Chapter 8
The car pulled to a slow stop right outside of Peter’s home. The boy didn't immediately get out, though. Instead choosing to sit and stare at the starless night sky.
He jolted at the feeling of a warm hand on his shoulder, turning to look at Pepper in the driver's seat.
“You're too smart to believe me if I tell you that everything will be alright. But I hope you'll believe me when I say that we are going to do everything that we can.” Her voice was warm and kind. Peter knew she was telling the truth.
“I believe you.” He told her. The woman pulled him into a hug, kissing the top of his head. Peter buried his face into her shoulder, as he does with Aunt May. He left the car quickly after that, walking silently to the house and locking the door behind him.
Trudging up the stairs, Peter knew that he wasn't going to get much sleep. If any. So he took his time in the shower, letting the water slide down around him, gentle and all encompassing.
As he laid in bed, the alarm set for 5:30 am, he thought about Aunt May. About how scared she must be at the moment.
Peter hadn't let himself cry since Uncle Ben had died. Not properly. Not the way he probably should have. But he cried now. He let the tears stream across his face and he let the sobs rack his frame.
A selfish thought crossed his mind then.
What would happen to him?
Spiderman or not, Peter was a minor. The government would step in. Place him in foster care. Although, Matt would help him get emancipated if he asked. But he didn't want to be alone. He wanted his Aunt.
Peter did get to sleep that night. But that didn't stop the tears.
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Steve opened the sliding door to the balcony to find Bucky out there, leaning on the guard railing. The other man didn't move when Steve approached, just continued sipping his bourbon and staring out at the city.
“What are you thinking, buddy?” Steve asked, claiming the spot next to Bucky.
“We have to get May Parker back alive.” Bucky said.
“And we will. It's okay, Buck. Just like any other mission, it'll be fine.”
“But it's not like any other mission.” Bucky said, downing the rest of his booze. “This is my chance to make amends with Peter. If I save his Aunt-”
“It'll make up for his parents.” Steve finished.
Bucky nodded with a desperate look on his face.
“Have you told him yet?” Steve asked.
Bucky shook his head. “You said to wait until he's older.”
“That was when I thought he was just some high school kid.” Steve said, his voice sharp. “But him being Spiderman changes things. He shouldn't be out there, Buck.”
“Not like we can tell him to stop.” Bucky responded.
“You can't be okay with this. Him suiting up every night, doing what he does.” Steve said.
“Steve, we're not his parents. We can't control the kid. And he does good work.”
“But this is HYDRA. This is war. Bucky, we have both seen what happens to Fifteen year old boys who go to war.” Steve said, Bucky’s shoulders drooping. “They don't tend to make it back.”
Bucky nodded, but didn't speak. “I owe it to him to help.”
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The car came at 6:00 am, just like the man on the phone said it would.
Peter climbed in without a word, and the car peeled off of the driveway. His spidey sense went nuts the entire drive, warning him of impending danger. Telling him to get the hell out of whatever situation he was in. He ignored it, instead focusing on Aunt May. How her voice sounded on the phone. How scared she must be.
He became Spiderman to help people who couldn't help themselves. And today, his Aunt was one of those people. If Peter is is going to get through this with the outcome he wants, the he cannot do it as Peter Parker.
This is a job for Spiderman.
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The Avengers set up their incursion and hour prior to Peter’s arrival. Tony and Bruce made sure that they went unseen on the radar and satellite, and Matt kept an ear out for any unexpected guests.
Tony made everyone underwater suits, which given the time frame in which he had them ready, he was definitely just waiting for the perfect excuse to whip them out.
Bruce was in everyone's ear, running point from the tower. He, Tony and Peter had modified some of the BARRY bots to provide camera footage from their positions.
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Peter was blindfolded and loaded up onto a train type transport which ran on the lake floor, right up to the front door of the base.
Peter was marched forward by two guards, his senses were telling him that there were around two dozen scattered around the base. Not too difficult to handle once the Avengers got inside. He just needed to keep May alive and safe until then.
They took Peter to the main hall and tore off his blindfold.
The main hall of the base was a circular room covered in lab tables. Various scientists in white coats worked at tables covered in chemicals, samples and equipment. Peter spotted something in the corner that made his blood run cold. Pods. Metal pods lining the walls, each one holding a person. There were tubes coming from the pods, some removing blood, others sending various liquids into the blood.
These were the kidnapping victims.
They'd assumed that they were shipping them out of the country; they've been in New York this whole time.
“Peter Parker.” A voice said as two hands landed on his shoulders. It was the man on the phone.
“Hello.” Peter said, trying to resist the urge to shake the man off.
“I'm so glad you complied and came. Your aunt is such a lovely woman, I was almost dreading having to put a bullet through her skull.” His British accent reverberated off the metal walls.
“Who are you?” Peter asked.
The man stepped in front of Peter.
“I am Dr. Curtis Conners. It is a pleasure to finally meet you Peter.”
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“Did he just say Curtis Conners?” Natasha asked, uncharacteristic panic lacing her voice.
“Yeah, why?” Bruce asked.
“We gotta go in now!” Clint demanded.
“Why?” Matt asked.
“Conners worked with Peter’s dad on the super soldier serum.” Nat explained. “He's supposed to be dead.”
“Shit.” Frank swore.
“We need to get in there.” Steve said.
“What are we waiting for?” Tony said. “Let's go!”
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“I was very close with your father, you know.” Dr. Conners told Peter, as he walked with him through the lab space.
“You knew my dad?” Peter asked, trying not to throttle the older man.
“Yes. We were friends. He was so happy when you were born. Wouldn't stop talking about you. You look quite a bit like him, you know?”
“Really?”
“Oh yes. But you have Mary's eyes. Those big brown eyes.”
“Where's my Aunt?” Peter asked, tired of this man.
“We'll get to that.” Conners said, squeezing Peter’s shoulder. “What do you remember of your parents?”
“Not much.” Peter lied.
“Tell me.”
“They were scientists at OSCORP. They were nice. That's about it.”
“Your parents and I did work for OSCORP last, that's true. But we also worked for SHIELD.” Conners said, pulling Peter's attention.
“What?” Peter asked.
“Mhmm.” Conners said. “We were working on recreating the super soldier serum that created Captain America. Your parents succeeded.”
“Oh?” Peter asked, trying to hide his worry.
“Yes. They wouldn't tell me how though. They were so worried about HYDRA, they'd discovered the infiltration, you see. Kept it a complete secret from everyone.” Conners paced back and forth. “So, when I found out that their son was also a genius in a lab, I was ecstatic.”
“What are you talking about?” Peter asked, genuinely thrown off.
“Where is it?” Dr. Conners asked.
“Where's what?”
“Don't be coy with me, Peter. Your father's research.”
“I don't know.”
“Don't lie to me!” He said.
“I'm not. Mom and Dad never kept that stuff in the house.”
“You think I'm a fool.” Conners said, almost snarling. “You know where it is. Tell me!”
“He probably destroyed it. If he was as paranoid as you say.”
“Richard would've never thrown away a breakthrough like that. Mary either. They hid it. And you know where.” Conners was getting closer now.
Peter backed away, praying that he wouldn't have to use his powers before the Avengers got there.
“Don't want to tell me? Fine.” Conners said, then nodded to a guard in the corner.
The guard left briefly, only to return with a bound and gagged Aunt May. Holding a gun to her head.
“No!” Peter yelled.
“Where's the research?” Conners demanded.
“I don't know!”
“Yes you do! The research. The briefcase. Where is it?”
“I don't know. I swear! I'll help you!”
“You will help me Peter. But first you'll tell me where your parents stashed the serum research.”
“I don't know.” Peter sobbed.
“Three.”
“No!”
“Two.”
“I'm telling the truth!”
An explosion in the distance pulled everyone's attention.
Thank god.
“Find out what that was.” Conners ordered another guard.
That guard hadn't taken three steps from the room before he was sent flying backward by a flash of lightning.
Peter used the distraction to rush forward and grab May, tearing her hands and mouth free and tucking her away in a safe corner.
As the other heros filtered into the room, the guards fell one by one. Until only Curtis Conners was left.
“I must say, Peter.” The doctor said, “I wasn't expecting this.”
“Conners, you're coming with us.” Clint said.
“Agent Barton, pleasure to see you again. Does young Peter know about yours and Agent Romanov's connection to his parents?” Conners asked.
Peter looked at the agents in confusion.
“How about Sargent Barnes’ connection?”
Bucky went pale.
“No? Hmm.” Conners opened his mouth to speak some more, but Peter beat him to the punch.
“I don't care.” Peter said. “All I care about is seeing your ass locked up for the rest of your life.
“Very well. But before we get to the arresting, I feel obligated to share the fact that I myself, had a breakthrough with the serum research. Although mine came with some… adverse effects. Effects that I was able to control, in time.” Conners wore a grin that was very out of place, given the circumstances.
“My god you talk a lot.” Tony said, aiming his repulser at Conners.
“And that's coming from him.” Frank said.
Conners laughed. “I suppose it's better to show you.” He said, shedding his lab coat.
His laughs turned to growls, which turned to snarls. His arms turned from the regular skin of a human man, to a scaly green giant. His hands and feet sprouted claws and a giant tail came from his back. He grew until he stood twenty feet tall. Conners, or whatever this lizard-thing was, snapped its razor sharp teeth at the the heros lined up before it.
“Bruce.” Tony said into his comm.
“Yeah?” Bruce said, watching slack-jawed from the monitors in the tower’s control center.
“You're coming with us next time, buddy.” Tony told him.
“Yeah.” Bruce responded.
The Lizard roared and charged straight for Peter, who lept up and over it.
Tony blasted it in the face while Frank unloaded magazine after magazine on it. Clint and Matt focused on corralling the Lizard into the necessary areas, while Peter got Aunt May to the train, sending her to the surface.
Cap launched Nat into the air, with the woman shooting her Widow Bites into the Lizard's eyes, blinding it so that Thor could uppercut it with Mjolnir.
Daredevil swung his batons around the Lizard's ankles, letting the rope wrap tight. Hawkeye did the same from the other side.
Frank and Sam ran to the pods, unlocking them and pulling the victims to safety of the train. Oncle of the victims woke up, groggily asking if they were there to help them.
“We are.” Sam assured her. “Where are the others?” He asked.
Of the three hundred that had been taken, only four dozen had been found on the base.
“Dead. The experiments killed them.” The woman told them. “That thing out there ate the corpses.”
Sam and Frank looked at each other in disgust.
Red lights flashed in the main hall as the Lizard turned back into Conners. Alarms blared and a countdown from three hundred began.
“What is that?” Cap demanded, grabbing Conners by the arm.
“Self destruct. Programmed to go off if I don't check in every hour, on the hour. That passed two minutes ago.” Conner answered with a bloody smile.
“Wrap him up. Let's get out of here.” Tony said, pointing at Conners.
As they watched the underwater base implode, the heros couldn't help but feel as though this was the start of something, rather than the end.
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