The next day:
To hell with school. I really hate this place. Not only did I get stuck with advanced placement classes that had me actually paying attention, I couldn't even spend time with my girlfriend.
At lunch I managed to spot Felicia, MJ, and Liz sitting near the back, chatting with each other. I smiled and walked up to them, but as I did I quickly noticed a new face had joined the group — a guy, blonde hair, pale skin, and a wide smile as he looked at Felicia.
I don't like him.
"Hey, Tiger," Felicia noticed me first, smiling and waving. "It's been so long!"
"Ha-ha," I rolled my eyes. "Who's this?"
"Hey," the teenager smiled. "I'm Mark. Mark Raxton. Nice to meet you!"
I didn't recognise the name — so not a major villain or anything. "I'm Peter," I nodded, stepping between him and Felicia and sitting down. "Nice to meet you, Mark." I held his gaze just long enough to make the message clear: don't even think about it.
"Y-yeah, hi," Mark said with a gulp. Good. He knows his place.
"Someone's protective," Felicia giggled.
"Two words: Jessica Drew," I grinned.
"Hey! That was because of you, not me!"
"You gave her a black eye."
"And?"
I smiled and turned to Mark. "So, how did you guys meet?"
"Mark's in our music class," Liz explained with a smile. "MJ and he were chatting and she invited him to lunch."
"Really?" I grinned, looking at MJ, who tried her best not to blush. I paused. "Wait — do we have music classes here?"
"Yes, Peter," Liz sighed, rubbing her temples. "Not everyone can take advanced calculus for their credit requirements."
"Hey, don't blame my genius boyfriend for being smart!" Felicia called out, hugging me tightly. "He's a special little boy!"
"I have a feeling you just called me slow," I grumbled.
"Wait, so you're Peter Parker?" Mark asked, with genuine surprise.
"Yeah, why?" I asked.
"Dude! You're a legend!" Mark exclaimed. "We heard about you! You basically saved everyone's lives at the Stark Expo last year! And you fought alongside the Fantastic Four! Even the kids at my old school up North know about you!"
I blinked and looked at the girls. "Am I?"
"Yup," Felicia nodded. "Basically because you treat high school like it's beneath you and don't give a damn about nearly anyone here, you've become something of a legend to them."
"We didn't want to tell you because we didn't want you getting a big head," Liz huffed. "Besides, it's not like it could get any bigger."
"So wait — do you actually know Johnny Storm?" Mark asked, his eyes wide with curiosity.
I nodded, and the avalanche of questions hit me. I spent most of lunch fielding questions about Johnny and the other members of the Fantastic Four. Total fanboy.
But over the course of lunch I noticed him flirting with MJ here and there. She got annoyed when he ignored her, and I could tell. And then, after he'd finished his little hero-worship session, he flirted with MJ a little more, and then Liz. He went for the trifecta and made eyes at Felicia — but one look from me convinced him otherwise.
By the end of lunch, Felicia and I found ourselves in the coffee shop we used to go to when I tutored her. She didn't have physics this year, so there was no studying, but it was still a perfectly decent place for a date.
We placed our order and sat down near the back, snuggled together. Felicia took out her phone and pulled up Twitter, scrolling through my alter ego's profile.
"You really need to use this more often," she told me.
I shrugged. "I use it as a public platform, Kitten. Warn people about an alien invasion, spar with annoying reporters, and maybe put a few obnoxious twelve-year-olds in their place."
"It would still be better if you actually used it," she shrugged. "Anyway, Peter... we need to talk."
I stopped and blinked. I turned to her with a serious look. "You're not breaking up with me, are you?"
"What? No!" Felicia threw her head back and laughed. "No, you stupid boy!" She cupped my cheeks and looked me dead in the eye. "Look at me, Peter. I'm not going to leave you, so don't plan on getting depressed any time soon, okay?"
I couldn't help but smile. I leaned forward and pressed my lips to hers in a gentle kiss, pulling her close as we settled together. "So what did you want to talk about?"
She took a deep breath and sighed. "My... my father. I think I've figured out how to get him out."
I felt the world grind to a halt. Whatever she was going to say, I didn't think — I didn't expect this. I turned to her. "What?"
"I... I found out where they're keeping him."
Fear dropped into my stomach like a hot ball of lead. "How?"
"He... he told me where they were keeping him. It's a facility in Texas. It's not on any maps, but I found it." She smiled. "Peter, I found my dad."
"How? SHIELD isn't a small-time police department, Felicia. They are the best of the best. How did you find it?"
"I had help," she whispered. "An agent who said he's an old friend of my dad's. He found out where they were holding him."
"What's his name?"
"Rumlow. Brock Rumlow," she spoke, and immediately I had a face to go with the name.
It was the face of the man who killed Captain America — in the comic books, at least. He was... he is the villain known as Crossbones. A man who I know for a fact works for HYDRA, which means he didn't just hand this information to Felicia out of kindness.
"You can't trust him," I told her immediately. "He's a double agent."
Felicia looked confused. "I'm sorry? What?"
I looked around. No one nearby looked like a spy — though I doubted there would be. Stupid paranoia. I looked at Felicia. "Someone got hold of the list of HYDRA bases I pulled from Wyndham's computer. They made sure every base was cleared before SHIELD arrived. Fury told me yesterday. He suspects moles — several of them." Here came the careful guess. "And I'm almost certain Rumlow is one of those people."
Felicia narrowed her eyes. "That's... not possible."
"It kind of is," I sighed, quickly thinking it through. "Think about it. You're searching for your dad — everyone knows that. Rumlow hands you this information. We go to break your father out, and he tips off SHIELD, getting us both caught. We're both taken off the board, and whatever HYDRA is planning... we can't stop it."
Felicia shook her head. "Peter, are you serious? You sound like a conspiracy nut job!"
"No, I don't, because if I were in HYDRA's position that is exactly what I would do," I told her. "This is a trap, Felicia. We can't afford to fall into it."
"Peter, it's my father! I can't let him rot in prison for the rest of his life!" Her voice rose.
"I know that. I do. But all I'm asking is that we take some time. I'll tell Fury what happened. I'll tell him it was Rumlow, and he'll catch the man red-handed."
"And probably move my father somewhere even harder to reach!" she snapped. I could see pure fury in her eyes. "I'm not letting him go, Peter. Not again!"
"Why can't you see this, Felicia?!" I could feel my own anger rising. "They are using you — using us. We stopped their plans, and now they want us gone so we can't come after them again!"
"Us? You mean you," she stood up and walked away.
"Felicia!" I called after her, following her outside. I caught up and grabbed her wrist, turning her around. "Please, Felicia. It's a trap!"
"No!" she pulled free. "It's not a trap, Peter! It's this paranoid idea you've got stuck in your head. It's just me going after my father!"
"But HYDRA—"
"—Doesn't care about me! I'm nothing. Just a thief! You're the amazing Spider-Man." She whispered it like a wound. "They want you. So you know what — you don't have to come. I'll do it myself. You can just stick to being a good little hero, looking down at me like a judgemental prick!"
My eyes went wide as she ran from me. Did she really believe that? That I looked down on her? That she wasn't important to me?
"Felicia!" I ran after her. She slipped into an alley, trying to lose me, but I jumped ahead and landed in her path. "I have never once looked down on you, Felicia. Please believe me. I don't know where this is coming from!"
She looked at me. I could see tears slowly forming. "When you told me your aunt and uncle were kidnapped, I didn't ask a single question. All I did was ask you what I could do to help. And now — when I need your help saving my dad — you come up with these theories. You don't need to lie to me, Peter. I can do this on my own."
"I didn't lie to you, Felicia!" I snapped. "I'm telling you the truth! SHIELD does have spies, and chances are Rumlow is one of them! I'm trying to protect you. Protect us!"
"What proof do you have?" she asked me. "What proof do you have that he's a spy?"
"Why would a SHIELD agent leak classified information to you?" I asked. "Why would he do that unless he wanted something in return?"
"He said he was a friend of my father's—"
"—When did they become friends?! When he was in prison?!" I snapped. And the moment the words were out, I knew I'd gone too far. I stammered. "I-I'm sorry, Felicia. I didn't mean—"
"—No," her voice trembled with rage. "Save it. I'm done explaining myself to you. Don't talk to me." She pushed past me and walked away. I wanted to run after her, I really did. But after what I said... that wouldn't have been the smart thing to do.
Then again, I was never a smart man.
I looked around. The alley was empty. I slipped into the shadows and emerged in full Spider-Man gear. I climbed to the rooftop and spotted Felicia a block over, walking fast. I followed her silently.
As we reached a junction, she slowly looked up, and I immediately drew back from the roof's edge. I waited a moment before looking down again — she was staring right at me. She flipped me the bird, then turned, got into a cab, and drove away.
I followed her back to her building, where she closed her windows and drew the shades. I knew there was nothing I could say to undo what I had said. I texted her twice: forgive me. She didn't respond.
'This calls for a big apology. A really big one,' I thought to myself. 'Cake, flowers, a vanilla milkshake, and maybe a new pair of boots.' But something felt off. She wasn't just angry at me — she was angry at Spider-Man too. Which meant he had to apologise as well.
And then the idea came to me. It was stupid and completely over-the-top, but I was desperate. Felicia is the one thing in this life that I can truly say I love with everything I have. Even being Spider-Man is something I'd give up for her sake — but that didn't mean I was willing to let her and myself walk into a HYDRA trap.
I swung over to the Brooklyn Bridge. Big enough, plenty of space — and best of all, giant steel cables I could use as a writing frame.
I stood at the top and fired out web line after web line, building up thick bundles of white silk darkened by their own density.
It took several minutes just to finish the first four words — mostly because I was getting the hang of forming letters on such a massive scale. From either end of the bridge, or from the roadway itself, anyone looking up would see me spelling out: 'I Love You.' I hadn't finished the message yet. I meant to write 'I Love You, Cat. Always' — and yes, I was going to include the comma. I do have standards.
Speaking of which... "Computer — call Fury." It rang three times before he picked up.
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked. "The news is all over you."
I looked down and sure enough the vans had arrived and cameras were rolling. "Yeah, I noticed. It's not like I'm defacing anything serious, right? I'm writing an apology letter. Why? What does it look like I'm doing?"
"It looks like you're vandalising the Brooklyn Bridge because you're trying to impress your girl," he shot back.
"Well... yeah," I chuckled. "I'm surprised you're watching this. Don't you have better things to do?"
"Not when it involves one of the world's mightiest heroes."
"Oh, Nicky. You're making me blush." I could practically hear him rubbing his temples on the other end of the line. God, I love being Spider-Man. "Anyway, that's not why I called."
"Oh? Do tell," Fury said.
"An agent of yours—" I paused. Should I tell him about Rumlow? If I did, it would derail the events of Winter Soldier. But if Rumlow was left in play, there would be no reason for Civil War to happen, so... to hell with the timeline. "Rumlow. He contacted Felicia and offered to help free her father."
"What?!" Fury snapped.
"Yeah. I'm thinking he's HYDRA. They likely know Felicia is willing to do anything to save her father, and they know I'm willing to do anything to keep her out of prison. I'm guessing they're trying to draw us into a trap. Which means Rumlow—"
"—Is HYDRA," Fury finished. "Is she going to do something reckless?"
"Like break her father out of jail?" I asked, to which he simply hummed. "Not if I can talk her out of it. We had a major argument about this — she wanted to follow Rumlow's lead and I didn't. I'm hoping I can get through to her."
"Do that. I don't want to put two Cats in prison," Fury growled.
"You can help with that," I told him.
"How?"
"Rumlow claimed he's a friend of Walter's. Can you find proof that isn't the case? Did they ever work together? Did Rumlow ever serve as a warden at the facility where you're holding Hardy? Anything I can use to show Felicia he's lying?"
"I'll see what I can find," Fury said. "Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid, Peter." Great — he used my first name. Now I actually have to take this seriously.
"The one thing in life I will never allow, Fury — and that is putting Felicia Hardy in danger. You can count on—"
BOOM!
The explosion was thunderous — like a cannon blast. I looked over and saw a wave of orange energy erupt from the Upper East Side. There was only one thing I knew of in that direction that could produce something like that: the Baxter Building.
"What was that?!" Fury yelled.
"I don't know, but I'll find out. Spider out." I cut the call and swung hard across the bridge, heading straight into the heart of the city.
As I drew closer I could see the traffic had ground to a standstill around the Baxter Building. People were fleeing in every direction. Fear crept in. Was everyone alright? Ben could handle himself. Reed was nearly impossible to injure. Johnny would probably be fine, and Sue had her force fields — but my dad.
Fear settled over me like a cold weight. That man had looked at me like I was his own son. I may not be his child by blood, but the least I owe Peter is to make sure his father was safe.
I swung around the corner and the Baxter Building came into view. The top five floors were burning. There went my lab. Perfect.
Fire poured out from the upper windows. People below were screaming. Sirens were already wailing in the distance — good. I didn't have time to manage civilians.
I swung up to the lounge windows and forced my way in. Everything was scorched, burning with terrible purpose. I adjusted my web-shooter settings and launched thick wads of webbing over the flames, smothering them through suffocation.
"Dad?! Ben?! Johnny?! Where are you?!" I called out as I finished suppressing the fire in the lounge and moved room to room.
"Peter! Over here!" A voice rang out from inside Sue's lab. I ran towards it and found the door locked. I pressed my hand to it — no heat. No fire feeding on fresh air. Safe enough.
With a single kick, the door came flying off its hinges. I ran inside and looked around. Everything was wrecked. Sue had kept most of her experiments sealed in plexiglass — most were intact. But near the back of the destroyed room I found Richard shielding Sue and Johnny as a section of wall threatened to collapse over them.
"Dad!" I called out, running towards them. "Are you alright?!"
"Sue protected us," Richard cried out. "She got to us just in time! But I think it drained her completely! Johnny's unconscious!"
"Hold on tight! I'll get you out!" I deployed my spider arms from their housing. They shot out four web lines at the fallen concrete and pulled simultaneously. The side walls gave way, but the section directly above them lurched dangerously. I ran in and caught it before it could come down on Richard and the others, holding it up through sheer strength.
"Any time now, Dad!" I grunted.
"Right," Richard said, limping out from beneath the wall's shadow and dragging Sue and Johnny clear. Once they were free, I let it drop and stepped back.
"What the hell happened?" I asked him.
"I don't know," he gasped. "We felt it coming from Reed's lab and then everything just came apart. Sue saved me, but... oh God, what could have caused this?!"
I looked around. "This is bad. Very bad." I had a sickening feeling about this. I touched the side of my helmet and activated the comms. "Call all Avengers."
Richard went pale but said nothing as I patched through to Tony, Cap, Nat, Clint, and Fury — the last of whom I considered an honorary member. I deliberately left Bruce off the list. The Hulk wasn't what this situation called for.
"Hello?" Tony picked up first.
"Stark? Why did you call me?" Fury asked.
"Me? I didn't call you — you did!" Tony shot back.
"Tony, if this is a joke, it isn't funny," Steve's voice came through.
"Captain? You're on this call too?" Fury asked in surprise.
"I called you," I said. "I'm inside the Baxter Building right now. Everything's destroyed. Something's happening and I don't know what. Tony — how soon can you get here?"
"Fifteen minutes?" he guessed.
"Get here fast and bring every suit you've got. The place looks like a war zone." I looked around. "Fury — Sue Storm and Johnny are both unconscious. I need agents on site now. Cap — think you and Widow can secure the perimeter? Make sure nothing gets out?"
"I'll be on the first jet over," came Nat's one and only reply before she disconnected.
"See you soon, Spider-Man," Cap replied, then cut off as well.
I ended the call and stood for a moment. 'Right. Now — what the hell caused this?'
I turned to leave when Richard called after me. "Where are you going?"
"To find Reed and Ben," I told him. "Stay here. Whatever caused this probably believes you're dead — and right now, that's keeping you safe. Tony and the others will be here soon."
"Peter, don't go—"
"—I have to," I said. "I'm sorry, Dad."
The man looked devastated. He sighed. "Be safe, son. Please."
I nodded and ran, heading for Reed's lab. I found the door wide open, its frame coated in ash. Small chunks of concrete had been blown outward — meaning whatever that energy wave was, it had originated from inside.
I ran in and found everything dark. I cursed under my breath and switched to night vision. Immediately I spotted Ben in the far corner of the room. He had been thrown into the wall with enough force to leave a crater in the concrete. I ran to him. "Ben!"
His blue eyes opened slowly as he looked up at me, blinking. "Pete?"
"Don't try to speak, Ben. You could be injured. Stay still — help is on the way," I told him, quickly looking him over. "Where's Reed? What happened?"
"Stretch," he groaned, his eyes shifting to the centre of the lab.
I looked over and found Reed stretched out across the floor, face down, his limbs splayed in every direction.
"Reed!" I ran towards him.
"No," Ben moaned, knowing Peter couldn't hear him. "He's back."
I carefully turned Reed over and pressed two fingers to his neck. Steady pulse. Thank God. "Reed? Reed, can you hear me? You're going to be alright."
He opened his eyes slowly, squinting up at me. "I-I'm sorry. He's back. I-I didn't mean to—" His voice faded out.
"It's alright, Reed. You'll be fine!" I said.
"No, my dear Spider-Man — I do not think it will be," came a voice from behind the large machine at the back of the lab. I snapped my head around just in time to see a brilliant green circle ignite in front of me.
'MOVE!' I screamed at myself, throwing my body backward — barely avoiding a blast of green energy. Then my spider-sense roared. Something was directly behind me. I had practically run straight into it.
I couldn't stop my momentum. A metal hand closed around my throat from behind. I clawed at the grip, but it was immovable as the machine began to hoist me into the air, cutting off my breath.
'Damn it!' I slapped my hand against the arm and fired a repulsor blast strong enough to shatter bone.
SNAP!
I hit the floor, coughing hard enough to feel it in my ribs. I rubbed my throat and looked up. A robot — half destroyed, the very same one I had been studying ever since Doom first struck this place nearly a year ago. I understood immediately.
I looked up just in time to see a figure step out of the light.
His armour was battered and no longer shone. It was dull, chipped and cracked. Green light bled from every fracture. His cloak hung in tatters. His mask looked as though it had been welded permanently to his face. He looked down at me and raised one hand.
"Doom has come for you," Victor Von Doom said, and sent a blast of energy into my chest.
I was too slow. The attack was too sudden. I blame the shock of seeing him alive. The impact sent me flying through Reed's lab wall and through the corridor beyond, slamming into the far side.
Doom walked out. His heavy footsteps were the only sound in the building. I was still falling when his fist closed around my throat before I hit the floor. He squeezed. I gasped. I had never felt pain like this.
"I spent so long in that realm," he spat, "thinking of ways to kill you. To crush you like the insect you are." He hurled me into the wall again, cracking a rib in the process.
Then he picked me up and threw me across the lounge floor. I rolled and fought to regain my footing. I made it to one knee — that would have to be enough. I raised both hands and fired twin repulsor blasts.
"Pathetic," he announced, conjuring a shield of green energy. I couldn't believe it — a circular green barrier covered in interlocking symbols and Sanskrit script. Magic. How?
"Insolent bug," he dismissed the shield and drove his boot into my jaw, launching me across the room.
I landed hard and felt a broken tooth. I looked up just in time to see him hurl a bolt of lightning at me — powerful enough to kill an ordinary person. I smirked. I felt my suit charging up. I cried out in pain, playing hurt, waiting for my opening.
Doom finally stopped. He stared at me, ready to advance — when suddenly Richard appeared from behind him with a fire extinguisher raised high, bringing it down hard over Doom's head.
Clang!
Doom paused. He turned and looked at Richard. "Foolish," he said. "But brave." He seized Richard by the throat and lifted him off the ground. "I'll make it quick."
"Let him go!" Pure rage flooded through me as I fired a full unibeam blast that caught Doom square in the chest, sending him flying backward and Richard crashing safely to the ground.
I ran to him and crouched. "Are you okay?"
"Run, Peter! Don't worry about me — just run!" he cried out.
"I'll be fi—" My spider-sense erupted. I threw myself back, but not fast enough. Doom's hand closed around my throat again, and he drove me through wall after wall before finally launching me through a window.
Crash!
The glass scattered around me as I fell. I couldn't feel my back. It was agony. I needed to survive — I needed my webs.
I fired a web line at a passing window and swung like a pendulum, shattering through another panel of glass and crashing into a desk in the middle of an office several floors below.
I groaned, curling tightly. Glass cut into my legs. I tried to crawl, to drag myself away and hide — but a shadow fell across the broken window above me.
Doom could fly. So unfair.
He drifted through the window and touched down in front of me. I could feel the blood leaving my body. He tilted his head — and my spider-sense screamed.
BOOM!
His fist drove into my chest. I felt it cave. I broke through the desk and collapsed to the floor. He stepped over me, raised his fist, and the blows came.
I don't think I could feel anything after the fourth one that broke my nose. The sixth shattered my helmet's optical lenses. The seventh broke the helmet clean off.
Doom saw my face and stopped immediately. I think it was surprise — though I couldn't be sure. Too much blood was running into my eyes.
"You... you are a child," he gasped. I couldn't reply. I didn't know what to say. Then the pity dissolved, replaced by fury. I could smell it on him — the sharp, metallic bite of copper rage. "Doom was bested by a child?! A mere bug?!"
I coughed, whispering something. Doom glared and bent closer. I whispered, "I'm a spider. Not a bug. An arachnid. Some genius you are." Doom opened his mouth to respond — and then froze as my hand closed weakly around his throat. Barely a touch.
He almost smiled. Whatever he thought I was doing clearly posed no threat. Then he gasped. My eyes had flashed blue — I could tell by his expression. He opened his mouth to speak as the metal around his throat began to collapse inward on itself.
"Gah!" he choked, ripping the armour away. My arm fell limply to my side. I managed a quiet laugh. If this was the end, at least I made him pay. He panted, turned to face me, raised his arm directly over my head, and spoke slowly. "This will be the last time you mock Doom."
I couldn't help it — maybe it was the Spider-Man in me. I smiled. "Moron." I knew that single word would be enough to push him over the edge.
And it was.
I closed my eyes before an overwhelming wave of pain consumed me. Through the darkness I saw Felicia smiling up at me, her silver hair curling softly against my shoulder.
Please, God. Whoever is listening — please. Let her be safe.