Peter seriously suspected that Reed Richards hadn't actually installed any kind of speed limiter on this car at all. This Ferrari supercar, whose specific model he didn't even recognize, lunged forward with unprecedented and nearly uncontrollable velocity, generating a fierce G-force that left its passengers feeling slightly uncomfortable.
But at the very least, the car was remarkably fast. Heading south, it quickly crossed into New Jersey. In a deep, quiet upland area in the northwestern part of the state, near the Appalachian Mountains, stood the brand-new Avengers Compound—a massive expanse of land enclosed by high-tech security walls that looked incredibly advanced.
"I still don't get why they didn't just build a new high-rise in New York, Peter. It's not like Stark is short on cash. And it's not like they couldn't just build a new Avengers Tower where the old one blew up. Why did they have to come all the way out here to build this... huge, low-slung place? When I first saw it, I thought it was a summer camp or a golf course."
Peter wasn't quite sure how to respond, so he gave a fairly standard answer: "I guess it's mostly to avoid destroying the city whenever the Avengers get attacked. After all, as you know, the Avengers have quite a few enemies. People are always trying to smash, grab, and burn their stuff."
"Oh right, didn't some demolition crew come and wreck Avengers Tower last time?"
Mary Jane, who was currently recovering from her motion sickness, decided to chime in to distract herself: "They weren't a demolition crew, they're called the Wrecking Crew, though they certainly act like one. The media didn't get many details about that attack. All anyone knows is that Spider-Man and Iron Man stopped them, but we don't even know where those guys were taken."
The Human Torch looked out at the scenery as the wind whipped past. After whistling at a beautiful woman driving a convertible in the opposite direction, he said nonchalantly, "Oh, that? Weren't they taken to the Cube by Thaddeus Ross?"
Mary Jane caught an unfamiliar name: "The Cube?"
"Is it called the Cube, Peter?"
"...The Cube Gamma Research Center. Why are you bringing that up? Isn't that supposed to be a military secret?"
"Come on, how can it be a military secret when basically everyone—and by everyone, I mean people in the superhero circle—knows about it? Isn't that just the old gamma lab where they used to make gamma bombs, the one that created the Hulk? It was converted into a prison and base to lock up those gamma monsters. Aren't they still researching that... gamma-enhanced super-soldier thing?"
In that exact instant, Mary Jane felt her motion sickness miraculously vanish. She reached directly into her bag for her notebook, slipped off her shoes, and tucked her knees up into the seat so she could resting the notebook on her lap to take notes.
Peter remained silent for a moment, glanced back at Mary Jane, and then kept talking: "Haven't they already engineered one a long time ago? The Abomination."
"Oh right, the Abomination. What was that guy's name again... Blonsky? Hey, speaking of which, has the government ever actually made it public where the Abomination came from? I remember he was part of the Hulkbuster unit, right?"
The Human Torch fell silent for a moment after speaking, seemingly realizing something. He stopped talking until suddenly, he let out a delighted "Oh!" and laughed. "Right, he wasn't a gamma soldier engineered by Ross. He was created using Bruce Banner's blood by a guy who claimed he could cure the Hulk. That's why Ross has been trying to create a second Abomination. Benjamin told me about this."
Peter pretended to know nothing and continued the conversation: "There was someone else who could create an Abomination using his own abilities?"
"Tell me about it. You find eccentric geniuses everywhere. But that guy seems to have vanished completely after that. Theoretically, the Pentagon should have locked him up, but when they transferred the supervillains to the Raft prison a while back, his name wasn't on the list."
"Maybe that's a good thing. If he had broken out during the Raft prison break, it could have been a real headache. Can you imagine the streets filled with Hulks?"
"I think a street full of Hulks sounds a lot tamer than a single, fully armed Hulk singing 'The Sentry's Song.'"
The two carried on their casual banter, while Mary Jane's pen practically never stopped moving. For the first time, she experienced what it felt like to be hit by a massive torrent of breaking information. Peter was fine; he mostly played the role of the interviewer, merely guiding the Human Torch to spill everything. As the Avengers Compound gradually came into view, Peter finally brought up the issue with Johnny.
"You do realize a lot of the things we're talking about aren't known to the public yet, and you have an intern journalist in your car, right?"
Hearing this, Johnny glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Mary Jane writing furiously. He pulled one hand back to grip the steering wheel and placed his other hand on Peter's shoulder, giving it two firm squeezes.
It left Peter feeling a bit bewildered.
"Uh, I don't really care. Worst case scenario, the Pentagon goes to bother Reed. As long as this girl doesn't write about you, it's fine. You probably couldn't handle the fallout from this kind of stuff, right? Well, we're pretty much here."
Johnny patted Peter's shoulder after speaking and switched his hands back. Mary Jane, having finished her shorthand notes, looked out the window. She saw the distant, seemingly endless perimeter wall and finally understood what "huge and low-slung" meant. Looking past the wall, the tallest building didn't seem to exceed fifty meters, but the entire compound covered an astonishingly massive footprint. Compared to places in New York, it was indeed vast yet low.
The sheer area it occupied, however, was staggering.
"How big is this place?"
"No idea," Johnny replied casually. Peter didn't really know either since he hadn't asked Tony; he just knew the place was enormous.
When the car reached the compound gates, J.A.R.V.I.S., following the pre-set protocols, authenticated only the Human Torch's identity before granting them entry. Next, Johnny drove the car straight to the entrance of the recreation center. "Alright, you two head on inside. I'm going to look for the others to hang out with. Man... I really hope the Hulk or Thor is around."
Peter stepped out of the car first and opened the door for Mary Jane. After getting out, Mary Jane watched somewhat nervously as Johnny drove away, and then she turned to Peter. "You never mentioned that the Human Torch was your friend."
"Honestly, given Johnny's personality, I don't think there's anyone who isn't his friend. Well, with the exception of women."
Peter turned toward the Avengers Compound's recreation center, a place he wasn't entirely familiar with either. "Let's go. If nothing goes wrong, Tony Stark should be right inside."
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