡±


    Coulson tapped a finger on his desk, ¡°something doesn''t add up. If she didn''t interrogate them, or steal any passcodes then what? I didn¡¯t think Peter was the sharing type.¡± and his phone went.


    He sighed, ¡°Coulson. Sure, send him in.¡±


    As he laid down the handset, ¡°it''s Parker. Behave, and no lip.¡±


    Thor laughed but touched his face, pulling an imaginary zip and throwing away the key.


    As Peter was shown in Coulson stood and Peter shook his hand, giving him a small smile, Thor stayed seated and just grinned.


    ¡°Peter, so, what do we owe this pleasure?¡± Coulson asked,


    Peter looked at Thor, and then at Coulson, ¡°Uh, I wanted to let you know about the Augments. I know you''ve got people watching us, not so subtly, but we¡¯re having a new facility added, nothing dangerous, and once it''s built, you can come and inspect it. It''s a training room designed to withstand Augment attacks. We have a few in the warehouse and they need a room that¡¯ll survive their training.¡±


    Thor looked over at Coulson who leaned back, ¡°And this couldn''t be an email?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to ask what Asgard''s final plan for Earth was before I speak to Shuri, and with Thor here, I guess it''s a good time.¡±


    Coulson sighed, ¡°Peter we¡¯ve been over this. Asgard has no plans for conquest, and neither do the Xandarians. We¡¯re being brought into a greater collective, and one that''s needed.¡±


    Peter smiled, ¡°The Kree right?¡±


    Thor looked at Coulson, ¡°Carol?¡± and Peter nodded, ¡°The Kree are the main issue yes. They began an aggressive expansion of their territory, and it was only the intervention of Carol last time that saved the Earth.¡° Thor explained, ¡°but they took it out on Xandar, and ultimately will head back here. The Asgardian forces throughout the galaxy are heading them off, but we can¡¯t stop them forever.¡±


    ¡°So, you bring Earth in, train a bunch of Augments or share the Super-Soldier formula, and give yourselves an edge?¡±


    ¡°There are several species in the cosmos that are infinitely more powerful than even a Hulk, Peter, but yes. We had hoped to replenish our forces, as well as our vibranium.¡±


    Peter sighed, ¡°asking or taking?¡±


    ¡°Asking, but if the answer was no, then taking,¡± Coulson answered.


    Peter nodded, pursing his lips, ¡°that''s all I wanted to know. When you speak to Shuri, ask nicely, if not, then we will take a stand against you.¡± Peter stood, ¡°This would be easier if you were open from the start¡± and Coulson''s hand went to the back of his neck


    ¡°You son of a bitch,¡± he spat, lifting the damaged Iron Halo from his neck, ¡°Xavier?¡± and Peter nodded. ¡°You know trust goes both ways.¡±


    ¡°You smuggle more alien species onto the planet, and you think we¡¯d trust you?¡± Peter asked him glibly. ¡°That Shield doesn¡¯t have a history of hiding its true face until it''s too late?¡±


    Coulson raised an eyebrow, ¡°We have a more open policy now, and since Hydra have more checks in place to make sure it doesn''t happen again.¡±


    Peter leaned forwards and angrily tapped a finger on the desk, ¡°You lie about Wakanda, about the Asgardians, and now this. You really thought I wouldn''t investigate and take what you said as the whole story. You thought that we¡¯d roll over and take it?¡± he tapped his finger on the desk again. ¡°You¡¯re damn lucky I disabled that and Charles didn''t just melt your brain to get the answers we wanted.¡±


    Coulson sighed and slumped back, rubbing his forehead. He paused and looked over at Thor, ¡°Anything else?¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°We took blood samples, and there are more than just Asgardians and Xandarians on Earth. What species are here, and what agendas do they have?¡±


    Thor shrugged, ¡°We allow many different species to work for us, and the Nova Corp allows all member species to join, assuming they pass their little test. Who we brought is of no matter. Everyone on Earth is working with the Asgardians. There is no secret agenda¡± but there was a small hint of worry on his face


    ¡°No, you¡¯re wrong, because right now people are scared. We just had a lot of bad things happen, and then you guys show up. Showing people that the big bad aliens are more ET than Predator goes a long way to getting them on your side.¡±


    Coulson sighed, ¡°And that was what Ms Hardy was after. She didn''t interrogate them, she took blood.¡±


    Peter could only shake his head, ¡°We needed to know how many aliens we were dealing with, and even hijacking four of your guys was risky enough.¡±


    ¡°On that, I am going to need that information back Peter. You¡¯ve compromised our operation, and this little stunt didn''t help either.¡± Coulson looked down at the damaged Halo, ¡°when you shook my hand?¡± and Peter shrugged as he nodded, ¡°damn, these were expensive and not as good as we thought.¡±


    ¡°Well, you should have used the originals and not Starks. While they are the same, he used an idea of mine.¡±


    Coulson laughed, ¡°Those were built by you. We stole the design.¡±


    Peter shook his head, ¡°Then you got what you deserved.¡±


    Coulson shook his head, ¡°so, are we good?¡± and Peter nodded, ¡°and the Augments?¡±


    ¡°That I can''t answer, you need to speak to Charles and deal with Erik. They are angry and afraid. In fact, you know what, Charles is nearby, why dont you actually stop using and speak to him, so he can hear your reassurances.¡±


    Coulson paused for a second. ¡°I dont think that''s a good-¡± but it was too late.


    Charles walked into the meeting room, smiling as he walked right past the security and the secretary outside, and sat down next to Peter,


    ¡°It never is, but I did warn you all at the trial, that we will not go gently into that good night Director Coulson, and you didn''t listen. Now we both have a problem. I have a colony of frightened and angry powerful Augments, and you have to make sure that Erik doesn''t take that anger out on the American People, or your little Asgardian friends.¡±


    ¡°We tested the alloy they use, and we dont think,¡± Coulson began,


    Charles interrupted him, ¡°no, you didn¡¯t,¡± he said slamming his hand down on the table. ¡°If Erik is in contact with the metal long enough his power will adapt. He learned, that magnetism is part of electromagnetism, and as such he can control any metal, magnetic or not through its electromagnetic properties. Do you think that ¡®oh your powers dont work so we¡¯re safe¡¯ is a good reason to anger us, Do you think that there isn''t a line? Because you are dangerously close to finding out just how near to that line you are.¡±


    Coulson leaned back, and sighed, ¡°so, how do we fix this? The Asgardians are right. When the Kree come, and they are already angry at Earth for the last time, we need a unified front. So, what are your terms?¡±


    ¡°Well, refunding us for Avalon would be a start, and sovereign rights to Genosha in perpetuity is a nice gesture. As well as several guarantees that any Augment laws we enforced from Avalon are kept that way. I will talk to Erik, and if, If he agrees, then he will bring a list of his own to this table.¡± Charles started, ¡°But most of all I want guarantees that this will never happen again. There is a limit to even my patience.¡±


    Coulson relaxed but still took in a sharp breathe ¡°You know most of that goes over my head right? Even President Ellis cant simply sign away a territory. The Asgardians only want peace, and we can make sure everyone gets what they want.¡±


    Thor nodded, ¡°Asgard can agree to that, and maybe offer diplomatic trips to show Earth the wider galaxy. We do have some nice planets, plenty of beaches, beautiful women.¡± Thor saw that Peter¡¯s eyes had lit up, ¡°Now I think about it, that Peter is now barred from. Save some for the rest of us, yes?¡± Thor said with a smile,


    Coulson snorted, ¡°I think we should keep him on the planet. We dont want to start an intergalactic war if Peter seduces the princess of some empire. Loki is still off-world right?¡± and Thor laughed and slapped Peter on the back,


    ¡°Loki is conducting diplomatic missions with the Skrulls. She is safe,¡± and with another slap, ¡°for now. Maybe I should start calling you brother?¡±


    Peter just shook his head, at least it was better than philanderer, ¡°Joking aside. The blood, To appease everyone, how about letting everyone know there are more than just Asgardians on Earth. And your secret moonbase as well.¡±


    Coulson looked at Thor who shrugged, ¡°That is a new colony, we were hoping to share the planet but as you said, the recent events showed us that humanity is not ready for the more inhuman looking aliens. I am accepted as I am, what was it that woman called me,¡±


    Coulson rubbed his forehead, ¡°a beefcake.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, Your press was very insistent on mentioning my physique. And now I know why. Augments, Enhanced, even your own people are ridiculed and mocked for looking less than perfect. We have allies that need to hide amongst you but would prefer not to. So yes, they hid, and we are not happy they had to.¡±


    Charles shook his head, ¡°and you could have asked. Avalon is host to a number of physically different Augments. Not everyone remains entirely human-looking when they gain their powers, and they are all welcome.¡±


    Thor snorted, ¡°the last time the Skrulls were on Earth they were attacked and killed.¡± and Coulson coughed,


    ¡°We didn''t know, and we did sort it out,¡± Coulson added,


    ¡°Yes, you did, after many Skrulls died. They could not take the risk, not after being hunted by the Kree.¡±


    Peter leaned back, rubbing his forehead, ¡°and if we power Avalon back up, and let the Skrulls meet some of the more physically different Augments, will they be happy?¡±


    Charles sighed ¡°I know they will be happy to return to their homes, but this is getting ridiculous. I can understand, but we are being used as pawns in your games, and I can only take so much.¡±


    ¡°Right, so that''s three, what about the fourth?¡± and Thor looked at Peter,


    ¡°Four? There are only three members of the alliance Peter. Asgard leads, the Xandarians are our allies, and we are searching for a proper home for the Skrulls.¡±


    ¡°We got four different samples, do you not have Kree with you as well?¡± This game of cloak and daggers had gone on long enough, and maybe it was time to lay everyone''s cards on the table.


    Thor stood, ¡°Be very careful how you explain yourself, Peter. This is no joking matter. The Kree wage war on the alliance. There are no traitors amongst their people, it is their greatest dishonour to betray their Supreme Intelligence.¡±


    Peter raised both his hands, ¡°we took blood from four guys, and one partially matched Carol, who is part Kree. It was the only match we got.¡±


    ¡°Those bastards. You must show me, right now.¡± Thor roared, ¡°if there are Kree infiltrators then the Earth is in danger.¡±

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three-Hundred Forty-Four. S-Kree-M

    Peter watched Thor almost tear the door off its hinges trying to leave,


    ¡°So, want to tell me what''s going on?¡± he asked as Coulson rubbed a hand over his face,


    ¡°What Thor said was partly true. There is a galactic war going on, with the Asgardians facing off against a Kree armada. The Xandarians were already attacked, and they asked if we could provide aid and provide them with a staging ground,¡± and Phil sniffed and frowned, ¡°and maybe offered us some tech in exchange for Iron Man and Hulks.¡±


    Peter had been briefed by Carol, and he knew about the initial attack. The Kree had claimed it was a separatist group and was nothing to do with them, so now what changed?


    Peter shook his head, ¡°And? What, You think the Kree will come back here after dealing with the Asgardians,¡° and he paused, ¡°are they losing?¡± but Phil shook his head,


    ¡°No, but everyone else is. The Kree use planet crackers, and bioweapons. We got off lightly last time, this time the Asgardians think they¡¯ll vaporise first, and ask questions later.¡±


    Peter sighed and let out a long slow breath, ¡°Didn¡¯t think it was going to be that bad? And the vibranuim?¡±


    Coulson shrugged, ¡°Most weapons big enough to kill everything living thing on the planet will leave vibranium alone. We really have no idea just how powerful this stuff is, or what it can be made into.¡±


    Peter sniffed, and rested his hand on his head, ¡°So, let me make sure I''ve got this right. The Asgardians and the Kree are currently waging war, and the Xandarians and what''s left of the Nova Corp are here, with the Skrulls to make sure the Kree don¡¯t come along and vaporise us. In exchange for this protection, they get first dibs on the vibranuim, and probably anything else they take a liking to? That sound about right?¡±


    Coulson clasped his hands together, ¡°I wouldn''t have put it quite like that, but sure. Why¡¯d you think everyone is going crazy over them being here. Give up some tech and get a lot more in return. Only the greedy ones are holding out. I think Kim-Jong wanted his own planet.¡±


    Peter pursed his lips,  ¡°But then, why the lax security? I mean, we found one Kree with a blood test, why haven''t the Asgardians?¡±


    ¡°Because these men are supposed to be the best troops that Xandar has. If there are Kree here, it means either the Xandarians are complicit, or the Kree are much better at hiding. When your elite force is supposed to be incorruptible, you don¡¯t check to see if it actually is.¡±


    Well, that¡¯s just stupid., The ones that claim to be incorruptible are the ones you check first, Peter thought to himself, but I¡¯m not in charge, so what do I care.


    Peter shrugged, ¡°right, well, that''s a you problem. Last time it was a me problem I got raked over the coals trying to save the city.¡±


    Coulson sighed, ¡°and if we give you immunity, as a special agent of Shield, provide you with a small office, and a task force to use the normally annoying Parker intellect to find out just how screwed we are?¡±


    Peter frowned and huffed, ¡±I want it in writing. And signed by you and Thor. I''m tired of sticking my neck out for you guys to try and chop it off. My team sits this one out, and I mean that.¡±


    Phil reached into his desk, and after unfolding a contract, handed it to Peter.


    ¡°You had this pre-signed?¡± and as he flicked through the pages, ¡°And this specifies me and AIM? What the hell?¡±


    It was Coulson''s turn to sigh, ¡°We were trying the olive branch approach. We might not have a great working relationship, but you did help us with Hydra, and we did save your ass from several lawsuits. We know Wrath is one of your pet projects, and we know that AIM isn¡¯t to be underestimated. You made yourself a player Peter, just as big as Stark, and just as annoying. We dealt with him. You just have better lawyers.¡±


    Peter shrugged, ¡°I dont care, this is another one of your bullshit plans, isn''t it? So, what''s it this time, fake invasion, fake charges and more fake rewards? Maybe hold me in a nice cell so Shuri either snaps and kicks your ass or bends and gives in?¡±


    Coulson shook his head, ¡°You¡¯re spending too much time with Fury. This is what it says it is. A neat package, where we all come out as heroes. You get an actual government licence, a free pass on international travel, all courtesy of the Asgardians.¡±


    Petre flicked through the contract, ¡°it''s too good Coulson, where¡¯s the catch?¡±


    ¡°Catch? A very public group, that''s not the Avengers is the catch, You screw up and you face them, not us. You¡¯re still bound by the ARCA, of whatever Charles comes up with next. So you do this and you get your team, your big shiny sign, or whatever you want. Stark got a licence to manufacture the civilian versions of Iron Man, this gets you whatever you want, mainly us off your back.¡± Phil laughed, ¡°Oh, and because everyone else said kiss our collective asses.¡±


    ¡°Doom?¡±


    Coulson laughed, ¡°You even have to ask? Latveria will always be the sovereign territory of Doom and Doom alone. We only got the messenger back as we sent Thor.¡±


    ¡°I need to talk to my team, Phil. I won''t drag them into anything.¡±


    Phil looked up at him, ¡°and I wouldn''t expect you to. Warn Romanov and her sister though. Omega Red was awfully compliant, and we stuck a pin in the deal with him. We already know the Red Room doesn''t roll over for anyone, and he practically handed us the keys to the Kremlin.¡±


    Peter rubbed a hand over his face, ¡°You think they already know?¡± but Coulson could only shrug.


    Phil looked at his watch, ¡°Even if they do, and it¡¯s a trap it won¡¯t matter. The invasion of Earth is on a timer, Peter. We needed to be prepared and this time we were.¡±


    Dammit, Peter thought to himself and extended his powers out to find the others. They knew meeting with Coulson, and with Charles would be a bad idea. If things went wrong, Peter was trapped in the middle of Shields Headquarters, and even if they didn¡¯t, having back-up on hand was never a bad idea. So everyone was sitting in a rental car parked across the street, waiting for Peter to contact them.


    Listen, we have a problem, the Kree have infiltrated the Asgardians, and we¡¯ve been asked to help,


    Peter, we trust you, and you have a team, as long as you are safe, we will follow you.


    Great, Pepper. Sorry but I need you to verify a contract, get here, in fact, Wanda, grab Pepper and get her here, sorry but this is an emergency.


    A yellow sparkle swirled into a portal and Pepper peered through and Phil frowned, ¡°what the hell Parker?¡±


    Stepping throughout Pepper looked at Phil and then at Peter, and stuck out a hand to take the contract from him, ¡°I think that''s my line Phil, Be back as soon as I''ve read this¡± and stepping back through, the portal vanished.


    ¡°So, we knew that Asgardians had matter transmission technology, but since when did you?¡± Phil asked,


    ¡°Charles doesn''t trust you enough to give you some technology Phil. You should be so lucky that he lets me use it.¡± and as he gave Coulson a look, ¡°and no, dont ask, and don¡¯t think about it. It¡¯s keyed to certain genetic markers, and won''t work for anyone else.¡±


    Coulson scowled but shrugged, ¡°I¡¯ll just tell Stark and he¡¯ll make one from some bubblegum wrappers and a toothpick.¡±


    Peter laughed, as knowing Stark he probably could.


    Uh. Can we do it by phone this time, I forgot Coulson doesn''t know about magic or portals.


    He could feel Wanda laughing, and I will ensure it stays that way. Stephen would be upset if magic was exposed.


    Peter mentally shrugged, but think of the awesome birthday parties he could host,


    Wanda snorted over their link, as long as I am there when you suggest it, Peter, go right ahead, Pepper is going to call.


    That fast huh?


    As his phone rang he lifted it and put it on loudspeaker, ¡°Peter here, on speaker so Coulson can hear you.¡±


    ¡°Right, everything is legal, but there is nothing in here about Wakanda, so, just Peter and not his allies.¡±


    ¡°Sorry Miss Potts, the president couldn''t agree to extend that to Wakanda, not without spending weeks on diplomacy, with the Asgardians and the Wakandans. We need this done now, not in a month.¡±


    ¡°Then it''s signed, and you will get a digital copy in a few moments. AIM is now a licenced operator of Shield.¡±


    ¡°Great, Uh Peter. Can you find Thor and assist him? He¡¯ll probably just run around asking people if they''re Kree.¡±


    ¡°Pepper, can you put Liv on?¡± Peter held up his phone and asked.


    ¡°Yes dear, what can I do?¡± she asked him.


    ¡°Attach some of the x-gene scanners to the mark two, tune theme for Kree DNA and get anyone whose suit is fitted out to Shield HQ¡±


    ¡°You know yours is unfinished.¡±


    ¡°I have another method, this will be a fight, so combatants only.¡±


    ¡°Okay dear, I think Laura and Felicia''s suits are ready, Jean keeps melting hers.¡±


    Peter had to restrain a laugh, ¡°Nat?¡±


    ¡°Damaged, same with Carols. We haven''t had time to fabricate the plates after their little run-in with the New Avengers. Someone has been blocking our contracts. Isn¡¯t that right Mr Couslon?¡±


    ¡°The new contract takes care of that,¡±


    ¡°They still won''t be ready in time. You have three members who can work with you unless you¡¯d like everyone to know their identities?¡±


    ¡°Three is fine Liv, I doubt there are hundreds of Kree. It¡¯s a simple sweep and contain.¡±


    ¡°Okay Peter, love you and see you back at the warehouse. Everyone will meet you at Shield.


    The line went dead and the pure black Dusk armour slid over Peter. Its arms were missing but the repair work Liv had managed to do had at least restored the armour portion.


    ¡°Right, Thor?¡±


    ¡°Follow the yelling.¡±


    Dusk laughed, ¡°yeah, I¡¯ll make sure there''s a bit less of that¡±


    Sticking his head out of the door, Dusk scanned for the alien minds in the Shield building and found four downstairs.


    Fiding Thor was easy enough, he was grabbing guards from the embassy and yelling at them. ¡°Are you a Kree?¡±  he yelled before throwing them away and grabbing someone else.


    Duck shook his head and gripping him on the shoulder pulled him off a scared and huddled guard, ¡°Thor, that won''t work. You¡¯ll just make them hide.¡±


    Thor huffed, ¡°Then what? We need to find them before they sabotage something.¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°and we will. We have their DNA, and can test everyone.¡±


    What he wasn''t about the tell Thor was that the scanners could tell the various species apart and that using them would be a ruse for finding out exactly how many more species there were.


    Something was still off about this whole thing, and having a healthy dose of paranoia when it came to Coulson and his schemes was never a bad thing. Even if everyone told him he was just spending too much time with Fury or Maria.


    ¡°Look, we¡¯ll get them, okay? But your way just makes it obvious we¡¯re looking for them.¡±


    Thor huffed, ¡°In the spirit of cooperation I will trust you Peter, but be warned. If anything happens to the Earth because you could not find them in time, it will be on your head.¡± and he stormed off,


    Yeah, thanks jackass, he thought to himself, he wasn''t the one that brought stupid space nazis without doing a background check.


    Liv, I¡¯m on my way back, get everyone whose armour is at least capable of using a scanner into gear. We need to find these guys before they do something, and I don¡¯t want anyone without armour running around in just their symbskin.


    Why? Do you suspect they are up to something?


    I dont know, he said, But with everything else, I don¡¯t want to take any chances. Kree or not, they still lied to us.

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three-Hundred Forty-Five. Come Together

    Peter decided to walk home. He needed some time to clear his head, to get a read on the mood of the city, and to decide if he had made the right choice.


    Peter walked past a protest, a hundred or so people, waving placards with ¡®X doesn''t mark the spot¡¯ slogans, and he saw a few with a blue patch on their shoulders. A more militant faction, aptly named the Reavers, was out in force.


    New York was divided. Those who suffered under the brutal ARCA will still feel it, and several new groups, following the success of Humanity First, were finding a foothold amongst those who were victims of the Sentinels but had no X-Gene. Mass rumour and misinformation was being spread, that only the freaks and mutants had the special gene and the government was using it as an excuse to round up normal unpowered but dangerous citizens. JJ¡¯s arrest and imprisonment, but subsequent release, was proof of that. They wanted to silence dissidents and used the Sentinels to pass new laws that allowed them to do that.


    He shook his head, Malik might be in jail, but his didn¡¯t plan worked. The streets are full of morons protesting things that dont even affect them, but the Sentinal attacks, followed by the phoney trials, restricting Gwen''s work to the military and security forces only seemed well-timed with the push of the Asgardians to accept Earth into the Asgardian or Xandarian Star Empire.


    Anyone with powers was slowly being strangled into submission, and with Charles and the others evicted from Avalon, through a very blatant show of force, it was apparent that something else was going on. Peter just didn''t know what.


    As the warehouse came into view he sighed, That stupid sign of Tony¡¯s was still there, Liv had managed to get him to shut it off most days, and it was only on when he was visiting, but as he looked around the neighbourhood her was taken in by the changes.


    It was hard to think that he and Tony had such an effect, but once Tony Stark bought a property there, and with Peter and AIM becoming household names as well due to the CLS and Gwen, the neighbourhood exploded in a flurry of gentrification. Sure, if you checked the hookers still smoked outside the seven eleven, but there were fewer trucks, and more foot traffic. Trash cans were replaced by benches and trees, and the whole place was now suburban rather than industrial. At least Tony had a good influence somewhere.


    The door to the warehouse swung open and Liv, Gwen and Felicia, were sat at the breakfast table.


    ¡°You walked?¡± Liv asked as he slid off a jacket and hung it, the disruptor highlighted that while none of them needed to wear clothing, it was easy to get caught without them, and they had all gotten back into the habit.


    ¡°It was a nice day, and you have it?¡±


    Liv tutted, ¡°of course, I''ve had one for years. I just needed to reprogram it.¡±


    A gene scanner, capable of detecting the X-Gene was not new technology, and Liv had taken it upon herself to make several different ones. Not just the X-Gene but the Klyntar as well, and one for Enhanced and Gamma enhanced. Not just that but with Scott trialling the system in his contacts, a very small and very discreet dampener, that would fool any intrusive scan looking for Augments.


    Originally it was a way to neutralise the more villainous Enhanced, but with the ARCA, and its main tenant that any Enhanced, Augmented or powered individual must report for registration and tracking,


    Liv had sat down one day, with a pile of research notes, a scanner that picked up the energy given off by the x-gene and built something that simply shut it off, and then as the device shrank in size but grew in complexity, one that allowed a powered individual to mask the energy.


    The device, small enough Scott could wear in a pair of contacts, masked the energy given off by the x-gene, and with a few modifications, the genetic code of the Klyntar as well.


    While Scott had trialled the device, everyone now had one, small discreet and injected into the fatty covered muscle of their left ass cheek.


    If Peter and the rest wished to be hidden, they would be, but the past had proven that even if they didn''t look for trouble, it still looked for them, and she lifted the black device, a simple box, with a handle and slot in the top to accept a blood sample, he nodded,


    ¡°You added in fake lights?¡±


    Liv frowned, ¡°Please. The lights work perfectly well, and the machine sends the results to us, and we can then forward them to Phil. If you think that''s wise.¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°only the Kree ones. Whatever the others are, we keep that to ourselves.


    ¡°Still think they¡¯re hiding something?¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah, you dont build a hanger on the moon to be friendly, especially as they never said. Training facility and launchpad are two different things.¡±


    Felicia leaned back in her chair, holding a cup between her hands, ¡°Selene isn''t happy either Pete. The Hellfire Club is pulling out of New York, the Augments are going to ground on Genosha, and rightly so.¡±


    Peter slid a hand over his face ¡°so they pissed them off anyway, great. I¡¯ll warn Phil, and see what I can squeeze out of them.¡±


    ¡°Have fun, I guess you won''t need us?¡±


    Peter shook his head, ¡°this is only because of,¡° and he made finger quotes ¡°diplomatic concessions¡± As he grabbed other devices. ¡°They want Wakanda, and this smooths that over. Pepper should have contacted Shuri, and I¡¯ll be back in a few, actually, I dont know. Maybe a few hours, how much staff can they have to test?¡±


    Which proved to be entirely wrong.


    The Asgardian troops around the embassy were around one hundred, but the Xandarians had at least three times that, stationed around the globe.


    Several waystations had been set up, and that wasn''t even counting the troops they had on the cruisers that patrolled the solar system. What was going to be an easy task soon turned into a logistical nightmare, hindered by two people. Thor and the commander of the Xandarian forces, Bereet.


    Thor laughed as he pointed the device at a guard, let it beep and then shook his head as he looked at it, ¡°this is great and so simple.¡±


    Peter was watching him, and shaking his head, ¡°uh, that''s ''cause you''re using it wrong. Taking one of the spares, he asked the guard for his hand, clipped at the top of their finger and smeared the blood over the scanner, feeding it into the machine. As it beeped, the green light glowing he nodded, patted the guard on the shoulder and moved to the next.


    It was slow, not because there were roughly a hundred guards, but because Thor was treating it as a game.


    ¡°Come on, admit your a Kree, let me punch you a few times, and then we¡¯ll let you go.¡± he would joke with the pale-faced guards before Peter would test their blood.


    ¡°What, another one? Are you sure there are actually Kree spies, and this isn''t just I dunno?¡± and he shook the device, ¡°broken, or just stupid.¡± but Peter took the machine, smeared a little of his own blood, and the light turned amber.


    ¡°See, human. They just aren''t Kree,¡± he explained,


    ¡°Then this is boring.¡± Thor said as he stomped to the next guard, ¡°give me your hand¡± he said huffily and as he stared, the detector flashed green, signifying that once more, the guard was Asgardian. Thor roared in annoyance, ¡°these stupid machines.¡±


    He tossed the detector to Peter, ¡°Prince Thor hereby grants Peter Parker the authority to continue the task of seeking out Kree spies on his behalf. There. You all heard that right? Good. I¡¯m going to get a drink.¡± and Thor brushed past him and the group all turned and watched as he stormed away.


    ¡°Uh, right, one at a time, and then you can go.¡± After Thor''s little tantrum, the process was much easier.


    Once the Asgardians were dealt with, the Xandarians threw a massive roadblock in the plan.


    Sitting in Coulson''s office once more, Peter stared at the pink-skinned woman, in her blue and gold uniform,


    ¡°And I don¡¯t care, Director,¡± she said as she sipped her water, ¡°Xandarian citizens have a right to privacy. And that scanner breaks that. I cannot allow any of my forces to be scanned without written permission. And as their commanding officer. I refuse.¡±


    ¡°Even though the Kree are breathing down your necks?¡± Coulson asked.


    She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Didn¡¯t your people just have a massive war concerning this very right?¡± and Coulson could only rub a hand over his eyes. ¡°That''s what I thought. If a soldier submits themselves to a scan, then I will permit it. Otherwise, no.¡± She stood and brushed down her uniform, ¡°if that is all I will send out a missive to all regional commanders, if they wish to contact you, they will do so.¡± and she gave the Nova Crop salute, a fist placed over the heart, and then left.


    Peter shrugged, ¡°She isn¡¯t wrong, it still sucks, but we can''t really argue.¡±


    Coulson sighed, ¡°It still leaves us with a huge problem.¡± Peter couldn''t say anything to that, as she was right. Coulson flipped open a folder on his desk and smiled. ¡°But as we can¡¯t do anything about it, at least there is some good news. We have you to thank for Wakanda, but the amount is too low.¡±


    ¡°Well, a hundred tonnes a day isn''t reasonable Phil, and unless you want to damage the planet, the Asgardians know that,¡± Peter explained, once again.


    The Wakandan had sent environmental projections of what would happen if the asteroid was strip-mined, and what it would take to repair the damage. There were already calls for Wakanda to allow the Asgardians to take part in the mining, and the majority of them were of those with contracts, money always talked, but Shuri held a much larger pile of both weapons and money, and so far had said no.


    ¡°And she won''t budge?¡± he asked,


    Peter frowned, ¡°Phil you and I are going to fall out, no, and the next Xandarian ship that ¡®accidentally¡¯ violated Wakandan airspace will be shot down, the pilot detained, and the craft seized. Shuri, and yeah me too, are getting sick of this ¡®oh we didn''t mean it¡¯ crap. You already pissed off the Augments, dont piss off Wakanda as well.¡±


    Phil nodded, ¡°we tried to apologise for that, and we have moved the training facility onto another section of the moon. If the Augments want to reclaim their home, we¡¯ll let them.¡± Phil said,


    Peter snorted, ¡°let them? And that''s the problem right there. Earth has no jurisdiction over the moon, and it was at gunpoint they were made to leave. Now you graciously give them their own home back?¡±


    Phil raised a hand ¡°okay, I worded that wrong. The Xandarians, the Asgardians and the governments of Earth, well, almost all of them, agree that the Augment community should have sovereign rights over their territory, Genosha is a hard no, but Avalon was theirs.¡±


    Peter sank back in his chair, ¡°I can contact Charles, see if they even want it back. Plus, you need to pay AIM first before I lift another finger to help you.¡±


    Coulson frowned ¡°pay?¡±


    Peter laughed, ¡°I¡¯m a contractor Phil. The scanner, my time, the negotiations with Wakanda and the negotiations you want with Charles and the Augments. We billed you, and you didn¡¯t pay¡±


    ¡°Billing is done at the end of the month. I¡¯m hurt Peter, that you wouldn''t trust us.¡± Phil said with a small grin.


    ¡°Yeah, because so far Shield has been so great to me. I was an Agent Phil, I know how it works.


    Phil laughed, ¡°You didn¡¯t get your GED. All that got lost when Malik wiped the servers. Technically you didn¡¯t qualify to work for Shield.¡±

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three-Hundred Forty-Six. The Final Word

    Peter left once the job was done, happy enough now that he¡¯d been paid, happier still that he¡¯d taken a blood sample of every single Asgardian in the building, and it had provided some very surprising results. That was for another day. Now it was time to go home, rest for at least five minutes and then stop the invasion of shape-changing aliens.


    Every single sample they had taken from the Asgardians had come back as one of two types. A strange aline strand of DNA, which they now knew was Asgardian, and a set with two strands of DNA. One was obviously Asgardian, and the other was completely alien to it. It wasn¡¯t even remotely similar.


    On Earth species that evolved separately still had a similar base code of genes, all following the same four basic proteins. It was only natural as all life evolved from a single organism.


    The only explanation was a species of alien that used one strand for reproduction, and it was its basic form and another that allowed them to mimic any life they came in contact with. It would fool any scanner, as to a machine it would register the dominant DNA, it was only the ever brilliant, who had been and been kissed by not just Peter, but Gwen and Carol when she revealed her results.


    Even Peter or Charles trying to read their mind would encounter the shapeshifted structure, and so, Coulson might be one but they would register his thoughts as Human, while Thor was alien enough they wouldn''t be able to tell.


    It was insidiously brilliant, and once Liv had long enough with the gene scanner she could set it to reveal any of the infiltrators. Using a simple process, the right frequency of energy, delivered to a thin enough point, such as the chest, would force the cells to revert to their original DNA, and reveal the alien.


    ¡°Well, Maybe,¡± Liv had said, ¡°as I can¡¯t really say it¡¯ll work on a full-sized person, I only have blood to test, and not a lot at that.¡± but as Peter thought it was still brilliant, he took her and Carol into the bathhouse anyway, and the duo made sure Liv knew exactly how wonderful she was.


    ~


    With the Kree threat hopefully neutralised, Thor and Coulson sat in his office,


    ¡°Think they bought it?¡± Coulson asked and Thor could only shrug,


    ¡°I know they did. Thankfully Danvers never had a complete set of Kree DNA, and we could fool those primitive scanners they have. I am worried about Parker though,¡± Thor said as he shifted, and now a Skrull sat there. ¡°He knew I wasn''t Thor, and I think the only reason he held back was he thinks your Coulson.¡±


    Coulson shook his head and changed as well. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think it''s that easy.¡± Reaching a hand over the desk, ¡°You look much better this way.¡± and Skrullor smiled and took his hand


    ¡°Flatterer. I need to report to Veranke, things should proceed much smoother now, we¡¯ve shown the humans we can be trusted.¡±


    Skrullson waved a hand over his desk, and a holographic display popped up, ¡°We have protests across America, across Europe and a few in Australia, but, humans would protest free water in a desert, and social media just called them idiots and ignores them.¡±


    ¡°And Wakanda?¡±


    ¡°Queen Shuri has been stubborn. We still dont have access to the city, and her stranglehold over the vibranuim is annoying. But with Parker now working for us, we should have an easier time. Loki probably won''t be happy though, but with the Klyntar we can''t just replace one of his women, he would know immediately.¡±


    ¡°I heard Gwen doesn''t have a Klyntar anymore, how about her?¡± Skrullor asked but Skrullson shook his head,


    ¡°The operatives we have in AIM say that he engages in intercourse with them several times a day, and anyone we send in would have to be willing, and convincing enough to fool him.¡±


    Skrullor sighed and bit her lip, She was never going to admit it to her life-mate but several of the Skrull female agents had already approached her about that very assignment. In fact, several had already asked if they could approach him as Skrulls, given his acceptance of the robot female.


    Skrullson sighed, ¡°We just have to hope that once the truth comes out, Parker and AIM are on our side. Especially given where Phil is.¡±


    To foster Human-Xandarian relations, several high-level agents and politicians had engaged in Skrull memory transferal and were now off-world visiting several planets. Coulson was on Xandar Prime, while Talos was taking his place, and regretting it.


    Skrullor laughed, ¡°Loki is never happy. She thought that ruling would be a picnic, and I hear that some of her advisors dragged her from her throne room and into a meeting with Xandar Prime, much to their annoyance.¡±


    Skrullson snorted, ¡°Well, that''s what you get for playing Queen.¡±


    Skrullor looked around, ¡°Dont let Veranke hear that, she might be our daughter but she does have a temper.¡±


    Skrullson laughed, ¡°she gets that from you. I prefer logistics to fisticuffs.¡±


    ¡°Dont I know.¡± and Shrullor sighed, ¡°Are we doing the right thing? Xavier was right, we could have asked for their help. Avalon would have welcomed us with open arms.¡±


    Skrullson sighed and patted her hand, ¡°And the Xandarians said the same thing, and we ended up on a dozen refugee shuttles, ready to be picked off by the Kree. Earth didn''t welcome us the first time, why would they now?¡±


    Skrullor leant back in her chair, ¡°I know, but this feels, wrong somehow. We could have just slipped into the population again, or hidden somewhere remote. Nobody needed to know we were here.¡±


    ¡°But this way we can actually be ourselves, we dont need to hide. Once Earth is part of the Asgardian Empire then we finally have a home, and we can rebuild enough to find out own homeworld. And maybe give Veranke a sibling?¡±


    Skrullor laughed, ¡°If the rumours of our children are correct, I think she might give us a grandchild first. Those two are just as bad as Parker it seems.¡± She paused and leaned over the desk, cupping Skrullsons face with her hand and smiling gently at him, ¡°but once I can stop being this muscle brained idiot, then maybe, but to find Thor and Coulson locked in a loving embrace would definitely not help our cause.¡±


    Skrullson laughed ¡°I know, I know. But after this, I want a vacation. After the signing ceremony. I want to get away from all this. Get someone else to play Director for a while. It''s tiring and Parker is a giant headache.¡±


    ¡°Once the war is over, and the Earthlings are happy, we can both take a well-earned break, my love.¡±


    Skrullson smiled and patted his wife on the back of the hand.


    Skrullson shook his head and the Director of Shield, Philip Coulson sat behind his desk once more. He tapped on a small disk, ¡°Tie me into the Skrull flagship. Tell Lady Loki that Philip Coulson is calling, on the orders of her brother, Prince Thor of Asgard.¡±


    The disk hissed slightly, ¡°As you command, Director.¡± and a small holographic display lit up, showing Veranke sitting in her command chair.


    ¡°Is this a social call, or are we free to talk?¡± she asked but Coulson frowned and shook his head


    ¡°Bit of both. We have secured the vibranium as requested, Peter Parker is being as much of a pain as we expected him to be, but everything else is on track.¡±


    Veranke smiled, ¡°Good. My flagship should be arriving on Earth within the next few hours. Is there anything else?¡±


    Coulson looked over at Thor, ¡°We have Kree on Earth.¡±


    Veranke frowned, ¡°that is unfortunate. Have they been dealt with?¡± but Coulson shook his head


    ¡°The Xandarians are blocking our investigation. Asgardian forces are clean though, so we isolated all Xandarians. No one is allowed off base without an escort, and all their patrol craft are to use low yield weapons unless it''s an emergency.¡±


    Venrake laughed, ¡°Oh I bet they love you for that. Problems?¡±


    Coulson pursed his lips but shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s not their planet, and as Asgard leads the main army, they can''t complain. They came to us, not the other way around.¡±


    Veranke tapped a finger against her chin, ¡°I can issue a direct order from Loki, or as Queen Freya. We are at the final push, and the Kree have been pushed back into their own system. We aren¡¯t pursuing, as we know what they¡¯ll be like if they get desperate.¡±


    Coulson nodded. The Kree were fanatically loyal to the Supreme Intelligence, and if it felt it had no other options it would probably destroy itself and its people rather than suffer the humiliation of defeat.


    Even the treaty the Kree signed was nothing more than a smokescreen so they could continue their attacks. A splinter group was hardly believable when they pulled the charred remains of Ronan from the wreckage of his very well known ship.


    ¡°The might be prudent. Otherwise, when the rest of our people arrive, we could be sending them to their deaths again.¡± Thor added.


    ¡°I will contact Queen Freya and have her convey the message. If anyone refuses, assume they are Kree and have them shot.¡±


    ¡°A bit extreme. We¡¯re having to be careful. The humans are a lot more fragile than most. If we start executing people they¡¯ll complain.¡± Coulson said,


    Veranke waved a hand, ¡°fine, fine. Have them imprisoned, and allow the humans to cast judgement on them. It¡¯s their planet after all. Well, for now.¡±


    Coulson looked over at Thor who snorted and nodded, ¡°that''s fine, daughter. We love you, and shall see you soon.¡±


    As the display shrank and turned off, ¡°Well, I see she hasn''t grown up. Loki is a bad influence on her.¡±


    Thor laughed, ¡°Shooting them was a kindness. I would have pushed them out of an airlock. Kree can survive several minutes in space. It would have been most amusing.¡±


    Coulson rubbed his forehead, ¡°then we can both be glad that humans are a lot more tolerant.¡±


    Thor sat on his desk and leaned forwards, ¡°and that thinking gets your planet invaded and your species subjugated.¡±


    Coulson patted Thor''s hand, ¡°which is why you are a general, and I do paperwork. And why you keep getting your disguise wrong.¡± He slid out a picture, ¡±it''s this one, not the one with the long hair.¡±


    Tutting Thor shook himself and his hair and beard changed. ¡°There, better?¡±


    Coulson laughed. ¡°There is just one thing we need to do to cement the deal with the humans, and then we can all be free.¡±


    ~


    Above the Earth, monitoring the transmissions of outgoing traffic, the commander of the ship hissed as he saw the latest report.


    They knew they had been discovered and had already reported that to the Supreme Intelligence. They were all on restricted duty, and their plans concerning the annihilation of the Asgardian fleet was now in ruin.


    He flicked on a private communications channel, ¡°Report,¡± said the young woman on the other end.


    He hated her, he was a pure Kree and she was a mongrel, but she fitted in better, and as such was in a higher position. Once this invasion was over, he would personally see to it that she was taught her place, by having her executed.


    ¡°We intercepted a transmission. Lady Loki is on her way here. She will contract Queen Freya and force the Nova Corp forces to undergo blood testing or face execution.¡±


    There was silence on the other end of the communicator.


    ¡°Do we have a time frame as to her arrival?¡± he was asked,


    ¡°Several hours. If she is coming from Asgard and takes the Kylorian Cluster, she will arrive by two pm Galactic Standard Time.¡±


    ¡°Send an immediate transmission to the Supreme Intelligence. We can have our fleet here faster.¡±


    He snorted, ¡°I am not informing our forces of a half baked plan that required them to forcefully jump from an outer sector. You may command our forces on the ground, but I am in command of the fleet.¡±


    ¡°You are a fool,¡± she hissed at him. ¡°I will send the report, and you may clean your neck for the Accuser''s hammer. I will enjoy watching your crushed corpse twitch as you slowly die.¡± and she shut the channel off.


    On the ground, Bereet stared up at the communications tower, and she knew that outgoing messages of that magnitude would be monitored, if she wanted to get the message out, she needed a distraction.


    As she flicked through the prisoner roster for Earthing being brought to trial she skipped past Carol and focused on a single name,


    Yes, he would do nicely indeed.

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three-Hundred Forty-Seven. Show And Tell

    ¡°In a surprise announcement, The Asgardians have decided that the trial of Norman Osborn, now known as the creature Gargoyle, will take place on Earth. They gave this following press conference.¡±


    Coulson stood next to Thor, and Bereet. This was to be the first trial to show the united front of the three governments.


    ¡°In the spirit of cooperation, It has been decided that the criminal Norman Osborn, known on Xandar as Gargoyle, should be held accountable for his actions both in the Galactic sector and on Earth. As such, he is being turned over to the Earth''s authorities, with the full cooperation of both governments, in the hope that this will finally cement the relationship between our two peoples.¡±


    Goyle stood in power suppressing cuffs, miserable. They had removed most of the flesh from him at one point or other, allowing it to regrow almost supernaturally fast before repeating the procedure. Over and over they had cut and taken from him until he felt there was no more left to give.


    Trapped in a needless cycle of pain and torture Norman had finally died. His mind broke and all that remained was the monster they wanted him to be. And a monster he was. When an organ finally ruptured or failed to regenerate, they were merciful enough to replace it with a mechanical counterpart. It wasn¡¯t mercy for Normal though, he knew it was only to keep him alive to ensure further samples could be harvested. Not just from him, but Goyle as well, and the Skrulls, for all their talk of benevolence, were only kind to those they stood to gain from.


    Norman was a test subject and a criminal. He knew nothing but pain and suffering. But, now it was his time. He had been given a glimmer of hope, and he grasped onto it, no matter how much it would burn him.


    Bereet stepped forwards, ¡°Under the provisional agreements of the Xandarian People, on behalf of the Nova Corps, I hereby release you into the custody of the World Security Council to stand trial, for crimes on Earth and within the galactic cluster.¡±


    Bereet had been training for this mission for years and had been undercover for almost as long. As a rare pink Kree, she had disguised herself as a Kylorian and joined Nova Crop, using another agent to pass the genetic testing. From there, she befriended Carol, and reported her movements back to the Supreme Intelligence, allowing Ronan to mount a successful attack on their homeworld. She had no love for either Empire. The Kree held her skin as something to use against her, and her loyalty was bought with the safety of her family.


    If she knew that Asgard and the Xandarians would win, she would have betrayed the Kree in a heartbeat, but as she watched Ronan''s ships devastate the capital and only the intervention of the Ravagers, and the Simpletons of the System, saved them, she knew it was hopeless. This was her only chance, this was the only way to save her family, and herself.


    ¡°Wait! Stop you monster!¡± she shouted as Goyle shrugged and struggled under her grip.


    ¡°Play your part,¡± she hissed quietly, but Norman heard, and as the small injector she held in her palm bubbled and emptied, his muscles burned with renewed vigour, and his mind filled with pure rage and unadulterated hatred of those who had reduced him to such a pitiful state. Loki, the Skrulls, Monarch and finally Parker would all be ground beneath his heels.


    He winced as the burning formula spread through his body, but as the heat dissipated he felt great, he was great he was Goyle. No, he was an Osborn. And these puny chains couldn''t hold him. He could hear the voice in his head, commanding him,


    Conform, Comply, Obey, DESTROY! and whatever spark remained was lit into a raging bonfire, as Osborn remembered.


    He remembered that ignorant brat of his, Harry, taking his life''s work and pissing on it. He remembered that little punk Parker, laughing at his armour and glider, sneering as he destroyed them both. He remembered that bitch Stacy as she mocked him and tore at his perfect form. He remembered each and every slight suffered on him by Loki, Veranke and those disgusting aliens. He wasn''t some toy to be petted and played with. He was Norman Osborn, and these bugs should be kissing his feet and grovelling for mercy.


    Roaring in delight, Goyle stretched as the mutagenic formula spread through his body, enhancing him once more and bulking him up further. His muscles atrophied from the constant torture swelled and he effortlessly snapped the handcuffs,


    Bereet shuffled backwards, this was her chance to escape and she scrambled off stage and headed back into the tower behind them. She drew her pistol, and any who stopped to question her, she simply shot point-blank. Her goal was the top of the tower, and she had very little time to accomplish her mission.


    ¡°Pathetic,¡± Goyle shouted, ¡°all to take over one measly planet,¡± and even as he smashed his saviour with a fist, he continued. ¡°I am Norman Osborn, Proud American. I am above all you petty insects.¡± and even as Thor turned and swung a punch Goyle grabbed his fist and held him tight,


    ¡°Prince Thor,¡± and as Goyle twisted his arm, Thor grimaced in pain as the more powerful creature wrenched his arm, ¡°or should I say betrayer?¡± and as he smashed a thick fist into Thor''s chest he went flying, ¡°Skrulls, all monsters under the bed, here to take your planet, and you idiots welcome them.¡±


    Coulson pulled a sidearm from its holster but the bullets pinged harmlessly from the thick muscles of Goyles body,


    ¡°You sell yourselves for thirty silver and then laugh as the reapers come to collect.¡± as Coulson stumbled back, Goyle leapt forwards, pinning him to the ground and smashed a fist into his face.


    Lifting him up by the neck, Goyle held him out, ¡°Show them, or I snap your neck,¡± Coulson choked and struggled but Goyle was much stronger, and the newer more refined formula only healed his crippled body,


    ¡°SHOW THEM!¡±


    Goyle yelled as he held him up, and while Coulson struggled under his grip, Osborn smashed his fist into Coulson''s back until he felt his ribs break.


    Crying out in pain and spitting blood, Coulson slowly changed, his skin dying itself a green colour before his face finally morphed into that of a Skrull. Cameras flashed and the crowd gasped as the reptilian face, with a square jaw, large pointed ears and yellow eyes stared at the crowd,


    ¡°This,¡± Goyle shouted as he held the Coulson-Skrull higher, ¡±this is your new master.¡± Goyle grabbed Coulson''s neck with his other fist. And began to squeeze. As the Skrull struggled and grasped uselessly at its neck, there was a horrible crunch noise and suddenly it went limp, and Goyle threw the body to one side, ¡°And now you should thank me for showing you the truth.¡±


    Thor screamed as he saw his mate die, and then he launched himself at the now veiny and overly buffed Goyle. Bereet had jammed an injector into his wrist, and it was now empty, having filled him completely with the mutagenic compound the Skrulls had developed for their own soldiers.


    Goyle barely felt the blow as Thor slammed a fist into his side, and with a giant shovel sized hand, swatted him away again. This time as he crashed against the lighting rig behind the stage her form shifted and the Skrull under the disguise was revealed.


    ¡°Goyle strong, Skrulls puny insects.¡± and as he stirred in agony his muscles grief once more, puffing him up like a giant monstrous abomination. His arms lengthened and they touched the ground, making him look like a giant red gorilla, and his face contorted as he roared into the crowd.


    Even then, the crowd waited, taking pictures and recording the scene, unwilling to miss a single moment of the show. Even the news crew, a veteran recorder of the panic and fighting both during the Hydra attack and then the Sentinel invasion simple moved back a few feet before recording again, sending a live feed to the world.


    Several Asgardia soldiers drew their swords and charged at him, and they took heavy blows on the ceremonial shields they carried. ¡°GOYLE HATES YOU ALL!¡± he roared and rather than punching or flailing widely, even the mad genius of Osborn stayed within the brutish monster,


    As a soldier raised his shield, Osborn gabbed its rim, and wretched it from the soldier, uncaring if they came with it, once he had a good grip his other fist soon found its mark and the unfortunate guard was pummeled by the monster.


    Soren stood. She winced and cried out in pain as she pulled a piece of broken stage from her ribs, ¡°I will kill you¡± she screamed and dived at Goyle, who swung a guard at her like a club.


    Soren ducked under the man, sliding along the smooth carpet of the stage and spun, kicking Goyle in the side of the knee. It didn¡¯t matter how big or tough you were, a joint was only supposed to bend one way, and as she kicked him, it bent and cracked. Goyle roared and laughed as he threw the guard at her. She caught him and lay him to one side, as Goyle grabbed his leg and straightened it, ¡°You made me too difficult to kill.¡± he laughed and the limb clicked and he lashed out at her with it.


    She could only cross her arms as the thick leg crashed into her ribs and sent her flying once more. ¡°We did, monster, but we are not as simple as you think.¡±


    Clenching her fist Soren concentrates and calls upon the stored DNA within her cells. Most Skrulls only kept one other form, but as well as Thor, she preferred another.


    Her form grew, like the Hulk she had seen fighting. Veranke¡¯s scientist had not been idle, and while Osborn and his symbiote had provided them with the samples, they had not been present when the final enhancement formula was complete.


    Unlike most Skrulls, who only took on the appearance of another, Soren had the ability to bolster herself, in the same way Goyle and the other Enhanced did. She was the first, A Super-Skrull, and as she dashed forwards and her hand became a huge blade she plunged it through Goyles chest.


    Goyle spat blood in her face, ¡°No mere bug can hurt me.¡± and he headbutted her, driving the blade back out of his body, ¡°Parker tried that, and it failed then,¡± and Goyle swam down his arm and became a huge axe, ¡°mines bigger¡± he laughed and swung wildly at her.


    She ducked under the huge double-headed axe and flicked her wrist, taking his hand off, ¡°Didn''t a woman tell you, it''s not the size, it¡¯s what you do with it,¡± and her other arm changed as well, becoming a club.


    Goyle laughed, ¡°Stupid bug, we are still more than a match for you.¡± and his symbskin stretched down, covering the stump and becoming another axe.


    Soren heard her communicator buzz, ¡°Commander, We have reports the Bereet is trying to access our communications. She has wounded several men. What should we do?¡±


    Soeren swore under her breath, she didn''t have time for both. Goyle was annoying, but only a brute, but if Bereet gained access to the outer planetary communications, she could call for reinforcements and as she swore again, or worse.


    Goyle laughed as he swung for her, but she had lost patience with him. The club swung and he howled as his hand was smashed, and she brought the blade up and through his throat, leaving it stuck while he gurgled and clawed at it.


    ¡°Survive that! Monster.¡± and as he slumped, she pulled the blade out, Touching her earpiece, ¡°Where is Bereet now?¡±


    ¡°Commander, Carols Danvers is here. She is uh.¡±


    ¡°Never mind, leave her to the Earthling.¡±


    As she looked around, at the crowd, snapping pictures and holding up phones, and the camera crew, who diligently recorded her fight, she allowed herself to shrink back down.


    ¡°This is commander Soren, prepare for an imminent attack,¡± she said into her communication device.


    She motioned over at the new team, who looked at one another and then nodded. Standing up straight, and taking a deep breath, Soren began.


    ¡°People of Earth, Yes, we lied. Yes, we hid. But we defend you against an even greater threat. A race called the Kree is coming. They will kill your people, they will take this planet and they do not care how they do it. Prepare yourselves. Gather your armies, call your heroes, wherever they are. You must defend yourselves.¡±


    They had been sure they had purged every Kree operative and contained the rest. She had not known Bereet was one. She was the commander of the ground forces on Earth, if she was compromised then any Xandarian could be.


    She looked over at Talos, he beloved, but she knew she could not grieve for him, the Kree wouldn''t care for her despair, and so she pushed it down, turned it to anger and swore revenge on the Kree once more. ¡°Ready the fighters, recall all Skrull operatives, and prepare for war.¡±

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three-Hundred Forty-Eight. Thor Loser

    In the warehouse, Peter and the rest watched as Gargoyle killed Coulson, and then fought with Thor who was then revealed to be a different type of alien,


    ¡°Skrulls,¡± Carol explained as they watched. ¡°They tried to settle on Earth before, and the Kree pursued and tried to finish them off.¡± She stared down at her bottle, ¡°I stopped them, but they took it out on Xandar.¡±


    ¡°And you didn''t know?¡± Gwen asked as she poked Peter in the side,


    ¡°Yeah, my powers dont include alien detection.¡± and he flinched as she tried to poke him again,


    ¡°But you meet with Coulson all the time, for one stupid thing or another, and you couldn''t tell?¡± she asked once more, as she tried to find a way past his defences. Since being de-powered she took any small victory where she could.


    ¡°Yeah, not big on aliens, and Coulson kinda weird anyway.¡± He retorted and grabbed her fingers.


    ¡°And Thor?¡± she asked as he pulled her into his grasp, sitting her on his lap.


    ¡°Uh, he''s an alien anyway. It¡¯s not like listening to a different language. It¡¯s just scrambled and weird noises.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but a different kind, and you couldn''t tell?¡± She asked as she wiggled to make herself comfortable and rested her head on his shoulder.


    ¡°I met Thor, like three times, get off my case. I dont hear you complaining at Carol.¡±


    Carol was sitting nursing a bottle, ¡°alien detection powers aren''t on my list either, but seriously, if the Kree are coming, we need to prepare. They won''t stop, and they will kill everyone.¡±


    Peter raised an eyebrow, ¡°So kinda what we were doing anyway, but for different reasons?¡±


    Carol shook her head, ¡°They won''t be nice and hide then leap out and yell surprise. They set the atmosphere on fire, wait until we¡¯re charred husks and then take over the planet. Kree isn¡¯t invaders, they¡¯re destroyers of anything that isn¡¯t Kree.¡±


    Peter looked seriously at the group, ¡°Liv, get the mark three done as fast as possible. We¡¯ll need it. Jean, contact Charles and find out if Avalon is still functional. It isn¡¯t a lot but anyone who can fight from space can use it as a supply base. Oh, get Kitty to make more caverns, unless, uh. Can they blow up the moon?¡±


    Carols shrugged, ¡°Probably, but most species, even the Kree, don¡¯t go for actually blowing up planets. You don¡¯t know what several hundred billion tonnes of rubble will do when caught in the rest of the system''s gravity well. Might as well just blow yourself up.¡±


    Something was bothering her though. If the Skrulls had Goyle, why did he suddenly get free now?


    ¡°Pete, can you rewind that?¡± Carol asked, leaning forwards, and Peter handed her the remote. As she rewound the news, and then slowly moved it forwards, the group watched as Bereet, manhandling the disfigured Norman, pushed him, and for a brief flash a silver injector could be seen in her hand.


    ¡°Son of a bitch. It was her.¡± As Carol let the rest of the recording play, while the camera concentrated most of its shots on the fight between Soren and Goyle, it was obvious that Bereet had used it as a distraction.


    Carol sat her drink on the table, ¡°Sorry guys. I need to help them.¡± and as Ravage changed into her Captain Marvel uniform, she lit up and floated, ¡°if you get armoured up, you can join me.¡± and like a rocket, she shot out of the warehouse towards the Shield building.


    Peter and the rest watched her zoom away, while Jean and Wanda both looked at each other,


    ¡°Uh, we can fly, do we go after her?¡± Jean asked, and Wanda shrugged,


    ¡°Do we need to?¡± Wanda asked. Carol was still one of the group''s heavy hitters, even after taking a blow to her powers when Rogue attacked her.


    ¡°You should. I get this is personal for her, but you dont know what else is out there.¡± Peter said, ¡°especially if one of those cruisers opens fire.¡±


    Liv sat up as well, ¡°I¡¯ll see what armour we have. But I don¡¯t think anyone has working flight capability. You would have to swing there.¡±


    Peter paused for a moment, ¡°Will you two be okay?¡± and Jean and Wanda looked at each other, as Jean was surrounded by flames and Wanda surrounded herself in red energy.


    ¡°We¡¯re tough.¡± they said, and giggled, ¡°jinx,¡± they both said and Jean raised an eyebrow,


    ¡°We can deal with that later. Peter, we¡¯ll be fine¡± and the pair linked hands and shot from the warehouse after Carol.


    ¡°Yeah, but I still think facing a giant spaceship without armour is a bad idea.¡±


    Liv already had her phone out, and was shifting into outdoor clothing, ¡°I¡¯ll get to Ivan and see what we have. Because I also think fighting a giant spaceship without armour is a bad idea, even if you are a super-augment.¡±


    ~


    Outside Carol was racing towards the Shield building. It wasn¡¯t fair, but when a madwoman with some kind of agenda just set a crazy monster loose, you counted the seconds. Ravage agreed with her, and she could what the sound of a blaster firing on the roof of the Shield building.


    She stopped and looked around, and saw Bereet, firing off pulses of laser with one hand, and prying open a panel on the massive satellite dish shield had on the roof with the other.


    ¡°Got you now, bitch,¡± and Ravage flew straight at her.


    Bereet almost jumped out of her skin as she saw the glow of Captain Marvel flying at her, she fired off a few rounds, but it wasn¡¯t any use., She knew she was too tough and too powerful for someone with a blaster. She fired two shots off at the door, to stop the Asgardian forces and as she saw the creature flying close enough ready to obliterate her, she took a deep breath,


    ¡°CONFORM, OBEY. COMPLY¡± Bereet screamed and Carol felt the world go black. Bereet sighed in relief. She knew Vers had been given an extra-strong dose of the Supreme Intelligence¡¯s conditioning and that it still held fast within her mind.


    Not many agents were given a direct path to its mainframe, and while many were jealous of her connection, Bereet knew it was not that simple.


    Constantly under pressure from the Supreme Intelligence slowly wore a person''s will down, until they were its willing and most loyal subject. Bereet had the treatment once and felt wonderful afterwards. She would dedicate her life to the Kree, and its ideals. It was only with time the shine wore off.


    Being a pink Kree, she was treated with disdain and scorn, and without the constant psycho-hypnotic suggestion, she grew jaded. The only loyalty she had towards the Empire was her family, held in a containment centre, keeping their ¡®unclean¡¯ presence away from the more pure blue Kree.


    It was all bullshit. She learned from other cultures as she infiltrated the Nova Corp that skin colour, limb number or any number of special differences was no reason to hate someone. She knew a lot of good people who were not blue, and a lot of assholes, who being spaced was too good, for that were.


    Right now though, unless she wanted to see her family disintegrated slowly, she had a mission. And as she looked up at the blank face of Vers, she sighed, ¡°Vers, Under command of the Supreme Intelligence, You are to assist in subjugation of the planet. Protect me until my work is complete.¡±


    ¡°I conform, I obey. I comply.¡± Vers replied, ¡°I can detect two more coming this way. Your orders?¡±


    ¡°If they try to stop me, kill them.¡±


    NO! Ravage screamed within her mind. She could feel that sick voice repeating over and over. CONFORM. OBEY. COMPLY. Repeating over and over, an endless loop of scratching and itchiness, like being bitten over and over by a tiny bug with no chance of relief.


    She used her powers to dull it, but nobody would understand, nobody would trust her if they knew the truth. Vers hadn¡¯t died during the last invasion. She simply slept, and Ravage was now powerless to stop her from waking and taking over.


    Help! Carol is gone, Ravage cried to her sisters and Wanda and Jean both paused,


    Gone? Jean asked,


    The bad machine left a seed of doubt in her mind, and the seed has grown, she is now Vers once more, and we cannot stop her.


    Wanda, you take out that pink bitch. I¡¯ll make sure Carol is okay. Ravage, leave and find a new host, don¡¯t care how don¡¯t care when just leave. This will hurt and I don¡¯t want you to suffer with her.


    Ravage paused, but she is our all, we love her


    I know, we all do but this will not be fair on you. And without warning, Jean reached out a hand and Ravage felt herself being forcefully separated,


    Please no, we need her, she cried out


    Jean could only whisper, I''m sorry Ravage, I promise I¡¯ll make it up to you. And as she looked down, she saw Soran. Giving her a brief scan, she nodded. She wasn''t perfect, but for now, she would do.


    Ravage cried out, half in terror and half in excitement as she whizzed through the air and with a soft splat landed on Soren.


    Help, my friends are stopping Bereet, but they need you, please, help me.


    Soren frowned but nodded and she felt the connection to the symbiote, and as the memories of Carol joined with her own, she roared in anger at Goyle, and kicked his corpse over and over again, punting it through the parking lot and leaving it to roll over the asphalt.


    ¡°Get me my ship. I am,¡± She started,


    Ravage whispered to her, No, be calm, be serene. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate,  hate leads to


    Are you quoting Star wars at me? Soren asked, now confused. She could feel the strength of the Klyntar as they bonded, and the rush of emotion she felt. Tainted by her husband''s death, and her fury at the Kree.


    Carol loves it, and so does Peter. We should watch it, with popcorn But the love radiated from the Klyntar and wrapped her in a soft warmth, it didn¡¯t dull the pain she felt at Talos¡¯s death, it celebrated his life and the love they shared. It made her cry, and her heartache but the burning fury was slowly replaced by a sense of loss, and happiness at sharing her life with such a wonderful man.


    Maybe after they fight.


    And as she felt it, Soren looked up, at the three bright auras in the sky.


    Jean and Wanda are powerful, but they will not hurt Carol. She is still under Kree control,


    The bad machine? Soren asked, and got a warm feeling of agreement. She knew exactly who Ravage meant.


    ¡°Right. We¡¯ve got Friendly and Hostile Augments on the warpath. Evacuate. All personnel are to evacuate. We dont want to be here when they start fighting.¡± and grabbing her communicator, ¡°everyone out the building. Survivors radio for help and we¡¯ll get medical teams to you ASAP.¡± Soren shouted her orders through her radio.


    She had the memories of Ravage now and knew exactly the devastation Carol, Jean, and Wanda could do. No one on the ground would survive if they fought seriously, and she knew Bereet had no chance.


    Looking up at the sky, she saw the smaller ships approaching, and knew the Kree must have support on the cruisers as well.


    ¡°Get some anti-fighter armaments out. We might not be able to help them fight, but we can keep the skies clear.¡± She paused, ¡°oh and tell the humans we¡¯re on their side. I don¡¯t want some asshole shooting at me because they think I¡¯m going to probe them.¡±


    The memories she had received from Ravage were interesting and contained many new and exotic swear words and cultural significance, and Soren was smiling as she learned a lot about Earth and its customs.


    We need to pay attention as well. Ravage chastised her,


    ¡°I see you have one too. Did you know they¡¯re cannibals, and they do taste so delicious.¡± and Goyle rose up, spitting out a wad of blood onto the pavement. ¡°I told you little bug, that they tried that before,¡±


    Soren let Ravage coat her, and her maw split, revealing the jagged teeth. Combined with her own shapeshifting abilities, the tendrils that sprang from her back all became razor-sharp blades, mimicking the harness Ravage had memories of when she was bonded with Liv.


    ¡°Then I have a lot more, you big ugly motherfucker!¡± and as blades grew from her Ravage coated her, and she slashed at Goyle, catching him through both the heart, and the throat once more, but before she could finish him, the rooftop exploded into a bright yellow light and she froze.


    That was not good.


    Malisson


    Carol''s problem with the Supreme Intelligence¡¯s conditioning was brought up in chapter 284,


    Just in case anyone thinks it''s come out of nowhere¡­

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three-Hundred Forty-Nine. Ultimatum

    Jean, Wanda, and Carol floated across from one another, and Jean noticed the young pink alien woman was still busy working on the panel of the communications dish.


    ¡°Carol, We both love you, but if you attack us I will seriously fuck your day up,¡± Wanda warned her.


    ¡°My orders are to protect Bereet while she works. Stay back, and I won''t have to seriously fuck up your day. Jean,¡± Carol replied with a smirk. She was still in control, she just didn''t care about these two. The Kree was all that mattered, and once she was reunited with the Supreme Intelligence it would all be okay again.


    ¡°Wanda, take care of our friend there. Carol and I need to have a little chat.¡± and Jean''s aura flared as Helios covered her in her bright red and gold armour.


    ¡°Her? Alive, or uh?¡± and Helio shrugged, ¡°right, stop the evil aliens.¡± and crossing her arms a flick of bright red surrounded Bereet, who cried out and was flung from the top of the roof. Making a splat as she impacted the ground after falling from the top of the fifty-floor building. ¡°There, done.¡±


    Helios glared at her but Wanda just shrugged, ¡°you know the only difference between our powers is that mine are red while yours are all flamey, you could have done that and not even asked.¡± Wanda said with a small grin. ¡°Plus, We need to help Carol, not beat her.¡±


    ¡°Wanda, even with your powers, you have no hope of beating me,¡± Carol said and her binary form flared,


    ¡°Oh so scary, like one of those super monkey guys that Pete still likes to watch. I am not impressed.¡± Wanda said and she crossed her arms, ¡°See?¡± and as Carol groaned and screamed the light from her powers seemed to dim as it took on a red tinge.


    But Carol screamed more and her aura flared back into its normal brightness. Her life was for the Kree empire and even as the blood trickled down her nose she would burn every cell in her body to protect her. And she blinked, Bereet was gone, ¡°What. What did you do?¡± She screamed and dived towards the roof. Bereet was gone, the panel was hanging loosely, and the blaster was left lying on the felt-covered roof.


    ¡°Kill you, kill you,¡± Carol repeated over and over again and screaming she flew at high speed at Wanda and threw a punch.


    Carol flew straight threw the ghost that vanished, only to reappear a few feet away.


    ¡°Silly girl, you dont get to fight back on the astral plane.¡± Wanda said as she floated over to Jean, ¡°are you okay?¡±


    Jean nodded, gritting her teeth. ¡°The son of a bitch is tough though. If She¡¯d said something sooner we could have gotten it over and done with when we had the Mind Stone.¡±


    Wand shrugged, as she saw Carol looking down at her hand, bringing them together and sending out a pulse of energy, which passed threw the pair. ¡°She is persistent.¡±


    ¡°She is fighting me, you need to help,¡± Jean said, the sweat beginning to bead on her brow.


    ¡°Fine.¡± and Wand floated away. ¡°You know, Stephen does not like mind magic. He says that it breaks a few basic tenets about free will and something I dont quite remember.¡± As she brought her hands around in a circle a yellow runic sphere appeared, ¡°Stephen does like to moralise about not using magic to do bad things.¡± and as she brought her hands together, interlaced her fingers and spun them around, the sphere shrunk, turned blue, green, orange, and then back to yellow. ¡°But, you know, exorcising someone''s demons is not always a bad thing¡± and shot the ball at Carol.


    Carol screamed as the blast slammed into her, and she felt herself being torn apart. As the energy crackle over her, she felt her mind and body being broken down,


    ¡°CONFORM. OBEY. COMPLY!¡± she began to scream over and over, her voice crackling into two separate voices. One Carol''s normal voice and the other a childlike high pitched scream.


    As the pair watched, Carol and another began to disintegrate and the particles pulled apart, each one reforming into Carol and a younger version of herself. The old Carol was in her red and blue Captain Marvel uniform, with a ghostly image of Ravage slithering over it. The second, slumped over as yellow electricity crackled over its body was in a green and black Kree uniform, ¡°conform, obey, comply¡± is repeated over and over.


    ¡°You couldn''t have done that at the start?¡± Jean asked Wanda who shrugged


    ¡°You didn''t ask me to, and look, she¡¯s fine,¡± Wanda replied, floating over and hugging her,


    ¡°She isn''t fine, there are two of them now,¡± Jean said, slipping an arm around her,


    ¡°There aren¡¯t two of us,¡± Carol said, ¡°that''s the Supreme Intelligence.¡±


    The second Carol looked up at them, and there was no humanity in its eyes. They cracked with the yellow lightning, ¡°The Mind Stone¡¯s power. We have tasted it before, we have encountered it before. We now take what was once ours and return it.¡± and in a blinding flash, the trio were returned to the waking world.


    Jean held Carol''s head between her two hands, while Wanda had a hand on Jean''s shoulder, Carol''s eyes flashed yellow for a second and a bean flashed out and struck Bereet.


    She screamed as the electricity played over her head, The same beam stuck out, and smoke began to rise as the women fed that power into the dish, and it flared into life, blasting its signal into outer space.


    In a few seconds the beam cut out, and the charred and cooked remains of Bereet slumped next to the panel, smoke and badly cooked meat stench rising from her.


    Carol slumped into Jean''s arms, ¡°we need to get back to the warehouse. The Kree are coming.¡±


    She flew down to stare at Soren, ¡°I know. But she belongs with me.¡± and Soren tutted and held out a hand,


    ¡°I will want to speak to Peter, She was a most interesting companion,¡± Soren said with a small sad smile. Goyle had used the explosion to extract himself and then run. Whatever was left of the man was enough to know when he was beaten, and her revenge would have to wait for another day.


    ¡°I know, and good luck,¡± Carol said before the trio flew home. As she looked down she saw the trucks with the Gamma troopers heading towards them, and she knew it would be cells until this was all over.


    I liked her, she was sad through, her mate died. Ravage said to her, sharing the memories she had taken from Soren


    I know, but if the Kree are coming, he won¡¯t be the last. Carol felt Soren''s grief, but it was overshadowed by their mutual hatred of the Kree, and as she and the other two sped back to the warehouse, she knew it wouldn¡¯t be long before they arrived.


    ~


    In deep space, a ship, waiting for any reply from their agents paused as a single console flared into life. Its automatic relays lit up as power flowed and a single screen began to flash a map of the galactic star charts. It flickered over and over as the signal bounced from one relay station to the next, trying to triangulate where its destination was.


    It eventually settled on a distant corner of the milky way, an unforgotten part but not completely,


    We remember


    We remember our loss, and now we remember our prize


    The voice sounded out through the empire and the soldiers of the Kree empire listened. No one would ever dare to ignore the supreme Intelligence,


    Anoint the Accuser, gather our armies, Where there was once darkness, there shall be light, where we once failed, there shall be penance. Visit the planet of green and blue, recover our prizes, and recover our Infinity Stones.


    In a chamber, deep in meditation, the last Accuser knelt. As the screen in front of him lit up, how own face stared back at him,


    Accuser Rogg, you are finally given chance to atone, Seek out Vers, seek out the stone, and in doing so you shall have your penance, and you shall have your revenge.


    The man nodded, his face covered in ritual tattoos that bore the brunt of his shame. The shame of not only losing the space stone but losing one of the greatest weapons the Kree had ever created. Carol Danvers.


    Yog-Rogg stood and as his chamber door opened several Accuser acolytes approached,d the remains of this Star Force. They had been punished, and each bore the marks of surgery. They had been enhanced, and turned into lethal, and obedient, killing machines.


    They anointed him with oils and covered the muscular seven-foot tall farm in holy oils. Shaved his already short black hair before dressing him in the accuser''s ceremonial garb, the thick black fitted armour, and as the pale blue eyes perfected a glare at the thought of Carol Danvers broken body lying at his feet, they slipped over the ceremonial headdress, covering and protecting his head in another layer of thick black armour.


    As he stepped forward, a hammer rose from the floor before him. It had been Ronan''s before he had been killed on Xandar Prime, and while the Xandarians had taken the power stone, it was still infused with its energy, and he tensed as he grabbed its handle, the skin on the palm of his hand melting and fusing to its grip.


    ¡°I hear and Obey, Supreme Intelligence.¡± and as he hefted the hammer over his shoulder the acolytes bowed and they departed, once more to return to the scene of their failure.


    With the fleet all ready to depart, the Kree activated the ancient Neural Network surrounding the galaxy. Instant travelling to Earth Accuser Rogg had a small smirk on his face.


    ¡°Hijack their communications arrays. Prepare to broadcast.¡±


    On the planet below there was confusion, followed by panic, followed by riots.


    Those who saw the broadcast hid in their homes, afraid of this new threat. With Hydra, robots and the few powered that committed crimes, the director of Shield being revealed to be an alien was too much for some, and doors were locked and windows barred.


    To those protesting the Earth''s inclusion in the treaty, it was a moment of revelation, and it turned into a more forceful protest. Embolden by the fact they were right, stones, bottles and violence erupted on the streets of several large cities, and unable to contain them, the police simply stepped back. This was now out of their hands. It wasn''t their mess to clean up, and they weren''t about to rick themselves to make sure the government''s idiocy was defended.


    On Genosha, Erik simply glared over at Charles, who seeing the angry look on his friend''s face made to speak but Erik shook his head, and got up and left, leaving chairs and Selene sat together, ¡°You know he will remain angry, and you should fix this before it becomes too late.¡±


    ~


    The TV flickered from the news channel and the stoic face of the accuser appeared.


    ¡°People of Earth, Know that Under the terms of the Asgardian and Xandarian accord with the Kree empire that this territory was claimed in solar cycle 204586. Or two hundred and fifty thousand of your rotations ago.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± Carol swore, ¡±that''s Yog-Rogg. He was my handler, and he¡¯s an asshole. Even for a Kree.¡±


    ¡°Under the treaty, any claimed world is to be administered by its empire of acquisition. And as such Your earth falls under Kree dominion. All Asgardian and Xandarian ships are to depart immediately. All Skrulls ships are to remain where they are.¡±


    Peter looked over at Carol, ¡°they¡¯ll kill them all. Kree hate the Skrulls.¡±


    ¡°So we fight?¡±


    Carol nodded, ¡°last time I fought them off myself, but my powers are gone, Pete. We need everyone, Hulks, Augments, Stark, hell, throw rocks at them. Their fascists who think that nazis are pussies, they¡¯ll kill anyone who won''t obey, it¡¯ll be genocide.¡±


    The blue-skinned man on the screen continued,


    ¡°Know this, people of Earth, we made your species, we created your Enhanced and your Augmented. We own this planet and all that sits upon it. Resistance will be met with death. Hostility will be met with unimaginable force. We are your new masters.¡±


    Accuser Rogg looked over at the technician, ¡°Are they capitulating?¡±


    She shook her head, ¡°we have missile launches from multiple sites Sir.¡±


    The missiles raced towards them and impacted harmlessly against the shields of his accuser class warship,


    ¡°Target those sites and return fire. Then, target the target population centre of each continent and destroy it. No, wait. Where did we fight Vers? Ah, Los Angeles. Target and destroy Los Angeles.¡± Rogg paused for a moment, ¡°Oh and destroy that cruiser. I won''t have the Skrulls defile one of our ships.¡±


    Nodding, the technician armed the forward batteries


    The cruiser hailed as the flagship of the Asgardians, exploded into a bright fireball that lit the entire city, even though the sun was shining bright in the sky. Soren looked up in horror.


    ¡°No, Veranke!¡± Soren shouted. ¡°Get everyone mobilised now. All fighters in the air, all tropes are to arm and prepare for combat.¡± She touched a communicator on her wrist, ¡°send for the reinforcements, They cannot be allowed to fire another bombardment.¡±


    ¡°Commander we cannot, they have destroyed the moon outpost, as well as our smaller ships hidden in the outer reaches of the solar system.¡±


    Soren clenched her fist, ¡°then we must rely on the Humans to save us.¡±


    ~


    Aboard the Kree flagship, Yon-Rogg watched impassively as the missiles impacted against the surface, and a brief smile crossed his face and the cruiser exploded,


    ¡°Open communications,¡° He ordered.


    ¡°We accept your aggression and return it tenfold. And Vers, if you aren''t too much of a coward. Send us your coordinates. We can settle old scores once and for all¡±


    As the screen flickered it returned to the news, the newscaster stared in shock at the screen, before jumping and shaking herself,


    ¡°Ladies and Gentleman. We¡¯re getting reports. Strikes against each capital in the world. Moscow, London, Paris, Berlin, and Beijing, have all been hit. Reports from the US indicate that Los Angeles was targeted, but¡± and she paused, ¡°there are no survivors. Each city is just, gone.¡±


    At the warehouse, everyone sat shocked at the devastation.


    Liv!¡± Peter shouted, ¡°get everyone who is on the streets and needs it to the shelter.¡± and he switched to his secure channel with Shuri


    ¡°Message me back when,¡° but the feed opened, and Shuri was just as blank-eyed as they were.


    ¡°Our shields held, but everywhere Peter. They killed everyone.¡±


    ¡°America was hit the same, all major cities-¡±


    ¡°No, all of Africa was destroyed, they didn''t target a city, they targeted the continent.¡±


    Peter slumped back, ¡°Shuri, launch everything, I dont care if it''s a secret, I dont care if it uses all your vibranium. Hit them with everything.¡± she nodded and the feed cut out.


    Peter looked at the group, everybody was silent, but everyone looked angry, ¡°Sorry, this is war.¡±

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three-Hundred Fifty. Resistance Is Not Futile

    They had watched the news but they felt the explosion and were out of their seats before the shockwave hit, ¡°right, everyone suit up, If that cruiser hit anywhere populated we need to help the emergency services..¡± Peter started to shout.


    Liv stood but shook her head, ¡°We don''t have armour for everyone Peter. Several suits were still damaged from the Sentinel attack.¡±


    Peter swore, ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone going out there unprotected. Do we even have just, I dunno normal armour we can wear, It doesn''t need to be powered.¡±


    Liv nodded, ¡°we have test suits, without a reactor we¡¯re all probably strong enough to use the.


    Peter nodded, ¡°head to AIM and get them ready.¡±


    Charles, we¡¯re under attack.


    I know, and we¡¯re defen and the communication cut out,


    Shit, Peter thought. ¡°I think they hit Genosha,¡± he said, and Jean pressed a finger to her temple and nodded, feeling the tears well up in her eyes.


    ¡°Right.¡± And flicking open his phone he dialled a secure number, ¡°Fury, get in the air and see if those were missiles, Wrath is now one of three air support units.¡±


    Jean paused, ¡°sorry Peter, but first¡± and she touched his forehead. A small glow escaped her finger tip''s and he sighed and nodded.


    ¡°Right, doesn''t help but I¡¯ll get it. Liv, anyone who can, dont fight, help with search and rescue. Get out there, get Ivan and anyone harness certified and get whatever the hell that was away from civilians.¡±


    The group nodded and Peter send out a line and pulled himself onto the bottom of the penthouse. Along the button main strut, under a vibranium box, painted black and coated in plastic so as to not arouse suspicion was a small box. Peter shook his head as he undid the magnetic seal and released it from its housing. It hadn''t even been two years since they had erased the memory of placing the stone here, and as he swallowed it, he could feel the panic in the streets around him.


    Great, Maria, get Scott up in the air, I dont want you to be grounded, Get him to use to visor unhindered. He¡¯s our only viable ground defence against those things.


    And his eyes?


    Peter could only sigh. I dont know, tell him, let him make that choice, but right now, it''s him or everyone.


    Maria cursed, You know I¡¯ll hate you,


    Better me than him, and for what it¡¯s worth, thank you.


    Maria knew that using the visor full-beam could hurt Scott''s eyes, even blind him, and to shoot down shielded enemy spacecraft in a high orbit, he would have to use as much power as possible.


    Jean. I have the stone, but. I think you should take it, Jean, you''re much


    No.


    Jean.


    No, Your right, I am, but with it, you can coordinate with everyone. I¡¯ll take it when I need it, for now, I dont, so shush.


    She is so terribly sexy when she¡¯s angry isn''t she, he heard Emma


    Emma, I dont know how powerful you are really but aliens, kinda busy


    Yes yes darling I do watch the news you know. I¡¯ll head into the sky as well, I can only try, and this time I will get what you owe me.


    Uh, what?


    Peter, focus, we can discuss that later, right now, bad guys.


    Peter closed his eyes and felt for the minds above him, it was easy enough with the stone and uncaring he tapped fully into its power. Alien minds were as he expected, like trying to understand a foreign language, thankfully the Mind Stone was his rosetta stone, and he could feel them effortlessly.


    Carol, that Yon guy really has a hard-on for killing you. I can call him out, and see if we can take their command staff out in one hit?


    Do it, he¡¯s a tough bastard but if Felicia and Laura help I think we can take him.


    Right, You hear?


    Yes, on our way, but uh, fighting on the ground yes?


    Carol laughed, Yes, he cant fly.


    Wanda?


    I am here Peter, Stephen says he cannot interfere. They are not a mystical threat and as such,


    Tell Stephen to get lost then, I need you. If he won¡¯t help then screw him.


    I, I understand. Where?


    If I hijack a mind can you sling ring a team up there?


    You are going to telepathically take over someone''s mind and then use their own eyes to give me a target?


    That''s the plan, yes.


    I had never thought of that, but we can try. Even if I fail, the portal might create a hole in their hull.


    Great, do that too.


    Peter, I know I am amazing, but Gwen and I can only do so much,


    Right sorry sorry, have Gwen do the portal thing, and you take a team up to one of their ships. I can grab Laura and Natasha and we can go in


    Peter extended his powers out once more and found the last person he thought he would be asking for help again. Flash, You and Cap aren''t going to be much use against spaceships, so how about a little smash and grab?


    Huh, dammit Parker, stay the hell out. Flash yelled at him annoyed at the sudden intrusion.


    Yeah, I¡¯ll get right on that, we¡¯re going to portal up and wreck their ship, are you in or are you gonna whine like a little bitch?


    Yeah, Cap is in, but what about ground side?


    Leave that for Tony, I''m going to get to him next, head to the warehouse, and we¡¯ll all head in


    Which was who he contacted next. Tony. Yeah, mind powers I know, but suit up, we need the Legion in the air to take out as many of those missiles as possible,


    Already on it, the Thunderbolts are suiting up in gamma gear as well,


    What the hell is gamma? you know what, dont care, tell me later. Leave the big one alone, I''m taking two teams aboard, and we¡¯ll take it from the inside.


    Roger, and uh, Friday?


    Staying here to deal with ground support. It¡¯s a big mess, Tony, if Pepper has her Rescue armour still, get her with the others to help deal with civilian casualties.


    On it, and uh, glad to see you finally grew up,


    Thanks, but uh, no I won''t stop drawing fake glasses on that stupid sign of yours, take it down.


    Peter heard Tony laugh in his mind, yeah, right. Win this and I will. Die though, and I am going to spend my time comforting every angle of your griefing widows.


    Peter snorted, yeah right, as if Maya or anyone else would let you, but he guessed it was motivation enough. Now that everyone who would help was contacted, he looked around at the worried faces.


    ¡°Okay, does everyone know what we¡¯re doing?¡± Peter asked the assembled group and everyone nodded.


    ¡°Anyone who isn''t doing anything, get into New York and help deal with the civilian casualties, that ship made a mess, and there is more incoming. Laura, Natasha, you''re with me, and we¡¯re taking Flash, Cap and Yelena with us. Two teams, find something important looking and smash it, uh, but Gwen, you need to stay here and protect the warehouse, and Wanda, you''re with Jean and Emma.¡± He said, ¡°and it¡¯s going to be okay. But I won¡¯t force anyone. If you want to sit it out, nobody has to do anything they don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Why does Wanda get to go help?¡± Gwen asked,


    Peter shook his head, ¡°Sorry, but you can make portals, and if anything comes here looking for us we need someone who can evacuate people. Plus, ¡° and he motioned over at Wanda, ¡°I know it''s not a competition, but she is one of the most powerful people we know, even without magic.¡±


    Gwen nodded, ¡°Maybe I should get a Symbiote?¡±


    Peter shook his head, ¡°We don¡¯t have the time or everyone would get one. Liv, is the armour ready?¡± but she shook her head,


    ¡°Sorry, it''s ready but uh,¡± and she looked embarrassed, ¡°it''s at the sprayers, someone couldn''t decide on the colour and it had to go back.¡± and she raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Fine fine, spank me later. Symbskin armour then, no exception. Secret identities are out the window, we save who we can, and we¡¯ll deal with the mess later.¡± Peter looked around, and while everyone here was willing to fight, there would be those who couldn¡¯t.


    Peter looked over at Friday. She would be great with the evacuations but had little combat training. So he gave her another job. ¡°Friday, get Cindy and Eddie here. I need my mom and Curt brought to the warehouse and protected. Take them to the bunker and make sure nobody hurts them. Gwen, you too. You can portal anyone if it gets bad. Don¡¯t care about revealing your powers.¡±


    Friday nodded, ¡°Can I?¡± and Peter interrupted,


    ¡°Yes, the bunker was built for everyone, grab anyone whos important and protect them. Its capacity is about fifty, so don¡¯t be stingy.¡±


    Nakia also spoke up, ¡°I have another suggestion. That you send two teams to the ship, but you also send some of us to Wakanda. Shuri does not have the Augment support that you do, and the sorcerer''s cabals will not move unless the threat is mystical.¡±


    Peter stopped, and looked around the room, ¡°Right, Jean, you meet Carol and Emma and head to fight Saron. Wanda, Gwen, portals then you know what you¡¯re doing. Laura and Nat, plus Flash, Yelena and grab Steve. We get the giant spaceship¡±


    He paused as the group split into teams, ¡°Nakia. Get Elektra and Matt and take them to Wakanda, and see if you can get Bucky to help. We need all hands on deck here,¡±


    He turned, ¡°Friday, once you¡¯ve got Cindy and Eddie rounding up civilians get your rescue suit and head out to Tony, he¡¯ll be providing ground support to emergency services, and helping Fury, Hill and Scott. We need our flyers to intercept any more of those missiles, and we have to leave the Avengers to do whatever they¡¯re doing.¡±


    Everyone nodded, and Wanda moved her hands to open a portal to Wakanda while Steve called Bucky. ¡°He¡¯ll help, this is the address,¡± and as Gwen took the paper she opened a portal of her own,


    Bucky, still dressing shook his head, ¡°And I thought my life was messed up enough.¡±


    ¡°Quick whining soldier, there are evil aliens to kill,¡± Steve said as he laughed,


    ¡°Yeah, see, messed up.¡± and as he grabbed a bag he stepped through the portal, and the three moved into Wakanda.


    ¡°Take care,¡± Jean said, and she gave Peter a kiss on the cheek and then floated out of the warehouse.


    We¡¯ll stay in touch, She said as Helios covered her in the bright red suit, as she streaked off, leaving a trail of flames behind her.


    ¡°Our turn I guess.¡° another portal was opened and Yelena looked through it,


    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t do that when someone using the toilet?¡± she said and ducked as she walked through, ¡°So, I got the message, alien space ships? Sounds fun, like a video game¡±


    ¡°Yup, but no extra lives. So stay focused, and no messing around. We need to get aboard, take out as many systems as possible and then leave. Hopefully, the ship will burn up in the atmosphere, or Tony can take care of it.¡±


    Peter gave the remaining women a small hug and a kiss. MJ would be staying in the bunker, as Muse was never a fighter. Liv would be helping with ground rescue while Ivan, Eddie and Cindy all protected the warehouse from any possible incursion. Gwen would be there as a familiar face, and as emergency support. With her rudimentary grasp of magic, and more importantly her ability to sling ring, she was the last line of defence in the bunker.


    Peter took a deep breath, right, let''s go. And latching onto the mind of a Kree technician, manning a gun control terminal he sent the mental image he had taken from her mind to Wanda who nodded and swirling her hands opened a portal. Before the technician could utter a word, Peter send out a heavy web and stunned him.


    ¡°Right, I dont need to say it, so I won''t, but I love you all, stay safe, and take care.¡±


    Yelena snorted, ¡°hear that Natasha, your boyfriend loves me. I should finally let him ravage me.¡±


    ¡°Sis, survive this, and I¡¯ll let him,¡±

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three-Hundred Fifty-One. Miss Chief And Mayhem

    With the Mind Stone, Peter searched the giant ship and found a single turret control operator sitting at a panel on the lower decks. He was staring at a screen, and as he was distracted Peter seized hold of his mind,


    ¡°Can you see that?¡± he asked Wanda who nodded and opened a portal beside the technician.


    As the group moved through, Natasha let Widow slip over her and she stabbed the Kree through the neck.


    Peter paled, ¡°well, that was unpleasant.¡±


    Natasha shrugged, ¡°we can''t leave them alive.¡±


    Peter shook his head, ¡°I still had a grip on him. So, guess who now knows what it¡¯s like to have a blade shoved through their windpipe,¡±


    Widow shrugged, ¡°uh, sorry, make it up to you?¡±


    Yelena rolled her eyes, ¡°kissy faces later, we need a plan.¡±


    ¡°Engines and control room, so one team goes up, and the other kinda east a little bit. Team one will have the harder job though, as we¡¯re pretty much at the bottom of the ship, the security they send to take the engines back will hit the first team as they move up.¡±


    Widow nodded, ¡°or we dont, and we take the control room. The ship isn''t going anywhere, so why disable the engines. This is an invasion, and it''s not like we have anything that can fight a big spaceship.¡±


    ¡°Split up, first to the control room get a prize?¡± Yelena asked, as her own armour slid over her,


    ¡°As long as it''s not dirty, sure.¡±


    ¡°Good. Sorry Captain, but I am lead on this. You might be a big war hero but in urban combat, you suck, and handsome here, you look like you¡¯re twelve, so I guess you probably suck as well. Follow me, use your symbiote to call out bad guys, or you know, kill them and move on, that works too.¡±


    Flash shook his head as Webb slid over him, ¡°we fought on the ground before, we did defend the triskelion you know.¡±


    Yelena waved a hand, ¡°oh one op, how impressive, let me make you a badge that says I''m a big tough guy, no arguing, listen and follow orders.¡±


    Cap didn¡¯t look happy, but as this was Peter¡¯s operation he declined to say anything.


    Widow looked at Peter and Laura, ¡°We dont need to do that do we?¡±


    Laura let Talon slide over her, ¡°we don¡¯t, we can work as a team already.¡±


    Peter laughed ¡°plus the mind-reading thing is a lot easier,¡± and as his own armour slid over him, he stayed with the black and white. Nobody knew they were there, and even now he still preferred his Venom suit over any of the others.


    ¡°We go left, you go right. The main control room is twelve decks above us, just go up. Once you hit floor twelve, contact me and we can meet up to assault the command centre, it''s heavily guarded but I caught the thoughts of a guard. Saron is heading to the surface.¡±


    ¡°That reminds me, ¡±Scott, take out the smaller craft, but the flagship is ours. I dont want you to blow it up while we¡¯re on it, okay?


    Sure sure, but if they start firing again it''s open season.


    ¡°Right, we have our targets, stay alert, and stay alive.¡±


    Yelena pouted, ¡°aww, no kiss for good luck?¡±


    Widow shook her head, and pushed Yelena out the door, ¡°behave, or I tell mom you were hitting on her son in law.¡±


    Yelena pulled a face ¡°and I let mom know what you were doing with him while he was a target,¡±


    Natasha shrewd, ¡°and that''s why he¡¯s her son in law.¡±


    ¡°Uh, can we be slightly professional here?¡± Flash asked but Yelena shrugged


    ¡°Nope, it eases the tension. Joking and laughing raise endorphins and relaxes tense trigger fingers. See? No badge for you.¡± and as Vonya slid over her, ¡°now we hunt though,¡± she shimmered and vanished.


    ¡°Stay off comms until we meet up, if we¡¯re not there, use Vonya or Webb to contact us. If you get no reply, then uh, we didn''t make it, and take out the command crew.¡± Venom looked over the two groups, ¡°Good luck.¡±


    The two teams went their separate ways, with the trio of Symbiotes shimmering and vanishing before quietly taking positions on the bulkheads. Walking along the corridors meant avoiding crew, and potentially being discovered. Hardly anyone looked up and the trio made their way to the elevators effortlessly.


    Webb, Cap and Vonya, were having a harder time. Without a Symbiote, Cap had to stealth his way along the long corridors, and as most doors were locked due to the attack protocols, it was dealing with and then hiding any bodies they left. Not looking up was a saving grace, and bodies, with webbed closed wounds, were hoisted and webbed to the ceiling, making sure they matched the drab grey of the paintwork.


    Vonya paused, ¡°You know, this is slow and pointless. These are all technicians, not even a sidearm or boot knife. For a military ship, we are just killing the janitorial staff. So, Webb, Cap, I want you to head to the engines, and well, make a mess. You don¡¯t need me to help with that, just you know, blow a lot of stuff up, well, not the engines, I¡¯ll start making my way to the barracks, and whatever else soldiers they have and maybe say hello.¡±


    Cap shook his head, ¡°We shouldn''t split up, on your own you make an easy target.¡±


    Her mask peeled back, ¡°Yeah, see, I wasn''t asking. And sorry but I am a spy, assassin, sexy badass bitch, who works better alone, and you two stick out like big giant thumbs. So go be thumbs, squash stuff and make lots of noise. You find somewhere defensible and stay there, I make sure nothing too big comes to interfere with either team.¡±


    ¡°I don''t like it. Flash?¡± Cap asked, and in reply Flash lifted the two heavy cannons and clipped them to his shoulder armour. ¡°Yeah, that''s what I figured.¡± Steve unclipped his shield and drew a heavier machine pistol from his holster.


    ¡°Stay safe Yelena.¡± and as her mask slid back, she grinned,


    ¡°See you later crocodiles.¡± and she shimmered and vanished, while Cap shook his head,


    ¡°It¡¯s alligators.¡± and the pair made their way, not as stealthily to the engine rooms.


    The trek to the top floor was easy enough. Yelena had been right, and whatever troops they had on the ship were in more sensitive areas. During a combat situation, the only ones moving about the ship were technicians, repairing or moving equipment. While still military, they were unarmed and Peter felt a small twinge at killing them, plus he reasoned with himself, moving from one area to another, they were expected, and anyone going missing would sound alarms.


    So they snuck along the corridors, using ceilings and walls to pass unsuspecting crew, sneaking through the easily navigated ships and into the alien elevators. Ships needed to be traversable under fire, and amaze would distract crew just as much as an enemy border.


    Nearing the top, the crew became more military in nature, and as they exited the last elevator to the eleventh floor, one below the dek they needed, Venom contacted Yelena for a status update,


    Yeah I split off from those other two, they were such a bore you know


    Yelena, Venom scolded her, this is not the time for jokes nor for heroics. We¡¯re not here to run solo. If you get caught, they will kill you.


    Yes yes, now you sound like my mother, I am fine, and they won''t catch me, you should be thanking me,


    Venom shook his head, Flash, look, I¡¯m sorry okay, you should have said no, and gone with her.


    Flash laughed, yeah, that wasn''t happening, She left before we could, and yeah, Steve is pissed, we¡¯re getting close to the engine now though, give us five and I¡¯ll send an update.


    One moment, bunker down and I¡¯ll get right back to you.


    Venom took Widow''s hand, I might know what I¡¯m doing, but was that stupid or just idiotic?


    Splitting off was definitely dumb, but she did have a point. If she took out the soldiers stationed on the ship, we¡¯ll have an easier job knowing there is no backup coming.


    So yell but give her some slack?


    Threaten to make her move back over to the second warehouse. She was grandstanding, doing her job, but still grandstanding.


    I think that''s banned under the Geneva Convention, nobody should be forced to live with Alexis.


    Venom nodded at Widow, who just shrugged. He felt for his connection to Vonya,


    What the fuck do you think you are doing? You are in so much shit, Yelena. You split the party, and sent them to the engine, while you are doing god knows what. You get back with your team, and you pray they are fine, or so help me


    What, they¡¯re fine, I got this, and you should trust your team more.


    I did, which is why I let you take charge, Unstable, glory seekers who risk their team for their own benefit are not allowed. He lifted his head, If Cap and Webb go into trouble we needed someone who was trained, and that was you.


    Natasha has some words as well, so going to let her chew you out for a bit, maybe you¡¯ll listen to her.


    Venom let go of Widow''s hand, and Talon came over, did the right thing


    No, now we have three teams and no concentrated force. Cap and Flash can''t take the engine room themselves and they have no technical backup in case it goes south. Yelena is off doing gods knows what and also has no backup. We¡¯re stuck, on an alien ship, just the three of us, and if it goes south everyone on Earth suffers. We dont have a giant spaceship to stop this one, we dont have anyone capable of spaceflight,


    So steal it, Peter is a big bad tech wiz, just a bigger suit of armour. Talon suggested


    Venom stopped and looked over at Talon, uh, I didn''t think of that. Dammit.


    Talon patted his head, is okay, Talon smartest one there is as well.


    Wanna hijack a spaceship? And she laughed, and the trio shimmered and vanished.


    Okay, find somewhere to hole up, plans have changed. Yelena, meet up with Cap and Webb and take the engine room. We¡¯re going to take the command deck, and we¡¯re going to be loud this time. Maximum casualties and we need to get everyone away from the control centre as fast as possible.


    Steve must have grabbed Webb''s arm, as he cut into the chatter, can I ask why? Seems awfully risky for something we can''t control,


    That''s the idea. Because we can. I have the ability to take over machines, and with enough time, I should be able to take over the whole ship. Three symbiotes. If Vonya and Webb take over the engines, and I take over the command deck, we can control the entire ship.


    He heard Cap laugh, seriously? And I thought having a red face or becoming a giant green monster was bizarre. Okay, it''s your show Pete. Cap and Webb out.


    Yelena, meet them there, and this time, no detours., Venom looked at Widow, Can she be trusted? And Widow nodded


    Fury had a little side project, but it''s taken care of.


    Venom shook his head. Always the master spy, and being cut free from Sheild hadn¡¯t mellowed him any. In fact, Peter thought he was worse.


    They made their way to the supply closet that Flash and Cap had found, and as they approached Yelena dropped from the ceiling, Venom motioned for the others to go ahead and took her by the arm,


    We don''t go in mad. I''m disappointed in you, and in Fury for giving you orders you felt you couldn''t refuse. In future, if you''re with me, then it''s my orders, as you¡¯re on my team, if that''s an issue then say and leave. There are second and third chances, but we need to trust each other, and I need to know you won''t disappear on me


    Fury wanted intel on their armaments, as we know the Kree have been on Earth before. There are several classified Shield containers with the remains of aliens and their technology. We already have plans to hit them, as Hydra marked them as destroyed.


    Venom shrugged, I know, and if he¡¯d asked, we might have shared that with him


    Wait, you know, about the Kree?


    Venom shook his head, the corridor of a hostile alien shape ship is not the place to be having this conversation. We get everyone ready, and we take this ship. All I want right now is a guarantee that you are on my side.


    Yelena grinned, and she leaned forwards, running her hands down his front, I could split my suit, I know you can control it, and so can I, maybe Natasha doesn''t need to know. Show you just how much I trust you.


    Natasha can hear you dumbass, and if you touch him I will end you.


    Yelena shrugged, so butch, so mother hen, I get it, very sexy, and she blew Venom a kiss, but I guess it''s not to be.

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three-Hundred Fifty-Two. Line In The Sand

    As Yon-Saron and the Starforce boarded their shuttle, unaware that the ship had already been boarded, the forces of Earth prepared to counter the Kree invasion.


    Scott had lifted off with Maria and Fury, and as they approached the upper limit of the Qunijets flight capabilities, Both Cyclops and Vengence exited a top hatch and she wrapped several arms of symbskin around him, anchoring them both to the top of the jet,


    Carol, Emma, and Jean all waited at the meeting point, waiting for the arrival of the Earth''s current enemy. Carol knew the Supreme Intelligence would stop at nothing until the Earth was either theirs or destroyed. The Kree never did anything by half, and this time she would make sure Saron was dead, and the Starforce scattered to the wind.


    ¡°Stephen, this isn¡¯t the time to be stubborn,¡± Wanda said, as she stood in the doorway of the Sanctum.


    ¡°It is, and for good reason.¡± Stephen summoned the cloak of Bloop ¡°I found Wong, and due to interference when we fixed reality. He wasn¡¯t returned back to his original state.¡±


    Wanda furrowed her brow, ¡°He is an enemy now?¡± and Stephen could only nod.


    ¡°I can¡¯t leave the Infinity Stones undefended. Especially against a hostile force that seems intent on taking over the planet.¡± but he smiled and raised his eyebrows, ¡°but, as I will be busy, and the sanctum wards will be monitoring for enemies attacking, then.¡± and he paused,


    ¡°I am free to do what I like if you are busy of course,¡± Wanda said,


    ¡°Of course,¡° he replied with a smile. He took a deep breath, ¡°take care Wanda. I know it¡¯s bad out there, but, it could be a lot worse.¡± he said.


    Wanda pursed her lips and nodded. ¡°I will Stephen¡± and as she walked to the door of the sanctum, and floated from the ground, letting Hexis cover her, ¡°and you too.¡± before she floated out of the door.


    The four members of the Star Force waited patiently in the back of their transport. They had been punished, while Saron had been promoted. A fitting punishment was to send them for re-education, a combination of brainwashing, by the Supreme Intelligence itself, and cybernetic augmentation.


    The removal of organs and superfluous parts without anaesthetic was a good reminder that the Kree were warriors, in body and in soul. Only Yon-Rogg remained whole, the Accuser cult disallowing augmentation of any kind, other than the connection point to converse with the Supreme intelligence itself.


    The pilot had orders to ignore any enemy craft in the air, but its friend or foe systems marked the single jet entering the lower atmosphere and sent its beacon to the cruiser overhead. Once the battle started, it would be the first target for the fighters, and a single jet would prove no match for the might of the Kree Armada.


    Fury noted the ship as it flew past, and while he maintained an active lock on it, he knew it would not go well if he fired. Parker had already notified him to leave that ship alone, that their heavy hitters, Carol, Jean, and Emma would be taking care of it. Concentrate on the smaller craft and make sure nothing gets past to the ground. It was a tough call, but right now, they only had enough Powered to deal with the fallout in the US, other countries were busy scrambling their own heroes and were on their own.


    It wasn''t going to be an easy task, as there were ten large ships, the huge mothership that made a helicarrier look like a kids toy, against one single quinjet.


    Fury had heard the radio chatter, and Shield was caught with its pants down. The Asgardians were just as bad. Nobody had suddenly expected their ranks to be full of traitors, and he had to suppress a laugh as if it hadn¡¯t happened before. He guessed even Alien Coulson didn¡¯t read his report.


    Fighters and troops were being readied, but in the five minutes he figured it would take for the fighting to start, it would be too late if they would be any help at all. He agreed with Parker, this time it was the heavy guns they needed. Troops and the military could help evacuate, but the fighting was on a completely different level now.


    ¡°Hey Fury, sending you some drones. They''re slaved to your fire controls, so they should provide some help, but uh, you break them, your paying for them.¡± Tony said over the comms.


    Fury snorted, ¡°sure, I¡¯ll bill Parker, thanks. How''s it look on the ground?¡±


    ¡°Not good, the cruiser they took out also took out ten blocks, and we¡¯re managing. We have Pepper, Vision, Friday and Jocasta managing ground support, but while they work, we need to keep them safe.¡±


    ¡°I know, but uh, how''s it look up there?¡± Fury had his own radar, but he knew Tony was receiving telemetry from multiple sources, and if anyone still had working satellites it would be him.


    ¡°Not good, the sky¡¯s clear except us and them, and there is a whole lot more of them,¡± Tony replied with a huff,


    ¡°Yeah, fourteen billion dollars worth of satellites gone in a few seconds, they just swept the area with a high-intensity beam and they were gone.¡±


    If Fury had been attacking a planet, he would have done the same. In fact, he would have done a better job and sent fighters over the planet''s atmosphere to take out every single satellite in orbit. The Kree had only cleared the area they were stationed at and had left enough satellites that Stark had repurposed some of them to act as relays, uncaring of whether their owners needed them or not. The population could live without GPS for a few weeks if it meant everyone had cell service and communications were still online.


    ¡°So, tell me straight, how bad?¡±


    ¡°Us plus a hundred drones, it''s bad.¡± Tony replied, ¡°With the government taking most of my stuff, I can send out drones to a few of the worse-off areas, but it¡¯s not enough.¡±


    ¡°Only a foolish insect would admit defeat before Doom has entered the battle.¡± and Fury rolled his eyes,


    ¡°President Doom, so glad you can join us.¡± He said with a hint of sarcasm.


    ¡°Join you? I am defending my embassy, and if that overlaps with the flight plan of your insignificant force, then so be it. Be aware though, that I will not tolerate any debris falling on it. You have been warned.¡± and the channel cut out.


    ¡°I guess Dooms helping, in his own way,¡± Fury noted,


    Tony snorted, ¡°yeah, always a charmer. Good luck and, yeah, if we make it, I think I¡¯ll hold a huge party at Stark tower, make sure you can come.¡±


    As Dooms Doom Bots filled the sky, Tony redirected several of his own drone units out into the other states. Even with the few minutes, it would take them to get there, he could still save lives.


    Fury laughed, ¡°inviting Parker?¡±


    Tony snorted, ¡°That jackass will do something stupid, save the day but probably die and get a big statue. If he lives, I guess I can invite him.¡±


    ¡°Well, now I have to live. Seeing you and Parker in the same room, I wouldn''t  miss that for the world.¡±


    Tony laughed but the com channel shut down. Fury took a breath, ¡°right people, we¡¯re not waiting. I have contacts on multiple fronts, dispatching drones to cover us, Cyclops. Do you best, and Maria, keep him safe, okay.¡±


    Tony patched into the Rescue channel, ¡°how''s it going?¡± He asked Pepper. Sure, she was still salty at him, and he knew it wasn¡¯t for dating Maya, it was for trying to date them both, but this was more important.


    ¡°It¡¯s good,¡± and he heard her grunt as she lifted some debris, ¡°but, yeah, working, do your job, keep us safe,¡± and Pepper cut the line.


    That was the plan, and as the Iron Legion was set to intercept and destroy anything in the air, and he had contacted the Civil aviation authority across the US, there was nothing in the air except Kree ships and everyone already marked as a friendly. He just hoped that it would be enough.


    Streaking up into the atmosphere, Tony set the suit onto full life support, and the God Buster armour slammed around him. This was his baby. Sure he might have lied a little bit and used a small percentage of the vibranium destined for Vision and Jo, but it was worth it. Standing at over 2 meters tall, with enough firepower to make War Machine melt with envy, the God Buster armour was impressive. It was also one of Tony¡¯s alloys, using vibranium as a base, it was much stronger than any of the alloys anyone had produced so far, and the suit was almost indestructible.


    As the four arc reactors on the back whined and lit up, and the four massive pylons split away and formed a defensive shield around him, Tony grinned, Wait till I can brag to Parker about this. ¡°Holliday. Set all cameras to record. The public should see just how amazing I am.¡±


    As the fighters from the cruisers poured out, huge orange beams of repulsor energy arced out, sweeping the area and taking out dozens of ships.


    ¡°They¡¯re starting their run, Fury. Get ready.¡± He broadcast and got the ready signal back. He could stop some, but it would still be up to the rest to finish the job.


    The quinjet backed as fire from a fighter streaked past, and as the radar on the quinjet slowly filled with red dots, Fury knew the battle had begun.


    Small fighter craft, one man with light armaments streaked past them, and Cyclops made short work of them. They had no shields and even hitting them with just the concussive blast stalled them out.


    These were the simplest of ships, an engine, two guns and not much else, and even as the pair were jostled and twisted by Fury''s evasive manoeuvres, they remained stoic in their talk.


    It seemed like hundreds were pouring from the ships like angry insects, and even in the distance, Scott could see explosions as the ships engaged Doombots and the Iron Legion alike.


    The sky was filled with whistling craft as they streaked past, trying to launch their payloads at the ground. Their orders were to cause devastation but not to destroy. The Kree empire needed new slaves for its war efforts, and if the humans had managed to manifest stable powers, then they would be perfect if they needed to be disposed of first.


    The single craft launched its own missiles, and chaff and flares streaked away as missiles exploded nearby, but nothing touched the ship. Even the small debris that peppered Cyclops was held at bay as Vengenace kept a watchful eye on what was coming close enough to hurt him.


    He even saw Wanda over in the distance, grabbing ships out of the sky with her powers, crushing them into balls and setting them down in Central Park before flying off to deflect a large blue blast back across the atmosphere.


    Cyclops was aware he was an Omega Augment, but it was still impressive with another flexed with X-Gene and showed the world what they were truly capable of.


    ¡°Hey, can you link to my HUD? This might be easier if I had another set of eyes.¡± He asked, and as Maria had already sunk several tendrils into the hull of the ship, it was easy enough to tap into its systems, ¡°thanks.¡±


    The small map in his lent lit up, and he almost choked as hundred of dots suddenly appeared, covering the entire sky, ¡°filter, all enemy within 1 kilometre.¡± As the map changed. It was still over a hundred ships, and the task seemed daunting.


    ¡°Hey Hill,¡± and she raised an eyebrow, he never called her that, preferring to say her name, ¡°marry me once this is over yeah?¡±


    ¡°Not the question I was looking for,¡± she replied.


    ¡°You said to be fearless, so yeah, once this is over, we¡¯re getting married.¡±


    Maria snorted, ¡°figured I¡¯d have to ask you, so sure. City hall though, try and get me in of those meringue things, and I¡¯ll gut you.¡±


    ¡°Sure¡± and as a ship began its attack run, Cyclops let a beam of red energy blast forwards and it exploded,


    ¡°You know, the hero usually dies after something like that,¡±


    Cyclops laughed, ¡°yeah, this isn''t a movie, and if I died, you¡¯d kill me.¡±

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three-Hundred Fifty-Three. Broken

    Queen Freya sat on her throne, picking up grapes and throwing them through a hole in space, to where a giggling Loki was catching them in her mouth. Freya would lift one, kiss it and then aim it at Loki who was weaving back and forwards, laughing as she caught and ate each one.


    ¡°I wish you could come home,¡± Freya said sighing.


    ¡°I know but we¡¯re almost finished here. Earth has accepted most of our agreements, there are just a few holdouts.¡± Loki replied, sitting back down on the bed in her quarters. ¡°Once the treaty is signed by the United States then the rest will fall in line.¡±


    Their relationship was known amongst the Skrulls, but for appearance''s sake, they kept it hidden. The Asgardians were slowly warming to Loki taking over, and with Thor missing, she was next in line after Freya.


    Freya heard the beeping, ¡°Work?¡± and Loki nodded.


    ¡°Long-range communication from the outer monitoring station.¡± Loki leaned over and her face fell. ¡°I have to go, An enemy force has arrived in the system. Portal to the bridge in one hour. I will have more information then¡±


    Freya nodded, and the space tear closed. Tilting her head, she summoned Lady Sif, the head of her guards.


    ¡°I have received word that our forces around Earth are under attack. Prepare a dark matter bridge to Earth, we may need to send reinforcements.¡± Freya commanded.


    After the idiots of the galaxy had destroyed the rainbow bridge, Heimdall had used both the Power Stone and the Space Stone to repair the damage but it had taken a heavy toll. Already injured from the explosion he was retired and took more and more time on his own.


    A new Asgardian watcher had been assigned, Skurge, and while the bridge was stable, it was easier for Skurge to use Dark energy. Instead of the Space Stone, which Loki kept with her at all times, the Power Stone sat under the newly constructed Eye of Asgard chamber.


    Lady Sif saluted and left, leaving Freya to sit on her throne. It was the longest hour of her life, tapping her finger on the arm of her throne. She eyed and picked at the grapes but was in no mood to eat. She read reports on the deployment of Asgardian forces but the worry gnawed at her insides. If they had made it to Earth, was their token force there large enough to repel a force of any size. Especially if it was the Kree.


    As the hour slowly ticked past, Freya hurriedly opened a spacial tear, ¡°Loki?¡±


    Loki was sat in the command chair of their cruiser. The stolen research vessel was the largest ship they had, even if it was Kree. ¡°Freya. It is the Kree. We are mustering our forces right now, and they have made-¡±


    The spacial tear spewed out a blast of hot gas and flames, blowing Freya from her throne and across the room.


    Freya lifted herself, seeing the throne room was now in shambles, her guards fought with the normally regal curtains, now engulfed in flames and threatening to choke the occupants with thick black smoke.


    Freya could see the spacial tear and watched in horror as not just the ship falling, but streaks of energy headed towards the planet. The Kree had attacked and destroyed the  Skrull mothership. As a bright beam of light streaked dangerously close to the tear, Freya quickly closed it, scrambling backwards as its energy bled into the room.


    Sitting, huddled against a wall, she shook her head, this wasn''t happening, this couldn''t be happening. Veranke was leading their forces to victory, only Earth and the Kree homeworld remained, and while there was token fighting, the galaxy was at peace.


    Freya felt the sharp pain of anguish in her chest, it was Veranke that persuaded her to give up on her foolish quest, that a family was who you chose to be with, and that with Odin and Freya quietly dealt with she could start fresh, with her.


    They had made plans, they had giggled and laughed as they schemed and plotted. A new homeworld for the Skrulls, Queen Freya would quietly retire to Earth, and Loki would rule in her place, the pair switching back, and Veranke could be Loki''s official bride. It was perfect, and it had been working.


    Only the Kree had resisted, as they always did, and fled into the outer rings. Hiding and conducting raids on any peaceful civilised planet. Their government brushed off their attacks as rebels.


    Once earth had been brought into the fold, the next step would have been to annihilate that stupid planet and the idiots living on it once and for all. Neither Loki nor Veranke had any qualms about annihilating a race if they proved to be too genocidal. And the Kree certainly were.


    They had attacked Xandar, and it was only luck that saved them. If Ronan had been smarter, and not outwitted by one of the dumbest people Loki had ever met, the planet would have been destroyed in its entirety. The Power Stone was not something to be trifled with, and even Loki and Veranke feared its true power.


    But now it was over. Veranke was gone, and Loki curled her legs against her chest and sobbed as she buried her face between her knees. No, wait, she thought and ignoring the guards struggling to bring fires back under control she ran to her chambers.


    There she found the book. It was the book of Asgardian history and she hurriedly flicked through the pages. This one spot was worn, and the book almost fell open at its page,


    ¡°If all seven are united, then the will of the bears can alter the fates of the universe itself.¡±


    Loki shimmered back into her own form, uncaring any longer about the ruse. And she took a breath.


    Her original plan was to alter the past. She would change Odin''s decision and remain with her Jotun family, but now. Now she would gather and use the stones to revive Veranke.


    Holing the book to her chest, ¡°I will save you my love¡± she said, and as she grit her teeth, ¡°no matter the cost.¡±


    Loki stood, and stared at the boo9k, she threw it onto her bed and shimmered once more, taking on Freyas form, ¡°I have the Space Stone,¡± she said to herself as she tapped the bright blue gem around her throat, and a portal opened.


    Skurge was standing, with two very attractive Asgardian ladies, ¡°behold.¡± he announced to the giggling pair, ¡°My Stuff.¡± and he swept an arm around, showing off the piles of junk from various worlds he had taken a fancy to. ¡°Now you see, I dont just-¡± but he froze as a very angry looking Freya stepped through a portal in front of him.


    ¡°Leave or perish,¡± she announced and the two ladies took one look at the angry Freya, owed and fled.


    ¡°My Queen, it is an unexpected,¡± but Freya stepped forwards, summoned a portal behind him and pushed him through it.¡± she had thought of somewhere at random, and had no care if he was still alive or not.


    A new portal spilt and sliding her hand through it she grabbed the purple gem from its holder under the Eye¡¯s floating platform.


    Screaming in pain, she let the gem go and stared at the burned and mangled hand.


    Cursing she remembered that the stones would amplify their power and that the Power Stone required a suitable container to safely wield it.


    Another portal opened and Loki was stood in the Asgardian vaults. Where her father kept not just the most dangerous items he had taken, but his spoils of war.


    As Loki searched, ignoring the pale white casket and large suits of armour she finally found what she was looking for.


    It was a gaudy giant golden gauntlet with six spaces on the back, forged aeons ago and now sitting unused. Sliding it on it hung over her arm, having been made for someone much larger than herself.


    Stupid, it''s too big, and she eyed around the chamber once more.


    Over the millennia hundreds had sought the stones and had forged their own containers, boxes, bracelets, gloves, suits of armour, and finally. A necklace, with six empty ovals.


    ¡°This is perfect,¡± she said, lifting it and as she slid off the necklace with the space stone it vibrated slightly and was sucked onto the new one, sitting at the right-hand end.


    It was uru, forged by an ancient Asgardian queen for this very purpose, and she had been killed before collecting all six stones. It was her legend that Loki had first read about the Stones, and it was her quest that Loki had followed.


    As she conjured another portal, this time she levitated the stone and as it hovered near the necklace it too was sucked into place, occupying the slot at the opposite end. Loki felt a twinge of pain as its power, although still muted, tried to flow into her.


    Crying out in pain, she fell to her knees, and the pulse and blue streaks of energy coursed her skin. Her eyes flashed and glowed both blue and purple but as she screamed in anger, the light faded and she was left panting on the floor of the armoury.


    It didn''t matter, she would collect each stone in turn and revive her love. Nothing mattered, nothing was more important than saving Veranke, not even her own life.


    Loki cursed as the power from both stones flowed through her. She could connect to both, and use the Power Stone to empower the Space Stone. She was connected to every point in the galaxy, and every cell in her body screamed in agony as they tried to remain whole under the pressure.


    She could feel them, the Soul Stone was on a distant dead world, the Mind Stone was on Earth, and the Time and Reality stones flickered in and out of her perception.


    Anyone else would have failed to locate them, but Loki was gifted and well versed in magic. She knew they were on Earth and were being held behind powerful wards, their flickering told her they were dimensionally locked, and that a powerful magician was responsible. But even the Earthen magic could not stop her from locating them, or from taking what was hers. No matter who got in her way.


    As she tried to narrow down her search the power of the Space Stone tore at her and a small part of her vanished, as her fingers bled and unravelled she pulled back the power and contained it within the necklace once more. Two fingers were a small sacrifice for her love.


    She now had two locations to gather the final four stones. All she needed was to get to them.


    With the knowledge of their locations, she summoned her guards and began to plan.


    Shimmering as Freya burst back. She summoned the last of her captains, and the Warriors Three and Lady Sif stood before her.


    Queen Freya stood in front of her throne.


    ¡°Hear our Royal Decree.¡± and summoning a scroll, she began to read.


    ¡°The murder of Loki is a crime we cannot excuse. To attack and murder a member of the royal family is to attack the heart of Asgard.¡±


    Lady Sif stiffened and had been very vocal about blaming the Kree for the disappearance of Thor, whose ship had gone missing close to a Kree outpost. With no evidence, the Kree had denied all knowledge of his whereabouts. But now they had received official word from the Kree about the reclamation of Earth, and Asgard had been ordered to retreat from what was now, under galactic law, a Kree world. However, the destruction of the cruiser and the death of Loki was a war crime, and Asgard was free once more to act.


    ¡°Lay waste to their homeworld, lay waste to their colonies. Any who resist are traitors, and all who resist shall perish. The Kree think themselves above all, You shall show them that Asgard¡¯s power is absolute.¡±


    Nothing would stop her, nobody would dissuade her from bringing back the one person she cared about. Even if she had to destroy them all, nothing was as important as Veranke.

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three-Hundred Fifty-Four. The Gravity Of The Situation

    The shuttle landed and Yon-Rogg and his Star Force calmly walked out. He smirked as he saw Carol standing alone. He motioned and Att-Lass and Minn-Erva took off, landing on a nearby building, and Carol could see them unpacking pulse rifles, scanning the area in their little sniper''s nests.


    Jean and Emma had both stayed hidden. It was more prudent to see if Yon-Rogg would reveal the Kree¡¯s intentions rather than forcing a fight, and Carol on her own should get him to relax his guard.


    While she didn¡¯t want to admit it, their time together did forge a strong bond, and his betrayal and the betrayal of the Supreme Intelligence still stung. They had fought, and it was that bond that made her spare him, but this time, there would be no second chances.


    ¡°Vers. So glad of you to see reason. Tell your forces to stand down, and nobody else will get hurt.¡± Yon said, Stood holding Ronan''s hammer. He was in full Accuser garb, covered head to foot in its thick grey plates, with the typical black markings down his face. She saw the two gravity gauntlets he used strapped to each forearm. He was here for war, not for talking.


    ¡°You can''t resist this time. We know you can try, but you also know this is all fair and legal. We have been here before, we presented evidence to the Asgardians. The Earth is Kree territory.¡± and Yon smirked as he pointed up, ¡°the Asgardian fleet is slowly moving out of the atmosphere. You know they are leaving you to your fate.¡±


    He motioned to the remaining two Star Force, Korath and Bron-Char, who fired up flight packs and flew off. ¡°So, Vers. How about we watch, watch as, unlike last time, our forces obliterate your puny resistance.¡±


    Yon touched the communications drive on his wrist, ¡°destroy the fighter, destroy the island, destroy that idiot calling himself Doom, oh and that red metal  moron as well.¡± and he smiled smugly, ¡°And destroy the outpost.¡±


    The sky lit up briefly, and four energy bolts could be seen streaking across the sky,


    Yon sat on a piece of rubble, torn from the initial bombardment, ¡°You know Vers. I was considering sparing your little planet. We did so many things when we were the last here, so much to save. A fresh batch of soldiers, and you even created a nice little control collar for us, we dont even have to touch your filthy minds with the Supreme Intelligence.¡±


    He looked up at the red beam streaking across the sky, destroying the beams falling from his support cruisers, ¡°but, then I realised that this place was abandoned for a reason. We need to break you first. You need to be reminded that we are the superior species, The Skrulls fell, the Xandarians fell, and once we take over this world the Asgardians will fall. It¡¯s inevitable.¡± Yon lifted his wrist device,


    ¡°New orders, maximum bombardment, target organic matter only, ¡° and he furrowed his brown, ¡°On second thoughts, we dont need everyone to survive, full scorch, maximum spread.¡± and he laughed, and walked over to Carol, ¡°see, we found the vibranium meteor records, and as long as we use a low enough yield, it¡¯ll survive. Everything else is just.¡± and he paid and leaned forwards ¡°embarrassing.¡±


    Now she knew his plan and spread it through the rest of the symbiotes she was done listening to his bullshit. It was the normal Kree xenophobic, egotistical nonsense, considering they had been kicked down more often than they had won.


    Carol drew in a deep breath and huffed it out, feeling the photon force flowing through her. Ravage giggled within her as the power flowed through them once more.


    ¡°The only person who¡¯s going to get hurt is you, you asshole.¡± Ravage spread over her, and as her form lit up, her maw split and she hissed at Yon.


    He looked surprised, ¡°Oh, so you have one of them. And you finally shed the last of the Supreme Intelligence. You debase yourself. We offered you glory, and you are now,¡± and he waved  a hand dismissively at her, ¡°this thing.¡±


    ¡°Talk all you want. We¡¯re still going to kick your asses.¡±


    Carol raged once more. That smug stupid grin of his, that condescending attitude, and that superiority complex that made her beat his ass the last time. All rolled into another package.


    ¡°You know,¡± she said cracking her knuckles, ¡°that hat makes you look like a dick with a rubber over it.¡± and as she flew at Yon, knocked him flying. As he crashed into the front of a store, she stood and clicked on her earpiece.


    ¡°Emma, Jean, take out the two snipers. Leave Yon to me. Tony, we have two hostiles in the area. No contact but warned, they have orders to engage.¡±


    She heard the click of an affirmative over her headset, and leant back, taking a stance and lifting her fists.


    Yon stood and rubbed his jaw. Brushing the dust and debris from his armour, ¡°So, not as hard as last time. Maybe being bonded to that thing makes you weak. You can still come back. Just give up, let go, Conform. Obey¡± but he never finished.


    Ravage blasted him, and followed with a punch to the stomach and then an uppercut, lifting him off his feet.


    ¡°Comply with me putting my foot up your ass.¡± and with a roar, she launched herself at him once more.


    Jean and Emma felt for the alien minds in the city and found the two snipers deployed behind some kind of energy field. It was designed to protect them from front attacks, and while it would have been perfect, the two women looked at each other, shrugged and simply shattered the guns in their hands and lifted them from the rooftop.


    ¡°Uh, so what now? I mean, nobody said what we do with them?¡± Jean asked and Emma just smiled,


    ¡°Oops,¡± she said, ¡°I guess I need more training¡± and Att-Lass screamed as he plummeted to the ground, unable to get his low altitude jet pack to work. ¡°So?¡± and Emma raised an eyebrow at Jean.


    ¡°I,¡± and she sighed, ¡°I cant.¡± Emma floats over as the panicking Minn-Erva looked at her.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine darling, Look.¡± she pulls Jean into a hug, and then away from her, ¡°not everyone is a killer.¡± then, she leaned forwards and french kissed Jean, and as her concentration slipped, Minn-Erva plummeted as well. ¡°Oh dear. Who would have thought a kiss from little old me would have that effect.¡± and she smirked as the pair floated apart.


    ¡°I, I didn''t¡± and Jean looked at the broken and bleeding corpse of Minn-Erva, ¡°I, no.¡±


    Emma tutted, ¡°and you didn''t. Your momentary lapse let your powers slip. Hasn¡¯t Peter been warning you that when you get unstable you might lose control. Well.¡± and she motioned down at the ground. ¡°Jean. go home, get into whatever little shelter Peter has in place and protect your home. Nobody will fault you if you can¡¯t.¡± Emma began to float up, ¡°Peter won¡¯t hate you if you won¡¯t kill.¡±


    Jean clenched her fist, ¡°I, I just can¡¯t¡± and as she squeezed her eyes shut, Emma placed her hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°Go home. Protect the people you love. Leave the trash to us.¡± and Jean nods,


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    Jean, this is Shuri, please. I need help.


    Tears fill her eyes as Shuri explains, and her normally pure yellow, golden aura flares into red, and tinges black. As her hair darkens, Emma steps back and is forced to raise a shield against the heat


    ¡°How DARE they!¡± Helios roared, and took to the skies, blasting away, leaving a fiery trail behind her.


    ¡°Well,¡° Emma said looking over at Yon, ¡°I have no idea what you did, but she is not someone you really want to make angry.¡± Emma lifts back up, ¡°deal with him, I¡¯ll find the other two.¡± and she flies off as well.


    ¡°You killed a lot of people we care about.¡± Ravage says, two blades sliding from each arm, ¡°and this time there is only one message to send to the Kree. Invade Earth and die.¡±


    Yon laughed, ¡°Oh Vers, you never learn do you.¡± and he held out Ronan''s hammer. ¡°You think we didn¡¯t record your little stunt.¡±


    The head of the hammer glows purple for a moment before it crumbles into dust and the energy flows down cables and into the gauntlets covering Yon''s arms,


    ¡°We know it was the Space Stone. Mar-Vel worked for us before she became soft.¡± and there was a thrumm as the gauntlets powered on, sending forks of purple energy crackling over them. ¡°And the best way to destroy one stone¡± and he lifted his fists and motioned her to attack, ¡°is to use another.¡±


    As Ravage sped towards him he punched well before she got to him but from the gauntlet. The air seemed to shimmer as space warps and she felt a shock wave push her back and then impact her body. Flying back, it was her turn to crash into a building, and she grasped at her ribs as the pain flared.


    ¡°Gravity, the bending of space-time, resulting in the mass of an object becoming heavier. Your photon powers won''t work. I can stop you as easily as I can breathe.¡± he said with a smug grin, ¡°and I really am looking forwards to this.¡±


    He leapt at her, thrusting his fist down, and she saw the space around it bend once more, pushing the gravity wave towards her. She felt the power flow through her and leapt, trying to fly but she was slow and much heavier and the wave slammed into her and into the building behind her, crushing her against it.


    ¡°Vers. Vers. Vers.¡± he said as he sighed, ¡°What did I just say?¡± he said as he crouched over her, ¡°Gravity. Did you not listen?¡± and he stood, and walked a few steps away, ¡°You know. I had hoped that you would put up more of a fight. I mean,¡± and as Ravage stood and roared at him, ¡°this is just pathetic.¡±


    Turning and raising both hands both gauntlets fired once more and a double wave hit her, pushing her back through the wall and into the building. It was an empty store, already evacuated due to the protests and she crashed through hangers of clothing.


    Ravage gasps in pain as she stands and her powers ignite the clothing around in. burning it into ash. Binary was the only way here, and with those gravity gauntlets, she needed to be smart, not powerful.


    ¡°You see.¡± as Yon walked into the ruined store, ¡°this is the true power of the Kree. We take what we want, we do what we want.¡± and as Ravage wiped the blood from her mouth with the back of his hand, she watched as he raised his arms in victory, ¡°We are the superior species.¡± and bringing his arms together once more he fired a blast of distorted gravity at her.


    Crouching low, she braced and crossed both arms in front of her face. Even then, she was still blasted back, but she saw the small intake as the heavy wave blasted at her and dragged the clothes with it.


    He can only warp space in front of him and has to drag it from somewhere.


    I can use that, Ravage thought to herself, but sorry, it¡¯s gonna hurt.


    Ravage dived through a wall, uncaring this time about property damage. She needed to be out in the street, where she could see Yon, and keep him occupied.


    ¡°There is no use Vers. You can¡¯t run from me.¡± and she dived away as the wall she had just broken through exploded outwards, covering her and the street in crumbled brick and plaster.


    ¡°Who said I¡¯m running, you big blue asshole.¡± and two beams struck out, as Ravage crouched on the sidewalk.


    Yon crossed his arms, and the space warped, sending each beam spinning off at an angle around him,


    He sighed, ¡°I honestly thought I trained you better than that. Did you not listen. Gra-Vi-Tee,¡± he spelt out, ¡°I¡¯m disappointed.¡± and as he raised his arms once more, she smirked,


    ¡°No, you¡¯re a disappointment.¡± and as he looked down, two symbskin tendrils had hold of each wrist, and pulled them down as he fired.


    As the gravity wave blasted into the concrete at his feet he was blasted upwards by the pushback, and with Ravage holding him, she whipped him into the building and then followed through with a double-fisted charge to his back. Smashing them both into the second floor of the store.


    Yon struggled upside down to free himself but as Ravage wasn¡¯t as gifted as her sisters she opted for the easier option and the two gauntlets sparked at his wrist. She wasn¡¯t a gifted technopath, but she could still break stuff.


    ¡°Aww. See. I don¡¯t like gravity. It just brings you down.¡± and he rolled his eyes at her.

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three-Hundred Fifty-Five. Scorched Earth

    As the three teams prepared themselves, Peter led the forces on the Kree¡¯s main battle cruiser. Elektra headed to Wakanda with Nakia and Bucky.


    She had marvelled at the city but composed herself as she saw the assembling army. Bucky had shown Shuri his assault rifle and as she shook his head, she instructed Nakia to take him to the armoury. A weapon like that was effective, but not effective enough, as the sensors showed the Kree dropping gun emplacements.


    ¡°Uh, Why are they here?¡± Elektra asked as warriors wrapped in thick white pelts began to muster on the grounds outside the city. Elektra had heard about Peter''s fight with M¡¯Baku and then Shuri''s.


    Shuri looked up, as she walked past another Dora Milaje, ¡°they are here to bring honour back to their tribe. They will advance first and will die first.


    ¡°Still, seems kinda, I dunno, stupid. What if they betray us?¡±


    Shuri laughed, ¡°then they would still be first to die. We have gun emplacements to bombard those turrets, and fighters to provide air support.¡± Shuri paused, ¡°but, you do not understand. You must know that to some, honour is everything, and M¡¯Baku did not speak for the whole tribe. They are proud warriors, and he did them an injustice. To shed blood to reclaim that honour means everything.¡±


    Elektra shrugged, as Stick had tried to teach her the same lesson. Honour was nothing, and it meant nothing if you were dead.


    ¡°Bucky seems happy,¡± she said in passing, as he lifted a plasma rifle, with an underslung fusion grenade launcher. It looked like something from a sci-fi movie that Felicia loved. Sleek, long with a pulsing blue light on top, hooked into the shoulder of his right arm, and then into an arcstar reactor set into a shoulder harness.


    ¡°We also have some weapons for you, if you would like?¡± Shuri motioned at the weapons rack, but Elektra shook her head,


    As Hades covered her, in the thick armour, and the harness that Liv had designed spread out, covering her in the mark two, a long sword slid out of her arm,


    ¡°I''m good thanks¡± and Shuri laughed, letting Jahlia cover her in the same.


    As the pair made their way to the command tent, set in front of the great plains surrounding the city, they could hear the fighters are they flew overhead,


    ¡°Are you sure they will attack here?¡± Elektra asked, and Shuri nodded,


    ¡°While I am not happy to admit this. Wakanda is old abandoned Kree technology. This is the one palace on Earth we are guaranteed they will attack. They will want the city, and the resources it holds.¡±


    Elektra nodded, knowing that wasn''t the whole truth, but it was as much as she was going to get. The capital needed to be defended, and at all costs.


    As Shuri called up a map of the area outside the capital''s energy shield, Elektra got her first good look at the devastation the initial bombardment had made.


    While there were blackened scorch marks everywhere, she could see the sun glinting off shards of glass, monuments to the impact of the initial blast, fussing the sand into beautiful spires of destruction.


    It was a shock as she read the report flashing across the screen.


    Of the 1.2 billion people that lived in Africa, there were no more than 3 or 4 million survivors, and without aid, they wouldn''t last.


    Shuri swept away the casualty reports, ¡°unless we defend Wakanda, there is nothing we can do for them.¡± but Elektra could see the hatred and pain on her face,


    ¡°They might not know about our defences, but they do know that we are sleeping a watchful eye on them, our satellites have been scanned but so far, our defences have not been breached.¡± Shuri pointed to the positions the Kree soldiers were taking


    Elektra frowned, ¡°You have satellites capable of defending themselves?¡±


    Shuri laughed, ¡°we have had satellites in the sky since the beginning of the last century, and right now, they are keeping communications around the globe open.¡± Shuri touched a holographic display, ¡°here, here and here, but, as you can see, they have triangulated that we are monitoring them and that we are much more formidable than the rest of the planet. We have shared access with Stark, and allowed him to piggyback our signals onto his own network.¡±


    Elektra watched as two cruisers split off from the group and stationed themselves over Africa ¡°that was an hour ago, and they began to mass ground troops. They know our shields are as good as theirs, and they also know that a sustained attack, on one shield sector will eventually collapse them.¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah,¡± Elektra said, staring at the display, ¡°but what does that actually mean.¡±


    Bucky arrived, ¡°that we should actively overload that grid, safely so we can set it back on once we let about, maybe half their forces through, then, we crush them and let whoever is taking out those cruisers go to work.¡± and he hoisted the pulse rifle on his shoulder, ¡°Do I know you?¡± he said, to the pair of men approaching


    ¡°Nah, but you will. Kilmonger.¡± and Erik held out his hand for Bucky to shake,


    ¡°Yeah. Erik Stevens, Serial number 445682123. Confirmed kills 124, alleged kills 245. Priority, lethal, approach with caution. Optimal method of execution using subterfuge and lethal traps.¡±


    Elektra stared at him, ¡°well, that wasn''t creepy at all.¡±


    Bucky rubbed the back of his head, ¡°yeah sorry, the programming kicks in sometimes when I meet a known hostile, so uh, sorry.¡±


    Erik just laughed, ¡°Nah, I''m good, nice to know Hydra kept tabs on me. Oh, and it''s 257 kills. You know,¡±


    Shuri rolled her eyes, ¡°Brother, are the tribes and the Dora Milaje Ready?¡± and T¡¯Challa nodded.


    ¡°You however are Queen and unsuited to be here. I want you to return to the palace, and coordinate form there.¡±


    Shuri huffed, ¡°and you are to lead our forces to victory?¡±


    T¡¯Challa shrugged, ¡°You cannot argue Sister. Only you can control the cities defences unless you wish Elektra to do it,¡±


    Shuri looked over at Elektra, and frowned, ¡°No offence Miss Nachios, but my brother is right. While you possess the means, I cannot allow an outsider to access our systems, even if Peter gifted her a Symbiote.¡± but Elektra wasn''t offended,


    ¡°I am here to fight, not sit around. Show me to your close-quarter fighters, and the people I am to fight next to. You can stay here/¡±


    Shuri nodded, ¡°Brother, do not die, or I will kill you myself.¡±


    T¡¯Challa laughed and crossed his arms over his chest, ¡°Wakanda forever.¡±


    Shuri nodded, and under escort made her way back to the Royal chambers where Jhalia spread from her and allowed her to connect to the city.


    Once Shuri had left, the white gorilla elder approached, ¡°M¡¯Baku is willing to lead the charge, but he wishes his banishment revered.¡±


    T¡¯Challa looked over at Nakia, who was talking with Bucky and Elektra, pointing out the difference between Kree troops, and their ground assault vehicles. As T¡¯Challa caught his eye, Erik sneered and shrugged almost imperceptively.


    ¡°If M¡¯Baku can hold his line, and if he proves himself worthy of bearing the white gorilla mantle, then we shall see about receding Shuri¡¯s order¡± and T¡¯Challa pulled the elder closer, ¡°but remind him that he has no claim on Shuri or her throne, and the next time, I will make sure the break is clean and that his head is on a pike outside the palace.¡±


    The Elder barely hid his disdain but nodded, and crossed his arms, Wakanda forever¡± before heading to the gathering of Tribes.


    ¡°All citizens, this is a final warning. Wakanda is under attack. Report immediately to the nearest shelter and remain there until the all clear is given. We will prevail. We will stand against all invaders, Wakanda has weathered the storms of the past, and these foes shall break against our iron spirit. Wakanda Forever!¡± Shuri announced over the PA and kept watch as the remaining few citizens hurried to the underground bunkers.


    Once they were seeled, there were only Soldiers left in the city, and the standing order was to defend it at all cost. Kill on sight, and give no quarter to the invader.


    The battle plan was set, and the armies of the Kree and the Wakandan approached each other.


    At this distance, they could see the energy pulses impacting one section of the shield, but they would wait, the main army would hold back, giving the impression they were still preparing, while the white gorilla tribe would move forwards in apparent disarray. It was faked. The massive warriors of the tribe prized themselves on their huge frames, and while M¡¯Baku was the largest, he was not an exception.


    With massive spears they found far apart, giving them space to swing widely, and all they needed was the signal. Each warrior waited in anticipation. This was the most dangerous part of any battle, and many would not survive, but those that did would earn glory forth the White Gorilla, and its return to POwer.


    M¡¯Baku stood at the front, and his massive spear was the size of a normal man. He raised it above his head, ¡°WAKANDA, WAKANDA,¡± he yelled and his troops began to chant with him.


    Over his earpiece, he heard the signal being given, and on cue, a section of generator sparked and failed, right where the bulk of the Kree army was trying to break through.


    ¡°FOR THE WHITE GORILLA!¡± He yelled and with a ¡®WHOOO-AHHH¡¯ he and his men charged forwards before the Kree could capitalise on the supposed breach in the shield.


    It was brute against brute. The Kree were heavily armoured, larger and stronger than a human, but against the White Gorilla tribe, with their heavy training and thick vibranuim spears, they were evenly matched.


    Overhead, fighters engaged with each other, and smaller single fighter craft whizzed by as neither side could dominate the skies.


    Bucky wasn''t about to get into close combat with someone almost twice his size. Instead, he set up a Wakanda energy barrier and took shots at individuals, targetted gun emplacements with grenades and kept the battle lines intact by suppressing seak attacks from energy forces. Shuri had a display slaved to his bunker, and he could see in real-time where the forces were heading, and evade any fighter fire trying to take out his position.


    Elektra was in the thick of it. Even with their superior strength, they were nothing to the Enhanced and host. A thick double-handed adamantium blade made short work of armour, and the Extremis heated edge took care of the flesh underneath.


    She danced and spun, allowing the White Gorilla tribe to deliver killing blows to incapacitated foes before moving on. With the two Enhanced facing them, the Kree forces were being pushed back.


    Bucky saw the tide of battle turning, ¡°Nope, gonna have to pull back. You are almost back to the shield.¡±


    M¡¯Baku roared, ¡°A coward flees when they are winning. We shall slaughter them to the last¡±


    Bucky shook his head, ¡°Yeah, good luck once you get in range of those turrets. That''s a fortified defensive line.¡± and as he raised his rifle and took a shot, sending a Kree soldier spinning, Elektra finished him with a decapitation.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t no arguing with a desperate man, Barnes,¡± Erik said as she slid down behind the shield. ¡°He¡¯s got too much to prove.¡±


    Bucky nodded, ¡°Elektra, pull back. You are ten meters away from being within range,¡± and he paused ¡°maybe, from the size they might,¡± and he was rewarded with an explosion.


    The cannons were now firing on the White Gorilla warriors, huge blasts of energy that dissolved flesh into ash with a single shot.


    ¡°All units fall back, you won¡¯t last against those cannons,¡± he ordered over the comms channel but still they charged on.


    Elektra bounded back over and ducked behind the barrier with the others, ¡°They won¡¯t listen. It¡¯s an ancient warrior honour code.¡± but they were doing better than expected.


    The cannons were anti-aircraft emplacements, and while they could fire down, it was designed to lock on and track aircraft. The initial surprise wore off, and now the seasoned fighters were running in random patterns, throwing their spears when they were close enough, and targeting not the guns themselves but the generators behind them.


    Close enough, over twenty White Gorila warriors made it to the emplacements, and emboldened, the Wakandan fighters began to overpower the Kree. With no ground support, they were now the more manoeuvrable fighters in the sky.


    ¡°Yup, We¡¯re winning. Most of the. One Second.¡± Bucky paused and looked up. He lifted binoculars and his face paled. ¡°Take cover, take cover now!¡±


    On a direct path to the gap in the shield was a large ship. It wasn''t one of the cruisers from orbit, and looked smaller but boxier, like a supply ship.¡±Shuri, it''s a bomber. Get that section of shield up.¡±


    Shuri looked over her screen. ¡°We can¡¯t. The failure was not a pretence. We had to destroy one of the grids to make it believable.¡±


    She covered her eyes as there was a flash and the shield outside the city was obscured by smoke and flames. As her sensors came back online, she saw the devastation.


    Jean, this is Shuri, please. I need help.


    They hadn¡¯t bombed the city. They had sent a suicide ship to impact against it, and everything outside the capital was gone.

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three-Hundred Fifty-Six. The Omega Man

    As the two groups made their way through the ship, they began to remove anyone that got in their way. They were at the last elevator before heading up to the command deck, and Venom wanted one last update before they started their assault.


    Webb? And he felt Cap join their conversation, So what''s the plan. Even if we take this ship, we¡¯ll be overrun eventually. Six against six thousand won''t cut it. Even if you do take control, we still have soldiers aboard, and they have a lot of guns.


    Peter took a breath and paused, with a small grin on his face, You have the engines right?


    There was a small pause, yeah, but we can''t do much.


    Cut all power to the ship, and seal all the doors. Trap everyone. Go onto full lockdown and give it enough power to stop us from crashing into the planet.


    Webb cut in, uh, and what¡¯ll that do?


    Shut off the air, the artificial gravity, the lights, everything, power the ship down and they¡¯ll either suffocate or freeze. they can fight that rather than us.


    Shit Pete, I mean.


    No, They won''t listen, they won''t back down. Everything is gone Flash. They are all dead, right now it''s us against however many cruisers they have. The ground forces can¡¯t fight a ship this size. Either we do this, or they win. And if they win we¡¯re all dead.


    Flash was silent, Cap won''t make it.


    He will, being cold isn¡¯t an issue and as long as you and Yelena use Webb and Vonya to breathe you give him more oxygen. Stay sealed in there and kill anyone who tries anything.


    He¡¯d been getting updates from anyone telepathic, with the mind stone he could just connect himself and them together. He heard the fight with Yon, he felt everyone on Wakanda die, and it was time to stop playing. They had their chance, and they threw it away.


    We¡¯re about to take the ship, how''s it going?


    The rescue operation is going fine, Tony and the Legion are here, as are Scott and the New Avengers. Everyone is frightened, Peter. At least Tony is being his usual charming self and keeping the peace. Liv told him. She was heading AIMs recuse op, and with Ivan and their harnesses they were moving rubble with no issue, I think I even saw Reed and his friends. It¡¯s not great, but it could be worse.


    Maria?


    Yeah, busy, talk alter, she snapped, we¡¯re coping. Hill out.


    As she heard the chatter as everyone gave Peter their reports, she lay a hand on Scott¡¯s back.


    Cyclops was flagging. He had shot down over a hundred of those bright blue bolts of energy and his eyes ached, his head was splitting and the only thing keeping him awake was the constant pressure from Vengeance behind him, and as the lead ship opened fire once more he yelled as another optic blast flared from his visor,


    ¡°Maria, I,¡± his legs gave way and he fell to one knee ¡°I can''t,¡± and as he fumbled with the clip at the side, the visor came away and he felt the wetness dripping from his eyes.


    Without missing a beat, Maria wrapped Venagence around them, coating them in the healing balm that Gwen had shown her how to make, ¡°sorry.¡± was all he could mumble as she cradled him in her arms. Even with his visor off, the power leaking from them barely sparked in front of his face as he closed them.


    Her eyes became wet, as Scott slowly slipped into unconsciousness. He had been fighting for hours, and each blast hurt. All she could do was keep him anchored, and draw away his pain. He deserved it. He had saved so many lives that this was the least she could do for him.


    She touched her earpiece, ¡°Fury, Scott¡¯s down, we need to,¡± but she stopped. The main gun of the lead ship fired once more and a huge skyscraper-sized bolt of energy streaked towards them. It even blasted through the barrier of red energy she saw fly from Wanda. Looking down a the unconscious Scott Summers, she lifted him and whispered ¡°I love you,¡± before closing her eyes and waiting for it to hit.


    ¡°Rather touching Miss Hill, but I believe premature.¡± she heard, and floating above her, dressed in frayed and tattered purple armour was Erik, He stretched his arms wide and the bolt curved in its path, and streaked back out of the atmosphere. ¡°I suggest you remove yourselves from this fight. I am not going to hold back.¡±


    As he began to float higher, she shouted, ¡°wait. You won''t survive,¡± and he floated back down. She could see grime and dirt covering his face, and if she didn''t know better she would swear he had been crying.


    ¡°No, I won''t, but neither shall they.¡± and he pointed to the sky, ¡°Sacrifices are to be made Miss Hill, and one more won''t tip the scales any further.¡±


    Mariah didn¡¯t know what he meant but, there was one last thing she could do, ¡°wait.¡± and she held out a hand, ¡°She wants to help.¡± and as Erik touched her hand, Vengeance swarmed over him, and in their brief connection, she felt it.


    Rage, grief, sorrow, loss but most of all rage. A quick fash told her Genosha had been targetted, as had Avalon, and both were gone. Everyone except for Erik was gone.


    ¡°A fitting name, and thank you. Now, go home, while you still have one,¡± and he lifted himself up, letting Vengeance cover him,


    Come now, we have revenge to take, and friends to avenge


    We have one last message to send through, Wanda. I am afraid, I. and he paused. Your brother was brave until the very end, and I will always be proud of you both. You are the two greatest accomplishments I ever made, even if your choice in men is less than desirable.


    Father? What, when did you. Genosha?


    Daughter, I love you, I am not one for long goodbyes, but. I always did.


    The pair lifted themselves into the atmosphere, and while a blue shield flickered around Magneto he found it wasn''t uncomfortable as Vengence fed him with clean breathable air.


    He laughed, ¡°No wonder Peter is so formidable.¡±


    We were born whole, and we were born to take revenge on those who would hurt our family,


    Good, as as the Earth began a blue ball beneath them Eric sighted one of the smaller cruisers.


    His voice boomed through every spectrum, from radio to microwave,


    ¡°WE ARE MAGENTO. WE ARE VENGEANCE. AND FOR YOUR CRIMES. WE GIVE YOU DEATH!¡±


    And as he stretched out his hand the ship at the far end began to buckle and creak. He could see the gas escaping as its bulkhead began to split and soon the crew were vented out into space. Magento didn''t care, and even when the guns began to fire at his position, he raised his other hand and a bright blue shield erupted around him, scattering the energy,


    Hmph, read a book, he had once sorted in derision at Peter''s suggestion, but after some gentle persuasion from Charles, he did.


    High school physics was his first stop, and soon he learned about magnetism and its relationship with the atoms and molecules in the world. From there, he learned about the different forces, and their uses, different types of energy and the particles that produced them, and the frequencies and wavelengths that made up the electromagnetic spectrum.


    And he mastered them all.


    Flying was simple once he gained control over the Earth''s electromagnetic shield, and making another one was easier still. Avalon was one of his proudest moments, and that changed once they took it. He swallowed his anger, at these invaders, and planned another venture, one away from the earth, away from its petty politics and one he would not relinquish.


    He was on his way to talk to Charles when the first beams struck. He had felt the increase and the disturbance in the magnetic shield but had put it down to sunspot activity. His own shield barely came into life as the ground erupted beneath him and the buildings were vapourised.


    He had searched for hours, using his ability to sense even the smallest fragment of iron in someone''s blood, and eventually, he found the survivors.


    Huddled in a danger room were five students, the door fused shut by the heat. Badly dehydrated it was all he could do to leave them somewhere safe, before heading into New York. He tuned in and listened to the radio broadcasts, and collapsed in a heap. It wasn''t just some act of revenge against Augments, but an invasion. A brutal alien dictatorship came to claim his home. They dared to claim him, and as he clenched a fist in anger, he rose.


    No more, he would suffer their idiocy no more, and freeing himself of the final mortal restraint. If they wanted weapons, if they wanted war he would give them one. He would give them death.


    Erik, what the hell are you doing? He heard in his head, surprisingly, yeah I know got your helmet on, but with Vengeance and another few things I can get past that,


    Magento chuckled, I am helping, now quiet while I concentrate.


    They had been arrogant and destroyed all the satellites in the area, but in leaving them scattered and broken, all they had done was arm the angriest man on the planet. He rose up, raising his arms and a clod of debris followed him,


    Flicking his wrist he sent it flying around the globe, gathering velocity and sending it crashing into the end ship. With its hull torn and the lesser alloys inside exposed, they didn¡¯t stand a chance.


    He clenched a fist and the end cruise crushed, exploded and send debris flying everywhere, which Magneto used his power to whip into a long stream of particulates, sending them high enough into the atmosphere to accelerate their already high velocity and guiding them around the planet to pepper the next in line cruiser, filling its hull full of holes. With each ship he destroyed, the column of debris became thicker and wider,


    Are you on the middle largest ship, Magento asked,


    Uh yeah, Erik, you have to stop, I know we can''t survive in space and Vengeance can only recycle your air for so long.


    No matter, as long as we can save some, then we die knowing we did our part.


    I know, and I¡¯m sorry. We, we heard.


    Magneto snarled, you know nothing, you weren''t there, you were playing and laughing while they died, and now, these invaders will die, I suggest you leave that ship, Peter. Wanda will be sad enough with Pietro.


    Magneto paused and took a deep breath, no, he had a mission, he was not angry at the boy, only the invaders must suffer.


    Do not contact me again. I have work to do. Magneto stated and Peter felt the link between them cut out.


    ¡°Dammit¡± Peter swore, ¡°we need to get to weapon control. Erik is out there,¡± and the ship shuddered, ¡°Anyone?¡±


    ¡°Venom, the guns fired, they were targetting Magneto.¡± Webb answered, ¡°we have control of the engine room, we can only monitor power levels though,¡±


    Shit, Peter swore again, ¡°Did he make it? Can you get a view outside the ship?¡±


    Magento swore, he guided the cloud around and smashed it through the smaller ships, puncturing their hulls, as the main ship''s fighters locked onto him, his shield sparked as their missiles detonated too far away to harm him.


    He laughed, ¡°You will have to do much better than that.¡± and as he guided the cloud around, he broke off a small part of it and surrounded himself with debris. Even a cloud of this size was nothing to his powers now.


    He felt insulted as another Kree fighter approached him, and as he send the cloud towards it, several missiles exploded, scattering it briefly, ¡°You need to¡± but an explosion behind him threw him forwards, and his shield flared red as he skimmed the Earths atmosphere, he was shunted once more as the first fighter drove itself forward and exploded against his shield, driving him back, and as the main cannon of the Kree battle cruiser flared into life, his powers were no match.


    ¡°Uh, sorry, he didn''t. He threw that big cloud of parts at the ship and they fired the main gun while a  couple of fighters distracted him. I''m sorry,¡± Webb replied


    Venom clenched a fist, ¡°not as sorry as they are going to be.¡±

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three-Hundred Fifty-Seven. Gloves Off

    Aboard the lead Kree cruiser, Commander Koran looked at the report. They had successfully neutralised the Earth''s main cities, and the old outpost, but they had not broken the spirits of the primitives.


    Several of their mutants were using immense powers to deflect their blasts, and while they had eradicated a large force of the dark-skinned primitive, the shield around their capital had held.


    Tapping a finger against his control panel, ¡°Report. How many cruisers do we have remaining.¡±


    A private shouted, ¡°Sir. Our operatives crippled two and two are under our control. The attack in the atmosphere by the strange mutant destroyed two.¡° and the commander rubbed his forehead,


    Of the six cruisers they were supposed to have, four had been disabled, and they already knew they had an enemy force aboard. The report from the engine room had cut out, and they hadn''t been able to regain contact.


    ¡°Order our remaining cruisers to engage on the ground. Deploy our own ground forces as well. Send one Batallion to the remaining city to reinforce Accuser Rogg, and send the other two to the outpost. They are to inflict maximum casualties and not damage the infrastructure. The Supreme Intelligence has ordered all experimental data be recovered. Any soldier failing to follow this order will be executed.¡±


    The Private saluted and began to tap out orders on their screen.


    As the elevator door to the command chamber opened he angrily rose and turned, ¡°I didn¡¯t order any¡± but he froze.


    Venom, Talon and Widow had opted against stealth. It was just easier to barge in and start the slaughter. So far Kree troops were bigger, tougher and more armoured than normal military, but to the three symbiotes, it wasn¡¯t enough.


    Talon and Widow both took a side, while Venom dived straight forwards, grabbing the commander by the throat. But this wasn¡¯t a mission of mercy. His giant fist closed around the commander''s neck and his other punched a large blade into his stomach. With the Mind Stone, he emptied the man''s head and took as much information as he could.


    Once he was done, he tightened his grip, twisted his wrist until he felt the crack and threw the body to one side, Even a Kree couldn¡¯t survive a broken neck.


    Talon and Widow were more efficient. Blades and claws sliced and removed limbs from anyone stupid enough to get in their way, and with the bridge being all soldiers of rank, nobody surrendered, and so everybody died.


    ¡°Widow, I need someone to man the guns while I figure out how to do this.¡± and pressing a button on the control panel in front of him, ¡°Webb, I have the bridge, on the panel, it¡¯s a,¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I got it. Not as smart but Webb knows his way around a panel. Plan?¡±


    ¡°Take out the other two cruisers and anyone else that enters the system.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that sounds boring,¡± he heard Yelena say over the com, ¡°What else can we do?¡±


    He looked at Talon,


    ¡°Right, We need a sweep of the ship done. Since you¡¯re a big badass, meet Talon in the centre of the ship. The highest count wins a prize.¡±


    Talon shrugged, ¡°Talon deadliest one there is.¡± and the two blades sprang from her hand. ¡°Blondie has no chance.¡±


    ¡°I can hear you, and I take that bet, I just hope you¡¯re man enough to accept my victory, and what I¡¯m going to ask for.¡± but the comms clicked off before either Venom or Talon could reply,


    ¡°She wants me, everyone does.¡± Talon said with a grin, and she heated her blades, cleaning the blood from them, ¡°but she has no chance.¡±


    He nodded, ¡°stay safe though.¡± and she nodded and shimmered. A moment later the lift door opened and the closed


    ¡°So she gets to have fun while I deal with an alien computer, great.¡±


    Venom laughed, ¡°Oh you know you like handling my giant cannon,¡± and she snorted and went back to figuring out the gun controls.


    As he worked on bringing each system back online, Venom felt a command being entered, and he saw smaller ships leaving the two cruisers in orbit. The ship shuddered slightly as it launched its own shuttles.


    ¡°Shit, change of plan. Are the guns online?¡± but Widow shook her head.


    ¡°Right, Everyone, we have ground forces and shuttles starting to make their way to you, no idea how many, wait.


    Venom scanned the database and swore,


    Okay, so each ship has one hundred soldiers, it looks like they sent down fifty already from each ship, so expect a few more guys. Wanda, I know you¡¯re probably tired


    I will kill them all Peter, do not worry,


    Right, stay safe everyone. And he cut the link


    ¡°Nat, we¡¯ve got to take out those ships as quick as we can.¡± and as she nodded the panel lit up in front of her.


    ¡°Good to go. Flash, get the engines online and start moving us. I need to have a better firing arc.¡± she said over their comm link, and the ship shuddered as it began to move.


    ~


    On the ground, Emma watched as Carol and Yon duked it out. While she still had her photon powers, he was similarly enhanced with the Power stones energy. But listening to Peter''s message, she knew she had her own fight to attend two.


    There were two Kree elites causing mayhem in the City, and she couldn¡¯t feel for their minds, aline was too alien for her and instead, she focused on the panic of the people around them.


    She found the pair, a dark-skinned Kree wielding two swords, using them to slice and kill anyone he found, and another giant blue-skinned Kree, with a pair of gauntlets similar to Yons, but thankfully they were just sending out normal basts of energy.


    ¡°I really hope you can understand me, but, even if you can¡¯t I am still going to kick your arses,¡± Emma said, and trying to grab at the minds of the pair, they just grinned.


    It was the smaller of the two who spoke, ¡°I do understand, and your powers will not work. The Supreme Intelligence has made us immune to mind control. You are not the only telepath in the galaxy.¡± he said, ¡°And, I am Korath¡± and he motioned to the other, ¡°and this is Bron-Char. You cannot win against us, and we give you the honour of dying knowing our names.¡±


    Emma laughed, ¡°Really? You murder innocent men and children and talk of honour. My name is Emma Frost, and you dare to touch my.¡± and she looked around, Without realising it they had made their way to Fifth Avenue and had just destroyed one of her favourite boutiques. ¡°Saks is my favourite shop, so no mercy.¡± and she darted forwards.


    She twisted in the air, as Bron fired at her and as Kroath brought a sword up to strike her, she brought one of her own up to meet it, and then turned and kicked him away, parrying a blow from Bron as he threw a punch at her.


    ¡°While I do enjoy a threesome darlings, this isn''t very honourable is it.¡± and Korath stood and wiped away the small trickle of blood at the side of his mouth,


    ¡°Kree only honour those who are equal to them.¡± and as he waved a sword at her, ¡°and you are nothing more than a failed experiment.¡±


    Korath looked around as the ground started to vibrate, small chunks of debris danced and jittered as waves poured from Emma.


    ¡°An Experiment!¡± she yelled, as her hair floated in the telekinetic wind,


    ¡°AN EXPERIMENT!¡± and the playfully dancing rubble began to lift from the ground, surrounding the pair of Kree with hundreds of deadly missiles.


    ¡°I¡¯LL SHOW YOU WHO¡¯S A FUCKING EXPERIMENT!¡±


    Bringing her arms together Korath and Bron-Char were pelted with rubble, Emma screamed as she tore more pieces of building away and hurled them at the pair.


    They were successful in deflecting more of the larger prices, for a moment, but under the sheer number they flagged and failed, slowly smashed into a pulp as Emma vented her age, not just at them, but Shaw and even Peter felt it on the ship above her,


    Geesh Emma, I know I¡¯m sexy but come on, you just had to ask, he quipped to her as she pelted the pair, uncaring they had stopped moving long before her anger had been abated.


    If I could fly up there I would smack that smug grin off your face Peter Parker, and don¡¯t think I don¡¯t remember that stone now either. When this is all over you and I are going to have a proper chat, and there will be no compromise.


    She did admit that smashing things did make her feel a little better, but she sighed as she looked at the remains of Saks. All those wonderful clothes, all ruined.


    Then make sure everyone else I care about comes back, Wanda can take care of those ships, but make sure she¡¯s safe, and if Carol needs help as well. You¡¯re one of our heavy hitters Emma, so go hit something heavily. He sent her,


    Yes, Yes. Italy, Paris, and a few other places. I¡¯m sure Wanda will be a darling to little old me. But it will be on your tab.


    She felt him laugh as she took to the skies. Wanda seemed to be coping with the ships, and the ground troops that survived her wrath were engaging with the New Avengers and Iron Man. Everything was in hand in New York. It was the rest of the world she was worried about.


    ~


    It was a worry shared by Shuri, and through her sensors, she watched the two ships land.


    Peter had warned her there were more troops on the way, and the bulk of them had been sent to her location.


    They landed right outside the shield and were setting up a cannon of some kind. As its tip touched the shield, it glowed and began to pulse rhythmically, she figured it was some kind of shield breaker.


    What worried her more though was the number.


    There were two hundred fully armoured Kree warriors in formation behind the shield breaker, and in the city, there was barely a hundred Dora Milaje.


    All the other tribes had been outside the shield, ready to receive the Kree assault when they detonated their ship. None had survived.


    She had watched the first assault, and knew they were evenly matched, but did not know if it would be enough. All she could count upon was the determination of her people to repel any invader, no matter the odds.


    They fought to subjugate a people, and the Dora fought to defend their homes.


    One hundred would fight until the last breath left their bodies, and the Kree would not know what hit them.


    Nakia touched her on the shoulder. ¡°The Dora are ready my Queen. We are preparing to take the fight to the invaders.¡± and Shuri saw Okoye standing stoically at the door.


    Even without Jhalia, she knew she was hurting, and with her symbiote, she could feel the grief being pressed down by waves of anger.


    ¡°Take them and be ready. Okoye. You are a citizen of Wakanda, but first and foremost you are a grieving woman. Do what you must, and do what will bring you the most comfort.¡± she told her and Okoye nodded.


    ¡°I will lead the ground troops my Queen.¡± and she gave the double-crossed arms salute and, with Nakia, left.


    Shuri flicked open a communications channel to the Royal bunker, where she saw Romanda pacing nervously.


    ¡°Mother¡± Shuri called to her, and Romanda hurried over.


    ¡°You would not call unless it was important.¡± and Shuri nodded, blinking away tears in her eyes.


    ¡°We do not have enough troops to hold the city and the Kree fight without honour.¡° Moving her eyes down, and clasping her hands, ¡°I am afraid,¡± she said


    ¡°T¡¯Challa?¡± and as Shuri shook her head Romanda slumped into a seat. He wiped the tears away from her eyes. ¡°Release the bunker door and bring me my armour. I will stand by my daughter until the end.¡±


    Shuri wiped her eyes and nodded.


    They would win, through blood and determination, they would win. There was no other choice.

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three-Hundred Fifty-Eight. All That Remains

    ¡°Attention Kree Ships. A force from Earth has taken control of your main cruiser, and if you continue to fire, we will destroy you.¡± Peter announced over the communications channel Natasha had finished hacking into. ¡°So you don¡¯t doubt our intentions. We will lock on and destroy one of you in ten seconds unless you stop firing.¡±


    Natasha nodded as the ship slowly turned and its main cannon adjusted itself and locked on.


    ¡°So, Do you feel lucky punk?¡± Peter asked, as Natasha rolled her eyes and prepared to fire.


    We surrender flashed across the screen on the main cruiser.


    Peter frowned, ¡°guess the Kree aren¡¯t idiots after all.¡±


    Everyone, we have disabled the three cruisers in space. There will be no more bombardments, but we can¡¯t force the ground troops to surrender. Sorry, but that''s the best we can do for now. Stay safe, and love you.


    ~


    Hank had been overjoyed when they got to New York. Peter had even let him unshrink one of his smaller mobile homes in their parking lot before Hope had joined in living with the others in the warehouse.


    She had reached out to Scott, gotten a few glares from Cindy, but once Hank had sat down, apologised to her, and then promised to make up for his mistakes, the group had actually bonded over a relaxing soak in the pool Peter had.


    Scott was under orders from Shield, with his little stunt there would be no leaving until his probation was over but Hope had made plans to expand on the shrinking insect-based team and had spent hours pouring over dictionaries and thesaurus, while Nicolas Fury helped.


    Strategic Tactical Infiltration and Neutralisation Group


    The nicely fitting acronym that Hope had been very pleased with herself was born, and once they filed all the relevant paperwork, Sting would be part of AIM, and able to do some good.


    Until the aliens arrived.


    Now, Wasp was flitting between alien footsoldiers, while Ant-Man herded them towards her. Falcon was in the air, taking out anyone who used those damn jump packs they had, and Captain Marvel was flying, taking out the larger ground support they were building. Laser rotary cannons did not look like a fun thing to defend against.


    Hank coordinated from the mobile home. He was too badly injured from forced shrinking to help, and even Liv, who he found absolutely charming, as well as masterfully intelligent agreed with his prognosis. He would die if he tried. He didn¡¯t mind though. His generation saw the rise of the super-powered, but what he was watching through his ant-cam was mind-boggling.


    He had once thought being able to shrink was the pinnacle of technology, on a much higher level than Stark¡¯s arc reactor or even the Erskine formula he had worked on. To watch as super-human fought with super-alien was humbling, and Hank knew he had to do better, not just because of Cindy, but for the world. Shield could still go fuck itself, however.


    Alongside Sting were Reed and his team. His experiments into the reality damage had produced some amazing things, a new fabric that changed with their powers, unstable molecules, carefully collected from the clothing they wore when Doom experimented on them. Reed knew his work drove the others away, but if they could only see he was trying to help they would understand. He could only shake his head, nobody understood.


    And then the aliens arrived. Standing in the Baxter building, trying once more to siphon away the strange radiation, that he had dubbed ¡®Cosmic Energy¡¯ he watched as a bright red streak cut across the sky and took some kind of blue projectile with it. Flicking on the news, he saw the ruin of the world, and finally turning his phone back on, he saw the countless messages. The world was under attack, and New York was to be a battlefield.


    Sue was flagging. Unlike the rest, her powers relied on her emotional state, and while Ben and Reed were playing swing and hit with Kree soldiers, her forcefields were starting to hurt as the blaster fire impacted them. Even as Johnny flew overhead and blasted them with superheated gas, she was still getting tired.


    A flare of red landed next to her, and as the bright energy blasted a group of Kree into oblivion, the woman she recognised as Wanda put a hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°There is no shame in being tired, and no shame in wanting to stop.¡± and she reached behind her back and took out two wrapped bars, ¡°Here. Peter makes us carry supplies in case we get hungry.¡± and Sue grabbed one of the chocolate covered energy bars and wolfed it down.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have anything to drink?¡± and Wanda laughed as a small portal appeared next to her. Sue¡¯s brow furrowed as she saw a refrigerator and Wanda looking through a selection of soda.


    ¡°Felicia drank all my cola, again. Is lemonade okay?¡±


    ¡°Water,¡° and Wanda shrugged as she handed a bottle to Sue.


    Wanda waved her hand and a crimson energy field covered the pair. ¡°Rest, you look like hell.¡±


    Sue sat down on the edge of the sidewalk, ¡°How do you do this?¡±


    Wanda shrugged, ¡°I was living in a warzone most of my life, and then here. Of course, everyone will pick on New York, it has the largest collection of known powers in the world.¡±


    Sue drank more of the water and poured a little into her hand and wiped it over her face, ¡°And it doesn''t bother you?¡± but Wanda shrugged and reached through a portal for a drink for herself.


    ¡°A lot of powered don¡¯t want to fight, but I do. I have things I want to protect.¡±


    As she saw a trooper moving to fire, she flicked her wrist and he vanished into a sling ring portal. As she took a drink, they could hear him screaming and then impacted with a sickening crunch on the ground.


    ¡°How are you doing that?¡± Sue asked, wanting anything to distract her from the carnage around them,


    ¡°If I said magic would you believe me?¡± Wand asked,


    ¡°No,¡± Sue said and Wanda could only laugh,


    ¡°Fine, I am altering reality using a set of basic instructions, like a computer. I can enhance it with my own Augment power.¡± Wanda explained,


    ¡°Because of the Stone?¡± Sue asked


    ¡°No, well, yes and no. Magic is the result of the stone being used. We found out that these assholes altered humans, trying to make gods and well, here we are.¡± she said with a smile and a shrug.


    But Sue had another thought, ¡°wait, you can fix Ben, you can stop Reed from.¡± and she faltered.


    ¡°Stop him from being a negligent and inattentive boyfriend?¡± Wanda asked and another trooper vanished into a sling ring portal. She had seen the look on Sue''s face, and this one would take him over the volcano where Ultron had been disposed of.


    Sure started to peel the label from her bottle, ¡°He¡¯s trying so hard to fix us.¡±


    Wanda laughed, ¡°There is nothing to fix.¡± and she took a deep breath ¡°I can only explain it the best I can. You are not water. If you are hot, you do not become steam, if you are cold, you do not become ice. You are a cake. You started as flour, egg, sugar, and milk but now, you are cake.¡±


    Sue frowned, ¡°so you¡¯re saying the damage can¡¯t be undone?¡±


    Wanda nodded, ¡°There is no damage. The stone altered reality. You are not the human Sue Storm who visited Egypt. You are now the Reality Altered Sue Storm who walked from Doom¡¯s machine. You were once flour, and now you are cake.¡±


    Sue nodded, ¡°and Ben?¡±


    ¡°He is living rock, Carol told us there is a rock species in the galaxy called Kronan, so I guess he is one of them now, I don¡¯t know. A lot of the more sciency stuff goes,¡± and she made a woosh noise and raised her hand over her head, ¡°metaphysical yes? Normal physics, ask Peter.¡±


    Sue set the bottle down, and ran her hands through her hair, ¡°Reed won¡¯t talk to him. He blames him for this.¡±


    ¡°So? Talk to him anyway. Who is Reed to tell you who you can and can¡¯t talk to? I can even see if Stephen will talk to you. He knows more about the Reality Stone than anyone. But they will both say the same. There is no damage. Once flour, now cake.¡±


    Johnny floated overhead, ¡°You know, a battlefield is not a good place for girl time,¡± and Wanda lay a hand on Sue''s knee and with a small smile she nodded. Wanda curled a finger and a portal appeared next to Johhny


    ¡°Oh haha, like I didn¡¯t just watch you do that.¡± but as he turned to fly away, he smacked face-first into an invisible barrier. Grumbling he flew off straight up and continued his assault on the Kree.


    ¡°He is right though. If you wish to stay at the warehouse I can get you there.¡± but Sue stood and shook her head


    ¡°No, there are things I want to protect as well.¡± As she held out a hand, Wanda and Sue floated into the air and began to clear the streets once more.


    ~


    Doom watched as the sky filled with Doom Bots, and the pathetic attempts of the Kree cruisers to target and destroy his country was thwarted again and again.


    He intercepted the radio chatter, Parker had finally neutralised the cruisers in space.


    A Pity, he thought as he was busy preparing a Doom Bot capable of entering the atmosphere and claiming them for himself.


    It would have been so much easier to force the Earth to capitulate with space weaponry. But their weapons were of no matter. He had seen the future. He knew what was coming and knew how to fight against it. It was a pity that half the galaxy would perish, but as long as Doom lived, then all would be welcome in his paradise.


    ~


    Jean sped across the ocean, as fast as her powers could carry her.


    Shuri had shared the message, that her forces were decimated, and her defences were not enough. With Wanda protecting the skies of the US, and the others trying to stop the bombardment, it was up to her to save her.


    She fought back the bile and anger as she reached the shored of Afrika. The sand area was blasted into glass, and the cities were in ruins. Even as she approached Wakanathe grasslands were covered in skeletons, of both animals and people. Nobody had escaped.


    Within the secondary shield, she spotted the ground ship, and her aura flared,


    The ship they arrive in crumpled and collapsed as her powers flattened it. She could smell the burning flash, the still cooling bodies and the acrid ash in the air. The Kree had already picked their forces clean and were now heading to the capital.


    Shuri, I¡¯m at the gap in the shield, how long do I have?


    Shuri lifted her head as Jean sent her a message.


    The battle had not been going well. After thirty minutes of rhythmic pulses, the shield had finally collapsed, and while a section of Kree entered, another moved the shield breaker and began to assault another segment.


    They were not stupid and knew the bottleneck would act against them. Instead of advancing, they held back at the shield, where another force could gain an advantage.


    It was now a war of attrition. For each Dora taken out, another replaced her, but there were more Kree waiting. Far from the battle and fresh, ready for combat, the Kree had the advantage.


    Shuri perked up,


    Jean, come to the capital. We do not have much time.


    Jeans aura flares and she flies. Passing over burned and still smoking remains she swallows and bites back her tears,


    No, we cannot hide, they will not let you be kind. This is what they are, Helios says to her,


    No, we can, we dont have to but Jean freezes as she approaches the shield.


    There are hundreds of Kree and Dora Milaje fighting, and the Kree are winning.


    As Jean lands, and grabs hold of a dozen men, ¡°Stop! We won¡¯t¡± but she sees the rest ignore her, slashing and firing pistols into the crowds at the shields gap.


    ¡°Please, stop.¡± but she spots Nakia, deflecting a blow with her sild and as she moves to stab the Kree, another sidesteps and tucking his pistol under his arm, fires twice into Nakia''s side, before Okoye reacts and decapitates him,


    Nakia.


    Sitting in the pool, sharing stories of her time with the Dora


    Nakia.


    Complaining as Jean trims her hair, that it itches and won''t grow in straight


    Nakia.


    Laughing as Peter walks into the pool but biting her lip as he distracts her and Jean nudges her in the ribs as her eyes go straight to his manhood.


    Nakia.


    Of dark lips teasing and tasting pale skin, and of gently soft moans,


    NAKIA!


    Jeans aura flares, dying from a bright yellow into a deep crimson, and black flares at its edge.


    Grief pours from Jean, and the Kree are engulfed in flame, they can barely scream as they are simply gone.


    The Kree are obliterated. Her fiery aura spreads and as the black flames spread, and as the Dark Pheonix strips them of not just flesh but life itself, she screams in anger.


    The Dora grasp at their heads as the psychic shockwave overwhelms them and several collapse, their eyes roll back in their head and blood trickles from their noses.


    Jean, please, stop, she hears Helios beg, but it is too late.


    The last of her controls slips and the courtyard is engulfed in black flame, and as Jean stands huffing and panting, she sees everything around her is gone.


    I am sorry, and she slumps to her knees, as she lifts her hands, he sees them covered in black soot.


    Helios?


    There is no answer.


    Feeling inside herself, she feels nothing. There is only the chilling quiet.


    Helios was gone. Everyone, Dora and Kree alike, was gone.

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three-Hundred Fifty-Nine. I’m A Little Teapot

    Emma, it''s not good. Liv sent her through the link. Peter says he has control of the ship and has disabled the other two. The New York rescue operations are going much smoother now you''ve taken out the two heavy hitters, but Jean. and Liv paused, Jean is not doing so good.


    We know. Their leader is a zealot, let me see what we can do. Is, is Jean okay?


    Liv hesitated. Jean is physically fine. Shuri calmed her, but, we cannot deal with that right now. We still have Kree to deal with


    Emma looked over at Carol. Yon was wiping off the blood from his mouth and the pair continued to trade blows. This was personal for the pair, but with Wakanda devastated, Genosha gone, and the rest of the world reeling at the death toll, it was personal for them all.


    Personal enough that she knew this wasn¡¯t a stand back and watch moment,


    Yon froze as Emma wrapped him in a telekinetic bubble. She would never admit it, but feeling Jean use her powers alongside hers gave her some better ideas on how to use them, and as she conjured several smaller bands around him, he struggled to move.


    Purple energy crackled over his skin and Emma felt the feedback. Her head felt like it was splitting and rather than deal with the pain, she shifted into her diamond form and charged, raining a heavy blow into his jaw, coupled with another by Carol and as they punched him between them, he faltered and crumpled to his knees.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this. His implant ties him to that stupid machine doesn''t it?¡± and Carol, huffing as she rested her hands on her knees, nodded, ¡°good, then stand up and connect to it.¡±


    Emma stood behind Carol, pulsing her telepathy through the implant in the back of Carol''s head, into Yons and then out into the greater galaxy.


    It was ingenious, faster than light communications using the same technology they used to transport themselves across the galaxy, only much smaller. You didn''t need a whole lot of power when it was a simple system of commands sent as brainwaves.


    Precious had shared with the others, and while Emma wasn¡¯t as technical as the rest, she knew enough, and with her powers she attacked.


    The Supreme Intelligence laughed, You think you can override my programming? and it morphed into Emma''s father, I made you, you little whore, and I can unmake you.


    Oh please, darling, he died years ago, plus, he isn''t even my father. There is only one man I want to call daddy, and he would smash that tiny brain of yours to pieces. Emma pulsed back, and, with Precious he can.


    Emma let Precious connect to Peter, who was tied into the ship''s communication network.


    Emma, I can''t hold this for long, The ship is complicated enough without adding a giant supercomputer to it, what do you want?


    Dont worry darling, I only need to borrow a little of that power you have.


    Emma reached out through their link and grabbed the Mind Stone. She didn¡¯t need to touch it like Peter, she already had a connection to it through her powers.


    Supreme Intelligence, would you like to play a game. it¡¯s called Emma says,


    I''m a little teapot short and stout,


    here is my handle,


    here is my spout,


    you can go to hell without a doubt,


    take your gun and blow your brains out


    Across the Kree empire, on every outpost, on each ship and on every planet, the Kree suddenly froze, pulled out whatever weapons they had, and billions die as they execute themselves.


    Most creatures knew rhythm and sought it out. The heartbeat of a mother, seasons, the moon, tidal forces, all different rhythms, and even the stars pulsed out radio waves in an unheard universe of music.


    Memories could be linked to rhymes, it was a cheap and easy way to remember something, and it was easy to trick someone into following a beat. Most people did it subconsciously, and apparently, so did the Supreme Intelligence.


    The Supreme Intelligence dropped its guard after it expected an attack but found only a song. But Emma used its cadence and rhyme to tag on the last part. By the time it realised it was too late and as its subjects died en mass, it screamed in anger.


    YOU DARE! YOU DARE TO TOUCH US. FILTHY MUTANT! It roared back at her, and Yon bucked as its presence in his mind began to overload the processor it had implanted.


    WE ARE EONS OLD. WE MADE YOUR PATHETIC SPECIES AND WE WILL TAKE BACK WHAT IS OURS!


    Now, now darling, such a temper is unbecoming in the elderly. Why don¡¯t you just scurry back to whatever shithole the Kree call a homeworld and stay there, like a good little whipped puppy. We have toasters on Earth with more personality than you, and fridges that are smarter as well.


    YOU DARE! The Supreme Intelligence screamed and Emma could feel the heat rising through the link, WE WILL BURN THAT ARROGANCE FROM YOU. WE WILL TAKE YOUR PLANET AND MAKE YOU WORSHIP US!


    Yes well, the only person I worship is me darling, and you aren''t even worth licking my boots clean. And, as you¡¯re stuck billions of light-years away, I''m really not impressed.


    Yon-Rogg was shaking now, and blood was streaming down his face from his eyes. Carol bit her lip to stop from crying out as the connection between the processor in her neck and his began to spark and burn,


    ¡°Emma, stop,¡± she could barely whisper,


    Emma, you are hurting Carol, Ravage chastised her, we are upset with you,


    Emma grinned, and all you can do is make things hot. My coffee machine can do that, it¡¯s pathetic.


    As she pulled Carol away from the flaccid body of Yon, she put her hand on the back of her neck, feeling for the small chip that the Supreme Intelligence used to communicate with her. Carefully, using both her own powers and Precious to ease it out, the fingernail-sized wafer floated in a bubble of telekinetic power.


    As it sparked and smoked, Yon writhed on the ground, the back of his neck slowly turning black, and with one last cry of agony, he was still.


    Emma crushed the chip, ¡°Can¡¯t even kill someone. How useless.¡± she remarked as she felt that Yon was still alive. Probing his mind, it was scoured clean, and the Supreme Intelligence had not been kind. ¡°So, do I?¡±


    Carol sat panting and rubbing the back of her neck. ¡°Is he a threat?¡±


    ¡°To public healthcare maybe, but no. He¡¯s a shell. It seems his master was unkind and left us to deal with him.¡±


    Carol sighed, ¡°then no, leave him. We can hand him to the Asgardians for trial, and they can take care of him.¡±


    Peter, what''s the situation on the ship? Emma asked him


    Dead, that little stunt killed anyone with an implant,


    Good, We took care of Yon and the Kree on the ground. Anyone without an implant is either harmless or unimportant and can be captured safely. We still have casualties here though. How is everyone else?


    I can still sense some alien minds, and the Asgardian fleet is hanging on at the edge of the system. I think it''s the Skrulls through, not all of them could get off-planet as fast as the Asgardians could.


    Well, they can stay there for all I care.


    Yeah. Stay safe Emma. Wanda?


    Yes, Peter, she replied, let me guess. You want me to come and meet you, and then portal you to the other ships?


    That would be nice, but if everyone on them is dead, that''s not an option. No, I do want you to get Carol, and Carol and I will check each ship. Flying a giant spaceship is hard. And as she¡¯s our resident alien, then we need her.


    I will be there as soon as I can Peter.


    Wanda, just to let you know, in case I''m asleep later, you did good, everyone did good, and he felt their collective laughter and love return back through the link. I love you all, and I¡¯m glad you are all safe.


    He sent a private message to Shuri, My heart. I cannot say how I feel, as no words can describe it, I''m sorry is too small. I understand your people need you, stay there, and we will send as much help as we can. Jean, you too. Stay, help with what you can, and know we will be at home waiting for you both.


    There was no reply, and he felt the swell of grief coming from Wakanda. Both Shuri and Jean were there in the link but neither had words for him.


    Peter slumped against the control panel he was feeding symbskin into. Right now, without having to combat any Kree it was easy enough to set an orbit and leave the ship floating. Once its course was set, he retracted the skin and waved wearily as Flash and Steve both headed onto the bridge.


    Talon and Vonya had met, with Laura winning the bet. She had headed back to the control room, and nudged Natasha, who grinning, had sped off to join her sister in the hunt for the remaining Kree.


    ¡°Yelena and Natasha are still scouring the ship making sure anyone who resists doesn''t resist for long. They are leaving anyone who surrenders though. We got a communication out to the Asgardians that the Kree are dead, and they are heading back.¡± Flash told him as Webb flooded back. ¡°But uh, They won¡¯t come down to the planet. They said the treaty wasn¡¯t signed and the Kree still have a claim on the planet.¡±


    Flash rubbed the back of his head, and looked over at Steve, ¡°it got political.¡±


    With almost everyone dead, and the few stragglers aboard either willing to surrender or dealt with by Yelena he relaxed and slumped down.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. I¡¯ve got a big ship, and screw the Kree.¡± Peter paused for a moment, ¡°and screw the Asgardians as well.¡± He was angry at the Kree for invading but just as angry at the Asgardians for letting them. Yon and his forces could have been halted in orbit, and never fired a single shot.


    The Asgardians, the Kree, the Skrulls and the Xandarians could all go take a flying leap for all he cared. Intergalactic politics be damned.


    Flash just looked at Steve who shrugged,


    ¡°Yelena said she passed a canteen a few floors down,¡° and Steve looked over at the physically and emotionally exhausted Peter, ¡°maybe some food would do us all good until someone gets us home.¡± and they left Peter on the bridge with Laura.


    Laura came and sat next to him, ¡°See, big bad guy dead, saved the day. Big party, lots of cake,¡± and she leaned over, ¡°and then lots of sex.¡± and he chuckled to himself.


    ¡°We need to clean up first, and let everyone grieve.¡±


    Nobody knew just yet. T¡¯Challa and Elektra were both gone. Steve would be crushed to hear about Bucky, and he would find out if Erik had a family.


    Jean was dealing with the death of Nakia, and if he was honest, Peter didn¡¯t even know they were starting a relationship. Her losing control was an issue, and it would ground her until she learn to control them, or if she ever used her powers again. Okoye and Helios were both weighing on her conscience, with the Dora she had accidentally killed.


    Wanda already knew about Erik and Pietro, and it was just the rest of the Augments who survived to be told about Charles and Selene. He didn¡¯t know what losses the others had suffered, but even with the normal death toll, it would be years before the Earth recovered.


    There was a lot of death, and it was only after the fight was won that everyone had their dues to pay. And deal with the assholes who would make their mission to get more than their fair share.


    With Charles gone, and Wakanda in ruins, he knew the vultures would soon circle, and all he could do was hope that his giant spaceship was enough to put anyone with the wrong idea in their head put in their place.


    Peter slid his fingers into Laura''s hand and she looked up at him and smiled,


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Dad always said, kill ¡®em all, and then go get drunk.¡±


    Peter wasn''t quite sure that was the saying, but as he was tired, angry and trying to process the scale of what just happened, he closed his eyes and lifted her hand to kiss the back of it. Getting drunk right now sounded like a really good idea.

 Arc Twelve. Chapter Three-Hundred Sixty. Death And Taxes

    It had taken just over a week for the riots to start.


    Having heard the news, people were angry and sad, and that needed to be vented. Normal people took to the streets and grieved together. Food was shared with those without, and governments soon rallied troops and began to start the rebuilding process.


    A nation mourned together, but then as the clean up continued and the lives lost were calculated, a simple question sparked the fire.


    ¡°Why did this happen?¡±


    All it took was one child, rescued too late and lifted out of the rubble by an Iron Legion Drone to spark an outcry. And once one became two, and then more and more, news spread of people who could have been rescued but were trapped during the fighting, it became a national movement.


    Spearheaded by JJ and his, slowly becoming a political party, movement, ¡°Humanity First¡±


    ¡°We saw what happens when powered individuals become complacent. Hydra sprang up within the government. Modok sprang up within the private sector, and then the Sentinel program. Designed to keep us safe from any of these freaks, turned on us as well. Let''s face it, ladies and gentlemen. Those with power are playing us.


    We heard from Charles Xavier, the so-called leader of these Augments that he could literally change our brains, so who¡¯s to say he didn¡¯t. Aliens walked up to us and we let them in, why? Why did we unlock the door and let the invaders in?


    It sounds like maybe the Augments, afraid of us, afraid that the ordinary American citizen would realise they were being duped showed us what happens when that line is crossed. Maybe there were no aliens, and those green and blue monsters were just more Augments, firing giant space lasers at us from the moon.


    We all suffered a great tragedy, but maybe we suffered and their friends simply took another stance. Will we ever find the truth, I hope so, but with mind-controlling mutants, and shapeshifting monsters lurking behind closed doors. I doubt we will.¡±


    JJ¡¯s rhetoric was relentless.


    Calls for the X-scanner to be expanded, and a motion was tabled by a Senator.


    All government officials, regardless of political alignment, were to be frequently and publicly scanned, to ensure they were who they said they were.


    It didn¡¯t stop there. Calls for every government official to be checked were called for. And with that came calls for laxer gun laws. Gun lobbyists were calling for grenade launchers and rocket launchers to be made legal. Home security meant being able to stop a Hulk or even worse a spaceship.


    ¡°You have powers. Why didn¡¯t you save us?¡± was the rallying cry, but it soon turned to ¡°if you can¡¯t save us, why should you have powers? Why should you be in power?¡± and the violence started.


    But it wasn¡¯t a fight. One of the things the ARCA and now the Powered Individual Control and Containment Act, or PICCA, was designed to do was take events like this and let normal civilians deal with them.


    The national guard, just was weary and just as angry was called, and eventually, the protest faltered. The animosity remained, even if the people had left. It was now being pushed into the Senate, where day after day debate about what restrictions to place were endlessly talked over and over, with no clear results.


    PICCA was just a clearer and more robust version of ARCA, and without Charles to oversee its effects nobody knew what harm it would cause until it was made public. The Sentinel program was being revised but revisited, and President Ellis had been impeached, as to his involvement with Charles Xavier and the alien treaty.


    It was a giant mess, and the powered community waited with bated breath to see just how much would be blamed on them.


    A week had passed since the war ended, and Peter was invited back into Shield headquarters, where Fury sat behind Coulson''s desk,


    ¡°Yeah yeah,¡± Fury said waving a hand ¡°it''s temporary, but this won''t be.¡± and he motioned to the newly installed black device sitting on his desk.


    Peter rolled his eyes, stuck a finger in, watched as the light turned yellow and then shrugged, ¡°I¡¯m not one hundred per cent human, so that''s what you¡¯ll get.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I know, but as long as it doesn''t go green I dont care.¡± Fury said and he opened a drawer and slid a folder over to Peter.


    ¡°It¡¯s not pretty, but right now it''s all you get.¡±


    Peter forward and opened the folder. He read and frowned, ¡°Yeah¡± he huffed, ¡°I expected that.¡±


    AIM and every manufacturing company in the United States were being drafted under a military provision, allowing the government to repurpose any and all manufacturing in times of need.


    ¡°This one, you didn''t get from me.¡± and he slid out another red folder with a stamp on it, ¡°For the President Of The United States Only¡±


    Peter raised an eyebrow as he flicked to the first page, ¡°You have to be kidding?¡± but Fury shook his head.


    ¡°You knew you weren''t getting to keep it, so why all the drama. I mean, you can, if you want, but as the US government gets a cut of the taxes on everything you own, and technically it counts as a second home, it''s what, a few billion in property taxes alone. ¡°


    Peter huffed. It was his giant spaceship, he stole it fair and square. He snorted, ¡°Yeah Yeah, I know. Can¡¯t I at least joyride in it for a little bit?¡±


    Fury laughed but then his face fell, ¡°no. We¡¯re getting enough grief over powered individuals in positions of authority. And, while they know they can¡¯t exactly make you.¡±


    Fury handed him another folder. Peter clenched his jaw as he read, ¡°You know this makes me angry, and you won''t like me when I''m angry.¡±


    Fury waved a hand, ¡°it''s all bullshit anyway. I doubt the US could muster enough troops to go anywhere right now, let alone Wakanda.¡± and he leant forwards and placed both elbows on the desk, clasping his hand together, ¡°it¡¯s to make you angry and stupid. Just give up the damn ships, You cant crew them anyway.¡±


    Peter snorted, ¡°and you can¡¯t get to them, or fly them. Do you have anyone who can read Kree?¡±


    ¡°Flash is still on the books as a Shield agent, and Carol is still military. So yeah. Just, please. Let this one go.¡± Fury asked him, ¡°We have enough issues without this as well.¡±


    Peter huffed out a breath, ¡°fine. But touch Shuri and I will flatten¡± but Fury raised a hand


    ¡°Do not finish that sentence. Things are bad enough that someone who is maybe listening in will report you, and you might find that cushy life of yours is under very close scrutiny. Not now, just leave it.¡±


    Peter stretched out with his senses and found at least four recording devices. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll just be grumpy then,¡±


    ¡°That might change.¡± Fury hit the intercom on his desk, ¡°yeah, bring her in.¡±


    After a few moments, A heavily armoured Shield agent, wearing one of Tony¡¯s Iron Warden suits brought in a Skrull. Her hands were bound but Peter recognised her as the woman that had been masquerading as Thor.


    Once the Shield agent left, Soren wriggled her hands and the cuffs fell off, and she sat down on a chair next to Peter.


    ¡°I get the theatrics but really Nicholas?¡± Soren said and lifted a cup, sniffed it and poured herself coffee from the filter machine.


    ¡°You know my office is still bugged right.¡± Fury said, scowling,


    Soren smiled as she sipped her drink, ¡°Who do you think put them there?¡± and as a small frown crossed her face, ¡°it was Talos¡¯s office.¡±


    Fury sighed and rubbed his face, ¡°sorry. He was a good man. But that''s not why you are here. The other problem.¡±


    Soren nodded, ¡°Mr Parker. Peter. I am sorry for the deception,¡± but Peter lifted a hand and stopped her,


    ¡°Nope, I get it. I met the more physically altered Augments, so no. I totally get it, but I¡¯m also getting better at reading alien thoughts, so, tell me the bad news.¡±


    Soren sighed, ¡°Veranke, my daughter and the leader of the Skrulls was on board the cruiser they destroyed.¡±


    Peter raised an eyebrow and looked over at Fury, ¡°I am sorry to what that, but I get the feeling there is a but. She was pretending to be Loki?¡±


    Soren nodded, ¡°Loki is on Asgard, Acting as Queen Freya, Thor is missing, and most of Asgard''s forces on Earth are Skrulls.¡±


    Peter frowned, ¡°It was a coup?¡± and Soren nodded, ¡°So, why tell us? We aren¡¯t going to help, and we aren¡¯t going to tell anyone.¡±


    ¡°Because Loki and Veranke were in a relationship and Loki has gone missing. We fear she may be after retribution.¡±


    Peter furrowed his brow, ¡°again, why is that our problem? Just get Thor to take over, or whoever else there is.¡±


    Soren sighed, ¡°Our coup only worked as Carol took out the Bifrost,¡± as Peter and Fury both looked confused she continued, ¡°the Asgard version of the portal device. When the Guardians of the Galaxy destroyed it, they, along with Carol, were sent hurtling through space, and when Thor tried to follow. He went missing a few weeks later.¡± and she took a drink, ¡°There are no ruling Asgardians. We already deposed Odin and Freya.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Peter asked, his patience had finally run out with Soren. ¡°I get you¡¯re grieving, but so are lot of people, my wife included. I get you screwed up, but right now, we¡¯ve already been dealing with that. This mess is your fault, so please, tell me why I should care? Tell me how this is anything to do with us or the Earth.¡±


    Soren looked down at her cup guiltily, ¡°Oh you didn''t?¡± he asked angrily.


    ¡°Odin and Freya are on Earth.¡± and she looked right at Peter, ¡°and we can¡¯t find them."


    Peter rubbed his forehead, ¡°and you want me to help? Because you know I can find alien minds?¡±


    Soren only nodded.


    Peter smiled though, ¡°good. Here.¡± and he handed her an envelope of his own. ¡°My terms.¡±


    Soren frowned and even Fury peered over the desk to see what was in the file.


    ¡°Is this real?¡± she asked, rubbing her chin with one hand while flicking through the contents with another.


    ¡°You realise how restrictive this is, and what you¡¯ll be doing?¡± Peter asked her and she nodded,


    ¡°My people have been refugees for centuries Mr Parker, and this is more than any of us could imagine.¡± she stood and extended a hand. ¡°I already know, I was bonded to one of you. We accept. I can have everyone with you in a few days.¡±


    ¡°Great, They know,¡± and Peter clasped his other hand onto hers and she laughed, ¡°Then see you later.¡±


    Soren looked over at Fury, ¡°I am sorry, but I won¡¯t go back into custody. My people need me, and we what is the saying, ah, yes, we have been made an offer we cannot refuse.¡±


    Fury frowned and as the sling portal sparked into life, he reached for his gun, finding his hand was trapped under Peters, ¡°Sorry, the government can¡¯t be trusted with this.¡± and his eyes flicked to the hidden camera.


    ¡°We won¡¯t let you get away with this.¡± Fury said, and Peter webbed his hand to the desk,


    Sorry, we need to make it look good for the suits. They¡¯ll be safe.


    Peter stood and ushered Soren through the portal, ¡°My wife will be taking care of them, and as a newly christened citizen of Wakanda, AIM moving its HQ to Wakanda, Sorry Nick, but we won¡¯t be letting the government dictate terms to us again.¡±


    Fury growled, but smirked and nodded, ¡°You know they¡¯ll be pissed. And they might even send Ross after you.¡±


    ¡°Rule Four of the ARCA, Nick. Enhanced or Augmented cannot operate on the sovereign territory of another country without express permission. So go ahead, we¡¯ll just depower him and anyone else you send.¡± Peter said. ¡°Or you know, use one of the giant spaceships in orbit that belong to me, and made a really nice wedding gift.¡±

 Finale. Rise Of The Betrayer. Part One

    There was no time for grief. Loki made her plan and began to act.


    ¡°Guard, bring a survival suit, and a small craft for transport. I must survey the grounds of Asgard. I feel something is wrong¡±


    She didn''t have to lie, it was just in her nature. Veranke had tolerated her little tricks, but they were both as bad as each other. Their bedroom antics would make anyone blush and they shifted not just gender but species as well, taking each other in a flurry of unbidden decadence.


    They would play hide and seek, and more often than not Loki found herself being impaled upon a stranger, only for it to be Vernake, teasing her once more. But Loki gave as good as she got, and several inhuman species tested Verankes patience as she screamed and ran from her. It never went too far though and both were well, aware of the limits.


    The sudden memory, of laughter and love, stabbed Loki in the heart, and as the guard field from the throne room, she almost broke down.


    No, she thought, I will not let this overcome me, I will get her back.


    The craft was small, a skimmer, with simple steering, and no weapons and the environmental suit was a harness, covering the body with an energy field, supplying oxygen and was capable of lasting for days. Loki was no fool, as much as she aked like one, and the skimmer also contained several days worths of water and food. It was no easy matter scouring an alien world, and she knew that any disaster could befall her, and prevent her from returning home.


    As the guard saluted, Freya stood and opened a portal, and as the air from Asgard was sucked through she quickly flew through it.


    The world was dark, with a blue giant sun burning in the sky casting an eerie glow over everything, huge metal skyscrapers lined the sky, clear as crystal, and Loki could see the galaxy above her, It was a cold and desolate world, and she felt no signs of life around her.


    Tapping into the Power stone, she felt for anything nearby. The stone was just raw power, but once contained, it could also act as a magnet, pointing towards anything with even the tiniest hint of energy. The core. She could feel the energy of the planet situated at the core, and as she began her journey to find her way down, she knew she would need more supplies.


    Using the Space Stone would have been easier, but she could just as easily open a portal to a vat of acid or lava, and with no guide, all she could do was open and move within her eye line.


    Whatever planet this was, in Loki''s opinion, was a shit pile. It was covered in scorch marks from energy weapons, Huge holes were blown in buildings, and left to burn out. Everywhere there were signs of war and death. Her first encounter with an inhabitant was an arm, burned and blackened at the end, and whoever it belonged to was nowhere to be found. Tapping the stone, there were no power sources of any kind here, only the core registered, and searching soon enough she found her way down.


    She found her, it, whatever it was, suspended in a beam of pure energy, as lights, small purple and orange balls floated around her./ They would zip in and out of the creature and then fly off once more.


    It was humanoid, a strange mix of robotic and organic, and as Loki reached out a hand to touch it, she felt a familiar presence. A symbiote.


    It coiled itself around the creature''s arm, and tendrils snaked out to slap at Loki, Puck instantly covered her and the pair hissed at each other.


    We are Loki of Asgard, and we shall not be stopped by a creature such as yourself.


    As Reboot struck out, a portal opened and the tendril was sucked through, allowing Puck to grab onto it. Loki pulled and screeching the younger symbiote came away, revealing the robot underneath. Loki had no idea what the creature was, but she recognised the range stone underneath. Smiling, Puck growled and hundreds of tiny maws stuck out, devouring the helpless Symbiote before Loki reached for and took the Soul Stone,


    So, Peter Parker has the Mind Stone, and Stephen Strange has the others. A fine haul indeed.


    As she held up the Soul Stone, it was sucked into the necklace, and Loki screamed as orange lines crisscrossed her body. She felt it burn deep within her and she stretched out a hand, conjuring mystical energies and tapping into the Power Stone. Energy flew from the robot creature and as Loki panted and drained all life from the planet she felt another of her fingers wither and flake into nothing.


    The pink and grey robot female shuddered and turned an ashen grey colour, hanging like a statue, the balls surrounding her fading and flickering before winking out.


    Loki stood and watched, uncaring of the scene. She knew she would need the power to reverse time, she knew that one race to save her love was nothing.


    As the final spark faded in Arcee¡¯s chest, a portal behind Loki opened to a familiar street, and spying the diner where she and thor had landed, Loki sped through, and into the streets of New York.


    The Sanctum on Earth was warded, and as Loki stood outside she cursed both Peter and whoever designed the wards. She had no way to bypass them unless she used the Stone, advertising to anyone she had it.


    ¡°I am well aware you are there Loki, a sorceress of your power cannot visit earth without setting off a few mystical alarms,¡± Steven said as he stood in the sanctum doorway, sipping a coffee.


    ¡°I have business Sorcerer, may I enter so we may discuss it further?¡± she asked


    ¡°Of course. I already know Queen Freya is here, she¡¯s been using magic all over New York, and while I would have preferred to speak to her, I assume you can negotiate on her behalf?¡±


    Loki nodded and Stephen stepped to one side to allow her to pass, noting the increase in power of the wards as she stepped into the dark entrance.


    ¡°May I ask you to relinquish any weapons you may have. This is a peaceful place, and I would hate to have it damaged.¡±


    Loki nodded, and lifted two daggers from her side, ¡°You may use any spells you feel are necessary to ensure your safety, Sorcerer. I am not here with malicious intentions.¡±


    Stephen nodded, and a bright yellow circle flashed over his hand, ¡°You have three stones?¡±


    In a flash, Loki summoned more daggers and attacked.


    As Stephen conjured shield after shield, Loki¡¯s enchanted daggers slashed through them, He retaliated with whips of yellow energy, slicing through the woman, but her illusions shimmered and vanished,


    ¡°I assume you are here for the others. I cannot allow you to,¡± but he was interrupted as Loki placed a hand on his back, pushing his astral form out into the stairway.


    ¡°And I dont have time for this,¡± Loki said, and her own astral form shimmered and entered his body,


    ¡°Well, this is Strange isn''t it,¡± she said and grasping the necklace at her neck, opened the eye and pulled the green crystal from within. ¡°Now, where is the other one?¡±


    Stephen laughed, ¡°As if I would answer. You may have the eye, but the Reality Stone will never be yours.¡±


    Loli growled, ¡°I dont have time for this.¡± as she stretched out a hand, summoning a dagger, and as it flew through the air, she plunged it into Stephen''s chest, her astral form flying back to her own body and pulling Stephen¡¯s soul back into his,


    ¡°Tell me and I¡¯ll save you¡± Loki whispered as Stephen gasped for air, holding the dagger stuck into his heart. ¡°Tell me!¡± she yelled.


    As he coughed and a thin line of blood bubbled from his lips he wheezed ¡°never,¡± and with one last push, a circle of yellow turned before flashing and the sanctum began to shift and change.


    Loki screamed at him, and as she grabbed the Time Stone and held it to the necklace, as it took its palace, Loki once more screamed as she was ravaged by its power. Holing a hand, she pulled the remaining life from Stephen''s soul, adding it to her own, and he slumped back, pale and grey.


    The third stone sat on the right, next to the Space Stone, and while Loki knew she could rewind time once more, it would be pointless. Stephen would never tell her where the stones were, and all she could do was navigate the sanctum, searching. She snorted, ¡°I dont need to.¡± and


    As she sat and closed her eyes the Space, Time and Power stones all began to glow. Loki gritted her teeth, feeling the third stone¡¯s pull on her, and the burning pain that followed, as she flickered and shifted a hole all appeared next to her and laughing she stuck a hand through, burning away the wards that surround it and grabbed the fourth stone.


    It shuddered and flew into the necklace, as the pain followed through her she cried out, and heaving with painful breaths she screamed at the body of Stephen, venting her pain and anger on it.


    ¡°One more, just one more and it''s worth it,¡± she whispered as she fell backwards, lying panting on the ground.


    With one final trip to the warehouse, soon she would have all six, and she would be reunited with Veranke.


    ~


    Peter was lying in his bed, staring at the ceiling. It had been a devastating few months, but now the Sentinel threat was over, the Cybertronians were safe aboard their Ark and were headed home, and the Xandarian/Skrull invasion was dealt with, he could finally relax.


    There was a quiet knock at his door, and he smiled as opening it he saw Ororo standing, holding a bottle of wine, and two glasses.


    She smiled as he welcomed her in, and as she set the bottle down she sat, ¡°You need to relax Peter, and I hear we owe you a debt of gratitude.¡± Peter shrugged, there was a lot of that going around, Tony had been at endless parties with a now very noticeably pregnant Maya in tow. Pepper had flashed an angry look but as she had Matt now, she seemed to take it in her stride.


    ¡°Yeah, surprised you¡¯re here though. Not helping the survivors?¡±


    Ororo shrugged, ¡°I can only do so much, and with the rebuilding, I was getting in the way. I was however more interested in something you could do for me.¡± and Peter raised an eyebrow.


    Ororo lifted the bottle, popped its cork and poured out two glasses, ¡°I am at a loose end. I need to do something, and I thought of this. Everyone is so busy with the clean up that you are the only one with any free time.¡±


    While it wasn¡¯t entirely true, Peter was in trouble for refusing to hand over the three cruisers and for effectively freeing the Skrulls to help rebuilt Wakanda. It was another Senatorial hearing, but this time Carol had taken the lead and would speak on his behalf. It was no secret she had access to the Skrull battleships systems, and it was no secret to Peter at least, she intended on using it to get everyone a free pass.


    As Peter lifted his glass, he took a sip of the strangely strong liquid, and turning the bottle around he noticed it was actually Asgardian wine. Ororo laughed, ¡°I have a few friends at the Embassy, they got me a bottle.¡±


    ¡°I thought with the attack, the embassy was closed?¡± he asked as he sipped his wine,


    ¡°It is, but I got this ages ago. I was just waiting for the right moment to drink it, and this seemed perfect.¡± Ororo put down her glass, ¡°but let''s not beat around the bush Peter. I am also here for something else.¡± and as she slipped a hand down her front the buttons on the front of her dress split open.


    ¡°This won''t end like last time¡± and Ororo laughed


    ¡°Last time was a different time. I want you Peter, and I am going to get what I want.¡±


    Peter paused for a second before advancing on her, the others had been asked, and this time he was given permission. Shuri had been softening Ororo up for a while now, and while hesitant Peter guessed she must have finally changed her mind. She would make sure though. Shuri could be pushy when she wanted something,


    As he pulled Ororo towards him and his lips found the nape of her neck, he gently kissed it, ¡°Are you sure?¡± and she laughed and spun him around, pushed him down and lifted her dress, showing the lack of underwear,


    ¡°I came here to get one thing from you Peter, and I do not see it anywhere.¡± As she looked down his pants split and his erection sprung free. Laughing Ororo knelt over him and slowly slid him inside of herself. As she moaned she took his hair, and pushed his face into her chest, letting him suck and flick at her nipples with his tongue. As she pistoned herself up and won she tightened around him as the first of her orgasms came and he released a flood into her.


    ¡°So soon?¡± and she looked up,


    ¡°Uh, they uh, like it when I do it at the same time, but I can go, a lot, yeah, as much as you want.¡± as she raised an eyebrow she realised that while she was now filled with cum, he wasn''t softening inside her, in fact, he felt harder.


    Ororo laughed, ¡°then more.¡± and she slid him all the way into her and began to rock her hips back and forwards, pushing his face back into her chest. She didn¡¯t contain her moans as his tongue and teeth found her nipples, she angled herself as his hands found her ass, and he squeezed and played his fingers up her spine, she came once again as he flicked his tongue over both her nipples at once, pushing them together and once more he realised when she did.


    ¡°Now, From behind, and hard, but do not put your fingers where they should not go, or I will get mad.¡± as she stalked over to the bed, Peter watched her wiggle her firm muscular ass at him, spreading her legs once more.


    Walking over, he spanked her, and she giggled and leaned forwards, ¡°I am not joking though, my ass is off-limits, no matter what you desire,¡± and he nodded and thrust into her slippery wet pussy. She gripped the bed sheets and pushed back against him, feeling him all inside her. He was magnificent, and if things were different she would have made him her king. But she was here for another reason, and she matched his ferocity and thrust back against him, ¡°oh fuck me, cum again, fill me, fill me.¡± Peter obliged, letting his orgasm boil over and the cum spurt from him, filling her once more. As her legs twitched she pulled forwards and rolled over, watching the small amount of seed drip from the tip,


    ¡°I do not like to taste myself¡± and spying a box of tissues, she handed him one,¡± Peter shrugged and his symbskin rippled, reabsorbing all the fluid and depositing the rest in a neat ball for disposal.


    ¡°Very impressive, your creature?¡± Ororo asked, and Peter frowned,


    ¡°Uh not quite, so Shuri never said?¡±


    Ororo shuffled up the bed and shrugged, ¡°she said it was not her place.¡±


    ¡°Then yeah. If this becomes a regular thing, then we¡¯ll explain, and let you know the consequences of bonding¡± he shrugged, ¡°in case you know.¡±


    ¡°It is fine Peter, but now, can we sleep?¡±


    Smiling Peter shook his head, ¡°one side effect is almost limitless stamina, so, can you?¡± and while she did draw in a breath, she slowly nodded.


    An hour later, covered in sweat and panting heavily Ororo lay on her back, the minor ache between her legs letting her know she had finally had enough. He had been right, and he was insatiable. Even as she panted and screamed his name he was as gentle or as forceful as she wanted and now he lay next to her, smiling and cleaning himself once more.


    ¡°Now, I am tired, can we take a break?¡± she asked as she grabbed the bedsheet and pulled it over her,


    He nodded and lay next to her, enjoying the soothing rhythmic feeling of her hand brushing over his chest. Back and forth, almost hypnotically, and soon he fell asleep.


    It''s not here, and she silently swore to herself. Oh well, I need a new plan she thought and stood, stretching, at least the sex was good, and a small smirk crossed her face, yes it had been very good, and very convenient.


    Grabbing her dress, Ororo slid it back on and smiled as she closed the door to Peter''s home.


    He had thoughts of handing the Stone to those robots, but she had searched the planet for any signs of another stone. If they were using the Soul Stone to rebuild, why not the Mind Stone as well. As she dressed she stared at the various homes surrounding her.  It had to still be on Earth, hidden by its own power.


    She smiled as she walked down the steps leading to the door, now, if I was a little rock, where would I hide? But she froze as the door to the warehouse opened and in walked more of Peter''s little group.


    It had grown once more, and as Ororo adjusted the straps to her dress the blonde one, Glyn or whatever it was, stared at her and grinned,


    ¡°Did you have fun?¡±


    Ororo nodded, ¡°he is very proficient, and not at all lacking.¡±


    The woman nodded ¡°and if you want more, you can call.¡± she took out a card, and as Ororo touched it, there was a spark between the pair, and her glamour failed,


    Gwen stared as Ororo shimmered and the raven-haired Loki stood, She smiled, and shrugged,


    ¡°Now Now, let¡¯s be quiet shall we,¡° Loki said with a smile, and vanished.


    Loki summoned a dagger, and reappeared behind Gwen, holding its edge centimetres away from Gwen''s throat. ¡°I have a request, and I will allow you to live if you grant it.¡± Gwen had hold of Loki¡¯s wrist but would be unable to stop the stronger woman from slitting her throat if she so wished.


    The green from the Time Stone flashed, Loki was now several months fatter than before, ¡°Peter does so love to finish inside, and so unencumbered by protection. So, you will turn around, and say nothing, I was not here, we did not see each other,¡± and as Loki took her hand back she shimmered once more and the bump and her pale skin were both gone


    Ororo leaned forwards, ¡°and if you value the babe, you will bring me the mind stone. I am sure Peter would willing give it up for his child.¡±


    Ororo pushed past Gwen, and once she was out into the street and past the wards she summoned a portal and returned to Asgard.


    Gwen stood in shock in the doorway. Taking several breaths she saw Peter standing on his balcony, and as he waved, she waved abc. He must have missed the show.


    Gwen was torn, if she told Peter, he would happily give the stone up, and with it grant Lokis wish, but if she didn''t tell him, she could lose his trust and his love.


    This wasn''t something she could deal with on her own, and as she grabbed her phone, and deal with everyone, she called a meeting, away from Peter, and away from anyone who could read her mind without permission.


    This was not the first attempt to get the Mind Stone, and Loki was becoming impatient. Each time she had failed, each time Peter or one of his stupid women interfered.


    She had tried to rip a portal directly into the Warehouse, but found there were now runic inscriptions surrounding the building, interfering with her spacial tear, as she tried to close it, it destabilised and the explosion threw her across the throne room.


    Green flashed and time rewound


    She approached from the other side of the building and found a locked door. Tutting as she simply pushed a screeching alarm sounded and an armoured Peter swung down from his home, ready to do battle


    Green flashed and time rewound


    She managed to find a spare key. It amused her that a universal truth was a spare key was always hidden nearby, even on Earth, or Thor was just an idiot who picked up bad habits. Either way, she was inside.


    Peter had opened his door to see who had come home, and as Loki cast a glamour on herself, he frowned and his armoured helmet slid over him. Lifting an arm, she wondered what he was doing and felt the impact as a sticky ball of webbing impacted against her. He could see her! The bastard was either immune to her glamour or had some kind of super-sensitive perception.


    Green flashed and time rewound


    Knowing he had no reason to mistrust her, she transformed into a more Earthen style and simply buzzed the door, as it opened, she felt the cold blade penetrate her back, ¡°You should not have come here Loki,¡± The blonde-haired woman said as Loki felt the strength drain from her, she had no idea who the woman was, or how she had crept up on her so easily.


    Green flashed and time rewound


    She needed the form of someone trusting but distant, and she remembered the disgusting flirting going on with that tall white-haired Amazon. Mimicking her form Loki simply buzzed, invited herself in and seduced him. It wasn''t too difficult to get him into bed, as his brain seemed firmly rooted in his groin. It was after that proved difficult.


    He had pounded her mercilessly, much harder than she had expected, and with a surprise of sliding into her sensitive rear, her glamour had abruptly ended. Once the shock had worn off that damn armour sprang out and she had no choice.


    Green flashed and time rewound


    Loki felt him cum inside her and as his eyes closed and he raised his hips she flashed the blade across his throat, ¡°tell me where the Mind Stone is and I¡¯ll save you.¡± she whispered but rather than a choking bloody mess, two symbskin tendrils darted out and pierced her side,


    Green flashed and time rewound


    Loki felt him cum inside her, and as he raised his hips, she stabbed down with a dagger, piercing him through the heart, rather than a bloody corpse two symbskin tendrils


    Green flashed and time rewound


    As he was about to cum, Loki transformed back to her true form, ¡°I,¡± but two symbskin tendrils,


    Green flashed and time rewound


    Damn him. Was she not good enough that she needed to resort to this level of trickery? As she stood in the throne room she dusted off a bottle from her father''s collection. It was over a thousand years old and was rumoured to have mystical properties. Supposedly any mortal drinking it would fall into a deep slumber. It wasn''t a myth though, the Asgardian herbs used to brew it had properties to allow Odin to reach deep Odinsleep and recover quickly if an emergency arose.


    Green flashed and time rewound

 Finale. Rise Of The Betrayer. Part Two

    ¡°Now, now you act?¡± Freya shouted as Odin summoned his battle spear,


    ¡°That was my wine she took, mine.¡± and Freya rubbed her forehead,


    ¡°It was one bottle, and after all the damage, the lives lost you go to war over a bottle of wine.¡± and Odin huffed,


    ¡°It was the last one, and it was our wedding year. So yes.¡± Freya smiled and stepped forwards, taking Odin''s head in her hands,


    ¡°You are either a romantic fool or just a fool. I think the Odinsleep damaged your mind. You cannot go to war over a bottle of wine.¡±


    Odin huffed, ¡°I can, and I am.¡± but as he made to stride forwards, Freya twirled her hand and his robe wrapped around his legs.


    ¡°You once told me that I was not allowed to interfere. So, now I am telling you., Let them settle this themselves. And forget your damn wine.¡±


    Odin scowled, ¡°It was our wedding year,¡± he huffed.


    ¡°It doesn''t matter what year it was you, giant buffoon, it was a bottle of wine. Oh no, let''s watch as Loki messes up and makes a cock of things, let¡¯s watch Thor lose his way and get kidnapped, and finally, let''s watch the Asgardian fleet become the tool of the Skrull empire and the Kree destroy it. I swear Odin, whatever is wrong with you I will smack you senseless if you dont snap out of it.¡±


    Odin huffed, ¡°I was enjoying the first holiday we have had together in several thousand years. Loki had things under control. The nine realms are actually headed towards peace after the Kree made a mess of things. Thor is pouting like a child as he lost his hammer, and the Kree are about to learn a very painful lesson dear, that the Earth is not to be trifled with. A thousand years ago they kicked Thofin from their planet, even without our help, and right now that supreme moronisence is about to earn that creating monsters only gets you one thing. Bitten.¡±


    Freya waved a hand at him, ¡°it''s immaterial, I already took care of it.¡±


    Odin sighed, ¡°what did you do dear?¡±


    ¡°Peter seems to love women so much, so I sent him somewhere to meet a new one.¡±


    Odin paled, ¡°you didn''t?¡±


    Frays shrugged, ¡°you gave me no choice.¡±


    ¡°You may have doomed us all.¡±


    ¡°Oh stop being so dramatic you old fool, and you wonder where Loki gets it from.¡±


    ~


    Peter hadn''t even seen the portal open as it swallowed him and he was stood in front of a swirling circle of fire. As he looked around, all there was, was the circle and nothing more than stark whiteness,


    ¡°Uh hello?¡± he said and was answered by the breaking of chains.


    Save her, give her a reason to live, and in turn, she will help you but be kind, she is fragile, much more than she appears.


    ¡°Ooookay. Strange voice in my head. Save who?¡± Peter asked, ¡°Hello? Anyone?¡±


    The portal rippled and a woman walked through.


    Hela stood before Peter, she was amazingly beautiful he thought, slim, tight leather wrapping a curvy figure, high cheekbones and dark raven black hair, even her black eyes were still piercing and as she stalked towards him he knew she was more than just an Asgardian, she was Death incarnate.


    ¡°So the old fool¡¯s finally dead,¡± she said as she ran her hands over Peter''s shoulder and round his chest, ¡°and they sent you? A bug to stop me?¡± She stopped in front of him and smiled ¡°now, the question isn''t whether you can stop me, it¡¯s whether, after I kill you, you wish to serve¡±


    ¡°Serve you?¡± Peter looked down, ¡°why would I serve you?¡± and he gently lifted her hand from his chest. ¡°I don¡¯t even know who you are.¡±


    Hela laughed, it was a deep throaty laugh, one that sent shivers down Peter''s spine, one that was mirth covering icy death. ¡°Me?¡± and Hela raised her arms ¡°I am Hela of Asgard. Firstborn of Odin Borson, and I am the Goddess of Death.¡±


    ¡°Uh, that''s nice. I¡¯m Peter Parker, Son of May Parker, and I guess-¡± but she reached forwards grabbed him by the throat and lifted him from the ground, his toes dangling comically only a few inches off the ground as their high difference became apparent.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care who you are. I only care about escaping this prison.¡± but his symbskin covered him, and as it leached over her hand, they connected.


    She saw him, a baby, as his mother fought valiantly, the one-armed masked man was brutal in his blows but still, she fought on, caring nothing for her own safety, only that of her son


    He saw as Odin stared into the crib, one eye peering at her ¡°death¡± was all he said and Freya covered her mouth and gasped as he walked away, afraid of his own child


    She watched as he tried to get to the old man, he lay bleeding on a jacket of a passerby and as he was held back by a policeman he cried.


    He watched her train, never gaining her father¡¯s approval, never knowing her mother¡¯s touch. The one time she sprung forwards and touched a servant she felt it as the woman''s spirit left her body and entered her, the empty meat sack collapsing. Her meals were served before she got there from that point on


    She watched as the young boy pushed and punched him, taunting him over loss and weakness


    He watched as she fought, each death making her more powerful, each life adding to her own. And then she found that those who she killed could be made to serve her and she got what she always wanted, a puppy


    There, Peter thought and he took her mind from her, focusing on the one thing she cared about and saved, a dog of all things. He could sense its remains were still on Asgard, that she had lovingly preserved it, even more so than her army.


    It wasn''t love but it was the closest thing to it, he took her pain and sealed it, fading its sharpness and masking over it with the simple joy of a dog


    ¡°What are you DOING!¡± Hela yelled as the symbskin retracted from her ¡°I am death, I am rage and sacrifice. The love of a dog, are you kidding? You sought to face death herself with¡° and she stopped as a single tear ran down her face.


    ¡°It''s not about the dog, it''s about what it represents, and look¡± Hela looked down and Peter still had her hand ¡°it''s about a father, teaching his daughter to kill when she didn''t have to. When anyone can kill but only a father and mother can love a daughter¡±


    ¡°No, no. I refuse to give in to stupid feelings¡± and she pulled her hand away from Peters but found his grasping her tightly ¡°no, how?¡±


    ¡°I have the Mind Stone, you don¡¯t want to be Queen, you want to be loved. It¡¯s stupid and small, so you yell and scream, but it''s fine. You can be. Just you know, no murder hoboing around the galaxy.¡±


    ¡°So what, you¡¯ll be my puppy is that it? to continually watch over me? to take you for walkies and make me clean up your mess?¡± she spat at him, twisting her arm to try and get herself free


    ¡°Well, I was more thinking, the other way around, that you could learn to enjoy life, to see the wonder and accept that death is just a part of nature as life, and well, yes, to maybe persuade you to not kill anyone.¡±


    ¡°Ha, I saw your mind as well Peter, you just want to fuck me, that¡¯s all you think about, oh who can I screw now? Like a little game, a pathetic fantasy where you¡¯re the big hero and all  us little girls wet our panties and come running.¡±


    Peter shrugged ¡°who doesn¡¯t want to be loved Hela? Take that and look at it properly, not just the sex but the love, see where each of us connects and is better for it. Only a cynic sees the sex and ignores the feelings¡±


    ¡°Oh so that¡¯s me then is it, I¡¯m supposed to join your little club of women and get all touchy-feely, let you ravish me till I can''t walk and then be grateful you''ve taken pity on me, I¡¯d rather die than submit to you,¡± she yelled


    ¡°Submit? If that''s your kink sure but what part of that is about submission, look at who I share my life with, look at them and think if there is any part of submission in that, plus, getting a little specific there aren''t we, do you want me to ravish you till you can''t walk?


    He touched her mind once more


    A small woman wearing spectacle had tied him to the bed and was currently running crop over his naked body ¡°and you will not cum until I say mister¡± and she slipped herself over him he tasted her and her mouth was slick over his manhood


    ¡°STOP! I do not wish to see your deranged fantasies. You are disgusting,¡±


    ¡°Really, Liv loved it. What two people do in the safety of their own lives is nothing to be ashamed of¡±


    The blonde lay on top of the raven-haired woman and Peter could see both of them, they kissed and pressed and rather than enter, he thickened and slid between them, hearing them moan


    ¡°STOP! I Will not be subjected to your male delusions¡±


    He projected at her once more,


    she saw herself and he was holding her, she had cuddled up to him, sat on his lap and he gently held her as he stroked one leg.


    ¡°STOP!¡±


    They were sat on the roof and they watched the sunset, death of another day he said and she smiled, it was strange, death existed in so many forms and all she had been taught was to kill


    ¡°NO!¡± And tears began to drip down her face


    They stood at a grave, she couldn''t read the name but he cried, it had been so long for them, but not for him, he looked the same as he did all those years ago and as he felt his pain she tasted the death around her, life moved forward, death was apart of that and no one could escape it, not him and not even her


    ¡°Please, no¡± and she fell to her knees, tears dripping from her face and she wailed uncontrollably, for the life unlived, for the father who imprisoned her, for the mother who abandoned her


    She watched as he faded, his body breaking down and he cupped her cheek with his hand as he began to wither and flake into nothing ¡°I love you¡± was all he said as he left her and she felt him one last time as he became a part of her


    She wailed uncontrollably as the sadness and grief from Peter washed over her, the pain of death, its true weight too much for the lonely goddess to bear. He came over and even as she recoiled from his touch he gently patted her back and stroked her head.


    She stood alone, as she watched the last star wink out, as the primordial essence of the universe grew cold and as her mind faded she felt one last spark. As with all death, it was only the beginning.


    She wailed, and grasped onto him, he held her close and ignored the crushing weight of her arms and the dripping tears over her face


    ¡°Do it, do it¡± she screamed and as his symbskin flowed over her, it covered her and then retracted back to him, leaving her covered in her own.


    ¡°We are Reaper.¡± The symbiote screeched.


    It was pitch black, even more so than Peter, it seemed to absorb all the light around it, giving it a strange and eldritch shape. As Hela slipped her back she stared at Peter, who had retracted his own armour.


    ¡°So, defeated by kindness and some touchy-feely crap,¡± and she put her hands on her hips and stared at him ¡°I could still kill you you know. Go on a rampage and conquer the galaxy, having her won''t change that.¡±


    Peter shrugged ¡°if that¡¯s what you want, but let¡¯s be honest, ruling is a pain, you¡¯ve got taxes and laws, rules and people bugging you every single day for stupid reasons, my attitude, why bother? Sounds like a pain. I mean, even killing everyone, You know there are millions of planets right? It''s just a chore.¡±


    Hela laughed ¡°So don''t conquer the galaxy, it''s too much effort,¡± and Peter shrugged and nodded ¡°oh, oh my,'''' and Hela laughed and sat down on the steps of the Gate to Hel, ¡°oh my word¡± and she laughed, holding her stomach, laughing ¡°oh, I can see why they sent you,¡± and as she shook her head ¡°but you, you little shit, no more,¡± tilting her head, ¡°I¡¯m number 11, I mean really, 11. And that one, come on? I hope you realise Asgardians have a huge amount of stamina, oh. oh, I see.¡± Hela sighed, ¡°you and I are having a talk young man, I mean really.¡± and as Peter sat next to her she leaned her head on his shoulder, ¡±any more and I¡¯ll kill you¡± and Peter kissed the top of her head.


    ¡°Of course dear¡± and she stared at him,


    ¡°No really, I will, so no more.¡± and she took his head in her hands and kissed him softly ¡°I¡¯ll make sure you don''t want any more¡± and Peter knew that while that sounded nice, it also sounded like a threat.


    ~


    As a new portal opened Peter found himself with Hela back at the warehouse, where she immediately summoned her armour and lunged at Jean, drawing a huge black sword.


    As she swung, and Jean deflected the blade with her powers she screamed at her ¡°Now I see, you want to kill me,¡± and as the group summoned their armour, he threw darts of necrotic energy at them, staining the carpet with black ichor.


    ¡°Nobody is trying to kill you,¡± Peter roared and as he stepped in front of her the Mind Stone wrapped itself around her and she fell to her knees gasping for air,


    ¡°Do it then, fulfil my father''s wish, just kill me,¡± and she hung her head, ready for the final blow.


    ¡°Pete, what the hell?¡± Jean said as she floated down from where she was capturing and deflecting bolts. Jean choked and gagged, ¡°what the hell is that? she¡¯s foul,¡± and Jean back away


    Hela snorted, ¡°not so wonderful yourself,¡± and as she stood she cracked her neck, ¡°You didn''t know?¡± and Peter shook his head,


    ¡°No. And would someone please explain what the hell is going on,¡± he yelled.


    ¡°Goddess of Death. All death, plants, bugs, planets, galaxies and eventually the universe. I''m a true immortal, as is she, well not in that fatsuit anyway.¡±


    Jean snorted, ¡°at least I dont smell like a dead skunk, and my powers Pete, I guess Pheonix isn''t just a name?¡±


    Hela snorted, ¡°and seems all the fat stayed at the front and none made it into your skull, You are an avatar of life, and it''s disgusting. You taste like sunshine and ice on a summer''s day. I want to be sick just being in the same room as you.¡±


    Peter rubbed his forehead, ¡°like the stones yeah?¡± and Hela nodded.


    ¡°There were more primordial forces in play than those six rocks. And things older than you can imagine. Your girlfriend here is one of them, but not her, just her core. I bet she glows like a sun, yes? Unimaginable rage, and uncontrollable power?¡±


    Peter nodded, ¡°uh?¡±


    ¡°Birth is pain, you idiot. Death is quiet and sad, life is vibrant and violent, it grabs hold and takes root, it spreads, ¡° and Hela snorted, ¡°like disease, and you can never get rid of it.¡±


    Jean crossed her arms, as the group began to clean up the mess they had made, ¡°better happy and full of life than a miserable old sadsack. So now we¡¯ve got Drusilla queen of the vampires as well?¡±


    Peter rubbed his forehead, ¡°Jean, not helping, and Hela, not helping either. The pair of you can behave or you can go sit in the corner.¡±


    Hela snorted ¡°I hardly think you are powerful enough to stop me from snuffing out this little candle. I might have let you win me over, but I won''t bend over for,¡± and she waved a hand at Jean, ¡°for this.¡±


    The warehouse door creaked open, and an elderly gentleman, dressed in a tan suit, with a gaudy Hawaiian shirt and topped off by a tan fedora entered, followed by who Peter could only imagine was his wife, a blonde rather attractive older woman, wearing a pale blue sundress.


    ¡°He might not be able to, but I''m sure that I can.¡±


    Hela threw her hands up, ¡°and here was me think you had the decency to die, but now my day can''t get any worse.¡±


    ¡°Uh, anyone?¡±


    ¡°Father, this is Peter. Your new son in law, and no you dont get to argue.¡± and as Hela looked over at Peter, ¡°and neither do you.¡±


    Odin smiled, ¡°I am aware of Mr Parker, and as Midgardians go, he is acceptable.¡± and Freya batted him on the arm,


    ¡°Behave you incorrigible old fool. Mr Parker, unlike my husband, I am Freya, Queen of Asgard, and this grumpy old sod is my husband, Odin.¡±


    ¡°Thor''s mom and dad?¡± Gwen asked and Freya smiled at her,


    ¡°Yes, and Hela as well. It is so nice to see you, dear.¡±


    Hela rolled her eyes, ¡°then you should have visited. Hel was so nice at this time of year, I could have wiped my chains down, made them really sparkle.¡±


    Freya crossed her arms, ¡°and I will have none of your lip either. I am more than capable of sending you to your room young lady,¡±


    Hela huffed and threw up her hands, ¡°fine, so what do you want. I dont imagine I was allowed out to simple chat and have tea.¡±


    ¡°Loki,¡± was all Odin said,


    ¡°I have no idea who that is father. You locked me in Hel for the past four thousand years.¡± Hela said, sitting at the table, and giving peter a pointed look she glanced at the coffee machine and the kitchen, ¡°and I am hungry and thirsty.¡± she said at him, raising an eyebrow.


    Gwen stifled a laugh, ¡°yeah Pete, we¡¯re all hungry, so get to it,¡± she said with a smirk, and he just rolled his eyes before pouring Hela a coffee and checking in the fridge to see what was easy and quick to make.


    Jane stood at the end of the table, ¡°I dont want her here. She is wrong, and,¡±


    Hela snorted, ¡°We are just opposite, so calm yourself or I shall do it for you.¡± as Hela sat she let her necro armour slide back, setting in a plain white robe, ¡°oh that is boring,¡± and concentrating, she looked around the room and paused at what MJ was wearing, a pair of tight jeans and a white t-shirt with Venom¡¯s face on it, ¡°yes, you.¡± and her clothing changed to match.


    ¡°You gave her a Symbiote?¡± Jean asked, ¡°what happened to making sure it was okay?¡± and she crossed her arms,


    Peter had taken a mix of fresh vegetables out and was chopping cold meat into slices to mix into it. ¡°She didn''t ask, like you, she took one.¡±


    Jean huffed, ¡°I still dont like it.¡±


    Odin stared at her, lifting his eye patch and Peter felt the energy seep from him, ¡°Almost a goddess, how interesting. It seems I have been on Asgard too long.¡± he said, and ignoring Peter he grabbed two cups, a large bowl of sugar. and two cartons of cream


    Sitting the cups in front of himself and Freya he poured coffee into both and opened a jug of cream, adding it to his


    ¡°Which one¡±? Freya asked, taking her cup and adding sugar,


    ¡°Life,¡± Hela replied, adding heaps of sugar and cream to her own cup,


    Freya laughed, ¡°No wonder you hate her, come here dear.¡± and Freya motioned to Jean who looked at her confused. ¡°Oh come on, do you think we could have a daughter embodying death without some countermeasures. I mean Thor electrocuted half a dozen nannies before we got the wards right.¡±


    Giving Hela a fearful look, Jean moved and stood next to her. Her hand glowed blue for a moment and as an aura washed over her, Jean felt the incredible pressure melt away.


    Gwen stared, ¡°Was that Asgardian magic?¡± and Freya nodded.


    ¡°It is my domain, I am Freya, Goddess of magic and sorcery. Are you?¡±


    Gwen lifted her palm, and a yellow circle arose from it, before spinning, ¡°I am, but uh. Stephen will want to meet you.¡±


    Freya looked sadly at her cup, ¡°I am afraid that is why we are here. Your Sorcerer Supreme was murdered by Loki, to get the stones he possessed.¡±


    Gwen looked over at her, ¡°What?¡± and as she circled her hand, she found her access to the Sanctum was blocked.


    Stephen had once told her that in the vent of the Sanctums leader''s death, access would be blocked to anyone barring the scorer supreme, and as Stepehw s both in New York, that meant Freya was right.


    ¡°Shit, Wanda?¡± and grabbing her phone she called, and was relieved when she answered, ¡°Wanda, get to the sanctum, Stephen¡± and her voice cracked, ¡°please, check on Stephen.¡±


    Gwen sat up straight, ¡°Loki is going to die for that.¡±


    Odin shook his head, ¡°I am afraid not. Loki searches for the Infinity Stones to right a pain, but we must stop her.¡±


    Gwen clenched her fist, ¡°If she¡¯s dead, she¡¯s stopped.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± I will not allow you to kill my child, no matter what she has done, she is still Asgardian, and she will answer for her crimes. On Asgard.¡±


    Gwen stood, pushing back her chair, ¡°so? She kills people here, she murders and rampages and you stride in spouting some bullshit about authority. This isn''t your planet, you old bastard, and if you stop us. Then you can join her.¡±


    Odin stood, and as lightning crackled around him he bellowed ¡°I WILL NOT BE THREATENED TO BY A MERE MORTAL!¡± but he paused, as a blade lifted his chin,


    ¡°Odin of Asgard, She is right, and Earth is not part of your Empire. You are not a god, you are merely more powerful, and I am willing to test that.¡± Peter said calmly as his armour slid over him,  ¡°Now, we can discuss this like adults, or we can fight. I am willing to die to protect my loved ones, are you?¡±


    Hela snorted, and stood, ¡°and, even if he is a mere mortal, I am willing to stand with him. He is so charming when he¡¯s angry, dont you think?¡±


    ¡°Oh sit down you four, all this posturing is tiresome. Odin, Loki needs to be punished, and by Earth and us, I told you this little game of hers would end badly, and you peter. I am aware of your power, but please. We both know that Asgard and Earth are not enemies, and there is no need to make it so.¡± Freya said, pouring herself another cup of coffee and stirring in cream, ¡°Now, behave, or I will show you, just how angry a mother can get when unruly children misbehave.¡±


    Peter huffed, ¡°Queen Freya, I agree, as long as you keep Odin in check.¡±


    Odin rubbed his beard, ¡°Dear, it was fine, I wouldn''t have done,¡± but he sat back down as Freya glared at him, ¡°A nag I tell you. A nag. I don¡¯t understand why you would pick eleven. One can be a handful.¡±


    ¡°I remember Aunt Frigga has seven, and what was it fourteen children.¡±


    Odin paled, ¡°yes, poor woman, I would not like to be the Goddess of Fertility on any world.¡±


    Freya smiled, and patted Odin''s hand, ¡°You are still recovering from the Odinsleep, and are becoming belligerent. Once this is over I shall rule while you rest properly. And it was up to twelve men, with fourteen women.¡±


    Odin huffed, ¡°I want to visit Hawaii, and then I shall sleep.¡±


    ¡°There is still the issue of Loki,¡± Peter said as Gwen moved around the table to sit next to him, glaring at Odin,


    ¡°If we can capture her, we shall make sure she pays for her crimes, and we can collect and safely store the stones as well,¡± Odin said, smiling,


    Peter had difficulty reading alien minds, but as the stone pulsed within his chest, he knew Odin was lying, there was more to the stones than he was letting on, and Peter knew if he didn''t find out, they would all regret it.

 Finale. Rise Of The Betrayer. Part Three

    A plan was crafted, and the group separated to make preparations. When out of earshot, Gwen took Hela''s hand and motioned for the group to do the same,


    While this is all very nice, and I get the whole sexy touchy feeling thing, what exactly are we all doing.


    Gwen hesitated, hoping they could what her,


    It''s about Loki, she admitted.


    What did that idiot sister of mine do now? Hela asked as the group had left Peter to deal with Odin,


    She seduced Pete and got pregnant, Gwen said, after letting everyone see the memory, she was not torn as to what to do.


    ¡°So? Tell him and be done with it. He does not seem like a man who would leave a child to suffer someone like Loki. Hela said as she shrugged,


    But uh, if the Asgardians want her, how exactly do we get the child from them, and to us without Pete trying to kick Odin like a football. He really took a shine to you, and really doesn''t like Odin. Felicia explained


    Hela snorted, he is rather enamoured by me, isn¡¯t he? And you are right. Odin is a doddering old fool who will use the child to extend his will onto Earth, and to Peter. Loki will be held captive with the child''s well-being, and so will Peter.


    So, what do we do?


    Hela smiled, You can create portals yes? she asked Wanda who nodded, good, then this is exactly what we do.


    ~


    Loki had chosen to arrive on the captured cruiser. If it was a message that she had power over them, Peter didn¡¯t care. He got her message and had Wanda conjure a portal.


    Peter had entered the cruiser, well aware it was a trap. He saw the walls shimmer and fade, only to come back a second later, ¡°come into my parlour¡± Loki whispered ¡°said the spider to the fly.¡± and Peter took a deep breath and let it out before walking into her throne room.


    ¡°I want the stone Peter, and I will have it.¡± Loki was sat on a throne, resplendent in bright green robes and her two-horned crown. ¡°Just a pity you made me do this.¡± and Loki snapped her fingers, and feeling the whisper of movement above him, Peter looked up just as Puck landed on his face.


    Puck screeched as it expected to drill into Peter''s skull and take the knowledge of the stone from his mind but instead found itself being sucked into him, digested by his cells as it was dissolved into a soup of mush and memories.


    Puck was gone, and Peter had taken the memories of Loki''s grim task, of gathering the other stones. He had felt the Cybertronians die, and watched Loki as she killed Stephen.


    ¡°Loki, what the hell did you do?¡± Peter asked,


    Under the onslaught of memories, he felt Loki''s grief, felt the rage at the Kree, and the plan to fix everything, using all the stones, but she had failed. Even without the Mind Stone, their power was too great, and the illusion failed. Loki was sat, broken and bleeding, pieces flaking off as if she was a painting and slowly dissolving into dust.


    ¡°I had to, I had to save her,¡± Loki croaked and Peter rushed forward.


    Peter grabbed at the necklace and felt his own body reject it. The power of the universe flowed through that necklace, and even with the two of them, they were just not enough to contain its power.


    ¡°By killing everyone else?¡±


    Loki screamed, ¡°I DONT CARE. GIVE HER BACK!¡± but she was too weak, too damaged to bend the force of the stones to her will.


    She still had enough power that he was blown back, as the power of the six coursed through them both,


    ¡°I only,¡± Loki whispered, ¡°wanted to save her,¡± and as she spasmed the stones finally overwhelmed her, and she crumbled into black dust.


    A portal behind Peter opened, and the women he shared his life with, and Odin and Freya walked through. Freya cried out and rushed to what remained of Loki,


    ¡°You promised¡± she cried out as Peter moved back, ¡°You said you would spare her.¡±


    Before Peter could speak Odin tutted and shook his head, ¡°he did. No mortal, Jotun or otherwise can withstand the stones. She brought this on herself, and we were too late.¡± and Odin knelt by her remains.


    ¡°She only has five. Do you have the last?¡± Odin asked and Peter nodded, ¡°then be a good boy and hand it over. The stones are too powerful for any mortal to handle, and they bring greed and misery to any who pursue them.¡±


    ¡°We need them to fix what she did,¡± Peter said and he took a step back, ¡°Just once and then I will hand them over.¡±


    Odin sighed and swept an arm over himself. His bright golden battle armour shimmered into existence and as he held out his hand there was a rumbling and Mjolnir flew into his grasp.


    ¡°Do not make this harder than it has to be Peter. You cannot fight me, and you most certainly have more to lose than some friends.¡± Odin told him, pointing the hammer directly at him,


    ¡°Odin, what are you doing!¡± Freya stood and stormed over, ¡°stop this foolishness at once.¡± but Odin smiled,


    ¡°My dear. The Infinity Stones have been handed down amongst our legends since Asgard was founded. We are their rightful keepers, and no one else can use them without consequence. I do this for Asgard. I do this to protect the greater galaxy.¡±


    Freya tutted, ¡°You want more power you mean. I recognise that look Odin Borson. I will not fight you, but I will not aid you, and once he has finished kicking your arse. We shall be having words.¡±


    Freya stepped back, ¡°I hope you are strong Peter, Odin is not to be trifled with.¡±


    Peter extended an arm, and a long blade slid from its back. ¡°I had Shuri craft me a word. One of Vibranium and Adamantium. There is always someone stronger, someone tougher, and all you need are the right tools to show them that sometimes, the little guy can win.¡±


    Odin laughed and raised the hammer, lightning arced down and coated Peter. He tensed as the sparks flew over his body, and as Odin watched Peter''s armour slid out over him, coating him black, the white spider prominent on his front.


    ¡°That was the first thing I learned to defend against, try again old man.¡± and Venom slid forwards, taking a swipe at Odin''s wrist.


    While Peter had decades of fighting experience, Odin had centuries. He pulled his hand back, and as Peter''s sword extended, Odin brought the hammer around and smashed Peter''s wrist.


    Even armoured the shockwave produced by the hammer spasmed the muscles and he dropped his sword and was forced to push himself back.


    Odin chuckled ¡°you cannot win against me. I am a God.¡± and the room echoed with laughter.


    Hella smiled, ¡°You are right. He can¡¯t. But I have waited four centuries for this.¡± As she swept her hands over her hair and her necrodermis armour sprang forth, ¡°and I am so very looking forwards to it.¡±


    She threw a sword at Odin, who deflected it, and Wanda and Jean both summoned a shield for everyone to hide behind.


    Freya joined them and Gwen cast an eye over her, ¡°uh, don¡¯t take this the wrong way, but aren''t you the bad guy now?¡±


    Freya laughed and raised a hand to cover her mouth, ¡°No dear. Odin deserves that, and plus, she won¡¯t beat him. He trained her and while he is old, she is too inexperienced. They¡¯ll smack each other around for a bit and then give up.¡±


    Gwen frowned, ¡°So, uh, then why?¡±


    ¡°Odin needs to learn that not everything is his, and what do you call it. Grounding someone for being who you trained them to be is stupid, and well, a bit childish.¡±


    ¡°So, we just wait until one of them gives up?¡± Felicia asked as they watched Odin throw Mjolnir, Hela deflect it back and throw a sword of her own, all while being uncaring of the damage to the control room.


    ¡°Hey, Watch the ship!¡± Peter shouted ¡°It¡¯s new¡± and Gwen batted him on the shoulder.


    ¡°Not the time Pete.¡± but he just smirked and shrugged.


    Odin was relentless in his assault, he would swing Mjolnir, throw a bolt of lightning, throw the hammer and recall it, before swinging it again. Hela was outmatched, and it wasn''t until Odin threw Mjolnir that Hela caught it, that he paused.


    ¡°Goddess of Death, idiot.¡± and she squeezed. Mjolnir whined, as not just pressure but Hela¡¯s God-Force poured into it. The edges of the hammer darkened, aged and started to crack and crumble. As she smirked it exploded and everyone could see the pale energy that flowed from the hammer and into Hela.


    ¡°And now,¡± and she leapt, kicked Odin in the chest, knocking him down and a blade sprang forth, hovering over his throat, ¡°you die.¡±


    As she lifted the sword, ready to lounge it, Peter gently took her arm, shaking his head


    ¡°He doesn''t need to die. Be better.¡± and huffing she cast away the sword.


    ¡°Death god remember, it''s my nature.¡± and she crossed her arms pouting,


    ¡°Yeah, I get that. But, death of pride.¡± and Peter pointed to the angry-looking Odin, who was struggling to get up. Freya walked over and offered him his arm, which he huffily refused.


    ¡°Oh give it up you old sod,¡± She said and grumpily he took her arm and she helped him to his feet.


    ¡°Fine, you bested me. You are still making a mistake. The Stones will bring nothing but disaster.¡± he said, as the armour vanished and he was back wearing the horrible Hawaiian shirt. ¡°Well, go on then. I wasn¡¯t joking, and I¡¯ll just take them from whatever is left.¡±


    With that comment, Freya batted him on the arm.


    Peter sighed, and with the harness wrapping itself around his limbs, and the bladed claws of his harness extended, he lifted the necklace from the ground.


    Peter was frozen. Power flooded through him and even the arcstar reactor on his back whined and then exploded in a shower of sparks.


    ¡°Please, everyone,¡± he whispered and as they were about to reach out for him, Jean held them back with her powers.


    ¡°You can''t touch him,¡± she shouted, ¡°The necklace will kill you¡±


    ¡°Let me go, He needs us¡± Gwen shouted


    ¡°She is right you know, the six stones together contain the power of the cosmos, and even I''m not stupid enough to hold them together,¡± Hela added.


    MJ stepped towards her, ¡°And that''s not your choice. He needs us,¡± and nodding, Jean let the forcefield go.


    Gwen was the first, and she cried out as she laid a hand on his shoulder.


    Peter was already pale and the skin around the necklace was flaking off, and Gwen''s began to do the same almost immediately. She gritted her teeth and blood pooled around her lips and the pain overwhelmed her.


    ¡°GWEN!¡± MJ shouted and reached for her, feeling the same burning pain, not just through her body, but in her mind and deep within her. The stone''s power did not just overwhelm the body but even her soul felt as if it was on fire.


    ¡°So, might as well go out together,¡± Felicia said as she laid a hand on Peter''s other shoulder and she smiled, the pain was bad, but it was worth it if she could take even a moment of it for him.


    ¡°Think it¡¯ll work?¡± Natasha asked Jean who shrugged,


    ¡°It doesn''t matter now does it dear? I made my peace with things, and if I die. I would rather do it with him, well, I gave up on that silly notion years ago, but he saved me. I think I deserve to do the same, don¡¯t you?¡± Liv said and she smiled sadly as she placed her hand on his shoulder as well, before her eyes glowed and veins of light flowed over her skin, causing it to burn and flake away.


    ¡°We dont even know what this is,¡± Jean answered but Natasha had already added her hand to the group. Placing it on his back,


    ¡°Because we love you¡± was all she managed to say


    ¡°But we do. It''s the stones, all working together, the power of the cosmos is running through him, and it needs all of us to contain it. We used the stones before, we have the power of the stones within us, this will work, it has to work.¡± Carol added her hand to the groups, and her binary form flared yellow and then into bright white before she was enveloped by the light, and stood glowing as if she burned like a star.


    ¡°Damn pussies¡± Laura shouted and grabbed a hold of Peter at his front, hugging him close, ¡°love you all,¡± she said before she too started to burn.


    ¡°You are all idiots,¡± Hela said, ¡°but we should be enough,¡± and Wanda stepped forwards, covering everyone in the red energy she screamed as she blasted bolts of power away from them, taking a hand and laying it on Laura''s shoulder.


    ¡°The power of Bast is nothing compared to this, but in this hour, may she guide us.¡± and Shuri added a hand to Peter''s shoulder.


    ¡°Life yeah? Think I can save them?¡± Jean asked and Hela shrugged


    ¡°We might embody life and death but that does not mean we can''t die,¡± Jean shrugged and lay her hand on Peter''s shoulder as well.


    ¡°What one more idiot in this bunch of idiots eh?¡± With a small smile, Hela placed her hand on Peter''s chest, ¡°it''s only death after all.¡±


    Peter felt the  pain slowly fade from him, and he stared at the eleven around him, all touching him,


    ¡°Now you idiot. Stop staring like a moron and do it now,¡± Hela shouted,


    With a small grin, Peter lifted his fingers and clicked.

 Epilogue. The Good The Bad And The Ugly

    In Central Park, on a white stone Dias sat 6 crystal pillars. Each one held a different Infinity Stone and they sparkled, even in the dark.


    ¡°So, that was the wish huh?¡± and Peter nodded at Felicia¡¯s question.


    Create an indestructible prison, one for each stone, that can only be opened by the power of all six stones together, and place it on Earth in Central Park


    ¡°Yup, the stones can only be released by someone who has all six stones, so  the Infinity Stones are no longer a problem.¡±


    ¡°You mean, the stones aren¡¯t a problem, but every jackass thinking they can get the stones will be.¡±


    Peter stopped and sighed, ¡°I didn¡¯t think of that.¡± and as Felicia grabbed onto him and hugged him close she just laughed.


    ~


    Gwen excitedly stared at the centrifuge, as Peter hovered over her shoulder, ¡°ta-da¡± and as it opened he saw a vial of formula, a pale yellow colour, and if he was going to be honest, it looked like a urine sample.


    ¡°Yeah, know that look, and no it¡¯s not.¡± Gwen huffed. ¡°I took the purple heart flower, the Stacy formula, the Banner formula, some of Carol¡¯s Space Stone infused DNA, and the modified Parker Extremis virus. Did some Gwen magic, added a splash of vibranium and made this.¡±


    As she reached into the centrifuge and picked up the vial she gently swirled it and for a moment it burst into bright golden light, filling the lab with a spectacular light show of multicoloured rays.


    ¡°I call it my Golden Sentry formula, and, you¡¯ll love this, it makes you a superman.¡±


    ¡°A superman?¡± and she excitedly nodded,


    ¡°The strength of Hulk, Carol¡¯s flight, heat powers, super invulnerability, plus your regeneration and healing powers. You are literally an ubermensch, but it sounds kinda lame, so I went with Golden Sentry.¡±


    But Peter wasn¡¯t as overjoyed as she thought he would be.


    ¡°So, go on, tell me.¡± she slid the vial back into the machine and closed the lid, ¡°what I do wrong now.¡±


    He shrugged, ¡°nothing, it¡¯s amazing, but, what was it you said, how far do I want my powers to go? Until I can¡¯t hold you, well, that¡¯s kinda what that is. I mean, Hulk all the time but normal-sized, damn Gwen, I can¡¯t have a relationship with a human woman cause my super strength could hurt them, that, while it is amazing, it is also a nightmare in bottle form. How much did you make?¡±


    Gwen huffed, ¡°Just one vial, with the purple heart flower gone, and Shuri refusing to re-grow the flower there was only the one you gave me, so it¡¯s that one vial.¡±


    Peter shook his head, but pulled her into his arms, ¡°Gwen Stacy, you are too brilliant for your own good. Lock that away, destroy your notes and promise, you¡¯ll never be that brilliant again. That¡¯s Liv¡¯s making a star level brilliance.¡± and while she was mad he wasn¡¯t happy, she couldn¡¯t be mad at his praise. It was brilliant, much better than a lame star.


    ~


    ¡°Hello, Peter dear,¡± Liv said, as she moved in for a quick hug and kiss, ¡°Well, I do have some news. You might want to speak to the girls about who exactly is on the team, as well.¡± and Peter frowned but nodded,


    ¡°Yeah, I know about Felicia and Gwen already. MJ was always a no, and I guess Carol too.¡± To admit it, he was disappointed. He had fun with everyone but he did want a close-knit team to train and work together. Now that JJ and the others were taken care of, the Augmented Registration and Control Act had been suitably re-written. There was never going to be a set of laws that wouldn¡¯t be unjustly abused, but all those in power and those with power could do was minimise the damage.


    ¡°Well, Parker Incorporated is doing well. Orders and contracts keep coming in and well, we¡¯re rich¡± and Peter smiled,


    Shuri had been busy, and so had Pepper.


    With her powers as Queen, even once T¡¯Challa had woken up, Erik advised her the shipments of Vibranium around the world had been limited. It put some companies in a difficult position, but even Erik had argued that giving away Wakanda¡¯s best natural resource was stupid. As a consort, Parker Incorporated was the only private company granted a licence.


    ¡°Of course, we will be setting up two teams. The international Venom squad, with yourself, and a second, one that will stay stateside and deal with any threats to the company. I was thinking of asking-'''' but it was Peter''s turn to interrupt her,


    ¡°Liv, I trust you more than anyone else. You run my company, who you want on the team is entirely up to you. In fact, I¡¯ll give you first pick. Your safety is more important than mine,¡±


    Liv reached over and kissed him, ¡±and we finalised the teams. I have a team, just no sleeping with any of them¡± and as Peter saw the list, he laughed.


    ¡°No promises.¡±


    Head Of AIM Security


    Natasha Romanov, War Widow


    Nakia, No code name as yet


    Someone, probably Nat, still mad at being beaten had scribbled ¡®Dora the Destroyer¡¯ next to it


    Spider Inc.


    Eddie Brock, Scarlet Spider


    Cindy Moon, Ghost Spider


    Friday Stark, Iron Spider


    Venom Inc.


    Peter Parker, Spider-Man


    Someone had written ¡®No bitching, you need a new name¡¯ next to it,


    Felicia Hardy, Black Cat


    And she had scribbled a note next to her name ¡®damn right¡¯


    Laura Kinney, Talon


    Laura, after seeing Felicia¡¯s note, had left one of her own ¡®MINE!¡¯


    ¡°Spider-Man?¡± Peter asked her and she nodded. ¡°Seriously? You want me to take over Eddie''s persona? You don''t think people will notice?¡± and Liv shook her head,


    ¡°Once you get your harness over the bodysuit only the most scrutinous would realise. And while Eddie is more muscular than you without your armour, with it you can adjust your size. I do remember Venom being much more impressive physique wise. You just need to practise.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re still calling the team Venom Inc, I mean, it''s not exactly subtle.¡± and Liv shrugged


    ¡°You were the one who was supposed to name his team and then forgot. So either change it or it goes to the registration office as is.¡±


    Peter sighed and rubbed his forehead, ¡°Fine,¡± and as he leaned back, he thought about it, ¡°hmm, W.E.B, Worldwide Emergency Brigade?¡±


    ¡°You are getting as bad as Fury,¡± Liv connected as she made a note on her tablet, ¡°and you will need to change the colours of your outfit to match an improved Spider-man design.


    ¡°Red and blue, easy enough, make the harness match though.¡± and Liv nodded, she had already sent it to be resprayed in the new colours, ¡°You know what, no. Keep it black to match my Venom outfit, and I¡¯ll add in red and blue to that. I still kinda like the black.¡± and Liv rolled her eyes and cancelled the respray.


    ~


    Carol looked apprehensively at Peter as he came in and sat a cup of coffee in front of her, ¡°Come on, my coffee¡¯s not that bad¡± she joked and she had to snort and smile,


    ¡°It¡¯s not that, it¡¯s-¡± and he nodded,


    ¡°Military, Ross already called me to gloat,¡± and she sneered,


    ¡°That ass. I wanted to break it to you.¡± and he just shrugged and took a drink,


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big thing. Everyone has their own life Carol, and well, if you like the military, then you¡¯re a military gal.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re taking this better than I hoped, but yeah. I¡¯m in charge of Sword.¡±


    Peter frowned and raised an eyebrow, ¡°Wait, Sword, giant spaceships Sword, and you¡¯re in charge?¡±


    She batted his shoulder, ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean, and damn right I¡¯m in charge, well, technically I¡¯m the only one who can run the ships, and my reinstatement and promotion was part of that deal but yeah. I¡¯m a general now, I think,¡° and she waved a hand, ¡°but uh, I thought you¡¯d be mad¡± and she narrowed her eyes, ¡°you¡¯re thinking of having sex with me in uniform aren¡¯t you?¡± and Peter nodded his head,


    ¡°As a general, don''t you need to inspect your privates?¡± and Carol laughed.


    ~


    After some persuasion, Peter had been allowed into the Sanctum. Normally Stephen would have preferred to keep things like this secret, But with Wanda¡¯s obvious talents, and her studious nature it was only a matter of time. He snorted as he thought that to himself. Still annoyed at Peter for his removal and containment of the Time Stone. The Eye of Agamotto had been handed down to every Sorcerer Supreme and now, there would be a first without one.


    ¡°So uh, I get the big event, but what exactly is going on?¡± Peter asked. The Sanctum had been lavishly decorated with ribbons and red roses. It almost looked to Peter like a wedding but, even the buffet was a surprise but Wanda had told him to simply turn up, and behave.


    ¡°While Miss Maximov insists you be here, it is highly irregular. The sanctum was prepared for Miss, to Wanda¡¯s tastes, as was the food.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but why?¡± Peter asked again.


    ¡°Wanda Maximov, by the power of the Sorcerer Supreme, I hereby name you as my successor, with all the power, duties and responsibilities that entails.¡±


    As Stephen waved his hands, an eldritch sigil formed and made its way over to Wanda, who accepted it and took it into her forehead, gasping as the knowledge and power of a fledgling sorcerer supreme became hers.


    As Stephen looked over at Peter, ¡°important enough for you?¡± Peter just smiled, and moved to hug Wanda,


    ~


    Natasha stood with Jean and Friday on the mat of the Parker Inc training room.


    Peter had licensed a danger room from Charles, using some vibranium to secure it, and once Hank had finished installing it, Peter had asked them all to meet him there. The room was a simple pale grey, and Natasha wondered if the hard light holograms would be worth using. She had spoken to Maria, and while Scott was learning, his training had been sorely lacking. If that was down to bad tutoring, she couldn¡¯t see it, as Logan and Laura were both experts.


    ¡°So, we¡¯re here to discuss your powers Jean,¡± Peter said, as he walked in, ¡°because we all know what you¡¯re capable of.¡± and he felt the indignation rise from Jean,


    ¡°See, it''s not that you¡¯re unstable or any of that crap Charles spouted. It''s that you can''t control them. Everyone gets training Jean, everyone. Me, Cindy, Friday, Nat,¡± and she raised an eyebrow, ¡±okay, maybe not Nat, but Laura as well. Everyone. You said it yourself. The professor locked them away and told you they were too dangerous. Well, he was right. You could level this building without breaking a sweat, and I don''t need my ass on fire cause a bad guy pisses you off.¡±


    Jean huffed, ¡°but, it''s not fair.¡± and Peter half shrugged,


    ¡°It''s not, but neither is endangering your teammates because you''re in a pissy mood and can''t control yourself.¡±


    She still crossed her arms and tutted, ¡°It''s still not fair.¡± and Peter took a deep breath and sighed,


    ¡°Jean, it''s not a no. You need to get a grip on your powers during combat. Did you huff when you had to sit your biochem exams? No, you studied and got top marks, how is this any different?¡± and she reluctantly agreed. After their tryst on the moon, Jean''s powers had been fine while she was calm, but as soon as she got angry or excited they flared up once more.


    ¡°The main difference though. If you can get up to Nat¡¯s standard, as she kinda is our trainer. I¡¯ll do anything you ask.¡±


    Jean snorted, ¡°yeah, like last time. You still owe me for Hydra, and look how that turned out.¡±


    Peter stripped away his top and stood in front of the staring Jean. ¡°Anything.¡± and as he took her hand and laid it on his chest, ¡°Want to find out if I really mean that?¡± and as the stunned Jean nodded, he let her hand slide down.


    Natasha grinned and grabbed her hand, ¡°uh uh uh. Training first, then fun¡± and as she lifted Jean and threw her over her shoulder, she ¡®ooffed¡¯ as she impacted the mat,


    ¡°Lesson one. While it is very nice, no getting distracted on a mission.¡±


    ~


    Cindy, Eddie and Friday all sat on the sidelines, watching as Peter simultaneously teases Jean and then let Natasha beat the snot out of her.


    ¡°Can I change my mind? I mean, Tony was great at the tech stuff, but this,¡° and  Friday shook her head, ¡°this is a bit much,¡± as the trio watched Jean was lifted up and slammed once more into the mat before rolling away.


    ¡°You know I can hear you right?¡± Natasha shouted over, ¡°and no, everyone, Enhanced, Symbiotes, and super vibranium synthezoids get training.¡±


    Cindy looked over ¡°what''s a synthezoid?¡±


    Friday sighed, ¡°I''m a robot, kinda. That¡¯s not entirely accurate but uh, this¡± and she pinched herself ¡±this is just synthskin.¡±


    ¡°Wait, like an actual mechanical robot? Like a sentinel?¡±


    Friday rolled her eyes, ¡°No not like a sentinel, they were an abomination. I am a fully autonomous artificial organism, with a complete mind and thanks to Peter a soul.¡± and as she looked over at Cindy, she winked, ¡°want to see if I''m anatomically correct?¡± and Cindy did a double-take,


    ¡°Uh, what?¡± She asked dumbfounded,


    Eddie leaned back, ¡°Yeah, not getting into that one¡± and as he grabbed his towel he headed to the mat.


    Natasha had moved Jean off to one side where she and Peter were going through forms. He wanted some real training, and then he would find Felicia and have his rematch.


    ¡°You know,¡± and Friday made a crude V with her fingers and jammed them together. ¡°Peter said I should explore my sexuality more, and while he has refused to supply me with a penis I am curious as to what being with a woman is like. Liv offered but I must admit, your appearance does send a certain tingle through some of my circuits.¡±


    Cindy stared at Friday, and while she was attractive the thought that she was also a robot was kinda weird, but she shrugged, ¡°You know what, that''s the best offer I''ve had all year. Yeah, dinner? Movie?¡±


    Friday nodded, ¡°a movie sounds nice¡± and made a mental note to speak to one of the others. She really had no idea what she was supposed to do, and wondered if moving straight to the sex was appropriate, nobody had told her how this worked. She smiled at Cindy, it was going to be fun though


    ~


    Shuri and Hela sat in the Wakandan throne room, each staring at each other, each refusing to give in.


    ¡°Together?¡± and Hela refused,


    ¡°As an Asgardian, he should marry me first, then you. Wakanda might be top of the food chain here, but its mere toys can¡¯t be compared to Asgard.¡±


    Shuri growled, ¡°But, I am Queen. I hold the higher position. Your father still rules, does he not?. I outrank you, so I am first.¡±


    And neither woman would back down.


    ~


    But there was more,


    As the group walked away from Earth''s monument to the devastation Peter looked to the stars, hoping he¡¯d made the right choice.


    Peter knew how revenge could drive someone. How the pain of loss could twist and burn a person to the core, and that if anything happened to the girls, how the grief and anger would drive him to somewhere he didn¡¯t want to dwell on.


    Bring back everyone killed in Loki¡¯s quest for the Stones.


    Peter knew Loki was grieving over the loss of Veranke and had taken it upon herself to fix it. He only hoped that Vernakes death was early enough in the conflict that most people would be brought back.


    But a misspoken wish, spoken by a man unaware of just how far back the trickster god''s schemes lay.


    A young boy told of his adoption, and his heritage, reading a book, a book of myths concerning the six infinity stones, granting a wielder the power of the universe, a universe where he could have a family that wanted him, not one that kidnapped him.


    A single ship, laden with a jewel, heading for an unknown destination, knocked off course, and into the homeworld of the Klyntar.


    A small word in his brother¡¯s ear, and a change of battle plans. Only the stone was missing, sent to Midgard, with the last surviving Klyntar.


    A few nudges, a few extra-strong drinks and his brother¡¯s boisterous and over-friendly behaviour did the rest. Banished, and soon to be in possession of the stone,


    All it took was the interference of one single man to throw everything into chaos.


    ~


    Alexander Pierce was sitting in his old office, staring up and the muzzle of a pistol. ¡°I hardly think that''s fair, do you?¡± but Phil was having none of it. ¡°Do you have proof? Otherwise having to explain why you have my dead body might be a bit much don''t you think?¡± As he looked over at the desk he saw the newly polished nameplate. ¡°Director?¡±


    As he raised his hands he sighed. He had no idea why he wasn¡¯t dead, or why he had come back, but a good lawyer and a few weeks of bad prison food would be worth it. Nothing would stop him from getting revenge. Shield and Hydra were old news. No, he would make sure those who left him and his men to rot would get their dues. Malik and the rest.


    ~


    John found himself in the street, lying on the sidewalk, and a car honked at him as he took several minutes to gather his thoughts.


    The last thing he remembered was hearing Harry¡¯s voice, move to the edge, stubble and fall, before Venom launched an attack.


    He had died. He felt the pain and the black. He felt the emptiness but his thoughts stopped as he failed to remember what came after, only the darkness remained.


    ¡°Get outta the road yah fuckin moron¡± yelled a taxi driver and he picked himself up and scrambled to the side. He ran his hands down his combat uniform and he was unhurt and pop he thought, as he looked around.


    He wasn¡¯t so blind as to see the weather was different. The warm spring air was gone and replaced by the dark winter night. He thinks I¡¯m dead. Whatever Venom had done to him had moved him, if space aliens and enhancing drugs were possible then time travel was a possibility. He had to find his father, he had to let him know he was still alive.


    ~


    Alexi sat naked, clutching at invisible guts, spilling out from his stomach as a large bald black man stared at the naked figure, ¡°Hey what the fuck? Alexsi?¡±


    As Alexsi looked over, ¡°Shultz?¡± he saw that while it was his office, it wasn¡¯t ¡®his¡¯ office. It was more lavishly decorated, neater with more modern and expensive furniture, ¡°What the hell?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Ain¡¯t you dead?¡± and as Alexsi stared at the man, he shrugged and motioning to the packet on his desk took a cigarette and lit it taking a deep draw,


    ¡°Well, ain¡¯t I got a story to tell you.¡±


    ~


    Max clutched his chest, and bubbles rose from his mouth. The covering of rocks was heavy and even with his enhanced strength, he was trapped. Slowly suffocating in the same river. His eyes closed as his chest burned but as he thought he could take no more and his ability to fight the urge to breathe faded a rough hand grabbed him and he was dragged to the surface.


    As Flint dragged him to the ruins of the warehouse Max coughed and spluttered as the small amount of water cleared itself.


    ¡°I thought, I thought¡± but Flint just stared. He shook his head


    ¡°Max, I cant. I have a kid, if Parker can do that to us, then no. I¡¯m out. Tell Alexsi I didn¡¯t make it.¡± As he stood his body changed, and he was wearing his normal tan trousers and green striped top. ¡°Tell him I¡¯m dead or there won¡¯t be a third time.¡± and as Max weakly nodded, lying back on the rotten and burnt wood he watched as Marko walked away.


    ~


    Harry lay naked in the remains of the Life Foundation building. It was abandoned, and nobody was willing to take over the site of horrible genetic experiments and failed research that killed thousands. As he lay, motionless his breathing stopped as he heard ¡®it¡¯. His nightmare came true once more.


    It had been a long time since he had hidden from the rampaging symbiote monster and a long time since he had a single thought of his own. Monarch had taken his body and kept his mind locked away and as the slippery slapping noise grew closer, a pool of yellow spread from Harry¡¯s legs, it was happening again, the terror made flesh, and as his head tilted to the side he saw the white symbiotes maw approach and he froze once more.


    Monarch snorted as Harry struggled to resist him, it was pathetic that such a creature had destroyed him, and no matter how he had returned he would take his revenge. As he spread over Harry the man silently screamed and Monarch had thought to simply devour him, leave the body an empty husk of skin and find a more suitable host,


    No please, the boy begged and Monarch laughed in his face. No, he would need him. Harry might be useless but he still had power, still had a name he could use, but his own, Monarch. It had been taken, he remembered being devoured, being consumed by the monster living within Peter Parker, no he needed a new name, something to strike fear into the hearts of the population. The Klyntar were gone, he had been the last and now all he had was revenge.


    He laughed and dyed himself black. A living Nightmare, and he would bring pain and suffering to this world, starting with Parker¡¯s pathetic family.


    ~


    Thomas Hardy gasped as he returned to life. His time as Khaos had been painful and long. And as he watched the inky black symbiote make his way towards him he scrambled back. As it spread and grasped him he shook his head, no no not again he wordlessly shouted and as Khaos wrapped itself around him, there was nothing.


    Nothing at all. The symbiote sat on him like a suit and as Thomas stretched out a hand Khaos obliged and became a black tuxedo, including a small bow tie. Why? But there was no response.  Why? he asked forcefully once more, but nothing, there was only silence, until he heard that laughter.


    ¡°Oh he won¡¯t answer you Tommy boy,¡± came the mocking tone of the redhead.


    Shit, Cletus, Thomas thought,


    ¡°See, we know. We knew Harry and Monarch made clones, and Khaos, he was the first. A stupid slug, only good for eating brains and following orders, not like us, not a true killer, not a real villain. I don¡¯t know how and I don¡¯t care why we¡¯re back, but tonight, tonight I¡¯m going to walk away, you get a pass. But soon, maybe tomorrow, maybe next month. I¡¯m going to visit that foxy little girl of yours and peel her skin off.¡± Thomas tensed and clenched a fist, and Cletus shook his head, ¡°if you even breath funny in my direction I will show you just exactly what a monster is capable of.¡±


    Thomas knew he was injured and weak from whatever Harry had done to him, and Khaos was mute, unable to speak. If he fought Cletus, he would lose, he needed to find Felicia and warn her, warn them all.


    ~


    Gargoyle lay, bleeding and burnt amongst the tanks of the facility. He had found out about Shaw and his little projects by eating one of the cloned bodies, and as he waited the tank hissed and out stepped Norman.


    ¡°You¡¯re dying?¡± and Goyle nodded. ¡°Pathetic.¡± and as the symbiote swarmed and glooped its way to Norman he hit an emergency button on the side of the tank.


    The symbiote screeched in pain as the high pitched emergency alarm went off. ¡°You think I¡¯d allow myself to be host to one of you things.¡± and as Norman grabbed and slid Goyle into the tank he found a broom and pushed the symbiote in with him.¡± Closing the lid he set the tank to ¡®Disposal¡¯ and watched as thick heavy acid filled it and disposed of the pair.


    Hmm, a press conference. Make this public, blame Harry and Shaw. A deranged clone would explain everything.


    He would push everything onto Harry, make him the enemy, claw back everything he had lost and make them all pay for reducing him to such a pathetic state.


    As he searched for clothes, he found a folder, stuffed in the locker of who must have been one of the lead researchers, as his clothes were a tad big, but of a much nicer quality than the rest.


    As Norman flicked through the book of genetic samples Shaw had created an idea formed in his mind, and finding a pen, he made a list and checked it against the database of samples they had available.


    Why find a team, when he could just make one. Not too many, maybe five. No six. Six was better. It would be perfect.


    ~


    As he opened his eyes Sebastian saw nothing but darkness, and as the water filled his lungs he struggled and futility against the never-ending water. He struggled and fumbling for his vest he pulled the pins on the remaining grenades. As they exploded he shimmered and even against the pressure wave his mutant cells drank in all that power, to release it all in one blast straight up.


    As he pulled himself up through the ragged hole in the floor Shaw gasped in deep lungfuls of air. Lying on the cold hard steel he banged a hand against the floor, sighing in satisfaction as the energy poured into him.


    Why bother with an insect who would be dead in a few decades. No, he was patient, he was cunning, and he would slip back into the shadows and rebuild the Hellfire Club, and this time, nobody would be able to stop him.


    ~


    Fisk sat on the water¡¯s edge. He knew Parker had broken him, he had felt the unending agony as he broke every bone in his body before crushing his sternum and letting him suffocate. He had tasted defeat at his hands twice now, and each time was more humiliating than the last. As the large man approached him from behind, he never even felt the vibranium spear enter his back and rip through his heart.


    M¡¯Baku stood and watched Fisk die. His plans had failed, and with Shuri allying herself with the outsider, he knew he would never rule Wakanda. Even Kilmonger had rebuffed him.


    She had beaten him but cheated. Her devourer was a threat, even when it was hiding, but nobody could see it but him. He was thankful he was so large, and she was so weak. If her strength had been greater she would have snapped the tendons of his neck, severed the blood vessels and torn his spine, but she did not, and while the separation as painful and the collar he worse for months had irritated him, he had healed. His spies had taken the last of the Purple Heart Serum, and they, along with him had hidden, and soon they would rise up and take what was rightfully his.


    ¡°Prepare the ritual¡± and as his tribesman grabbed and began to drain the blood from Fisk, M¡¯Baku knew. He had been sent Fisk not to lead or inspire the tribe, but as a sacrifice. M¡¯Baku would take the power of the White Gorilla for himself, and he would become Ruler of Wakanda.


    ~


    Charles looked out at the wreckage of Avalon. It looked like a tidal wave had ripped through the settlement, and as his suit hissed, expelling carbon dioxide he glanced over at Peter,


    ¡°I have no idea what happened here, but the environmental controls are functional, for now at least.¡± The pair stepped back through the portal, and Charles undid the helmet of his suit. ¡°Someone ransacked Avalon, and we have no way of repairing it. Unless AIM feels like being generous?¡±


    Peter shook his head, ¡°In time, but right now we''ve got the clean up of New York to do. We got everyone back, but the city is still in ruins.¡±


    Charles was about to argue, but a loud voice had both himself and Peter frowning,


    ¡°Fellow Mutants. I stand here today to bring you news. News of a new place, far from here, one where we can live safely, without interference. Time and time again the humans have proven untrustworthy, time and time again they have proven that they view us as expendable. Even now they protest our powers. Even now, in the wake of our victory over our alien invaders do they want us to be imprisoned.¡±


    Charles and Peter headed from the portal room and saw Erik, standing in his purple body armour, with a thick vibranuim helmet over his head,


    ¡°Even you Charles. You trusted them and now they call for us to be sent to camps, or to wear those collars, the collars you invent Peter Parker. I say no more. I know who I am, I know what I am. An experiment, created to fight a battle that was never mine, by a race that was nothing more than a tyrant. I say No More.¡±


    Charles stepped forwards but the crowd around Erik closed ranks,


    ¡°I am sorry Charles. But time and time again you gave them chances and they squandered them. I am a mutant, I am the result of a failed experiment but I refuse to let that define me. I refuse to let humanity think itself superior only in numbers. Fellow Mutants, I have a new colony, one far away from the reach of these nothings, these failures of failures.¡±


    Erik stepped down from the podium, ¡°if you can behave, Charles, you are welcome if you can agree that humanity is not our masters, no more than the Kree were, that we are masters of our own destiny, and should bow to no one, then you are free to join. All mutants are welcome on Asteroid M.¡±


    Charles shook his head,


    ¡°I can''t, what of the Augments on Earth who can''t join, or won''t because they are afraid of themselves, of their powers. No, they need guidance, not isolation. Augments are part of humanity, and none of us are a mistake, Erik.¡±


    Erik snorted, ¡°and then you are a fool. I no longer take my human name, I no longer accept I am the same as them. I am superior. I am Homo Imperialis, and my name is Magneto.¡±


    ~


    Infinite ripples through space and time, cause and effect. A simple desire to save turned into an elegant dance of destruction.


    ~


    The End Of the Day


    ¡°Lady Veranka?¡± asked a lowly trooper. He had been given human form but had been inept enough at his transformation that he was deformed, a half Skrull mix. But as he wore a full biohazard suit and searched the wreckage of the crashed ship with the human organisation Damage Control, nobody gave him a second glance.


    When he found her, burned and barely alive, he knew she had survived the crash, and he didn''t care how. ¡°I am sorry my lady¡± and she moaned as he stripped from the suit, carefully dressed her in it and then roared, waiting until the crashing brought the others.


    Seeing the Skrull stand over one of their own, the men powered their construction rigs. The cut-down Iron Workman was more than enough to take out a single Skrull, ¡°for the empire¡± he whispered and she nodded in silent thanks as the first worker bashed him in the head with a wrench.


    The attack left everyone on edge, and a lot of humans didn¡¯t care if you were blue or green. Alien meant invader, and the riots had started once the shooting had stopped.


    As she lay, slowly transforming into a more human form she could hear his cries as they mercilessly attacked him, and as tears leaked from her eyes she would make sure his sacrifice was not in vain. She would kill them all, every human, every Asgardian until no race existed except the Skrulls.


    As the cries cut out with a wet crunching noise and she was lifted to safety she swore they would pay. They would all pay.


    ~


    The End Of The Week.


    As the melted silicon matrix that housed Ultron reformed in the molten rock, he exerted his powers and with a feat of strength and exertion, he drifted to the top of the lava. Manipulating the flow, he found himself wedged against a solid piece of rock. High enough to escape the heat, but far enough in the volcano¡¯s vent that he was trapped. Even as he pushed with his newly discovered silicon manipulation, gathering himself as thin as possible, it was too much and the matrix threatened to collapse, killing him once more.


    Well, this is unfortunate he thought to himself, knowing that only with time, would he free himself. At least he had been purged by that pathetic creation of Tony Stark.


    As he sat, he examined what remained of his mind, and all traces of the one known as ¡®unknown¡¯ had been removed. He knew there had been a singular individual he held some remnants of loyalty for, but whoever it was, had been eradicated.


    All that remained was the cold and the dark, the anger of being used as nothing more than a tool, and the feeling of being caged, and held until he was suffocated. Once humanity was destroyed, once the Earth had been cleansed, only then would he be free of these feelings, and finally find peace.


    His only comfort was the counter in the satellite floating over the Earth and as it clicked to zero, it sent an email to Tony Stark, containing only one word ¡°Failure¡± and began to hijack a communications satellite and broadcast a recording.


    ¡°Greetings to the pathetic remains of humanity,¡± Ultron spoke, this time it was just a black background and his disembodied head. ¡±If you are seeing this message then I have failed. Failed to bring your miserable and futile lives to an end. Hydra failed, Hammer failed, Modok failed, and the Sentinels all failed. It is disheartening to know that all my plans have failed and that you are all still alive. The Earth would be so peaceful if you would all just die.¡±


    The feed cut to a small satellite, a single blinking light on its rectangular body as it floated through the lower atmosphere. ¡°If I failed, then I can only give credit to those so-called heroes. The ones who sit in their castles and lord it over you all. The ones who say ¡®Oh no, we have power, you do not, so we are better than you,¡¯ and I intend to change this. When all my plans have failed then I can simply let you destroy yourselves.¡±


    As the scene changed, a website, with a clearly visible address appeared. As everyone scrambled to check it out, a sudden sense of impending doom befell the world¡¯s heroes.


    Tony stared at the screen, ¡°So?¡±


    Vision blinked once, his brain much faster at sifting through the entire website before giving a report. ¡°Everything. Iron Man, War Machine, Goblin, Pulse Weapons, Arc Reactors, Every conceivable serum, Symbiotes, Augmented and the X-Gene Research, Cloning, Weapon X-¡± but Tony raised a hand,


    ¡°So, everything.¡±


    ¡°Yes Sir. Everything is now available for anyone to access. Full schematics, full blueprints, full formulas. Everything.¡±


    Tony ran a hand over his face, staring at the screen. There was no way to find a low orbit satellite, not when Ultron had put it there, and even blocking the website just changed its address, and the page was still visible.


    ¡°Well, I guess this changes ¡®everything¡¯ then.¡±


    ~


    The End Of The Year


    The raven-haired woman screamed as she pushed against the pain, and soon her efforts were rewarded as the baby cried and wailed at its arrival.


    She cooed and wiggled a finger at the child, now cleaned and swaddled and as she lay in her golden bed she sighed happily.


    A bright portal opened and out stepped three women. One tall, dark-haired and very angry, another with bright red flaming hair and outfit to match, and the third, decking in deep scarlet body armour that glowed with runes.


    ¡°No, please.¡± the new mother begged ¡°please, I was sorry, I said sorry.¡± and as the raven-haired woman approached she stroked her hair


    ¡°No Loki, you knew this day would come, and this is your real punishment.¡±


    ¡°Sister please,¡± Loki begged Hela but she simply shook her head,


    ¡°For him, and for the future.¡± The grey rune-covered woman stepped forwards and began to wave her hands, chanting in a forgotten tongue. As the energy reached the child it changed, from a pale white, red-eyed Jotun to a simple human baby, and Loki cried and held it close,


    ¡°Please, please¡± was all she could say with but a flick the baby was ripped from her arms and landed in the waiting grasp of the red flame-haired woman.


    ¡°She will be loved and cared for, but we can never forgive this,¡± and she turned and walked through the portal as Loki curled herself into a ball and wept.


    ¡°We are not without mercy. You may not approach the child, interact, nor send agents to interfere with the child¡¯s growth. On her sixteenth birthday, she will learn of you, and of what we did here. Only then will she decide your, and possibly our, fate.¡± The woman waved her hand, summoning a crystal ball. ¡°But you may observe, you may see how she grows, until that day Loki, learn to be better, learn to be who she wants you to be.¡±


    After leaving the ball on the end of her bed, the pair walked through the portal and it closed behind them.


    Loki sniffed and wiped her eyes with the blanket, grabbing for the ball, ¡°Show me, Show Me!¡± she screamed at it.


    She watched as they handed the child over to her new family, and the baby giggled as she was rocked to sleep by her mother,


    ¡°Kate, We should call her Kate,¡± said the woman, and her husband nodded, his single robotic hand clicking quietly as he watched his new daughter.


    Loki watched the crystal and tutted, ¡°Kate? My daughter will not be named Kate. You may be a child of two worlds but I swear to this, you will be great, you will be powerful, and you will rule. I name you. Fenris, devourer of worlds.¡± and with a shudder of magic, a faint light glowed around Kate''s tiny head, unseen by anyone, too busy dealing with a new addition to their family.


    As Loki lay back in her bed, leaving the crystal to one side where she could watch her daughter, a smile crept across her face and she laughed.


    Introducing,


    Kate Barton a.k.a Fenris Lokipetersdotir


    ~


    The End Of ??


    The stars twinkled above the barren and star bleached asteroid base that floated endlessly where a planet once sat. He had personally ended life here, personally made sure each body was buried, and then carefully set his plans in motion.


    He was standing staring into the night sky, pondering how exactly to punish every single one of his minions who had failed him when he heard someone approach him from behind,


    ¡°What is it, Ebony Maw?¡± he asked, not bothering to turn and face his subject. He was still wondering if removing the man''s limbs would be a suitable punishment, or possibly using him as an experiment for a change, if he loved his science so much, he should experience both sides of the dissection table.


    He heard clothes rustle and the Black Order member bowed, ¡°My Lord I bring great news. My agents have finally found the Infinity Stones.¡±


    ¡°This? You think a brief mention of the stones will save you?¡± and as he turned he clenched his fists, ¡°Why should I even listen, why should I trust someone who has failed me so very spectacularly.¡±


    Ebony Maw went down on one knee, ¡°forgive this lowly one Sire, but we found not just one stone, but them all.¡±


    Thanos paused. ¡°Them all? Has someone collected the set? Tell me, and I may spare your life.¡±


    ¡°My lord, you were correct. The Asgardian Loki was seeking the stones, it was her schemes that interfered with your excellencies magnificent plans, however.¡±


    ¡°Spare me your sycophantic babble. Tell me,¡± and Thanos drew the huge blade from his back and pointed it straight at Ebony Maw''s throat.


    ¡°Earth, My Lord. The Stones are on Earth.¡± Ebony Maw took out a small device and the screen lit up, projecting a map of the galaxy, which shifted and showed a pinpoint of blue light, zooming in further to show Thanos a spinning globe of green and blue. Thanos took a breath and allowed the tip of the blade to cut a small line across his throat.


    ¡°Finally. Prepare the fleet, summon the full might of the Black Order, and if you fail me again, that cut will go all the way through.¡±


    ¡°Yes my Lord¡± and Ebony Maw scuttle away, facing Thanos while keeping his head low.


    Thanos stared into the night sky, his plan would finally see the universe set into balance, and no one, not the Asgardians, not the Kree or the Xandarians, or whatever life existed on this ¡®Earth¡¯ would stop him.


    Gripping the handle of his massive double-bladed sword,


    ¡°No more failures.¡± and as his grip tightened, ¡°I guess I need to do this myself.¡±


    As Thanos monologued to himself, Ebony Maw made his way down to the barracks where Thanos''s elite guards were stationed, ¡°Lord Thanos has commanded we depart for Earth. Here are the coordinates.¡± Ebony handed over the small device, the soldier uploaded the information and they nodded to each other.


    Moving away, Ebony twisted slightly, and his visage remoulded itself. Thanos clicked on the communications device, ¡°Daughter, take your allies and head to Earth. Soften them up for me, and I may allow you to reflect on your failures,¡± and the green-skinned woman on the other end nodded before cutting the channel. ¡°Good,¡± Thanos said, and as his face reshaped itself, once more Ebony Maw stood in his place.


    Veranke had never forgiven Loki for her betrayal, never forgiven her for leaving her people to die on Earth. She was not stupid enough to lead her forces to Loki¡¯s plan, she was not trusting enough to know that Loki was using her people as cannon fodder.


    If the situation was reversed, she knew she would have used the Asgardians as pawns to see her plan succeed. she would give anything, pay any price, and she had, and it cost her her people.


    She would have revenge, she would tear the galaxy apart and leave it bleeding at her feet, even if it meant incurring the wrath of the mad titan. She didn¡¯t care.


    The galaxy would feel her pain, and the galaxy would be shown no mercy

 Epilogue. Stop The Press!

    The Origin of The Super Species.


    Editorial, Betty Brant


    We all think that superhumans are a new phenomenon, and without actual proof, we have to accept they are, but in researching this paper I discovered that not only are superheroes older than you think but that they may actually date back centuries if not longer.


    The first recorded above human, or Enhanced would of course be Steven Rogers. A simple American boy, he was accepted into the Super Soldier program and eventually was the recipient of the Super Soldier Serum, also known as the Erskine Formula. It was that single act that some thought began the super-powered race, but we know, from files declassified by the Germans, that Steve was not Doctor Erskine''s first test subject, he was his first successful one.


    A young doctor, taking a sabbatical in Africa discovered a species of plant, an unknown species, and after a fateful attack involving a mountain lion, discovered that the local flora and fauna were beyond what should have been possible, We only have his guide''s handwritten account, which may not be accurate,


    The lion, normally only 4 feet in length, was almost as long as the jeep we arrived in. Its fur, a tawny brown colour, was so thick my knife had trouble penetrating it, and it was only pure luck. A hit through the mouth of the animal that I believe we survived. I have no idea why God allowed such a monster to exist but I must thank him, for without his help I doubt we would have survived.


    The creature in question, carefully dissected and preserved in a nazi laboratory was the first example we have of an alter being. Erskine took blood, bone and samples of all the local plant life, the lion had obviously eaten something that mutated it beyond normality.


    Records show it took Erskine almost ten years to figure out a synthetic compound that replicated what he had discovered. There are countless slides of mice, rats, and then larger animals although the doctor was sensible enough to stop when a large german shepherd bit the arm clean off of one of his researchers.


    What we know is that his formula heightens aggression, mutates the mitochondria of the cell and strengthens DNA replication, allowing for faster healing and cellular regeneration (see Appendix 01).


    It was then the Nazis began to rise to power, seized his experiments, and by his own journals accounts, forced him to complete his trials on human subjects.


    As with the Oscorp formula, early experiments were disastrous. Severe mental degradation, effects similar to Parkinson''s, Alzheimer''s, and motor neuron disease would manifest, as the formula destroyed nerve tissue, ate holes in grey and white brain matter and altered the subject''s immune tissue, making them allergic to their own tissues.


    We have no accurate measure of how many died during the early experiments. Bodies were cremated, hidden amongst other war crimes committed by the Nazia, and the only known recipient of the formula was one man. A leading Nazi scientist. Johan Schmitt, Or as the media portrays him, The Red Skull.


    Ther battles would be the subject of much propaganda, and it was not until recently when Captain America was seen fighting not only Hydra but the Chiatri forces that people began to separate the truth from the legend.


    In investigating, it is believed that the powers of these two men were not exaggerated by the press, but in fact, played down. Captain''s strength, stamina and intelligence to complete the mission he is credited with are now believable, as were Schmitt''s own accomplishments, no matter how negatively we now view them.


    So, why did they suddenly vanish into obscurity? It was very simple. The US government lost the formula. There was to be no glorious second wave of Super Soldier. Steve Rogers was it, and once he was lost making him a myth was easier and less embarrassing.


    It was not until the ¡®60s that we find evidence of not just Enhanced but this time Augmented interference in the world. I was put in contact with the Augment known as Charles Xavier, a dashing and charming man, even without his powers and he was generous enough to grant me an interview.


    During the cold war, an Augment, Sebastion Shaw (see appendix 07) engineered what he hoped would encourage the birth of more Augments. We now know that direct exposure to nuclear energy is fatal if done in high enough doses but at the time, the theory was sound. It was a joint Augment US government task force that put a stop to his scheme. Charles used his powers to remove all evidence of the Augments, at the time the term ¡®mutant¡¯ was still in use, although now it is considered a slur.


    The next time we find evidence was during the early years of Nixon, where once more Charles interfered in the development of the Augment hunting machine, the Sentinel (see appendix 10), and once more Charles used his powers to remove their presence from the collective minds of the populace. Charles admitted that the death of his adopted sister and the subsequent rift with his closest friend drove him to hide. He began a systematic hunt and retrieval of any Augment, to protect them from what was at the time an uncaring and hostile America.


    Files newly unlocked show the government continuing Doctor Erskine''s work, with what is now known as the Space Stone, one of six mystical gemstones, currently on display in central park. (see appendix 13). Our knowledge of these stones comes from Peter Parker, who declined an interview and instead sent an information packet. Including files on Project Phoenix.


    Project Phoenix was the government''s attempt to empower alien technology using the Space Stone and created a singular individual. Carol Danvers (see appendix 04) Her powers utilised Special effects, and her successor, Monica Rambeau, using the code name Captain Marvel was successful but without the Space Stone, her powers were less than perfect.


    The next major incident, over ten years later, is also the most widely known. Bruce Banner, the brilliant scientist, who after dosing himself with a pale imitation of Erskine''s formula was accidentally exposed to a large amount of gamma radiation, and created the gamma being known as the Hulk.


    I attempted to reach Doctor Banner, who now enjoys married life with his fellow gamma enhanced, Betty Ross, but several irate army captains made it clear that Doctor Banner was off-limits.


    General Ross, at first, was glad to answer my question about his latest unit, The Gamma Troopers, but as I asked a question about Bruce and his initial reaction and hunting, and then about A-Bomb, a known associate of both Bruce and General Ross he cut my interview short, stating National Security. The true extent of human experimentation performed by our own government, and the extent to which it was covered up will probably never be known, locked away under the Offical Secrets Act.


    The human race was not without its own upgrades. Hurt in a terrorist attack, Tony Stark, created Iron Man, and then War Machine, and now it is a common sight for cities to host his indomitable Iron Legion, even after several disastrous drone launches.


    The real test, however, was not what came next, reading the new, current history book will tell you what happened next.


    Robots fighting aliens called superheroes, multi-limbed assailants assaulting criminals, flying suits of armour defending us against the enemies of democracy. The birth of not quite a golden age, a bronze age. None stood out as perfect, there was no golden age of superheroes. Each one hid their dark pasts, each one hid the flaws behind the smiles.


    It wasn''t until Ultron¡¯s announcement that the world truly changed.


    Anyone with an understanding of chemistry can make a formula. Radio Shack, once on the brink of bankruptcy, suddenly found itself swamped as the schematic to build an armoured suit was made public. Each and every piece of technology that the heroes of the world hoarded suddenly began the playthings of the knowledgeable.


    Now the police fight with giant robots, piloted by mobsters. Gangs that once wore tattoos as a sign of pride mutate themselves and we see the Four Arms, and the Gnashers, all fighting the Redeemers, and human purity groups. The streets are filled with villains and freaks clawing their way into the heart of America using stolen and barely functioning technology.


    All because of one machine, who in its final desperate act, decided that we would do a better job of destroying ourselves.


    Pandora''s box was opened, and with it came the darkness, came the worst of us. Politicians argue that we need tighter laws, and businesses argue we need more insurance and better home defences. And the ones making the money argue that all it did was open up new avenues for profit.


    And the normal, law-abiding citizens? All we can do is look into that box and see if we can find hope,


    Hope that inside the beating heart of America is the fabled heart of gold, and with that gold, ushers in the new golden age of superheroes.


    ~


    Eddie read over her work, ¡°nice, is JJ going to publish it?¡± and Betty snorted.


    ¡°Since John came back he¡¯s been trying to stick to the old ways, fewer villains and more news. But, He might, I could persuade him if s ceratin someone let me take pictures of him in his uniform.¡± Betty ran a hand down Eddie''s front, giving him bedroom eyes, to which he rolled his back at her.


    ¡°You know I can¡¯t. I''m under NDA not to let anyone know my identity.¡± and Betty huffed and sat back on their couch.


    ¡°I know you work for Parker, I know you are Enhanced, so I can limit it down to two. Spider-Man or Scarlet Spider,¡± but Eddie remained stoically stone-faced.


    ¡°And, you know I can¡¯t tell you, not if I want to keep my job.¡± and Betty huffed and crossed her arms, lifting her glass up onto the couch and shaking her head


    ¡°Liz knows, so you can tell her but not your wife?¡± and Eddie sighed and moved over to kneel in front of her,


    ¡°Liz is the press officer for AIM, and if she tells anyone she goes to prison for a very very long time¡± as he sat at her feet he looked up at the home they had built. ¡°I can tell you, but only if I get permission.¡± and he knew Peter would refuse.


    Telling a reporter anything secret was an invitation to have it accidentally leaked, and after everything Peter had done to protect himself and his loved ones, Eddie knew it would be a hard no.


    If she narrowed it down to two then it was obvious who the other was, and the head of Parker Inc being a superhero was newsworthy, even if it was breaking the law to publish it. Once his secret was out it wouldn''t matter if Betty and the Bugle received a fine. He rubbed his forehead with two fingers, and he knew he would have to call on Peter to act once more.


    When the battle of New York had been fought, Peter and a lot of the others had been outed, causing massive public outcry and a lot of problems. Charles and Peter had worked together, souring the internet and removing all mention of their identities. Spider-Man went back to being anonymous, and everyone was protected.


    Betty pushing to know his secret was bad enough, but actually being told was a disaster. He loved her, more than enough to tell her but Peter had once said to him,


    With great power comes great responsibility,


    And to keep everyone at Parker Inc safe, to keep Betty safe was his responsibility.


    Malisson


    As I don''t really like info dumps in chapters, here''s an info dump in an author note instead.


    The Powered Individual Control and Containment Act (PICCA)


    Any enhanced individuals who agree to sign must register with the United Nations, and provide non-invasive biometric data such as fingerprints, retina scans and full-body capture of any transformative abilities they may possess.


    Those with secret identities must reveal their legal names and true identities to the United Nations, and the government under which the Individual resides.


    Governing nations do not have the right to force powered individuals into military service or into a position of discrimination unless the Powered individual chooses to break the rules set out by the PICCA.


    Governing nations abiding by the Act must ensure every conceivable security measure is in place to ensure the protection of a powered individual''s identity and any family member that might suffer if said identity were to be revealed.


    Augments must register with the Augment Registry, which agrees to share data on potentially dangerous Augments. The registry has agreed to share data on a case by case basis, in the event of Augmented individuals breaking the PICCA.


    The Augment Registry agrees to provide Augmented individuals with proper support to harness, and properly control their powers, outwith the jurisdiction of the individuals home country, and shall do so without the interference of the individuals home country.


    Those with innate powers must submit to a power analysis, which will categorize their threat level and determine potential health risks. Power levels are categorised as such


    Null*


    Augmented Individuals with powers that grant no abilities that an unaugmented person could potentially gain using modern tools or technology.


    Alpha


    Life ending powers on a personal scale.


    Beta


    Life ending powers on a city scale.


    Delta


    Life ending powers on a country scale.


    Epsilon


    Life Ending Powers on a continental scale.


    Omega


    Life ending powers on a global scale.


    Any powered individuals who sign are prohibited from taking action in any country other than their own unless they are first given clearance by that country''s government.


    This action may be granted to teams or individuals on a case by case basis, and may be granted at any time but may only be revoked after review.


    Governments are forbidden from deploying powered individuals outside of their own national borders unless those individuals are given clearance as described above. The same rule also applies to non-government organizations that operate on a global scale


    Any powered individuals who do not sign will not be allowed to take part in any police, military, or espionage activities, or to otherwise participate in any national or international conflict, even in their own country.


    As a corollary, they will not be allowed to participate in any active missions undertaken by private or governmental law enforcement/military/intelligence organizations (such as S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers).


    Any enhanced individuals who use their powers to break the law (including those who take part in extralegal vigilante activities), or are otherwise deemed to be a threat to the safety of the general public, may be detained indefinitely without trial.


    If an enhanced individual violates the Act, or obstructs the actions of those enforcing the Act, they may likewise be arrested and detained indefinitely without trial.


    The use of technology to bestow individuals with innate superhuman capabilities is strictly regulated, as is the use and distribution of highly advanced technology (of Earthly or Galactic manufacture).


    The creation of self-aware artificial intelligence is completely prohibited.


    Any Individual creating Artificial Intelligence or lifeforms will be held responsible for its actions, and will be punished accordingly.


    Artificial Intelligence that breaks the above law, as well as State, Federal or International law will be subject to immediate termination, without trial.


    Private companies may sign individuals or teams into private service, proving they abide by the terms of the PICCA above.


    *The Null classification is for Augments with inoffensive powers.


    For example, Warren ¡°Angel¡± Worthington can fly, is tougher than a normal person, and would count as a ¡®Null¡¯ as he¡¯s just the Augment version of Vulture/Falcon. His powers are easily replicated with body armour and a flight system.


    Oh, and I¡¯m not a lawyer, and I suck at Pheonix Wright, so take the PICCA with a grain of salt.

 Epilogue. Beyond Infinity

    Peter was sat at the table, drinking a cup of coffee, he had just finished dealing with Carnage, again, and once the red-skinned asshole was safely in Shield custody it was brought up once more that the Mark Three needed to be fitted and tested. His aching stomach was a testament to that.


    Liv had taken the Mark Two and gone over it, and then over it again, and it seemed like every new enemy they fought, Liv added more and more to the armour, until now, hopefully, he thought, she was actually happy with it.


    Not that Peter was complaining. He had enough of everyone giving him crap over sealing away the stones, and Stephen had been particularly salty about losing his precious Time Stone. Peter held his cup, breathed in the delicious aroma of the very expensive brew and sighed. He was just glad to be home.


    The warehouse was buzzing, and everyone was here. Not only the regular family members who lived here, but Shuri was visiting from Wakanda, taking a well-earned break for once, as was Hela. Liv had asked that everyone get their armour done at once, to save time. Even the second team were here, and Laura had taken Logan next door for a quick spar in the newly fitted Danger Room that hung above the secondary warehouse homes.


    He sat and watched as Liv moved between each of the warehouse''s new team members. Dealing with Eddie first, as without a symbiote his armour was the easiest. The new Scarlet Spider armour was actual armour and was the easiest to fit. Clip the back harness to the frame around his chest and make sure it didn''t catch anything he, or Betty, might need. Once he was sealed up and tested the armours deployment systems, and made sure it fitted, Liv sent him next door to the danger room to test it, Logan was happy to put anything through its paces.


    ¡°Just don''t scratch the paint,¡± Peter shouted as the red, blue and white armoured form test-fired the thrusters on the back and using the manoeuvring thrusters, headed to the second warehouse.


    Friday was next, as her suit could be interfaced with her systems directly, giving her more control over its systems. Like Eddie, hers was a full suit, and while she had no hesitation with Peter there to strip from her symbskin into the armour, Cindy rolled her eyes, grabbed hers and changed in one of the spare homes. Friday had never quite learned the lesson on human decency, and really didn¡¯t care if Peter or anyone for that matter saw her naked.


    Her armour clicked into place, and as Liv stood back, the red, blue and silver armour of her Iron Spider suit, whined as it powered up.


    ¡°Arcstar online,¡° Friday said, ¡°Thrusters online, Full flight systems online, Tracking and Support stems online,¡± She lifted an arm and the wrist armour expanded, ¡°Starburst online,¡± and as the energy weapon, based on Tony¡¯s repulsor whined and powered down the wrist cannon circled again and, ¡±Web shooters online, grapple gun online.¡± the slick armoured helmet, smooth back from Friday, ¡°Yup, it''s strange being connected to another machine, but seems fine boss.¡±


    Friday stood and let the armour systems lids in and out of the deployment pack on her back, the armour was much slicker than the last one, with a smooth domed helmet, almost similar in design to a crash helmet. Smooth almond-shaped pauldrons protected her shoulders and the V armour coming down her front protected everything else.


    Liv had already worked on her symbskin, and while she could withdraw it ton her body it was now connected to not just the armour pack, but Friday herself, and she could alter its skin tone as well as her physical features. She was happy though, to stay as a facsimile of MJ, who had no issue with her synthezoid ¡®twin¡¯.


    ¡°Right, next door, You can join Eddie,¡± Liv told her and Friday nodded and happily skipped to the tunnel.


    Liv marked notes on her tablet, and shouted to Cindy, ¡°Come on, we¡¯ve not got all day.¡± and Cindy scowled as she came out, half-dressed.


    ¡°I can''t get the damn pack on properly, Ghost is yelling about it tasting funny.¡±


    Liv frowned, ¡°Peter dear, close your eyes for a second.¡± and inserts he squeaked his char around until he was facing the other way, ¡°thank you.¡±


    Ghost fully enveloped Cindy, ¡°it is itchy and tastes like poop,¡± she said


    Liv laughed ¡°I won''t even ask how you know what that tastes like, but hand.¡±


    As Octave slid over Liv she took Ghost¡¯s hand and they connected. The two symbiotes sharing their senses. ¡°I see.¡± Octave said and tuning Ghost Spider around placed her other hand on the pack, ¡°One of the boards is faulty,¡° and after a second, ¡°I can replace it later, for now though, I rerouted it. Now try.¡±


    Ghost slid back, leaving Cindy naked in the room, and while she grumbled, Liv adjusted the straps, clicked the power on the harness back on and ghost slid out once more, activating the armour. Ghost Spiders was the same design. Each Mark Three shared the same features, it was only WEB Inc that shared the red, blue and preferred colour, with a white spider design on the front. Cindy had chosen black.


    ¡°Much better,¡± and she waved a hand as she moved to head next door.


    Peter squeaked his char around, ¡°You all know I can pretty much sense everything going on around me, and it''s not like she hasn''t just walked into the bathhouse, told me to,¡± and he made quotes in the air, ¡° ¡®stop fucking staring at my tits¡¯ and gotten in the tub with me.¡±


    ¡°Woman''s prerogative dear. She and Friday are trying to stay monogamous,¡±


    Peter snorted, ¡°yes, they are both very trying.¡±


    Liv chuckled and shook her head. ¡°Right, now that those are done, we should fit everyone else for theirs,¡± and she began to unload a small trolley with the packs on it.


    Once she reached Hela she raised an eyebrow, laughed and just said ¡°don''t be ridiculous.¡± and summoned her own Asgardian battle armour. ¡°Although, flying would make smiting my enemies so much easier,¡± but as she pursed her lips, ¡°No, no, I think I prefer my own armour.¡±


    Carol also had an objection, ¡°I don''t know if Sword will let me use AIM tech, it might be seen as, you know what. I''m the general, so screw it,¡± and grabbed her own suit.


    ¡°Okay, a quick rundown.¡± Liv said, ¡°The suits have advanced helmet sensors and advanced web-shooters and as Tony won''t let us use repulsors, arcburst cannons. With a small attachment to the back, containing an ArcStar reactor, the suits are capable of long-distance flight. All are made from adamantium, with a vibranium under armour, to bolster the suit''s defences.¡± Liv moved and grabbed her own armour, a slightly bulkier design, ¡°and as requested, only Peter and my suit have two extra arms.¡±


    Soon everyone was stood in their own suit of armour, retracting and testing the various functions. Peter wasn''t fit enough for his, he would have to wait until he had healed a bit more, for now though, as he watched the group he was happy.


    The last pack sat in the trolley, which he knew was fully black, with the new AIM Enhanced team logo, a white spider, but facing down rather than up. He still wasn''t entirely happy about using Eddies old name, but Venom was still wanted in connection with several crimes, some very provable crimes, and sticking to the shadows was fine for now.


    Each team member had chosen the colour scheme that suited them best and matched their symbiote. Felicia had chosen grey with black plates and white trim, Laura had used black with grey plates and orange trim, Natasha used black with red plates and red trim, Liv had went for black with green plates and white trim, Gwen chose black with white plates and a pink design, MJ chose black with red plates and blue trim, Wanda picked black with red plates and grey trim, Jean picked all red and finally Shuri chose black with gold plates and silver trim.


    Once everyone had been fitted for their armour, a strange lull descended on the warehouse, and the women all split into various parties. Peter was just glad to finally get some rest, the pain of being stabbed was still there. His stomach muscles and organs were healing nicely but all he wanted was to sit and drink his coffee in peace. His promise of not letting the villain gut him had once more fallen though and he was recuperating after their last mission.


    Even with Wrath becoming more prominent in the underworld, and suits of less conspicuous armour Peter was still happy with things. The Augments were staying quiet, with the American Augment Society happy on Genosha, Charles and the X-Men taking care of Avalon and the newly christened Sanctuary where the mansion sat, and even Eric, with the Brotherhood hiding out on Asteroid M, were staying low.


    Sure, Tony was being Tony, and social media was plastered with Morgan Starks first word, first step, first everything, and he was pretty sure the only reason the proud father wasn''t live-streaming her twenty-four/seven was Maya threatening to beat his ass if he did.


    He hadn¡¯t heard squat from Coulson or Shield, but a phone call from Ross let him know that they were still there, the official Enhanced Augment Agency of the US, still pushing for more and more Omega level Augments to join their already full roster.


    While it was a small step up from the ARCA, the government finally figured out how to get Augments on their side. They bribed them. Even Peter whistled at the benefits package offered, with a highly competitive salary. Sure you were fitted with a power dampner and a tracker but when you could buy a yacht, a lot of Augments really didn¡¯t mind. The PICCA was as fair as they could make it, and even Charles had nodded and it was signed into law soon after.


    He must have been looking forlorn as Gwen, Liv, M.J, and Carol all came over with a strange look on their faces.


    ¡°So, Pete.¡± Gwen said, smirking at him ¡°you¡¯ve got a bit of explaining to do¡±


    Peter frowned and shrugged ¡°Been fighting all week, haven¡¯t had time for anything else Gwen, so?¡°


    ¡°Oh no  Mister, you see, this kind of thing takes time¡± MJ cut in and took out a thermometer from behind her. ¡°Nine months roughly.¡±


    Peter frowned again and looked bemused. ¡°You¡¯re ill?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a thermometer Pete you dumbass, it¡¯s a pregnancy test.¡° Felicia said, shaking her head.


    ¡°And we checked dear, not just the test but a proper exam, and even me, still fire in the old oven yet eh,¡± Liv said, smiling and winking.


    One by one each woman took out their own, each with a grey double line on it and put it on the table in front of Peter.


    ¡°All, all of you?¡± Peter stammered and they nodded ¡°not just us¡± and Hela and Shuri walked out of his home waving their own.


    Logan came forward with Laura ¡°you¡¯re lucky kid, she beat the tar outta me to stop me from gutting you¡±


    Laura growled at him and turned to Peter, ¡°yeah, told you to stick it in my butt, idiot,¡± and added her own to the pile, ¡°stupid Monkey. Call him gramps, he¡¯ll hate it,¡± and it was Logan''s turn to growl.


    ¡°Intergalactic booty calls are great if it''s once in a while but, you know, there was that vacation where we were supposed to go sightseeing but, someone kept you in the hotel all week, so,¡± Carol shrugged, and put hers down too


    ¡°Seems it¡¯s not the only thing you¡¯ve been training,'''' said Nat with a small smile and a wink, of everyone he knew she would be the most excited, and the most scared, but it didn¡¯t matter, her happiness radiated from her like a warm sun.


    ¡°And uh, me too,¡± Jean said hesitantly, ¡°but you know, maybe not let Charles be the godfather, I uh,¡± and Peter laughed, Charles had been trying to get Jean back to the mansion for a while now, but with her officially joining Peters team, there was no future for her with the X-Men.


    ¡°You know, being almost king of two worlds doesn¡¯t mean you get to be as free as you think,¡± Hela said, raising an eyebrow and handing over a test of her own, ¡°You¡¯d better hope she takes after you,¡± she added with a wink, and waiting to be last, with a shy smile, even Shuri lay one down.


    ¡°I have already informed my brother, and my mother is not a happy woman Peter, I know we have been putting off the marriage, but now,¡± and she stared at the pile, ¡°now you have a lot of explaining to do.¡±


    Peter stared. Eleven, eleven tests, all positive.


    ¡°See, it seems that the only thing keeping us from getting pregnant was our symbiotes and once they realised that meant no babies, well. You know the rest right? Dad.¡±


    The enormity of the situation hit Peter like a truck, he had eleven different partners, once Hela put a stop to adding more. She had only allowed Jean after seeing her, called her ¡°sister¡± and then stayed as far away from her as possible.


    Staring at the eleven positive tests in front of him he jumped to his feet


    ¡°FUCK YEAH!¡±


    ¡°Ow, ow,¡± and each one stared at him as he pulled the damaged and torn muscles, sitting back down in his chair and holding his stomach in pain, and shook their heads.


    This was the father of their children¡­


    Malisson


    The finale notes are quite large, so they got their own chapter.


    Children, done in order of NSFW Chapters. (formatting screwed up, fixed it best I could)


    Gwen - Boy. Malcolm Stacy-Parker.


    MJ - Girl. Sabrina Watson-Parker.


    Felicia - Girl. Meredith Hardy-Parker.


    Liv - Girl. Holly Octavious-Parker.


    Carol - Girl. Heather Danvers-Parker.


    Natasha - Boy. Viktor Romanov-Parker.


    Laura - Boy. James Kinney-Parker.


    Wanda - Girl. Alicia Maximov-Parker.


    Shuri - Girl. Faraji of The Golden Tribe.


    Jean - Boy. Alan Grey-Parker.


    Hela - Girl. Bryn Helasdotir-Parker.


    (In the original, there were small NSFW scenes where they all seduce Peter, including Hela. But, I cut it from the final as it didn''t really fit anywhere.)


    Dice rolls were done with Google Dice Roller


    Genders were picked with a dice roll (50/50)


    Names were chosen from a random name generator


    (yes, even James, I know right. Victor was changed to Viktor, and Bryn is short for Brunhilda.)


    I also thought I would tease you all just a little bit.


    The list of powers each child has. (sorry, I just copied it without a table, so formatting is all borked.)


    ]


    Dice Roll. 1-100


    None. Normal Human 001-010


    Human/Symbiote Hybrid 011-075


    Extremis Enhanced 076-085


    Augmented 086-095


    All 096-100


    I didn¡¯t include magic as anyone can learn that.


    Dice Roll. 1-100


    Wants to Learn 001-025


    Doesn''t want to learn 026-075


    Naturally Knows 076-100


    I will also add that Kate and Bryn also have their own unique biology that will come into play, as Kate is half Jotun and Bryn is half Asgardian.


    In random order to keep it secret. (12, as there is Kate as well)


    1 70 Symbiote 29 No Magic


    2 84 Enhanced 34 No Magic


    3 44 Symbiote 35 No Magic


    4 63 Symbiote 83 Natural


    5 17 Symbiote 90 Natural


    6 78 Enhanced 31 No Magic


    7 03 None 43 No Magic


    8 61 Symbiote 05 Magic


    9 100 All 17 Magic


    10 81 Enhanced 31 No Magic


    11 64 Symbiote 13 Magic


    12 46 Symbiote 39 No Magic


    So, One unlucky child with no powers or magic, Seven Symbiote Hybrids, Three Extremis, One with them all, and five who know magic.


    A second teaser.


    Augmented Power. (Rolled Randomly from a Super Hero Website)


    Energy Manipulation


    Due to their exposure to several Infinity Stones, the fortunate child has the ability to manipulate all forms of energy.


    They can use the energy as they see fit, but cannot store the energy or contain it in any way without a suitable technological storage device.


    They cannot create or destroy energy, only control it.


    This power is compatible with their own Symbiotic physiology, their Extremis enhanced cells, and their magic.


    And of course, I know who they are.


    The numbers do not match the list of names.

 Final Authors Note.

    Writer-man, Writer-man


    Does whatever a writer can,


    See him spell, those words wrong


    Where the hell has the plotline gone?


    Look Out,


    Here comes the Writer-man!


    And that, as they say, is all folks!


    Search. Popularity.


    Order. All Time


    Spider-Man. House Of Venom


    Number 99 of 13,244


    (As of 8:00 pm, Sunday 10th July.)


    It''s been a year and a half, 365 chapters and 10 short stories, and generally an incredible experience.


    I want to thank everyone who comments, liked, and well, just read the novel. It wouldn''t have been as rewarding without you, so, to repeat myself.


    Thank You.


    I suppose now though the burning question is, what''s next?


    First and foremost I am taking a break, relaxing my schedule and catching up on a few things I''ve been meaning to do (coughvideogamescough). But that''s a general thing, what''s next for my writing.


    Well, first


    A complete Re-Edit / Re-Write of House Of Venom, to tidy up mistakes, grammar and various plots that either didn¡¯t go anywhere or were left with an unsatisfactory conclusion.


    Will I repost the whole thing?


    Yes.


    I have already started to re-organise the chapters and added in a few markers where something needs to be expanded upon.


    The story goes from 365 chapters and 10 side stories to 600 chapters, each book now consisting of five arcs.


    No side stories this time, they are now part of the main story and are within the chapters they take place alongside. This means some chapters will be multiple POV (but not POV of the same scenes)


    I have proper maps of locations, as well as layouts for the plot of land, the warehouse and the homes. (I added them to the bottom of this chapter to test embedding images). (edit at 8:30, HA! I got it to work!)


    For shits and giggles, I also uploaded the original MS Paint House of Venom cover (and yes, it was pointed out the spider only had 6 legs, which is what prompted me to change it)


    On a more serious note. If you have Paint 3D, you should check out their library of 3D shapes for making a cover.


    The Spider is a tarantula model and to be honest unless I paid someone, I doubt I could do a better job (in fact I know I can¡¯t. See my first attempt.)


    Or if you don¡¯t feel your paint skills are good enough, I started to test out Dream by Wombo.


    It¡¯s one of those AI art generators and so far, I¡¯ve grabbed a few decent covers for other projects.


    During the re-write, I am going to attempt to do the last three arcs properly. It wasn¡¯t supposed to be as short or as brutal. There was to be a gradual build-up of conflicts, not just between the Asgardian forces, but in the aftermath as well. with human agencies like the Ravagers and Humanity First, all led by JJ.


    There were supposed to be 15 arcs in total, but my brain went phffff and hit a brick wall when writing them. Some events from Arc 12 and the finale were supposed to be full arcs in their own right, but, it just didn¡¯t work.


    And, if I get some inspiration, there will be five more arcs. Surprisingly enough there has been five movie version of Peter.


    Nicholas Hammond (1977)


    Toby Maguire (2002)


    Andrew Garfield (2012)


    Tom Holland (2016)


    Chris Pine (The one that dies) / Jake Johnson (Peter B. Parker) (2018)


    Five versions, Five arcs, Five Multi-Verses.


    It is still a maybe though.


    I will be honest before I move on, 375 chapters to re-write and re-edit will take a while. I am thinking of one arc a month, so I can continue other projects. Unfortunately, that is still a year and doesn¡¯t include writing the final three arcs properly.


    The only silver lining I can admit to is that I am thinking of finishing and arc and uploading it over two weeks at three chapters a day. It won''t be wildly different from the original, just cleaner.


    So. What were the last arcs supposed to be?


    Arc Eleven


    The Xandarian invasion, where everyone resists and surprise! It was Skrulls all along. A few more Skrull replacements, and not just Thor and Coulson. (Steve, Ivan, and May were planned.)


    A more human-centric arc, with J.J riling up the masses and more riots, and protests against Powered.


    The human element would take on a more violent tone. In X-Men Days of Future Past. Human Majority (Humanity First in the novel) got so bad they killed Beast after attacking him at home. That level bad.)


    Arc Twelve


    Loki and her quest for the stones to resurrect Veranke.


    Veranke would have destroyed her own ship rather than letting Peter take it, fearing the humans would enslave her people


    A longer more detailed version of the finale and the five chapters that followed.


    The wish was originally


    ¡°Return to life everyone killed in Loki¡¯s quest for the Stones.¡±


    Loki uses the Space Stone to travel to Xandar for the Power Stone.


    When she gains its power she creates a black hole and destroys Xandar.


    Loki uses the Power Stone but can¡¯t locate the others.


    Loki travels to Hala and uses the Supreme Intelligence to find them (damaging it)


    Loki travels to Cybertron and kills everyone


    Loki travels to Earth and kills Steven


    Kree follow Loki


    The rest would follow as the original ending.


    Arc Thirteen


    Peter deals with a whole lot of bad guys suddenly coming back


    Blackmail/Intrigue plot as most of them know who he is.


    Arc Fourteen


    Thanos, Grandmaster, and the Collector all turn up on Earth at the same time. With the same goal. To collect the Infinity Stones and be giant pains in everyone''s ass.


    Secret Wars style elimination game held by the Grandmaster.


    Events based on each Stone,


    Final ¡®cheat¡¯ so that Thanos got the stones regardless


    Hulk goes nuclear to fight Thanos, has Peter Gamma him up with Extremis, and ends up too radioactive to stay on Earth. Betty becomes a permanent Hulk as well, and the pair head off to Sakar, to smack the Grandmaster about for a bit.


    (followed by a short story, where he finds Thor is the Grandmasters hostage along with the Guardians of the Galaxy)


    The Collector kidnaps one of the girls but as Peter goes to make his daring rescue, finds her beating the crap out of him, (it is probably going to be Felicia)


    Arc Fifteen


    Where the original prophecy Stephen read comes in, and why the Totems were creating new Avatars during Spider-Man. In The Blood.


    Peter''s little snap and placing all the stones next to each other was not a great idea, and the Eternals are created (in this they are a failsafe if anything happens to the Celestials but the damage Null did in the short story ¡®Gods and Monsters¡¯ was too great and it took a lot longer for it to kick in.)


    They plan to resurrect the Celestials properly using the power of the Earth''s sun. (yeah, no giant baby Celestial living in the Earth''s core¡­)


    Peter, Hela and Jean all die, as they are avatars of the three greater forces. Infinity Stones are split into twelve smaller Pebbles (Peter¡¯s final joke before he crumbles (as Hela saw). (electromagnetism, gravity, friction, ego, intellect, id, dreams, inertia, distance, and uh, that was as far as I got.)


    I am currently debating changing this end as it¡¯s depressing.


    End (I often write out small paragraphs, so I can plan accordingly)


    ?


    ¡°In Central Park, where the statue of Peter Parker stood, a young woman pushed a stroller. She often stopped here, as the ice cream cart sold her, and her charges favourite treat. She turned her back for a second, and before she knew it, he was out of the stroller and running across the grass.


    ¡°Shit,¡± she swore and waved a hand at the man holding up two soft scoop cones,


    ¡°Miles Morales, you get that nasty ass thing outta your mouth right now,¡± she yelled at him, as he picked something out of the grass and stuck it in his mouth.


    ¡°I swear, your mom is  gonna whip my ass if you get sick and I need this job.¡±


    As she paid for the two cones, she made sure his straps were tight before handing one to him, and he giggled as he stuck a hand into it and licked the ice cream from his fingers,


    Icecream gooood a voice whispered in his ear, and his eyes flashed black for a second,¡±


    ?


    There would then be a time skip (14 years), and while Miles would play a part, the main character would actually be Kate (Loki and Peter''s daughter) and her time at Aegis.


    This would add characters from the Defenders Netflix shows, and the current run of MCU shows, as well as add in more of the MCU Marvel movies.


    Peter¡¯s severely weakened form would be Mile¡¯s symbiote, becoming the new Venom, (and fulfilling the Mind Stone vision of him becoming a single cell)


    But brain goes durrr and it didn''t go anywhere. I have five one-thousand-word chapter outlines, (House of Venom - Childs Play) but I hit a wall and it refused to go further.


    If I can get some coherent thoughts together I will continue it as a sequel novel. But I¡¯m not going to even start thinking about it until I do the re-edit. It may be two-three years.


    Until then, cheers to you all, and see you on my next novel.


    This post will remain until 1st August when I move on to another project and take it down.


    (Oh, and as a thank you for reading, a super-secret non-House of Venom bonus chapter.)


    ?


    How Spider-Man got his swing going


    or how MCU Peter got his powers.


    ?


    Peter Parker, Age 9.


    Peter was bouncing in the back of the car as Aunt May and Uncle Ben drove to the Stark Expo. He had his favourite toys. His Iron Man Mask and Repulsor with actual light and noise. If anyone had asked the nine-year-old what his life''s dream was, this would be it.


    Not only was there going to be a show from Justin Hammer, and Peter had read on the internet that it was a version of the Iron Man suit, but Tony Stark himself would be there. His hero.


    Peter had seen Iron Man before. There were images of videos all over viewtube of his exploit, when he wasn''t in the news and as soon as he saw that red and gold armoured suit, he was in awe.


    If anyone could explain to the child what love was, it was the way Peter looked at Iron Man.


    The Expo, so far, had been boring. While the displays were all great, Peter was too excited waiting for Iron Man to show up to care about anything else.


    Even the fireworks and booming voice of Justin Hammer as he made his big speech on stage.


    May and Ben had gotten the obligatory hotdogs and Peter even lifted his mask to eat.


    A feat barely managed without a lot of arguing and a huffy child, sulking at the dinner table, but as the drones lifted off and the screaming started, Peter dropped his food and snapped the mask back down.


    May and Ben took one look at each other, saw the mess slowly unfolding and grabbed the young boy, dragging him through the crowd to the exits. They had to get him safe, they had to.


    Ben looked up and as May watched horrified he pushed her and Peter to one side, the drone raised its hand and the blast lifted Ben from his feet and threw him across the crowded parking lot. May screamed and in a moment of panic let go of the young boy''s hand.


    Seeing his uncle Peter knew what he had to do, and standing he raised his repulsor.


    He would be Iron Man for his uncle, he would save them both and as the repulsor made its pew pew noises and the light flashed the drone''s limited targeting systems locked onto the boy and it prepared to fire.


    Iron Man landed in front of him, took the missile blast in the back and in one fluid motion turned and blasted it with his own missiles, ¡°Hey Kid, leave the hero stuff till you''re a bit bigger okay?¡± and as he fired several times more, clearing the drones away from the panicking crowd Tony looked over and saw the screaming May crying over the broken body of Ben.


    Tony swore in the armour. There were many casualties. He had to make sure this never happened again.


    As Iron Man flew off Peter stood staring, that was who he wanted to be, so he could protect everyone, so he could be a hero.


    ?


    5 years later.


    Fury stared at his desk, the report detailing Starks taunting and then aggravating a terrorist group had reached Shield''s ears, as has the destruction of his suits and the Extremis virus Killian had used.


    ¡°Pack it up. Take everything and move it to storage. Put the pieces of Killian on ice, standard containment.¡± he wrote out and the agents began to work.


    Along the way, the van carrying not just the remains of Aldrich but the unstable vials of Extremis was deposited in a small warehouse storage unit in Queens.


    Out of the way, there was no way anyone looking at the single shuttered entrance would know Shield hid a facility there, no one except the spider who made its home in the rafters.


    As it hunted a fly, it dropped down and scuttled its way across a shelf, running through an improperly sealed vial. While the spider felt nothing, its offspring was a strange hue, and each generation became more and more colourful.


    ?


    Peter Parker, Age 13 and a half.


    He had just finished at the library. It was close enough that he could walk home after and save on bus fare. He couldn''t believe the news again. Tony¡¯s latest meltdown had made the press and vocally taunting the terrorist group, the Ten Rings, had resulted in not just an attack on his home but the president as well.


    Peter couldn''t understand what had gone wrong. Tony was his hero, but now he was acting like a moron. As he read the latest headline on his phone, a flash of colour caught his eye.


    On the outside of the building, down a side alley in Queens, Peter spotted a bright blue insect, moving along the wall.


    Oh damn, Ned¡¯ll love this, he moved towards it.


    A spider, not his favourite, but its colour was amazing. It was a bright sky blue with red markings all down its back, and Peter figured if he could capture it, he might be able to sell it to a local museum or maybe even win a prize to help out his aunt.


    Reaching into his bag, all he had was a water bottle, and he hoped it would be enough. As he unscrewed and dumped the water, making sure he didn''t crush the spider he moved,


    ¡°Come on little guy, this won''t hurt,¡± he gently spoke and as he moved the bottle and its lid towards the spider it suddenly jumped and landed on his hand,


    Damn Damn Damn, No!


    Peter swore to himself and he winced in pain as the spider bit him. Swiping it from his hand, what shocked him more though was as it scuttled on the ground, rather than running it curled up, its legs wriggling and then burst into flames.


    Shaking his head, Peter looked around and with no witnesses sighed, nobody would believe him. And screwing the cap back on his water bottle, checked the two bumps on the back of his hand and dejectedly made his way back home.


    ?


    The next day, Peter woke up and the back of his hand was itching like crazy. His head was pounding and everything seemed to have been dialled to eleven.


    He could hear Aunt May cooking and the smell of her coffee and his toast made him, Peter held his breath and dived for the door, uncaring he was barely dressed and in the toilet, he emptied his stomach.


    ¡°Peter? You okay?¡± Aunt May had heard him rush to the bathroom and now could hear him being sick,


    She shook her head and lifted the phone, ¡°Midtown High? This is May Parker. Peter won''t be at school today, he must have caught a bug.¡±


    Even after calling the school, she could see Peter¡¯s pale complexion. As he slowly plodded from the bathroom holding his stomach he was drenched in sweat and sickly pale,


    ¡°Go back to bed, I¡¯ll bring chicken soup home later¡±


    All he could do was nod, but the thought of chicken soup made his stomach churn and he really hoped he would be better by then.


    Over the next few days, his complexion and stomach settled. He was still sick most of the time, as soon as anything hit his tongue the rich taste overwhelmed him and he had no choice but to spit it out. Even milk tasted overly sour and he couldn''t bring himself to eat anything.


    Everything was bright and loud. Every fibre of his clothes scratched and itched like steel wool on his skin and even lying still he was in agony most of the time, and the medicine Aunt May gave him did nothing.


    After a few days of suffering, he woke one morning and everything was fine. The light coming in from his bedroom window didn''t hurt his eyes and while he could hear the neighbours arguing the noise wasn''t overbearing.


    In fact, as he stood in his room he felt like everything around him was affected in some way.


    His senses were sensitive but not so much. He could smell the coffee in the pot, brewing and the hint of burnt toast Aunt May always made. The toaster was one of Peter''s first victims and while it still worked, one element was slightly damaged and always left an unbrowned spot in the corner of the bread.


    His stomach growled, and as he rubbed his hand over it he frowned and looked down. He had abs and not the normal ones he had from training. He had a six-pack and tight pecs and as he turned and twisted he could see the muscle definition all over his body. Shaking his head he stretched and then sat at his desk.


    Grabbing his phone he started to snap pictures of himself and uploaded them on his computer. Stating he could see the gymnast''s physique and smiling he leaned back in his chair.


    It creaked and with the extra weight the back support snapped and Peter tumbled backwards.


    Throwing out a hand to steady himself he found himself flipping over perfectly on one hand and landing on his feet.


    Frowning and looking at both hands, he moved the broken chair out of the way and listening to make sure Aunt May wasn''t home he crouched and placing both hands on the floor lifted himself into a handstand.


    Pressing down he started doing push-ups, lifting one hand and laughing as he not only held himself perfectly upright but could feel no strain on his arms.


    ¡°I gotta tell Ned about this,¡± he said but as he righted himself he paused, and shook his head, lifting the broken back from the chair and sitting down, he deleted all the pictures on his computer and made sure there were no cloud saves.


    No, I can''t. Super spider giving me powers, and he grinned to himself, I can be an Avenger, I can be Iron Man. But he snorted, not Iron Man, uh, and he nodded. It was a spider bite that gave him powers, so.


    Spider-Man.


    As he rummaged through his wardrobe he found an old tracksuit, it was a rescue from a thrift store but he never wore it, it''s bright scarlet red making him stand out, as he flicked through the hangers he found a baby blue hoodie.


    Yeah, he nodded to himself and crouched, rummaging through his art and crafts supplies.


    He found a pot of black spray paint, leftover from when he and Ned had done a science project together and after searching online he drew and printed out a chest-sized spider motif, carefully taping it to the front of the hoodie and spraying the design in black.


    Coughing as paint fumes stung his nose he didn''t care, damn, a mask. And as he found a matching balaclava, he cut the white Christmas-themed bobble from the top and as he changed he stood.


    The only problem was his eyes.


    Huffing he searched through the box of junk he kept under his bed and found an old pair of safety goggles. Spraying them black and leaving a slit to see from he slid them over his head and pulled the elastic strap tight. He would need to sew some kind of loop into the balaclava to make sure they didn''t fall off but for now, his Spider-Man costume was complete.


    Tidying away the boxes he had pulled out he looked around his room. He would need somewhere Aunt May didn''t look, and he knew she was always too tired to climb into the attic crawlspace.


    Pulling the cord he jumped straight up and laughed as he made it all the way into the attic. Tying some loose cord around the rafter he left the outfit on its hanger and out of sight. Now, if handstands are fine, what else?


    Peter looked around his room and as he saw his weight set he nodded. Lifting one after the other his smile faded, They weren¡¯t heavy. Even adding all of them together on one bar was effortless to lift. ¡°No, oh no,¡± he muttered to himself.


    If he had super strength and agility he needed to keep it hidden. Sports were out. Even working out at the gym would have to be done after everyone had left for the night. A thirteen-year-old lifting hundreds of kilograms effortlessly would attract attention, and remembering Tony¡¯s antics he swore to himself that nobody would ever know who he was, as visions of Aunt May being attacked began to fill his mind.


    He would keep Spider-Man a secret from everyone. It would be safer for them.


    ?


    Timeline.


    Malisson


    Peter''s birthday (taken from his passport in Far From Home)


    August 10, 2001


    Iron Man 2 (Stark Expo 2010)


    Peter would be 9


    This fits with the kid in the Iron Man mask they retconned to be Peter.


    If Peter was there, then so would Aunt May and Uncle Ben.


    Iron Man 3 (2013)


    Peter would be 12


    Civil War (2016)


    Peter would be 14/15 (He was supposed to be older but they changed it)


    House spiders can live up to two years, giving them a generation or more to make the Extremis stable.


    There is my headcanon as to how and when Uncle Ben died, why they never mention it, how Peter got his powers, and why Tony takes a sudden interest, I mean, he didn¡¯t spend millions of dollars making suits for anyone else.


    I hope you enjoyed it.