Life was fucking awesome. Spider-Man was finally getting the good press he deserved. Since I was seen in public as an Avenger, people didn't even listen to what JJ said anymore.
BugleJJJ: Spider-Man's actions in the city are nothing short of vigilantism!
I was going to respond, but then another man responded:
JKE_Ford: Tonight at 9 at night I was held at gunpoint. Spider-Man saved me. This 'vigilante' made sure I came back to my family tonight. Fuck you BugleJJJ.
And the best part? It was true. I had saved the man's life — it wasn't just a troll. The man had attached a picture of the arrest sheet the police issued on the mugger they arrested, complete with the time and date!
And he wasn't the only one. Every time someone came to call me out, people came out in droves. They were like a tsunami, and the best part was they weren't trolls — they were real people, real, honest-to-God people whose lives I had touched in some way or another.
I had become a beacon for the people. 1.2 billion followers on Twitter wasn't something to scoff at. I literally had the ears of a billion people — the kind of power politicians killed for. But I knew that with great power comes great responsibility.
I was on cloud nine. My life was perfect. I was a superhero who was actually appreciated; people actually had fan clubs dedicated to me. At work, Sue and Reed were always asking my opinion on things. Half the time I couldn't help, but I did what I could.
At home, my aunt and uncle were happy I was finally coming out of my shell and into the real world. And unknown to them, I was secretly paying off any overdue bills they received. I had the bank simply state there was a filing error while I paid it out of my own salary.
The summer break allowed me to become a hero full time. I swooped in and saved the day more times than I could count. Heck, I even had a favourite hot dog stand while in costume, and my constant patronage made the guy pretty famous for being "Spidey's favourite dog place."
I interacted a lot more with people — stopping by and cracking jokes with old men in the park, sharing coffee with morning workers, challenging joggers to races through Central Park, that kind of thing.
I always took photos too, putting them on Instagram, featuring my daily hero life for the whole world to see. I was kind of world-famous now; each photo I posted gained nearly half a billion likes.
I was basically the hero of New York. After all, Tony wasn't around half the time, and Cap was more of a nationwide thing. Thor was, well, a god. Nat and Clint were spies. That meant I was the only one giving the Avengers any real public exposure. No pressure.
But it wasn't all web-swinging and games. I did spend a lot of time at the Baxter Building as well. Reed and Sue had been pretty busy — him inventing new toys, and her securing patents and keeping the cash flowing.
Johnny and I did what we could, but honestly, no one had a thing on Reed. That guy was a genius worthy of the name. Honestly though, things were a little awkward — Sue and him weren't really, well, ever quite in a relationship.
Reed was trying, in his own way, but Sue just kept ignoring him. After some time the poor guy simply gave up. I honestly didn't know when they were going to get married, but at this rate I didn't see little Franklin coming around any time soon.
Good thing, too. I had no interest in letting a little kid have the power to warp reality itself. Next thing I knew, I'd be stuck as a teenager forever. I mean, seriously — I had just gotten my driving licence a few weeks ago. I didn't need that.
But I did also have time for my own personal projects. More specifically, my personal tech. I worked on the alien junk I had recovered from the invasion and began researching it.
From the weapons, I found a way to telepathically operate machinery. It was genuinely ingenious. There was a metal plate made from an unknown alloy that fed on the electricity in brainwaves, much like a symbiote. It channelled people's brainwaves, and with a sensor on the receiving end, any machine could track what was being transmitted.
I used this technology in my arms, making them far safer to use. No more risk of them exploding, driving me insane, or fusing with my spine. I really should have thought of that before I started using them.
Sue was genuinely excited when I brought her the telepathic metal. She immediately knew where I had gotten it, but was impressed I had figured it out as quickly as I did. She had already begun the process of patenting it. When asked for a name, I went with the obvious choice: Teletech Plate.
I also managed to analyse the metal they used for armour. It was a very unique alloy — the materials couldn't be found anywhere on Earth. I did manage to break the metals down a little, figuring out just what made them tick.
I couldn't synthesise my own version, not even close. But I did have the basis for a metallurgical formula that should produce an element rivalling Wolverine's claws. If I could figure out the missing ingredient, that is.
I then turned my attention to the aliens' power source: a type of glowing stone that seemed to push out radiation like candy on Halloween. It was the most radioactive element I had ever encountered, yet somehow not too damaging to humans. The shell it was housed in kept it from killing everything in sight. Only an external source of radiation could destabilise it, making it detonate.
I managed to reverse-engineer the technology and figure out how it worked. With Reed's help, of course, I was even able to synthesise a way to produce these battery cells. Unfortunately, the result was disappointing. The stones we produced gave out only a quarter of the energy an alien cell did.
Reed wasn't disappointed, though — he was thrilled. He said he would keep working on the technology, that it could mean the difference between humanity's extinction or ascendance. Something along those lines.
I also took a crack at what allowed their craft to levitate. It seemed to somehow involve the glowing purple stones, which served as both a power source and a levitation aid. I couldn't make much progress — it was alien technology, after all — so for now I pushed it to the side.
Nat was relentless with my training. It seemed Fury had made improving my combat skills his number one priority. Training lasted for hours; one time it stretched an entire day as Nat wanted to see how long I could go without food or sleep. Needless to say, I impressed her with my stamina.
I also began learning more about what it meant to be a spy. Nat finally decided it was time to teach me the delicate art of espionage — how to track someone without them knowing, how to gather information on people and find out exactly what they didn't want you to know.
It was difficult work, honestly. I didn't enjoy it, but it had to be done. I needed to be ready for anything and everything.
A few weeks after the alien invasion, the city was finally starting to recover. I found myself going out as Spider-Man less and less — people were finally getting their act together. And so I decided it was time I took on a new personal project.
I had decided that if I had a DeLorean in my garage, I might as well use it. But it would need some serious upgrades. Luckily, I knew just the man who could help.
I called Johnny and told him I needed his help bringing my new ride into the twenty-first century. He was more than happy to help. I drove the car to the Baxter Building's parking lot where he was waiting for me. The moment he saw the DeLorean, his jaw dropped.
"What?!" he gaped. I stepped out and smiled. He turned to me. "What?!"
"Yeah, I know."
"How?!"
"It was my dad's," I shrugged. "My uncle gave it to me on my birthday. Figured it needed to stay in the family. But it's honestly a piece of junk. Think you can help me out?"
"Are you freaking kidding me?! You want me to help trick out a DeLorean?!" Johnny screamed.
"So... is that a no?"
"Yes! It's a freaking yes! A hundred times yes!" His eyes practically sparkled. We loaded the car into an industrial-sized elevator they had installed for Ben. But when the lift opened up at the top floor, we realised it was going to be difficult getting it into Johnny's lab.
"Hey, rock head!" Johnny called out. "We need your help!"
"Don't call me that, matchstick! Or next time—" Ben stopped dead as he stared at the car. "Johnny, why do you have a time machine in the lift?"
I grinned. "It's mine. I asked Johnny to help pimp it up for me. Think you can give us a hand?"
Ben nodded and gently picked up the car, walking it into Johnny's lab and tilting it so it could fit through the door. Johnny had already cleared out the middle of the lab, arranging various tools and pieces of equipment around the space. Ben stepped aside, and Johnny quickly pulled up the car's blueprints on his screen.
"The DeLorean — a sports car manufactured by John DeLorean's DeLorean Motor Company for the American market from 1981 to 1983," Johnny began. "The car features gullwing doors, a fibreglass body structure with a steel chassis, and external stainless-steel body panels. It became widely known and iconic for its appearance, and was later modified to represent the concept of a time machine in the Back to the Future franchise."
"But it was a piece of junk," Ben recalled. "It kept breaking down all the time. People hated it. The only reason it's so popular is because of those movies."
"Yeah, who doesn't want a time machine," Johnny nodded as he studied the car. "I'll be honest, Pete — I don't really know what I can do. I mean, the engine is terrible, the gearbox even more so. The chassis is basically papier-mâché. And the design, while iconic, isn't exactly aerodynamic. I can see the places where your dad made some changes; the rear seating is a nice touch. But honestly, it isn't worth buying new parts."
"I know, Johnny," I smiled, pulling out my personal Smartwatch Assistant and displaying a diagram. "I was hoping we could strip the insides and rebuild it from scratch. With this."
Johnny took the SA and looked it over, his eyes slowly widening as he began to recognise what he was looking at. "Dude! How?!"
"Just something I thought of," I shrugged. "It's a new type of electrical engine that runs on my version of the arc reactor. We strip out the old engine and gearbox — basically dragging the old time machine into the twenty-first century."
"Dude... this is going to take days," Johnny said, studying the diagram.
I smiled. "I'm not hearing a no."
Johnny grinned. "I'm in."
"So am I," Ben nodded.
"You?" Johnny scoffed. "What are you going to do, Rocky? Sit on it?"
"Watch it, flame-brain, or I'll toast you," Ben growled. "And for your information, cars happen to be something I'm good at. I did help Reed build his first engine, you know."
"Wait — then how come you and Johnny never work together?" I asked, curious.
Ben shrugged. "Kid's more into twenty-first century tech. I specialise in the old-fashioned stuff."
Johnny sighed. "Fine. But I swear to God, if you accidentally sit on it or something, I will burn your rocks off. Got it?"
Ben nodded. "Hey, if you're going to get my rocks off, I can't complain."
I snorted but held back my laughter.
"Good! Now... wait a minute," Johnny narrowed his eyes as I burst out laughing. "That's not funny!" Ben and I laughed hard.
We got to work on the car. Johnny had a hundred different ideas he wanted to use, but Ben and I kept reining him in. I did not want my car shooting fire — this was supposed to be Peter Parker's car, not Spider-Man's. And even then, I didn't think that would be a wise choice.
I called up SHIELD's resource management team and had them send over all the parts we would need. I signed it off as a business expense. Mwahahaha.
We replaced the engine first. Petrol was a thing of the past and caused way too much pollution. We swapped it out for the electric engine I had designed and Johnny helped build. The engine was so compact it took up only a quarter of the space the old petrol engine had, freeing up the front for trunk space.
The engine was powered by an arc reactor at its core, ensuring the car wouldn't run out of power for the next hundred years or so. Excessive? Sure. Totally awesome? Absolutely.
We redid the interior as well — ergonomic seats, generous legroom for both front and rear passengers. The upholstery was red and black, keeping with the Spider-Man colour scheme. The flimsy stainless-steel body panels were replaced with a steel-titanium alloy. You never know when a supervillain might decide to make things interesting.
Ben decided the gearbox was pointless, and since it kept breaking down anyway, we converted the transmission to automatic. Made it much easier to drive.
Then Johnny went a little wild. We'd said no to so many of his other requests that we felt genuinely bad about it. Plus, he kept giving me the puppy-dog look, which was more disturbing than endearing.
Johnny overhauled the suspension, fitted a set of tyres he designed himself that would never puncture, and replaced the windshield and windows with bulletproof glass.
The gullwing doors stayed just as they were. After a few more minor additions and adjustments, Johnny's portion was finished. He stood back smiling, going on and on about how I should let him borrow it to take girls on dates.
I then got to work on the interior. I replaced the entire dashboard with smooth mahogany wood panelling and installed a HUD beneath the climate control — essentially a miniature computer that regulated the engine and monitored all other functions.
I decided to splurge a little and fit a proper sound system as well. When we turned it on for the first time at full volume, Sue heard it all the way from her room. Needless to say, she was not pleased about being woken up.
"Hey, Pete," Johnny said as I helped him finish installing the sound system.
"Yeah?"
"What do you think about this?" Johnny showed me a blueprint. I blinked as I examined it.
"Dude..."
"I know, but listen—"
"—Dude!"
"Come on! It'll be so cool!"
"...Dude?"
"The energy output will be more than enough. Come on, Pete — don't tell me you haven't even thought about using it!"
I sighed, then smiled and nodded. "Dude."
We got to work. We fitted four repulsors to the underside of the car near each wheel, and one large repulsor near the rear, designed to look like a spare tyre holder. Ben kept asking what we were building, but we refused to tell him. Honestly, I was surprised he hadn't already guessed.
And finally, it was done. We stepped back and admired our work. The car had received a complete overhaul, though I decided to keep the original silver-grey exterior — with neon blue trim lines running down the sides that glowed when the headlights were on.
It looked like it could actually be a time machine. I smirked. "This is so cool."
"Damn right," Ben nodded. "Want to go for a drive?"
"Hell yeah!" Johnny cried out.
Ben helped us get it into the industrial lift and bring it down to the parking lot. I smiled as I took out the keys, slid them into the ignition, and pressed my thumb to the centre of the steering wheel, letting the scanner read my print.
"Welcome, Peter," a robotic voice from the HUD announced.
Johnny grinned. "So it recognises you."
I nodded. "Yup. Alright, you two — get in."
Johnny climbed into the back while Ben took the passenger seat, pushing it all the way back. The car began to tilt towards his side, when suddenly the onboard system activated and the suspension worked overtime to compensate for the weight.
"Warning: weight anomaly detected. Compensating now. Speed limited to 50 miles per hour," the robotic voice stated.
"Thanks, Doc," I smiled.
"Seriously? You named the car's AI 'Doc'?" Johnny rolled his eyes.
"Hey, it fits," Ben shrugged. "Now come on! I want to see what this thing can do!"
I nodded, put it into drive, and pulled out of the garage onto the open New York road. Traffic was light today, though we hit a few stops along the way. People stared as we passed — I didn't mind. It was widely known that Peter Parker worked with the Fantastic Four. Let them look.
"Hey, Doc, put on some rock and roll, would you?" Johnny called out, sliding on his sunglasses. Music came roaring through the speakers as he stretched and sighed. "Yeah, this is the life."
I rolled my eyes as I crossed the bridge heading into Queens. The drive was smooth, the wind running through my hair as I crossed the giant metal bridge. On the far side I made a U-turn and headed straight back to the Baxter Building.
On the way back, Johnny turned to me and grinned. "Hey, want to try it?" He tapped the handbrake button gently, flipping it up to reveal a red button concealed inside.
I grinned. Ben looked over in surprise. "What's that?"
"Oh, nothing. Just a little surprise we put together," I smiled, pressing the red button. The car began to hum.
"Flight mode engaged," the AI announced. The car began to rise.
"What the hell is going on?!" Ben cried out as the repulsors under the car kicked in, lifting us into the air.
"Come on, Ben — live a little!" I laughed, pressing the accelerator and kicking the large rear repulsor into overdrive, launching us off the bridge and into the sky. I steered with the wheel, grinning like a madman.
"Hey, Pete — want to race?!" Johnny asked, already unbuckling his seatbelt.
"You're on!" I yelled. He threw the door open and leapt out, igniting mid-air as he took off, with me right behind him. We stayed clear of the city, mostly flying above the East River. I grinned. This was incredible.
It was a great first drive.
Sue was furious, though. By the end of the day, everyone in the city was claiming the Fantastic Four had a flying car, and Sue was fielding calls from investors all over the city. She yelled at Johnny and me for about an hour before demanding I hand over the blueprint for the engine I designed, hoping it would calm everyone down.
Reed, on the other hand, loved the design. He even got a new idea out of it for a project of his own. He dubbed it his summer side project, and I had a pretty good feeling I knew what it was going to be.
Johnny and Ben insisted on making a few more adjustments and, more importantly, getting the car properly registered with the state. It had been heavily modified, after all. We made no mention of it being able to fly — some things were better kept between friends.
By the end of July, I drove my new, improved, and road-legal DeLorean back home. When May saw it, she nearly fainted.
Kidding. Kind of.
"Peter, how did you pay for all of this?!" Ben asked in horror.
"The FF had a lot of leftover funds and plenty of unused equipment. I just got Johnny and Ben to help me throw in some old scrap they had lying around. It really isn't a big deal — it looks far more expensive than it is," I lied smoothly. I should have been more concerned about how good I was getting at this. But then again, I was supposed to be a superhero. Lying came with the job.
In the end they settled down. Ben insisted I take him for a proper drive, so I showed him all the new features — needless to say, he was impressed. When I'd finished showing May and Ben around the car, I figured the next obvious candidate was my girlfriend.
I pulled up to her apartment and called her, telling her to come down. She appeared in a pair of jeans and a leather jacket, looked at me and the car, and raised an amused eyebrow.
"So, you finally went full nerd, huh?"
"Hey, I'll have you know I've always been full nerd," I chuckled. I opened the passenger door and gestured toward it. "Want to go for a spin?"
Felicia smiled. "Sure, why not. It's not going to die on us halfway, is it?"
I rolled my eyes. "Felicia, you insult me."
I took her around town for a bit, showing off all the new features. After a while, Liz called Felicia wanting to hang out — perfect timing. It was the ideal opportunity to show the car off a little more, so Felicia told her we were on our way.
We pulled up to Liz's house and she practically sprinted out the door. "Come on, Dad! You have got to see this!"
"Oh, what is it now, Liz?" An older man walked out and stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of the DeLorean. I stepped out and leaned against the hood, waving.
"Hey, Liz. How's the summer going?" I asked.
"You totally tricked this thing out!" Liz's father cried out before she even had a chance to reply. "What did you do to it?!"
It took me the rest of the afternoon to satisfy the man's curiosity. He was so excited he insisted I let him drive it. I was reluctant, but after Liz pleaded with me, I agreed. He was like a kid at Disneyland.
Later that night I showed the car to MJ, and she was annoyed she was the last one I'd shown it to. In recompense, I took her and the others out for dinner at a street restaurant in town.
As we ate our chilli dogs, MJ winced. "It's so spicy."
"I keep telling you not to eat it all at once," I said, rolling my eyes.
"The trick is moderation, MJ," Felicia replied. "Don't just swallow."
I snorted. "Yeah, don't swallow. Though that's not something I usually say."
Felicia went red and smacked me across the head. "Watch it!" I laughed while MJ and Liz did their best to ignore the obvious implication.
"So," Liz said, tapping the car's hood, "you know who would have loved this thing? Jean."
MJ sighed. "Yeah. How is she, anyway?"
"From what I hear, she's doing fine," Felicia shrugged. "Kind of lonely, though. It's just her, those adults we met, and this Scott guy. She says they'll get more students eventually, but she doesn't know when."
I nodded, chewing on my chilli dog. "Maybe we should visit her."
MJ blinked. "What?"
"What? Why not? It's what — a two-hour drive from here? We could be there and back in a day if we wanted."
"Peter, that's brilliant!" Liz cried out. "We should totally surprise her! This Saturday — what do you all think?"
MJ and Felicia didn't really object, and since I'd been the one to suggest it, we were all in agreement. Getting permission from Ben and May was a little difficult — mostly because May wasn't comfortable with the idea of me being so independent at my age — but Ben managed to talk her around.
I did genuinely want to visit Jean. I wasn't lying about that. But I also wanted to keep an eye on Xavier and see what he was up to. I didn't trust the man — never had. And no, Patrick Stewart's excellent acting wasn't going to convince me otherwise.
On Saturday we all met at my place at around six in the morning. I had packed a change of clothes in case of a Spider-Man emergency, along with plenty of food. MJ arrived first with her own bag and walked up to the DeLorean parked in the driveway.
"Morning, Red," I called out as I stretched out the kinks.
"Morning, Tiger," MJ said, placing her things in the front boot.
I got into the driver's seat with MJ beside me. We drove to pick up Liz, then Felicia. When Felicia arrived, she immediately wanted shotgun, but MJ just flipped her off and said she'd already called it. Felicia wasn't pleased, but let it go.
I drove out of the city, the morning traffic barely enough to slow us down. Once we hit the highway, the DeLorean sailed smoothly along the open road with music playing softly in the cabin.
"You know, you really should give this thing a name," Felicia said from the back seat.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Well, don't all the best cars have names?" Felicia asked.
"I mean, it's the DeLorean — what other name does it need?" Liz asked.
"How about... Dorothy?" MJ suggested.
"Something from this century, please," Felicia rolled her eyes.
"Well, it already has a name," I told them. "Isn't that right, Doc?"
"That is correct, Peter," came the car's electronic voice.
"Whoa!" MJ stared at the HUD. "Your car can talk!"
"Can you trick out my car, Pete?" Liz asked.
I chuckled. "Not sure — I used SHIELD assets to build this and wrote it off as a business expense." Liz pouted but understood.
It was a pleasant two-hour drive. We chatted, listened to music, and just relaxed to the smooth hum of Doc's engine. Finally, we arrived at the gates of the Xavier mansion. I drove up to the intercom and pressed the button.
"Hello," I called out. "Anyone there?"
"Who is— Peter?"
I waved at the camera. "Hello, Logan. What's up?"
"What are you doing here, bub?"
"We," I shifted to reveal the others, "came to see our friend. Open up, Claws. Please."
I heard him sigh and press a button. The gates swung open. "I'll send her down."
"Thanks," I called out as we drove in. The mansion was enormous — I could see that even from the driveway. It was long enough that my entire house could have fit inside several times over.
"This is where Jean's studying?" Liz whistled, gazing at the marble statues and rose gardens. "No wonder she's getting used to it."
I chuckled as we pulled up to the main entrance and parked. We climbed out just as the mansion doors burst open and Jean came running out.
"Guys!" she cried.
"Jean!" Liz swept the redhead into a hug. "Oh my God, I missed you!"
"And I missed you," Jean said, hugging each of the girls in turn before turning to me, blushing just slightly. "Hey, Peter."
I nodded. "Jean, you're looking well." She really was. She had grown to around five feet nine inches, her frame leaner than before, and she had finally started letting her hair grow — it now fell to the middle of her back. "Are they treating you right?"
"Oh, stop it — it's not so bad once you get to know them," she said, pulling me into a hug and whispering into my ear. "I really did miss you and Felicia a lot."
I blushed as we broke apart. "Y-yeah." I glanced at Felicia — she was blushing a little too. Damn, Jean worked fast.
"So, Jean, show us around!" Liz said, grabbing Jean's arm.
"Okay, Liz — just give me a moment," Jean laughed as we all followed her inside.
"Whoa," MJ said, looking around the entrance hall. "It's amazing."
"How many rooms are there?" Felicia asked.
Jean shrugged. "I don't know. About a hundred, I think."
I looked around. The place was pretty impressive, I'd admit. But what I was really interested in was the Danger Room. I probably couldn't just ask her to show me that, though... could I? ...No. Probably not.
"So, Jean — what has Baldy been teaching you?" I asked as she led us through the corridors.
"I really wish you'd stop calling him that. He's genuinely remorseful about what he did."
"You do remember what I told you, right?" I said, raising an eyebrow. "He's a man with the ability to brainwash people. Around him, anything you feel should be taken with a grain of salt."
"Come on, Peter — you're being paranoid," Jean rolled her eyes.
"Which is exactly what someone who'd been brainwashed would think," Felicia said with a chuckle.
"Whatever. Either way, I've made sure he won't be reading our minds this time," I said.
Jean blinked. "What? How?"
I pointed to my ear, showing a small black loop fastened to the lobe. "It's a more advanced version of the device I made for you to keep your powers in check. I made one for the girls as well."
Felicia tapped a matching pair of earrings she wore, while Jean and Liz pointed at their hairbands.
"So that's why I couldn't feel you," Jean said, wide-eyed.
"Feel us? Do you mean you tried to read our minds?" Felicia asked carefully.
"No, not like that. It's more like a psychic's version of sight — I couldn't sense your presence at all. It was as though you simply weren't there."
I hummed thoughtfully. "Interesting. Learning a lot from the old man?"
"Oh yes, he's shown me a great deal and—"
"Jean? Who's this?" a new voice called out.
We all looked up to see a young man in a blue sweater vest and khaki slacks descending the stairs towards us. He had brown hair and wore red-tinted glasses that covered his eyes completely. I recognised him immediately: Scott Summers.
"Scott — these are my friends from Midtown High," Jean smiled. "Guys, this is Scott. He's another student here."
"Cool — so you're a mutant too?" Liz asked excitedly.
MJ groaned. "For God's sake, Liz, you can't just ask someone if they're a mutant!"
Scott blinked. "They know?"
"Of course they do, silly," Jean giggled. "You're a student at a mutant school — they're not stupid."
I smiled and stepped forward, extending my hand. "Peter Parker. Pleasure to meet you."
Scott paused before shaking it. "Scott Summers."
"So, Scott — what can you do?" I asked.
"Ah... that's kind of personal?" He looked uncomfortable.
I nodded. "Fair enough. Anyway — think you can give me and the girls a tour of this place?"
Scott shrugged. He and Jean led the way as they took us all over the mansion. Xavier had style, I'd give him that. The place was classy without veering into snobbery.
Every room was decorated as though it had been furnished for a VIP. There were several classrooms on the ground floor, though none were currently in use. The library looked like it could rival any elite prep school's.
"And this is the garden," Jean said, leading us outside to the back. There was a pool to one side and a basketball court. Rose bushes lined the paths, and what appeared to be a hedge maze stood at the far end.
"Ah — I see Jean's friends have come to visit." A familiar voice reached us. We turned to see Xavier being wheeled out of the maze by Ororo. He smiled warmly. "It is good to know Jean's friends haven't forgotten about her."
"We haven't forgotten about you either, Xavier," I said, touching my mental protection. "Don't even think about it."
Xavier sighed. "Peter, I am truly sorry for what I did. But you must understand — I did it to prevent you from becoming a killer."
"He came to my friend's house and threatened to have her killed. As far as I'm concerned, he was a dead man the moment he thought he could get away with something like that."
"Peter," Jean placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Please."
I sighed. "Sorry." I turned to Xavier and took a breath. "You have an amazing place. Makes me want to join."
Xavier smiled. "You are always welcome here, Peter. From what Jean tells me, you would be more than qualified to teach a subject or two."
Felicia rolled her eyes. "I'm sure that's not all she tells you."
"Hey — I don't just talk about Peter! You're all my friends!" Jean protested.
"I'm sure," MJ and Liz giggled, making the other redhead blush furiously.
"Are you kidding? She won't shut up about you lot," Scott smiled. "She told me all about how you guys tried playing superhero."
"Yeah — looking back, that was a pretty bad idea," Liz grumbled.
"Told you," I sang out.
"Yeah, yeah — you don't have to rub it in," Liz huffed.
"Still — the costume you designed was genuinely inspiring," Xavier remarked. "I've had something similar made for Jean."
I raised an eyebrow. "A costume? For what?"
"You said it yourself, Peter — we need to show that mutants are not a threat. That we can work alongside humanity." Xavier gestured for me to follow as he, Ororo, and I walked into the grass maze.
I sighed. "I'll be back," I told the girls. They didn't say much, though Felicia gave me a pointed look. She worried too much sometimes.
Scott watched Peter leave and crossed his arms. "Why did the Professor call him away?"
"He probably wanted to speak with him privately," MJ shrugged.
Scott huffed. "What's so special about Peter Parker?"
Felicia smiled. "Everything."
I wasn't exactly thrilled — me, alone with Xavier and his bodyguard who could shoot lightning. Not my ideal situation.
"What did you want to talk about?" I asked as we walked through the maze.
"I've been thinking about what you said," Xavier explained.
"Oh? Which part?"
"The part where... I abused my powers."
"I see." I didn't push him, though I wanted to. "And?"
"You said there was no difference between Erik and me — that he would use his powers to harm others, and I would use mine to get what I wanted, regardless of people's free will."
I nodded. "Yes. And?" We reached the centre of the maze, where a stone fountain stood waiting.
"I wanted to apologise. I understand that you don't trust me. But I don't regret what I did."
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I understand... you're not entirely human. You're a different kind of being. What feels natural to you is... different for the rest of us. I pity the position Jean is in — having to adapt herself to live in both worlds."
Xavier nodded. "I'm glad you understand."
"Was there anything else?"
Xavier smiled. "Yes. I was going to offer you a tutoring position here, perhaps on weekends. But given your recent public appearance as an Avenger, I imagine your schedule is rather full at the moment."
I shrugged. "Honestly, it's not as rigid as you'd think. We don't exactly have daily meetings or anything... Hey — would you like to join?"
Xavier blinked. "Me?"
"I don't see why not. You're a sharp man, and your heart is in the right place." I turned to Ororo. "You too, Storm. I mean, we already have a thunder god — but we could always use a thunder goddess."
Ororo smiled. "You are quite the charmer, Peter. Thank you — but I believe my time is better spent here."
I nodded, turning to Xavier. "And you?"
Xavier looked thoughtful. "I'll admit... it's an appealing idea. Though I doubt I could be much help in a battle like the one you faced."
"I wouldn't need you for that," I told him. "We need more members. I don't think Stark would ever admit this openly, but we came far too close to losing that fight. Next time — and believe me, there will be a next time — I don't want to leave anything to chance. Can I count on your team if the moment comes?"
Xavier nodded. "It would be my honour. Seeing mutants stand alongside Earth's mightiest protectors would do a great deal for our cause."
"I figured."
"Tell me — was this the real reason you came?"
I chuckled. "No. Just a very welcome bonus. I genuinely did miss Jean. And I just got a new car — figured a road trip was in order."
"Well then, let me not keep you any longer," Xavier said with a nod. I turned and walked quickly back through the maze, waving over my shoulder as I went.
Xavier looked up at Ororo. "What is your opinion of him?"
"He's... sharp. But also very complex," Ororo said, watching Peter's retreating figure. "I don't doubt his loyalty to his friends. But his anger... it could be his undoing."
Xavier sighed. "Yes. I'm afraid it could."
I walked back to the others and found Scott and Jean playing basketball with the girls. I stood to the side and watched — smiling as Felicia scored, keeping pace with every two points the others managed.
"Hey — you joining?" Scott called out, having just sunk a three-pointer.
I shrugged. "It wouldn't be fair."
"To who?" Scott grinned.
"To you," I replied.
"You think you can take us on?" Scott chuckled.
"Oh, he can," Jean said, bouncing the ball. "He's incredibly agile."
"Really?" Scott raised an eyebrow. "Alright then — you and me, one on one."
I smiled. "You really don't want to do this, Scott."
"Confident, are we?"
"No. Just very sure of what I'm capable of."
"Alright — how about a bet?" Scott smiled. "If I win, I get to take the DeLorean for a spin."
I smirked. "Fine. And if I win, you tell me what you can do. Deal?"
Scott tossed me the ball. "Deal."
I took off my jacket and stepped onto the court. "Are you sure about this?"
Scott checked the ball back to me. "Hell yeah."
I grinned. "Sucker."
Five minutes later...
"And the king of Xavier's School for Mutants basketball court is Peter Parker!" I cried, dunking my fifth consecutive basket. I landed and grinned at a slack-jawed Scott.
"HOW?!" he yelled.
I smiled. "I'm very agile."
"Come on, you two — lunch is ready!" Jean called from the doorway.
"Coming," I said, putting a hand on Scott's shoulder and guiding him inside. "So — since I won, what can you do?"
Scott sighed. "It's... complicated. I can sort of... blast things."
I grinned. "Cool."
We ate lunch with the others in the cleanest kitchen I had ever seen. The table could seat twelve, and the girls were quickly catching up while Scott and I talked about his abilities.
"So it's a beam of concussive force — not heat?" I asked, genuinely surprised.
Scott nodded. "Yeah. That's what the Professor says. He says the power comes from my eyes somehow, but he doesn't fully understand the mechanism."
I thought about it for a moment. In the comics, there was a theory that Scott's powers drew from another dimension. Maybe it worked similarly to Johnny's — absorbing energy from somewhere else and channelling it through into our world.
"Close your eyes," I told him.
Scott looked startled. "What?"
"I want to look at your eyelids with your eyes shut. Close them," I repeated. He did, and I carefully removed his glasses.
I could see a glowing red energy just below the surface of his eyelids — somehow not tearing through them.
"Are you done?" Scott asked, a hint of impatience in his voice.
"Yeah." I replaced his glasses and watched his eyes open again from behind the red lenses. "I think I have a theory about how your powers work."
Scott blinked. "What?"
"I know someone with similar abilities. His powers come from another dimension — a plane of existence his body can, at will, draw upon. I think yours might work the same way. This energy is somehow native to your body, which is why your eyelids aren't being destroyed by it. I'd wager your fingertips or any other part of your body would be equally immune — they may be absorbing the energy back into you and cycling it internally. But I can't be entirely certain."
Scott gaped at me. "How do you know all that?!"
I shrugged. "Didn't Jean tell you? I'm a genius."
We spent the rest of the afternoon with Scott and Jean, wandering the mansion and talking. Scott and I discussed cars — I wasn't anywhere near his level of enthusiasm, but having spent so much time working on the DeLorean with Johnny and Ben, I could hold my own in the conversation.
By late afternoon it was time to leave. Scott, Jean, Xavier, Ororo, and Logan all came out to the front to see us off.
"I still can't believe you drive that," Scott said, whistling at the sight of the DeLorean.
I smiled. "Yeah. I call it Doc."
"Creative," Logan smirked.
"I missed you all so much," Jean said, pulling us each into a hug. When it was my turn, she pressed a small kiss to my cheek, then quietly removed my psychic dampeners. I looked at her in surprise and was about to ask why when I heard her voice in my mind:
"Next time — just Felicia and you, and me. Just the three of us. We should spend some time together properly."
Jean smiled and replaced the earpiece, leaving me standing there, red-faced.
"Thank you so much for having us, Professor," MJ said warmly. "You really have a wonderful home."
"Yeah — glad to see our Jean's being properly looked after," Liz nodded.
"You are all very welcome," Xavier replied. "Please feel free to visit any time. Our doors are always open to friends."
"Though next time, call ahead," Logan growled.
"Oh — that reminds me!" I quickly rummaged through my bag in the front boot and pulled out my history textbook. I walked over to Logan and opened it to the section on the Second World War. "Here — would you mind signing this?"
Logan and the others exchanged looks. "What are you on about, bub?" Logan asked.
"This." I tapped the photograph of Captain America and James Howlett — also known as Wolverine. I had found it a long time ago. It was actually the moment I realised mutants existed in this world. I hadn't planned to use it this way at the time, but this was as good a moment as any to quietly show Logan something about his past — without giving too much away. "That's you, isn't it? I spoke to Cap about it once. He mentioned how honoured he was to serve alongside you. By the way — would it be alright if I told him about you? Between us, Steve's a little lonely these days. I think hearing from you would mean a lot to him."
Logan's eyes went wide as he stared at the photograph. "T-this is me?"
The other mutants crowded around, each of them quietly stunned.
"My God," Xavier breathed.
"Why didn't I ever notice this?!" Jean cried out.
I shrugged. "I just look carefully."
"Peter... I don't think you fully understand what you've just done. Logan — James — has suffered from amnesia for many years. He has no idea who he was, and now..." Xavier trailed off.
"And now I do," Logan said quietly, turning the pages in search of more but finding nothing. "Damn it. This is useless."
"Calm down, Logan. This is already a tremendous discovery. We'll find more — now that we know where to begin," Xavier assured him.
"I suppose," Logan said, handing the book back to me. "Tell Rogers I want to talk to him." He growled, and then, very slowly, his expression softened. "And kid... thanks."
I blinked. "Ah... you're welcome?"
It must have been an Oscar-worthy performance, because they completely bought it.
Soon the girls and I were back in the car, heading home. This time Felicia rode in front with me, while MJ and Liz dozed in the back seat. We didn't talk much, though my mind was full of thoughts.
There was something I'd been putting off for a while now — ever since Ben had mentioned that my father had a storage unit downtown. The DeLorean had come from there, along with whatever else Richard Parker had left behind. I'd been curious. Just what was in there? Could it give me any answers about what Richard had done?
Whatever the truth was, it was time I looked into that storage unit. But something in my gut told me that doing so would be the start of something very, very dangerous.
Sigh. Bloody comic books.